Bad Science - Ben Goldacre

Ben Goldacre is the very outspoken mouthpiece against really rubbish claims made by modern medicine or television charlatans. He is a medical doctor and journalist with a column in the Guardian newspaper with an uncanny bullsh*t detector second to none. I can't remember when I first came across his ways of thinking but it must have been when I was looking for an answer to Gillian McKeith, a woman that makes my neck hair stand on end, someone I find appalling to the n-th degree. Lately I have seen him voice his opinion on London's 6 o'clock news regarding LBC's Jenni Barnett and her rather stupid musings on the MMR back in January and the other week on Watchdog ...  Read the complete review

INTRODUCTION Ms Larsbaby pointed me in the direction of this book which a friend of hers had read. The point of the book seemed to be to debunk myths around science and in particular the "pseudo-science" peddled by groups as diverse as nutritionists and journalists. Famous health stories would be examined in detail and taken apart where appropriate. My interest piqued, I had a look to see what all the fuss was about. BRAIN GYMS, HOMEOPATHY AND NUTRITION The author's targets in the book for peddlers of bad science are many and varied. He highlights some well known cases to highlight his point, though is at pains to point out that ...  Read the complete review

Have you ever read the newspaper health pages and wondered where they got the statistics from that doing X doubles your risk of cancer? Have you ever been bamboozled by the claims of the cosmetics industry about their magic lotions with their unpronounceable sciency sounding formulas and their claims to give you eternally youthful skin? Perhaps you are too scared to give your baby the MMR jab because you don't want to risk them becoming autistic. The books "Bad Science" by Ben Goldacre delves behind these headlines to tell the truth about these issues and explain to the general public how bad science has invaded their everyday life. Ben Goldacre is a ...  Read the complete review

Ben Goldacre is a (medical) doctor who spends a fair chunk of his time - via newspaper columns, website, this book and other media - challenging and/or rubbishing what he terms 'Bad Science'. In this book he explores specific examples of the dissemination of bad science by looking at such recent media storms as the MRSA scare and MMR jab controversy, dodgy individuals like Gillian McKeith, industries and therapies propogating scientific truths/half-truths/rubbish such as homeopathy, beauty and cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. He delves into each of these, exposing the different ways in which we can be fooled. Sometimes this is plain deception, e.g. ...  Read the complete review

Like the very best popular science, this book is patient but fascinating in building up your knowledge of the subject area - in this case medical (and 'alternative' medical) research. There are two main themes that run through the book. The first is an expose of pseudoscience - detox, vitamin supplements, homeopathy and the like. This includes some very cutting examinations of various charlatans who advocate these approaches. These things are very easy targets, but as they are not generally regarded as science in the first place, calling them `bad science' gives them an air of authority they don't deserve. The only science in the book in this context is the ...  Read the complete review