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Sample the Skeptic's Dictionary

placebo effect

The placebo effect is the measurable, observable, or felt improvement in health or behavior not attributable to a medication or invasive treatment that has been administered. The placebo effect is not mind over matter; it is not mind-body medicine. 'The placebo effect' has become a catchall term for a positive change in health not attributable to medication or treatment. As is explained below, the change can be due to many things, such as regression to the mean, spontaneous improvement, reduction of stress, misdiagnosis in the first place, subject expectancy, classical conditioning, etc.> >more

sample the Skeptic's Dictionary for Kids

therapeutic touch

Therapeutic touch is a kind of energy healing. Some people believe that health and sickness are caused by some sort of magical energy being blocked or out of whack in some way. There is no scientific support for this magical energy. It can't be measured by any of our very high tech machines. Yet, many people swear it exists and that they can move it around or transfer some of their energy into another person. >>more

a blast from the past

The Super Bowl and violence against women

On January 18, 1993, a media "watchdog" group called Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) put out a news release that stated: "The Super Bowl is one of the most widely viewed television events every year. Unfortunately, women's shelters report that Super Bowl Sunday is also one of the worst days of the year for violence against women in the home." According to Laura Flanders of FAIR, the release cited press reports from the New York Times (1/5/92 and 1/22/92) and the Chicago Tribune (1/27/91), which were based on accounts of those who work with battered women.

On January 27, 1993, a news conference was called in Pasadena, California, the site of the forthcoming Super Bowl game, by a coalition of women's groups. At the news conference, reporters were informed by Sheila Kuehl, head of the California Women's Law Center that Super Bowl Sunday (SBS) is "the biggest day of the year for violence against women." (Kuehl went on to become a California State Assemblywoman and then a state senator.) >>more

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