Green Parties aren’t so Green

By @TakeThatGMOs

In this publishing, I will focus on Green parties and environmentalism, and how green parties get environmental protection wrong. What are Green parties? Wikipedia defines Green parties as a”Formally organized political party based on the principles of green…

Read the full post at: Green Parties aren’t so Green

The "Take This" blog is written by a collective of skeptics hunting down misleading, uninformed and sometimes outright insane claims on social media.

Homeopathy and the ‘closeted gay’ ??? | Edzard Ernst

Over on ‘SPECTATOR HEALTH’, we have an interesting discussion (again) about homeopathy. The comments so far were not short of personal attacks but this one by someone who called himself (courageously) ‘Larry M’ took the biscuit. It is so characteristic of deluded homeopathy apologists that I simply have to share it with you:

Ernst grew up with homeopathy [1], saw how well it worked [2], and chose to become a so-called expert in alternative medicine [3]. To his surprise, he met with professional disapproval [4]. Being the weak ego-driven person that he is [5], he saw an opportunity to still come out on top. He sold his soul in exchange for the notoriety that he now receives for being the crotchety old homeopathy hater that he has become [6]. As with all homeopathy haters, his fundamentalist zeal [7] is evidence of his secret self-loathing [8] and fear that his true beliefs will be found out [9]. It’s no different than the evangelical preacher who rails against gays only to be eventually found out to be a closeted gay [10].

Read on: Homeopathy and the ‘closeted gay’ ???

Only fools and horses… and a few chiropractors | Edzard Ernst

Chiropractic for animals?

Can’t be!

Yes, it can!!!

Animal Chiropractic “is a field of animal health care that focuses on the preservation and health of the neuro-musculo-skeletal system. Why? Nerves control everything that happens in your animals. Anything adversely affecting the nervous system will have detrimental effects that will resonate throughout the entire body. The […]

Read on: Only fools and horses… and a few chiropractors

“The availability of homeopathic treatment is important” Oh, really? | Edzard Ernst

In a recent PJ article, Michael Marshall from the ‘Good Thinking Society’ asked “WHY ON EARTH IS THE NHS SPENDING EVEN A SINGLE PENNY ON HOMEOPATHY?”. A jolly good question, given the overwhelmingly negative evidence, I thought – but one that must be uncomfortable to homeopaths. Sure enough, a proponent of homeopathy, Jeanette Lindsay from Glasgow, has objected to Marshall’s arguments in a short comment which is a fairly typical defence of homeopathy; I therefore take the liberty of reproducing it here (the 12 references in her text were added by me and refer to my footnotes below) […]

Read on: “The availability of homeopathic treatment is important” Oh, really?

Osteopathy for gynaecological and obstetric disorders? | Edzard Ernst

Some osteopaths – similar to their chiropractic, naturopathic, homeopathic, etc. colleagues – claim they can treat almost any condition under the sun. Even gynaecological ones? Sure! But is the claim true? Let’s find out.

The aim of this recent review was to evaluate the effects of the osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) on women with gynaecological and obstetric disorders. […]

Read on: Osteopathy for gynaecological and obstetric disorders?

Holistic dentistry? | Edzard Ernst

What? Holistic dentistry? Dentists drilling holes in our teeth? No, it is something quite different; this article tries to explain it in some detail: … holistic dentistry involves an awareness of dental care as it relates to the entire person, with the belief that patients should be provided with information to make choices to enhance their […]

Read on: Holistic dentistry?

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The comments by real dentists on this post are pure joy. A must-read. - AT

More on the situation of homeopathy in Switzerland | Edzard Ernst

According to Wikipedia, Swiss state insurance funding of homeopathy and four other alternative therapies had been withdrawn after a review in 2005, and a 2009 referendum vote called for state backed health insurance to once more pay for these therapies. In 2012 the Swiss government reinstated them for a trial period until 2017, pending an […]

Read on: More on the situation of homeopathy in Switzerland

Homoeopathy for Ulcerative Colitis? Not if you want to survive the condition! | Edzard Ernst

We have become used to bogus claims made by homeopaths – far too much so, I would argue. Therefore, we let the vast majority of their bogus claims pass without serious objections. Yet exposing bogus claims would be an important task, particularly when they relate to serious conditions. Doing this might even save lives! […]

Read on: Homoeopathy for Ulcerative Colitis? Not if you want to survive the condition!

A one-day course in quackery for just £300: an occasion too good to be missed! | Edzard Ernst

This is your occasion to meet some of the most influential and progressive people in health care today! An occasion too good to be missed! The future of medicine is integrated – we all know that, of course. Here you can learn some of the key messages and techniques from the horses’ mouths. Book now before […]

Read on: A one-day course in quackery for just £300: an occasion too good to be missed!

