Are we still teaching science at grade schools?

We're barely teaching science at grade schools in the Bay area.  Here are the findings of an extensive October 2007 study done by UC Berkeley.  You can read an article on this study at the website of the San Francisco Chronicle. Here are the main findings of the study: --…

Continue ReadingAre we still teaching science at grade schools?

Sin, Sex, Secret Societies

Last night I saw The Da Vinci Code for the first time.  I had read the first chapter of the book some time ago and frankly it so did not capture my imagination that I haven't picked it up since.  Years before, I'd read Holy Blood Holy Grail, the book…

Continue ReadingSin, Sex, Secret Societies

A skeptic visits a chiropractor for acupuncture treatment

I have long been suspicious of chiropractors.  Why?  One reason is that the practice has a wobbly foundation.  In 1895, D.D.  Palmer declared that “95% of all diseases are caused by displaced vertebrate, the remainder by luck stations of other joints.”  His conclusion is that most diseases could be cured by adjusting vertebrae that interfere with nerve vibrations flowing from the brain through the vertebrae.  Recent studies have shown that while spinal manipulation can be helpful to treating some back pain, “there appears to be little evidence to support the value of spinal manipulation for non-musculoskeletal conditions.”  (Shekelle, P.G. “What role for chiropractic and healthcare?” New England Journal of Medicine 339:1074-1075.) 

Another reason for my skepticism regarding chiropractors is that I’ve heard too many tales of highly suspicious sounding chiropractors.  I’ve heard, for instance, about the “need” to be treated two to three times per week for years on end for nebulous sounding conditions.

I’ve never before been to a chiropractor. Five weeks ago I would’ve assure you that I would not likely ever go to a chiropractor.  That was before my pain got bad, however.  For the past five weeks, I’ve been suffering from a pain on the left side of my upper back.  It comes and goes during the day, ranging from a dull ache to a severe stabbing pain that makes it hard for me to concentrate anything else.  The pain sometimes borders on disabling.  Sometimes, lying down is the only thing that settles down the intense …

Share

Continue ReadingA skeptic visits a chiropractor for acupuncture treatment

What’s going down on fundie websites?

This collection is a bit too painful to read at length, actually.  If you ever doubt that fundamentalism is destructive to a healthy intellect, visit this collection and read a few entries. If you want to see the original entries, the links are waiting for you.  And in case anyone is…

Continue ReadingWhat’s going down on fundie websites?