Tag: placebo
PNAS Publishes Rank Pseudoscience
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences recently published an article on acupuncture. It's a highly credulous take that tries to convince the reader that acupuncture is more than just a highly theatrical placebo. Quackademic medicine continues apace.
The myth of the magically powerful placebo returns
It's been a long time since I've written about the deceptive narratives around placebos promoted by supporters of alternative medicine. Unfortunately, a new article claiming placebos can work as well as "real medicine" is making the rounds on social media. Here we go again.
RFK Jr. is definitely coming for your vaccines (part 10): An RFK Jr. ally tells us what’s coming next
ICAN attorney and antivaxxer Aaron Siri recently petitioned HHS to add 300 "injuries" to the Vaccine Injury Table for the Vaccine Injury Compensation System. It's all part of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s plan to undermine and destroy the system, thus driving vaccine manufacturers out of the market.
Garden of Healing
As I read the plaques in the Garden of Healing, I thought it would be a fun project to compare the content with reality.
HHS is weaponizing evidence-based medicine to falsely portray vaccines as unsafe
Last week, HHS announced that all "new vaccines will undergo safety testing in placebo-controlled trials." Sounds good? Not so fast. This is really a deceptive weaponization of evidence-based medicine to undermine confidence in vaccines and eliminate at least some of them.
The use of placebo controls in clinical trials
Why the value of placebo controls is not an affirmation of a powerful placebo effect
RFK Jr. and his “I’m not anti-vaccine” rejoinder to being confronted with his past antivax statements: A primer
On Friday, CNN host Kasie Hunt interviewed antivax presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Although she did better than most journalists confronting him for his past antivax statements in that she played a clip of one of his antivax statements, she clearly hadn't anticipated his response, which should have been very predictable given that he's been using it for at least 15...
RFK Jr. resurrects an old antivax half-truth about “saline placebos” in randomized controlled trials of vaccines
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has resurrected the antivax claim that the childhood vaccine schedule has never been tested in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a saline placebo controls (and therefore the vaccine schedule is unsafe). This is an old and deceptive antivax half-truth that ignores both what constitutes a scientifically valid placebo and the ethical requirements for RCTs.
ASCO endorses “integrative oncology” quackery for cancer pain
Last week, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Society for Integrative Oncology published guidelines for treating cancer pain. These guidelines endorsed quackery like reflexology and acupuncture. The infiltration of quackademic medicine continues apace in oncology.
The Blu Room
Blu Rooms are an expensive way to relax. The testimonials and the medical history of the inventor are not believable. No science, but good for a laugh.