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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Medicine Politics Quackery

Michelle Bachmann’s anti-vaccine statements cross the political pseudoscience divide

I don’t often blog about politics anymore. As I’ve said on more than one occasion, political bloggers are a dime a dozen. Rare is the one that interests me much. However, sometimes things happen that lead me to make an exception, except that this time it’s not really an exception because it has to do […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Blogging Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Movies Popular culture Quackery Television

The Contagion of conspiracy mongering and pseudoscience

Unfortunately, I don’t get to see very many movies these days. My wife and I both lead very busy lives, and with periodic spasms of grant writing, plus several new administrative responsibilities, it’s just hard. Last weekend, however, a movie that I’d rather like to see came out. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen it yet; so […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Variations on a theme of anti-vaccine nonsense

If there’s one thing about anti-vaccine activists that is virtually their sine qua non, it’s an utter lack of understanding of science. Actually, a more accurate description would be that it’s a highly selective understanding of science. Nowhere do I find this to be the case as much as when I see anti-vaccine loons pulling […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine

Special pleading for “integrative oncology”

I don’t recall how many times I’ve said lately that I detest the term “integrative medicine.” As I’ve pointed out time and time again, it’s the preferred “successor,” if you will, to the term “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM) (at least among the woo-friendly). After all, as I’ve pointed out before, it just won’t do […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Medicine

You know what to do…

Sigh. Why, oh, why do news organizations do such ridiculously stupid things? In this case, the CBC decided to put up a poll regarding the chickenpox vaccine. Here’s the setup: The Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS) says children should receive two doses of the chickenpox vaccine to avoid losing immunity and developing the disease as adults. […]