The New Infowars Is a Vitamin Site Predicting the Apocalypse

The headline warned of “LGBT progressivism horrors: Parents to start physically maiming their own babies to slice off all ‘gender’ organs in the name of progressivism and ‘equality.'” “The next escalation in this war on biology will, I predict, involve parents maiming their newborn infants by slicing off their penis and scrotum shortly after birth in order to ‘rid’ the child of gender inequality,” the author wrote, adding that parents will “commit felony assault against their own children with a scalpel and an ice pack…

The post How Natural News Became a Conspiracy Hub Rivaling Infowars appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

Chiropractors are bullshit

The first time I dealt with a chiropractor was in 1999 at a mall kiosk, which seemed like an odd place to encounter a medical professional. I was a teenager working a few storefronts down selling butterfly clips, and I made the mistake of looking at one of the kiosk’s spinal models.

The post Chiropractors are bullshit | The Outline appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

The post More from Harriet Hall this time on Acupuncture at QED… appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

Why Dr. Oz’s astrology tweet was so disappointing

We’re used to Dr. Oz broadcasting outrageous, pseudoscientific ideas on his hugely popular daytime TV show, The Dr. Oz Show . The cardiac surgeon has for years devoted large amounts of airtime to peddling all sorts of suspect detoxes, diets, and other health misinformation. (He does sometimes offer good health information too.)

The post Why Dr. Oz’s astrology tweet was so disappointing – Vox appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

Forget what you’ve heard: Turmeric seems to have zero medicinal properties

Turmeric has done the full circle: from ancient remedy to hipster Western drink. Even today, Indians readily apply it on fresh wounds, chicken-pox scabs, and insect bites. Medical professionals prescribe it for urological diseases, worm infections, and even cancer. Such has been the hype that the yellow-golden spice is widely touted as a validation of traditional medicine….

Futher reading on Tumeric…

• Turmeric: Tasty in Curry, Questionable as Medicine – Science-Based Medicine
• Turmeric/Curcumin: The “Natural Remedy of the Century” or a Waste of Money? – CSI
• Turmeric May Be Tasty, But It’s Not a Cure-All | Smart News | Smithsonian
• Turmeric: What is it Good For? | Skeptoid
• Can Turmeric Prevent or Cure Disease? – Scientific American
• Snake Oil Du Jour: Turmeric | The Skeptical Cardiologist
• Curcumin Will Waste Your Time | In the Pipeline
• Curcumin Hype vs Reality | NeuroLogica Blog
• Evidence Update: Biologic Plausibility of Curcumin (Turmeric) Very Low | The SkeptVet
• Boosters say turmeric is as a wonder drug that can help skin, fight depression and even cancer. Here’s what the science says. – The Washington Post

The post Tumeric is Wonderfully Tasty But It’s Not Medicinal appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

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David Avocado Wolfe is the biggest asshole in the multiverse

With more than 11 million followers on Facebook, David “Avocado” Wolfe, the Sideshow Bob-haired, blender-hawking alternative-health guru, calls himself the “Rock Star and Indiana Jones of the superfood universe.” And he’s humble. You’ve undoubtedly seen one of his bullshit-filled posts or inspirational memes shared into your feed, but who – or more accurately, what – is David Avocado Wolfe?

The post More On The Prince of Bullshit David “Avocado” Wolfe appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

The post Britt Hermes is a former naturopathic doctor and current actual scientist. This interview WILL blow your mind. appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

A naturopath-midwife, homeopathy, and a dead newborn

I recently learned that in May 2017, naturopath Anne Marie Palzer was pulled in front of the Arizona Naturopathic Physicians Medical Board for a tragic incident that occurred last year at her natural birthing center, Birth Haven at Life Spring Midwifery, where she is clinical director.

The post A naturopath-midwife, homeopathy, and a dead newborn – Naturopathic Diaries appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

For Sore Throat, Xylitol and Probiotics Offer No Benefits Over Placebo

Xylitol, a popular sweetener in sugarless gum, and probiotics are sometimes recommended as remedies for sore throat, but a randomized trial has found that neither works better than a placebo. Researchers assigned 1,009 people with sore throats to one of three groups: no chewing gum, xylitol gum, or sorbitol gum without xylitol.

The post For Sore Throat, Xylitol and Probiotics Offer No Benefits Over Placebo – The New York Times appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

My head almost exploded and after extinguishing the fire I wrote…

While I am a dedicated prolific bare foot walker this is nonsense (on occasion I’ll walk barefooted in the snow). There is NO science to this “grounding” B.S. Absorbing free electrons from the ground through your feet??? WTF?

