Category: Altie Meds
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In Defense of Homeopathy
Jeanette Winterson offers her “defence” in the Guardian, and I can’t wait for Ben Goldacre to rip into it. She starts with this classic argument from anecdote: Picture this. I am staying in a remote cottage in Cornwall without a car. I have a temperature of 102, spots on my throat, delirium, and a book…
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Fraud, Debt Levels & Educational Attainment
I’m continuing to bore you with the Federal Trade Commission’s report on Consumer Fraud in the United States. Would it be surprising to hear that individuals with higher levels of debt are more likely to be victims of fraud? Yes, people in debt can be desperate, and thus be more likely to fall for scams,…
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Could Scientific Thinking Help Curb Consumer Fraud?
The Federal Trade Commission just released their second report on Consumer Fraud in the United States. Since it is full of interesting information, I’m going to do several posts on the Commission’s findings. First a quick notes about methods: this report presents findings from 3,888 telephonic interviews of Spanish and English speaking adults. The Commission…
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Denialists should not be debated
Orac has brought up the interesting point that debating the homeopaths at U. Conn might not be a good idea. On a related note, in a post derriding attacks on consensus I was asked by commenters if isn’t it incumbent on science to constantly respond to debate; to never let scientific questions be fully settled.…
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Breast Cancer Crankery From Mike Adams
The latest crankery from Adams is the evil male-chauvinist conspiracy to perpetuate breast cancer for fun and profit being led by none other than those dastardly villains of the American Cancer Society. With his stunning report and links to the thinkbeforeyoupink campaign, he rails against the ribbons that are a “symbol of male-dominated control over…
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5 Alternative Medicine Treatments that Work?
CNN suggests there are 5 (count them 5) alternative medicine treatments that actually work! How pathetic is it for altie-meds that the article is presented this way. You know, 5 altie-med therapies that work versus, well, all real pharmaceuticals that actually have proven medical effects. As many have pointed out, if it works, it ceases…
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HeadOn Works!
The ads work, that is. HeadOn, that homeopathic (and therefore completely ineffective) head rub for head pain isn’t effective. But it’s still selling, because advertising and propaganda often trumps evidence! Mya Frazier of AdAge reports: Those rapid-fire “HeadOn, apply directly to the forehead” spots are arguably among the worst commercials ever from a creative standpoint.…
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Mike Adams branches out into TB denial?
In a scathing attack on what he calls “gunpoint medicine”, Mike Adams attacks the medical establishment for their supposed ability to imprison patients, force treatments on people against their will and generally be very very evil. Health officials in Lawrenceville, Georgia have arrested and jailed Francisco Santos, a teenager who tried to walk out of…
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Mike Adams Crank Magnetism – now it’s the Secret!
As if I needed more evidence for the phenomenon of crank magnetism, Mike Adams has a post on the Nutrition behind the Secret. Apparently, the secret to the Secret is Mike Adams nutritional advice. Few people really know one of the most important secrets to making “The Secret” work: Establishing the right nutrition and dietary…
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Do microwaves “nuke” the nutrients in food?
No. However, there is never a shortage of crankery from Mike Adams who asserts Microwave ovens destroy the nutritional value of your food. There may be too much idiocy here to address but let’s get started. The rise of widespread nutritional deficiencies in the western world correlates almost perfectly with the introduction of the microwave…