Snowball in a Blizzard
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Levin Becker, Arielle. Blumenthal takes Lyme disease fight to the Senate. CT Mirror, July 18, 2011.
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CHAPTER SIX: THE ORIGINS OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE SEEDS OF UNCERTAINTY
Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ (CTT) Collaboration. Efficacy and safety of more intensive lowering of LDL cholesterol: A meta-analysis of data from 170,000 participants in 26 randomised trials. Lancet 2010; 376:1670–1681.
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Kramer, Peter. Listening to Prozac. New York: Viking, 1993.
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Mojtabai, R., and Olfson, M. National patterns in antidepressant treatment by psychiatrists and general medical providers: Results from the national comorbidity survey replication. J Clin Psychiatry 2008; 69(7):1064–1074.
Pencina, M., et al. Application of new cholesterol guidelines to a population-based sample. N Engl J Med 2014; 370:1422–1431.
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CHAPTER SEVEN: THE CORRELATION / CAUSATION PROBLEM
Bakalar, Nicholas. In one study, a heart benefit for chocolate. New York Times, September 14, 2009.
Baylin, A., et al. Transient exposure to coffee as a trigger of a first nonfatal myocardial infarction. Epidemiology 2006; 17(5):506–511.
Bouchez, C. HRT: Revisiting the hormone decision. WebMD, http://www.webmd.com/menopause/features/hrt-revisiting-the-hormone-decision, retrieved July 2015.
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Chang, Louise. Coffee may trigger heart attack. WebMD Health News, August 15, 2006. http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20060815/coffee-may-trigger-heart-attack, retrieved July 2015.
Evans, David. Pfizer broke the law by promoting drugs for unapproved uses. Bloomberg, November 9, 2009.
Herbst, Arthur. Interview on 40th anniversary of publication of DES paper. The University of Chicago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doSpbfDcJHc, retrieved July 2015.
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Herbst, A., and Scully, R. Adenocarcinoma of the vagina in adolescence: A report of 7 cases including 6 clear-cell carcinomas (so-called mesonephromas). Cancer 1970; 25(4):745–757.
Hulley, S., et al. Randomized trial of estrogen plus progestin for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women: Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS) Research Group. JAMA 1998; 280:605–613.
Janszky, I., et al. Chocolate consumption and mortality following a first acute myocardial infarction: The Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Program. J Intern Med 2009; 266(3):248–257.
Kolata, Gina. Citing risks, U.S. will halt study of drugs for hormones. New York Times, July 9, 2002.
Kolata, G., and Petersen, M. Hormone replacement study a shock to the system. New York Times, July 10, 2002.
Lobo, Roger. Where are we 10 years after the Women’s Health Initiative? J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2013; 98:1771–1780.
Nelson, H., et al. Menopausal hormone therapy for the primary prevention of chronic conditions: A systematic review to update the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations. Ann Intern Med 2012; 157:104–113.
Newell, G., et al. Toxicity, immunosuppressive effects and carcinogenic potential of volatile nitrites: Possible relationship to Kaposi’s sarcoma. Pharmacotherapy 1984; 4(5):284–291.
Petersen, Molly. Wyeth stock falls 24% after report. New York Times, July 10, 2002.
Smith, D., et al. Association of exogenous estrogen and endometrial carcinoma. N Engl J Med 1975; 293(23):1164–1167.
Sommers, N., and Ridgeway, J. Can a woman be feminine forever? New Republic, March 19, 1966.
Wilson, Robert. Feminine forever. New York: M. Evans, 1966.
CHAPTER EIGHT: “HEALTH WATCH”
Arnheim-Dahlström, L., et al. Autoimmune, neurological,
and venous thromboembolic adverse events after immunisation of adolescent girls with quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine in Denmark and Sweden: Cohort study. BMJ 2013; 347:f5906–f5916.
Brainard, Curtis. Mixed grades for medical coverage. Columbia Journalism Review, April 22, 2011, http://www.cjr.org/the_observatory/mixed_grades_for_med_coverage.php, retrieved July 2015.
Ceccarelli, Leah. Manufactroversy: The art of creating controversy where none existed. Science Progress, April 11, 2008.
Couric, Katie. Furthering the conversation on the HPV vaccine. Huffington Post, December 10, 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katie-couric/vaccine-hpv-furthering-conversation_b_4418568.html, retrieved July 2015.
———. The HPV vaccine controversy. Katie, December 4, 2013. The full episode is now no longer accessible, as the Katie website was taken down during the writing of this book. A portion of the show remains on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjJd2hK76ZY, retrieved July 2015.
Fox, Maggie. German doctors declare “cure” in HIV patient. Reuters, December 15, 2010. http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/12/15/us-aids-transplant-idUSTRE6BE68220101215, retrieved July 2015.
