Praise Holy Darwin!

In its February 11-12, 2006 edition of its Review section, the Australian newspaper published, presumably in celebration of Darwin Day, an interesting review of Niles Eldredge's Darwin: Discovering the Tree of Life and From So Simple a Beginning: The Four Great Books of Charles Darwin (edited by Edward O Wilson) by Hiram Caton, who is described as

a retired professor of politics and history at Griffith University. He is completing his next book, Evolution in the Century of Progress.

The title of the review, An Article of Faith is a bit disconcerting, and this is reinforced throughout the early part of the review:

The canon's adroit evasion of uncomfortable facts [during Darwin's funeral oration] was not the beginning of the Darwin legend, but it was a landmark in his sanctification as the presiding spirit of scientific enlightenment.

"Legend"? "Sanctification"? "Spirit"? Do you see a certain theme evolving here?

Signs abound that the celebration of the bicentennial of his birth will reverberate with hymns and hosannas. [...] the hosannas of these two distinguished scientists provoke awe and adulation. We learn that the Origin is the "greatest scientific book of all time" that "fully explained" the struggle for existence (Wilson). The Voyage "is today regarded as intellectually the most important travel book of all time" (Wilson). [...] These surpassing achievements constitute a revolution equal in importance to the Copernican revolution. Smitten with reverence, my eye falls on the dust jackets to contemplate the photo of the aged Darwin: yes, he looks like a prophet.

Using the straw man arguments of the Creationists (but barely letting that word sully his 'review') Mr Caton points out various perceived flaws in Darwin's theory (though, of course, they are only flaws in Mr Caton's hastily erected "cathedral" (his word) to Darwin):

What were Darwin's discoveries in biology, and what is the story of their uptake? What was his new concept of humankind? Did it support the actively canvassed idea of sexual equaility?

But worse is to come. Darwin was not a 'real' scientist, but only an amateur:

Darwin the country gentleman was in complete disconnect with his world. His ceaseless pursuit of evolution questions resulted in not a single empirical discovery of interest to experimental biologists on the cutting edge. [...] The disconnect is especially telling in Darwin's failure to make any contribution to the science of heredity.

Mr Caton argues that Darwin's attempts at domestication breeding experiments proved his theories wrong:

Domestication also provided abundant documentation of events that Darwin unreservedly declared could not happen: single generation leaps, such as the two-headed calf and other "sports of nature", that disprove his gradualist theory of organic change.

Of course, we've all seen how two-headed calves become the dominant form in various species, outbreeding and outcompeting their inferior single-headed cousins.

The major hole (not failing, note, only a gap) in Darwin's theory was of course an understanding of genetics, and it is to Gregor Mendel that we look to provide the beginning of that particular science. Mr Caton, astoundingly, claims

Mendel believed his discovery disproved Darwin's theory. He was right.

Mr Caton concludes

One way to disabuse [creationists] of this nonsense is to discard the legend, which in any case has no business in science.

Indeed. THough it's usually the creationists who argue for the 'legend' of Darwin (and then attempt to dismantle it as proof of their pet 'theories'). EoR wonders why Mr Caton spent the bulk of his review on the legend, and so little on the science.

Ban RU486: Save Christianity

As Prime Minister John Howard is fond of pointing out, Australia is not a racist nation. In confirmation of his stance, one of his party colleagues, Federal Liberal MP Danna Vale, has claimed that allowing the use of RU486 will make Australia a godless heathen Muslim nation in only 50 years.

"I've actually read in the Daily Telegraph where a certain imam from the Lakemba mosque actually said that Australia is going to be a Muslim nation in 50 years' time," she said. "I didn't believe him at the time but when you actually look at the birthrates and you look at the fact that we are aborting ourselves almost out of existence by a 100,000 abortions every year. You multiply that by 50 years, that's 5 million potential Australians we won't have here."

EoR is interested by the implications of her statement that only "Australians" have abortions, and that "Australians" do not include Muslims (or, probably, anyone who isn't white and Christian).

In a spectacular example of political doublespeak worthy of Sir Humphrey himself, Nationals MP and parliamentary secretary for Trade De-Anne Kelly, has expressed her disagreement with Ms Vale

"As Jackie Kelly said, look Danna is pretty much on her own on this," she said.

Nonetheless

She says will vote the same way as Mrs Vale, but disagrees with her thoughts.

Right, Ms Vale is a loony rightwing racist with a severe case of foot-in-mouth disease. But let's offer her our full support.

Australia's conservative government: continuing to lead the country back to the Middle Ages.

Addendum: Legislation was passed by the Australian Parliament on 16th February to move approval of RU486 to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, and out of the hands of the Minister for Health.

The Clinical Application of Chi 2

Looking at the January/February 2006 edition of the Journal of Complementary Medicine, today EoR considers "The challenge of intellectual innocence".

This article is written by Professor Stephen P Myers, PhD, BMed, ND and Director of the Australian Centre for Complementary Medicine Education. He is also on the editorial board of the journal.

A primary objective of modern health education should be to produce individuals who are independent and critical analytical thinkers. There are a number of forces that run counter to this objective during a student's educational tenure. These include the process where a student is moulded into a specific health professional, and the pressure of conformity they experience during clinical placements. They are expected to demonstrate best practice and to follow the lead of their mentors. Thinking outside the square is generally frowned upon and maintaining the status quo rewarded.

So, according to Professor Myers, the student who goes out on a limb with some wild diagnosis or treatment is to be preferred to the one who follows "best practice". Why should these students even bother with clinical placements if following "the lead of their mentors" is to be frowned upon so much. The problem is not thinking outside the square, the issue is to train students where the square actually lies, and what the range of issues and considerations are within that square. Of course, complementary medicine practitioners are uneasy with critical analytical thinking (even though they claim to utilise it) and following evidence based and proven procedures.

Professor Myers argues for "intellectual innocence".

In the context of complementary medicine (CM), it is essential for both the conventional and CM professions to engage in an open dialogue free from stereotypes and preconceptions. This occurred in June 2005 between more than 70 educators in conventional medicine and the major CM disciplines at Georgetown University in Washington DC. Dr Aviad Haramati, a professor of physiology at the university's School of Medicine and one of the conference planners, said that the goal was simply 'to create common ground across several disciplines that will make a difference in the education of healthcare professionals and thereby lead to improvements in our healthcare system'. John Weeks, project director for the meeting, noted 'those who are educated in silos are likely to practise in silos. To create the kind of thoughtful, respectful integration of healthcare that patients are requesting, we need to integrate the education all healthcare professions' students receive'.

To EoR this smacks of the Intelligent Designist's Wedge Strategy. First, teach the self-created "controversy". Everything else follows from that.

So, it's not important to determine whether alternative therapies are effective or not. Not teaching them indicates "moulding", "conformity", "closed minds" and professionals operating in silos. There's also the call to teach the system that "patients are requesting" rather than teaching what works. And, just like Intelligent Design, were such a call to be acted upon, then students would also, by the same argument, need to be taught such subjects as Witchdoctoring 101, Voodoo Basics 102, and Advanced Aura Manipulation 201. There is just as much 'evidence' for the effectiveness of these as for the (unspecified) therapies that Professor Myers is calling for to be included in courses.

Professor Myers concludes with that strategy beloved of the alternatistas, a call to the wit and wisdom of Albert Einstein:

Bear in mind Albert Einstein's observation that 'education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school'.

Which, presumably, implies that students shouldn't go to university at all. Anyway, they can get all the healthcare professional certification they need at the weekend complementary therapy courses.


The Clinical Application of Chi 1

The Clinical Application of Chi 1

EoR has been reading the January/February 2006 edition of the Journal of Complementary Medicine. It's like a porn magazine for the woo brigade.

The JCM provides the latest news and research in CM, evidence-based reviews on CM treatments for conditions commonly presenting in primary care; expert commentary on topical issues; regular sections on relevant therapies, education, routes to referral, further education and training.

The method employed in this journal consists of a large number of brief reports of studies that may indicate some potential benefit in various natural substances (which is fine by EoR - if the studies are confirmed the active ingredient is usually isolated and it becomes part of mainstream medicine), much good advice (if lacking a little in detail and depth), and then the knife which has been oh-so-surreptitiously inserted is suddenly twisted and you're down on the floor screaming in agony but there's no release.

For example, "CM: what pharmacists should do" discusses issues of ethics, registration of products, assessing customer needs, monitoring adverse events and so on. Towards the end pharmacists are advised

Proactive consumers most commonly took CMs and had the best health outcomes.

EoR wonders, in passing, what the difference between an 'active' consumer and a 'proactive' consumer is. Note how that little conjunction 'and' has suddenly become a causal link rather than a grammatical tool? It could equally be argued that "proactive" consumers are better informed generally, and specifically about conventional treatment and are probably more likely to see a doctor. There may be many more factors involved, but we are only told about two. A bit later we are told

However, most enquiries about CM were rarely direct, and the real query had to be discerned with prompts such as 'What are you trying to find out?'

