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Bad science Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Gary G. Kohls, MD mindlessly regurgitates misinformation about Orac

Gary G. Kohls, MD mindlessly regurgitated an antivaccine lie about Orac. Orac responds. It does not go well for Dr. Kohls. Basically, it’s not wise to tug on Superman’s cape.

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Cancer Medicine Quackery Surgery

Ranjana Srivastava: When cancer patients want quackery

Regular readers will have noticed that I haven’t been blogging nearly as much as usual. All I can say is that a combination of personal and professional issues and obligations have gotten in the way. Also, I have been a bit under the weather, as hard as it is to believe that a Tarial cell-driven […]

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Medicine Popular culture Science Skepticism/critical thinking Surgery

Do medical errors really kill a quarter of a million people a year in the US? (2019 edition)

The claim that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the US has always rested on very shaky evidence; yet it’s become common wisdom that is cited as though everyone accepts it. But if estimates of 250,000 to 400,000 deaths due to medical error are way too high, what is the real number? A study published last month suggests that it’s almost certainly a lot lower and has been modestly decreasing since 1990.

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Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery Television

Curewell: IV hydration woo on my local news station

I saw my favorite station airing an advertisement disguised as a news story for a Curewell IV HAUS, which sells IV “therapy.” I did not approve.

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Medicine Politics

Minnesota State Senator Jim Abeler: Stealth antivaccine advocate?

Recently, Sen. Jim Abeler of Minnesota created the MN Autism Council, an advisory panel tasked with advising the legislature on autism policy. A closer look at the story reveals that Sen. Abeler is a chiropractor, two of the members are antivaxers, and one of them was a founding member tasked with forming the council. This is how antivaccine activism is disguised as autism advocacy.