MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'bogus'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:31:20 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3816399&cid=t_150488_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnew-ama-report-almost-90-of-us-physicians-are-victims-of-meritless-lawsuits%2F2010.08.03 I received this press release today and was depressed by the prevalence of meritless lawsuits in this country. Most physicians (95%) are sued at some point in their careers, and as many as 90% of these suits are found to be meritless. If that doesn’t make you want to quit practicing medicine, I don’t know what does. This kind of litigious climate definitely adds to my stress levels — and makes me fearful of caring for very sick and fragile patients who are likely to have poor outcomes, regardless of what I do. Many of my colleagues practice medicine with one eye always looking over their shoulder, wondering when that one bad apple will take them to court in an attempt at a financial windfall. In Canada, those who bring frivolous lawsuits to court are responsible for all l... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3816399 Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:07:44 +0100 3816399 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3822922&cid=t_150488_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnew-ama-report-almost-90-of-us-physicians-are-victims-of-meritless-lawsuits%2F2010.08.03 I received this press release and was depressed by the prevalence of lawsuits filed against doctors in this country. More than 40% of physicians are sued at some point in their careers, and the vast majority of these suits are found to be meritless. If that doesn’t make you want to quit practicing medicine, I don’t know what does. This kind of litigious climate definitely adds to my stress levels — and makes me fearful of caring for very sick and fragile patients who are likely to have poor outcomes, regardless of what I do. Many of my colleagues practice medicine with one eye always looking over their shoulder, wondering when that one bad apple will take them to court in an attempt at a financial windfall. In Canada, those who bring frivolous lawsuits to court are... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3822922 Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:53:36 +0100 3822922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3560233&cid=t_150488_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Flow-dose-naltrexone-medical-revolution-or-pseudoscience%2F2010.05.13 On SBM we have documented the many and various ways that science is abused in the pursuit of health (or making money from those who are pursuing health). One such method is to take a new, but reasonable, scientific hypothesis and run with it, long past the current state of the evidence. We see this with the many bogus stem cell therapy clinics that are popping up in parts of the world with lax regulation. This type of medical pseudoscience is particularly challenging to deal with, because there is a scientific paper trail that seems to support many of the claims of proponents. The claims themselves may have significant plausibility, and parts of the claims may in fact be true. Efforts to educate the public about such treatments are frustrated by the mainstream media’s lazy tendency to di... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3560233 Thu, 13 May 2010 12:00:52 +0100 3560233 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3511575&cid=t_150488_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2Fhubble-enhanced-open-science-and-bogus-research.html These are a few of the science stories that caught my eye this past week: Hubble’s 20th anniversary treat – A stupendous image of a distant region of space, colour enhanced (of course) but amazing nevertheless. Draft White Paper – Researcher identifiers – How about a "SciID", like OpenID or a DOI but for identifying individual researchers? A barcode tattoo would get you into conferences you'd paid for too…or maybe not… Norway: brainwashed science on TV creates storm – The Norwegians have taken science to heart Researchers “Addicted” to Bogus Internet Studies – Spurious studies published on the internet that reveal just how addicted we are to research into internet addiction reveal that internet addictions studies a... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3511575 Tue, 27 Apr 2010 07:20:08 +0100 3511575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3508229&cid=t_150488_107_f&fid=36672&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebase.com%2Fscience-blog%2Fhubble-enhanced-open-science-and-bogus-research.html These are a few of the science stories that caught my eye this past week: Hubble’s 20th anniversary treat – A stupendous image of a distant region of space, colour enhanced (of course) but amazing nevertheless. Draft White Paper – Researcher identifiers – How about a "SciID", like OpenID or a DOI but for identifying individual researchers? A barcode tattoo would get you into conferences you'd paid for too…or maybe not… Norway: brainwashed science on TV creates storm – The Norwegians have taken science to heart Researchers “Addicted” to Bogus Internet Studies – Spurious studies published on the internet that reveal just how addicted we are to research into internet addiction reveal that internet addictions studies a... Sciencebase Science Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3508229 Tue, 27 Apr 2010 07:20:08 +0100 3508229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3105028&cid=t_150488_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F08%2F17%2Fexpounding-on-courtesy%2F Some may remember a post I wrote some time ago titled, “Common Courtesy.” Well, apparently, not everyone in the world has read that post yet. I know challenge all of you to read it again and ensure that every person you know reads it as well. I’m currently working on a collaborative practice agreement between myself and a group of local physicians that prescribe about 30% of my business that would allow me to change and edit prescriptions per protocol to fit insurance/payment needs. Meaning — if one of them writes Lipitor and it’s for a cash-pay patient, I can immediately change it to an equivalent dose of Simvastatin. Each of these changes had to be hand written, researched and decided by me. Then, I had to talk it over with 1 of the doctor’s to make su... