education
I was alerted to this announcement by the Faculty of Homeopathy:
Faculty of Homeopathy Accredited Education
The role of Dentistry in Integrative Medicine and Homeopathy
Dentistry appears to be the Cinderella of healthcare and the importance of good oral health is hugely underestimated. The mouth is the portal into the rest of our bodies. There is increasing evidence proving that health of the oral cavity has strong links with the health of the rest of the body especially increasing risk of heart disease, low birth weight babies and type 2 diabetes. The aim of this webinar is to highlight the vital importance of dentistry and oral health in integrative medicine and why healthcare professionals need to work closely with dentists. It will also cover how, as homeopaths, we can appreciate symptoms in the mouth as indications of general health or disease and manage dental conditions.
THE TICKETS FOR THIS WEBINAR ARE LIMITED THEREFORE, PLEASE REGISTER NOW TO ENSURE ACCESS.
Some splendid platitudes there:
- the Cinderella of healthcare
- The mouth is the portal into the rest of our bodies
- health of the oral cavity has strong links with the health of the rest of the body…
But what about the importance of dentistry in integrative medicine? The importance of dentistry in medicine is fairly clear to me. However, what is the importance of dentistry in integrative medicine?
Even more puzzling seems the ‘role of dentistry in homeopathy’? What on earth do they mean by that? Perhaps they meant the ‘role of homeopathy in dentistry’?
And what is the role of homeopathy in dentistry? The British Homeopathic Dental Association should know, shouldn’t they? On their website, they explain that they are a group of dentists and dental care professionals that have an interest in using homeopathy alongside our dentistry.
On the basis of what evidence, you ask? They kindly provide an answer to that question:
In dentistry there is limited research though studies have shown improved bone healing around implants with Symphytum and reduced discomfort and improved healing time with ulcers and beneficial in oral lichen planus. These studies have small numbers and are not generally acepted as stong evidence.
Are they trying to tell us that there is no good evidence? Looks like it, doesn’t it? In this case, the above Webinar seems rather superfluous.
For those of you who want to save the money for the tickets, here is a full and evidence-based summary of all the conditions where homeopathy might be helpful in dentistry:
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Acupuncture is usually promoted as a safe therapy. This may be good marketing but, sadly, it is not the truth. About 10% of all patients experience mild to moderate adverse effects such as pain or bleeding. In addition, there are well-documented complications, for instance:
However, there have been few reports of deaths due to pneumothorax after acupuncture treatment, especially focused on electroacupuncture.
Japanese authors recently reported an autopsy case of a man in his 60s who went into cardiopulmonary arrest and died immediately after receiving electroacupuncture. Postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) showed bilateral pneumothoraces, as well as the presence of numerous gold threads embedded subcutaneously. An autopsy revealed two ecchymoses in the right thoracic cavity and a pinhole injury on the lower lobe of the right lung, suggesting that the needles had penetrated the lung. There were marked emphysematous changes in the lung, suggesting that rupture of bullae might also have contributed to bilateral pneumothoraces and fatal outcomes. The acupuncture needles may have been drawn deeper into the body than at the time of insertion due to electrical pulses and muscle contraction, indicating the need for careful determination of treatment indications and technical safety measures, such as fail-safe mechanisms.
This is the first case report of fatal bilateral pneumothoraces after electroacupuncture reported in the English literature. This case sheds light on the safety of electroacupuncture and the need for special care when administering it to patients with pulmonary disease who may be at a higher risk of pneumothorax. This is also the first report of three-dimensional reconstructed PMCT images showing the whole-body distribution of embedded gold acupuncture threads, which is unusual.
One-sided pneumothoraxes are common events after acupuncture. Several hundred cases have been published and the vast majority of such incidents remain unpublished or even unnoticed. These events are not normally life-threatening. If ‘only’ one lung is punctured, the patient may experience breathing difficulties, but in many cases these are temporary and the patient soon recovers.
Yet a bilateral pneumothorax is an entirely different affair. If both lungs malfunction, the patient’s chances of survival are slim unless he/she is close to an intensive care unit.
You might think that it needs an especially ungifted acupuncturist to manage to puncture both lungs simultaneously. I might agree, but we need to consider that acupuncture needles are often inserted in a symmetrical fashion into the patient’s body. This means that, if the therapist puts a needle at one point of the thorax that is close to a lung, he is not unlikely to do the same on the other side.
And how does one prevent such disasters?
Easy:
- train acupuncturists properly,
- avoid needles on the upper thorax,
- or refuse acupuncture altogether.
