Skeptics Canada is launching a year-long campaign against complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The opening salvo will be fired tonight at the monthly meeting. Go to the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) Building on Bloor St., just west of the St. George subway stop. The meeting is in rm 2211 from 7-9 pm.First in a series of presentations on the topic of complementary and alternative medicine. Professor Michael De Robertis will speak on homeopathy, and award-winning journalists Paul Benedetti and Wayne MacPhail will speak on chiropractic. As well, a public test of one or more alt-med treatments is being planned.Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it because of another commitment but I can assure you that it will be very entertaining. This is a good cause. Alternative medicine is gaining in popularity as more and more people strart looking for simple cures. Don't forget why it's called "alternative" medicine—it's because it's the alternative to rational evidence-based medicine.
The latest version of Skeptics Circle (#75) has four articles on alternative medicine.
Detox and Re-Tox: Bad Medicine and Even Worse Homeopathy at Alt-Med Mecca NewsTarget on The Bad Idea Blog.
Random reward may explain why homeopathy still exists on Med Journal Watch.
How we know what will kill or cure us on Junkfood Science.
Diluting the Profits on Skeptico.
Damn. I think I need more advance notice to make it to these events. I hope there's more.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of alternative medicine, check out this Marketplace episode on the so called "Q-ray" bracelet.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/11/14/buying_belief/
CBC approached my boss and asked him to prove the bracelet was not "ionized". He went all out with the electron microscope, but I came up with the simpler idea of using the electroscope. The interview with the company CEO of the Q-ray brand is very entertaining.
Oops, you'll have to make sure you highlight and copy that entire link into your address bar. Next time I'll use the linking tags. Sorry about that.
ReplyDeleteAhh, I most likely would have gone to this if I'd known a little earlier. Sounds like a good event. I dunno why they'd schedule it on a Friday night though. UTSA and FAC scheduled their big U of T event on the Catholic school board on a Friday evening, too, and as expected, attendance wasn't great--probably around 50 people.
ReplyDeleteHi, I like your blog. It is true that at the present time the advances in science and medicine have gone too far and still not all the illnesses and diseases can by cured with the methods of science. That is why some times people tend to apply for help to Alternative Medicine. As a matter of fact it is also not always helpful. People complain. And on this great site www.pissedconsumer.com you can find some feedbacks of the disappointed customers.
ReplyDelete