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Jaslow, Ryan. Katie Couric show on HPV vaccine sparks backlash. CBS News, December 5, 2013. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/katie-couric-show-on-hpv-vaccine-sparks-backlash/, retrieved July 2015.
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Orac. H1N1 vaccine and miscarriages: More dumpster diving in the VAERS database. ScienceBlogs, November 28, 2012. http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/11/28/h1n1-vaccine-and-miscarriages-more-antivaccine-fear-mongering-about-flu-vaccines/, retrieved July 2015.
———. Katie Couric on the HPV vaccine: Antivaccine or irresponsible journalist? You be the judge! ScienceBlogs, December 5, 2013. http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2013/12/05/katie-couric-on-the-hpv-vaccine-antivaccine-or-irresponsible-journalist-you-be-the-judge/, retrieved July 2015. Includes links to the Katie episode as well as interviews with others.
Reynolds, Gretchen. Can you get too much exercise? New York Times, July 24, 2013.
Schwitzer, Gary. How do US journalists cover treatments, tests, products, and procedures? PLoS Med 2008; 5(5):e95.
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US Department of Health and Human Services. Vaccine adverse event reporting system. https://vaers.hhs.gov/index, retrieved July 2015. The database for the 2013 reports can be found at this website.
CHAPTER NINE: CONCLUSION
Allen, Arthur. Vaccine: The controversial story of medicine’s greatest lifesaver. New York: W. W. Norton, 2007.
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APPENDIX
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Whelan, Charles. Naked statistics: Stripping the dread from the data. New York: W. W. Norton, 2013.
Index
açaí berry, 226, 252–253
accuracy, statistical, 54–56, 67, 70, 259
age
blood pressure targets and, 90–91, 91 (table), 92–97, 216
breast cancer and, 67, 76
mammography
recommendations and, 66–67, 69, 74–77, 83–84, 88, 221
AIDS
case series for, 157
correlation/causation problem with, 164–165
death from, 186
poppers theory for, 164–165
See also HIV
alternative medicine, 103–105, 111, 113–118
Amazonian rainforest, 252
American Cancer Society, 33, 77, 84
American College of Cardiology, 145
American College of Radiology, 59, 222
American Heart Association, 145, 249
American Urological Association, 40
anesthesia, 2
antibiotics, 4
for bacterial infection, 12–13, 114–115
in Lyme disease treatment, 100, 102–103, 111, 114–116, 119, 123, 125–126, 256
prolonged use of, 115–117, 123, 223
side-effects of, 6, 116
antibodies, 107–110
antidepressant drugs, 17, 138, 139, 146
clinical trials for, 147–148, 255–256
history of, 139
mass prescriptions for, 148–149
risk a
nd benefit of, 149
See also SSRIs, Prozac
antioxidants, 169, 252
Arkes, Hal, 39, 41
arthritis, 105, 106
aspirin. See salicylic acid
autism, 113–114, 258
bacterial infection, 12, 13, 114–115
BBC, 3, 228
Berlin Patient (Timothy Ray Brown)
HIV cure of, 186–189, 227
media coverage of, 182–185, 189, 204, 227
bias
in clinical research, 79–80, 132–133, 167–168, 179
in diagnosis, 31–32, 113–114, 133, 197
biochemistry, 1, 2
biopsies
false-positive errors and, 68, 81, 260
occurrence of unnecessary, 37–39, 40 (fig.), 69–70, 76
side effects with, 39, 260
uncertainty with, 75–76
biostatistics, 17, 135, 155, 256
The Black Swan (Taleb), 10
blood pressure
management of, 92–93, 95, 215–216
statistics of, 91, 249
blood pressure, high
drugs for, 92, 95, 98, 150, 255
SHEP trial on, 92–97
treatment questions with, 216–217
blood pressure targets
age and, 90–91, 91 (table), 92–97, 216
aggressive approaches to, 96–98
debate over, 89, 90–94, 98, 216
with diabetes and kidney disease, 90–91, 91 (table), 216
risk and benefit with, 91–92, 94–98
statistical significance and, 249
studies on, 94, 217, 250
uncertainty with optimal, 97–98
blood tests, 24
Blumenthal, Richard, 119–124
bone marrow transplant, 187–188
Borrelia burgdorferi, 106–109, 111–113, 123
Brasileiro, Adriana, 252
Brawley, Otis, 33–34
BRCA1, 222, 229
breast cancer
age and, 67, 76
diagnosing, 10, 36 (fig.), 37, 74
diagnostic test compared to screening for, 58, 65–66, 74
ductal carcinoma in situ, 81
mammogram of, 72 (fig.), 73