Category: Critical Thinking
No, James Lyons-Weiler did not “break the coronavirus code”
Last week, a new conspiracy theory about the coronavirus outbreak by James Lyons-Weiler went viral (if you'll excuse the term) after antivax conspiracy theorist Del Bigtree interviewed him. Lyons-Weiler strongly implies that the strain of coronavirus behind the outbreak (2019-nCoV) has a SARS-like sequence that came from a laboratory working on a SARS vaccine. Fortunately, Dr. Gorski has the mad molecular biology...
Are medical errors really the third most common cause of death in the U.S.? (2020 edition)
The claim that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the US has always rested on very shaky evidence; yet it has become common wisdom that is cited as though everyone accepts it. But if estimates of 250,000 to 400,000 deaths due to medical error are way too high, what is the real number? A recently published study suggests...
Professor Gives Grades to Alternative Medicine
Edzard Ernst assigns a grade to 150 alternative medicine modalities, evaluating plausibility, efficacy, safety, cost, and risk/benefit balance. A very useful reference.
The Scientific Attitude, Not the Scientific Method, Is the Key
A philosopher of science argues that science is not characterized by a specific scientific method but by the scientific attitude. Scientists value empirical evidence and follow the evidence wherever it leads. They are open to changing their mind rather than stubbornly clinging to an ideological belief system.
Pseudoscience in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy
This new book addresses the neglected field of research on child and adolescent psychotherapy and does an excellent job of distinguishing treatments that have been proven to work from treatments that are based on pseudoscience.
Great Courses: Skeptic’s Guide to Health, Medicine, and the Media
Dr. Roy Benaroch's course offers a toolkit of six questions we can use to evaluate the truth behind the often misleading media reports on health topics. It is a valuable companion to the Science-Based Medicine blog.
Soothing Your Heart: Does practicing self-compassion have physical and mental health benefits?
Does a recent study demonstrate that being kind to yourself has benefits for your mental and physical health?
For Discussion: Should I Only Write About Fake Stuff If It Is Well-Known?
Does writing about questionable topics that are not well-known do more harm or good? There are arguments on both sides.
Brief Announcement: Price of Consumer Health Book Has Been Slashed
The price of the textbook Consumer Health: A Guide to Intelligent Decisions has been reduced to $9.99 on Amazon.
Reproducibility Follow Up
Let's explore dueling narratives about the reproducibility "crisis."