Dr Sarah Myhill – Yet More Dangerous Advice?
I’ve written about Dr Myhill several times now. Previously, I’ve pointed out various incorrect assertions and unsubstantiated claims relating specifically to vaccination. Read the rest of this entry »
Doctors And Vaccination
Dr Sarah Myhill’s website has a page on MMR vaccination that contains several untrue statements. I shall highlight some of the most obviously incorrect assertions and comment on each of them in this blogpost. Read the rest of this entry »
Targets: Aids, Cancer, Autism and Dyslexia
Some fields seem to attract quackery. Energy production is an obvious one (I predict that the idea of perpetual motion machines will never die – the idea is too attractive and there will probably always be sufficiently gullible/ignorant people in the world), but there are certain fields which seem to attract medical quackery more than others. I thought I’d list a few of the apparent similarities between some of the areas that I see as attracting quackery or, at best, dubious claims. Read the rest of this entry »
The Promotion of Counterknowledge
[BPSDB] Those promoting Counterknowledge are winning. Possibly because the public actually don’t really care that much*. (Damien Thompson’s book Counterknowledge is available from local libraries in my area, yet I am the first person in the 14 months since it has been in the library catalogue to borrow it.) It is also possible that Counterknowledge is spreading at least partly because people with a measure of influence in society are among those who promote it. Members of the British royal family, politicians, the mainstream media, celebrities, Alternative Medicine practitioners posing as authority figures, members of churches, and even universities have helped to promote Counterknowledge. Not to mention maverick scientists such as Andrew Wakefield. Those with less authority are playing an important part too, though. For example, full-time conspiracy theorists such as the owner of the whale.to website are disseminating bullshit that is reproduced on forums such as What Doctors Don’t Tell You, or JABS. Read the rest of this entry »
Daily Mail: Hypocritical Morons
The Daily Fail has now printed an opinion piece that calls parents who failed to vaccinate their children “refuseniks” and – it gets better – “morons”. Read the rest of this entry »
AltMed and The Dangers of Homophily
Outwith Alternative Medicine, homophily may limit us in all sorts of ways in terms of depriving ourselves of experiences we may otherwise have enjoyed. I think the main danger of homophily in terms of Alternative Medicine is that people with certain dangerous beliefs (homeopathy can cure Aids, vaccines cause autism, measles is safe) will reinforce these beliefs by seeking out like-minded people who share their ill-founded and alarming viewpoint (“value homophily”). Read the rest of this entry »
Homeopathic Aids Fantasies [Edited]
Homeopath Jeremy Sherr has a blog post up describing a proposed trial of homeopathy in Aids patients in Africa. Ben Goldacre has posted a comment pointing out that the proposal is “a frighteningly poor quality research plan with no adequate control group to compare against.” Later in the comments johnhw notes, in response to Sherr’s point that placebo treatment is considered unethical in AIDS, that “a trial of an implausible remedy that lacks good evidence of any benefit over placebo – and which is being given to patients who are not receiving ARV treatment” may not be considered to be ethical either and makes a suggestion as to how the trial could be better designed. William points out that, as homeopathy is most likely nothing more than placebo, Sherr’s “experiment is just as unethical as treating with known placebos”. In response to these comments, Sherr now has a new post up. Read the rest of this entry »
Possibly Offensive and Potentially Dangerous Bullshit
Andy Porter, Psychic Surgeon, has claimed on his website not only that Schizophrenia is treatable by psychic surgery, but that it is caused by spirit possession. Read the rest of this entry »
Stuff And Nonsense 