conspiracy
One of the perks of running a busy blog like this one is the fact that the most original insults come your way. One of the best in this genre is probably comparing me to Donald Trump. Our “friend” Dana Ulman is not the only one, but he does that with some regularity. For example, he recently commented this little gem: “It seems that you are now emulating America’s liar-in-chief, Donald Trump. Should I now call you Edzard Trump?! Yep, he has adopted you…OR you have adopted him!”.
As this comparison is not an isolated occurrence, I better deal with it properly. Allow me therefore to attempt my own comparison between Edzard Ernst and Donald Trump. I find the comparison intriguing, if only as a study in how thoroughly opposites can be confused.
Trump’s relationship with the truth is famously transactional: facts are useful when they flatter and dispensable when they do not. In contrast, I have spent my career demonstrating that facts and truth have the habit of existing independently of one’s preferences. Where Trump manufactures certainty, I try to interrogate it.
Both Trump and I are accused of promoting “untruths”. In Trump’s case, the accusation reflects a well-documented indifference to reality. In my case, it typically signals that a proponent of so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) is displeased with the conclusions of my research.
Our rhetorical styles further widen the gulf, I hope. Trump’s language inflates, while mine tries to deflate. Trump deals in selfishly exaggerated declarations (e.g. “the best,” “the greatest,” “nobody knows more”). I usually prefer the quieter approach of citing and explaining the data, allowing the evidence to dismantle cherished beliefs without raising its voice.
Criticism, too, is handled differently, I think. Trump counters it with more lies, denial or insult; I normally try to respond with evidence and rational arguments, an approach that is arguably more irritating, as it leaves less room for theatrical rebuttal. After all, it is difficult to argue with a meta-analysis without first reading and understanding it.
If there is a shared trait, it is our ability to provoke. Yet even here, the symmetry is illusory. Trump provokes by disregarding evidence; I often try to provoke by insisting on it. The former invites belief without proof; the latter demands proof before belief.
It therefore appears that likening me to Trump (or vice versa) serves less as an argument than as an all too transparent attempt to avoid one. Still, I must confess a certain appreciation for its unintended comedy. In that spirit, I am tempted to thank Dana – and to encourage him to continue, if only in the hope that his future contributions might prove even more entertaining.
Keep up the good work, Dana!
And feel free to call me whatever you like.
The Nazi relic of the German Heilpraktiker – alternative health practitioner, who practise so-called alternative medicine (SCAM)) – is a topic that I wrote about repeatedly, e.g.:
- Prison sentence for a German HEILPRAKTIKER who issued false vaccination certificates
- Another death caused by a ‘Heilpraktiker’, non-medically trained alternative practitioner?
- A German Heilpraktiker was sent to jail for fraud
The path to becoming a Heilpraktiker is as unique as it is scandelously unregulated. By law, the profession requires no mandatory curriculum, no accredited school attendance, and no state-regulated university degree. Technically, anyone over the age of 25 holding a basic middle-school education (Hauptschulabschluss) can sit for the exam (the Heilpraktikerüberprüfung), even without any education or training at all. While some candidates choose to prepare by voluntarily attending a private and expensive school (a Heilpraktikerschule) for one to three years, the lack of standardized educational oversight leaves massive gaps in crucial medical and professional subjects.
Chief among these neglected subjects is, in my view, medical ethics. For those who do attend a school, average ethics instruction ranges from minimal to non-existent. Because private institutes design their own proprietary curricula, ethics is rarely taught as a standalone subject. Instead, it is briefly touched within broader modules concerning Berufs- und Gesetzeskunde (Professional and Legal Studies).
This systemic omission is directly tied to the narrow scope of the state licensing exam. Conducted by local health departments (Gesundheitsamt), the examination is explicitly designed around Gefahrenabwehr, i.e. the prevention of immediate danger to public health. The state’s priority is ensuring that applicants know what they are legally forbidden to do, such as managing highly infectious diseases, prescribing prescription-only medications, or practicing dentistry.
Consequently, broader ethical education is completely sidelined. Vital topics like the biomedical principles of patient autonomy, managing clinical conflicts of interest, and the complexities of informed consent are virtually absent. While some voluntary professional associations have established a code of conduct (Berufsordnung für Heilpraktiker), learning and understanding these ethical guidelines is entirely voluntary and self-guided.
