Rationally speaking is a presentation of New York City skeptics dedicated to promoting critical thinking, skeptical inquiry, and science education.

For more information, please visit us at NYCCEPtics.org.

Welcome to Rationally Speaking, the podcast where we explore the borderlands between reason and nonsense.

I'm your host, Massimo Pilucci, and with me as always is my co-host, Julia Galev.

Julia, what are we going to talk about today?

Massimo, today I'm delighted to welcome our guest, Dr. Paul Offutt, who is the chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases

and the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Paul is the award-winning co-inventor of the Rhodivirus Vaccine Rototech, the author of over 140 medical articles,

and as well as several popular books, including this year's title, Do You Believe in Magic,

the Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine? Paul, welcome to the show. Thank you. So, Paul,

do people believe in magic or too many people believe in magic? What's the deal? Absolutely. I think

we need to believe in magic. You know, we need to believe that there's the deal? Absolutely. I think we need to believe in magic. You know,

we need to believe that there's something greater than ourselves. I think that in the world of medicine,

we're attracted to the notion of somebody like Bones McCoy from Star Trek. He would take,

he would take that scanner, and he would scan the person, he would look on that scanner,

and he would know what the diagnosis was. There was no uncertainty about it. He was sure of it. And I think

we love that. We love the certainty. It's the people like Mehmet Oz and Deepak Chopra and

Andrew Weil, I think, provide that. It's that guru thing. And, you know, that ex-cathre thing. They

are just being handed stuff as if from on high.

They're absolutely certain about it.

They tell you every aspect of your life and how you should live it.

We love that.

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