 

Walk barefooted through the grass because the moist kool grass feels great (but be careful about hidden acorns, they’re the outdoor equipment stepping on Legos inside). Walk barefooted through the sand because it is warm and relaxing. Walk barefooted in the snow because it’s an interesting sensation that reminds you you are alive.

 

The doctors talking in this video are quacks.

 

I think I spent something like 6 years in my late teens and early 20s barefoot when I working in the summer as a lifeguard and I still appreciate walking barefoot even today for the feeling, not for the fictitious supposed health benefits.

 

This video is so full of bullshit they even contradict themselves. This Dr. Stephen Sinatra is talking about walking barefoot so you can absorb electrons from the earth while this other guy a few minutes in named Clint Ober, a “Grounding Pioneer” is talking about grounding as a way to dissipate built-up electrons to the earth by grounding. Which is it? Who wrote and made this incredibly stupid video. They need to be fired!

 

Ober then goes on to say he went to the local library to look up information about “grounding” and there was nothing. Surprise, surprise that’s because it’s bullshit stupid tinfoil nonsense. He then went to UCLA and asked them there about it and even admits they laughed him off campus because the idea was so absurdly ridiculous.

 

He then did his own study where he found it was curing all sorts of things maybe even anything and everything (and never published in a reputable journal, I wonder why? Again because it’s nonsense.)

 

I am only halfway through the video at this point and now they are bringing on Dr. Joseph Mercola and I just can’t go on. At least not right now. Holy shit.

Further Reading

• Earthing: The Silliest Health Scam Ever? – Beyond Growth Beyond Growth
• Skepticblog » Are You a Grounded Person?

The post Grounding,… Utter Pseudoscientific Bullshit appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

Homeopathy – Debunked a real good YouTube video via Rationality Rules:

The post Homeopathy – Debunked via Rationality Rules appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

A recent article in Business Insider is an encouraging sign that skepticism about the supplement industry is starting to go mainstream.

The Supplement Con

A recent article in Business Insider is an encouraging sign that skepticism about the supplement industry is starting to go mainstream. The article hits all the main points – the supplement industry in the US is now $37 billion, is largely unregulated, and their products are largely worthless, make unfounded claims, and may even be harmful.

The post The Supplement Con – Science-Based Medicine appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

Alternative medicine kills cancer patients

Alternative medicine, by definition, consists medicine that either has not been shown to work or has been shown not to work. To paraphrase an old adage yet again, medicine that has been shown to work with an acceptable risk-benefit ceases to be “alternative” and becomes simply “medicine.”

The post Alternative medicine kills cancer patients – Science-Based Medicine appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

NHS to ban homeopathy and herbal medicine, as ‘misuse of resources’

Health officials said the NHS is spending around £545m a year on treatments which are available over the counter, though they do not expect to recoup all the funding. The products include cough mixture and cold treatments, eye drops, laxatives and sun cream lotions.

The post NHS to ban homeopathy and herbal medicine, as ‘misuse of resources’ appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

“The very concept of alternative medicine exists to create a double standard where the rules of science and evidence are stood on their head specifically to manufacture the result that is desired by cranks, charlatans, snake-oil salesmen, and self-proclaimed gurus. There is no alternative medicine. There is just medicine. Either it works or it doesn’t work.”

Steven Novella

The post “Alternative” Is Just Another Word For “Bullshit” appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

In that discussion one of my friends asked me:

…Do you differentiate between chiropractic and ‘manipulation’?

 

What do you think of the DO profession’s use of manipulation in the course of those care and the DO philosophy?

To which I replied:

By DO I assume you mean Doctors of Osteopathic which is something again altogether different from a Doctor of Chiropractic.

 

To be completely honest I can’t say I know enough about the Osteopathic profession to offer any kind of quailifed opinion I would be comfortable with stating but the premise seems dubious to me and (personal anecdote warning) some of the doctors I know personally don’t think too highly of it.

Skepticism is sometimes defined as healthy doubt when faced with a lack of credible evidence so in reality I had a pretty good opinion but I am not very well versed on exactly what Osteopathy is so thinking back to something I have read from Charlie Munger (who is Warren Buffett’s partner) about The Work Required To Have An Opinion.

