SI Jan Feb 2012 NEW_SI new design masters 11/15/11 9:02 AM Page 4 [ FROM THE EDITOR Skep ti cal In quir e r™ THE MAG A ZINE FOR SCI ENCE AND REA SON ED I TOR Kend rick Fra zi er ED I TO RI AL BOARD James E. Al cock, NCCAM, No. CSIcon, Yes. Thom as Cas ten, Ray Hy man, Scott O. Lilienfeld, Joe Nick ell, Am ar deo Sar ma, Eugenie C. Scott, David E. Thomas, Leonard Tramiel, Benjamin Wolozin n a 2003 cover article by physician Kimball Atwood IV we described in CON SULT ING ED I TORS Sus an J. Black more, detail “the ongoing problem” of the National Center for Complementary Ken neth L. Fed er, Barry Karr, E. C. Krupp, and Alternative and Medicine (NCCAM) and its funding and promo - Da vid F. Marks, Jay M. Pasachoff, Rich ard Wis e man I CON TRIB UT ING ED I TORS Austin Dacey, D.J. Grothe, tion of pseudoscience. We return to the subject in this issue with another Harriet Hall, Kenneth W. Krause, Chris Moon ey, cover article. Eugenie V. Mielczarek and Brian D. Engler’s “Measuring James E. Oberg, Rob ert Sheaf fer, Karen Stollznow Mythology” summarizes their detailed study examining the last twenty years DEPUTY ED I TOR Ben ja min Rad ford Julia Lavarnway of NCCAM grant awards. Our authors looked at all the research projects. MAN A GING ED I TOR ART DI RECT OR Chri sto pher Fix They found lots of startling concepts—“distance healing,” “magnet healing,” PRO DUC TION Paul E. Loynes “energy healing,” “Therapeutic Touch,” and the like—all funded by the tax - ASSISTANT EDITOR Julia Burke payer with few if any real results. (The paucity of published results is suspi - WEB DEVELOPER Jon Childress cious in itself.) The details provide strong support for their conclusion: “We WEBMASTER Matthew Licata found no discoveries in alternative medicine that justify the existence of the PUB LISH ER’S REP RE SENT A TIVE Bar ry Karr center; Congress has mandated into the health care bill the tax burden of COR PO RATE COUN SEL Steven Fox Pa tri cia Beau champ paying for myths and commercial interests.” BUSI NESS MAN A GER FIS CAL OF FI CER Paul Pau lin It is time to ask how much longer NCCAM should be allowed to give SUBSCRIPTION DATA MANAGER Jacalyn Mohr false credibility to sham medicine and spend taxpayers’ money for still more STAFF Melissa Braun, Cheryl Catania, research into claimed treatments that are unsupported by scientific knowl - Roe Giambrone, Leah Gordon, An tho ny San ta Lu cia, John Sul li van, Vance Vi grass edge—and as a result bear virtually no hope of any medical or scientific pay - COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Michelle Blackley off. In these hard economic times, this waste should be of national concern. IN QUIRY ME DIA PRO DUC TIONS Thom as Flynn DI RECT OR OF LI BRAR IES Tim o thy S. Binga * * * The SKEP TI CAL IN QUIR ER is the of fi cial jour nal of the I just got back from CSIcon New Orleans 2011, our new Halloween-weekend Com mit tee for Skeptical Inquiry, conference “dedicated to scientific inquiry and critical thinking.” It was a great an in ter na tion al or gan i za tion. event. The conference marks a The SKEP TI CAL IN QUIR ER (ISSN 0194-6730) is pub lished bi month - wel come resumption, after an ly by the Com mit tee for Skeptical Inquiry, 3965 Rensch Road, eight-year hiatus, of Committee Am herst, NY 14228. Print ed in U.S.A. Pe ri od i cals post age paid at Buf fa lo, NY, and at ad di tion al mail ing of fi ces. Sub scrip tion for Skeptica l Inquiry/ SKEPTI - pri ces: one year (six is sues), $35; two years, $60; three CAL INQUIRER conferences (now with our Center for Inquiry as cosponsor) years, $84; sin gle is sue, $4.95. Ca na di an and for eign or ders: Pay ment in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank must ac com pa - in the proud tradition of the CSICOP conferences we used to have fairly ny or ders; please add US$10 per year for ship ping. Ca na di an regularly. Executive Director Barry Karr reports that most comments from and for eign cus tom ers are en cour aged to use Vi sa or Mas ter - Card. Canada Publications Mail Agreement No. 41153509. participants have been “amazingly positive and overwhelmingly enthusiastic.” Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: IMEX, P.O. Box Attendees said they look forward to the next one and will recommend the con - 4332, Station Rd., Toronto , ON M5W 3J4. In quir ies from the me dia and the pub lic about the work of the ference to their friends. My fellow CSI Executive Council members also Com mit tee should be made to Barry Karr, Executive Director, thought it a big hit: “[an] absolute (and informative) delight”; “this will be a CSI, P.O. Box 703, Am herst, NY 14226-0703. Tel.: 716-636- 1425. Fax: 716-636-1733. Email: [email protected] skeptics meeting people will indeed remember”; “a great revival of something Man u scripts, let ters, books for re view, and ed i to ri al in quir ies that has been missing the last years”; “exceptionally well-organized… wonder - should be sent to Kend rick Fra zi er, Ed i tor, SKEP TI CAL IN QUIR ER , 944 Deer Drive NE, Al bu querque, NM 87122. Fax: 505-828- ful mix of enlightenment and education”; “filled with interesting speakers and 2080. EMAIL: [email protected]. Be fore sub mit - unique events”; and “encouraging and inspiring.” I wasn’t involved in organizing ting any man u script, please con sult our Guide for Au thors for styles, ref er en ce requirements, and submittal re quire ments. it, so I feel I may here further express my own view: the program content was It is on our website at www.csi cop.org/pub lications/guide. superb, the presentations well done, the social events great fun, and the overall Or you may send a re quest to the ed i tor. experience for me memorable. Ar ti cles, re ports, re views, and let ters pub lished in the SKEP TI- CAL IN QUIR ER rep re sent the views and work of in di vid u al au thors. The social events included a Saturday night parade led by a New Orleans Their pub li ca tion does not nec es sa ri ly con sti tute an en dorse - jazz band to a French Quarter bar with a New Orleans funk band and three- ment by CSI or its mem bers un less so stat ed. Cop y right ©2011 by the Com mit tee for Skeptical Inquiry. All quarters of our attendees in costume—some elaborate, some clever (skeptically rights re served. The SKEP TI CAL IN QUIR ER is avail a ble on 16mm mi- speaking). As I said in my introductory remarks to the conference, skepticism cro film, 35mm mi cro film, and 105mm mi cro fiche from Uni - ver si ty Mi cro films In ter na tion al and is in dexed in the Read - is not only important, it is fun. We’ll have some reports in our next issue. er’s Guide to Pe ri od i cal Lit er a ture. Sub scrip tions and chan ges of ad dress should be ad dressed —K ENDRICK FRAZIER to: SKEP TI CAL IN QUIR ER , P.O. Box 703, Am herst, NY 14226-0703. Or call toll-free 1-800-634-1610 (out side the U.S. call 716- 636-1425). Old ad dress as well as new are nec es sa ry for change of sub scrib er’s ad dress, with six weeks ad vance no - tice. SKEP TI CAL IN QUIR ER sub scrib ers may not speak on be half of CSI or the SKEP TI CAL IN QUIR ER . Committee for Skeptical Inquiry Post mas ter: Send chan ges of ad dress to SKEP TI CAL IN QUIR ER , P.O. “...promotes scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use Box 703, Am herst, NY 14226-0703. of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims.”.