Governments take action to prevent vaccination-rates from falling

In 2006, the World Health Organization and UNICEF created the ‘Global Immunization Vision and Strategy’, a 10-year strategy with 4 main goals:

1. to immunize more people against more diseases,
2. to introduce a range of newly available vaccines and technologies,
3. to integrate other critical health interventions with immunization,
4. to manage vaccination programmes within the context of global interdependence.

Read the full post: Governments take action to prevent vaccination-rates from falling

30 May = World Bedwetting Day

Today is ‘World Bedwetting Day’!

No, don’t laugh; the event is initiated and supported by the World Bedwetting Day Steering Committee, which consists of the International Children’s Continence Society (ICCS) and the European Society for Paediatric Urology (ESPU) along with professional groups across the globe (see website for details).

A good day to remember that […]

Read the rest here: 30 May = World Bedwetting Day

Gems in homeopathy, part 2: pre-clinical research

In my previous post, I mentioned the current volume of the ‘Allgemeinen Homöopathischen Zeitung’ which contains the abstracts of the ‘Homeopathic World Congress 2017’ (btw: the remarkable opening speech for the WORLD CONFERENCE ON HOMEOPATHY 1937, in Berlin might also be of interest; excerpts from it can be found here). Amongst these abstracts, the collector […]

Read the rest here: Gems in homeopathy, part 2: pre-clinical research

HOMEOPATHY: the NHMRC report revisited

The NHMRC report on homeopathy is the most thorough, independent and reliable investigation into the value of homeopathy ever. As its conclusions are devastatingly negative about the value of homeopathy, it is hardly surprising that homeopaths tried everything and anything to undermine it. This new article gives what I believe to be a fair account […]

Read the rest here: HOMEOPATHY: the NHMRC report revisited

Gems in homeopathy, part 1: clinical research

The current volume of the ‘Allgemeinen Homöopathischen Zeitung’ contains all the abstracts of the ‘Homeopathic World Congress 2017’ which will be hosted in Leipzig, 14-17 July this year by the ‘Deutschen Zentralvereins Homöopathischer Ärzte’ under the patronage of the German Health Secretary, Annette Widmann-Mauz. As not many readers of this blog are likely to be regular […]

Read the rest here: Gems in homeopathy, part 1: clinical research

SURPRISE, SURPRISE: some dietary supplements do work! (Chondroitin for OA)

This study tested chondroitin sulfate 800 mg/day (CS) pharmaceutical-grade in the management of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. It was designed as a prospective, randomised, 6-month, 3-arm, double-blind, double-dummy, placebo and celecoxib (200 mg/day)-controlled trial. The primary endpoints were changes in pain on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and in the Lequesne Index (LI). Minimal-Clinically Important Improvement (MCII), Patient-Acceptable […]
Read the rest here: SURPRISE, SURPRISE: some dietary supplements do work! (Chondroitin for OA)

A “self-perpetuating motor control problem”: more from the subluxation cult of chiropractic

The Rubicon Group (TRG) is a collaboration of chiropractic educational institutions, emerging educational efforts and interested parties. The seven institutional members include Barcelona College of Chiropractic (Barcelona, Spain); the Chiropraktik Akademie (Dresden, Germany); Life Chiropractic College West (San Francisco, California, USA); Life University (Atlanta, Georgia, USA); McTimoney College of Chiropractic (Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK); New […]

Read the rest here: A “self-perpetuating motor control problem”: more from the subluxation cult of chiropractic

“Apricot Seeds for Cancer Treatment” … or how to confuse vulnerable cancer patients

In my view, the website of ‘FOODS 4 BETTER HEALTH’ should be more aptly called FOOD FOR QUICKER DEATH. At least this is the conclusion that came to my mind after reading their post on ‘Apricot Seeds: Nutrition, Health Benefits, and Their Role in Cancer Treatment’. 

Under the heading ‘Apricot Seeds for Cancer Treatment’, we […]

Read the rest here: “Apricot Seeds for Cancer Treatment” … or how to confuse vulnerable cancer patients

How to kill patients with (‘risk-free’) homeopathic remedies

The website of ‘HOMEOPATHY 360’ has just published a new post offering a handy instruction for killing patients suffering from acute appendicitis. If you do not believe me – I don’t blame you, I too found it hard to believe – read this short excerpt advocating homeopathy for this life-threatening condition (for readers without a medical […]

Read the rest here: How to kill patients with (‘risk-free’) homeopathic remedies

HAPPILY PROMOTING BOGUS TREATMENTS: the story of animal chiropractic

I am sure you always wanted to know what animal chiropractic is all about! 

This website explains it quite well: 

START OF QUOTES 

…Animal chiropractic (veterinary spinal manipulative therapy) focuses on the preservation and health/wellness of the neuro-musculo-skeletal system. Chiropractic is the science that is centered around the relationship between the spine and the nervous system. […]

Read the rest here: HAPPILY PROMOTING BOGUS TREATMENTS: the story of animal chiropractic

Enforcement Policy Statement on Marketing Claims for OTC Homeopathic Drugs

The US ‘FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION’ has issued an important statement about homeopathic products. The full text with references can be found here; below are a few quotes which I thought were crucial: 

“…Homeopathy, which dates back to the late-eighteenth century, is based on the view that disease symptoms can be treated by minute doses of substances […]

Read the rest here: Enforcement Policy Statement on Marketing Claims for OTC Homeopathic Drugs

‘DETOX’ = a danerous and counter-productive illusion

Alternative medicine is deeply rooted in the notion of ‘detox’. This website is one of thousands and displays some of the issues in an exemplary fashion: 

START OF QUOTES 

…There are more than 80,000 chemicals used in the industrialized world. Accumulate enough of these toxins and you might suffer, at the very least, fatigue, headaches, muscle […]

Read the rest here: ‘DETOX’ = a danerous and counter-productive illusion

Use of alternative medicine is associated with low vaccination rates

The fact that some alternative medicine (the authors use the abbreviation ‘CAM’) practitioners recommend against vaccination is well-known and often-documented. Specifically implicated are:

• Physicians practising integrative medicine 
• Doctors of anthroposophical medicine 
• Naturopaths 
• Homeopaths 
• Chiropractors 

As a result, children consulting homeopaths, naturopaths or chiropractors are less likely to receive vaccines and more likely to get vaccine-preventable diseases. These effects […]

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'First Ever' Study Comparing Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Children Shows Harm from Vaccines?

In April 2017, anti-vaccine groups seemed to have finally gotten what amounted to the Holy Grail for their cause: an allegedly large-scale, peer-reviewed study showing the links between vaccines and autism among a large population of children. Vaccine skeptic groups, who reject the wide body of scientific literature refuting that link between vaccines and autism, have long sought such a study, but they’ve been hampered by practical concerns, most notably the ethical implications of withholding vaccines from a large group of children...

Read on: 'First Ever' Study Comparing Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Children Shows Harm from Vaccines? - Snopes.com

Adverse events of (chiropractic) spinal manipulations: the unethical behaviour persists

How often have I pointed out that most studies of chiropractic (and other alternative therapies) are overtly unethical because they fail to report adverse events? And if you think this is merely my opinion, you are mistaken. This new analysis by a team of chiropractors aimed to describe the extent of adverse events reporting in published RCTs of […]

Read the rest here: Adverse events of (chiropractic) spinal manipulations: the unethical behaviour persists