Combatting dangerous quackery and antivaccine misinformation on streaming services and social media
Last week, Amazon began removing antivaccine videos from Amazon Prime. Last month, YouTube announced that it was demonetizing antivaccine videos, and Facebook stated that it would be taking action to de-emphasize antivaccine pages in its searched. These are all good first tentative steps, but the problem of quackery on streaming platforms and social media goes way beyond just antivaccine content. Making it...
Flipping the Script In Action: The Nick Gundersen Case
The tragic consequences of a boy with leukemia and a mother who believed an alternative medicine documentary-maker over her son's oncologist.
Drug maker challenges FDA on animal testing
A drug maker claims an FDA-required toxicity study in animals is unnecessary to determine safety and urges others to question the routine use of animal testing.
Are Smart Meters a Health Risk?
Don't worry. There is no plausible health risk from the miniscule EMF from smart meters.
Homeopath Quits Homeopathy but Thinks the Homeopathic Approach Has Value
A former homeopath shows that there's nothing scientific about homeopathy; in fact, it contradicts all known scientific principles. Nevertheless she finds value in the homeopathic approach to the patient and thinks all providers can learn from it.
Peter Gøtzsche and antivaxers: Should a science advocate ever speak at an antivaccine conference?
Last week, I wrote about how evidence-based medicine icon Peter Gøtzsche was slated to speak at an antivaccine conference. This week, I now know why he agreed to appear. In part, he thought he could change antivaxer minds. This leads me to ask: Is it ever a good idea for a science advocate to speak at a pseudoscience conference?
Another Australian Chiropractor is in Hot Water for Manipulating a Newborn
Yet another Australian chiropractor is under fire for treating young infants. Will anything be done about it?
What’s all that other stuff in my medicine?
Are all those extra ingredients in your medicine or supplement, like fillers and coatings, something to be concerned about?
Keto Diet for Neurological Disorders
Does the ketogenic diet work for epilepsy or other neurological disorders? While the consensus is that it probably does, the evidence is surprisingly thin.
The Magic Feather Effect: Placebos and the Power of Belief in Alternative Medicine
In her book The Magic Feather Effect, journalist Melanie Warner covers placebo research, shows that alternative medicine is placebo medicine, takes a "try it yourself" approach, and gives belief and anecdotes more credit than they deserve.
Health Narratives on Social Media