During the last few days, we were entertained by one of the more fanatical specimen of the lunatic fringe. From the outset, ‘ASTRO’ was out to provoke, insult, and foremost state utter nonsense. Within just a few hours ‘ASTRO’ posted dozens of comments, one more hilarious than the next.
As always, I let it pass for a while because this sort of thing usually is very amusing and mildly instructive. Then, when my fun was over, I told him or her that my conversation with him or her was finished, thereafter I sent ‘ASTRO’ my usual hint to indicate that my patience was wearing thin (an overdose of nonsense, fun, and hilarity might be toxic) and now I have blocked ‘ASTRO’.
This little incident is a mere triviality, of course. Yet, it is also a most welcome reminder to demonstrate what is needed to get blocked by me. Here are a few selected ‘bon mots’ posted by ‘ASTRO’ which all contributed to his or her dismissal from this blog:
- Lenny is an intellectual terrorist
- you manipulate data
- you are nobody in the scientific world
- I’m very sorry for your lack of education
- I don’t hate you for lying, I pity you
- With all sincerity, and seeing that you don’t have a single scientific publication, I recommend that mounts a business for atheists resentful and sell cheap products with the face of Carl Sagan or James Randi in a coffe cup or pins, I assure you that the media will make of your business, earn some money and you’ll be able to publish a book trash like Ben Goldacre, with his “Bad science” or the Steven Novella. Poor quality is a typical sign of skeptical pseudoscientists.
- your “letter to the editor” is based on manipulating data and making false accusations, everything
- you only have an opinion based on your belief and denial that may well be a projection of your lack of knowledge
- I’m disappointed that you have very superficial knowledge, no wonder Mathie will ignore you
- Your comments again reflect that you haven’t the slightest idea
- your lack of reading comprehension is evident
- You are very ignorant
- your aggressiveness and lack of empathy tell a lot about your profile of atheist resentful of life
- these” verdicts ” that Ernst quotes in his pamphlets are at best a fraud
- in reality you, Grams and the team of the anti-homeopathy propaganda network have no idea what you’re talking about
- Ernst,” friend, ” you’re still pretty aggressive, maybe you need some joy in your life. Now I understand why the pseudoscientific skeptical atheist community is so childish and so toxic
- anyone who questions Edzar’s sacred dogmas is a troll
- Thank you for confirming that you are a sectarian
- your obsessive behavior borders on harassment
- Magazines like Skepter are very popular with immature gentlemen who believe they are the world or with teenagers who are just out of college who believe that science is done with whims
- don’t be like Lenny and try to grow up
- real science is in the objective pursuit and not in harassment campaigns orchestrated by a few clowns who believe James Randi is unquestionable
- every time I read your entries I feel sorry that your level of logic is so low and lousy
- Your naivety and superficial knowledge in philosophy of science (and that of most of those who follow you) is very pitiful
- you are the example of a pseudo-sceptic, a rude and cowardly skeptic who can’t tolerate criticism
- your friends are a sect, possibly a group based on coertion
- it doesn’t look like “Lenny” has a single scientific article published, not to mention your colleagues in the “About” section that the few who look like scientists are mediocre in their fields, the rest are small-time activists. No wonder, so much envy, so much anger, so much hatred, that’s what leaves fanatical atheism. They’re talibans of science, not scientists
- you with your age presume a lot and I only see you being interviewed by mainstream media that talk nonsense against homeopathy
- You had to control that aggressiveness, you feel more nervous and angry, maybe you’re a relative of the troll Lenny
- The obsessive behavior of Aust trying to refute Frass already looks like that of a stalker, similar of the journalist Christian Kreil who invented a whole string of nonsense in a German public media trying to link Frass to a questionable company, the media does not even mention Frass’s refutation to Kreil
One thing we cannot accuse ‘ASTRO’ of is that he or she was not industrious. You might ask why I did not stop his aggressive stupidity earlier after it had stopped being funny. Perhaps I should have – but, to be honest, these trolls do amuse me a great deal. More importantly, they might teach us important lessons:
- The fun one can have with fanatics is usually short-lasted.
- Some weirdos are very well misinformed, i.e. they read a lot and misunderstand even more.
- The minds of heavily deluded people are beyond productive discussions.
- Any hope to educate them will be disappointed.
- If we allow them to, they swiftly make themselves ridiculous.
- Their pseudo-arguments are strikingly similar.
- Their aggressiveness can be considerable.
And finally, the little ‘ASTRO’ interlude tells you something else:
It really does need a lot to get banned from my blog.
Weleda, the firm founded by Rudolf Steiner and Ita Wegman originally for producing and selling their anthroposophic remedies, celebrates its 100th anniversary. It is a truly auspicious occasion for which I feel compelled to offer a birthday present.
