satire
Chiropractors will never cease to amuse and amaze me. Today, I received this comment to a recent post of mine; its author is a chiropractor by the name of SD White (I never met the man [surely it’s a man] and don’t know where he’s from):
Someone is suffering from a love of credentials (small penis?) and a sour disposition who has zero actual information about a profession of which he is not a member. So this is how you choose to spend your days? What a royal disappointment you must be to family, friends, and others with your extremely disjointed and disgruntled opinions. Which no one requested. Rating: 1/10
This type of hilarity encouraged me to write a post about chiropractic which fulfils some of SD White’s criteria: no one requested it, and it has zero actual information. But I hope it adds to the hilarity chiropractic so often creates.
The article it refers to is entitled ‘Chiropractic in global health and well being’. When I read such a headline, my BS-detectors starts running amok, and my BS-corrector automatically springs into action.
In the following, I will show you some excerpts from this paper – first in its original version and subsequently in the version altered by my BS-corrector.
ENJOY
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The abstract:
The World Federation of Chiropractic supports the involvement of chiropractors in public health initiatives, particularly as it relates to musculoskeletal health. Three topics within public health have been identified that call for a renewed professional focus. These include healthy ageing; opioid misuse; and women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health. The World Federation of Chiropractic aims to enable chiropractors to proactively participate in health promotion and prevention activities in these areas, through information dissemination and coordinated partnerships. Importantly, this work will align the chiropractic profession with the priorities of the World Health Organization. Successful engagement will support the role of chiropractors as valued partners within the broader healthcare system and contribute to the health and wellbeing of the communities they serve.
Passage from the paper:
The WFC’s Public Health Committee has committed to an expanded agenda that focuses on three new priority areas of public health: healthy ageing; opioid overuse and misuse; and women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health. These were chosen for their alignment with WHO priorities, and the chiropractic profession’s ability to uniquely contribute to each through the lens of musculoskeletal health. The goal is to enhance the ability for chiropractors to actively engage in health promotion activities in alignment with WHO priority areas and pursue collaborative work to increase global attention on these important public health issues. As a first step, the WFC will focus on providing key strategies that chiropractors in primary care settings can focus on bridging their work in primary care and population health. The WFC has developed position statements and proposed public health strategies for each priority area, as described below.
The conclusion
The WFC commits to promoting and facilitating public health strategies for chiropractors to implement in practice. Healthy ageing, opioid misuse, and supporting women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health are priority areas of initial focus. This work builds on the shared goal of primary care and population health, through the prevention of illness, promoting health, improving patient care, and addressing contextual factors in a collaborative and evidence-based manner. Future work in public health for the chiropractic profession should also focus on broader roles such as community engagement and the creation of sustainable systems, engaging key stakeholders locally and globally.
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VERISON BY BS-CORRECTOR
The abstract:
The World Federation of Chiropractic supports the involvement of chiropractors in fleecing the public, particularly as it relates to musculoskeletal health. Three topics within chiropractic wealth have been identified that call for a boost in our cash flow. These include healthy ageing; opioid misuse; and women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health. The World Federation of Chiropractic aims to enable chiropractors to proactively participate in misinforming the public in these areas, through coordinated partnerships with anyone who can be fooled. Importantly, this work will be camouflaged such that it seemingly aligns the chiropractic profession with the priorities of the World Health Organization. Successful engagement will support the wealth of chiropractors within the broader healthcare system but will contribute little to the health and wellbeing of the communities they pretend to serve.
Passage from the paper:
The WFC’s Public Health Committee has committed to an expanded agenda that focuses on three new priority areas for generating chiropractic wealth: healthy ageing; opioid overuse and misuse; and women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health. These were chosen even though there is no good evidence to show that chiropractic might meaningfully contribute to any of them. The goal is to enhance the ability of chiropractors to actively engage in wealth creation activities in alignment with their financial aspirations. As a first step, the WFC will focus on providing key strategies that chiropractors in primary care settings can focus on for misleading the public. The WFC has developed position statements and proposed wealth strategies for each priority area, as described below.
