Visceral osteopathy is implausible and does not work … SO, LET’S FORGET ABOUT IT ONCE AND FOR ALL

Lock 10 bright people into a room and tell them they will not be let out until they come up with the silliest idea in healthcare. It is not unlikely, I think, that they might come up with the concept of visceral osteopathy.

In case you wonder what visceral osteopathy (or visceral manipulation) is, one […]

Read the rest here: Visceral osteopathy is implausible and does not work … SO, LET’S FORGET ABOUT IT ONCE AND FOR ALL

Anthroposophic Medicinal Products (AMPs) are truly mysterious

The ‘European Scientific Cooperative on Anthroposophic Medicinal Products‘ claim that there is a need for a regulatory framework for anthroposophic medicinal products (AMPs) in Europe. The existing regulatory requirements for conventional medicinal products are not appropriate for AMPs. Special registration procedures exist in some countries for homeopathic products and in the European Union for herbal […]

Read the rest here: Anthroposophic Medicinal Products (AMPs) are truly mysterious

Random thoughts about the ‘LIES’ clinicians tell their patients

“MDs do not make false claims HAHAHA.”

This is from a comment I recently received on this blog.

It made me think. Yes, of course, MDs do not always reveal the full truth to their patients; sometimes they might even tell lies (in this post, I shall use the term ‘lies’ for any kind of […]

Read the rest here: Random thoughts about the ‘LIES’ clinicians tell their patients

No, Dr. Timothy Cunningham did not say that the flu vaccine caused this year’s epidemic, and other anti-vaccine lies

“Your News Wire” is a fake news site. It’s fake and it promotes fake news. That doesn’t stop them from spreading some very preposterous lies about many things, including the influenza vaccine. Most recently, they’re pushing the story that a scientist at CDC — who has gone missing since February 12 — said (not wrote, […]

Read more at: No, Dr. Timothy Cunningham did not say that the flu vaccine caused this year’s epidemic, and other anti-vaccine lies by Reuben

2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #8

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. 

Editor's Pick

Seas Will Rise for 300 Years

And the longer it takes to reduce carbon emissions, the higher they will go

 

Credit: Erika Maldonado Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

It's a given of climate change that greenhouse gases emitted today will shape the world for future generations. But new research underscores just how long those effects will last.

A striking new study published yesterday in the journal Nature Communications suggests that sea-level rise—one of the biggest consequences of global warming—will still be happening 300 years from now, even if humans stop emitting greenhouse gases before the end of the current century.

What's more, the longer it takes to start reducing global emissions, the higher those future sea levels will be. The study suggests that for every additional five years it takes for emissions to peak and start falling—for instance, if emissions were to reach their maximum levels in the year 2030, as opposed to 2025—sea levels will rise an additional 8 inches by the year 2300.

Seas Will Rise for 300 Years by Chelsea Harvey, E&E News/Scientific American, Feb 21, 2018

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Links posted on Facebook

Sun Feb 18, 2018

• Alaska's Bering Sea Lost a Third of Its Ice in Just 8 Days by Sabrina Shankman, InsideClimate News, Feb 17, 2018
• Acidification could leave oceans ‘uninhabitable’ for cold-water corals by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Feb 12, 2018
• For Failing to Act on Climate Crisis, 13 Young Plaintiffs Just Sued the State of Washington by Andrea Germanos, Common Dreams, Feb 16, 2018
• We’re witnessing the fastest decline in Arctic sea ice in at least 1,500 years by Brian Resnick, Energy & Environment, Vox, Feb 16, 2018
• Small drones could be better for climate than delivery trucks, says study by Zeke Hausfather, Carbon Brief, Feb 13, 2018
• Trump’s Science Advisor, Age 31, Has a Political Science Degree by Scott Waldman, Climate Wire/Scientific American, Feb 14, 2018
• Denying climate change spells doom for Louisiana's coast, Opinion by Bob Marshall, NOLA, Feb 18, 2018
• Carbon emissions from Amazon wildfires could ‘counteract’ deforestation decline by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Feb 13, 2018

Mon Feb 19, 2018

• Salonga park sits on peatlands that scientists say could release massive quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere if disturbed by Aaron Ross, Reuters, Feb 13, 2018
• Animals with white winter camouflage could struggle to adapt to climate change by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Feb 15, 2018
• Deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon dropped 13 percent in 2017 by Yvette Sierra Praeli, Mongabay, Feb 16, 2018
• The story behind the satellite that Trump wants dead, Opinion by John Timmer, Ars Technica, Feb 13, 2018
• OECD says energy taxes in developed economies too low to fight climate change by Nina Chestney, Reuters, Feb 14, 2018
• 'First hint' of a puzzling change in Southern Ocean revealed by CSIRO by Peter Hannam, Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 19, 2018
• Coal’s Continuing Decline, Opinion by Jeff Nesbitt, New York Times, Feb 19, 2018
• ‘It’s not fast enough. It’s not big enough. There’s not enough action.’ by Brady Dennis & Chris Mooney, Health Science, Washington Post, Feb 19, 2018

Tue Feb 20, 2018

• New research, February 5-11, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Science, Feb 16, 2018
• Pollen data shows humans reversed natural global cooling by John Abraham, Climate Consensus - the 98%, Guardian, Feb 19, 2018
• Two Unusual Tropical Cyclones Affect Australia and New Zealand by Jeff Masters, Category 6, Weather Underground, Jan 19, 2018
• Greenwashed Timber: How Sustainable Forest Certification Has Failed by Richard Conniff, Yale Environment 360, Feb 20, 2018
• Scientists Can Connect with Skeptics over Shared Risks of Climate Change by Becky Ham, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Feb 18, 2018
• The next five years will shape sea level rise for the next 300, study says by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Feb 20, 2018
• What climate change means for glaciers, storms, fires, clouds and more by Adam Voiland, Earth Right Now, NASA's Earth Observatory, Feb 20, 2018
• Sloppy and careless': courts call out Trump blitzkrieg on environmental rules by Oliver Milman, Environment, Guardian, Feb 20, 2018

