This is required reading, folks. “The ‘science communication problem,’ as it’s blandly called by the scientists who study it, has yielded abundant new research into how people decide what to believe—and why they so often don’t accept the scientific consensus. It’s not that they can’t grasp it, according to Dan Kahan of Yale University. In … Continue reading
Category Archives: Pseudoscience
Book Review: Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything? by Timothy Caulfield
“Evidence-based entertainment” is the motto and mandate of the production team under whose banner this blog exists. It expresses a desire for subversive education in light of growing apathy, for using the tools of entertainment to foster skepticism. The pill is always easier to swallow in a scoop of ice cream. I love stumbling upon … Continue reading
“A little research” doesn’t cut it: Quack medicine speaks in Northwest Territories
After being accused by a magazine of promoting “disproven and discredited therapy systems” at their conference, the organizers of the Northwest Territories Wellness Conference (taking place this weekend) used the old “complementary” trope to excuse their choices. Indeed, a cursory look at their schedule reveals workshops with the following descriptive phrases: “how to use local plants … Continue reading
Read: Why Fight a Losing Battle (Using a Faded Sweater Instead of a Cape and Cowl)
I have interviewed Dr. Christopher Labos on the topic of integrative medicine for my podcast, Within Reason. A cardiologist by training, he is studying to become a medical journalist. Like me, he has a passion for bringing scientific facts to the public in spite of the tidal wave of misinformation that washes us all up every … Continue reading
R.I.P. Makayla Sault
The First Nations girl with leukaemia who had refused to continue her course of chemotherapy and instead elected to be treated with blatant pseudoscience in Florida has passed away. She was 11 years old when the story was first reported half a year ago. The typical question one gets when criticizing wishful thinking and pseudoscience is, … Continue reading
Read: Weight-Loss Pills on the Market and Their Downsides
Here’s an interesting look at the various weight-loss pills available on the market, published recently in the Montreal Gazette: “This benefit has to be weighed against the risks, which are considerable. Any pill that ‘boosts your metabolism’ will put more strain on your heart. Blunting appetite is all well and good until you realize that most … Continue reading
Watch: Comedy and Skepticism… via That Mitchell & Webb Look
A recent exchange on Twitter brought back to mind a hilarious British comedy sketch show entitled That Mitchell and Webb Look, starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. If you are not familiar with it (or want to watch clips of it again), here are some skits of theirs that pertain to pseudoscience and medicine: Continue reading
Extenso: French-Language Resource for Questions on Nutrition
If you understand French and need an evidence-based resource to help navigate food-related pseudoscience, you may be interested in Extenso. I stumbled upon it recently and, while I have not looked at it thoroughly, a decent skimming of its short articles reassured me that this Université de Montréal project is based on solid science. They … Continue reading
Follow-Up on the Hippocrates Health Institute: Lawsuits
Listeners of my podcast and followers of Canadian news in general will probably be familiar with the case of two First Nations girls with leukemia whose parents decided to have treated at a Florida massage establishment called The Hippocrates Health Institute. A judge recently declared that the girls could not be taken away from their parents, … Continue reading
Listen: Dr. Christopher Labos and I on the Rise of Integrative Medicine
This month, Within Reason tackles a scientific topic, so I can publicize it here! Woohoo! Would you like a side of magic with your chemo? Disproven folk remedies used to be the domain of snake oil salesmen; now, they are being integrated into university health centres. Jonathan speaks to Dr. Christopher Labos, a public science educator and … Continue reading
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