Heaven And Hell And Helen

The Friday Thing has asked a host (EoR believes that is the correct collective noun, given the subject) of celebrities about Heaven and Hell. There's your usual bunch of believers and atheists, though EoR enjoyed the comment from his favourite computer, Holly (aka Norman Lovett):

Norman responded: 'I think I will be going somewhere between those places, perhaps somewhere called "Helen". How the fuck should I know!' Bah. Holly would have known.

While many celebrities responded, some chose to ignore the question.

Sadly, John 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery' Prescott, Tony 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' Blair and Michael 'Thou Shalt Not Threaten To Overrule Him' Howard didn't take the time to respond. We only hope they were out there doing good, perhaps putting down-payments on their future homes at Christ's side, and not, for example, schmoozing movie stars, bullying their way into women's pants or drinking the blood of freshly-slaughtered children.

EoR at least expected one person to definitely know the answer, but he seemed strangely reticent on the day (as he often does when asked to prove his powers):

Uri Geller also said he didn't know, but he closed his correspondence by saying 'much energy'. Which can only be a good thing. Or of course, an evil one.

Daniel Dennett Talks To The Trees

Daniel Dennett was interviewed about religion recently on All In The Mind (transcript and podcast available).

Some highlights:

On searching for the "god spot" in the human brain:

It's of course premature in one sense but I don't have any quarrel with that, I mean sometimes you get lucky. But I think that first of all finding a place in the brain would tell us almost nothing because there's a place in the brain for everything. You know there's a Jennifer Anniston spot and there's a hamburger spot in my brain and in yours. Anything you know anything about, anything you have any bunch of beliefs about, there's got to be something in your brain that's holding those.

The human mind as a "fiction-generating contraption":

Daniel Dennett: Oh yes. There's an instinct that we share with just about all mammals and that is when something puzzling or startling happens, if it makes a loud noise, or suddenly something jumps out of the picture, we do a startle and we respond and it's not just a looking around, it's a 'who's there - did I hear a voice, oh my god was that tree talking to me? Could it be a talking tree?' Each time we obsess it's another repetition in the mind.


Natasha Mitchell: But some of them, the talking tree becomes a cult.


Daniel Dennett: Pretty soon the whole town and even the ones that are sceptical say ah, there's no such thing as a talking tree, but every time they say it they make another copy of that idea, and pretty soon the idea of the talking tree is everywhere. Whether it's fiction or fact, it gains a foothold in that culture and every culture that we look at has a whole menagerie of invisible agents - gods, and imps, and leprechauns, and goblins, and fairies, and sprites of every kind.

Eor would also humbly add, homeopathy, astrology, acupuncture, reiki etc etc ad nauseum.

On science:

Absolutely. When scientists are baffled they say so and then they try to get unbaffled, they don't celebrate their bafflement. That is a fundamental difference between religious attitudes and scientific attitudes. Yes, science is up to its neck in mysteries and puzzles of every sort and it can confess to ignorance, and incomprehension of all sorts of phenomena. That's a genuine confession. Now let's get down to work and let's try to see if we can't come to understand this. And we never, in the scientific community, celebrate incomprehension as a good thing. That's a standard trope in religious communities.

There's much more interesting comment from Professor Dennett, though EoR did cringe when the interviewer called him a 'Darwinist'.

A True Lunatic

Via Bush Telegraph EoR was alerted to today's featured 'scientist', Ken Ring.

Ken Ring believes he can predict the weather in Australia for 2007 and estimated rain trends up until 2012.

Mr Ring's website provides further information. It appears he's willing to make a weather prediction for up to 200 years (that should be a safe bet, since suing after 200 years would be a pretty pointless exercise for all involved). Sadly

Due to the greater time-scale involved allow a 24 hr possible error, and at certain times slightly more.

This past week in EoR's boggy corner (in a part of the world where it's currently winter) has been alternately rainy and fine. Thus that error range (whether it's 24 hours or the less well defined "slightly more") would accurately ensure that a guess for this week of "rain", or a guess for this week of "fine", for any particular day would work.

Mr Ring is willing to sell forecasts to you, ranging from $NZ5 to $NZ105. Strangely, some forecasts only work for Australia and NZ, while only rain can be predicted for the UK (which would be a remarkable event - rain in the UK!).

He also sells scientific books.

It is not voodoo, not superstition; just basic commonsense science.

How does Mr Ring determine his forecasts? Sophisticated meteorological equipment way beyond the understanding of science? No. He looks at the moon.

We all know the Sun radiates heat to the ground and causes evaporation, from the puddles on the footpath to the oceans and rain forests, yet there is no way the Sun can cause the evaporation to fall back to the Earth. Moreover, it can rain at night, when there is no Sun in the sky. The Sun cannot make it rain or snow, something else must be responsible. There is only one other thing in the sky capable of exerting the necessary huge forces that would be required.

Does this sound like astrology to you? Then you're in Mr Ring's camp.

It is the old principles of Astrology that we should be turning back to to re-examine, the subject that people with Higher Learning imagine to be at worst the stuff of the Devil or at best only a silly party game. When it comes to the Old Astrology, the Moon was the central player, the Moon established the pivot from which everything else related. Etymologically speaking, our word measurement came from moon.

And what about all the small influences Mr Ring fails to take account of? Entymologically speaking, there are countless butterflies in Australia flapping their wings.

In Mr Ring's worldview, it's not just the gravity exerted by the moon that affects Earth's weather patterns.

Each Moon phase has a changing effect on the weather, whether it be droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes or lightning. [...] Every New moon time, for two or three days, the Moon shields us from the solar wind.

Earth's magnetic field presumably has not effect, and doesn't come into his considerations since the "Old" astrology never mentioned it. Just like all selftaught scientists, Mr Ring has suffered the slings and arrows of outrage. As he describes it himself (saving EoR from the onerous task):

I have good-naturedly been called a "lunatic" in TV interviews and on radio, a gentle fobbing off. The labels 'snake oil', New Age, voodoo, hocus pocus, lunatic etc become par for the course amongst skeptics who, rather than investigate the orbits and behaviour of the Moon and correlate that to weather events in any scientific way, find it easier to guffaw and smirk - a process some might call job protection. Well, I suppose everyone has to eat.

Including, of course, Mr Ring. Mr Ring provides a free shortterm forecast for Sydney. Of course, this is not meant to be taken literally and, in fact, elsewhere he gives nine reasons why his forecasts are not 100% accurate including that postmodernist chestnut

Bearing in mind all the above will lead to a fairer analysis, but the interpretation is still the responsibility of the analyser and not the method.

What is the purpose or use of the "method" then? Ensuring Mr Ring is able to eat?

Bearing in mind that Mr Ring absolves himself from all responsibility for accuracy in his forecasts (a fundamental requirement, EoR would have imagined, for a forecast to be any use would be accuracy at least), and that EoR's not going to go on at any length (so he's deliberately only selecting a small sample), here are Mr Ring's 'predictions' for Sydney for the first few days of August, and the actual records from the Bureau of Meteorology.

• 1st: Mainly fine, but turning to rain developing later in the day/evening, moderate breezes.
  Rain: 0; wind: W 20km/h to E 13km/h, cloud: 1/8th
• 2nd: Morning showers likely, cloudy, moderate breezes, thunderstorm potential.
  Rain: 0; Wind W 20km/h to WNW 7km/h, cloud: 7/8th
• 3rd: Showers, threatening rain, partly cloudy, (storm brewing).
  Rain: 0, wind W 20km/h to E 13km/h, cloud: 1/8th
• 4th: Moderate to high winds, thunderstorms, occasional heavy rain.
  Rain: 6.8mm, wind: SSE 22km/h, cloud: 8/8th

So, does that indicate any accuracy, other than guessing? EoR suspects not, though Mr Ring's very vague language covers a lot of ground (but also means his 'forecasts' are also pretty meaningless). What, exactly does "partly cloudy" mean? Yes, there was 1/8th cloud cover that day, but then, this is winter, and some cloud cover would be expected. His rain forecasts were less than chance. Wind forecasts range from "moderate" to "high" over the period, but the actual figures show no real differences. And what is "thunderstorm potential"? How can he get that wrong? Either there was a thunderstorm (in which case, the "potential" was fulfilled) or there wasn't (in which case the "potential" wasn't fulfilled). It's like the psychics predictions that "you may be having a minor operation in the future".

In the grand tradition of repressed geniuses, Mr Ring also denies global warming (which must be why his Links page seems to consist solely of commercial links to ski resorts) and the nonsense that is ozone depletion.

The Auckland Astronomical Society provide three pages of refutation, pointing out Ring's totally unscientific approach (data mining, inaccuracies, ignoring inconvenient data, his total denial of atmospheric effects on Earth affecting weather, misunderstanding of physics, ignoring the effect of the sun and so on). Mr Ring also employs a method beloved of "real" psychics:

To increase the hit rate the definition of a hit is made as broad as possible.

