Wonderland (7): pseudoscience is a deceit perpetrated on the weak and the vulnerable | Edzard Ernst

My memoir ‘A SCIENTIST IN WONDERLAND’ has already brought many surprises (and about 20 most flattering reviews). A few days ago, the German version was published entitled ‘NAZIS, NADELN UND INTRIGEN’ (people who have not read it might find this title puzzling). The German publisher reported that the first print-run was sold out in the first 4 days.

 In order to tempt you to read my memoir, I publish here the final section of the book which affirms that the link between my rather diverse experiences boils down to ethics...

Read on: Wonderland (7): pseudoscience is a deceit perpetrated on the weak and the vulnerable

Herbs get the push: no statutory regulation for western herbalists or Traditional Chinese Medicine

It makes a nice change to be able to compliment an official government report.

Ever since the House of Lords report in 2000, the government has been vacillating about what should be done about herbalists. At the moment both western herbalists and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are essentially unregulated. Many (but not all) herbalists have been pushing for statutory regulation, which they see as government endorsement. It would give them a status like the General Medical Council.

Chinese medicine as taught at Middlesex University

A new report has ruled out this possibility, for very good reasons...

Read more at: Herbs get the push: no statutory regulation for western herbalists or Traditional Chinese Medicine by David Colquhoun

Once again: the regulation of nonsense will generate nonsense – the case of UK herbalists | Edzard Ernst

The Telegraph today reports that, despite relentless lobbying from the Prince of Wales, UK herbalists will not, after all, be regulated by statute. Here are the most important statements from this article:

Prof David Walker, deputy chief medical officer, said he had taken the decision because there was insufficient evidence that the alternative therapy works, making it impossible to set standards of good practice. Three years ago ministers had pledged to bring in an official register of practitioners of herbal and Chinese medicines, which would see therapists regulated alongside other health workers, such as physiotherapists and speech therapists…But ministers blocked the proposals, instead setting up a new committee, led by the NHS deputy chief medical officer...

Read more: Once again: the regulation of nonsense will generate nonsense – the case of UK herbalists

blogorrhea: Did an Antidepressant Bring Down an Airliner?

Now that antidepressants have reportedly been found at the home of pilot Andreas Lubitz, we're finally getting to the true cause of the crash.

But will investigators be willing or able to put the pieces together? Or will they be oblivious to the power of certain drugs to completely alter human behavior?

I have written about this before. I know of very few things that can cause (and I do mean cause) an otherwise rational person to become homicidal more or less instantly, other than psychoactive drugs of a type that can (in susceptible individuals) elicit what has been called an akathisia reaction. I'm talking about antipsychotics and antidepressants...

Read the rest here: blogorrhea: Did an Antidepressant Bring Down an Airliner?

The FDA is about to assess homeopathy | Edzard Ernst

The FDA just made the following significant announcement:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing a public hearing to obtain information and comments from stakeholders about the current use of human drug and biological products labeled as homeopathic, as well as the Agency’s regulatory framework for such products. These products include prescription drugs and biological products labeled as homeopathic and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs labeled as homeopathic. FDA is seeking participants for the public hearing and written comments from all interested parties, including, but not limited to, consumers, patients, caregivers, health care professionals, patient groups, and industry. FDA is seeking input on a number of specific questions, but is interested in any other pertinent information participants would like to share...

Read more: The FDA is about to assess homeopathy

Lynne McTaggart: "It’s only natural" – like in bitter almond kernels? - Plague of Mice

Earlier this month, professional bullshit artist Lynne McTaggart published another of her ill-constructed rants on her blog, with the title It’s only natural – like in oranges. Yeah, lady, lots of things are natural. Mercury and arsenic are natural. Smallpox was natural. Dying is natural.

The post. It’s punting a thing called GcMAF (Globulin component Macrophage Activating Factor – as the name suggests, it’s made from blood)...

Continue reading: Lynne McTaggart: "It’s only natural" – like in bitter almond kernels? - Plague of Mice

Why poverty isn't inevitable | New Humanist

A new report by Oxfam heralds a sea change in attitudes towards inequality.

This article is a preview from the Spring 2015 edition of New Humanist.

Even It Up: Time to End Extreme Inequality (Oxfam) by Emma Seery and Ana Caistor Arendar (eds)

Eighty-five people in the world own more wealth than half of the world’s population. This attention-grabbing figure from Oxfam’s recent report Even It Up: Time to End Extreme Inequality made headlines as a neat summary of the burgeoning problem of income and wealth inequality across the globe. Notably, it came with a written endorsement from Andy Haldane, chief economist at the Bank of England. Since the 2008 financial crisis, the report explains, the number of billionaires has doubled, swelling to 1,645 people. This isn’t a problem restricted to affluent countries: “absurd levels of wealth exist alongside desperate poverty around the world.”[...]

Read the rest here:  Why poverty isn't inevitable | New Humanist

Homeopathy: have the regulators in Ontario lost their senses? | Edzard Ernst

Homeopathy has a long history in Canada. In 1842, James Lilli was probably the first Canadian homeopath to begin practicing in Toronto. Joseph J. Lancaster, who had studied in New York, began practicing sometime in the 1840s in Ontario. The ‘Homeopathic Medical Society of Canada’ was established in 1854 in Hamilton, Ontario.

Since these early days much has changed. At present, all health care professions in Ontario are governed by the ‘Regulated Health Professions Act’ which allows all health-care professions the same right to practice. This law upholds the belief that the public has the right to choose what health care it wishes, and that the government should only intervene to regulate where a profession poses a significant risk of harm to the public...

Read the rest here: Homeopathy: have the regulators in Ontario lost their senses?

Acupuncture: a treatment to die for? | Edzard Ernst

If we listen to acupuncturists and their supporters, we might get the impression that acupuncture is totally devoid of risk. Readers of this blog will know that this is not quite true. A recent case report is a further reminder that acupuncture can cause serious complications; in extreme cases it can even kill...

Read the rest here: Acupuncture: a treatment to die for?

Roslyn Ross Defends Homeopathy. ORLY?

Our ever-reliable Baggie has posted the following exercise in mendacity: Roslyn Ross Vermont Girls High School Defends Homeopathy Against one of its Skeptics Um… There’s a girls’ high school in Vermont called “Roslyn Ross”? Or is that a Total Punctuation Fail (deliberate or otherwise) and it’s a pro-homeopathy nut called Roslyn Ross allegedly claiming an unnamed Vermont school published a piece of pro homeopathy stupidity? There’s no link to the original, so no way to tell where SAHC got it from.

 Well, I found Roslyn Ross, who lives in Australia and is indeed an extreme homeopathy loon. Nothing in her rantings about any schools promoting homeopathy, though. Odd, that.

OK, let’s get on with the show. Sandra Roslyn lists major problems with homeodumbfuckery and then purports to debunk then. Without, of course, producing the slightest evidence.

You said: Many other alternative remedies are nothing more than a placebo — having … Continue reading →

The post Roslyn Ross Defends Homeopathy. ORLY? by Anarchic Teapot first appeared on Plague of Mice .

Homeopathy never changes

We all know that, essentially, homeopathy never changes and nor do its adepts. To introduce any change would be to admit that the whole concept of homeopathy is bollocks and Hahnemann the Great Guru was a gibbering nutter. Except of course that they do muck around with it – introducing such un-Hahnemannic concepts as nosodes – while all the time strenuously denying this is at odds with their core belief. It’s still fucking sugar and water of course, with maybe some alcohol in it. Including in the remedies for children, which gives you an idea of how responsible and ethical these bastards are.

So: I found this cackling lunacy on Freedom4Health‘s public Facebook page … Continue reading →

The post Homeopathy never changes by Anarchic Teapot first appeared on Plague of Mice .

Which is it, Mr. Handley?

For the uninitiated, JB Handley may not be a familiar name. It certainly wasn’t for me up until about seven years ago. Mr. Handley is one of many people behind “Age of Autism” and “Generation Rescue.” Both anti-vaccine groups who seek to link vaccines to an innumerable number of conditions. They also seek to link vaccines to autism.

Mr. Handley’s story of how he became such an ardent anti-vaccine activist varies depending on who you ask. Heck, it varies depending on what he feels like writing about it. For example, in the Generation Rescue page I linked above, the story is this:[…]

Read more at: Which is it, Mr. Handley? by Reuben

The future of science and technology in this country and the world

It’s been almost a moth since I last brought you the story of a woman who compared herself to victims of the Holocaust because she thinks she’s being persecuted for being
irrational and acting like she’s insane when it comes to vaccines an anti-vaccine zealot. Since that time, I took a walk in the wild, so to speak, to get a feel for where I want to go with this whole struggle against anti-vaccine groups and anti-science misinformation permeating just about every form of media out there. You might not be surprised if I told you that all of this is exhausting.[…]

Read more at: The future of science and technology in this country and the world by Reuben

15 ‘arguments’ for homeopathy | Edzard Ernst

The other day, I received a request from THE GUARDIAN: could I write a piece on homeopathy in relation to the Australian report which had just come out; they gave me ~700 words and all of 3 hours to do it. I had an extremely busy day, but accepted the challenge nevertheless.

My article was published the next day and the ‘headliner’ at THE GUARDIAN had elected to call it There is no scientific case for homeopathy: the debate is over.

What followed was a flurry of debate...

Read on: 15 ‘arguments’ for homeopathy

NonProphetess � Blog Archive � Facebook, Twitter, and Scientific Literacy

A tweet of mine was shared on Facebook recently by author David G. McAffee and then promptly shared by the page “Being Liberal” as well. Other people shared it. It was uploaded to Imgur and 9GAG. Despite a combined 100k ‘likes’ on Facebook, a lot of the people commenting indicated they weren’t appreciative but also that they didn’t understand the tweet...

Read the rest here: NonProphetess � Blog Archive � Facebook, Twitter, and Scientific Literacy