07 December 2011 by Richelle McCullough
Image credit: B Tal Near my house in Winnipeg, there’s a summertime Farmer’s Market that I used to go to every weekend to buy fresh local fruits, vegetables and honey. I grew up in rural farming communities and come from a long line of farmers, so I like supporting the little guys who still run family [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Diet and Nutrition, Prairies15 Comments
02 December 2011 by Kim Hebert
Hello? Anyone? Skeptics are often accused of being dogmatic, closed-minded, and/or shills when they criticise particular industries or companies for dishonest, irresponsible, or ethically questionable practices. The natural health industry, with its general lack of oversight and use of science as shiny wrapping paper instead of an inherent foundation, is a veritable cornucopia of claims [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Canada, Health, Medicinal Advertising7 Comments
30 November 2011 by Richelle McCullough
Source There has been much abuzz about “pox parties” – the practice of parents getting a bunch of unvaccinated kids together with an infected one (pick one, really, though chicken pox is the focus of the recent article in Time) in the hope that their little sweethearts become ill and therefore “naturally” immune to the [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Skepticism, Vaccines79 Comments
28 November 2011 by Scott Gavura
While skeptics may not always see eye to eye, if there’s one thing that unites us it’s the belief that all ideas can and should be subject to fair criticism. No testable claim may escape appraisal or critique. It’s a critical component of the scientific method itself: …at the heart of science is an essential [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Skepticism4 Comments
23 November 2011 by Michael Kruse
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario are poised to vote on the new revision to the Complementary/Alternative Medicine policy that has been under review for the past several years. The new revision sports a name change and other clarifications that are generally good, however, the restrictions put on doctors to offer their opinion on [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Medicine, Ontario3 Comments
21 November 2011 by Dianne Sousa
Those of us who attended the Whole Life Expo last year were sorely disappointed to find that our efforts to explore the alternative reality of holistic health were circumvented by eagle eyed holistic gatekeepers. None too happy with our intended presence, the people running the show had some of us followed as we perused the [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Events10 Comments
19 October 2011 by Michael Kruse
This past year the Centre for Inquiry Canada, through its Committee for the advancement of Scientific Skepticism (CASS) submitted a complaint the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) through the Hon. Deb Matthews M.P.P Minister of Health and Long Term Care regarding a collection of homeopaths who had been using the restricted title [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Health Policy, Ontario, Skepticism6 Comments
01 October 2011 by Kim Hebert
(Photo by monkeywing.) Pictured: An actual homeopathic remedy. I am not kidding. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) has drawn criticism recently for their bizarrely-worded policy proposal regarding alternative medicine, most notably from the Canadian Medical Association (general organization feedback here). Common concerns were that the policy is insufficiently objective and science-based, [...]
Posted in Alberta, Alternative Medicine, British Columbia, Canada, Health16 Comments
06 September 2011 by John Underhay
According to the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (ND), there are approximately 1500 NDs practising in Canada. The Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME) is the accreditation body for NDs and lists the following schools: The Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine (New Westminster, British Columbia) The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (Toronto, Ontario) The [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Canada118 Comments
31 August 2011 by Michael Kruse
Important Update: The deadline for submissions has been extended to September 16th 2011 – please do not miss the opportunity to comment. The Board of Directors of Drugless Therapy has. Over the past several weeks, there has been a lot of interest(see here, here, here, and here) generated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Health Policy, Ontario, Skepticism5 Comments
