scientific misconduct
“An American doctor invented a drug that claims to cure COPD within three days.” Does this announcement herald a medical sensation or a bogus and potentially dangerous falsehood?
The inventors proudly opt for the former: “we have created a revolutionary pill that combines over 60 natural herbs specifically designed to treat respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic bronchitis, and pulmonary fibrosis”
There are also videos promoting a “revolutionary pill” that allegedly cured chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) “within three days” went viral on Facebook. The videos featured public figures like Fox News anchor Jesse Watters, as well as the alleged developer of the drug, surgeon and TV personality Mehmet Oz, popularly known as “Dr. Oz”. Although the images used in the videos varied from post to post, all the videos we found used the exact same narration and promised “to pay one million dollars” if the drug failed to cure COPD. However, these videos showed clear signs of manipulation.
Altered or artificial intelligence-generated videos featuring celebrities and major TV networks have been profusely used for scams over the past few years. Science Feedback documented several examples of such doctored videos falsely promoting diabetes cures and cannabidiol (CBD) gummies as a treatment for a wide range of medical conditions. “Dr. Oz” has often been mentioned either as a developer of these products or as endorsing them, though he’s repeatedly denied any involvement in these ads. In a 2019 article for the Wall Street Journal that he also shared on Facebook and Twitter, Oz stated that these ads weren’t “legit” and warned about potential scams exploiting his image.
Likewise, the COPD videos posted on Facebook are also false. First, COPD currently has no known cure, so any product claiming to cure it is simply a scam. Second, the poor synchronization between video and audio suggests that the audio isn’t authentic.
‘SCIENCE FEEDBACK‘ thus conclused as follows:
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic progressive lung disease for which no cure currently exists. Along with medication, lifestyle changes like quitting smoking, avoiding polluted environments, and keeping physically active can help manage the symptoms and slow down the progression of the disease. Products claiming to cure COPD are deceptive and potentially dangerous, as they may contain harmful ingredients or interact with medications in unpredictable ways.
I could not agree more and might add that – as always in suspect cases – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
In this case study, the authors describe an adult patient who struggled with persistent warts on the plantar surface of the foot for several years. All medical therapies were exhausted, so the patient turned to medical hypnosis as a last resort.
The patient experienced complete resolution of all his warts after three sessions of medical hypnosis. The suggestions used in the treatment included:
- strengthening the immune system,
- increasing blood flow in the foot,
- visualizing immune mechanisms destroying infected cells,
- the regrowth of healthy tissue.
After 3 years, the authors are still in contact with the patient, and he reports no recurrence of the disease.
The authors concluded that this case report adds to the existing body of the literature supporting the use of medical hypnosis in the treatment of warts. It demonstrates that medical hypnosis can be a valuable complementary or alternative treatment option for patients with persistent warts who have not responded to conventional therapies. It also highlights the need for further research to better understand the mechanisms by which hypnosis influences the resolution of warts and to identify the most effective types of suggestions for treatment.
Oh, dear!
Warts are viral infections. They can persist for months and years and disappear suddenly without apparent reason. What the authors of this case report observed is exactly this phenomenon of spontaneous recovery. There is no sound evidence that hypnotherapy or any similar treatment will speed up the disappearance of warts.
Many years ago, we did a trial of ‘distant healing’ for warts. It confirmed the ineffectiveness of this approach:
Purpose: Distant healing, a treatment that is transmitted by a healer to a patient at another location, is widely used, although good scientific evidence of its efficacy is sparse. This trial was aimed at assessing the efficacy of one form of distant healing on common skin warts.
Subjects and methods: A total of 84 patients with warts were randomly assigned either to a group that received 6 weeks of distant healing by one of 10 experienced healers or to a control group that received a similar preliminary assessment but no distant healing. The primary outcomes were the number of warts and their mean size at the end of the treatment period. Secondary outcomes were the change in Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and patients’ subjective experiences. Both the patients and the evaluator were blinded to group assignment.
