Categories
Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Politics Quackery

State medical boards have always been toothless

A recent report in The Washington Post last week reveals just how badly state medical boards have been failing when dealing with physicians spreading COVID-19 misinformation and using quackery to prevent and treat the disease. None of this is anything new, unfortunately. The pandemic has merely stress tested state medical boards, and most have failed because of political choices made long ago.

Categories
Complementary and alternative medicine Integrative medicine Medicine Politics

NCCIH strategic plan 2021-25: Same ol’, same ol’, with a devious twist

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health recently released its latest 5 year strategic plan. It’s basically the same as the last strategic plan, but with one new addition. It’s not really a new addition, but it signals a resurrection of an old trope about “integrating” quackery with science-based medicine.

Categories
Cancer Quackery

“Integrative oncology” continues to integrate quackery into oncology

Nature Reviews Cancer published a propaganda piece disguised as commentary promoting “integrative oncology,” or what I like to call “integrating” quackery with oncology.

Categories
Complementary and alternative medicine Integrative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery

Quoth an “integrative” functional medicine doc: “I’m not a quack, I’m an early adopter”

Functional medicine practitioner Dr. Melinda Ring thinks that she should be considered an “early adopter” instead of a quack. However, being an “early adopter” of quackery is not something to be admired.

Categories
Antivaccine nonsense Computers and social media Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery

ABIM vs. medical disinformation: A day late and a dollar short or better late than never?

Last month, the New England Journal of Medicine published an editorial by the President of ABIM discussing how the board certification can be taken away from diplomates who spread medical misinformation. Is this too little, too late?