alternative medicine
Just when I thought I had seem all of the corona-idiocy, I found this paper by Dr Kajal Jain MD Homoeopathy (Materia Medica ) Medical Officer under Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission. It promotes specific nosodes and other homeopathics against the current pandemic. In my view, it discloses a new dimension of the delusion which seems to have engulfed so many homeopaths. Allow me to copy a short passage from it:
TUBERCULINUM
A glycerine extract of a pure cultivation of tubercle bacilli (human).
As per Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica by Dr Kent (page 1000) the Tuberculin nosode can prevent TB infection in those having predisposition to miasma. “If Tuberculinum bovinum be given in 10m, 50m, and CM potencies, two doses of each at long intervals, all children and young people who have inherited tuberculosis may be immuned from their inheritance and their resiliency will be restored
Burnett treated 54 cases of different types of TB Tuberculinum(Tub)/Bacillinum(Bac) 3
As stated in an article published in economic times ,countries without universal policies of BCG vaccination, such as Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States, have been more severely affected compared to countries with universal and long-standing BCG policies,” noted the researchers led by Gonzalo Otazu, assistant professor of biomedical sciences at NYIT.
The study noted that Australian researchers have recently announced plans to fast track large-scale testing to see if the BCG vaccination can protect health workers from the coronavirus.
The team compared various nations’ BCG vaccination policies with their COVID-19 morbidity and mortality and found a “significant positive correlation” between the year when universal BCG vaccination policies were adopted and the country’s mortality rate.
Iran, for instance, which has a current universal BCG vaccination policy that only started in 1984, has an elevated mortality rate with 19.7 deaths per million inhabitants, they said.
In contrast, Japan, which started its universal BCG policy in 1947, has approximately 100 times fewer deaths per million people, with 0.28 deaths, according to the study.
Brazil, which started universal vaccination in 1920 has an even lower mortality rate of 0.0573 deaths per million inhabitants, the scientists noted.
The researchers noted that among the 180 countries with BCG data available today, 157 countries currently recommend universal BCG vaccination.
The remaining 23 countries have either stopped BCG vaccination due to a reduction in TB incidence or have traditionally favoured selective vaccination of “at-risk” groups, they said.4
Thus we can see that Tuberculinium is reputed since a long timeas homoeoprophylactic in place of BCG. So Tuberculinum in high potency can act as an effective and dependable prophylactic in corona Virus .
PNEUMOCOCCINUM-
Pneumococcinum is reputed to prevent pneumonia. 5
In end stages OF CORONA VIRUS when we encounter symptoms like high fever ,pneumonia,pleurisy , -Pneumococcinum can be considered due to it being most similar to exisiting disease condition. Historically Pneumococcinum along with Influenzinum has been seen in eliciting drastic immunological responses in disease conditions following flu since it creates picture of pneumonia..
INFLUENZINUM and Oscillococcinum
Influenzinum is reputed to prevent flu and flu line symptoms 5
Oscilllococcinum –prepared from liver of wild duck has been observed to reduce course of illness due to influenza this it can be included as one of the probable medicnes in treatment of corona virus in earlier stages 6
A study conducted by Colombo GL1, Di Matteo S2 et al suggests that the treatment with Oscillococcinum could be helpful in preventing RTIs and improving the health status of patients who suffer from respiratory diseases7
Comparison of Allopathic vaccines and Nosodes
Allopathic vaccines are isopathic in nature, cude in nature unlike nosodes which are dynamic in nature with deeper penetrative abilities ..Nosodes when administered mimic the sickness and by natures law of cure prevent and treat illness.Nosodes being the same as original disease are more similar to the disease condition and are deeper in action since they are potentised
Thus realising effectiveness of nosodes in prevention and treatment of epidemics Nosodes are suggested as one of the probable approaches for COVID 19
This paper is so full of utter nonsense that I am unable to point it all out in a short blog-post. I trust you can easily identify it yourself. Let me therefore just focus on one specific point.
