Peter Lipson

With the addictive combination of ingredients in the recently approved prescription cold medication Rezira, is the syrup an accident waiting to happen?

Many years ago I was a kid on a wilderness canoe trip, on a beautiful isolated lake in northern Ontario. We stopped for lunch in the early afternoon and stripped down to wash up in the cold water.

<p>I've been criticized in the past for focusing on criticism of bad health reporting, rather than aiming some positive reinforcement at the good pieces. &nbsp;Well,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68S3TM20100929">here you go</a>.</p>

<p>I was a bit torn when trying to figure out how to approach this piece. A reader emailed me about <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harmon-leon/is-profit-behind-dermatol_b_6… article in the Huffington Post</a>, and there is so much wrong with it that I felt overwhelmed. My solution is to focus on a few of the problems that can help illuminate broader points.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.reportingonhealth.org/blogs/rethinking-blog-networks-and-eth… reported</a> in this space, ScienceBlogs, the popular blog collective that hosts popular blogs such as <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula">Pharyngula </a>and <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence">Respectful Insolence</a>&nbsp;(and my own blog, <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/whitecoatunderground/">White Coat Underground</a>), is having some troubles. &nbsp;</p>

<p>One of the wonderful things about blogs is their independence. Most are hosted by Wordpress or Blogger and there isn't much advertising or sponsorship. Notable exceptions are blog collectives, such as&nbsp;<a href="http://scienceblogs.com/">ScienceBlogs&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/">the Discover Magazine blog network</a>. These networks have significant advantages, including technical support, increased reach, and collegiality (your results may vary).</p>

<p>I'm a physician. &nbsp;As such, the information I work with has immediate consequences. &nbsp;I have to get it right every time. &nbsp;Of course, no one can really get it right every time, but if you want to report health information, you have to try very, very hard. &nbsp;According to a Pew survey released last fall, over 60% of Americans seek out and act on health information online. &nbsp;When you put a story out there, people are going to read it and act on it, so you are, in essence, giving health advice without the benefit of a license to practice medicine.</p>

<p>The passage of the health care reform bill has not mitigated the meaningless, hyperbolic assertions coming from those who oppose it. John Boehner practically called for an overthrow of the government. Reporting on the bill has been long on polling numbers and budgetary concerns, and short on any of the substance that makes this bill important. Asking vaccuous questions such as, "Have you even read the bill?" or "Why aren't you listening to America?" are worse than useless. Questions that need asking (and should have been asked before last night) include:</p>

<p><em>Dr. Lipson writes his own blog called <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/whitecoatunderground">White Coat Underground</a>, contributes and helps edit at <a href="http://sciencebasedmedicine.org">Science-Based Medicine</a>, and contributes to </em><a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/sciencebiz/2010/03/hyping-a-supplement-for-hiv/… Science Business Blog</em></a><em> at Forbes.com where this piece originally appeared.</em></p>

<p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"></span>When I was a kid, my parents gave me an Isaac Asimov book. &nbsp;I don't remember which one, but it was non-fiction, and his way of engaging the reader directly immediately drew me in. &nbsp;Several years later I found the works of Stephen Jay Gould. &nbsp;I dug up every book of his I could find and ended up getting the hardcover of each new collection as it was published.</p>