Can Red Yeast Rice Lower Cholesterol? - MedShadow Foundation Red yeast rice may lower cholesterol, but contains the same active compound as statins and can have inconsistent dosing and limited regulation

My latest, on the big risks of a wildly popular dietary supplement. medshadow.org/integrative-...

Hey all—I'm writing an article on red yeast rice supplements as an alternative to statins, and I'm looking for patient stories, good or bad. Have you tried these products? If you'd be willing to be interviewed, please DM me!

Hey, sleep peeps! Tune in to my webinar for Bard College's Lifetime Learning Institute on Jan. 28, 11 AM ET. The title is "Why Do We Sleep? How Can We Sleep Better? The History of Sleep Science—And Why It Matters." Link:
llibard.zoom.us/j/85776034412
Meeting ID: 857 7603 4412

This line graph illustrates the percentage change in agency staff levels from the previous year for nine major U.S. federal scientific and health organizations between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The agencies tracked include the CDC, Department of Energy, EPA, FDA, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, and NSF. For the majority of the timeline between 2016 and 2023, the agencies show relatively stable fluctuations, generally staying within a range of +5% to -5% change per year. However, there is a dramatic and uniform plummet starting in the 2024–25 period. Every agency depicted shows a sharp downward trajectory, with staffing losses ranging from approximately -15% to over -25%. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the most significant decline, dropping to roughly -26%, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows the least severe but still substantial drop at approximately -15%.

This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.

www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

Mapping the Darkness WINNER OF THE 2024 ASJA BOOK AWARD, BIOGRAPHY/HISTORY  NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 BY THE NEW YORKER  NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR'S CHOICE SELECTIONFrom...

Here’s mine—two years old but still relevant to anyone who’s fascinated by the mysteries of slumber… www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kenne...

Tripping on Utopia: Margaret Mead, the Cold War, and the Troubled Birth of Psychedelic Science Tripping on Utopia: Margaret Mead, the Cold War, and the Troubled Birth of Psychedelic Science [Breen, Benjamin] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Tripping on Utopia: Margaret Mead, the Cold War, and the Troubled Birth of Psychedelic Science

Book rec: "Tripping on Utopia," @resobscura.bsky.social s new history of psychedelic science—how a Cold War alliance between idealistic anthropologists and CIA mind-control experts led to the '60s acid revolution. Mind-blowing! www.amazon.com/Tripping-Uto...

#stats 🎃

A Safer Way to Tame Insomnia - MedShadow Foundation | Independent Health & Wellness Journalism CBT-I, the most effective treatment for insomnia, causes none of the side effects that sleep medications do

My latest, for all you restless sleepers. medshadow.org/best-treatme...

This review is wonderful, but it is a reminder that the history of 20th century #sleep research is difficult to fit into a paragraph; it's much more unruly once you dive into it @kenmillerwrites.bsky.social

That’s for damn sure!

Book rec! "Winter's End," by Lewis Cohen—essential reading on the end-of-life issues raised by a dementia diagnosis, focusing on one man's choice to exit on his own terms. Whatever you think of its ending, Dan Winter's life makes for a compelling tale.👍

Dear God…DO NOT US AI FOR NUTRITION, HEALTH, OR HEALTHCARE QUESTIONS.

ICYMI: check out this long-form essay on #insomnia by the great (and massively sleep-challenged) @jennifersenior.bsky.social. Chock-full of insights, actionable
info, and terrific writing.

Just finished "90 Seconds to Midnight," by Charlotte DeCroes Jacobs—inspiring new bio of Nobel Peace Prize winner Setsuko Thurlow (née Nakamura), who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as a girl and became one of the world's leading advocates for nuclear disarmament. Highly recommended!

Mapping the Darkness: The Visionary Scientists Who Unlocked the Mysteries of Sleep with Kenneth Miller at Starr Library The definitive story of the scientists who set out to answer two questions: “Why do we sleep?” and “How can we sleep better?”Award-winning journalist Kenneth Miller joins us at the library to tell the...

Hudson Valley folks—I'm giving a talk on Mapping the Darkness this Wednesday at the Starr Library in Rhinebeck. Hope to see you there! engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtend...

