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By Juan Quilacio and Robert Gaspar

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Definition:
Ancient Wisdom is the belief that a method of action/treatment is effective simply because it has been practiced for a long time. An example of ancient wisdom is the four humors anatomy model, where balance of the supposed four bodily fluids  controls the health and behavior (these being; phlegmatic: mucus, choleric: choler/black bile, melancholic: yellow bile, and sanguine: blood), ancient practices  involved voluntarily bleeding a patient to balance sanguinity.

Connection:
Barber Surgeons: these old era surgeons were employed to do various health-related tasks such as haircuts to amputation. Barber Surgeons have a more well known practice, and that is the practice of bloodletting: balancing the sanguine humour by intentionally bleeding a patient.

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Definition:
Confirmation bias is favoring information that supports your beliefs while disregarding ideas that may disprove them. People are always looking for more evidence to strengthen the beliefs that they already hold. It is much easier to assume that you are already right than it is to except a new idea into your way of thinking. As such if someone was already holding the belief that they are psychic or that they or capable of predicting the future they will use all instances of precognition to confirm this belief.

Connection:
Many people choose to believe that their horoscopes are able to predict their fortunes despite the fact that most of what they read within them are not accurate or do not come true. Horoscope supporters do not care about those times when their horoscopes are inaccurate and instead choose to strengthen their beliefs based confirmation bias. Below is a picture containing some star signs as they are "used" in making predictions within a horoscope.

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When one backs up a claim using a powerful figure of authority related to the claim, this is known as using an Appeal to Authority. Seeing that such a figure would support a claim (even more believable when the figure has previously supported claims which were proven true, or is well versed in the subject).

Connection:
Below is an article speaking about what many call the "Dr. Oz" effect, where simply having Dr. Oz vouch for specific weight loss products results in a boom of sales for said product, often followed by shady ads using his likeness to sell bogus products. Seeing as Dr. Oz is a well respected medical practitioner, it is easy to trust in his wisdom.
https://www.nbcnews.com/better/diet-fitness/dr-oz-effect-senators-scold-mehmet-oz-diet-scams-n133226

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Whether it be using an organic alternative to an approved standard, or avoiding something that was man-made, all of this falls under the guise that the best things for a natural organic human should be all natural as well. Often times these all-natural products come with unknown side-effects due to them not undergoing study for the like.

Connection:
Below is an article that speaks about the avoidance of life-saving vaccines due to them being unnatural/man-made in some social groups, and how diseases such as Measles could have been eliminated like Smallpox should the vaccination dispersal have gone unhindered. All natural can either be the use of un-studied product, or the avoidance of man-made product to keep "natural".

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A measles outbreak is spreading across Europe and health experts say it's because of a steadily growing anti-vaccination movement.

READ MORE: Deadly measles outbreak spreads in Europe as vaccinations fall

Reported cases of the highly contagious and potentially deadly virus almost quadrupled in Europe in 2017 (21,000 cases) compared to the year before (5,273 cases), with the highest rates in Italy, Romania and Ukraine, according to the World Health Organization.

And the reason parents may not be vaccinating their children could be due to a widely discredited research paper that was published 20 years ago this week, experts say.

'Fraudulent' autism-vaccine study

In 1998, the journal Lancet published former British doctor Andrew Wakefield's article, which linked the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism. In his study, Wakefield said 12 children showed that the three vaccines taken together could alter immune systems causing brain damage.

The publication of the study led to a widespread increase in the number of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children for fear of its link to autism.

READ MORE: Anti-vaccination movement means preventable diseases making a comeback

However, his findings were widely rejected. Dozens of studies tried to replicate the results, but couldn't, as his work was based on a tiny sample. The British Medical Journal called his research "fraudulent," and on Feb. 2, 2010, the Lancet formally retracted the study, due to serious flaws and an undisclosed conflict of interest. The British medical authorities stripped Wakefield of his license in May 2010.

"Andrew Wakefield has been thoroughly discredited," infectious diseases epidemiologist David Fisman told Global News. "There's certainly no increased risk of autism."

An autism researcher at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Sunil Mehta told Vox, that after hundreds and hundreds of studies on thousands of children, "We can say with almost as much certainty than anybody could ever say that vaccines don't cause autism."
WATCH: Study concludes no connection between MMR vaccine and autism
Dr. Benjamin Mazer, a doctor at Yale-New Haven Hospital said despite the retraction the contemporary anti-vaccine movement still uses this study.

"There will be no study that will convince them otherwise. Despite the retraction and discipline of Dr. Wakefield, he is still held up as a hero of the movement," he said.

READ MORE: 'Kid scientist's' viral video takes jab at anti-vaccine movement

He said the reason this study is still held up two decades later is that the cause of autism is still a mystery. So if you are a parent looking for answers, the vaccine link may be "an appealing idea," Mazer said.

"You also have people who have a dislike for the profit motive in medicine and pharmaceutical companies. There's a dislike for feeling dehumanized from overworked doctors and a dislike for the cost of health care," he said.

"This makes people very distrustful."

Italy's measles outbreak

This is what is happening in Italy, as a group of campaigners against vaccinations is trying to dissuade the public from getting immunizations by citing supposed risks, such as autism.