And, like the "real" psychics, he's always ready to grasp on to any disaster, post-hoc, and claim that he "predicted" it:

On 26 December 2004 a huge earthquake occurred under the ocean near Indonesia causing a tsunami (tidal wave) that caused massive devastation on nearby coasts and loss of life in the hundreds of thousands. The next day, 27 December, Ken Ring breathlessly announced his explanation to the world in a National Radio interview with the radio host Brian Crump. Ring’s statement was somewhat incoherent, but he implied that the earthquake was caused by the close coincidence of full Moon and lunar perigee (Moon closest to Earth). Having learnt long ago not to trust anything Ken Ring says I quickly checked the facts. Full Moon was indeed early on 27 December, but perigee was on 13 December. The quake actually occurred much closer to lunar apogee (Moon furthest from Earth), which was on 28 December.

And, like the "real" psychics, the media is not interested in refutations or fact, since they're much more boring.

Our Roving Mole column in February put a finger on a real worry. The fringe theorists won’t go away. We are dealing here with a growing trend. These people are exploiting modern information and publishing technology, and freedom-of-speech principles, to spread fabrication posing as fact. They go largely unchallenged. The Ken Rings of this world are purveyors of falsehood with the gullible collusion of the news media. The whole process increases public ignorance - the exact opposite of what the information explosion is thought to be doing.

Mr Ring demonstrates his thinking and argument skills on a page written in response to the Auckland Astronomical Society called "Witch-hunting returns" which, in EoR's opinion is a precisely correct self-description. Mr Ring's retorts consist of statements such as his belief that his guessing is fine, since all sciences are inexact and "guesses". He also, in a masterstroke, fulfills Godwin's Law in his final statement:

Oh dear. One can visualise the Hitler stiff-arm salute.

Funnily enough, just like the usual altie disclaimer in small print ("This woo product doesn't actually cure or do anything, other than make us a lot of money") all the pages on his website carry this disclaimer:

The forecasts herein are made on a best-of-endeavour basis and carry no claim of 100% accuracy.

Finally, EoR was led from Mr Ring's site to Ancient Celtic New Zealand. So, it wasn't the Egyptians after all? Or the Chinese?

Mr Gumby On Alternative Therapies

[Mr Gumby is standing behind a desk on which are various objects of altie goodness - crystals, homeopathic pills, acupuncture needles etc. Caption: Mr Gumby on Alternative Therapies]

Mr Gumby: Alternative therapies are NICE! You can cure ANYTHING!! Ooohhh! By quantum ENERGY!

Mr A. N. Other-Gumby [walking into scene]: But science shows. Oooh. IT DOESN'T WORK!!

Mr Gumby: No! It works! [picks up large hammer and begins beating desk, walls, Mr A. N. Other-Gumby etc] I can fit inconvenient FACTS EASILY into my THEORY!! Ooohhh! Get in!! Aaaargh!

[The desk is destroyed. The walls have large holes in them. Mr A. N. Other-Gumby is rendered unconscious.]

Mr Gumby: See! It all FITS!! Now. Who has CANCER!!!

Natural Vegan Horsemanship

Being a member of a fundamentalist religion can be trying at times, particularly when faced with deep and difficult questions of morality. Such as Is horseback riding vegan?.

A plea from cavy_girl resulted in answers ranging from "I guess for me it would come down to... is the horse happy?" to "I personally believe that riding horses is not a vegan activity... it either exploits the animal directly, or encourages the exploitation of futher animals." along with the obligatory passing paean of praise to Messrs Roberts and Parelli, and the horror stories about slaughterhouses ("its like something bizarre from a horror movie"). EoR wonders if these people realise that if everyone became vegan, there would be a huge trade in slaughtering all those redundant chickens, cows, sheep, goats and pigs?

And as for GeorgyGirl_1967, EoR was totally confused:

Wel, Rainbow Brites magical flying talking horse Starlite doesn't mind people riding him, he helps to save the world that way. Hes a very nice horse, he takes me places far away if i need him too.

So does that mean vegans can ride flying horses only?

40th Skeptics' Circle

The 40th Skeptics' Circle is now available for your perusal at Daylight Atheism. Read and be skeptical.

The Reiki Guide to Car Maintenance

Nova for August has a book review of The Reiki Guide: 200 questions and answers for beginners by Lawrence Ellyard.

Apparently reiki is shunned as boring and not new enough for the trendy (or is that fickle?) newager.

Reiki has become a household word. Nearly every healing practitioner today seems to have completed a Reiki course. There are dozens of people offering Reiki empowerments and it's almost a case that Reiki has become so familiar and second nature in healing circles that it's overlooked and seen as old hat.

Which, presumably, is why GPs don't use it as often as they could, particularly given its amazing healing abilities. The book answers all those questions about Reiki you've always wanted to ask but had been afraid to. Such as "Why do I need to keep my eyes closed." That's easy! Have you ever seen a reikiist waving their hands around, washing off that invisible naughty toxic energy? If EoR had his eyes open he'd laugh out loud. Very disconcerting during the healing process.

I now know Reiki can be given through the eyes and breath and was reminded about the application of giving Reiki energy to the petrol as it goes into my car, to increase the energy of it. Lawrence is sure it makes the petrol go further and I have no doubt he is right!

Strangely, EoR does have some doubts about this claim, but it should be easily testable, and could even be worth $1,000,000. That's an awful lot of petrol you could buy, particularly when it becomes transformed into superenergy go-further magic petrol™. And Mr Ellyard could take a break from flogging fiction as fact.

First Aid or Crystals?

The West Australian newspaper believes in hedging its bets. On Tuesdays it has its Mind&Body Supplement (aka Woo We Wish Was True), while on Wednesdays the Health+Medicine Supplement appears (note the sublte scientific distinction: '+' as opposed to '&').

The theme of H+M on 26 July 2006 was First Aid and, while a wealth of information about CPR and emergency first aid in various situations was provided, EoR is concerned that the information was seriously lacking in some vital areas.

Where was the advice on how to perform emergency acupuncture (do you just jab the needles in randomly and wildly, or must you know the exact location of every, variant, meridian)? In a case of first aid, is any homeopathic remedy better than none (or is it exactly the same)? How should you handle a sudden subluxation in a loved one prior to the Complementary Ambulance arriving? What happens if you run out of Rescue Remedy in your First Aid Kit? What magical gestures should you make if you suddenly encounter a psychic attack?

None of these frequently encountered situations was addressed (the article instead focusing on things such as stroke, epilepsy, diabetes and heart attack) and EoR now feels seriously unprepared to deal with a sudden health crisis.

Chinese! Not Egyptians!

EoR was amused yesterday by the bizarre claims of a whole mastaba full of selftaught egyptologists. Imagine his surprise when he found out it wasn't the Egyptians sailing all over the world in the past, but the Chinese. At least that is the claim of Gavin Menzies in his bestseller 1421. Mr Menzies' story is that Chinese sailors sailed around every continent by 1421, mapping the world.

Unfortunately, Mr Menzies has no idea what he's talking about, no evidence, and no qualifications. Four Corners last night surveyed his success on such a flimsy idea.

Mr Menzies was a submarine commander whose previous claim to fame (not mentioned in the fictionalised author biography in his book) was running his submarine into a US minesweeper and narrowly avoiding court martial.

The program points out many of his bizarre ideas (that the equator was further north in Ming times, that a giant Chinese junk sailed up the Thames to deliver a pair of underpants to Henry V, that the Maoris are the descendents of Chinese concubines and Melanesian slaves). To be fair, his ideas metamorphose with the wind, and he has now slightly changed his racial theories, and also now argues that Kublai Khan's navies sailed the globe even earlier between 1290 ad 1330. As one person interviewed commented, it appears he's already working on his next bestseller.

Such ideas bring the other nutters out of the woodwork (though, to be fair again, Mr Menzies may not be a nutter but just a very canny conman). Cedric Bell is a "1421 Team Member" who has 'discovered' numerous wrecks of Chinese junks on the New Zealand coast that no one else has noticed, and which have been 'compressed' to 35mm wide by a massive tsunami caused by a comet or a meteor. If you're going to make fanciful claims, Mr Bell understands the first rule of the profession: make them BIG!

Strangely, other people whose only right to comment include having history degrees or being a master mariner, don't mince words when talking about Mr Menzies bizarre and unprovable claims (which are frequently based on 'evidence' that is incorrectly dated or of doubtful authenticity). "Cretin". "Fiction". "Bollocks". EoR likes succint summations like that.

Sadly, Mr Menzies can claim to have spoken before heads of state and at numerous universities, which must look really impressive on his CV. If the Melbourne University History department are anything to go by, then they're partly to blame.

I don't think anybody agreed with him at all. I think it was polite.

And then there's the publisher who doesn't care whether a book marketed as fact is fact or not.

It's very hard to prove that something is or is not correct. I mean, we do have to rely on our authors - we - we simply don't have the time. I mean, we work full - flat out publishing the books, bringing them to press, marketing them, publicising them, selling them - we can't possibly go through all our books and check every single one of them out for factual accuracy.

