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-woo in medicine.  

Everything we eat causes cancer…sort of (David Gorski) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/everything-we-eat-causes-cancer/ A study of cookbooks finds that the great majority of ingredients in our food have been associated with cancer in at least one study. Such studies offer weak preliminary findings of association, not of causation. They make the news, but they are not reasons to fear our food.  

Rituximab for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Jumping the Gun (Harriet Hall) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/rituximab-for-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-jumping-the-g/ CFS patients from as far away as Norway are spending thousands of dollars to travel to San Francisco for a questionable treatment with a risky IV drug, based only on very preliminary, shaky evidence. Some are under the false impression that this off-label treatment of individuals constitutes a scientific study, and there are other ethical concerns.  

The following is a contribution to the JREF’s ongoing blog series on skepticism and education. If you are an educator and would like to contribute to this series, please contact Bob Blaskiewicz.

Professional educators are driven by intrinsic, not extrinsic, motivation. We’re motivated not by financial reward (teaching isn’t exactly the most lucrative profession) but by our desire to inform, to enlighten, and to promote critical thinking. We’re passionate about these things. We want to make a difference. Put simply: we’re motivated by our idealism.

We were flooded with weird and interesting stories all week. Back to normal...

Here is a rundown of the top stories in pseudoscience, anomalies and general stuff that might make you a little discouraged from the past week courtesy of Doubtful News.

There were several stories about curious phenomena that turned out to be NOT so mysterious.

Closing out 2012 with a bit of fun: Do you want some quantum with that pseudoscience? (David Gorski) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/do-you-want-some-quantum-with-that-pseudoscience/ The term “quantum” is used and abused in alt-med. QuantumMAN is a hilarious example, purporting to upload quantum medicines into your brain via computer or smartphone. Its website is suffused with shockingly silly pseudoscience.