proctophasia
RAND claims to be “a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest.” Recently, RAND has published an extensive report entitled ‘THE STATE OF HOMEOPATHIC RESEARCH“. Here I show you a few interesting passages from this document [the number in square brackets refer to short comments of mine that I appended at the end]:
In this report on the state of homeopathic research, we encapsulate the outcomes of our comprehensive review and the deliberations of our expert panel. These findings and recommendations can guide the homeopathic research community, governmental agencies, and philanthropic organizations in how to best allocate research effort and fund quality and pertinent clinical research endeavors in the field of homeopathy [1].
This research was funded by the Samueli Foundation [2] and carried out by the RAND Research Across Complementary and Integrative Health Institutions (REACH) Center within the Quality Measurement and Improvement Program in RAND Health Care. The RAND REACH Center is a collaboration of researchers across institutions that educate complementary and integrative health practitioners in the United States (www.rand.org/reachcenter); several of these researchers and their students participated in this project…
We examined the state of homeopathic research by critically [3] assessing the overall quality of homeopathic clinical research literature and convening an expert panel to identify gaps in research quality [4] and in areas studied. Our assessment of research quality used a sample of studies from the most comprehensive database of published research on homeopathic research…
There were many areas in which the quality of the studies could be improved. About two-thirds of the 85 controlled trials had either high (42 percent) or unclear (24 percent) risk of bias according to internationally recognized standards for internal validity. Trials with a placebo arm were less likely than those with other comparators to have high risk of bias (29 percent versus 73 percent), primarily because of the ease of blinding patients and outcome assessors. Of the 14 observational (cohort) studies included in our sample, more than one-third did not control for important confounders in the outcome analyses. Regarding external validity, adherence was reported in less than one-third of the studies. Homeopathic consultations took place in 44 studies (the others were studies of routine homeopathy in which all patients received the same remedy [5]); almost half did not describe the experience and training of the practitioners. Forty percent of all studies did not report on safety; 79 percent of observational studies did not. Regarding model validity, which is essential for replicability and interpretability, fewer than two-thirds of the reviewed studies were consistent with homeopathic principles…
Recommendations
Drawing from the outcomes of our homeopathic clinical research literature review and the deliberations of our expert panel, we and the panelists developed the following six recommendations:
1. Funders, researchers, and journal editors and reviewers should require authors to follow the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) and guidelines specific to reporting homeopathic studies, such as the Reporting Data on Homeopathic Treatments (RedHot) criteria for trials, and develop guidelines, as needed. In addition, training institutions should include training on the early use and reference to these guidelines in homeopathic research curricula.
2. All homeopathic studies should proactively monitor and report on adverse events as recommended in CONSORT and several other guidelines for the study of homeopathy [6].
3. Organizations with credibility and acceptability within the homeopathic research community [7] should identify methodological exemplar studies and make them known to researchers, so that these studies can be used to guide future research.
4. Training and support for homeopathic researchers should be increased, and where possible, research teams examining homeopathy should include experienced medical researchers who have an excellent track record for high-quality research. [7]
5. Funders and researchers should consider studies determining the validity of the Critical Appraisal Tool for Homeopathic Intervention Studies (CATHIS) tool as a quality measure for studies of homeopathy.
