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Clinical trials Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

The Cochrane mask fiasco: Does EBM predispose to COVID contrarianism?

Earlier this month the Cochrane Collaborative was forced to walk back the conclusions of a review by Tom Jefferson et al that had been spun in the media as proving that “masks don’t work.” Tom Jefferson himself has been problematic about vaccines for a long time, but the rot goes deeper. What is it about the evidence-based medicine paradigm that results in misleading conclusions?

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Quackery

Vitamin D: COVID-19 quacks embrace more general quackery

COVID-19 antivax quack Dr. Paul Marik has embraced vitamin D quackery. What does this say about the COVID “contrarian”-to-quack pipeline?

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

Projection, thy name is Joe Mercola (and Aseem Malhotra)

In a classic case of projection, Joe Mercola claims a “pandemic of misinformed doctors.” He’s right, but not for the reason he thinks. The misinformed doctors are him and his fellow antivax docs.

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Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Medicine

Dr. Asseem Malhotra engages in massive projection about COVID-19 “misinformation”

Projection is a common defense mechanism used by those spreading health misinformation and disinformation. Last week Dr. Asseem Malhotra published part 2 of a plan to cure “the pandemic of misinformation on COVID-19 mRNA vaccines through real evidence-based medicine”. Unsurprisingly, it was chock full of antivaccine misinformation. It’s a real “I know you are, but what am I?” exercise in disinformation.

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Antivaccine nonsense Skepticism/critical thinking

“I’m a rational theorist, not a conspiracy theorist.”

Conspiracy theorists hate being called conspiracy theorists. After they try to rebrand themselves as “rational theorists,” hilarity ensues.