I did highlight reference 6 in the text for a special reason. Here is the reference provided by Dr Jain:
6. Vickers AJ, Smith C. Homoeopathic Oscillococcinum for preventing and treating influenza and influenza-like syndromes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2000;(2):CD001957
It does not take much research to find out what is wrong with it. It refers to a Cochrane review which, of course, seems most laudable. To be precise, it refers to the 2000 version of this review which concluded that Oscillococcinum probably reduces the duration of illness in patients presenting with influenza symptoms. Though promising, the data are not strong enough to make a general recommendation to use Oscillococcinum for first-line treatment of influenza and influenza-like syndrome. Further research is warranted but required sample sizes are large. Current evidence does not support a preventative effect of homeopathy in influenza and influenza-like syndromes.
This review is today obsolete, as it has meanwhile up-dated no less than 4 (!) times.
The latest version of this review is from 2015 (authored by well-known proponents of homeopathy) and concluded as follows: There is insufficient good evidence to enable robust conclusions to be made about Oscillococcinum® in the prevention or treatment of influenza and influenza-like illness. Our findings do not rule out the possibility that Oscillococcinum® could have a clinically useful treatment effect but, given the low quality of the eligible studies, the evidence is not compelling. There was no evidence of clinically important harms due to Oscillococcinum®.
It is virtually impossible to not realise all this when accessing the reviews via Medline. And that leads me to fear that the author of the above paper, Dr Kajal Jain MD Homoeopathy (Materia Medica ) Medical Officer under Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, is not just deluded, but fraudulent.
‘THE INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE COLLABORATIVE‘ claim to be a collection of the leading organisations within the field, who are committed to working together to improve healthcare in the UK. They believe that a truly integrated healthcare service would improve patient experiences, bring about better patient outcomes, and provide a framework for a more cost-effective delivery of healthcare services.
Their purpose is as follows:
To bring together professional associations and stakeholders within complementary, traditional and natural healthcare, to identify common areas of interest, and to collectively take forward agreed objectives to promote greater integration with conventional Western medicine.
Objectives:
- To increase public awareness, knowledge and understanding of complementary, traditional and natural healthcare.
- To raise issues in integrated healthcare with government and decision-makers.
- To provide information on complementary, traditional and natural healthcare to the media and interested parties.
- To promote the benefits to public health of greater provision and integration of complementary, traditional and natural healthcare.
- To develop co-ordinated strategies to help patients access accurate information on integrated healthcare.
- To facilitate better access to, and choice of, appropriate complementary, traditional and natural healthcare within the NHS.
- To empower the public to share responsibility for their own health and wellbeing.
- To encourage whole-person, individualised healthcare.
- To advocate collaboration with conventional Western healthcare professionals.
- To support the development of a robust and appropriate evidence base.
They sate that Integrated Healthcare involves combining the best of conventional Western Medicine with a range of complementary, traditional and natural therapies.
The IHC brings together the following leading organisations, who are Core Members and lead our work.
- Alliance of Registered Homeopaths (ARH)
- Association of Energy Therapists (AET)
- Association of Naturopathic Practitioners (ANP)
- Association of Physical and Natural Therapists (APNT)
- Association of Reflexologists (AoR)
- Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture (ATCM)
- British Complementary Medicine Association (BCMA)
- British Reflexology Association (BRA)
- Chinese Medical Institute and Register (CMIR)
- Craniosacral Therapy Association (CSTA)
- General Council and Register of Naturopaths (GCRN)
- Faculty of Homeopathy (FoH)
- Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT)
- International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA)
- Kinesiology Federation (KF)
- McTimoney Chiropractic Association (MCA)
- National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH)
- Shiatsu Society UK (SSUK)
- Society of Homeopaths (SoH)
- Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique (STAT)
- UK Reiki Federation (UKRF)
The IHC also provide revealing paragraphs about several so-called alternative medicines (SCAMs) on their website. This is where I have found a host of interesting statements. Here are just 6 examples:
- Chiropractic treatment mainly involves safe, specific spinal manipulation to free joints in the spine or other areas of the body that are not moving properly.
- Science is starting to understand the mechanism of action of ultra-high dilutions in the body, and homeopathic medicines are gentle, safe to use and in widespread use across the world.
- By testing … muscles the kinesiologist can get a picture of what is happening in your meridian system and how this may be affecting you.
- Radionics is a healing technique in which your natural intuitive faculties are used both to discover the energetic disturbances underlying illness and to encourage the return of a normal energetic field that supports health.
