Bronze-level articleNaturalNews

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(Rejection of evidence-based medicine)
(Rejection of evidence-based medicine: This is poorly worded and I can't figure out how to fix, so deleting. Possibly reinstate it later?)
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== Rejection of evidence-based medicine ==
 
== Rejection of evidence-based medicine ==
The main theme is the contrast between the site's exacting criticism of [[evidence-based medicine]] and its unquestioning acceptance of [[nature woo]], [[New Age]] and [[alternative medicine]].<ref>[http://www.naturalnews.com/029893_alternative_medicine_evidence.html A glaring example of this]</ref> This often involves rejection of the [[scientific method|scientific method's]] application to medicine as "inherently flawed", with a preference for [[quackery]] in general and [[anecdotal evidence]] in particular.<ref>[http://www.naturalnews.com/019334_health_drug_disease.html Shattering the false philosophy and junk science of conventional medicine... supposedly]</ref> Chemotherapy=poison<ref>Well, this is true. The idea is it's still less worse than no chemotherapy. But understanding this requires nuanced thinking.</ref> and high-profile deaths happen due to conventional medicine.<ref>[https://skepticalteacher.wordpress.com/2009/09/18/natural-cures-douchebags-use-patrick-swayzes-death-to-push-their-woo/ “Natural Cures” Douchebags Use Patrick Swayze’s Death to Push Their Woo]</ref> (see [[selective reporting]])
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The main theme is the contrast between the site's exacting criticism of [[evidence-based medicine]] and its unquestioning acceptance of [[nature woo]], [[New Age]] and [[alternative medicine]].<ref>[http://www.naturalnews.com/029893_alternative_medicine_evidence.html A glaring example of this]</ref> This often involves rejection of the [[scientific method|scientific method's]] application to medicine as "inherently flawed", with a preference for [[quackery]] in general and [[anecdotal evidence]] in particular.<ref>[http://www.naturalnews.com/019334_health_drug_disease.html Shattering the false philosophy and junk science of conventional medicine... supposedly]</ref>
  
 
The response to any alternative medicine claim, however, is blind acceptance, whether the topic at hand is [[homeopathy]], [[chiropractic]], [[dental woo]], [[water fluoridation]] scares, [[aspartame]] scares, [[vitamin]] woo, [[detox]] diets or [[AIDS denial]].
 
The response to any alternative medicine claim, however, is blind acceptance, whether the topic at hand is [[homeopathy]], [[chiropractic]], [[dental woo]], [[water fluoridation]] scares, [[aspartame]] scares, [[vitamin]] woo, [[detox]] diets or [[AIDS denial]].

Revision as of 14:34, 20 February 2012

Against allopathy

Alternative medicine

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Alternative articles

NaturalNews.com (formerly Newstarget) is a website founded and owned by self-proclaimed "health ranger" Mike Adams. The site promotes almost every sort of medical woo known, though it specializes in promoting vaccine hysteria[1] and quack cancer medicine[2]. The site also promotes conspiracy theories concerning modern medicine, geared to gain sympathy for alternative medicine.[3]

Contents

Rejection of evidence-based medicine

The main theme is the contrast between the site's exacting criticism of evidence-based medicine and its unquestioning acceptance of nature woo, New Age and alternative medicine.[4] This often involves rejection of the scientific method's application to medicine as "inherently flawed", with a preference for quackery in general and anecdotal evidence in particular.[5]

The response to any alternative medicine claim, however, is blind acceptance, whether the topic at hand is homeopathy, chiropractic, dental woo, water fluoridation scares, aspartame scares, vitamin woo, detox diets or AIDS denial.

Conspiracy theories

Being the vast repository of quackery and paranoia that it is, NaturalNews wouldn't be complete without Big Pharma conspiracy theories.[6][7] There is no depth Big Pharma will not sink to, no lie too big for them to tell, in order to poison American citizens and cover up their "junk science."

While Adams started out by spreading mostly Big Pharma conspiracy theories, he has descended into complete insanity over the years. He claims that the "pharmaceutical industry" has created HIV vaccines with the sole purpose to create as many "HIV positive people" as possible to which one could sell anti-retroviral drugs at a huge profit. Screening with mammography would also create cancer, which would have to be expensively treated and bring again profits. He refers to chemotherapy as quackery.[8]

There's also usually a front page article about how some loophole in an obscure new law or regulation will enable alternative medicine or natural supplements to be banned forever!

Adams loves "news" about chemtrails as well.[9] He considers David Icke a reliable source.[10] Naturally, he supports Ron Paul and "health freedom."[11]

Adams has also come out as a hardcore 9/11 truther, birther, and pretty much everything else-er. He considers Alex Jones, Jeff Rense, and David Icke to be "REAL heroes."[12]

Mike's weekly cartoon

One of the more ridiculous features of NaturalNews is cartoons drawn by Mike Adams which are even less entertaining than Mallard Fillmore. These are usually followed by paragraphs and paragraphs of the author having to explain the point of the cartoon to an audience who otherwise wouldn't find them "funny."[13]

Beliefs

Adams is a flat out opponent of modern medicine and opposes any medication or doctor visits. He is a raw food proponent and committed Anti-vaccinationist and calls himself the Health Ranger or holistic nutritionist. He opposes food which contains sugar, was cooked or made to last, "red" meat, sweeteners, glutamate, homogenized milk, bread and "white" flour, washing powder of some brands, deodorants and shampoos as well as fluoride toothpaste.

In his opinion, Scientology is treated unfairly.[14][15] (He is an ex-member.)

Cold fusion and so called free energy ideas and devices like the Energy Catalyzer are presented on his website in an uncritical way.[16][17]

Twitter silliness

In 2010, Adams was in the running for the Shorty Awards, basically a personality contest for Twitter users. He had the most votes in the health category, and Joseph Mercola was closely behind. Skeptics decided to vote up Rachel Dunlop, a skeptic and doctor based in Australia.[18][19]

Eventually, Dunlop got to the top of the health charts. Adams and Mercola threw an Internet shit-fit and went vote-canvassing. Hundreds of their supporters turned up and set up new accounts to vote. Those votes were promptly disqualified as only existing accounts were allowed to vote. Adams was briefly put back into pole position, but then was disqualified after the fraudulent votes were removed. He got really angry about this.

Shortly thereafter, Adams posted on NaturalNews a list of all the terrible things he believes that skeptics believe, including:

Skeptics believe that many six-month-old infants need antidepressant drugs. In fact, they believe that people of all ages can be safely given an unlimited number of drugs all at the same time: Antidepressants, cholesterol drugs, blood pressure drugs, diabetes drugs, anti-anxiety drugs, sleeping drugs and more -- simultaneously! Skeptics believe that the human body has no ability to defend itself against invading microorganism and that the only things that can save people from viral infections are vaccines.[20]

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