Wed Feb 21, 2018

• Broome smashes annual rainfall record in less than two months as Cyclone Kelvin caps big wet by Rebecca Dollery, ABC News (AU), Feb 20, 2018
• Singapore Budget 2018: Singapore's carbon tax to start at S$5 a tonne by Andrea Soh, Energy & Commodities, The Busines Times, Feb 20, 2018
• Climate Rulebook Likely Done This Year, With or Without U.S. by Jonathan Tirone, Climate Changed, Bloomberg News, Feb 19, 2018
• Fluctuating Rainfall Could Hurt Grazing Regions by Daniel Cusick, E&E News/Scientific American, Feb 20, 2018
• How Crushed Volcanic Rock in Farm Soil Could Help Slow Global Warming — and Boost Crops by Georgina Gustin, InsideClimate News, Feb 20, 2018
• Arctic temperatures soar 45 degrees above normal, flooded by extremely mild air on all sides by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Feb 21, 2018
• Environmentalists Say They’re Averting Climate Disaster. Conservatives Say It’s Terrorism. by Alexander C. Kaufman, Environment, HuffPost, Feb 20, 2018
• Documents reveal UK push to water down EU biomass regulations by Arthur Neslen, Climate Home, Feb 21, 2018

Thu Feb 22, 2018

• Oilsands pollution on collision course with Canada's climate plan by Barry Saxifrage, National Observer, Feb 20, 2018
• 236 Mayors Urge EPA Not to Repeal U.S. Clean Power Plan by Sabrina Shankman, InsideClimate News, Feb 21, 2018
• How Six Americans Changed Their Minds About Global Warming by Livia Albeck-Ripka, Climate, New York Times, Feb 21, 2018
• East Coast Shatters Temperature Records, Offering Preview to a Warming World by Sabrina Shankman, Inside Climate News, Feb 21, 2018
• Standing Rock is everywhere: one year later by Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Washington Post, Feb 22, 2018
• The evolution of a one-time climate 'skeptic' by Bud Ward, Yale Climate Connections, Feb 20, 2018
• The Facts About Trump’s Solar Tariffs – Who Gets Hurt? Who Gets Helped? by John Rogers, Union of Concerned Scientists, Feb 21, 2018
• Seven climate change myths that big oil continues to perpetuate by George Ferns, The Conversation UK, Feb 21, 2018

Fri Feb 23, 2018

• India in for harsh climate this year due to global warming, Hans India, Feb 22, 2018
• West Coast Wetlands Could Nearly Disappear in 100 Years by Chelsea Harvey, E&E News/Scientific American, Feb 22, 2018
• New category 6 may be added to cyclone classifications due to climate change by Leith Huffadine, Environment, Stuff.Co.NZ, Feb 22, 2018
• Why countries with biggest renewable reserves will become superpowers of tomorrow by Andrew Barron, Environment, The Independent, Feb 21, 2018
• It’s a steamy 80 degrees in New England. In February. That’s bad. by Eric Holthaus, Grist, Feb 21, 2018
• We Can’t Engineer Our Way Out of Climate Change, Opinion by Mark Buchanan, Climate Change, Bloomberg News, Feb 22, 2018
• What Land Will Be Underwater in 20 Years? Figuring It Out Could Be Lucrative by Brad Plumer, Climate, New York Tiems, Feb 23, 2018
• Crazy floods hit the Midwest when hardly anyone was looking by Kate Yoder, Grist, Feb 23, 2018
• Keystone XL Pipeline Ruling: Trump Administration Must Release Documents by Georgina Gustin, Inside Climate News, Feb 22, 2018

Sat Feb 24, 2018

• New research, February 12-18, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Science, Feb 23, 2018
• How ‘enhanced weathering’ could slow climate change and boost crop yields, Guest Post by David Beerling & Stephen Long, Carbon Brief, Feb 19, 2018
• Trump Takes Aim at Obama-Era Rules on Methane Leaks and Gas Flaring by Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimate News, Feb 23, 2018
• Could More Snow in Antarctica Slow Sea Level Rise? by Shannon Hall, Scientific American, Feb 23, 2018
• Seas Will Rise for 300 Years by Chelsea Harvey, E&E News/Scientific American, Feb 21, 2018
• Climate change could cause more severe droughts in ‘98% of European cities’ by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Feb 21, 2018

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via IFTTT

The German “Information network Homeopathy” (INH) goes international

By guest blogger Norbert Aust 

The Germany based Informationsnetzwerk Homöopathie (“Information network Homeopathy”, INH) is a group of critics of homeopathy, with doctors, pharmacists, and other scientists as members.

