So-called alternative medicine (SCAM) is a harmless little cottage industry – true or false?

So-called alternative medicine (SCAM) is compared to ‘Big Pharma’ a tiny and benign cottage industry – at least this is what we are often told and what many consumers believe. If you are one of them, this report might make you rethink your position. The global market for SCAM is expected to generate a revenue […]

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The scandal of Chinese acupuncture research and its publication in seemingly reputable journals

The medical literature is currently swamped with reviews of acupuncture (and other forms of TCM) trials originating from China. Here is the latest example (but, trust me, there are hundreds more of the same ilk). The aim of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of scalp, tongue, and Jin’s 3-needle acupuncture for the improvement […]

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American Loon #2259: Matt Singleton et al.

Matt Singleton is a Baptist minister in Louisville who also runs an Internet talk-radio program. A staunch supporter of the nearby Ark Park, Singleton is a fierce critic of evolution, calling teachings on evolution a lie that have led to drug abuse, suicide and other social afflictions. His...

Read the full lunacy: #2259: Matt Singleton et al. Encyclopedia of American Loons

HOMEOPATHY = “the complete alternative to vaccination” ?!?!

The UK-based homeopathic pharmacy AINSWORTH has attracted my attention several times already. Amongst other things, Tony Pinkus, the director of the firm, once accused me of having faked my research and I suspected him of violating the basic principles of research ethics in his study of homeopathy for autism. Today, THE DAILY MAIL reports about […]

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American Loon #2258: Stephen Sinatra

Though he is, indeed, a cardiologist, Stephen T. Sinatra is better known as one of the most prominent and comprehensively lunatic woo-meisters, or “integrative medicine” practitioners, working in the US at present. In addition to being a cardiologist, Sinatra is a “certified bioenergetic...

Read the full lunacy: #2258: Stephen Sinatra Encyclopedia of American Loons

Homeopathy can cause serious harm – and finally, the NHS England has realised it

I must have published well over two dozen articles in the peer-reviewed literature (and many more on this blog) warning of the indirect risks of homeopathy. The most obvious example of such risks is the advice many homeopaths give about vaccinations. Here is, for instance, a quote from an abstract I published in 1996: … […]

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More on chiropractic and opioid use

We have discussed the association between chiropractic an opioid use before. But the problem of causality remained unresolved. Perhaps this new paper can help? This retrospective cohort study with new onset back pain patients (2008-20013) examined the association of initial provider treatment with early and long-term opioid use in a national sample of patients with new-onset […]

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American Loon #2257: James Simpson

Accuracy in Media is a wingnut “media watchdog” run by Don Irvine. It was founded with the expressed purpose of combatting “liberal media bias” but actually – and predictably – ended up combatting accuracy instead, in favor of promoting wingnut conspiracy theories. It’s a perfect fit for...

Read the full lunacy: #2257: James Simpson Encyclopedia of American Loons

Spinal epidural haematoma after neck manipulation

Spinal epidural haematoma is a potentially serious condition that can occur due to trauma, such as spinal manipulation, particularly in the presence of a blood clotting abnormality. A case has been published of a patient who, after performing self-neck manipulation, suffered spinal epidural haematoma and subsequent paralysis of all 4 limbs. A 63-year-old man presented […]

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Scientology and chiropractic: is there a link?

Recently, I stumbled across this website and the following text: “Measles are an implant Scientology can handle using New Era Dianetics,” said Scientology chiropractor Colonel Dr. Roberto Cadiz. “As a chiropractor, I see mock ups of so-called serious diseases all the time,” Dr. Cadiz remarked. “And fully 99% of the time these diseases are chronic subluxations caused […]

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American Loon #2256: Frank Simon

The American Family Association is a group of bigoted, unhinged fundamentalists. The national leaders are crazy enough, but the wild-eyed Talibanists you find in their various state chapters might occasionally be even crazier. Frank Simon is the director of the Kentucky chapter, and he...

Read the full lunacy: #2256: Frank Simon Encyclopedia of American Loons

Homeopathy for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: no good evidence for effectiveness

The aim of this update of a Cochrane review was to assess the effectiveness and safety of homeopathic treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Hold on, the bit about safety is odd here and does not bode well: one cannot possibly assess the safety of an intervention on the basis of just a few trials. […]

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The association between chiropractic and opioid use

This systematic review was aimed at investigating the current evidence to determine whether there is an association between chiropractic use and opioid receipt. Controlled studies, cohort studies, and case-control studies including adults with noncancer pain were eligible for inclusion. Studies reporting opioid receipt for both subjects who used chiropractic care and nonusers were included. Data […]

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Leech therapy, if you ask me, it sucks!

