A Dutch pediatrician studied children with celiac who became healthier while they were starving to death because Nazis blocked food shipments. Thanks to his dedication to his patients, we now know that celiac disease is caused by gluten. He saved many lives.

Because of his work, Europe takes celiac disease very seriously and children are screened as a routine practice. During the same time, an American doctor was touting an "all banana diet" for children with celiac (which was effective only because bananas are gluten-free), and claimed this was curative, so children could grow into adults who could eat gluten (consequently getting very sick again).

The Dutch pediatrician was never taken seriously in the U.S. because of Dr. Banana's fame, and this is likely why the U.S. is so far behind in celiac testing and treatment compared to Europe.

He was being considered for a Nobel prize for this work, but unfortunately passed away before the winners were announced, and prizes are not awarded posthumously.

Leslie Feinberg was a hero. Ze also documented a hell of a lot of stuff about Lyme disease in the time leading up until her death from the disease.

many points have been debunked by qualified people, but the points raised in the article by other qualified people are worth considering.

instead of sunblock, perhaps we should cover up?

Author studies pharma advertisements for migraine treatments, and finds they are highly gendered and biased towards cis women. While the ads raise awareness of migraine disorder, they also create prejudice and barriers to treatment.

Electronic health records continue to erode patient privacy.

This is so incredibly relatable.

[CW: suicide, medical abuse, state violence.]

The "War on Drugs" has resulted in patient abandonment and abuse. The media and lawsuits against pharma have demonized all pain medicines and, consequently, all pain patients.

A thought: perhaps surveillance culture of doctors' prescribing habits has contributed to the drastic drop in caring for pain patients.

Insurers are using social data (the same kind used for marketing purposes and targeted ads) to predict healthcare costs. This data may be used to raise rates or deny coverage. It may be used by companies to deny employment to people deemed a high risk of high medical bills. We really don’t know how this data is being used.

The creepy surveillance practices insurance companies use to deny medicate care to people with sleep apnea.

Abstract

Considering the high prevalence of hypertension, its debilitating end organ damage, and the side effects of chemical drugs used for its treatment, we conducted this experimental study to evaluate the effect of sour tea (Hibiscus sabdariffa) on essential hypertension. For this purpose, 31 and 23 patients with moderate essential hypertension were randomly assigned to an experimental and control group, respectively. Patients with secondary hypertension or those consuming more than two drugs were excluded from the study. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured before and 15 days after the intervention. In the experimental group, 45% of the patients were male and 55% were female, and the mean age was 52.6 +/- 7.9 years. In the control group, 30% of the patients were male, 70% were female, and the mean age of the patients was 51.5 +/- 10.1 years. Statistical findings showed an 11.2% lowering of the systolic blood pressure and a 10.7% decrease of diastolic pressure in the experimental group 12 days after beginning the treatment, as compared with the first day. The difference between the systolic blood pressures of the two groups was significant, as was the difference of the diastolic pressures of the two groups. Three days after stopping the treatment, systolic blood pressure was elevated by 7.9%, and diastolic pressure was elevated by 5.6% in the experimental and control groups. This difference between the two groups was also significant. This study proves the public belief and the results of in vitro studies concerning the effects of sour tea on lowering high blood pressure. More extensive studies on this subject are needed.

More about the Icelandic study of PTSD and autoimmunity and the role stress plays in autoimmunity.

This was about correlation, not causation, but a study of more than 100,000 people concluded that the presence of a stress-related disorder (PTSD, acute stress disorder, etc) makes someone 30-40% more likely to also be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease (such as celiac disease, psoriasis, or rheumatoid arthritis).

I'd argue this number is an underestimation, considering some of us suffered with undiagnosed celiac disease for 30 years after our traumas, and the study was 30 years long.

Chronic and severe acute stress has been a known autoimmune trigger for a long time, but this is an unprecedented study in its size, length, and comprehensiveness.

...and we wonder why medicine is so biased.

People with disabilities are more likely to die of breast cancer. They also have a much harder time accessing mammograms.

Because PTSD is always illustrated as a men's disease caused by war, women (and POC of all genders) fall through the cracks. Women often present symptoms differently than men, leading to misdiagnoses of borderline personality disorder or postpartum depression.

A general overview (aimed at healthcare providers) of telemedicine and its legal obstacles.

Telemedicine is a way to improve access to healthcare for all kinds of people: rural areas, lack of transportation, highly contagious, medical c-PTSD, shift workers, sensory disabilities, etc.

The obstacles seem to be more about the failing War on Drugs.