The Touch That Doesn't Heal
From Abracadabra to Zombies
topical index: "alternative"
medicine
acupuncture
alphabiotics
angel therapy
anthroposophic medicine
aromatherapy
aura therapy
Bach's flower therapy
bioharmonics
chiropractic
complex homeopathy
Consegrity
DHEA
Dr.
Dragon Dabic
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
faith healing Gerson therapy holistic medicine hypnosis intuitive (intuitionist) iridology joy touch macrobiotics magnet therapy microacupuncture neuro-linguistic programming nosode prayer quackery reiki shark cartilage as a cancer cure trepanationvitamin and mineral supplements
Joel D. Wallach, "The Mineral Doctor"Medical Suburban Myths (from the Suburban Myths Page)
Myth 2. Prescription drugs are one of the leading causes of death.
Myth 3. Most medical treatments have never been clinically tested.
Myth 19. Medical doctors typically know nothing about nutrition.
Myth 21. Faith healing works.*
Myth 22. Dr. Randolph Byrd scientifically proved that prayer can heal.
Myth 23. Even if Dr. Byrd failed, others have succeeded in proving scientifically that prayer heals.
Myth 25. Transplant organs carry personality traits which are transferred from donors to receivers.
Myth 31. Crimes, mental illness, suicides, and emergency room visits increase when there is a full moon.
Myth 43. Suicide increases over the holidays.
Myth 46. Switching to a low-tar cigarette will reduce one's chances of being exposed to the carcinogens in cigarette smoke.
Myth 47. Vaccination*of children with the (MMR) vaccine to prevent measles, mumps and rubella causes autism.*
Myth 53. Sugar causes hyperactivity in children.
Myth 54. Alcohol, especially red wine, is good for your health.*(read this one carefully and to the end) and *
Myth 55. A migraine is a bad headache.
Myth 58. The moon can trigger ovulation and bring on fertility depending on what phase the moon was at when you were born.
Myth 59. The mercury in dental amalgam is poisoning people.*
Myth 60. You should drink eight glasses of water a day for good health.* One study, however, does seem to have good evidence that drinking five glasses a day is better than drinking two or fewer with respect to fatal coronary heart disease.
Myth 71. A diet low in animal fat will prevent high cholesterol which will prevent atherosclerosis which will make you immune to having a heart attack.
Myth 72. Pasteur renounced all his works on his death bed.
Myth 73. Laetrile is an effective cancer treatment whose humanitarian discoverer has been persecuted, depriving millions of people of the benefits of this wonder drug.
Myth 74. Peptic ulcers are caused by stress and eating spicy food.*
Other Sources
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DC's Improbable Science page - Professor David Colquhoun, FRS
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Social and judgmental biases that make inert treatments seem to work by Barry L. Beyerstein
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"Why Bogus Therapies Often Seem to Work" by Barry L. Beyerstein, Ph.D.
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Quack Watch - Dr. Stephen Barrett
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ChiroBase and ChiroWatch Skeptical Guides to Chiropractic
Descriptions of various alternative and complementary treatments (I do not recommend any of these therapies, but this information is provided so that those who seek them out will be better informed.)
Recommended Reading
Bausell, R. Barker. (2007). Snake Oil Science: The Truth about Complementary and Alternative Medicine Oxford. (review)
Randi, James. The Faith Healers (Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1989).
Raso, Jack. "Alternative" Healthcare: A Comprehensive Guide (Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1994).
Visit the Stephen Barrett room of the Skeptic's Bookstore for more books on "alternative" medicine.
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