Australasian Science: Australia's authority on science since 1938
The Bitter Pill
Getting to the Bottom of Colon Cleansing
By Joanne Benhamu
Colonic cleansing has persisted as an alternative therapy for centuries despite a lack of evidence.
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A Catalyst for Better Science Journalism
By Rob Morrison
In the wake of the controversial Catalyst reports on cholesterol and statins, Rob Morrison provides a checklist for good science journalism.
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How Charles Darwin Was Cured by Water
By John Hayman
The “water cure” relieved Charles Darwin of periods of nausea, but why didn’t it work at home?
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Darwin’s Diagnoses
By John Hayman
The father of modern biology suffered much at the hands of alternative medical practitioners.
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The Natural Logic of Health Care
By Wendy Daniels
It’s time to debunk the “natural is healthy and good and non-natural is unhealthy and bad” myth.
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Call Out the Quacks
By Tory Shepherd
Scientists often complain about the way the media treat their message, but journalists have reason to complain as well, since many scientists don’t help to get that message straight.
Tory Shepherd is the Political Editor of The Advertiser and a columnist at The Punch. She regularly writes columns exposing alternative medicine bunkum and bogus health claims.
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Too Open to Ideas?
By Matthew Browne
Why do intelligent people believe incredible things? Psychological studies suggest that the answer may lie in personality type rather than any measure of intelligence.
Dr Matthew Browne is a Lecturer in Psychology at CQUniversity and a biostatistician at the Institute for Health and Social Science Research.
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Is Complementary Medicine a Valid Alternative?
By Marcello Costa
How can we compare the evidence base behind conventional and complementary medicine?
Marcello Costa is Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor and Professor of Neurophysiology at Flinders University.
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When “Healing Hands” Start Grasping
By John Dwyer
Esoteric breast massage claims “to heal many issues such as painful periods, polycystic ovaries, endometriosis, bloating/water retention, and pre-menstrual and menopausal symptoms”.
John Dwyer is an Emeritus Professor of Medicine at UNSW and Foundation President of Friends of Science in Medicine (www.scienceinmedicine.org.au).
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What’s the Evidence?
By Sue Ieraci
The terms “evidence-based” and “peer-reviewed” have become touchstones for reliability, but why should the views of peers count so much and what does “evidence-based” medicine really mean?
Sue Ieraci is an emergency physician who has worked in NSW public hospitals for 30 years. While maintaining a continuous clinical career, she has held roles in management and medical regulation, and been involved in health systems research.
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