The FTC cracks down on iV Bars for false advertising claims about its “intravenous micronutrient therapy”
One of the most popular forms of quackery sold by alternative medicine practitioners such as naturopaths is intravenous vitamin therapy, sometimes also called "intravenous micronutrient therapy" (IVMT). Most are variants of a concoction known as "Myers cocktail," and there is no good evidence that IVMT is efficacious for any of the indications for which quacks use it. Last week, the FTC issued...
A Recent Case Report Highlights Why Skipping the Chickenpox Vaccine is a Bad Idea
Chickenpox is a nasty infection. And though it isn't as deadly as some other vaccine-preventable illnesses, it can cause severe complications even in healthy kids, especially those too young to be vaccinated against it. Ignore anyone who shrugs it off as "no big deal".
Fish Oil Doesn’t Help Dry Eyes
Dry eyes? Despite guidelines that recommend fish oil consumption, a new trial demonstrate that they are not effective.
The Pseudoscience of Kelly Brogan
Kelly Brogan sells an impressive array of pseudoscience wrapped in the standard alternative tropes.
Rapid-onset Gender Dysphoria and Squelching Controversial Evidence
A flawed study suggested that rapid onset gender dysphoria around the time of puberty might be a result of peer pressure and media influence. It raised some important questions, but Brown University succumbed to pressure from activists and removed it from its website
Crowdfunding: The fuel for cancer quackery
Ever since I first started taking notice about cancer quacks like Stanislaw Burzynski, I noticed how crowdfunding using social media and sites like GoFundMe appear to be an integral part of the business model of quack clinics. Thanks to an investigation by The Good Thinking Society published in BMJ last week, I now have a feel for the scope of the problem....
The Chiropractic Technique Parade
Failure of the chiropractic establishment to renounce the scientifically indefensible vertebral subluxation theory assures an unending parade of questionable chiropractic diagnostic and treatment methods for correction of putative vertebral subluxations.
Integrative Medicine finally admits it’s attracting bad apples
Integrative medicine proponents finally acknowledge their field is attracting bad apples but fail to identify the real source of their problem: It's rejection of science-based medicine, not lack of training in integrative medicine.
Gender Dysphoria in Children
Gender transitions are becoming more and more common. Adults can make informed decisions about hormone treatments and gender reassignment surgeries, but what about children?
A Culture of Standards Matters
Perhaps the most dangerous effect of the alternative medicine movement has been an erosion of the culture of dedication to science and standards within medicine. This has to change.