Background: Marin County, California has one of the highest rates of vaccine refusal in the country. The reasons for this are not socioeconomic, but rather appear to be based on fixed, false beliefs that the MMR vaccine causes autism, contains “toxins,” has mercury, or is associated with outcomes other than measles immunity. Exhaustive educational attempts […]
Category Archives: evidence based medicine
“Squirting” during sex is urine – new study
There has long been a controversy about female ejaculation and by this I mean large amounts of fluid or “squirting” during sexual stimulation/orgasm. Some women lubricate very well and there are secretions from the small glands at the vaginal opening so a few milliliters of fluid is very common. But what about those videos that you […]
What ingredient specifically scares you in the flu vaccine and why?
Dangerous ingredients, like toxins, antifreeze, and mercury, are touted by many as reasons to decline vaccination against influenza. However, toxin is an inaccurate term regarding vaccines (a toxin is a poisonous substance made by cells or organisms and is definitely not in any vaccine), mercury is a non issue (see below), and there is no antifreeze […]
10 natural therapies for killer menstrual cramps
Most women report some painful or discomfort with their period. However, some women have killer cramps (the medical term is severe dysmenorrhea) and for many of them life goes on a 3-5 day hold once a month. Period pain is due to release of a substance called prostaglandins from the lining of the uterus during […]
Water birth leads to newborn’s death from Legionella
Water births, delivering a baby so it is born underwater, are controversial medically because while they are promoted as safe and natural by some midwives and lay midwives they are not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Congress of OB/GYN. (Laboring in a tub in an entirely different thing). The January […]
40% of women get unindicated antibiotics in GYN surgery
Preventing infection after surgery is very important as not only are these infections often uncomfortable and make you feel very sick, but they also increase the risk of more serious complications for example, if you are less mobile because of an infection after surgery you are at higher risk for a blood clot or if […]
Stop worrying about catching Ebola on a plane
Ebola paranoia reached new heights this week. Two health care workers infected is a very scary thing, but this should be mostly frightening for health care workers as caregivers are the people most at risk of catching Ebola. The CDC has issued conflicting statements, which doesn’t help. When people are worried then need a strong lead. […]
How does Plan B really work? Don’t ask the Supreme Court, ask an OB/GYN
Never has a medication been more misunderstood than poor Plan B (levonorgestrel or LNG), a post coital contraceptive (a.k.a. morning-after pill). It’s not just Justices Alito, Thomas, Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy and Dr. Hobby Lobby who fail to grasp the mechanism of action, but many other people are confused including journalists (the NY Times has an […]
An OB/GYN’s opinion on the Supreme Court, Hobby Lobby, and contraception
The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, sided with Hobby Lobby (and much of the religious right in the United States) and ruled that a closely held private corporation does not have to provide insurance coverage for certain birth control methods. Justice Alito, speaking for the majority wrote: “The owners of the businesses have religious objections […]
Rocking delivery dogma: induction of labor doesn’t increase c-section rate
There is a widely held belief that induction of labor increases the risk of c-section. This is something that has been widely promoted by many OB/GYNs, nurses, midwives, doulas, and patients alike. I can not tell you how many times I have heard, “Don’t let them induce you.” I think that so many health care […]
