–Brahmajee Nallamothu fills in the details about the patient who didn’t get a stent because of ORBITA. Editor’s note: The New York Times story by Gina Kolata on the ORBITA trial focused on one patient who decided not to have a stent implanted when he heard about the ORBITA trial. Here is a more complete…
Crystals, Spiritual Speed Dating, And The New York Times
September 8, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Once again the New York Times has published a story that contains pseudoscientific, completely unsupported health claims without providing any critical perspective on the topic. A few weeks ago I wrote an open letter to the New York Times Public Editor about an egregious article in the Style and Fashion section about sound bath “healers.” Now the Times has once again…
All The Woo That’s Fit To Print: An Open Letter To The New York Times Public Editor
August 21, 2015 by 2 Comments
Dear Public Editor, Why does the New York Times continue to allow fashion and style reporters to write stories that contain preposterous scientific and medical statements without providing any outside perspective from, say, real scientists or doctors? A recent and egregious case is “Sound Baths Move From Metaphysical to Mainstream” by Sophia Kercher (August 15, 2015), which repeats a string of…
What Role Should Coca-Cola Play In Obesity Research?
August 9, 2015 by 1 Comment
The New York Times reports that Coca-Cola gives financial support to scientists and a new foundation to help promote the message that the obesity epidemic is fueled not by too many calories or too much sugar but by not enough physical activity. The Times piece is well worth a read but the issue it takes up is not new. Last year I wrote a…
Fact Check: NY Times Heart Disease Series Gets It Right– Mostly
June 24, 2015 by 1 Comment
In my opinion Gina Kolata, who writes for the New York Times, is the most extravagantly talented and gifted health and science reporter working today. Her virtues are abundantly evident in Mending Hearts, a four-part series about several major developments and controversies involving the treatment of heart disease. You should read it right away. You’ll learn a lot….
Is cancer “by far, the harder problem”?
January 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Really? Does everyone seem to have cancer? Compared to heart disease is cancer “by far, the harder problem”? Half a century ago, the story goes, a person was far more likely to die from heart disease. Now cancer is on the verge of overtaking it as the No. 1 cause of death. Troubling as this…
Controversy Erupts Over Accuracy Of Cardiovascular Risk Calculator For Guidelines
November 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment
In the face of a highly critical story in the New York Times by Gina Kolata about the new cardiovascular guidelines, authors of the guidelines and leaders of the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology defended the value and integrity of the guidelines. The Times story claims that the cardiovascular risk calculator used to assess individual risk in the new guidelines is deeply flawed. “In…
Salt Report From IOM Sparks Much Heat, Only A Little Light
May 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment
An Institute of Medicine report on salt earlier this week sparked a lot of controversy. The report concludes that there’s no evidence to support current efforts to lower salt consumption to less than 2,300 mg/day. Unfortunately, the press coverage offered little insight into the science behind the issue. On the Knight Science Journalism Tracker blog,…
Is Red Meat A Fish Story? Why You Should Never Believe Health Headlines
April 12, 2013 by 2 Comments
Don’t believe the the hype! That’s the cardinal rule to obey when reading health news. “Breakthroughs” and “cures” are rare, and should always be viewed with caution and skepticism. This week was a great example. Last Sunday, the New York Times, the major networks, and a host of other media outlets (including this one) reported on a paper…
400 Patients Sue Kentucky Hospital and 11 Cardiologists Over Unnecessary Procedures
February 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
After undergoing more than two dozen cardiac procedures over a period of twenty years at St. Joseph Hospital in London, Kentucky, a patient was told by an outside cardiologist in Lexington that a recent procedure had been performed unnecessarily on an artery that was barely blocked. “I would have not carried out this procedure,” the…
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