2010-2019, a decade in so-called alternative medicine (SCAM)

In so-called alternative medicine (SCAM), there is never a dull moment; for me, the last decade was hardly an exception. 2010: Simon Singh and I had just published our book ‘Trick of Treatment‘, and consequently, the SCAM community decided to oust me. At my university, I had major battles after the complaint by Prince Charles’ […]

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American Loon #2289: Rodney Stark

Yes, he’s got credentials. Rodney Stark is a sociologist of religion, long-time professor of sociology and of comparative religion at the University of Washington, currently Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences at Baylor University and co-director of the university’s Institute for Studies...

Read the full lunacy: #2289: Rodney Stark Encyclopedia of American Loons

The sale of BMW cars as a marker for the popularity of so-called alternative medicine (SCAM)

Please allow me to quote from yet another paper that I published 20 years ago. It is a very brief comment on an article by Kaptchuk and Eisenberg which discussed the reasons for the considerable popularity of SCAM. In it, they stated that the attraction of alternative medicine is related to the power of its underlying […]

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American Loon #2288: Bob Staples

Somewhat obscure, perhaps, but Bob Staples is member of the Villa Rica Church of Christ and a young-earth creationist. He is, we suspect, not the only young-earth creationist in his congregation. What’s more disconcerting is that Staples is also “a college math teacher”...

Read the full lunacy: #2288: Bob Staples Encyclopedia of American Loons

The making of a SCAM-obsessed, cantankerous twit (the Dunning Kruger Effect in action)

We were all born stupid, but it requires continuously hard work to  remain dumb. A SCAM-obsessed, belligerent twit – the type we regularly encounter in the comments section of this blog – is not born but evolves during years of agonisingly tough work. At least, this is my impression. Certain traits (e. g. lack of […]

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So-called alternative medicine (SCAM): if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is

I published this article 20 years ago! Yet, it is, I think, still relevant today. For the purpose of this blog, I have altered it marginally (mainly by using the acromym SCAM): Whatever SCAM is, it is not an alternative to conventional medicine. Nevertheless, one might still ask why so many people pay for ‘unproven’ […]

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American Loon #2287: Glenn Stanton

Glenn Stanton is a spokesperson for Focus on the Family – indeed, he is director of global family formation studies – and seems to have been heavily involved in the organization’s systematic and deliberate misrepresentation of research to try to support their anti-gay political agenda....

Read the full lunacy: #2287: Glenn Stanton Encyclopedia of American Loons

Surprise, surprise! Chiropractors recommend chiropractic management of neck pain

The current Cochrane review of clinical trials testing the effectiveness of manipulation/mobilisation for neck pain concluded as follows: Although support can be found for use of thoracic manipulation versus control for neck pain, function and QoL, results for cervical manipulation and mobilisation versus control are few and diverse. Publication bias cannot be ruled out. Research […]

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TO ALL MY FRIENDS IN HOMEOPATHY: In the true Christmas spirit, I am giving away presents to homeopaths

In the true Christmas spirit, I decided that I will give away presents to fans of homeopathy. Here is the deal: It is almost 2 years now that I asked all homeopaths, particularly those who believe that homeopathy works because it is ‘nano-medicine’, to answer the questions below: How (by what mechanism) does a nano-particle […]

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American Loon #2286: Salo Stanley

Now what is this? Salo Stanley is apparently a chiropractor who consistently calls herself “Dr. Stanley”, apparently on the grounds that she received some degree from Life Chiropractic College West. That place received a bit of attention in 2015 when its students gave Andrew...

Read the full lunacy: #2286: Salo Stanley Encyclopedia of American Loons

French homeopaths seek disciplinary action against doctors for speaking out against homeopathy

Guest post by Richard Rasker Almost two years ago, in March 2018, a group of 124 doctors and other medical professionals published an article in the French newspaper ‘Le Figaro’, warning the general public for the false promises, unproven claims and dangers of alternative medicine. Homeopathy in particular is denounced as an unscientific belief in […]

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American Loon #2285: Glenn Stankis

Glenn Stankis is a local village idiot in Magalia, California, who has for a long time been tirelessly fronting a campaign to get religion and “love of country” back into public schools. He has alternately pestered and run for the local school board for years, on a platform of “Christian Beliefs”,...

