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Bioethics Biology Medicine Science

Update on the case of “Coma Man” Rom Houben: Facilitated communication is still woo

A couple of months ago, I wrote about a case that demonstrated conclusively just how easily even respected researchers can be taken in by psuedoscience. Of course, I was not alone. A number of others, including Steve Novella, James Randi, bioethicist Art Caplan, Hank Schlinger, and myself, recognized the reports that a Belgian man named […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Marc Neumann or Dr Rolando Arafiles? You be the judge!

The silliness about Morgellons and Marc Neumann continues. This time around, it’s someone sending me e-mail from Dr. Rolando Arafile’s website. In my e-mail last night I found this gem: From: “Health2Fit” [email protected] Subject: Violation Date: February 12, 2010 3:54:59 PM EST To: “Orac” [email protected] Please remove our videos that you have on your blog. […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Humor Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

But what about the Illuminati and David Icke’s reptilians?

The utter discrediting and disgrace of Andrew Wakefield, first by the judgment of the General Medical Council against him and then by the retraction of the crown jewel of his respectability his 1998 Lancet paper that sparked the modern anti-vaccine movement and launched a thousand autism quacks. The reaction of the anti-vaccine loons was very […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine

Wakefield’s “monkey business” hepatitis B vaccine study withdrawn?

Kim Wombles over at Countering Age of Autism pointed this out: Why, you ask, is this whole 13 monkeys, 14 monkeys irrelevant? Well, see, here’s where it gets really interesting. If you want to read this study, you go here: the 14 studies site by Handley. Thoughtful House has a press release on how it […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Answering the Friday mailbag: Morgellons disease “expert” Marc Neumann is very unhappy with Orac

It’s been a busy week between blogging about Andrew Wakefield and covering the Winkler County Nurse trial, which ended with the jury’s acquitting Anne Mitchell, RN after less than an hour of deliberation. Consequently, I’m a bit tired today. Fortunately, there’s the mail bag, the perfect lazy blogging tool that will allow me to generate […]