CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="content: http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/ dc: http://purl.org/dc/terms/ foaf: http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/ og: http://ogp.me/ns# rdfs: http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema# schema: http://schema.org/ sioc: http://rdfs.org/sioc/ns# sioct: http://rdfs.org/sioc/types# skos: http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core# xsd: http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema# "> <head> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <script>(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"]=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,"script","https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js","ga");ga("create", "UA-163469-3", {"cookieDomain":"auto"});ga("set", "anonymizeIp", true);ga("send", "pageview");</script> <link rel="canonical" href="https://scienceblogs.com/oracknows" /> <meta name="description" content="ScienceBlogs" /> <meta name="Generator" content="Drupal 8 (https://www.drupal.org)" /> <meta name="MobileOptimized" content="width" /> <meta name="HandheldFriendly" content="true" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /> <meta about="/oracknows" property="schema:name" content="oracknows" lang="" /> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/files/favicon.ico" type="image/vnd.microsoft.icon" /> <title>oracknows | ScienceBlogs</title> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/files/css/css_7CAbgI9CxDGLvfYjZUGLoguaOSLFdyHXEwlsT1mF30A.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="//fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Merriweather:400,700|Open+Sans:400,400i,700" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="//netdna.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.7.0/css/font-awesome.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/files/css/css_o2Qp3im3_PszXj2mN1HNp7iQlLW6SVXIfbgFRPBa9Ng.css" />  </head> <body class="path-user has-glyphicons"> <a href="#main-content" class="visually-hidden focusable skip-link"> Skip to main content </a> <div class="dialog-off-canvas-main-canvas" data-off-canvas-main-canvas> <div class="container"> <div class="row" role="heading"> <div class="region region-header"> <section id="block-adsh" class="block block-block-content block-block-contentb68b799b-9bbd-4906-8b35-d80453f6f263 clearfix block-ads"> <div class="ads-note">Advertisment</div> <script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-5976931228913298" data-ad-slot="2767117744" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </section> </div> </div> </div> <header class="navbar navbar-default container-fluid" id="navbar" role="banner"> <div class="container"> <div class="navbar-header"> <div class="region region-navigation"> <section class="views-exposed-form block block-views block-views-exposed-filter-blocksolr-search-content-page-solr-search clearfix" data-drupal-selector="views-exposed-form-solr-search-content-page-solr-search" id="block-exposedformsolr-search-contentpage-solr-search"> <form action="/search" method="get" id="views-exposed-form-solr-search-content-page-solr-search" accept-charset="UTF-8"> <div class="form--inline form-inline clearfix"> <div class="form-item js-form-item form-type-textfield js-form-type-textfield form-item-keys js-form-item-keys form-group"> <label for="edit-keys" class="control-label">Search</label> <input data-drupal-selector="edit-keys" class="form-text form-control" type="text" id="edit-keys" name="keys" value="" size="30" maxlength="128" /> </div> <div data-drupal-selector="edit-actions" class="form-actions form-group js-form-wrapper form-wrapper" id="edit-actions"><button data-drupal-selector="edit-submit-solr-search-content" class="button js-form-submit form-submit btn-primary btn icon-before" type="submit" id="edit-submit-solr-search-content" value="Search" name=""><span class="icon glyphicon glyphicon-search" aria-hidden="true"></span> Search</button></div> </div> </form> </section> <a class="logo navbar-btn col-sm-4" href="/" title="Home" rel="home"> <img src="/themes/custom/sciblogs_bs/logo.svg" alt="Home" /> </a> </div> <button type="button" class="navbar-toggle" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#navbar-collapse"> <span class="sr-only">Toggle navigation</span> <span class="icon-bar"></span> <span class="icon-bar"></span> <span class="icon-bar"></span> </button> </div> </div> <div id="navbar-collapse" class="navbar-collapse collapse"> <div class="container"> <div class="region region-navigation-collapsible"> <nav role="navigation" aria-labelledby="block-sciblogs-bs-main-menu-menu" id="block-sciblogs-bs-main-menu"> <h2 class="sr-only" id="block-sciblogs-bs-main-menu-menu">Main navigation</h2> <ul class="menu menu--main nav navbar-nav"> <li class="first"> <a href="/channel/life-sciences" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/37591">Life Sciences</a> </li> <li> <a href="/channel/physical-sciences" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/37592">Physical