Moving on

2600 links and counting! This is getting out of hand, especially in the sorting-and checking department. So a decision has reluctantly been taken: it all moves to Facebook.

I hate Facebook, but that's how things go.

One of the things I hate  - apart from the Nazis and the privacy problems - is that you can't import posts from elsewhere. Nor can you backdate stuff past the creation date of your page, but fortunately I inherited an existing page, so there's hope yet.

New links will appear here: Skeptics Amalgamated on Facebook and may God save us all.

So, what is chiropractic?

What should we make of a discipline whose disciples are unsure of what the discipline is? Yes, I am talking of chiropractic! Surely, the inventor of chiropractic has told them what it is. True, DD Palmer left them no end of definitions; here are just 4 to chose from: Chiropractic is the science of healing […]

Read the rest here: So, what is chiropractic?

Ever wondered why so many chiropractors are profoundly anti-vax?

I am currently studying DD Palmer’s TEXTBOOK OF THE SCIENCE, ART, AND PHILOSOPHY OF CHIROPRACTIC. It is a 1 000 page volume full of ignorance, repetition, allegation, pomp, overstatement and utter nonsense. I strongly advise everyone to stay well clear of it. However, skimming through this accumulation of flimflam, I was repeatedly reminded of the […]

Read the rest here: Ever wondered why so many chiropractors are profoundly anti-vax?

Does religiosity influence post-operative survival?

I have often wondered why some, mostly US authors include prayer as an so-called alternative medicine (SCAM). According to this author, for instance, prayer therapy is professional quality therapy where a Christian counselor uses prayer intervention to bring healing to people’s  lives and core beliefs so that one can live out of a healthier identity […]

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American Loon #2302: Steve Stockman

Stephen Ernest Stockman was the U.S. Representative for Texas’s 9th congressional district from 1995 to 1997 and for Texas’s 36th congressional district (Texas “is becoming the last bastion” of freedom in the country,” said Stockman) from 2013 to 2015. He is currently in jail. His tenure was marked...

Read the full lunacy: #2302: Steve Stockman Encyclopedia of American Loons

31 January 2020, a day to contemplate: WHAT HAPPENED TO BRITAIN?

Today is a momentous and desperately sad day. Allow me therefore to deviate from my usual subject and write a very personal post (I promise, it won’t happen often). This post is not about SCAM but about something that is even closer to my heart. I first moved to the UK in 1979. The reason […]

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Hard to believe: dangerous GOVERNMENTAL advice regarding SCAM for the corona virus pandemic

I have recently reported that some homeopaths recommend homeopathics against the corona virus. Since I wrote last about this subject, numerous further sites have sprung up where homeopaths try to make a fast buck on the increasing panic of large sections of the population. Here is an apt example: We all know that in homeopathy […]

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Science or Pseudoscience?

What is pseudoscience and how can it be differentiated from science? This ‘demarcation problem’ has occupied many of our best minds and which nevertheless is largely unresolved. Two brave academics have recently published a paper aimed at providing organisations within the justice system with an overview of: a) what science is and is not; b) […]

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American Loon #2301: Susan Stevenson

Founder of the conspiracy theory, New Age quackery, anti-vaccine and anti-GMO site Gaia Health, homeopath Heidi Stevenson, has passed away. Susan Stevenson is probably not related, but she is at least just as crazy (though somewhat less influential). Stevenson is a hypnotherapist who...

Read the full lunacy: #2301: Susan Stevenson Encyclopedia of American Loons

How do proponents of so-called alternative medicine react to criticism?

Last week I was in Prague for a lecture which was great fun. On this occasion, I was interviewed by 5 different journalist. One of them asked a question that I had not often heard before: ‘how do they react to criticism?’ What he was inquiring about was the responses I get after publishing results, […]

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Do cancer patients need chiropractors?

In the Republic of Ireland, chiropractors are not regulated and there is no legislation governing the profession. That means anyone who feels like it can call him/herself a chiropractor and start treating or advising patients regardless of what condition they may be suffering from. The ‘CHIROPRACTIC ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND‘ (CAI) is the professional organisation that […]

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American Loon #2300: Deborah Stevens

Yes, she’s pretty obscure, but Deborah Stevens is at least some kind of serial conspiracy theorist with numerous webpages to her, and whose ravings occasionally make their way to various whale.to-style websites. According to her bio, her “mission is to stand up for the Constitution and The...

Read the full lunacy: #2300: Deborah Stevens Encyclopedia of American Loons

Netflix, Goop, and quacks in our post-truth society

To make it clear from the outset: do not watch Gwyneth Paltrow’s 6-part Netflix series. It’s not worth it! I could have guessed that too, of course. But the BBC had asked me to watch some of it and, wanting to help, I agreed and then joined a small group of scientists to discuss what […]

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Coronavirus epidemic: Why don’t they ask our homeopaths for help?

It’s not (yet) a global emergency, the WHO have announced. But 26 fatalities have today been reported, and soon we will have thousands of people infected with the new coronavirus, experts predict. A vaccine will take at least a year to become available, and experts are alarmed. But there is no need for panic! Let’s […]

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Are essential oils a con?

Consumer Advocacy is an organisation that say this about themselves: We want to make sure that you understand how we make money and who pays us. So we have taken proactive measures to ensure that any advertiser whom we have a paid relationship with is labeled as a “Partner” across our website. If you choose […]

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