Dodgy devices to be regulated 25-May-2010 By Michael East

THE manufacturers of shonky devices used by alternative therapists to carry out what they claim are diagnostic tests will soon have to provide clinical evidence that they work under new Therapeutic Goods Administration regulations.
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The changes, which will be introduced in July, are in response to growing concerns about the number of in-vitro diagnostic devices employed by alternative therapists.
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Among the products advertised on the internet is the “Hemaview”, which, according to its manufacturer, uses one or two drops of blood projected onto a video screen to diagnose “nutritional deficiencies, organ dysfunction and certain biochemical imbalances”.

Director of the Alfred Hospital’s department of haematology Professor Hatem Salem said users of the device were “pulling the wool over people’s eyes”.
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“The notion that one can diagnose all sorts of ailments by examining a drop of blood on a video screen is both ridiculous and plain stupid.”
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Currently the TGA is only able to regulate diagnostic devices included on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, including those that test for HIV and hepatitis C, as well as those used in the home.
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However, many of the in-vitro diagnostic devices used by alternative therapists have been exempt from scrutiny because they are not considered medical devices.
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From July the makers of all in-vitro diagnostic devices will then be required to show clinical evidence that their products work but will have four years to fulfil the new requirements. They will also have to make clear to the public the potential risks of the devices.

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I’m afraid I’m sceptical. Required to show clinical evidence? To whom? Unfortunately the TGA does not have a very good track record of policing things like this.

Remember the homeopath who made all sorts of outrageous claims about magic water as a substitute for vaccination? Fran Sheffield of Homeopathy Plus! simply didn’t agree with TGA findings that her claims were misleading, so chose to ignore a ruling to remove such material from her website. And in an example of laughing in the face of the law, the day after she was exposed on ABC1’s Lateline programme by Steve Cannane, she jumped the shark.

In a post entitled; “Lateline: Can homeopathy safely protect against epidemic and infectious diseases? Can homeopathy treat serious diseases such AIDS and cancer?” she went even further, claiming that water could safely treat AIDS and cancer.

So, whilst I applaud this legislation in principle, how does the TGA, or other relevant health authorities plan to police it?

I regularly attend the Mind Body Spirit/Wallet Festival in Sydney where there is a plethora of snake oil salesman using Hemaview and collecting money hand over fist from gullible clients. It’s a perfect set-up; let us diagnose you with some allergy or somesuch and then when I reach over here, I have a bucket of powder for the special price of way-too-much which will fix you right up!

In NSW in 2008, legislation was introduced to regulate unregistered health practitioners, that is, those who are not already represented by a regulatory body like doctors or dietitians. Section 17 of the Code of Conduct states that a health practitioner must display the code and a document that gives information about where clients can complain to the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) if necessary.

I have dutifully trotted off to the MB$ four times now, will my code clutched tightly under my arm and as yet, I have not once seen the code displayed. It’s now become a bit of a joke between my friends and as such, we have nick-named our futile search “Code of Conduct Bingo”.

This “festival” had enough quackery and snake oil to start a factory. (As an aside, one also has to wonder how much of the takings are declared to the tax department at the end of the four day love in). Make no mistake, a large amount of cash is collected, when you count up the magic scalar energy infused Fusion Excel Pendants for $150-$200 (available from Alibaba.com for 6 bucks a pop) or the $45 for a 20 minute reading with a psychic (queues last week extended half way across the exhibition hall). Or the dangerous and useless ear candles, which you can buy wholesale for 20 cents a pop, or pay about 15 bucks for three at the MB$ (after you pay your 16 bucks to get in). Or how about a $60 Power Balance Bracelet (available from Alibaba.com for between 50 and 80 cents).

In the two years I have been attending, I have not been aware of any representatives from relevant health bodies lurking around – this doesn’t mean they are not there of course. It would hardly make sense to walk around declaring your identity if you wanted to catch people in the act.

But certainly, I’ve been mistaken for such as person, at a Hemaview stand in fact. A colleague and I were asking for published evidence for the statement “clinically tested” which was splashed all over their stand, when the pamphlet he was holding was rapidly snatched out of his hand and the previously helpful assistant demanded, “are you Doctors?? Why do you want to know?…ARE YOU FROM THE TGA?”

Thou doth protesteth too much methinks.

It becomes very difficult not to lose your temper with these people, particularly when you know they are blowing it out their arse.