“I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything that
I don’t know the other side’s argument better than they do.”
— Charlie Munger

and

“We all are learning, modifying, or destroying ideas all the time.
Rapid destruction of your ideas when the time is right is one
of the most valuable qualities you can acquire.
You must force yourself to consider arguments on the other side.”
— Charlie Munger

I don’t yet feel I know enough about the other side, the pro-Osteopathy position to comment confidently. I think the underlying premise behind osteopathy is nonsense. That being that “that diseases were caused by mechanical interference with nerve and blood supply and were curable by manipulation of “deranged, displaced bones, nerves, muscles—removing all obstructions—thereby setting the machinery of life moving.”” The idea that the body can be cured of a disease or ill by manipulation has never been shown to be true in any scientific journal and it appears that the consensus belief amongst the scientific and medical communities is that osteopathy is pseudoscience and woo.

While I feel I may not know enough about osteopathy to criticizes it confidently like I do chiropractic or homeopathy I will defer to those that know more scientifically than I do and say I too think osteopathy is pseudoscience and woo.

That said there is some more nuance to the field and practice of osteopathy in the U.S. According to Wikipedia (Osteopathy – Wikipedia):

…In the United States, osteopaths are legally restricted from using the title D.O. to avoid confusion with osteopathic physicians who are medical doctors trained and certified to practice medicine as well as osteopathic manipulation. Osteopaths, on the other hand, are trained only in manual osteopathic treatment, generally to relieve muscular and skeletal conditions.

So that means there are two main groups of people in the U.S. that can practice osteopathy, Osteopaths and Doctors of Osteopathy. But a Doctor of Osteopathy, a DO, receives the same education and training as a MD and has equivalent rights, privileges, and responsibilities as a physician who has earned the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree. Except the DO also has this additional training in hands-on manipulation of the human musculoskeletal system and there is a difference in their philosophy of patient care. A noted DO has said ““The osteopathic philosophy involves treating the mind, the body, and the spirit. It’s a more holistic approach, For the patient, the osteopathic approach is less about prescribing medications and medical procedures and more on the body trying to heal itself.”

Okay, yeah, it’s “holistic”. There’s that “New Age” phrase that is so popular, I think it’s insulting and a disservice to MDs to imply that they don’t take a holistic approach to treatment but that’s an argument for another day.

Dr. Mark Crislip, a well-known skeptic and infectious disease doctor who is the current president of the Society for Science-Based Medicine wrote in an article, Pump it up: osteopathic manipulation and influenza – Science-Based Medicine:

…The literature would suggest that OM is left behind by most DOs upon graduation. DOs are not proud of their OM, and rarely invite them ‘round to dinner. It will be interesting to see if OM fades over time in DO school as the old time true believers die off and are supplanted by a generation of DOs trained with more traditional medical education…

Which I interpret to mean that a lot of DOs are moving away and or ignoring the pseudoscientific aspects of their DO medical school education.

So do I think the traditional osteopathy that was invented by Andrew Taylor Still works and would I consent to recieving or request osteopathic treatment?

Dr. Still believed that by correcting problems in the body’s structure, through the use of manual techniques now known as osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), the body’s ability to function and to heal itself could be greatly improved.

No, I would not consent to recieving or request osteopathic treatment. The keyword in that statement from from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine website is “believed”. Dr. Still “believed” something and never provided research evidence that it was true. I would never let an osteopath treat me and I would never let a DO treat me with osteopathy although I would consent to a DO treating me medically.