This is clearly about pushing a product, not providing the best solution about a consumer's needs. EoR imagines a Monty Python type sketch taking place in your local pharmacy:

Proactive Consumer: I'm a bit concerned about my heart/lungs/legs/smoking/overactive bowel/underactive bowel/brain exploding [delete where appropriate - however, the more conditions the merrier].
Hyperactive Pharmacist: We have just the thing for you: Magic Aura Detoxing Ayurvedic Herbal Homeopathic Drops!
Proactive Consumer (in a daze): Oooooooh.... I feel better already.

The so-called evidence-based approach of the journal is also clearly shown in the lead article on Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This is an eight page article which goes into pathophysiology, conventional treatment, diet, allergies, food intolerances, the placebo effect, probiotics (getting a bit left field here), "Botanical medicine" (getting more left field here - all these are supported by numerous studies being mentioned - in fact, so many studies that they often only get a couple of lines of attention which is insufficient to assess the validity and rigour of the study - obviously, most GPs are not going to have the time or inclination to search out and go through all these studies), and then we go way out into left field where we find Chinese and Ayurvedic Medicine. In the same authoritative tone, we are informed about

chi stagnation and blood stasis [...] damp heat in the Middle Burner meridian [...] deficiency of spleen and kidney yang [...] spleen and liver disharmony [...] spleen yang deficiency [...] an imbalanced increase in the Vata dosha.

This is supported by a double-blind, placebo controlled trial into herbs, incidentally conducted by a JCM Editorial Board Member, even though

The efficacy of many Chinese and Ayurvedic herbs has yet to be established.

Another article goes on at length about Liver Detox Programs. In between "Which toxin is that?" and "Rationale" we are told

There is little direct scientific evidence to suggest that LDPs improve prognostic outcomes for patients with specific chronic diseases. There is, however, some evidence to suggest that a simple general detox program over two to several weeks may assist in reducing general symptoms of poor health in various patient populations.

Note the clutching at straws about very vague responses in indeterminate cases. Wherever there is "some" evidence, proclaim it loudly. EoR wonders about the quality of these trials.

There's a regular column on medical acupuncture, this month on the Puppet Master Points, which EoR will ignore except for the boggling view of anatomy inspired by

Langevin has postulated that the connective tissue (CT) enfolding every muscle and continuous from head to toe is part of the acupuncture signalling system.

Hang on, that seems to presume the evidence already of an "acupuncture signalling system". Did EoR miss something? Oh, it's only a "postulated" hypothesis.

When a needle penetrates the CT and is twirled, the CT fibres wrap around the needle, are stretched and produce a piezoelectric signal that is propagated along specific tissue planes.

Don't you just love the scientific authority of all that jargon? Since a piezoelectric effect is caused by very high pressures applied to crystals, EoR wonders how a little twisting needle can cause such a reaction (he's happy about the crystal part - we all know about woo crystals in the body and which migrate to the feet in the magical world of reflexology). How is this (imaginary) signal propagated? More importantly, how is it transmitted to the brain rather than just to surrounding tissue? And even if it was transmitted successfully to the brain, how does the brain know where it's coming from and what it's saying? EoR could go on, but such questions are not the point of the article. The point is to engender a feeling amongst GPs and others that acupuncture is scientifically proven and well known to be effective.

There's more (including one article EoR will address separately), but you get the idea.

Happy Darwin Day!

EoR wishes you all success at evolving, and hopes you don't become extinct.

RU486

In Australia, which drugs are available for use is decided by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). That's every single drug. Except one specific category. The exception is abortifacients and specifically RU486, used for abortions and available widely overseas.

In this case, whether this drug is available or not is decided by one person, health minister Tony Abbott. Mr Abbott, a male conservative Christian (not that Eor would ever imply that had anything to do with the decision) has decided the drug should be banned. Mr Abbott's arguments seem to consist of two main points, and he has recently been doing the talkback radio circuit spruiking his views: that the TGA is a group of unelected people, unlike himself; and that RU-486 is not a therapeutic drug, but a drug designed to kill babies.

EoR wonders how one untrained individual is able to make a more sensible, informed decision than a group of experts, elected or not (and if decisions made by unelected people are such anathema, why doesn't Mr Abbott get rid of the Civil Aviation Authority, the Judicial system, the Public Service, the Police etc etc?).

Of course, the second argument ("Baby killers!") is a fundamentalist catholic catch cry, and is at odds with mainstream Australia. One report on the radio this morning suggested that over 90% of Australians support abortion (which is legal here). Whether it's "baby killing" or "aborting a foetus", women will still have abortions. The point here is what options they have available should they choose that path. Mr Abbott is forcing his minority opinion on the majority. Now there's elected representation for you. EoR also can't help pointing out the similarities between his stance and that of certain Muslims Against Cartoonists: fundamentalism, religion and rigidity. God tells Mr Abbot abortion is evil. God decides policy.

A private member's bill has been introduced to Parliament to overturn this anomalous authority. It passed the Senate by 17 votes, but also needs to be passed by the House of Representatives. It's expected to be read there sometime next week, and also expected to be rejected because of the government's numbers.

Australia's conservative government: leading the country back to the Middle Ages.

The Autism Epidemic Continues

The Radio National Breakfast show is usually one of the few examples around of good journalism. A recent segment on the "autism epidemic" (listen online here) has cancelled all that out though.

The debate surrounding the safety of the triple jab immunisation - measles mumps rubella - and its link to autism, has taken a new twist. [...] Dr Peter Fletcher, who was Chief Scientific Officer at the Department of Health, says he's seen a "steady accumulation of evidence" that the M-M-R jab is causing autism in some children. [...] Sue Corrigan is the journalist with the Mail On Sunday who broke the story.

The interview was with Sue Corrigan, not Dr Fletcher, and had no scientific credibility or evidence at all, and was basically a "scare the mothers into not vaccinating their kids" spew from Ms Corrigan who behaved like an evangelist spreading the Gospel of Fletcher (mediated by the Spirit of Wakefield).

Dr Fletcher's "proof" of an autism epidemic (at least, as it was relayed secondhand by Ms Corrigan) was not new evidence or studies of any kind. It was the fact that he'd gone back through all the literature and studies, and there was just so much of it there had to be something in it. As Ms Corrigan blithely informed us, there was no one piece of evidence to prove an MMR caused epidemic, it was the overall amount of evidence. EoR again apologises for being stupid, but isn't no one piece of evidence equivalent to no evidence? So the "steady accumulation of evidence" that has convinced Dr Fletcher is exactly the same evidence that all other scientists have seen and found no evidence of an MMR induced autism epidemic.

Ms Corrigan also pointed out the huge rise in autistic children since the MMR vaccine was introduced. Post hoc ergo propter hoc. Fran Kelly failed to address any of these inconsistencies and failures of logic.

The "autism epidemic" is not as high profile here as it is in the UK and the US, but given Radio National's audience (generally well educated upper middle class - precisely the demographic that believes these kind of health scare stories) it's sure to have had a significant boost from this flatulent piece.

Dr Fletcher seems to be following the paranoid alternatista scaremongering conspiracy theory approach, as reported in Ms Corrigan's original article:

"There are very powerful people in positions of great authority in Britain and elsewhere who have staked their reputations and careers on the safety of MMR and they are willing to do almost anything to protect themselves. [...] There's no one conclusive piece of scientific evidence, no 'smoking gun', because there very rarely is when adverse drug reactions are first suspected. When vaccine damage in very young children is involved, it is harder to prove the links. But it is the steady accumulation of evidence, from a number of respected universities, teaching hospitals and laboratories around the world, that matters here. There's far too much to ignore. Yet government health authorities are, it seems, more than happy to do so."

Not only is there no "smoking gun" at first, there's still no smoke, not even an unloaded pistol, to be found after strenuous searching. EoR also wonders how all the scientists apart from Drs Wakefield and Fletcher have been signed up to the Conspiracy of Silence so successfully. How come governments can keep such high profile mass poisoning secret, and can't keep budget secrets secure for more than a week?

Meanwhile, Ms Corrigan seems to make a profession out of promoting autism panic.

Truly Offensive

Is an image of Mohammad offensive?

Is the burning of an Australian flag by Indonesians offensive?

Is the burning of a bad replica of an Australian flag by Indonesians in response to attacks on Australian muslims offensive?

Is an S&M laden image of Christ offensive?

Is an image of Jesus surrounded by gay men offensive?

Is a burnt Australian flag as artwork offensive?

Is the burning of an Australian flag by a minority group offensive?

Are dildos in the shape of religious figures offensive?

Is a homosexual Jesus offensive?

Is a sketch of Mohammad offensive?

As Tasmania's Shadow Attorney-General is quoted as saying:

Well I and all other Liberals believe in freedom of speech, freedom of expression, but you have to have some degree of propriety and this is simply beyond the pale and it causes grave concern.

Which, presumably, means he doesn't believe in freedom of speech or expression. What he's trying to say is "I believe in freedom of speech and freedom of expression, as long as you only speak about and express things that I want to hear and see. Nothing else. Or we'll have you publicly stoned".