The first time I was exposed to a Hemaview/Live Blood Analysis person at the MB$, I was carefully shuffled away by my friend as my voice began to break and my ears to steam. It took him a good 10 mins to calm me down from the tidal wave of bullshit that had passed over me. You see, as a scientist I knew the terminology spewing from the representatives gob was real, but the deceit of peppering sciencey sounding words into a spiel about woo, to make it sound legitimate was too much for my science educated brain. She was right when she observed, just before I was escorted to the nearest corner, that I had been “affected by what she said”.

It’s just it was not in the way she presumed.

Another time at another Hemaview stand, I was with a nurse colleague when we were surreptitiously moved on with a nod the boss man. I guess he had twigged we were onto their profitable little scam.

It is interesting nonetheless, to observe the way woo-purveyors react to being challenged on their claims. After a fair bit of experience, I’ve come up with a theory. The ones who get angry and ask you to leave, are probably knowingly deceiving the punters. You might call them frauds or con men. The ones who genuinely try to answer your questions, even if their explanations are completely implausible and off with the fairies, are probably genuine, even if they are deluded.

It’s a bit like the psychics who spot you in the crowd, knowing who you are, and point out there are a lot of fake psychics here today.

I’M DEFINITELY NOT A FAKE, but look over there – he is!!!

So, personally, I am not confident this new legislation with have much of an impact of the alternative medicine industry. And it also seems odd that they are given four years to comply. Why so long? One thing is for certain though, the addition of legislation designed to clean up the industry will lend it unwarranted legitimacy. Imagine how happy snake oil purveyors will be to declare that their quantum energy box has been approved by the government.

The TGA is failing the Australian public. It’s a disgrace.

This is despite an admission by the Technology/Clinical Practice Committee that ‘There is no good evidence of effectiveness for naturopathic advice in patients with endometriosis.’

Endometriosis is a painful condition characterised by bloating, period pain, heavy or irregular bleeding and occurs when the tissue that normally lines the uterus (the endometrium) is found outside the uterus. Endometriosis can be a chronic, recurring condition and occurs in approximately 10% of women. The causes are not fully understood, but treatments include surgery, hormone therapy as well as medication for pain relief.

In a bizarre decision summary (full pdf here), released by the Committee, of the Southern Health Moorrabbin Hospital, they state;

The applicants have stipulated that the naturopath will not initiate discussions about naturopathic medication, however it is anticipated that patients may bring this up. In this situation the naturopath will advise that there is no evidence for safety or effectiveness (my emphasis).

This seems in stark contrast to the role of the committee which is described as ‘to ensure that new technologies and clinical practices at Southern Health are introduced within a rigorous and evidence-based framework’.

The decision summary also states that;

‘The naturopath will not be prescribing..’ but will ‘be providing dietary and exercise advice and general health measures.’

It’s curious therefore that the hospital did not employ a dietitian, who could easily fulfill such a role without the humiliation of having to tell patients that there is ‘no evidence for the safety and efficacy’ of their own profession.

The proposal was also put forward in 2008, but rejected. It is not clear why it was approved on this occasion.

In the decision summary, the committee states (perhaps in acknowledgement of the lack of evidence) that the ‘This clinic will provide opportunities for research into the role of naturopathy in endometriosis.’

The position will be trialled for two years, then reviewed with the option of making it permanent.

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Thanks to Jo and Kathy for the tip off.

This is the new creation from The American Institute for the Destruction of Tooth Fairy Science, the creators of “If water has a memory then homeopathy is full of shit” poster.

Download the full size image here.

Thanks to Kernan for another awesome poster.

A reader emailed me this site and asked me to take a look. It’s called BICOM Bioresonance Therapy and is described, “as a gentle computer modulated therapy which helps to identify and treat the underlying causes of the disease, not only the symptoms”.

In the BICOM device the disharmonious frequencies are filtered out and inverted. These inverted therapeutic oscillations are now given back to the patient. This makes no sense to me, and I am a scientist.

Has your quack alert been activated yet?

If not, it should have. Familiarise yourself with the seven signs of pseudoscience. This is a great way to learn to spot quack products and avoid yourself getting scammed (or worse, put your health at risk).

BICOM is just another one of those “zapping” devices, sometimes known as Bioresonance therapy or Vega testing, and is not a dissimiliar concept to the E-meter used  for personality profiling by the Church of Scientology.

These things claim they will treat or cure just about anything, from allergies and geopathic stress (?) to cancers, but there is scant evidenc that they do any of these things.  They all make similar claims, but for the sake of clarity, I will use Biocom as an example to analyse some of these claims.

Bicom fits the “junk science” label pretty well, and also has the dubious honor of hijacking scientific terminology and technology to lend legitimacy to it’s product. This has the effect of “blinding consumers with science” to make them think if it sounds sciencey, then it must work! See the diagram. Science!

This is a particular heinous modus operandi in my opinion, particularly because since these therapies are not based in evidence, they choose to
cherry pick science to suit their agenda.

So, whilst homeopaths will tell you that quantum physics explains that water has memory, on the other hand randomised controlled trials (RCTs) can’t be used on homeopathy – this is usually because the results do not turn out like they want.

*Sulk*.

Wow, looks sciencey, must be good!

Anti-vaxers on the other hand repeatedly demand RCTs for vaccine safety, but reject the mounting scientific evidence that mercury does not cause autism. Convenient hey?

But then I never claimed these people were rational or logical, did I?

But I digress, back to BICOM. I’ve picked some gems from their website as examples of junk science.

First thing you should always look for when determining if a product is a scam if it claims to treat or cure many unrelated diseases.

Bingo!

“The BICOM device detects and treats problems with Candida, parasites, bacteria, fungi, viruses, heavy metals, chemicals, miasms, allergies and food intolerances, immune system, treats geopathic stress, reduces scar interference, detoxifies, reduces pain and inflammation and regulates the hormonal system.

Programmes in the device are applied for a wide range of conditions such as smoking addiction, allergies, ankle problems, bedwetting, blood circulation, blood pressure, bowel and other digestive problems, catarrh, colitis, depression, dizziness, ear complaints, lack of energy, eye problems, fever, hay fever, hip/joint issues, impotence, liver, lymph, MS, pain, prostate, rheumatism, sinusitis, skin, spine, thyroid, warts, etc.”

I stopped counting at fifteen. Note the claims of “detects and treats”. Perhaps the Complaints Resolution Panel of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia’s equivalent of the FDA in America) would be interested in hearing about this? Just a thought.

Also, unlike the conventional science based option, this one will be completely safe, has no side effects and be non invasive.

Oh wait, look what I found.

“It is a highly effective, painfree, and non-invasive therapy without harmful side effects”.

Tick.

Next, look for any connection to quantum mechanics or quantum physics.

“Findings from the area of biophysical and quantum mechanics and quantum physics have opened up amazing possibilities and have led to impressive developments in technology. Such findings are useful to explain the basis of bioresonance therapy.”

Tick.

In the category of “pardon?”
“…it been proven that cells communicate with each other by means of “flashes of light”

No, it hasn’t. You just made this up. Cells communicate by sending messages via chemicals. Not baby fireworks.

“Every substance and therefore every cell of every part of the body (but also viruses, bacteria, pollen, etc..) emit their energy. They have a highly specific, typical wavelength or frequency with entirely individual characteristics. This is termed the ‘frequency pattern’.”

Wha? This is an example of making stuff up and chucking in “energy” to make it sound kinda sciencey. Funny, whenever you ask these people exactly what they mean by “energy” they fail to answer the question. That’s because they have no idea themselves.

This is what I like to call the “put science words in a hat and draw them out at random” fallacy.

But what about the Treatment of Pathological Oscillations? Well Bioresonance therapy can do that too.

“Many diseases start with pathological oscillations or vibrations from toxins, moulds, parasites and chemicals.”

Again nonsense. Why is the alternative medicine crowd are so taken with energy and “vibrations”?

If a therapy present testimonials in the place of evidence you should also be suspicious. Does Bioresonance therapy do this? Yes they do.

If you’re still unsure then always check for the obligatory disclaimer. Here they will tell you themselves (to cover their ass from lawyers) that their product does nothing, their website may be wrong, and don’t take advice from them.

DISCLAIMER:

This website is not designed to be used to make any diagnoses, prescribe any form of treatment or medication or order tests. The information contained is provided as an educational service. The website contains articles on many health and wellness topics; however, no warranty is made that any of the articles are accurate. There is absolutely no assurance that any statement contained or cited in an article touching on medical matters is true, correct, precise or up to date.

Quack alert.

The BICOM Bioresonance is another “zapper*” that does nothing except empty your wallet.

*Hulda Clark sells zappers that she claims can treat cancer. She wrote the book “The cure for all cancers”. She died of cancer.

