Wild Goose Chase: Pseudoscience isn't benign
[CW: Content Warning for child neglect and death, and ableism in an image]
Pseudoscience hurts people, and there are real consequences for complacency.
What's the harm in someone believing in the healing powers of crystals? Is there a problem with someone believing that a deck of tarot cards can tell their future? If someone says a chiropractor has replaced their primary care doctor for most ailments, what's the issue? Let them go on a wild goose chase to cure all their ailements with fairy tales, what do I care?
People (myself included) often hesitate to question what others are doing when it seems like it isn't hurting anyone else. Live and let live, right? I may not believe in tarot card readings but if it isn't hurting anyone else, it's not my business.
But that's the problem, these pseudosciences and myths ARE hurting people, and there are real consequences for complacency toward them.
There are religions with vast followers who believe that certain aspects of modern medicine are evil. Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that blood transfusions are forbidden, and will often choose death over the sin of "eating" blood. Christian Scientists are taught to reject medical treatment, because prayer only works if they don't seek or accept medical care. These religion myths causes people to suffer and die for no reason.
You may think, "well if someone wants to let themself die by not seeking medical treatment, that's sad, but it's up to them." But consider children born into these families, where the parents and community don't believe in medical care. Children who did not choose this life and cannot escape are allowed to die by neglect.
There are plenty of examples of child neglect and death from preventable illness in these communities, and these tragedies continue to happen year after year.
Kimberly Sartore, age one, died in 1969 in Alaska of medically untreated meningitis. Kimberly's father was charged with and convicted of involuntary manslaughter. However, the conviction was overturned when the Alaskan legislature passed a religious exemption law, and the conviction was expunged from Mr. Sartore's record.
Amy Hermanson, age seven, died September 30, 1986, in Sarasota, Florida, of untreated juvenile onset diabetes. Her parents refused to provide her with necessary medical care.
Matthew Swan, 16 months, died in 1977 in Detroit, Michigan, of h-flu meningitis. The parents had retained Christian Science practitioners to treat Matthew.
Debra Ann Kupsch, age 9, from Wisconisn, contracted diphtheria at a Christian Science Camp in Colorado, where she was sick for one week. She came in contact with other unvaccinated children, and died shortly after her arrival home.
Five children of the Winterbourne family of suburban Philadelphia died of pneumonia between 1971 and 1980 without receiving medical attention. Roger Winterbourne, the father, stated: "When you believe in something, you have to believe it all the way. If you only believe in it part way, it's not a true belief."
Ian Lundman, age 11, died May 9, 1989, in Minneapolis, Minnesota of medically untreated juvenile onset diabetes. His mother and stepfather, as Christian Scientists, had the boy treated by a church practitioner instead of a medical doctor. Ian died in a diabetic coma.
Melinda Sue Friedenbeger, age 18 weeks, died of starvation and dehydration on April 25, 1991, in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Parents John and Kathy Friedenbeger reported she had had a fever, vomiting and diarrhea for the last several days of her life.
Ian Burdick, age 15, died November 10, 1987, in Sherman Oaks, California, of diabetes without medical care. At his death Ian was 5'8" tall and weighed 87 pounds.
In early 1991, six children died in the Philadelphia area of measles. Five of the children's parents belonged to the Faith Tabernacle and had religious objections to vaccinations.
"Ok," you say, "but those religous organizations are an extreme example of when pseudoscience can harm people. People who go off about how their chiropractor can cure everything from a sore back to asthma aren't really hurting anyone, right?"
The inventor of chiropractic was Daniel David Palmer, who "suggested that if any one organ was affected by an illness, it merely must not be receiving its normal 'nerve supply' which he dubbed a 'spinal misalignment', or subluxation". These are made up ideas, and are not supported with any scientific evidence. Palmer said he recieved the idea for chiropractic "from the other world", referring it to it in a spiritual sense. He also believed in magnetic healing (proven false), and was anti-vaccination... not exactly someone you would want to take medical advice from.
Chiropractors usually get an undergraduate degree in pre-med, which usually includes some basic anatomy, chemistry, math, and maybe physics courses, but no more than your average science major. This degree doesn't mean the graduate has any practical knowledge or ability to treat illness or pain in a medical setting.
Now, medical doctors (M.D.s) go on to study medicine in higher education, and go through extrememly rigorous education and hands-on medical trianing before earning their doctorate degree in medicine and becoming an M.D. They must demonstrate an in-depth understanding of illness and evidence-based medicine.
On the other hand, chiropractors go from undergraduate school, to a chirpractic school. These programs vary in requirements, but usually include some courses in basic anatomy and biology, with some courses on basic medicine thrown in. There's an emphasis on physical therapy and massage techniques. But, at the end of their program, these people DO NOT, I repeat, do not get medical degrees. They may earn a doctorate degree, but they are no more Medical Doctors than someone with a doctorate degree in literature or a doctorate in philosophy.