Which is postmodernist code for "who cares whether it's true or not as long as it makes a lot of money". Which it has.


Is it any wonder that people can't tell fact from fiction any more? Mr Menzies concludes the program with a damning statement about the impoverishment of evidential standards these days:

The public are on my side, and they are the people that count.

Only in terms of popularity, Mr Menzies, not in terms of veracity.

More information can be found at 1421exposed.com

Giant UFO Built Yowie Pyramids of Bullshit

July's issue of Nova is just so full of woolly woo wooness that EoR could go on for days about it. Instead, he'll focus on one article: "Sacred Egypt".

EoR is loath to call alties nutters (even though many of them are either that or blatant scammers - or both) but Dian [sic] Booth who is featured in this article, is the full and genuine article. Anyone who spouted the nonsense she does here in polite society would immediately warrant a call to the Psychiatric Emergency Team.

Sound healer and concert violinist, Dian Booth, is another who visits Egypt regularly with an annual "sing the song of the sacred Nile" tour. She says that most people who come on her journey are remembering previous lives in Egypt and connecting and healing anything that needs healing. "If they have Egyptian and Australian connections, my role is to be bringing into consciousness the energetic and spiritual connections, particularly between Central Australia and Egypt. There's quite a bit of evidence the Egyptians were in Australia and, energetically, there are definitely pyramids dotted all over Australia. There's also a strong connection between Uluru and the Giza Plateau," says Dian. And in support of her claim, a series of books written by Rex Gilroy contains many photos and other evidence about the presence of the Egyptians in Australia. And, recently, the tomb of a minor Egyptian prince was discovered in the Hunter Valley.

Another Egyptowoo nutter (Donna Simimiuc) makes claims that are almost pathetic.

"One of the clients had toothache, but after the healing in one of the temples, two hours later, he said his toothache had gone."

So, not at the time of the healing, but later, this particular gentleman said his toothache had gone. While EoR realises dentists charge like the proverbial wounded bull, he's sure a quick trip to the local tooth doctor would have been far cheaper and more effective than going all the way to Egypt.

Back to Dian who provides further proof of her total detachment from reality.

Sound and Colour are together an extraordinarily powerful healing modality, much used in Atlantis, Lemuria, and Egypt. Dian spontaneously accesses past life knowledge as a Master Sound Healer in the Court of Akhenaton in Egypt and combines it with vibrational knowledge from Higher Dimensions and Other Worlds.

She further claims

She also has access to Sound and Colour knowledge from nameless other worlds in this galaxy.

EoR bets they're nameless!

She also sells CDs

created in the 5th Dimension, which gives it the potential to change its character on different occasions, depending on the specific need of the listener.

She also claims to be able to "treat" (note, not "cure"; the meaning of "treat" in this context is deliberately left vague and meaningless) "diseases such as cancer, chronic fatigue, muscular pain, injury and blocked energy at all levels".

And as for all those pyramids dotted all over Australia, and which all Australians would be familiar with... Given her sole reference is the equally nutty Rex Gilroy her claims to all sorts of miracles seem very shaky indeed. Mr Gilroy is an "open-minded researcher" (so openminded his cognitive faculties appear to have fallen out) who believes in yowies (Australian cousins of Bigfoot), big cats in the outback, pyramids in the Pacific, 25 foot tall ancestral humans, UFOs, alien abductions, an underground world in the Blue Mountains and a giant space station orbitting Earth, and "URU, the Lost Civilization of Australia". According to Mr Gilroy, Australia in the past was busier than LAX, being visited by "Arabs, Celts, Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Inca's, Phoenicians, Portuguese, Scandinavians, Spanish, Vikings".

Others might think Mr Gilroy is a proud purveyor of bullshit, including, apparently, many archaeologists and egyptologists (unless the lost Egyptian who left hieroglyphs in Australia was illiterate, had no understanding of Egyptian grammar, and was sorely confused about Egyptian history), but EoR finds the national broadcaster is, as ever, ready to support the lunatic fringe with Eor's taxes.

It is because of my scientific approach that I've come up with the truth.

That "scientific approach" must also include the "psychic flashes" he mentions.

Psychic Serial Killers?

Skeptico and The Two Per Cent Company have both recently commented on what a sad shyster Alison Dubois is. Along the same lines, EoR wonders why Anthony Grzelka doesn't just tell the police who the Claremont serial killer is and where to find him (or her).

Given that both these people are 'real' psychics (real psychics are distinguishable from fake psychics because the real ones reveal information that only you could know by asking you a series of leading questions and providing generalities when that fails, whereas fake psychics reveal information that only you could know by asking you a series of leading questions and providing generalities when that fails) shouldn't they be charged by the police with withholding information relating to a crime? Isn't this the equivalent of an accomplice in the actual murders refusing to name the murderer?

Of course, the only other option that EoR could imagine is that the psychics themselves are the murderers. That would explain their refusal to provide explicit information, and how the murderers are so good at evading capture (psychics obviously know where the police are looking, and go somewhere else).

Natural Schisms

In a post last year concerning a bachelor of science degree in natural horsemanship, Liz Ditz asked in passing

What would happen if there was a religious schism? That is, if Pat Parelli excommunicates William Kriegel?

William Kriegel is the owner of La Cense Montana ("Natural ranching" - whatever that's supposed to mean), the outside organisation brought in to help run the course.

Well, EoR imagines excommunication would be something like the situation with Parelli UK, which has thrown off the shackles of Pat Parelli-ism and rebranded itself as Equine Ethology, following in the wake of a similar move in France, and which has resulted in dismay among the true believers such as this posting:

As a Parelli practitioner I was taken somewhat aback by the UK organization attempting to trademark "Equine Ethology", so I did some investigating. A few years ago the French arm of Parelli bolted to start their own system to avoid paying the cost of Parelli alignment and to avoid following the stict guidelines Parelli imposes. [...] The Brits are considering also leaving the Parelli system, as their franchise expires thie year.

and this one

Where it might do the most good I don't know - but societies such as the BHS (British Horse .) might be a good start. In fact I'm gobsmacked that they and a few colleges have gone for it. You would think that educators would know the meaning of the term - but either they don't - or commercial gain is more important to them and the bandwagon is just so inviting! Knowing how money oriented education is now it would not be too surprising - just very sad.

(of course, 'natural' horsemanship is even more money oriented) and this one

Out of interest, in what way are EE and Parelli different then? Because from what I have seen, the two are remarkably similar, and when EE was "launched" there were a lot of mumblings that it was just Parelli remarketed...

Equine Ethology itself claims it is the only natural horsemanship:

'Equine Ethology' is the name for Natural Horsemanship and it is the first 'method' to be registered by a national federation. [...]

In effect, it's just one more boring schism in the 'natural' horsemanship religion (note the comment above about Parelli's insistence on 'alignment' and 'strict guidelines' - this presumably makes him the Pope of 'natural' horsemanship). The same post-modernist revamp of traditional horsemanship is still there. The same marketing driven imperative is there. The same pseudo-newage mindset is there. The only thing missing now is Parelli's blessing hand. But EoR is sure Equine Ethology will shortly come up with its own guru for the devotees to worship at the feet of.

How "Join Up" Works

Lucy Rees, who many consider to have been practising 'natural' horsemanship techniques before the marketers invented the term and created all the special equipments, books, dvds, courses, etc, has some interesting things to say in the March/April 2004 newsletter of the Animal Behaviour Consultants of South Africa.

"Natural" training methods can produce results so spectacular as to be an exhibitionist’s delight. It is not difficult to render the horse completely passive and, in order to impress, work him to the point where he is no longer actively cooperating and learning but passively allowing himself to be pushed about. This satisfies some, but increasingly those with a critical eye see a dullness, a lack of interest, in horses whose imprint, Parelli or round pen training has been overdone. In any kind of training, one of the most difficult sensibilities to acquire is that of knowing when to stop. [...] Although it has been shown that in horses a) under natural conditions dominance hierarchies are so poorly developed as to be invisible, needing artificially created competition to develop, and b) in partially managed groups, the leader and the dominant are not necessarily the same animal, there is a reluctance on the parts of both trainers and some scientists to aabandon human attitudes about dominance. We live in a highly competitive society, where power hierarchies, status struggles and so on are heavily emphasized. A truly cooperative, non-hierarchical, non-authoritarian social structure is inconceivable to many, although we see it on a smaller scale every day. Thus many round pen trainers believe that the technique is a psychological way of demonstrating dominance over the horse, who is driven away every time he does not comply with what is wanted, but then comes to us for leadership and submits to our control. In the light of the above this is muddled thinking, which results, as my friend Amy Coffman (a thoughtful and experienced watcher of American ‘natural’ trainers) has pointed out, in a punitive way of using the round pen: the horse is made to gallop about until he submits. I, too, have seen this aggressive attitude in some pupils who have learned from others. The only round pen trainer I know of who differentiates between the roles played by dominant and leader is Mark Rashid, who probably (I am guessing) has not read the scientific literature but is an acute and dispassionate observer. It is a curious state of affairs when those who know that dominant attitudes repel horses fail to grasp its true significance: that horses do not obey dominants. They avoid them.

