Announcing Consequence: A New Podcast About the Harm in Unfounded Belief
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- Written by JREF Staff
- Category: Latest JREF News
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How do unfounded beliefs actually hurt people?
That's a question every skeptic has heard, and should be prepared to answer. After all, it's not just enough to be right about the facts; we should use those facts to help people. Tim Farley's popular website What's the Harm? has long documented cases of woo gone awry-- stories of real people hurt by fake psychics, charlatans and other nonsense-peddlers. Today, we're happy to announce our new podcast, Consequence, which explores firsthand how pseudoscience and claims of the paranormal can be harmful to believers. In each episode, regular people share their personal narratives about the ways a belief in fortune tellers, alternative medicine, and other unsupported claims has hurt them or others.
On the premiere episode of Consequence, host and JREF outreach coordinator Brian Thompson talks to a young actor in New York City who lost thousands of dollars consulting with a storefront psychic who promised him fame and fortune. Plus, JREF fellow Tim Farley shares similar cases with even more harrowing consequences.
Consequence is a show that shares real stories about false things. Things that aren't just factually wrong, but hurt people too.
Hear the first episode of Consequence here.
This Week In Doubtful News
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- Written by Sharon Hill
- Category: Swift
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Here is a rundown of the top stories in pseudoscience, paranormal and anomaly news from the past week courtesy of Doubtful News.
Psychics were in the news this week for getting caught doing some really horrendous things. A woman promoting her psychic services preyed on people's troubles, stealing over $300K. A U.K. man, calling himself a psychic, tricked women into sexual acts during sessions.
In alternative medicine, bad news (it's not ever good, is it?), a four-fold increase has been measured in parents delaying their children's vaccinations, influenced by misinformation about vaccine safety.
Last Week At Science-Based Medicine
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- Written by Dr. Harriet Hall
- Category: Latest JREF News
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Here is a recap of the stories that appeared last week at Science-Based Medicine, a multi-author skeptical blog that separates the science from the woo in medicine.
Cantron: A tale of false hope for cancer (David Gorski) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/a-tale-of-false-hope-for-cancer/ A bogus “miracle cancer cure,” Cantron, is offering false hope to terminal cancer patients and convincing them to reject or delay palliative treatments that could have improved or even possibly prolonged their lives. It is sold as a dietary supplement and the manufacturer can’t legally claim that it treats any disease, but testimonials and “true believer” promoters get the message across.
The Woo-Generating Web
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- Written by Carrie Poppy
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Anyone who’s spent more than eight minutes on the internet knows that there are enough unfounded claims to make you lose your lunch, but few skeptics go the extra mile to actually create their own nonsense-mimicking memes, for the sake of education. Enter two of our favorite woo-generating websites, the Wisdom of Chopra quote generator and the Official Inspiration Generator for Alternative Medicine.
Wisdom of Chopra generates, with a click of a button, a randomly-selected collection of words that eerily mimic the syntactically-sound but often content-free thoughts of new-age author Deepak Chopra. With every refresh, you can enjoy gems like "The future is an ingredient of total creativity," "Imagination is ground of a symphony of actions," "Love is inherent in the flow of fulfillment,” and my personal favorite, "Information is reborn in boundless balance." Why spend $10.88 on Chopra’s Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, when you can enjoy the same aimless mind (wait, I may have gotten that wrong) reading Chopra-esque quotes on the web? 
Holistic Natural Organic Dentistry
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- Written by Dr. Steven Novella
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There does not appear to be any practical limits to the utter nonsense and pseudoscience that is invading health care. Apparently it's hip to be scientifically illiterate and pathologically gullible when it comes to "healing." Just when I think I've seen the worst of it something new comes along to push the envelope.
Have you heard of "natural" or "holistic" dentistry? It seems to be just regular dentistry with an additional layer of marketable woo. Just put some organic wheat grass in your toothpaste you're practicing "natural" tooth care.
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