6. An organization with credibility and acceptability within the homeopathic research community [7] should assemble representative panels of stakeholders to obtain agreement about a small number of areas of focus for future research, with each area reflecting a specific population, treatment or prevention of a condition, and type of homeopathy in a particular country. These stakeholder panels could also address such research quality issues as determining the level of quality sufficient for making clinical decisions and setting policy guidelines, weighting the relative importance of different aspects of external and model validity, and establishing how to describe homeopathic practice [8]…
Conclusion
The goal of this project was to develop recommendations for the future of homeopathic research to ensure higher-quality evidence on the most relevant uses of homeopathy [9]. We accomplished this goal through a review of recent homeopathic clinical research literature, input from an expert panel, and a synthesis of results from both. We found that the state of homeopathic research could be greatly improved in terms of internal, external, and model validity. Strict adherence to reporting guidelines, with attention to quality criteria during study design, would likely result in most of the needed improvement. However, there is also a need for the homeopathic community to decide where to focus future research in terms of conditions, populations, and types of homeopathy studied. These focus areas could take many forms and should align with the community’s research goals. An appropriate focus (or set of focuses) should also balance answering questions to improve homeopathic treatment with the requirements for coverage by payers and desired inclusion in the broader health care system. [10]
We are grateful for the important feedback from members of our expert panel:
- Iris Bell, M.D., Ph.D., University of Arizona College of Medicine (Retired) and Sonoran University of Health
Sciences; - Dan Cherkin, Ph.D., Osher Center for Integrative Health, Department of Family Medicine, University of Washington;
- Roger Chou, M.D., Department of Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology and Department of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University;
- Katharina Gaertner, MBBS, Research Faculty of Health, University Witten/Herdecke;
- Klaus Linde, M.D., Ph.D., Scientific Coordinator, Technische Universität München, Institute of General Practice and Health Services Research;
- Alexander Tournier, Ph.D., Homeopathy Research Institute and Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University of Bern;
- Esther van der Werf, M.Sc., Ph.D., Clinical Research Lead, Homeopathy Research Institute, and Honorary Senior Lecturer, Primary
Care Infection, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol; - Harald Walach, Ph.D., CHS Institute. [11]
The project’s steering committee: Wayne B. Jonas, M.D., President, Healing Works Foundation [11]; and Jennifer Jacobs, M.D., M.P.H., Clinical Assistant Professor, Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Public Health [11].
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- The fundamentally important question whether more research of homeopathy is required was studiously ignored.
- Not exactly an organisation that is known to be impartial.
- After reading the entire document, I found very little critical input.
- I am not sure what “gaps in research quality” are; do they mean deficits?
- I think that’s normally called ‘clinical homeopathy’.
- Failure to do so is not merely a little lapse but a violation of research ethics!
- They do not exist.
- This is not realistic.
- There is a wide consensus that “relevant uses of homeopathy” do not exist.
- The crucial question was avoided, whether it is ethical to waste money and effort on researching something that, by a general consensus, is nonsense.
- Member of our ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE HALL OF FAME!
My final comment: imagine the ‘Flat Earth Society’ convenes an expert panel to decide about the shape of our planet …
Having recently come across the strange and scary story of the Nazi’s experiments on Caladium Seguinum, I did some research to find out about the current medicinal uses of this plant. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is today mostly advocated as a homeopathic remedy. In particular, it is highly recommended for erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation. Here are some extracts from a particularly ‘impressive’ article on this topic:
… [Caladium Seguinum] … is particularly suited for treating premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction, since these two problems cause widespread testicular swelling. The genital swelling is often associated with pruritus and internal inflammation that can be effectively treated with caladium.
The use of Caladium Seguinum is more common among men who are diagnosed with typical symptoms, along with an established case of either premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction. Prescription of caladium is more common among men who suffer from genitals lacking vitality, wherein the penis doesn’t enter a state of arousal in a normal manner.
It has been noted that emotional and stress-linked problems are often the cause of underlying, undiagnosable causes of sexual problems among men. Similarly, ED and premature ejaculation are more commonly associated with men who are mentally exhausted or suffering from a mental trauma. In such cases, the use of caladium is applicable.
In cases wherein male impotency is linked to lifestyle habits like smoking, caladium is often prescribed. Further, premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction in men who also complain of motion sickness are more likely to be treated with caladium. Caladium is very helpful if the premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction has resulted in visible inflammation of the penile region, particularly redness of the glans.
Men who are suffering from ED along with symptoms like cold sweats and thickening of the scrotum skin are ideal candidates for caladium treatment. Men presenting disturbed respiratory functions, often described as an asthma-like condition, along with having erectile dysfunction are better candidates for caladium treatment.
