Dr. Jen Gunter
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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
Vaccines and Jenny McCarthy: the Oprah mea culpa interview doctors want to see
I am sure Oprah had spectacular ratings for her Lance Armstrong interview and so, in the spirit of truth-telling, I have another mea culpa show for Ms. Winfrey to consider: vaccine safety. Until Jenny McCarthy got major air time the link between vaccines and autism was relatively fringe. But with Oprah in September of 2007 McCarthy, … 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
What I learned from my readers in 2011, why bad sex is like turkey bacon, and sharing is caring
In 2011 over 140,000 people viewed my bog. Pretty cool. A lot of people found me via reddit, stumbleupon, twitter, and Facebook. Thank you to everyone who posted and reposted. I am thrilled to think that anything I wrote was interesting/entertaining/informative enough to pass along. People also came via searches. The most popular search terms … Continue reading
10 red flags to identify crappy on-line health content
Looking up medical information is the 3rd most common on-line activity. While there are good sites with great information that can help people be empowered about their health, there are also tons of terrible sites marred by bias and rife with the stench of snake oil. Sometimes you have to read an entire article to … Continue reading
Dr. Oz proves he is the Wizard of Woo in less than 60 seconds
I just had cable installed this week. The nice guy from Comcast flipped on the TV to prove it was working and the show that magically popped up was Dr. Oz. I know. Like a red cape for a bull. It was as if the angels (or demons, depending on your perspective) had arranged this … Continue reading
The hCG diet: snake oil or a secret for successful slimming?
What’s old is new again. In the 1950′s Dr. Albert Simeons published the hCG diet: 500 calories a day combined with injections of human chorionic gonadotrophin or hCG (the hormone secreted by the placenta during pregnancy). The hCG shots supposedly curbed hunger as well as helped shed fat in those oh so hard spots (stomach, … Continue reading
Blogging with integrity: what does that mean for doctors?
Once a day (but often more), a frustrated patient thrusts reams of pages downloaded from the Internet into my hands. The fact that someone researches their condition excites me, because knowledge is power. That the information they receive is often drivel, saddens me to no end. Misinformation raises false hope, causes some to make potentially … Continue reading
