Results for: acupuncture
The “Healing Codes” of Alex Loyd: Energy Healing with Words and Finger Exercises
Alex Loyd’s concept of “Healing Codes” is one of the most bizarre, ridiculous offshoots of so-called energy medicine. Loyd is a naturopath who has been criticized by “Dr. Joe” Schwarcz for recycling old bunk for profit. He claims that illness is due to disturbances in the human energy field and that the cells of our body store destructive energy patterns and all...
Less benefit, more risk. Our assumptions about health treatments are probably wrong.
I’m a health professional, but sometimes a patient as well. And like most patients, I generally don’t want health decisions being made without my input. Yes, I want the best medical information, and the advice of medical professionals, but ultimately I want to make my own decisions about my care. That’s the norm in health care today, but relatively new in the...
Dr. David Villarreal’s “Holistic Dentistry:” Full of Holes?
I get a lot of e-mails from publicists offering suggestions for articles and interviews with their clients. I quickly delete most of them, but one recently caught my eye. It said that patients travel from as far as Europe and Africa to have California “holistic dentist” Dr. David Villarreal remove the old silver fillings that are damaging their health. He has removed...
NECSS and SfSBM: A weekend of science and skepticism
A day of Science-Based Medicine, a weekend of science and skepticism NECSS, the North-East Conference on Science and Skepticism, is upon us. Included in the program will be a day of Science-Based Medicine. Full Conference schedule here with Bill Nye as the Keynote speaker. SfSBM speakers will be Harriet Hall, Jann Bellamy, David Gorski, Steve Novella and Mark Crislip. SfSBM speakers will...
The DC as PCP? Drug Wars Resume
Chiropractors are once again engaged in intra-fraternal warfare over the chiropractic scope of practice, a saga we’ve chronicled before on SBM. (See the references at end of this post.) Every time it looks like the warring factions have buried their differences, they come rising to the surface like zombies. The International Chiropractors Association (ICA), representing the “straight” faction, wants chiropractic to continue...
Medical marijuana as the new herbalism, part 3: A “cannabis cures cancer” testimonial
Medical marijuana is often touted, primarily in the form of cannabis oil extract, as a cure for cancer that “they” don’t want you to know about. While some cannabinoids do have modest antitumor activity in vitro, there is no compelling evidence that cannabis can cure cancer. Yet that doesn't stop a proliferation of testimonials claiming that cannabis cured cancer. They are no...
Placebo, Are You There?
By Jean Brissonnet, translation by Harriet Hall Note: This was originally published as “Placebo, es-tu là?” in Science et pseudo-sciences 294, p. 38-48. January 2011. It came to my attention in the course of an e-mail correspondence with the editors of that magazine, where one of my own articles was published in French translation in January 2015. I thought this was the...
A Day of Science and Skepticism with NECSS SfSBM
A day of Science-Based Medicine, a weekend of science and skepticism Registration for NECSS, the North-East Conference on Science and Skepticism, is now open. Included in the program will be a day of Science-Based Medicine. Full Conference schedule here with Bill Nye as the KeyNote. Speakers will be Harriet Hall, Jann Bellamy, David Gorski, Steve Novella and Mark Crislip. NECSS will be...
Traditional Chinese Pseudo-Medicine Hodgepodge
As I have noted before, more is published on acupuncture and traditional Chinese pseudo-medicine than the other SCAM. Here are some of the articles that drew my attention. Captain Hook and acupuncture Here is one of the more curious articles on acupuncture I have yet to find, “Psychophysical and neurophysiological responses to acupuncture stimulation to incorporated rubber hand.” I did not know...
A Day of Science-Based Medicine at NECSS
A day of Science-Based Medicine, a weekend of science and skepticism Registration for NECSS, the North-East Conference on Science and Skepticism, is now open. Included in the program will be a day of Science-Based Medicine. Speakers will be Harriet Hall, Jann Bellamy, David Gorski, Steve Novella and Mark Crislip. NECSS will be held April 9th–12th, 2015, in New York City at the...