Catgut Acupuncture
Catgut acupuncture is but one example of how acupuncture's basis in pseudoscience provides an infinitely malleable template for fabricated mechanisms of action and feigned health benefits.
“Quack Protection Acts” proposed in state legislatures
Laws protecting "complementary and alternative" health care providers from state regulation have been proposed in several state legislatures under the rubric of "health freedom". These "Quack Protection Acts" harm consumers.
Legislative Alchemy: State licensing of “the profession of reflexology”
Following the playbook of other practitioners of pseudoscience, reflexologists aim to become state-licensed health care professionals, a status they've already achieved in four states. With bills pending in New York and Nebraska, they move closer to their goal of legitimizing their quackery in all 50 states.
State legislatures consider bills prohibiting COVID-19 vaccination mandates and other public health measures
Bills seek to prevent the states and private employers from mandating COVID-19 vaccines and other pandemic mitigation measures. Some proposed legislation would severely handicap public health officials in combating future health emergencies.
Bills eliminating school immunizations and other anti-vaccination measures confront state legislatures
Bills eliminating school immunizations and expanding exemptions are pending in state legislatures. Other state bills strengthen immunization requirements by eliminating exemptions, among other measures. An anti-vaccination misinformation campaign is underway to influence legislators' votes.
Legislative Alchemy: Undaunted by rejection in 2020, naturopaths return to state legislatures seeking licensing and practice expansion
States largely rejected naturopathic licensing and practice expansion efforts in 2020. As ever, naturopaths are back again in 2021, imploring state legislators to legitimize them with licensing and greater scopes of practice, especially the authority to prescribe drugs.
Consumer and public health groups push for cancer warning on alcoholic beverages
A coalition of consumer and public health groups, citing scientific consensus, is pushing for a government-required warning that alcohol consumption causes cancer on alcoholic beverage containers. Despite the evidence, we can expect alcohol industry opposition.
Federal appeals court strikes down conversion therapy bans
A recent federal Court of Appeals decision struck down local governments' conversion therapy bans on First Amendment grounds, characterizing licensed mental health therapists' advice as a "viewpoint" and regulation thereof subject to strict scrutiny by the courts, a standard that, historically, is rarely met. This decision carries disturbing implications for the regulation of the practice of medicine as well as the government's...
COVID-19 vaccine rollout creates new scamming opportunities for crooks
As new COVID-19 vaccines become available to the public, swindlers are adjusting their cons to fit the moment, even going door-to-door to peddle their scams.
Bastyr University’s MPH and MPH/ND programs should not be accredited
Bastyr University's application for accreditation of MPH and MPH/ND programs should be denied. Bastyr's curriculum is filled with pseudoscience and incompatible with the science of public health. Naturopathy is a poor fit for an MPH program, especially considering its opposition to immunization.