Among other activities we are running a few websites to provide sound information not so much to the academic but to the more layman public and […]

Read the rest here: The German “Information network Homeopathy” (INH) goes international

A full retaction of the lies that the AACMA have been circulating about me

I have to admit that I had little hope it would come. But after sending my ‘open letter’ twice to their email address, I have just received this:    

As you might remember, the AACMA had accused me of an pecuniary undeclared link with the pharmaceutical industry. Their claim was based on me having […]


Read the rest here: A full retaction of the lies that the AACMA have been circulating about me

Medicine, magic and morality (press-release by our publisher, Springer)

Yesterday, a press-release about our new book has been distributed by our publisher. As I hope than many regular readers of my blog might want to read this book – if you don’t want to buy it, please get it via your library – I decided to re-publish the press-release here:

Governments must legislate to regulate and restrict the sale of complementary and alternative therapies, conclude authors of new book More Harm Than Good.  […] Read the rest here: Medicine, magic and morality (press-release by our publisher, Springer)

Naprapathy: a lot of it looks just like quackery to me

The chiropractor Oakley Smith had graduated under D D Palmer in 1899. Smith was a former Iowa medical student who also had investigated Andrew Still’s osteopathy in Kirksville, before going to Palmer in Davenport. Eventually, Smith came to reject the Palmer concept of vertebral subluxation and developed his own concept of “the connective tissue doctrine” […]

Read the rest here: Naprapathy: a lot of it looks just like quackery to me

How turn a negative trial into a positive one? Simple, just cheat!

Sipjeondaebo-tang is an East Asian herbal supplement containing Angelica root (Angelicae Gigantis Radix), the rhizome of Cnidium officinale Makino (Cnidii Rhizoma), Radix Paeoniae, Rehmannia glutinosa root (Rehmanniae Radix Preparata), Ginseng root (Ginseng Radix Alba), Atractylodes lancea root (Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba), the dried sclerotia of Poria cocos (Poria cocos Sclerotium), Licorice root (Glycyrrhizae Radix), Astragalus root […]

Read the rest here: How turn a negative trial into a positive one? Simple, just cheat!

Homeopathy for farmers … with the support of Prince Charles … foolish and immoral

UK farmers are being taught how to treat their livestock with homeopathy “by kind permission of His Royal Highness, The Prince Of Wales”. This website explains:

The Homeopathy at Wellie Level (HAWL) Course has been developed specifically for those who tend livestock by the School of Agricultural Homeopathy, and is taught by homeopathic vets and qualified homeopaths – all with farm experience.  This is the ONLY course in the UK to provide qualified teaching aimed at empowering farmers and smallholders to use homeopathy for their animals with both confidence and understanding. We have been operational since 2001 and over the years have gathered literally hundreds of positive feedback comments and course testimonials >>> Homeopathy for farmers … with the support of Prince Charles … foolish and immoral

My open letter to ‘Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association’

I was reliably informed that the ‘Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association’ (AACMA) are currently – that is AFTER having retracted the falsehoods they previously issued about me – distributing a document which contains the following passage:

It is noted that Mr Ernst derives income from editing a journal called Focus on Alternative and Complementary Medicine […]

Read the rest here: My open letter to ‘Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association’

2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #7

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. 

Editor's Pick

Vast bioenergy plantations could stave off climate change—and radically reshape the planet

A poplar tree farm in Oregon is a fast-growing bioenergy source.

On a sunny day this past October, three dozen people file into a modest, mint-green classroom at Montana State University (MSU) in Bozeman to glimpse a vision of the future. Some are scientists, but most are people with some connection to the land: extension agents who work with farmers, and environmentalists representing organizations such as The Nature Conservancy. They all know that climate change will reshape the region in the coming decades, but that's not what they've come to discuss. They are here to talk about the equally profound impacts of trying to stop it.

Paul Stoy, an ecologist at MSU, paces in front of whiteboards in a powder blue shirt and jeans as he describes how a landscape already dominated by agriculture could be transformed yet again by a different green revolution: vast plantations of crops, sown to sop up carbon dioxide (CO2) from the sky. "We have this new energy economy that's necessary to avoid dangerous climate change, but how is that going to look on the ground?" he asks.

In 2015, the Paris climate agreement established a goal of limiting global warming to "well below" 2°C. In the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, researchers surveyed possible road maps for reaching that goal and found something unsettling. In most model scenarios, simply cutting emissions isn't enough. To limit warming, humanity also needs negative emissions technologies (NETs) that, by the end of the century, would remove more CO2from the atmosphere than humans emit. The technologies would buy time for society to rein in carbon emissions, says Naomi Vaughan, a climate change scientist at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, U.K. "They allow you to emit more CO2 and take it back at a later date."

Vast bioenergy plantations could stave off climate change—and radically reshape the planet by Julia Rosen, Science, Feb 15, 2018

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Links posted on Facebook

Sun Feb 11, 2018

• New research, January 29 - February 4, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Science, Feb 9, 2018
• February 2018 La Niña update: tuned in by Emily Becker, NOAA's Climate.gov, Feb 8, 2018
• How the EPA's Scott Pruitt Became the Most Dangerous Member of Trump’s Cabinet, Opinion by Alexander Nazaryan, Newsweek, Feb 8, 2018
• Climate Change Just Got a Little Less Terrible by Eric Rolston, Climate Changed, Bloomberg News, Feb 9, 2018
• What we get wrong about migration and climate change by Alex Randall, Prospect Magazine (UK), Feb 8, 2018
• Slowly but surely, South Carolina's incredibly complex shoreline is losing ground by Tony Bartleme, Charleston Post & Courier, Feb 11, 2018
• Trump’s Infrastructure Plan May Ignore Climate Change. It Could Be Costly. by Coral Davenport, Climate, New York Times, Feb 10, 2018
• Solar Panel Prices Continue Falling Quicker Than Expected (#CleanTechnica Exclusive) by Zachary Shahan, Clean Technica, Feb 11, 2018

