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Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Computers and social media Medicine Quackery

Breast cancer information on the Internet

It figures again. I go a few days without Internet access again, and not only does Generation Rescue take out a full page antivaccination ad full of stupidity in USA Today, which I couldn’t resist opening both barrels on earlier, but a study’s lead senior author is someone I know (albeit not well) about three […]

Categories
Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

The “wisdom” of cancer cells?

I was perusing my newsfeeds last night looking for topics for Your Friday Dose of Woo this week when I came across what, initially at least, I considered to be primo material for my weekly bit of fun at the expense of the more far out excursions into woo. Then I thought about it some […]

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Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery Surgery

A horrifying breast cancer “testimonial” for “holistic” treatment

(NOTE ADDED 12/7/2010: Kim Tinkham has died of what was almost certainly metastatic breast cancer.) Cancer is scary. It’s very, very scary, even when it is a cancer that is treatable and potentially curable. It’s such a common disease that, by the time we reach a certain age, the vast majority of us have seen […]

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Cancer Medicine Politics

Well, duh: Insured cancer patients do better

Maybe it’s unfair to proclaim this a “well, duh!” study, but its conclusions do seem rather obvious. On the other hand, it’s information that we need in a cold, hard scientific form, and I’m glad that the investigators did it: (AP) — Uninsured cancer patients are nearly twice as likely to die within five years […]

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Cancer Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine

Acupuncture and hot flashes in breast cancer patients: No effect

I used to be of the opinion that there might just be something to acupuncture. No, I never thought there was anything to the notion that acupuncture “works” by somehow rerouting the flow of a magical life force (qi) that no scientific instrument can detect and that no practitioner of acupuncture (or other practioners “healing […]