- Reflexology is a complementary therapy based on the belief that there are reflex areas in the feet and hands which are believed to correspond to all organs and parts of the body.
- [Reiki] is a tradition that is open to any belief system and benefits may include deep relaxation and the promotion of a calm peaceful sense of wellbeing.
And here are 6 corrections of the above-listed statements:
- Chiropractic involves unsafe spinal manipulation to free customers of their cash.
- Science has long understood that there is no mechanism that could possibly explain homeopathy.
- By testing muscles, the kinesiologist pretends to do something meaningful in order to be able to bill the customer.
- Radionics is a con technique that is counter-intuitive, implausible and unrelated to energy.
- Reflexologists believe to have shown conventional anatomy and physiology to be mistaken.
- Reiki is a tradition and a belief system demonstrably out of touch with reality.
PS
If the IHC want to change their text and adopt my corrections, I would waive my fee for this efforts.
For complete newcomers to this blog, I should preface this post with four statements of fact (evidence to support them can be found in numerous previous posts on this blog or in my book entirely dedicated to homeopathy):
- Homeopathic remedies are usually so highly diluted that they do not contain enough active molecules to have any effect whatsoever.
- The evidence from clinical trials fails to show that homeopathic remedies are more than placebos.
- Boiron is the world’s largest manufacturer of homeopathic remedies.
- Therapeutic claims made for homeopathic remedies are bogus.
_____________
BOIRON USA, seem to employ someone who does little else but tweet irresponsible advertisements that mislead and endanger the public. On 5/5/2020, for instance, I saw within a matter of just hours in my Twitter timeline dozens of advertisements by Boiron USA . I copied a few examples:
- Boiron USA Learn more about Histaminum for #allergies from @DrGaryK
-
Oscillococcinum USA Check out @BoironUSA ‘s #cough, #cold and #flu products to keep your family healthy all year long! Our medicines do not cause drowsiness or sleeplessness. bit.ly/2rbmOAp
- Oscillococcinum USA Clinical studies show that Oscillococcinum reduces the duration and severity of flu-like symptoms such as body aches, headache, fever, chills, and fatigue.*
- Boiron USA Ignatia amara relieves a lump in throat, hypersensitivity or intolerance to light, noise, or smells, frequent sighing, difficulty breathing, spasms, & cramps related to stress. It may help those who feel moody or emotional from added #stress. Claim basis: bit.ly/2VaVt0o
- Boiron USA Itchy nose? Histaminum helps relieve all symptoms of #allergic origin. DOSAGE: Dissolve 5 pellets under the tongue 3 times a day. Decrease frequency with improvement. Claim basis: bit.ly/2ohasEP
-
- Boiron USA #Itchy eyes? #Sneezing? Allium cepa may help! Claim basis: bit.ly/2nh76zS Apis mellifica
- Boiron USA Calendula officinalis (Garden marigold) offers more than its good looks. This flower has healing power! Calendula has been used for centuries as a healing and soothing substance for skin irritations like cuts, scrapes, chafing, minor burns and sunburn. bit.ly/2srZqPI
- Boiron USA Do you know what #homeopathic medicines are essential for springtime? Find out from @HomeopathyWorks!
- Boiron USA When Baby Bites: #Teething Tips for Nursing #Moms bit.ly/2MRVTpE
And here are four more from 6/5/2020:
- #Homeopathic Sabina relieves profuse and painful periods with red blood clots and pain spreading to the tops of the thighs. Dosage: Dissolve 5 pellets under the tongue 4 times a day. Decrease frequency with improvement. Claim basis: bit.ly/2I1L3sN
- Colocynthis 6C relieves abdominal & menstrual cramps improved by bending over, strong pressure and heat. Dosage: Dissolve 5 pellets under the tongue every 30 minutes. Decrease frequency with improvement. Claim basis: bit.ly/2oMa9RX
- Caulophyllum thalictroides 30C relieves menstrual cramps occurring at the onset of periods, with scanty flow. Dosage: Dissolve 5 pellets under the tongue 4 times a day. Decrease frequency with improvement, Claim basis: bit.ly/2q7Ea2Q
- #Homeopathic Cimicifuga racemosa 6C relieves cramps associated with #PMS and aggravated by cold and humidity. Dosage: Dissolve 5 pellets under the tongue twice a day. Decrease frequency with improvement. Claim basis: bit.ly/2Kj57Yk
(Please do click on the links for ‘claim basis’ and be surprised!)