Sciences</a> </li> <li> <a href="/channel/environment" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/37590">Environment</a> </li> <li> <a href="/channel/social-sciences" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/37593">Social Sciences</a> </li> <li> <a href="/channel/education" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/37594">Education</a> </li> <li> <a href="/channel/policy" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/37595">Policy</a> </li> <li> <a href="/channel/medicine" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/37596">Medicine</a> </li> <li> <a href="/channel/brain-and-behavior" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/37597">Brain & Behavior</a> </li> <li> <a href="/channel/technology" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/37598">Technology</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/channel/free-thought" data-drupal-link-system-path="taxonomy/term/37599">Free Thought</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div role="main" class="main-container container js-quickedit-main-content"> <div class="row"> <section class="col-md-8"> <div class="row"> </div> <a id="main-content"></a> <div class="region region-content"> <div data-drupal-messages-fallback class="hidden"></div> <h1 class="page-header">oracknows</h1> <article typeof="schema:Person" about="/oracknows"> <div class="field field--name-user-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field--item"> <img src="/files/styles/thumbnail/public/pictures/orac2-150x150-120x120.jpg?itok=N6Y56E-P" width="100" height="100" alt="Profile picture for user oracknows" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-user-name-full field--type-string field--label-hidden h3 field--item">David Gorski</div> <div class="field field--name-field-user-bio field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field--item"><p>Orac is the nom de blog of a humble surgeon/scientist who has an ego just big enough to delude himself that someone, somewhere might actually give a rodent's posterior about his copious verbal meanderings, but just barely small enough to admit to himself that few probably will. That surgeon is otherwise known as <a href="https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/editorial-staff/david-h-gorski-md-phd-managing-editor/">David Gorski</a>. That Orac has chosen his nom de blog based on a rather cranky and arrogant computer shaped like a clear box of blinking lights that he originally encountered when he became a fan of a 30 year old British SF television show whose special effects were renowned for their BBC/Doctor Who-style low budget look, but whose stories nonetheless resulted in some of the best, most innovative science fiction ever televised, should tell you nearly all that you need to know about Orac. (That, and the length of the preceding sentence.)</p> <p><strong>DISCLAIMER:</strong> The various written meanderings here are the opinions of Orac and Orac alone, written on his own time. They should never be construed as representing the opinions of any other person or entity, especially Orac's cancer center, department of surgery, medical school, or university. Also note that Orac is nonpartisan; he is more than willing to criticize the statements of anyone, regardless of of political leanings, if that anyone advocates pseudoscience or quackery. Finally, medical commentary is not to be construed in any way as medical advice.</p> <p>To contact Orac: oracknows@gmail.com</p></div> <div class="user-links"> <div class="field field--name-field-user-twitter field--type-link block-inline"> <a href="https://twitter.com/oracknows" class=""><i class="fa fa-twitter"></i></a> </div> </div> </article> <div class="views-element-container block block-views block-views-blockusers-posts-block-user-posts clearfix" id="block-sciblogs-bs-views-block-users-posts-block-user-posts"> <h3>Posts by this author</h3> <div class="form-group"><div class="row clearfix view view-users-posts view-id-users_posts view-display-id-block_user_posts js-view-dom-id-50257f81ede75bf3be24ea13dfa602722f7942b3e62342d48de379f35a811219"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/10/31/turning-out-the-lights-and-moving-on-goodbye-old-scienceblogs-blog-hello-new-blog" hreflang="und">Turning out the lights and moving on: Goodbye, old ScienceBlogs blog, hello new blog</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">October 30, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">Today is the last day that ScienceBlogs will exist. Sometime today the site will go into read-only mode. A few days later, it will disappear completely from the Internet. It's a sad thing to contemplate after all these years. Whatever happened later, I will always be grateful for the start in…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/10/23/a-quick-update-on-the-migration-to-a-new-domain" hreflang="und">A quick update on the migration to a new domain</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">October 23, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">Here's a brief update on the move, announced last week. Things are progressing, and most of my old material has been transferred to the new blog, which is located at respectfulinsolence.com. Of course, there are still some things to tweak and fix, which is why, given how insanely busy this week is…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/10/17/a-change-is-gonna-come" hreflang="und">A change is gonna come. Respectful Insolence is moving.