Naturopaths and quack stem cell clinics revisited
Last week, I wrote about a naturopath imitating the worst of real doctors by running his very own dubious stem cell clinic. He even cosplays an interventional radiologist doing it. Unfortunately, he's far from alone. There are many more naturopaths going down this road. Even more unfortunately, it is MDs who are showing the way. Basically, naturopaths don't just cosplay doctors. They cosplay the worst of doctors as well. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - September 11, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Naturopathy Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking Jason Porter Julie Keiffer O-Shot stem cell stem cell clinic Stem Cell Rejuvenation Center Source Type: blogs

A pharma shill working on behalf of an industry-funded group shows how easy it is to publish propaganda as a legitimate op-ed
Many are the PR firms and astroturf groups out there trying to influence the public. One favored technique is to publish an op-ed by an expert or "thought leader" in a major media outlet. Not infrequently, these op-eds are ghostwritten. Unfortunately, to its sorrow, STATNews found that out this week. The post A pharma shill working on behalf of an industry-funded group shows how easy it is to publish propaganda as a legitimate op-ed appeared first on RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - September 8, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Bioethics Medicine Popular culture Skepticism/critical thinking Alliance for Patient Access astroturf Keybridge Communications pharma shill Robert Yapundich STATNews Source Type: blogs

A pharma shill working on behalf of an industry-funded group shows how easy it is to publish propaganda as a legitimate op-ed
Many are the PR firms and astroturf groups out there trying to influence the public. One favored technique is to publish an op-ed by an expert or "thought leader" in a major media outlet. Not infrequently, these op-eds are ghostwritten. Unfortunately, to its sorrow, STATNews found that out this week. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - September 8, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Bioethics Medicine Popular culture Skepticism/critical thinking Alliance for Patient Access astroturf Keybridge Communications pharma shill Robert Yapundich STATNews Source Type: blogs

A naturopathic cancer quack tries to silence criticism with legal thuggery
Britt Hermes is an ex-naturopath who realized that she had become a quack and had the bravery to quit and study to become a real scientist. Because she is an apostate, the church of naturopathy has a special antipathy reserved for her, which is why a "naturopathic oncologist" named Colleen Huber has engaged in legal thuggery to silence her. Not-a-Dr. Huber has apparently never heard of the Streisand Effect, because a look at her website and her incredibly badly done and incompetent clinical study claiming that her treatments plus eliminating processed sugar results in much better cancer survival would be very embarrassing....
Source: Respectful Insolence - September 7, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Cancer Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Naturopathy Quackery baking soda Britt Hermes Colleen Huber institutional review board NatureWorksBest naturopathic oncology Tullio Simoncini Source Type: blogs

In the middle of massive flooding in Texas, antivaxers fear … school vaccine mandates?
Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas two weeks ago, and the recovery effort will take years. As hundreds of thousands start to try to rebuild their shattered lives and homes, antivaxers have some helpful advice on how to avoid vaccines. That's because to antivaxers, it's always about vaccines. Always. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - September 6, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Quackery antivaccine antivaxers flooding Texas vaccines Source Type: blogs

Patients lose when they chose naturopaths over real doctors
Recently, I came across a news story describing two cancer patients treated by naturopaths in New Zealand. Both died, one almost certainly unnecessarily, the other after enduring more suffering than she likely had to. These tragic cases and others reminded me of why it is so appalling that so many physicians are “integrating” naturopathy into “integrative medicine.” In reality, they are integrating quackery into medicine. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - September 5, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Naturopathy Quackery cancer curcumin Jade Erick Kim Kelly New Zealand Source Type: blogs

What ’ s scarier than dubious stem cell clinics? A naturopathic stem cell clinic!
After nearly 13 years of blogging, I thought I'd seen it all. Then former naturopath Britt Hermes let me know that there is a naturopath in Utah offering stem cell treatments. My face is raw from the double facepalming. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - September 1, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Medicine Docere Clinics Harry Adelson naturopathy quackery stem cell clinic Utah Source Type: blogs

Trolling the antivaccine trolls
Craig Egan is a man with a mission. He's trolling the antivaccine trolls to promote science, and he's been very successful at it. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - August 31, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking Andrew Wakefield Craig Egan Polly Tommey Somali vaccines Vaxxed Source Type: blogs

