American Loon #2211: Henry Schaefer III

Henry Frederick “Fritz” Schaefer III is a computational and theoretical chemist, Graham Perdue Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Center for Computational Chemistry at the University of Georgia, and a genuine authority on the issues within his field of expertise. He is also a creationist,...

Read the full lunacy: #2211: Henry Schaefer III Encyclopedia of American Loons

The decision by the PSA to grant reaccreditation to the Society of Homeopaths is being challenged

I am sure this press-release of today will be of interest: Good Thinking, a charity which aims to promote science and challenge pseudoscience, is bringing the action after the PSA acknowledged that multiple members of the Society of Homeopaths continue to offer CEASE therapy – a purported treatment for autism which is targeted particularly at […]

Read the rest here: The decision by the PSA to grant reaccreditation to the Society of Homeopaths is being challenged

Perioperative SCAM – another example of unethical pseudo-research

A team from Israel conducted a pragmatic trial to evaluate the impact of So-called Alternative Medicine (SCAM) treatments on postoperative symptoms. Patients ≥ 18 years referred to SCAM treatments by surgical medical staff were allocated to standard of care with SCAM treatment (SCAM group) or without SCAM. Referral criteria were patient preference and practitioner availability. SCAM […]

Read the rest here: Perioperative SCAM – another example of unethical pseudo-research

American Loon #2210: Jack Schaap

Jack Schaap used to be an insane Independent Fundamentalist Baptist pastor associated with the First Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana, one of the largest megachurches in the US and most famous for its many sexual crimes cases (it also sports its own “college” and schools). An...

Read the full lunacy: #2210: Jack Schaap Encyclopedia of American Loons

France will decide to stop the reimbursement of homeopathy

I have reported about the French activities against homeopathy before (see here and here). Yesterday, this article brought considerable more clarity into the situation. Here is my (not entirely literal) translation and below the French original: Unsurprisingly, the French health regulator (HAS) has voted on Wednesday with a very large majority (only one vote against) for […]

Read the rest here: France will decide to stop the reimbursement of homeopathy

American Loon #2209: Steve Scalise

No, we’re not gonna give this a pass. Steve Scalise is the US House of Representatives Minority Whip and representative for Louisiana’s 1st congressional district since 2008, victim of a deranged leftwing shooter in 2017, and wingnut. Scalise is notable for his general wingnuttery, his attempts at...

Read the full lunacy: #2209: Steve Scalise Encyclopedia of American Loons

HRH Prince Charles announced as new patron of the Faculty of Homeopathy

This 25/6/2019 press release (distributed by ResponseSource Press Release Wire on behalf of The Faculty of Homeopathy) is today the topic of several UK newspaper articles. Here it is in its full beauty and without any change: The Faculty of Homeopathy is delighted to announce His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales as Patron of the […]

Read the rest here: HRH Prince Charles announced as new patron of the Faculty of Homeopathy

American Loon #2208: Paul Scalia

Paul Scalia – yes, his son – is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Courage apostolate and a wingnut fundamentalist. Scalia is, predictably, a staunch opponent of gay rights, and has argued at length that critics of homosexuality are currently being silenced and mistreated...

Read the full lunacy: #2208: Paul Scalia Encyclopedia of American Loons

Tian Jui for allergic rhinitis – one of the worst studies I have seen for a long time

Tian Jiu (TJ) therapy is a so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) that has been widely utilized in the management of allergic rhinitis (AR). TJ is also known as “drug moxibustion” or “vesiculating moxibustion.” Herbal patches are applied on the selected acupoints or the diseased body part. In TCM, this treatment is said to regulate the functions […]

Read the rest here: Tian Jui for allergic rhinitis – one of the worst studies I have seen for a long time

The Most Trusted Homeopathic Anti-Addiction Treatment?

I have recently been alerted to this remarkable article. It starts by telling the story of a patient who got rid of his alcohol addiction by using a homeopathic remedy. The story ends with these words: “It’s been two years now since I have been sober and I have no plans to consume alcohol ever […]

Read the rest here: The Most Trusted Homeopathic Anti-Addiction Treatment?