EoR notes that Monty and his revivalist roadshow have returned to Perth this weekend ("Be amazed as Monty puts Equus to the ultimate test" - tickets are limited but were still available yesterday at $A113.65). He expects the true devotees to flock along to receive their annual dose of preaching and buying.

EoR In The Blogosphere

Pew Internet have conducted a telephone survey of bloggers (of the American adult variety - your results may differ in other climes and ages). EoR is always fascinated to see how his blog fits in to the blogosphere...

• 8% of internet users are bloggers, so EoR is definitely in a minority here.


• 54% of bloggers are under the age of 30, and only 13% live in rural regions. Again, EoR appears in to be in the minority, having been born in 1921, and living in a corner of the 100 Acre Woood.


• 55% blog under a pseudonym. Again, since EoR is using his real name, he's in the minority.


• 10% of bloggers spend 10 hours or more a week on their blog, which is what EoR does (researching and disproving SCAMs is hard work).


• 27% stated they blogged to influence the way others think, which is what EoR does (note: influence, not browbeat or intimidate).


• 56% of bloggers spend time verifying facts "sometimes" or "often". At last! EoR joins the majority here.


• 79% of bloggers have broadband. EoR relies on an ancient dialup connection.


• 87% of bloggers allow comments, 41% have a blogroll, and 18% offer an RSS feed, all of which apply to EoR. Interestingly, the rates drop off for things that need to be changed rather than just accepting the standard blog template.


• 60% of bloggers are white (less than the general internet population). EoR, being blue-gray, is again in a minority.


• 13% post daily or more frequently. EoR generally only posts when he has a topic of woo to address. Sadly, this means he posts something new almost every day.

PDFs of the questionnaire and report are available at the link above if you want to see where you stand in the geography of the blogosphere.

This Is Not A Post About Tebonin's Efficacy

EoR has previously blogged about Big Altie Pharma's use of the legal process to suppress information it considers unfavourable.

It appears Schwabe Australia has achieved its goal.

Aiming to "help consumers make informed choices about these (non-prescription health-related) products", the [AusPharm Consumer Health Watch] founders worked out a process for gathering evidence on a product's effectiveness both from the product's makers and independently. They would then assess the strength of the evidence, and seek further comments before coming to a conclusion about the extent to which the claims made by the makers could be substantiated. But the website now faces an uncertain future after Schwabe Australia successfully took it to the Federal Court to suppress a report being prepared on the firm's herbal remedy for tinnitus, Tebonin. The site's 10 backers had already shrunk to three in the face of the growing legal threat, and the remaining trio are now preparing to capitulate after paying $15,000 out of their own pockets in an unsuccessful bid to oppose the temporary injunction banning publication of their report. It is understood the three are willing to agree on the injunction being made permanent in exchange for Schwabe dropping the case. The company had objected to the process by which the report was drawn up, as well as to its assumptions and conclusions.

As a result, it appears complementary medicines will continue to be listed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration under a notedly laxer system than pharmeceuticals.

According to the TGA, "most, but not all" complementary medicines are considered lower risk - meaning they only have to be "listed" on the register. While they still have to meet quality and safety requirements, they are not evaluated for effectiveness before they go on sale - in other words, there is no independent test to check if they are any good for whatever complaint the manufacturers are selling them for.

Consumer magazine, Choice, is also backing AusPharm.

Choice media spokeswoman Indira Naidoo said consumers "definitely want the TGA to crack down" on the sale of complementary medicines. "A lot of consumers do not realise that a lot of complementary medicines sold on the market do not have enough evidence, we believe, to support the claims made for them," she says. "They are very rarely asked to produce evidence and research material to support the claims they make about their products. Many consumers assume that because a product is available, that it does what it says. That's not the case."

Alties constantly complain about the pharmaceutical industry, citing suppression of unfavourable results, control of the market, and extending into various unsupported conspiracy theories, but it seems the alternative manufacturers are no better. If the evidence was there, wouldn't they be glad to show it?

Addicted to Games

Via Father Bob comes this newspaper report about online gaming addiction.

Smith & Jones, addiction consultants in Amsterdam, offer a new detox service for compulsive gamers, making the astonishing claim that 20 per cent of all game players can develop a dependency. "We saw that these gamers often displayed many of the same characteristics of addiction as heavy gamblers and drug addicts," the centre's website says. "Many of these individuals have neglected family, romance, school and jobs, not to mention their basic needs such as food and personal hygiene." Compulsive gamers are treated using many of the same techniques for other obsessive-compulsive behaviour, including group therapy, psychologists and psychiatrists. The consultants claim to have observed the same "withdrawal symptoms as chemically dependent people" in players as young as eight, and recommend total gaming abstinence.

EoR is automatically a little skeptical of claims of gaming "addiction" since it confuses the general meaning of the word with the specific medical meaning (a compulsive dependency) as opposed to a non-dependent habit, but then the article becomes very confused.

The games commonly associated with anti-social behaviour are multiplayer online worlds such as Everquest, Second Life and World of Warcraft.

It's precisely the MMORPGs that encourage socialising and interacting with other individuals. Just because it happens to be via the use of a computer doesn't change that fact. Should telephones be banned? Should letters? Should only face to face interaction be classed as "socialising"? EoR thinks not.

One commenter to the article stated

"I know two people who've lost long-term relationships to that game. They're both scarily intelligent and hold down well-paid, demanding jobs, yet this game is an obsession."

So. They're "addicted" to the exclusion of everything else, yet manage to hold down "demanding" jobs? EoR doesn't know too many heroin addicts who can perform so well. There is a hint of good news at the end of the article:

Fortunately, Bond University's GamePlay Australia 2005 survey found most gamers play in only short periods and also enjoy a range of other hobbies.

Could that be because they're conducting an independent survey, and they're not selling anything?

Sexology

The West Australian newspaper's Mind&Body supplement for 18th July 2006 is generally wishy-washy and of little note (mostly just the exercise, think happy thoughts, eat a healthy diet school of wisdom), but the final paragraph of the lead article ("Skincare for woolly weather") caught EoR's attention, particularly with its new complementary therapy:

And a final tip for glowing skin? "Lots of sex really makes your skin glow," [nutrition consultant] Ms Wilder said. "If you are in love, your skin will be radiant."

Chiropracters: Kill or Cure

The Journal of Neurology has an interesting article on Vertebral artery dissections after chiropractic neck manipulation in Germany over three years (subscription required to view full article, also available as a pdf at chiro.org). Alties might like to note that Germany is regularly cited as an "enlightened" nation where alternative therapies are regularly accepted as real.

Vertebral artery dissection (VAD) has been observed in association with chirotherapy of the neck. However, most publications describe only single case reports or a small number of cases. We analyzed data from neurological departments at university hospitals in Germany over a three year period of time of subjects with vertebral artery dissections associated with chiropractic neck manipulation.

Of 36 patients identified with VAD, one patient died and one was in a vegetative state. The average hospital stay for the others was 20 days, and half were discharged with continuing focal neurological deficits. So it appears chiropracters are not only expert at finding subluxations that no one else can see, but also have some other deadly skills as well. Though it wasn't just chiropracters twisting people's necks, as Quackwatch makes clear:

This report is highly significant but needs careful interpretation. Although it is titled "Vertebral dissections after chiropractic neck manipulation . . . " only four of the patients were actually manipulated by chiropractors. Half were treated by orthopedic surgeons, five by a physiotherapist, and the rest by a neurologist, general medical practitioner, or homeopath. It is possible - although unlikely - that the nonchiropractors used techniques that were more dangerous than chiropractors use in North America. The authors suggested that the orthopedists' treatment was safer, but there is no way to determine this from their data. Regardless, the study proves beyond doubt that neck manipulation can cause strokes, an assertion that many chiropractors deny.

Unsurprisingly, rather than assessing the evidence and reassessing techniques, chiropracters are sticking by their guns and stating it's the other practitioners' fault.

When compared to many medical procedures, the chiropractic adjustment is hundreds to thousands of times safer!

Mr Painter points out that it is not clear which of the various practitioners caused the patient injuries. By a false leap of logic, he seems to assume that, ergo, no chiropracter caused any of the injuries. His own argument is that we don't know.

This article also contains incontrovertible proof that medical doctors (GPs), physical therapists, orthopedic surgeons, homeopaths, and medical neurologists should NOT use spinal manipulation on their patients.

Nor, EoR ventures to suggest, should chiropracters.

Better Than Natural Horsemanship

Never mind natural horsemanship, the obvious way to understand your horse better is to use the ancient and revered science of astrology.

As creatures of flight, horses are sensitive at the best of times. Understanding how to study a horse's sun and moon signs will help owners interpret his or her individual behaviour, deepest needs and health.

