Whoa. Could it be? An actual science-based article at The Huffington Post?

Pinch me. I must be dreaming.

I say that because I actually see an article in The Huffington Post in which the blogger, Jacob Dickerman, actually correctly describes why homeopathy is quackery! For instance:

Homeopaths will tell us that water has a memory. That it vibrates in a certain way and thus knows exactly what the homeopath put into it. The thing is, if Hahnemann is somehow right about homeopathy, then it doesn't only fly in the face of all those sciences I listed above (physiology, physics, chemistry, germ theory, hydro-dynamics), it flies in the face of public safety. Because the Florine in our water will have less of an effect than the 65-million year old dinosaur feces that have been naturally distilled for millennia. They say that it has no side effects, and they're right. What they don't say is that it doesn't have any primary effects either.

I still can't believe I'm reading HuffPo after my prolonged screed yesterday about all the psuedo science that's appeared in Arianna Huffington's little project since its inception in 2005. Best to head on over there before Patricia Fitzgerald, the homeopath who's the new "Wellness Editor" at HuffPo finds out and tries to dilute it into nonexistence, like a homeopathic remedy.

Of course, any attempt to suppress it would only make it stronger. Many have discovered this law of the Internet--to their sorrow. It's also a law homeopaths should understand. After all, they believe that diluting a remedy can make it stronger.

More like this

Makes you wonder if their legal department woke up and decreed a more "balanced" approach.

Oh; gloat, you yes-men of the Pharmacracy!

Your insidious agents have no doubt infiltrated one of our last bastions of hope against your allopathic anti-Practitioner witch-hunt squads!!

Follow the MONEY ~~ YOUR money || or rather, your PUPPETMASTERS' money!?! ~~ the ROTTEN apple doesn't FALL far from the IMPERIAL tree ~~ and now one of thine Patriarchy's worm-ridden appendages has despoilt the virgin soil of The Huffington Post!!!

Fight them, Ms. Fitzgerald!!!! ~~ For all that is good and TRULY Hol(istic)y!!!!!

By H. Broderix Wu… (not verified) on 05 May 2009 #permalink

I think they also allowed him to do an anti-"vaccine-denialism" post March 30.

By Denice Walter (not verified) on 05 May 2009 #permalink

I have said it before but here I go again.

The curative properties of homeopathy are already in the water the homeopathic practitioner puts into his flask.

If water has memory then it remembers all the cures previously used, and and contains the memory of stuff that is yet to be prescribed.

You don't need the homeopath.

By grasshopper (not verified) on 05 May 2009 #permalink

I forgot to mention succussion.
Water on a merry trip through a cataract, waves pounding the beach, whale flukes slapping the water, kids bombing into the local waterhole etc etc

By grasshopper (not verified) on 05 May 2009 #permalink

One article in nearly five years. Don't think I'm ready to celebrate. I would be happier if they would simply take the "Dr." out of Fitzgerald's headline or put her bio on the same page as the "Dr.". I'd be happier yet if they would do a piece on each of the sources of Ms. Fitz's "degrees" with some commentary from real doctors and real colleges.

It's a trick. I'm sure of it.
Just watch, somehow HuffPo will now spin that they were always proscience, and that sciencebloggers are wrong, and then, conscript more Woo-Peddlers when noones looking.

Either that, or this blogger will suddenly be found in the river, in very dilute cement boots.

Yeah, they are clearly messing with you Orac.

Sort of like the way I play Chess, "Make any move you like as long as it's unexpected." It doesnt make you a strong player but it does throw your opponent off their game.

By speedweasel (not verified) on 05 May 2009 #permalink

He actually has a history of scientifically informed posts:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-dickerman

I like his bio:

"Jake is a former student of the Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing at NYU. Now, he has an art degree which is thoroughly useless.

You can see more of his unqualified and unpaid opinions at weeklyradio.blogspot.org"

By MKandefer (not verified) on 05 May 2009 #permalink

Everyone's favorite Playmate is going to be on "The Doctors"! Can't wait to see the review in these pages.