The conclusion
The WFC commits to promoting and facilitating wealth strategies for chiropractors to implement in practice. Healthy ageing, opioid misuse, and supporting women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health are priority areas of initial focus. This work builds on many years of misleading the public into believing that chiropractors do more good than harm in any of these areas. Future work in generating wealth for the chiropractic profession should also focus on broader roles such as community engagement and the creation of sustainable systems, exploiting key stakeholders locally and globally.
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Yes, I know, my BS-corrector is very harsh, impolite and sarcastic. You must forgive it, please. I nevertheless hope this is a small contribution – not to chiropractic, but to its hilarity.
In the comment section of a recent post, we saw a classic example of the type of reasoning that many alternative practitioners seem to like. In order to offer a service to other practitioners, I will elaborate on it here. The reasoning roughly follows these simple 10 steps:
- My treatment works.
- My treatment requires a lot of skills, training and experience.
- Most people fail to appreciate how subtle my treatment really is.
- In fact, only few practitioners manage do it the way it has to be done.
- The negative trials of my treatment are false-negative because they were conducted by incompetent practitioners.
- In any case, for a whole range of reasons, my treatment cannot be pressed into the straight jacket of a clinical trial.
- My treatment is therefore not supported by the type of evidence people who don’t understand it insist upon.
- Therefore, we have to rely on the best evidence that is available to date.
- And that clearly is the experience of therapists and patients.
- So, the best evidence unquestionably confirms that my treatment works.
The case I mentioned above was that of an acupuncturist defending his beloved acupuncture. To a degree, the argument put forward by him sounded (to fellow acupuncturists) reasonable. On closer inspection, however, they seem far less so, perhaps even fallacious. If you are an acupuncturist, you will, of course, disagree with me. Therefore, I invite all acupuncturists to imagine a homeopath arguing in that way (which they often do). Would you still find the line of arguments reasonable?
And what, if you are a homeopath? Then I invite you to imagine that a crystal therapist argues in that way (which they often do). Would you still find the line of arguments reasonable?
And what, if you are a crystal therapist? …
I am not getting anywhere, am I?
To make my point, it might perhaps be best, if I created my very own therapy!
Here we go: it’s called ENERGY PRESERVATION THERAPY (EPT).
I have discovered, after studying ancient texts from various cultures, that the vital energy of our closest deceased relatives can be transferred by consuming their carbon molecules. The most hygienic way to achieve this is to have our deceased relatives cremated and consume their ashes afterwards. The cremation, storage of the ashes, as well as their preparation and regular consumption all have to be highly individualised, of course. But I am certain that this is the only way to preserve their vital force and transfer it to a living relative. The benefits of this treatment are instantly visible.
As it happens, I run special three-year (6 years part-time) courses at the RSM in London to teach other clinicians how exactly to do this. And I should warn you: they are neither cheap nor easy; we are talking of very skilled stuff here.
What! You doubt that my treatment works?
Doubt no more!
Here are 10 convincing arguments for it:
- EPT works, I have 10 years of experience and seen hundreds of cases.
- EPT requires a lot of skills, training and experience.
- Most people fail to appreciate how subtle EPT really is.
- In fact, only few practitioners manage do EPT the way it has to be done.
- The negative trials of EPT are false-negative because they were conducted by incompetent practitioners.
- In any case, for a whole range of reasons, EPT cannot be pressed into the straight jacket of a clinical trial.
- EPT is therefore not supported by the type of evidence people who don’t understand it insist upon.
- Therefore, we have to rely on the best evidence that is available to date.
- And that clearly is the experience of therapists and patients.
- So, the best evidence unquestionably confirms that EPT works.
Convinced?
No?
You do surprise me!
Why then are you convinced of the effectiveness of acupuncture, homeopathy, etc?
The Impact Factor (IF) of a journal is a measure reflecting the yearly average number of citations to recent articles published in that journal. It is frequently used as a measure of the importance of a journal within its field; journals with higher impact factors are often deemed to be more important than those with lower ones. The IF for any given year can be calculated as the number of citations, received in that year, of articles published in that journal during the two preceding years, divided by the total number of articles published in that journal during the two preceding years.
A press-release celebrated the new IF of the journal ‘HOMEOPATHY’ which has featured on this blog before. I am sure that you all want to share in this joy:
START OF QUOTE
For the second year running there has been an increase in the number of times articles published in the Faculty of Homeopathy’s journal Homeopathy have been cited in articles in other peer-reviewed publications. The figure known as the Impact Factor (IF) has risen from 1.16 to 1.524, which represents a 52% increase in the number of citations.
An IF is used to determine the impact a particular journal has in a given field of research and is therefore widely used as a measure of quality. The latest IF assessment for Homeopathy covers citations during 2017 for articles published in the previous two years (2015 and 2016).
Dr Peter Fisher, Homeopathy’s editor-in-chief, said: “Naturally the editorial team is delighted by this news. This success is due to the quality and international nature of research and other content we publish. So I thank all those who have contributed such high quality papers, maintaining the journal’s position as the world’s foremost publication in the scholarly study of homeopathy. I would particularly like to thank our senior deputy editor, Dr Robert Mathie for all his hard work.”
First published in 1911 as the British Homoeopathic Journal, Homeopathy is the only homeopathic journal indexed by Medline, with over 100,000 full-text downloads per year. In January 2018, publishing responsibilities for the quarterly journal moved to Thieme, an award-winning medical and science publisher.
Greg White, Faculty chief executive, said: “Moving to a new publisher can be difficult, but the decision we took last year is certainly paying dividends. I would therefore like to thank everyone at Thieme for the part they are playing in the journal’s continued success.”
END OF QUOTE
While the champagne corks might be popping in homeopathic circles, I want to try and give some perspective to this celebration.
The IP has rightly been criticised so many times for so many reasons, that it is now not generally considered to be a valuable measure for anything. The main reason for this is that it can be (and is being) manipulated in numerous ways. But even if we accept the IP as a meaningful parameter, we must ask what an IP of 1.5 means and how it compares to other medical journals’ IP.
Here are some IFs of general and specialised medical journals readers of this blog might know:
Annals Int Med: 2016/2017 Impact Factor : 17.135,
BMJ: 2016/2017 Impact Factor : 20.785,
Circulation: 2016/2017 Impact Factor : 19.309,
Diabetes Care: 2016/2017 Impact Factor : 11.857,
Gastroenterology: 2016/2017 Impact Factor : 18.392,
Gut: 2016/2017 Impact Factor : 16.658,
J Clin Oncol: 2016/2017 Impact Factor : 24.008,
Lancet: 2016/2017 Impact Factor : 47.831,
Nature Medicine: 2016/2017 Impact Factor : 29.886,
Plos Medicine: 2016/2017 Impact Factor : 11.862,
Trends Pharm Sci: 2016/2017 Impact Factor : 12.797,
This selection seems to indicate that an IF of 1.5 is modest, to say the least. In turn, this means that the above press-release is perhaps just a little bit on the hypertrophic side.
But, of course, it’s all about homeopathy where, as we all know, LESS IS MORE!
Homeopaths are not generally known for the reliability of their recommendations. This advice by the UK Society of Homeopaths (SoH) was emailed to me a few days ago (how on earth did they know I was on holiday?). It is just too weird and wonderful – I cannot resist the temptation of showing it to you:
START OF QUOTE
Off on holiday? Whether you’re going abroad or ‘staycationing’, keep these remedies handy to tackle a range of minor ailments. We suggest 30c potencies for all remedies, using every 30- 90 minutes, two or three times depending on the severity of the condition. Always seek medical help for anything more than a minor injury or illness.
