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Autism Medicine Politics Quackery

Evidence prevails: No medical marijuana for autism in Michigan—for now

Advocates have been trying to persuade Michigan to add autism to the list of conditions for which medical marijuana can be prescribed. Fortunately, this time at least, Michigan saw through their dubious arguments.

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Clinical trials Medicine

Acupuncture bait and switch: Electrified hot flash edition

It’s always disappointing to see a good journal fall for bad medicine, particularly when it’s in your field. For example, the Journal of Clinical Oncology (affectionately referred to by its abbreviation JCO) is the official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and probably the most read clinical journal by those involved in […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Biology Medicine Pseudoscience Religion Science Skepticism/critical thinking

More horrible antivaccine “science” from Theresa Deisher

As hard as it is to believe after over ten years of existence and over 5,000 posts on SBM, every so often, something reminds me that I’ve missed paper that cries out for some not-so-Respectful Insolence. So it was a couple of weeks ago, when I saw a familiar name in a news story that […]

Categories
Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery Science

An acupuncture bait and switch on hypertension

Acupuncture is a theatrical placebo, but it’s hard not to grudgingly admire just how—shall we say?—malleable or adaptable a placebo it is. What I mean by this is that, if you believe its practitioners and adherents, acupuncture can treat almost literally any disease or health problem. Any! Pain? Acupuncture. Allergies? Acupuncture. Biliary colic? Acupuncture. Infertility? […]

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Biology Clinical trials Medicine Politics Popular culture Science

What do Mike Adams, Todd Starnes, and William Proxmire have in common?

Readers of this blog of a certain age and above are likely to remember a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin named William Proxmire. Sen. Proxmire made a name for himself in the late 1970s and throughout much of the 1980s by issuing what he dubbed “The Golden Fleece Award,” which was meant to “honor” public officials […]