</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">October 16, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">Well, QEDCon is over, and this box of blinky lights is on its way back across the pond to its home in the US, having had an excellent time imbibing skepticism from its (mostly) British and European partners in skepticism. Before I left, I made a somewhat cryptic remark about "major changes" to this…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/10/13/and-the-box-of-blinky-lights-has-arrived-in-manchester-for-qedcon" hreflang="und">And the box of blinky lights has arrived in Manchester for QEDCon</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">October 13, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">As you probably noticed, I didn't manage a post yesterday. Nor did I manage one today, other than this. That's because I was busy preparing for QEDCon, where I will be on a panel and giving a talk, and, of course, putting together my talk. As I write this, I'm horrendously jet lagged; so I probably…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/10/11/on-the-integration-of-quackery-into-the-medical-school-curriculum" hreflang="und">On the "integration" of quackery into the medical school curriculum</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">October 11, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">QEDCon is fast approaching (indeed, I can't believe I have to leave for Manchester tomorrow night), and because my talk there will be about the phenomenon of "integrative medicine," I've been thinking a lot about it. As I put together my slides, I can't help but see my talk evolving to encompass…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/10/10/another-antivaccine-paper-bites-the-dust" hreflang="und">Another antivaccine paper bites the dust</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">October 9, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">I've written on quite a few occasions about a pair of scientists beloved by the antivaccine movement. I'm referring, of course, to Christopher Shaw and Lucija Tomljenovic. Whether it is their publishing dubious "evidence" that HPV vaccines cause premature ovarian failure or even death or demonizing…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/10/09/a-conversation-with-a-rigvir-flack" hreflang="und">A conversation with a Rigvir flack</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">October 8, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">Over the last two Mondays, I've been writing about an unproven cancer therapy that I hadn't really heard much about before. The cancer treatment is called Rigvir; it is manufactured in Latvia and marketed primarily through a Latvian entity called the International Virotherapy Center (IVC). To recap…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/10/06/naturopaths-able-to-turn-even-epsom-salt-potentially-deadly" hreflang="und">Naturopaths: Able to turn even Epsom salt potentially deadly</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">October 6, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">Naturopathy and naturopaths are a fairly frequent topic on this blog—and for very good reason. If there is an example of a pseudomedical "discipline" that has been gaining undeserved "respectability," it's naturopathy. It's licensed in all too many states, and physicians who have fallen under the…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/10/05/false-balance-in-reporting-the-case-of-a-local-mother-jailed-for-contempt-of-court-for-reneging-on-an-agreement-to-vaccinate-her-child" hreflang="und">False balance in reporting the case of a local mother jailed for contempt of court for reneging on an agreement to vaccinate her child</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">October 4, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">I sometimes like to write about things happening in my neck of the woods that are relevant to the kinds of things I normally blog about every day. This habit of mine dates back at least to the days when investigative reporter Steve Wilson of our local ABC affiliate used to lay down fear mongering…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/10/04/why-a-case-report-being-circulated-by-advocates-doesnt-show-that-the-ketogenic-diet-combats-cancer" hreflang="und">Why a case report being circulated by advocates doesn't show that the ketogenic diet combats cancer</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">October 3, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">It's October again, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As someone who takes care of breast cancer patients, I have a love-hate relationship with October. On the good side, I like seeing positive messages about what's going on in breast cancer research, advocacy, and clinical treatment. On the…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/10/02/if-rigvir-is-effective-virotherapy-for-cancer-why-are-quack-clinics-selling-it-and-quackery-promoters-like-ty-bollinger-promoting-it" hreflang="und">If Rigvir is effective "virotherapy" for cancer, why are quack clinics selling it and quackery promoters like Ty Bollinger promoting it?