Categories
Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Integrative medicine Medicine Quackery

Trojan horse: Selling “integrative oncology” as science-based

Integrative oncology “integrates” quackery with oncology. Its practitioners, however, frequently delude themselves that their specialty is science-based. A recent review article by two integrative oncologists from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center expresses that delusion perfectly.

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
Bad science Homeopathy Medicine Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

First anthroposophy, now homeopathy? Quackademic medicine at the University of Michigan marches on.

A few years ago, it was anthroposophic medicine. This year, it’s homeopathy. Quackademic medicine at the University of Michigan marches on.

Categories
Bad science Complementary and alternative medicine History Integrative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Science

European Atherosclerosis Society: Publishing quackademic pseudoscience about traditional Chinese medicine in its official journal

The latest issue of the official journal of the European Atherosclerosis Society features a credulous article on traditional Chinese medicine. TCM is presented as a system of medicine whose use should “spread to Western societies.” Sadly, the editors failed here, as the article consists of revisionist history, pseudoscience, and false equivalence.

Categories
Bad science Complementary and alternative medicine Integrative medicine Medicine Politics Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Helene Langevin is named NCCIH director. Let the quackery flow again!

Helene Langevin has been named the new director of the National Center for Complemenary and Integrative Health. Given her history of dodgy acupuncture research, my prediction is that the quackery will flow again at NCCIH, the way it did in the 1990s when Tom Harkin zealously protected it from any attempt to impose scientific rigor on it.