has just been written. I have been approached by several suppliers over the last few months asking for advertising of their health related products or “even better”, guest posts on this site. Never mind that these are things which usually come with very little evidence attached – and the answer is of course no. To […]
Continue Reading →Is CT screening for lung cancer a good idea?
Lots of media coverage would say that it is: the Independent puts it: “Screening heavy smokers with low-dose computer tomography (CT) instead of X-rays can reduce deaths from lung cancer by 20 percent, a massive US study released Thursday shows. Previous studies have shown that helical CT scanning can identify small tumors in the early stages […]
Continue Reading →The Crisis in Caring and dangerous inference
I note with gratitude DC’s digging of the College of Medicine arising from Prince Charles’ Foundation for Integrated Health. The College website, if looked at superficially and uncritically, may seem like a good thing – caring! sharing information with patients! recognising that targets can interfere with good clinical care! – in fact, all the same kind […]
Continue Reading →Early trial results and sex revolution overselling
I’m trying to get hold of the press release or poster or whatever it was from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine that triggered this Guardian article, here: ‘Contraceptive gel could offer alternative to pill’. It’s an opinion piece which says ‘As with the pill, though, these are hormone-based treatments that can have unpredictable consequences […]
Continue Reading →Chilean psychologists
In the BMJ. In all, 33 miners, 69 days, and 26 people sent by the BBC to the San José copper and gold mine to cover their rescue (www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/oct/14/chile-miners-bbc-overspend). The story about the miners trapped deep underground attracted more than 2000 members of the global media to the ringside to watch their individual slow ascent […]
Continue Reading →James Cann and locum doctors
Dragons Den, What they did next: start at about 56.20. Entrepreneur James Caan is visiting one of his businesses. “Let’s get this team going! Let’s get the buzz going!…” (James) “What I think, James, is that it would be really good if you got on the phone and showed us how it’s done…” (lady with telephone […]
Continue Reading →Mass effect
I don’t think that most public health messages work effectively. For example; ‘Make a date for cervical screening” “check your breasts” “have you been immunised against flu?” etc, etc. Mainly, I don’t think soundbites tell the whole truth, and I don’t think that mass messaging treats people as individuals. Nor do public health campaigns seek […]
Continue Reading →Bleak October for breast awareness
What do a prawn sandwich, a pair of Laura Ashley pjamas, crocus bulbs and some raspberry chocolate got in common? You can buy them all in aid of Breast Cancer. This is ‘breast cancer awareness month’. I have been attempting to suggest that perhaps it isn’t such a good idea for the last decade at […]
Continue Reading →Emperors with their cuffs rolled up
The DoH ‘Bare Below the Elbows’ theme has been going on for a few years now. The original document, you may remember, is here, from 2007, and stated that research on workwear and infection prevention had been done, was not yet published, but contained the following: “There is no conclusive evidence that uniforms (or other […]
Continue Reading →Thank you
I’m so touched by the emails in response to my last in the FT: I will reply to each one (just back from a September weekend in wild woods, no batteries on iphone) over the next few days. In the meantime, here’s a quickie from the Times today about risks and benefits of aspirin (or […]
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