I hope they like it!
On the Weleda UK website, we find an article entitled ‘ An introduction to Homeopathy‘ which contains the following statements:
- Homeopathy works by stimulating the body’s own natural healing capacity. The remedy triggers the body’s own healing forces and so a remedy is prescribed on a very individual basis.
- If you do experience complex, persistent or worrying symptoms then please seek the advice of a doctor who specialises in homeopathy.
- Today there are four homeopathic hospitals offering treatment under the National Health Service – in London, Glasgow, Liverpool and Bristol.
- It’s still the only alternative medicine incorporated into the NHS.
- Homeopathy can be used to treat the same wide range of illness as conventional medicine, and may even prove successful when all other forms of treatment have failed.
- Over-the-counter homeopathic medicines are made using natural plant, mineral and, occasionally, animal substances
- … active elements are in infinitesimally small quantities.
As I understand a bit about the subject – not as much as my friend Dana Ullman, of course, but evidently more than the Weleda team – I thought I might offer them, as a birthday present, a free correction of these 7 passages. Here we go:
- Homeopathy is claimed to work by stimulating the body’s own natural healing capacity. In fact, it does not work. Yet, believers argue that the remedy triggers the body’s own healing forces and so a remedy is prescribed on a very individual basis.
- If you do experience complex, persistent or worrying symptoms then please seek the advice of a doctor who specializes in something other than homeopathy.
- Today there are no homeopathic hospitals offering treatment under the National Health Service – the ones in London, Glasgow, Liverpool, and Bristol all closed or changed their names.
- It’s no longer incorporated into the NHS.
- Homeopathy cannot be used to treat the same wide range of illnesses as conventional medicine and is not successful when all other forms of treatment have failed.
- Over-the-counter homeopathic medicines are made using any imaginable substance and even non-material stuff like vacuum or X-rays.
- … active elements are absent.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WELEDA!
So-called alternative medicine (SCAM) for cancer is the title of my new book. I was informed that it has been published but, in reality, the hard copy might still take a few days until it is available (there were major problems at the proof-reading stage which caused a considerable delay). To give you a flavor of the book, allow me to show you my introduction; here it is:
In February 2013, my wife and I were in good spirits. I had recently retired from my post at Exeter University, and we were heading off to celebrate Danielle’s round birthday with her family in Brittany. There was just one thing that bothered us: Danielle had recurring abdominal pains. She had seen our GP in England several times about it. The last time, she had received a prescription for some antibiotics. I knew they would not help; her symptoms were not due to an infection.
After our arrival in France, things got worse, and Danielle consulted a gynaecologist at the out-patient clinic of the local hospital. More tests were ordered; an ultrasound showed an abnormality; a subsequent MRI revealed a tumour of the uterus. The gynaecologist advised to operate as soon as possible, and Danielle agreed.
The operation went well, but the gynaecologist, Dr Matthieu Jacquot, was concerned and said he had to be more radical than he had anticipated. The diagnosis was still uncertain until the results from the histology lab were in. A few days later, when we saw Dr Jacquot again, our hopes that all was fine were thoroughly dashed. He explained that Danielle had cancer of the endometrium and laid out the treatment plan which an entire team of oncologists had designed after an in-depth review of her case: a second, much more extensive operation, followed by six sessions of chemotherapy, followed by months of daily radiotherapy, followed by two sessions of brachytherapy.
Dr Jacquot could not have been more empathetic. He explained in detail what consequences all this would have. Danielle’s life would be dominated for the next year by a long series of treatments that were unpleasant to say the least. We were both shocked and close to tears.
Before arriving at a decision, we talked to friends and experts in this area. Opinions differed marginally. Two days later, we had made up her mind: we would stay in Brittany for the entire year and get Danielle treated exactly as Dr Jacquot suggested.
The second operation was much tougher than the first, but Danielle recovered well. Ten days later, she was back in our home and looked after by a nurse who came daily to change the bandages and give injections. On her third visit, the nurse broached the subject of chemotherapy which was scheduled to start soon. She explained how unpleasant it would be and what horrendous side effects Danielle was facing. Then she said: ‘You know, you don’t need to go through all this. They only pump you full with poison. There is a much better approach. Just follow the anti-cancer diet of Dr Schwartz.[1] It is natural and has no side effects. It would surely cure your cancer.’ When Danielle told me about this conversation, I informed the nurse that from now on I would myself take charge of the post-operative care of my wife and that her services were no longer required.
