Maki at Sci-ənce.org has a comic that explains how to recognize quackery. As he says, it only takes one. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…..
His commentary expands on the graphic. Here are some examples:
“Helps Your Body…”: I once met an Osteopath at a small gathering. I nearly bit my tongue off as she told me about how she “helps the body heal itself.” Which is a clever way of saying “I don’t do anything, but feel free to thank me when you get better. Toodles!” Also note that if your body was really “off balance” or needed help “removing toxins.” You’d be at a real doctor, not buying herbs at CVS, because your skin would be yellow and you wouldn’t be able to stand.
(Fucking) Magnets: This just needed to be here. Magnetic bracelets don’t do anything. If a refrigerator magnet could affect your health, what is the Earth’s magnetic field doing? This sort of belief ties in closely to belief in things like “living energy fields,” chi, reiki, and auras in the sense that the claimant states that you have some sort of energy that can be manipulated to your benefit. Pfft. Powerful, rapidly oscillating magnetic fields on the other hand…
It’s simple straightforward and oh so true.