The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine

So much has been written and said about the placebo effect. In this week’s eSkeptic, we thought we should put our SkepDoc on the trail of finding out what is fact and what is myth about placebos and their effects. You will be surprised by some of Dr. Hall’s findings.

In this week’s eSkeptic, Harriet Hall, MD explains why “homeopathy is about as silly as it gets. Silly wouldn’t matter if it worked, but it doesn’t. People think it works because they get placebo effects and the homeopath keeps them entertained while they get better on their own.”

In this week’s eSkeptic, Daniel Loxton digs into a protest campaign that is fighting to block enforcement of Canada’s purity, safety, and labeling laws for natural health products — and discovers a shadowy business interest behind the faux consumer watchdog site organizing those protests.

In this week’s eSkeptic, Harriet Hall, M.D, a.k.a. “the SkepDoc”, reviews R. Barker Bausell’s book entitled Snake Oil Science: The Truth About Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

In this week’s eSkeptic, Harriet Hall, M.D. applies her usual skeptical lens to ultrasound screening, fish oil, and ear candles. Surprisingly there is something positive to be found in one of the subjects that may actually be good for you.

In this week’s eSkeptic, we announce that a new issue of Skeptic magazine (volume 13, number 3) hits the news stands with a special section on Medical Controversies; Daniel Loxton discusses skeptical activism on Skepticality; Shop Skeptic gets three new Richard Dawkins DVDs; and Michael Shermer shares The Real Secret.

In this week’s eSkeptic, Charles Lambdin reviews Jerome Groopman’s book: How Doctors Think.

In this week’s eSkeptic, Dr. Harriet Hall, Skeptic’s resident expert on all matters medical, examines the evidence surrounding bioidentical hormone treatment.

In this week’s eSkeptic, Matthew P. Normand and Jesse Dallery, Ph.D. address one of the hottest topics in the news this week: vaccination and autism, considering the best scientific evidence to date on the possible connection. As you shall see, the scientists considering the link, Matthew P. Normand and Jesse Dallery, provide an excellent summary of what we know and do not know.