Month: September 2019

Ezekiel Stephan's parents

Deconstructing Justice Terry Clackson’s outrageous acquittal of David and Collet Stephans for the death of their son Ezekiel

On September 19, in a retrial ordered by the Supreme Court of Canada, Alberta Justice Terry Clackson issued a ruling acquitting David and Collet Stephan of failing to provide the necessities of life to their son Ezekiel, whose bacterial meningitis they had chosen to treat with quackery instead of medicine, leading to his death in 2012. The news reports showed that this...

/ September 30, 2019

Vaping is Bad: Respiratory Illness, Banning Flavors, and Bad Behavior

Recent reports on the impact of vaping-associated respiratory illnesses are raising concerns about flavored e-cigarettes, and vaping in general. Adding to the problems are some rather draconian measures being implemented by some schools to "protect" students.

/ September 27, 2019

FDA proposes ban on curcumin and other naturopathic favorites in compounded drugs

Based on a thorough review of the evidence by experts, the FDA is proposing a ban on using curcumin, cesium chloride and other naturopathic favorites in compounded drugs.

/ September 26, 2019

Fat Shaming Is Counterproductive

Fat shaming not only doesn't work, it is counterproductive. So what might help fight obesity?

/ September 25, 2019

Naturopathy in the VA

The VA is contracting with naturopathic doctors to provide non-science-based treatment to our veterans. This is a mistake.

/ September 24, 2019

A world-renowned placebo researcher asks, “Does placebo research boost pseudoscience?”

Professor Fabrizio Benedetti is the most famous and almost certainly also the most influential researcher investigating the physiology of placebo effects. In a recent commentary, he asks whether placebo research is fueling quackery, as quacks co-opt its results. The answer to that question is certainly yes. A better question is: How do supporters of science counter the placebo narrative promoted by quacks,...

/ September 23, 2019

The Verdict is In: There is No Justice for Ezekiel Stephan

Ezekiel Stephan died from bacterial meningitis and his parents' failure to seek appropriate medical care in 2012, and now they have been acquitted after the Supreme Court of Canada ordered a new trial. It appears that there may be no justice for Ezekiel.

/ September 20, 2019

Do dietary supplements improve heart health?

Dietary supplements are widely consumed to improve heart health. But what does the evidence say?

/ September 19, 2019

Crystal Healing

Crystal healing is back and growing in popularity. What does that reveal about our society and alternative medicine?

/ September 18, 2019

Professor Gives Grades to Alternative Medicine

Edzard Ernst assigns a grade to 150 alternative medicine modalities, evaluating plausibility, efficacy, safety, cost, and risk/benefit balance. A very useful reference.

/ September 17, 2019