“ Right To Choose Medicine ” : The free market fundamentalist assault on the FDA continues
Yesterday, I wrote about how right-to-try and an unethical offshore vaccine trial are part of free market fundamentalists' attack on the FDA. Here's another example, the "right to choose medicine." (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - August 30, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Clinical trials Medicine Politics Popular culture Skepticism/critical thinking Bartley Madden fda Food and Drug Administration Right to Choose Medicine right to try Source Type: blogs

Shame! Another front in the libertarian war on the FDA: Rational Vaccines ’ unethical offshore herpes vaccine clinical trial
I've discussed so-called "right-to-try" laws, which promise to speed experimental drugs to terminally ill patients, but which in reality are about weakening and bypassing the FDA. Now über-Libertarian Peter Thiel is trying a new tactic to bypass the FDA by organizing an offshore clinical trial of a new herpes vaccine based on dubious science and not overseen by an IRB to protect patients. Both right-to-try and this trial are different fronts in the same fundamentalist free market war on FDA regulation. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - August 29, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Bioethics Biology Clinical trials Medicine Politics Agustín Fernández III Balaji Srinivasan Belmont Report Common Rule fda Food and Drug Administration institutional review board Jim O'Neill Peter Thiel Rational Vaccines ri Source Type: blogs

Shame! Another front in the libertarian war on the FDA: Rational Vaccines and Peter Thiel ’ s unethical offshore herpes vaccine clinical trial
I've discussed so-called "right-to-try" laws, which promise to speed experimental drugs to terminally ill patients, but which in reality are about weakening and bypassing the FDA. Now über-Libertarian Peter Thiel is trying a new tactic to bypass the FDA by organizing an offshore clinical trial of a new herpes vaccine based on dubious science and not overseen by an IRB to protect patients. Both right-to-try and this trial are different fronts in the same fundamentalist free market war on FDA regulation. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - August 29, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Bioethics Biology Clinical trials Medicine Politics Agustín Fernández III Balaji Srinivasan Belmont Report Common Rule fda Food and Drug Administration institutional review board Jim O'Neill Peter Thiel Rational Vaccines ri Source Type: blogs

No, vaccines do not cause sudden infant death syndrome, a Vaccine Court decision notwithstanding
There was a rumbling in the antivaccine underground a week ago about a recent ruling by the Vaccine Court compensating parents of a child who died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In a confused and scientifically highly flawed decision, the Special Master Thomas Gowen didn’t rule that vaccines cause SIDS, but did rule that they contributed to SIDS in this one case. Soon, the message will be that vaccines cause SIDS. They don’t. The Vaccine Court screwed up. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - August 28, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Antivaccine nonsense Autism Medicine Politics Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking Chase Boatmon J. B. Boatmon Maurina Cupid National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Vaccine Court Source Type: blogs

A new nomenclature for auricular acupuncture: The ultimate in Tooth Fairy science
Tooth Fairy science is the study of a phenomenon before having actually demonstrated that the phenomenon actually exists. I can't think of a better example than trying to construct an elaborate mapping system of body parts and organs to the surface of the external ear for purposes of sticking needles in them to heal and relieve pain (auricular acupuncture). Yet that's what's just been published. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - August 25, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking acupuncture auricular acupuncture homunculus Source Type: blogs

Despite the massive measles outbreak in the Minnesota Somali community, antivaxers double down
American antivaccine activists have contributed to a massive measles outbreak among the Minnesota Somali immigrant community by spreading Andrew Wakefield's misinformation. In the wake of the harm they've caused, they're not apologetic. They're doubling down. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - August 23, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Politics Quackery Andrew Wakefield measles Minnesota Minnesota Vaccine Freedom Coalition MMR Somali Vaccine Safety Council of Minnesota Source Type: blogs

Why is antivaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. meeting with government health and science officials months after meeting with President Trump?
In January, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. bragged about having met with President-Elect Donald Trump about chairing a presidential commission on vaccine safety. In the intervening eight months, no commission has materialized, but, if you can believe his account, Kennedy has been meeting with government officials to promote his antivaccine views at the behest of the Trump administration. As long as that continues, pro-science advocates can't afford to rest easy. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - August 22, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Antivaccine nonsense Autism Medicine Politics Quackery CDC Donald Trump fda NIH Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vaccines Source Type: blogs