(NB: I say magic because there is no known mechanism described in science to explain how these things apparently “work”, and I place work in inverted commas because these things have no effect above placebo, so technically they don’t work either).

A print advertisement and Australian website linking to the American version was found to breach the Advertising code sections 4(1)(b), 4(2)(a), 4(2)(c), 4(2)(d), 4(2)(i), 4(7), 5(2), 7(3) (see box below) following a complaint by an individual.

The website, classified as an advertisement by the regulatory body, promoted a range of LifeWave patches, namely the SP6 patch, Y-Age patch, Icewave patch, Energy Enhancer patch, and Silent Nights patch. For a description of the apparent functions of these patches (and an interesting exchange with a believer), you might be interested in reading my previous blog about Lifewave here.

This is an interesting case for consideration, since The Panel first had to decide who was responsible for the advertisements as the parent website (lifewave.com) is based in the US and the website which attracted the complaint is linked to it from Australia. They concluded that the website was in fact the responsibility of the Australian distributor, given that the url had been personalised (www.LifeWave.com/bodyinharmony).

Information on retailer websites is the responsibility of the website publisher

Publishers of websites should be aware that they are responsible for the material they publish, regardless of whether they have copied that material from product packaging or other websites. Some online retailers appear to be of the view that it is acceptable to duplicate information from such sources for the purposes of advertising products for sale, but take no responsibility for the publication of the information.
Reproduced from the Complaints Resolution Panel website.

The Panel found that the claims relating to the patches being effective in appetite control, craving control, weight loss, detoxification, antioxidant boost, anti-aging, skin repair, pain relief, relief of pain from injuries, relief of chronic pain, relief of migraines, relief of arthritis, enhancing energy, enhancing stamina, reducing fatigue, and promoting restful sleep, had not been verified, were misleading, and could not be substantiated by the advertiser, therefore constituted a breach of the code [Section 4(2)(a)].

In the report published on the website, the Panel stated that;

“…they were not satisfied that the material provided by the advertiser constituted even minimally persuasive evidence that the advertised products could have the therapeutic benefits claimed in the advertisements”.

In particular the Panel targeted testimonials published on the website. As part of the code, testimonials are required to be documented, not misleading and be regarded as plausible illustrations for the potential benefits of the product. The concluded that claims such as “wow 20 seconds my pain was gone” and “90 seconds lower back pain was gone”, were indeed not plausible and therefore breached the code (Section 4.7).

The Panel did not accept photos like these as sufficient evidence that Michael Phelps uses Lifewave patches. Funny that.

The website also made claims that the patches were used by the swimmer Michael Phelps and several AFL football players, but the advertiser was unable to provide evidence for this, apart from the following statement;

“(they had) been told by LifeWave staff in Australia who hold training sessions that Michael Phelps has used the patches and that a few of the AFL teams have begun using the patches” and “there are photos on the internet that show Michael Phelps with the patches on his body.”

Then panel deemed this insufficient evidence and therefore concluded that these claims breached the code.

In Australia it is prohibited to advertise products that claim to treat or cure serious diseases/ailments, such as cardiovascular disease. The Panel deemed that the Lifewave website breached this section of the code [5(2)], by including “research” information which referred to “heart rate variability enhancement through nanotechnology” and many other references to heart rate variability, “increase[ing] glutathione levels in the body”, and other references to health issues.

In a meeting held on April 16, 2009, The Panel ruled that the advertiser was to withdraw the advertisements from further publication; and withdraw any representations that the advertised products are safe, or that they have benefits in relation to appetite control, craving control, weight loss, detoxification, antioxidant boost, anti-aging, skin repair, pain relief, relief of pain from injuries, relief of chronic pain, relief of migraines, relief of arthritis, enhancing energy, enhancing stamina, reducing fatigue, or promoting restful sleep.

The Advertiser was given 14 days to comply with this ruling and was instructed to provide evidence to The Panel of this compliance.

Which apparently the advertiser decided did not entirely suit them, since you can still find the website, in it’s shiny misleading, code breaching glory.

Which leads me to question; who is responsible for enforcing these rulings? How is it that these people get a slap on the wrist, ignore the ruling and carry on their merry way, selling products for which there is no evidence of efficacy? There should be a process whereby I can easily and quickly alert the TGA to the non-compliance and there should be substantial penalties for non-compliance.

Until there is, then the TGA Complaints Resolution Panel is about a effective as an ashtray on a motor bike = useless.