Mon Feb 12, 2018

• Turning Assessment into Action: Advancing China’s Urban Sustainability by Kelsie DeFrancia, State of the Planet, Earth Institute, Columbia University, Feb 8, 2018
• Scientists: Long-Buried Ice Age Forest Offers Climate Change Clues by Debbie Elliott, NPR News, Feb 8, 2018
• Is it possible for everyone to live a good life within our planet’s limits? by Daniel O'Neill, The Conversation UK, Feb 7, 2018
• Coral reefs require ‘radical interventions’ to save them from destruction, say top marine scientists by Josh Gabattis, The Independent, Feb 11, 2018
• Tropical Cyclone Gita smashes Tonga by Michael Daly, Leith Huffadine & Megan Gatte, Stuff (NZ), Feb 12, 2018
• Satellite observations show sea levels rising, and climate change is accelerating it by Brandon Miller, CNN, Feb 12, 2017
• The EPA debunked Administrator Pruitt’s latest climate misinformation by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Feb 12, 2018
• ExxonMobil’s Climate Disinformation Campaign is Still Alive and Well by Elliott Negin, Union of Concerned Scientists, Feb 12, 2018

Tue Feb 13, 2018

• AGL to spend nearly $1bn on wind farms by Cole Latimer, Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 12, 2018
• What Canola Can Tell Us About Crops And Climate Change by Angus Chen, NPR News, Feb 12, 2018
• Tomgram: Michael Klare, Militarizing America's Energy Policy, Introduction by Tom Engelhardt, Article by Michael Klare, TomDispatch, Feb 11, 2018 
• 11 takeaways from the draft UN report on a 1.5C global warming limit by Megan Darby, Climate Home News, Feb 13, 2018
• Keep it human and visual, says U.N. guide to talking climate by Zoe Tabary, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Feb 9. 2018
• Expect more 'complete surprises' from climate change: NASA's Schmidt by Peter Hannam, Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 12, 2018
• Cyclone wreaks havoc in Tonga's capital, parliament flattened, homes wrecked by John Mair, Reuters, Feb 13, 2018
• ‘I’m Just More Afraid of Climate Change Than I Am of Prison’ by Michelle Nijhuis, New York Times Magazine, Feb 13, 2018

Wed Feb 14, 2018

• Does Climate Change Cause More War? by Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, Feb 12, 2018
• Exxon Sues the Suers in Fierce Climate-Change Case by Bob Von Voris, Climate Changed, Bloomberg News, Feb 13, 2018
• A Hot, Dry Winter in California. Could It Be Drought Again? by Henry Fountain, Climate, New York Times, Feb 13, 2018
• A Powerful Mix of Solar and Batteries Is Beating Natural Gas by Chris Martin & Mark Chediak, Climate Changed, Bloomberg News, Feb 14, 2018
• Caribbean residents see climate change as a severe threat but most in US don’t — here’s why by Elizabeth J. Zechmeister & Claire Q. Evans, The Conversation US, Feb 14, 2018
• Trump seeks big cuts to science across agencies by Scott Waldman, E&E News, Feb 13, 2018
• Court Sides with Arctic Seals Losing Their Sea Ice Habitat to Climate Change by Sabrina Shankman, InsideClimate News, Feb 13, 2018
• Trump Takes Aim at Obama-Era Rules on Methane Leaks and Gas Flaring by Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimate News, Feb 13, 2018

Thu Feb 15, 2018

• Climate Change is Hurting Children the Most: Here is How to Protect Them by Esther Ngumbi & Sam Dindi, International Press Service (IPS), Feb 2, 2018
• This book ranks the top 100 solutions to climate change. The results are surprising. by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Feb 12, 2018
• Leaked U.N. climate report sees ‘very high risk’ the planet will warm beyond key limit by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Feb 14, 2018
• News network climate reporting soared in 2017 thanks to Trump by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Feb 15, 2018
• The permafrost bomb is ticking by Raj Saha, Yale Climate Connections, Feb 12, 2018
• Even with pledges to fight global warming, you'd better brace yourself for more extreme weather by Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Tmes, Feb 14, 2018
• It's misleading to ask what Earth's 'ideal temperature' is. Here's what's really important by Andrew Freedman, Mashable, Feb 14, 2018
• South Korea's Ahn Hee-Jung on coal trade: after Paris 'everything should change' by Michael Slezak, Environment, Guardian, Feb 15, 2018

Fri Feb 16, 2018

• Bat Swarms Tracked by Weather Radar Reveal Earlier Migration as Planet Warms by Bob Berwyn, InsideCimate News, Feb 14, 2018
• A Spy’s Guide to Climate Change, Opinion by Justin Gillis, New York Times, Feb  Times, feb 15, 201
• Banks Told They're Lagging on Response to Climate Risks by Jeremy Hodges, Climate Changed, Bloomberg News, Feb 15, 2018
• Saving Winter Is More Than About Snow. It’s About Jobs., Opinion by Jeremy Jones, New York Times, Feb 16, 2018
• Vast bioenergy plantations could stave off climate change—and radically reshape the planet by Julia Rosen, Science, Feb 15, 2018
• Dutch plan to build giant offshore solar power farm by Anthony Deutsch, Reuters, Feb 14, 2018
• Survey says: the American public is souring on coal by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Feb 14, 2018
• Some Utah lawmakers deny climate change, but OK a bill recognizing its impacts after hearing pleas from students by Emma Penrod, Salt Lake Tribune, Feb 15, 2018

Sat Feb 17, 2018

• ‘Extreme Cities,’ Climate Change and Class Warfare by Crawford Killian, The Tyee, Feb 16, 2018
• Trump’s top spy just contradicted the White House’s line on climate change by Umair Irfan, Energy & Environment, Vox, Feb 15, 2018
• Who is Guilty of Climate Crimes? by Margaret Klein Salamon, Common Dreams, Feb 16, 2018
• Retreat From a Rising Sea: A Book Review by Jeff Masters, Category 6, Weather Underground, Feb 16, 2018
• Decline in krill threatens Antarctic wildlife, from whales to penguins by Matthew Taylor, Environment, Guardian, Feb 14, 2018
• This company may have solved one of the hardest problems in clean energy by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Feb 16, 2018

from Skeptical Science
via IFTTT

A new RCT of craniosacral therapy … for once, I am really embarrassed

Cranio-sacral therapy is firstly implausible, and secondly it lacks evidence of effectiveness (see for instance here, here, here and here). Yet, some researchers are nevertheless not deterred to test it in clinical trials. While this fact alone might be seen as embarrassing, the study below is a particular and personal embarrassment to me, in fact, I am shocked by it and write these lines with considerable regret.

