Categories
Antivaccine nonsense Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine

As Andrew Wakefield’s defenders circle the wagons

If my post today is a bit shorter on the usual Respectfully and not-so-Respectfully Insolent verbiage that you’ve come to know and love (or hate), I hope you’ll forgive me. It’s hard not to sit back, rest a bit, and enjoy the spectacle of Andrew Wakefield being pilloried in the press in the wake of […]

Categories
Antivaccine nonsense Autism Medicine

Lamenting Deadly Choices that endanger children

As hard as it is to believe after the pile of poo that was 2010, the year 2011 is starting out rather promisingly, at least from the point of view of science-based medicine. Its beginning has been greeted with the release of two–count ’em, two!–books taking a skeptical, science-based look at vaccines and, in particular, […]

Categories
Antivaccine nonsense Autism Humor Medicine

Introducing…the Pestilence League of America

You know, I think I agree with ZDoggMD. The anti-vaccine movement has become so successful that perhaps it needs its own movie franchise to show its heroic resistance against vaccines: It’s round about time we in the medical community recognized the heroic efforts of those who would warn us against the horrible dangers of vaccinations. […]

Categories
Biology Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery Science

The Chicago Tribune, “chronic Lyme disease,” and demands for false balance

During the six years of its existence, one frequent complaint I’ve had on this blog, it’s been about how the press covers various health issues. In particular, it’s depressing to see how often dubious and even outright false health claims, such as the claim that vaccines cause autism, that cell phones or powerlines cause cancer, […]

Categories
Antivaccine nonsense Entertainment/culture Humor Medicine Movies

I am Bonnie Offit!

I hadn’t planned on beating on that wretched hive of anti-vaccine scum and quackery, Age of Autism, again today so soon after having done so not just once but twice yesterday. I really hadn’t. After all, AoA is the crank gift that keeps on giving (and has kept on giving for three years now), and […]