The country is now facing one of its worst epidemics of measles in recent years. It's so bad that in 2017, the government passed a law requiring parents to vaccinate their children or face a fine.
WATCH: Vaccines will help you avoid the measles outbreak
"Measles is incredibly infectious," Mazer said. "And the measles vaccine is also one of the most effective vaccines. So people don't see the benefits because people aren't getting the illness."

That is until people stop vaccinating, he said.

READ MORE: Read Roald Dahl's call for vaccination after his daughter died of measles

Society's resistance to infectious diseases like measles depends on "herd immunity" - having a critical mass of people vaccinated against a disease. The lower the vaccination rates, the more likely an outbreak becomes.

"You only need very small amounts of 'opting out' for measles to resurge. We need vaccine coverage of more than 95 per cent to keep measles at bay."

For example, a measles outbreak that started at Disneyland in 2014 was traced to the fact that a critical number of parents had refused to vaccinate their children.
WATCH: Measles outbreak in Disneyland growing
Mercury in vaccines

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of the late U.S. attorney general and senator, has long argued that vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal (a mercury-containing compound) may cause autism and has advocated for parents to more easily opt out of childhood vaccinations.

Thimerosal prevents the growth of dangerous bacteria and fungus and is used as a preservative for flu vaccines in multi-dose vials, to keep the vaccine free from contamination, according to the CDC.

READ MORE: What's in a measles vaccine? 4 things you need to know

While it's true that many vaccines contain chemicals like mercury, aluminum and formaldehyde, the doses are so small that the substances are not considered toxic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"No reputable scientific studies have found an association between thimerosal in vaccines and autism, " according to the CDC.

Because people were so worried about vaccinations containing thimerosal, the CDC made some change in order to calm worried parents, Mazer said.
WATCH: 1 in 5 Torontonians think vaccines could cause autism, polls says
Now there aren't any childhood vaccines that contain thimerosal as a preservative (except for flu vaccines in multi-dose vials).

"They made the changes out of good faith, not scientific reasoning," he said.

READ MORE: No link between MMR vaccine and autism, yet another study suggests

"I understand why patients are weary and concerned. But I think their fears are being stoked by the anti-vaccine movement," Mazer said.

He said new outbreaks of diseases will probably terrify people and lead to support for vaccination. But "we really need to work on better addressing what patient's concerns are and improving trust," he added.
- With files from Global News' Patrick Cain

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Measles outbreak: How a decades old, fraudulent anti-vaccine study still affects public health

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A measles outbreak is spreading across Europe and health experts say it's because of a steadily growing anti-vaccination movement. READ MORE: Deadly measles outbreak spreads in Europe as vaccinations fall Reported cases of the highly contagious and potentially deadly virus almost quadrupled in Europe in 2017 (21,000 cases) compared to the year before (5,273 cases), with the highest rates in Italy, Romania and Ukraine, according to the World Health Organization.

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Post #6 Red Flag: Suppressed by Authorities

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Post #6 Red Flag: Suppressed by Authorities

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Definition:
Suppression by Authorities is the belief that a supposed method of action that has a benefit to society has a significant drawback to the authority that it would be more beneficial to them to suppress knowledge of it. An example of this is the cure to cancer, many believe that numerous forms of cancer cures have been produced but are not commercialized because it is not profitable to medical super-organizations.

Connection:
Nikola Tesla was credited with experimentation on wireless energy tesla-based weaponry of mass destruction which was supposedly silenced by the government. His funding was supposedly cut due to the threat his free-wireless-energy would pose to current power companies, when funding was cut Tesla is said to have moved on to designing and building a "Death Ray", but died shortly after conceiving the idea, like is the case with many "miracle" discoveries/inventions.
Below is a picture of his power-transmitter coil, atop his lab.

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Definition:
We see things that we are used to seeing familiar patterns everyday so if they see something that looks similar or close enough to what they have seen before then they will assume that they already know what it is. Patternicity can be defined as assuming that you know something without close examination. For example you may assume that red always indicates danger.

Connection:
People discriminate because they assume that they already know who someone is or how they going to act. This is a case of patternicity as people think that familiar ethnic or social groups will consistently act in a certain predicable manner. However, this is assigning a meaning to a pattern that may or may not have any meaning.

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Definition:
The idea that there are secret forces working behind the scenes causing things to happen is known as agenticity and the secret forces are known as "agents". In reality there is always a reasonable explanation as to why things are happening however people are quick to assume "agents" such as aliens, god or ghosts.

Connection:
People often disassociate miraculous feats from humanity as if it was not us who earned or brought upon our reality. For example if someone was to recover from a disease it is often called a miracle. Which is to say that that person who was ill did not have to fight the battle on their own as they were saved by some divine intervention. As such a have attached a picture of an angel which could be considered an agent of god.

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Post #9 Reason for Belief: Emotional Connection

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Post #9 Reason for Belief: Emotional Connection

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Definition:
Emotions are very powerful. Sometimes we make decisions that do not make sense logically because we choose to "feel" what makes sense rather than sitting and calmly reasoning with what information we are given. Emotional reason for belief is very powerful as sometimes we do not know why we feel some way. Sometimes we do not actually have time to think rationally as emotions such as anger or jealousy can cause us to act almost instantly.

Connection:
People can be moved to act illogically because of their emotions. Below is a picture of a fortune teller which I have included because many people have been been coaxed into spending their money to have their fortunes told in times of grief.
It is not that people choose to believe due to their emotion so much as the are blinded by them and are rendered incapable of using logic.