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Medicine Politics Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery

Beijing proposes criminalizing “slander” or “libel” against TCM

China has long promoted the sale and use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Now the city of Beijing wants to criminalize criticism of TCM.

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Bad science Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience

Brian Hooker and Neil Z. Miller publish another terrible “vaxxed/unvaxxed” study

Brian Hooker and Neil Z. Miller, two antivaccine propagandists disguising themselves as scientists, published yet another terrible “vaxxed/unvaxxed” study purporting to show unvaccinated children are healthier. How awful was the study? Let Orac tell you!

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Antivaccine nonsense Clinical trials Medicine Popular culture

Operation Warp Speed: Are we rushing COVID-19 vaccine development?

Recently, President Trump introduced Operation Warp Speed, promising a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year. Even pro-vaccine advocates—especially pro-vaccine advocates—worry that we’re moving too fast.

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Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

COVID-19: A magnet for medical conspiracy theories

Conspiracy theories are at the heart of nearly all medical pseudoscience, be it antivaccine beliefs or quackery. COVID-19 has been a magnet for conspiracy theories.

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Clinical trials Medicine Popular culture

Didier Raoult in the NYT: The “brave maverick” narrative and bypassing science-based medicine

Didier Raoult is back, with a huge profile in the New York Times. Unfortunately, much is left out out of the profile of this “brave maverick,” even as evidence mounts against hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin for COVID-19.