'Charlatan' reveals a lurid medical history Feb 21, 2008
In this cautionary tale of quackery gone wild (and woolly), author Pope Brock tells an extraordinary saga of the most dangerous quack of all time: Dr. John Brinkley. With a fake medical license on the wall, the former farm boy and onetime town-to-town tonic peddler began in 1917 promoting the absurd surgery as a cure-all for what ails you especially what ails you down there. (USA Today -- Life)
Take a peek inside 'Charlatan' Feb 21, 2008
Unlike most scams, which target greed, quackery fires deeper into Jungian universals: our fear of death, our craving for miracles. When we see night approaching, nearly all of us are rubes. (USA Today -- Life)
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Feb 6, 2008
The Internet is not only the greatest source of information ever created, it is also an even greater source for disinformation, unsubstantiated claims, obtuse opinions, and outright quackery that even the most ardent spin doctor could have ever possibly dared to imagine. It is my suggestion that the author of this letter should probably do a little more research outside the inbox of his email before he writes his political musings for all to see. (SunOnline)
Keynesian quackery Feb 2, 2008
Asia Times Online :: Asian news and current affairs. I get a real laugh ("Hahaha!") out of the US emergency stimulus program of just giving away $150 billion in $800 increments to various citizens, who total, I assume, 18,750,000 people at 800 clams apiece. (Asia Times Online)
Suffering for beauty has ancient roots Jan 11, 2008
Cream of rat poisonUnfortunately, cosmetic quackery continued to trudge on for 30 more years, filling the marketplace with all manner of untested, unregulated products. As a result, countless beauty mavens suffered serious health problems thanks to killer cosmetics like Lash Lure, an aniline eyelash dye introduced in the 1930s that caused 16 cases of blindness and one death and Koremlu, a depilatory cream of the same era that contained rat poison. (MSNBC -- Health)
Patients get poor deal from slow NHS, say MPs Jan 11, 2008
Thursday January 10 2008. Contact the Society editor. (Guardian Unlimited)
Polly Toynbee Jan 8, 2008
Quackery and superstition - available soon on the NHS. A sharp line has to be drawn between fact and fiction when it comes to spending public funds on alternative therapies. (Guardian Unlimited)
Judge rules boy can refuse life-saving blood transfusion Nov 29, 2007
More persons have probably died as a result of the Watchtower Society s teachings of medical quackery than from Jim Jones and David Koresh COMBINED.. Take a look at the flip-flops on the blood issue, as well as the fact that between 1967-1980 the Watchtower taught that organ transplants were canabalism. (Anacortes Weekly, WA)
More Gifts That Really Hit Home Nov 21, 2007
Prior to Gore presenting the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) work in documentary form, global warming was often considered quackery, political conspiracy and down right fabrication. The documentary has been instrumental in bringing the global warming message home as well as changing the minds of previous disbelievers. (RealtyTimes)
Confusion on US Growth Hormone Rules Nov 11, 2007
"It's the worst kind of quackery," he said. It also may not be safe, he said. (Carlisle Sentinel, PA)
Cool It: The Sceptical Environmentalists Guide to Global Warming Nov 4, 2007
Vices of coffee trade and coffee house: exploiting the growers, sleeping in Starbucks, quackery and gabbling. Books email bulletin. (Times Online)
* Dangerous cranks who swear by citronella oil Oct 30, 2007
Yet dismissing homeopathy as quackery given by and for the feeble-minded is surprisingly hard. Anti-elitism dominates our society and many feel uncomfortable saying that the 6 million people who take alternative medicines are foolish -- to put the case against them at its kindest. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Lifestyles of the rich and famished Oct 27, 2007
"Even in Malawi, we've known for generations that cupping - putting hot glass on people to blister the skin - is quackery. But apparently the whole Western medical establishment carries less weight than a recommendation from Gwyneth Paltrow.". Banda says he will discuss the issue with other adoptees at the Oscars early next year, where African children are tipped to be the hottest red-carpet accessories. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Compliments for all Oct 27, 2007
Olivia Laing welcomes the understanding of the varieties of healing in Roberta Bivins's Alternative Medicine. Saturday October 27, 2007. (Guardian Unlimited -- Books)
State juvenile-offender camps getting the boot Oct 15, 2007
