American Loon #2196: Gary Ruskin & the USRTK

Gary Ruskin is the executive director of the US Right to Know (USRTK), an anti-GMO activist organization ostensibly devoted to “uncovering the food industry’s efforts to manipulate scientists into advancing pro-genetically-modified propaganda,” but primarily trying to advance denialist causes...

Read the full lunacy: #2196: Gary Ruskin & the USRTK

American Loon #2190:Robert J. Rowen

Robert J. Rowen is apparently an MD, but probably one you should stay clear. Rowen is also an “integrative physician”, and his probably most famous for his promotion of ozone therapy. Indeed, Rowen claims that ozone therapy even cures Ebola. He does seem to be a true believer rather than an...

Read the full lunacy: #2190:Robert J. Rowen Encyclopedia of American Loons

American Loon #2185: Lawrence Rosen

Lawrence Rosen is an “integrative” pediatrician and chair-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Clinical Assistant Professor in Pediatrics at UMDNJ/New Jersey Medical School, and Chief of Pediatric Integrative Medicine at the Joseph M....

Read the full lunacy: #2185: Lawrence Rosen Encyclopedia of American Loons

American Loon #2026: Leuren Moret

“Independent scientist” is a title that not only fails to confer authority on any subject matter, but actually indicates that the bearer of the title is a completely lunatic fringe loon and conspiracy theorist...

Read the full lunacy: #2026: Leuren Moret Encyclopedia of American Loons

On Ros(s)ing

That homeopathy zealot Roslyn Ross is conforming to type in the comment thread below a recent article entitled, ‘Are homeopathic ‘remedies’ helpful or harmful?’, by Jennifer Gunter. I’ve observed and encountered much of the activity of this irritating snark a number of times in recent years and have previously commented on the fervid activity of this apologist and propagandist for homeopathy. Indeed, so predictable, so tedious is her fallacy-laden modus operandus that I figured it deserved its own fallacy name:

                       Ros(s)ing


[Read more... ]

Encyclopedia of American Loons: #2013: Tom Minnery

Tom Minnery is president emeritus of CitizenLink and the vice president of public policy at Focus on the Family, a fundamentalist institution devoted to homophobia, gun policy, wingnuttery, science denialism and supporting corporal punishment for unruly children... Encyclopedia of American Loons: #2013: Tom Minnery

American Loon #2004: Brian Miller

Brian Miller is an Instructor for Campus Harvest, “a division of Every Nation Ministries, a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability,” and travels around giving lectures on science “from a faith perspective”, such as “Empirical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ”...

Read the full lunacy: #2004: Brian Miller Encyclopedia of American Loons

Charlatanism: fantasy or dishonesty?

In his Homeopathy: The Undiluted Facts Edzard Ernst delineates between two types of charlatan: the dishonest and the fantasist. I don’t know and have never met Sally Lloyd, a homeopath who charges for her services. Neither do I know whether she actually offers them to people diagnosed with cancer. But if she spews forth the following disgraceful misinformation to anybody daft or desperate enough to ‘consult’ her, there is something seriously amiss. [Read more... ]

Should the ‘Faculty of Homeopathy’ be reported to the General Medical Council?

The UK ‘Faculty of Homeopathy’ (FoH) is the professional body of British doctors who specialise in homeopathy. As doctors, FoH members have been to medical school and should know about evidence, science etc., I had always thought. But perhaps I was mistaken?

The FoH has a website with an interesting new post entitled ‘Scientific evidence […]

Read the rest here: Should the ‘Faculty of Homeopathy’ be reported to the General Medical Council?

Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop Under Investigation For False Health Claims | IFLScience

An advertising watchdog has filed a complaint against Gwyneth Paltrow's now infamous lifestyle company, Goop. The nonprofit Truth in Advertising (TINA) sent out a letter to two district attorneys connected to the California Food, Drug and Medical Task Force, criticizing the company for promoting over 50 unsubstantiated (and illegal) health claims... Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop Under Investigation For False Health Claims | IFLScience

American Loon #1888: Bryan Leonard

Bryan Leonard is one of the alleged martyrs featured in the creationist movement's dishonest “academic freedom” campaigns, people having been the victim of what Intelligent Design creationists would describe as oppression by the Darwinist establishment (i.e. actual scientists with actual expertise and a commitment to science). A more comprehensive description of the so-called Bryan Leonard affair can be found here. We’ll just provide a brief recap...

Read the full lunacy: #1888: Bryan Leonard Encyclopedia of American Loons

Friends of Science in Homeopathy - Plague of Mice

Our old friend Nancy Malik decided to name her blog Science-based Homeopathy, presumably in a fit of childish pique at the existence of Science-Based Medicine, which regularly laughs homeopathy to scorn, and rightly so. Then she realised that there is an Australian-based network called Friends of Science in Medicine, so of course nothing would do unless she had one called Friends of Science in Homeopathy...

Read on: Friends of Science in Homeopathy - Plague of Mice

This Canadian doctor is going head-to-head with Gwyneth Paltrow over Goop | Toronto Star

Dr. Jen Gunter has been blogging about health and evidence-based medicine for seven years. But it’s her willingness to call out celebrity pseudo-science — in sometimes colourful language — that appears to be getting under Gwyneth Paltrow’s skin...

Read more: This Canadian doctor is going head-to-head with Gwyneth Paltrow over Goop | Toronto Star

American Loon #1881: Dennis Lee (I)

A legend in pseudoscience circles, Dennis Lee is the head of Better World Technologies and United Community Services of America, a company that markets pretty much every piece of ridiculous nonsense technology or “technology” you can imagine, from healing devices that use zero-point energy to...

Read the full lunacy: #1881: Dennis Lee (I) Encyclopedia of American Loons

Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop: Another triumph of celebrity pseudoscience and quackery – Science-Based Medicine

Earlier this month, the hostilities between Gwyneth Paltrow’s den of celebrity pseudoscience and quackery, her “lifestyle” website and store Goop, and skeptics erupted into open warfare, as Goop attacked Dr. Jen Gunter, an OB/GYN, blogger, and frequent critic of the pseudoscience published and sold by Goop. This leads to the question: Who are the physicians facilitating Paltrow and Goop? And does debunking nonsense as ridiculous as that peddled by Paltrow and her minions do any good?

Full post by Dr David Gorski at Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop: Another triumph of celebrity pseudoscience and quackery – Science-Based Medicine

SECOND OPINION | It's war! Debunkers take on Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP and celebrity pseudoscience - Health - CBC News

Goop is actor Gwyneth Paltrow's online lifestyle company, a "homespun weekly newsletter" that has grown into a lucrative alternative health enterprise, spawning an equally passionate anti-Goop movement. And now, the long-simmering Goop hostilities have broken out into a full scale war of words.

On one side there are the "debunkers," including Canadian gynecologist Jennifer Gunter, University of Alberta professor Timothy Caulfield and comedian Stephen Colbert...

Read on: SECOND OPINION | It's war! Debunkers take on Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP and celebrity pseudoscience - Health - CBC News

Goop Tried To Defend Vagina Eggs And The Internet Had A Field Day | HuffPost

Hold on to your vagina eggs, people. Goop and its medical advisors tried to come for the site’s critics, and it isn’t going over well.

Before now, Gwyneth Paltrow and her lifestyle site simply pressed on in the face of massive criticism over its questionable health and science claims (ahem, “energy balancing” stickers). But this week, the site published a three-part post that attempted to rebut the blowback it receives for dubious recommendations and products, including a $66 jade egg women are told to insert in their vaginas, then “recharge” with the power of a full moon...

Read on: Goop Tried To Defend Vagina Eggs And The Internet Had A Field Day | HuffPost

An Open Letter To Gwyneth Paltrow About GOOP | HuffPost

This is the article that started it all:

I’m pretty sure you don’t mean comment on your recipes but rather the growing exasperation from medical professionals and journalists alike at the almost constant debunking of the health “advice” and all around medical bullshit that you and your pals at GOOP promote and sell. No, we don’t have adrenal fatigue we have goopitis.

When I tell you that alcohol is a toxin I am not f*cking with you I am being factual. Do you really think everything in the world is a toxin except alcohol and botulinum toxin...

Read on: An Open Letter To Gwyneth Paltrow About GOOP | HuffPost

Charity Commission consultation on CAM charities | Good Thinking Society

Last year, after prompting by Good Thinking, the Charity Commission promised to hold a consultation regarding their policies on accepting the registration of charities which exist for the promotion of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). That consultation is now open, and the public are invited to submit their thoughts on the Charity Commission’s approach to CAM charities.

UK charity law states that for an organisation to qualify as a charity, its purposes must be for the benefit of the public. Where those organisations are health-based, it would seem obvious that the interventions they promote must have a demonstrable benefit to the public. Given that some UK charities exist specifically to promote homeopathic remedies to AIDS patients in Botswana, to offer pseudoscientific treatments to cancer patients, and to promote several other unproven and disproven therapies, this consultation is a great opportunity to clarify the position of the Charity Commission and allow them to take appropriate action in the future...

 Read full post and act: Charity Commission consultation on CAM charities - Good Thinking Society

Another flawed trial of homeopathy reports positive findings | Edzard Ernst

When sceptics claim that no positive trials of homeopathy exist, they are clearly mistaken. The truth is that there are plenty of them! But many, if not most are of such poor quality that it is safe to suspect they are false-positives. Here is a recent example of this type of scenario. This new study investigated the clinical […]

Read on: Another flawed trial of homeopathy reports positive findings