Some of the other symptoms that contribute towards premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction and are usually treated with caladium or caladium-enriched homeopathic mixtures include:
- Propensity towards unintentional penile erection
- Painful erection
- Testicular discomfort associated with gonorrhea
- Itching or surface eruptions on scrotal sac
- Disturbed sleep patterns
- Nighttime discharge from penis
Advantages of Caladium Seguinum
The biggest advantage of using homeopathic remedies for male infertility problems like erectile dysfunction is their overall safety. None of the homeopathic medications, including caladium, are known to induce any serious side-effects. However, the use of Caladium without medical supervision of a homeopathic specialist is highly inadvisable. Caladium Seguinum is retailed in various potencies and gauging the required potency is rather difficult.
For instance, Caladium Seguinum is commonly retailed with potency grading between 6X and 30X. Here, determining the appropriate potency largely depends upon understanding the associated symptoms and past medical history. In some cases, Caladium of lower potency is better suited since it is prescribed in combination with other homeopathic medications for better results.
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I think I know the question you were about to ask:
IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE FOR THESE CLAIMS?
The short answer is NO!
- The article itself does not provide any.
- My Medline search did not identify any.
- Further searches were equally unsuccessful.
In fact, there is no homeopathic remedy that has been shown to be effective for the named conditions.
What is more, there is no homeopathic remedy that has been shown to be effective for ANY condition.
This begs the question as to what we should call the many claims to the contrary:
- Wishful thinking?
- Naive mistakes?
- Commercials?
- Fraud?
You decide.
After all these years, some homeopaths still manage to make me (almost) speechless. Here is the abstract of an article (Ravi Raghul.G, Shivaprasad J. Overuse Injuries in Children: A Homoeopathic Approach. Indian J Integr Med. 2024; Online First.) that achieved this rare feast of incompetence:
The increasing participation of children in organized competitive sports has led to a rise in overuse injuries, posing risks of limb deformity and impairment. This article explores the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic applications of HOMOEOPATHY in addressing overuse injuries in children. Overuse injuries result from repetitive strain on musculoskeletal structures, particularly prevalent during periods of physical growth and immaturity. Common injuries include stress fractures, traction apophysitis, and chronic physeal damage. In the Indian context, lack of awareness and inappropriate self-treatment exacerbate these injuries. Recognition of warning signs, such as persistent soreness, is crucial for early intervention. Rehabilitative approaches involve rest, gradual strengthening, and attention to flexibility. HOMOEOPATHY offers personalized remedies targeting specific musculoskeletal entities, aiding in recovery and preventing recurrence. Remedies such as Rhus Toxicodendron, Ruta, and Bryonia address tendon and joint issues, while Arnica montana and Symphytum officinale target trauma-related injuries. Individualized homeopathic treatment, alongside appropriate rehabilitation regimens, facilitates faster recovery from overuse injuries in children.
As this does not provide any concrete insights into how to treat overuse injuries of kids, let me also show you the ‘results’ section of this paper:
Arnica Montana
Indications: Arnica is one of the most used homeopathic remedies for injuries. It is particularly effective for muscle soreness, bruising, and inflammation resulting from overexertion and trauma. Athletes often use Arnica to reduce pain and swelling associated with overuse injuries [6].
Rhus Toxicodendron
Indications: This remedy is beneficial for conditions characterized by stiffness and pain that improve with movement and worsen with rest. Rhus tox is particularly suitable for tendinitis and bursitis where the affected area feels better after initial movement but stiffens up after periods of inactivity [7].
Ruta graveolens
Indications: Ruta is indicated for injuries involving tendons and ligaments. It is particularly useful for conditions like tendinitis and sprains where there is a sensation of bruising and lameness. This remedy is also effective in promoting the healing of bones and connective tissues [8].
Bryonia alba
Indications: Bryonia is suitable for conditions where pain is aggravated by movement and relieved by rest. It is particularly helpful for joint and muscle pain that worsens with the slightest movement [9].
Symphytum officinale
Indications: Known as “knitbone” Symphytum is particularly effective for promoting the healing of fractures and bone injuries. It is also used for periosteal injuries where the covering of the bone is affected [10].
