A Scout Report Selection: Science-Based Medicine

Fewer topics are more important or more fraught with misinformation than health and medicine. General readers, health care professionals, writers, and journalists who want to get the best scientific perspectives on alternative medicine, miracle cures, medical fraud, and the wellness industry should look no further than Science-Based Medicine (SBM), which promotes scientific reasoning and critical thinking in the evaluation of medical treatments and products. On the page linked above, visitors will find two kinds of helpful resources. First, there are blog-style posts offering the latest evidence about medical claims, news about recent scientific discoveries, and commentary on issues of contemporary and perennial interest. Readers can scroll through the latest posts or find those organized by popular topics such as Chiropractic, Energy Medicine, Nutrition, Health Fraud, and even Veterinary Medicine. Second, in the Reference drop-down menu, SBM offers materials on major topics and issues such as Homeopathy, Vaccines & Autism, and Acupuncture. Each reference page provides a scientific overview of the topic, an index of relevant blog posts, summaries of peer-reviewed research, and links to external resources. The material produced for SBM comes from medically trained professionals who are dedicated to educating the public about science and medicine and advocating for high health care standards. SBM is operated by the New England Skeptical Society, a donor-funded nonprofit pursuing critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning. Follow SBM on Twitter and Facebook (@sciencebasedmed on both platforms). [MJZ]