I’m pleased to tell my readers that a new skeptically-based medical blog is now online: Science Based Medicine. It has five bloggers, all MDs, posting regularly one day a week. Skeptics will be familiar with two names on the blogger list: Steve Novella, from The Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast, and my friend Harriet Hall, the SkepDoc, who has long been a friend of real medicine (and who tried valiantly to make me feel better when I was attacked by a particularly vicious norovirus during a visit to Seattle).
The attacks on real science by antiscience forces is nowhere more important than in the health field, and SBM’s pentavirate of doctors will take an unflinching look at this particular flavor of evil. Set your bookmarks and feed readers!
January 12th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
LiveJournal’s feed is scibasedmed:
http://syndicated.livejournal.com/scibasedmed/
Thanks for pointing this out, Phil. I work in a hospital, and you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to convince people that an antibiotic will do nothing against a virus. That’s just the skin of the tip of the iceberg.
January 12th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
This does seem to be an area of “woo” that (sadly) spans the political spectrum. Scratch a big pharma conspiracy theorist (they want to keep us all sick) or a vaccine skeptic (ineffective poison) and you’re just as likely to find a liberal underneath as you are a conservative.
Given that there are a lot of sick people out there, for whom conventional medicine has, as yet, no treatments or cures, it’s not surprising that there are many charlatans out there who peddle in false hope. And I’m willing to bet that almost everyone who reads this blog knows has a family member or friend who has been taken in by them. I certainly have.
January 12th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Forgive my ignorance but what does “woo” stand for?
Philip
January 13th, 2008 at 12:45 am
— …but what does “woo” stand for?
The World Order Organization, the main ubercorporation backed group that is working secretly to bring the entire globe under the thrall of a very few power elite.
They have already fired the first salvo of 2008 in their attempt to radio control California’s thermostats.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/11/america/calif.php
— Forgive my ignorance…
Nein! There is no forgiveness in the upcoming World Order! You shall be driven into the work pits, your yammering silenced forever!
January 13th, 2008 at 12:47 am
— And I’m willing to bet that almost everyone who reads this blog knows has a family member or friend who has been taken in by them. I certainly have.
Nope. Not a one.
Will you be paying off in cash or check?
January 13th, 2008 at 5:02 am
I believe that the medical antiscience groups are the most dangerous out there. This is not just a case of giving hope to those who can not be treated by modern medicine, they target those than can easily be treated by modern medicine. I have Type 1 Diabetes, my illness can be treated, but there are many claiming an “herbal cure” or other such nonsense. It shocks me that the scammers do not even understand the disease at all, as many patients do not. Knowledge is the best weapon against any such disease. Not understanding this can easily take years off your life.
I hear the “they don’t want to cure it” excuse nearly daily. I watch the research, it seems a huge waste of money to do so much research in something that you do not want to cure. Another point: Do you know any researcher that would pass up a Nobel Prize? How about the adoration of millions. I would personally send flowers to the person or team that cures my diabetes. They would get fame, fortune, and a name in history, not many would pass that up!
January 13th, 2008 at 6:17 am
Ah, but I said “almost everybody”.
Sorry.
January 13th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Quiet Desperation doesn’t have anyone in the family who is gullible? Obvious conclusion: QD is an orphan.
Another one of the five writers will be Wallace Sampson, I do believe, who has been active with CISCOP and putting out a newsletter on garbage medicine for many years. Go, Wally!
June 25th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Thanks for the link. Looks pretty cool from what I can tell.
http://www.breakthroughdigest.com/