Today, Danielle is cancer-free. Had she listened to the nurse, she would almost certainly no longer be with us. But the lure of a ‘natural’ cancer cure with no side effects is almost irresistible. Faced with a serious diagnosis like cancer, most patients would consider any therapy that promises help without harm. Inevitably, they encounter a myriad of so-called alternative medicines (SCAMs), and many patients give SCAM a try.
In addition to Dr Schwartz’s cancer diet, there are hundreds of SCAMs that specifically target vulnerable cancer patients like Danielle. How can patients not be confused, and who might give them responsible advice? Conventional doctors rarely do. A recent summary of 29 relevant papers concluded that physicians will discuss complementary therapies only when a patient him/herself raises this issue within a consultation.[2] But cancer patients are often too embarrassed to ask about SCAM. Those who are courageous enough usually get short shrift. Many conventional doctors are not just critical about SCAM, but also know very little about the subject.[3]
Patients deserve evidence-based information, instead they often get unhelpful blanket statements from their GPs such as:
- ‘there is no evidence’;
- ‘that’s all rubbish, best to stay well clear of it’;
- ‘if you want to try it, go ahead, it cannot do much harm’.
All of these are untrue. Frustrated by such erroneous platitudes, patients might go on the Internet for help where they are bombarded with uncritical promotion. We investigated the information on SCAM for cancer provided by popular websites and found that they offer information of extremely variable quality. Many endorse unproven therapies and some are outright dangerous.[4] Sadly, the advice patients might glean from newspapers[5] or health-food stores[6] tends to be equally misleading and potentially harmful.
Subsequently, some patients might visit a library and read one of the many books on the subject. If anything, they are even worse. We have repeatedly analysed the contents of consumer guides on SCAM and always concluded that following their recommendations would shorten the life of the reader.[7] To give you a flavour, here are a few titles currently on sale:
- Cancer Medicine from Nature
- Outsmart Your Cancer: Alternative Non-Toxic Treatments That Work
- Cancer Medicine from Nature
- Perfect Guide on How to Cure Breast Cancer Through Curative Approved Alkaline Diets & Herbs
- How to Starve Cancer
- Healing the Prostate: The Best Holistic Methods to Treat the Prostate and Other Common Male-Related Conditions
- Outsmart Cancer: Defeat Cancer With Vitamin B17, Healthy Nutrition and Alternative Medicine
Cancer patients would, of course, all like to ‘outsmart cancer’; they are desperate and vulnerable. In this state of mind, they easily fall victim to anyone who sells false hope at inflated prices. The consequences can be tragic.
In 2016, the actress English Leah Bracknell, for example, raised ~£50 000 to treat her lung cancer in the German ‘Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic’. The SCAMs used there included homeopathy, micronutrients, natural supplements, whole-body hyperthermia, and ozone therapy, none of which cures cancer. If cancer patients fall for bogus treatments, they not just lose their money but also their lives. Leah Bracknell died of her cancer in 2019.[8]
Three basic facts are indisputably clear:
- a high percentage of cancer patients use SCAM,
- misinformation about SCAM is rife,
- misinformation endangers the lives of cancer patients.
It follows that there is an obvious and urgent need for an evidence-based text naming the SCAMs that are potentially harmful and discussing those that might be helpful.
My book is aimed at doing just that.
[1] Dr Laurent Schwartz cancérologue iconoclaste — Guérir du Cancer (guerir-du-cancer.fr)
[2] Stub T, Quandt SA, Arcury TA, et al. Perception of risk and communication among conventional and complementary health care providers involving cancer patients’ use of complementary therapies: a literature review. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2016;16(1):353. Published 2016 Sep 8. doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1326-3
[3] Ziodeen KA, Misra SM. Complementary and integrative medicine attitudes and perceived knowledge in a large pediatric residency program. Complement Ther Med. 2018;37:133-135. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2018.02.004
[4] Schmidt K, Ernst E. Assessing websites on complementary and alternative medicine for cancer. Ann Oncol. 2004;15(5):733-742. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdh174
[5] Milazzo S, Ernst E. Newspaper coverage of complementary and alternative therapies for cancer–UK 2002-2004. Support Care Cancer. 2006;14(9):885-889. doi:10.1007/s00520-006-0068-z
[6] Mills E, Ernst E, Singh R, Ross C, Wilson K. Health food store recommendations: implications for breast cancer patients. Breast Cancer Res. 2003;5(6):R170-R174. doi:10.1186/bcr636
[7] https://edzardernst.com/2013/09/drowning-in-a-sea-of-misinformation-part-8-books-on-alternative-medicine/
[8] https://edzardernst.com/2019/10/leah-blacknell-1964-2019-another-victim-of-cancer-quackery/
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The publication of this book is perhaps the right occasion to publicly thank two regular and one occasional contributor to this blog. I am grateful to
- Prof. Michael Baum, emeritus professor, for writing the foreword,
- Dr. Julian Money-Kyrle, retired consultant oncologist, for his constructive comments on chapter 1.4,
- Richard Rasker for his corrections and advice on the entire text.