</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">October 1, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">Last week, I wrote about Rigvir, a highly dubious cancer therapy developed in Latvia. Rigvir is an oncolytic virus, and its proponents claim that it targets only cancer cells for destruction, leaving normal tissue alone. Its history and how it came to be approved in Latvia in 2004 and added to the…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/29/in-which-orac-is-accused-of-having-blood-on-his-hands-for-criticizing-the-samuelis-200-million-gift-to-uc-irvine" hreflang="und">John Weeks accuses Orac of having "blood on his hands" for criticizing the Samuelis' $200 million gift to UC-Irvine. Orac responds.</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 29, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">John Weeks has long been an activist for what is now known as "integrative medicine," earlier known as "complementary and alternative medicine"(CAM). Basically, for many years Mr. Weeks has been at the forefront of encouraging the "integration" of quackery with real medicine and promoting what I…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/28/antivaxers-on-twitter-fake-news-and-twitter-bots" hreflang="und">Antivaxers on Twitter: Fake news and Twitter bots</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 28, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">Two years ago, I wrote about a study that demonstrated how the antivaccine movement had learned to use Twitter to amplify their antiscience message. At the time, I noted how in 2014, when the whole "CDC whistleblower" conspiracy theory was first hatched, antivaxers were so bad at Twitter, so…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/27/torturing-more-mice-in-the-name-of-antivaccine-pseudoscience-was-it-fraud-or-incompetence" hreflang="und">Torturing more mice in the name of antivaccine pseudoscience: PubPeer versus antivaxers</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 27, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">Last week, an antivaxer "challenged" me to look over a paper purporting to show that aluminum adjuvants in vaccines cause inflammation of the brain and therefore contribute to autism, a paper that she would be "citing frequently." Being someone who lives by the motto, "be careful what you wish for…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/26/homeopathy-at-uc-irvine-it-can-run-but-it-cant-hide" hreflang="und">Homeopathy at UC-Irvine: The administration can run but it can't hide from its history of embracing quackery</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 26, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">Last week, the University of California, Irvine (UCI) announced that Susan and Henry Samueli were donating $200 million for it to set up a massive new integrative medicine initiative. The plan would basically transform biomedical sciences and medical education at UCI—and not in a good way. Remember…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/25/rigvir-a-cancer-cure-imported-from-latvia-that-cancer-patients-should-avoid" hreflang="und">Rigvir: A cancer "cure" imported from Latvia that cancer patients should avoid</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 24, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">This blog is based in the United States, and I'm an American. Unfortunately, this produces a difficult-to-avoid baked-in bias towards medicine as it is practiced in the US and, to a lesser extent, as it is practiced in the English-speaking world, because English is my language and I can read…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/22/gwyneth-paltrows-goop-psychic-vampire-repellent-as-female-empowerment" hreflang="und">Gwyneth Paltrow's goop: Psychic Vampire Repellent as female "empowerment"</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 22, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">Back in the day I used to do a weekly feature every Friday that I used to call Your Friday Dose of Woo. For purposes of the bit, woo consisted of particularly ridiculous or silly bits of pseudoscience, quackery, or mysticism, such as the Quantum Xrroid Consciousness Interface. Amazingly, I managed…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/21/torturing-more-mice-in-the-name-of-antivaccine-pseudoscience-2017-aluminum-edition" hreflang="und">Torturing