MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'badscience'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:28:28 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159031&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D4582%26utm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dapologists-for-andrew-wakefield-at-southampton-university-a-russell-group-university-teaching-some-dangerous-nonsense Conclusion Electrodermal testing cannot be used to diagnose environmental allergies", published in the BMJ .[download reprint]. In 2003 he published "A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled proving trial of Belladonna 30C” [download reprint] that showed homeopathic pills with no active ingredients had no effects: The conclusion was "”Ultramolecular homeopathy has no observable clinical effects" (the word ultramolecular, in this context, means that the belladonna pills contained no belladonna). In 2010 he again concluded that homeopathic pills were no more than placebos, as described in Despite the spin, Lewith’s paper surely signals the end of homeopathy (again). [download reprint] What i cannot understand is that, despite his own findings, his pri... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159031 Sun, 03 Jul 2011 17:10:30 +0100 5159031 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159032&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D4562%26utm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dhalf-baked-nonsense-in-the-atlantic Jump to follow-up Reply to David Katz. The Atlantic is an American magazine founded (as The Atlantic Monthly) in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It is a literary and cultural magazine with a very distinguished history. Its contributors include Mark Twain and Martin Luther King. So it was pretty exciting to be asked to write something for it, even with a 12 hour deadline. Sadly though, in recent years, the coverage of science in The Atlantic has been less than good The inimitable David Gorski has explained the problem in Blatant pro-alternative medicine propaganda in The Atlantic. The immediate cause of the kerfuffle was the publication of an article, The Triumph of New-Age Medicine. It was written by a journalist, David Freedman. It is very long and really not very good. It has been decon... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159032 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:38:18 +0100 5159032 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159036&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D4308%26utm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dthe-a-to-z-of-the-wellbeing-industry-from-angelic-reiki-to-patient-centred-care This is a slightly-modified version of the article that appeared in BMJ blogs yesterday, but with more links to original sources, and a picture. There are already some comments in the BMJ. The original article, diplomatically, did not link directly to UCL’s Grand Challenge of Human Wellbeing, a well-meaning initiative which, I suspect, will not prove to be value for money when it comes to practical action. Neither, when referring to the bad effects of disempowerment on human wellbeing (as elucidated by, among others, UCL’s Michael Marmot), did I mention the several ways in which staff have been disempowered and rendered voiceless at UCL during the last five years. Although these actions have undoubtedly had a bad effect on the wellbeing of UCL’s staff, it seemed a litlle... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159036 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 20:29:37 +0100 5159036 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159040&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D4188%26utm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dyet-more-dangerous-nonsense-inflicted-on-students-by-edinburgh-napier-university As promised in my last post about Edinburgh Napier University, I wrote to the vice-chancellor of the university, Professor Dame Joan K. Stringer DBE, BA (Hons) CertEd PhD CCMI FRSA FRSE, to invite her to respond. 7 February, 2011 Dear Professor Stringer, I should be grateful if you could let me know about your opinion of the degrees that you offer in Aromatherapy and Reflexology I have posted on my blog a bit of the material that was sent to me as result of recent FoI requests. See http://www.dcscience.net/?p=4049 I submit that degrees like this detract from the intellectual respectability of what is, not doubt, in other respects a good university, but since you are mentioned in the post, it’s only fair to give you the chance to defend yourself. In fact you’d be very welc... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159040 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:08:06 +0100 5159040 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4175702&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D3695 Conclusion. Homeopathic consultations but not homeopathic remedies are associated with clinically relevant benefits for patients with active but relatively stable RA. So yet another case where the homeopathic pills turn out the same as placebos, Hardly surprising since the pills are the same as the placebos, but it’s always good to hear it from someone whose private practice sells homeopathy for money. The conclusion isn’t actually very novel, because Fisher & Scott (2001) had already found nine years ago that homeopathy was ineffective in reducing the symptoms if joint inflammation in RA. That is Peter Fisher, the Queens’ homeopathic physician, and Clinical Director of the Royal Hospital for Integrated Medicine (recently renamed to remove ‘homeopathy’ fr... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4175702 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:58:30 +0100 4175702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4167972&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D3675 Jump to follow-up The mainstream media eventually catch up with bloggers. BBC1 TV (Wales) produced an excellent TV programme that exposed the enormous degree validation scam run by the University of Wales. It also exposed the uselessness of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). Both these things have been written about repeatedly here for some years. It was good to see them getting wider publicity. Watch the video of the BBC programme, "Week In Week Out – University Challenged." “The programme examines how pop stars and evangelical Christians are running colleges offering courses validated by the University of Wales.” (I make a brief appearance, talking about validation of degrees in Chinese Medicine). In October 2008 I posted Another worthless validation: the Un... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4167972 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:45:22 +0100 4167972 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4027166&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D3516 Conclusions: The daily supplementation of vitamins B12, B6, and folic acid does not benefit cognitive function in older men, nor does it reduce the risk of cognitive impairment or dementia.” Disgracefully, this paper has hardly been reported at all. It is an excellent example of how the public is misled because of the reluctance of the media to publish negative results. Sadly that reluctance is sometimes also shown by academic journals, but not in this case. Two things went wrong, The first was near-universal failure to evaluate critically the Smith et al paper. The second was to ignore the paper that measured what actually matters. It isn’t as though there wasn’t a bit of relevant history, Prof Smith was one of the scientific advisors for Patrick Holford’s Food for... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4027166 Sun, 03 Oct 2010 18:00:35 +0100 4027166 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3983401&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D3486 Steve Jones, UCL’s star geneticist, has been commissioned by the BBC Trust to write a report on the impartiality of science journalism on the BBC.  It covers both TV and radio, and all channels. Current programmes can be found by the BBC Science home page. It is not uncommon for bloggers to be critical of science reporting in the mainstream media. Now is our chance to do something constructive about it.     If you have opinions about this, please leave them in the comments here, and/or email them to trust.science@bbc.co.uk Here are some of my own opinions, to get things going.  Many programmes I haven’t seen, particularly on radio, so my selection may not be representative, but it is wide enough to include examples that are superb and examples of... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3983401 Sun, 19 Sep 2010 16:46:00 +0100 3983401 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3942797&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D3423 Conclusion At the moment, it appears that the renaming of the RLHH is empty re-branding. No doubt UCLH Trust see homeopathy as something that brings shame on a modern medical service. But to remove the name while retaining the nonsense is simply dishonest. Let’s hope that the name change will be followed by real changes in the sort of medicine practised, Changes to real medicine, one hopes. Other blogs on this topic Gimpyblog was first, with Farewell to the RLHH, hello to the RLHIM Quackometer posted An Obituary: Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, 1849-2010 Follow-up (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3942797 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:01:34 +0100 3942797 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3911707&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D3385 Systems biology is all the rage, No surprise then, to see the University of Westminster advertising a job for a systems biologist in the The Department of Molecular and Applied Biosciences. Well, no surprise there -until you read the small print. Much has been wriiten here about the University of Westminster, which remains the biggest provider of junk sciencne degrees in the UK, despite having closed two of them. Senior Lecturer in Systems Biology University of Westminster – Department of Molecular and Applied Biosciences, School of Life Sciences Cavendish Site Salary £37,886 – £50,751 (Inc. LWA) The Department of Molecular and Applied Biosciences wishes to appoint a Senior Lecturer in Systems Biology. The post-holder will teach on the undergraduate and pos... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3911707 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:52:20 +0100 3911707 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3599434&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D3095 Conclusion Holism in medicine is an open ended and exquisitely complex understanding of human biology that over time has lead to spectacular improvements in the length and quality of life of patients with cancer. This approach encourages us to consider the transcendental as much as the cell and molecular biology of the human organism. Alternative versions of “holistic medicine” that offer claims of miracle cures for cancer by impossible dietary regimens, homeopathy or metaphysical manipulation of non-existent energy fields, are cruel and fraudulent acts that deserve to be criminalized. Such “alternative” versions of holism are arid and closed belief systems, locked in a time warp, incapable of making progress yet quick to deny progress in the field of scientific medicine. Fo... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3599434 Tue, 25 May 2010 21:16:07 +0100 3599434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3460167&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2923 There is something very offensive about the idea that a ‘bachelor of science’ degree can be awarded by a university, as a prize for memorising gobbledygook. Once the contents of the ‘degrees’ has been exposed to public ridicule, many universities have stopped doing it. All (or nearly all) of these pseudo-degrees have closed at the University of Salford, the University of Central Lancashire, Robert Gordon University, the University of Buckingham, and even at the University of Westminster (the worst offender), one course has closed (with rumours of more to follow). I’ve already written about the course in Traditional Chinese Medicine at the University of Salford (Chinese medicine -acupuncture gobbledygook revealed) and at the University of Westminster: see... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3460167 Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:51:20 +0100 3460167 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3246886&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2Fnewsjack-bbc7-040210.mp3 Jump to follow-up I don’t know about you, but I’m bored stiff with homeopathy. There are a lot more important things. Nevertheless, it remains a gross insult to reason, and there has been such enormous success in combating it over the last five years so, this is not the moment to stop. Hats off to the Merseyside Skeptics Society. I admit that when I first heard about the 10:23 campaign, it seemed to be a bit of a gimmick, but in fact it turned out to be an enormous success., not just in the UK but also in Canada, Australia and New Zealand The campaign was focussed on Boots, the UK’s biggest pharmacy chain, In particular the fact that Boots sell homeopathic pills. and regularly gives appallingly bad advice about all forms of quackery that they stock. I&#82... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3246886 Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:31:28 +0100 3246886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3178780&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2Flondon-news-220307_NEW.wmv This article was meant to celebrate their collective efforts and to celebrate the fact that those efforts are beginning to percolate upwards to influence the powers that be. It seems invidious to pick on one example, but if you want an example of beautiful and trenchant writing on one of the topics dealt with here, you’d be better off reading Andrew Lewis’s piece "Meddling Princes, Medical Regulation and Licenses to Kill” than anything in a print journal. I was a bit disappointed by removal of the comment about the Prince of Wales.  In fact I’m not particularly republican compared with many of my friends.  The royal family is clearly good for the tourist industry and that’s important.  Since Mrs Thatcher (and her successors) destroyed larg... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3178780 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:01:58 +0100 3178780 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3071160&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2485 Conclusion 62 It is for these reasons that we uphold the Decision Notice. We record our gratitude for the helpful and succinct submissions of counsel on both sides and the incisive contribution of Professor Colquhoun. We wish to add that, whilst we have not accepted the great majority of the arguments advanced by UCLAN, we do not in any way seek to cast doubt on the veracity of the evidence of its witnesses, nor the honesty and loyalty with which they have sought to serve its interests. 63 Our decision is unanimous. Signed David Farrar Q.C.   Watch this space to see what can now be revealed. Follow-up (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3071160 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:34:49 +0100 3071160 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823996&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2262 Conclusions: SMT is unlikely to result in relevant early pain reduction in patients with acute low back pain." Admittedly, the trial was quite small (104 patients, 52 in each group) so it will need to be confirmed. but the result is entirely in line with what we knew already. It also adds to the evidence that the recommendation by NICE of SMT by chiropractors constitutes their biggest failure ever to assess evidence properly. If NICE don’t amend this advice soon, they are in danger of damaging their hitherto excellent record. Despite the moderate tone and accuracy of what Holt said on TV, the New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association made a formal complaint. That is what they like to do, as I learned recently, to my cost. It is so much easier than producing evidence. Quite ... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823996 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:00:21 +0100 2823996 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2790270&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2222 In July 2008 I wrote an editorial in the New Zealand Medical Journal (NZMJ), at the request of its editor. The title was  Dr Who? deception by chiropractors.  It was not very flattering and it resulted in a letter from lawyers representing the New Zealand Chiropractic Association.  Luckily the editor of the NZMJ, Frank Frizelle, is a man of principle, and the legal action was averted. It also resulted in some interesting discussions with disillusioned chiropractors that confirmed one’s worst fears.  Not to mention revealing the internecine warfare between one chiropractor and another. This all occurred before the British Chiropractic Association sued Simon Singh for defamation.  The strength of the reaction to that foolhardy action now has chiropractors wond... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2790270 Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:00:43 +0100 2790270 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2649004&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1980 Jump to follow-up Today, 29 July 2009, a large number of magazines and blogs will publish simultaneously Simon Singh’s article. The Guardian was forced to withdraw it, but what he said must be heard (even if the word ‘bogus’ is now missing). This is an edited version if the article in the Guardian that resulted in the decision of the British Chiropractic Association to sue Singh for libel. That decision was bad for Singh, though its effects could yet be good for the rest of the world, Firstly the decision to use law rather than rational argument stands a good chance of destroying chiropractic entirely because its claims have now come under scrutiny as never before, and they have been found wanting. Secondly, the support for Singh has been so enormous that there must now b... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2649004 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:01:55 +0100 2649004 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441449&cid=t_105140_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1542 Conclusions Relative to “best care” in general practice, manipulation followed by exercise achieved a moderate benefit at three months and a small benefit at 12 months; spinal manipulation achieved a small to moderate benefit at three months and a small benefit at 12 months; and exercise achieved a small benefit at three months but not 12 months. In other words, none of them worked very well. The paper failed to distinguish between manipulation by physiotherapists, chiropractors and osteopaths and so missed a valuable chance to find out whether there is an advantage to employing people from alternative medicine (the very problem that this NICE guidance should have dealt with) Steve Vogel, another member of the guidance development group, is an osteopath. Osteopathy has cast off it... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441449 Fri, 29 May 2009 18:09:14 +0100 2441449 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441450&cid=t_105140_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1516 First the MHRA lets down the public by allowing deceptive labelling of sugar pills (see here, and this this blog). Now it is the turn of NICE to betray its own principles. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) describes its job thus “NICE is an independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health.” Its Guidance document on Low Back Pain will be published on Wednesday 27 May 2009, but the newspapers have already started to comment, presumably on the assumption that it will have changed little from the Draft Guidance of September 2008. These comments may have to be changed as soon as the final version becomes available. The draft guidance, though mostly sensible, has two re... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441450 Mon, 25 May 2009 15:24:25 +0100 2441450 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2365006&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1372 Jump to follow-up It seems that bits of good news don’t come singly. First honours degrees in acupuncture vanish, Now a big chain of shops selling Chinese herbs and acupuncture has gone into administration. It seems that, at last, people are getting fed up with being conned out of their hard-earned money Herbmedic Barking A local [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2365006 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:37:52 +0100 2365006 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2308084&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1329 In March 2007 I wrote a piece in Nature on Science degrees without the science.  At that time there were five “BSc” degrees in homeopathy. A couple of weeks ago I checked the UCAS site for start in 2009, and found there was only one full “BSc (hons)” left and that was at Westminster University. Today [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2308084 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:12:35 +0100 2308084 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414826&cid=t_105140_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1284 The Health Professions Council (HPC) is yet another regulatory quango. The HPC’s strapline is “Working with health professionals to protect the public” At present the HPC regulates; Arts therapists, biomedical scientists, chiropodists/podiatrists, clinical scientists, dietitians, occupational therapists, operating department practitioners, orthoptists, paramedics, physiotherapists, prosthetists/orthotists, radiographers and speech & language therapists. These are thirteen very respectable jobs. With the possible exception of art therapists, nobody would doubt for a moment that they are scientific jobs, based on evidence. Dietitians, for example, are the real experts on nutrition (in contrast to “nutritional therapists” and the like, who are part of... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414826 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:18:12 +0100 2414826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2217362&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1196 Recently I wrote a piece for the National Health Executive (”the Independent Journal for Senior Health Service Managers”), with the title Medicines that contain no medicine and other follies. In the interests of what journalists call balance (but might better be called equal time for the Flat Earth Society), an article appeared straight after mine, [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2217362 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:36:36 +0100 2217362 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414828&cid=t_105140_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1191 BSc courses in homeopathy are closing. Is it a victory for campaigners, or just the end of the Blair/Bush era? The Guardian carries a nice article by Anthea Lipsett, The Opposite of Science (or download pdf of print version). Dr Peter Davies, dean of Westminster’s school of integrated health, says “he welcomes the debate but it isn’t as open as he would like.” Well you can say that again. The University of Westminster has refused to send me anything much, and has used flimsy excuses to avoid complying with the Freedom of Information Act. Nevertheless a great deal has leaked out. Not just amethysts emit hig Yin energy, but a whole lot more (watch this space). Given what is already in the public, arena, how can they possibly say things like this? “Those t... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414828 Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:27:51 +0100 2414828 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2201499&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1153 From time to time, Private Eye Magazine takes a look at university vice-chancellors (aka presidents/rectors/principals) in its High Principals column. The current issue (No, 1239, 20, Feb - 5 Mar, 2009) features Professor Geoffrey Petts, vice-chancellor of the University of Westminster, Well well. Who’d have thought such things were possible? Follow-up (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2201499 Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:32:34 +0100 2201499 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2168215&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1061 Jump to follow-up I’m a bit late on this one, but better late than never. The opinionated and ill-informed actress turned talk show host, Jeni Barnett, spent an hour or so endangering your children (and hers) with what most surely be one of the worst ever accounts of measles vaccination. The chart shows the result of the activities [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2168215 Sun, 08 Feb 2009 16:09:23 +0100 2168215 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2135025&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D920 Jump to follow-up It’s only a matter of weeks since a lot of young scientists produced a rather fine pamphlet pointing out that the “detox” industry is simply fraud.  