Thank you all.
It has been reported that an Australian naturopath would refuse entry to her business to anyone who has received a COVID-19 vaccine in the past two weeks. In her original Facebook post, Ms. Holland said that vaccinated people would have to wait a minimum of two weeks after vaccination before attending her clinic due to “the shedding of spike proteins” caused by “these experimental treatments”.
Christine Pope, who is on the Australian Traditional Medicine Society (ATMS) board of directors, said she believed the views shared by the Warrnambool naturopath were part of the alternative medicine sector’s “fringe” and didn’t represent the industry. “We’re always very careful to tell our practitioners about posting appropriately and within their scope of practice,” Ms. Pope said. “These sort of comments to me look like they’re outside their scope of practice. We do a lot of training about making sure that you’re posting appropriately within your scope of practice and about things about which you are qualified in. As an association supporting natural medicine practitioners, it’s not really our job to promote or comment on the vaccination program – we’re not public health experts … and this is really outside my scope of practice. But from a public health perspective (vaccination) is the best option we’ve got.”
Sharon Holland, who runs a clinic in Warrnambool, cited on Facebook a number of discredited medical professionals who have become figureheads of the anti-vax and COVID conspiracy movements, including Judy Mikovits, Robert Malone, Peter McCullogh, and J Bart Classen. “Often de-bunked and fact-checked (by whom) can mean silenced,” Ms. Holland wrote. “We still have free speech available to some extent. This is a very emotive and divisive subject so my post was bound to ‘ruffle feathers’.”
The ATMS says its accredited practitioners need to “stay within their scope of practice” and avoid posting about vaccines they haven’t studied. Ms. Pope urged people to lodge a complaint about bogus health claims through the ATMS website or the healthcare complaint commissioner in the appropriate state.
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This course of events begs several questions. In my view, the most important are:
- Is Sharon Holland an exception, or are many/most naturopaths of her opinion?
- Instructing practitioners about “posting appropriately and within their scope of practice” sounds fine but might miss the point entirely. What really matters are the messages ATMS members orally convey to their patients. Is there any evidence on this issue?
- Surely, the anti-vax sentiments of naturopaths must originate from their education. Is there any evidence as to what they are taught about the subject?
- Is the ATMS going to take action against Ms. Holland and other members who endanger the public with their anti-vax stance?
I was alerted the these Chiropractic Paediatric Courses. After studying the material, I was truly stunned. Now that I have recovered, I feel I should share it with you:
Chiropaeds Australia is an approved and accredited provider of the Diplomate of Australian College of Chiropractic Paediatrics program.
Diplomate of Australian College of Chiropractic Paediatrics Offered for the first time in 2013, the Diplomate program is a two-year chiropractic paediatric course. This course is ideal for the family chiropractor wanting to improve his or her knowledge in chiropractic paediatrics. The emphasis is on conditions and management issues which are commonly seen by the family chiropractor.
The course is structured around 20 four-week modules over two years. Each module consists of required reading, exercises and at the end of each four-week module there is a six-hour seminar. Each six-hour seminar will reinforce the reading and develop the practical and management skills needed to feel confident in providing optimal chiropractic care for children…
Registration post 31 December – $AUD 6050 (includes GST) This covers the cost of all materials and seminars but does not include any books or texts you may decide to purchase.
To provide you with an impression of the content of the modules, I have chosen three of them. Here they are:
Module 7
Neurological assessment of the infant
1. Neurological examination of the infant (Infanib)
2. Motor issues: diagnosis and chiropractic management
a. Gross motor developmental delay
b. Hyper/ hypotonia
c. Cerebral palsy
It is only by knowing how to assess the infant’s neurological system that you can start to fully appreciate and understand the immense impact of the subluxation. The information covered in this module allows you to demonstrate to your parents the impact the subluxation has on their infant’s nervous system. As a result your subluxation diagnosis, treatment and management with infants will be enhanced. We look at muscle function issues which occur in this age group with particular emphasis on gross motor developmental delay and hyper/hypotonia.
