El Dr. Oz Vende Chatarra
Con su entusiasta autobombo y sus embustes al aire, el Dr. Oz siempre me asombró por sonar más a un vendedor de automóviles usados que a un respetado cirujano cardiotorácico. Un vendedor de automóviles...
View ArticleMeasles Was Gone, but It Came Back
Measles was eliminated from the United States in 2000. It could have stayed gone, but it didn’t. As of April 19, 626 cases had been reported to the CDC so far in 2019 in multiple states: Arizona,...
View ArticleCuidado y Nutrición de la Vagina
Según lo visto en Skeptical Inquirer Volumen 42, Número 5. En nuestra sociedad, el estatus de las mujeres continúa mejorando. Como dice la publicidad de cigarrillos, “Has recorrido un largo camino,...
View ArticleWalk-In Clinics for IVs—a Bad Idea
Just walk in. It couldn’t be more convenient. No appointment needed, no order from a doctor—you just walk into a storefront clinic and get the IV nutrient infusion of your choice. It’s a popular fad....
View ArticleClínicas Ambulatorias para Inyectarse Intravenosas – Una Mala Idea
Solo tiene que entrar. No podría ser mejor. No se necesita turno ni orden médica — simplemente ingrese a clínica ambulatoria y aplíquese la infusión de nutrientes vía intravenosa (IV) a elección. Es...
View ArticleI Was Wrong (and I Bet You Were Too)
For me, one of the great pleasures of skepticism is finding out I was wrong about something. Rather than feeling guilty about my error, I feel proud that I have learned something and have a better...
View ArticleEstaba equivocada (y apuesto a que tú también)
Para mí, uno de los grandes placeres del escepticismo es descubrir que me equivoqué en algo. Más que sentirme culpable por mi error, me siento orgullosa por haber aprendido algo y tener una mejor...
View ArticleHow Not to Do Science
According to research methodologist R. Barker Bausell, “CAM [complementary and alternative medicine] therapists simply do not value (and most, in my experience, do not understand) the scientific...
View ArticleYou Can’t Pray the Gay Away
Tolerance for the full spectrum of human sexuality has made great strides. LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) issues are frequently in the news. Same-sex marriage is now legal in...
View ArticleThe Pharma Shill Gambit Is Stupid
I am regularly accused of being a shill for Big Pharma. They are supposedly paying me lavishly to promote their business by writing good things about pharmaceuticals and bad things about alternative...
View ArticleDon’t Believe the Ads: Dietary Supplements Don’t Cure Tinnitus
Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is a hallucination. The sounds can’t be heard by anyone else; they are illusory sensations produced by the brain. For some, it is only a minor annoyance; for others,...
View ArticleWhy ‘Trying It for Yourself’ Is a Bad Idea
When I write about a treatment that has been inadequately tested (or that has never been tested or has been tested and shown not to work), someone always asks if I have tried it myself. Apparently,...
View ArticleBigfoot Reconsidered
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...
View ArticleA Test for Earlier Diagnosis of Autism? Not Convincing
Autism is diagnosed on clinical grounds by observing the child’s behavior. There is no blood test or any other objective test to diagnose it. But that hasn’t stopped people from claiming to have found...
View ArticleCOVID-19: A Field Day for Scams and Misinformation
Our world has been disrupted due to legitimate fears about COVID-19. People are afraid, and unscrupulous and/or misinformed people have been quick to exploit those fears. The FTC has offered advice for...
View ArticlePandemic Stories in the News: Something to Laugh About
Steven Novella said it best: “Pandemics breed more than a contagious disease. They spread fear, misinformation, pseudoscience, and exploitation.” I would add, “and humor.” I have written about COVID-19...
View ArticleOne Less Thing to Worry About: Undercooked Pork
We have plenty of things to worry about: the pandemic, global warming, the economy, racial tensions, and much, much more. But here is some good news to ease the worry burden: you can stop worrying...
View ArticleDeuterium Depleted Water
I recently learned there was a thing called deuterium depleted water (DDW). First, I asked “Whaat?” and then I asked “Why?” The atoms of the most common isotope (99.99 percent) of hydrogen contain only...
View ArticleAre You Dehydrated?
Do you worry that you are or might become dehydrated? Do you feel guilty if you don’t drink eight to ten glasses of water a day? Are you tethered to a water bottle? Have you been frightened by warnings...
View ArticleNew Contraceptive Drug Makes No Sense
I subscribe to The Medical Letter to learn about new drugs. I am frequently appalled by their cost. For example, a year’s treatment with Ozanimod, a drug recently approved for multiple sclerosis, costs...
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