Results: The baseline characteristics of the patients were similar in the distant healing (n = 41) and control groups (n = 43). The mean number and size of warts per person did not change significantly during the study. The number of warts increased by 0.2 in the healing group and decreased by 1.1 in the control group (difference [healing to control] = -1.3; 95% confidence interval = -1.0 to 3.6, P = 0.25). Six patients in the distant healing group and 8 in the control group reported a subjective improvement (P = 0.63). There were no significant between-group differences in the depression and anxiety scores.
Conclusion: Distant healing from experienced healers had no effect on the number or size of patients’ warts.
My conclusion of the above case study is therefore very different from that of the original authors:
This case report adds nothing to the existing body of the literature on medical hypnosis or on the treatment of warts other than misleading the public.
The aim of this article was to review the use of homeopathy in rheumatic diseases (RDs). PubMed and Embase databases were examined for literature on homeopathy and RDs between 1966 and April 2023. 15 articles were included.
The diseases treated were
- osteoarthritis (n=3),
- rheumatoid arthritis (n=3),
- ankylosing spondylitis (n=1),
- hyperuricemia (n=1),
- tendinopathy (n=1).
The age of the patients varied from 31 to 87 years, and male gender ranged from 56.7% to 100%. The homeopathic treatments varied from a fixed medicine to an individualized homeopathy.
Most studies (9/15) demonstrated improvements after homeopathy. Side effects were not seen or minimal and were comparable to those of the placebo groups.
The authors concluded that this review shows homeopathy is a promising and safe therapy for RD treatment. However, the data needs to be reproduced in future more extensive studies, including other rheumatic conditions.
This paper amounts to an insult of its readership!
Not only is it badly written but also [and more importantly] it is missing almost everything that makes a systematic review. Despite this the authors claim that it “adhered to PRISMA standards”. This is certainly not true.
Amongst the missing items, the most important ones are probably the evaluation of the methodological quality of the inclued primary studies as well as a critical assessment of the evidence. The authors concede that their paper has limitations: “the number of participants was low. Second, a few RDs were evaluated: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, hyperuricemia, ankylosing spondylitis, and
tendinopathy.”
When reading this, I asked myself: are they clueless or dishonest?
In my view, the authors (from Brasil and Israel) and peer-reviewers of this paper should be ashamed of such shoddy work and the editors of the journal publishing this nonsense should withdraw the paper asap.
The ‘LIGA MEDICORUM HOMOEOPATHICA INTERNATIONALIS’ recently held its 77th ‘World Homeopathic Congress’ in Seville, Spain. No, I was not invited and did not attend, but I have seen the abstract of a keynote lecture by Prof. Josef M Schmidt from the
Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany (the university where I studied and worked for many years). I find it quite remarkable and hope you agree:
Today, homeopathy is having to face massive campaigns targeted at excluding it from what is considered to be scientific medicine, as well as from participation in markets. These attacks are based on philosophical and political presuppositions without which this could not happen.
The common denominator of these ideologies is a reductionist world view, in terms of a money-driven rationality, with a neglect of other dimensions of life. Within this mediocre frame of thought and judgment, there would be little choice left for homeopathy other than to fight for its recognition and market access by means of administrative standards established by their competitors, i.e. by randomised clinical trials, onerous approval procedures, etc.
In reality, however, homeopathy can be said to encompass far more dimensions of being than just lógos-thinking in terms of measurability, reproducibility, commodifiability and the like. Its theory and practice also rests on hómoion- and iásthai-thinking, i.e. on the principles of similarity and healing, as has been recently suggested by medical historical research and presented at the last LMHI congresses (Istanbul 2022, Bogotá 2023).
