Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Science Meets Woo. Woo Wins. Part Two.

Becca Green (BSc Veterinary Biology) runs the delightful Cherished Creatures website.

EoR is fascinated by how someone who has completed three years of a five year veterinary degree (students who can't cope with the full course can leave after three years and claim the BSc Veterinary Biology title) can offer such advice as:
Flower essences have been used since the 1930s when Dr Bach discovered that flowers have individual energies. These can be used to remedy various negative emotional states. As with all living things flowers contain vibrational energy, which can be transferred to water. Crystal and flower elixirs assist healing on all levels, from spiritual to physical, mental and emotional. They have the ability to realign the body’s energy fields and restore balance. Bringing the body back to balance can aid many physical or mental states. [...] There are hundreds of different crystals from all corners of the globe, which all in their unique way have healing properties. Crystals have connections to specific body parts and can be used either directly on that area or internally as an elixir.

EoR doesn't know where to start, there's so much unproven wishful thinking in that paragraph. "Flowers have individual energies" to begin with. How? Where? What "energies"? How are they "individual"? Someone who has studied science should know better than to make a patently absurd and sweeping statement like that, but then to go on to assert boldly the unproven claim that these unspecified "energies" can be "transferred to water" takes it to a higher level of fantasy. And then she brings in the crystals... And "levels" of healing... And "energy fields" (aka auras)... EoR is screaming in agony by this stage. Maybe he needs emergency Crystal Spiritual Energy Field Healing.

EoR suspects the real reason for the "calming" essences is the brandy they're mixed in. As Ms Green admits
After studying four years of Veterinary Medicine, I decided there is something else out there besides conventional medicine and chemical medications.

Well, yes. It doesn't mean there's any evidence for it though. Or that it works. Or that it cures anything. EoR is surprised she actually made it through to fourth year. If you trust in the scientific efficacy of such beliefs, then products such as these are obviously for you:
Floating Fear: For the difficult to load horse. Includes essences from calamity calmer to decrease the anxiety of floating [for international readers floating = boxing or trailering]. Also includes Smokey Quartz for grounding and unnecessary fear. [...] Geriatric Guider: For the older companions who suffer sleeplessness and restlessness. Amethyst and Carnelian to remove fear of death, assist grounding restless nights, and Citrine for comforting degenerative disease. [...] Flea Frightener: Available in spray can be used after a bath and on bedding to frighten off fleas.


Of course, EoR may be approaching this in entirely the wrong direction, expecting the purveyor of these powerful potions to believe in their efficacy. The single purpose of this enterprise could just be to make money. In which case all the claims are potent indeed.

PS: Ms Green, no matter how cute you think pictures of cute kittens frolicking in flowers are, 500KB images on web pages are simply excessive and over the top. Oh, hang on, that describes the whole site...

2 comments:

  1. After studying four years of Veterinary Medicine, I decided there is something else out there besides conventional medicine and chemical medications.

    What? Anti-matter medications? You'll kill us all!

    Of course, they're talking about "energy" that doesn't do work of any demonstrable sort, and thus can't be measured in joules.

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  2. Look, it IS science: if "flowers have individual energies" then of course they can easily be transmitted to water which then transfers the vibrations into the prana of the chi ganglia ribosomes quantum sciency thingy. Open your mind!
    Oh, and remember to spray your cat!
    Bruce

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