24 May 2013 by Scott Gavura
Are sugar pills effective substitutes for vaccines? That’s what some are asking about Health Canada’s decision to approve 82 homeopathic “nosodes” which are sold by homeopaths as vaccine alternatives. Homeopathy is an elaborate placebo system of sugar pills. Of all alternative medicine, homeopathy is the most implausible of them all. Based on the absurd notion [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Canada, Health Policy, Skepticism, Vaccines5 Comments
25 April 2013 by Erik Davis
About a year ago, I had my first attack of gout. It sucked. It came on during the weekend we were moving into our house, and I was convinced I’d somehow broken my big toe in the move. I’d dropped a box on it or rolled a dolly over it or something — I must [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Diet and Nutrition, Featured, Health, Medical Conditions, Skepticism6 Comments
24 April 2013 by Michael Kruse
It’s National Immunization Awareness Week in Canada and across the world, and UNICEF is reporting the failure of Canada to achieve the 95% immunization rate required to protect the community from resurgences of deadly and debilitating infectious disease. At 84%, we are even below the UK, which is experiencing a severe measles outbreak, and we [...]
Posted in Canada, Health Policy, Skepticism, Vaccines3 Comments
05 April 2013 by Michael Kruse
After months of research and hard work from all of our volunteers at Bad Science Watch, we have launched the public phase of our campaign to stop the sale of homeopathic nosodes sold as “vaccine alternatives” in Canada. The website www.stopnosodes.org explains the position of Bad Science Watch and lays out the total lack of [...]
Posted in Canada, Health Policy, Skepticism2 Comments
21 March 2013 by Michael Kruse
Cross-posted from Huffington Post Canada On April 1st 2013, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctors and acupuncturists in Ontario will need a license to practice their unique brand of healing. This is the first of three vitalistic and unscientific healing practices to start accepting members in Ontario; the naturopaths will be next, followed by the homeopaths. [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Health Policy, Ontario2 Comments
20 March 2013 by Ethan Clow
(Note – this is crossed posted to Radio Freethinker) It’s been a busy month for skeptical activists in Vancouver. I wanted to write about some of the recent news regarding an anti-vaccination conference that was held at the Simon Fraser University, here in Vancouver. The anti-vaccination conference was organized by this group: the Vaccine Resistance [...]
Posted in British Columbia, Canada, Health, Vaccines5 Comments
27 February 2013 by Bart Farkas
In the last few years it appears that the number of clinics offering “Laser Therapy” for pain relief, arthritis, hair loss (or to remove hair) and a bevy of other health benefits. Billboard ads, radio spots, even flyers in alternative medicine offices (Chiropractors, naturopaths etc.) seem subjectively to be increasing. It got me thinking about [...]
Posted in Alt-Med or Alt-Menace?, Alternative Medicine, Health, Medicinal Advertising, Skepticism16 Comments
16 February 2013 by Michael Kruse
This article cross-posted from the Huffington Post Canada I believe in personal autonomy, a cornerstone of the consent process in the health care system. Each person has the inherent right to decide what to put in their body, what treatment to have, or to refuse any treatment they are offered by their chosen healer. That [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Canada, Health Policy, Skepticism1 Comment
29 January 2013 by Dianne Sousa
Last week, an editorial in the National Post by Tim Caulfield ruffled a few homeopathic feathers. In it, Caulfield argues that when provinces grant regulatory status to alternative practitioners like naturopathy, they are legitimizing rank quackery. This is the case because naturopathy relies heavily on homeopathy, which Caulfield correctly describes as “bogus”. Canadian supporters of [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Canada, Health15 Comments
18 January 2013 by Michael Kruse
This is a repost of an article that appeared on the Huffington Post Canada blog site on January 17 2013. There is a slowly rising tide of uncertainty in Canada over the necessity and safety of vaccines for childhood infectious disease. While the safety and efficacy of vaccines is very well established, doubt continues to be [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Health Policy, Skepticism, Vaccines1 Comment
More consequences of calling sugar pills “safe and effective”
Crack Your Back instead of a Vial of Vaccine?
Toronto Media, false balance, and the lack of evidence for claims about MIA vet John Hartley Robertson
How Western journalists in Vietnam and POW NGOs were not fooled by tales of MIA Vet back from the dead
Did a Canadian filmmaker find a left behind Vietnam vet or did credulous Toronto media give new life to an old scam?
