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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