Module 8
Neurological assessment of the pre-schooler and the school aged child
1. Gross motor function
2. Fine motor function
3. Cerebellar function
4. Assessment of higher cognitive functions
5. Visual processing
6. Auditory processing
7. Language development
Syndrome management
1. Auditory processing syndromes
2. Visual processing syndromes
Chiropractic has a major role to play in treating and managing children with learning difficulties. Crucial to optimal outcomes is an ability to fully assess and determine the particular issues and neurological problems your patient experiences. This module is very practical: you will learn how to accurately test cortical and cerebellar function in preschool and school aged children to a very advanced level. Being able to perform extensive testing of learning ability in children will assist you to accurately find and monitor their learning difficulties. The interplay of higher cortical function, cerebellar function and the subluxation is explored and the impact of your consultation assessment routine on the subluxation is addressed. Management of learning difficulties is emphasised.
Module 11
The child’s ear, nose and throat
1. Acute otitis media
2. Chronic otitis media
3. Serous otitis media
4. Nose and throat issues with children
5. Tonsillitis, epiglottitis, coup and neck abscesses
Chiropractors have a key role to play in the treatment and management of otitis media along with other conditions associated with recurrent viral infection as well as decreased or imbalanced immune system function. We cover the diagnosis of each condition along with chiropractic treatment and management, including the interaction of the subluxation and the immune system. Nutritional management is also covered. Key management issues are explored and literature based knowledge is provided to allow you to educate you patient’s parents. This fosters improved compliance with your care and permits you to expand the boundaries of your chiropractic care of children.
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I wonder whether some chiropractor feels like defending this outright charlatanry.
I know of no evidence to assume that chiropractors can provide effective care for children. I see, however, many reasons to fear that they may cause considerable harm. I also see no reason to take a profession seriously that tolerates or even supports such extreme quackery.
I have expressed these concerns often enough, e.g.:
- The effectiveness of chiropractic spinal manipulations/mobilisation for children is unproven. TIME TO STOP TREATING KIDS!
- Chiropractic for kids: a ‘complete disregard for the evidence and scientific facts’
- Chiropractic for kids: a pack of offensive lies
- Chiropractic spinal care for children is dangerous, unwarranted and must cease immediately
- Don’t let a chiropractor near your kids!
- Chiro for kids? No!
In my view, it is high time to stop this dangerous nonsense.
Former chiropractor Malcolm Hooper, 61, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy provider Oxymed Pty Ltd have been fined following the death of a customer in 2016. They were each convicted of three work safety-related charges, all of failing to ensure a workplace is safe and without risks to health. Hooper was fined $176,750, while the company was fined $550,000. Oxymed was trading as HyperMed at its South Yarra premises in April 2016 when a long-term client with multiple sclerosis and a history of life-threatening seizures came in for treatment. He was later found unconscious in a single-person hyperbaric chamber, taken to hospital, and placed on life support, but died five days later.
The County Court heard that both the company and Hooper had an inadequate system in place for assessing the risks oxygen therapy could pose to clients, and an inadequate system too for developing plans to eliminate or reduce those risks. In her judgment, County Court judge Amanda Fox said HyperMed wasn’t a hospital nor a medical practice and had been described as an “alternative health facility”. Hooper had already been deregistered in 2013 by the national board for chiropractors for misleading and deceptive advertising about the benefits of hyperbaric treatment.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves administering pure oxygen in a pressurised environment, with the heightened air pressure allowing a patients’ lungs to gather much more oxygen than would be possible under normal conditions. The therapy is not based on strong data. A systematic review failed to find good evidence for hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a treatment of multiple sclerosis:
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory, and degenerative neurological illness with no cure. It has been suggested that Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO(2)T) may slow or reverse the progress of the disease. This article summarizes the clinical evidence for the use of HBO(2)T in the treatment of MS. We conducted a literature review focused on the interaction of hyperbaric oxygenation and MS. In particular, we appraised the clinical data regarding treatment and performed a meta-analysis of the randomized evidence using the methodology of the Cochrane Collaboration. We found 12 randomized studies in the area, all of which were performed between 1983 and 1987. A meta-analysis of this evidence suggests there is no clinically significant benefit from the administration of HBO(2)T. The great majority of randomized trials investigated a course of 20 treatments at pressures between 1.75ATA and 2.5ATA daily for 60-120 min over 4 weeks against a placebo regimen. None have tested the efficacy of HBO(2)T against alternative current best practice. No plausible benefit of HBO(2)T on the clinical course of MS was identified in this review. It remains possible that HBO(2)T is effective in a subgroup of individuals not clearly identified in the trials to date, but any benefit is unlikely to be of great clinical significance. There is some case for further human trials in selected subgroups and for prolonged courses of HBO(2)T at modest pressures, but the case is not strong. At this time, the routine treatment of MS with HBO(2)T is not recommended.