A deer, an Audi and a Prince … and some fantastic homeopathy? | Edzard Ernst

Prince Charles’s car has been involved in a collision with a deer in the area around Balmoral, THE GUARDIAN reported. Charles remained uninjured but shaken by the incident. The condition of the deer is unknown but might be much worse. The Prince’s Audi was damaged in the collision at the Queen’s Aberdeenshire estate and sent away for repairs. A spokesman for Clarence […]

Read on: A deer, an Audi and a Prince … and some fantastic homeopathy?

Delivery of Chiropractic Therapies to the Unborn Child | Edzard Ernst

This recent report is worth a mention, I think:

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) is aware that some chiropractors are advertising and attempting to turn breech babies in utero using the “Webster Technique”.

On 7 March 2016, the Chiropractic Board of Australia released the following statement in relation to chiropractic […]

Read on: Delivery of Chiropractic Therapies to the Unborn Child

The False Hope of the Hufeland Klinik – The Quackometer Blog

Wales Online reports the tragic story of a two-year old girl with stage-four neuroblastoma. I cannot imagine the emotions the parents must be going through. I am sure if my children were ever in this position, I would consider anything to save them. Such desperation though provides rich pickings for those offering miracle cures and dubious treatments. As a society, we do a very poor job of protecting children and parents from such questionable practices...

Read full story: The False Hope of the Hufeland Klinik – The Quackometer Blog

Yikes! Going to the dogs.

So, the one who tweets under the handle, @HomeoReikiDogs; who variously ‘practices’/promotes/advocates/endorses (e.g.) Reiki, chakras, auras, prana, homeopathy, MMS, ‘energy methods’, ‘Moon healing’, Venkatesh, etc.; the one who claims to treat dogs and other animals with such guff. In fact, it seems any wackiness is welcome on asteroid ‘Yoda’...
[Read more... ]

TWITTER = a promotional tool for chiros | Edzard Ernst

Chiropractors may not be good at treating diseases or symptoms, but they are certainly good at promoting their trade. As this trade hardly does more good than harm, one could argue that chiropractors are promoting bogus and potentially harmful treatments to fill their own pockets.

Does that sound too harsh? If you think so, please read what Canadian researchers have just published[…]

Read on: TWITTER = a promotional tool for chiros

Deepak Chopra’s finest hour | Edzard Ernst

WARNING: THIS MIGHT MAKE YOU LAUGH OUT LOUDLY AND UNCONTROLLABLY.

Deepak Chopra rarely publishes in medical journals (I suppose, he has better things to do). I was therefore intrigued when I saw a recent article of which he is a co-author.

The ‘study‘ in question allegedly examined the effects of a comprehensive residential mind–body program on well-being. The authors describe […]

Read on: Deepak Chopra’s finest hour

The mental contortions of The Kid

Last time, I told you all about how The Kid wrote that Hillary Clinton’s pneumonia was the result of a failure of the pneumococcal vaccine. He wrote:

Despite her proclaiming that “#vaccineswork”, the pneumonia vaccine obviously did not work for her in that instance assuming she even followed the CDC’s advice as she wanted everybody […]

Read more at: The mental contortions of The Kid by Reuben

A new systematic review of chiropractic for low back pain: far less encouraging than chiros make us believe | Edzard Ernst

Low back pain (LBP) is a ‘minor complaint’ in the sense that it does not cost patients’ lives. At the same time, LBP is amongst the leading causes of disability and one of the most common reasons for patients to seek primary care. Chiropractors, osteopaths, physical therapists and general practitioners are among those treating LBP patients, but there is only […]

Read on: A new systematic review of chiropractic for low back pain: far less encouraging than chiros make us believe

Does The Kid Have Inside Knowledge of Hillary Clinton’s Pneumonia?

Of course he doesn’t. He just seems to think that he does.

In yet another rambling post by The Kid, he seems to think that he knows what kind of pneumonia Hillary Clinton has:

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends all adults over 65 receive a pneumococcal vaccine to prevent pneumonia. […]

Read more at: Does The Kid Have Inside Knowledge of Hillary Clinton’s Pneumonia? by Reuben

At last! The PROOF that homeopathy works… no, not really | Edzard Ernst

After > 200 years of existence, homeopathy still remains unproven – in fact, most rational thinkers would call it disproven. Today only homeopaths doubt this statement; they work hard to find a water-tight proof that might show the doubters to be wrong. 

What is better suited for this purpose than a few rigorous animal experiments? 

Engystol® is a […]

Read on: At last! The PROOF that homeopathy works… no, not really

What conditions do chiropractors really treat? | Edzard Ernst

At first, I thought this survey would be yet another of those useless and boring articles that currently seem to litter the literature of alternative medicine. It’s abstract seemed to confirm my suspicion: “Fifty-two chiropractors in Victoria, Australia, provided information for up to 100 consecutive encounters. If patients attended more than once during the 100 encounters, only […]

Read on: What conditions do chiropractors really treat?

Medically unfit Hillary Clinton – the doctor behind the myth

Since I am a political geek as much as a biomedical geek, I love it when the two occasionally intersect. If you haven’t kept up, some right wing websites, like Breitbart, are pushing a trope that claims that a medically unfit Hillary Clinton is incapable of becoming President of the US.