George Vs Science

On talk back radio recently (on the subject of science, its parlous state, its lessening attraction to students, and cutbacks to the national science organisation CSIRO) one of the callers was George who epitomised the misunderstanding of science. George's argument was that science has never done any good for us, and scientists only cut up mice (EoR is not joking, that was the whole of his argument). The interviewer suggested that, at least in the realm of health, science has done some good. No! responded George, citing the US where it is common knowledge that science is killing people. It's only because of better shelter and warmth that we're living longer, and nothing to do with science.

Easy as it would be to make fun of George's misunderstanding, it's clear that many people have absolutely no idea what science is and what it has contributed, seeing 'science' only as the atomic bomb (in George's case). George (nor the host, sadly) didn't seem to realise that he was making his complaint on a mobile phone. Nor that the whole of Australia was listening to him through radio. Nor, sadly, that neither of these would exist without science.

EoR wanted to know whether George had a computer. Whether he drove a car. Whether he had a microwave. Whether he ever flew in an aeroplane. Whether he ever took antibiotics. Did he use the internet. Did he eat products produced through modern plant breeding and agricultural practises? And so on. None of which, in George's eyes, had even a vague smattering of science.

The Bleeding Edge of Herbal Remedies

Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is a condition of horses, particularly high performance athletes such as Thoroughbreds. Affected individuals are commonly referred to as "bleeders" due to visible bleeding from their nostrils, but it seems the great majority of Thoroughbreds suffer from this condition without the visible appearance of exterior bleeding.

The effect of herbal supplementation on the severity of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (abstract only, full study requires purchase, though one of the authors has provided the same information as a later PhD dissertation) was a study to assess the efficacy of herbal formulations designed to enhance platelet function (in this case, Yunnan Paiyao and the marvellously named Single Immortal) conducted under a randomized cross-over protocol. The study found

The herbal formulations were not effective in decreasing EIPH [...] or in changing any of the other variables measured with the exception of time-to-fatigue, which was slightly but significantly prolonged by Single Immortal compared with placebo and Yunnan Paiyao [...] Thus, these results do not support the use of these herbal formulations in the prevention of EIPH.

Yunnan Paiyao is recommended on the internet for menstrual cramps and excessive bleeding, cancerous bleeding as well as equine bleeders (EoR particularly enjoyed Steve Hart's comment - after seeking a veterinarian's advice which he disagrees with as he would "rather work with something like Yunnan Paiyao"), pet cancer (the desperate, illogical thinking of owners is clear from dalefo's willingness to accept the offer of the unused Yunnan Paiyou from another owner who's dog died shortly after buying the supply), and circulation and regularity. Single Immortal is a little harder to track down (EoR kept finding gaming sites), but the professional sounding Veterinary Institute for Integrative Medicine is still recommending it for EIPH. Mind you, this document is also full of effects such as "clears heat in the liver", "builds qi" and "moves blood and qi".

Thanks to Liz Ditz over at I Speak of Dreams for the link.

L-Arginine For All The Ills That Ail You

L-Arginine is a popular supplement sold on the internet for such things as (EoR chose this site randomly because it's from Australia and it gave six pages of L-Arginine supplements, but there are many many more out there)

Major energy currency. Detoxification of ammonia. Immune system health - colds and flu. Heart disease - lowers high blood pressure. Erectile and sperm function. Impotence. Build and tone muscle tissue

EoR also wonders in passing about the product whose benefits appear to be a secret, and which carries this mysterious warning in capitals:

THIS PRODUCT CAN ONLY BE SOLD TO PEOPLE LIVING IN QUEENSLAND

Of course, most of these claims are not scientific ("energy currency"? what the hell is that supposed to mean?) and there is little or no evidence to back up the supposed benefits of these products. Luckily, someone is investigating the efficacy of L-Arginine, in relation to its use in Acute Myocardial Infarction. As claimed above, L-Arginine is supposedly useful for heart disease and high blood pressure. Unfortunately, the researchers found the reverse was true, and had to terminate the study when patients began dying.

There was no significant change from baseline to 6 months in the vascular stiffness measurements or left ventricular ejection fraction in either of the 2 groups, including those 60 years or older and the entire study group. However, 6 participants (8.6%) in the L-arginine group died during the 6-month study period vs none in the placebo group (P = .01). Because of the safety concerns, the data and safety monitoring committee closed enrollment.

This has led to the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia issuing an alert.

As a result of the JAMA publication, the TGA, in consultation with the Complementary Medicines Evaluation Committee, is conducting an immediate in-depth review of the scientific literature on the safety aspects of L-arginine before considering further regulatory action. Until such time as the safety review is completed, the TGA advises anyone who has suffered a heart attack to avoid taking medicines containing L-arginine. The TGA points out that topical L-arginine products (such as creams or ointments) available in Australia are not likely to carry the same potential risk reported for oral products.

EoR wonders when the alties will start coming out of the woodwork asserting some BigPharma conspiracy.

Flushing Out The Truth Of Altie Remedies

What is it with the whole altie/rectal interface thing? Why are alties so fundamentally fascinated by bowel functions? Pull up a stool why EoR investigates the dark nether regions of alternative health.

While researching some other piece of woo magic, EoR discovered an article by Victoria Bowman, DHM (that's qualification as in "doctorate in homeopathic medicine from the British Institute of Homeopathy"; sort of equivalent to "Master of Magic from Hogwarts") entitled Holistic Rectal Infusions. How could he resist an article with such an inviting title? EoR decided to get to the bottom of the matter.

Ways of ensuring your health include "clyster tablets" (don't you just love the archaic language? - clyster sounds much more technical and comforting than "enema") as detailed in Wobe-Mugos Therapy. Tumor patients are urged to insert the relevant dose of four tablets five times a day. Unsurprisingly, "the typical side effect is anal irritation".

For those with a tablet aversion, there's MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) for the real anal junkie.

For gastrointestinal distress, MSM may be utilized in colon irrigation prior to a rectal infusion.

There's even a case hx (this must be a scientific site if it uses jargon like that):

CASE HX: While traveling, a 72-year-old male found himself exposed to allergens that caused severe symptoms. Having a limited holistic first aid kit, he decided to utilize MSM rectally in the recommended therapeutic dose. After four doses at 12-hour intervals, he reported being symptom free.

Unlike the alties, EoR prefers not to dwell on the thought of a 72 year old male in some motel room somewhere urgently self-administering the required dosage.

Perhaps Intra-Rectal Nutrient Therapy is more up your alley. This can be applied daily and is also clearly scientific with its various 'phases':

Phase I detoxification utilizes B vitamins to speed up its process and Phase II detoxification utilizes taurine and glutathione. Therefore, not only does this create a nutrient rich system but also it activates the liver's detoxification pathways.

EoR ventures to suggest that someone with a liver that was not detoxifying was in urgent need of serious (real) medical attention. Or dead. Speaking of dead, a therapy that cures cancer, Ozone, comes with its woo claim of efficacy for the backdoor fanatic:

By utilizing either rectal insufflation or colon irrigation with ozone, the detoxification of this primary elimination channel will increase the total overall level of tissue purification.

Whatever that means in the real world. "Tissue purification" anyone?

As Ms Bowman concludes:

It is also time to examine our own attitudes about the bowel, release those that are repressed, and educate our patients to the value that these protocols can offer to health and well being.

EoR urges the anally repressed masses of the world to rise up, and to release the chains that are binding them. A sphincter is haunting Europe. The sphincter of confusion.

More Woo Certificates

EoR has previously written about the widening of people eligible to complete medical certificates in Australia to include such health "professionals" as acupuncturists and chinese herbal medicine specialists.

The doctors are unhappy [link goes to pdf file].

Media reports from Tasmania indicate that workers can now easily shop around for medical certificates for sick leave from just about anyone from chiropracters, optometrists to pharmacists. [...] The only concession the Government has made to fix its monumental legislative blunder is to not allow veterinarians to issue sick leave certificates for humans.

And why not? wonders EoR. At least humans are animals, and veterinarians are dealing with real things, not imaginary meridians, or unbalanced humours.

AMA president Dr Mukesh Haikerwal makes a statement sure to upset the host of alternative practitioners out there:

"Managing a patient's health requires a holistic approach that is best provided by a general practitioner."

The AMA is now mounting a test case.

The AMA has submitted a complaint to the Victorian Chinese Medicine Registration Board concerning a 'medical certificate' issued by a Chinese Medicine practitioner earlier this year, which was sent to the AMA by a concerned small business owner.

The AMA is concerned, among other things, that the certificate was purportedly issed by a 'doctor' though the practitioner concerned is not registered as such. The employer was unable to tell from the 'certificate' what the extent and nature of the employee's illness was.

EoR suspects the AMA will lose the case, even though the 'doctor' forgot to mention that his client was suffering from "stagnant qi flow" and would be unfit until "his bank account runs out".

Psychic Attack Real. Major Newspaper Reports.

The Mind&Body supplement from the West Australian newspaper for Tuesday 11th July 2006 excels itself in copious quantities of oozing wooness.

