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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Computers and social media Quackery

Dr. Google and Mr. Jim

What would we do without the Internet? It’s become so necessary, so pervasive, so utterly all-enveloping that it’s hard to imagine a world without it. Given how much it pervades everything these days, it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t that long ago that the Internet was primarily the domain of universities and large research […]

Categories
Announcements Skepticism/critical thinking

WTF? No more WTF…but that's OK

A couple of years ago, I gave a talk to a bunch of Chicago skeptics that was co-sponsored by the Chicago Skeptics and the Women Thinking Free Foundation. At the time, I had no idea that the organization was that new, but I did know that I was very impressed by the turnout to my […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Quackery

When chiropractors play at being real doctors

It’s rather odd that I’ll be writing two posts in a row having to do with a chiropractor, given that chiropractic is at best an occasional topic on this blog. Certainly, I don’t hesitate to take on chiropractic when the mood strikes me or, more importantly, when I come across some seriously burning stupid coming […]

Categories
Complementary and alternative medicine Quackery

A chiropractor strikes back at the Institute for Science in Medicine

Every so often I come across a post by quacks or supporters of quackery that make me wish that we as skeptics and supporters of science-based medicine actually had the abilities and powers attributed to us. I mean, what’s the good of being accused of running a conspiracy to crush any sort of “unconventional” or […]

Categories
Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine

Dietary supplements: Scary substances manufactured under scary conditions

If there’s a law that I view as a horrible, horrible, law, it’s the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA of 1994). It is a law that blog bud and former ScienceBlogs blogger Dr. Peter Lipson has rightly called a travesty of a mockery of a sham, and, quite frankly, I think he […]