Why is GD getting so upset about Woo all of a sudden?

[mr blur]

Some people just haven't been taking their homeopathic chill pills.

[Nevernose]

1. I stopped by to post something very similar

It's like they all got the same message on their moonbeams...

[Liberal Veteran]

2. GD's chakra is out of alignment.

A little meditation and massage should realign things and restore balance.

I've placed a crystal near my computer to speed things up a bit.

[Archae]

3. The woo advocates are desperate.

It's becoming more and more obvious that woo is a colossal lie.

Chiropractic, acupuncture, crystals, and homeopathy is proving itself to be fake.

So the woo sellers are amping up the sales pitches, and the woo advocates are getting desperate.

[2banon]

21. Chiropractic, acupuncture proving to be fake?

Just wondering if the sarcasm coda was forgotten?

[HuckleB]

22. Placebo effects only.

[2banon]

23. LOL

[HuckleB]

24. Derp.

http://www.csicop.org/si/show/skeptical_consumers_look_at_chiropractic_claims/

[HuckleB]

25. Acupuncture Doesn't Work

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/acupuncture-doesnt-work/

[kdmorris]

4. LOL I assume it's because it needs to be upset about something

and it was running out of other topics.

[LeftishBrit]

5. I wonder if someone has been propagandizing about it on the Internet somewhere?

I don't really care about what people choose to believe in, or use, for themselves; but it does bother me when people start sneering at others' illnesses; e.g. treating depression as something that can be cured by 'getting off your ass'. I never liked this attitude, and the last three years of Iain Duncan-Smith and the RW press trying to portray people with health problems as scroungers have made me even more intolerant of it!

[progressoid]

6. Does it matter?

The key thing to remember is that you're arrogant and close-minded!

And too sciencey!!!

[Starry Messenger]

7. I have a thought about that.

Granted, it's kind of nebulous and not based on anything concrete, but it seems odd that there is an explosion of support for whackjob-cures the same &$%@ week this country finally institutes some kind of health care reform.

[JoeyT]

8. Full moon?

Telepathic commands from Deepak Chopra?

I got all curious and went and looked, now I wish I hadn't. Yeesh.

[Ron Obvious]

9. I just came here to make the same observation

The strawmen, the anecdotes, the false accusations, the projections, even from some posters I otherwise respect.

Depressing. I suspect this distrust of science is a form of neo-yokelism that's a product of our cynical, anti-authoritarian age.

Life expectancy was around 40 at the beginning of the 20th century (and it still is in traditional tribal societies), but by the end of the century it had nearly doubled with many nasty diseases eradicated or nearly so.

It wasn't any woo (and I just the word deliberately) that brought that about.

[trotsky]

10. Yeah but DID YOU KNOW...

that prior to the discovery of (insert sciencey thing I don't like here), there was NO SUCH THING AS CANCER SO THERE!

Oh and please disregard the tumor-containing mummies we have. They were planted by Big Yak to distract us. Thanks.

[Ron Obvious]

15. Cancer

Indeed. I remember a discussion about low rates of cancer in traditional societies versus a western country with the highest cancer rate in the world. The conclusion seemed obvious to the woo'sters: western lifestyles cause cancer. It's obvious, look at these numbers. No question about it. QED.

Digging a little deeper, it turned out the traditional society in question had an average life expectancy of around 38, whereas the western country with the highest cancer rate also had one of the highest life expectancies in the world (and almost certainly better diagnostics).

Low cancer rates usually means the people don't live long enough to develop it, whereas high cancer rates can mean higher life expectancy rates.

That said, down with Big Yak, of course. Bastards.

[JVS]

11. Holy fucking shit!

[uriel1972]

13. Well said, a bit cruder than I... but well said.. nt

[Warpy]

12. I've avoided most of it

now dammit, where's my medal?

Woo is just fine for healthy people, especially when they're hypchondriacs.

It just doesn't do a thing for any real disease process.

[Iggo]

14. Wish I could've stayed out of it.

But it hurts me to think of the things grown-ups believe in.

[Lisa0825]

16. The woo-sters can take my prescription meds outta my cold, dead hands.

Because if they take them from me, that's what I'll be! Cold and dead!

[uriel1972]

17. agree 100% :)...

[Archae]

18. I love the woo-spreaders' name for those who *GASP* want actual science...

"Scientific materialists"

"If you just open your mind to the possibilities, (fill in the blank woo) can cure (fill in the blank disease)."

"Where's the actual evidence then?"

"You're a scientific materialist! BLASPHEMER!"

The latest I saw was a guy touting the "credentials" of a doctor, who claims quantum science "proves" there is life after death.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024307435

[uriel1972]

19. As if "Scientific materialist" was an insult...

I would say yes I am one, your point?

[Lordquinton]

20. Mechanical science is another that's been going around

like the current flu.

[HuckleB]

26. Psychology can teach us much about why many people fear GM foods, by David Ropeik

http://alpha.cosmosmagazine.com/society/risky-business