In order to exploit the unique multidimensionality of homeopathy and its potential impact on the current scientific discourse, another framework for homeopathy within medical and political theory may well be needed. First, the reductionistic view of man advocated by the “buffered selves” of modernity (Charles Taylor) would have to be challenged and overcome, then, a wider and richer anthropology as well as educational and political ideals be advocated and, finally, homeopathy be presented as an exemplary art of healing, in terms of reasonability, efficiency and safety. Only thus may it become clear that, given its multidimensionality, homeopathy may have much more to give and to offer than continually partaking in a desperate struggle to fulfill the one-dimensional requirements their opponents use to impose upon it.
Schmidt has a remarkable CV:
1. Academic Education
Medical School at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich 1973–1980
Doctoral Degree in Medicine (MD) at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich in 1980
PhD-Program in Philosophy, Theology, and History of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich 1982–1988
Doctoral Degree in Philosophy (PhD) at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich in 1990
Habilitation (venia legendi) for the History of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich in 2005
2. Professional Career
Resident at the Clinical Center of the Technical University of Munich (Klinikum rechts der Isar der TUM) and other hospitals and medical offices in Munich 1981, 1989–1991, 1993–1994
Medical Specialization (Consultant) in General Practice (Family Medicine) in 1994
Additional Medical Qualifications in Homeopathy (1985), Naturopathy (1990) and Quality Management (1999)
Trial Investigator and Physician at the Hospital of Naturopathy in Munich (Krankenhaus für Naturheilweisen) 1995–2001
Head of the Library of the Hospital of Naturopathy in Munich 1989–2003
Research Associate (freelance) at the Institute of the History of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich 1988–2007
Research Associate at the University of California, San Francisco, USA, 1991–1992
Associate Lecturer (Lehrbeauftragter) for the History of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich 1992–2005
Private Lecturer (Privatdozent) for the History of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich 2005–2013
Research Associate (Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter) at the Institute of the History of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich 2007–2011
Research Associate (freelance) at the Institute of Ethics, History, and Theory of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich since 2011
Adjunct Professor (außerplanmäßiger Professor) for the History of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich since 2013
3. Awards
Scholarship of the Robert Bosch Foundation 1987–1988
Scholarship of the German Research Association (DFG) 1991–1992
Professor Alfons Stiegele Research Award for Homeopathy in 1993
Science Award Samuel Hahnemann of the Town of his Birth Meißen 2015
Honorary Membership of the German Central Association of Homeopathic Physicians 2016
Even more remarkably, Schmidt has 25 Medline-listed publications all on homeopathy. As far as I can see, only one of them relates to a clinical trial. Here is its abstract:
Objective: To test whether an ultramolecular dilution of homeopathic Thyroidinum has an effect over placebo on weight reduction of fasting patients in so-called ‘fasting crisis’.
Design: Randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group, monocentre study.
Setting/location: Hospital for internal and complementary medicine in Munich, Germany.
Subjects: Two hundred and eight fasting patients encountering a stagnation or increase of weight after a weight reduction of at least 100 g/day in the preceding 3 days.
Intervention: One oral dose of Thyroidinum 30cH (preparation of thyroid gland) or placebo.
Outcome measures: Main outcome measure was reduction of body weight 2 days after treatment. Secondary outcome measures were weight reduction on days 1 and 3, 15 complaints on days 1-3, and 34 laboratory findings on days 1-2 after treatment.
Results: Weight reduction on the second day after medication in the Thyroidinum group was less than in the placebo group (mean difference 92 g, 95% confidence interval 7-176 g, P=0.034). Adjustment for baseline differences in body weight and rate of weight reduction before medication, however, weakened the result to a non-significant level (P=0.094). There were no differences between groups in the secondary outcome measures.
Conclusions: Patients receiving Thyroidinum had less weight reduction on day 2 after treatment than those receiving placebo. Yet, since no significant differences were found in other outcomes and since adjustment for baseline differences rendered the difference for the main outcome measure non-significant, this result must be interpreted with caution. Post hoc evaluation of the data, however, suggests that by predefining the primary outcome measure in a different way, an augmented reduction of weight on day 1 after treatment with Thyroidinum may be demonstrated. Both results would be compatible with homeopathic doctrine (primary and secondary effect) as well as with findings from animal research.
