Open Parachute

Featured image: September ’17 – NZ blogs sitemeter ranking

September ’17 – NZ blogs sitemeter ranking

Ken Perrott • Oct 01, 2017

 Here are the rankings of New Zealand blogs with publicly available statistics for September 2017. Please note: Sitemeter is no longer working so the total number of NZ blogs in this list has been drastically reduced. I recommend anyone with Sitemeter consider transferring to one of the other meters. See  NZ Blog Rankings … Read More

Featured image: Maternal urinary fluoride/IQ study – an update

Maternal urinary fluoride/IQ study – an update

Ken Perrott • Sep 24, 2017

 The maternal urinary fluoride/IQ study  (Bashash et al., 2017) continues to get attention – but mainly from anti-fluoride organisations. The scientific community will evaluate the published report after giving it due consideration and there have already been criticisms. But anti-fluoride campaigners consider it the best thing since sliced bread. The Fluoride Action Network (FAN) describes it as … Read More

Featured image: Fluoride, pregnancy and the IQ of offspring

Fluoride, pregnancy and the IQ of offspring

Ken Perrott • Sep 22, 2017

What’s the story about this new IQ-fluoride study? The one that claims fluoride intake by pregnant women could endanger their children’s IQ? Whatever the truth, it has certainly got the anti-fluoride activists going. Mary O’Brien Byrne, leader of the local anti-fluoride group is even suggesting people check if their mothers lived in fluoridated areas. And they are busy promoting the newspaper articles … Read More

Featured image: Facts about fluorosis – not a worry in New Zealand

Facts about fluorosis – not a worry in New Zealand

Ken Perrott • Sep 20, 2017

A recent issue of the Fluoride Exposed Newsletter gives us the facts about dental fluorosis – a subject very often misrepresented by opponents of community water fluoridation. Ever notice how words ending with “-osis” sound a bit scary?  That’s because “-osis” is a suffix (from the Greek) commonly used to describe disorders or abnormal states. Tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis…no fun. Those … Read More

Featured image: We need more post-publication peer review

We need more post-publication peer review

Ken Perrott • Sep 18, 2017

We often tout peer review as the reason for accepting the veracity of published scientific studies? But how good is it really? Does it ever match the ideal picture people have of it? And what about peer review before and after publication – are we neglecting these important stages? Pre-publication peer review Here I mean the collective process of evaluating … Read More

Featured image: Cassini plunges into Saturn tonight – a grand finale

Cassini plunges into Saturn tonight – a grand finale

Ken Perrott • Sep 15, 2017

After two decades in space, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is nearing the end of its remarkable journey of exploration. Having expended almost every bit of the rocket propellant it carried to Saturn, operators are deliberately plunging Cassini into the planet to ensure Saturn’s moons will remain pristine for future exploration. Watch live coverage of Cassini’s end of mission on … Read More

Featured image: What’s with the anti-fluoridationist promotion of dental health programmes?

What’s with the anti-fluoridationist promotion of dental health programmes?

Ken Perrott • Sep 11, 2017

Anti-fluoride campaigners often promote dental health programmes which they argue are alternatives to community water fluoridation. But seem not to understand that these programmes usually include fluoride dental treatments. It’s probably a result of some tactical thinking – “let’s promote a positive message to overcome the publicly perceived negativity associated with our opposition to a social health policy like fluoridation.” In fact, some New Zealand … Read More

Featured image: Fluoridation not associated with ADHD – a myth put to rest

Fluoridation not associated with ADHD – a myth put to rest

Ken Perrott • Sep 01, 2017

 The myth of community water fluoridation causing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is just not supported by the data. I show this in a new paper accepted for publication in the British Dental Journal. This should remove any validity for the claims about ADHD by anti-fluoride campaigners. Mind you, I do not expect them to stop making those claims. The … Read More

1

Site Meter