Beyond ethics, maany other critical subjects are severely neglected in the Heilpraktiker schools, e.g.:
- Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) and Scientific Literacy: students are rarely taught how to critically appraise clinical research, differentiate between correlation and causation, or recognize the cognitive biases inherent in anecdotal “success stories.”
- Pharmacology and Interaction Risks: While forbidden from prescribing prescription drugs, practitioners heavily utilize herbs and other dietary supplements. The study of how these substances interact with each other and a patient’s conventional pharmaceutical regimens is usually overlooked.
- Emergency Medicine and Differential Diagnosis: Because training lacks mandatory, standardized clinical rotations, practical competency in identifying red flags, such as atypical cardiac symptoms or early-stage oncological presentations, is dangerously variable.
The Heilpraktiker system offers unparalleled freedom of practice. At the same time, there is a near total lack of rigorous educational standards. This huge and dangerous imbalance leaves practitioners ill-equipped and put the public at unacceptable risks. Here are some examples of what can thus happen:
- The Klaus Ross / 3-Bromopyruvat (3-BP) Tragedy (2016): In one of Germany’s most notorious SCAM scandals, a Heilpraktiker operating a “Biological Cancer Center” in Brüggen treated terminally ill cancer patients with 3-Bromopyruvat, an unapproved, highly experimental chemical compound. Using an inaccurate kitchen scale to mix the powder himself, he administered massive overdoses via intravenous infusions. At least three patients died within days of the treatment, leading to his conviction for negligent homicide.
- The “BG-Mun” Fake Cancer Cure Scandal (Schrobenhausen): A Heilpraktiker, working alongside a businessman, defrauded desperately ill cancer patients by selling a fake “miracle serum” called BG-Mun for up to €5,900 per package. The practitioner explicitly pressured patients to abandon their conventional oncological treatments (like chemotherapy), promising that the serum would reverse tumor growth. Chemical testing later revealed the expensive liquid was nothing but worthless dilutions of glucose and basic amino acids. Multiple patients, including a 52-year-old esophagus cancer patient who went public with the story, died after their cancers metastasized following their cessation of proper medical care.
- Severe Complications from Autologous Blood Therapy (Eigenbluttherapie): A widespread SCAM among Heilpraktiker involves drawing a patient’s blood, mixing it with ozone, oxygen, or homeopathic remedies, and reinjecting it back into the muscle or vein to “stimulate the immune system.” Due to insufficient training in strict clinical hygiene, numerous documented cases have occurred where patients suffered from sepsis, internal abscesses, and systemic bacterial infections requiring emergency ICU hospitalizations.
- Misdiagnosis of Life-Threatening Emergencies: Because the Heilpraktiker exam does not mandate clinical training, practitioners have no clinical experience and frequently miss time-critical medical diagnoses. Documented cases include patients presenting with atypical chest pain being treated with acupuncture for “energy blockages” rather than being immediately referred to a hospital for an evolving myocardial infarction. Similarly, early-stage, highly curable melanomas or other malignancies have been misidentified as benign skin lesions or metabolic imbalances, delaying life-saving surgeries until the diseases reached terminal stages.
- Ineffective SCAMs for Acute Psychiatric Crises: Some Heilpraktiker choose to specialize in psychotherapy (Heilpraktiker für Psychotherapie). Scandals have arisen where patients suffering from severe clinical depression or acute psychotic episodes were treated solely with Bach flower remedies, St. John’s wort, or talking therapy rooted in esoteric ideas. The rejection of conventional psychiatric intervention and pharmaceutical stabilization in these acute phases has directly led to preventable self-harm and suicides.
So, why does Germany put up with the Heilpraktiker?
Despite repeated and fierce criticism, the German Heilpraktiker is sustained by a combination of law, politics, and tradition. The primary legal shield is Article 12 of the German Basic Law, which guarantees freedom of occupation (Berufsfreiheit). Because the state’s entry exam pretends to screen for immediate public danger (Gefahrenabwehr), courts pretend the system is legally sufficient; completely banning the profession would trigger severe constitutional challenges.
Furthermore, as often discussed on this blog, SCAM enjoys immense public popularity in Germany. Millions of Germans value the Heilpraktiker for the long and empathetic consultations that the overburdened conventional insurance system rarely permits. This widespread voter support, coupled with a highly organised political lobby, makes outright abolition a political non-starter.