As far as I can tell, Boiron USA have been doings this sort of thing incessantly since years. Why does someone not stop them? All of these advertisements make claims that are bogus, unethical, and potentially harmful for many consumers. How can this be legal? Should there not be some sort of consumer protection?
But perhaps there is something all of my US readers can do quite effortlessly: on their website, Boiron USA state that they are
committed to providing top-quality products to our customers. Subject to the Terms, Conditions and Limitations below, if within 30 days of purchase, you are not completely satisfied with our medicines for any reason, we’ll give you your money back.
To receive your refund, please send us the following items within 30 days of purchase at the address below:
-
- Your name, address and telephone number
- The original UPC from the Boiron product purchased
- The original dated cashier register receipt with the purchase price circled
Boiron Information Center
Attn: Refunds
4 Campus Boulevard
Newtown Square, PA 19073
So, how about buying the preparations advertised and then insisting on a refund, if they did not achieve what was promised in their advertisement on Twitter? That might soon stop them misleading the public!
Bach-Flower Remedies (BFRs) are often confused with homeopathics. Like them, they contain no active molecule; unlike them, they are not potentised nor used according to the ‘like cures like’ assumption. Both have in common that they are as popular as implausible.
Few studies have tested BFRs; my own systematic review of controlled clinical trials was published in 2010:
Bach flower remedies continue to be popular and its proponents make a range of medicinal claims for them. The aim of this systematic review was to critically evaluate the evidence for these claims. Five electronic databases were searched without restrictions on time or language. All randomised clinical trials of flower remedies were included. Seven such studies were located. All but one were placebo-controlled. All placebo-controlled trials failed to demonstrate efficacy. It is concluded that the most reliable clinical trials do not show any differences between flower remedies and placebos.
Now a new study has emerged. This trial from the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, DY Patil University – School of Dentistry, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, compared the effects of Bach Flower Therapy (BFT) and music therapy (MT) on the dental anxiety in paediatric patients. A total of 120 children (aged 4-6 years) were selected and randomly allocated to one of three groups:
- BFT group: Children from this group were administered orally four drops of “rescue remedy” diluted in 40 mL of water 15 min before the treatment. Children were asked to wear headphones without playing any music during the dental treatment
- MT group: Children from this group were provided with a headphone, and Indian classical instrumental music (Raag Sohni played by Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma on santoor) was played during the scheduled dental treatment. Children were also given 40 mL plain water to drink 15 min before the treatment
- Control group: Children from this group were given 40 mL plain water 15 min before the treatment. During the treatment, children were asked to wear the headphone without playing any music.
All children received oral prophylaxis and fluoride treatment (no further details provided). Dental anxiety was evaluated using
- North Carolina Behavior Rating Scale (NCBRS), the primary outcome measure,
- Facial Image Scale (FIS),
- and physiological parameters.
Significantly better behaviour was seen in children from the BFT group as compared to the control group (P = 0.014). FIS scores measured postoperatively did not show significant differences among the groups.
Children from the BFT and MT groups showed a significant decrease in the pulse rates intraoperatively from the preoperative period. Intraoperative systolic blood pressure in children from the MT group was significantly lower than both the BFT and the control groups. Diastolic blood pressure significantly increased in the control group intra-operatively, whereas other groups showed a decrease.
The authors concluded that the results of this study demonstrate significant effects of both single dose of BFT and exposure to MT, on reduction of dental anxiety in children aged between 4 and 6 years.
I find these findings most puzzling (like all BFRs, Rescue Remedies do not contain a single active molecule that could explain them) and strongly recommend that we wait until we have an independent replication before accepting these results as trustworthy.