Do chiropractors give massages that make people feel relaxed or better, temporarily? Yes, sure. Can they treat anything, other than helping relieve minor soreness or back pain? No. In fact, 50% of patients have adverse reactions to chiropractic care, some severe, and it's estimated that these dangers are still underreported. The Guardian wrote "with extreme chiropractic movement of the neck, an artery can disintegrate and lead to a stroke, an outcome that is well-documented in medical literature."
About 50% of patients seeing a chiropractor have adverse effects, which is staggering. In addition to these fairly mild adverse effects, which basically are pain at the site of manipulation and referred pain sometimes, which only lasts one or two days, we have about 500-700 cases of severe complications being reported.
Not only can these people with little or no medical training cause serious complications when working with your spine and back, but most chiropractors claim to be able to treat all sorts of ailements, from sinus infections and the flu, to slipped disks in the spinal cord and chronic pain. And maybe even worse, many claim to be able to treat serious illnesses in children.
Below is an actual advertisement posted around Facebook by several chiropractors and chiropractic companies. No, I'm not joking, they claim that a non-medical treatment, which came to it's founder in a dream, performed by people who are not doctors, can treat children who have autism, ear infections, allergies, or even treat an asymmetrical head.
(Image shows a flyer titled "Chiropractic for Kids" listing several health problems and neurodivergent diagnoses that the flyer claims to treat with chiropractic care, including: autism, colic, ear infections, torticollis, ADD/ADHD, cold, sleep disturbance, acid reflux, allergies, asymmetrical head chape, difficulty nursing, digestive issues, scoliosis, flu, bed wetting, and sinus congestion.)
Just like children born into families who don't seek medical treatment and end up being neglected, people who believe chiropractors can do more than give a good massage are probably harming themselves, their children, and anyone else who might seek chiropractic care for serious medical needs, after seeing their friend or family member endorse it. Many of these medical problems, if not treated with actual medicine, can lead to fatal complications.
Less severe, but similarly harmful, are those who believe crystals can heal their mental illness and end up in dangerous mental health crisis; or people who believe tarot cards told them that their future would be bad next week, so they choose to neglect their self-care and responsibilities, making it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Then there are people who believe vaccinations might hurt their child so they end up causing harm to others with compromised immune systems; or those who believe climate change isn't real, despite consensus of 97% of scientists.
Even if a pseudocience or myth seems benign, allowing it to floursish unquestioned promotes the societal norm that it's OK to believe in things that aren't real, and it encourages others to feel empowered in their false beliefs. We need to be able to decipher fact from fiction.
Pseudoscience hurts people, and it hurts our chance to flourish as a society and global community. It's a wild goose chase we can't afford to go on.
Pseudoscience hurts people, and there are real consequences for complacency.
What's the harm in someone believing in the healing powers of crystals? Is there a problem with someone believing that a deck of tarot cards can tell their future? If someone says a chiropractor has replaced their primary care doctor for most ailments, what's the issue? Let them go on a wild goose chase to cure all their ailements with fairy tales, what do I care?
People (myself included) often hesitate to question what others are doing when it seems like it isn't hurting anyone else. Live and let live, right? I may not believe in tarot card readings but if it isn't hurting anyone else, it's not my business.
But that's the problem, these pseudosciences and myths ARE hurting people, and there are real consequences for complacency toward them.
There are religions with vast followers who believe that certain aspects of modern medicine are evil. Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that blood transfusions are forbidden, and will often choose death over the sin of "eating" blood. Christian Scientists are taught to reject medical treatment, because prayer only works if they don't seek or accept medical care. These religion myths causes people to suffer and die for no reason.
You may think, "well if someone wants to let themself die by not seeking medical treatment, that's sad, but it's up to them." But consider children born into these families, where the parents and community don't believe in medical care. Children who did not choose this life and cannot escape are allowed to die by neglect.
There are plenty of examples of child neglect and death from preventable illness in these communities, and these tragedies continue to happen year after year.
Kimberly Sartore, age one, died in 1969 in Alaska of medically untreated meningitis. Kimberly's father was charged with and convicted of involuntary manslaughter. However, the conviction was overturned when the Alaskan legislature passed a religious exemption law, and the conviction was expunged from Mr. Sartore's record.
Amy Hermanson, age seven, died September 30, 1986, in Sarasota, Florida, of untreated juvenile onset diabetes. Her parents refused to provide her with necessary medical care.
Matthew Swan, 16 months, died in 1977 in Detroit, Michigan, of h-flu meningitis. The parents had retained Christian Science practitioners to treat Matthew.
Debra Ann Kupsch, age 9, from Wisconisn, contracted diphtheria at a Christian Science Camp in Colorado, where she was sick for one week. She came in contact with other unvaccinated children, and died shortly after her arrival home.
Five children of the Winterbourne family of suburban Philadelphia died of pneumonia between 1971 and 1980 without receiving medical attention. Roger Winterbourne, the father, stated: "When you believe in something, you have to believe it all the way. If you only believe in it part way, it's not a true belief."
