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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Quackery Television

Stephen Colbert sells out to Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop

Stephen Colbert interviews Gwyneth Paltrow about Goop
Stephen Colbert interviews Gwyneth Paltrow about Goop (1/25/2018)

Almost alone among celebrities, Stephen Colbert used to ruthlessly (and justifiably) mock Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand Goop on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. So eyebrows were raised (at least mine were) when it was learned that Paltrow would be a guest on The Late Show. During a bout of insomnia last night I saw the episode and had time to write about it. Her appearance was worse than I expected, a veritable puff piece promoting her her quackiest In Goop Health, where a featured speaker is a rabidly antivaccine doctor named Kelly Brogan.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Politics

In which my state senator Patrick Colbeck goes pretty much full antivaccine

Patrick Colbeck
Patrick Colbeck

In Michigan, we have succeeded in decreasing the rate of nonmedical exemptions by requiring parents requesting them to attend an educational session before they can claim such exemptions. Unfortunately, my state senator, Patrick Colbeck, thinks this is a bad idea and has revealed himself to be, if not antivaccine, antivaccine-sympathetic.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine

Hey, my fellow pro-vax warriors, death threats are NEVER acceptable, mmmkay? Knock it off!

mmmkay

Antivax doctor Suzanne Humphries received a death threat. It’s not clear if it’s from a provaccine advocate or is a joke, but I’m taking this opportunity to unequivocally condemn threats of violence of any kind.

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Naturopathy Quackery

Henele E’ale: A new antivaccine naturopathic quack (but I repeat myself)

Henele E'ale

Antivaccine quacks like to argue that a healthy immune system will protect you from infectious disease, rendering vaccines unnecessary. It’s a ridiculous claim, well-refuted by the history of medicine. A naturopath whom I had somehow never heard of before, Henele E’ale, is now spewing that very same lie.

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Clinical trials Medicine Politics Popular culture

The Koch Brothers and Vice President Mike Pence back a final push to pass the cruel sham known as “right-to-try”

Vice President Mike Pence
Vice President Mike Pence signing Indiana's right-to-try legislation when he was still governor there.

So-called “right-to-try” laws have passed in 38 states. A cruel sham whose real purpose has nothing to do with helping terminally ill patients and everything to do with the libertarian war on FDA regulation, these laws claim to allow terminally ill patients to bypass the FDA and obtain access to experimental drugs that have passed phase I testing. They do nothing of the sort, which is why right-to-try advocates have “gone federal.” A right-to-try bill has passed the Senate, and Vice President Mike Pence and Koch Brothers-backed groups are lobbying hard to pass it in the House. There is still hope to stop it.