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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Thanks, Jenny McCarthy

The other day, I sarcastically “thanked” Andrew Wakefield for his role in making sure that measles is again endemic in the U.K. At the same time I wondered whether in 5 to 10 years I’d be similarly “thanking” Jenny McCarthy for her role in doing the same thing here in the United States. It looks […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

There’s no woo like Harvard woo

I’d start out by saying that here’s another one for my (in)famous Academic Woo Aggregator, except that this institution is already a part of the Woo Aggregator. The only thing I can say is that Steve Novella (who’s from Yale and has had to manage an influx of woo at his home institution) might get […]

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Announcements Cancer Friday Woo Medicine Personal Skepticism/critical thinking

Your Friday Dose of Woo will be on hiatus for a while

It’s been a week now since my wife and I learned that our beloved dog, whom we’ve had for eight years, had terminal cancer. At the time I was so sad and down that I just couldn’t even imagine getting myself into the appropriately light-hearted frame of mind that I try to maintain. In the […]

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Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery Religion

When faith healers attack

While I’m taking some time to rag on TV news for its ludicrously credulous reporting of various “alternative” medicine claims, take a gander at this puff piece on a faith healer. Where’s James Randi when you need him? True, the story mentioned that not one of this faith healer’s “healings” could be independently verified with […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Entertainment/culture Medicine Quackery Television

Steve Wilson of WXYZ-TV in Detroit: Investigative journalist or anti-vaccine propagandist?

What is it with the local news media in my hometown? You might (or might not) remember when I noted back in February that there was one Detroit station that did an unbelievably, hilariously dumb and credulous story about “orbs” in photos and whether they are ghosts or spirits manifesting themselves to their friends and […]