Denialism

Author: MarkH

  • What makes these quacks different from all other quacks?

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    MarkH
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    These quacks are in a bit of trouble. The FTC and FDA have decided that they are sick of bogus cancer cures, and have sued a handful of companies. WHAT THE HELL TOOK THEM SO LONG? And more important, are they going to go after more snake oil salesmen? There is nothing special about the…

  • Everyday, every day

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    MarkH
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    I love language, which I suppose is as good a reason as any for being a writer. I’m also terribly critical—I hate misuse of language, especially my own. I’m not talking about silly grammatical rules that real speech renders moot. I’m talking about the misuse of words that actually changes meaning. Every day I give…

  • Cancer 101

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    MarkH
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    Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S., and at any moment directly affects almost 4% of the population, or about 10.8 million Americans. A diagnosis of cancer can be one of the most frightening moments in someone’s life, and yet most people understand little about the disease. I hear the same…

  • A very confused pharmacist

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    MarkH
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    I’ve written often about the ethics of doctors and pharmacists imposing their own morals on their patients and customers. Our Sb pharmacologist has as well. And even though all of our legitimate professional organizations recognize this line, Bush’s Department of Health and Human Services has jumped into the ring to join a fight that should…

  • A Vote for Science

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    MarkH
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    The ScienceBlogs Command Center has decided to fire up a group blog for election season. It’s called A Vote for Science, and several Sb’ers and others will be writing about the candidates and science policy (including yours truly). If your a political junkie and a science geek, cruise on over and check it out.

  • Medical professionalism, or WE ARE YOUR GODS, BOW BEFORE US

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    MarkH
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    One of our sciblings, Dr. Signout, is learning the ropes as she struggles (and presumably excels) through her medical residency. As her writing has picked back up, she has brought up some important questions about medical education and medical professionalism. I’m a little further along in my career than she, and I have some thoughts…

  • Skeptics’ Circle Time

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    MarkH
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    The 95th addition is up at Skeptimedia—go and learn!

  • A million is getting closer

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    MarkH
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    Teh Overlordz have demanded some link love and a reminder that the one million mark is coming up. That means swag, celebration, and song (OK, maybe no singing). The SE Michigan get-together is still a-plannin’ (meaning I haven’t decided what place to tell people to show up yet). I’m hoping I can get Orac into…

  • Another anniversary

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    MarkH
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    I fear for this anniversary. Like everyone else, my memories of 9/11 are vivid. It is a shared experience for Americans, but as time goes on, it is losing its shared meaning. Some of this meaning will, I’m sure, continue to be shunted into political ends, even more so with the election coming up. I…

  • So, would you do it again?

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    MarkH
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    (I felt Doctor Signout deserved a more complete answer, so here it is.) I’m surrounded by cynicism. Doctors make particularly good cynics (although not always the best skeptics). Why are we cynics? Pehaps because we see human behavior in the raw. On a daily—no, hourly—basis, we see people making decisions that destory their bodies. People…