Thus Germany continues to have a two-tier health system. This paradox exposes a profound cultural contradiction in the German psyche, which is famously stereotyped as risk-averse, highly bureaucratized, and obsessed with systemic order. While Germany tends to regulate everything from highway speeds to the exact composition of its beer, its tolerance of the Heilpraktiker system represents a massive, hazardous blind spot.
By clinging to an outdated Nazi-law out of political convenience and romanticized cultural traditions, the state has allowed this two-tier medical landscape to persist – one built on rigorous science, and another shielded by a legal loophole. In trying to uphold the constitutional freedom of occupation, the German legislative framework inadvertently compromises a far more fundamental duty: the protection of the public from dangerous quacks. This leaves a nation known for “playing it safe” in the ironic position of legally sanctioning pseudo-scientific nonsense within its healthcare system.
A fuller analysis of the Heilpraktiker can be found in my book “Vorsicht Heilpraktiker” [in German].
The long-standing consensus surrounding moderate alcohol consumption has recently been disrupted by a landmark review. Initiated under a US congressional mandate to evaluate the evidence base for the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the study—convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) alongside the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—concluded that even a single alcoholic beverage per day significantly elevates the risks of serious chronic illness and premature death. After unexplained bureaucratic delays, the release of this taxpayer-funded research delivers a sobering truth: there is no net health benefit derived from alcohol consumption at any level.
For decades, public perception was shaped by data suggesting that a daily glass of wine or beer could act as a cardiovascular shield. This new review systematically dismantles that notion by identifying significant methodological biases in the previous evidence. Chief among these is the “sick quitter” effect, wherein baseline categories of non-drinkers inadvertently included individuals who had abstained precisely because of pre-existing, severe health conditions. By correcting for these distortions, the review demonstrated that health risks accumulate linearly. Alcohol acts as a dose-dependent toxin with no safe lower threshold, and even minimal daily intake accelerates linear risk trajectories for:
- liver cirrhosis,
- severe hypertension,
- various malignancies, including esophageal, colorectal, and breast cancers.
Beyond chronic pathology, low-level consumption also:
- impairs cognitive architecture,
- accelerating brain aging,
- elevates the immediate probability of physical injury.
The friction surrounding the report’s delayed release has exposed systemic vulnerabilities at the intersection of federal policy and corporate lobbying. Historically, US dietary guidelines defined moderate drinking as up to two drinks per day for men and one for women. The new scientific consensus exposes these thresholds as dangerously obsolete, highlighting a stark disconnect between federal health advice and contemporary medical data.
This friction might underscore the impact of the commercial determinants of health, exposing how multi-billion-dollar alcohol conglomerates employ aggressive public relations campaigns and sophisticated scientific interference to preserve market shares. By aggressively marketing alcohol as a benign staple of a healthy lifestyle, the industry had successfully obscured its intrinsic risks. The new evidence shifts the conversation from personal indulgence to an important public health issue.
Update (July 2026): a US government–commissioned analysis of alcohol-related risk was published. Here is its abstract:
The purpose of this study was to estimate the lifetime risk of alcohol-attributable mortality and morbidity in the United States based on a person’s average lifetime weekly alcohol consumption to assess the impact of per-occasion alcohol consumption on health.
Lifetime risks were estimated using a cause-specific modeling approach that combined exposure data from national health surveys, relative risks, population data from the U.S. Census Bureau, mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and morbidity data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. A narrative review assessed the health impact of per-occasion alcohol consumption on health.
At low levels of consumption, no protective net effect of alcohol consumption on health was observed. Elevated mortality and morbidity risks were associated with alcohol consumption starting at relatively low levels. Males consuming >6.5 (95% CI [<1, 13.5]) and females consuming >7.0 (95% CI [<1, 11.5]) drinks per week had life-time alcohol-attributable mortality risks >1:1,000. At >8.5 (95% CI [2.5, 13]) drinks per week for both males and females, these risks increased to >1:100. At 14 drinks per week for males (the upper limit of the former Dietary Guidelines for males), the risk of an alcohol-caused death was 1:25 (4%). Drinking patterns also impacted risk. Above 1 drink per occasion, higher consumption was associated with progressively increased risks of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and injury.
Alcohol consumption, including at what may be perceived as “moderate” levels, is associated with increased mortality and morbidity risks. These results support tightening alcohol use guidance in the United States, for both males and females, to no more than 1 drink per day.