more mice in the name of antivaccine pseudoscience, 2017 aluminum edition</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 21, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content"> "Why, oh, why do I have to die in the cause of such crappy science?" For antivaxers, aluminum is the new mercury. Let me explain, for the benefit of those not familiar with the antivaccine movement. For antivaxers, it is, first and foremost, always about the vaccines. Always. Whatever the…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/19/quackademic-medicine-now-reigns-supreme-at-uc-irvine" hreflang="und">Quackademic medicine now reigns supreme at UC-Irvine</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 19, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">It's not infrequently that, whenever I complain about the increasing infiltration of quackery and pseudoscience into medicine, I sometimes lament that skeptics and supporters of science-based medicine are massively outgunned, because we are. Thus, we have the continued growth of what I like to…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/18/ibm-watson-not-living-up-to-hype-as-a-tool-to-fight-cancer" hreflang="und">IBM Watson: Not living up to hype as a tool to fight cancer?</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 17, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">For nearly as long as I can remember, I've been a fan of Jeopardy! Indeed, if I'm at home at 7:30 PM on a weeknight, Jeopardy! will usually be on the television. Given that, I remember what was basically a bit of stunt programming in 2011, when Jeopardy! producers had IBM's artificial intelligence…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/15/another-antivaccine-conspiracy-theory-flu-vaccine-edition" hreflang="und">Another antivaccine conspiracy theory, flu vaccine edition</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 15, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">It's Friday, and it's been a rough week. So, after digging into an epidemiology study yesterday, I'm in the mood for something a bit less...heavy. Antivaxers sometimes call me to task when I point out what to me is a simple fact, namely that antivaxers are basically conspiracy theorists. In essence…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/14/does-the-flu-vaccine-cause-miscarriages" hreflang="und">Does the flu vaccine cause miscarriages?</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 14, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">The reason there wasn't a post yesterday is simple. The night before, I was feeling a bit under the weather. As a result, I went to bed early, neglecting my blogly responsibilities. As I result, I missed the release of a whopper of a study that normally would have been all over like...well...choose…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/12/another-antivaccine-film-disguised-as-a-documentary-this-time-lying-about-hpv-vaccines" hreflang="und">Another antivaccine film disguised as a documentary, this time lying about HPV vaccines</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 11, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">Humans are visual creatures. That's why one of the most effective methods to communicate a message is through visual means, and among the most powerful visual media are movies and television shows. Cranks, quacks, and antivaxers know this, and, unfortunately, they've increasingly been taking…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/11/naturopaths-and-quack-stem-cell-clinics-revisited" hreflang="und">Naturopaths and quack stem cell clinics revisited</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 10, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">A week ago, I wrote about a naturopath in Utah named Harry Adelson, who was advertising his use stem cells to treat lumbar and cervical disk problems, including degenerated and dehydrated disks. That alone was bad enough, but what elevated "Not-a-Dr." (my preferred translation of the "ND" that…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/08/a-pharma-shill-working-on-behalf-of-an-industry-astroturf-group-shows-how-easy-it-is-to-publish-propaganda-as-a-legitimate-op-ed" hreflang="und">A pharma shill working on behalf of an industry-funded group shows how easy it is to publish propaganda as a legitimate op-ed</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 8, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">As a medical blogger with a skeptical bent and a rather aggressive proclivity towards defending science-based medicine, I generally like STAT News. Sure, it's occasionally screwed up royally (e.g., its credulous false balance reporting on a patient of cancer quack Stanislaw Burzynski named Neil…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/07/a-naturopathic-cancer-quack-tries-to-silence-criticism-with-legal-thuggery" hreflang="und">A naturopathic cancer quack tries to silence criticism with legal thuggery</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 7, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">Regular readers know that, as a cancer surgeon, I become particularly worked up about stories of naturopaths taking care of cancer patients, which all too often end in disaster for the patient. I've lost count of how many naturopaths I've seen, either on their websites, in talks, or in published…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/06/in-the-middle-of-massive-flooding-in-texas-antivaxers-fear-school-vaccine-mandates" hreflang="und">In the middle of massive flooding in Texas, antivaxers fear...school vaccine mandates?