Why? Bear with me, I will explain […]Read the rest here: A new RCT of craniosacral therapy … for once, I am really embarrassed

This RCT of a Chinese herbal mixture makes a mockery of science and medical ethics

Difficulties breastfeeding?

Some say that Chinese herbal medicine offers a solution.

This Chinese multi-centre RCT included 588 mothers considering breastfeeding. The intervention group received the Chinese herbal mixture Zengru Gao, while the control group received no therapy. The primary outcomes were the percentages of fully and partially breastfeeding mothers, and a secondary outcome was baby’s […]

Read the rest here: This RCT of a Chinese herbal mixture makes a mockery of science and medical ethics

Fascinating news from the ‘Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine’

The Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, recently re-named as the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM), has been one of the most influential homeopathic hospitals in the world. It was founded in 1849 by Dr Frederick Foster Hervey Quin. In 1895, a new and larger hospital was opened on its present site in Great Ormond […]

Read the rest here: Fascinating news from the ‘Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine’

Cupping for athletes: rubbish trials, rubbish review, rubbish journal

The authors of this systematic review aimed to summarize the evidence of clinical trials on cupping for athletes. Randomized controlled trials on cupping therapy with no restriction regarding the technique, or co-interventions, were included, if they measured the effects of cupping compared with any other intervention on health and performance outcomes in professionals, semi-professionals, and […]

Read the rest here: Cupping for athletes: rubbish trials, rubbish review, rubbish journal

Kratom: a ‘herbal drug’ with the potental to do more harm than good

Rapidly rising in popularity, kratom is hailed by some as a readily available pain remedy that is safer than traditional opioids, an effective addiction withdrawal aid and a pleasurable recreational tonic. But kratom also is assailed as a dangerous and unregulated drug that can be purchased on the Internet, a habit-forming substance that authorities say […]

Read the rest here: Kratom: a ‘herbal drug’ with the potental to do more harm than good

More uncomfortable thoughts on ‘integrative medicine’

Doctor Jonas is an important figure head of US ‘Integrative Medicine’. As we discussed in a recent post, he pointed out that many US hospital doctors fail to answer the following questions relating to their chronically ill patients:

“What matters most for this patient? What is the person’s lifestyle like – their nutrition, movement and […]

Read the rest here: More uncomfortable thoughts on ‘integrative medicine’

Emunctorology? No, it’s not a spelling mistake; it’s an alternative therapy!

It is not often that I come across an alternative therapy that I have never before heard of. And when I do, I am naturally interested. Emunctorology is such a term – even my spell-check flags it up as a misprint, but trust me, it isn’t.

The term, my dictionary tells me, comes from the […] Read the rest here: Emunctorology? No, it’s not a spelling mistake; it’s an alternative therapy!

2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #6

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. 

Editor's Pick

Tesla is building a 'virtual power plant' using people's homes

 

South Australia is working with Tesla to install solar power systems on residents homes. Image: REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

The state government of South Australia announced Sunday that it had struck a deal with Tesla to install as many as 50,000 solar-power systems on homes, at no cost to residents.

The system would include both solar panels and Tesla Powerwall batteries, and would become part of a decentralized electric grid managed by software. The system would be funded in part by revenues from electricity, which would not belong to the owners of the homes where the systems were installed.

A pilot version of the program has already begun, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation spoke to one early recipient whose electric bills had declined substantially. One projection suggested energy bills for participating households would drop by 30%. 

Tesla is building a 'virtual power plant' using people's homes by David Z. Morris, Fortune/World Economic Forum

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Links posted on Facebook

Sun Feb 4, 2018

• Why Cape Town Is Running Out of Water, and Who’s Next by Graig Welch, National Geographic, Feb 2, 2018 
• Oil Giant Sues Other Oil Giant Over Climate Change Because This Is Our World Now by Brian Kahn, Earther, Feb 2, 2018
• Why Climate Deniers Target Women by Jeremy Deaton, Climate Nexus, Feb 2, 2018
• Trump's Arctic Oil, Gas Lease Sale Violated Environmental Rules, Lawsuits Claim by Sabrinna Shankman, InsideClimate News, Feb 2, 2018
• How Did 'Climate Change' and 'Global Warming' Turn Into a Misleading Trump Talking Point? by Bob Henson, Category 6, Weather Underground, Jan 29, 2019
• How climate change threatens Indonesia's marine tourism by Kathryn Curzon, The Jakarta Post, Feb 2018
• White House withdraws controversial nominee to head Council on Environmental Quality by Juliet Eilperin & Brady Dennis, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Feb 4. 2018
• ‘Extreme’ rainstorms becoming more common in Seattle, says city meteorologist by Daniel Beekman, Seattle Times, Feb 3, 2018