As in this section the authors (from Dept. of Homoeopathic Paediatrics, and Father Muller Homoeopathic Medical College, Mangaluru, India) do also not provide any real evidence, let’s have a look at their references 6 – 10:
6. Tveiten D, Bruset S. Effect of Arnica montana in marathon runners. Homeopathy. 2003; 92(4):187-189.
7. Ernst E. A systematic review of systematic reviews of homeopathy. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2002; 54(6):577-582.
8. Oberbaum M, Schreiber R, Rosenthal C, et al. Homeopathic treatment in emergency medicine. A case series. Homeopathy.
2003; 92(1):44-47.
9. Bell IR, Schwartz GE, Boyer NN, et al. Advances in integrative nanomedicine for improving infectious disease treatment in
public health. Eur J Integr Med. 2013; 5(1):39-56.
10. Vickers AJ, Fisher P, Smith C, et al. Homeopathic Arnica 30X is ineffective in preventing pain after tooth extraction. Br J Clin
Pharmacol. 1998; 45(4):532-535.
I happen to know all of these papers well (particularly the one I authored myself!). And I can assure you that none of them backs up the notion that the listed homeopathic remedies are effective for overuse injuries of children.
So, what is this paper?
- Scientific misconduct?
- Fraud?
- Sloppy research?
- Pseudo-sciene?
- Wishful thinking?
- Stupidity?
- Or just normal behaviour of pseudo-researchers in homeopathy?
I let you decide.
The Canadian Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) has announced that it will launch Canada’s first bachelor’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Greenlit by the B.C. government to fill what it calls rising demand in the labour market, the new program marks a major step in Canadian recognition of TCM. However, skeptics of TCM and other so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) remain wary of movement in this direction.
TCM is regulated in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, with more than 7,000 licensed practitioners working in these provinces.
John Yang has worked for nearly a decade toward KPU’s bachelor’s degree, which will welcome its inaugural cohort starting September 2025. As chair of KPU’s TCM program, he hopes the new offering will boost its acceptance and encourage more integration with the Canadian health-care system. “The degree program can let the public [feel] more confident that we can train highly qualified TCM practitioners. Then there will be more mainstream public acceptance,” he said. “Currently we are not there yet, but I hope in the future there’s an integrated model.”
The degree will add topic areas like herbology and more advanced TCM approaches to the current diploma’s acupuncture-focused study, as well as courses in health sciences, arts and humanities, ethics and working with conventional health practitioners, says Sharmen Lee, dean of the B.C. school’s faculty of health. “You’re getting a much broader, deeper education that allows you to develop additional competencies, such as being able to critically think, to evaluate and participate in research, and all of those other things that a university-based education can provide.” Lee believes future graduates will be able to work alongside with biomedical professionals, with some becoming researchers as well — able to pursue post-grad studies abroad. “They start to understand the fundamentals of conducting research, of reviewing published studies and then … to critically analyze what that means so that they can apply that to their practice,” Lee said. “It’s going to help to elevate the practice of traditional Chinese medicine … in our province.”
With the World Health Organization (WHO) encouraging governments toward integrating traditional and complementary medicine into their health-care systems, there’s a need for researchers to develop strong evidence to guide policy-makers, says Nadine Ijaz, an assistant professor at Carleton University in Ottawa and president of the International Society for Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Research. “Most Canadians at some point in their lifetime are using some form of what we call traditional and complementary medicine: that might be acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, vitamins, yoga … people who are participating in Indigenous healing ceremonies within their own communities,” she said. “How are governments to make good determinations about what to include? What is rigorous? What is safe? What is effective and what is cost effective, in addition to what is culturally appropriate?”
More research and scientific inquiry is a good thing, but it depends on the type of research, says Jonathan Jarry, a science communicator for the McGill Office of Science and Society and co-host of the health and medicine podcast Body of Evidence. Jarry said many studies on SCAM are low quality: too few participants, too short in duration, lacking follow-up or a proper control group. It’s an issue that plagues research on conventional therapies too, he acknowledged. “I’m all for doing research on things that are plausible enough that they could realistically have a benefit, but then you have to also do very good, rigorous studies. Otherwise you’re just creating noise in the research literature.”