Aconite Great for shock, such as from fright, bad news or after having a fall. Also good for the onset of fever after exposure to acute cold, wind or heat.
Apis For bee or wasp stings and any allergic reaction which causes rapid swelling, redness and pain and where the affected area is puffy, white or rosy, feels hot and is better for cold compresses.
Arnica The classic remedy for trauma, injury and bruising. The typical arnica patient will tell you that they are fine but may well be confused or in shock. Also useful for fractures, strains after exertion such as lifting heavy objects and the early stages of a black eye and for jetlag.
Arsenicum This is a great remedy for food poisoning, especially from meat. The person will be very anxious and not easily pacified. The pains are often burning. Vomiting and diarrhoea accompanied by chills, exhaustion, and restless.
Belladonna Great for heatstroke or exhaustion, along with appropriate cooling and rehydration therapy, and for acute fevers or inflammations, which come on suddenly and lead to throbbing pain, redness and swelling. The skin is hot and red and the face flushed but, at the same time, the person can feel chilly and want to be covered.
Ledum This is the first remedy to think of with puncture wounds and for bites and stings which fester. Good for twisted or sprained joints, especially ankles.
Nux Vomica The main remedy for hangover or indigestion from over-eating but also useful for food poisoning in which there is constant retching.
Urtica urens Very useful for skin conditions such as urticaria with raised lumps like nettle rash and great for ‘prickly heat. Urtica can be used for minor burns and scalds as well where pains are stinging, like nettle rash, but not too sore to touch.
END OF QUOTE
I find the list and particularly the comments most revealing. To me, they suggest that homeopathy just do not have a cue. They recommend nonsense for conditions they know nothing about. They do not seem to know what real shock or food poisoning or heat stroke are. They do not seem to appreciate that they can be life-threatening problems. And by stating “Always seek medical help for anything more than a minor injury or illness”, they clearly admit that they are merely jokers of no significance whatsoever.
For what it’s worth, I here give my evidence-based view on the remedies listed:
Aconite No evidence to justify the claims mentioned above.
Apis No evidence to justify the claims mentioned above.
Arnica Some evidence to show that Arnica does not work.
Arsenicum No evidence to justify the claims mentioned above.
Belladonna No evidence to justify the claims mentioned above.
Ledum No evidence to justify the claims mentioned above.
Nux Vomica No evidence to justify the claims mentioned above.
Urtica urens No evidence to justify the claims mentioned above.
Oh, I almost forgot: the SoH is the organisation of ‘professional’ homeopaths in the UK (professional meaning they have no medical training). On their website, they state: “High standards are the cornerstone of the Society of Homeopaths. So we were delighted that our register was accredited by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) in 2014… This accreditation demonstrates our commitment to high professional standards, to enhancing safety and delivering a better service.”
One does wonder whether killing gullible holidaymakers via bad advice counts as high standards.
An announcement by the UK Society of Homeopaths caught my attention. Here it is in its full and unabbreviated beauty:
START OF ANNOUNCEMENT
Homeopaths are being urged to contribute to an inquiry exploring ways to tackle a looming public health crisis threatened by ‘superbugs’ – bacteria resistant to antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs.
The Commons Select Committee on Health and Social Care is inviting evidence for its investigation into the progress made by the government so far in responding to the challenge.
The two angles it is exploring are:
- What results have been delivered by the current UK strategy on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), launched in 2013?
- Key actions and priorities for the government’s next AMR strategy, due to be published at the end of 2018.
The Society of Homeopaths is putting together a submission and is asking members to submit their own evidence to the inquiry of using homeopathic alternatives to antimicrobials.
