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

NCCIH research: Nothing much there behind the curtain

It’s an understatement to say that I’m not exactly a fan of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), the institute formerly known as the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and, even a year after its name change, probably still better known by its old moniker. Just type “NCCAM” or […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

The CDC whistleblower documents: A whole lot of nothing and no conspiracy to hide an MMR-autism link

One of the stories dominating my blogging in 2015 was a manufactroversy that started in August 2014 when, after several months of rumbling in the antivaccine crankosphere that there was a CDC scientist ready to blow the whistle on an alleged coverup of evidence that vaccines cause autism, Andrew Wakefield, ever the publicity hog, released […]

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Announcements Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

Out with the old year, in with the new…with Insolence

As 2015 draws to a close today, all I can think is: Another year in the can. Since my family is here, and it’s a holiday, I’m going to keep this one brief and wish everyone a Happy New Year. In addition, I can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen in 2016. Who could […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Quoth Vox Day: Antivaxers are more educated. Quoth the study Vox cites: Not exactly…

Vaccines and the antivaccine movement were in the news a lot in 2015. The year started out with a huge measles outbreak originating at Disneyland over the holidays last year and dominated news coverage in the early months of 2015. This outbreak had enormous consequences. It galvanized public opinion such that something I had never […]

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Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

More acupuncture Tooth Fairy science as 2015 approaches its end

Several years ago, Harriet Hall coined a term that is most apt: Tooth fairy science. The term refers to clinical trials and basic science performed on fantasy. More specifically, it refers to doing research on a phenomenon before it has been scientifically established that the phenomenon exists. Harriet put it this way: You could measure […]