Monthly Archives: January 2002

Michael Fumento Skewers Claims about Accutane and Suicide

After 15-year-old Charles Bishop smashed a plane into the 28th floor of a Tampa, Florida building, the news media highlighted the fact that Bishop may have been taking Accutane — a drug prescribed for acne which has been dogged by … Continue reading

  • Share/Bookmark
Tagged | 1 Comment

Michael Bellesiles Can’t Stop Lying

Every time it seems like Michael Bellesiles is going to dig himself out of his academic fraud scandal, he just keeps making the situation worse. Bellesiles, of course, wrote Arming America which was praised when it was published for its … Continue reading

  • Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Do Household Appliances Increase the Risk of Miscarriages?

In January reproductive epidemiologist De-Kun Li released a study of 1063 women in San Francisco purporting to show that exposure to high peak levels of electromagnetic fields dramatically increased the risk of miscarriage. But other researchers urge caution noting that … Continue reading

  • Share/Bookmark
Tagged | Leave a comment

Mendocino, California, Held Hostage by EMF Quacks

Wired News ran a report this week about the sad state of affairs in Mendocino, California, where a small group of individuals opposed to all wireless technology has been extremely successful in imposing its views on the small town. The … Continue reading

  • Share/Bookmark
Tagged | 1 Comment

Another Review Find No Connection Between MMR Vaccine and Autism

At the end of 2001 the British Medical Research Council released a report about autism noting that so far there is no evidence linking the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism. The report argues that the best available … Continue reading

  • Share/Bookmark
Tagged | Leave a comment

Is Tom Ridge Calling up the Psychic Hotline?

New York Magazine reports on a number of psychics who claim that the Federal government has contacted them for help in the ongoing terrorist investigation. If this sort of claim had been made say 10 years ago, I’d have dismissed … Continue reading

  • Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

British Health System May Pay for Alternative Therapies

In December the BBC reported that the United Kingdom is considering expanding the range of alternative therapies available from its National Health Service. Considering that the NHS already has enough problems finding the money to pay for medical services, this … Continue reading

  • Share/Bookmark
Tagged , | Leave a comment

Cancer Researcher: West Is Not on the Verge of Cancer Explosion

Speaking at a cancer conference, cancer researcher Julian Peto argued that the widely held perception that the world was on the verge of a massive increase in cancer incidence was misleading. Peto argued that the increase in cancer incidence in … Continue reading

  • Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Federal Judge Restricts Fingerprint Evidence

Last April I wrote about upcoming legal challenges to fingerprint evidence. The first success in challenges to fingerprints came this week as a federal judge placed restrictions on what fingerprint experts could tell a jury about such evidence. The judge … Continue reading

  • Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Foot Massage Does Not Appear to Alleviate Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Reflexology is an alternative therapy which maintains that there are zones on the feet and hands which correspond to pretty much every organ and system in the body. If you’ve got a health problem, applying pressure to certain areas of … Continue reading

  • Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments