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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Sham acupuncture is better than “true” acupuncture!

Believe it or not, there was a time when I didn’t consider acupuncture to be a form of woo. I know, I know, it’s hard to believe, given the sorts of posts I’ve done recently on acupuncture, but it’s true. Certainly, I didn’t believe the whole rigamarole about needles somehow “restoring the flow of qi” […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Selling homeopathy to pediatricians

I’ve never been able to figure out how anyone who claims to be devoted to science and scientific medicine can take homeopathy the least bit seriously. None of it makes any sense scientifically. Its basic principal of the “Law of Similars” has far more basis in the concepts of sympathetic magic than anything that science […]

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Medicine

Things that make me smile even in my disease-ridden state (hopefully the last): Panda Bear MD on “alternative” medicine

Today is the first day where I’m starting to think that the worst is past, as far as the death crud that’s had me in its grip since last weekend goes. It’s possible, of course, that the virus could just be toying with me, giving me a false sense of hope, but I’ll remain optimistic. […]

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Bioethics Clinical trials Medicine Quackery

Stem cell tourism: Stem cells as the new snake oil

There’s no doubt about it: Stem cells are hot. Yes indeed, they’re not only hot, but they’re hip, they’re happenin‘, they’re right now, baby. Scientists are falling all over themselves with excitement at the potential applications that could potentially come from stem cell technology. True, no validated therapies for embryonic stem cells have yet made […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

The scammers responsible for Airborne are forced to cough up $23.3 million

I saw this and was going to write about it, but it turns out that Abel Pharmboy at Terra Sigillata beat me to it. Basically, the makers of Airborne have been slapped down bigtime for false advertising: