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Here is a recap of the stories that appeared last week at Science-Based Medicinea multi-author skeptical blog that separates the science from the woo in medicine.

NIH Director Francis Collins doesn’t understand the problem with CAM (David Gorski) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/francis-collins-doesnt-get-cam/

Francis Collins was keynote speaker at a conference on “integrative oncology.” His speech included commonly repeated CAM distortions and logical fallacies and tried to support integrative ideas about personalized medicine and natural medicines by falsely equating them to genomics and pharmacognosy. It demonstrated that he just doesn’t “get” the problem of CAM and pseudoscience infiltrating medicine.

 

Visceral Manipulation Embraced by the APTA (Harriet Hall) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/visceral-manipulation-embraced-by-the-apta/

The American Physical Therapy Association is trying to establish evidence-based treatment guidelines; but it also embraces CME courses in visceral manipulation, a pseudoscientific treatment modality linked to energy medicine and related nonsense. A letter of protest from a member was answered with an astonishing letter defending non-evidence-based treatments.

 

Aspirin Risks and Benefits (Steven Novella) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/aspirin-risks-and-benefits/

Daily low-dose aspirin is commonly used to prevent heart attacks and strokes. A recent review sheds light on its risks and benefits, and supports current recommendations to use it for secondary prevention and to individualize the decision to use it for primary prevention.

 

Podcast Interlude (Scott Gavura) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/podcast-interlude/

Links to interviews of the author on two podcasts: Point of Inquiry on the role of the pharmacist and the need for science-based pharmacy; and Skeptically Speaking on the prevention and treatment of the common cold.