The case reminds me of that of John Lawler. Mr. Lawlwer’s chiropractor also used a therapy that was not indicated, broke his neck (to put it crudely), and subsequently proved herself more than inept in saving his life. It suggests to me that some chiros may not be trained adequately to deal with emergencies. If that is true, they should perhaps focus less on practice-building courses and more on first aid instructions.
This retrospective electronic medical record data analysis compared the characteristics and outcomes of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) caused by paracetamol and non-paracetamol medications, particularly herbal and dietary supplements. Adults admitted with DILI to the Gastroenterology and Liver Centre at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney (a quaternary referral liver transplantation centre), 2009-2020 were included. The 90-day transplant-free survival and the drugs implicated as causal agents in DILI were extracted from the records.
A total of 115 patients with paracetamol-related DILI and 69 with non-paracetamol DILI were admitted to our centre. The most frequently implicated non-paracetamol medications were:
- antibiotics (19, 28%),
- herbal and dietary supplements (15, 22%),
- anti-tuberculosis medications (6, 9%),
- anti-cancer medications (5, 7%).
The number of non-paracetamol DILI admissions was similar across the study period, but the proportion linked with herbal and dietary supplements increased from 2 of 11 (15%) during 2009-11 to 10 of 19 (47%) during 2018-20 (linear trend: P = 0.011). Despite higher median baseline model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores, 90-day transplant-free survival for patients with paracetamol-related DILI was higher than for patients with non-paracetamol DILI (86%; 95% CI, 79-93% v 71%; 95% CI, 60-82%) and herbal and dietary supplement-related cases (59%; 95% CI, 34-85%). MELD score was an independent predictor of poorer 90-day transplant-free survival in both paracetamol-related (per point increase: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.19; 95% CI, 1.09-3.74) and non-paracetamol DILI (aHR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.14-1.36).
The authors concluded that, in our single centre study, the proportion of cases of people hospitalised with DILI linked with herbal and dietary supplements has increased since 2009. Ninety-day transplant-free survival for patients with non-paracetamol DILI, especially those with supplement-related DILI, is poorer than for those with paracetamol-related DILI.
A co-author of the paper, specialist transplant hepatologist Dr Ken Liu, was quoted in the Guardian saying he felt compelled to conduct the study because he was noticing more patients with liver injuries from drugs not typically associated with liver harm. “I was starting to see injury in patients admitted with liver injury after using bodybuilding supplements for males or weight loss supplements in females,” he said. “I just decided I better do a study on it to see if my hunch that more of these substances were causing these injuries was true.”
Liu and his colleagues said there needed to be more rigorous regulatory oversight for supplements and other alternative and natural therapies. They also noticed almost half the patients with supplement-induced severe liver injury had non-European ethnic backgrounds. Liu said more culturally appropriate community education about the risks of supplements was needed.
Dr Ken Harvey, public health physician and president of Friends of Science in Medicine, said it was important to note that Liu’s study only examined the most severe cases of supplement-induced liver harm and that the actual rate of harm was likely much higher. “The study only examines severe cases admitted to a specialised liver unit; they cannot be extrapolated to the overall incidence of complementary medicine associated liver injury in Australia,” Harvey said.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Choice, Friends of Science in Medicine and others have called for an educational statement on the pack and promotional material of medicines making traditional claims, for example saying “This product is based on traditional beliefs and not modern scientific evidence”.
“This was opposed by industry and the TGA,” Harvey said. “But is still needed.”
Harry G Frankfurt published his delightful booklet ‘ON BULLSHIT‘ in 2005 (in case you don’t know it, I highly recommend you read it). Since then, the term ‘bullshit’ has become accepted terminology even in polite discourse. But what exactly is bullshit? Frankfurt explains that is something between a lie and a bluff, perhaps more like the latter than the former.
Not least due to Frankfurt’s book, there is today plenty of research on the subject of bullshit. As much of it relates to so-called alternative medicine (SCAM), allow me to present here just 5 of the most recent papers on bullshit.
Navigating social systems efficiently is critical to our species. Humans appear endowed with a cognitive system that has formed to meet the unique challenges that emerge for highly social species. Bullshitting, communication characterised by an intent to be convincing or impressive without concern for truth, is ubiquitous within human societies. Across two studies (N = 1,017), we assess participants’ ability to produce satisfying and seemingly accurate bullshit as an honest signal of their intelligence. We find that bullshit ability is associated with an individual’s intelligence and individuals capable of producing more satisfying bullshit are judged by second-hand observers to be more intelligent. We interpret these results as adding evidence for intelligence being geared towards the navigation of social systems. The ability to produce satisfying bullshit may serve to assist individuals in negotiating their social world, both as an energetically efficient strategy for impressing others and as an honest signal of intelligence.
