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Joseph Mercola Is A Threat To Public Health, Spreading False Information

By Dr. Joseph Albeitz

Some of our more astute readers may have noticed that we are paying influenza slightly more attention than other topics of late.  That’s because this situation is new, rapidly changing, and covers more areas of science and medicine than one can easily count.  It’s also a subject about which the general public and media are keenly interested.  This is an outstanding learning and teaching opportunity for us as a professional community.  Unfortunately, it is also fertile ground for confusion, fear, and misinformation, and a playground for those who would exploit such things.

Mercola.com is a horrible chimera of tabloid journalism, late-night infomercials, and amateur pre-scientific medicine, and is the primary web presence of Joseph Mercola.  Unfortunately, it is also one of the more popular alternative medicine sites on the web and as such is uncommonly efficient at spreading misinformation.  I am not a fan, and have addressed his dross in the past. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*

H1N1 Flu Vaccine: No Adjuvants, Excellent Safety

In a recent post, Swine Flu:  H1N1 Flu Vaccine – Who Should Get It, Who Shouldn’t Get It and Is It Safe, a Healthin30 reader, Doriorio posted a comment and questioned the safety of the H1N1 Flu Vaccine.

Doriorio writes:

“Hi. Thanks for a great post. My pediatrician expressed concern to me about potential adjuvants in the H1N1 vaccines, saying that there are six manufacturers and potentially a wide variety in the vaccines among them. I know adjuvants are used more widely in Europe, but it’s not clear if the ones that may be used in the H1N1 vaccines have been tested for side effects. I think given the groups being prioritized for this vaccine, for instance infants, we should not be taking any chances in administering anything untested via vaccine. It conjures up the smallpox vaccine fiasco in the 1970s where the government had to set aside a vaccine injury compensation program for injured parties, some of whom were permanently affected. What do you know about adjuvants being added and the safety claims being made by the CDC when testing time has obviously been nonexistent.” Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*

Pitching Tents For Pandemic Flu

I walked out the back of the ER tonight to see this in the ambulance bay:

IMG_0292
Uploaded with plasq‘s Skitch!

And this inside: Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat*

H1N1 Vaccine: Why Kids Should Get The Shot

There’s a disturbing statistic floating about parents’ view of H1N1. According to a recent survey by CS Mott Children’s Hospital, only 40% of parents plan to get their kids the H1N1 shot. The reason: “they are not worried about H1N1”.

This statistic completely stuns me given the amazing amount of coverage and data on H1N1. As a parent and a pediatrician, I’m floored that more parents are unable to see just how serious H1N1 is and why they need to immunize their children for this flu season.

Let’s tease through the facts so you have a better understanding why H1N1 isn’t a virus to take lightly, or for granted: Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Dr Gwenn Is In*

The H1N1 Flu Vaccine: Who Should Get It?

mazeIn April I co-authored, Swine Flu Vs. Soap:  Our bet’s on the soap! with pediatrician, Dr. Gwenn O’Keefe, founder of Pediatricsnow.  We gave a brief overview about the swine flu H1N1 and discussed preventative measures.

While the information remains the same in our post, I’d like to now add a little info about the the H1N1 flu vaccine.

Health information about H1N1 is circulating the web faster than tweets zip through cyberspace and it can be very confusing.

It’s like you’re stuck in a maze and you don’t know which way to go to get out.  Information about the swine flu is circulating so quickly that it can even be frightening.  It’s really important that you don’t panic.

Gather your information and talk with you doctors and nurses.

Information about the H1N1 flu vaccine Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*

Latest Interviews

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It’s no secret that doctors are disappointed with the way that the U.S. healthcare system is evolving. Most feel helpless about improving their work conditions or solving technical problems in patient care. Fortunately one young medical student was undeterred by the mountain of disappointment carried by his senior clinician mentors…

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I am proud to be a part of the American Resident Project an initiative that promotes the writing of medical students residents and new physicians as they explore ideas for transforming American health care delivery. I recently had the opportunity to interview three of the writing fellows about how to…

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Latest Book Reviews

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I m often asked to do book reviews on my blog and I rarely agree to them. This is because it takes me a long time to read a book and then if I don t enjoy it I figure the author would rather me remain silent than publish my…

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The Spirit Of The Place: Samuel Shem’s New Book May Depress You

When I was in medical school I read Samuel Shem s House Of God as a right of passage. At the time I found it to be a cynical yet eerily accurate portrayal of the underbelly of academic medicine. I gained comfort from its gallows humor and it made me…

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Eat To Save Your Life: Another Half-True Diet Book

I am hesitant to review diet books because they are so often a tangled mess of fact and fiction. Teasing out their truth from falsehood is about as exhausting as delousing a long-haired elementary school student. However after being approached by the authors’ PR agency with the promise of a…

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