They concluded “There is little or no proof that these products work, except to part people from their cash.” With impeccable timing, Duchy Originals has just launched a “detox” [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2135025 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:15:19 +0100 2135025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2110586&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F2009%2F01%2Fdrink-coffee-see-dead-people%2F The Guardian, Saturday January 17 2009 Ben Goldacre “Danger from just 7 cups of coffee a day” said the Express on Wednesday. “Too much coffee can make you hallucinate and sense dead people say sleep experts. The equivalent of just seven cups of instant coffee a day is enough to trigger the weird responses.” The story appeared in [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2110586 Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:58:55 +0100 2110586 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2081469&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D766 Sense about Science have just produced a rather good pamphlet that exposes, yet again. the meaningless marketing slogan “detox”.  You can download the pamphlet from their web site. The pamphlet goes through the claims of eleven products.  Needless to say, the claims are either meaningless, or simply untrue. Garnier Clean Detox Anti-Dullness Foaming Gel “Detoxifies by cleansing the [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2081469 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:55:35 +0100 2081469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1996245&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F2008%2F11%2Fscientific-proof-that-we-live-in-a-warmer-and-more-caring-universe%2F Ben Goldacre The Guardian Saturday November 29 2008 As usual, it’s not Watergate, it’s just slightly irritating. “Down’s births increase in a caring Britain”, said the Times: “More babies are being born with Down’s syndrome as parents feel increasingly that society is a more welcoming place for children with the condition.” That’s beautiful. “More mothers are choosing to [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1996245 Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:56:12 +0100 1996245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1947844&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D351 Today brings a small setback for those  of us interested in spreading sensible ideas about science.  According to a press release “The BMJ Group is to begin publishing a medical journal on acupuncture from next year, it was announced today (Tuesday 11 November 2008). This will be the first complementary medicine title that the BMJ Group has [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947844 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:57:50 +0100 1947844 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1933497&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D282 Jump to the homeopathy debate Obama wins! Bush and Blair have gone. Could this mark the beginning of the end of the fashion for believing things that aren’t true? Trinity College Dublin: the Phil. “Creationism is a valid world view” This is the 324th year of the Trinity College Philosophical Society (known locally as the ‘Phil’).  Its [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933497 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 10:25:29 +0100 1933497 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1908727&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F2008%2F10%2Flisten-carefully-i-shall-say-this-only-once%2F Ben Goldacre The Guardian, Saturday October 25 2008 Welcome to nerds’ corner, and yet another small print criticism of a trivial act of borderline dubiousness which will ultimately lead to distorted evidence, irrational decisions, and bad outcomes in what I like to call “the real world”. So the ClinPsyc blog (clinpsyc.blogspot.com ) has spotted that the drug company Lilly [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1908727 Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:15:36 +0100 1908727 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1876630&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D259 It seems that validation committees often don’t look beyond the official documents. As a result, the validations may not be worth the paper they are written on. Try this one. One of the best bits of news recently was the downfall of Matthias Rath.  He’s the man who peddled vitamin pills for AIDS in Africa, and encouraged [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1876630 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:07:27 +0100 1876630 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1868521&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F2008%2F10%2Fhow-to-get-free-publicity-in-150-newspapers%2F Ben Goldacre The Guardian, Saturday October 11 2008 “Lloydspharmacy”, as Lloyds Pharmacy insist on being called, are trying to flog Carbon monoxide detectors (for only £12.99). It’s a noble calling, so they decided to follow industry protocol for getting their product and brand into the media: produce a misleading set of superficially plausible survey figures, massaging our prejudices, [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1868521 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 08:12:22 +0100 1868521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1837786&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D257 Jump to follow-up Alfred Joseph Clark FRS held the established chair of Pharmacology at UCL from 1919 to 1926, when he left for Edinburgh.  As well as his classic scientific works, like The Mode of Action of Drugs on Cells (1933) he also felt strongly about the fraud perpetrated on the public by patent medicine salesmen.  [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1837786 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:12:11 +0100 1837786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1790645&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D256 Today is a good day for anyone who deplores dangerous confidence tricksters. In particular it is a good day for Ben Goldacre, and for the Guardian who defended him at potentially enormous expense. Matthias Rath, the Dutch (or is it German) vitamin salesman has dropped his libel action against the  Guardian. He is the man [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1790645 Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:52:22 +0100 1790645 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1783155&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D254 There have been some really excellent books about quackery this year.  This isn’t one of them. Nice dedication uh? It is about a lot more than quackery  It is about the scientific method in general. and in particular about how often it is misunderstood by journalists.  Abuse of evidence by the pharmaceutical industry is treated just as [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1783155 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:15:43 +0100 1783155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1764447&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D253 The publication of Gilbey’s paper and my editorial in the New Zealand Medical Journal (NZMJ) led to a threat of legal action by the NZ Chiropractors’ Association Inc for alleged defamation.  After publishing a defiant editorial, the editor of the NZMJ offered chiropractors the chance to put their case. In the last issue of NZMJ [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1764447 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:11:54 +0100 1764447 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1742699&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F2008%2F08%2Fthe-medias-mmr-hoax%2F Ben Goldacre The Guardian Saturday August 30 2008 Dr Andrew Wakefield is in front of the General Medical Council on charges of serious professional misconduct, his paper on 12 children with autism and bowel problems is described as “debunked” - although it never supported the conclusions ascribed to it - and journalists have convinced themselves that his £435,643 [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1742699 Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:06:44 +0100 1742699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1734446&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D249 Jump to follow-up The first major victory in the battle for the integrity of universities seems to have been won. This email was sent by Kate Chatfield who is module leader for the “BSc” in homeopathic medicine at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN). from Kate Chatfield… Dear All, It’s a sad day for us here at UCLan [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1734446 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:20:16 +0100 1734446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1720678&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D248 On 18th August I was surprised and delighted to get a letter from a young man who qualified at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic. His experiences in many ways justified what I said in my editorial, Dr Who?,, and in some cases went further. His