Public health significance statement: The Alcohol Intake and Health Study shows that for Americans, even what is socially considered “moderate drinking” increases the risk of dying or developing health problems, helping people better understand the net health impact of alcohol. Furthermore, by identifying the levels of alcohol use that raise the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and injury, these findings can guide individuals, families, and communities in making safer choices about drinking patterns. The results also support changing the U.S. Dietary Guidelines on alcohol to recommend that current adult drinkers consume 1 drink or less in a day.
Authors and independent observers have described the report as having been sidelined during the Trump administration, citing conflicts with industry interests and existing “moderate drinking is safe” messaging.
My previous post provided tips for examining health claims. An area where health claims need to be examined cautiously is supplements, and one UK firm seems to deserve scrutiny more than most. British Supplements, was founded around 2015 by Chris Boyle. Rather than positioning himself as a traditional executive or scientist, Boyle markets himself as a rebellious outsider fighting against a corrupt health industry. He heavily promotes a narrative of “us versus them,” framing himself as a truth-teller. He regularly uses his platform to criticize mainstream competitors like Holland & Barrett, alleging they sell “private-label junk” filled with binders and excipients.
There is no publicly available record of any formal professional background, medical training, scientific schooling, or nutritional education for Chris Boyle. As far as I can see, he does not hold degrees or certifications in biochemistry, pharmacology, dietetics, medicine, or any related fields. In his public branding and communication, Boyle’s lack of formal scientific or medical training is not something he attempts to hide; rather, he weaponizes it as part of his “rebel outsider” persona to build trust with customers who are skeptical of the traditional medical and regulatory establishment.
Boyle’s firm is an online seller of mushroom and herbal products marketed under a “Clean Genuine” label. Operating with an antagonistic, anti-establishment brand voice, the company has constructed a conspiratorial marketing ecosystem designed to bypass UK advertising laws. It has fast grown into a highly profitable, multi-million-pound operation. Despite its “underdog” and “persecuted outsider” marketing narrative, it is now a major player in the direct-to-consumer wellness market, fueled by heavy advertising on social media and public transport. Recently, the company has even taken out a nationwide bus-advertising deal. To sell products like Turkey Tail and Lion’s Mane for serious illnesses without violating UK regulations, Boyle employs a “half-censorship” tactic. By partially starring out crucial terms, he tells customers that he is forced to censor the text due to a corrupt alliance between “Big Pharma” and the UK government.
His website employs customer reviews to make forbidden clinical claims. British Supplements encourages customers to leave detailed, condition-specific feedback, structuring its website collections such that searching for terms like “cancer” highlights these reviews. While the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) demands that customer testimonials used in marketing are legally considered advertisements and must be clinically backed, the company falsely claims that “Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998” protects this type of “free speech”, dismissing regulators as tools of a “United Kingdom of North Korea.”
The brand positions itself within a broader web of alternative-medicine conspiracies. On social media and review platforms like Trustpilot, Boyle aggressively attacks critics. Negative reviewers are routinely insulted, with Boyle publicly labeling them as “woke,” “Karens,” “femboys,” or suffering from “mental breakdowns.”
This aggressive stance is more than just an offensive marketing strategy; it represents a growing public health challenge. By promoting unproven remedies to severely ill patients and actively cultivating distrust in evidence-based medicine and regulatory bodies, British Supplements not only financially exploit vulnerable consumers, it also endager the health of those who might believe in their unsubstantiated claims.
People use unproven so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) even when evidence quite clearly indicates that the SCAM in question does not work.
Why?
Here are some of the factors that can play a role:
- The Placebo Effect Makes People Feel Better
SCAM “helps” even though it doesn’t work. The placebo effect is a real neurobiological phenomenon that can reduce pain, improve mood, decrease stress, and affect lots of other, mostly subjective endpoints. In some situations, placebos can be as effective as real treatments. This creates genuine subjective improvement that convinces many people the SCAM in question is effective.
- False Hope and the Need for Control
When conventional medicine offers little, people “grab at straws” because hope drives them. For seriously ill patients, suggesting unproven interventions can provide hope and a sense of control over their illness. The ritual involved in administering SCAM creates profound impact because people feel they’re getting the attention they crave.
- Confirmation Bias
People selectively gather evidence conforming to their beliefs, while neglecting contradictory evidence. If someone feels better after acupuncture, for instance, they attribute it to the treatment rather than natural recovery, placebo, the attention from the therapist, or simply the restful time spent on the treatment bench. Experience or stories from others bring helped by a treatment are not evidence, of course, but they can be very compelling.