Dr. Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, a cardiologist at the Kansas City Heart Rhythm Institute in the US, has started a trial of prayer for corona-virus infection. The study will involve 1000 patients with COVID-19 infections severe enough to require intensive care. The four-month study will investigate “the role of remote intercessory multi-denominational prayer on clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients,” according to a description provided to the National Institutes of Health.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Male or female greater than 18 years of age
- Confirmed positive for COVID-19
- Patient admitted to Intensive Care Unit
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patients admitted to ICU for diagnosis that is not COVID-19 positive
(Not giving informed consent is not listed as an exclusion criterion!)
Half of the patients, randomly chosen, will receive a “universal” prayer offered in five denominational forms, via:
- Buddhism,
- Christianity,
- Hinduism,
- Islam,
- Judaism.
The other 500 patients in the control group will not be prayed for by the prayer group. All the patients will receive the standard care prescribed by their medical providers. “We all believe in science, and we also believe in faith,” Lakkireddy claims. “If there is a supernatural power, which a lot of us believe, would that power of prayer and divine intervention change the outcomes in a concerted fashion? That was our question.”
The outcome measures in the trial are
- the time patients remain on ventilators,
- the number of patients who suffer from organ failure,
- the time patients have to stay in intensive care,
- the mortality rate.
On this blog, we have seen many other ‘corona-quacks’ come forward with their weird ideas. I ask myself why we give them not the opportunity to test their concepts as well? Why do we not spend our resources testing:
- homeopathy,
- chiropractic,
- ultraviolet blood irradiation,
- dietary supplements of all kinds,
- essential oils,
- TCM,
- cow dung and urine,
- dozens of herbal remedies,
- colloidal silver?
In my recent book, I included a short review of the literature on prayer as a medical intervention. This is what I wrote:
- Prayer can be defined as the solemn request or thanksgiving to God or other object of worship.
- Intercessory prayer is practised by people of all faiths and involves a person or group setting aside time for petitioning god on behalf of another person who is in need. Intercessory prayer is organised, regular, and committed. Those who practise it usually do not ask for payments because they hold a committed belief.
- The mechanisms by which prayer might work therapeutically are unknown, and hypotheses about its mode of action will depend to a large extent on the religious beliefs in question. People who believe in the possibility that prayers might improve their health assume that god could intervene on their behalf by blessing them with healing energy.
- These assumptions lack scientific plausibility.
- Numerous clinical trials have been conducted. Most of them fail to adequately control for bias, and their findings are not uniform.
- A systematic review of all these studies is available. It included 10 trials with a total of 7646 patients. The authors concluded that the findings are equivocal and, although some of the results of individual studies suggest a positive effect of intercessory prayer, the majority do not and the evidence does not support a recommendation either in favour or against the use of intercessory prayer. We are not convinced that further trials of this intervention should be undertaken and would prefer to see any resources available for such a trial used to investigate other questions in health care.[1]
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19370557
Lakkireddy says he has no idea what he will find. “But it’s not like we’re putting anyone at risk,” he says. “A miracle could happen. There’s always hope, right?”
Personally, I have a pretty good idea what he will find. I also find Lakkireddy not all that honest and think his assumptions are deeply mistaken:
- Lakkireddy cites an extensive list of references; however, the Cochrane review (usually the most reliable and independent source of evidence) that arrived to the conclusions I quoted above, he somehow ‘forgot’ to mention.
- As the review-authors tried to indicate, further trials of prayer are a waste of resources.
- There are many much more promising interventions to be tested, and by conducting this study, he is diverting research funds that are badly needed elsewhere.
- The study seems to have several ethical problems, e.g. informed consent.
- Contrary to Lakkireddy’s belief, he will harm in more than one way; apart from wasting resources, his study undermines rational thought and public trust in clinical research.
PERSONALLY, I FIND THIS PROJECT DESPICABLE!
Hard to believe but apparently true: it has been reported that the state government of Kerala distributed homeopathic medicines to people across the state as ‘immunity boosters’. A total of 4.5 million samples have already been distributed.
No, these reports were not dated 1 April!
They are only two days old.
Dr. B Vijayakumar, a member of the State level expert group of the Indian Homoeopathic Medical Association (IHMA’s) revealed that homoeopathy has had a long history in treating and preventing epidemics ever since its inception including those such as Dengue, Chikungunya, Chickenpox and Typhoid. “Its effectiveness in the management of viral diseases has proved beyond doubt many a time. Homeopathy, being one of the most sought after the alternative system of medicine all over the world.”