inside knowledge is precisely what is needed. It will be [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1720678 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:24:33 +0100 1720678 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1717883&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D247 My original piece on Integrative Baloney@Yale was posted on May 16th, after I got back from a visit there. The talk I gave there included a short video. My movie, Integrative baloney@Yale, was made entirely from clips taken from Yale’s own YouTube movies which showed something approaching three hours of its “1st [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1717883 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:11:16 +0100 1717883 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1692125&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F2008%2F08%2Fbill-nelson-wins-the-internet%2F Ben Goldacre The Guardian, Saturday August 9 2008 Silly season is in full swing. At the Telegraph, their correspondent has gone for a bioenergetic health audit. “The resident homoeopath, Katie Jermine, quizzed me about my diet, stress levels and lifestyle. She then strapped on a wristband and plugged me into an electronic device called the Quantum QXCI, [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1692125 Sat, 09 Aug 2008 08:08:49 +0100 1692125 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1692518&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D243 Samuel Hahnemann (1755 - 1843) was the originator of homeopathy. He was clearly a well-intentioned man.. There is good reason to believe that he thought dilution could not go on for ever, but he died 22 years before it became possible to calculate that his favourite 30C dilution already contained nothing at all. The [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1692518 Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:01:14 +0100 1692518 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1655851&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D241 The article below is an editorial that I was asked to write for the New Zealand Medical Journal, as a comment on article in today’s edition about the misuse of the title ‘doctor’ by chiropractors. Titles are not the only form of deception used by chiropractors, so the article looks at some of [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1655851 Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:00:31 +0100 1655851 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1639024&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F2008%2F07%2Fyou-are-hereby-sentenced-eternally-to-wander-the-newspapers-fruitlessly-mocking-nutriwoo%2F The newspapers are so profoundly overrun with pseudoscience about food that there’s no point in documenting it any longer. They will continue with their Sisyphean task of dividing all the inanimate objects in the world into the ones that either cause or cure cancer, and I will sit at the sidelines, making that joke over [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1639024 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:43:04 +0100 1639024 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1561528&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D239 During the last year, there has been a very welcome flurry of good and informative books about alternative medicine. They are all written in a style that requires little scientific background, even the one that is intended for medical students. CAM, Cumming | Trick or Treatment | Snake Oil Science | Testing treatments [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1561528 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:47:08 +0100 1561528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1532074&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D235 A report has appeared on Regulation of Practitioners of Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine. The report is written by people all of whom have vested interests in spreading quackery. It shows an execrable ability to assess evidence, and it advocates degrees in antiscience It would fail any examination. Sorry, Prof Pittilo, [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1532074 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:05:15 +0100 1532074 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1494744&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D233 We have often had cause to criticise Boots Alliance, the biggest retail pharmacist in the UK, because of its deeply unethical approach to junk medicine. Click here to read the shameful litany. The problem of Boots was raised recently also by Edzard Ernst at the Hay [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1494744 Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:35:46 +0100 1494744 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1446635&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D231 The extent to which irrationality has become established in US Medicine is truly alarming I wrote about Quakademics in the USA and Canada on my last trip to the USA, and on my May trip I visited Yale, where I decided to try a full [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1446635 Fri, 16 May 2008 15:15:37 +0100 1446635 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1446636&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D232 After writing the recent post Boots reaches new level of dishonesty with CoQ10 promotion, I sent a complaint about the dishonesty of the advertisements to the Advertising Standards Authority. I got a surprsingly fast response. On April 22 I got “it appears you have a valid point and, with a view to acting quickly, have [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1446636 Wed, 14 May 2008 12:11:55 +0100 1446636 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1433722&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D683 Note: The Guardian accidentally edited this column such that the last paragraph contained an untrue statement. I have emailed the readers editor for a correction. Ben Goldacre The Guardian, Saturday May 10 2008 So basically I sit here with a big bag of standard tools from the world of evidence, and wait for stories to come along which allow [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1433722 Sat, 10 May 2008 00:57:46 +0100 1433722 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1394104&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D227 Times Higher Education has published a league table showing that the University of Westminster is head of the league table for the number of courses in quackery. With fine timing, I just acquired the slides for their lecture on "vibrational medicine". See a selection of them. It seems that Amethyst; the 'Transmutator' . . .emits high Yin energy so transmuting lower energies and clearing and aligning energy disturbances . . .". This is part of a vocational "Bachelor of Science" degree. It is beyond parody. You couldn't make it up. (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1394104 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:16:15 +0100 1394104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1387089&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D228 This blog, along with many others, has had plenty to say about the Prince of Wales’ unconstitutional meddling in public affairs. The lovely description, Quacktitioner Royal, was coined by NHS Blog doctor. The Times published a letter from Edzard Ernst and Simon Singh on April 16th. In their forthcoming book, Trick or Treatment? Alternative [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1387089 Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:47:42 +0100 1387089 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1367903&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D656 Ben Goldacre The Guardian Saturday 12th April, 2008 If you put aside the fact that most of the people who campaign against food additives should be taken out and shot for crimes against the enlightenment, even a stopped clock shows the right time twice a day, and the evidence overall genuinely shows that some food additives probably aren’t [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1367903 Sat, 12 Apr 2008 02:55:50 +0100 1367903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1362540&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D226 This is a fuller version, with links, of the comment piece published in Times Higher Education on 10 April 2008. If you still have any doubt about the problems of directed research, look at the trenchant editorial in Nature (3 April, 2008. Look also at the editorial in Science by Bruce [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1362540 Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:50:02 +0100 1362540 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1329315&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D224 In a wonderful demonstration of common sense, the BBC has removed all the alternative medicine pages from BBC Health web site. I expect that it was helped in making that decision by the many complaints it had received about statements on these pages that were simply not true, The existence of these pages [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1329315 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:36:12 +0100 1329315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1327536&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35109&url=http%3A%2F%2Fleftbrainrightbrain.co.uk%2F%3Fp%3D755 I read with interest Dr Schuchat’s opinion piece in the AJC today. Whilst it is gratifying to see someone of Dr Schuchat’s calibre responding to previous claims regarding vaccines in autism I would like to make a few points to Dr Schuchat and the CDC in general. Firstly, this level of response is around eight years too late. What have you been doing on the media/PR front over the last eight years? I’ll tell you what your ‘opponents’ have been doing – they’ve been conducting protests outside your offices, outside the offices of the AAP etc. They’ve been setting up and organising vaccine/autism groups and heavily marketing them via the use of organic and paid for web based advertising. The only people who have made any kind of attempt to ... Left Brain/Right Brain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1327536 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:41:52 +0100 1327536 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1314070&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D634 You will remember Nadine Dorries MP, anti-abortion campaigner. She was heavily involved in promoting those dubious pre-term survival figures which were presented to the Science and Technology Select Committe enquiry, an (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1314070 Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:15:06 +0100 1314070 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1300847&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D223 Boots the Chemists have proved themselves dishonest before, over their promotion of homeopathy and of B Vitamins “for vitality” In a press release dated 12 March 2008, they have hit a new low in ethical standards Boots help boost the nation’s energy levels in just one week “Health and beauty expert Boots has launched an exclusive energising vitamin [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1300847 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:01:20 +0100 1300847 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1288700&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D221 We are all interested in the relationship between our health and what we eat. What a pity that so little is known about it. The problem, of course, is that it almost impossible to do randomised experiments, and quite impossible in most cases to make the experiments blind. Without randomisation there is no [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1288700 Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:38:24 +0100 1288700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1250216&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35109&url=http%3A%2F%2Fleftbrainrightbrain.co.uk%2F%3Fp%3D728 A new study on autism and mercury has been published: Autism is a highly heritable disorder, however, there is mounting evidence to suggest that toxicant-induced oxidative stress may play a role. The focus of this article will be to review our animal model of autism and discuss our evidence that oxidative stress may be a common underlying mechanism of neurodevelopmental damage. We have shown that mice exposed to either methylmercury (MeHg) or valproic acid (VPA) in early postnatal life display aberrant social, cognitive and motor behavior. Some people have reported on this study thusly: New Study Implicates Mercury In The Development Of Autism Um, right. These same people, well known for their anti-vaccine beliefs, fail to note anywhere that this study says: ...., it is import... Left Brain/Right Brain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1250216 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:09:16 +0100 1250216 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1245126&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35109&url=http%3A%2F%2Fleftbrainrightbrain.co.uk%2F%3Fp%3D724 This is a Guest Blogged post, written by an author with a keen interest in Wakefield related issues. My gratitude to Nigel for writing the post which follows. Wakefield and his colleagues were fast off the mark (http://www.thoughtfulhouse.org/pr/020608.htm) to criticise the study by Baird et al which recently appeared in Archives of Disease in Childhood. This was a well conducted study which failed to detect measles virus (MV) or elevated measles antibodies in the blood of autistic children. There is a general feeling that even if the almighty Jehovah himself, collaborating with the top researchers at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Yale, and with an advisory board of all recent Nobel laureates in medicine, produced a negative study on measles virus in autistic childre... Left Brain/Right Brain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1245126 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:51:19 +0100 1245126 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1238198&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35109&url=http%3A%2F%2Fleftbrainrightbrain.co.uk%2F%3Fp%3D719 As part of the welcome addressing of the needs and concerns of the real autism and autistic community in regards to science and as part of their efforts to address the pseudo-science and quackery of the anti-vaccine agenda of groups such as Generation Rescue et al, the AAP are looking for rational parents to help them. I will certainly be offering my details should they be of service and I would urge any parent of an autistic child who is sick of hearing the unscientific and self serving agenda of such groups – groups who not only belittle autistic people but also gladly and readily place the health and well being of others at risk for absolutely no purpose to contact the AAP to offer their details also. If you wish me to pass on your details, please either leave your name and emai... Left Brain/Right Brain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1238198 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:21:55 +0100 1238198 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1238293&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D219 This is the third post based on a recent trip to North America (here are the first and second) One aspect of the endarkenment, the Wal-Mart model of a university, is very much the same in the US as in the UK. At one US university, an excellent scientist offered the theory that an alien spacecraft [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1238293 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:36:35 +0100 1238293 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1236241&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35109&url=http%3A%2F%2Fleftbrainrightbrain.co.uk%2F%3Fp%3D717 This blog post will be edited further. The information implicating JB Handley and Gilchrist & Soames in Aug 2007 was innacurrate and has therefore been removed. Further information on JB’s business practices (entirely unrelated to Gilchrist and Soames) will be posted shortly. (Source: Left Brain/Right Brain) Left Brain/Right Brain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1236241 Sat, 16 Feb 2008 07:47:04 +0100 1236241 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1233282&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35109&url=http%3A%2F%2Fleftbrainrightbrain.co.uk%2F%3Fp%3D715 During WWII a number of German doctors conducted painful and often deadly experiments on thousands of concentration and death camp prisoners without their consent. ........ The second category of experimentation was aimed at developing and testing pharmaceuticals and treatment methods…. Source Its always a dangerous thing to invoke the spectre of the Nazi’s. There is a profound risk of undermining or belittling the full horror of what happened in Europe during the second world war. I hope I don’t do that. However, there are times that I simply know of no other way to illustrate the sort of things that one is sent from the various extreme biomed groups that exist on Yahoo and elsewhere. Who can forget Christine Heeren’s poor son being chelated with garli... Left Brain/Right Brain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1233282 Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:53:26 +0100 1233282 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1231889&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35109&url=http%3A%2F%2Fleftbrainrightbrain.co.uk%2F%3Fp%3D714 This study looked to see if there was any evidence of measles-virus in the blood of these kids. There wasn’t. They looked to see if any of the autistic kids had evidence of gastric issues over and above the average. They didn’t. But Wakers thinks this isn’t good enough. The study is severely limited by case definition in the context of the crucial ‘possible enterocolitis’ group…..........We have over the last 10 years evaluated several thousand children on the autistic spectrum who have significant gastrointestinal symptoms. Upper and lower endoscopy and surgical histology have identified mucosal inflammation in excess of 80% of these children. Almost none of these children with biopsy-proven enterocolitis would fit the criteria set out above….... Left Brain/Right Brain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1231889 Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:15:54 +0100 1231889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1218443&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpodcast.cbc.ca%2Fmp3%2Fsundayedition_20080204_4624.mp3 Thursday 24 Jan. The original reason for going to North America was an invitation from the Toronto Secular Alliance and Center for Inquiry. The talk for them was given a lot of publicity, for example here and here and from the totally admirable Orac. Toronto seems to be no worse than anywhere else when it [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1218443 Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:07:16 +0100 1218443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1220900&cid=t_105140_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D218 A great deal has been written about media ‘nutritionist’, Patrick Holford. He’s the chap who thinks that chromium and cinnamon can treat diabetes (watch the video), among other odd beliefs. For all the details, check badscience.net, holfordwatch and here. For a quick symopsis, look at Holfordmyths.org. Patrick Holford and Drew Fobbester are joint researchers and [...] (Source: DC's Improbable Science) DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1220900 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:41:39 +0100 1220900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1198714&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35109&url=http%3A%2F%2Fleftbrainrightbrain.co.uk%2F%3Fp%3D703 Mark Blaxill, the token man of the mercury moms at SafeMinds, has written a lip-trembling post over on Age of Autism about how mean bloggers can be. Lets have a bit of fun with it shall we? The rapid evolution of the Internet has created a host of fascinating, exhilarating and occasionally despicable new things. The Age of Autism is a blog and we’re proud to be a part of a new phenomenon called the blogosphere…...But as one might expect with any new form of cultural expression, there’s a bizarre variant of the blogosphere out there. It’s a strange hybrid: it looks like a regular low end blog, based almost entirely on opinion, a dressed up version of the typical online discussion groups and chat rooms….In a disturbing way, this new hybrid has found its way in... Left Brain/Right Brain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1198714 Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:55:16 +0100 1198714 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1197585&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D216 This is the first of a several posts that have arisen from a visit to North America. One thing that the trip led to was an interest in how HR departments influence science -if you have a story about that, please email me. Following the media publicity that surrounded the lecture in Toronto, I [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1197585 Sun, 03 Feb 2008 05:12:43 +0100 1197585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1195846&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D610 There are no difficult ideas in this column. Like, for example, when I tell you about the Daily Telegraph front page headline which says “Abuse of cannabis puts 500 a week in hospital”, and it turns out they’re actually quoting a figure from a report on the number of people having contact with any drug [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1195846 Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:14:44 +0100 1195846 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1192865&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35109&url=http%3A%2F%2Fleftbrainrightbrain.co.uk%2F%3Fp%3D701 This is a Guest Blogged piece written by new bloggers from Hollywood Spectrum. For those who don’t know (I wish I were one of you), there is a TV show about to premiere called "Eli Stone". It was likely going to be a pretty run-of-the-mill premiere. Possibly, it was going to be a total non event.But, the plot includes autism. Not only does it include autism, but it involves a lawyer doing what has never happened in real life-he win’s a case about how mercury in vaccines caused autism in a child. This led to a number of news stories, internet discussions and blog posts.Well, after the initial press on this, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) sent a letter to ABC/Disney asking them to pull the show since it could erode confidence in vaccines.  Somehow this ... Left Brain/Right Brain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1192865 Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:22:51 +0100 1192865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1142877&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D215 As I have often said, you don’t need to be a scientist to see that most alternative medicine is bunk, though it is bunk that is supported and propagated by an enormously wealthy industry.. There were two good examples this week, John Sutherland, who was until recently professor of English literature at UCL, understands it very [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1142877 Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:24:23 +0100 1142877 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1122598&cid=t_105140_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D213 Happy new year. not least to the folks at the homeopathy4health site .  They are jubilant about a “proof” that homeopathic dilutions could produce effects. albeit only on wheat seedlings. But guess what? After some questioning it was found that they hadn’t actually read the paper. Well I have read it, and this is the [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1122598 Mon, 31 Dec 2007 11:21:40 +0100 1122598 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1084177&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D598 Ben Goldacre The Guardian, Saturday December 8 2007 The Daily Mail, as you know, is engaged in a philosophical project of mythic proportions: for many years now it has diligently been sifting through all the inanimate objects in the world, soberly dividing them into the ones which either cause - or cure - cancer. The only tragedy is [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1084177 Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:26:02 +0100 1084177 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1070187&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F2007%2F12%2Fthe-decision-hedgehog%2F I’m honestly not wanting to be mean here. Seriously, I’m sure there’s value in this paper: “The Decision Hedgehog - Enhancing Contextual Knowledge For Group Decision Authoring And Communication Support” But I just can’t help daydreaming about the bit in the seminar where the audience start thinking, you know, I could see where you were going with [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1070187 Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:46:53 +0100 1070187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=982522&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D557 Ben Goldacre The Guardian Saturday October 27 2007 Where do all those numbers in the newspapers come from? Here’s a funny thing. The Commons committee on science and technology is taking evidence on “scientific developments relating to the Abortion Act 1967″. Scientific and medical expert bodies giving evidence say that survival in births below 24 weeks has not significantly [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=982522 Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:01:21 +0100 982522 