Book Review: Everything You Need To Know To Help You Beat Cancer by Chris Woollams | Josephine Jones

This is billed as the most comprehensive anti-cancer book available, published by CANCERactive, a UK Registered Charity founded by the author, Chris Woollams. Their agreed aims are to inform and support cancer patients and to provide research into treatments...

Read the rest: Book Review: Everything You Need To Know To Help You Beat Cancer by Chris Woollams | Josephine Jones

Patent Medicines and Alternative Medicine I: The Dawn of Patent Medicines | Steelclaws on Snake Oil

Patent medicines or nostrums were originally so named in the 17th century because those finding favour with the reigning monarch were given letters patent, which authorised the use of the royal endorsement in their advertising. It does not have anything to do with the modern concept of patenting. Indeed, throughout their history, most were not patented but trademarked instead, as patenting would have forced them to disclose the formula – something quite a few of them desperately wanted to avoid.

During the 18th century medicine was in flux. Old ideas – Galen and the Hippocratic tradition – were slowly on their way of being phased out as doctors influenced by Enlightenment sought to make medicine into a science, although it would take a very long time before medicine truly could be called scientific. At the same time, increased access to exotic plants brought to Europe during the Age of Exploration encouraged experimentation. People speculated freely on diseases, how best to treat them and systematise medicine. In addition to scientific progress – though slow – the 18th century gave rise to quackery on an unprecedented scale, some of which survives to this day, homeopathy being the most famous and widespread example....

Read more here: Patent Medicines and Alternative Medicine I: The Dawn of Patent Medicines | Steelclaws on Snake Oil

HIV/AIDS, and recognition of some of the worst “Science” I have ever unfortunately laid my weary eyes on.

After last week’s battle with a group of HIV and AIDS denialists, I thought this would be the opportune moment to pick apart this prime example of not only bad science, but downright dangerous and hypocritical cult, umlingo wamaNgcolosi.

I think it is necessary to first give a little background on HIV and AIDS for those who don’t know a lot about it, if you’re not interested or already have an adequate understanding skip this section. This is the first article I have written that I am actually a semi-expert on (or so I like to think!); you may or may not know that HIV is my research specialism, so I welcome any questions you may have on this topic and will attempt to answer them as best I can. I do not like to pass judgement on other people’s personal beliefs, funnily enough, however, when they have the potential to harm others then I have no qualms in absolutely tearing them to pieces for the benefit of others who may be on the fence...

Read the full post: HIV/AIDS, and recognition of some of the worst “Science” I have ever unfortunately laid my weary eyes on.

Encyclopedia of American Loons: #318: David J. Pesek (and the “Quantum University”)

David Pesek is a rather infamous woo practitioner who panders the most ridiculous treatments. He has a “clinical practice in nutrition, tissue cleansing programs and psychology utilizing iridology”, and is the director of the International Institute of Iridology, the president of the American College of Iridology, and board advisor for the International College of Iridology. It is a little unclear what the difference between iridology and “holistic iridology” amounts to, but I suppose “psychology utilizing iridology” may give you a clue. It sounds not so much like phrenology as it does palm reading with the help of crystal balls...

Read on for more balls: Encyclopedia of American Loons: #318: David J. Pesek (and the “Quantum University”)

Homeopathy FAQ | Plague of Mice

A little light relief today. I found a homeopathy website daft enough to put up a FAQ and thought I'd give them a hand by proofreading and correcting the answers, which I have shortened to the most relevant paragraph in each case, or we'd be here all bloody week. The thick layer of misleading, or downright false, statements laced with pseudoscientific WTF is fairly typical of what you'll find all over the Internet. This bunch are in Canada (see end of article for link) and I have no idea if they have the right to call their products 'medicines' or claim to treat specific medical conditions. Those in a position to complain to the appropriate authorities might want to check it out. Close examination of the site will also reveal the barely-dissimulated intention of scaring marks away from real medicine and locking them into the homeopathy cult. Again, this is par for the course....

You can read the rest of this post at anarchic-teapot.net. It goes on for quite a bit and contains a lot of red ink. Also swearing.

