Promoting Science and Critical Thinking
Researchers at Yale university asked themselves a question about cures for cancer … “Do people who opt for Alternative Treatments for cancer have a better outcome and survive longer?” If indeed people are better off with an alternative treatment, then that’s a rather important discovery. After studying this they have written up the results and … Read more
Are you taking Omega-3 supplements, or in fact any supplement? If so, then it is often well worth pausing and asking yourself why you are doing so. Questions to ponder over include … Does this really help to keep me healthy? What leads me to think that it is beneficial? If you are self-medicating, have … Read more
Many of us drink rather a lot of coffee. Warning, I’m not an exception to that, I guess I do have a bias here since I consume lots of it. Interestingly enough, some don’t. I do once recall meeting a biochemist who insisted that he never drank it because he was aware of all the … Read more
Dr. Oz is a well known proponent of alternative medicine quackery, but when he recently promoted Astrology on twitter as a health solution it surprised some of his critics. The push back he received was well-deserved. Given the degree of embarrassment, he quickly deleted the tweet, but once it is out there then it is … Read more
There is a thriving and rapidly expanding industry that is selling the idea that taking vitamins is beneficial. This is a hugely profitable enterprise that by last year had grown to $36.1 billion a year. It thrives and flourishes because we buy into the idea that taking these supplements will make us healthier and perhaps … Read more
This is a story about homeopathy, or to be a tad more precise, is a story about the deployment of homeopathy that illustrates how the embrace of the idea is not just bizarre but also absurd. Rabid Dogs and Homeopathy The Washington Post reports it as follows … A Canadian naturopath claims she treated a … Read more