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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Get out the popcorn: Science Babe vs. The Food Babe

I’ve spend considerable time documenting the utter pseudoscience, misinformation, and downright idiocy about “chemicals” in food regularly inflicted on the public by the misguided “food activist” named Vani Hari, who is better known by the moniker she chose for herself “The Food Babe.” Indeed, in decade-plus that I’ve been running this blog and the few […]

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Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Naturopathy Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Jess Ainscough, Belle Gibson, and “wellness warriors” vs. cancer

Recent articles in The Daily Mail and The Australian reminded me that it’s been over a month since the unfortunate demise of Jess Ainscough, a young Australian woman who was diagnosed with an epithelioid sarcoma of her left upper extremity in 2008. Before I get to the articles, a brief recap is in order. This […]

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Cancer Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Quackery Science

The quack view of preventing cancer versus reality and Angelina Jolie, part 4

Why, oh why, did I look at GreenMedInfo again? You remember GreenMedInfo? It’s yet another wretched hive of scum and quackery, but with a twist. Its proprietor, Sayer Ji, thinks he’s an expert at interpreting the biomedical literature. Unfortunately, as he demonstrates time and time again with depressing regularity, he is nothing of the sort. […]

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Cancer Clinical trials History Medicine Science

Ancient cancer

As I sat on my couch last night, laptop sitting in front of me, I awaited the Ken Burns adaptation of Siddartha Mukherjee’s excellent book The Emperor of All Maladies into a three part television documentary to air on PBS. I’m not sure whether I’ll blog the show or not, but if I do I’ll […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Homeopathy Politics Pseudoscience Quackery Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Regulating magic: The FDA considers revamping its regulation of homeopathic products

Homeopathy is quackery. It can’t be repeated often enough. Homeopathy is The One Quackery To Rule Them All. It is based on prescientific vitalism and principles so addled that one must wonder whether Samuel Hahnemann, the guy who dreamt up this medical system, was a fan of excess alcohol use, opium, marijuana, or some unholy […]