" When boot camps were proliferating in the late '80s and early '90s, their regimens were seen as a way of being tough on criminals while also alleviating prison crowding. The first such camp opened in 1983. By 1995, state agencies ran 75 boot camps for adults, while state and local agencies operated 30 of the camps for juveniles. Francis Cullen, a research professor in criminal justice at the University of Cincinnati, says their popularity was based on "conventional quackery. " In the absence... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Doctors to get a grounding in herbal remedies Oct 13, 2007
"There was a lot of resistance to it when I started, a feeling it was quackery," Dr Lau said. "But I experienced a result, so I could not turn back. "It offers a whole lot of things not covered by the conventional medical system at the moment. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Alternative therapies that work Oct 6, 2007
But on the other hand, there also is a lot of quackery out there, Weil says. "I've seen it all, [including] products that claim to increase sexual vigor, cure cancer and allay financial anxiety.". (CNN -- Health)
Stem-cell therapy: Cure or hoax in China? Aug 24, 2007
"Even though the scientific community is deeply skeptical, people just associate the term with hope. It's a perfect area for quackery.". Eventually, Dr. Caulfield expects that researchers can use the University of Alberta study to make policy recommendations. (Globe and Mail)
Academy of Lifetime Learning offers courses for elderly people in fall Aug 20, 2007
This presentation will explore your aging IQ, the importance of physical activity, mental activity, and nutritional well-being, as well as health quackery and helpful resources. Jeanne Snyder, associate professor and gerontology specialist in Family and Consumer Sciences, will facilitate this discussion. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Cancer patient goes all-natural for drug-free attempt Aug 2, 2007
"To the medical professionals that would dismiss Goeb's cancer-fighting diet as quackery, Goeb said: "Well, it's working. " | | | "). (Daytona Beach News Journal)
Law Mandating Employer Health Care Spending Challenged Jul 26, 2007
Top Stories From Law. City argues that federal pre-emption doesn't apply because San Francisco will offer discounted health benefits. (Law.com)
Vitamin C Doesn't Usually Stop Colds Jul 19, 2007
"It's broadside quackery.". Hemil said he sees little use in further study for colds for adults. (Newsmax)
Schultz: Time for Pollack to give up Jul 15, 2007
Please Jeff stick to the SPORTS you know so little about and leave the medical quackery to the real Doctors. By Derrick. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Warning over spine treatment dangers Jul 2, 2007
Please note: Your browser has been unable to load the stylesheet that accompanies this page. The page is still readable. (Scotsman)
Histrionics up north as moral compass veers south Jun 30, 2007
With much history at their backs, they are naturally wary of pseudo-religious quackery dreamt up by self-anointed messiahs, and the Federal Government there has decreed that the movie must not be shot on its property. To this day that includes the Berlin defence ministry courtyard where Stauffenberg and his fellow conspirators were executed by a firing squad. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Greetings from the Gong Bath Jun 23, 2007
I'm only sorry that nobody here will be covering key ethical issues close to home, like the massive rise of western-style nutritionist quackery for Aids in South Africa, where 800,000 people die of the disease every year. Until someone does, at least these are the genuine good spirits, which the multinational vitamin pill corporations and TV quacks hide behind. (Guardian Unlimited -- UK)
Chiropractors Claim Court Victory Against Infamous 'Quackbuster' Jun 15, 2007
Barrett, who represents himself as an expert on health care quackery, has appeared as a medical expert in numerous court cases and claims the FDA, FTC and other governmental agencies have consulted him on health care issues. He is noted for his outspoken opposition to and criticism of non-medical health care approaches, most of which he labels "quackery." His targets have included chiropractic, homeopathy, naturopathy, and even two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling. (PR Newswire)
Quackbuster causes too much flak for university Jun 9, 2007
I've heard Prof Colquhoun speak about quackery in UCL lecture theatres ... But lastly, if you're worrying about the appropriate use of a science departments resource, Prof Colquhoun is the bloke who made the fuss in Nature about British universities giving away science degrees in quackery ... Nobody is making the jokers behind these quackery BScs take their gobbledygook - a word that sounds best being snorted through Colquhoun's impressive nasal hair - off university webservers. (Guardian Unlimited -- UK)