Read the full lunacy: #2285: Glenn Stankis Encyclopedia of American Loons

The anti-vaccination movement is financed by the dietary supplement industry

At the heart of this story is Joseph Mercola, a dietary supplement entrepreneur and osteopath. His website states that: EVERYONE can benefit from Dr Mercola’s unparalleled knowledge. For expertise in alternative healthcare and high quality supplemental medicine, it’s hard to beat visionary Dr Joseph Mercola. The Chicago-based health wizard has his own website, Mercola.com (‘Take […]

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American Loon #2284: Jill Stanek

Jill Stanek is a radical anti-abortion activist and nurse, national campaign chair of the anti-abortion organization the Susan B. Anthony List, and currently affiliated with Newsbusters and regular columnist for the WND. Yeah, “columnist for the WND” should really tell you all you need to...

Read the full lunacy: #2284: Jill Stanek Encyclopedia of American Loons

Autogenic training is an effective therapy for managing stress

This post is dedicated to all who claim that I never discuss anything positive about so-called alternative medicine (SCAM). Autogenic training is a therapy developed in the 1920s by the German psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz (1884 – 1970). It is an auto-hypnotic relaxation technique popular in Germany but less so other countries. (The lack of […]

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Prince Charles becomes patron of the ‘College of Medicine and Integrated Health’

If you had thought that HRH Prince Philip, soon to be King, would calm down regarding his royal bee under his alternative bonnet, you evidently were mistaken. In June 2019, he became the patron of the ‘Faculty of Homeopathy‘ the professional organisation of UK doctor homeopaths. And a few days ago, it has been announced […]

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American Loon #2283: Timothy Standish

Timothy Standish is one of the mainstays of the Intelligent Design Creationist movement, and has given numerous talks and contributed numerous articles to creationist publications, such as a chapter in the 2006 anthology Darwin’s Nemesis, a series of essays in honor of Phillip Johnson....

Read the full lunacy: #2283: Timothy Standish Encyclopedia of American Loons

Recommendations of so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) by US physicians

There are no representative studies using a probability sample examining whether US physicians recommend so-called alternative medicines (SCAMs) to their patients. This article fills a void in the current literature for robust data on recommendations for SCAMs by office-based physicians in the US. Descriptive statistics and multivariable regression analyses of physician-level data were from the […]

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Carbon 60: the new ‘cure all’?

Carbon 60 has recently been promoted by some commentators on this blog. Their claim seems to be that it is the best thing since sliced bread. So, what should we make of carbon 60 as a dietary supplement? Here is my attempt to provide a brief summary: The endogenous production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) […]

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Shark cartilage: trust supplements at your peril

According to WebMed, the shark cartilage (tough elastic tissue that provides support, much as bone does) used for medicine comes primarily from sharks caught in the Pacific Ocean. Several types of extracts are made from shark cartilage including squalamine lactate, AE-941, and U-995. Shark cartilage is most famously used for cancer. Shark cartilage is also […]

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The Baloney Detection Kit

Carl Sagan was a giant in critical thinking and has inspired many, including myself. His book THE DEMON HAUTED WORLD is a classic. In it, he published his ‘BALONEY DETECTION KIT’. As it relates to SCAM and so much more that troubles us today, I today take the liberty of citing it here. Wherever possible […]

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The 1st Chinese herbal medicine with a UK license

I have to admit, I only read the DAILY MAIL, if I have to (and certainly not today). This is probably why I missed this article announcing the 1st traditional Chinese medicine to be licensed in the UK. The plant Sigesbeckia, which has an unpleasant smell, is renowned for its ability to treat aches and […]

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American Loon #2281: Erick Stakelbeck

Yet another rightwing commentator whose only recognizable qualifications are anger and paranoia, Erick Stakelbeck is a former sports reporter who has become recognized by some wingnuts (e.g. Pat Robertson) as a “terror expert” because he says stupid things they happen to agree with. Stakelbeck...

Read the full lunacy: #2281: Erick Stakelbeck Encyclopedia of American Loons

Does SCAM Reduce Opioid Use for Chronic Pain?

Many patients with chronic pain (CP) are prescribed opioids, a situation which has led to the much-discussed opioid crisis. Integrative medicine (IM), which combines pharmacological and so-called alternative medicine (SCAM), has been proposed as a solution. Yet, the role of SCAM therapies in reducing opioid use remains unclear. This systematic review explored the effectiveness of […]

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American Loon #2280: Mike Stahl

Pastor Mike Stahl of the Living Water internet church is one of many raging fundies polluting the Internet. Stahl has apparently “been seriously considering forming a ( Christian ) grassroots type of organization to be named ‘The Christian National Registry of Atheists’ or something similar.”...

