Dr. Jen Gunter
evidence based medicine
The only thing that a cleanse actually cleans is your wallet
From time to time I get asked about cleanses. What is typically meant by a “cleanse” is only drinking a juice concoction for several days. Some cleanses add things like cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, or other supposedly “healthy” substances. The most common reasons to “cleanse” that I hear from people who drink these things include: … Continue reading
Going back to work with neck pain, a doctor takes her own advice
I hurt my neck a while back. I was in the operating room and, in retrospect, I wonder if my neck was contorted in an odd way for a long time as it was a lengthy case. In addition, it was during what I call my emotional low point of the year, the 4 days between … Continue reading
Fact checking is optional when it comes to health information and the media
I just read an “article” (and I use that term rather loosely) this morning on msnbc.com. It was about how the previous reports of a Mexican woman claiming to be pregnant with 9 babies weren’t entirely true. How untrue? Well, turns out she wasn’t even pregnant. Yes, you read that correctly. In their haste to report … Continue reading
Why double pneumonia is like irregardless and why it matters
MSNBC is reporting that Rick Santorum’s daughter, Bella, has unfortunately been hospitalized again. Considering she has Trisomy 18 multiple hospitalizations are sadly expected. The article started out well enough, using the National Library of Medicine and a pediatric palliative care expert as sources and reviewing the medical issues faced by children with trisomy 18 who … Continue reading
When can you get an IUD after an abortion and why it matters
Medical professionals used to believe that it was necessary to wait at least 2 weeks after a surgical abortion to insert an IUD. The concern was the contracting uterus might expel the IUD. But, like many things in medicine, proof that this concern was valid was never born out in the medical literature. I chalk … Continue reading
Deal or steal? Groupon for laser therapy treatment of toenail fungus
Groupon was recently offering laser treatment of toenail fungal infections for $199. Is this a deal (in some clinics treatment can be $600 to $1000) or stealing your money for a therapy unlikely to work? Fungal infection of the toenail (onychomycosis) is a difficult to treat condition. The infection causes discolored, bumpy, ugly toe nails … Continue reading