Ijaz and a group of colleagues around the globe are working toward determining strong research parameters without forcing alternative approaches “into a box where they don’t fit.” For instance, a randomized controlled trial is the gold standard of research in biomedicine and excellent for studying pharmaceutical drugs and their effects, because participants in the control group get a placebo, perhaps a sugar pill, that means they can’t tell if they’re being treated with medication or not. But it doesn’t work for studying acupuncture treatment, chiropractic or even psychotherapy, Ijaz pointed out. “If you’re getting an acupuncture treatment, you usually know that you’re getting a treatment…. It’s a little bit challenging to develop a placebo control for for those approaches,” said Ijaz. “When we apply that particular gold standard to researching all therapeutic approaches … it sort of privileges the issue in favour of pharmaceutical drugs immediately.”
“A randomized controlled trial is the gold standard of research in biomedicine and excellent for studying pharmaceutical drugs … but it doesn’t work for studying acupuncture treatment, chiropractic or even psychotherapy.” When I hear nonsensical drivel like this, I know what to think of a university course led or influenced by people who believe this stuff. They should themselves go on a course of research methodology for beginners rather that try brainwashing naive students into believing falsehoods.
Some people seem to be impressed by the amount of publications that is currently being published on so-called alternative medicine (SCAM). Last year, for example, Mediline listed around 1 500 articles on the subject.
Is that really impressive?
No!
- Firstly, compared to other subjects, the number is small. If you look in Medline for ‘pharmacological treatments’, for instance, the number is 10 times larger.
- Scecondly, and more importantly, most of the SCAM articles are complete rubbish.
Let me give you just one example of a paper I came across the other day. It is typical in that there are hundreds of very similar articles every week. Its title is “Assessing Perceived Healthcare Access and Attitudes Towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine Amongst Parents in Cebu City”
(Cebu City is in the Philippines.)
Let’s for a moment assume that the information in the paper is of interest to a wider audience. In this case, such information should also be interestiong form the hundreds of other cities in the region. And if that is so, why focus on the Philippines? There are hundreds of thousands of cities around the world that would matter at least as much as Cebu City.
And why survey just parents? Why not childless adults, or children, or older people?
And why just healthy individuals? Surely, this information would be even more relevant, if it related to ill people!
As there are thousands of different illnesses, we would need thousands of different papers reporting the relevant information.
I am sure you see where I am going. If the hundreds of papers like Assessing Perceived Healthcare Access and Attitudes Towards Complementary and Alternative Medicine Amongst Parents in Cebu City are interesting to sufficient amounts of people to merit publication, we need millions of similar papers to cover the subject properly. What is more, as the situation about perceived healthcare access changes rapidly depending on a whole host of factors, we really would require yearly updates. That would mean millions of papers each year for the sole reason of monitoring the perceived healthcare access of various group of people in various locations. This means we need millions of researchers spending millions of hours and millions of dollars conducting millions of surveys.
Alternatively, we could take a step back and ask whether my above-made assumption (that the named paper is interesting) was correct. It does not require much contemplation to conclude it was, in fact, incorrect: the paper is neither interesting nor relevant to anybody.
And, once you look at the myriad of useless papers that are being published in SCAM, you arrive at the conclusion that the effort and funds needed for conducting these nonsensical pseudoscientific studies must urgently be re-directed towards answering some of the many more meaningful research questions. To me, this is nothing less than an ethical imperative.
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END OF RANT
I sometimes like to browse through old articles of mine and amaze myself. It is now 15 years ago that I published this paper:
Since 1994 chiropractic has been regulated by statute in the UK. Despite this air of respectability, a range of important problems continue to bedevil this profession. Professional organizations of chiropractic and their members make numerous claims which are not supported by sound evidence. Many chiropractors adhere to concepts which fly in the face of science and most seem to regularly violate important principles of ethical behaviour. The advice chiropractors give to their clients is often dangerously misleading. If chiropractic in the UK is to grow into an established health care profession, the General Chiropractic Council and its members should comply with the accepted standards of today’s health care.