EoR won't go over "How Old Are You Really?" again, since Medgadget has already done so at length. Nor will he dwell for long on puff pieces advertising visiting "wellness gurus" who claim

In sheer frustration, she cried out for help one day and Ms Kavelin-Popov said she was saved by divine intervention. She said an inner voice gave her 10 rules for health which she wrote down in detail and ever since her 1997 epiphany, she has preached what she was told.

Nor will he dwell on the lunacy of "In Tune With Your Body" where he learns that

Every cell, when broken down to its smallest parts, is actually comprised of energy or frequencies.

So why don't radio transmitters (for example) create cells every time they're operated, since they're pumping out both energy and frequencies?

No, EoR prefers to dwell today on the back page of the supplement which he has, until now, ignored. Devoted to "Dream Reader" Charmaine Saunders, readers write in with their dreams and Ms Saunders provides the appropriate interpretation. Generally confined to the "a blue bunny who explodes in flames signifies relationship difficulties" level of dream interpretation, with the occasional psychic trick of "Are you experiencing any difficulties in relationships?" style of information, it's usually just ignorable fluff.

This issue's selection of dreams is remarkable though for its obsession with death. There's the dream of the dead body and ghost, the dream of hundreds of ghosts that ends in the woman stabbing her children, and the dream of a lot of blood which Joan understandably takes as an omen of Doom to Come (Ms Saunders, in a previous issue, did explain how dreams are often prophetic). Unfortunately, Ms Saunders seems to realise how unsustainable such an assertion is, without actually admitting that such things can be attributed to coincidence, or selective interpretation.

If I truly believed that a person's dream contained a serious warning, I would truthfully explain this but I genuinely believe that most dreams are simply helpful messages from our subconscious.

So how does she tell the real omens from the fake omens? Does it come down to that key word "belief"?

Things get worse with Larry's plea:

Is it possible to receive psychic attacks through dreams? I truly believe that I am being troubled by hostile spirits during my sleep. I wake up exhausted and feel very disturbed just about every night.

EoR can't quite remember when the diagnostic manual was updated with "Psychic Attack in Dreams" as indicated by symptoms of disturbed sleep and exhaustion, but it must be there, since the erudite Ms Saunders advises

I do think this phenomenon is possible. Some people would call it being haunted but basically it just means that you have spirits attached to you that are not friendly. They can manifest in many different forms and coming through dreams is one of their expressions. You need not be afraid of them if you keep your hear pure. If you're religious, pray for protection and if not, say a simple affirmation like, "I am always safe from negative forces" before you go to sleep each night. Visualise yourself surrounded by white light. Speak to your priest about a blessing or hire a ghostbuster who will come and cleanse your living space. The main thing is to remember that thoughts are energy so what you put out comes back. Keep your thoughts and your beliefs positive and gradually the energy around you will clear.

This fantastic (literally) mumbo jumbo is printed in a major city newspaper (indeed, the only daily newspaper in Western Australia). EoR wonders sometimes about this alternative universe that the alties live in which seems to coexist in some way with the mundane (literally) world of reality. Hire a ghostbuster? Is this woman serious? EoR just looked at the telephone directory, and there's no such listing. Maybe it only exists in the Middle Earth dreamworld that these people seem to inhabit.

The Nutritional Supplement of the Millennium

EoR has received a pharmacist provided brochure on Maca, hailed as a "healer at a cellular level". Promoted for low energy, lethargy, sluggishness, fatigue (presumably all of those are different), "brain fade" (whatever that is - maybe the brain stops showing up on MRI scans), "fuzzy thinking" (EoR thought that was something computers did), lapses in concentration, stress, tension, sexual inconsistency (would that be a lack of a clear gender identity?), hot flushes, sleeplessness, heavy/light flow problems (apparently not of the plumbing sort) and mood swings.

Maca (Lepidium peruvianum Chacon) is a root vegetable grown above 4000 metres in the Andes Mountains of Peru for at least 10,000 years. Grown free of chemicals and pesticides, it is still harvested by hand and dehydrated for consumption. It retains its strong restorative powers endowed by nature, rich in nutrients and minerals. Capable of revitalising and balancing the endocrine system, it allows men and women of all ages to embrace life to the full once more. Maca is an adaptogenic plant, which means that it works on the body according to the needs, age and gender of the person taking it. It is reputed to encourage the glands within the body to produce the needed hormones by balancing the pituitary-hypothalamus axis.

Consumers are warned that it can take different times to work (presumably because it works differently for different bodies). You must take enough, you must take it regularly, and the expensive stuff is the better stuff. A marketer's dream product.

If people are not getting results it is generally because they are not taking enough, so you must monitor yourself to see the best results.

At the very end of the brochure is the usual altie disclaimer:

All information given is only to be used as reference material for educational purposes only. In no way do we imply therapeutic claims. The products mentioned must never be represented as an approved treatment for any conditions mentioned and must never be used in lieu of professional advice for any condition.

So, if it doesn't have any effect on any of the conditions mentioned, why were they mentioned?

A search of the Cochrane database shows a few studies of Maca.

Effect of Lepidium meyenii (Maca), a root with aphrodisiac and fertility-enhancing properties, on serum reproductive hormone levels in adult healthy men: [...] In conclusion, treatment with Maca does not affect serum reproductive hormone levels.
Effect of Lepidium meyenii (MACA) on sexual desire and its absent relationship with serum testosterone levels in adult healthy men: [...] In conclusion, treatment with Maca improved sexual desire [but not levels of serum testosterone oroestradiol levels].
Effect of Lepidium meyenii (Maca), a root with aphrodisiac and fertility-enhancing propeties, on serum reproductive hormone levels in adult healthy men: [...] In conclusion, treatment with Maca does not affect serum reproductive hormone levels.

EoR also found one study on PubMed:

Lepidium peruvianum chacon restores homeostasis impaired by restraint stress: [...] Thus, it did not appear to affect restraint stress-induced immunosuppression.

There is also Red maca (Lepidium meyenii) reduced prostate size in rats which finds

Indeed, the data presented here show that Red Maca reduced ventral prostate size in normal adult rats and also in rats treated with testosterone enanthate. Hence, it is proposed that Red Maca may have important implications under pathological conditions of the prostate.

Despite these less than impressive results (though the prostate finding may be of use if it also carries across to humans), Maca is touted as The Nutritional Supplement of the Millennium.

MACA is recommended as a nutritional supplement due to its contents of minerals, chemical compounds, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, tannins, alkaloids, etc... It has been discovered that MACA favors the calcification process in the bones, stimulates the formation and maturation of the red blood cells, strengthens the immune system, stimulates the reproductive system for both men and women, relieves symptoms caused by PMS, acts as a hormone replacement, and can be utilized as a co-assistant for infirmities of malnutrition, osteoporosis, AIDS, tuberculosis, etc...

While Maca was recently in danger of extinction, this renewed interest in it has not come without its critics. The Peruvian farmers are critical of Big Altie Pharma's taking out patents and appropriating their product.

Argumedo is referring to a US patent held by PureWorld Botanicals, Inc., a New Jersey-based company that specializes in botanical extracts. PureWorld's patent on maca extract is not recognized in Peru, and thus does not currently prevent Peruvian people from growing, using or selling maca extracts. However, if PureWorld chooses to enforce its patent, the company could prevent maca extracts of Peruvian origin from being imported to the United States, or anywhere else the patent is recognized. PureWorld is already seeking patent rights in Australia, the European Patent Office, and at the World Intellectual Property Organization. In addition, the company has a second US patent application pending on maca extract (published April 11, 2002). Another US-based company, Biotics Research Corporation, holds a patent on maca and antler for augmenting testosterone levels.

More information, including references to other studies, can be found at the Health Encyclopedia.

Quackometer Skepticism

EoR is skeptical of the Quackometer when his blog receives a rating of 2 canards and this warning:

The quacking noise is deafening. This web site is riddled with loosely defined terms and pseudoscientific language with huge sprinklings of alternative medicine mumbo jumbo. Using lots of physics terms like this rarely has any meaning outside of physics books. However, it shows significant sceptical awareness and may be debunking. It also looks like this site is trying to sell stuff. Buyer Beware!

EoR is not selling anything!

At least Anthony Grzelka's website received a superscore of 10 canards (by way of comparison, Masaru Emoto only rates 8 canards), and EoR's blog was listed correctly under "Possible quackbusting web sites...". Sadly, though, so was a page of Mr Grzelka's site. If only the psychics would debunk themselves, it would save EoR so much time and trouble...

Death: A Cure For All Cancers

People offering alternative cancer 'cures' seem to gravitate towards countries with lax laws regarding what constitutes medical treatment. Mexico, for example. Unfortunately, Thailand seems to have been a poor choice for Hellfried Sartori.

