"A statement of fact cannot be insolent." The miscellaneous ramblings of a surgeon/scientist on medicine, quackery, science, and pseudoscience (and anything else that interests him).

Category: Bad science

“Censorship!”: The common bogus complaint of science deniers

Post author By Orac
Post date November 13, 2020
55 Comments on “Censorship!”: The common bogus complaint of science deniers

Once more, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. cries “Censorship!” over efforts to counter COVID-19 and antivaccine disinformation. Hilarity ensues.

Tags antimask, antivaccine, coronavirus, COVID-19, COVID-19 denial, Del Bigtree, disinformation, Joseph Mercola, pandemic, RFK Jr., Robert F. Kennedy Jr., SARS-CoV-2, vaccines

Autism Bad science Bioethics Clinical trials Medicine

Duke U.’s stem cell program for autism: The dark(er) side of quackademic medicine (revised and greatly expanded)

Post author By Orac
Post date November 9, 2020
48 Comments on Duke U.’s stem cell program for autism: The dark(er) side of quackademic medicine (revised and greatly expanded)

Duke University Marcus Center for Cellular Cures

Despite a lack of evidence Duke University is all-in on stem cells for autism, thanks to a billionaire benefactor and a Panama stem cell clinic. This is the dark(er) side of quackademic medicine.

Tags Autism, Bernie Marcus, Duke University, Joanne Kurtzberg, Marcus Institute of Integrative Health, Stem Cell Institute, stem cells

Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery

Antivax pediatrician Dr. Larry Palevsky hops on the COVID-19 denial grift train

Post author By Orac
Post date November 6, 2020
89 Comments on Antivax pediatrician Dr. Larry Palevsky hops on the COVID-19 denial grift train

In “COVID-19 EXPOSED,” antivax pediatrician Dr. Larry Palevsky has pivoted effortlessly to COVID-19 quackery and denial, same as it ever was for antivaxxers.

Tags conspiracy theory, coronavirus, COVID-19, COVID-19 denial, integrative medicine, Jason Shurka, Lawrence Palevsky, SARS-CoV-2

Bad science Complementary and alternative medicine Integrative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Quackademic medicine, COVID-19 edition, part 1: Magic amulets

Post author By Orac
Post date October 30, 2020
127 Comments on Quackademic medicine, COVID-19 edition, part 1: Magic amulets

“Quackademic medicine” is a term coined to describe the increasing infiltration of pseudoscience and quackery into medical academia. Unsurprisingly, we’re starting to see quackademic medicine turn its attention to COVID-19. In this case, traditional Chinese medicine is invoked to claim that magic amulets might prevent COVID-19,

Tags amulet, coronavirus, COVID-19, indigenous knowledge systems, indigenous medicine, indigenous ways of knowing, pandemic, quackademia, quackademic medicine, Retraction Watch, SARS-CoV-2, traditional Chinese medicine, University of Pittsburgh

Bad science Medicine Politics Popular culture Skepticism/critical thinking

AIER likens anti-“lockdown” cranks to abolitionists. Hilarity ensues

Post author By Orac
Post date October 29, 2020
68 Comments on AIER likens anti-“lockdown” cranks to abolitionists. Hilarity ensues

Cranks love a heroic persecution narrative, and the climate science-denying right wing think tank American Institute of Economic Research (AIER) has a doozy: COVID-19 “anti-lockdown” cranks like Scott Atlas and those behind the Great Barrington Declaration are the new abolitionists! This is a page from the antivax playbook.

Tags AIER, American Institute for Economic Research, antivaccine, coronavirus, COVID-19, COVID-19 denial, Focused Protection, Fugitive Slave Act, Great Barrington Declaration, herd immunity, lockdown, persecution, SARS-CoV-2, slavery, Stacey Rudin, vaccines

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