Final QED
'After fifteen years of running the UK's largest celebration of science, reason and critical thinking, 2025 will see
the final QED conference. As organisers of QED, it has been our pleasure and our privilege to share in those memories. And while the curtain may be coming down,
we hope you'll join us one last time as we take over the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel for the weekend of October 25th-26th, with a free Skepticamp event on
Friday 24th October. Tickets will go on sale from 3pm UK time on May 6th, 2025.'
Placebo for Premenstrual Syndrome
A clinical trial found that open-label placebo provided with a treatment
rationale was an effective, safe, and acceptable treatment for premenstrual syndrome. 'By analysing survey data from the participants' final menstrual cycle,
the team found that those who took placebos without an explanation saw a 50 per cent reduction, on average, in the intensity of their PMS symptoms, compared with
what they reported before they took the pills. These symptoms were also half as disruptive to their lives. Those who took a placebo with an explanation reported an
even greater reduction of 79 per cent in the intensity of their symptoms and 83 per cent less disruption to their lives.'
More about Trump and Science
'75% of US Scientists who Answered Nature poll Consider Leaving:
The massive changes in US research brought about by the new administration of President Donald Trump are causing many scientists in the country to rethink
their lives and careers. More than 1,200 scientists who responded to a Nature poll — three-quarters of the total respondents — are considering leaving the
United States following the disruptions prompted by Trump. Europe and Canada were among the top choices for relocation.’ (We should welcome them with open arms—Ed.)'
Trump and Science
'Donald Trump, since his return to the White House, has upended the long-standing bipartisan consensus that the government should
fund scientific research and then mostly stay out of the way. His Administration has paused communications from health agencies, wiped data from their websites,
fired hundreds of government scientists, and proposed slashing the budget of the National Science Foundation by two-thirds.'
'Diagnosis Creep'
'Following Suzanne O'Sullivan's The Age of Diagnosis: Sickness, Health and Why Medicine Has Gone Too Far, we have another book just published on the same
theme: Searching for Normal: A New Approach to Understanding Mental Health, Distress and Neurodiversity by Sami Timimi (reviewed on March 16 in the Sunday Times).
And now the politicians have become involved. ' Health Secretary Wes Streeting has claimed doctors are
"overdiagnosing" mental health conditions. Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Mr Streeting said the welfare system had to be "sustainable",
as he defended the government's forthcoming reforms aimed at cutting the benefits bill.'
Measles in Texas
'As a measles outbreak spreads across West Texas, Dr. Ana Montanez is fighting an uphill battle to convince some parents that vitamin A, touted by vaccine
critics as effective against the highly contagious virus, will not protect their children. … One mother, she said, told her she was giving her two children
high doses of vitamin A to ward off measles, based on an article posted by Children's Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
nearly a decade before he became President Donald Trump's top health official.'
"Chemtrails" (i.e. condensation trails)
'AAP FactCheck - A clip from
a current affairs talk show has been manipulated to make it appear as if the presenter says people are being "slowly poisoned by chemtrails". In the original
TV segment from Australia's Network 10, presenter Angela Bishop refers to "chemtrails" as a "conspiracy theory" and an "allegation". Experts have previously
told AAP FactCheck the long white clouds seen behind planes are not poisonous "chemtrails" but condensation trails, also called contrails. Contrails form
when water vapour condenses into ice particles around exhaust emitted from jet engines. '
Vaccination
'If you're thinking about writing a thriller featuring an evil scientist, might I suggest selecting Andrew Wakefield as the central antagonist.
Few individuals in the history of biomedicine have done as much harm to public health. From my perspective, there seems little doubt that his
deceitful research and twisted advocacy have been a driving force behind the growth of the modern
anti-vaccine movement and the rise in outbreaks of infectious diseases, including measles-which kills almost 150,000 people every year, mostly children.
Following the advent of this anti-vaccine rhetoric, and no doubt thanks to its legacy, those numbers are rising.'
Smelling Salts
'Hockey Quebec is banning the use of smelling salts, citing concern over their use by young players. The governing body published a directive Tuesday stating
the ammonia-based inhalants are no longer allowed during games, practices and organized activities. Hockey Quebec confirmed in an email that at
least one coach in the province has been suspended in relation to the use of smelling salts by players in the under-11 age group. Smelling salts were
originally developed to revive people who had fainted, but they are also marketed toward athletes seeking an energy boost and are a common sight on
NHL hockey benches. The directive published on Facebook said that while smelling salts are not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, inhaling ammonia-based
products can have health effects. "Ammonia rapidly produces upper respiratory tract irritation, coughing, and bronchospasm," read the directive signed by
general manager Stéphane Auger. "A more significant exposure will cause edema of the respiratory tract."'
Chiropractors
'Chiropractors claim to hold the cure for an extraordinary range of health problems. Through the hands-on
manipulation of the spine and surrounding bones, muscles and soft tissue, practitioners promise patients a way to treat back, shoulder and neck pain. Some go further,
touting it as a treatment for everything from asthma and allergies to infant colic. But while chiropractic treatment boasts an army of ardent supporters, a string of
high-profile cases have highlighted the potentially serious - and even life-threatening - risks. … The treatment recently made headlines after a coroner returned a
verdict in the death of Joanna Kowalczyk, 29, who suffered a fatal tear of her blood vessels after having her neck 'adjusted' by a chiropractor.'
Supplements
The Return of Snake Oil: 'The Trump administration is poised to supercharge America's appetite for supplements.
… Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the longtime conspiracy theorist and anti-vaccine activist who's awaiting Senate confirmation to run the Department of Health and Human Services,
has said he takes a "fistful" of vitamins each day. Kennedy has in recent years championed dietary supplements and decried their "suppression" by the FDA-an
agency he would oversee as health secretary. Now he's poised to bring America's ever-growing supplement enthusiasm to the White House and supercharge the
patent-medicine revival.'
Evidence Week in Parliament
From Sense About Science: 'This year's Evidence Week in Parliament brought together more MPs, Peers, researchers and voters than ever before to discuss how evidence is
used and scrutinised at Westminster. Evidence Week empowers parliamentarians to ask the right questions of policy evidence - what works,
what doesn't and what vital information is missing. It is important that legislators recognise how much the public value evidence, and
what better way to do this than to have members of the public open Evidence Week? …. (January 2025's) Evidence Week ... welcomed more researchers than
ever before into Parliament to deliver quick-fire policy briefings on a variety of topics including AI, health, climate change and pollution.
Over two days, researchers from top UK institutions shared their latest findings with the offices of over 80 MPs and 14 Peers, creating
over 300 new conversations and connections - engaging 45% more parliamentarians than the previous year! Hundreds of supporters submit
questions for Committee Chairs, and hundreds more people watched our Reverse Committee hearing broadcast from Parliament, where committee
chairs respond to members of the public on topics ranging from paternity leave and restorative justice to child poverty and transport spending.
View the meeting.'
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