VK Prasanth, MLA who has been the former mayor of Thiruvananthapuram was the first to launch the distribution of homeopathic medicine in his constituency. “The centre has recognised the homoeopathy medicine to boost the immunity and thereby work as a preventive. When I associated with it, first I was criticised, but now the medicine is in high demand across the state.” said Prasanth.
The Indian Homoeopathic Medical Association (IHMA) is part of the Kerala Government’s RAECH (Rapid Action Epidemic Control Cell, Homoeopathy) programme which officially looks after all the epidemic activities in Kerala.
The government of Kerala even has a ‘Department of Homeopathy. Its stated vision is:
- Permanent establishment of Homoeopathic Health care facility to all Panchayaths in our state.
- To open more specialities OP’S in vulnerable locations like coastal belt, tribal areas, metros etc. And Speciality IP’s In our district Hospitals.
- To extent elaborate laboratory facilities in our district hospitals.
- To formulate Research & Development wing in Department of Homoeopathy.
- Computerization of all Dispensaries.
- As per the Central Govt. Decision and Direction by Supreme Court primary Health care in the periphery i.e. Panchayats shall be designed in such a way that all the three systems i.e. Homoeopathy, Allopathy and Ayurveda Should come under one roof.
We have, of course, discussed the track record of homeopathy in epidemics before on this blog. It is simply not true that the evidence is convincing. It is also not true that homeopathy has ever been shown to boost any parameter indicative of the immune response. It is finally also untrue that there is good evidence that any homeopathic remedy is an effective treatment of any viral infection (or any other condition).
There are uncounted different forms of bogus so-called alternative medicines (SCAMs), and many have been discussed on this blog. What do I mean by ‘bogus’? A bogus SCAM is one, in my view, that is being promoted for conditions for which it does not demonstrably generate more good than harm.
Ten popular examples are:
- alternative cancer ‘cures’,
- applied kinesiology,
- Bach Flower Remedies,
- CEASE,
- chiropractic,
- detox treatments,
- homeopathy,
- osteopathy,
- paranormal or energy healing techniques,
- slimming aids.
These treatments are diverse in many ways: history, basic assumption, risks, etc. But they nevertheless tend to have certain features in common:
- Most SCAMs originate from the ideas developed by a single, often charismatic individual who proclaimed to have seen the light. Think of Gerson, Bach, Palmer, Hahnemann, Still.
- They are recommended by enthusiasts as a panacea, a ‘cure all’.
- They are heavily promoted by celebrities, hyped by the press and marketed via books or the Internet, but they are far less or not at all supported by published studies in the peer-reviewed medical literature.
- The clinical trials of SCAM that have been published are flimsy, lack independent replication, yet are celebrated by proponents as though they represent robust evidence.
- SCAMs target either the most desperately ill patients who understandably tend to cling to every straw they can find. Or they go for the ‘worried well’ who have nothing truly wrong with them and plenty of cash to waste.
- Proponents of SCAM use scientific-sounding terminology, while simultaneously displaying a profoundly anti-scientific attitude.
- Entrepreneurs of SCAM are efficient at selling false hope at excessive prices.
- SCAMs sometimes seem to work because many of the therapists are skilled at maximising the placebo-response.
- SCAM is awash with conspiracy theories, for instance, the notion that ‘the establishment’ is supressing SCAM. (If a SCAM ever showed real promise, it would rapidly scrutinised by researchers and, if effectiveness were confirmed, adopted by conventional medicine. The notion of an alternative cure for any disease is idiotic, because it presupposes that conventional healthcare professionals shun a potentially valuable treatment simply because it emerged from elsewhere.)
- Most SCAMs can do direct harm. For instance, oral treatments can be toxic or interact with prescription drugs. Or spinal manipulations can cause a stroke. Or acupuncture can cause a pneumothorax.
- SCAMs are dangerous even if they do not cause direct harm. There are many examples of people who died needlessly early because they used SCAM as an alternative to conventional medicine (Steve Jobs is a prominent example).
- Moreover, SCAMs cause harm by undermining the principles of EBM and, more importantly, by undermining rational thinking in our society.