The overreaction to these "offensive" items is an example of fundamentalism and tribalism. It's the difference between a creative act and a destructive act. The creative act adds something to humanity as a whole. If you don't like it, you don't have to look at it (this is like bad television - it's not compulsory to watch it and there's always the OFF switch). The destructive act is an example of humanity's baser nature. It adds nothing to humanity. And it's strange that it alway seems to be fired by things that their believers would argue are enlightening, ennobling and uplifting, like religion and state. Unfortunately, it seems to EoR to be an excuse to avoid thinking, and to avoid dealing with difficult issues in an adult manner.

Laws are made against the "tribalism" of football hooliganism (something with a long history), but these sorts of things are accepted?

Incidentally, EoR wonders just how many of the protestors against the Danish Cartoons Blaspheming M------d have actually seen those cartoons (particularly since it would be blasphemous itself to look at them, and then they'd have to stone themselves). He also wonders how many people in the world have seen the cartoons in total (and how few would have seen them if no one actually complained).

Hanging Out in the Red Light District

A couple of years ago hoofbeats carried an uncritical article on "DIY Light Therapy". Since then they have continued to display full page colour advertisements for Dr McLaren's Photonic Therapy. By EoR's calculations, that's a fraction under $A10,000 worth of advertising so far.

You could purchase the Equine Kit ($US585) or save money and buy The Works ($US910). Strange that you have to pay for it when it's a "complimentary therapy". Here's Dr McLaren's bio:

Dr Brian McLaren is a clinical scientist, a veterinary surgeon and the highest qualified acupuncturist in Australia, with postgraduate university qualifications both in veterinary and human acupuncture. He is a Fellow of the Australian Natural Therapists Association and a Member of the International Society for the Study of Pain. His Master's Degree thesis scientifically explained what an acupuncture point is and how it came to be there and how acupuncture actually works. He is currently undertaking a Doctor of Philosophy degree, with the University of Queensland, researching the treatment of Glaucoma by Photonic Therapy. Brian has received accreditation, from the Federal Government, for the instruction of a series of approved qualifications. His instruction in, and granting of, these qualifications have allowed the establishment of a series of McLaren Photonic Therapy clinics throughout Australia.

Impressive qualifications indeed (though, as EoR has pointed out previously, educational accreditation in Australia does not take into account the actual syllabus, only the accounting procedures and so on - you can apparently teach any lunacy you like and be accredited).

So how does Photonic Therapy work?

McLaren Photonic Therapy utilizes broad band 660nm red light to provide the photons required to painlessly, and safely stimulate tissue. Visable light is a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum and ranges between 400-700nm. Wavelengths below 400nm (ultra violet) have high energy and do not penetrate deeply into tissue but can cause damage, such as melanomas. Above 700nm, in the infrared range there is less energy per photon, and longer treatment times are required.

Dr McLaren puts his vast university education to good use, and can spout all that danged physics talk with the best of them. The best part is it's all accurate. Red light is indeed 660nm on the electromagnetic spectrum. Dr McLaren also mentions various organisms that can sense electrical potentials or infrared light though, for the life of him, EoR can't see the relevance (doesn't Dr McLaren specifically state above that he's not concerned with infrared light, or electrical activities, only a funky red light?). Legerdemain, however, has always been an essential skill of the snake oil salesmen.

McLaren Photonic Therapy has been successfully used to treat thousands of clinical cases in animals, painlessly, and without the risks associated with skin penetration. Also it is without the risks around the eyes, associated with the use of lasers. Because Photonic Therapy works so well on animals, it obviously does not rely on a psychosomatic, hypnotic, or placebo effect, but is a valid therapeutic modality.

Dr McLaren also needs to research how alternative therapies appear to work in animals. Confirmation bias, self-resolving conditions, return to mean etc etc all play a part. As a scientist he should understand that he shouldn't be making sweeping statements about his particular form of magic until it's been tested (preferably in double blind trials - though EoR presumes you'd have to blindfold the practitioner) and been peer reviewed and replicated. That, of course, hasn't happened yet, but why would you bother when there's apparently such a huge market for this miracle device (which, sadly, doesn't even come with a free set of steak knives). EoR wonders where all these magic penlights are going though? He's yet to see anyone (veterinary or amateur) flashing the magic photons at either themselves or their animals.

There's a longer (but generally more incoherent) explanation here. EoR admires the way he's worded it to attract both the pseudoscientific credulous public as well as the alternative magic credulous public:

Photonic Therapy is the marriage of 1990’s diode chip technology to simple, proven, though ancient diagnostic concepts, to alter electrical fields in the skin to stimulate healing, increase immune response and pain relief.

Essentially, Dr McLaren's hypothesis (for that is all it is) seems to be that the application of light to the skin transfers energy to cells (EoR finds this plausible, though his biochemistry is not up to scratch, and would also be interested to know just how much energy is transferred, or whether Dr McLaren has even bothered to measure it), but that this then somehow surges through the body's accupressure points, avoiding Good Cells and Seeking and Destroying Bad Cells, and cures ills and aches (EoR finds this a large leap of illogic and not plausible at all in the light (ho ho) of two centuries of scientific study).

This "certified" practitioner explains the theory a little more clearly (EoR uses the term loosely, you understand):

When placed on the skin, this red light is transformed into electrical energy by the connective tissue under the skin. This electrical energy is then transmitted to the brain by the nerves. The brain sends signals to release particular hormones and neuro-chemicals depending on the combination of points stimulated by the light. These hormones and neuro-chemicals relieve pain, increase immune response, and promote healing.

So, the brain knows exactly where the pain is, and sends the healing neurochemicals there. Or else the obfuscation about "acupuncture points" is just bullshit. Or maybe a bit of sunlight will do just as well. But hang on, there's more clever medical techniques used to ensure this therapy succeeds:

During a diagnostic examination, specific areas on the animal's body are physically stimulated by applying a quick flick to the skin by a blunt instrument, such as a round-ended pen. A response suggests to the practitioner where there may be a health concern. Additional areas are tested for confirmation.

This sounds like the charlatanism practiced by horse chiropracters: poke a horse on its back and it will flinch (as would you) but tell the owner this is a sign of "the back being out" or "the hips being out" or "wandering ribs" or some such made up diagnosis. The paying public loves that sort of stuff and the only really difficult part about it is keeping a straight face.

Researching a little further, EoR found that Dr McLaren did not discover this revelatory healing modality on his own, but in partnership with a Rodney Torkington. Somewhere they seem to have had a spat, and gone their separate ways though both are, to all intents and purposes, selling the same red penlight as a Marvellous Medical Device. Normally, EoR would consider Mr Torkington's $A325 version an absolute ripoff, but in comparison to Dr McLaren's horrendously overpriced product (think of the profit margin - the likes of Bill Gates can only drool in envy) he seems a samaritan of health.

Mr Torkington provides the facts of his torch (generally unrelated and disconnected facts about lasers, that people are using his device, that NASA apparently funded some study to look at something similar proves it works and so on). Strangely, some of the phrases are the same as on Dr McLaren's site (though at least Mr Torkington mentions Dr Mclaren - his name seems to have been expunged from Dr McLaren's site). The FAQ provides further fascinating details:

Q. Can I do any harm if I stimulate the wrong point if I use the acupoints as a guide?
A. No, it will register as a nil response. The non-coherent monochromatic red light from the Photonic Torch is safe. It is no stronger than a 40 mw light globe.

Q. Do I continue with my medication while using the Photonic Torch?
A. Yes, you certainly do. Red Light Photostimulation using our Photonic Torch is a complementary therapy. It may be used on its own or with prescribed pharmaceuticals. It is not as effective when combined with prescribed cortisone.

Q. Does it cure most disorders?
A. No. We do not make any such claims. Red Light Photonic Stimulation using LEDs does not replace competant medical consultation. It is a complementary or adjunctive therapy. The majority of common conditions can benefit from this new technology. Problems such a bacterial infections or malignant tumors certainly need conventional medical treatment.

Sooo... It's a low power light source... And EoR still needs to continue conventional treatment... And it doesn't cure anything... Tell me again why I should pay money for this? Ah, but it "boosts the immune system". Whatever that means.

Now, while it doesn't cure anything look at the conditions it can be used for (notice, conditions it can be "applied" to, not conditions it can "cure"), including (spelling preserved)

Arthrititus [...] Situational stress [...] Hormonal and reproductive conditions [...] Cystic ovaries [...] Glavccma [...] Hapatitis [...] High Blood Pressure [...] Low Blood Pressure [...] Menopause [...] Multiple Sclerosis [...] Parkingson's [...] Weakness

EoR does applaud Photonic Healing for having their Disclaimer clearly visible on their front page:

The Torkington Photonic Torch is a tool. No healing power of any kind is claimed or implied other than by testimonial.

