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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Bioethics Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Medical ethics, children, and chelation therapy for autism

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. J.B. Handley, that bull-in-a-china-shop general in the mercury militia who detests me intensely, is about as ignorant as they come when it comes to science and clinical trials. Yesterday, he provided yet more evidence of his cluelessness in his latest piece posted to that repository for […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Science is irrelevant. Resistance is futile.

“I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life as it has been is over. From this time forward, you will service us.” – Locutus of Borg. “Strength is irrelevant. Resistance is futile…Your culture will adapt to service ours.” — The Borg. I’m a bit depressed these days. Maybe a better term for it […]

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Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Politics Quackery

Can it be real? The FDA brings the hammer down on bogus cancer cures

I’m a cancer surgeon, and if there’s one thing that drives me straight to the liquor cabinet it has to be quack cancer “cures.” Very early in the history of this blog, I discussed one of the biggest quacks of all time, a woman who thinks that all cancer is caused by a liver fluke […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Naturopathy Politics Quackery

“Doctors” of Naturopathy in Minnesota? Or: Barbarians at the gate

I know I’m a bit late to this game, but those of you who read ERV, Denialism Blog, and Pharyngula didn’t think that their prior mention of this story about how the State of Minnesota is going to allow naturopaths to claim the title of “doctor” would stop me from jumping right in even if […]

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Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

“Integrative” medicine at Yale: A more “fluid” concept of evidence?

I realize that I’ve been very, very remiss in attending to a task that I’ve been meaning to get to since late January. There are several reasons, albeit not excuses, for why I have failed to do this task. Perhaps the most powerful impediment to my overcoming my inertia and just diving in and doing […]