Super brain yoga May 22, 2007
"What I see is a leap of faith that gets into quackery," Perillo said. "Sure yoga is good for you, and exercise is good for you, too those are the realistic things, but super brain yoga does not change any energy centers in the body. If they had the answers, we would all be using it.". (Pensacola News Journal)
* Health ministry calls on public to expose quacks May 19, 2007
Only 45 cases of quackery and illegal ads involving Chinese medicine were processed last year, the committee said. "We know that the extent of the problem is not proportional to the number of cases being prosecuted right now," Lin said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
The Mixed Promise of Genetic Medicine May 17, 2007
In the early decades of the 20th century, most Americans considered cosmetic surgery to be just a few steps removed from quackery. Many observers saw the desire for cosmetic surgery as a mark of vanity, and physicians tended to believe that such surgery violated their ethical injunction to do no harm. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Movie ratings father, lobbyistJack Valenti dies Apr 29, 2007
Stressing he wasnt speaking for the MPAA, he said the films implication that LBJ was involved in the assassination was quackery plucked from a slag heap of loony theories. . (MSNBC -- Movies)
Aging: Disease or Business Opportunity? Apr 15, 2007
Along the way, the academy has also become a consistent focus of criticism, derided by an establishment that calls anti-aging medicine quackery or hype, says growth hormone is dangerous and labels the academy;s promotions as medically and legally specious. The whole idea of anti-aging medicine is controversial,; said Dr. Robert N. Butler, who was director of the National Institute on Aging, a federal agency, from 1976 to 1982. (Shoals TimesDaily)
WORKERS ACCEPT CRUISE FOR RELIEF, NOT RELIGION Apr 10, 2007
Tom Cruise's work to help a Scientology-inspired program for 9/11 rescue workers. At least Tom Cruise has not forgotten the horrific events of 9/11 and its impact on the health of. (New York Post -- Opinions)
'Age-management' medicine growing, controversial Apr 8, 2007
"As long as humans have existed, we have always desired to live longer. Every society, every religion, every culture. Of course, they all failed at dramatic life extension." Olshansky was slapped with a $120 million dollar defamation lawsuit by A4M after he accused the organization of promoting quackery. He countersued and both sides eventually agreed to drop their cases. (CNN)
Canoga Park holds Neighborhood Watch open house Apr 7, 2007
--The ubiquitous Federal Trade Commission made available a host of publicat ions ranging from false advertising to medical quackery, to identity theft. l-877- FTC-HELP.. (Los Angeles Daily News)
Doc Adams learns hockey, players learn chiropractic Mar 25, 2007
"By that, she was referring to what she said were blatant attacks on chiropractic by the American Medical Association. "They had a Commission on Quackery in the mid-80s," she said. "A lawsuit went all the way to the Supreme Court ... With those days of quackery behind her, Adams said, "We like to think of ourselves as quality- of-life doctors.". (Rio Rancho Observer, NM)
Elizabeth Edwards and bone metastases from breast cancer Mar 23, 2007
"A statement of fact cannot be insolent." The miscellaneous ramblings of a surgeon/scientist on medicine, quackery, science, pseudoscience, history, and pseudohistory (and anything else that interests him). Search this blog. (ScienceBlogs)
The Hostile New Age Takeover of Yoga: Mar 23, 2007
It all adds up to what a friend recently called the "hostile New Age takeover of yoga." "New Age" culture being those scented-candle shrines to self-worship, the love-oneself lit of , the ""-type medical and metaphysical quackery used to support a vast array of alternative-this or alternative-that magical-thinking workshops and spa weekends. At its best, it's harmless mental self-massage. (Slate)
New York Magazine's Head Doctors Analyze Bush Feb 13, 2007
The first pseud to apply this form of quackery to U.S. politics was the late Ralph Ginzburg, the convicted pornographer and editor of Fact magazine, who in 1964 asked a panel of psychiatrists to analyze the Republican presidential nominee, Barry Goldwater. Ginzburg was a liberal Democrat who despised Goldwater's politics; so, apparently, were the psychiatrists. (Bloomberg -- Columnists)
A menace to science Feb 12, 2007
