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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

This should be good: Penn and Teller on the anti-vaccine movement

It’s finally here! The long expected episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, in which the boys take on the anti-vaccine movement in their usual inimitable fashion, will premiere tonight on Showtime at 10 PM. It’s even the eighth season finale, which is appropriate. If there’s a form of “bullshit” other than the irrationality that is […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Naturopathy

Yes, there really are people who don’t accept the germ theory of disease

The longer I’m in this whole skepticism thing, the more I realize that no form of science is immune to woo. For example, even though I lament just how many people do not accept evolution, for example, I can somewhat understand it. Although the basics of the science and evidence supporting the theory of evolution […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Naturopathy Quackery

Germ theory denialism explained

Here’s some sheer awesomeness in the form of an explanation of germ theory denialism: The only thing I would disagree with is the conclusion at the end that germ theory denialists are not much of a threat. In fact, germ theory denialism, usually softer germ theory denialism, such as the kind that says a healthy […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Surgery

Andrew Wakefield, exactly where he belongs…again

I haven’t really taken much note of Andrew Wakefield in a while, and in general that’s a very good thing indeed. However, I found out recently that somehow I missed this gem from around the time of Autism One: That’s right. I thought it was pretty bad that Andy Wakefield had appeared on Coast to […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Why not just castrate them? (Part 5) The Geiers’ “Lupron protocol” metastasizes

Of all the bizarre forms of antivaccine autism quackery, one of the strangest has to be Mark and David Geier’s “Lupron protocol.” I’ve written about it many times, dating back to 2006 and, more recently, when the Chicago Tribune provided the first coverage I’m aware of of the Geiers’ quackery in a major newspaper, thanks […]