</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 6, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">I've frequently distinguished between those who are vaccine-averse and the true, hard core antivaxers. The vaccine-averse tend to fear vaccines because of what they've heard about their supposed adverse effects, while it is the hard core antivaxers who are really originating and spreading the…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/05/patients-lose-when-they-chose-naturopaths-over-real-doctors" hreflang="und">Patients lose when they chose naturopaths over real doctors</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 4, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">I write frequently about naturopathy here because, of all the dubious pseudoscientific medical "disciplines" out there, naturopathy (along with chiropractic) has achieved the most "respectability." Indeed, as I like to point out in my own specialty (breast cancer), the Society for Integrative…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/09/01/whats-scarier-than-dubious-stem-cell-clinics-naturopathic-stem-cell-clinics" hreflang="und">What's scarier than dubious stem cell clinics? A naturopathic stem cell clinic!</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">September 1, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">I've frequently written about bogus stem cell clinics that use hard sell techniques to sell unproven and expensive "stem cell treatments" to desperate patients. For instance, I deconstructed the story claiming that hockey great Gordie Howe improved so markedly after a severe stroke, thanks to stem…</span></div></div> <div class="col-xs-6 eq-height views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2017/08/31/trolling-the-antivaccine-trolls" hreflang="und">Trolling the antivaccine trolls</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-created"><span class="field-content">August 31, 2017</span></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><span class="field-content">There are many ways to combat antivaccine pseudoscience. Personally, I've chosen my favored methods, namely blogging, giving talks, and generally combatting pseudoscience on social media wherever I find it. That's not all I do (for example, I do have a couple of papers in the peer-reviewed medical…</span></div></div> </div> <nav class="pager-nav text-center" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="pagination-heading"> <h4 id="pagination-heading" class="visually-hidden">Pagination</h4> <ul class="pagination js-pager__items"> <li class="pager__item is-active active"> <a href="?page=0" title="Current page"> <span class="visually-hidden"> Current page </span>1</a> </li> <li class="pager__item"> <a href="?page=1" title="Go to page 2"> <span class="visually-hidden"> Page </span>2</a> </li> <li class="pager__item"> <a href="?page=2" title="Go to page 3"> <span class="visually-hidden"> Page </span>3</a> </li> <li class="pager__item"> <a href="?page=3" title="Go to page 4"> <span class="visually-hidden"> Page </span>4</a> </li> <li class="pager__item"> <a href="?page=4" title="Go to page 5"> <span class="visually-hidden"> Page </span>5</a> </li> <li class="pager__item"> <a href="?page=5" title="Go to page 6"> <span class="visually-hidden"> Page </span>6</a> </li> <li class="pager__item"> <a href="?page=6" title="Go to page 7"> <span class="visually-hidden"> Page </span>7</a> </li> <li class="pager__item"> <a href="?page=7" title="Go to page 8"> <span class="visually-hidden"> Page </span>8</a> </li> <li class="pager__item"> <a href="?page=8" title="Go to page 9"> <span class="visually-hidden"> Page </span>9</a> </li> <li class="pager__item pager__item--next"> <a href="?page=1" title="Go to next page" rel="next"> <span class="visually-hidden">Next page</span> <span aria-hidden="true">Next ›</span> </a> </li> <li class="pager__item pager__item--last"> <a href="?page=184" title="Go to last page" rel="last"> <span class="visually-hidden">Last page</span> <span aria-hidden="true">Last »</span> </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> <aside class="col-sm-12 col-md-4" role="complementary"> <div class="region region-sidebar-second"> <section id="block-adss" class="block block-block-content block-block-content95779ed9-5acb-492b-bb1d-e520ee821ff4 clearfix block-ads"> <div class="ads-note">Advertisment</div> <script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-5976931228913298" data-ad-slot="2767117744" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </section> <section id="block-donatesmall" class="block block-block-content block-block-content8cd9c878-a7e9-47e1-adad-7406d201e61e clearfix"> <h3 class="block-title">Donate</h3> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p>ScienceBlogs is where scientists communicate directly with the public. We are part of Science 2.0, a science education nonprofit operating under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Please make a tax-deductible donation if you value independent science communication, collaboration, participation, and open access.