We have a president of South Africa who has denied that HIV exists, we have mumps and measles on the rise, we have quackery in the ascendant like never before, and whatever Tony Blair might have to say about homoeopathy being a fight not worth fighting for scientists, we cannot indulge portions of pseudoscientific ludicrousness as if they don't have wider ramifications for society, and for the public misunderstanding of science. I am writing this article, sneakily, late, at the back of the room,... (Guardian Unlimited)
Read More... Feb 6, 2007
The 18th century had been a time of reticent and spasmodic baby steps forward, hampered by not a small amount of quackery, much of the medical knowledge of the time advocated bloodletting and purging. The 19th century was to be different. (Disinformation)
Gambia's president may be weird, but Aids superstitions strike closer to home Jan 29, 2007
This is an illness that laughs at our superstitions, it laughs at our politics, it dwarfs our wars, it laughs at our quackery, our love of money, and it shows up our morality as nothing more than vanity. In no sense does the president of the Gambia stand out of this picture as being particularly weird. (Guardian Unlimited -- Life)
Danvers doctor tried to cure drunkenness in 1890s Jan 21, 2007
Whether Parkhurst's treatment offered long-term relief for problem drinkers, or instead represented a socially acceptable form of patent quackery, remains open to debate. Still, one must grudgingly admire the infomercial earnestness of those who praised the Willow Bark cure. (The Pantagraph newspaper)
Report: Cancer deaths down for second straight year Jan 18, 2007
Reference (8) by the distinguished medical doctor Joseph Gold, M.D. of Syracuse, N.Y., is a terrifying story of how the cancer generals have been obstructing the approval of this substance for advanced cancer patients, which, is based on the seminal discoveries of Otto Warburg, and proved effective in studies from the Soviet Union to UCLA, but criminally and negligently denied by the criminals at the National Cancer Institute, who must not only be fired, but criminally prosecuted for scientific... (Yahoo News -- Cancer)
The truth about celebrity health claims Jan 3, 2007
includes numerous examples of quackery and pseudo-scientific nonsense attributed to celebrities. For example, Madonna was quoted by a Sunday paper in August as saying she had been working with scientists to find a way to "neutralise radiation". (Guardian Unlimited)
Copper Clothes Promoted As Healing Aids Dec 25, 2006
"Very often claims of copper, especially in arthritis, have been shown to be pure quackery.". Undeterred by such criticism, Cupron claims to be the first to bind copper oxide compounds to textile fibers. (Herald Sun)
Company claims copper clothes, fabrics heal Dec 25, 2006
Very often claims of copper, especially in arthritis, have been shown to be pure quackery. . (MSNBC -- Business)
Post-traumatic futility disorder (46) Dec 22, 2006
But none other than Barak Obama raised the alarm and with the help of the APA, got this contract quackery stopped before it got started. -- Ebonius. (Salon)
Quack tonics Dec 11, 2006
Staying vigilant is hard work because it goes against our basic human instincts, says Joe Nickell, a senior research fellow with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry who has investigated bogus Mexican cancer clinics and other forms of quackery ... But you should also watch for these calling cards of quackery. (Los Angeles Times)
Jim Wooten: Health and marriage Dec 9, 2006
I am going to make an arm-chair diagnosis of you that is not quackery. You are a weepy, whiny, miserable, cry-baby, terminally depressed Lib who always sees the glass as being half empty - if not filled with polluted water. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Device that helps dogs sniff out suspects may not be up to snuff Dec 7, 2006
"I think it's quackery," said Larry Myers, professor at Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine and an expert defense witness in scent evidence cases. The dog handlers "have no idea how reliable the machine is.". (Los Angeles Times)
What analysing Gordon Brown's writing tells us about the Tories Dec 2, 2006
But none of this answers our question, what does it mean when the shadow chancellor of the exchequer uses the science of graphology to attack Gordon Brown: is the political right, contrary to popular speculation about muesli-eating Guardian readers, the natural home of quackery. There's no doubt that nutritionism, what we might call the "bollocks du jour" of the alternative therapy movement, is an inherently rightwing individualist project: we know that the most significant lifestyle risk... (Guardian Unlimited -- UK)
- Simon Jenkins: Stonehenge was a hospital Dec 1, 2006
