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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Thar’s gold in them thar “cures”

One of the favorite gambits that alternative medicine mavens like to use to defend their favorite remedies when a skeptic starts asking uncomfortably pointed and specific questions their scientific and evidentiary basis is to accuse said skeptic of being “in the pocket of big pharma.” Indeed, I’ve written before of the “pharma shill gambit,” where […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Starchild Abraham Cherrix: Radiation shrinks his tumors

It figures. After posting yesterday about whose responsibility it is when a cancer patient rejects evidence-based effective treatments in favor of quackery and then progresses, I would have to be made aware of an update in the case of Starchild Abraham Cherrix. Ever since Cherrix’s story first rose to national prominence a few months ago, […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Death by alternative medicine: Who’s to blame?

One of the more onerous duties I have as faculty at our cancer center is to “show the flag” at our various affiliates by attending their tumor boards. I say “onerous” not so much because the tumor boards themselves are onerous but rather because traveling to them cuts into my already limited time for research […]

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Medicine

Pediatric Grand Rounds

The latest installment of Pediatric Grand Rounds has been posted at Emergiblog. This time around, all hail Mickey!

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Friday Woo Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

Your Friday Dose of Woo: H2Ooooooommmm

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: There’s a reason that I don’t get seriously into blogging about politics that much, and this week reminded me why bigtime. For one thing, political bloggers are a dime a dozen, meaning that you have to be really, really good to distinguish yourself from the chattering […]