On Dr McLaren's site you have to go looking for his disclaimer and specifically click on a link to view it:

The McLaren Photonic Therapy unit, of itself has no healing power of any kind, and no claim as such is made or implied. No warranty is given or implied as to the effectiveness or otherwise of this form of treatment or the formulae offered. As the method of application in using the light is out of McLaren Photonic Therapy’s control, no responsibility is accepted for any treatment effects, condition progress, or sequel arising after treatment.

EoR just wants to repeat that: has no healing power of any kind. None. Zero. Completely useless. But buy it anyway. Dr McLaren needs to maintain his well-funded retirement.

As to the NASA proof of the effectiveness of these little miracle lights, NASA Space Technology Shines New Light On Healing provides some further information. The results appear to relate mainly to surface sores and ulcers, though the device tested is remarkably unlike the McLaren Miracle Light:

The wound-healing device is a small, 3.5-inch by 4.5-inch (89-millimeter by 114-millimeter), portable, flat array of LEDs, arranged in rows on top of a small box.

It also appears to have an effect on cancer. But only when used surgically. And only to affect photodynamic drugs which, strangely enough, are affected by light, as opposed to the multitudinous other conditions this device can be "applied" to.

Quantum Devices altered the surgical probe to emit longer wavelengths of red light that stimulate a photodynamic drug called Benzoporphyrin Derivative.

EoR doubts very much whether these little lights have any therapeutic use at all (and he's not alone, given the wording of the disclaimers on the sites), but he is certain that these woo-lights are massively overpriced. If you're really determined to do acupuncture on yourself with a torch, save some money for real medical treatment, and buy a handy keychain light (so you never lose it for those acupuncture emergencies) for $US9. If you're really determined to spend lots of money on one, try the Pocket Knife with 128mb USB drive, LED torch, and scissors for $A53.10. The only problem you'll have is deciding what to do with the $US850 you've saved.

Or, if you've got access to a USB cable, a LED, a wire coat hanger, and some insulation tape, you could make your own USB LED light. Or, buy a back issue of Australian Sky and Telescope and follow the "Make a red LED torch" project.

And for more about LEDs, go ask the Bad Astronomer.

Is That a Dowsing Stick in Your Pocket, or Are You Just Pleased to See Me?

The February/March 2006 issue of hoofbeats maintains the fine standards of that journal with a most magnificent double-page spread: on one side is a full page colour advertisement for Photonic Therapy (something EoR will be looking at shortly in a separate post), while on the other side is an informative and factual article promoting "An introduction to CRANIOSACRAL work with HORSES" (Eor hopes readers aren't being bored by all this horse-woo, but EoR, being a small stuffed donkey, tends to spend a lot of time with the other equines and he hears some amazing things around the stables).

Today, however, EoR wants to focus on another article: "Water Divining" by Fiona Adams (herbalist, bowenist, iridologist, fabulist).

Divining is the ancient art of finding 'hidden things' such as water or energy fields. Illustrations of divining have been found on cave walls at Tassile in North Africa dating back over 8000 years.

"My ancient magic is older than your ancient magic". In the words of the immortal Molesworth, "Yah boo sux".

EoR went looking for this 'evidence' (presumably, Ms Adams actually meant Tassili) but the only sites that referenced these prehistorical dowsing images were dowsing sites. Funny that. Looking a little further, many of these images are available online (at non-dowsing sites) such as here (where they are revealed not be dowsers, but Great Martian Gods), here (those couldn't be head-dresses, they must be aerials for early portable televisions), here and here. Call EoR stupid, but they look more like people carrying bows and arrows, not a pack of dowsing woo-woo merchants.

EoR also found one site claiming that evidence of dowsing includes

Cave drawings were found in Spain dating back to the cro-magnum era

Also known as the Dirty-Harry era. But to return to Ms Adams...

The British Army used diviners on the Falkland Islands to remove unexploded mines.

EoR bets that was a job nobody wanted.

Sgt Grope-Things: Private Parts, you 'orrible little man, take these twigs and find me some mines.
Private Parts:: Y-yes sir... Sir! Sir! I think there's one just over-
FX:BOOOOM!

Try as he might, EoR couldn't find any proof of this outrageous claim. Not at the official site for the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (the sappers) - no trace of dowsing. Nor at the official site for the UK army - no trace of dowsing. Not in the UK Hansard. Not at the Mine Action Information Center. Not at the United Nations University. But maybe the dowsers are talking about the sort of dowsing shown in a photo on this page. Why is this information being suppressed? Why are the dowsers the only ones privy to these secrets? Why are the Illuminati not silencing them?

The origin of this myth seems to be a statement made by dowser Patrick Aesteii

Patrick describes himself as a "physical and mental medium, a channel and an intuitive healer who specializes in gem therapies." Yet in addition to this, he follows the ways of Merlin by working with the earth’s energies, as a professional dowser.

The information is also repeated here. EoR finds it telling that both these sites also make reference to the "cro-magnum" era and are quite clearly copies of either one another or a third source.

But to return to Ms Adams.

Divining is a bit of an art, and some find it easier to do than others. This is due to the Corpus Callosum nerves between the left and right brain - the quicker the brain can switch from left to right the easier it is to divine.

This is the problem with all these wacky alternista theories. They require no work, just some fantasizing and a bit of scientific jargon. Make the most outrageous statements (the more outrageous the better) to provide an air of scientific evidence and respectibility to your magic. These statements take but a moment to make, and then they are propagated ad infinitum via the internet and the alternative journals and the woo societies so that their very multiplicity becomes an implied verification of them.

EoR went searching for any references to independent scientific verification of this Quick Switching Brain Effect. He found David Yarrow who, after mentioning some 1980s research into the left and right brain boldy claims

Dowsing opens a window between our Intuitive and Rational Mind. Like the corpus callosum, dowsing is a bridge betwixt our two minds to allow dialog between them. In dowsing, Rational Mind asks a question and Intuitive Mind answers by a movement of the rod. The art of dowsing is to ask clear questions which have unambiguous answers. Vague, imprecise questions will yield equally garbled replies.

From legitimate studies to fantasy speculations in one paragraph!

EoR also found this article, where the author appears not to have noticed the logical inconsistency inherent in

[My grandmother] counselled: "only believe half of what you see and a quarter of what you hear". Good advice from the 1930s that is even more relevant today. Luckily through dowsing we have an unique opportunity to quantify and qualify information

Interestingly, this site appears to have an earlier version of the urban myth about military bomb dowsers:

in the case of work done by the US military in the Vietnam War, the need to find underground Viet Cong tunnels and booby traps.

EoR presumes they were using metal detectors, but that's presumably close enough to 'real' dowsing for the dowsers not to mind. This page also leads EoR closer to that scientific proof he so craves:

Interestingly, the American Society of Dowsers have performed brain monitoring tests which show that all identified types of brain waves are involved in dowsing to some degree, a most unusual phenomenon and I am sure we will learn more about the "dowsing brain-state" in the near future.

Oh, "brain monitoring tests" by dowsers. Presumably conducted by pendulums and twitching twigs. And nothing about magic woo particles bridging the rational/irrational brain divide in a mystic epiphany. Sigh.

Even the BBC gets in on the act where, as well as including old books on folklore under "Science Weighs In", they also state

Even the British Army's Royal Electrician and Mechanical Engineer regiment (or sappers) used to train their regiment on how to dowse for water. The US Army went one step further than this and trained soldiers in Vietnam to dowse for unexploded bombs and landmines. It is not known how many lives - both military and civilian - this simple technique has saved in its use in clearing minefields.

No. It's not known.

The Canadian Society of Dowsers provided much helpful information (but, alas, no scientific evidence) such as

Several people who have polarity problems crave lamb. Eating lamb helps to rebalance them. [...] Eva Angyal has been monitoring the level of the energy we raised last month (using Raymon Grace's technique). She said that it has remained steady however lately there have been holes in it. She has been repairing them. Thank you, Eva! [...] Dowse when you are studying for exams. Arthur Clark said he would review his notes and stop at certain subjects and study those subjects. Those subjects would then be on the exam. [...] Margaret mentioned to us that there is a controversy among homeopaths whether or not paper remedies work. The Classical homeopaths say that paper remedies are nonsense. To give you an idea of what Paper Remedies are, there is a homeopath who works on an Indian Reservation. She finds out what they need, writes the remedy down on a piece of paper, they put it in their pocket and it works. [...] If we think our dowsing is wrong --- we just may not have asked the right one, or, we are interpreting its answer incorrectly.

Ah yes, the old "my woo didn't fail, it lied/deceived me/was blocked by your negative thoughts/has a cold/had a dodgy line/is on vacation" excuse. Won't wash. Sorry. EoR also finds highly amusing any homeopaths claiming magic remedies are "nonsense". Pot. Kettle. Black.

The hoofbeats article concludes

There have been many scientific attempts to explain how divining works and, despite the fact anecdotal reports suggest it does, there is little scientific evidence to substantiate the claims.