This begs the question: HAVE THINGS IMPROVED AT ALL?
- Have professional organizations of chiropractic stopped making claims which are not supported by sound evidence?
- Have their members stopped making claims which are not supported by sound evidence?
- Do chiropractors no longer adhere to concepts which fly in the face of science?
- Have they ceased violating important principles of ethical behaviour?
- Is the advice chiropractors give to their clients no longer dangerously misleading?
Here are my answers to these questions:
- No.
- No.
- No.
- No.
- No.
Yes, there are moments when I surprise myself. And there are also those when I ask whether any of my work has ever had any effect. And then, after some reflection, I discover that my job is not nearly as bad as some others.
‘Conversion therapy’ has previously been a subject on this blog, e.g.:
- Surprise, surprise! Lesbianism is not ‘cured’ by homeopathy (warning: includes very rude language)
- The ‘Association of Catholic Doctors’ and homeopathic conversion therapy
But sadly it is not just a field for homeopaths. It has long been known that religious cults dabble it conversion therapy. Now, it has been reported that a church body enabling “gay exorcism” as conversion therapy and believing in witchcraft is conducting a major expansion in Scotland. The attitudes of the “Forward In Faith Church International Incorporated” (FIFCII) have been described as promoting “vicious homophobia and misogyny”. The FIFCII has even been accepted by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), despite these extreme beliefs. The church states that women should provide sex for their husbands whenever they desire it. Its ministers regularly oversee miracles, which allow crippled people to suddenly walk and all manner of ailments to be suddenly cured at mass evangelical gatherings.
Two overseers for Scotland have been appointed – seeking to set up in Glasgow, Fife, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Premises have already been bought in Edinburgh for a Scottish HQ. The National Secular Society (NSS) has raised concerns about FIFCII. NSS human right lead Alejandro Sanchez said: “This organisation promotes vicious homophobia and misogyny, and may well be endangering lives with reckless allegations of witchcraft. Any suggestion it is acting in the public benefit and worthy of charitable status is absurd. We know from experience OSCR has been either unable or unwilling to take action against religious charities that foster intolerance and extreme views. It is now time legislators urgently review ‘the advancement of religion’ as a charitable purpose. It must not be used as a back door for religious groups to promote conversion therapy and the subjugation of women.”
The website of FIFCII describes the exorcism of a man possessed by a “homosexual spirit”. One “Apostle’s Update” blog post on the charity’s website in 2017 describes how the spirit “bound him for many years” but that he was freed during a “miracle night” in St Kitts and Nevis. The blog states: “The atmosphere on Sunday was electric as there was too much joy in the church.” Another blog entry describes the ‘deliverance’ of a 14 year old girl in Zimbabwe who was taken nightly to “eat human flesh and drink human blood” as part of a ‘witchcraft’ ritual.
The founder of the Forward in Faith Church reportedly amassed a personal fortune of $130 million by the time of his death last year, aged 100. “Apostle” Guti was regarded as spiritual leader by many but was criticised by some for his support for Robert Mugabe. Guti formed the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (Zaoga) in 1960. That led to the creation of a media empire, a university, a hospital and numerous schools, as well as more than 100 publications. His church has the third largest membership in Zimbabwe after the Roman Catholic Church and the Johanne Marange Apostolic Church. It claims to have spread its ministeries to 168 countries, with over three million members.
At an event at last year’s Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University – formed by the church’s leader in the city of Bindura, a team of evangelists were reported to have been set free from possession. The report states: “We thank our father Apostle Dr Joseph Joe Guti for sending us a powerful team of evangelists during the week of Spiritual Revival Festival. Many people were set free from spiritual husbands/wives, some were delivered from abnormal period pains and blood flow, others delivered from witchcraft, satanism and marine spirits as well as healings from sight problems.” A blog from 2015 praises the deliverance of 17 people in Zimbabwe from “spiritual husbands, bitterness, homosexuality, witchcraft, satanism – to mention a few”.
