Skeptical Reporter for September 21st, 2012

When hormone replacement therapy was found to cause an increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, many went in search of safer treatments to decrease their symptoms. In the ensuing decade black cohosh has won out as an overwhelming consumer favorite, now reaping millions of dollars in sales each year. But controlled trials of this supplement have seen mixed results, some case reports even suggesting that it can be toxic, damaging the liver. Damon Little, a bioinformaticist at The New York Botanical Garden and his colleagues an idea: to use DNA bar-coding to see if patients were actually taking pure black cohosh or some other related species. They were able to determine that one quarter of commercially available "black cohosh" pills were not the herb at all. Unlike drugs supplements are not required to be tested for safety or efficacy by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before they hit the market. And testing to make sure the contents match the label are much more lax than it is for pharmaceuticals, opening the opportunity for mislabeling, whether it is accidental or intentional.

Childhood vaccines do not cause autism. Barack Obama was born in the United States. Global warming is confirmed by science. And yet, many people believe claims to the contrary. Psychological scientist Stephan Lewandowsky of the University of Western Australia and colleagues highlight the cognitive factors that make certain pieces of misinformation so "sticky" and identify some techniques that may be effective in debunking or counteracting erroneous beliefs. The main reason that misinformation is sticky, according to the researchers, is that rejecting information actually requires cognitive effort. Weighing the plausibility and the source of a message is cognitively more difficult than simply accepting that the message is true. If the topic isn't very important to you or you have other things on your mind, misinformation is more likely to take hold. Even worse, efforts to retract misinformation often backfire, paradoxically amplifying the effect of the erroneous belief. In their report, Lewandowsky and colleagues offer some strategies for setting the record straight. Provide people with a narrative that replaces the gap left by false information. Focus on the facts you want to highlight, rather than the myths. Make sure that the information you want people to take away is simple and brief. Consider your audience and the beliefs they are likely to hold. Strengthen your message through repetition.

If you are not one to go for end of the world prophecies, but do like the idea of the Mayan calendar giving us hints for the future, then you can take part in a concert/party/sound healing event in Great Britain, in December. This is what the organizers of the party explain about the event: "December 2012 is being looked upon as the time of a significant spiritual shift in the collective consciousness of the planet into this new Golden Age. That’s why 12,000 people will be assembling in Wembley Arena on 12.12.12 to experience The Big Om mass sound healing event – an event with the power at a quantum level to shift the vibration of the planet – which will be live-streamed around the world. The Big Om is a five hour shamanic journey lead by metaphysical guru and sound healer Barefoot Doctor, starring Basement Jaxx plus introducing some of today’s leading electronic dance music acts/DJ’s plus a variety of gurus talking over the beats".

Apparently feng shui isn't really good for anything, not even for justifying hateful behavior. The owner of a small chain of Asian restaurants — two in Greenwich Village, of all places — canceled a same-sex wedding party after saying gay and feng shui don’t go together, a lawsuit charges. Newlyweds Barrett Greene and Thomas Eng say the owner violated their civil rights. The owner of Amber West Village is being sued by Barrett Greene and Thomas Eng a...