I recently came across this campaign for homeopathy awareness. Sounds good to me, we could certainly do with a helluva … More
Category: Alternative/Complementary Medicine
Personality goes a long way…toward making you sick
This is dangerously close to “day job” territory, but yesterday evening I was on the wireless talking about the relationship … More
One year in: The Science Bit’s greatest hits
I am generally nonplussed by birthdays. And I realise that blog posts about blog posts can sometimes be boring. However, … More
The costs of complementary medicine
Here is an opinion piece I wrote for in this week’s Modern Medicine magazine. The version below is the final draft … More
Why is this paper still cited?
What’s the most cited academic paper on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)? Is it an evidence-based trial demonstrating the efficacy … More
“Racecardgate” on Storify
This is a slightly unusual format for a post on this blog, but I thought it was worth recording for … More
Skeptics vs. Quacks: Who’s winning?
http://twitter.com/#!/bengoldacre/status/60028892009861120 Last week, the British market research firm YouGov published findings from a national UK opinion survey on complementary and … More
Towards a quantum Theory of Everything (including dirty dishes)
Perhaps few words in contemporary science have been abused as much as “quantum”. Simply put, a quantum is the minimum … More
The Babel Fish Dilemma: Talking Science with Non-Scientists
Last night I gave a public lecture in Dublin for the Irish Skeptics Society, entitled “The Babel Fish Dilemma: Talking … More
Reiki, cancer, and the problem of informed consent
Reiki is a complementary therapy in which a therapist’s hands are placed on — or simply near — a patient’s … More
The Irish Times: Promoting homeopathy, endangering children?
The Irish Times is the so-called “newspaper of record” in Ireland. It has a reputation for being Ireland’s leading print … More
The BMA’s dodgy claim about British GPs and CAM
Providers of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are always absolutely thrilled whenever real medical doctors claim to support their activities. … More
“Pregnant thanks to acupuncture”
One of the most troubling aspect of this newspaper story — “I’d lost my baby then somehow fell pregnant thanks … More
“Menopause relief: Do not use if pregnant”
Recently, I came across this product available for over-the-counter sale. It was one of a number of herbal remedies, each … More
Views on the Homeopathic Emergency Room
Okay, I’m pretty sure that many readers will already have seen this video, presenting a depiction of a “Homeopathic A&E” … More
On jargon
It is true that science is more about falsifiability, objectivity, and empiricism, and less about white coats, bunsen burners, and … More
