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Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Magical thinking versus lymphoma

I’ve written several times about two young victims of what is normally a highly treatable cancer (Hodgkin’s lymphoma) and how, with their parents’ support, they have jeopardized their lives by choosing alternative therapies. The first, Katie Wernecke, was initially taken from her family by the State of Texas, but her parents ultimately won a court […]

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Medicine Science

An interesting tidbit about Mark Geier

In the light of recently discovered possible chicanery on the part of Mark Geier and his dubious IRB, I found this report by John Leavitt very interesting: My interest in inserting bacterial genes into mammalian cells stemmed from a paper published in Nature in 1971 by NIH scientists, Carl Merril, Mark Geier, and John Petricciani, […]

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Cancer Medicine Quackery

Tamoxifen abuse?

Holy crap. Just when I thought I had heard or seen it all, something comes up that proves me wrong. This time, the “something” comes to my attention via Corpus Callosum. It’s a story about people abusing a drug. Only it’s not just any drug, but a drug commonly used to treat breast cancer (which, […]

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Autism Bioethics Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Antivaccination warriors vs. research ethics

It’s been a very interesting week for those of us who try to keep an eye on antivaccination warriors who scare mothers with claims based on either no science or bad science of dire consequences that will come from vaccinating their children. A very interesting week indeed, kind of like that old curse, “May you […]

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Science

Ask a ScienceBlogger: Time

Time – He’s waiting in the wings He speaks of senseless things His script is you and me, boys Time – He flexes like a whore Falls wanking to the floor His trick is you and me, boy Time – In Quaaludes and red wine Demanding Billy Dolls And other friends of mine Take your […]