Tag: quackery

Categories
Bad science Medicine Politics Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Medicaid and the Oregon Health Authority: The scam of replacing opioids with “nonpharmacologic treatments for pain” like acupuncture

Nonpharmacologic treatments for pain
Nonpharmacologic treatments for pain do not replace these in most patients

The Oregon Health Authority is on the verge of passing a radical policy that would require chronic pain patients receiving Medicaid to have their opioids tapered to zero while covering “nonpharmacologic treatments for pain” that include primarily acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, and other “alternative” treatments. Not surprisingly, the Oregon Chronic Pain Task Force, which is responsible for this proposed infliction of quackery on the most vulnerable, has three acupuncturists and a chiropractor sitting on it.

Categories
Bad science Medicine Physics Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Luminas Pain Relief Patches: Where the words “quantum” and “energy” really mean “magic”

Luminas Luminas Pain Relief Patches Pain Patches
Luminas Pain Relief Patches

Orac discovers the Luminas Pain Relief Patch. He is amused at how how quacks confuse the words “quantum” and “energy” with magic.

Categories
Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience

Is the misrepresentation of scientific findings by antivaxers leading to self-censorship by scientists?

Are vaccine scientists indulging in self-censorship?
Are vaccine scientists indulging in self-censorship?

Melinda Wenner Moyer published an article in The New York Times arguing that fear of how antivaxers will react to scientific findings is leading scientists to indulge in self-censorship. I’m not convinced that this is the case.

Categories
Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Politics Popular culture Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Shannon Kroner invited me to a panel discussion on vaccines. Don’t fall for a trap like this.

My invitation by Shannon Kroner: It's a trap
My invitation by Shannon Kroner: It's a trap

A clinical psychologist named Shannon Kroner invited Orac’s alter-ego to a “panel discussion” on vaccines. Let’s just say Orac knows a trap when he sees one and didn’t fall for this one. However, he thought it wise to write this post to warn other science advocates about traps for the unwary—like this one. Heed Orac’s advice!

Categories
Medicine Politics Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Burzynski’s old lawyer Richard Jaffe throws a quack stem cell clinic under the bus

Richard Jaffe vs. U.S. Stem Cell
Richard Jaffe vs. U.S. Stem Cell

Richard Jaffe was Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski’s lawyer. For nearly two decades, Jaffe defended this cancer quack from the FDA, Texas Medical Board, and the government in the name of “health freedom” and even invented Burzynski’s business model of having over 70 clinical trials open that allow him to treat any cancer patient he wants. More recently, he’s been a defender of for-profit quack stem cell clinics. Last week, he shocked me by finding one stem cell clinic so quacky that he thinks the government should shut it down, even going so far as to use criminal prosecution if necessary. Basically, he’s willing to throw one quack stem cell clinic under the bus, so that others can continue to profit.