Perhaps Ms Adams is referring to the Australian Skeptics 1980 test (dowsing failed) or the many tests detailed at the Skeptic's Dictionary (dowsing failed - repeatedly)? Dowsing has been debunked so many times EoR is getting sick of loonies wandering about in paddocks with bits of wire and crystals detecting Naughty Energies.

Addendum: 245 photos of the Tassili rock paintings can be found at Visipix. You decide whether any of them show dowsing, or (as EoR prefers) scenes of hunting and gathering.

Caution Reiki: Handle With Care

What happens when alternative therapies fail to cure, or even seem to cause an exacerbation of a condition? We all know about the "healing crisis" which is the usual alternative therapists catch-all phrase to explain the failure. Of course, a more straightforward answer is to employ Occam's Razor and realise that

Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily.

hence the alternative therapy, in fact, has no affect whatsoever, rather than different affects at different times. Try explaining that to an alternatista though.

EoR recently came across this amusing discussion thread, wherein it is revealed that Reiki is not always safe:

Many ancient symbols, when inscribed over someone in a healing session or invoked for that person as happens in a Reiki healing, can be experienced as psychic intrusion to someone's energy field. So your energy field can react negatively when these symbols are inscribed over you. I, for instance, am "allergic" to Reiki. If someone comes at me with those symbols, my system perceives it as psychic attack. I know many others who have the same reaction. I'm trained in some healing techniques that allow you to measure the expansion of the auric field and the size of the chakras, and what I perceive through this measuring system is that many "patients" go through a hyper-expansion of their auric field and their individual chakras when given Reiki energy.

This particular poster gives a telling example:

Man Gets Sicker After Reiki Treatments
I used to know a lovely man who suffered from severe chronic fatigue, Lyme, and rheumatoid arthritis, and he kept thinking that getting Reiki was the answer, and he went in for treatment after treatment. I'd pick up the pieces afterwards and try to remove the effects of those "healing" sessions. His system was hyper-energized, which is the LAST thing you want when treating those particular conditions, because the energy system of a rheumatoid arthritis sufferer is already heavily congested. He needed a clearing out of energy, not an adding in. So the Reiki healer would blast him with energy, and believe me, she was the sweetest and most intuitive lady on the planet, but she didn't understand what was going on.

While EoR is amused by this man getting imaginary Bad Healing Energy, and then having to get imaginary Good Healing Energy to balance it out, repeatedly, it is clear that neither understood what was going on. That is, a condition that resolves and reoccurs without any correlation whatsoever to Magic Healing Woo. Nonetheless, these alternatistas go to great length to rationalise their failures. The entities multiply almost without end. Another poster relates

I was not even doing Reiki, just my own healing, and had prayed before doing it, and a client went ballistic on me, because he could feel his skin heating up and softening, and because I could "see" how he injured himself when I put my hands on the painful area. He accused me of being possessed, called me a charlatan, etc...and then stiffed me out of $50! I got rid of his pain problem, and he was able to walk without limping when I was done with him, but he was yelling at me all the way down the hallway.

EoR must remember that. It might be a good way to make money, going from alternative therapist to alternative therapist and complaining of Energy Overload Injury and demanding compensation.

Others on the thread argue that the problem is not Energy Overload, or Wrong Energy, but the fact that these practitioners are "telling" people to heal, rather than "asking". Or the fact that we vibrate on different levels, so different healings work for different vibrations. Or the person is focused on the process rather than the healing. Or it was not the "right time to heal". Or the patients "love their pain" and refuse to give it up (this one seems particularly offensive to EoR - here are these supposed enlightened healers wandering about with wavering hands blaming the sick for their failures). Or the practitioner hasn't recently been attuned (apparently like topping up the oil in your car). Or the practitioner hasn't been drinking enough water. Or the "Divine" somehow failed. And, while all healing energies are equal, some are more equal than others:

I once had a channeling client who was having some healing work done on her by a Barbara Brennan Hands of Light practitioner. She was told by this healer that it was a good thing she had not had any reiki done on her, otherwise the session would have been twice as long, because first she would have to undo the damage the reiki session had caused.

One poster puts EoR's opinion succintly (though the fact that they are a 'natural healer' probably means they haven't quite got EoR's views about the rest of newage mysticism:

The New Age isn't about the age of enlightenment. It's about confusing and throwing in a bunch of disinfo into what SHOULD HAVE BEEN yet another natural evolution of the human species. Sad, very sad.

Water, Water Everywhere, Nor Any Stop to Think 4

EoR continues his review of The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto.

Chapter Four tells how The World Will Change in but a Moment (echoing 1 Corinthians 52).

After informing us that having "feelings of gratitude" towards water can physically change that water, Emoto-san suggests an 'experiment'.

A game we'll call "cloud erasing." I want you to try to erase clouds using the power of your thoughts. On a partially clear day, look up at the sky and target just one cloud, maybe one not too large.

Of course, on overcast days psychic powers strangely seem to fail, as they also do for clouds that are "too large", or targetting more than one cloud.

Next, we are once again in the magic land of quantum mechanics, and how everyone knows quantum mechanics has proved psychic powers, magic water, vibrations etc etc.

In other words, within an individual - and even within a single cell - exists all the information of the universe. [...] So the changing of the entire world in a moment isn't just a fantasy.

No, it's also pseudoscientific gobbledegook.

According to the psychotic weltanschauung of Emoto-san, these things are easily detectable, particularly by his (always unspecified) Acme Vibration Detecting Machine Mark 1.

On the afternoon of the invasion of Iraq at the onset of the first Gulf War, I measured the vibration of the tap water in Tokyo, and found an unusually sharp increase in the values of vibrations. [...] You might ask, Is this really possible?

Actually, EoR has been asking that since page one.

Then there's the monk who chanted incantations and magically cleared a lake's muddy waters:

Of course, it did take some time after the incantation for the water to become clear.

But doesn't that contradict his World Changes in a Moment Principle? Or is it just an example of post hoc ergo propter hoc? Scientific procedure: Chant. Wait. Wait some more. More waiting. Water clears! Inference: direct causal connection between chanting and water! Amazed looks on all and sundry.

Emoto-san is obviously getting desperate now, as he calls to the mighty imprimatur of Rupert Sheldrake's morphic resonance.

There then follow 30 pages of rather beautiful photographs of water crystals, only marred by the bizarrely illogical commentary, such as the crystals exposed to Brazilian music:

Both crystals are in the shape of stars. They seem to be telling us that moving your body and singing in a loud voice serves to strengthen your immune system.

Wow! Crystals in the form of stars! I wonder if the True Believers will notice that every other crystal in the book also looks just like a star. Or will they be too dazzled by Emoto-san's revelations?

Chapter Five (hang on, we're nearly at the end) is A Smile That Fills the World. EoR wonders why all these alternatistas seem like they're quoting from the Little Book of Calm all the time. This chapter is mainly about Emoto-san's attempts to fleece the credulous. Sorry, spread the gospel that

The message of water is love and gratitude.

As news of his amazing discoveries spread (in "ripples", as he says) a growing tide of interest formed. Seminars were held. Magazine articles published. It seems a tsunami is inevitable. But it's not just EoR making the bad water puns,

I have begun to talk about a concept that has been floating around in my head for a long time. The concept is grand and unique - I want to create a research facility that is itself in the shape of a hexagonal water crystal. The laboratory for studying water crystals will be located at the center, and six other laboratories will be located around the center to study other subjects and fields of science. [...] Each of the labs will focus on 18 categories of research, for a total of 108.

Presumably, that means the central lab, studying the fundamental belief of his philosophy, won't be conducting any research, otherwise it will upset the delicate and possibly world-shattering numerological balance. Like all good alternative 'research', results are not hard to come by:

I have an image of the researchers gathering at the central cafeteria for discussion during their morning and midday meals, and in the evening announcing the results of their research.

Hang on, what happened to the central water-woo research lab? It's suddenly become a 'cafeteria'!

Emoto-san finally also slips in the required support from Einstein, arguing that the C in E=MC² stands for consciousness.

There is no way of knowing if Einstein himself considered the possibility of C representing consciousness, but since everything in the universe is relative, you can't say that it is a mistake to see the formula in this new way.

Well, we could look at Einstein's published papers for a start to see what he thought about his formula. And yes, it's quite easy to say, and prove, that this E=Mconsciouness² idea is a mistake. It's a mistake. It's wrong. It's deceitful. Emoto-san seems to also have a streak of paranoia:

It is also quite possible that [changes in water crystal formation] could someday be used to predict other forms of destruction, such as storms, floods, epidemics, and even the planning of a secret attack from a hostile country.

Emoto-san's Conclusion is a rambling diatribe about the terrible state of the world, and how we must all be purified and practise love and gratitude. It's the usual newage (post-religion) belief that somehow the body is impure and must be cleansed. There's more millenial angst (a little bit late, EoR thinks):

There is even scientific evidence that indicates that the earth was once covered in water. We cannot completely discount Noah and the great flood, and the tales of the civilization of Atlantis and the Mu continent lost to the sea. The saying that history repeats itself is ultimately true, and so even now there exists the risk that water will arrive from space and once again cover our planet.