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3105028 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:44:33 +0100 3105028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2660726&cid=t_150488_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fmore-money-down-drain.html MSc (Bedpan) - the practical attachmentTurning aside, for a moment, from vexed issues such as the funding of new anti-cancer drugs and the NHS post-code lottery, I am amused to see the latest own goal from our beleaguered government. Taxpayers are to fund gap years for graduates to keep them off the dole queue, The Times has learnt. Hundreds of university leavers will get public money from Lord Mandelson’s department to help them to travel to places such as Costa Rica, Borneo and India.The TimesIt reminds me of the unintentionally funniest article of 2008 in the Guardian. Get a box of tissues and have a look at it again. In particular, read the comments.This is of course a cynical and transparent attempt to massage the unemployment figures, but it is more than that. It is a stark reminde... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2660726 Sat, 01 Aug 2009 08:52:00 +0100 2660726 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510453&cid=t_150488_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fsummer-solstice-druids-chiropractors.html Thanks to Planet Chiropractic for the photograph above. Good to know that the American chiropractors recognise that they are visiting from a different planet. Meanwhile, for us Earthlings, it is the Summer Solstice, the longest day. For those of us with sub-clinical SAD syndrome, this is the harbinger of longer nights, shorter days and the long, hard haul to the winter solstice on 21 December (for those as anal as Dr Crippen about this, at exactly 17.47)The sun-worshippers and Druids are even now gathered on Salisbury Plain. Dr Crippen pauses awhile to wonder why Planet Chiropractic is so interested in sun-worship. Mr Justice Eady has decreed that one should not use words like “bogus” when discussing the …er interesting claims made by British chiropractors. I wonder if even now our c... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510453 Sun, 21 Jun 2009 08:11:00 +0100 2510453 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2469489&cid=t_150488_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fbalancing-nhs-budget.html …the NHS in England is set to run up a substantial surplus, for the second year running. Public health campaigners say it represents a fantastic opportunity for the health service to invest in innovative services to improve health.November 2008-the NHS has returned to financial balance, delivering a surplus of £510 million in 2006/07, and is on course to achieve a surplus in 2007/08.'June 2008All very encouraging you may think but then, suddenly:A report by NHS managers warns the health service will face the worst and most severe and sustained financial shortfall in its history after 2011. How should the NHS be funded?

The BBC has learned the NHS in England is facing a real-terms reduction of between £8 and 10bn in its budget over the three years after 2011.June 2009What is going ... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2469489 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:41:00 +0100 2469489 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414781&cid=t_150488_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fdoes-karol-sikora-do-any-work-for-nhs.html Following yesterday's article, several people have written in to comment that Karol Sikora is no longer on the staff at Imperial College. If that is correct, and I think it is, I must apologise for the inaccuracy. Note that on the beginning of the video, Sikora is styled as "Professor" although it does not say where. This may of course be using the word "Professor" in the same way we use the word "President" when we talk of "President" Carter, Bush, Clinton and Bush. It would be usual for a retired eminent professor to keep a courtesy title though, in view of his recent activity, I hesitate to suggest to use the expression "Professor emeritus".It is not clear, nor is it possible to establish with internet research, if indeed Karol Sikora still has any "hands-on" role with NHS patients. One... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414781 Sat, 16 May 2009 11:12:00 +0100 2414781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2195229&cid=t_150488_136_f&fid=36027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fandrewschorr%2Fmy-beef-with-infomercials%2F Over the holidays I watched television or listened to the radio at odd times. And lately I’ve run into a run of infomercials. I’ve tried to watch with a critical eye. I’ve given up on the ones with the rows of smiling, buff, dancing exercise enthusiasts. I know our increasingly obese American population likes watching the tight bodies but makes no effort – with new gizmos of not – to exercise themselves. It’s just eye candy and another way to blow money on a New Year’s resolution almost no one follows for very long. But beyond the 30-minute exercise-equipment commercials are the more medical ones. Jane Seymour, the British actress, for example, has her name on a line of skin care products. Everyone wants to look younger and, according to Seymour’s experts in white coats... Andrew at Large blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2195229 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:01:10 +0100 2195229