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Bioethics Clinical trials Medicine Surgery

The most massive scientific fraud ever?

Science as it is practiced today relies on a fair measure of trust. Part of the reason is that the culture of science values openness, hypothesis testing, and vigorous debate. The general assumption is that most scientists are honest and, although we all generally try to present our data in the most favorable light possible, […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Politics Quackery Science

Will the government ever regulate dietary supplements?

Advocates of so-called “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM) frequently make the claim that they are the victims of a “double standard,” in which (or so they claim) they are subjected to harsher standards than what they often refer to as “conventional” or “orthodox” medicine, usually because, don’t you know, big pharma controls everything and rigs […]

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Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

When burning woo produces deceptive testimonials

PZ’s muscling in on my territory. Apparently, ruling the Darwinian, creationist-destroying atheist cephalopod blogging world isn’t enough, and he has to start moving in on medicine. No problem, given that this time around he brought some rather interesting woo to my attention, suggesting it as perhaps a suitable topic for Your Friday Dose of Woo […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Entertainment/culture Medicine Popular culture Quackery

Jenny McCarthy “absolutely loves” injecting toxins into her bloodstream

I realize I’m a bit late on this, but it’s hard not to take the antivaccine movement’s icon and apply her own misinformation about vaccines being “toxins” injected into the bloodstream against her. In fact, doing so is far more justified, given that last week she was quoted in an interview as singing paeans of […]

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Cancer Medicine Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Animal rights activists: Even death doesn’t sway them

I have two brief observations to make before I launch into my latest bit of insolence. First off, it figures that, whenever I go away to a meeting, there’s simply an embarrassment of blogging riches. People have been sending me stuff to which, even if I were at home and having a slow week, I […]