- The “Expensive = Good” Heuristic
It feels reassuring to spend some money on one’s health. “If it’s expensive, it must be good!” Traveling abroad for exotic SCAMs creates hope through fundraising. And expectation boosts the placebo response.
- Anti-Science Beliefs Predict SCAM Use
Anti-science beliefs and conspiracy theories increase the willingness to take risks and try SCAM. People who are suspicious, untrusting, eccentric, and see the world as dangerous tend to see meaningful patterns where none exist. If you believe that Big Pharma is trying to kill you, you are likely to employ SCAM.
- Dissatisfaction with Conventional Medicine
It’s “frustrating and demoralising when medical therapies do not offer the benefits people need or expect”. When doctors can’t provide answers or effective treatments, people are likely to seek SCAM. Sadly, I have to admit that some conventional healthcare professionals can behave such that one simply cannot be surprised, if patients look elsewhere.
- Humans Are Wired to See Patterns
Humans evolved to quickly detect patterns and understand how events might be causally related. We seek explanations rather than seeing randomness, but this makes us prone to seeing connections where none exist. This cognitive vulnerability is why we mistake correlation for causation. We are easily fooled, and most easily by ourselves.
8. Misinformation
Over the years, I have come to realise that all of these factors – and many more – can play a role, but that none of them is as important as misinformation. SCAM has been in the limelight sice decades, and the public is bombarded with misleading information about SCAM. It comes from journaalists, book authors, influencers, marketeers, bloggers, social media, and many other sources. And it continuously brainwashes the public into believing that even the most deplorably useless SCAM is effective, safe, and supressed by the establishment. I sympathise with everyone who is being sent up the garden path in this way and thus may get deprived of his/her savings or – much worse – health.
This recent survey caught my attention; here is the abstract:
Homeopathy is one of the most widespread alternative methods of treatment in Bulgaria in the last 25-30 years. The aim of the research is to study and analyze the knowledge and attitudes of Bulgarians over the age of 18 regarding the application of homeopathy as a curative method in general medical practice. A cross-sectional survey among a sample of the general Bulgarian population was conducted during a 4-week period in April-May 2022. The data were collected using the Google Forms platform via an online questionnaire. A total of 508 completed responses were collected (women-450, men-58). The overwhelming number are familiar with homeopathy and have used it before for their own health problems (97% of women and 86% of men). A large number of those who have used homeopathy report an improvement in their health (88% of women and 74% of men). The majority of respondents believe that homeopathy is useful for health care (93% of women and 79% of men). Further representative studies are needed to determine the role of homeopathy as a complementary method in general medical practice.
So, the researchers collected 508 responses on Google Forms. This method does not allow calculating a response rate, i.e. a percentage of those who saw the questionnaire and decided to reply. It might well have been 1% or lower. Who can reasonably be assumed to have resopnded? My guess is that those with an interest in homeopathy did and those without it did not respond. Thus, we should not be surprised to see that 97% of women (~90% of the respondents were women) had used homeopathy, 88% reported improvements, 93% belilieve it to be useful for Health care. I have previously compared such SCAM surveys to someone studying our views about hamburgers by placing themselves outside McDonalds and interviewing customers about the subject.
What these figures do not tell us is that presumably ~90% of Bulgarians could not care less about homeopathy! Despite this rather obvious suspicion, the authors ignore the fatal flaw in their survey and state that “the prevailing opinion that homeopathy is beneficial to health care in general is noteworthy. In other studies it is found that patients expected their family physician to refer them to CAM, including homeopathy, to have updated knowledge about CAM, and to offer CAM treatment in the clinic based on appropriate training. It can be assumed that homeopathy could be part of an integrative approach in health care, given the increased number of people wishing to use it, as well as the large number of doctors who have completed a training course in homeopathy in Bulgaria.”
Of course, this would be trivial, if it were not rather typical for a large chunk of “research” getting published in the realm of so-called alternative medicine (SCAM). I did put research in ” “, because it is, in fact, not research as we know it. Too many SCAM “researchers” have settled for conducting pseudo-research, i.e. investigations, like the one above, which can only produce findings that favour SCAM in one way or another. As this sort of thing is happening a thousand times over every month, it gradually erodes science and creates a general (erroneous) feeling (not least on the political level) that SCAM must be good for our health, after all.
And why do SCAM researchers prefer pseudo-research to proper science?
