The inability to explain something doesnt mean that it is inexplicable — Steven Novella

"What defines a cult is not what they believe, at all. Its how they behave. The belief system is almost incidental."

"… our inherent assumption is that you convince people with rational arguments. But all the data shows that most people are not influenced by rational arguments. Theyre influenced by social pressure. … Thats just the human condition, and we just have to acknowledge it and accept it."

"Even though I think theyre probably usually wrong, minority opinions in science are very useful. It keeps the whole process honest ..."

"The thing about herbs is that there is nothing supernatural or implausible about the fact that any particular herb can have a medicinal effect. But the truth of the matter is that herbs are drugs. Theres nothing magical about them. The fact that they are "natural" is irrelevant — its meaningless. They are drugs. They are drugs that have not been purified, identified, … and quantified. … Probably for most plants … there are hundreds of chemicals in there with varying degrees of potency."

"I will never be convinced by any anecdotal report, ever, especially if something extremely unlikely or unusual. Memory is not a reliable piece of data."

"Placebo effects (plural) are mostly reporting bias, regression to the mean, investment justification, researcher bias, and other sources of self-deception. They are transient, and significant only for subjective symptoms where reporting bias can play a major role. Studies have shown, in fact, that there is no significant "healing" that occurs due to placebo effects — no objective biological improvement."