So, Schmidt turned an essentially negative finding into a (cautiously) positive one by starting his conclusion with the sentence: Patients receiving Thyroidinum had less weight reduction on day 2 after treatment than those receiving placebo.
Altogether this seems to me to be a herculean effort that merits admission into my ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE HALL OF FAME where he joins all of the following members:
- Meinhard Simon (homeopathy0
- Richard C. Niemtzow (acupuncture)
- Helmut Kiene (anthroposophical medicine)
- Helge Franke (osteopathy, Germany)
- Tery Oleson (acupressure , US)
- Jorge Vas (acupuncture, Spain)
- Wane Jonas (homeopathy, US)
- Harald Walach (various SCAMs, Germany)
- Andreas Michalsen ( various SCAMs, Germany)
- Jennifer Jacobs (homeopath, US)
- Jenise Pellow (homeopath, South Africa)
- Adrian White (acupuncturist, UK)
- Michael Frass (homeopath, Austria)
- Jens Behnke (research officer, Germany)
- John Weeks (editor of JCAM, US)
- Deepak Chopra (entrepreneur, US)
- Cheryl Hawk (chiropractor, US)
- David Peters (osteopathy, homeopathy, UK)
- Nicola Robinson (TCM, UK)
- Peter Fisher (homeopathy, UK)
- Simon Mills (herbal medicine, UK)
- Gustav Dobos (various SCAMs, Germany)
- Claudia Witt (homeopathy, Germany/Switzerland)
- George Lewith (acupuncture, UK)
- John Licciardone (osteopathy, US)
I was recently invited to give a lecture to the local medical association in Graz Austria. It was a pleasure to be in Austria again and a delight to visit the beautiful town of Graz. They had given me the following subject:
Mythen in der sogenannten Alternativmedizin [Myths of so-called alternative medicine (SCAM)]
In my lecture, I thought it prudent to relate to the situation of SCAM in Austria which is rather special:
- The seem to Austrians love the SAM; the 1-year prevalence of use is 36%!
- In Austria, SCAM is only allowed to be practised by doctors.
- Often SCAM is paid for by patients out of their own pocket.
- For many, SCAM is a question of belief.
- SCAM is being promoted by VIPs and loved by journalists; one politician even sells his own brand of dietary supplements!
- In Austria, SCAM is heavily promoted by the Austrian Medical Association who currently runs courses and issues several SCAM diplomas.
The Austrian newspaper DER STANDARD then decided to interview me on these issues. The interview has been published today, and I thought I might take the liberty of translating the central part for you:
Q: In Austria, the Medical Association offers diplomas in various alternative methods. Why is this problematic?
A: I am aware of no less than 11 such diplomas offered by the Austrian Medical Association. While in England, France or Germany, for example, homeopathy has been considerably restricted by the medical profession due to the largely negative evidence, in Austria it continues to be promoted by the medical associations. This makes Austrian medicine the laughing stock of the rest of the world. More importantly, it violates the principles of evidence-based medicine. And even more importantly, it seems to me that the Austrian Medical Association is neglecting its ethical duty towards patients for purely pecuniary reasons.
Q: But the Medical Association is only complying with the regulations.
A: The Medical Association boasts that the quality of medical care and patient safety are at the centre of its work. In view of these diplomas, this mission almost sounds like a bad joke. They claim that the diplomas comply with the regulations. But firstly, this is a question of interpretation and secondly, regulations can – I would say must – be changed if they run counter to the quality of medical care. Finally, according to its own statements, the Association is obliged to adapt the Austrian healthcare system to changing conditions. This means nothing other than that it must take account of changing evidence – for example in the field of homeopathy.
Q: And what do the many doctors who use homeopathy say?
