The deadly false hope of German alternative cancer clinics
We at SBM have written about German cancer clinics that offer a combination of cancer quackery, some real medicine, plus unproven experimental therapies, all at a high cost, both financially and in false hope. Finally, an exposé of these clinics has been published. What these clinics are doing is even worse than even we had feared.
A Woman Dies from a Severe Allergic Reaction After Live Bee Acupuncture Session
A woman in Spain has died from a severe allergic reaction after a session of live bee acupuncture. With low plausibility, the potential for fatal outcomes, no evidence to suggest that benefits outweigh even minor side effects, and lots of dead bees, this is an intervention that should be avoided.
PSA Screening for Prostate Cancer
PSA testing is controversial. A new study finds that PSA screening for prostate cancer offers no survival benefits.
Music for ADHD?
In a recent "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit, the CEO of Brain.fm claimed his company's music can improve concentration and help with ADHD. At the very least I see such claims as highly implausible, and not something we can conclude from the existing basic science research. I have no problem with doing clinical research, and maybe we might learn something about how...
The Ethics of CAM: More Harm than Good?
A new book examines the ethics of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Ernst and Smith demonstrate that CAM is inherently unethical and does more harm than good.
ICD-11: A triumph of the “integration” of quackery with real medicine
ICD-10 is an a standardized system of alphanumeric codes for diagnoses maintained by the World Health Organization used throughout the world for billing, epidemiology, research, and cataloging causes of death. Its successor, ICD-11, is nearing completion, and unfortunately appears to be taking the "integration" of traditional medicine to a whole new level by integrating quack diagnoses with real diagnoses.
Are Rattlesnake Vaccines for Dogs Effective?
A company is now selling a rattlesnake venom vaccine. How much can we trust it when it comes to the health and safety of our dogs? Right now, it's too early to tell.
More Political Science: Proposed laws protect “Lyme literate” doctors from discipline
"Lyme literate" doctors are scamming patients out of thousands of dollars with needless long-term antibiotics based on a fake diagnosis of "chronic Lyme." So why are state legislators trying to protect these doctors from discipline and make insurers pay for unnecessary treatments?
Facilitated Communication Rears Its Ugly Head Again
Facilitated communication is pure pseudoscience that was debunked almost 30 years ago, but it keeps coming back, creating new victims.
Coca’s Pulse Testing to Diagnose “Allergies”
In the 1950s, Dr. Arthur F. Coca invented an elaborate method to diagnose a new kind of "allergy" by testing the pulse rate. He thought "allergies" were the underlying cause of most disease. His method has never been tested, but there is every reason to think it is bogus.
Don’t Blame the Patient