Topic: Steve Novella mentioned in the Economist this week!

[zogulus]

http://www.economist.com/node/21552554

[drwfishesman]

That was one of the most rage inducing things I've ever read.

[Neon Genesis]

Has comparing anything you don't like to religious fundamentailsm become the new insult?

[David E.]

Would you folks excuse me for a moment.


 

[Citizen Skeptic]

CAM crap is covered in Obamacare.

http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/news/2010/03/cam-supplements-included-in-health-care-reform-bill.aspx

SILVER SPRING, Md.—The health care reform bill signed into law March 23 by President Barack Obama, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, includes several provisions that address complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and one focused on certain dietary supplements. These details, previously identified by American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) President Michael McGuffin in a Jan. 13, 2010, open letter, primarily serve to better incorporate alternative practitioners into the U.S. health care system.

Among the provisions included in the final law, section 4206 would have a direct effect on those dietary supplements for which there are FDA-approved health claims by setting up a pilot program for "wellness plans," which can now include those few supplements with "health claims approved by the Secretary." Currently approved health claims include, for example, claims for calcium and osteoporosis; soluble fiber and coronary heart disease; and folic acid and neural tube birth defects. The full list can be found on FDA’s Web site.

Another notable provision in the health care reform bill is section 2706, which prohibits "discrimination" against any health care provider licensed in a state; more specifically: "A group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage shall not discriminate with respect to participation under the plan or coverage against any health care provider who is acting within the scope of that provider's license or certification under applicable State law."

Other sections of the new law will also promote more inclusion for CAM practitioners. These include section 5101, that establishes a National Healthcare Workforce Commission to work with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and section 3502, which creates "community health teams," defined to include, among others, "licensed complementary and alternative medicine practitioners."

“The new health care law is a starting point for a broader inclusion of CAM within the U.S. health care system,” said McGuffin. “If managed properly, greater inclusion of alternative practitioners in health care should open a pathway for increased acceptance of the dietary supplement products they provide.”

[ST]

Not the first time a prominent skeptic gets mentioned there. The same magazine has a review of Shermer's latest book.

[andrewclunn]

This is the kind of vapid, by the numbers 'reporting' that makes me rage.  That they gave Steve a one liner spot that doesn't even seem to go with the paragraph and even works against his point (a clear case of, "We need a skeptical quote to put in here!") just... 

[Ah.hell]

Has comparing anything you don't like to religious fundamentailsm become the new insult?

Its the new fascism.

[Grimner]

Must get this issue.

You raging American might want to read that article with your best British accent. And more than once. It is not as snarky as The Economist can be (and should be on this issue - homoeopathy is hardly controversial) and both doctors Ernst and Novella should have been given far more ink, of course, but is is far from 'balanced'.

[Corpsegrinder]

I don't know why some of you are so upset.  For a mainstream article, this isn't exactly SCAM friendly.

[Neon Genesis]

The article is a bit too "both sides are equal" slanted.

[drwfishesman]

What's worse is its "Yeah it's probably fake, but its good business" slant.

[superdave]

What's worse is its "Yeah it's probably fake, but its good business" slant.

I think it's even worse than that.   It wasn't CAM doesn't work but people still buy it.  It was mainstream doctors don't think CAM works, but some doctors do, and people buy it.   Those are very different and in some ways very bad.  It subtly undermines the usefulness of the scientific method to determine the truth.  If studies show something is BS, but you leave the question open, you give the impression that scientific studies are not definitive, when in reality they are the best way we have to determine if something works.

This doesn't just undermine science based medicine, it undermines all of science.

[NonHero]

On the Economist science page (http://www.economist.com/science-technology), there is the poll question: "Should alternative medicine be taught in medical schools?"

With 342 votes, right now the results are 49% saying Yes and 51% saying No.... Sigh.

[Citizen Skeptic]

On the Economist science page (http://www.economist.com/science-technology), there is the poll question: "Should alternative medicine be taught in medical schools?"

With 342 votes, right now the results are 49% saying Yes and 51% saying No.... Sigh.

Wow. I wonder if the participants even knew what the question meant?