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