</p> <p></p><center> <form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_top"> <input name="cmd" type="hidden" value="_s-xclick" /> <input name="hosted_button_id" type="hidden" value="2JQKSYYR3J7WY" /> <input alt="Donate with PayPal button" border="0" name="submit" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" title="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!" type="image" /> <img alt="" border="0" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="1" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" /></form> <p></p></center> <p>You can also shop using Amazon Smile and though you pay nothing more we get a tiny something.</p> <p></p><center><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/ch/82-4959054" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://scienceblogs.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/15/files/2018/09/amazonsmilegraphic.jpg" width="100" /></a> <p></p><center> </center><br /> </center> </div> </section> <div class="views-element-container block block-views block-views-blockaggregator-blocks-block-1 clearfix" id="block-views-block-aggregator-blocks-block-1"> <h3>Science 2.0</h3> <div class="form-group"><div class="view view-aggregator-blocks view-id-aggregator_blocks view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-df2c39167d3f84e2fba0245b8c86010c53baa6477c5656893daa2dc668cd847f"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="item-list"> <ul> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="https://www.science20.com/hank_campbell/antiscience_epidemiologists_have_a_new_friend_in_government-257330">Anti-Science Epidemiologists Have A New Friend In Government</a></span></div></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-element-container block block-views block-views-blockaggregator-blocks-block-3 clearfix" id="block-views-block-aggregator-blocks-block-3"> <h3>Science Codex</h3> <div class="form-group"><div class="view view-aggregator-blocks view-id-aggregator_blocks view-display-id-block_3 js-view-dom-id-9d4980df0e8999a026b1d39086ebc86113efae23db4dde0785dcd5f38be49731"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </aside> </div> </div> <div class="footer-top-wrapper"> <footer class="footer-top container" role="contentinfo"> <div class="row"> <div class="region region-footer-top"> <section class="views-element-container block block-views block-views-blockcontent-blocks-random clearfix col-xs-12" id="block-views-block-content-blocks-random"> <h3 class="block-title">More reads</h3> <div class="row"> <div class="form-group"><div class="view view-content-blocks view-id-content_blocks view-display-id-random js-view-dom-id-642b61c9dc0e08c2c474be491213eec6d1673b3d473e4b3f9706edfc00226406"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row col-sm-4"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/gregladen/2017/01/13/there-is-no-way-to-sugar-coat-this-trump-is-a-russian-asset" hreflang="und">There is no way to sugar coat this: Trump is a Russian asset, according to me.</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-blog-image"><div class="field-content"> <a href="/gregladen/2017/01/13/there-is-no-way-to-sugar-coat-this-trump-is-a-russian-asset" hreflang="und"><img src="/files/styles/thumbnail_small/public/gregladen/files/2017/01/meet-the-pr-firm-that-helped-vladimir-putin-troll-the-entire-country.jpg?itok=kxZtWiTm" width="75" height="75" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /> </a> </div></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><div class="field-content">ADDED: It has been suggested that I clarify an important point about this post. So, dear reader, please understand that the information provided here is my best attempt at analysis of the information that I have available. There is clearly conjecture here. So, of course, read all this with a grain of salt. The size of that grain of salt can be as small or large as you like. I also amended the…</div></div></div> <div class="views-row col-sm-4"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/startswithabang/2013/10/07/messier-monday-a-secretly-active-spiral-galaxy-m77" hreflang="und">Messier Monday: A Secretly Active Spiral Galaxy, M77</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-blog-image"><div class="field-content"> <a href="/startswithabang/2013/10/07/messier-monday-a-secretly-active-spiral-galaxy-m77" hreflang="und"><img