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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Can popping a pimple in the facial 'danger area' cause brain infection or death?

This story is currently sitting at #13 on Reddit: TIL that in rare cases, popping a pimple in the so-called "danger triangle" can lead to facial paralysis, brain infections/meningitis, and even death. It links through to this Wikipedia article…
going
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Do hand sanitizers have a negative impact on the human immune system?

Related: Which is more effective at removing germs, washing with soap and water or using hand sanitizers? Does regular handwashing with antibacterial soap prevent disease? I've run across some claims stating that the regular use of hand…
Hendy
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Are vaccinated children significantly less healthy than the unvaccinated, as recent study claims?

In their 2020 study termed "Relative Incidence of Office Visits and Cumulative Rates of Billed Diagnoses Along the Axis of Vaccination" [full text], appearing in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Lyons-Weiler et…
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Is it possible to "boost your immune system"?

I often hear claims that some activities, nutrients, ... "boost" your immune system. My understanding of the immune system is that it is a finely tuned machine with enormous destructive power. If unconditionally activated it is at least as…
Mad Scientist
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Can positive thinking provide an improved outcome for an illness?

Sometimes you hear that a gravely ill patient "just gave up" and subsequently died. Many people put great value in the healing power of positive thinking, with the more cynical ones blaming a bad progression of disease onto a "lack of will".…
Mad Scientist
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Does urine heal jellyfishes' sting?

It is a common myth that, if you're stung by a jellyfish, then pouring urine on the wound is an effective way to treat the injury or ease the pain. That belief is deeply entrenched in the American popular culture. So deeply, in fact, that in…
Borror0
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Is monosodium glutamate (MSG) bad for you?

Anecdotal evidence blames the consumption of MSG for several symptoms such as headache, nausea, weakness, heart palpitations etc. Most migraine literature cites MSG as a potential trigger (example) but usually without any scientific basis. A quick…
Flash
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Do we lose most of our body heat through our heads?

If you didn't grow up in a tropical climate, you probably heard something like this as a child... Put on a hat before you go out because you lose the most heat through your head. Some say that the reason you lose more heat through your head…
Monkey Tuesday
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Is refilling water bottles bad for you?

On a lot of bottles of so called mineral water, it is advised not to refill the bottle (with ordinary tap water, or any other drink e.g. cola) as doing so may present a health hazard. Is there any evidence behind this warning, or is it simply…
Thomas O
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Did over 1000 people in the US die of cannabis overdose in 2021?

According to the National Safety Council, in 2021 in the US, 1159 people died of cannabis overdose, of which 1130 of the deaths were preventable: Is this true? I'm skeptical because the drug enforcement agency says on its Marijuana/Cannabis…
DavePhD
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Have the Covid-19 vaccines caused more deaths than Covid-19 itself did?

A popular article by Steve Kirsch on his substack discusses the following: A worldwide Bayesian causal Impact analysis suggests that COVID-19 gene therapy (mRNA vaccine) causes more COVID-19 cases per million and more non-Covid deaths per million…
Ruslan Oblov
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Does circumcision reduce HIV risk?

I've seen numerous claims that circumcision reduces HIV risk, both on TV and online. Have there been any studies to verify if circumcision does or doesn't reduce HIV risk in a statistically-significant manner?
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Can “heart strings break after a deep emotional trauma”?

I’ve come across this on Twitter this morning: https://twitter.com/sammytellem/status/422216032195854336 Now, I really wonder whether this could be true. I tried to do some research and while I’ve come across sites claiming you can die from a…
idmean
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Is xenoglossy a scientifically verified phenomenon?

It has often been said that people can speak in languages that were not formerly known to them. Arguably the most often recited example of this is in the context of demonic possession. For example, those supposedly possessed by malevolent spirits…
Brian M. Hunt
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Do we need to clean our ears (remove earwax)?

Last year, I read on a newspaper that a research found that we do not need, or should not, clean our ears as the earwax comes out naturally and sticking in cotton swabs can damage our ears. Is my information accurate? Can anyone provide a summary…
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