http://epiwonk.com Epidemiology, Health, and Medical News Media Watchdog: A Blog for the General Public Wed, 02 Jun 2010 07:51:56 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en This week's contribution from “lifestyle epidemiology” was the report — from a huge study of 359,387 participants from nine countries in Europe — that spare tires, love handles, and bulges (the kind you battle) just ain't good for you. The scientific term for this term is “abdominal adiposity.” Thus, the ... http://epiwonk.com/?p=155 I've been having frustrating computer problems for the last couple of weeks.  An electricity surge switched off the circuit breaker for part of the house.  When I turned the electricity back on, I discovered that both our computers and the wireless router were having major hardware problems.  I actually enjoy ... http://epiwonk.com/?p=144   I have an op-ed essay in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  The title is "Measles not worth the risk. Prevention from diseases outweighs MMR side effects." Obviously I'm "outing" myself, but all in a good public health and scientific cause. Please note that I have never worked with the vaccine industry, nor have I ever received ... http://epiwonk.com/?p=143 Since I started this blog in April, I can't count the number of times I've come across statements on other blogs like, "Epidemiology is just statistical manipulation of data."  This usually comes from an anti-vaccinationist commenter who clearly has never even opened an introductory epidemiology textbook. So I was happy to ... http://epiwonk.com/?p=135 Okay, I'm back to blogging, slowly but surely.  Special thanks to Andrea, Anthony Cox, daedalus2u, and many others for your get well comments and e-mails.  Thanks also to Science Mom and TheProbe for sending me e-mails with great ideas for future posts. Recently the DISCOVER Magazine blog, Reality Base, asked former U.S. Surgeon ... http://epiwonk.com/?p=134 In the 19th century, people with respiratory ailments went to the Swiss Alps or the sea shore in hopes for a cure.  Although most of my coughing and wheezing has faded away, my bronchial reactivity is not gone completely.  So I'm in Aruba for a week with my wife. I have ... http://epiwonk.com/?p=133 I have acute bronchitis.  I've been too wiped out to to do anything but sleep (and cough and wheeze).  I've been using an albuterol inhaler and I'm now taking an antibiotic.  (Sticklers for evidence-based medicine, take note: in this case the antibiotic may be just a placebo.  [See Fahey T, Smucny J, ... http://epiwonk.com/?p=132 I've received a couple of e-mails asking me to comment on what must be one of the most atrociously irresponsible medical news stories in recent memory.  Unfortunately, I woke up this morning in pure migraine hell.  It's been more than ten hours now, I've taken 80 mg of eletriptan and ... http://epiwonk.com/?p=131 Last week I blogged about the 2007 DeSoto and Hitlan study, Blood levels of mercury are related to diagnosis of autism: a reanalysis of an important data set (Journal of Child Neurology 2007;22:1308-11), in a post entitled Epi Wonk's Intro to Data Analysis. Dr. DeSoto has posted a reply at her ... http://epiwonk.com/?p=130 Unless you're extremely vigilant and/or organized, it really is easy to miss important information. Just today I came cross a June 21st post on Ben Goldacre's Bad Science blog on a May 27th PLoS Medicine article entitled, "How Do US Journalists Cover Treatments, Tests, Products, and Procedures? An Evaluation of ... http://epiwonk.com/?p=129