MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Respectful Insolence' source. Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:53:49 +0100 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/452959375/say_it_aint_so_barack_again.php I realize that I made perhaps the biggest splash I've made on this blog in a very, very long time when I wrote about the news reports and rumors that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was being seriously considered for a high ranking post in the new Obama Administration. Fortunately, this is not yet another post about RFK, Jr. There's only so much antivaccinationist and pseudoscientific lunacy I can take. Unfortunately, however, it's another touch of woo associated with the new administration. Even though I don't think it means much, chiropractors seem to be interpreting it as a nod of support: Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1960600 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:00:09 +0100 1960600 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/452176008/brain_death_and_fundamentalist_religion_1.php Yesterday, I wrote about the sad case of Motl Brody, a 12-year-old Orthodox Jew whose brain tumor had rendered him brain dead and whose parents are fighting the efforts of the hospital to disconnect him from the ventilator and to stop all the powerful cardiac drugs that are keeping his heart beating and his blood pressure high enough because their religion tells them that death is defined by cessation of heartbeat and breathing. They do not accept the concept of brain death, even though they do accept that their child will never recover. Yale neurologist and all-around skeptical guru Steve Novella has weighed in. Definitely worth a read. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1960601 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:28:14 +0100 1960601 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/451826737/the_notsobeautiful_untruth.php The things I do for my readers. I'm referring to a movie entitled The Beautiful Truth, links to whose website and trailers several of you have e-mailed to me over the last couple of weeks. Maybe it's because the movie is only showing in New York and Los Angeles and hasn't made it out of the media enclaves of those cities out to the rest of us in flyover country, or maybe its release is so limited that I just hadn't heard of it. Certainly that appears to be the case, as the schedule shown at the website lists it as beginning an engagement in New York tomorrow and running through November 20 at the Quad Cinema on 13th Street and in Los Angeles in from November 26 to December 4. What this movie reminds me of, more than anything else, is Ben Stein's pseudoscience- and lie-filled bit of "intel... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1960602 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:00:00 +0100 1960602 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/450755426/brain_death_and_fundamentalist_religion.php I realize that the title of this post might sound as though I'm equating brain death and fundamentalist religion. As tempting as it is sometimes to do so, I'm not. What I'm more interested in is a story I came across by way of ScienceBlogs Big Kahuna blogger P.Z. Myers last night, mainly because it brings up some serious ethical issues, aside from any religious issues. P.Z. tackled the story as he usually does tackle stories involving religion, with all the subtlety of a jack hammer in a glass factory. I'm not saying that I'll necessarily be subtle, but I do have some actual, hands-on experience dealing with just such issues. While it's true that I haven't come across a situation quite as distressing as the one described or a family as recalcitrant, I can say that it's incredibly easy to ... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1960603 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:30:00 +0100 1960603 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/449918212/while_im_on_the_topic_of_the_holocaust.php Since I've been on the topic of the Holocaust again today in giving a victim of the Hitler Zombie a well and truly deserved taste of not-so-Respectful Insolence, before I get back to medicine and science tomorrow I can't help but note that it's been brought to my attention that a brand, spankin' new Jack Chick tract has made an appearance to darken the Internet for critical thinkers and skeptics everywhere. Heck, Chick's fundamentalist religious craziness is so toxic that rational believers (and even many not-so-rational believers) undergo a wave of neuronal apoptosis any time he appears. This time around, God is back, and He's pissed! He's so pissed that he's sending a huge hurricane against the Gulf Coast and a bunch of tornadoes elsewhere. Why? Because we're not nice enough to Israel a... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1955208 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:52:44 +0100 1955208 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/449547428/the_monster_says_arbeit_macht_frei.php November 4, 2008 11:15 PM EST A mousy little man sat, shaking his head in his hands, limned against the wall by the flickering blue glow of a flat screen TV. On the television, a huge crowd swelled in Grant Park in Chicago. The excitement was palpable, with a constant dull roar of the crowd that swelled periodically as the crowd thought that they saw the man whom they'd come to see. The mousy man muttered, "How could this have happened?" He slumped back into his chair. "How?" On the television, the object of his hatred strode upon the stage in front of the adoring crowd and began to speak. His voice was strong and confident, triumphant even. It mocked the mousy man. "Socialists!" he muttered. "The country has gone socialist!" He lifted a bottle to his lips and drank deeply. The single ... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1955209 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:00:00 +0100 1955209 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/449185364/has_it_really_been_one_whole_year.php One whole year of antivaccinationist lunacy, that is. Sorry, that's one birthday I won't be sending good wishes over. No other blog brings home the stupid when it comes to vaccines with such regularity. It's a veritable black hole of intellect there, from which no science and reason is ever seen to escape. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947105 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:00:01 +0100 1947105 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/448444987/following_50_wooful_facts_nine_wooful_my.php I had been planning on taking on a couple of articles about breast cancer to start out the week. However, between having to deal with a tsunami of leaves before Monday, when the giant trucks come along to pick them up today and a number of other issues, I didn't have time. As much as I love taking a recent study and doing an in-depth analysis, such posts take probably twice as much time for me to do as the average post. Unfortunately, various issues this weekend prevented that, at least for today. Fortunately, there's always homeopathy. Yes, homeopathy is always there for the easy post. Even better, there's uber-woo-meister Mike Adams at NaturalNews.com. Even better still, Mike Adams has found a protégé, a homeopath, and this homeopath can churn out some of the most ridiculous articles... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947106 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:44:48 +0100 1947106 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/446673033/my_last_word_on_rfk_jrfor_now.php Seen on the discussion boards of that other repository of antivaccinationist wingnuttery (other than The Huffington Post), Mothering.com, a commenter by the 'nym of naupakamama exults over the possible appointment of antivaccine wingnut Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to run the Environmental Protection Agency: We could have a strong anti-vaccine voice leading the EPA! I am so excited! If anyone doubts that the antivaccine fringe views RFK, Jr. as one of their own, the rejoicing going on in antivaccine circles should put those doubts to rest. In more reality-based circles, including very liberal ones predisposed to like RFK, Jr.'s environmentalism, the reaction has been much more negative. This is not surprising, because RFK, Jr. has indeed drunk deeply of the Kool Aid of pseudoscience when it co... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947107 Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:15:00 +0100 1947107 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/446193565/sarah_palin_didnt_know_that_africa_was_a.php Geez, it's getting ugly. When FOX News reports this about Palin, you know she was bad: Of course, it's possible that McCain campaign staffers are trying to make Palin the scapegoat for the failure of their candidate and them, but there's abundant other evidence that Palin was pretty ignorant about a great many things--far too ignorant to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency. That makes it easy for the knives to come out, now that the election's been lost. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1945204 Sat, 08 Nov 2008 05:00:01 +0100 1945204 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/445591400/eggplant_mania_for_cancer.php As I've said before many times, herbal or plant-based medicines are about the only kind of "alternative" medicine that has significant prior scientific plausibility based on what we know about science. That's because plants often contain biologically active molecules; i.e., they often contain drugs. Of course, the problem with plant-based medicines is that they are, in essence, highly contaminated drugs, the predictability of whose responses is variable because the amount of active ingredient can vary widely. There's also a problem when claims for a plant-based compound become grandiose. It immediately makes me suspicious, even when there might be some biological plausibility that some compound with derived from a plant might have anticancer properties, when I see claims of "cancer cures"... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1945205 Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:30:33 +0100 1945205 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/445263328/contact_the_obama_transition_team_to_tel.php Yesterday, I wrote about a very disturbing development (disturbing, at least, to the science-based community) in the transition to an Obama Administration. That disturbing development is the multiple reports that antivaccine crank Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is being seriously considered to head the Environmental Protection Agency or even the Department of the Interior. Given RFK, Jr.'s conspiracy-mongering over vaccines, his utter failure to change his belief that mercury in vaccines causes autism in the face of overwhelming evidence that it does not. My argument was that appointing someone who is so anti-science about the issue of vaccines, who is such an utter crank, would be a terrible self-inflicted wound and seriously damage Barack Obama's cred as a pro-science President. Since then, I've... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1945206 Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:04:02 +0100 1945206 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/445092776/holy_crap_its_the_99th_meeting_of_the_sk.php Unbelievable. It really is. It's simply amazing that The Skeptics' Circle has been around so long. It's been around so long that we're already up to the 99th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle over at Ferret's Cage. The new generation of skepticism has landed with a great addition to the lore of the Skeptics' Circle. Next up is...well...me. Given how long it's been since I've hosted a Circle, I decided to take the organizer's prerogative and host the 100th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle. So send your entries to me by November 19, and I'll see what sort of twisted and entertaining Circle I can serve up for you two weeks hence on November 20. What we're looking for is described in these guidelines. And, of course, if you're interested in hosting, take a gander at the schedule and guidelines ... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1943333 Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:30:00 +0100 1943333 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/444610981/the_onion_on_the_rainman_autism_study_li.php I wrote about this study the other day, but clearly I didn't have the final word. As usual, The Onion nails it. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1943334 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:32:15 +0100 1943334 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/444224214/say_it_aint_so_barack_say_you_aint_serio.php One of the aspects of the Barack Obama candidacy that raised my hopes and those of so many of my fellow ScienceBloggers, as well as scientists tired of the crass politicization of science under the Bush administration, was the prospect of an Administration in which science and reason were valued and in which cranks were not allowed to impose their agenda on agencies whose policies should be driven by the science. That's one reason why I was very disturbed when I read a post on Election Day suggesting that antivaccinationist crank and activist extraordinaire, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., was being seriously considered for the position of Secretary of the Interior. Yes, in the comments a lot of you told me it was "almost certainly bullshit" or that Interior wouldn't be a bad place for him because... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1943335 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:00:00 +0100 1943335 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/443671937/piling_on_the_rain_man_autism_study.php ...is Joseph at Autism Natural Variation. It turns out that he can't find the correlation between precipitation levels and autism diagnoses that Waldman et al study; he too points out that urbanicity was not controlled for; and he even thinks a bit of cherry picking may have occurred. Meanwhile, Steve Novella is a bit less harsh, but his analysis is pretty skeptical as well. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1939009 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:00:00 +0100 1939009 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/443258228/rain_man_or_does_rainfall_cause_autism.php I guess Barack Obama's mad hypnotic powers worked. One non-political thing that this election has reminded me of is that when you've been blogging as long as I have (nearly four years now--almost as long as a Presidential term!--assuming you're good and have found a niche in the blogosphere, you can become one of the "go-to" bloggers for certain subjects. Even though I've taken on the pseudonym (and, some might say, the persona) of a cranky talking computer with a bad attitude that looked like a cheap Plexiglas box of multicolored blinking lights and was featured in a 30 year old British science fiction series that was known for its fantastic plots but BBC-level low budget sets recycled from old Doctor Who episodes, in person I'm nowhere near as arrogant as my namesake, who was known for ... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1939010 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:00:00 +0100 1939010 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/442650203/i_hadnt_planned_on_liveblogging_the_elec.php ...after all, I'm not a political blogger, except occasionally and maybe once every four years. If I'm still blogging four years from now, we'll see if I feel like morphing into a political blogger again, just for one day. However, I found this nifty little widget that does the job for me: There, you can just keep coming back to this page to follow election night returns. Of course, it is MSNBC; so its projections may or may not be accurate, but over time it will have to tell the story, as more and more returns come in. Now, I suppose I'll have to think about analyzing that study that several of you have been sending to me while I'm watching the election returns. I have to admit, I haven't seen a study quite so bad in a while, so much so that I'm not sure I want to subject my brain ... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933136 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0100 1933136 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/442521470/in_the_interests_of_bipartisan_annoyance.php I have a bit of a love-hate thing going for Keith Olbermann of MSNBC news. On the one hand, when he takes down Bill O'Reilly for defaming U.S. troops or Sarah Palin for anti-science idiocy, I have to admit, he's effective and sometimes even amusing. However, like some others, I often find him diving too far into meanness, becoming in essence a left-wing version of Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity. That's why I found this SNL parody particularly amusing: I used to kind of like Keith Olbermann. These days, though, I tend to find him to be almost as much of a blowhard as any rightwing pundit--rather like the parody above. I also found Olbermann's response to the parody rather lame as well. The dude needs to lighten up about himself. I realize I'm close to alone around ScienceBlogs in thinki... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933137 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:00:00 +0100 1933137 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/442316040/why_did_someone_have_to_kill_my_election.php OK, even though I have said time and time again that I rarely do any posts that are strictly political in nature, mainly because political bloggers are a dime a dozen, great political bloggers are rare, and I don't consider myself anything better than an at best passable political blogger. However, when politics intersects my areas of medical interest, I can't resist diving in, and unfortunately, Walter Olson gave me a reason to dive in today. In fact, to some extent he killed my election day buzz about the prospects for an Obama victory and a return to a government that respects science and tries not to manipulate it. How did he do that? Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933138 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:00:25 +0100 1933138 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/442050061/november_4_2008_election_day_its_morning.php As hard as it is to believe, it's finally here. Election Day. After two years of painful, annoying, surprising, infuriating, and, on rare occasions, uplifting campaigning, it all comes down to this: Voters, alone in little booths, casting ballots that will decide which direction our nation goes for the next four years. I know that there were times when you (and I) thought this day would never come. The length and intensity of American Presidential campaigns have turned into more of an endurance contest than anything else, a two year Iditarod through the wasteland, not to mention a test of which campaign can raise the most money and organize its supporters the best. Whether such skills translate into skill at governing and leading is debatable at best. I'm not going to tell you whom to v... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933139 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:15:38 +0100 1933139 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/441431144/fast_approaching_the_99th_meeting_of_the.php Once more, it's rapidly approaching that time again. The 99th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle will be landing at Ferret's Cage in less than three days. That means there's still time to get your entries to the Ferret King in time to be included in the blog carnival. The cool thing is that Ferret King is only 15 and thus represents the new generation of skepticism. So, if you have a blog and regularly write about skepticism, reason, and/or critically thinking, then help nurture the next generation by submitting your best work to the Skeptics' Circle. Instructions are here, and the guidelines are here. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933140 Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:36:01 +0100 1933140 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/440915912/oh_no_barack_obamas_hypnotizing_us_all_t.php Remember the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)? It's been a long time since I've written much about the AAPS, of course, but refreshing your memory will be easy. It's the ultra-libertarian wingnut medical "association" that routinely scrapes the bottom of the barrel, as far as pseudoscience goes, as long as that pseudoscience fits in with their schizophrenic combination of Ayn Randian "superman" libertarianism mixed with a toxic brew of anti-immigration, antivaccinationism, HIV/AIDS denialism, and social conservatism that leads them to lie about the evidence to argue that abortions cause breast cancer or promote the particularly despicable lie that shaken baby syndrome is in reality "vaccine injury." Worse, the AAPS maintains a dubious medical "journal" that claims to... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933142 Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:55:50 +0100 1933142 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/439998624/robert_lancaster_needs_your_help.php I got this e-mail the other day, and I urge everyone who's ever linked to Robert Lancaster's excellent site to do as Tim Farley requests. (While you're at it, you should consider linking to Farley's equally useful What's the Harm?): I'm writing you because your site is one of the top ranked sites (according to Google) which hyperlinks to the site Stop Sylvia Browne. As you know, Robert Lancaster has done a fantastic service to the community by creating and maintaining this site over the last two years.  Robert is currently in the hospital recovering from a stroke that he had in August. Unfortunately, the renewal for the domain name "stopsylviabrowne.com" came due during the first weeks after Robert's stroke, and it expired.  A domain squatter noticed this fact, and snatched up the doma... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1930195 Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:30:57 +0100 1930195 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/439088713/holocaust_denier_david_irving_has_found.php Thus far, the first decade of the 21st century not been good to that man who is arguably the world's most famous Holocaust denier, David Irving. The decade began its very first year with his crushing defeat in the libel lawsuit he instigated against Holocaust historian Professor Deborah Lipstadt, a defeat so resounding that it accomplished exactly the opposite of what he had intended: It ended with the judge concluding that he was, in fact, an "active" Holocaust denier (not just a Holocaust denier but an active Holocaust denier) Unfortunately, it cost Prof. Lipstadt and supporters a couple of million dollars and a couple of years of her time. Then, disgraced and technically bankrupt, Irving wandered among the pathetic white supremacists who would still listen to him speak and buy his boo... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1927795 Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:05:55 +0100 1927795 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/438078895/beth_israel_joins_the_academic_woo_aggre.php I feel bad. I realize that I've been completely neglecting my Academic Woo Aggregator. You remember my Academic Woo Aggregator, don't you? It was my attempt to compile a near-definitive list of academic medical centers that had "integrated" woo into their divisions or departments of "integrative medicine" (i.e., departments of academic-sounding quackery). Perusing it, I now realize that it's been over five months since I did a significant update to it. You just know that, given the rate of infiltration of unscientific medical practices into medical academia as seemingly respectable treatment modalities that there must be at least several new additions to this role of shame. Alas, even today, having been shamed myself by the realization of my failure to keep the list updated, I'm not going... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1926398 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:00:00 +0100 1926398 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/437686100/is_the_earth_still_circling_the_sun.php I ask this question because I have seen something I have never seen before, something so earth-shattering that I wonder if the very axis of the earth has shifted, something so incredible that I have to pinch myself to make sure that I'm not living some unbelievably bizarre dream. I half expect the heavens to open and reveal the Second Coming. What could provoke such incredulity in me? WorldNetDaily has published an article that is science-based and makes sense. A sample: Much more disturbingly, McCarthy attacked Peet for daring to disagree with her. "She has a lot of [nerve] to come forward and be on that side," Fox quoted [Jenny] McCarthy as saying, "because there is an angry mob on my side, and I like the fact that I can say she's completely wrong." McCarthy delights in the fact that ... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1924453 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:46:14 +0100 1924453 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/436958743/another_one_bites_the_dust_clinical_tria.php I've written here before about nutritional supplements. Specifically, I've expressed my dismay at the double standard, codified into law in 1994 in the form of the DSHEA. This particular bit of truly awful law in essence took away the power of the FDA and FTC to regulate dietary supplements, except under certain rather narrow conditions. In essence, if a supplement manufacturer is careful to keep the claims for a supplement from being too specific, the FDA is virtually powerless to regulate the supplement because the law defines dietary supplements as "food." So, in other words, vague, meaningless claims, such as that a supplement will "boost the immune system" are hunky dory, and supplement manufacturers only get into trouble when they say things like, "This supplement can cure cancer." W... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1924454 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:00:00 +0100 1924454 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/436563438/in_a_surprising_twist_today.php ...the editors of Seed Magazine have endorsed Barack Obama for President. In other news, the Pope remains Catholic, and bears have been observed relieving themselves in the woods. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1920930 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:00:00 +0100 1920930 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/435867529/david_kirby_admits_that_mercury_in_vacci.php Longtime readers of this blog know that my original exposure to antivaccination conspiracy theories first occurred in the context of the now pseudoscientific and discredited hypothesis that somehow the mercury in the thimerosal preservative that used to be used in vaccines was the cause of autism. Despite the backpedaling among antivaccination zealots such as J. B. Handley in the face of overwhelming epidemiological evidence that mercury in vaccines is in fact not detectably correlated with an increased incidence or risk of autism, there still remains a die-hard contingent who insists against all evidence that it's mercury that causes autism. Just to refresh your memory, take a look at the Generation Rescue website in early 2007, thanks to the Wayback Machine: Generation Rescue believes t... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1920931 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:00:00 +0100 1920931 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/435081630/the_white_supremacist_plot_to_kill_barac.php Warning: Some of the links in this post go to hate sites. I include them because I think it's important for people to see exactly what white supremacists say in their own words, if they are curious to do so and thus learn how low these people will go. However, if you're at work you may not want to click on them. Regular readers of this blog know that I have a major interest in World War II history and the Holocaust. Specifically, I've spent a fair amount of time writing about Holocaust denial. My interest in Holocaust denial derives from two sources. First, it's disgust at the racism, Hitler apologia, and anti-Semitism that are always at the root of it, no matter how much Holocaust deniers try to deny them as the motivation for their denial. Scratch a Holocaust denier, and you will alway... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1917922 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:00:00 +0100 1917922 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/434708263/using_placebos_outside_of_clinical_trial.php The other day, I thought it was about time that I did some of that cool and fancy ResearchBlogging.org stuff, you know, to keep this blog from being nothing more than a collection of not-so-Respectfully Insolent spleen venting at generalized stupidity. I realize that those are some of the funnest posts here and that people like them, but a little variety is required. No study, however, had quite floated my boat, and I was almost to the point of being desperate enough for blog fodder that I considered perusing Age of Autism or even NaturalNews.com (maybe later in the week) in search of that searing stupidity that is always in need of an Insolent takedown. Then what to my wondering eyes should appear (yes, I know Christmas is still two months away) but a study in the British Medical Journal ... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1917923 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:00:00 +0100 1917923 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/433811534/my_alma_mater_fights_back_against_misinf.php Hot on the heals of my post earlier today about the flurry of misinformation-laden ads being aired in Michigan to try to prevent Proposition 2, the proposed amendment to the Michigan State Constitution that would allow embryonic stem cell research using embryos that would be discarded from fertility clinics, I've learned that my alma mater, the University of Michigan, where I did both my undergraduate and medical school training, has released a series of videos countering the dishonest propaganda of groups like MiCAUSE: The truth about stem cell science And there's more: Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914582 Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:08:09 +0100 1914582 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/433546670/stem_cell_controversy_in_michigan.php Two years ago, there was a brouhaha in Missouri over a ballot proposal to allow state funding for embryonic stem cell research using discarded embryos from fertility clinics. The issue made national news, including some rather despicable rhetoric from Rush Limbaugh about Michael J. Fox, who made ads in support of the Missouri initiative, as well as deceptive ads against the proposal featuring Patricia Heaton and members of the St. Louis Cardinals. It was a big stink that drew national attention. Fast forward to two years later and to my home state of Michigan, and history appears to be repeating itself, although I fear that the outcome will be different this time. It turns out that Michigan has a similar issue on its ballot regarding stem cell research, but there doesn't seem to be anywhe... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914583 Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:00:00 +0100 1914583 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/432621663/best_doctor_who_adventure_ever.php I don't recall where I saw this, but I've been meaning to post it. What better time than a not-so-lazy Sunday, when I have to work on a talk, paper, and other things? (It's either this, or no blog for you on Monday; I think you know which you'd prefer.) For those of you not familiar with Captain Jack, the reason he keeps getting up after being shot is that he can't be killed (the reasons would take too long to explain). I particularly like the Davros costume, I must admit. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1908743 Sun, 26 Oct 2008 15:27:04 +0100 1908743 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/431752090/think_this_election_is_bad.php Think it's really negative? Think it's really vicious and nasty? Think again. Negative campaigning and vicious attacks by candidates on each other have been with us since at least the election of 1800. If anything, these days elections are probably tamer. The difference is the media. Between robocalls, television, radio, the Internet, the blogosphere, and all the outlets that attacks can find, our campaigns just seem nastier. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1908744 Sat, 25 Oct 2008 15:04:09 +0100 1908744 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/431118403/dr_rashid_buttar_wants_you_to_ask_him_a.php You remember Dr. Rashid Buttar, don't you? He's that blight on North Carolina's medical establishment, known for his "transdermal chelation therapy" that he's unable to demonstrate as being able to be absorbed through the skin, much less chelate anything (arguably a good thing, actually, because at least it probably doesn't hurt anyone, as a real transdermal chelation agent might). He's also known for some rather more--shall we say?