How The Parents Of Autistic Children Are Being Targeted By Misinformation Online

It started simply enough – with suggestions that her child should follow an unremarkable-sounding special diet. “They did these tests: a stool test and a urine test,” Layla (not her real name) tells BuzzFeed News. “I can’t remember where they were from – not the NHS, obviously, but some lab. The results had all these red markers.” The tests, from an alternative medicine practitioner who was recommended by and paid for by a major charity, apparently showed that Layla’s son, an autistic boy who was 3 at the time, had various issues with his gut and his metabolism. “I was shocked,” says Layla. “I didn’t realise – my son had all these deficiencies, these toxins in his system.”[...]

Read full exposé: How The Parents Of Autistic Children Are Being Targeted By Misinformation Online

Take control!

This post isn’t entirely about the ill-advised and predictably destructive UK referendum. Nor is it entirely about quackery.

It’s about both.

The cringeingly-dubbed Brexit is now over, the “Leave” camp won by a narrow margin (which might well not have existed if all British expats in the EU had been allowed to vote), racist aggression is predictably on the rise, the poor regions who rely on EU subsidies to survive are having major “Oh fuck” moments, both Sterling and the stock markets have plummeted, the UK’s credit rating has fallen, and businesses are already beginning to pull out. That’s a far from exhaustive list…

Continue reading → Take control! on Plague of Mice.

A charlatan’s dictionary of medical research | Edzard Ernst

Time for some fun!

In alternative medicine, there often seems to be an uneasy uncertainty about research methodology. This is, of course, regrettable, as it can (and often does) lead to misunderstandings. I feel that I have some responsibility to educate research-naïve practitioners. I hope this little dictionary of research terminology turns out to be a valuable contribution in this respect.

Adverse reaction: a side effect of a therapy that I do not practise […]

Read on: A charlatan’s dictionary of medical research

10 Ways to Spot Health Quackery | Berkeley Wellness

If it ducks like a quack . . .

Dubious or outright fraudulent health products and treatments cost Americans billions of dollars a year. Worse than the money that this wastes, it can cause harm and lead people away from the medical help they really need.

Don't be fooled! Here are 10 warning signs of health quackery.

• Words such as "miraculous," "instant," "secret," or "amazing."
• Vague claims such as "purifies your body," "raise your energy level," or "boosts immune system."
• Testimonials and anecdotes that are the sole or primary support for the claims.
• Ad copy that tries to diagnose health problems: for example, an ad that leads you to believe you have vitamin deficiencies, and then offers to sell you a cure.
• Claims that doctors don’t want you to know about "cures" because they would lose business.
• "Spot-reducers" or any gadget promising to reduce weight without exercise—or while you sleep!
• Diet plans "guaranteed" to take off a pound a day. A diet that rigorous would be dangerous.
• Health-related products sold via multi-level (network) marketing, which turns customers into salespeople.
• Claims about curing arthritis, cancer, or AIDS.
• Claims that a product will cure a wide variety of illnesses. Cure-alls seldom cure anything.
• Think you've spotted a scam? You can report it to the FDA here. You can also check Snopes.com and Quackwatch for roundups of Internet rumors and myths.

This article 10 Ways to Spot Health Quackery | Berkeley Wellness originally appeared in the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter in April 2007. It was updated in March 2015.

Lyme disease (imagined and real): an easy target for charlatans | Edzard Ernst

Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is an infectious disease caused by Borrelia infection transmitted by ticks. The most common early sign is an expanding area of redness beginning at the site of a bite about a week after a tick-bite. Fever, tiredness and headaches often follow. Later stages are characterised by more severe and remarkably variable illness.

Patients with medically unexplained or vague symptoms are sometimes told that they suffer from Lyme disease. These patients are commonly targeted by providers of alternative therapies who promise hope by claiming that their particular brand of quackery is effective for this chronic condition. […]

Read on: Lyme disease (imagined and real): an easy target for charlatans

Harpocrates Speaks: Beware the Humpty Dumptys

Language is a very powerful thing. We use it to convey our thoughts and desires. The words we use have meaning. It may be literal, where what we say is exactly what we mean. Or the subtext may carry a meaning beyond, or even at odds with, the specific words that we choose. No matter which language we speak, there are certain assumptions we all have regarding the words that we use. Primary among those assumptions, and what allows language to work as a means of communication, is that we all agree on the actual meanings of words. When we do not agree on the basic meanings of words, then we can no longer communicate...

Read on: Harpocrates Speaks: Beware the Humpty Dumptys

Alternative medicine, the baby and the bath water | Edzard Ernst

Twenty years ago, I published a short article in the British Journal of Rheumatology. Its title was ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE, THE BABY AND THE BATH WATER. Reading it again today – especially in the light of the recent debate (with over 700 comments) on acupuncture – indicates to me that very little has since changed in the discussions about alternative medicine (AM). Does that mean we are going around in circles? Here is the (slightly abbreviated) article from 1995 for you to judge for yourself...

