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Cancer Clinical trials Medicine Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

How is it that in 2018 cancer quack Stanislaw Burzynski is still preying on desperate cancer patients?

Stanislaw Burzynski
Stanislaw Burzynski. Arrogant as ever.

In the 1970s, young polish expat and cancer researcher Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski thought he had found a cure for many incurable cancers. He dubbed it antineoplastons (ANPs_. Unfortunately, he left the path of science and started treating patients before he had evidence that ANPs work. Four decades later, without ever having published compelling evidence for anticancer efficacy of ANPs, he’s still luring desperate patients to his clinic. Now he’s set to branch out to quack clinics in Mexico. Why can’t the law stop him?

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Vaccine scientist and advocate Dr. Paul Offit receives a much-deserved award

Paul Offit receives the Sabin Gold Medal
Paul Offit receives the Sabin Gold Medal

With the weekend so busy that the cracks were starting to show in Orac’s blogging activity, Orac nearly missed posting. Fortunately, he learned that Dr. Paul Offit received the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal for his vaccine science and advocacy. Orac is, of course, more than happy to congratulate him.

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Pseudoscience Quackery Science

A not-so-Thinking Mom loves a crooked antivaccine “theory” by Forrest Maready

Forrest Maready misses the crooked faces in his own movie
Forrest Maready misses the crooked faces in his own movie

Zoe O’Toole, aka “The Professor” at an antivaccine crank blog known as The Thinking Moms’ Revolution, likes to think she’s figured out this whole science thing. Her falling for “crooked theory,” an impressively daft piece of antivaccine pseudoscience by Forrest Maready, shows her self-delusion on that score.

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Bad science Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Jennifer Margulis: Another rising star in the antivaccine movement

Jennifer Margulis
Jennifer Margulis.

I’ve mentioned Dr. Paul Thomas before as a rising star in the antivaccine movement. A month and a half later, it occurs to me that I haven’t given proper due to his co-author, Jennifer Margulis, as an equally prominent rising star in the same crank movement. Here, I rectify that oversight.

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Homeopathy Medicine Naturopathy Pseudoscience Quackery

Only a homeopath has a belief system bizarre enough to defend a remedy based on spit from a rabid dog

Anke Zimmermann and her rabid dog remedy
Anke Zimmermann and her rabid dog remedy

Last week, naturopath and homeopath Anke Zimmermann made the news for using lyssinum, a homeopathic remedy based on saliva from a rabid dog, to treat a four year old boy with behavioral problems. This week, Zimmermann strikes back against her critics. Hilarity ensues.