Category: Pseudoscience

Categories
Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery Science Skepticism/critical thinking

The Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 was caused by an experimental vaccine? A conspiracy theory I hadn’t heard of before…

Spanish Flu 1918
Spanish Flu 1918

In this installment of Conspiracy Theory Bingo, Kevin Barry blames the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 on an experimental vaccine. Yes, Mr. Barry lets the conspiracy mongering and antivaccine tropes flow as he “investigates” the influenza pandemic of 1918. Being the antivaccine crank that he is, he concludes that the influenza virus didn’t cause the disease that killed over 50 million people a hundred years ago. No! It was—of course—an experimental meningitis vaccine that caused bacterial pneumonia in Army recruits. Let’s just say that there are numerous holes in Barry’s claims.

Categories
Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Politics Pseudoscience Skepticism/critical thinking

Vote as if your children’s health depends on it. Antivaxers are on the ballot.

Vote

Antivaxers have become politically active and, unfortunately, quite influential in several states. As you go out to the polls today, remember that, and vote as if our children’s health depends on it, particularly if you live in Texas and Oklahoma.

Categories
Friday Woo Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Yogi Jacket: How about some acupressure woo on a Friday?

Yogi Jacket

How would you like a jacket with 7,000 miniature nontoxic plastic spikes lining it to stimulate those acupressure points? Have I got a jacket for you! Introducing…the Yogi Jacket! It’s woo-tactic!

Categories
Cancer Integrative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery

The Integrative Oncology Scholars Program: Indoctrinating oncology professionals into pseudoscience

Integrative Medicine as the Trojan horse
The Trojan Horse (Rabbit) of quackademic medicine approaches the walls of medical academia. Unfortunately, all too often, the rabbit is often taken within the walls, allowing the woo to escape into the medical school and academic medical center. The result: Integrative medicine.

“Integrative oncology” involves “integrating” pseudoscience, mysticism, and quackery with science-based oncology and co-opting science-based lifestyle modalities as “alternative” in order to provide cover for the quackery. Unfortunately, my alma mater, funded by the National Cancer Institute, is running a course to indoctrinate 100 health care professionals in the ways of “integrative oncology.” The Trojan horse of “lifestyle interventions” and “nonpharmacologic treatments for pain” is at the gates. The quackery will leap out as soon as it’s in the fortress.

Categories
Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Functional medicine (FM) quackery dissected in the mainstream media

Functional medicine (FM)

Functional medicine (FM) is “make it up as you go along” quackery that combines the “worst of both worlds,” namely the overtesting and overtreatment that can plague conventional medicine plus the quackery “integrated” into “integrative medicine.” It’s rare to see a mainstream outlet get it right about FM, but an Irish journalist pulls it off.