Read the full lunacy: #2280: Mike Stahl Encyclopedia of American Loons

Death by Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)

Realgar, α-As4S4, is an arsenic sulfide mineral, also known as “ruby sulphur” or “ruby of arsenic”. It is a soft, sectile mineral occurring in monoclinic crystals, or in granular, compact, or powdery form, often in association with the related mineral, orpiment (As2S3). In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), realgar is often used in combination with herbs. […]

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The best way to reduce the use of bogus SCAMs is to make conventional medicine less flawed.

So-called alternative medicine (SCAM) could easily be described as a business that exists mainly because it profits from the flaws of conventional medicine. I know, this is not a good definition, and I don’t want to suggest it as one, but I think it highlights an important aspect of SCAM. Let me explain. If we […]

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American Loon #2279: Carol Spooner

As a result of intense lobbying, naturopaths have become licensed in several American states. Now, naturopathy is bullshit through and through, and being a licensed naturopath doesn’t come with any duties toward truth, efficacy or accountability. That, of course, has never been the point....

Read the full lunacy: #2279: Carol Spooner Encyclopedia of American Loons

Acupuncture for xerostomia – a new trial with some most revealing findings

Radiation-induced xerostomia (RIX) is a common, often debilitating, adverse effect of radiation therapy among patients with head and neck cancer. Quality of life can be severely affected, and current treatments have limited benefit. Acupuncture is often recommended, but does it work? This study was aimed at finding out whether acupuncture can prevent RIX in patients […]

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Suffering from persistent low back pain? Forget about Chiropractic or other SCAMs

Recently, we discussed the findings of a meta-analysis which concluded that walking, which is easy to perform and highly accessible, can be recommended in the management of chronic LBP to reduce pain and disability. At the time, I commented that this will hardly please the legions of therapists who earn their daily bread with pretending their […]

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American Loon #2278: Chuck & Lency Spezzano

Psychology of Vision (POV) is, allegedly, a “transpersonal model of healing that employs cutting edge psychological tools and methodology with the miracle power of grace.” Yes, it’s New Age bullshit, and there is some entropy principle at work here to the effect that for any word in...

Read the full lunacy: #2278: Chuck & Lency Spezzano Encyclopedia of American Loons

Etiopathy: a SCAM like so many others

Here is a so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) that might be new to you – it certainly was to me: etiopathy. Founded in 1963 by the French Christian Trédaniel, etiopathy is a method of reasoning to determine the causes of a health problem and remove them acting on them. Etiopathy seems particularly popular in France, but is […]

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American Loon #2277: Dorothy Spaulding

Though she may not be among the most famous televangelists working in the US, Dorothy Spaulding, President and Founder of Watchmen Broadcasting, is certainly one of the truly whacky ones – a sort of low-budget, poor man’s version of Cindy Jacobs, if you wish – and her network show Club 36 has...

Read the full lunacy: #2277: Dorothy Spaulding Encyclopedia of American Loons

Chiropractic maintenance care: boosting chiropractic cash flow in perpetuity

Maintenance Care is an approach whereby patients have chiropractic manipulations even when symptom-free. Thus, it is an ideal method to keep chiropractors in clover. Previous reviews concluded that evidence behind this strategy is lacking. Since then, more data have emerged. It was therefore timely to review the evidence. Fourteen original research articles were included in […]

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American Loon #2276: Ryan Sorba

Ryan Sorba is the Chairman of the Young Conservatives of California and a tireless anti-gay activist. Indeed, at a 2011 conference at the cargo cult version of an educational institution Liberty University, Sorba claimed that “‘gay’ is a left-wing socio-political construct designed to create...

Read the full lunacy: #2276: Ryan Sorba Encyclopedia of American Loons

Chiropractic spinal manipulation of children: an independent review

Having mentioned the report on chiropractic for children by SAVER CARE VICTORIA (SCV) several times before, I now better reveal its contents. Here are important excerpts from it, but I encourage everyone to read the full document: Review of evidence of harm An extensive search was undertaken to identify evidence of harm sustained by children who […]

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Tiger balm: not free of adverse effects and not supported by convincing evidence

Tiger Balm (TB) ointments are Chinese topical remedies, often used for pain relief available as over-the-counter medications. TB is clearly popular, but does it work? The aim of this systematic review was to find out by assessing the efficacy, safety and tolerability of TB ointments. A total of 12 studies were included (five on TB ointments […]

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American Loon #2275: Edward Sopcak

CanCell, also known as Entelev or Cantron, is one of many utterly useless purported cancer cures. Ostensibly CanCell is “an assembly of synthetic chemicals” – they are secret, though the assembly has apparently also changed over the years – that react with the body “electrically” rather than...

Read the full lunacy: #2275: Edward Sopcak Encyclopedia of American Loons