Skeptologic

My wife enjoys watching “The Doctors,” a talk show that features four doctors presenting medical information and answering questions on a wide variety of topics. I have always been very concerned about getting the highest quality medical information for my family, and make it a point to be highly critical of anything that might wave the red flags of pseudoscience. I have watched this show with my wife a few times and found it to be pretty good, but as with most information presented in the mass media, I have definitely seen the pseudoscience creep in a few times. When it does, Dr. Travis Stork, one of the hosts, is usually quick to point out that there is no evidence behind the particular item, or that it should only be used for relaxation, not a treatment, etc.

On one episode they were talking about ear candles, a particularly stupid alternative “treatment” in which you stick a hollow candle in your ear and light it (what could possibly go wrong!?) in order to suck out “negative energy.” One of the other hosts, Dr. Jim Sears, credulously stated that there might be something to this, while Dr. Stork rightfully rolled his eyes and said something to the effect of “Come on, what could this possibly do?” I have tried to equip my wife with the tools to spot nonsense when it comes to medicine (she is not very interested in science, except as it relates to health) and she now comes to me and mentions when she sees something she suspects of being woo-woo on the show. That and Dr. Stork’s apparent skepticism made me feel pretty good about the show for the most part.  It’s not perfect, but it’s not in the same league as the horrible, despicable, harmful nonsense presented on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Unfortunately on a recent show I saw something that really bugged me. At the end of the show, Dr. Stork did a quick segment touting the herb Ginko Biloba as a treatment for memory loss. He said that some studies had shown a positive effect. I am curious Dr. Stork, exactly what studies are you referring to? I searched pubmed and all I found was a bunch of studies that showed that it did not work. Let me reiterate my stance on herbs: herbs are drugs. There is nothing special or magical about them. Some people prefer them because they are “all natural” and because of that they think they are somehow better than pharmaceuticals in pill form. If we test an herb properly and it is found to have a beneficial effect, it can be used medically. But the problem is that there are so many herbs out there that are popular as folk remedies that have not passed these tests. At least he warned that the herb can vary in purity and dosage, and I have heard the doctors on the show mention that if you are taking any herbs or supplements you should tell your doctor. Good advice, because they are drugs, which can have side effects and interact with other drugs you may be taking. All natural means nothing.

It bothers me that they would promote what amounts to nothing more than a pop culture belief for Ginko Biloba over the real scientific data. And we should consider that if Ginko did show a real effect, the pharmaceutical companies would figure out what compound was beneficial, purify it, make it into pills and make billions of dollars. Why don’t they? Because they have to prove their drugs actually work in real scientific clinical trials. They can’t sell drugs without proof of safety and efficacy, the supplement makers can and do.

And for those of you reading this who are going to email me a study that shows a tiny effect that is barely more than statistical noise, or that showed a small effect is rats or something, JAMA published the results of a gigantic eight year study on Ginko Biloba for dementia. The results? It does not work. For a review and explanation of the results of this study, you can go here, Dr. Steven Novella explains it way better than I can.