Research into both receptivity to falling for bullshit and the propensity to produce it have recently emerged as active, independent areas of inquiry into the spread of misleading information. However, it remains unclear whether those who frequently produce bullshit are inoculated from its influence. For example, both bullshit receptivity and bullshitting frequency are negatively related to cognitive ability and aspects of analytic thinking style, suggesting that those who frequently engage in bullshitting may be more likely to fall for bullshit. However, separate research suggests that individuals who frequently engage in deception are better at detecting it, thus leading to the possibility that frequent bullshitters may be less likely to fall for bullshit. Here, we present three studies (N = 826) attempting to distinguish between these competing hypotheses, finding that frequency of persuasive bullshitting (i.e., bullshitting intended to impress or persuade others) positively predicts susceptibility to various types of misleading information and that this association is robust to individual differences in cognitive ability and analytic cognitive style.
Recent psychological research has identified important individual differences associated with receptivity to bullshit, which has greatly enhanced our understanding of the processes behind susceptibility to pseudo-profound or otherwise misleading information. However, the bulk of this research attention has focused on cognitive and dispositional factors related to bullshit (the product), while largely overlooking the influences behind bullshitting (the act). Here, we present results from four studies focusing on the construction and validation of a new, reliable scale measuring the frequency with which individuals engage in two types of bullshitting (persuasive and evasive) in everyday situations. Overall, bullshitting frequency was negatively associated with sincerity, honesty, cognitive ability, open-minded cognition, and self-regard. Additionally, the Bullshitting Frequency Scale was found to reliably measure constructs that are (1) distinct from lying and (2) significantly related to performance on overclaiming and social decision tasks. These results represent an important step forward by demonstrating the utility of the Bullshitting Frequency Scale as well as highlighting certain individual differences that may play important roles in the extent to which individuals engage in everyday bullshitting.
Although generally viewed as a common and undesirable social behaviour, very little is known about the nature of bullshitting (i.e., communicating with little to no regard for evidence or truth; Raritan Q Rev 6, 1986, 81); its consequences; and its potential communicative utility. Specifically, it is hypothesized that bullshitting may be may be relatively influential under specified conditions. Experiment 1 participants were exposed to a traditional persuasion paradigm, receiving either strong or weak arguments in either an evidence-based or bullshit frame. Experiment 2 also incorporated a manipulation of a peripheral route cue (i.e., source attractiveness). Findings demonstrate that bullshitting can be an effective means of influence when arguments are weak, yet undermine persuasive attempts when arguments are strong. Results also suggest that bullshit frames may cue peripheral route processing of persuasive information relative to evidence-based frames that appear to cue central route processing. Results are discussed in light of social perception and attitude change.
Objective: Fake news represents a particularly egregious and direct avenue by which inaccurate beliefs have been propagated via social media. We investigate the psychological profile of individuals who fall prey to fake news.
Method: We recruited 1,606 participants from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk for three online surveys.
Results: The tendency to ascribe profundity to randomly generated sentences-pseudo-profound bullshit receptivity-correlates positively with perceptions of fake news accuracy, and negatively with the ability to differentiate between fake and real news (media truth discernment). Relatedly, individuals who overclaim their level of knowledge also judge fake news to be more accurate. We also extend previous research indicating that analytic thinking correlates negatively with perceived accuracy by showing that this relationship is not moderated by the presence/absence of the headline’s source (which has no effect on accuracy), or by familiarity with the headlines (which correlates positively with perceived accuracy of fake and real news).
Conclusion: Our results suggest that belief in fake news may be driven, to some extent, by a general tendency to be overly accepting of weak claims. This tendency, which we refer to as reflexive open-mindedness, may be partly responsible for the prevalence of epistemically suspect beliefs writ large.
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Yes, bullshit seems to be an active area of research. And rightly so! There is so much of it about. Those who regularly read the comments sections of this blog will probably agree with some of the writing above. The statement that ‘bullshitting can be an effective means of influence when arguments are weak’ rang particularly true, I thought. ‘Communication characterised by an intent to be convincing or impressive without concern for truth’ might perhaps also remind us of a few notorious commentators on this blog.
In any case, I am relieved to know that research into bullshit is buoyant – there clearly is a need to better understand the phenomenon. I for one intend to use this terminology more frequently in the future.