EoR is rushing out to buy an umbrella right after finishing this post. But there is hope in water (or, at least, buying Emoto-san's books and attending his seminars):

It could be that the events we experience throughout our lives become memories recorded by water, which remain in our bodies, and may be what we call the soul.

The back of the book includes six pages of water related merchandising, such as the Water Crystal Oracle, "Words Purify Water" Water Bottles, Water Crystal Coasters, Water Crystal Stickers, DVDs, and Healing Music CDs, such as "Music for Your Health":

This recording has been used and recommended by doctors worldwide.

I wonder who they would be? Doctors of Homeopathy? Doctors of Naturopathy?


Water, Water Everywhere, Nor Any Stop to Think 1
Water, Water Everywhere, Nor Any Stop to Think 2
Water, Water Everywhere, Nor Any Stop to Think 3

Water, Water Everywhere, Nor Any Stop to Think 3

EoR continues his review of The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto.

Chapter Two discusses The Portal into a Different World. This is presumably the world Emoto-san lives in, since it doesn't seem to bear any resemblence to reality.

After briefly addressing some of the physical peculiarities of water (particularly phase transitions between solid and liquid), the mystical note returns:

My investigations into the mysteries of water makes me think that water is something not of this earth.

Emoto-san argues that water arrived on Earth carried on comets.

If we accept that water, the source of all life, was sent from outer space, then logic leads us to the conclusion that all life, including that of human beings, is alien to this planet.

EoR groans wearily. Where did that "sent" come from? Yet again, Emoto-san suddenly slips in a hugely important point with no fanfare, and apparently surreptitiously. And logic leads us to the conclusion that all life, even if formed from extraterrestrial water is, nonetheless solidly of the earth. Come back Erich von Daniken - all is forgiven.

Water from outer space - it might seem a little too farfetched. But doesn't it also tickle your imagination?

Yes, it is farfetched. And no, it doesn't tickle EoR's imagination, unlike well thought out and well written science fiction.

Speaking of science fiction, Emoto-san then goes on at length discussing an Intelligent Design view of evolution (though he doesn't call it that, preferring to give the Grand Creator the term "something great").

The grand drama of water and life cannot be explained if we exclude the existence of something great.

This idiot purports to be a scientist (admittedly, a Doctor of Alternative Medicine)? Apparently, water has some sort of DNA, or perhaps a computer program, in it:

What information did ancient water bring with it when it left outer space and fell to earth? We can assume that it carried the program needed for the development of life.

Yes, indeed. We can assume that. It still doesn't make it possible, probable, credible, realistic or true.

Emoto-san mentions an 'experiment' conducted by a family that subscribed to his magazine. A jar of rice was subjected to daily imprecations of "Thank you" for a month, while a second jar was admonished "You fool".

After a month, the rice that was told "Thank you" started to ferment, with a mellow smell like that of malt, while the rice that was exposed to "You fool" rotted and turned black.

EoR proposes an 'experiment' of his own. He requests all skeptics for the next month to daily think of Emoto-san and his deranged religiosity, and mentally send the message "You fool" to him. At the end of the month, EoR hopes to see Emoto-san rotted and turned black.

When EoR started reading this book, he expected only the pseudoscience of magic water, but as he progresses through it the ideas become increasingly comic and bizarre. Chapter Three (Consciousness Creates All) is the best yet. It ranges through such newage ideas as that chlorine in water is A Bad Thing, to Emoto-san's belief that there are only 108 elements because

According to Buddhism, the human being is born with 108 earthly desires [...] I think it is logical to conclude that these 108 earthly desires have counterparts in the 108 elements. In fact, the first vibration-detection device that I introduced to Japan went a long way toward proving this.

Do you see the humour there? "Think"? "Logical"? "Fact"?

Of course

The more evolved creatures contain a greater array of elements. [...] We can deduce that fewer elements means a smaller capacity for emotions.

We can also deduce that Emoto-san is a talking fantasy-monger. He then describes a fellow 'researcher' (Joan Davis) who relates secondhand that

A physicist conducted experiments in which he studied how the positions of the stars affected water.

No, that would be an astrologer. The two are somewhat different, but Emoto-san appears not to be aware of this. He then rambles on at length about numerology, homeopathy, psychology (at least to the extent that 'vibrational' emotions can cancel one another out) and the evils of Medicine. He foresees a future where

People with ailments would go to their nearby philosopher, for help in understanding the mistakes they have made, and then go home determined to lead a better life.

If that doesn't cure your cancer (or your delusional ideas that you're in touch with God and that water talks to you), try some real medicine:

Among all medicines, there are none with the healing powers of love. Since I came to this realization, I have continued to tell people that immunity is love

EoR is getting all warm and fuzzy here, and feels like it's 1968 again. But it's back to real science:

What is the relationship between love and gratitude? For an answer to this question, we can use water as a model. A water molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, represented by H₂O. If love and gratitude, like oxygen and hydrogen, were linked together in a ratio of 1 to 2, gratitude would be twice as large as love.

EoR is speechless, and can only conclude today's look at water by agreeing with Emoto-san:

Perhaps we are finally beginning to see that the direction we are moving in leads nowhere.

Water, Water Everywhere, Nor Any Stop to Think 1
Water, Water Everywhere, Nor Any Stop to Think 2

Water, Water Everywhere, Nor Any Stop to Think 2

EoR continues his review of The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto.

Chapter One reveals Of What Is the Universe Made?

The various events that unfold throughout a person's life are events reflected in water. The individual and society make up one enormous ocean, by adding our individual drops to this ocean, we participate in the formation of society.

It should be clear by now that there isn't even a pretence to scientific method or validity in this book. It's straight out religiosity and cult promotion.

This idea - that words and thoughts have the power to change water and other substances - may certainly seem like far-out religion or philosophy.

It doesn't just seem, it is. EoR also notices, in passing, how Emoto-san's ideas have suddenly been applied to "other substances" ex nihilo.
The most interesting part of the book are the large selection of photographs (presumably to bulk it up since Emoto-san doesn't really seem to have a lot of ideas to repeat), including the effects of "You make me sick" (the crystal formed a picture of a man with a gun), "Satan" (a dark lump "as if ready to attack"), "Let's do it!" (a "lovely" shape) and "Do it!" (similar to "Satan"). There are examples of how words affect water. How pictures affect water. How music affects water. How televisions, computers and microwaves affect water (would you be surprised to learn that these were all bad - except for the bottle of water that watched a "wholesome" television program?). How pictures of crop circles and dolphins affect water (would you be surprised to learn that these consistently formed nice crystals, after all dolphins "are said to have healing powers")?

Emoto-san, unafraid to include as much pseudoscience as he can pack in, then wanders off on a quantum mechanics tangent.

Human beings are also vibrating, and each individual vibrates at a unique frequency. Each one of us has the sensory skills necessary to feel the vibrations of others.

So, to summarise, that's billions of separate frequencies. No wonder EoR has trouble getting a clear picture on his television - it's all the vibrational interference. EoR is not joking here, Emoto-san makes it clear he's talking about regular electromagnetic spectrum frequencies such as radio waves:

Actually, it's a good thing that our ears have such [hearing] limits - otherwise we probably wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

EoR finds it hard to sleep at night knowing there are people who believe all this.

Skipping a lengthy passage about vibrations, resonances, harmonics, and the Bible, Emoto-san finally explains the mystery of love for all to contemplate and wonder at:

Love is one type of resonance. If, for example, you have a frequency-level capability of 10, you will resonate with others on that same level, or perhaps with someone on a level a little higher, say 12. When people resonate and fall in love, they rise to their highest level of capability. If a person with a capability of 10 who has only been using 5 parts of that capacity falls in love with someone with a level of 12, then he or she will naturally make use of the level-10 capability and show an increase in frequency.

EoR isn't even going to bother to ask how Emoto-san has measured these 'capabilities' since the whole passage is mindless drivelling gibberish.

More divine revelations continue to pop out of absolutely nowhere:

Most of the objects found in nature emit stable frequencies. Each sparrow sounds basically the same (though the sparrows themselves might recognise slight differences), and the sounds made by dogs or cats do not have a great deal of variation. [...] Humans are the only creatures that have the capacity to resonate with all other creatures and objects found in nature.

Each alternatista woo-meister also sounds basically the same, parrotting the same empty phrases about vibrations, quantum mechanics and love (though the woo-meisters themselves might recognise slight differences).


Water, Water Everywhere, Nor Any Stop to Think 1

Water, Water Everywhere, Nor Any Stop to Think 1

EoR has been reading the New York Times bestseller (and, as all his readers know, this is a pretty telling confirmation of any book's veracity) The Hidden Messages in Water by Japanese author Masaru Emoto.

A good summary of Emoto-san's ideas is at James Randi's site. Basically, Emoto-san believes water can be affected by thoughts. A bit like the magical homeopaths, but even more way out.

