VIRAL BS

Dissecting the biggest medical myths and pseudoscience Viral BS explores how misinformation can spread faster than microbes Can your zip code predict when you will die Should you space out childhood vaccines Does talcum powder cause cancer Why do some doctors recommend e cigarettes while other doctors recommend you stay away from them Health information and misinformation is all around us and it can be hard to separate the two A long history of unethical medical experiments and medical mistakes along with a host of celebrities spewing anti science beliefs has left many wary of science and the scientists who say they should be trusted How do we stay sane while unraveling the knots of fact and fiction to find out what we should really be concerned about and what we can laugh off In Viral BS journalist doctor professor and CDC trained disease detective Seema Yasmin driven by a need to set the record straight dissects some of the most widely circulating medical myths and pseudoscience Exploring how epidemics of misinformation can spread faster than microbes Dr Yasmin asks why bad science is sometimes more believable and contagious than the facts Each easy to read chapter covers a specific myth whether it has endured for many years or hit the headlin