Surprise — Alternative Medicine Doesn't Work!

June 15, 2009 By Daniel Florien 126 Comments

PsychicI know this will be a shocker to many of you, but a recent government study has concluded that most alternative medicine doesn’t work:

Ten years ago the government set out to test herbal and other alternative health remedies to find the ones that work. After spending $2.5 billion, the disappointing answer seems to be that almost none of them do.

Echinacea for colds. Ginkgo biloba for memory. Glucosamine and chondroitin for arthritis. Black cohosh for menopausal hot flashes. Saw palmetto for prostate problems. Shark cartilage for cancer. All proved no better than dummy pills in big studies funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The lone exception: ginger capsules may help chemotherapy nausea.

Oh well, I guess we’ll have to rely on prayer instead, right?

(via)

Filed Under: Medicine, Pseudoscience, Science 126 Comments

Non-Scientific vs Scientific Thinking

June 12, 2009 By Daniel Florien 26 Comments

Whereas non-scientific (and potentially dangerous) thinking starts with a premise and then looks for things that support it, scientific thinking constantly tries to disprove itself. That alone makes all the difference in the world.

—Derren Brown, Tricks of the Mind, p. 266

If we start with a premise and only look for things that support it, we will find something, and we will be confirmed in our belief. But science — at least good science — looks not only for things that support it, but for things that disprove it. That is why studies and tests are done, instead of citing an ancient “authority” and/or appealing to emotions.

If everyone tried to disprove their own beliefs, we would be much closer to the truth.

Filed Under: Pseudoscience, Quotes, Science 26 Comments

Efficacy of Prayer Positions

June 10, 2009 By Daniel Florien 48 Comments

Just in case you were wondering, you can immensely improve the quantity of positive energy accessible and decrease interference by negative energies simply by changing your prayer position! Praise Mother Earth!

prayer-efficacy

Filed Under: Humor, Paranormal, Prayer, Pseudoscience, Superstition, Weird 48 Comments

James Randi Speaks at NASA

May 12, 2009 By Daniel Florien 5 Comments

The sound on this is horrible, but the content is good. James Randi talks about woo, the million dollar challenge, and homeopathy.

YouTube Preview Image

See the rest of the lecture

Filed Under: Pseudoscience, Superstition, Videos 5 Comments

Praying With Spiritual Emotion

May 12, 2009 By Daniel Florien 52 Comments

These guys have it all figured out, don’t they? And no, they’re not joking:

praying-with-spirtual-emotionI disagree strongly with this. Through my rigorous testing and analysis, I measured 43.5% accessibility of Divine Consciousness frequencies, and 12.97% of Divine Consciousness frequencies transmitted outside the body.

I dare them to show evidence against my claims!

(via)

Filed Under: Humor, Oh the Stupidity!, Paranormal, Prayer, Pseudoscience 52 Comments
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