The mass appeal of the early church lay in the quackery of relics and miracles. In many cultures priests are still medicine men. (Guardian Unlimited)
Legislation infuriates acupuncturists Nov 25, 2006
The bill, which passed unanimously on Thursday, entrenches ``quackery" and puts the public at risk, critics said. "Bill 50 discriminates against the Chinese medicine profession and against the Chinese community and is a second head tax," said Stephen Liu, co-chairman of the Canadian Society of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture. "We will fight to the last. " The reference to the hated tax once imposed on Chinese immigrants indicates the depth of anger over the legislation among many of Ontario's... (Toronto Star -- Ontario)
Weeding out the puritanical quacks and horny old goats Nov 25, 2006
So: Dr McKeith's Wild Pink and Horny Goat Weed sex supplements are sold for "maintaining erections, orgasmic pleasure, ejaculation ... lubrication, satisfaction, and arousal", and sexual pleasure is, historically, the natural domain of quackery: but without the appropriate licence demonstrating safety, quality and efficacy her products were illegal. Interestingly, although the contemporary nutritionism movement likes to present itself as a thoroughly modern and evidence-based enterprise, the... (Guardian Unlimited -- UK)
Science Matters, Tom Siegfried: Beware the science news that’s not in the headlines Nov 24, 2006
Most of the time, such reports lead to immediate charges of attempted quackery. But in this case, experts say, the hyped hope is not without some basis in science. (Why Files)
Court ruling protects Web sites Nov 21, 2006
The two doctors operated Web sites such as Quackwatch and Canadian Quackery Watch, devoted to exposing health frauds. After Ms. Rosenthal posted the piece to two newsgroups, Dr. Polevoy and Dr. Barrett sued her, Mr. Bolen and others for libel. (Washington Times, DC)
Calif court: Bloggers can't be sued Nov 21, 2006
Polevy, who maintained a website himself to expose what he called "health fraud and quackery" sued Rosenthal for libel. She argued that because she did not write the letter herself and instead posted the work of another to her newsgroup, she was immune from suit under a section of the federal Communications Decency Act, passed by Congress in 1966. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Replenishing with Reiki Nov 6, 2006
We dont know their secrets, its not a metaphysical thing, Lovitz said, dismissing notions that Reiki is psychic quackery. Reiki masters Aimee Lovitz (left) and Mary Lagos employ their knowledge of the Japanese therapy on expectant mother Chenelle Williams in South Charleston. (Charleston Gazette, WV -- News)
Aromatherapy: The Scent of Dispute Nov 3, 2006
-based organization that says it fights health fraud and quackery. "If people like the odors and want to pay for them, I would have no objection," Barrett said. (Health-Finder)
Can an Energy Drink Be Too Extreme? Nov 2, 2006
Quackery or Real Benefits ... For six years, critics have asked for more regulation of the functional-food industry, with Bruce Silverglade at the Center for Science and the Public Interest calling some of these items nothing more than "21st century quackery.". (ABC News)
Popular Anti-aging Supplement Has No Beneficial Effects, Mayo Clinic Study Finds Oct 21, 2006
"Appropriate regulation would dispel much of the quackery associated with this elusive hormone," Dr. Stewart writes. Mayo's study was conducted by the study team without industry support. (Science Daily)
Thought to slow aging, substance called useless Oct 20, 2006
" In a commentary, Paul Stewart, of the University of Birmingham in England, agrees, saying that the findings confirm earlier studies, and he condemned the "quackery associated with" DHEA. He calls on the Food and Drug Administration to resume regulating the substance. The Council for Responsible Nutrition, an industry group, questioned the findings, saying that the improvement in bone mass was notable and that the researchers did not measure effects on factors such as libido, sexual performance... (Houston Chronicle)
DHEA supplements have no effect on aging markers, says study Oct 20, 2006
Further, the study found small but significant increases in bone mineral density, consistent with the body of clinical trials on DHEA. The lack of other significant effects in an elderly population is surprising as that is inconsistent with the published research. This study did not look at other clinically relevant outcomes where DHEA has been to shown to provide benefit, such as libido and sexual performance," he said. Related product presentations Copyright - Unless otherwise stated all... (NutraIngredients-usa.com)