• Videos On Osteopathy

• Articles On Osteopathy

• Osteopathy – Wikipedia
  • Osteopathic manipulation – Wikipedia
• Osteopathy – RationalWiki
• Pump it up: osteopathic manipulation and influenza – Science-Based Medicine
• Osteopathy in the NICU: False Claims and False Dichotomies – Science-Based Medicine
• Massage Therapy rubs me the wrong way – Science-Based Medicine
• Using language to achieve the appearance of legitimacy for quacks – Respectful Insolence
• Yes, there really are people who don’t accept the germ theory of disease – Respectful Insolence
• Physical therapy+massage+woo=chiropractic – denialism blog
• Dubious Aspects of Osteopathy
• Osteopathy – The Skeptic’s Dictionary – Skepdic.com
• I fucking hate pseudoscience – Posts
  — “Osteopathy is a tricky one. An overlap between genuine, evidence-based musculoskeletal treatment and overcooked, unverified claims harking back to its “cultish” roots make for prime bafflement. Andrew Taylor Still, who is credited as the founder of osteopathy, believed that disease was all musculoskeletal in origin, and that systemic diseases such as “scarlet fever, croup, diphtheria […] and whooping cough” could be cured through osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). Fewer and fewer osteopaths now rely on OMT, and a good rule of thumb is to avoid the ones who claim that OMT improves general, systemic health, or can cure things like asthma. The percentage of osteopathic physicians (DOs) who are involved in pseudoscientific practices like homeopathy seems to be higher than that of medical doctors, so if you’re looking for evidence-based treatment, be sure to check that your prospective DO doesn’t dabble in quackery. And don’t be fooled – there is nothing about osteopathy, per se, that sets it apart as embracing more of a “whole-person” approach than that employed by medical doctors. I would recommend this article, by Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch to anybody considering osteopathy: tinyurl.com/ypx7qrFrom Barrett’s article: “As medical science developed, osteopathy gradually incorporated all its theories and practices [2]. Today, except for additional emphasis on musculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment, the scope of osteopathy is identical to that of medicine.”and”The American Osteopathic Association’s web site glorifies Andrew Still and asserts that osteopathic medicine has a unique philosophy of care because “DOs take a whole-person approach to care and don’t just focus on a diseased or injured part.” I consider it outrageous to imply that osteopathic physicians are the only ones who regard their patients as individuals or who provide comprehensive care or pay attention to disease prevention.”The Wiki article is also interesting, and discusses the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)’s response to Barrett’s article.

The post Okay, Here’s My Thinking On the Subject of Osteopathy Too. appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.

Most of this bone alignment shit is a myth. A chiropractor will tells you your vertebrae are out of alignment and then cracks your back. You hear the noise of it cracking and they tell you that was it being put back into alignment when what is really the case they just cracked your back in the same way you crack your knuckles and that sound you hear is not really your vertebrae going back into alignment but is in reality just a release of gasses in the joints making noise just like cracking your knuckles does.

Its a sales job with supporting sound effects and it works to sell the mythology.

As Richard Feynman once said—“Science is what we have learned about how to keep from fooling ourselves.”—

Dr. Harriet Hall on Chiropractic from her great 10 lecture series on Science Based Medicine vs “Alternative Medicine”.

• More reading on the subject of Chiropractic…

• Chiropractors are bullshit | The Outline
• The evidence shows that chiropractors do more harm than good | Spectator Health
• Neck Manipulation: Risk vs. Benefit – Science-Based Medicine
• Chiropractic: A Skeptical View – Society for Science-Based Medicine Wiki
• chiropractic – The Skeptic’s Dictionary – Skepdic.com
• Spinal Manipulation for Back and Neck Pain: Does It Work? Annotated. – Science-Based Medicine
• Pushback on Chiropractic – Science-Based Medicine
• Jason Ellis | Subluxation: A Chiropractic crock of shit!
• Chirobase: Your Skeptical Guide to Chiropractic History, Theories, and Practices
• Dr. Stephen Gorski (aka Orac)
  • Tell the FDA not to embrace quackery: Write to oppose its proposal on acupuncture and chiropractic for chronic pain – Respectful Insolence
  • Mystery solved: Chiropractic manipulation of the neck did cause Katie May’s death from stroke – Respectful Insolence
  • Chiropractic “research” and autism – Respectful Insolence
  • No, JAMA does not now recommend chiropractic care first for low back pain – Respectful Insolence
  • Chiropractic and antivax: Two quacky tastes that taste quacky together – Respectful Insolence
• Physical therapy+massage+woo=chiropractic – denialism blog
• Defending Falsehoods – The Skeptic’s Dictionary – Skepdic.com
• Why chiropractic is patently ridiculous – White Coat Underground
  The article ends with —”…Chiropractic may have a place in the treatment of low back pain—or it may not. Chiropractors are basically glorified massage therapists—except many massage therapists have better training, and know the limits of their profession. Chiropractors who discourage real medical care, vaccinations, and medications, or sell herbs and other potions out of their offices should be ashamed of themselves.But of course, they have no shame.”—
• Changing Someone’s Mind on Chiropractors | Skeptoid
• Physical Therapists may win one in turf war with chiropractors – Society for Science-Based Medicine
• Chiropractic–The More Research We Do, The Less Reason There is to Believe it Works | The SkeptVet
• Veterinary Chiropractic – Science-Based Medicine
• Three advocates of chiropractic write in « Why Evolution Is True
• Chiropractors: Pro and Con – CSI

• More video on the subject of Chiropractic…

The post On the Subject of Chiropractic appeared first on Rationally Thinking Out Loud.