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=947286&cid=t_105140_87_f&fid=34591&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.badscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D549 Ben Goldacre The Guardian Saturday October 13 2007 Danie Krugel is an ex-policeman in South Africa who believes he can pinpoint the location of missing people anywhere on the map. He does this by using his special magic box, which works through something to do with “quantum physics”, but you aren’t allowed to know any more than that: [...] (Source: badscience) badscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=947286 Fri, 12 Oct 2007 23:25:36 +0100 947286 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=918942&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35109&url=http%3A%2F%2Fleftbrainrightbrain.co.uk%2F%3Fp%3D674 Conclusions” that “[o]ur study does not support a causal association between early exposure to mercury from thimerosal-containing vaccines and immune globulins and neuropsychological functioning at the age of 7 to 10 years.” The statement is plainly false. The study’s conclusions do not reflect the study’s data or the limitations of the study, You’d think that at least A-CHAMP would correct that hanging comma at the end of the sentence there. Sarcasm aside, the study’s conclusions do reflect the study’s data, quite well, as we will see, and A=CHAMP’s complaints boil down to the usual crank technique of cherry picking the evidence, combined perhaps with sour grapes. Let’s lay the abstract out for all to see before we look at ... Left Brain/Right Brain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=918942 Sun, 30 Sep 2007 18:10:32 +0100 918942 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=918944&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35109&url=http%3A%2F%2Fleftbrainrightbrain.co.uk%2F%3Fp%3D670 The Dore programme is an interesting ‘cure’ for all kinds of things: as Dorothy Bishop puts it, “Dore Achievement Centres are springing up world-wide with a mission to cure cerebellar developmental delay, thought to be the cause of dyslexia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyspraxia and Asperger’s syndrome. Remarkable success is claimed for an exercise-based treatment that is designed to accelerate cerebellar development.” Sound great, doesn’t it. Except, as Bishop shows in a new journal article, this is not supported by good evidence and it is therefore the case that “the claims made for this expensive treatment are misleading”. While academic journals are normally pretty restrained, this is about as close as I’ve seen to a t... Left Brain/Right Brain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=918944 Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:58:28 +0100 918944 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=918946&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35109&url=http%3A%2F%2Fleftbrainrightbrain.co.uk%2F%3Fp%3D669 This study did not look at autism (a study that will be published next year looks, again, at vaccines and autism), but the mercury-causes-autism crowd are still unhappy with the results. I have been following this issue closely for several years. Although my awareness of the issue goes back much farther, I started to seriously research the claim that the MMR vaccine, or that thimerosal in other vaccines, causes autism while researching an article on the topic for the New Haven Advocate. As a physician (a neurologist) and a skeptical activist I knew I had to get this issue right. I certainly did not want to falsely stoke the flames of public fear, nor did I want to cast myself in the role of denier. Early on in my research I really did not know which way I was going to go with the issue... Left Brain/Right Brain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=918946 Sat, 29 Sep 2007 18:57:33 +0100 918946 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=830973&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35081&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmikestanton.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F08%2F30%2Fbad-science-abuses-autistics%2F If you have not read them already I urge you to visit Kristina Chew’s and Interverbal’s blogs where they write on an extraordinary technique employed by French psychiatrists to “treat” autism. And if anybody is fluent in French I would be interested to know what they are saying about it on Forum Autisme My own limited grasp of the [...] (Source: Action For Autism) Action For Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=830973 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:22:52 +0100 830973 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=700728&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35081&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmikestanton.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F06%2F27%2Fpatrick-holford-quack-of-quacks%2F George Elliot’s eponymous hero Felix Holt was a man of principle unlike his father. After his father’s death,  Felix was heir to nothing better than a quack medicine; his mother lived up a back street in Treby Magna, and her sitting-room was ornamented with her best tea-tray and several framed testimonials to the virtues of Holt’s Cathartic [...] (Source: Action For Autism) Action For Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=700728 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 23:57:00 +0100 700728 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=629263&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35081&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmikestanton.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F05%2F21%2Fblogging-about-thinking%2F Kev just nominated me for a Thinking Blogger award. The official rules for participation in the Thinking Blogger Awards meme are as follows: 1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think, 2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme, 3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote. Ilker Yoldas, the originator of this meme, also enjoins us to “Please, remember to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all - blogs that really get you thinking!” Apart from feeling a buzz because Kev has nominated me in this category, I also feel obliged to choose carefully. This may be a bit of fun. But it is serious fun. It gives me an e... Action For Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=629263 Mon, 21 May 2007 00:35:48 +0100 629263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=500823&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35081&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmikestanton.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F03%2F26%2Fscientific-rigour-respect-and-responsibility-and-autism%2F I nominate this for the annual “Teaching Granny to Suck Eggs award.” Rigour, respect and responsibility: A universal ethical code for scientists Rigour, honesty and integrity Act with skill and care in all scientific work. Maintain up to date skills and assist their development in others. Take steps to prevent corrupt practices and professional misconduct. Declare conflicts of interest. Be alert to the ways in which research derives from and affects the work of other people, and respect the rights and reputations of others. Respect for life, the law and the public good Ensure that your work is lawful and justified. Minimise and justify any adverse effect your work may have on people, animals and the natural environment. Responsible communication: listening and informing Seek to... Action For Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=500823 Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:18:03 +0100 500823 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=486974&cid=t_105140_133_f&fid=35081&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmikestanton.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F02%2F24%2Fgood-news-week%2F Following on from the excellent TV broadcast featuring Amanda Baggs earlier this week, two more reports have emerged that offer some counterweight to the usual litany of vaccine-damaged-autism-epidemic scare stories. On the mercury lists parents are complaining about John Stossel’s piece on vaccines on ABC. This is a refreshing piece of journalism that has looked at the evidence and reported that vaccines are safer than the diseases they prevent and that there is no evidence that they cause autism.Fo this he is being roundly condemned on his message board. Readers may wish to go there and restore some balance. Last week my attention was drawn to a review of Richard Lathe’s book  Autism, Brains and Environment,  in the Lancet Neurology. This book argues that we have an epidem... Action For Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=486974 Sat, 24 Feb 2007 13:01:36 +0100 486974