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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

President Trump appears poised to betray the antivaccine movement again. Suckers.

Because of Donald Trump’s long history of antivaccine statements, his meeting with Andrew Wakefield during the presidential campaign, and his meeting with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. during the transition, antivaxers thought Trump would give them what they want. They were wrong, just the latest to realize that they’ve been conned. Is it so wrong for me to feel serious schadenfreude here?

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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Surprise! John Oliver’s vaccine segment has given antivaxers a sad.

On his most recent Sunday show, John Oliver did a tour de force segment on the antivaccine movement. Not surprisingly, antivaxers are not pleased.

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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Homeopathy Medicine Naturopathy Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

You can’t have naturopathy without antivax

A reader asks me why I hate naturopaths. I don’t hate naturopaths, but I do oppose naturopathy. Earlier this week, Tim Caulfield reminded me of one reason why: You can’t have naturopathy without antivax. Antivax views are baked into naturopathy.

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Skepticism/critical thinking

While Orac’s away, the Breatharians will play…

Breatharians claim that it is possible to exist only on air and that human beings can reach a state where they do not require food. Stories about Breatharians pop up in the media from time to time, even though they are patently ridiculous. One such story made the rounds as Orac was wending his way home from Europe. Given that it’s been years since he’s discussed Breatharians, he couldn’t resist looking at this story.

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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Homeopathy Humor Medicine Naturopathy Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

What is an “altie”?

How does one identify a hard core believer in alternative medicine, sometimes called in the distant past an “altie.” Well, this helpful list, culled from nine years ago, will aid you in spotting the identifying signs…