American Loon #2207: Kurt Saxon

A.k.a. Donald Eugene Sisco (original name) Kurt Saxon is perhaps the grand old man of survivalism in the US, possibly even the guy who came up with the word. During his career, Saxon has apparently been affiliated with the American Nazi Party, the early Minutemen, the Church of Scientology,...

Read the full lunacy: #2207: Kurt Saxon Encyclopedia of American Loons

Integrative medicine for the US military. A letter from Wayne Jonas

I recently received this unexpected and surprising email: Dear Friend, I wanted to point out an article that published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst that gets to the root of why we are not solving the nation’s current epidemics of chronic pain, obesity, opioids, suicide, and cardiovascular disease. My co-authors […]

Read the rest here: Integrative medicine for the US military. A letter from Wayne Jonas

American Loon #2206: Andrew Saul

A.k.a. the MegaVitaminMan Andrew Saul is a self-proclaimed expert in nutrition and proud holder of a PhD from a “non-traditional PhD program”, the non-accredited diploma mill mail order program Greenwich University. (It never ceases to surprise us that those who defend people like Saul so...

Read the full lunacy: #2206: Andrew Saul Encyclopedia of American Loons

Chiropractors lack professionalism

In 2010, we published an investigation which revealed that the majority of chiropractors and their associations in the English speaking world seem to make therapeutic claims that are not supported by sound evidence, whilst only 28% of chiropractor websites promote lower back pain, which is supported by some evidence. If you go on the Internet (or […]

Read the rest here: Chiropractors lack professionalism

HOMEOPATHY IN FRANCE: Cure cancer with homeopathy? “Let’s get real. We are doctors.”

The fact that homeopathy is under siege in France, has been discussed before. Now even the international media have picked up the story. Here are some excerpts from an interesting article in Bloomberg: … The looming brawl gets to the heart of conflicting visions of the state’s involvement in the country’s health system at a […]

Read the rest here: HOMEOPATHY IN FRANCE: Cure cancer with homeopathy? “Let’s get real. We are doctors.”

American Loon #2205: Jeffrey Satinover

Crank magnetism is the tendency of cranks to be attracted to multiple independent crank ideas at the same time. The prevalence of crank magnetism is not particularly surprising insofar as the crank ideas are rooted in the same errors of thinking, such as an inability to distinguish science...

Read the full lunacy: #2205: Jeffrey Satinover Encyclopedia of American Loons

The majority of patients having manual therapy for back or neck pain report adverse events

New evidence on adverse effects of manual therapy comes from an unexpected source. Here is the abstract of the paper: The aim of this study was to investigate if mild or moderate adverse events after manual therapy has an impact on the chance to recover from back/neck pain in men and women. A prospective cohort […]

Read the rest here: The majority of patients having manual therapy for back or neck pain report adverse events

A farcically incompetent ‘efficacy’ study of homeopathy

I have become used to lamentably poor research in the realm of SCAM, particularly homeopathy. Thus, there is little that can amaze me these days; at least this is what I had thought. But this paper is an exception. The new trial is entitled ‘ETHICAL CLINICAL TRIAL OF LESSER KNOWN HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES IN INFERTILITY IN FEMALES’, […]

Read the rest here: A farcically incompetent ‘efficacy’ study of homeopathy

Why? Why on earth do I carry on? Is it for the money?

I have recently given interviews to German, Austrian, French and Canadian journalists. They all had different perspectives, but they all had one question in common: YOU ARE RETIRED AND COULD BE ENJOYING LIFE, WHY DO YOU CARRY ON WORKING? And every time I was asked this question, I was surprised. To me, it seems perfectly […]

Read the rest here: Why? Why on earth do I carry on? Is it for the money?