Is a photo subversive? NSF staff overcome obstacles to 75th anniversary portrait Management tried to quash outpouring of support for beleaguered agency

Hundreds of National Science Foundation staffers turned out for a group photograph to celebrate the besieged agency’s 75th anniversary—despite efforts by NSF officials to prevent the picture from being taken. scim.ag/4jcGpIt

Kenneth Miller Pt 3 - 90.5 WICN Public Radio Inquiry welcomes back award-winning journalist KENNETH MILLER for a third conversation about his new book MAPPING THE DARKNESS: THE VISIONARY SCIENTISTS WHO UNLOCKED THE MYSTERIES OF SLEEP. Tonight we...

Third and final interview on Mapping the Darkness with great host Mark Lynch—probing the links between sleep deprivation and catastrophes (from Chernobyl to the Challenger explosion), plus Mary Carskadon's campaign to liberate teens from early school start times! wicn.org/podcast/kenn...

The Impossible Man: Roger Penrose and the Cost of Genius Roger Penrose and the Cost of Genius

Just read @patchenbarss.bsky.social 's bio of Roger Penrose, "The Impossible Man"—and wowza! Besides the science stuff (probing the nature of reality at the quantum level), what's riveting is the portrait of Penrose, whose mix of strengths and flaws is worthy of a Greek tragic hero. bit.ly/3S6zENr

Plastics in everyday objects may disrupt sleep in same way as caffeine, study finds Findings show for first time how plastic chemicals throw off the body’s internal clock by up to 17 minutes

As if you needed anything else to keep you up at night... www.theguardian.com/environment/...

NIH cancels participation in Safe to Sleep campaign that decreased infant deaths NIH has cancelled its participation in Safe to Sleep, a 30-year campaign to prevent babies from dying in their sleep

🤯🤯🤯www.statnews.com/2025/04/30/nih-ends-part...

Are Melatonin Supplements Safe for Kids? - MedShadow Foundation | Independent Health & Wellness Journalism The answer to the melatonin and kids question depends on how they’re used—and many parents may be doing it wrong

My latest. If you've got a kid who's sleep-challenged, here's the skinny on those somnogenic gummies. medshadow.org/are-melatoni...

How to Not Get Poisoned in America The minute I saw that Robert Kennedy Jr., a notorious disease-loving health crank, was going to be responsible for the nation’s health—and the health of its...

"You know, as an example, red lead was used to make cheddar... A can of coffee could be coffee, but it could be ground bone, or charred shells, or dirt." Deborah Blum on our bad food past -- and how to avoid it being our future:
buttondown.com/theswordandt...

Trump’s War on Measurement Means Losing Data on Drug Use, Maternal Mortality, Climate Change and More By slashing teams that gather critical data, the administration has left the federal government with no way of understanding if policies are working — and created a black hole of information whose con...

Report: As one dataset after another falls by the wayside, the nation’s policymakers are losing their ability to make evidence-based decisions, and the public is losing the ability to hold them accountable for their results. www.propublica.org/article/trum...

National Science Foundation cancels research grants related to misinformation and disinformation Hundreds of grants, fellowships, and awards were terminated because they are no longer "aligned with NSF priorities."

Because disinformation wants to be free? www.niemanlab.org/2025/04/nati...

Kenneth Miller Pt 2 - 90.5 WICN Public Radio Tonight on Inquiry, we welcome back award-winning journalist KENNETH MILLER to continue our conversation about his new book: MAPPING THE DARKNESS: THE VISIONARY SCIENTISTS WHO UNLOCKED THE MYSTERIES O...

Another ultra-fun conversation about Mapping the Darkness—this time, focusing on the discovery of REM sleep and the birth of sleep medicine—with host Mark Lynch. Have a listen! wicn.org/podcast/kenn...

Nobel laureate: I owe America my success. Today, its scientific future is in danger | CNN Dr. Ardem Patapoutian says he watches “with deep sadness as the United States’ remarkable scientific enterprise, which took generations of hard work and national investment to build, faces a concerted...

Published an op-ed for @cnn.com: “Nobel laureate: I owe America my success. Today, its scientific future is in danger.”
A personal reflection on what’s at stake as science funding gets slashed. I’d be grateful if you could amplify both in and beyond the science world.
www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/h...

Welcome aboard!

Nobodye good doth evir attack the fundinge of libraryes

Beautiful