Science writers, several of whom are flogging their entries into the genre I hereby dub, science backlash, complain that mainstream research is becoming a tough sell, as consumers re-discover the efficacy of folk medicine and a healthy diet.

But one Knight Science Fellow at MIT (I thought these lucky bastards were barred from publishing while doing their $60K fellowships) identifies the real reason that people don’t trust mainstream medicine:

the real source of this irrational behavior lies not in public ignorance but rather in an understandable reaction against the problems with our health care system and the documented abuses and profiteering of some pharmaceutical companies.

via: Slate

Here’s a a link to one Globe op-ed that got me thinking about this issue:

I was astounded…to read recently, in a popular newsletter for pediatricians, a column by a pediatrician stating that he would not recommend the vaccine to his patients. His arguments were that the illness was relatively mild and the vaccine might not be safe.

via: Boston Globe

Also, check out: Book review: A coffee enema for a health writer « Boston Health News.