- SCAM practitioners violate fundamental rules of medical ethics on a daily basis. One could even argue that the ethical practice of SCAM is rarely possible.
Referring to possible treatments for corona-virus infections during a press-conference, Trump said the following:
“So supposing we hit the body with a tremendous—whether it’s ultraviolet or just a very powerful light—and I think you said that hasn’t been checked because of the testing…And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or some other way.”
We already suspected that Trump has a thing about UV light.
We also knew that Trump has links to the SCAM scene. And his recent outburst sounds as though the president has come across a particular SCAM called ‘Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation’.
“Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation” (UBI), also called “ BioPhotonic Therapy”, is a treatment that was popular with German naturopaths a few decades ago. It seems to experience a revival and is bound to boom, now that Trump has claimed that UV light in the body might be effective against the corona-virus.
I have conducted in-vitro experiments with this method in the mid 1980s (sorry, I cannot find the publication and am not even sure we ever published the results). They failed to show any meaningful effects on blood rheology which was my main research interest at the time. I thus know how the method works:
- You draw a small (10-30 ml) venous blood sample.
- You anticoagulate it.
- You place it in a special chamber.
- You radiate it for a prescribed time with UV light.
- You inject the blood back into the patient.
There are semi-automated devices that are commercially available and render the process fairly easy. It seems that UBI has become popular in the US SCAM scene. One advocate of UBI informs us that:
This proven therapy has 70 years of history, helping those who still suffer after exploring other medicines. Step into the world of over 140 published medical studies where BioPhotonic Therapy has shown amazing success rates.
- No major side effects
- Treats over 40 diseases
- Low cost
- Helps those in need
The same advocate also lists several viral infections for which UBI is, in his opinion, effective:
- Hepatitis
- HIV
- Influenza
- Herpes simplex/zoster
- Mononucleosis
- Mumps
- Measles Infections
- Viral Pneumonia
- Polio
A more modern version of the same method has recently received CE marking to commercially sell its UVLrx 1500 multi-wavelength, intravenous light therapy system in the European Union. The UVLrx 1500 System offers the first intravenous, concurrent delivery of ultraviolet-A (UVA) and multiple visible light wavelengths. Using the company’s patent pending Dry Light Adapter™ and a standard I.V. catheter, the UVLrx 1500 eliminates the need for removal of blood from the body.
UVLrx’s CE marking covers the following indications:
- Reduction of pain
- Reduction of pathogens in the blood
- Reduction of inflammation
- Immune system modulation
- Improved ATP synthesis
- Improved wound healing
- Improved blood oxygen transport
- Improved circulation
Needless to say, I think, that there is no good evidence for any of these claims. Yes, there are quite a few papers on UBI and related methods. But most of them are in-vitro studies, while robust clinical trials are missing completely (if someone knows otherwise, I’d be pleased to correct this statement). Needless to say also that UBI is an invasive treatment where lots of things might go badly wrong.
So why is Trump promoting this UV therapy idea?
Search me!
This study by Australian pharmacists, assessed the quality and relevance of community pharmacists’ information gathering (questioning), counselling and product selection when interacting with customers requesting a s0-called alternative medicine (SCAM) product for stress and consequently determine whether Australian pharmacy practice indicates the need for guidelines similar to those provided for ‘pharmacy only’ (S2) and ‘pharmacist only’ (S3) medicines.
A covert simulated patient (SP) was used to investigate the response of pharmacists to a request for a natural product for stress. The SP documented the details of the pharmacist-simulated patient interaction immediately on leaving the pharmacy and then re-entered the pharmacy to debrief the pharmacist. The quality of the interaction was scored as a Total CARE (check, assess, respond, explain) Score, based on anticipated questions and counselling advice. The appropriateness of the product was scored as a Product Efficacy Score, based on evidence-based literature.
Data from 100 pharmacies was provided. Information gathering illustrated by the questioning components Check and Assess (C and A) of the total CARE score by pharmacists was poor. The number of questions asked ranged from zero (13 pharmacists) to 7 (four pharmacists), the average being 3.1 (SD 1.9). Provision of advice was generally better (a description of the suggested product was offered by 87 pharmacists) but was lacking in other areas (duration of use and side effects were explained by only 41 and 16 pharmacists respectively). The most common product suggested was B-group vitamins (57 pharmacists) followed by a proprietary flower essence product (19 pharmacists). A two-step cluster analysis revealed two sub-groups of pharmacists: one cluster (74 pharmacists) with a high Total CARE score provided an appropriate product. The other cluster (20 pharmacists) had a low total CARE score and provided an inappropriate product.