A disgraced doctor who left a New Zealand woman fighting for her life after treating her cancer with "liquid ozone" injections has been arrested in Thailand. Austrian man Hellfried Sartori was arrested in a Chiang Mai hotel on Sunday and charged with fraud and practising medicine without a licence. Known as "Dr Ozone", he had previously served two jail terms in the United States for administering the bogus treatments, Bangkok newspaper the Nation reported. Sartori took Kiwi woman Melissa Judith Taylor, who was suffering from lung cancer, to the intensive care unit of a Chiang Mai hospital on June 22. Her relatives told police she had passed out after he injected three doses of an "ozone treatment" into veins in her chest and neck, the newspaper said. Websites claim the treatment cures everything from Aids and cancer to allergies and hardening of the arteries. It consists of injections of "liquid ozone", usually into a vein.

Regardless of what he might be known as, the report makes clear that Mr Sartori (EoR wonders if that's his real name) has not been a doctor since 1974, and had previously had his registration suspended in the UK. He has also had his license revoked in two states in the US in the 1980s.

Nonetheless, desperate people were apparently willing to pay $NZ36,500 for his 'treatment'.

Sadly, the train of miracle cancer cures that seem to leave a surprising number of deaths in their wakes does not stop there.

Police say they have almost completed their investigation into a Perth doctor who treated several terminally-ill cancer patients, who died within days of each other. They are investigating whether Dr Alexandra Boyd received instructions from a Thai-based man, Hellfried Sartori, on how to administer the caesium chloride treatment. Mr Sartori was refused entry into Western Australia last year and has now been arrested in Thailand and reportedly charged with fraud and practising medicine without a licence. Seven patients were treated by Dr Boyd in May last year. Of those, six died and four of the deaths were within four days of treatment.

Dr Boyd's standard response seems to be "it has produced successful results in other patients". Presumably, they were the lucky ones who successfully didn't die. Presumably, this Dr Alexandra Boyd is the same one who wrote a testimonial supporting Emotional Freedom Techinique, Provocative Energy Technique and 100% YES!™, where she relates her transformation from someone who didn't deserve money, to someone who did.

"Thank you for two of the most enlightening and lightening days of my life.... My relationship with money has not been a good one, I think because deep down I have a deeply held belief that I do not deserve it, with other beliefs that you have to work hard, also it is better to give than receive. All these beliefs were challenged and shaken in a way that has allowed me to develop new beliefs that will enable me to keep the money that I work for and deserve to have. How about that for a turnaround. WOW. But that's not all, along with that, so much other work was done on my self-esteem ... Life's cup of joy for me today is overflowing. Was doing 100% YES! worth it? 100% YES, YES, YES."

The Terrors of Modern Medicine, The Terrors of Email

EoR recently received this urgent, frightening email:

Fwd: FW: Fw: June 17, 2006 - Medication recall - mainly flu / cold, m2

Medication recall- mainly flu / cold

This was sent out, I had it checked by the Manager of the chemist at Garden City Clinic and apparently this is correct. Although the US authorities have already acted, nothing has yet been forthcoming from our own (dear) Ministry of Health!!!!

All drugs containing PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE are being recalled. Please read this CAREFULLY. Also, please pass this on.

STOP TAKING anything containing this ingredient. It has been linked to increased hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in brain) among women ages 18-49 in the three days after starting use of medication. Problems were not found in men, but the FDA recommended that everyone (even children) seek alternative Medicine.

The following medications contain Phenylpropanolamine:

[List of 35 products snipped]

They are voluntarily recalling the following medicines because of a certain ingredient that is causing strokes and seizures in children:

[List of 3 products snipped]


PLEASE PASS THIS ON. THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF!

DO PASS ALONG TO ALL ON YOUR MAILING LIST so people are informed.

They can then pass it along to their families.

To confirm these findings please take time to check the following: http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ppa/

Unlike the majority of these scare stories, at least the link goes to something that seems to confirm some of the substance of this evil being perpetrated by Australian Big Pharma (presumably to make people sick, so that they buy more Big Pharma drugs, EoR imagines).

Unfortunately, like all "FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK NOW!!!!" emails, it's simply untrue. EoR took a full 60 seconds to find the Therapeutic Goods Admininstration's comments on Phenylpropanolamine.

In Australia, substantial action to limit the availability of many of the products of concern to the US FDA was taken in 1983. This followed a number of Australian reports of episodes of severe high blood pressure attributed to high doses of PPA in appetite suppressant products. Since that time PPA has only been available in cough and cold products from pharmacies in relatively low doses (25mg or less per dose). Specific label warnings were required.

Since 1984 there has been only one Australian adverse drug reaction report to the TGA and that report did not relate to high blood pressure or stroke. This provides some assurance that the current concerns in the US were largely dealt with in Australia in 1983.

In June and July of 2001 the last remaining products containing PPA were voluntarily withdrawn from the Australian market by their sponsors. There are now no products containing PPA authorised for supply in Australia.

The TGA has become aware of information originating from the US regarding the PPA situation that has been circulating widely in the Australian community via email messages. It is not immediately apparent to recipients that this information relates to the US market, not Australia, particularly since some of the brand names mentioned, such as Dimetapp and Robitussin, are familiar to Australian consumers. As a result people have been misled into believing that certain products mentioned in these email messages contain PPA and are subject to drug recalls in Australia. This is not the case; there are no drug recalls in force in Australia relating to PPA and no products containing PPA on the Australian market.

So, in Australia action has been taken on this matter since 1983. Twenty-three years ago. The information on the TGA page was originally posted in 2000. Six years ago. No products containing Phenylpropanolamine have been sold here since 2001. Five years ago. But some credulous people are all willing to propagate the scare story without doing the least bit of information checking.

EoR is off to contact the email sender. He has a bridge he wants to sell...

Pigs Fly Over BBC

What do you do when all the studies say homeopathy doesn't work? When doctors band together to write letters to the NHS saying it doesn't work? When the Lancet publishes an editorial saying it doesn't work? When UK homeopathic vets are quietly removed from the veterinary website?

Get a 93 year old to provide a single, baseless, testimonial. Even worse, the BBC are guilty: 93-year-old - 'I know they work'.

Ms Gilchrist said the reason it was difficult to provide proof from research that alternative medicines worked was because they worked differently on individuals. "Everyone is unique. For the same symptoms, people might have different medications." However, she said that the proof they helped was shown by the number of people who wanted to use alternative medicines.

So, if the effect is different on everyone, doesn't that still mean there is (by definition) no measurable effect? In other words, taking homeopathic remedies has no difference from not taking homeopathic remedies. Or, to put it more simply, there is no evidence that homeopathy works.

And just because people want to use something, doesn't mean that's "proof" that they work. A clearly logically fallacious statement. EoR bets lots of people wish they could fly, but it's still not happening.

EoR wants more information: how many people live to their nineties and do not use homeopathic remedies? EoR postulates that more nonagenarians do not use homeopathic remedies as opposed to those who do. In which case, it would be clearly demonstrable that homeopathy actually lessens the lifespan, and that consuming such "remedies" can have clearly fatal consequences.

Best Horoscope Award

Goes to the West Australian newspaper of July 8, 2006.

Scorpio: Whatever decisions or commitments you make over the weekend have a 50-50 chance of working to your advantage.

EoR isn't willing to take any bets that that particular prediction came true for 100% of Scorpios, since he'd be sure to lose. Astrology. Amazing.

38th Skeptics' Circle

Debunking all the woo out there can be tiring work. Time to take a refreshing drink from the Skeptic Vending Machine.

Proof of Passed-On Spirit Guides

EoR recently downloaded a picture from the site of well-known real™ authentic® psychic clairvoyant spiritualist Anthony Grzelka (original image here). Imagine his surprise when he opened it up to see that these hovering spirit presences had been mysteriously added to the image:



EoR is stunned, and can think of no way that this could have occurred without the intervention of forces Beyond His Comprehension.

More stunningly authentic images can be found at Mr Grzelka's evidence of ghosts page.

Did You Know?

Some factoids from the 27th June 2006 Mind&Body supplement in the West Australian newspaper:

Did you know? Sulfur found in cabbage and broccoli helps cleanse the liver.

No, since "cleansing the liver" is an ill-defined nonentity promoted by the cleansers of livers with no measurable effects.

Fast facts: vitamin C will help to reduce the length of a cold.

No, such a claim is still unproven after decades of alties trying to find evidence.

[Essential oils] have been shown to help soothe the body, mind and spirit.

Where are the studies showing how they calm the "spirit"? How is such an effect measured?

Did you know that the essential oils of basil and black pepper are connected to the Aries star sign and that lavender reflects the gentle innocence of Librans?

No, especially since astrology is a complete farce with no basis in reality. Was Margaret Thatcher a gentle Libran?

For moderate to serious conditions you need to see your general practitioner. Once a diagnosis and treatment plan has been mapped out, then Chinese medicine may be able to assist in strategies to overcome the illness.

So Traditional Chinese Medicine is only suitable for non-serious (ie frivolous) conditions? This is a TCM practitioner writing this, so it must be true.

At least there's a letter from Pfizer Australia pointing out that a previous article on viagra was full of false information and scaremongering. But then, Big Pharma would say that, wouldn't they?

