"A statement of fact cannot be insolent." The miscellaneous ramblings of a surgeon/scientist on medicine, quackery, science, and pseudoscience (and anything else that interests him).

Category: Complementary and alternative medicine

A potential consequence of global warming in a world where homeopathy is true

Post author By Orac
Post date September 26, 2007
9 Comments on A potential consequence of global warming in a world where homeopathy is true

I hadn’t thought of this possible consequence of global warming before if homeopathy were actually true, but it’s frightening to contemplate. Fortunately, I think that even in this case the level of dilution wouldn’t be enough.

Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

Yawn…another overhyped acupuncture study

Post author By Orac
Post date September 26, 2007
61 Comments on Yawn…another overhyped acupuncture study

Never let it be said that Orac doesn’t give the people what they want. Well, most of the time, anyway. What I’m referring to is a recent German study about acupuncture for low back pain that’s been making its way around the media. I had actually been planning on commenting about it yesterday, but Iranian […]

Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Science Skepticism/critical thinking

The cranks pile on John Ioannidis’ work on the reliability of science

Post author By Orac
Post date September 24, 2007
18 Comments on The cranks pile on John Ioannidis’ work on the reliability of science

Pity poor John Ioannidis. The man does provocative work about the reliability of scientific studies as published in the peer-reviewed literature, and his reward for trying to point out shortcomings in how we as scientists and clinical researchers do studies and evaluate evidence is to be turned into an icon for cranks and advocates of […]