It was entitled “OUR RELATIONS WITH HOMEOPATHY”

and was in response to speeches previously published regarding “..prevailing professional laxity and charlatanry, in connection with the homeopathic quackery”.

Dr McCormack had some pretty scathing things to say about homeopathy and its use by “…shallow men and women…able to lure lucre by every imaginable wile from the sick and the silly”.

He went on to say;

“When patients are once secured, they are, ….retained by the combination of every current medical novelty which may at the time be most in favour with the moneyed throng of quack-fanciers“.

“..homoeopathy…is truly a combination of any and every available charlatanic trick,…..and therefore all that remains for us, as men of science and men of integrity, is to give notice, that we exclude from all professional intercourse practitioners who are in any way engaged in using or upholding a system which we think bears upon its very face fraud as well as absurdity“.

Wow, pretty serious stuff. One might imagine you could now get sued for saying things like this, ala, the BCA and Simon Singh.

But McCormack went further than this by listing a series of guidelines desscribing how clinicians who used or practiced homeopathy should be received by their medical colleagues;

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“1. That it is the opinion of this (Provincial) Association, that homoeopathy as propounded by Hahnemann, and practised by his followers, is so utterly opposed to science and common sense, as well as so completely at variance with the experience of the Medical Profession, that it ought to be in no way or degree practised or countenanced by any regularly educated medical practitioner.

2. That homoeopathic practitioners, through the press, the platform, and the pulpit, have endeavoured to heap contempt upon the practice of Medicine and Surgery as followed by members of this Association, and by the profession at large.

3. That for these reasons it is derogatory to the honour of members of this Association to hold any kind of professional intercourse with homoeopathic practitioners.

4. That there are three classes of practitioners who ought not to be members of this Association, viz.-lst, real homeopathic practitioners; 2nd, those who practise homoeopathy in combination with other systems of treatment; and 3rd, those who under various pretences meet in consultation, or hold professional intercourse with those who practise homoeopathy”.

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Finally;

“To adopt resolutions setting forth that the homeopathic dogma and the doctrine of infinitesimal doses have no truthful basis, and are, in fact, mere nonsensical delusions…The worst part of homeopathy, is in my opinion, the DISHONESTY of the majority of those who live by it”.

So there you go, homoeopathy, declared bullshit as early as 1851.

You can find the full reference here.

Tip o’the hat to Jo Benhamu.

Neither had I until recently, when Ben Goldacre Tweeted to a story which appeared in the UK Telegraph.

Now this immediately caught my attention, since it involved diagnosing illnesses using hair. Readers may recall I have written about hair analysis for the diagnosis of allergies previously here and here.

But radionics is more than just sticking a piece of hair in a beaker and making lights flash and dials flicker. Radionics is described by the Telegraph as, “the largely unexplained art of healing someone you’ve never met, who is hundreds, even thousands of miles away”. Sounds suspicious already. But before you go write this off in the realms of butt candles, there is a UK Radionics Association, which represents approximately 80 practitioners and produces the quarterly Radionics Journal.

How does radionics work?
Radionic practitioners claim to be able to diagnose illnesses from a patient sample, (hence hair), from a distance. Practitioners describe this as

“a challenging concept, but it is entirely compatible with modern physics and also with the ancient mystic teaching that at some level we are all one, and that at this level exchanges of healing energy can occur”.

Pardon? The concept of modern day radionics involves holding a pendulum over the hair sample (or “witness”, as it’s called), and “dowsing” to get information about that state of the patient’s health.

“We get the information by interrogating the witness,” they say. “I will ask question after question, some looking for a yes or no answer, some looking for an answer that will quantify the health or otherwise of the patient’s various physiological systems [aural, visual, skeletal].”

So, as well as rotating the pendulum in a clockwise direction for “yes”, and anticlockwise for “no”, it also gives scores out of 100 when placed over a sort of “healthometer” chart.

Many practitioners in holistic health employ radionics to identify and rectify the subtle energy imbalances that are associated with disease in the physical body. Radionics shares the same “energetic” world view recognized by acupuncturists, homeopathists, and reiki practitioners. (Radionics is especially compatible with homeopathy; radionic instruments can be used to make homeopathic potencies.)

Radionics is also used by agriculturalists and animal nutritionists, to pinpoint nutrient imbalances in plants and animals. It can also be used to select the optimal feeds, fertilizers, and supplements to rectify the imbalances. And reportedly, geologists use Radionic techniques to analyze ore specimens or to locate mineral veins.

