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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Get out the popcorn: Science Babe vs. The Food Babe

I’ve spend considerable time documenting the utter pseudoscience, misinformation, and downright idiocy about “chemicals” in food regularly inflicted on the public by the misguided “food activist” named Vani Hari, who is better known by the moniker she chose for herself “The Food Babe.” Indeed, in decade-plus that I’ve been running this blog and the few […]

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Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Naturopathy Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Jess Ainscough, Belle Gibson, and “wellness warriors” vs. cancer

Recent articles in The Daily Mail and The Australian reminded me that it’s been over a month since the unfortunate demise of Jess Ainscough, a young Australian woman who was diagnosed with an epithelioid sarcoma of her left upper extremity in 2008. Before I get to the articles, a brief recap is in order. This […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Homeopathy Politics Pseudoscience Quackery Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Regulating magic: The FDA considers revamping its regulation of homeopathic products

Homeopathy is quackery. It can’t be repeated often enough. Homeopathy is The One Quackery To Rule Them All. It is based on prescientific vitalism and principles so addled that one must wonder whether Samuel Hahnemann, the guy who dreamt up this medical system, was a fan of excess alcohol use, opium, marijuana, or some unholy […]

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Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Popular culture Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Medical marijuana and the new herbalism, part 3: Cannabis does not cure breast cancer

It’s been a while since I discussed medical marijuana, even though it’s a topic I’ve been meaning to come back to since I first dubbed medical marijuana to be the equivalent of herbalism and discussed how the potential of cannabinoids to treat cancer has been, thus far, unimpressive, with relatively modest antitumor effects. The reason […]

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Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Dr. Hidaeka Tsuda demonstrates that antineoplastons don’t work against colon cancer

Two things have reminded me that it’s been a while since I’ve written about Stanislaw Burzynski, nearly five months, to be precise. First, on Wednesday evening I’ll be heading to the city where Burzynski preys on unsuspecting cancer patients, Houston, TX, to attend this year’s Society of Surgical Oncology meeting to imbibe the latest research […]