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Complementary and alternative medicine Entertainment/culture Medicine Quackery

Kinoki detox footpads: Better late than never…

I’ve written about the ridiculousness of the Kinoki Detox Footpads before. While on the way home from work today, I happened to be listening to NPR, and–wonder of wonders!–I came across a skeptical story about the Kinoki Footpads. In the story, the reporter, Sarah Varney, took used footpads to a laboratory to have them tested. […]

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Announcements Science Skepticism/critical thinking

A South African Skeptics’ Circle?

As the guy who sort of fell into being the keeper of the original Skeptics’ Circle after its creator decided to give up blogging three years ago, I’d be remiss in my duties if I didn’t mention that I’ve been made aware of an initiative to set up a local version of the Circle based […]

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Religion Skepticism/critical thinking

Jesus loves you! And he’ll show you just how much he loves you by lowering gas prices!

Back in the spring, when gas prices shot up to well over $4 a gallon in many markets, a level from which they’ve fallen back somewhat over the last month or so, there was a great wailing and gnashing of teeth. Never before in U.S. history had gasoline cost so much, and we were starting […]

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Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Maybe we should use therapeutic touch instead of growth factors to culture cells

In complaining about the infiltration of pseudoscience in the form of “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM) into academic medicine, as I have many times, I’ve made the observation that three common modalities appear to function as “gateway woo, if you will, in that they are the tip of the wedge (not unlike the wedge strategy […]

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Entertainment/culture Science fiction/fantasy Television

45 years of Doctor Who

After seeing some Doctor Who silliness yesterday, I also came across this great tribute to 45 years of Doctor Who. Since it’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and I’m again too lazy to post anything substantive until Monday, here we go again. It’s every Who story compressed into less than 8 minutes. Truly, a tour de […]