According to the inquiry background papers, antimicrobial resistance – in which bacteria have evolved into ‘superbugs’, resistant to drugs devised to kill them – is a “significant and increasing threat” to public health in the UK and globally. EU data indicates that it is responsible for 700,000 deaths a year worldwide and at least 50,000 in the US and Europe.
The death toll could reach 10m people a year by 2050 if the rise in resistance is not headed off, it is estimated.
Society Chief Executive Mark Taylor said: “Our members know a great deal about the alternatives to antibiotics through their own practice and knowledge. This is a timely inquiry from the Health and Social Care Committee to assess the success of the existing strategy and an opportunity to make the case again for fresh thinking on this pressing public health challenge.”
END OF ANNOUNCEMENT
Yes, of course!
We have a crisis of antibiotic resistance.
Who is going to offer the solution?
THE HOMEOPATHS!!!
How?
They are going to treat us all with homeopathic remedies when the superbugs strike.
And the result?
No more crisis.
How come?
Because they have turned it into a catastrophe!!!
Traditional vaginal practices usually relate to personal hygiene, genital health or sexuality. Hygiene practices involve external washing and intravaginal cleansing or douching and ingestion of substances. Health practices include intravaginal cleansing, traditional cutting, insertion of herbal preparations, and application of substances to soothe irritated vaginal tissue.
One such traditional practice is ‘vaginal steaming’.
Recently vaginal steaming has become a fad promoted by SCAM-promoters (such as the vagina-obsessed Gwyneth Paltrow) with the claim that it leads to a range of health benefits. According to one website, for instance, vaginal steaming, Yoni Eggs, yoni or v-steam, as it is casually known, acts as an internal cleanser of the membranes of the vaginal tissues and uterus. This is considered especially important for stagnant fertility conditions and/or incomplete emptying of menses each cycle. This women’s treatment gently but effectively cleanses, tones and revitalizes a woman’s center, providing a myriad benefits from reduced menstrual cramps to increased fertility and more. Support your natural feminine cycle, help your body to heal, relax, and detoxify both physically and emotionally with a yoni steam.
The method is recommended for a wide range of conditions and is said to achieve all of the following and much, much more:
- Significant reduction of pain, bloating and exhaustion associated with menstruation.
- Significant reduction of PMS.
- Decrease of menstrual flow as well as reduction of dark purple or brown blood at the onset or end of menses.
- Regulation of irregular or absent menstrual cycles.
- Increased fertility.
- Faster healing and toning of the reproductive system following childbirth.
- Assisting in healing uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, uterine weakness, uterine prolapse & endometriosis.
- Breaking down of reproductive adhesion/scar tissue. Assisting with the repair of a vaginal tear, episiotomy, or C-section scar.
- Assisting with the healing of haemorrhoids.
- Treating chronic vaginal/yeast infections and maintaining healthy vaginal odour.
- Relief of menopausal symptoms such as vaginal dryness or pain during sex.
- Detoxification of the womb/removal of toxins from the body. Release of stored emotions.
- Reconnection with our female bodies and tapping into the sexual energy that is our creative potential.
Frequently, entrepreneurs recommend adding herbal or other ingredients. Herbs often used include:
- mugwort
- wormwood
- chamomile
- calendula
- basil
- oregano
- vaginal steaming arms your bank account;
- it disrupts the normal pH balance of the vagina;
- in turn, this increases the risk of fungal and bacterial infections;
- vaginal steaming can cause burns;
- with added herbs, it can cause allergies.
New Zealand psychologists analysed online accounts of vaginal steaming to determine the sociocultural assumptions and logics within such discourse, including ideas about women, women’s bodies and women’s engagement with such ‘modificatory’ practices. Ninety items were carefully selected from the main types of website discussing vaginal steaming: news/magazines; health/lifestyle; spa/service providers; and personal blogs. Within an overarching theme of ‘the self-improving woman’ the researchers identified four themes: (1) the naturally deteriorating, dirty female body; (2) contemporary life as harmful; (3) physical optimisation and the enhancement of health; and (4) vaginal steaming for life optimisation. The authors concluded that online accounts of vaginal steaming appear both to fit within historico-contemporary constructions of women’s bodies as deficient and disgusting, and contemporary neoliberal and healthist discourse around the constantly improving subject.
