All posts by Harriet Hall

Harriet Hall, MD also known as The SkepDoc, is a retired family physician who writes about pseudoscience and questionable medical practices. She received her BA and MD from the University of Washington, did her internship in the Air Force (the second female ever to do so),  and was the first female graduate of the Air Force family practice residency at Eglin Air Force Base. During a long career as an Air Force physician, she held various positions from flight surgeon to DBMS (Director of Base Medical Services) and did everything from delivering babies to taking the controls of a B-52. She retired with the rank of Colonel.  In 2008 she published her memoirs, Women Aren't Supposed to Fly.

The Blu Room

Blu Rooms are an expensive way to relax. The testimonials and the medical history of the inventor are not believable. No science, but good for a laugh.

/ January 11, 2022

Eat for Life: Joel Fuhrman’s Nutritarian Diet

Joel Fuhrman thinks his Nutritarian diet will increase longevity and prevent or treat most chronic diseases. He claims it is based on science, but his evidence is far from convincing.

/ January 4, 2022

Bioptron: Too Silly to Write about

Bioptron is a silly device claiming to work through unproven means, but basically seems to be an extremely colorful flashlight.

/ December 28, 2021

Poor Science Reporting and Premature Enthusiasm

Press releases often outpace the data. Here are some examples of over-enthusiastic reporting on extremely preliminary research.

/ December 21, 2021

Nuubu: Here We Go Again! Recycling Debunked Foot Detox Myths

Companies come and go, but the claims remain the same, that you can (insert claim) with (insert product) without any evidence. A new company offering magical footpads are just putting new wine in old bottles.

/ December 14, 2021

Navage Promises Benefits from Cleaning Your Nose with Their Expensive Machine

Navage is a machine that uses salt water to rinse out the sinuses, allegedly alleviating the causes of congestion, allergies, colds, and more. The evidence for their claims is lacking.

/ December 7, 2021

Do You Need Daily Treatment to Repair Damaged Enamel?

Does a toothpaste provide "next level" fluoride technology that you need to use every day? You know the answer.

/ November 30, 2021

Virtual Reality Therapy

Are virtual reality headsets a valid tool for treating back pain? Maybe.

/ November 23, 2021

Illness, Healing, and Other Terms That Can Be Confusing

Watch your language. Some terms that are frequently confused: pain vs. suffering, disease vs. illness, cure vs. healing. Science-based medicine focuses on diseases; alternative medicine focuses on illness: that explains a lot.

/ November 16, 2021

Those Joe Namath Medicare Commercials

Joe Namath is promoting Medicare Advantage Plans on TV. Some of what he says is misleading. Here's the rest of the story.

/ November 9, 2021