A: They often claim that they are only following the wishes of their patients when they prescribe homeopathic remedies. This may be true, but it is certainly not a valid argument. It ignores the fact that it is a doctor’s damned duty to provide patients with evidence-based information and to treat them accordingly. After all, medicine is not a supermarket where customers can simply choose whatever they happen to like.
It should also be emphasised that the practitioners of homeopathy also earn a good living from it. The fact that there is resistance from them when it comes to prioritising evidence rather than earnings in this area is thus hardly surprising.
But of course there are also a few doctors who use homeopathy primarily because they are fully convinced of its effectiveness. I think that these colleagues should consider self-critically whether they are not violating their ethical duty to be at the cutting edge of current knowledge and to act accordingly.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, my lecture prompted a lively discussion. Those doctors in the audience who spoke were unanimously in favour of my arguments. I was later told that many of those people who are responsible for the 11 diplomas were in the audience. Sadly, none of them felt like discussing any of the issues with me.
Perhaps the interview succeeds in starting a critical discussion about SCAM in Austria?
This pragmatic, randomised controlled trial was conducted between September 2018 and February 2021 and compared the difference between primary homoeopathic and conventional paediatric care in treating acute illnesses in children in their first 24 months of life. It was conducted at the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) Collaborative Outpatient Department of the Jeeyar Integrated Medical Services (JIMS) Hospital in Telangana, India, a tertiary-care hospital that provides integrated patient-centric care, using homoeopathy and Ayurveda alongside conventional medicine.
One hundred eight Indian singleton newborns delivered at 37 to 42 weeks gestation were randomised at birth (1:1) to receive either homoeopathic or conventional primary care for any acute illness over the study period. In the homoeopathic group, conventional medical treatment was added when medically indicated. Clinicians and parents were unblinded.
The study’s primary outcome was a comparison of the number of sick days due to an acute illness experienced during the first 24 months of life by children receiving homoeopathic vs. conventional treatment. Sick days were defined as days with any acute illness (febrile or afebrile) reported by the parent and confirmed by the physician. Febrile illness was recorded when body temperature, measured via the ear canal, exceeded 37.5 °C.
The secondary outcomes compared were as follows:
- The number of sickness episodes, defined as illness events (febrile or afebrile), reported by the parent and confirmed by the physician.
- Number of respiratory illness episodes and days during the 24 months. Respiratory illnesses included infections in any part of the respiratory tract (nose, middle ear, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, and lungs) .
- Number of diarrhoeal episodes and days during the 24 months. Diarrhoea was defined as three or more episodes of watery stool/day, with or without vomiting, with indications of dehydration, weight loss, or defective weight gain.
- Anthropometric data included weight (measured by electronic scales to the nearest 5 g), height (measured in triplicate to the nearest 0.2 cm using a rigid-length board), head circumference (HC), and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) (measured with a standard measuring tape to the nearest 0.2 cm every 3 months until the 24th month).
- Developmental status was evaluated according to the Developmental Assessment Scales for Indian Infants (DASII) every 6 months from the age of 6 to 24 months.
- Direct cost of treatment for illnesses during the 24 months, including cost of medications, inpatient admissions, investigations, supplements, and treatment outside the hospital facility or study site (consultation and/or medicines).
- Use of antibiotics during the 24 months, defined as the number of antibiotic episodes during the study.
- Mortality: death due to any acute illness episode.
The results show that children in the homoeopathic group experienced significantly fewer sick days than those in the conventional group (RR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.24-0.58; p < 0.001), with correspondingly fewer sickness episodes (RR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.32-0.87; p = .013), as well as fewer respiratory illnesses over the 24-month period. They were taller (F (1, 97) = 8.92, p = .004, partial eta squared = 0.84) but not heavier than their conventionally treated counterparts. They required fewer antibiotics, and their treatment cost was lower.
The authors concluded that homoeopathy, using conventional medicine as a safety backdrop, was more effective than conventional treatment in preventing sick days, sickness episodes, and respiratory illnesses in the first 24 months of life. It necessitated fewer antibiotics and its overall cost was lower. This study supports homoeopathy, using conventional medicine as a safety backdrop, as a safe and cost-effective primary care modality during the first 2 years of life.