Read on: Alternative medicine, the baby and the bath water

‘The 10 commandments of quackery’ | Edzard Ernst

Each year, during the Christmas period, we are bombarded with religious ideology, soapy sentimentality and delusive festive cheer. In case you are beginning to feel slightly nauseous about all this, it might be time to counter-balance this abundance with my (not entirely serious) version of the 10 commandments of quackery?

Want to legitimise your bogus therapy? Here is how | Edzard Ernst

Many proponents of alternative medicine seem somewhat suspicious of research; they have obviously understood that it might not produce the positive result they had hoped for; after all, good research tests hypotheses and does not necessarily confirm beliefs. At the same time, they are often tempted to conduct research: this is perceived as being good for the image and, provided the findings are positive, also good for business.

Therefore they seem to be tirelessly looking for a study design that cannot ‘fail’, i.e. one that avoids the risk of negative results but looks respectable enough to be accepted by ‘the establishment’. For these enthusiasts, I have good news: here is the study design that cannot fail.

Read the full post here: Want to legitimise your bogus therapy? Here is how

How reliable are chiropractic diagnostic tests? | Edzard Ernst

Chiropractors, like other alternative practitioners, use their own unique diagnostic tools for identifying the health problems of their patients. One such test is the Kemp’s test, a manual test used by most chiropractors to diagnose problems with lumbar facet joints. The chiropractor rotates the torso of the patient, while her pelvis is fixed; if manual if manual counter-rotative resistance on one side of the pelvis by the chiropractor causes lumbar pain for the patient, it is interpreted as a sign of lumbar facet joint dysfunction which, in turn would be treated with spinal manipulation.
[…]

Read on: How reliable are chiropractic diagnostic tests?

The statistical argument against alternative medicine: why it “cannot be considered evidence-based”

Most of the underlying assumptions of alternative medicine (AM) lack plausibility. Whenever this is the case, so the argument put forward by an international team of researchers in a recent paper, there are difficulties involved in obtaining a valid statistical significance in clinical studies.

Using a mostly statistical approach, they argue that, since the prior probability of a research hypothesis is directly related to its scientific plausibility, the commonly used frequentist statistics, which do not account for this probability, are unsuitable for studies exploring matters in various degree disconnected from science. Any statistical significance obtained in this field should be considered with great caution and may be better applied to more plausible hypotheses (like placebo effect) than the specific efficacy of the intervention.

The researchers conclude that...

Read the rest here: The statistical argument against alternative medicine: why it “cannot be considered evidence-based” by Edzard Ernst

Another dodgy study of homeopathy | Edzard Ernst

Dodgy science abounds in alternative medicine; this is perhaps particularly true for homeopathy. A brand-new trial seems to confirm this view. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that homeopathy (H) enhances the effects of scaling and root planing (SRP) in patients with chronic periodontitis (CP). The researchers randomised 50 patients with […]

Read on: Another dodgy study of homeopathy

The Steiner Waldorf cult uses bait and switch to get state funding. Part 2

This essay is largely devoted to the methods used by the Steiner movement in the hope of getting state funding. That involves concealing from ministers and inspectors some of the less desirable aspects of the cult. That is sadly easy to do, because ministers and inspectors usually use a tick box approach that can easily be corrupted (just have a look, for example, at what goes on at the University of Wales). It is a classical case of bait and switch, a method that was used by chiropractors and acupuncturists to pervert the normally high standards of NICE. The technique is standard in alternative medicine, as described by the excellent Yale neurologist Steven Novella, in The Bait and Switch of Unscientific Medicine..

Steiner’s bible of the cult, 1905

The involvement of a few universities with Steiner training is every bit as disgraceful as their involvement with quack medicine, In fact Anthroposophical medicine is among the barmier forms of quackery.

Read on: The Steiner Waldorf cult uses bait and switch to get state funding. Part 2

Why many results of alternative medicine research are wrong | Edzard Ernst

Blinding patients in clinical trials is a key methodological procedure for minimizing bias and thus making sure that the results are reliable. In alternative medicine, blinding is not always straight forward, and many studies are therefore not patient-blinded. We all know that this can introduce bias into a trial, but how large is its effect on study outcomes?

This was the research question addressed by a recent systematic review of randomized clinical trials with one sub-study (i.e. experimental vs control) involving blinded patients and another, otherwise identical, sub-study involving non-blinded patients. Within each trial, the researchers compared the difference in effect sizes (i.e. standardized mean differences) between the two sub-studies. A difference <0 indicates that non-blinded patients generated a more optimistic effect estimate. The researchers then pooled the differences with random-effects inverse variance meta-analysis, and explored reasons for heterogeneity...


Read more: Why many results of alternative medicine research are wrong

Homeopathy vs Science - a Metaphor

Homeopaths: The horizontal lines in the image above are not straight. Furthermore, the way they bend changes as you look around the image.

Science: The lines bend depending on where you look? But the image is on a normal computer monitor, it can't know where you're looking. It isn't scientifically plausible, we'd have to throw away our current understanding of physics.

Homeopaths: We don't know how it works, we just know it does. We have testimony from millions saying those horizontal lines bend.