Hirudotherapy, also known as leech therapy, has been used to treat a wide range of disorders for thousands of years. It is also mentioned as a minimal invasive technique called Jalaukavacharana in the Sushruta Samhita, an ancient Sanskrit text of Ayurvedic medicine. But a long history is a fallacious argument (appeal to tradition) when used […]

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American Loon #2255: Matthew Silverstone

His book. B.M. Hegde is a legendary promoter of quantum woo whose career seems mostly devoted to claiming that Ayurvedic medicine is superior to science-based medicine. It is perhaps  indicative of something that they managed to spell his name wrong...

Read the full lunacy: #2255: Matthew Silverstone Encyclopedia of American Loons

Vidatox, homeopathy’s answer to cancer or outright fraud?

I just came across the most amazing cancer cure: it’s called VIDATOX 30C, and it is a true wonder. Well, on second thought, I might take that this back. Is it really true? Or is it perhaps a most despicable health fraud? The Vidatox website makes the following claims for VIDATOX: it is based on […]

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Leah Blacknell (1964-2019): another victim of cancer quackery?

Leah Blacknell, started raising funds ~3 years ago for alternative cures of her stage 4 lung cancer. Blacknell who, after her acting career, had become a yoga teacher said at the time that, in the UK, she was given “a fairly brutal and bleak diagnosis, but one I am determined to challenge”. Her partner, Jez […]

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Burning mouth syndrome: a case-report of (harmful?) effects of homeopathy

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a rare but potentially debilitating condition. So far, individualised homeopathy (iHOM) has not been evaluated or reported in any peer-reviewed journal as a treatment option. Here is a recently published case-report of iHOM for BMS. At the Centre of Complementary Medicine in Bern, Switzerland, a 38-year-old patient with BMS and […]

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American Loon #2254: Alyssa Shull

Alyssa Shull is a graduate of Oral Roberts University, and the founder of The Pink Lid, a conference for teen girls “about self-worth, identity, value, and purity.” We hope, for the sake of self-worth, identity and value, that the conference fails to have an impact among its intended audience (we...

Read the full lunacy: #2254: Alyssa Shull Encyclopedia of American Loons

Celebrity-based acupuncture: fallacious logic in practice

The field of so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) has long been actively supported by many celebrities. In 2006, we tried to  study the phenomenon systematically. Here is our abstract: OBJECTIVE: To collect contemporary accounts of celebrity use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), to aid clinicians in determining which CAM treatments patients are likely to use. […]

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Freedom of speech in homeopathy: as diluted as the remedies?

I was recently struck by a short notice by the FACULTY OF HOMEOPATHY (FoH): Following the publicity we got after the announcement of our royal patronage, it seems like a good time to  remind all members of our media policy. If you are contacted by the media, please contact the faculty and get some advice […]

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American Loon #2253: Sherry Shriner

Oh, heavens.  The rabbit hole is a fascinating place, but the webs of lunacy are often woven according to logics so foreign to any rational mind, that unravelling the ideas going into them is tricky. For instance, the National Economic Security and Recovery Act (NESARA) was a set of proposed...

Read the full lunacy: #2253: Sherry Shriner Encyclopedia of American Loons

So-called alternative medicine (SCAM) helps improve patients’ health behaviour. True or false?

The use of so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) are claimed to be associated with preventive health behaviors. However, the role of SCAM use in patients’ health behaviors remains unclear. This survey aimed to determine the extent to which patients report that SCAM use motivates them to make changes to their health behaviours. For this purpose, a […]

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You think that personality and stress are risk factors for cancer? PLEASE THINK AGAIN!

Professor Anthony Pelosi just published an intriguing paper. Here is the abstract: During the 1980s and 1990s, Hans J Eysenck conducted a programme of research into the causes, prevention and treatment of fatal diseases in collaboration with one of his protégés, Ronald Grossarth-Maticek. This led to what must be the most astonishing series of findings […]

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American Loon #2252: David Shormann

David Shormann is a Texas-based young-earth creationist, president of the “Dive into Math” program, and homeschooling activist with a PhD in marine chemistry. Though a biblical literalist who “believe a biblical framework provides us with the most rational interpretation of the past,” Shormann...

Read the full lunacy: #2252: David Shormann Encyclopedia of American Loons

Naturopathy for children with cancer?

