Big names. Bad injuries. Bad news for #SuperBowl hopes. But an NFL team MD warns of bad choices pursuing miracle repair claims. open.substack.com/pub/garyschw...

The road to the Super Bowl is strewn with big name injuries. But here’s a warning for the pros & for weekend warriors about clinics’ miracle claims. open.substack.com/pub/garyschw...

We have been trying to analyze the Trump health “plan” but I worry that unless Congress puts something real together we are analyzing air. Big Q’s such as are pre-x protected are impossible to answer from their Fact Sheet. What we do know: it partly captured a news cycle.

RFK, Jr’s advice: rejected by the German health ministry and rejected by American physicians & hospitals. www.statnews.com/2026/01/15/n...

Germany tells RFK Jr. to mind his own business. But why did he even pick a fight with the German health minister? Don't we have enough health care/policy issues of our own to deal with? garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/germany-re...

Minneapolis: once known for its parks but now, thanks to ICE, best known for fear, federal firearms, and a f’ing invasion.

Marty Makary’s FDA crunched by criticism at JPM Healthcare Conference for flip-flopping, politicizing, chaos. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/at-big-hea...

"Sowing confusion and fear...misleading...unethical…erroneous...not based on evidence." garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/cdc-distor...

Time for an update on RFK Jr.’s rogue behavior. open.substack.com/pub/garyschw...

“A philosophy professor who is not allowed to teach Plato? What kind of university is that?" www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/u...

RFK, Jr. says seed oils are poisoning Americans. The overall evidence simply doesn't support that fear-mongering. undark.org/2026/01/08/s...

Minnesota mourns.

Multiple stories tout a knee arthritis breakthrough without mentioning “in mice” in the headline. The stories’ body text also made some absurd claims. I offer some advice. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/breaking-d...

Oz raises doubts about flu vaccine, then advises sunlight & sleep as important protectants. Also - reader pushback on WaPost touting his “positive reviews.” open.substack.com/pub/garyschw...

Update on this post from mid-year. With 2025 ending today, I have totaled a whopping 202 invitations this year from fake/predatory journals or from fake medical/scientific conferences. open.substack.com/pub/garyschw...

Carl Elliott on a troubling track record at the U of Minnesota. www.startribune.com/umn-professo...

Review of 2025 health care journalism: GLP-1 drugs, screening stories, Alzheimer’s, celebs, observational studies, cancer. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/reviews-of...

My last 5 December newsletters at garyschwitzer.substack.com. - FDA’s testosterone panel - same old, same old - Comparing news stories on the new “souped-up” GLP-1 drug - Year-end reviews of RFK, Jr. - More Marty Makary malarkey - Ethical questions about NIH/CDC grants & FDA priority drug reviews

Political interference in NIH grant-making, in FDA priority review of drugs, and in CDC Danish hep B vaccine grant. open.substack.com/pub/garyschw...

Braggadocio. BS. Balderdash. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/more-makar...

Public opinion polls & trust dropping. “Dangerous misinformation, sowing chaos & confusion…a zombie organization.” garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/roundup-of...

How Humana inflates benefits of Medicare Advantage for seniors. www.statnews.com/2025/12/16/i...

The New York Times buried the lede; STAT News didn’t. Compare their stories on the new “souped-up” GLP-1 drug. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/comparing-...

Once again, as a judge for the annual awards, I’m reminded that important investigative health care journalism still thrives in the US. lowninstitute.org/projects/shk...

Yesterday's FDA testosterone expert panel was more same old, same old - drug enthusiasts, conflicts of interest, self-congratulatory hyperbole. And they keep calling it Gold Standard Science. open.substack.com/pub/garyschw...

Around the globe, nations are considering changes in prostate cancer screening policy. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/prostate-c...

I’m a big fan of the PBS NewsHour but they blew it with an incomplete answer to the question, “Why not start screening young adults sooner?” garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/incomplete...

The words matter. open.substack.com/pub/youcankn...

Long-term study of sham shoulder surgery vs. the real thing: surgical repair “offered no benefit over placebo surgery or exercise therapy.” open.substack.com/pub/garyschw...

Peptide promotions polluting the public dialogue. Celebrities, unproven claims, mixed messages from federal health agencies. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/peptide-pr...

The BBC reports “We’re on the brink of curing arthritis.” That is an overly simplistic view of a complex collection of different conditions, pathways & mechanisms. open.substack.com/pub/garyschw...

Dethroning the "welfare queen" stereotype in AI fake videos. open.substack.com/pub/garyschw...

“Promising” Alzheimer’s trial not so promising anymore. Takeaway lessons for people who follow research news. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/promising-...

This guy is now #2 at CDC. He supports OTC ivermectin, was slow reacting to worst whooping cough outbreak in 3 decades, believes vaccines cause autism. Nothing but the best. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

I have seen many miserably confused people this Fall. www.statnews.com/2025/11/24/h...

The lowdown on Low T claims. More than what you’d get from ads, social media or podcasts. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/the-lowdow...

Halfway humanitarianism. In a move that prompted criticism, the U.S. will not contribute any doses to South Africa, even though it has the world’s highest HIV burden with about 8 million HIV-positive people, or 1 in 5 adults. www.statnews.com/pharmalot/20...

“TikTok is flooded with factually incomplete warnings that contraceptives cause cancer and are as dangerous as smoking. Reproductive health advocates warn that studies like this can easily be taken out of context online and be reduced to a single alarming number.” kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

“What he does is say the opposite of what’s true, over and over again, and no one does anything about it,” said Paul Offit, MD. “If people stand back and let this happen, it’s only going to get worse.” www.statnews.com/2025/11/18/r...

How problems with misuse and adverse effects with anti-anxiety drugs were not emphasized when The White Lotus featured lorazepam use and in TikTok & Instagram posts on lexapro. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/lorazepam-...

This week marks one year of publishing my Substack newsletter - helping people improve their critical thinking about health care. See top 5 most-read articles. open.substack.com/pub/garyschw...

Health benefits of chocolate….for mice. Latest example in seemingly endless junk news chocoholic infatuation with weak or non-existent evidence. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/mice-and-c...

FDA’s announcement on banning black box warnings for estrogen was dominated by hyperbole, distortions, exaggerations & unfounded claims. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/fdas-menop...

From STAT News' morning newsletter: www.statnews.com/2025/11/10/h...

The seamier side of the FDA. Questions about who benefits most from some agency decisions: political favors or public health? garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/the-seamie...?

Behind-the-scenes ugliness in the competitive GLP-1 drug market. Lawsuits, dogfight over market dominance, pay-per-click advertising. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/ugliness-i...

Big Boost for Big Myth: New Report Pushing Debunked Vaccine-Autism Link Gets Millions of Views on X open.substack.com/pub/newsguar...

“An agency beset by all kinds of tumult in recent months. Observers characterized the spate of dismissals, policy reversals & controversies in all kinds of ways: Soap opera. Unpredictable. In total disarray. And, potentially, unprincipled.” www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/f...