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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Politics Quackery

The Top 5 Threats to Science-Based Medicine of the Decade

While I’m recovering fro Christmas this weekend and away a good chunk of tomorrow, here’s a question to ponder as 2009 draws to its inevitable close. Val Jones has listed what she views to be the top five threats to science-based medicine that dominated 2009 and look likely to continue to threaten science in medicine […]

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Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Entertainment/culture Medicine Popular culture Quackery Television

Suzanne Somers carpet bombs the media with napalm-grade stupid about cancer

There are two times a year that seem to be a time to beware of a serious assault of pseudoscience and quackery. The first time of year is in April, which is Autism Awareness Month. Over the last few years I can be just as sure as night following day, only to be followed by […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Politics Quackery Religion

It’s more than just Senator Tom Harkin and woo: Christian Science and faith healing in health care reform

Every so often, as the health care reform initiative spearheaded by the Obama Administration wends its way through Congress (or, more precisely, wend their ways through Congress, given that there are multiple bills coming from multiple committees in both Houses), I’ve warned about various chicanery from woo-friendly legislators trying to legitimize by legislation where they’ve […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Homeopathy deconstructed in the FASEB Journal

As I mentioned on Friday, over the last few days I was in Chicago attending the American College of Surgeons annual meeting. At least, that’s where I was until last evening. Unfortunately, I got back home too late and was thus too tired to lay down some fresh Insolence, Respectful or otherwise, for your edification […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

The American Academy of Family Physicians goes woo

One of the most frustrating aspects of so-called “complementary and alternative medicine” is how much it’s managed to bypass the scientific orientation of academic medical institutions and insinuate itself deeply into medical academia. Indeed, Dr. R. W. Donnell once quite aptly referred to this phenomenon, where wildly implausible claims with no science behind them somehow […]