Here is a place to discuss alternative therapies in general, ask basic questions about science or stats, share wacky theories about MMR, anything. This is until I get the bigger discussion forums built.
Excluding Bias
Ben Goldacre
Saturday November 26, 2005
The Guardian
The moment I saw the press release for the new Bristol Homeopathy study, I knew I was in for a treat. This was a fabulously flawed “survey”, no more, in which some doctors asked their patients whether they thought they’d got better a while after having some homeopathy. Not meaningless data in itself, but the action, as ever, is in the interpretation, and the interpretation was Read the rest of this entry »
Spot The Difference?
Here’s an interesting exercise. For once, the actual academic paper behind a news story is available for free online…
www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/acm.2005.11.793
Which means you can see for yourself whether Read the rest of this entry »
Bad Science piece sneaks undetected into Time Out’s “Alternative Health Special Issue”
Ben Goldacre
Time Out, London
November 16-23 2005
I feel a bit mean, since you’re all having so much fun here, but let me quickly point out a couple of things about homeopathy. First, it doesn’t work. Second, it’s old fashioned and paternalistic. And third, that’s what they say about us: how weird is that?
We’ll do them in order. Stick with me here: at least if you disagree, you’ll disagree with a whole lot more panache by the end. So how do we know homeopathy doesn’t Read the rest of this entry »
Who’s holding the smoking gun on Bioresonance?
Ben Goldacre
Saturday November 12, 2005
The Guardian
I know you’re all looking forward to my fifth consecutive week writing about the tabloid’s favourite MRSA “laboratory”, but my Deep Throat keeps teasing me, so the latest explosion will Read the rest of this entry »