I had never heard of Dr. Shantaram Kane, a chemical engineer in Mumbai, India. I don’t know how he heard of me, but he apparently knows I am critical of homeopathy. He e-mailed me out of the blue to tell me about a study he had published in 2010 in… read more "Homeopathy and Nanoparticles"
Update: Homeopathy in Brazilian Scientific American
Last week I wrote about a regrettable piece on homeopathy that was published in Scientific American Brasil. There have been gratifying developments. Within hours, the editor in chief of Scientific American, Mariette DiChristina, appeared in the Comments. She said that Scientific American does not condone the pseudoscience of homeopathy, that the… read more "Update: Homeopathy in Brazilian Scientific American"
Scientific American Declares Homeopathy Indispensable to Planet and Human Health
I recently received an e-mail from one of SBM’s readers in Brazil, Felipe Nogueira Barbara de Oliveira, a PhD candidate in Medical Science who holds an MS in Computer Science and is who is trying to promote critical thinking and scientific medicine in his country. He sent me a jpeg… read more "Scientific American Declares Homeopathy Indispensable to Planet and Human Health"
Homeopathy and Its Kindred Delusions
January 31, 2012 Note: The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) is publishing a new series of e-books. The first two offerings are an excellent new book on critical thinking by Bob Carroll, Unnatural Acts, and the first in a planned series of republications of classic skeptical works, Homeopathy and Its… read more "Homeopathy and Its Kindred Delusions"
Electrodermal Testing Part I: Fooling Patients with a Computerized Magic Eight Ball
Remember the Magic Eight Ball toy? You could ask it a question and shake it and a random answer would float up into a window: yes, no, maybe, definitely, etc. There is even a website where you can ask an Eight Ball questions online. I have been meaning to write… read more "Electrodermal Testing Part I: Fooling Patients with a Computerized Magic Eight Ball"
Trituration Proving of the Light of Saturn
Homeopathy is based on the idea that “like cures like” and the “law of infinitesimals.” If coffee keeps you awake, diluted coffee should act as a sleeping potion. The less coffee, the stronger the effect. You can even dilute away all the molecules of coffee: the water will remember it.… read more "Trituration Proving of the Light of Saturn"
The Montagnier “Homeopathy” Study
A recent study is being cited as support for homeopathy. For instance, the Homeopathy World Community website says Luc Montagnier Foundation Proves Homeopathy Works. Dana Ullman cites it in the comments to this blog And I assume that you all have seen the new research by Nobel Prize-winning virologist Luc… read more "The Montagnier “Homeopathy” Study"
Delusions About Dilutions Never Cease
In “Challenging Challenges” (Swift, Oct 17), Jeff Wagg posted a video with weird sounds and the voice of John Benneth, who is challenging Randi’s Million Dollar Challenge. I recently had an e-mail exchange with Benneth that was very illuminating. A former unsuccessful applicant for the MDC, he is considering re-applying. He… read more "Delusions About Dilutions Never Cease"
Homeopathy – Still Crazy After All These Years
Homeopathy is a fascinating phenomenon. Oliver Wendell Holmes recognized that it was nonsense back in 1842 when he wrote “Homeopathy and Its Kindred Delusions.” We long ago gave up the nonsense of trying to balance the four humours by bloodletting and purging, but the homeopathy Energizer Bunny is still marching… read more "Homeopathy – Still Crazy After All These Years"
Homeopathy: How It Really Works
Book Review of Homeopathy: How It Really Works, by Jay Shelton, published by Prometheus in 2003 This will not be the last book written about homeopathy, but perhaps it ought to be. It says everything that needs to be said unless homeopaths can succeed in supporting their claims with better evidence than… read more "Homeopathy: How It Really Works"