Category: Bad science

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

The World Health Organization: Embracing traditional Chinese medicine pseudoscience in ICD-11

World Health Organization and asymptomatic

ICD-10 is a standardized system of alphanumeric codes for diagnoses maintained by the World Health Organization used throughout the world for billing, epidemiology, research, and cataloging causes of death. Its successor, ICD-11, is now complete and set to be formally adopted by WHO. Unfortunately, thanks to the influence of ideologues and the Chinese government, ICD-11 appears to be taking the “integration” of traditional medicine to a whole new level by integrating quack diagnoses with real diagnoses.

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Bad science Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery

Vaccine Injury Awareness Week 2018: Barbara Loe Fisher and Joe Mercola bring the antivaccine pseudoscience a month early

Vaccine Injury Awareness Week with Joe Mercola and Barbara Loe Fisher
Joe Mercola and Barbara Loe Fisher discuss Vaccine Injury Awareness Week

Here we go again. Joe Mercola and Barbara Loe Fisher make up a fake “Vaccine Injury Awareness Week” as an excuse to fundraise and spread antivax pseudoscience hither, thither, and yon. Same as it ever was. At least this year, they avoided the gratuitous Nazi references. It must have taken enormous restraint on their parts.

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Bad science Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery

Rappin’ Hillary Simpson, #crazymothers, and #DearDoctor: Antivaxers blaming doctors for vaccinating children. Again.

#crazymothers

Hillary Simpson created the Facebook group #crazymothers to co-opt the perception that the science-based world has of her and her fellow antivax mothers. Now, she’s cooked up a hashtag and social media campaign called #DearDoctor to encourage mothers to harass their child’s former pediatricians by writing letters blaming them for vaccinating and supposedly causing their children’s autism. Oh, and she does freestyle rap, too. Badly. Oh, so badly.

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Bad science Complementary and alternative medicine Integrative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery

Dr. Carlo Giovanardi: Spinning another negative acupuncture study

Gionavardi acupuncture

In May JAMA published a negative study of acupucnture and in vitro fertilization. Dr. Carlo Giovanardi, a physician and leader in acupuncture in Italy, was not pleased. As acupuncturists frequently do, he is now making excuses.

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Autism Bad science Cancer Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

One Conversation: Three legitimate medical authorities ensnared in the trap of appearing on a panel with antivaxers

One Conversation: An antivaccine trap
One Conversation: An antivaccine trap

I was invited to discuss vaccines with antivaxers for a panel called One Conversation. Recognizing an antivaccine trap, I politely declined. Unfortunately, other legitimate medical authorities did not, thus enabling the illusion of legitimization of antivaccine views.