Mon Feb 5, 2018

• New research, January 22-28, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Science, Jan 3, 2018
• More U.S. drought in a second-year La Niña? by Nat Johnson, ENSO Blog, NOAA's Climate.gov, Feb 1, 2018
• Universities Should Encourage Scientists to Speak Out about Public Issues, Opinion by the Editorial Board of Scientific American, February 2018 Print Edition
• Climate change impact on Antarctica becomes clearer as scientists make progress by Kate Doyle, ABC News (Australia), Feb 5, 2018
• Exxon Studies Climate Policies and Sees ‘Little Risk’ to Bottom Line by Brad Plumer & Hiroko Tabuchi, Climate, New York Times, Feb 2, 2018
• The Arctic has inversions just like Utah, and they could be making climate change worse by Emma Penrod, Salt Lake Tribune, Feb 5, 2018
• The Science Of Global Warming And The Causes & Prevention Of Climate Change (Part 1) by Andy Miles, Clean Technica, Feb 3, 2018
• The Science Of Global Warming And The Causes & Prevention Of Climate Change(Part 2) by Andy Miles, Clean Technica, Feb 4, 2018

Tue Feb 6, 2018

• Scientists Find Massive Reserves Of Mercury Hidden In Permafrost, Press Release, American Geophysical Union (AGU), Feb 5, 2018
• Texas Got 18 Percent of Its Energy from Wind and Solar Last Year by Robert Fares, Scientific American, Jan 29, 2018
• A Trip to a Museum for Convincing Americans About Climate Change by Laura Raskin, The Atlantic, Feb 5, 2018
• Keeping the world below 2°C of warming needs tech we don’t have by Scott K Johnson, Ars Technica, Feb 5, 2018
• Troubled by Trump's Climate Denial, Scientists Aim to Set the Record Straight by Georgina Gustin, InsideClimate News, Feb 5, 2018
• A beginner’s guide to the debate over 100% renewable energy by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Feb 6, 2018
• Humans need to become smarter thinkers to beat climate denial by Dana Nucitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Feb 6, 2018
• Humanity will need to make some drastic changes if it wants to keep the 'good life' going by Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, Feb 5, 2018

Wed Feb 7, 2018

• Tesla, Australia to turn 50,000 homes into power generators, AFP News, Feb 4. 2018
• Thousands evacuated in Indonesian capital over floods by Kanupriya Kapoor, Andy Mangelsdorf & Agustinus Beo Da Costa, Reuters, Feb 6, 2018
• Cape Town is almost out of water. Could Australian cities suffer the same fate? by Ian Wright, The Conversation AU, Feb 7, 2018
• Lukewarmer’ wrong again about climate change impacts, Commentary by Bob Ward, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, Feb 5, 2018
• More flaws in estimates of the economic impacts of climate change, Commentary by Bob Ward, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, Feb 7, 2018
• If the world builds all its planned coal plants, climate change goals are doomed, scientists say by Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Feb 7, 2018
• No Drop in U.S. Carbon Footprint Expected Through 2050, Energy Department Says by John H Cushman Jr, InsideClimate News, Feb 6, 2018
• Trump Wants Offshore Drilling, but States Are Choosing Wind Energy by Brittany Patterson, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Feb 5, 2018

Thu Feb 8, 2018

• UK built half of Europe's offshore wind power in 2017 by Adam Vaughn, Environment, Guardian, Feb 7, 2018
• Models Coming into Agreement on Widespread Effects of Arctic Sea Ice Loss by Bob Henson, Category 6, Weather Underground, Feb 5, 2018
• On the Side of Climate Solutions: An Interview with Paul Lussier by Catherine Halley, JSTOR Daily, Feb 7, 2018
• Loss of beloved local rink ignites calls for climate action by Mitchell Beer, National Observer, Feb 7, 2018
• Long-term climate variability ‘could fall’ as the world warms by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Feb 6, 2017
• Churches warn firms over pay, gender and climate change by Angela Monaghan, The Guardian, Feb 7, 2018
• EPA chief Pruitt reveals Trump climate policy is built on a lie by Joe Romm, Think Progress, Feb 7, 2018
• Glaciers, Ice Sheets, and More: A Primer on the Different Types of Polar Ice by Lauren Harper, Earth Instittue, State of the Plaent, Columbia University, Feb 5, 2018

Fri Feb 9, 2018

• Waves of Change by Melissa Márquez, Lateral Magazine (AU), Feb 5, 2018
• Does energy storage make the electric grid cleaner? by Naga Srujana Goteti, Eric Hittinger & Eric Williams, The Conversation US, Feb 2, 2018
• Mulroney attacks Trudeau’s climate policy by Carl Meyer, National Observer, Feb 8, 2018
• New Study Finds Cutting Oil Subsidies Will Not Stop Climate Change by Chelsea Harvey, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Feb 8, 2018
• Reduced Energy from the Sun Might Occur by Mid-century; Now Scientists Know by How Much, News, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Feb 5, 2018
• The “Arrogance” of Republicans’ Favorite Attack on Climate Scientists by Emily Atkin, New Republic, Feb 8, 2018
• How to Change Your Mind About Climate Change by David Kirtley, Skeptical Science, Feb 7, 2018
• This picture book about climate change won’t freak your kids out by Alessandra Potenza, The Verge, Feb 4, 2018

Sat Feb 10, 2018

• Mulroney attacks Trudeau’s climate policy by Carl Meyer, National Observer, Feb 8, 2018
• Canadian solar companies sue Trump over tariffs by Timothy Cama, The Hill, Feb 8, 2018
• Climate change is increasing flood risks in Europe by John Abraham, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Feb 8, 2018
• Tesla is building a 'virtual power plant' using people's homes by David Z. Morris, Fortune/World Economic Forum, Feb 6, 2018
• The US Solar Industry Records First Year of Job Losses by Emma Foehringer Merchant, Greentech Media, Feb 5, 2018
• Seven Lessons On Starting a Worldwide Movement for Change by Naresh Giangrande, Transition Network.org, Feb 9, 2918
• Climate Change Is Giving Us 'Pre-Traumatic Stress' by Daniel Oberhaus, Motherboard, Feb 4, 2018
• Pruitt Squirming Away From The Weight of Climate Evidence by Rachel Liker (Union of Concerned Scientists), Common Dreams, Feb 9, 2018

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An invitation to the ‘Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association’

The Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association Ltd (AACMA) is the “peak professional body of qualified acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine practitioners in Australia. AACMA has represented the profession since 1973 and values high standards in ethical and professional practice.”