--colorful "treatments" for autism (colorful as in "yellow"), not to mention IV ozone. He's also in trouble with the North Carolina Medical Board for using equally dubious therapies for cancer patients, all the while promising he could cure them. Unfortunately, the only thing he could cure them of is having excess cash in their wallets, as he charged exorbitant ... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1905836 Fri, 24 Oct 2008 22:00:00 +0100 1905836 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/430650136/the_gentle_art_of_persuasion.php There are times in every physician's career when he or she faces a patient with a serious, even life-threatening disease or condition, who, for whatever reason, does not want treatment. These can be incredibly frustrating and challenging patients. Most physicians try reason, cajoling, and persuasion. Believe it or not, physicians are still held in enough esteem that this will often work on the force of the regard in which patients hold physicians alone. However, it doesn't always. Then the question becomes: How far can a doctor legitimately go to persuade the patient? Shadowfax has an idea. He relates the story of a patient who came in with an acute abdomen. For those who don't know what an acute abdomen is, it's an abdomen in which something catastrophic has occurred, either a a perfora... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1905837 Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:45:00 +0100 1905837 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/429793120/the_98th_meeting_of_the_skeptics_circle.php ...is here at The Uncredible Hallq, and it's a fine collection of the latest skeptical blogging. Meanwhile the countdown towards #100 continues. Next up is King of Ferrets Ferret Cage, who will be hosting the 99th Edition of the Skeptics' Circle a fortnight hence, on Thursday, November 6, 2008. I should go back and check to see whether King of Ferrets is the youngest host we've ever had (age 15). Now, I know you all want to encourage the next generation of skeptics; so encourage King of Ferrets and be sure to send him your best stuff in time to be included in the next Circle. Also, if you're interested in hosting one of these Circles yourself (and, if you're a skeptical blogger and have never hosted one, you really should, not to mention that if you've hosted before you should consider h... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1905838 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:28:34 +0100 1905838 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/429644478/breast_cancer_awareness_month_abused_by.php I'll give Mike Adams one thing. He's consistent. Consistently a crank, that is. Yes, that purveyor of woo, paranoia, and conspiracy theories, not to mention the creator of one of the five largest repositories of quackery support on the Internet, NaturalNews.com, the other three being Mercola.com, Whale.to, CureZone, and Gary Null, is up to his usual tricks again. He's back promoting cancer quackery in his own inimitable style, in which cancer can be prevented and cured with virtually 100% efficacy using supplements and diet and conventional medicine never cures any disease ever. Perhaps what's most despicable about Mike Adams is how he takes events in the news and uses them to slime "conventional medicine" and his enemies, as he did when Tony Snow died of colon cancer and Christina Apple... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1905839 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:00:00 +0100 1905839 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/428855009/i_cant_believe_people_like_this_exist_pa.php After posting about some openly racist McCain supporters from--sadly, as it is a state in which I lived for eight years and happened to like, by and large, particularly since it's the state where my wife hails from--Ohio, I hadn't planned on doing more posts like this. But a theme emerges, and I decided that this would make a good intermittent series: People with views that shouldn't still be prevalent in 2008, but are. For example: The homosexual agenda wants people to think that homosexual men are safe for women to hang around and even be alone with. Nothing could be further from the truth. The stories about Sodomites in the Bible teach us that they do violate women as well as men. I've also known of people personally over the years who were known as gay yet "experimented" with the oppo... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1901421 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:22:05 +0100 1901421 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/428555732/targeted_drugs_not_as_targeted_as_hoped.php I hate it when an article starts right out with a rather annoying usage of terminology, even when it provides information that interests me: (AP) -- Nearly a fourth of widely used new-generation biological drugs that treat several common diseases produce serious side effects that lead to safety warnings soon after they go on the market, the first major study of its kind found. Included in the report released Tuesday were the arthritis drugs Humira and Remicade, cancer drugs Rituxan and Erbitux, and the heart failure drug Natrecor. All wound up being flagged for safety. That might surprise some doctors who may have thought that these new treatments might be safer than traditional chemical-based medicines. I guess what I dislike here the use of the term "chemical-based medicine." After ... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1901422 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:07:39 +0100 1901422 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/428127552/last_call_for_the_skeptics_circle_1.php Yike. I've been truly remiss in my duty. The Skeptics' Circle is a mere day and a half away. But it's not too late to submit your best skeptical work to Chris at The Uncredible Hallq. So, if you wanted to submit a post this week but haven't gotten around to it, there isn't much time left. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1901423 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 03:55:55 +0100 1901423 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/427764318/should_provaccine_advocates_try_to_get_o.php Oprah Winfrey supports quackery. That has been richly demonstrated over the last few years, particularly with her gauzy, praise-filled segments featuring such pro-woo luminaries as Jenny McCarthy, her frequently having physicians boosters of "alternative medicine" like Mehmet Oz and Christiane Northrup on her show, and her tight embrace of New Age "spirituality." Alarmed at the antivaccination nonsense being pushed on Oprah's show, Every Child By Two has been circulating an e-mail: Please Take The Time To Contact The Oprah Winfrey Show It has been quite some time since Every Child By Two (ECBT) has asked you to take action on an issue related to immunizations. I write to you today with an urgent request for your assistance in reaching out to the Oprah Winfrey Show to urge that she dedi... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1901424 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:52:49 +0100 1901424 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/427457649/the_huffington_post_adds_another_antivac.php I've been very critical of The Huffington Post since shortly after its formation three years ago, when (I believe) I was the first blogger to notice a proliferation of antivaccination propaganda at the then brand new group blog. It is a situation that the HuffPo has maintained to the present day. Indeed, on that day three years ago, I noticed that, right in among posts written by such mercury militia antivaccine apologists such as David Kirby, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., there was also Dr. Jay Gordon, who is currently very unhappy at having had a taste of not-so-Respectful Insolence yesterday. Indeed, HuffPo's been so utterly, consistently bad that I've even ridiculed the very suggestion that it could ever have a credible science blogging presence. Arthur Allen and the occasional other voices ... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1901425 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:00:00 +0100 1901425 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/427364031/well_this_is_encouraging.php After having seen the worst, it's encouraging to see that it's not all bad: Hat tip to Coturnix... Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1901426 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:55:33 +0100 1901426 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/426711674/i_cant_believe_people_like_this_exist.php I couldn't help but shake my head in disbelief when I saw this: It boggles the mind that in 2008 such views still exist. I lived in Ohio for eight years, and I had no idea. Of course, I did live in Cleveland... Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1894907 Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:00:00 +0100 1894907 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/426152953/dr_jay_gordon_pediatrician_warrior.php Note: The following is a collaborative post between James (a.k.a. Dad of Cameron of Autism Street) and Orac. Feel free to tell which parts were written by whom.:-) Jenny McCarthy's latest book, Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds, contains a foreword penned by "pediatrician to the stars' children", Dr. Jay Gordon. Dr. Gordon (or, as he often refers to himself, Dr. Jay), is the pediatrician for Jenny McCarthy's son Evan, whose autism McCarthy blames on vaccines and whom she has also claimed to have "cured" of autism with so-called "biomedical interventions. Dr. Gordon has frequently shown up on this blog, mainly to complain piteously whenever he is criticized for being "anti-vaccine" because he not only parrots anti-vaccine pseudoscience but gives speeches... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1894908 Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:00:00 +0100 1894908 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/425553628/if_you_open_your_mind_too_much_your_brai.php This about sums it up for me: Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful Insolence) Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1891938 Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:10:28 +0100 1891938 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/424772287/stop_jenny_mccarthy.php There's not much to add here, other than Jenny needs to be stopped. Stopping her is even more important than stopping Sylvia Browne. As vile as Sylvia Browne is, at least she doesn't endanger millions of children by self-righteously promoting antivaccinationist lies that have already started to lead to the return of formerly controlled vaccine-preventable diseases. Sylvia's just a run-of-the-mill scam artist, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Intentions like Jenny McCarthy's. Also, here's a little something for a "friend" of the blog: A reader took the time to transcribe the introduction to Jenny's newest book, Mother Warriors. It was written by Dr. Jay Gordon, and I was horrified when I read it. More another time. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Respectful I... Respectful Insolence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1888096 Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:20:59 +0100 1888096