As proof of its scientific validity, there's even a link to it through Science Daily. Sadly.

The Introduction makes it clear that this book has very little to do with science, and is primarily about messianic cults:

As you begin reading this book, I'd like to ask you to evaluate your life. More specifically, I'd like you to ask yourself if you are happy. [...] In fact, I have found the answer, and it is just this: The average human body is 70 percent water. [...] So how can people live happy and healthy lives? The answer is to purify the water that makes up 70 percent of your body. Water in a river remains pure because it is moving. When water becomes trapped, it dies. [...] So just what is water? Your first answer might be that it is a life force.

Funny - that wasn't EoR's first answer. EoR will skip over the amazing world of homeopathy, except to point out Emoto-san's recommendation for lead poisoning:

symptoms can be alleviated by drinking water with the minutest amount of lead in it - an amound ranging in 1 part in 10¹² (one trillion) to 1 part in 10⁴⁰⁰!

That exclamation part is Emoto-san's, not EoR's. EoR would have added a few more. By an amazing leap (with no scientific evidence, no scientific theory, no scientific hypothesis, not even a fantasy hypothesis) of illogicality, four paragraphs later we are told

So water has the ability to copy and memorize information. [...] To understand water is to understand the cosmos, the marvels of nature, and life itself.

Jacques Benveniste gets as mention as supporting these claims (though, apparently,

The hypothesis has remained buried and forgotten ever since.

Hardly. Every homeopath who is threatened by Evidence calls on Benveniste's name in his hour of need.

In line with Emoto-san's religious fervour, EoR proposes formalising the Homeopathic Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Hahnemann the Creator, Benveniste the Holy Spirit, and Emoto the Saviour and Prophet.

Emoto-san then relates his Road to Damascus tale, of struggling to photograph ice crystals (which, presumably, would be news to the photographer of The Snowflake), until, one day,

the researcher - who was as caught up in the project as I - said something completely out of left field: "Let's see what happens when we expose the water to music."

If EoR was 'the researcher' he'd be pretty pissed off that Emoto-san couldn't even be bothered mentioning his name.

Well, amazingly enough, classical music produced classically beautiful crystals. But heavy metal music produced ugly and malformed crystals. Then Emoto-san wanted to see what happened when words written on paper were attached to the water bottles (as you would).

Water exposed to "Thank you" formed beautiful hexagonal crystals, but water exposed to the word "Fool" produced crystals similar to the water exposed to heavy-metal music, malformed and fragmented.

Emoto-san concludes his introduction, in his clear, dispassionate and reasoned manner,

And I have found the most beautiful crystal of all - the one created by "love and gratitude." This is supposedly what all the world's religions are founded on, and if that were true, there would be no need for laws.

Ah, yes, "if that were true"...

Emoto-san has just run the 3rd Hado Instructor School in Hawaii (five days - $US3,300) where participants were enlightened by all sorts of wackiness, such as pyramid power, vibrational medicine, the Hado measuring device (Emoto-san's own black box of magic energy detectors), numerology, Zen Buddhism, homeopathy and on and on.

Trust Me, I'm a Vet.

Liz Ditz brought Holistic Petcare, run by Gloria Dodd DVM to EoR's attention.

EoR looked at one page, then another, and another, feeling himself becoming more and more hopelessly mired in woo. He only just got out with his brain intact. As far as EoR can determine, this seems to be a vet who has worked out where the real money is, since her collection of 'research' articles all lead to wonderful products that you can buy at exorbitant prices.

She preaches the Good and Bad Energy Fairies:

I learned the body's health exists on two levels: the physical and the energetic (acupuncture energy flow of Life Force or "chi" within all cells of all organs). Disturbance of the balanced energy Chi that makes up the electromagnetic energy field of the body (EMF) would manifest in illness and pain in the physical body. Chemicals, vaccinations and all medical drugs have an EMF of their own, but is destructive energy to the natural animal EMF.

Dr Dodd recommends a holistic response to colic (mild to severe - sometimes life threatening - abdominal pain in horses): "belly lifts", acupressure and homeopathy. These will, of course, "work" since the vast majority of colics are self limiting. While they are resolving, the horse will be in varying degrees of pain, however, and Dr Dodd's methods equate to animal cruelty since they are denying the application of analgesics. In the small percentage that require immediate medical attention, delaying tactics like these will only make the outcome less certain (but certainly more expensive).

She cures lameness by magic as well (and by purchasing her patent remedies):

I administered "Calming Essence" to relieve fear and anxiety in the horse, adjusted the vertebrae, and left the homeopathic remedies for "Acute Tendon and Ligament 30C' formula for the owner to administer. 48 hours later the owner was riding a sound horse. Surgery was unnecessary and would only have compounded the problem with a permanently lame horse that would generally have been euthanized.

She has developed her own 'theory' as to the cause of laminitis (painful inflammation of the feet) and its treatment (acupuncture, homeopathy, colour therapy. Oh, and buying her patent remedies). And she has conducted

rewarding research into holistic healing with crystals

These are, indeed, miracle cures:

Since I have learned alternative veterinary methods of healing and prevention of health hazards, I have been able to extend my horses' lives ten more years of an enjoyable, active life, free of pain and major illnesses.

She has a horse who is 33 years old. What more proof could there be of these claims than a single anecdote? How does she measure that "ten years"?

It is better to be prepared, however. Would you know how to revive an animal in cardiac arrest, merely by poking its nose? Dr Dodd does. Before your horse gets sick, rush out and buy one of her Healing Halters™ ($US99.95) which will act like a charm (literally) and protect your horse through pyramid power, colour power, crystal power, light power, and the Personal Protective Catalyst Bead:

This is a specially developed anti-radiation device to help protect the wearer from most environmental noxious energy fields. These fields have been proven to produce illness and pain in people and animals.

You can buy her anti-cancer products (recommended by dowsers!), or her antiradiation protection devices. And, for emergencies, one should never be far away from a Homeopathic First Aid Kit! Works for car accidents, fractures, sudden collapse etc etc. A snip at only $US295! Hey, it might only be water and a bandage, but it's expensive water and a bandage (full contents here)! And how can you argue with claims like

The natural remedies and acupressure resuscitation method provided and illustrated in this ANIMAL EMERGENCY FIRST-AID KIT have proven safe and effective over 5000 years!

EoR loves reading those medical journals from 5000 years ago. It gives him a nice cosy feeling of nostalgia. He's also pleased to learn that homeopathic remedies were proven effective 4800 years before they were invented.

Unfortunately, EoR really has to say this is just bullshit and scamming. Strangely, other people seem to have noticed this as well, which you'll find if you follow a link from the front page to this page where she has been taken to task by the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics for some of her claims (though not some of her more outrageous ones) and, presumably, forced to put this notice up. As she admits, sadly, even though homeopathy has been proven to work for the last 300 years (what happened to the other 4700? why can't she get her dates consistent?)

However in this country in order to be licensed, I would be unable financially to undergo the rigid and expensive testing to prove their efficacy.

To EoR, that seems to be an admission that, despite her sales rhetoric, her unlicensed products have no evidence that they work. Other than in providing an income stream for Dr Dodd.

I have instructed my web master to edit my web page, to delete any reference to these remedies being used to immunize animals. You know how slow web masters work online, so I expect it will take a few weeks to edit the website

It appears her webmaster also doesn't work. A few weeks to edit some web pages? EoR would sack the loser. Or take away his antiradiation woo toroid and let the bastard die in horrible screaming agony.

Knowledge or Certainty

Back when EoR was a Very Small Donkey (he's now Old, Grey, Irascible and rather Tatty), the BBC produced a 13 part documentary series of hour long programs on Science (and can anyone imagine that sort of thing happening today, when reality TV and pseudo-factual programs about mediums and ghosts are the order of the day?). The Ascent of Man, presented by Dr Jacob Bronowski, was a landmark in television. It has now been released on DVD (at least in the UK and Australia). Go out and buy it. Watch it. Show it to your friends. Show it in schools (while EoR saw the series on television, he also fondly remembers episodes being shown at school). You will not be disappointed. Not only is this about Science, but it's also exciting stuff about Science, and a firm conviction that Science is a positive force. Dr Bronowski is one of EoR's personal heroes (a man who believes in Science, and who wrote books about William Blake, is a man after EoR's own heart). In an obituary, Sean Day-Lewis wrote

His great success as a broadcaster partly stemmed from his determination not to underrate the audience.

One of the programs is entitled "Knowledge or Certainty". In Dr Bronowski's view, science (which he stresses as a very human activity) deals with knowledge. Knowledge is uncertain. Science constantly progresses, but knowledge is never complete. It is an expanding field, albeit with fuzzy edges, but it is never finished. Certainty, on the other hand, is the realm of dogma. Of the unchanging worldview where all things are known absolutely and there is no room or possibility of further progress. Dr Bronowski is a firm supporter of Science.

But what physics has now done is to show that that is the only method to knowledge. There is no absolute knowledge. And those who claim it, whether they are scientists or dogmatists, open the door to tragedy.