High standards in ethical and professional practice?  Really? Somehow, I doubt it! Why? Because they […]

Read the rest here: An invitation to the ‘Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association’

The reality of ‘integrative medicine’ consists of little more than re-discoveries from conventional medicine, platitudes and outright nonsense

Yesterday, I received a ‘LETTER FROM DR JONAS’ (the capital lettering was his) – actually, it was an email, and not a very personal one at that. Therefore I feel it might be permissible to share some of it here (you do remember Jonas, don’t you? I did mention him in a recent post: “Considering […]

Read the rest here: The reality of ‘integrative medicine’ consists of little more than re-discoveries from conventional medicine, platitudes and outright nonsense

My challenge to the homeopaths of this world

The authors of this review aimed to present an overview of the literature on physicochemical research performed on homeopathic preparations with respect to publication quality and methods used. They searched major scientific databases to find relevant publications from its origin to the end of 2015. Publications were assessed using a scoring scheme, the Manuscript Information […]

Read the rest here: My challenge to the homeopaths of this world

SUCCESS: my first official complaint about a newspaper article

You might remember: I have been badly misquoted in an article in THE DAILY TELEGRAPH. Based on a newly published scientific paper, the Telegraph article was about herbal medicines and their potential to interact with synthetic drugs. Towards its end, it cited me stating this:

Emeritus Professor Edzard Ernst, Britain’s first professor of complementary medicine at Exeter University said that doctors should make it clear to patients that they could not be taking herbal remedies alongside drugs...

SUCCESS: my first official complaint about a newspaper article

An effective herbal treatment for upper respiratory infections

Many hard-nosed sceptics might claim that there is no herbal treatment for upper respiratory infections that makes the slightest difference difference. But is this assumption really correct?

According to my own research of 2004, it is not. Here is the abstract of our systematic review:
Acute respiratory infections represent a significant cause of over-prescription of […]

Read the rest here: An effective herbal treatment for upper respiratory infections

BREAKING NEWS: Scientists discover the ‘Brexit virus’… and homeopaths are quick to offer a ‘cure’

Virologists have discovered the very virus that is threatening the survival of the UK. It is a Coxsackie virus, to be precise, a mutation of the one responsible for HAND FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE. In contrast to the Coxsackie A 16, the new ‘Coxsackie Brexit Strong’ (‘Coxsackie BS’ for short) seems to attack mostly adult […]

Read the rest here: BREAKING NEWS: Scientists discover the ‘Brexit virus’… and homeopaths are quick to offer a ‘cure’

2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #5

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. 

Editor's Pick

Ice, fire, storms and heat: Climate change is now part of our everyday lives

While the West Coast was being inundated, on the other side of the Alps, there were fires.  Photo: Iain McGregor/Stuff

Analysis: January 2018 was officially the hottest month ever recorded in New Zealand.

Niwa made the announcement on Friday afternoon, as communities on the West Coast were mopping  up the mess created by a powerful storm that descended over eroding coasts; as some in Dunedin settled into their homes after a sweeping fire while others in low-lying parts of the city clear up after yet another flood; as it was snowing in Cromwell during the hottest summer in many years, after a month where the mean air temperature was 3C warmer than usual, based on the country's century-old seven-station record.

Earlier in the week, the news was filled with fan shortages, wildfires and mountains shedding rock because of a lack of snow; at its end, it was 14C in parts of central Otago, multiple areas near Christchurch were on fire, and homes throughout the South Island had been damaged by the sea. An ominous super blood moon part way through the week, whilst unrelated, summed up the vibe: unsettled, bordering on Biblical. 

Ice, fire, storms and heat: Climate change is now part of our everyday lives, Analysis by Charlie Mitchell, Stuff (New Zealand), Feb 2, 2018 

---

Links posted on Facebook

Sun Jan 28, 2018

• Latin Americans Take Climate Change Seriously by Yessenia Funes, Earther, Jan 26, 2018
• Can Drought Be Prevented? Slovakia Aims to Try by Ed Holt, Inter Press Service (IPS), Jan 22, 2018
• Paris remains on flood alert as Seine rises by Laura Smith-Spark & Eva Tapiero, CNN, Jan 28, 2018
• UCS Sues to Stop EPA from Kicking Independent Experts Off Advisory Boards by John Goldman, Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), Jan 23, 2018
• There's a 'crisis looming' for Canadian climate research, scientists warn by Carl Meyer, National Observer, Jan 22, 2018
• Donald Trump appears to misunderstand basic facts of climate change in Piers Morgan interview by Josh Gabbatiss, The Independent, Jan 27, 2018
• Monthly Messenger: Could Inoculation be the Cure to Climate Denial?,   National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL), Jan 26, 2018
• Is this the end of civilisation? We could take a different path, Opinion by George Monbiot, Environment, Guardian, Jan 24, 2018