I know, but I don't know if I can stand any more Jenny McCarthy for a while, and I certainly don't want to watch J.B. Handley spout his usual idiotic and intellectually dishonest nonsense.

'The Doctors' has struck me as slightly woo-friendly in the past. I'm glad to see that it apparently doesn't extend as far as the dangerous antivax nonsense. I hope they give the antivax crowd a good slapdown and don't waffle, especially over the "too many, too soon" BS.

"Best to head on over there before Patricia Fitzgerald, the homeopath who's the new "Wellness Editor" at HuffPo finds out and tries to dilute it into nonexistence, like a homeopathic remedy."

He has written two high traffic HuffPost Science posts about a month ago (I imagine there were many anti-vaccinationists in the comments section):

Why Do Anti-Vaccinationists Believe?

326 Comments |

Posted April 2, 2009 

At the end of last week, I wrote an article which was eventually titled "Vaccine Denial = Scientific Illiteracy."
The article was posted on Monday and has since received a lot of
feedback on either side. Though part of me expected it, another part of
me was confused as...

Read Post______________________________________________________________________________

Vaccine Denial = Scientific Illiteracy

572 Comments |

Posted March 30, 2009 

Last time I wrote about this subject,
I made it too subtle. I thought that deliberately tagging both David
Kirby and Jenny McCarthy, titling it "to David and Jenny, with Love",
and then writing about how a woman's "mommy instinct" got her to kill
an unarmed black man with...

Read Post

"Best to head on over there before Patricia Fitzgerald, the homeopath who's the new "Wellness Editor" at HuffPo finds out and tries to dilute it into nonexistence, like a homeopathic remedy."

He has written two high traffic HuffPost Science posts about a month ago (I imagine there were many anti-vaccinationists in the comments section):

Why Do Anti-Vaccinationists Believe?

 326 comments |

Posted April 2, 2009 

At the end of last week, I wrote an article which was eventually titled "Vaccine Denial = Scientific Illiteracy" The article was posted on Monday and has since received a lot of
feedback on either side. Though part of me expected it, another part of
me was confused as...

Read more...______________________________________________________________________________

Vaccine Denial = Scientific Illiteracy

572 comments |

Posted March 30, 2009 

Last time I wrote about this subject,  I made it too subtle. I thought that deliberately tagging both David
Kirby and Jenny McCarthy, titling it "to David and Jenny, with Love",
and then writing about how a woman's "mommy instinct" got her to kill
an unarmed black man with...Read more...

Not bad, #3. You had me going until your name. Is there a CAM version of Poe's law? Of course, there technically doesn't need to be, since many of these yahoos definitely count as "fundamentalists."

Quick, everyone. Flood the comments on that thread with commentary about how awesome it is to see science on that site, how you had lost all hope and made up your mind never to read them again until you saw this, and the glimmer of hope may be enough for you to read again-- at least, until the next moronic article.

It's already like 99% positive comments. Keep it going until they HAVE to listen.

By Basiorana (not verified) on 06 May 2009 #permalink

I just did a double take after reading that article, it can't be real... It can't.

I do hope HuffPost keeps this up, its embarrassing to have such a major source of anti-science considered a major political site (for either side.)

By Evinfuilt (not verified) on 06 May 2009 #permalink

Dickerman's column was excellent, but how was he able to post there? The teenyboppers Arianna has in charge of her site will probably have to undergo multiple detox enemas as penance for allowing a non-woo health topic to be posted.

Not sure if it has been mentioned here, but Arianna also has invited Scientologist Kelly Preston to spew "anti-psych med" rants at Huffpo. Arianna sure sucks up to a lot of quacks, liars and cult members. I guess that's not surprising since Arianna is in a cult herself.

Keep up the good work on exposing the Huffpo frauds, you smarty pants!

http://gawker.com/5064930/ariannas-mandatory-cult-meetings

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-preston

By Dr Leo Marvin (not verified) on 06 May 2009 #permalink

Even a stopped (analog) clock is right twice a day. But still, it's pretty bad when even the Huffington Post thinks your woo is too wooish.

Wow. a person writing for Huff-po who isn't a crank, quack or woo-head ? Will wonders never cease ?