In my view, the answer is clear: they have realised or feel instinctively that proper hypothesis-testing research would not generate the results they so ardently need in order to promote their creed/ideology/business.
Conversion therapy is a form of so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) that attempts to change an individual’s sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual, or to change their gender identity from transgender or non-binary to cisgender. The practice is built on the false premise that being LGBTQ+ is a mental illness or a developmental flaw that can and should be “cured.” It can range from talk therapy and prayer groups to extreme and physically abusive techniques, such as aversion therapy. Major medical, psychiatric, and psychological organizations worldwide have overwhelmingly rejected conversion therapy. Research consistently shows that it is completely ineffective and causes severe psychological harm, including high rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicide. Because of these dangers, dozens of countries have banned or heavily restricted the practice.
Amongst all the many dubious SCAM therapies, conversion therapy must be amongst the most vile, as discussed previously several times, e.g.:
- “Gay exorcism” and conversion therapy by the “Forward In Faith Church International Incorporated” in Scotland
- The ‘Association of Catholic Doctors’ and homeopathic conversion therapy
- Conversion therapy is ‘despicable and degrading’. IT SHOULD BE BANNED EVERYWHERE
Now the Church of England has decided to permit a General Synod event promoting “sexual identity transformation”, i.e. conversion therapy. Entitled “People Change: Sexual Identity Transformation”, the event features Matthew Grech, who claims to have left behind a homosexual lifestyle. Hosted by General Synod member Rebecca Hunt, the meeting highlights speakers who claim to have experienced “positive, beneficial change,” aligning with the Church’s traditional teaching on marriage. Although the Church cancelled an associated exhibition stand, the meeting itself is going ahead despite a 2017 Synod vote overwhelmingly rejecting conversion therapy.
This story unfolded shortly after the UK Government published its draft Conversion Practices Bill, aimed at banning abusive attempts to alter a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Humanists UK have long advocated for a comprehensive, loophole-free ban on these discredited and harmful practices, which seek to change, suppress, or “cure” LGBT individuals through coercive counselling, pseudo-psychological interventions, or intense prayer.
Crucially, data from the National LGBT Survey highlights that faith groups are the primary setting for conversion therapy. Furthermore, the LGBT+ charity Galop has documented numerous cases of faith-based conversion abuse.
Laura Newlyn, Policy and Campaigns Manager at Humanists UK, emphasized that conversion practices cause lasting harm, particularly to young and vulnerable individuals facing intense pressure from religious communities. She rejected the idea that these practices constitute harmless pastoral care or ordinary prayer, stressing that most of the public, including most Christians, support a ban. Humanists UK maintains that any effective legislation must fully cover religious settings and eliminate exemptions for “consent” or religious practices to ensure all LGBT individuals are protected from abuse.
I suppose nobody need eplanations what the Epstein files are, or what crimes they depict, or how often Trump is mentioned in them. What many might not know is that even the United Nations (UN) have commented on these documents
Independent human rights experts, operating under mandates from the UN Human Rights Council, have warned that the Epstein files reveal evidence of a possible global criminal enterprise involving systematic sexual abuse, trafficking, and exploitation of women and girls. Due to the scale, transnational reach, and systematic nature of these atrocities, the experts stated that the documented conduct may meet the legal threshold for crimes against humanity. Under international law, this threshold applies to acts like sexual slavery, torture, and trafficking when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population.
The disclosure follows the “Epstein Files Transparency Act” of 2025, which led to the US Department of Justice releasing over three million pages, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images in January 2026. The background involves wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while facing minor-recruitment and sexual exploitation charges, and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
The experts emphasized that states are legally obligated to investigate these crimes, which were fueled by corruption, supremacy, and extreme misogyny. They called for independent and impartial investigations into all individuals, financial structures, and official entities implicated, asserting that resignations are not a substitute for criminal accountability.
The experts praised the resilience of the survivors but criticized “grave errors” in the release process that exposed sensitive victim information, risking retaliation and stigma. They urged the adoption of victim-centered standard operating procedures for future disclosures and demanded that governments act decisively, declaring that no one is too wealthy or powerful to be above the law.
“Any suggestion that it is time to move on from the ‘Epstein files’ is unacceptable. It represents a failure of responsibility towards victims,” they said. “It is imperative that governments act decisively to hold perpetrators accountable,” the experts said. “No one is too wealthy or too powerful to be above the law.”