Mon Jan 29, 2018

• New research, January 15-21, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Scince, Jan 25, 2018
• 'Global weirding' to blame for west coast flooding, says MUN research scientist by CBC News, Jan 19, 2018
• Colorado governor releases state’s electric vehicle plans, saying “we know that we can have a cleaner option” by Jesse Paul, The Denver Post, Jan 24, 2018
• Is There A Ticking Time Bomb Under The Arctic? by Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR Morning Edition, Jan 24, 2018
• State of the Union: What Trump won't say about climate change by Sammy Roth, The (Palm Springs, CA) Desert Sun/USA Today Network, Jan 29, 2018
• A Lifetime in Peru’s Glaciers, Slowly Melting Away by Nicholas Casey, Americas, New York Times, Jan 27, 2018
• How the Trump Administration Distorts Analysis of Key Environmental Rules by Matthew Kotchen, Yale Environment 360, Jan 29, 2018
• Natural gas killed coal – now renewables and batteries are taking over by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Jan 29, 2018

Tue Jan 30, 2018

• How to Get Evangelicals to Care About Climate Change by Elaine Howard Ecklund & Christopher P. Scheitl, Nautilus, Jan 28, 2018
• New Wave of Mini Satellites Could Boost Climate Research by John Fialka, ClimateWire/Scientific Amerian, Jan 29, 2018
• Debunking the claim ‘they’ changed ‘global warming’ to ‘climate change’ because warming stopped by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Jan 29, 2018
• Greenland’s recent temperature drop does not disprove global warming by Charlotte Price Persson, Science Nordic, Jan 29, 2018
• New Jersey to Rejoin East Coast Carbon Market, Virginia May Be Next by Phil McKena, InsideClimate News, Jan 29. 2018
• How Sensitive Is Earth’s Climate to Carbon Dioxide Pollution? by Matt Smith, Seeker, Jan 30, 2018
• Dissolving stereotypes and seeking climate 'solutions' by Karin Kirk, Yale Climate Connections, Jan 30, 2018

Wed Jan 31, 2018

• We can’t rely on corporations to save us from climate change by Christopher Wright & Daniel Nyberg, LSE Business Review, London School of Economics & Political Science, Jan 30, 2018
• Scientists Pinpoint How Ocean Acidification Weakens Coral Skeletons, News Release, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Jan 29, 2018
• We’re climate researchers and our work was turned into fake news by Michael Grubb, The Conversation UK, Jan 25, 2018
• State of the Union: Trump Glorifies Coal, Shuts Eyes to Climate Risks by John Cushman Jr, InsideClimate News, Jan 31, 2018
• As Paris mops up, warning of more floods in Europe's future, Agence France Presse (AFP), Jan 29, 2018
• ‘Big Five’ in Alberta’s oilpatch suspected of sitting on a $2 trillion liability by Carl Meyer, National Observer, Jan 31, 2018
• White House seeks 72 percent cut to clean energy research, underscoring administration’s preference for fossil fuels by Chris Mooney & Steven Mufson, Business, Washington Post, Jan 31, 2018
• Trump Says Climate Is Both ‘Cooling’ and ‘Heating.’ He’s Only Half Right. by John Schwartz, Climate, New York Times, Jan 29, 2018

Thu Feb 1, 2018

• The temperature in Siberia rose 100 degrees. The northern U.S. may pay a frigid price. by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Jan 31, 2018
• German parties agree on climate as coalition talks progress by Andreas Rinke & Markus Wacket, Reuters, Jan 31, 2018
• UN makes open call for ideas on fighting climate change by Megan Darby, Climate Home, Jan 30, 2018
• It's not okay how clueless Donald Trump is about climate change by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Feb 1, 2018
• Rainforests: Scientists concerned climate change is altering the tropical life cycle by 8Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Jan 30, 2018
• The 10 most ridiculous things media figures said about climate change and the environment in 2017 by Kevin Kalhoefer, Media Matters, Dec 26, 2017
• Trump’s Top Environment Pick, a Fossil Fuels Evangelist, May Be in Trouble by Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimate News, Jan 29, 2018
• Science 1, Gobbledygook 0: Debunking Trump’s Climate Claims by Brenda Ekwurzel, Union of Concerned Scientists, Jan 31, 2018

Fri Feb 2, 2018

• Five-year forecast indicates further warming, News Release, Met Office, Jan 31, 2018
• Has Trump Killed More Regulations Than Any Other President? by Zack Colman, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Feb 1, 2018
• What Global Warming?: Unmasking a proxy war strategy by online climate change denialists. by Paul Rosenberg, Salt Lake City Weekly, Jan 31, 2019
• Polar Bears Really Are Starving Because of Global Warming, Study Shows by Stephen Leahy, National Geographic, Feb 1, 2018
• Climate change is impacting some women’s decisions to have children by Julie Unruh, WGN9 (Chicago), Jan 31, 2018
• At Climate Feedback, scientists encourage better science reporting. But who is listening? by Cassandra Willyard, Columbia Journalism Review, Feb 1, 2018
• The EU got less electricity from coal than renewables in 2017 by Simon Evans, Carbon Brief, Jan 30, 2018
• Energy guarantee protects coal sector from renewable competition – analysis by Katharine Murphy, AU News, Guardian, Feb 1, 2018

Sat Feb 2, 2018

• Australia cops UN investor slap on climate policy as 'green paradox' looms by Peter Hannam, Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 1, 2018
• The Wired Guide To Climate Change by M. Palmer & Matt Simon, Wired, Feb 1, 2018
• Activism and talking climate: The power of normal by Kate Heath, Transition Network, Feb 1, 2018
• Ice, fire, storms and heat: Climate change is now part of our everyday lives, Analysis by Charlie Mitchell, Stuff (New Zealand), Feb 2, 2018
• Climate Impact Lab: measuring the social cost of climate change by Erica Chen, Research IT, University of California Berkeley, Jan 31, 2018
• Negative emissions have ‘limited potential’ to help meet climate goals by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Jan 31, 2018

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