The history of radionics

Radionics was founded by Dr Albert Abrams (1863-1924), a native of San Francisco, under the original name of ERA – Electronic Reactions of Abrams. Abrams believed that diseased body tissue affected the nervous system and gave forth ‘dull emanations’. Abrams believed electronic phenomena were involved with this, and he invented a variable resistance instrument called a ‘black box’ to measure the ohm resistance of different diseases on an electronic circuit. He found for example, that cancer produced a 50 ohm resistance, while syphilis had a 55 ohm resistance.

Abrams later modified his technique so he could take readings from a drop of blood. In 1924 a committee established by the Royal Society of Medicine investigated Abrams techniques and were favourably impressed. Today Radionics and its cousin Radiesthesia (medical dowsing) are recognised in Europe as legitimate medical procedures.

However the commercial practice of radionics is banned in the United States. One website I came across had this to offer as an explanation:

1.  It works, but not in a way totally understood, either by the academic community or by the practitioners themselves.

2.  It works and produces miracle cures in man, plants, animals and outdates existing sciences if it is understood. Therefore, the ‘lobbies’ in Washington representing the commercial applications of existing sciences force laws against Radionics to preserve existing sciences and the large sums of money invested in them to create our present technology and preserve the jobs of millions which might be lost if indeed Radionics was used to achieve the same results.

According the website; “Diagnosis by dowsing requires the use and interplay of both the intellectual and the intuitive faculties, The intellect and the concrete knowledge which supports it are used to frame questions relevant to the correct understanding of the problem. Obtaining answers via the pendulum however requires a suspension of the intellectual process and an activation of the (higher) intuition.

How can you become a radionic practitioner?

The Radionic association offers 6 month courses which includes 2 study weekends and other tutorials and results in the title of MRadA. Once qualified, you can treat ANIMALS, SOIL and CROPS (postgraduate courses for animal treatment are available). Interestingly, the website of the radionics association specifies that you must be able to dowse before you can take the course in radionics.

The course itself consists of 2 study weekends, the first being training in;
1. Making a radionic analysis through dowsing
2. Radionic rates and how to use them for simple treatments
3. Basic subtle anatomy of the chakras and subtle bodies and its importance in radionics
4. How practitioners work, including grounding and protection

Weekend 2 involves
1. Using subtle anatomy to interpret the analysis
2. Further treatments for common conditions
3. The use of vitamins, minerals and colour radionically

And this from a radionics website
“Researchers and practitioners estimate that at least 80% or better of the population have the innate ability to do Radionics and dowsing work.

And then this;

People who cannot do this sort of work are generally those who have suffered certain kinds of neurological damage, severe mental or emotional disorders, have drug or alcohol problems, or have established a mental block against radionics, dowsing, and the alternative reality they represent”.

So, there you go sceptics, if you can’t dowse or do radionics, you have brain damage. Or other severe mental problems. And I guess that includes me, and I’m fine with that.

Perhaps there really is a “tsunami of change” occurring. This is brilliant.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Quack cracks
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One has to wonder about the sincerity of naturopaths and other alternative therapists who want to get rid of “quacks” through the establishment of a national register (“Register to hit shonks”, smh.com.au, June 14).

In NSW, a code of conduct for unregistered practitioners was introduced in August last year. It says they “must not make claims to cure certain serious illnesses”, including cancer; and that they must display the code and information about how to contact the Health Care Complaints Commission.

In my recent visits to places of practice, I have not seen the code displayed. I have also been told that a $12,000 course of homeopathy can cure my cancer.

Given the lack of adherence to this legislation, I can’t help but wonder if a new register is simply a stunt to distract us from the fact that many alternative “therapies” are as useful as a placebo. By definition, complementary and alternative remedies are unproven. Alternative medicine that is proven to work is called medicine.

Dr Rachael Dunlop, vice-president, Australian Skeptics, Petersham
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It appears Australia is about to repeat Britain’s mistakes about regulation of alternative medicine. It should be self-evident that it makes no sense to set educational standards in a subject without having decided whether that subject is nonsense. If it is, what does “educational standards” mean?
Your article cites naturopathy, which subscribes to a form of pre-19th-century vitalism. I fail to understand what it means to be properly qualified in ideas that the educated world left behind 200 years ago.

