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Medicine Politics Popular culture Quackery

The DSHEA and supplements made Alex Jones

As the HBO documentary The Truth vs. Alex Jones shows, Alex Jones promoted the conspiracy theory that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax to sell his supplement line. It’s a model that many Internet conspiracy theorists use, like Mike Adams. Did the DSHEA help create Alex Jones and the modern conspiracy industry?

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Quackery

Big antivax sites amplify Paul Thacker’s hit piece on Dr. Allison Neitzel

A week ago, Dr. Allison Neitzel posted an “apology” to some particularly odious antivax quacks. Predictably, the big antivax sites went into high gear to use the forced apology to amplify attacks on her.

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Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Hack conspiracy journalism: Paul Thacker vs. the definition of “physician”

I normally don’t publish email exchanges, but when someone like Paul Thacker misleadingly characterizes an email exchange with me, let’s just say that I will make an exception in his case.

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Antivaccine nonsense Cancer Medicine Quackery

Mark Sircus tries to rebrand quackery as “natural allopathic medicine”

The term “allopathic medicine” was invented by homeopaths in the 19th century as a disparaging term for medicine. So to see a quack like Mark Sircus try to coopt it as “natural allopathic medicine” is quite something.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Politics Popular culture Quackery

The FDA just handed quacks a massive propaganda victory on ivermectin

Last week, quacks were crowing that the FDA had “lost its war” on ivermectin. Ivermectin still doesn’t work against COVID-19. but by settling a lawsuit the way it did, the FDA did hand quacks and antivaxxers a massive propaganda victory that they will regret for years to come.