Lemons can enhance the taste of tea, a cup of which that may soothe your cold or ease congestion. But lemons certainly can't prevent or cure disease, especially cancer. So let's not boil lemon water and skip the specialist – as some social media activists are advocating – if you've been diagnosed with this serious ailment.
junk science
It is easy to see why so many people believe in traditional herbal remedies. Homeopathy, on the other hand, is just plain nuts. It completely defies logic how anyone with a halfway functional brain could buy into this. This type of alternative medicine is predicated upon three truly bizarre ideas.
Apparently, you can make any claim with an Asterisk (*), so long as the asterisk clarifies that your claim isn't true. In one of Dr. Oz's latest press releases, the TV 'doc' touts apple cider vinegar (or any vinegar) as a miracle health benefit: it improves blood flow, prevents diabetes, encourages weight loss, and prevents cancer. But not too long ago on the Dr. Oz show, he caveats his claims by saying this: "
Junk science is everywhere. This is why our mission is so important. If journalists and advocates don't speak up for good science, cranks and quacks will take over. As part of our ongoing effort to eradicate nonsense, here's our list of the top junk science stories we debunked this year.
A closer look at food science reveals that a tax on sugary drinks (such as soda, sports drinks, and tea), a policy being pondered by voters in the San Francisco Bay area, is deeply misguided. We get sugar in our diets from many different sources, some of which we would consider "healthy" foods.
Sometimes bad science can lead to a good solution. Case in point: fixing a problem in 19th century London that miasma theory said should solve disease. A misunderstanding of the disease's nature ultimately proved beneficial when city officials solved the mystery of a real world issue -- nasty microbes.
Ever wonder if mom loves the kids or the dog more? Well the federal government was curious too so they wasted your tax money trying to find out.
The legal system requires proof and in 2015 science is often likely to provide it, so lawyers need to know what is good science versus the junk kind.
An informative Washington Examiner article by T. Becket Adams hits the nail on the head in explaining the major problem plaguing science that ACSH has worked to combat: junk studies, and the sloppy media coverage that ensues. The piece also includes quotes from many experts associated with ACSH.
Kudos to Kent Sepkowitz for his very smart piece in yesterday s Daily Beast. The title alone Today s ADHD Blame Game: Pesticides suggest critical thinking about chemical toxicity something that is very rare in these days of one phony scare after another is being applied. Indeed Sepkowitz uses just that, and does so brilliantly.
The latest in health news: The FDA is finally reviewing homeopathic products to decide whether they should go under same approval process as conventional drugs, a new study shows why napping in carseats and strollers could be dangerous for your infant, and Columbia faculty speak out for or against Dr. Oz; we aren't sure.
A report from the Harvard School of Public Health is hitting the headlines hard today. The conclusion: Men who eat produce with pesticide residue have poorer sperm quality than those who don t.