The authors concluded that the pharmacy visits revealed major shortcomings in questioning, counselling and product recommendation. There is a need to develop guidelines for pharmacists to make evidence-based decisions in recommending SCAMs.
This paper offers a host of interesting information. For instance, it reveals that almost all pharmacists recommended at least one product for sale, about half of them recommended more than one. Considering that the evidence for most of the products in question is weak (to say the least), this seems concerning.
The second most recommended product, the ‘Bach Rescue Remedy‘, is perhaps a good case in point. There is no evidence that it has any effect on stress or any other condition. As the product contains no active ingredient, it is also implausible to assume it might work beyond placebo. Yet, many pharmacists are happy not only to sell it to the unsuspecting public, but even to recommend it to a customer who seeks out their advice.
I find this quite intolerable.
The paper thus confirms the point I have made repeatedly on this blog and elsewhere: community pharmacists seem to behave like commercially motivated shopkeepers, yet they are healthcare professionals who have to abide by an ethical code. When confronted with this overt conflict of interest, their vast majority seem to opt for violating their professional ethics in favour of profit.
I fail to understand why, despite these facts being well-known for so long, the professional organisations of pharmacists are doing do very little to rectify this appalling situation.
While many of us are wondering what SCAM will be promoted next for the corona pandemic, the editor of the infamous JCAM thought it wise to publish this note along with an article advertising the wonders of Ayurvedic medicine and yoga for the corona-virus entitled: ‘Public Health Approach of Ayurveda and Yoga for COVID-19 Prophylaxis‘.
Here are John Weeks’ remarks:
National governments are deeply divided over whether traditional, complementary and integrative practices have value for human beings relative to COVID-19. We witness a double standard. Medical doctors explore off-label uses of pharmaceutical agents that may have some suggestive research while evidence that indicates potential utility of natural products, practices and practitioners is often dismissed. In this Invited Commentary, a long-time JACM Editorial Board member Bhushan Patwardhan, PhD, from the AYUSH Center of Excellence, Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the Savitribai Phule Pune University, India and colleagues from multiple institutions make a case for the potential roles of Ayurvedic medicine and Yoga as supportive measures in self-care and treatment. Patwardhan is a warrior for enhancing scientific standards in traditional medicine in India. Patwardhan was recently appointed by the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, as Chairman of an 18 member expert group known as “Interdisciplinary AYUSH Research and Development Taskforce” for initiating, coordinating and monitoring efforts against COVID-19. He was last seen here in an invited commentary entitled “Contesting Predators: Cleaning Up Trash in Science” (JACM, October 2019). We are pleased to have this opportunity to share the recommended approaches, the science, and the historic references as part of the global effort to leave no stone unturned in best preparing our populations to withstand COVID-19 and future viral threats. – John Weeks, Editor-in-Chief, JACM
His remarks are, I think, worthy of four very brief comments:
- As far as I can see, national governments and their advisors struggle to make sense of the rapidly changing situation. In all the confusion, they are, however, very clear about one thing: traditional, complementary and integrative practices have no real value for human beings relative to COVID-19.
- The double standards Weeks bemoans do not exist. There are dozens of studies currently on their way testing virtually any therapeutic option that shows even the smallest shimmer of hope. Testing implausible options only because some quacks feel neglected would be the last thing the world needs in the present situation.
- Weeks claims that ‘evidence that indicates potential utility of natural products, practices and practitioners is often dismissed’. What evidence? The article published alongside his remarks is free of what anyone with a thinking brain might call ‘evidence’. If there is evidence, Weeks or anyone else should approach the experts responsible for conducting the current trials; I am sure that they would listen and be only too happy to consider any reasonable option.
- The Indian Ministry of AYUSH has indeed been promoting all sorts of quackery for the corona-virus. This behaviour is likely to cause many fatalities in India. It should be squarely condemned and not promoted as Weeks seem to think.
