In 2012, a 19 month old boy named Ezekiel Stephan died of bacterial meningitis because his parents believe in quackery over medicine. They were convicted, but a new trial ordered by the Supreme Court has now acquitted them in a truly horrific ruling.
Category: Pseudoscience
“Levi Quackenboss” lays down her “rules of antivaxxing”
Orac's old "friend," antivaxer Levi Quackenboss, has laid down the "rules of antivaxxing." Orac is amused and deconstructs her rules. Can you say "projection"? Sure, I knew you could
“Dr.” Tad Sztykowski: One reason why acupuncture should not be licensed
Tad Sztykowski is an acupuncturist who lost his acupuncture license for misrepresenting himself as a physician. His case is a good illustration of why licensing quack specialties like acupuncture is bad policy.
Antivaxers in the wake of SB 276 and SB 714
After the passage of SB 276 and SB 714, antivaxers are very unhappy. They show this by likening vaccine mandates to 9/11 and claiming they know the "real reason" for them, big pharma and government "punishing" them and taking away their rights.
SB 276 is now law, and antivaxers are not the “new civil rights movement”
While trying to block SB 276 from becoming law yesterday, antivaxers proclaimed themselves the "new civil rights movement." They aren't. Quite the opposite, in fact. Fortunately, SB 276 is now law, their attempts at civil disobedience notwithstanding.
Animal Planet: Showcasing acupuncture quackery at the San Diego Zoo
A recent episode of The Zoo:San Diego featured acupuncture quackery at the San Diego Zoo. But it's even worse than that. Tembo the elephant was subjected to more than just acupuncture quackery.
Andrew Wakefield predicts a “mass extinction” due to vaccines in the pages of—where else?—JPANDS
In a new article in JPANDS, the official journal of the crank medical organization Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), Andrew Wakefield argues that vaccines are leading to a mass extinction. Wakefield's argument is so full of misinformation and pseudoscience that I can only marvel at how much Wakefield and AAPS belong together.
The L.A. Times: Painfully false balance on antivax pediatrician Dr Bob Sears
Yesterday, Melody Gutierrez published a profile of antivax pediatrician Dr. Bob Sears in the L.A. Times. Unfortunately, it's the worst case of false balance about vaccines or an antivaxer that I've seen in a long time.
Antivaccine activity on Twitter: It’s not entirely what you think
Twitter is a favorite place for antivaxers to promote their message. A recent study suggests how the antivaccine Twitter community has changed.
Ann Dachel and Sayer Ji inadvertently show that antivax pseudoscience never changes
Ann Dachel of the antivaccine blog Age of Autism and Sayer Ji of GreenMedInfo inadvertently demonstrate how with antivaccine pseudoscience the more things change the more they stay the same.