Whilst there is a clear relation to the views of alternatistas today (especially homeopaths with their constant clamouring ululations against any and all studies that show no effect above placebo from their nostrums) and fundamentalism of all sorts (Christian, Moslem, political, racial), for Dr Bronowski (a Jew originally from Poland) the ultimate application of Certainty was the Nazi regime.

When the future looks back on the 1930s it will think of them as a crucial confrontation of culture as I have been expounding it, the ascent of man, against the throwback to the despots' belief that they have absolute certainty.

Bronowski's essays (for so he termed the progams) are full of the optimistic belief that science has steadily pushed back the dark ages and the erroneous beliefs in magic and forces such as phlogiston. Imperfect though it may be, science has become the standard way of understanding the world. Sadly, these days, those forces of darkness and mumbo jumbo are advancing again, im passim subsuming the terms and language of Science (but not the methodology or the rigour) and EoR wonders what Dr Bronowski would make of this revolt against science. He suspects Dr Bronowski would be appalled.

I can do no better than to quote the final comments of "Knowledge or Certainty". Unfortunately, the written word cannot convey the passion and the personal engagement of Dr Bronowski as he steps, unscripted, into a pond of water at Auschwitz and scoops up a handful of muddy water.

There are two parts to the human dilemma. One is the belief that the end justifies the means. That push-button philosophy, that deliberate deafness to suffering, has become the monster in the war machine. The other is the betrayal of the human spirit: the assertion of dogma that closes the mind, and turns a nation, a civilisation, into a regiment of ghosts - obedient ghosts, or tortured ghosts.

It is said that science will dehumanise people and turn them into numbers. That is false, tragically false. Look for yourself. This is the concentration camp and crematorium at Auschwitz. This is where people were turned into numbers. Into this pond were flushed the ashes of some four million people. And that was not done by gas. It was done by arrogance. It was done by dogma. It was done by ignorance. When people believe that they have absolute knowledge, with no test in reality, this is how they behave. This is what men do when they aspire to the knowledge of gods.

Science is a very human form of knowledge. We are always at the brink of the known, we always feel forward for what is to be hoped. Every judgment in science stands on the edge of error, and is personal. Science is a tribute to what we can know although we are fallible. In the end the words were said by Oliver Cromwell: 'I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken'.

I owe it as a scientist to my friend Leo Szilard, I owe it as a human being to the many members of my family who died at Auschwitz, to stand here by the pond as a survivor and a witness. We have to cure ourselves of the itch for absolute knowledge and power. We have to close the distance between the push-button order and the human act. We have to touch people.

Dotty Horses

Diana Thompson kindly provides information on Do-It-Yourself Feature Acupressure to calm your Horse". The theory is that Qi

runs in invisible rivers or lines through the body somewhat like the electrical energy system which provides power to your home. [...] Over thousands of years, TCM practitioners have documented exactly where these lines, known as meridians, flow and what organs or systems of the body they influence. Acupuncture or acupressure points are unique points on the meridians which, if stimulated properly, can increase or decrease the energy flow within the system. Once proper flow of energy is restored, physical and emotional health can be maintained.

The most important of these well-known but completely undetectable magic rivers is the Governing Vessel:

The Governing Vessel actually originates in the horse's reproductive organs and surfaces on the outside of the body just under the horse's tail. It then flows directly up the backbone of the horse. It travels up the midline of the back, along the top of the neck, over the top of the head and down the middle of the horse's head to his upper lip. The last point on the outside of the body is on the inside of the horse's upper lip just where the lip joins the gum.

EoR wonders what happens to the Governing Vessel in geldings? Does all the magic ectoplasm just drop out? But he shouldn't make fun:

The point known as Governing Vessel 26 can even restart the heart and respiration of an animal in shock.

Strong stuff indeed if it can bring the dead back to life. Of course, it's easier to make a statement like that than to actually show even one example of a Lazarus-like resurrection.

One of the functions of Governing Vessel energy in the body is to contain or keep organs in their proper place.

Without proper maintenance, presumably all the internal organs will just wander off...

EoR had trouble following some of the instructions though:

Location: Yin Tang is the name of the point located on the midline directly between the horse's eyebrows.

Since horses don't have eyebrows (presumably, a fact that could have been easily ascertained by simple empirical means) he has some doubt about the veracity of the rest of this stuff. And never mind that the 'exact locations' of meridians have been discovered:

Don't worry about being perfectly on the site of the acupressure point. Acupressure does not have to be extremely precise.

There are even photographs of the practitioner explaining

To be technically right on the point, I should have my hand up approximately ½ inch higher.

The photos, unfortunately, don't show any livers returning to their rightful place, or a dead horse being miraculously revived, but just a horse standing around looking at things. According to Diana, however

Now, the acupressure point is really working!

EoR assumes Diana is channelling the Little Red Engine: "The acupressure can work! The acupressure can work!"

The Truth About Australia

Awareness Quests is one of those sites that foul the muddy waters of the internet: conspiracy theorists hiding out in the backwoods somewhere, and who are the only ones who know The Truth (and who, for some reason, haven't been silenced like everyone else). Oh, and really bad web design yet again (what is it with these people - just because their brains are scrambled, can't they use a colour scheme that's at least readable and doesn't leave the eyeballs bleeding after five minutes?).

Laughingly referred to as research, they provide a credulous list of unconfirmed, bizarre and contradictory claims.

The very first example is an "iron priest's staff" of unknown provenance and dubious identification. But at least there's a photo so you can see the miraculous

recognisable face with a hat

or not, as the case may be. And even if there is a face there (which EoR couldn't see), what's the point?

Next up is the "ancient chariot axle" (unknown provenance, dubious identification - does EoR sound like a broken record?) which

washed up after heavy seas

Call EoR stupid, but wouldn't an iron axle sink in seas (heavy or not)?

EoR doesn't have the endurance to go through all the other examples given, other than to point out mysterious aphoristical gems like

An onyx scarab was unearthed near Kingaroy (Qld) many years ago.

The point being? Then there's the

Perth (WA) hinterland, where 1975 selsmic readings indicated a 167 metre high pyramid 5 kilometres underground.

EoR got a bit confused (as he often does when he tries to understand the mysterious world of alternative anything) as to whether it was the Egyptians, or the Phoenicians, or the Russians, or the Megalithic Civilization, or the Lemurians (all of whom were roaming Australia in the past, apparently) who built this, but he wonders why they built it five kilometres underground? Wouldn't it have made more sense to build it above ground?

Egyptian heiroglyphs found carved on a 3 - 4ft long stone. Taken away by WA museum and stored in basement

So, all the scientists at the museum are hiding the Awful Truth, rather than making their fame and fortune by demonstrating proof that Australia is actually an Egyptian colony? EoR thinks not.

There's even more on the Gympie page (apparently, most ancient civilizations and explorers and colonists all gravitated towards Gympie), including the "Gympie Ape"

A stone ape statue possibility 3000 years old. The statue was unearthed in 1966 on Mr Dal K. Berrys Wolvi Rd property. The ape is made of conglomerate iron stone and shows a squatting ape figure. It is believed to represent the Egyptian God "Thoth" in ape form.

Believed by whom? Raving loony conspiracy theorists? Or people who think it looks like a rock?

Or is it the raving loony conspiracy theorists with rocks in their heads?

Being Had in This Life

EoR recently wrote about showjumper Tim Stockdale's disbelief in horse psychics in Horse and Rider magazine.

Predictably, the latest issue has a riposte from the alternatistas. Reader R Hirst, BHSAI and equine and human Bowen therapist, writes

What I would like to say to Tim Stockdale is that there are a large number of professional therapists out there that have undertaken years of rigorous training and taken lessons at their own, often great, financial expense.

EoR agrees. They're called veterinarians.

Presumably, this is the same R Hirst who, with her business partner, runs the tweely titled Holistic Horsey Website where it is revealed that she practices such well proven therapies as "Saddle Awareness" (whatever that is), Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Bach Flower Remedies, Homeopathy, Reiki and Bowen.

Sadly, none of these 'therapies' has any basis to their effectiveness. Indeed, these practitioners

are always keen to view the 'bigger' picture when presented with a case and realise that with this type of work the ability for learning is an on-going process. Intuition also plays a huge part in their role as a Bowen therapist, with sense of humour coming close behind!

To EoR's mind, this seems to state that: they don't know what they're doing; they guess what's wrong; they laugh all the way to the bank.

This deception is not limited to dumb animals:

As well as my complementary therapy clinic I also worked part time at my local Hospice as a therapist for the terminally ill which I enjoyed immensely.

Apparently, however, she's not interested in curing any ailments, as her goal is 'holistic' health (which is usefully left undefined):

I feel if mental and emotional issues are worked upon as well as the physical symptoms, then usually 'holistic' health will be achieved.

Unfortunately, much as Ms Hirst might wish, paying lots of money for sham qualifications doesn't mean you're an effective health practitioner. It just means you're an ineffective health practitioner with a nice piece of paper.