In 2007, the PositiveID Corporation in Florida injected microchips into Alzheimer’s patients as part of what it termed a “two-year study.” Up to 200 test subjects, many incapacitated, were supplied by a nursing home in West Palm Beach called Alzheimer’s Community Care, which PositiveID has sponsored at fundraisers.

Today, based on new information, doctors allege the study violated medical ethics and regulatory law. PositiveID appears to have abused science for profit, banking on public and even professional ignorance of medical ethics.

Here is a recap of the stories that appeared last week at Science-Based Medicine, a multi-author skeptical blog that separates the science from the woo in medicine.

I recently had the opportunity to attend The Amaz!ng Adventure 5. While at Grand Turks, our final port, I was wandering through the duty-free shop looking for deals on liquor (Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel for $39!) when I happened upon a tableful of woo. Seeing as I was a medical student on a skeptical cruise, I had to stop and have my wife help make this video.

In my off-the-cuff video, I didn’t have the opportunity to mention the lack of scientific evidence for their claims. Even if the magnetic field did penetrate the skin, it still would not stimulate blood flow because the amount of iron in blood is far too small. If blood did have a strong magnetic attraction, your body would explode in an MRI (which would be cool, I admit).

Note: These would've been posted much earlier if the Costa Fortuna's WiFi had gotten along even slightly better with Joomla, the software with which we run our website. As it was, we got these things all ready to go and then stared at our computer monitors, waiting for some sign of life from the internets. Such signage was not forthcoming, so these are coming to you late. Sorry about that. To make up for last week's Swift shortfall, here's a picture of Randi at the beach.

The remainder of my diary from The Amazing Adventure 5 after the jump.