I couldn’t resist commenting on this, because there’s really so much to say. Let’s start with the basics – Breitbart is a right wing website that seems to use the Natural News method of facts. You know, invent facts out of thin air...

Read the full post: Medically unfit Hillary Clinton – the doctor behind the myth

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(from Raw Story)

Orient and the AAPS have also been exposed by:

• The Daily Mail (yes, really)
• The Daily Beast
• Raw Story
• Drudge Retort
• Breitbart Unmasked (ranting about Ebola In The USA)
• Right Wing Watch
• New York Times (anti-vaccine attitude)
• Respectful Insolence
• Encyclopedia of American Loons (of course)

... and many others

Dr. Bob Sears, our Douchebag Emerit-ass, is in hot water

News came late to me that Dr. Bob Sears, 2014’s Douchebag of The Year, is now in hot water with the California Medical Board for what the legal filing states that he “was grossly negligent and departed from the standard of care in that he did not obtain the basic information necessary for decision making […]

Read more at: Dr. Bob Sears, our Douchebag Emerit-ass, is in hot water by Reuben

Medical errors: is integrative medicine the solution? | Edzard Ernst

I have moaned about the JACM several times on this blog (for instance here). It is a very poor journal, in my view, but it nevertheless is important because it is the one with the highest impact factor in this field. Despite all this I missed something important that recently happened to the JACM: a few months […]

Read on: Medical errors: is integrative medicine the solution?

Ear-candles, a TV-doctor, THE DAILY MAIL, and journalistic ‘balance’ | Edzard Ernst

This article in THE DAILY MAIL caught my eye. It’s about ear-candles, a subject we have discussed before on this blog. Apparently, the ‘TV doctor’ Dawn Harper was had to apologise after recommending ear candling for clearing ears of wax. This prompted various protests from listeners of her programme one of whom even called Dr Harper a ‘dangerous quack’. Dr […]

Read on: Ear-candles, a TV-doctor, THE DAILY MAIL, and journalistic ‘balance’

Should chiropractors have the right to prescribe medicines? | Edzard Ernst

Since several years, there has been an increasingly vociferous movement within the chiropractic profession to obtain limited prescription rights, that is the right to prescribe drugs for musculoskeletal problems. A recent article by Canadian and Swiss chiropractors is an attempt to sum up the arguments for and against this notion. Here I have tried to distil the […]

Read on: Should chiropractors have the right to prescribe medicines?

The need for anonymity when you speak out

I got an interesting message on Facebook a few days ago. It was from “Sherri Kane” a woman from Hawaii who is very involved in conspiracy theories: 

When the film ended, Sherri grabbed the microphone. Her face had turned into a grim, ugly mask, the corners of her mouth pulled downward as if by strings. […]

Read more at: The need for anonymity when you speak out by Reuben

Research into alternative medicine: too little and too flimsy | Edzard Ernst

For some time now, the research activity in and around alternative medicine has been seemingly buoyant. In each of the last 4 years, Medline listed around 2 000 articles is the category of ‘complementary alternative medicine’. This will surely look impressive to many! 

Why then did I write ‘seemingly’? To comprehend this a little better, we should have […]

Read on: Research into alternative medicine: too little and too flimsy

Unacceptable pseudo-science from the NIH | Edzard Ernst

In alternative medicine, good evidence is like gold dust and good evidence showing that alternative therapies are efficacious is even rarer. Therefore, I was delighted to come across a brand-new article from an institution that should stand for reliable information: the NHI, no less.

According to its authors, this new article “examines the clinical trial […]

Read on: Unacceptable pseudo-science from the NIH

Another death by quackery | Edzard Ernst

Did you know that:

• All diseases are really just psychological conflicts. 
• Conventional medicine id a conspiracy of Jews to decimate the non-Jewish population. 
• Microbes do not cause diseases. 
• AIDS is just a normal allergy. 
• Cancer is the result of a mental shock. 

These are just some of the theories of RG Hamer realized in his […]

Read on: Another death by quackery

Let’s be blunt: homeopathy is bogus – but homeoprophylaxis is worse, much worse! | Edzard Ernst

Highly diluted homeopathic remedies are pure placebos; that statement is by no means new and has been discussed here so many times that it hardly needs repeating. It follows that those who, in the face of overwhelming evidence, claim that such remedies are efficacious for any condition or symptom are misleading the public. 

What, in the realm […]

Read on: Let’s be blunt: homeopathy is bogus – but homeoprophylaxis is worse, much worse!

Monty Python and the homeopaths | Edzard Ernst

The ‘Deutsche Apotheker Zeitung’, a paper for German pharmacists, rarely is the most humorous of publications. However, recently they reported on a battle between the EU and the European producers of homeopathic remedies – a battle over mercury which has, I think, hints of Monty Python and the Flying Circus. 

The EU already has strict regulations on […]

Read on: Monty Python and the homeopaths