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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Medicine Quackery

The cult of antivaccinationism

Whenever I’m looking at fringe scientific claims, I’m always on the lookout for things that help me conclude whether I’m looking at “legitimate” fringe ideas or pseudoscience and woo. One observation that I’ve found helpful in leading me in one direction or the other is to look for certain dead giveaways that what we’re looking […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Medicine

The Huffington Post and antivaccinationists

I don’t much like The Huffington Post. My dislike for The Huffington Post goes way, way back–all the way back to its very beginnings. Indeed, a mere three weeks after Arianna Huffington’s little vanity project hit the blogosphere, I noted a very disturbing trend in its content. That trend was a strong undercurrent of antivaccination […]

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Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine

Finally, NCCAM actually funds some worthwhile research!

I thought I might start developing chest pain when I read it, but to my shock NCCAM has actually funded some worthwhile research! Even more amazingly, NCCAM described it in a press release! Too bad it supports the contention that acupuncture is nothing more than placebo and that the attention given by the practitioner is […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Friday Woo Medicine Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Your Friday Dose of Woo: Manifest this, woo-boy!

Woo has patterns. I’ve learned to see them, and, if you read Your Friday Dose of Woo on a regular basis, perhaps you’re starting to see them too. Not that I had originally intended to become so well-versed in woo that I start to notice these things. What really happened is that I just sort […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

More legal thuggery, this time against Neurodiversity.com

Your Friday Dose of Woo has been interrupted to bring you an important rant. The previously scheduled installment will be delayed and will appear later on in the day. This is more important. A common characteristic of cranks and denialists, be they antivaccinationists or large corporations or whatever, is an intolerance of criticism for their […]