Science: Ok, we've tested your theory. Turns out the lines don't bend at all, it's an optical illusion, the human brain simply thinks the lines are bent.
Here, drag this ruler to the top of the page, you can see the lines are straight.
 
Homeopaths: Science can't explain everything, what about the human spirit? The soul?

Science: It's nothing to do with that. Do the test with the ruler, it's just an illusion.

User of Homeopathy: Hey, my cat looked at that picture and he pulled a face that said "Man, those lines are bent". How can it be an illusion if it works on animals?

Science: Wait, what? You're casting your own judgement of the situation onto the animal. The animal isn't experiencing the illusion, you're deciding it does. Look at the ruler, it proves the lines are straight!

Homeopaths: Ahh, the lines don't bend when it's tested, it's not something that can be tested. When it's not being tested, it works, fact.

Science: That's not evidence, that's just trying to protect yourself against evidence.

Homeopaths: You're part of a government conspiracy to force us to believe those lines are straight!

Science: What? We could gain just as much by claiming those lines are bent, it doesn't benefit us financially, we just want the truth.

User of Homeopathy: Look now, does it really matter? I agree with homeopathy, some people don't. To me, those lines are bent. Does it really matter if they really aren't? Where's the harm?

Homeopaths: Yes! Pro choice! By the way, if you want to see some really cool lines, you should totally stare at the sun for 20 minutes.

User of Homeopathy: I totally should!

This brilliancy was originally posted at: Homeopathy vs Science - a Metaphor by Jake Archibald

Snake oil and Ebola

You know how I can identify a con artist in a crowd? They’re the ones that jump at an opportunity to sell you something you don’t need. They’re the ones selling rain ponchos in Amarillo, Texas, in December. They’re also the ones selling “essential oils” under the guise of said oils being some sort of a protection against Ebola.

By the way, if you want to read up on Ebola from a scientific and medical point of view, here’s a run-down of bloggers with good reputations taking on the myths and misinformation of what is happening in Western Africa. Now, back to the woo…

Read more at: Snake oil and Ebola by Reuben

The allure of Alternative Medicine: The pros and cons | Insufferable Intolerance

Not too long ago I did a post on the tactics alternative medicine uses to not only get more customers through its door and separate people from their money but also ways in which it drives people away from actual medicine which I posted on my facebook page for interested people to read.

I received a message from a reader offering to explain why people (who are often people who have non-curable chronic illnesses) turn to alternative medicine. As someone who has a chronic illness (IBS) I can empathize with people who turn to alternative medicine in desperation to get relief from their illness. I can tell you first hand that chronic illnesses with no cure can really suck. Fortunately for me I can manage mine but I still get the occasional flare up that knocks me on my arse. It feels like my stomach is trying to claw its way out of my body, the cramps make me feel like a wrung out sponge which leaves my curled up on my bed until they pass so I can slowly standup and feel like a human again. When my illness first appeared – I spent more time up at the hospital doing tests to rule out serious illness than at home. It sucked and the stress of not knowing what was going on only made it worse. I lost 10kgs in 4 months from stress, I couldn’t eat – everything would make me sick. My iron levels dropped. I felt awful. So I can emphase with the want for a cure, I recognise the allure of alternate practitioners but I never saw one – because my need for evidence outweighed my need for relief. I wasn’t prepared to take something on faith...


Read the rest here: The allure of Alternative Medicine: The pros and cons

Peer review in alternative medicine is farcically inadequate | Edzard Ernst

When someone has completed a scientific project, it is customary to publish it ['unpublished science is no science', someone once told me many years ago]. To do so, he needs to write it up and submit it to a scientific journal. The editor of this journal will then submit it to a process called ‘peer review’.

What does ‘peer review’ entail? Well, it means that 2-3 experts are asked to critically assess the paper in question, make suggestions as to how it can be improved and submit a recommendation as to whether or not the article deserves to be published.

Peer review has many pitfalls but, so far, nobody has come up with a solution that is convincingly better. Many scientists are under pressure to publish ['publish or perish'], and therefore some people resort to cheating. A most spectacular case of fraudulent peer review has been reported recently in this press release: SAGE statement on Journal of Vibration and Control

Read on: Peer review in alternative medicine is farcically inadequate

Why do alternative practitioners always smile? | Edzard Ernst

Have you noticed?

Homeopaths, acupuncturists, herbalists, reflexologists, aroma therapists, colonic irrigationists, naturopaths, TCM-practitioners, etc. – they always smile!

But why?

I think I might know the answer. Here is my theory:

Alternative practitioners have in common with conventional clinicians that they treat patients - lots of patients, day in day out. This wears them down, of course. And sometimes, conventional clinicians find it hard to smile. Come to think of it, alternative practitioners seem to have it much better. Let me explain.

Whenever a practitioner (of any type) treats a patient, one of three outcomes is bound to happen:

1. the patient gets better,
2. the patients roughly remains how she was and experiences no improvement,
3. the patient gets worse.

In scenario one, everybody is happy. Both alternative and conventional practitioners will claim with a big smile that their treatment was the cause of the improvement. There is a difference though...

Read the rest here: Why do alternative practitioners always smile?