Categories
Complementary and alternative medicine Intelligent design/creationism Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

The Pooflinger muscling in on my territory?

It’s good to see the Pooflinger back in action. It really is. I don’t even mind that he’s starting to muscle in on my territory, because, as he points out, alties need poo-love too. In the process He’s unearthed a “gem” of altie wackiness that even I had never encountered before. Better still, he’s returned […]

Categories
Paranormal Pseudoscience Skepticism/critical thinking

Project Jason: Psychics and missing people

As a skeptic, when discussing psychics and how there is zero scientific evidence for the existence of psychic powers, I often come up against the attitude that says, “What’s the harm if people believe in psychics?” What’s the harm indeed? Have your palm read, and it’s kind of fun, but you generally don’t take it […]

Categories
Autism Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery

Mercury and autism: Foreordained conclusions?

Light blogging today, as I’m in the O.R. (Although there will be one more brief post, which, thanks to the wonders of Movable Type’s ability to let me schedule a time when posts are published, will be appearing early this afternoon, while I’m still working.The reason why I’m delaying it will, hopefully, be apparent.) Light […]

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

The Geiers go dumpster-diving yet again

Mark and David Geier, the père et fils duo of antivaccine pseudoscientists once again go dumpster diving in the VAERS database, using it for purposes for which it was not intended to “prove” vaccines cause autism.

Categories
Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

I was right: The teacher admits that Airborne doesn’t work

A while back, I wrote about Airborne, the “herbal” concoction designed by a schoolteacher that is touted as preventing colds and the flu if taken preemptively or lessening their severity if taken early on in the course of a cold. I concluded that there was no evidence that it did what Victoria Knight-McDowell, a schoolteacher […]