Here we have another study designed in such a way that a positive result was inevitable. Both groups of children received the necessary conventional care and treatment. The verum group received homeopathy in addition. There were no placebo controls and everyone knew which child belonged to which group. Thus the verum group benefitted from a poweful placebo effect, while the control group experience disappointment over not receiving the extra attention and medication. One might argue that newborn babies cannot experience a placebo response nor disappointment. Yet, one would be wrong and in need of reading up about placebo effects by proxy.
A+B is always more than B alone
To boldy entitle the paper ‘Homoeopathy vs. conventional primary care in children during the first 24 months of life’ and state that the trial aimed to “compared the difference between primary homoeopathic and conventional paediatric care in treating acute illnesses in children in their first 24 months of life”, is as close to scientific misconduct as one can get, in my view!
Yet again, I might ask: what do we call a study that is designed in such a way that a positive result was inevitable?
- misleading?
- waste of resources?
- unethical?
- fraud?
And again, I let you decide.
PS
I feel disappointed that a decent journal published this paper without even a critical comment!
The objective of the present double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, feasibility trial was to identify the effects of individualized homeopathic medicinal products (IHMPs) against placebos in post-COVID-19 conditions. Sixty participants with post-COVID-19 conditions were randomised into either:
- group verum (n = 30; IHMPs plus concomitant care),
- group control (n = 30; placebos plus concomitant care).
Feasibility issues; primary—post-COVID-19 symptoms checklist; secondary—Measure Yourself Medical Outcomes Profile version 2 (MYMOP-2); all of them were measured at baseline, and monthly intervals, up to 3 months. The intention-to-treat sample was analyzed; group differences were reported using descriptive statistics: means, 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and between group effect sizes (Cohen’s d).
Feasibility concerns showed promise; recruitment, retention, and attrition rates were 34.2%, 95%, and 5%, respectively. Group differences in both primary and secondary outcomes favored IHMPs against placebos: symptoms checklist score mean difference after 3 months: −4.2, 95% CI −4.9 to −3.4, d = 2.854 and MYMOP-2 mean difference after 3 months: −2.2, 95% CI −2.8 to −1.7, d = 2.082, respectively. Natrum muriaticum (11.7%), Pulsatilla nigricans (10%), Rhus toxicodendron (8.3%), and Calcarea carbonica (8.3%) were the most frequently prescribed remedies.
The authors concluded that IHMPs produced better results than placebos in reducing symptoms checklist scores and MYMOP-2 scores in the treatment of post-COVID-19 conditions. Definitive trials are warranted to confirm the findings.
A feasibility study (the authors employ this term repeatedly) has – as I have often pointed out – the purpose of testing whether a trial disign, set-up, etc. is FEASIBLE. It is not meant to report other outcome data.
Why?
Mainly because such studies are far too underpowered for generating reliable results!
This means that the present findings can be ignored. They are most likely caused by chance.
Why are they published anyway, and why could the authors find a journal that goes along with such nonsense?
Are they too stupid or are they biased or both?
The nature of the journal might provide a hint for answering these questions (J Integr Complement Med), and so does the list of authors and their affiliations:
- 1Department of Organon of Medicine and Homoeopathic Philosophy, D. N. De Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Govt. of West Bengal, Kolkata, India.
- 2Department of Pathology and Microbiology, D. N. De Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital, Govt. of West Bengal, Kolkata, India.
- 3Department of Practice of Medicine, D. N. De Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Govt. of West Bengal, Kolkata, India.
- 4Department of Homeopathy, East Bishnupur State Homoeopathic Dispensary, Chandi Daulatabad Block Primary Health Centre, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of West, Kolkata, India.
- 5Department of Repertory, D. N. De Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Govt. of West Bengal, Kolkata, India.
