corner
Healthy Skepticism
Countering misleading health information
Increase font size   Decrease font size   Print-friendly view   Print
Register Log in

Introduction to Healthy Skepticism Inc

What?
Our main aim is improving health by reducing harm from misleading health information.

Why?
Because misleading health information harms health and wastes resources.

Who?
We have 229 members who live in 27 countries. Many of us are health professionals but everyone is welcome to become a member if they support our aims.
We also have 2821 subscribers who live in 118 countries.

Where?
Mostly this website and email groups but we also have some meetings in person at many locations around the world.

How?
We share information via our website, forums, email discussion lists, academic journal publications and informing the media. Members may join task groups.

When?
Since 1983.

To learn more about us click on About in the menu at the top of the page.

 

Comments

Only Healthy Skepticism members can see and make comments on this page.

 

  Healthy Skepticism on RSS   Healthy Skepticism on Facebook   Healthy Skepticism on Twitter


If there is something you don't like, please tell us. If you like our work, please tell others.

Share:

Email a Friend

ASK Favicon BlinkList Favicon connotea Favicon del.icio.us Favicon Digg Favicon Facebook Favicon Furl Favicon Google Favicon HealthRanker Favicon LinkedIn Favicon Live Favicon Ma.gnolia Favicon Netscape Favicon NewsVine Favicon Netvouz Favicon Reddit Favicon Slashdot Favicon StumbleUpon Favicon Technorati Favicon TailRank Favicon TwitThis Favicon YahooMyWeb Favicon




“Cases of wilful misrepresentation are a rarity in medical advertising. For every advertisement in which nonexistent doctors are called on to testify or deliberately irrelevant references are bunched up in [fine print], you will find a hundred or more whose greatest offenses are unquestioning enthusiasm and the skill to communicate it.

The best defence the physician can muster against this kind of advertising is a healthy skepticism and a willingness, not always apparent in the past, to do his homework. He must cultivate a flair for spotting the logical loophole, the invalid clinical trial, the unreliable or meaningless testimonial, the unneeded improvement and the unlikely claim. Above all, he must develop greater resistance to the lure of the fashionable and the new.”
- Pierre R. Garai (advertising executive) 1963