Many paediatric oncology patients report use of so-called alternative medicine (SCAM), and naturopathic ‘doctors’ (NDs) often provide supportive paediatric oncology care. However, little information exists to formally describe this clinical practice. This survey was aimed at filling the gap. It was conducted with members of the ‘Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians’ (OncANP.org) to describe recommendations […]

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Enneagram + homeopathy = ??? (spoiler: nonsense + nonsense = nonsense)

Four speakers have been announced for next year’s conference (25-26 April 2020) of the UK ‘Society of Homeopaths’ (SoH). It has the theme ‘All About Men’ (which is surprising considering the majority of homeopathy fans are women). The meeting will aim to provide a better understanding of men’s lives and illnesses in order for practitioners to […]

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American Loon #2251: Theodore Shoebat

We suppose some readers may take a morbid interest in checking with on Theodore Shoebat on a regular basis with the question “who does Theodore Shoebat want to murder today?” (There is a list of people Shoebat wants murdered here.) Theodore Shoebat is the deranged spawn of fake ex-terrorist Walid...

Read the full lunacy: #2251: Theodore Shoebat Encyclopedia of American Loons

Chinese Activists Protest the Use of Traditional Treatments

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a term created by Mao lumping together various modalities in an attempt to pretend that healthcare in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was being provided despite the most severe shortages of conventional doctors, drugs and facilities. Since then, TCM seems to have conquered the West, and, in the PRC, […]

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Is spinal manipulation a placebo therapy?

Spinal manipulation is a treatment employed by several professions, including physiotherapists and osteopaths; for chiropractors, it is the hallmark therapy. They use it for (almost) every patient. They use it for (almost) every condition. They have developed most of the techniques. Spinal manipulation is the focus of their education and training. All textbooks of chiropractic […]

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American Loon #2250: Naveena Shine

Naveena Shine is a Seattle-based splash of color who received some attention in 2013, when she decided to find out if she could live without food, subsisting only on water, tea and sunshine – in other words, by photosynthesis. She could not. She dropped out of the experiment after 47 days, having...

Read the full lunacy: #2250: Naveena Shine Encyclopedia of American Loons

American Loon #2249: Scott Shifferd

Scott Shifferd, jr. is the minister of Dean Road Church of Christ in Jacksonville, and a creationist. Like most creationists, Shifferd doesn’t remotely understand evolution. Rather he regurgitates talking points from young-earth creationists who really, really don’t understand evolution...

Read the full lunacy: #2249: Scott Shifferd Encyclopedia of American Loons

Who gave Hahnemann the idea of ‘provings’?

When Samuel Hahnemann translated Cullen’s ‘Treatise on Materia Medica’ in 1790, he learnt of Cullen’s explanation of the actions of Peruvian (or China) bark, Cinchona officinalis, a malaria treatment. Hahnemann disagreed with it and decided to conduct experiments of his own. He thus ingested high doses of Cinchona and noticed that subsequently he developed several of […]

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An appeal to broaden the definition of evidence

A team of 42 authors from various disciplines (mostly medicine and philosophy) have published an appeal to broaden the definition of evidence. They reached several overlapping conclusions with implications for policy and practice in research and clinical care, which they summarised as follows: 1. ‘Evidence’ is typically evidence of causation. Common terms used in EBM, […]

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American Loon #2248: Lisa Shiel

Lisa Shiel first made (sort of) a name for herself as a frequent commenter on various science-related blogs, committing the most beautiful illustrations of fractal ignorance and misunderstandings you can imagine. In 2009, she channeled her efforts into an apparently self-published...

Read the full lunacy: #2248: Lisa Shiel Encyclopedia of American Loons

Chronic arsenic poisoning associated with homeopathy

Once upon a time, arsenic has been used widely for medicinal and other purposes. Now that we know how toxic it is, few people would voluntarily take it – except of course fans of homeopathy. In homeopathy, arsenic is an important and popular remedy. Here is what HOMEOPATHY PLUS tell us about its therapeutic potential: […]

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The effectiveness of (chiropractic) spinal manipulations for children is unproven. TIME TO STOP TREATING KIDS!

A systematic review of the evidence for effectiveness and harms of specific spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) techniques for infants, children and adolescents has been published by Dutch researchers. I find it important to stress from the outset that the authors are not affiliated with chiropractic institutions and thus free from such conflicts of interest. They searched […]

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American Loon #2247: Maya Shetreat-Klein

Yes, she is a genuine MD. But no: you should not take medical advice from her. Maya Shetreat-Klein is the author of the book The Dirt Cure: Growing Healthy Kids with Food Straight from Soil”, detailing the eponymous dirt cure, a health regimen Shetreat-Klein apparently developed through...

Read the full lunacy: #2247: Maya Shetreat-Klein Encyclopedia of American Loons

Acupuncture shown to be effective for fibromyalgia – so, why am I not convinced?

Acupuncture is often recommended for relieving symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). The aim of this systematic review was to ascertain whether verum acupuncture is more effective than sham acupuncture in FMS. Ten RCTs with a total of 690 participants were eligible, and 8 RCTs were eventually included in the meta-analysis. Its results showed a sizable […]

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