In its UK annual report for 2023, FIFCII, reveals its blueprint for Scotland. It declares that the it is growing fast due to “tithing” – where the congregation hand over 10% of their income to the church. It states: “Scotland has seen a big increase in numbers due to the influx from Zimbabwe through the work visa program. This has benefited us in many ways, not least with tithing but also as many of them were already leaders in Zimbabwe. They are eager to do the work of God in their new places of worship. An area calling for attention for church growth is the possibility of new assemblies. We are looking to establish one in Dundee in 2024 and possibly Fife as well, areas which are both to the east between Edinburgh and Aberdeen assemblies. Scotland Province might be small in size but mighty in heart and serving a big God. We are confident that 2024 will be a year with bigger, greater, mightier blessings than we have already seen or even believed possible.”
At the end of 2022, FIFCII bought its own ”provincial centre”, for Scotland in Edinburgh, which is still being renovated, with use of donations. The organisation admits that its extreme beliefs can be a blocker – due to equality laws. The report states: “Finding affordable places of worship can be challenging in some places from practices that are against our guidance, rules and policy, like being asked to sign an agreement to support same sex marriages.”
In the UK, charities are legally required to act in the public benefit but OSCR has tended to turn a blind eye to the most controversial Old Testament beliefs if they are held in the name of religion. The Scottish Government is seeking to legally ban “conversion therapy” that aims to change any individual’s sexuality. A public consultation was launched in January this year and legislation could follow. Equalities Minister Emma Roddick announced the consultation in a statement that claims conversion practice are “damaging and destructive acts” that violate the human rights of those who undergo them. She adds: “Sadly, these practices happen today, and they have absolutely no place in Scotland. We are committed to bringing an end to conversion practices, and to protect LGBTQI+ people from the trauma and harm they can cause.”
According to its website, the ministry has “spread to most of the major cities of the United Kingdom including, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast, Glasgow and Cardiff.
The German Magazine FürSie recently published an article on homeopathy. To be exact it is an article on how to lose weight with homeopathy. Here are a few excerpts:
Globules are used in homeopathy and are said to be able to alleviate complaints. Some globules are also said to have a positive effect on weight loss. We present them to you below.
Which globules help with weight loss?
Calcium carbonicum D12 helps against eating out of grief and frustration and brings body and soul back into balance. Dosage and intake: 5 globules 3 times a day.
Fucus vesiculosus D2 stimulates the metabolism and reduces appetite. Dosage and administration: 5 globules 3 times a day. Important: The remedy should not be used for thyroid disorders.
Coffea D6 promotes fat burning and helps you lose weight. Dosage and intake: Melt 3 globules on the tongue in the morning before breakfast.
Is your weight loss stagnating? Then Capsicum D4 can help. Metabolism and fat burning are boosted. It also produces happiness hormones. Dosage and intake: 5 globules 3 times a day.
Lycopodium D12 helps against an unpleasant bloated stomach. The remedy stimulates fat metabolism and regulates digestion. Dosage and intake: 5 globules twice daily.
Argentum nitricum D12 has a balancing effect and curbs cravings in stressful situations. Calorie intake is regulated. Dosage and intake: 5 globules 3 times a day.
Taking Petroselinum D6 will make you look slimmer. The ingredients support the elimination of excess water in the body. Dosage and intake: 3 globules 5 times a day…
Slimming globules are particularly impressive because they contain active ingredients that are satiating, boost the metabolism and stimulate fat burning. Another positive aspect is that, as is usual in homeopathy, the globules are purely herbal remedies. Chemical-free, they are regarded as virtually risk-free miracle pills.
Slimming processes, the disappearance of annoying kilos and a good sense of well-being can be achieved more quickly with homeopathic remedies.
I find this article so very remarkable because the author(s) (who is/are not named) managed to make all the above statements without a single one of them being true, supported by evidence or even remotely plausible. The only way one might lose weight by using homeopathy is, if one pays for it with a handful of coins from ones pocket. There is not a shred of sound evidence that homeopathy reduces body weight.