- 6Department of Community Medicine, D. N. De Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Govt. of West Bengal, Kolkata, India.
I rest my case.
An article entitled “The use of ayurvedic medicine in the management of hypertension” was recently published in the ‘Journal of Ayurveda and Naturopathy’ (no, I did not know either that this journal existed). Here I show you merely its conclusion, but encourage you to read the entire paper.
Hypertension, a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, necessitates effective and sustainable management strategies. Ayurveda, with its holistic approach, offers a comprehensive framework for managing hypertension by addressing the underlying dosha imbalances through dietary and lifestyle modifications, herbal formulations, and therapeutic procedures. This review has highlighted the
efficacy of various Ayurvedic interventions, including the use of specific herbs like Ashwagandha, Arjuna, Brahmi, Gokshura, and Sarpagandha, which have demonstrated significant benefits in reducing blood pressure and improving overall health. Panchakarma therapies such as Virechana, Basti, Nasya, and Shirodhara have also been shown to detoxify the body, restore balance, and promote
long-term well-being.
Integrating Ayurvedic practices with modern medical approaches can enhance treatment outcomes, offering a more personalized and holistic approach to hypertension management. This synergy can potentially reduce the reliance on pharmaceuticals, minimize side effects, and improve patient compliance and quality of life. Future research should focus on rigorous clinical trials and the standardization of Ayurvedic formulations to further validate their efficacy and facilitate their integration into mainstream healthcare.
By embracing the principles of Ayurveda, individuals can achieve better control over hypertension, reduce the risk of associated complications, and enhance their overall health and well-being. This comprehensive approach not only addresses the symptoms but also tackles the root causes, promoting a sustainable and balanced lifestyle.
END OF QUOTE
Not only does the author, Dr. Zafar Siddiqa (from the Faculty of Natural Medicine and Holistic Sciences, Rajshahi Holistic Health College, Rajshahi, Bangladesh) re-write the current knowledge of hypertonology, he also provides no evidence for any of the far-reaching statements he makes in this paper. In particular, he cites no rigorous studies that “highlighted the efficacy of various Ayurvedic interventions” (most likely because such studies do not exist).
The autor is correct in the 1st sentence of his conclusion: “Hypertension, a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, necessitates effective and sustainable management strategies”. But he is wrong in almost everything else! Because hypertension is such an important risk factor for stroke and ischaemic heart disease, we MUST treat it effectively.
Today, we fortunately have many conventional treatments that control hypertension well and with no or just minimal adverse effects. Advocating quackary or unproven therapies for managing hypertension is thus deeply unethical. It could contribute to the premature deaths of millions. I thus fear that the ‘Faculty of Natural Medicine and Holistic Sciences, Rajshahi Holistic Health College’ is in urgent need of taking a few courses in proper science and medical ethics.
While the evidence base on web-based cancer misinformation continues to develop, relatively little is known about the extent of such information on the world’s largest e-commerce website, Amazon. Multiple media reports indicate that Amazon may host on its platform questionable cancer-related products for sale, such as books on purported cancer cures. This context suggests an urgent need to evaluate Amazon.com for cancer misinformation.
This study sought to
- (1) examine to what extent are misleading cancer cure books for sale on Amazon.com’
- (2) determine how cancer cure books on Amazon.com provide misleading cancer information.
The investigators searched “cancer cure” on Amazon.com and retrieved the top 1000 English-language book search results. They reviewed the books’ descriptions and titles to determine whether the books provided misleading cancer cure or treatment information. They considered a book to be misleading if it suggested scientifically unsupported cancer treatment approaches to cure or meaningfully treat cancer. Among books coded as misleading, they conducted an inductive latent thematic analysis to determine the informational value the books sought to offer.