Trump and his team have repetedly responded to Epstein-file in general. Trump himself seems keen to disregard the experts, do precisely what they warned against, and move on. As far as I know, there is no statement of Trump or his team commenting directly on the UN experts’ “crimes against humanity” document itself.
The Church of Scientology has spent decades insisting that psychiatry is a terrorist conspiracy, antidepressants are a gateway to mass murder, and only its own “tech” can save humanity from the menace of Prozac and similar “poisons”. One might imagine this worldview would remain safely quarantined within L. Ron Hubbard’s realm of loons.
But then Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became Secretary of Health and Human Services!
By pure coincidence Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” crusade, unveiled with the MAHA Action Plan to Curb Psychiatric Overprescribing, just happens to target the very same SSRIs that Scientology and its front group CCHR have been demonising for years. Antidepressants are singled out, deprescribing is framed as a patriotic duty, and psychotherapy and lifestyle tweaks are held up as the noble alternative to “overmedicalization.” The American Psychiatric Association calls SSRIs evidence‑based treatment; Kennedy, channelling his inner CCHR lawyer, suggests they’re harder to quit than heroin and may be helping to fuel mass violence.
Enter Wisner Baum, the mass‑tort firm whose senior partners have long, colourful histories with Scientology and its covert operations. This firm has spent years suing antidepressant manufacturers and other psychiatric technologies. And Kennedy has quietly pocketed over $850,000 in fees from them, while keeping a continuing financial interest as HHS Secretary. It is hard to imagine a neater arrangement: a Scientology‑linked law firm sues drug companies; a Scientology‑approved health secretary casts doubt on those same drugs from the cabinet; and fee income flows merrily along.
So, is Kennedy formally a Scientologist?
No, to the best of my knowledge, there is no evidence for that. But perhaps the label becomes somewhat unimportant, when the nation’s top health official is advancing policy that mirrors Scientology’s doctrine and staying financially intertwined with its legal defender. Whether or not he has taken the oath or not (and I am not saying he has), he seems to be doing the work of Xenu, the mysterious extraterrestrial ruler of a galactic confederacy.
In the US, the dismantling of public health is in full swing. That this development would sooner or later involve chiropractic had to be expected:
- The shady love affair between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Chiropractic Profession
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his harmful ideas about so-called alternative medicine (SCAM)
- The ‘International Chiropractors Association’ Congratulated Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on His Selection as ‘Secretary of Health and Human Services’
- Eric S Kaplan, the strange chiropractor-friend of Donald Trump
- What does Trump think about so-called alternative medicine (SCAM)?
Thus, the recently launched MAHA Chiropractic Hub cannot come as a surprise. The new Hub is a national lobbying and promotional initiative designed to position chiropractic care as a drug-free, “prevention-first” solution to chronic disease and to reshape US healthcare policy in its favour. Launched as part of the broader “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, the Hub is a coordinated partnership between the MAHA Centre, MAHA Action, and various chiropractic associations, practitioners, and educators. The initiative promotes chiropractic as a root-cause fix for a broken system.
However, medical researchers and public health experts note that the broader claims of chiropractic, particularly those regarding “prevention-first” wellness and treating chronic non-musculoskeletal diseases, lack a credible evidence base. While an optimistic reading of the clinical evidence might support spinal manipulation for short-term relief of acute lower back pain, high-quality scientific data remains weak or non-existent for its efficacy in managing systemic health issues, preventing disease, or acting as a primary care substitute.
Operationally, the Hub seems to organize its strategy around 4 main pillars:
- Public Relations & Branding: Launching a national media campaign to rebrand chiropractic as a credible, prevention-focused discipline, an effort critics argue pushes past the boundaries of evidence-based medicine.
- Legislative Lobbying: Pressing for the Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act and the full enforcement of Section 2706 of the Affordable Care Act to expand federal funding and reimbursement.
- Military & Veterans Integration: Promoting chiropractic within Defense Health and Army medical structures for musculoskeletal injuries and pushing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to expand access and reduce wait times.
- Targeted Outreach: Explicitly marketing these non-drug, non-surgical options to vulnerable or specialized demographics, including children, military personnel, veterans, and seniors.
By targeting federal policy and public perception, the Hub seeks to institutionalise chiropractic care across major public health sectors. In the true MAHA tradition, skepticism from the medical and scientific communities regarding the effectiveness and safety of chiropractic is being ignored.
What is next?
You may well ask!
A homeopath to run the FDA, or the flat earth society taking over NASA?
Nothing can surprise me now!