The magazine includes this disclaimer: “This article contains, among other things, product recommendations. When selecting the products, we are free from the influence of third parties. For a referral via our affiliate links, we receive a commission from the relevant service provider/online shop when a purchase or referral is made, with the help of which we can continue to offer independent journalism.”
Independent journalism?
I beg to differ: this is not independent nor is it journalism.
The question I ask myself is this: are such magazines allowed to publish any nonsense, or is there an authority that might control or reprimand them in an attempt to protect consumers?
As you might imagine, I do get a lot of ‘fan mail’ that does not appear in the comments section of this blog and therefore remains invisible to my readers. Most of it is unremarkable but some of it is highly amusing and therefore deserves a wider audience, in my view. The two emails I received a couple of days ago fall in the latter category:
Dear Dr.Edzard,
Your views on HOMEOPATHY are rubbish.you are NOT clinician, but theretician.NHS is defunct…BULLSHIT .. Manipulation ,this same,chiropractic is quacery,I agree. I have practiced for 50 years being BEST in the world.I have invented ……….BACK RACK a manual spine device for BACK PAIN…and ELECTRIC SEAT /spine for Aviation / Automobiles.
..a UNIQUE world wide SPINE device
Rgds,
https://www.theluklinskispineclinic.com// BEST – CLINIC.WORLD /.
https://www.spinalbackrack.com/ . BEST spine devices devices ,WORLD /.
My response was very short:
- My last name is not Edzard
- I am a clinician
- Your English is abominable
- You seem to be a fool
It only took a few minutes for his reply to arrive:
Dear Edzard,
Thank you for your opinion….you are academic,hence ignorant / THICK /,not a clinician.I worked with Dr L.Mount / Queen physician and many others fools..in Harley st. W1,making ml.p/a…..curing thousends of patients.No wonder you were sacked as you are arrogant prick to say least….At least am not a quack…but ..world class..
no rgds,
B.M.Luklinski
I did not send a further resonse to B.M.Luklinski. Instead I’d like to take this opportunity to thank him for amusing me [and hopefully many of my readers as well].
PS
In case you want further amusement, I suggest you click on the two links my friend provided.
I better start this post with an appology: I am going to try and explain something that is rather obvious to rational thinkers. But recently, we had comments on this blog that made it clear to me that some of my readers are are far from rational. They have suggested that the real life test of a therapy like homeopathy is the survival rate of hospitals where this therapy is being used.
So why are the mortality rates in homeopathic hospitals lower that for normal hosptials?
Does that fact not prove the value of homeopathy?
No!
Why not?
Because with every comparison we need to make sure that we compare comparable things.
Patients who are admitted to homeopathic hospitals are very different from those in a normal hospital. To put it in a nutshell: THEY ARE FAR LESS SERIOUSLY ILL.
I should know that because I worked both in a homeopathic hospital and in several normal ones.
Most patients who chose to go to a homeopathic hospital are chronically unwell. Some do have a chronic illness but many others are not truly ill. Hardly anyone has a life-threatening disease.
During the months I worked in a homeopathic hospital, we only had to report one single fatality. I do remember many patients with asthma, allergies, neck pain, obseity, insomnia and similar conditions. During a comparable time period when I worked in a normal hospital of a similar size, we had dozens of fatalities.
I am sure that we all have sad experiences of a seriously ill relative or friend. Because her diesease is so serious she gets worse and worse. Eventually, home care does not suffice and she is admitted to hospital. We hope that there her life will be saved. Sadly, this is not always the case.
In other words, moribund patients are often rushed to hospital where many of them die. They are not rushed to a homeopathic hospital!
Or, to put it bluntly, the ‘real life test’ of measuring death rates of homeopathic (or naturopathic, integrative, etc.) hospitals and comparing them with the usually high mortality rates of normal hospitals is not just unreliable, it is meaningless rubbish.
As I stated above, all of this is entirely obvious – except, of course, for the deluded.
PS
There are comparisons between two or more hospitals that can provide useful information; they usually relate to specific conditions or interventions, e.g. hip replacement in hospital A versus hip replacement in hospital B.
