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Dr. Barry Dworkin

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  • An antipsychotic medication quetiapine used off-label as a sleep aid can affect sleep quality and concentration in untreated sleep apnea patients.

    June 23, 2026

    Medical Mythbusting Commentary for June 23, 2026 Source:A Commonly Used Sleep Aid May Have a Dangerous Side Effect Reference:Quetiapine modestly improves sleep and breathing but impairs next day performance in people with OSA and difficulty maintaining sleep: A randomized controlled trial

  • Large psilocybin dose briefly improved dementia in case study of an 80 year-old woman. Larger controlled studies are required

    June 15, 2026

    Medical Mythbusting Commentary for June 15, 2026 Source:Large psilocybin dose briefly improved dementia in case study Reference:Transient multidomain functional improvement in advanced Alzheimer’s disease following high-dose psilocybin-containing mushroom administration: a case report

  • Explain to parents why Vitamin K administration at birth is a safe and effective means of preventing neonatal bleeding conditions. More parents are saying no to the shot due to misinformation.

    June 12, 2026

    Medical Mythbusting Commentary for June 12, 2026 Source:More parents are saying no to newborn vitamin K shots. Experts are concerned. Reference: The following patient handout synthesizes the information discussed across this conversation, covering the rationale for vitamin K at birth, sources of vitamin K, types and symptoms of vitamin K deficiency bleeding, and the outcomes…

  • The mechanism of why statin medications can cause muscles aches has been outlined but this pathway is found in a minority of patients so other reasons remain elusive.

    June 3, 2026

    Medical Mythbusting Commentary for June 3, 2026 Source:A Painful Side Effect of Statins Explained After Decades of Mystery Reference:Structural basis for simvastatin-induced skeletal muscle weakness associated with type 1 ryanodine receptor T4709M mutation

  • Beta-blockers, taken by millions after a heart attack, found to be ineffective for people with uncomplicated heart attacks (normal heart function thereafter) and presents increased risk of harm to women. Changes to management likely in the works for this population.

    May 27, 2026

    Medical Mythbusting Commentary for May 27, 2026 Source:Common heart drug taken by millions found useless — and possibly dangerous Reference:Beta-Blockers after Myocardial Infarction without Reduced Ejection Fraction Beta-blockers after myocardial infarction: effects according to sex in the REBOOT trial

  • Science gets closer to understanding how a psychedelic trip changes the brain

    May 6, 2026

    Medical Mythbusting Commentary for May 6, 2026 Source:Science gets closer to understanding how a psychedelic trip changes the brain

  • Metformin shown to increase a biological effect of exercise in men with prostate cancer reducing insulin resistance, easing metabolic stress and weight gain. What this isn’t is exercise in a pill.

    April 14, 2026

    Medical Mythbusting Commentary for April 14, 2026 Source:Exercise in a Pill? Metformin Shows Surprising Effects in Cancer Patients Reference:The anti-obesogenic metabolite, Lac-Phe, is elevated by metformin treatment in prostate cancer patients

  • After a heart attack, beta-blockers are often a lifelong medicine. Maybe they shouldn’t be for stable low-risk post-MI patients

    March 31, 2026

    Medical Mythbusting Commentary for March 31, 2026 Source:After a heart attack, beta-blockers are often a lifelong medicine. Maybe they shouldn’t be

  • The reason Vitamin K1 is given to newborns and why it has been a standard of care for over 65 years.

    March 26, 2026

    Medical Mythbusting Commentary for March 26, 2026 Source:It’s not just vaccines: Parents are refusing other routine preventive care for newborns

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