All posts by Jann Bellamy

Jann J. Bellamy is a Florida attorney and lives in Tallahassee. She is one of the founders and Board members of the Society for Science-Based Medicine (SfSBM) dedicated to providing accurate information about CAM and advocating for state and federal laws that incorporate a science-based standard for all health care practitioners. She tracks state and federal bills that would allow pseudoscience in health care for the SfSBM website.  Her posts are archived here.    

Quack Protection Acts advance in state legislatures

Proposed laws in Wisconsin and Massachusetts would protect quacks who defraud patients with useless, and sometimes dangerous, nostrums, by essentially allowing them to practice medicine without a license. These Quack Protection Acts should not pass.

/ December 2, 2021

The “Natural Immunity is Real Act”: Real or an act?

Republican legislators have proposed a law requiring federal agencies to acknowledge, accept, truthfully present and incorporate "consideration of natural immunity" in their COVID regulations. It's just political theatrics based on a flawed understanding of infection-induced "natural" immunity.

/ November 18, 2021

Too many lab tests still escape FDA review, threatening patient safety

Even as the lab testing market grows, too many tests escape FDA review based on a meaningless categorization that has nothing to do with patient safety. Congress should pass the VALID Act of 2021, allowing the FDA to adequately regulate direct-to-consumer and other lab tests with the potential to harm the public.

/ November 4, 2021

Legislative Alchemy: Naturopathic licensing bill now before Wisconsin Senate Committee

Naturopaths are pushing for licensing in Wisconsin with a bill allowing them to practice as primary care doctors, prescribe drugs, and employ quack diagnostic testing and remedies. A powerful regulatory board controlled by naturopaths could expand their scope of practice at will.

/ October 21, 2021

Anti-vaccination ideology and COVID misinformation in chiropractic continuing education courses: “Plandemic” edition

Chiropractors can still get state-approved continuing ed credit for anti-vaccination courses, with bonus COVID misinformation now added to the curriculum. Plandemic star Judy Mikovits joins the faculty.

/ October 7, 2021

 Dr. Joseph Ladapo of “America’s Frontline Doctors” is now in charge of public health in Florida

Dr. Joseph Ladapo, a member of the fringe medical group "American's Frontline Doctors" and signer of the widely criticized Great Barrington Declaration, is Florida's new Surgeon General, appointed because he agrees with the dubious COVID-19 policies of Gov. DeSantis and, like the Governor, allows ideology to trump science.

/ September 23, 2021
Ivermectin repurposing

Courts should not order hospitals and physicians to administer ivermectin against their will

Courts in several states have ordered hospitals to administer ivermectin to COVID patients against the medical judgment of treating physicians. Patients have no legal right to a particular treatment and health care providers should not be forced to administer this drug.

/ September 9, 2021

School mask mandate wars: Politics (Florida) v. Science (North Carolina)

Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, dictated a state-wide ban on school mask mandates based on misinformation and pure politics, while North Carolina officials took a bipartisan approach to masking based on science.

/ August 26, 2021

“Imbalanced Energy Field” is not a valid diagnosis and therapeutic touch is pseudoscience, so why can’t nurses just give it up?

“Imbalanced Energy Field” is not a valid diagnosis and therapeutic touch is pseudoscience. It's past time nursing gave up both.

/ August 12, 2021

Near-fatal blood infection following naturopathic IV vitamin infusion

A patient nearly died from a blood infection after a compounded naturopathic vitamin infusion. IV vitamin infusions are a common naturopathic therapy used without adequate medical rationale and are not worth the risks.

/ July 29, 2021