For the sake of ‘journalistic balance’, let’s give Gwyneth the last word about the benefits of vaginal steaming. She knows best because she has done it and was quoted uttering these profound and scientific views: “The first time I tried v-steaming, I was like, ‘This is insane’. My friend Ben brought me and I was like, ‘You are out of your f**king mind. What is this? But then by the end of it I was like, ‘This is so great.’ Then I start to do research, and it’s been in Korean medicine for thousands of years and there are real healing properties. If I find benefit to it and it’s getting a lot of page views, it’s a win-win.”
And who would or could argue with that?
While researching my previous post, I came across this website. It is so wonderful that I just have to show you some excerpts:
START OF QUOTE
…there really are people who spend a lot of time and energy attacking homeopathy from the sidelines of the Internet and in print. They call themselves “skeptics”. Who are they and how did they originate?
…The skeptical movement is an offshoot of the Communist Party. (Really: see the top two links below.) Its top organizers were hired by pharmaceutical company and medical industry representatives to recruit malcontents in bars to spread hate propaganda against non-conventional medical systems. One of the first such skeptic groups referred to itself as “Skeptics in the Pub”. Not surprisingly, their rants against homeopathy sound like the drunken cacophony of soccer hooligans.
A “who’s who” tour would not be complete if we neglected to mention Sense about Science. This group features a prominent spokesperson who is an advertising “consultant” to pharmaceutical and oil companies. It’s been scrubbed from their website as of this writing, but they get large donations from Big Pharma.
It’s impossible not to encounter ties to the prevailing medical industry among any of the individuals or groups who currently identify themselves with the skeptic moniker. The mainstream media, which depend on advertising revenues from pharmaceutical companies and are always in search of a scandal are often co-opted by business interests that have little regard for the welfare of the average individual…
Media skeptics frequently and fraudulently make claims that there are “no studies” that support homeopathy (or any other non-conventional treatment) and therefore no evidence to support its efficacy. This is, to put it plain, a lie. As well as 200 years and roughly 25,000 volumes of clinical literature, there are almost 200 random controlled trials that indicate a positive outcome for Homeopathy, even though this form of investigation is not compatible with homeopathic methodology, which individualizes treatments, and many more studies of other types showing positive outcomes. (See Homeopathy’s Best Research.)…
Since media skeptics are not researchers, scientists or people with any solid knowledge of any body of medical endeavour, it’s a foregone conclusion that this virtual Popcorn Gallery of respondents is completely insensible to any form of rational dialogue. As much as they would like to think that they have a mission in upholding the tenets of “science”, their propaganda tactics do not make them a party to the dialogue between holistic medical systems such as homeopathy and sincere scientific investigation.
To quote Josef Stalin, they are “useful idiots” for the propaganda machine, but are not bona fide participants.
END OF QUOTE
As though this is not funny enough, the site also lists several ‘Supporting Organizations’:
Canadian Consumers Centre for Homeopathy (3CH)
National United Professional Association of Trained Homeopaths (NUPATH)
National Center for Homeopathy
Ontario Homeopathic Association
North American Society of Homeopaths
Homeopathy: Medicine for the 21st Century
British Columbia Society of Homeopaths
Canadian College of Homeopathic Medicine
British Institute of Homeopathy International
Homeopathic Medical Council of Canada
Ontario College of Homeopathic Medicine
The only comment posted on this site is from sandra hermann-courtney, cmt (Monday, April 08 13 06:48 pm EDT) and it reads: Thank you for posting this!
Please let me take this opportunity to join Sandra and say THANK YOU, THIS IS WONDERFUL!