'Tis The Season To Be Jollier

EoR already has his christmas wish list written up. He wants one of these.

Here at Life Technology Research International® we are continuously developing and evaluating new products and The Hyperdimensional Oscillator™ has certainly given us cause for excitement. The device incorporates several elements of futuristic Tesla technology, psychotronics and quantum physics to allow the user to access other dimensions of space time.

"Futuristic Tesla technology"! That must be like futuristic valve technology - some sort of hyperspace alternative reality steam-driven cyberpunk technology. That must be the "other dimensions" this device accesses. It's like a Tardis in a pendant. But then, Tesla did invent UFOs (the site says so), and a radio to chat to other planets with (the site says so - 2 hours a day for twenty years, regular as clockwork), so who is EoR to complain?

"Psychotronics"! Isn't that what Hari Seldon used in Asimov's Foundation books to determine the future course of history?

"Several elements of quantum physics"! Uncertainty? Spin? Strangeness?

The circuit is so advanced that it is actually a superconductor powered by scalar energies, the biophoton energy of the cosmos.

"Biophoton energy"! The last time EoR encountered that it was in a Superman comic. And yet it's a "superconducter" in a tiny package with no apparent method of cooling or bringing it below the transition temperature. This should scoop the pool at the next Nobel prizes.

Only $US89.95. EoR considers that a bargain for a woo device with no basis in reality, no measurable effects, and no scientific backing of any sort.

This product is designed for experimentation and research purposes only.

'Tis The Season To Be Jolly

Like spotting the first cuckoo of spring, EoR is pleased to note the arrival of the first letterbox-filler advertising brochure of the year offering christmas trees and lights for sale, just in time to beat the christmas rush.

EoR blames global warming.

Words to a Potential Medical Student

Before you enrol for that medical course, consider carefully whether it's the best path for your life. Perhaps complementary medicine is actually a better way to go, with many clear advantages...

The course is shorter. Never mind years of study and internship, you could become an aura healer in a weekend.

Insurance premiums are lower. Never mind high liability for high risk procedures - iridology has never been a high risk science. In the better alternative therapies you don't even touch the patient. In the best alternative therapies the patient doesn't even have to come to you.

Profits are higher. If you're a homeopath, you can continue to make your remedies from a small amount of the original for all eternity. If you're a naturopath you can just mark your supplements up at high rates.

More spare time. Since the tenets of complementary medicine never change, you don't have to worry about keeping up with the latest medical research, new drugs and new procedures. The stuff you'll learn on your course will be thousands of years old and hasn't changed at all in all that time.

Patient expectations are lower. If you're a doctor you're expected to make a patient better. Anything you do as an alternative therapist is evidence that your efforts are working. Either the patient gets better (which is good), or has a "healing crisis" (which is also good).

As a doctor you need to make a (correct) diagnosis before deciding on a course of treatment. As an alternative practitioner you are forbidden from making a diagnosis. It is unnecessary, and anyone found making diagnoses is automatically expelled from the League of Alternative Practitioners.

Doctors are required to successfully treat illnesses and diseases. As an alternative practitioner you are not required to cure anything, you simply allow the patient to cure themselves. If they don't it's their fault and they obviously want to be sick.

Doctors only treat the symptoms. As an alternative practitioner you will treat the whole person: mind, body, spirit, soul, past lives, emotions and wallet.

You are not required to swear the Oath of Allegiance to Big Pharma and ensure all your profits go to a bank account in Zurich. This is completely true: ask any doctor about and they will totally deny it - how much more proof do you need?

No damaging publicity from drug recalls. There has been no case of an alternative herb or a healing crystal being recalled.

Alternative therapies are more effective. You can cure cancer, diabetes, autism etc etc, all of which medical science fails at (medical science has cures for all these, but they're not allowed to use them because of the Big Pharma Oath of Allegiance).

Become a Real True Psychic™®!

Unlike Anthony Grzelka with his shamefully poor accuracy rate (as self reported) of only 60%, via James Randi weekly commentary comes a link to Ian Rowland's The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading.

Cold reading is also often used by people who pretend they give 'psychic' readings, and it enables them to give 'amazingly accurate' readings to complete strangers. [...] I have given more test conditions demonstrations that cold reading works than anyone else in the world. On a BBC documentary, two women said my readings were "99.9%" and "95%" accurate! [...] This is the definitive book on cold reading. It explains everything there is to know about this limitless technique! How can you apparently tell complete strangers about names, dates and events that mean something to them?

EoR remains amazed by how Mr Grzelka can tell complete strangers about names, dates and events that mean nothing to them, and still get paid for it. What was it P T Barnum said?

Here are some amazing psychic feats performed by Mr Rowland, including

During a live discussion show I gave a 20 minute tarot reading to a complete stranger called Lisa. She was then briefly interviewed for her reactions, and she stated that she found the reading very impressive. Later on in the show, it was revealed that I was a fake, and some aspects of my work (e.g. cold reading) were briefly touched on. Lisa refused to accept this explanation, and persisted in her belief that I was 'genuine'. Lisa said, "I'm amazed at how much truth has come out of it. I wasn't a strong believer before but I think this is great."

Notice also the refusal from the customer to accept facts where they contradict what she (or he) expects. Beliefs are far more important for this sort of woo than alities.

EoR suggests Mr Grzelka might like to study this book (or read it again if it's already part of his library of spiritual classics) in order to improve his accuracy rate to rank him up there with the "real" psychics. Or perhaps he could just get his spirit voices to do the work for him and pass on the relevant points.

"S" anyone? "Scam" or "Shyster"? Does that mean anything to you? I feel like it's "Scam" but it might be "Stupid". Or "Shameful". Have you had an aunt or uncle pass beyond? Or are you having some sort of operation? Or someone you know?

To Be Taken With A Pinch Of Salt

Hilton Herbs in the UK are offering Himalayan Salt Licks for your horse.

Pink Salt - from 550 million year old ocean deposits mined deep in the Himalayas, carried down the mountains on Yaks, and brought to you and your horses and ponies by Hilton Herbs to provide the ultimate salt lick for the upwardly mobile equid.

The website further expounds (EoR won't mention the ability of salt lamps to neutralise "electro-smog", whatever that is):

Most mass-produced salt licks consist of salt with artificially added minerals and trace elements. These minerals, such as potassium and magnesium, and the trace elements are important for your horse’s health, however in salt production they are regarded as impurities’ and are removed during the production process.

Apparently, it's not just the bragging rights of having peasant-mined yak-transported feeds for your yuppie horses (or, more pertinently, the upwardly aspirant owners), but Pink Sea Salt is almost a magic product, as this website shows, with its explanation of Quantum Woo Physics 101:

Primal energy from millions of years ago is stored in the crystal salt's unique structure. [...] Our body does not need to metabolize the crystal salt in order for its energy to enter directly into our cells. Salt has a very unique property. In contrast to all other crystalline structures, the atomic structure of salt is not molecular, but electrical. This is what makes it so transformable. When we submerge a crystal of Himalayan salt into water, it dissolves, creating Sole, the liquid materialization of the sun's energy. Sole is neither water nor salt. It is a higher energetic dimension than either the water or the salt alone. When the Sole evaporates, it leaves behind the salt, exactly as it was. This transformability of salt ensures that it doesn't have to be metabolized in our body.

This is totally unlike pure salt, of course, which is an Evil Substance (this is straight out of Woo Chemistry 101:

Common salt is basically an industrial waste product with only two of the original 84+ elements remaining (sodium and chlorine). It acts as a dangerous cellular poison within the body. Sea salt is a popular alternative to refined salt. However, natural sea salt harvested at the shore is only partially viable even when it is not industrially processed. Additionally, sea pollution, with its many harmful toxins, can cause negative biophysical frequencies that may affect the finished product. When Dr Albert Schweitzer began seeing the first cases of cancer in the jungles of Africa, he noted that they began after the importation of foods from America. Years later he deduced that it was the salt that was the culprit.

So, it's salt that causes cancer then? Not Dr Clark's parasites? Or do they subsist on salt?

There is, however, a double blind university study to prove the effects of magic salt (actually, electrolytes), which was conducted using as one measuring device the Quantum Xxroid Conscious Interface Biofeedback System. You know this is a more effective measure of health and vitality than all those nasty scientific instruments since

These machines are NOT accepted in America. The FDA allows them to be used for Biofeedback only. You can guess that since the bottom line in American medicine is profit, that using a simple machine to diagnose and monitor our health would be outlawed.

Yes, EoR can't see any way that using a cheaper machine would actually increase profit, even if you do accept the Big Pharma conspiracy theory. Are these guys really as stupid as they seem, or are they just pretending?

The principal constituents of this wonder product are (EoR's not sure what the other 79+ elements might be):

Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Iron

Hilton Herbs sells one kilogram of this miracle product for £3.70. This compares to £9.99 for 10kg of a standard mineral lick.

Of course, you could just buy the smallest amount of Wonder Salt, and dilute it homeopathically which would both increase its power, and give you a lifelong supply.