Results for: anti-vaccination

The Grand Debunk of the antivaxxer book “Turtles All the Way Down” (part 1/10)

This book — written by "Anonymous", edited by Children's Health Defense lawyer Mary Holland and Children's Health Defense Publisher Liaison and Thinking Moms’ Revolution co-founder Zoey O’Toole, and published by "The Turtles Team" — purports to use only mainstream references to prove its points. But the book employs all the standard tropes in a master class of science denial and antivax tactics...

/ July 13, 2023

Might “Vitriolic Attacks” Against Emily Oster Rival COVID’s Carnage?

To advocates of Feelings Based Medicine, there is no difference between criticizing someone's ideas and attacking them personally.

/ May 19, 2023
Peter Gøtzsche

Peter Gøtzsche teams with an antivaxxer to exaggerate the harms of COVID-19 vaccines

Peter Gøtzsche, formerly leader of the Nordic Cochrane Center, has teamed with Maryanne Demasi to write a systematic review of the "harms" of COVID-19 vaccination. Besides accepting the highly dubious methodology behind one study, their preprint is yet another example of how EBM can be corrupted to promote antivax ideas.

/ April 3, 2023

It Will Take More Than “Courage” to Restore Public Trust in Medicine

Judah Kreinbrook, a first year medical student, responds to a post on Sensible Medicine by a medical student that exaggerated the risk of myocarditis from COVID-19 vaccines while expressing anger at how trust in medicine has been undermined. Having been raised by a family steeped in antivaccine views, Kreinbrook invokes his journey to SBM to gently correct his fellow medical student and...

/ December 31, 2022
Aragorn at the Black Gate of Mordor

After 15 years of SBM: Lessons learned and what the future holds

Last week, Dr. Novella discussed what SBM has accomplished over the last 15 years. I'm going to discuss lessons learned, what has changed, and remaining huge challenges. Unfortunately, after the pandemic, our position in 2022 reminds me even more than ever of Aragorn at the Black Gate of Mordor, but that does not mean things are hopeless.

/ December 26, 2022
Turbo cancer?

Do COVID-19 vaccines cause “turbo cancer”?

Over the last several months, antivaxxers have been claiming that COVID-19 vaccines cause "turbo cancer", cancers (or cancer recurrences) of a particularly aggressive and fast-growing variety diagnosed in younger and younger patients. "Turbo cancer" is not a thing, and the evidence cited is as weak as any antivax "evidence", including anecdotes and misinterpretation of epidemiology.

/ December 19, 2022

The Washington Post Takes on Baby Chiropractic

A recent Washington Post article takes on baby chiropractic and...it isn't terrible! In fact, I've seen many that are a lot worse. Still, sadly, there is an unfortunate and undeserved false balance that should have been cut from the first draft.

/ December 9, 2022
The Cow-Pock

What does “antivaccine” really mean since the pandemic hit?

We frequently use terms like “antivaccine,” “antivax,” and “antivaxxers.” Critics think it’s a “gotcha” to ask how we define “antivax” or to accuse us of reflexively label "questioning" of vaccines as "antivax." It's not. There are gray areas, but not so gray that the word is never appropriate. Has anything changed since I first tried to define "antivaccine" in 2010? The answer:...

/ November 28, 2022

Is Discussing the Consequences of Anti-Vaccine Disinformation Fun?

Healthcare workers should not engage with people who treat us like game pieces for their amusement. I won't do it again.

/ May 30, 2022

COVID and Our Warped Sense of Normal

Children are not supposed to die. This didn't used to be controversial.

/ March 25, 2022