src="/files/styles/thumbnail_small/public/startswithabang/files/2013/10/RA_M77.jpg?itok=v9OHRSYZ" width="75" height="75" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /> </a> </div></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><div class="field-content">"The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave." -Patrick Henry It's not a good idea to showcase a galaxy for you every Messier Monday, considering that even a crescent Moon can render most of them completely unobservable. Now that the autumnal equinox has passed, however, a very special spiral will be visible after sunset for the next six months or so…</div></div></div> <div class="views-row col-sm-4"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><h5 class="field-content"><a href="/insolence/2016/06/02/unintentional-propaganda-for-stanislaw-burzynskis-cancer-quackery-from-journalists-who-should-know-better" hreflang="und">False "balance" about Stanislaw Burzynski's cancer quackery rears its ugly head again</a></h5></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-blog-image"><div class="field-content"> <a href="/insolence/2016/06/02/unintentional-propaganda-for-stanislaw-burzynskis-cancer-quackery-from-journalists-who-should-know-better" hreflang="und"><img src="/files/styles/thumbnail_small/public/insolence/files/2016/06/BurzynskiS.jpg?itok=DBydSnPA" width="75" height="75" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /> </a> </div></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><div class="field-content">One common theme that has been revisited time and time again on this blog since its very founding is the problem of how science and medicine are reported. For example, back when I first started blogging, one thing that used to drive me absolutely bonkers was the tendency of the press to include in any story about vaccines an antivaccine activist to “tell the other side” or for “balance” to the…</div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> </div> </div> </footer> </div> <footer class="footer container" role="contentinfo"> <div class="region region-footer"> <section id="block-copyright" class="block block-block-content block-block-contentdeb2a998-8f5b-4fd7-ab0d-e0137aacf3b2 clearfix"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p>© 2006-2024 Science 2.0. All rights reserved. <a href="https://app.termly.io/document/privacy-policy/d1e1389e-35d5-47a3-9bc9-ad72ad3f6cb6">Privacy</a> statement. ScienceBlogs is a registered trademark of Science 2.0, a science media nonprofit operating under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are fully tax-deductible.</p></div> </section> </div> </footer> <section id="block-statcounter-2" class="block block-block-content block-block-content65783af8-0d87-4d8a-a791-625bcbcf4be7 clearfix"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"> <script type="text/javascript"> <![CDATA[// ><!]]> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter.js" async=""></script> <noscript><div class="statcounter"><a title="Web Analytics" href="https://statcounter.com/" target="_blank"><img class="statcounter" src="//c.statcounter.com/11747191/0/a7b7cbe7/1/" alt="Web
Analytics" /></a></div></noscript> </div> </section> </div> <script type="application/json" data-drupal-selector="drupal-settings-json">{"path":{"baseUrl":"\/","scriptPath":null,"pathPrefix":"","currentPath":"user\/28","currentPathIsAdmin":false,"isFront":false,"currentLanguage":"en"},"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"bootstrap\/theme,core\/html5shiv,google_analytics\/google_analytics,sciblogs_bs\/bootstrap-scripts,sciblogs_bs\/eqheight,sciblogs_bs\/global-scripts,sciblogs_bs\/global-styling,system\/base,views\/views.ajax,views\/views.module","theme":"sciblogs_bs","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":{"\/search":true},"google_analytics":{"trackOutbound":true,"trackMailto":true,"trackDownload":true,"trackDownloadExtensions":"7z|aac|arc|arj|asf|asx|avi|bin|csv|doc(x|m)?|dot(x|m)?|exe|flv|gif|gz|gzip|hqx|jar|jpe?g|js|mp(2|3|4|e?g)|mov(ie)?|msi|msp|pdf|phps|png|ppt(x|m)?|pot(x|m)?|pps(x|m)?|ppam|sld(x|m)?|thmx|qtm?|ra(m|r)?|sea|sit|tar|tgz|torrent|txt|wav|wma|wmv|wpd|xls(x|m|b)?|xlt(x|m)|xlam|xml|z|zip"},"bootstrap":{"forms_has_error_value_toggle":1},"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:50257f81ede75bf3be24ea13dfa602722f7942b3e62342d48de379f35a811219":{"view_name":"users_posts","view_display_id":"block_user_posts","view_args":"28","view_path":"\/user\/28","view_base_path":"author\/%\/feed","view_dom_id":"50257f81ede75bf3be24ea13dfa602722f7942b3e62342d48de379f35a811219","pager_element":0}}},"field_group":{"html_element":{"mode":"default","context":"view","settings":{"id":"","classes":"user-links","element":"div","show_label":false,"label_element":"h3","attributes":"","effect":"none","speed":"fast"}}},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"851d465e51cff5847f30766fb58f4344fe181efa158c97fb90209fda0bf80f18"}}</script> <script src="/files/js/js_X_oFVy5xOJLJqxMzvyDgBlC8WkZPPQw7tmoIcrzRnLY.js"></script> </body> </html>