Encyclopedia of American Loons: #277: Lionel Milgrom

The Ken Ham of homeopathy, no single person has done more to torture quantum theory into the service of woo than Lionel Milgrom. Not that he has any understanding of quantum mechanics; but since his audience does not either, plastering the vocabulary of quantum theory onto his crackpottery to make it sound like Harry Potter spells seems to provide his readers with warm, fluffy feelings and the impression that Milgrom actually has anything to contribute. He hasn’t, of course.

Look, for instance, at one of his contributions to the “journal” Homeopathy. The article starts out with the Galileo gambit, conspiracies and persecution complexes. It goes downward from there...

Read the full post, written from the *headdesk* position, here: Encyclopedia of American Loons: #277: Lionel Milgrom

Encyclopedia of American Loons: #274: Joseph “Joe” Mercola

The Richard Hoagland of medicine, Joseph Mercola is an osteopath and a frighteningly popular alternative medicine guru and (more or less) cult leader. He advocates and takes seriously more or less any idiotic crackpot or anti-science idea he comes across, including but not limited to flu-denialism and anti-vaxx – even going so far as to work with Barbara Loe Fischer. He has claimed that modern medicine kills more people than it helps...

More tinfoil hattery here: Encyclopedia of American Loons: #274: Joseph “Joe” Mercola

Encyclopedia of American Loons: #262: Jenny McCarthy

The term “indigo child" was introduced by psychic reader Nancy Ann Tappe and popularized by our old friend Lee Carroll (of Kryon). According to Carroll indigo children represent the next step in human evolution, but we close-minded normal folks fail to recognize their potential and classify them as attention-deficit instead.

Now, Jenny McCarthy used to believe that she was an indigo mother and her son was an even more evolved crystal child (she even ran the website Indigo Moms). In 2007, however, McCarthy attended the University of Google for some weeks and decided that her child was vaccine damaged instead...

Full gory details at: Encyclopedia of American Loons: #262: Jenny McCarthy

Matthias Rath – steal this chapter – Bad Science

This is the “missing chapter” about vitamin pill salesman Matthias Rath. Sadly I was unable to write about him at the time that book was initially published, as he was suing my ass in the High Court. The chapter is now available in the new paperback edition, and I’ve posted it here for free so that nobody loses out.

Although the publishers make a slightly melodramatic fuss about this in the promo material, it is a very serious story about the dangers of pseudoscience, as I hope you’ll see, and it was also a pretty unpleasant episode, not just for me, but also for the many other people he’s tried to sue, including Medecins Sans Frontieres and more. If you’re ever looking for a warning sign that you’re on the wrong side of an argument, suing Medecins Sans Frontières is probably a pretty good clue.

Anyway, here it is, please steal it, print it, repost it, whatever, it’s free under a Creative Commons license, details at the end. If you prefer it is available as a PDF here, or as a word document here. Happy Easter!

This is an extract from
BAD SCIENCE by Ben Goldacre
Published by Harper Perennial 2009.

You are free to copy it, paste it, bake it, reprint it, read it aloud, as long as you don’t change it – including this bit – so that people know that they can find more ideas for free at www.badscience.net


Read the "missing chapter" HERE

Hotze Health and Wellness Center

You can’t say we’re not open-minded. If you’re daft enough to tweet a link to a business with the tautological name of Hotze Health and Wellness Center and the tag #vaxfax, there’s a good chance one of us will take a look and then blog about it. Of course, if you’re toting a load of well-rotted WTFuckery as medical advice, then you must expect the slating you so richly deserve....

Read on: Hotze Health and Wellness Center

Pulp, Le Bikini 25 May 2011

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FFS of the Day: Celeb "Advice" Part the Thirst - Plague of Mice

Pepper Potts reveals her favourite way of torturing Tony Stark: QOTD: A Hangover Cure From Fishsticks Paltrow! (caution, contains Michael K). Yep, the great mind behind GOOP (dot com, no seriously, I’m not kidding you) has Spoken and she has the ultimate remedy for a morning head...

Read more: FFS of the Day: Celeb "Advice" Part the Thirst - Plague of Mice