Ian Lundman, age 11, died May 9, 1989, in Minneapolis, Minnesota of medically untreated juvenile onset diabetes. His mother and stepfather, as Christian Scientists, had the boy treated by a church practitioner instead of a medical doctor. Ian died in a diabetic coma.
Melinda Sue Friedenbeger, age 18 weeks, died of starvation and dehydration on April 25, 1991, in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Parents John and Kathy Friedenbeger reported she had had a fever, vomiting and diarrhea for the last several days of her life.
Ian Burdick, age 15, died November 10, 1987, in Sherman Oaks, California, of diabetes without medical care. At his death Ian was 5'8" tall and weighed 87 pounds.
In early 1991, six children died in the Philadelphia area of measles. Five of the children's parents belonged to the Faith Tabernacle and had religious objections to vaccinations.
"Ok," you say, "but those religous organizations are an extreme example of when pseudoscience can harm people. People who go off about how their chiropractor can cure everything from a sore back to asthma aren't really hurting anyone, right?"
The inventor of chiropractic was Daniel David Palmer, who "suggested that if any one organ was affected by an illness, it merely must not be receiving its normal 'nerve supply' which he dubbed a 'spinal misalignment', or subluxation". These are made up ideas, and are not supported with any scientific evidence. Palmer said he recieved the idea for chiropractic "from the other world", referring it to it in a spiritual sense. He also believed in magnetic healing (proven false), and was anti-vaccination... not exactly someone you would want to take medical advice from.
Chiropractors usually get an undergraduate degree in pre-med, which usually includes some basic anatomy, chemistry, math, and maybe physics courses, but no more than your average science major. This degree doesn't mean the graduate has any practical knowledge or ability to treat illness or pain in a medical setting.
Now, medical doctors (M.D.s) go on to study medicine in higher education, and go through extrememly rigorous education and hands-on medical trianing before earning their doctorate degree in medicine and becoming an M.D. They must demonstrate an in-depth understanding of illness and evidence-based medicine.
On the other hand, chiropractors go from undergraduate school, to a chirpractic school. These programs vary in requirements, but usually include some courses in basic anatomy and biology, with some courses on basic medicine thrown in. There's an emphasis on physical therapy and massage techniques. But, at the end of their program, these people DO NOT, I repeat, do not get medical degrees. They may earn a doctorate degree, but they are no more Medical Doctors than someone with a doctorate degree in literature or a doctorate in philosophy.
Do chiropractors give massages that make people feel relaxed or better, temporarily? Yes, sure. Can they treat anything, other than helping relieve minor soreness or back pain? No. In fact, 50% of patients have adverse reactions to chiropractic care, some severe, and it's estimated that these dangers are still underreported. The Guardian wrote "with extreme chiropractic movement of the neck, an artery can disintegrate and lead to a stroke, an outcome that is well-documented in medical literature."
About 50% of patients seeing a chiropractor have adverse effects, which is staggering. In addition to these fairly mild adverse effects, which basically are pain at the site of manipulation and referred pain sometimes, which only lasts one or two days, we have about 500-700 cases of severe complications being reported.
Not only can these people with little or no medical training cause serious complications when working with your spine and back, but most chiropractors claim to be able to treat all sorts of ailements, from sinus infections and the flu, to slipped disks in the spinal cord and chronic pain. And maybe even worse, many claim to be able to treat serious illnesses in children.
Below is an actual advertisement posted around Facebook by several chiropractors and chiropractic companies. No, I'm not joking, they claim that a non-medical treatment, which came to it's founder in a dream, performed by people who are not doctors, can treat children who have autism, ear infections, allergies, or even treat an asymmetrical head.
(Image shows a flyer titled "Chiropractic for Kids" listing several health problems and neurodivergent diagnoses that the flyer claims to treat with chiropractic care, including: autism, colic, ear infections, torticollis, ADD/ADHD, cold, sleep disturbance, acid reflux, allergies, asymmetrical head chape, difficulty nursing, digestive issues, scoliosis, flu, bed wetting, and sinus congestion.)
Just like children born into families who don't seek medical treatment and end up being neglected, people who believe chiropractors can do more than give a good massage are probably harming themselves, their children, and anyone else who might seek chiropractic care for serious medical needs, after seeing their friend or family member endorse it. Many of these medical problems, if not treated with actual medicine, can lead to fatal complications.
Less severe, but similarly harmful, are those who believe crystals can heal their mental illness and end up in dangerous mental health crisis; or people who believe tarot cards told them that their future would be bad next week, so they choose to neglect their self-care and responsibilities, making it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Then there are people who believe vaccinations might hurt their child so they end up causing harm to others with compromised immune systems; or those who believe climate change isn't real, despite consensus of 97% of scientists.
Even if a pseudocience or myth seems benign, allowing it to floursish unquestioned promotes the societal norm that it's OK to believe in things that aren't real, and it encourages others to feel empowered in their false beliefs. We need to be able to decipher fact from fiction.
Pseudoscience hurts people, and it hurts our chance to flourish as a society and global community. It's a wild goose chase we can't afford to go on.