HuffPo Doubles Down on Quackery
By I’m really glad the Huffington Post boycott has ended so I can again write about their terrible medical coverage. Why does the site give such an extensive platform to complete quacks? What is it about a certain segment of the population, by and large liberals, who choose to believe in alternative medicine over medicine with an actual track record of helping people get better? These are questions I don’t have good answers to.
Amanda Marcotte finds this piece by Dr. Robert A. Kornfeld, founder of something called the Institute for Integrative Podiatric Medicine. Kornfeld talks about myths that your doctor may believe. Among them–that technology has improved medicine, that immunization is useful in fighting childhood disease, and that medications improve health.
Huh.
Even famous cases like Steve Jobs, who probably died because he waited 9 months to treat his cancer through traditional methods so he could mediate and engage in alternative practice, don’t even being to put a dent into the growing industry of medicinal quackery, the greatest threat of fake doctors to public health since the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.
Amanda’s takedown is quite complete, going through each of Kornfeld’s absurd points, using actual evidence to retort, such as increasing life expectancy. Not that it will make any difference.