Willem Betz (1943 – 2019)

My friend and colleague Willem Betz has died on 8 June 2019. He was a physician and professor emeritus at the Belgian university Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Willem was a leading sceptic and a founding member of the Belgian sceptic organization SKEPP. After having worked 20 years as a general practitioner, he made a career change […]

Read the rest here: Willem Betz (1943 – 2019)

American Loon #2204: Pete Santilli

Santilli in his Bundy wildlife reserve occupation days.Pete Santilli is an unhinged Internet ranter whose self-appointed role seems to be to (unsuccessfully) make Alex Jones look reasonable. His broadcasts have trawled through conspiracy theories on everything from 9/11 (“the World Trade...

Read the full lunacy: #2204: Pete Santilli Encyclopedia of American Loons

The ‘Hevert Effect’ and the ‘three pillars of homeopathy’

In 1995, the Church of Scientology attempted to suppress the Fishman Affidavit which contained Church-copyrighted versions of Operating Thetan levels I-VII. This promptly resulted in hundreds of copies being circulated around the world. In 2003, Barbra Streisand’s lawyers sent a cease and desist letter to the California Coastal Records Project about the inclusion of a photo of […]

Read the rest here: The ‘Hevert Effect’ and the ‘three pillars of homeopathy’

How to become a published book author in no time at all

A few days ago, I received this email: Dear Dr. Edzard Ernst, I am xxyy*, Editorial assistant from xxxzzz* Publishing Group Ltd. contacting you with the reference from our editorial department. Basing on your outstanding contribution to the scientific community, we would like to write a book for you. Researchers like you are adding so […]

Read the rest here: How to become a published book author in no time at all

American Loon #2203: Bernie Sanders

Thomas and Manju Sam are Australian, but their story is worth highlighting nonetheless, insofar as it provides a useful foil for the present entry. Now, it will probably come as little surprise to readers that the authors of this blog have an overall very favorable view of Bernie Sanders’s...

Read the full lunacy: #2203: Bernie Sanders Encyclopedia of American Loons

More chiropractic delusions about infantile colic

The question whether chiropractic spinal manipulations are an effective treatment of infantile colic has been raging ever since the BCA sued Simon Singh over it (and lost). On this blog, I have discussed the evidence several times (see here, here, here and here). Now a new paper has emerged with the title ‘MEDICAL MANAGEMENT OF […]

Read the rest here: More chiropractic delusions about infantile colic

A suspect homeopathy paper has been withdrawn. Does that mean it was fraudulent?

You might remember my post from last October: On Twitter and elsewhere, homeopaths have been celebrating: FINALLY A PROOF OF HOMEOPATHY HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN A TOP SCIENCE JOURNAL!!! Here is just one example: #homeopathy under threat because of lack of peer reviewed studies in respectable journals? Think again. Study published in the most prestigious […]

Read the rest here: A suspect homeopathy paper has been withdrawn. Does that mean it was fraudulent?

European manifesto against pseudo-therapies

This is from the ‘Association to Protect the Sick from Pseudoscientific Therapies’ in Spain. I have the permission to post it here without comment. European manifesto against pseudo-therapies Let’s be clear: pseudoscience kills. And they are being employed with total impunity thanks to European laws that protect them. They kill thousands of people, with names […]

Read the rest here: European manifesto against pseudo-therapies

Matcha tea: the new SCAM to scam the gullible consumer?

Green tea is said to have numerous health benefits. Recently, a special green tea, matcha tea, is gaining popularity and is claimed to be more powerful than simple green tea. Matcha tea consumption is said to lead to higher intake of green tea phytochemicals compared to regular green tea. But what is matcha tea? This article […]

Read the rest here: Matcha tea: the new SCAM to scam the gullible consumer?

American Loon #2202: Linda Salvin

We should probably give a honorable mention to VSP wanker lord Will Saletan, who apparently feels qualified to share his wisdom about any topic outside of his expertise that comes his way, resulting in egregious nonsense like this, this, or this (to mention a few examples), but the...

Read the full lunacy: #2202: Linda Salvin Encyclopedia of American Loons

Another child has died because of homeopathy

Homeopathy is harmless; after all, the typical homeopathic remedy contains no active ingredient! Such claims can be seen abundantly. Sadly, however, they are not true. The remedies might be mostly (but, depending on potency and proper quality control, not totally) risk-free, yet homeopathy can and does kill patients. There is a depressingly long list of […]

Read the rest here: Another child has died because of homeopathy

Quality of life of cancer patients improves after SCAM – or doesn’t it?

So-called alternative medicine (SCAM) is a seriously dangerous option for cancer patients who aim at curing their cancer with it. One cannot warn patients often and strongly enough, I believe. But when it comes to supportive cancer treatment (care that does not aim at changing the natural history of the disease), SCAM might have a […]

Read the rest here: Quality of life of cancer patients improves after SCAM – or doesn’t it?

American Loon #2201: Kamal Saleem

A.k.a. Khodor Shami (real name) That evangelical fundies aren’t always deeply concerned with honesty should come as a shock to nobody. Kamal Saleem, for instance, is one of several “ex-terrorists” (Walid Shoebat is another) who claims to have been involved in islamist terror activities but saw...

Read the full lunacy: #2201: Kamal Saleem Encyclopedia of American Loons

The mode of action of spinal manipulation

Spinal manipulation is an umbrella term for numerous manoeuvres chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists and other clinicians apply to their patients’ vertebral columns.  Spinal manipulations are said to be effective for a wide range of conditions. But how do they work? What is their mode of action? A new article tries to address these questions. here is […]

Read the rest here: The mode of action of spinal manipulation

American Loon #2200: Ray Sahelian

Ray Sahelian is an MD and relatively well-known promoter of all sorts of herbal products and supplements for which there little or no evidence for efficacy, and a rather striking scarcity of evidence for safety. Though Youtube seems to be his preferred marketing channel, Sahelian has...

Read the full lunacy: #2200: Ray Sahelian Encyclopedia of American Loons

A victory of reason over SCAM: Britt Hermes wins an important court case!

Time for celebrations and congratulations! Why? You might remember the story; over a year ago, I reported that a SCAM practitioner was suing a critic: ‘Doctor’ Colleen Huber (DCH) is the US naturopath who is currently suing Britt Hermes. For me, this is enough reason to do a bit of reading and find out who […]

Read the rest here: A victory of reason over SCAM: Britt Hermes wins an important court case!

TCM prolongs cancer survival – at least this is what a new study suggests

Many cancer patients use so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). On this blog, we have repeatedly discussed whether this does more good than harm. This study sheds new light on the question. Specifically, it aims to explore the benefits of TCM therapy in the long-term survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in China. […]

Read the rest here: TCM prolongs cancer survival – at least this is what a new study suggests

American Loon #2199: Jonathan Saenz

Jonathan Saenz is the president of Texas Values, which is a piece of information that should really be sufficient to establish that he is a serious loon. Texas Values is the lobbying arm of the Liberty Institute, an organization notorious for peddling conspiracy theories and discredited...

Read the full lunacy: #2199: Jonathan Saenz Encyclopedia of American Loons

Google won't remove dangerous anti-vaccine propaganda

Via @nationalpost: Montreal YouTuber's 'completely insane' anti-vaxx videos have scientists outraged, but Google won't remove them https://t.co/ij74ck03Kx by @sharon_kirkey

— Health Watch (@HealthWatch123) 1 June 2019

A fatal case of homeopathic liver disease?

Indian doctors have just published the case of a 38-year old man with cirrhosis of the liver due to compensated non-alcoholic fatty-liver-disease. He presented with acute worsening of his chronic liver disease. The acute event was not discernible even after extensive work up. Eventually, a transjugular liver biopsy revealed features suggestive of severe alcoholic hepatitis. […]

Read the rest here: A fatal case of homeopathic liver disease?

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The BMJ Case Report this post refers to is here: Homeopathy-medicine induced severe alcoholic hepatitis.