Letters in Guardian about the Placebo piece

August 31st, 2005 by Ben Goldacre in alternative medicine, bad science, homeopathy, letters, placebo, quantum physics, very basic science | 58 Comments »

Letters: Observing the benefits of placebos
Wednesday August 31, 2005
The Guardian

Ben Goldacre’s thought-provoking piece (A tonic for sceptics, August 29) moves forward the debate about Read the rest of this entry »

A tonic for sceptics

August 29th, 2005 by Ben Goldacre in alternative medicine, bad science, homeopathy, placebo, statistics | 40 Comments »

Ben Goldacre
Monday August 29, 2005
Comment, The Guardian

Sceptics, and the placebo effect, are easily misunderstood. Since I’ve made a modest second career out of rubbishing alternative therapies (or rather the pseudoscience of the claims behind them), you might expect me to be pleased with a new analysis of 110 placebo-controlled randomised trials of homoeopathy, published Read the rest of this entry »

Magnetic needling

August 25th, 2005 by Ben Goldacre in bad science | 5 Comments »

Ben Goldacre
Thursday August 25, 2005
The Guardian

· “Magnetic bandages can help wounds heal faster,” says the Daily Mail, which is certainly a headline that invites close reading. “A magnetic leg wrap has been Read the rest of this entry »

Hard to swallow

August 18th, 2005 by Ben Goldacre in alternative medicine, bad science, bbc, homeopathy, PhDs, doctors, and qualifications, placebo | 4 Comments »

Ben Goldacre
Thursday August 18, 2005
The Guardian

· Pity the sensible alternative therapist, for they are in a unique and impossible position. On the one hand, they want to be scientific, evidence-based and conservative in what they say. On the other, they have to talk up the myths around their Read the rest of this entry »

Supplementary benefits

August 11th, 2005 by Ben Goldacre in alternative medicine, bad science, herbal remedies, scare stories, times | 16 Comments »

Ben Goldacre
Thursday August 11, 2005
The Guardian

· OK, it’s me and Susan Clarke from the Sunday Times, on the floor, mano a mano. This week someone is asking for Read the rest of this entry »

Publish or be damned

August 3rd, 2005 by Ben Goldacre in bad science, independent, mail, media, statistics | 5 Comments »

Ben Goldacre
Thursday August 4, 2005
The Guardian

· I have a very long memory. So often with “science by press release”, newspapers will cover a story, even though the scientific paper doesn’t exist, assuming it’s around the corner. In February 2004, the Daily Mail was saying that Read the rest of this entry »

Outdoor Pursuits

August 2nd, 2005 by Ben Goldacre in bad science, scare stories, statistics | 1 Comment »

Shortcuts

Tuesday August 2, 2005
The Guardian

Doing publicity for roller coasters can’t be an easy job, even at the best of times. On one hand, you’re selling dangerousness and Read the rest of this entry »