I have often mocked the lack of progress in homeopathy. Essentially, it has hardly moved an inch since Hahnemann first dreamt it up 200 years ago.
But now, there has been a breakthrough!
Progress at last!!!
It has been reported that Dr. William Edwin Gray III is selling homeopathic ‘sound files’ that can cure a variety of ailments, including life-threatening infections such as Ebola, SARS, swine flu, malaria, typhoid, and cholera.
Yes, SOUND FILES!!!
Short recordings.
If that is not innovative, I don’t know what is.
And it makes sense, of course: homeopathy does not work by pharmacology – the remedies contain nothing – it transmits information. And what better than to pack it into sounds?
This is a breakthrough that will save millions from disease. One cannot be surprised that such a discovery attracts jealousy. Instead of nominating Dr Gray for a Nobel Prize, the Californian Medical Board has promptly threatened to revoke his license.
Petty bastards!
Short-sighted idiots!
In an accusation filed with the state, the medical board writes that Dr. William Gray III, MD, who is an internist in Saratoga, California and licensed to practice medicine in California, is guilty of gross negligence and requested a hearing in which the board would decide whether to possibly revoke or suspend his license. Understandably, the genius Gray is concerned. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Gray said he had decided not to contest the board’s allegations, saying it would cost too much money to fight. He added: “Frankly, I think we’d lose anyway.”
That leaves Gray’s fate entirely in the hands of the board, which will make a decision in coming weeks. The prospect of losing his medical license worries Gray, but he is nevertheless stoically confident. He has focused on homeopathy ever since he finished medical school. Because homeopathy doesn’t require a medical license, he assumes that he can go about his business without a medical licence.
Gray knows that sound waves can carry “the energetic signal in homeopathic remedies” to treat patients. He collects that energy by placing vials of homeopathic remedies in electrified wire coils and recording any emitted sounds. With this method, he produced 263 “eRemedies,” which are 13-second recordings (available as either .wav or .MP3 files) which sound like hissing.
Patients—who are not examined or even seen by Gray—can get his therapy via Gray’s website, mdinyourhand.com. Subsequently, they can “dose” themselves with the recordings to treat a variety of ailments. The website lists 23 ailments the recordings treat. Patients simply answers a series of questions about their condition and the website serves up the appropriate eRemedy. The individual recordings cost $5 a pop and patients can subscribe to receive 25 for $100. Already in 2014, Gray “created [a] campaign to treat Ebola via cellphone, curing 3 out of 3 within 4 hours simply by playing the appropriate eRemedy several times in an hour.”
Cutting edge science, I’d say! But true genius is often dismissed or even ridiculed. What really disappoints me though is that not even Gray’s fellow homeopaths find it in themselves to support him. Robert Stewart, founder of the New York School of Homeopathy, wrote to the Times in an email: “He’s on his own in this.”
Shame on you Robert, and shame on everyone else (I have already seen plenty of scathing/jealous comments on Twitter) who cannot recognise the first true progress in homeopathy since 200 years.
Once upon a time, the University of Exeter prided itself of having the ‘1st chair in complementary medicine’ in the country. That was in 1993, when I was appointed to that position. I then recruited a team of motivated researchers, and we soon managed to become the world’s leading research group in our field. Together, we published more papers on alternative medicine in the peer reviewed medical literature than any other team before or since, and we managed to get an international reputation for high-quality critical assessments of alternative medicine. Unfortunately, not all people were happy; some even seemed to be distinctly unhappy because few of our findings were as they had hoped.
In 2012/13, I retired under circumstances that, I am afraid, were not to the credit or integrity of my peers (the full and rather sad story has been told in my memoir). Since then, I have the status of Emeritus Professor; in that role, I give occasional lectures, publish about one book per year, run this blog, and generally enjoy life. There is not much that can bother me these days…
…at least, this is what I thought until I saw this announcement by Exeter University.
