A New Science Forum
Excitingly, a new science forum Scrutable is here.
There’s a SCEINCE forum (officially known as the Nerd Lab) for discussion of, well, science – click here for breathless discussions of the latest research or to share your horror at the latest pronouncements from anti-vaccine commentators.
There’s a second serious forum for Heavy Shit (AKA Weighty Matters) which contains serious topics for serious people. Click here if you’re seriously interested in such serious discussions. Srsly.
You are also permitted to have fun, but only in the designated zones. No puns.
Oh, and one last thing: you might want to read the rules and abide by them.
Holford, Burne and Serotonin Pills
Here, Jerome Burne is given space on Patrick Holford’s blog to defend homeopathy by attacking drugs that are part of conventional medicine. Read the rest of this entry »
Medical Myths: Thalidomide
Thalidomide, Animal Testing, And Investigative Journalism
There are some apparently misreported ‘facts’ about thalidomide that seem to keep cropping up – for example, that the teratogenic effects were covered up by the medical profession, that it was investigative journalists that uncovered the scandal of the purported cover-up, and that thalidomide proves that animal testing is useless. Read the rest of this entry »
Cultural Bias in Scientific Research
This paper is a systematic review of controlled trials that asks the question “Do certain countries produce only positive results?” The authors conclude that: Read the rest of this entry »
Boosting Your Serotonin or Exploiting Your Depression?
What do Big Pharma, Patrick Holford, and Homeopaths all have in common? Well, apart from any other similarities, they all claim to be able to “boost your serotonin”, “remedy your neurotransmitter imbalance”, or help you to “overcome depression.” Read the rest of this entry »
Do The PCC Need Expert Help?
The Press Complaints Commission have come in for criticism from some quarters and the organisation is viewed variously as being incompetent, toothless, or too close to the industry it is supposed to regulate. Some suggestions have been made as to how the PCC can be improved. It seems to me that one thing the PCC may lack is expertise in some of the fields they are asked to rule on. Read the rest of this entry »
Daily Mail On Health Tonics
The Daily Mail has an article on the top five health tonics. Let’s take a quick look. Read the rest of this entry »
University of Westminster: FOIA Response
Well, it’s the twentieth working day since my FOIA request to the University of Westminster and I have finally received some answers to a few of the questions I posed. I originally contacted the University of Westminster on the 18th May, so I am disappointed that it has taken so long (and a Freedom of Information Act request) in order for them to begin to engage with me. Read the rest of this entry »
Examples of Homeopathic Debate
Here, a homeopath leaves a message on a blog post at gimpyblog. Here, again on Gimpy’s blog, the comment is repeated – and later in the thread comments in a similar vein are added. This post carries repeats of the comments in the second thread I linked to. A similar comment was also added to a post I’d written. Read the rest of this entry »
Rough Guide To Supplements
The vitamins & minerals sector of the food supplements industry was estimated to be worth $827 million in the UK in 2006 (link). The same source states that “The global nutraceuticals industry sales are forecast to touch $187 billion by 2010, owing to increasing sales in the U.S. and the European Union (EU), as also within the emerging markets like China and India.” Read the rest of this entry »
Stuff And Nonsense 