About balderdash

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  How do I explain atheism to my young children?

  9 0 You don't deal with it directly. You teach your kids critical thinking, give them a breadth of experience, and show them that a lot of people believe a lot of different things that can't all be true. Then you teach them how to talk to people politely even when they're being... doubtful. "Prove it" goes a long way. Knowing about the scientific method is very empowering. They should also know "Thank you for the conversation. I think we can disagree and still be friends." balderdash answered in Other Family & Kids 10 months ago Answer, comment & read 13 more answers »

• Follow Following 1 What can one do about past-due parking tickets? balderdash asked in Legal about 1 year ago 3 Answers by MyrnaMinkoff, soundslikepuget , Rev.Enant…

• Comment on CMDodgeND's answer…

  0 0 Thanks for the answer! I agree with you completely, frankly. Placebo is often used incorrectly as an interchangeable term for "ineffective," and people perceive the meaning of "placebo effect" to be, basically, nothing. That's untrue. The perception of care can have substantial real benefits. Medicine is result-based application, not pure science. It is nevertheless fair to describe specific treatments or modalities that perform no better than placebo as being ineffective - that is, they get no better result than going through the motions of care without applying the therapy. It's a complex issue and I appreciate your input. balderdash commented about 1 year ago

• Comment on DrSomol's answer…

  0 0 Thanks for taking the time to answer, DrSomol, but I have to say I don't feel like you really addressed my question at all. In fact, you didn't mention placebo even once. Instead, you offered a lot of really quite empty rhetoric - saying that Chinese medicine has "stood the test of time" is meaningless if during that time it's never been tested under controlled conditions, and disparaging the principles of reductionism creates a false dichotomy while doing nothing to support any "alternative" claims. I'm glad you're caring for your patients. I don't mean to imply that there are no benefits to placebo - there clearly are! Bedside manner and the perception of care make a huge difference in health and if you can provide care and good health advice, that's a great service. That is not a case, however, for the use of particular therapies. balderdash commented about 1 year ago

• Follow Following 1 Do you believe there is an ethical problem with offering therapies that work no better than placebo? balderdash asked in Alt Medicine about 1 year ago 5 Answers by 740, CMDodgeND , emily…

• See all of my 3 Questions , 1 Answer and 2 Comments