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Cancer Integrative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery

The Integrative Oncology Scholars Program: Indoctrinating oncology professionals into pseudoscience

“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 Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

What’s more quackademic medicine than Harvard’s acupuncture course? Maybe Duke’s reflexology course!

Quackery has thoroughly infiltrated medical academia in the form of “integrative medicine.” So what’s worse than Harvard offering an acupuncture course? It might be Duke offering a reflexology and reiki course.

Categories
Cancer Medicine Quackery

Integrating pseudoscience and mysticism into oncology in bastions of evidence-based medicine

Last week, I commented on the inability of the Society for Integrative Oncology to define what integrative oncology actually is. This week, I note the proliferation of the quackery of integrative oncology in places that should be rigorously science-based, namely NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers.

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Medicine Physics Quackery

Charlie Goldsmith: A new celebrity quack arises, enabled by TLC

Two years ago, I took note of an “energy healer” named Charlie Goldsmith and an incredibly poor “clinical trial” being touted as evidence of his healing abilities. It now turns out that Goldsmith is following a trail blazed by celebrity psychic Tyler Henry and has his own TV show on TLC. His claims are no more plausible or supported by evidence now than they were then.

Categories
Complementary and alternative medicine Homeopathy Integrative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery

Orac basks in the adoration of Gary Null

Orac loves to bask in the adulation of his “fans.” This time around, one of the old men of quackery, Gary Null, has decided that he really, really doesn’t like science-based medicine. That includes Steve Novella, Susan Gerbic, and…Orac.