There is an old joke about a patient who had high praise for her new doctor. She had had headaches for years, and no one had ever been able to explain why. The cause remained uncertain. But the uncertainty ended when her wonderful new doctor promptly diagnosed her with cephalalgia. The joke is that cephalalgia
Alternative medicine has been quick to capitalize on the public’s fear of coronavirus. They offer an array of bogus treatments. The news is full of alarming reports about the new coronavirus that originated in China and is spreading throughout the world. There is no treatment other than supportive measures, and there is no vaccine to
A new organization in Spain is trying to protect patients from becoming victims of pseudoscience. They have prepared a manifesto. Spain is standing up for science A manifesto has been organized by the Spanish organization APETP, which translates as the Association to Protect the Sick from Pseudoscientific Therapies. The organization has three main goals: to make
I recently came across an advertisement for a “One-Of-A-Kind Adventure,” a Bigfoot Adventures Tour Company endeavor that offers single-day, multi-day, and even Bigfoot-by-bike experiences. Their website promises to take you to sites where Bigfoot has been spotted numerous times and tracks have been found. They utilize “proven methods to call one in” and carry high-tech night-vision and
The BioCharger is a subtle energy device based on fantasy, not science. At $15,000, pretty expensive for a placebo. Facebook keeps sending me a puzzling picture. It shows clothed adults sitting around (but not touching) a futuristic-looking apparatus: a glass cylinder with tubes and flashing lights visible inside. They apparently believe something is being transmitted
It sounds like the script of a science fiction/fantasy movie: the class dunce takes a pill and suddenly becomes smarter than everyone in the class including the teacher; an elderly Alzheimer’s patient takes a pill and his memory is instantly restored – Alzheimer’s dementia cured! Don’t you wish? If only that sort of story could
We’re all going to die. What does dying feel like? We can’t really know, since no one has come back after death to tell us. For those who die suddenly (for instance from a fatal gunshot to the head), there probably isn’t time to feel anything. But 90% of people die slowly from a fatal
Neil Riordan donated big bucks to a school of naturopathy for a Center for Regenerative Medicine named after him. Both Riordan and the treatments offered in his new center are questionable. The Neil Riordan Center for Regenerative Medicine at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences (SCNM) located in Tempe, Arizona. The Southwest College
The claims for an essential oil mixture, Vibrant Blue Parasympathetic, are devoid of science. They are a mixture of pseudoscience, misrepresentation, lies, and imagination. Starting a new year. For the past 12 years, I have written an article for the Science-Based Medicine blog every Tuesday. I have often thought that the best way to illustrate
There is evidence from blinded, placebo-controlled studies that elderberry can modestly shorten the duration of colds and flu. Since there is no cure for the common cold, elderberry might be worth a try; but more research is needed. The common cold is usually a minor illness that is self-limiting. It resolves in a week or