It informed me that the University of Exeter has decided to “offer a range of complementary therapies at a discounted rate to Staff at both Streatham and St Lukes Campus.”
Treatments are not cheap but members will receive the following reductions:
- 60 minutes + treatments £5.00 discount
- 45 minute treatments £4.00 discount
- 30 minute treatments £3.00 discount.
You want to know which therapies precisely are on offer?
Here is a selection of the treatments they are providing:
- Hot Stone Back Massage
- Reflexology
- Pregnancy Massage
- Indian Head Massage
- Acupressure points
- Yoga movements
- Somatic movements
- Chi Qong
- Nutrition based Ayurvedic system of health
- Tai Yoga massage
Impressive?
Yes, most impressive – particularly as none of the therapies listed above are supported by anything that looks remotely like good evidence!
So, has my University gone raving mad?
Have they joined the legion of charlatans promoting nonsense?
Do they perhaps want to score even more brownie-points with HRH, the Prince of Wales?
One would assume so … but wait … they added a disclaimer to their announcement:
Whilst the University is pleased to welcome complementary practitioners to the campus and support greater access to a range of wellbeing services, we are not in a position to actively condone the effectiveness of such treatments. However, Reed Mews Wellbeing Centre wants to promote choice and encourage individuals to make informed decisions regarding the management of their health needs.
AHHH – I AM SO PLEASED – THAT’S ALRIGHT THEN!
‘HELLO’ is, of course, a most reliable source of information when it comes to healthcare (and other subjects as well, I am sure). Therefore, I was thrilled to read their report on Meghan Markle’s list of supplements which, ‘HELLO’ claim, she takes for “calming any stress or nerves ahead of the royal wedding on 19 May.” The list includes the following:
- Magnesium,
- Vitamin B-12,
- Multivitamins,
- ‘Cortisol Manager’ (30 tablets cost US$ 65)
- Ashwagandha.
Not only does ‘HELLO’ provide us with this most fascinating list, it tells us also what exactly these supplements are best used for:
Magnesium helps to keep blood pressure normal, increase energy, relieves muscle aches and spasms, and calms nerves, all of which will be beneficial to Meghan. Meanwhile, B12 drops will ensure Meghan doesn’t become deficient in the vitamin due to her diet, which is largely plant-based and contains very little animal products, which are one of the main sources of B12.
A multivitamin will provide Meghan with her recommended daily intake of various vitamins and minerals, while Cortisol Manager is a “stress hormone stabiliser”, which is designed to support the body’s natural rise and fall of cortisol, helping promote feelings of relaxation and aid better sleep. The supplement contains L-Theanine, Magnolia, Epimedium and Ashwagandha – although Meghan said she sometimes takes additional doses of the herb, likely at periods of high stress.
Ashwagandha is a herb that helps to moderate the body’s response to stress, bringing inner calm and also boosting energy. The supplement comes from the root of the ashwagandha plant and can be taken in tablet form…
I hope I don’t spoil the Royal wedding if I run a quick reality check on these supplements. Assuming she is generally healthy (she certainly looks it), and now being aware that Meghan eats a mostly plant-based diet, here are the most likely benefits of the above-listed supplements/ingredients:
- Magnesium: NONE
- Vitamin B-12: DEBATABLE
- Multivitamins: NONE
- L-Theanine: NONE
- Magnolia: NONE
- Epimedium: NONE
- Ashwagandha: NONE
Personally, I find Ashwagandha the most intriguing of all the listed ingredients, not least because Meghan said she sometimes takes additional doses of the herb. Why might that be? There is very little reliable research on this (or any of the other above-listed) remedy; but I found one placebo-controlled study which concluded that Ashwagandha “may improve sexual function in healthy women”.
Before my readers now rush out in droves to the next health food shop, I should issue a stern warning: the trial was flimsy and the results lack independent confirmation.
PS
She also seems to have a weakness for homeopathy
