Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [medical-science]

Use this tag for questions about the science of medicine and its practices. Use [medications] for questions about the actual cures that people take, and use [alternative-medicine] for claims about cures and practices which are claimed to be alternative to official medical science

Medical science is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness.

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Does burning your food increase your risk of getting cancer?

About a year ago I heard that burning your food can lead to an increased risk of getting cancer. The explanation was that the burned portion of the food was carcinogenic. The Carbon that would be produced in burning of the food was also involved in…
jon_brockman
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Do teenagers fall asleep and rise up later than kids or adults for biological reasons?

In a TED talk "Why school should start later for teens", Wendy Toxel made an assertion that teenagers naturally fall asleep and rise up a couple of hours later than children OR adults (related to Melatonin production time). I found one BBC article…
user5341
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Do hot peppers kill cancer?

While browsing Health.SE, I came across an answer that makes the following claim: A 2007 study by Nottingham University2 found that spicy foods can help kill cancer cells. Capsaicin, which is what makes many foods spicy, attacks the mitochondria of…
Mithical
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Is squeezing pimples bad for you?

I've always been told, or notice others being told, or hear it in popular media, that squeezing pimples or blackheads is somehow "bad" for you. Certainly, when there is a chance that the skin breaks, we have to worry about introducing infections…
Glen Wheeler
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Do we need 8 hours of consecutive sleep a day?

It is said that an adult human needs around 7-9 hours of sleep per day. Do human beings need around 8 hours of consecutive sleep a day? Is it prejudicial to the body and brain that you don't? Or is that a myth?
Bruno Pereira
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Do surgeons refuse to operate "to keep their own statistics clean"?

I was curious about this thrice-upvoted comment, which says: Surgeons are also known for refusing to operate in order to maintain their ratios. So I Googled it and it seems surgeons can refuse to operate, but it's not immediately obvious they do so…
Rebecca J. Stones
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Do studies show that viruses are contagious?

An acquaintance of mine has been very adamant that viruses can't be caught and continues to link me things like this Ickonic video, where Jaymie Icke interviews Dr. Andrew Kaufman M.D. who claims: I lived my whole life believing we can pass these…
TheXenocide
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Can standing in front of a microwave oven give you cancer?

I was heating up some lunch in the microwave oven at work a few weeks ago, and peered into the window to see if my soup was bubbling yet. At that point a coworker walked into the lunch room and exclaimed "Get your head away from the microwave,…
morganpdx
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Can trained humans run faster than all other animals on a marathon distance?

During the athletics world championship, a commentator mentioned casually during the marathon discipline that humans are faster over long distances than all animals. I'm unsure if this can be said generally. Obviously some individuals cannot run,…
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Is it harmful to your eyes to read in dim light?

Is there any scientific backing to the claim that reading in dim light damages your eyes? Related to: Does watching television damage the eyes?
Kit Sunde
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Is there reliable evidence that depleted uranium from the 1999 NATO bombing is causing cancer in Serbia?

This year is the 20th anniversary of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia/Serbia. At the moment, Serbian media outlets are focused on claims that depleted uranium in NATO bombs used during the bombardment might be causing an increase in the number of…
kozina-adjacent
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Do people need to drink 8 glasses of water a day?

Since I was a kid, I can't remember how many times I've heard that a healthy person needs to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. There are definitely plenty of reasons to remain well-hydrated. However is there any scientific evidence of…
Monkey Tuesday
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Russian scientist injects himself with 3.5 million-year-old bacteria, says he is now stronger and hasn't gotten ill in 2 years

I have found several articles regarding a Russian scientist, Anatoli Brouchkov: Anatoli Brouchkov is a soft-spoken guy with silver hair, and when he lets out a reserved chuckle, his eyes light up like he was belly laughing. If you met him on the…
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Is the O-type blood used as a universal donor?

In biology classes at school I was taught that O can be a donor to all blood types (given matching Rh group and other details), and AB can receive transfusion from any type. Quick googling seems to suggest this is true, at least theoretically for…
user69715
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Does regularly drinking from a plastic container cause cancer?

I drink water from my plastic cup regularly and a friend commented that it could cause cancer. He also added that I should not heat food in plastic containers or wrappings in the microwave as that could also cause cancer in the long run. He claimed…
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