This has been a bad year for homeopathy, first there was the Draft Information Paper on Homeopathy from the NHMRC, which concluded there was no reliable evidence for the use of homeopathy in the treatment…
- Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology, Adelaide University
This morning I woke to the most disappointing headline ever. “A Bite to Remember? Chocolate Is Shown to Aid Memory” was prominent in my twitter feed, highlighting a recent paper in Nature Neuroscience…
Bisphenol A is in the news again. A paper just published in the Public Library of Science with the alarming title of “Holding Thermal Receipt Paper and Eating Food after Using Hand Sanitizer Results in…
The Moon as seen from Darwin at Saturn ingress (20:05 ACST) and exit (21:19 ACST). Similar views will be seen at similar latitudes (Broome Weipa, Townsville, Cairns). Click to embiggen. The Moon as seen…
On the weekend the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Health authorities had raided Indian grocery stores in Sydney’s southwest, confiscating traditional Indian medicines that they thought might contain…
The complementary medicine industry has been quick to respond to an opinion piece by Cassandra Wilkinson in The Australian newspaper on the lack of evidence for many complementary medicines, and particularly…
This morning I drove past the new Krispy Kreme donut shop in Adelaide, people were lining up waiting for it to open. Ironically, this morning a paper was published in the British Journal of Nutrition entitled…
A couple of weeks ago Amanda Blair wrote, in the light of of the problems with the South Australian Health Budget, that she could provide savings by being the “Door Bitch” at Emergency Departments and…
A couple of years back a French research study (known as the Seralini study after it’s first author) claimed that rats fed a diet which contained a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified corn or the herbicide…
Losing weight is very hard, so it’s not surprising many people succumb to the allure of miracle weight-loss pills and potions available online. But they do so at their own peril, as today’s Emergency Medicine…
A paper published last year in the British Medical Journal claimed that there were significant risks to taking the lipid lowering drugs called statins as primary prevention measures. The journal has just…
The Moon at 8:02 pm ACST in Adelaide on 14 May just before the Moon covers Saturn. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time. See table below for exact local times. Click to enlarge…
Eating an organic diet for a week can cause pesticide levels to drop by almost 90% in adults, research from RMIT University has found. The study, led by Dr Liza Oates found particpants’ urinary dialkylphosphates…
Partial Eclipse as seen from Brisbane near maximum eclipse, 5:00 pm AEST. Simulated in Celestia. Click to enlarge. Partial Eclipse as seen from Sydney near maximum eclipse, 4:55 pm AEST. Simulated in Celestia…
Eastern horizon as seen from Sydney on April 15 at 6:30 pm AEST. Totality is just ending. Click image to enlarge Eastern horizon as seen from Adelaide on April 15 at 6:00 pm ACST Totality is just ending…
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has released its long-awaited review of homeopathy, as well as a tip sheet for doctors to talk to their patient about complementary medicines in…
As we prepare for the 2014 influenza season, vaccines are in the news again. Also in the news is the latest chapter in a drawn out drama of vaccine misinformation. In case you may have missed this, after…
I’ve just spent over two days doing radio and TV interviews about a paper from my colleagues and I on labelling of herbal medicines. It’s not actually physically printed yet but you can get an electronic…
Environmental scientists have warned the long-term effects of synthetic chemicals used in packaging, food storage and processing food could be damaging our health. In a paper published in the Journal of…
TESTING ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES - La Trobe University’s decision to accept funding from Swisse for a new centre to research alternative medicines has sparked controversy. This series looks at how the evidence…
I was recently interviewed by the ABC for a story on the safety of caffeine strips*. The story was aired today (for the video and transcript see here), with my section coming at the end. In a short TV…
Southern Australia is currently suffering under a heat wave; by all indications today Adelaide will enjoy a record breaking 46 degrees C. With the extreme heat it is vital that everyone take appropriate…
There is no evidence for a link between moderate coffee consumption and dehydration, according to a study in PLOS ONE. The global population consumes 1.6 billion cups of coffee a day and it’s a common…
In case you haven’t noticed, this is antibiotic awareness week. Antibiotics have changed our lives more profoundly than almost any other medical intervention outside of vaccination. If you want a glimpse…
In the wake of the ABC statin story there have been a lot of comments on the Conversation about the evils of Big Pharma. Less attention has been given to Big Supplement, the multimillion dollar herbal…
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