Nearly half (494/1000, 49.4%) of the sampled “cancer cure” books for sale on Amazon.com appeared to contain misleading cancer treatment and cure information. Overall, 17 (51.5%) out of 33 Amazon.com results pages had 50% or more of the books coded as misleading. The first search result page had the highest percentage of misleading books (23/33, 69.7%). Misleading books (n=494) contained eight themes:
- (1) claims of efficacious cancer cure strategies (n=451, 91.3%),
- (2) oversimplifying cancer and cancer treatment (n=194, 39.3%),
- (3) falsely justifying ineffective treatments as science based (n=189, 38.3%),
- (4) discrediting conventional cancer treatments (n=169, 34.2%),
- (5) finding the true cause of cancer (n=133, 26.9%),
- (6) homogenizing cancer (n=132, 26.7%),
- (7) discovery of new cancer treatments (n=119, 24.1%),
- (8) cancer cure suppression (n=82, 16.6%).
The authors concluded that the results demonstrate that misleading cancer cure books are for sale, visible, and prevalent on Amazon.com, with prominence in initial search hits. These misleading books for sale on Amazon can be conceived of as forming part of a wider, cross-platform, web-based information environment in which misleading cancer cures are often given prominence. Our results suggest that greater enforcement is needed from Amazon and that cancer-focused organizations should engage in preemptive misinformation debunking.
This is an excellent paper that is long overdue. The plethora of dangerous books on so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) targeted at lay people is nothing short of a scandal. It was high time that we expose it, because it kills vulnerable patients. It is difficult, if not impossible, to quantify the damage done by such books but I am sure it runs in the thousands.
I have been aware of this scandal for a long time, in fact, it was the main motivation for publishing my own book on the subject. Obviously, it is not much more than a drop in the ocean.
Tragically, this scandal is not confined to just cancer. It relates to all potentially serious conditions. What could be more despicable and unethical than earning money through making desperately ill patients suffer? As the authors point out, Amazon urgently needs to address this problem. Failing this, Amazon should be legally held responsible, in my view.
So-called alternative medicine (SCAM) in the UK is subject to voluntary, publicly funded regulation. SCAM practitioners are known to make misleading health claims. This study used an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to measure the prevalence of such claims. Websites operated by practitioners of SCAM, registered with the UK ‘Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council’, were downloaded and assessed by the AI, which determined whether a website was relevant to the investigation and, if so, identified health-related claims that it judged as false or misleading, supplying a rationale.
Of 6096 registrants, 1326 met the selection criteria, of which 872 clinics had 725 relevant and operational websites. The AI assessed text from 11 771 web pages, identifying false or misleading claims in 704 (97%) of the websites. The AI’s performance was quality-assured by four human assessors, who manually reviewed 23 relevant web pages. Humans identified on average 39.5 claims likely to be judged false or misleading by advertising regulators, the AI identified 36. Humans misidentified an average of 4.8 claims, AI misidentified two.
The authors concluded that the overwhelming majority of practitioners registered with the CNHC who use pseudoscientific modalities are making false and/or misleading claims on their websites. This puts them in breach of their terms of registration. An AI tool can be used to monitor websites of practitioners promoting pseudoscientific modalities for breaches of compliance with regulators’ codes of conduct for advertising, and does so with a level of accuracy comparable with that of human assessors. It presents an opportunity for regulators to offer more effective consumer protection from their members’ online misinformation than at present.
The investigation was an unfunded project conducted entirely by volunteer scientists, motivated by the wish to protect consumers from health misinformation. The researchers acknowledge a grant of £550 from WePlanet to cover the cost of AI tokens used and thank University College London for paying the journal’s publication fee to enable the public to access their research.
The authors of this paper — emeritus professors David Colquhoun and Susan Bewley; retired clinical research consultant and HealthSense trustee Les Rose, and HealthSense newsletter editor Mandy Payne as well as IT scientist Simon Perry — feel that AI could be a game-changer in protecting the public by supporting regulators to quickly and cheaply clamp down on health misinformation so that the public can put their trust in the PSA Quality Mark logo displayed.
I congratulate the authors on their important study and hope they are correct – but I am not holding my breath.
