Revealed by the FDA: The results of the most recent inspection of the Burzynski Clinic

The results of the latest FDA inspection of the Burzynski Clinic are in. They aren't pretty. Why is this cancer quack still allowed to do his bogus clinical trials?

/ November 11, 2013

Medical cranks: Why we fight

Never let it be said that I can’t match Mark Crislip in shameless self-promotion. The world might indeed need more Mark Crislip™, but I like to think that it needs a bit more David Gorski, too. So, in that spirit, here are the videos, recently released by the James Randi Educational Foundation, of Bob Blaskiewicz, myself, and some key SBM players that...

/ November 10, 2013

Because the world needs more Mark CrislipTM

Should anyone be in Ashland, Oregon the afternoon of Sunday the 10th of November, and is sober after an afternoon of watching the NFL,  I will be giving a talk on Supplementary, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Myths.  Sponsored by the Jefferson Center, details on their website. For those in the Portland, Oregon area, I will be giving same talk on Monday November 18th. 7:00...

/ November 9, 2013

Separating Fact from Fiction in Pediatric Medicine: Infant Teething

Teething is one of the most common sources of parental concern in the world of pediatric medicine. All children go through it, typically starting at about 6 months of age, and the current list of signs and symptoms attributed to the eruption of teeth in infants is long and varied, with most if not all of them inaccurate if not highly suspect....

/ November 8, 2013

New concerns about the safety and quality of herbal supplements

If there is one aspect of “alternative” medicine that both critics and fans should agree on, it’s that products should be manufactured to high standards. What’s on the label should accurately describe what’s in the bottle. Product quality standards are essential, whether you’re using herbs or drugs. And when it comes to ensuring the products we buy are of high quality, we’re...

/ November 7, 2013

Detecting Consciousness in the Vegetative

People in a vegetative state, usually as a result of brain trauma or anoxia (lack of oxygen) by definition have no signs of conscious awareness or activity. The definition, therefore, is based largely on the absence of evidence for consciousness. Of course, arguments based upon the absence of evidence are only as compelling as the degree to which evidence has been properly...

/ November 6, 2013

Update: Chiropractic Neck Manipulation and Stroke

Chiropractors frequently manipulate the neck. New evidence suggests that this is not without risks, in some cases of catastrophic outcomes.

/ November 5, 2013

The sad saga of an Amish girl with a curable cancer whose parents are refusing chemotherapy in favor of “natural healing”

In Ohio, an Amish girl named Sarah Hershberger is refusing chemotherapy for her leukemia, and her parents are supporting her. Akron Children's Hospital has instituted legal action to ensure that she receives life-saving treatment. As a motley crew of consisting of supporters of alternative medicine and anti-government libertarians are rallying to Sarah's cause. Will this girl receive the life-saving treatment she needs?

/ November 4, 2013

Alternative Microbiology

A man of science rises ever, in seeking truth; and if he never finds it in its wholeness, he discovers nevertheless very significant fragments; and these fragments of universal truth are precisely what constitutes science. ~ Claude Bernard. I almost never have to search for material for this blog. The Secret always seems to provide topics. Subject matter appears unbidden out of...

/ November 1, 2013

Full of Energy

Want to know what a craniosacral treatment is actually like? How about reiki? What about Eden energy medicine – do you even know what that is? Read on, because this past Sunday afternoon I experienced all three. But first, the why and where. The local Healing Arts Alliance of the Big Bend (which is what they call the area of Florida I...

/ October 31, 2013