Perspectives from a “new” skeptic Part III: No longer alone

As I worked my way through undergraduate school, medical school and then into residency I found myself surrounded by more like-minded individuals. But outside my group of friends, the world seemed to be going insane, with growing waves of television psychics, ghost-hunting shows, 9-11 truthers, and, most concerning to me, the seemingly growing popularity of alternative and bogus medical treatments. This also started to hit me at home when my own family members began getting into the most dangerous of the “alternative” therapies such as bogus cancer treatments (related to the Gonzalez Protocol) and bioidentical hormone therapy. I try to help them, but I can’t compete with such things as a well-made propaganda film (i.e. The Beautiful Truth) or promotion from famous (and crazy) actors/actresses (i.e. Suzanne Sommers, Jenny McCarthy). After all, one of the core themes to all of these scams is the “big-pharm-big-brother-MD’s-wanting-to-keep-patients-sick” conspiracy theories, in which I am just a pawn, regurgitating the party line. I felt helpless and alone.

Back in July of 2009 a colleague and I were discussing our mutual dislike for Oprah, Jenny McCarthy and chiropractors when he casually mentioned the skeptical movement, which has blogs, podcasts, a giant yearly meeting. At first I cringed instinctively, wondering who in their right mind would want to use such inflammatory language to describe themselves. After all, isn’t “skeptic” a bad word?

I immediately did some research on skepticism and found the websites for the James Randi Educational Foundation (I had always been a fan), Science-based medicine, online skeptical dictionaries, local skeptical groups including “drinking skeptically,” and not one, but two skeptical magazines. I read everything that I could. I had tapped into this huge group of people who saw that world the way that I did, and who were fighting the good fight against all the woo-peddlers in the world. This is a still a David versus Goliath fight, but now I am not alone.

Looking back, it’s hard now to ever imagine a time when I didn’t self-identify as a skeptic. Now, when I find myself in a losing conversation with a “true believer,” I can find solace in the fact that the likes of Steven Novella and Harriet Hall are using logic and common sense to slowly lift the fog from our collective psyche.

DoR