Sally Satel and Scott Lilienfeld have written a new book, Brainwashed: The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience. Its purpose is not to critique neuroscience, but to expose and protest its mindless oversimplification, interpretive license, and premature application in the legal, commercial, clinical, and philosophical domains. The brain is a wondrous thing:… read more "Brainwashed: Neuroscience and Its Perversions"
GAPS Diet
A correspondent asked me to look into the GAPS diet. I did. I was sorry: it was a painful experience. What a mishmash of half-truths, pseudoscience, imagination, and untested claims! GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome. It is the invention of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. According to her, a wide variety… read more "GAPS Diet"
A Skeptic’s Guide to the Mind
In his first book, On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You’re Wrong,neurologist Robert Burton showed that our certainty that we are right has nothing to do with how right we are. He explained how brain mechanisms can make us feel even more confident about false beliefs than about… read more "A Skeptic’s Guide to the Mind"
Dr. Amen’s Love Affair with SPECT Scans
Daniel Amen loves SPECT scans (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography). And well he should. They have brought him fame and fortune. They have rewarded him with a chain of Amen Clinics, a presence on PBS, lucrative speaking engagements, a $4.8 million mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and a line of… read more "Dr. Amen’s Love Affair with SPECT Scans"
Ecstasy for PTSD: Not Ready for Prime Time
Hundreds of desperate combat veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are reportedly seeking experimental treatment with an illegal drug from a husband-wife team in South Carolina. The Bonhoefers recently published a study showing that adding MDMA (ecstasy, the party drug) to psychotherapy was effective in eliminating or greatly reducing the… read more "Ecstasy for PTSD: Not Ready for Prime Time"
Procera AVH: A Pill to Restore Memory
At the recent Amaz!ng (no, the ! is not a typo) Meeting in Las Vegas, Dr. Gorski, Dr. Novella, “Dr. Rachie” (Rachael Dunlop of Australia) and I participated in a workshop on “Dr. Google” about how to find reliable health information on the Internet. In my presentation, I described step… read more "Procera AVH: A Pill to Restore Memory"
Gender Differences: What Science Says and Why It’s Mostly Wrong
Men and women don’t come from Mars and Venus, but they are undeniably different. Vive la différence! Without it life would be far less interesting. It’s not just the anatomical differences like chest bumps versus dangly bits; there are also differences in psychology and behavior. My daughters and I are… read more "Gender Differences: What Science Says and Why It’s Mostly Wrong"
Blind-Spot Mapping, Cortical Function, and Chiropractic Manipulation
Steven Novella recently wrote about so-called “chiropractic neurology” and its most outspoken proponent, Ted Carrick. In 2005 I published an article in The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine (Vol 9, No 1, p. 11-15) entitled “Blind-Spot Mapping, Cortical Function, and Chiropractic Manipulation.” It was an analysis of a study Carrick had… read more "Blind-Spot Mapping, Cortical Function, and Chiropractic Manipulation"
Steven Fowkes (Part 2 of 2): Nutrients for Better Mental Performance
Last week, in part 1, I covered Steven Fowkes’ “cures” for Alzheimer’s and herpes. In part 2, I will cover a video where he goes further afield. It is titled “Nutrients for Better Mental Performance,” but he also discusses sleep, depression, hangovers, and a lot of other topics. Some of… read more "Steven Fowkes (Part 2 of 2): Nutrients for Better Mental Performance"
Steven Fowkes (Part 1 of 2): How to Cure Alzheimer’s and Herpes
A correspondent asked me to review a video presentation by Steven Fowkes, “Nutrients for Better Mental Performance,” one segment of a 9-part series on preventing and curing Alzheimer’s that was mentioned recently by an SBM commenter. Fowkes is an organic chemist without a PhD; he says this means: I am… read more "Steven Fowkes (Part 1 of 2): How to Cure Alzheimer’s and Herpes"