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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Missionaries of woo (a.k.a. “Woo Without Borders”)

I had come across a rather amusing mea culpa by GruntDoc in which, while discussing an amazingly inappropriate notice regarding guidelines for emergency room chiropractic reimbursement, he admits to having in the past referred our best and bravest to chiropractors. I can understand why he did it, given the circumstances he described. However, what bothered […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Humor Medicine Quackery

I wonder if Bora knows about this painful woo

As a male, this bit of woo from Serbia causes me pain just to contemplate it. I’m not sure if it’s true or not because–well–I have a hard time believing that anybody can be this stupid. It has the whiff of urban legend about it. However, one underestimates the stupidity of men in their quest […]

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Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

Silencing the opposition over autism

Now here’s something you don’t see every day. Nature Neuroscience has weighed in about the pseudoscience that claims that mercury causes autism. Based on British experience with animal rights activists, it points out a parallel that I hadn’t considered before: The idea that autism is caused by vaccination is influencing public policy, even though rigorous […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Friday Woo Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Your Friday Dose of Woo: Serious woo from Down Under

I’ve said it once before, but this week’s woo compels me to say it again: I happen to love gadgets. I’ve been a bit of a technogeek since very early on in my life, with a lot of the things that go along with it, including a major interest in science fiction, awkwardness around the […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery

“Woo-omics” at NCCAM

Just when I start to think that maybe, just maybe, I could stop worrying and learn to love the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM, with apologies to Stanley Kubrick and Peter Sellers), damn if it doesn’t go and do something that renews my cynicism about the entire Center. This time around, Dr. […]