“A lot of the people promoting pseudoscience are pretty good at the “Gish Gallop,’?” says Gorski. That’s when a dishonest charlatan lists many misleading items to leave their opponent flustered by heaps of pseudoscience. It looks like the dishonest speaker wins the debate because the scientist can’t possibly reply to all of the junk. The charlatan provides no references, and ignores the scientist who requests them. If you see this kind of battle, it’s a red flag that bunk is afoot. Some other warning signs that you’re getting junk science are when:
•One treatment protocol is said to heal a long list of conditions. There’s no “one thing” that can cure many ailments.
•The information is based on testimonials and anecdotes, not on research.
•Science is alluded to, but no actual references to reputable journal studies are provided.
•The words “magic” or “miracle” are used. If something really worked that well, you’d have heard about it and it wouldn’t be sold online for $29.95.