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Complementary and alternative medicine Friday Woo Medicine Paranormal Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Your Friday Dose of Woo: The fuzziness of woo

Over the last 15 months that this regular Friday feature has been in existence, I’ve come across some real doozies in the world of woo. Who could forget, for example, quantum gyroscopic theories of homeopathy? Or the DNA activation guy? Or the “no plane” conspiracy theory of 9/11? Or a certain disgusting “feedback loop” for […]

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Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

Perception and reality in acupuncture

Last week, I wrote about an overhyped acupuncture study that purported to show (but didn’t, really) that acupuncture is more effective than “conventional” therapy in the treatment of low back pain. This story reverberated through the Internet and blogosphere as “proof” that acupuncture “works” when in reality the study was very weak evidence of any […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Friday Woo Medicine Quackery Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Your Friday Dose of Woo: Oxygen + electricity + water = woo

In looking back at all the various bizarre incarnations of woo that I’ve covered during the last year or so since I started doing Your Friday Dose of Woo, I was wondering if there was a form of woo that I had not covered yet. Woo seems to come in several forms, such as energy […]

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Announcements Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery Science Skepticism/critical thinking

The 70th Meeting of the Skeptics’ Circle: A conspiracy unmasked

Damn that Factitian! Now he’s gone too far! In hosting the 70th Meeting of the Skeptics’ Circle, he’s revealed some of the deepest darkest secrets of the Skeptical Atheistic Darwinist Scientific Conspiracy to Conquer All (SADSCCA), also known as The Conspiracy Factory in some circles. And you’ll never believe who the leader of the conspiracy […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Humor Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Science Skepticism/critical thinking

A potential consequence of global warming in a world where homeopathy is true

I hadn’t thought of this possible consequence of global warming before if homeopathy were actually true, but it’s frightening to contemplate. Fortunately, I think that even in this case the level of dilution wouldn’t be enough.