David Colquhoun, research professor of pharmacology, University College London
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Chris Logan (Letters, June 15) tells us it was the failure of homeopathy devotees to accept expert advice that resulted in the death of their daughter. On the contrary, Thomas Sam is a highly expert homeopath – he is a BSc, bachelor of homeopathic medicine and surgery, has a master’s in public health and was a senior lecturer in medical science at the Sydney College of Homeopathic Medicine.

The problem is that “expertise” in the pseudo-science that is homeopathy is of no value to a sick child, hence Sam’s conviction.

Matthew Collaery, Wanniassa (ACT)

This story appeared on SMH online today. It details plans to establish a register for quacks, apparently in an attempt to separate the wheat from the chaff. Sounds a little bit like the register set up in the UK recently and blogged about here.

I read this article with trepidation, firstly because I think putting quacks on a register lends legitimacy to their profession and this is undeserved in my opinion.

“The industry’s reputation was dealt a blow this month after the NSW Supreme Court convicted a homeopath of the manslaughter of his nine-month-old daughter, who died of septicemia caused by chronic eczema.”

Yes, the industry was dealt a blow, but this was not because of a shonky homeopath, this was because homeopathy does not work in the treatment of eczema. Or any other illness in fact. A meta-analysis published in the Lancet in 2005 compared 110 conventional and homeopathy trials and the effect of homeopathy was deemed no greater than placebo (Shang et al., Lancet 2005; 366: 726–32).

An editorial which appeared in the same issue of the Lancet stated; “despite 150 years of unfavourable findings…the more dilute the evidence for homeopathy becomes, the greater seems its popularity.” Why we keep wasting money and good science on testing it, to continually get the same answer is beyond me.

The article continues;
University of Queensland researcher Jon Wardle, who heads a steering committee to set-up a register said; “We are making sure that when the public sees a naturopath they have training, act ethically and if something goes wrong, there is a complaints procedure,” he said. Mr Wardle said the lack of formal accreditation meant people with as little as one week’s training could call themselves naturopaths and it is these people who dispense a large quantity homeopathic remedies.

This is where I get annoyed. Firstly, there is a complaints procedure in NSW. It was established with the new Code of Conduct for Unregistered Practitioners which was introduced in August 2008. Section 17 of the code states that practitioners must display the Code and information about the way in which clients may make a complaint to the HCCC if necessary.

Funny that, I went to Mind Body Wallet a few weeks back armed with my code and saw it displayed nowhere, neither at stalls doing invasive procedures such as live blood analysis, or massage or anywhere.

I have to say, I am not convinced that the relevant regulatory bodies/associations or members of them are particularly concerned about following the rules when it comes to legislation. In NSW at least, they seem to have dutifully ignored conforming to this recent legislation. I am suspicious that the establishment of a nationwide register is really just a sneaky way to add undeserved legitimacy to profession where there is scant evidence for efficacy.

But this is not the worst part about this article. The article was penned by 2 journalists, Rachel Browne and Melissa Singer, neither of whom seem to understand much about what constitutes conventional medicine or doctors. They refer to a British podiatrist and homeopath Tariq Khan, as Dr Khan. This is misleading and infers that Khan is a clinical doctor, naturopaths use the title ND, (and referred to by some as not a doctor). They tell us that Dr Khan recommends homeopathy be used in conjunction with conventional treatment. And of course a homeopath is going to endorse the use of homeopathy.

The man apparently had talks with the head of dermatology at St George Hospital, Dedee Murrell, to discuss using homeopathic remedies for an incurable disease, the rare genetic condition epidermolysis bullosa. Let me state that again. Homeopathy as treatment for an incurable disease. This following the beginning of the article where the journalists discuss the parents of Gloria Thomas being charged with manslaughter for shunning conventional medicine and treating their daughter’s eczema with homeopathy. She subsequently died.

This is very poor journalism. To begin an article with charges of manslaughter for a homeopathy-related death and then discuss using it for incurable diseases is just credulous on the part of Rachel and Melissa.

But then this; “The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association have given qualified support to the use of complementary medicine where there is research about its outcomes.”

Precisely Rachel and Melissa. There is research. To show it does nought. Take a look at the Lancet article. Visit PubMed for goodness sake. Do some research, please.

Thursday 23 April, 2009

People who falsely promote and provide unethical, fraudulent and potentially dangerous treatment for cancer are the focus of three significant documents launched by the Cancer Council today.

A book titled ‘Complementary and alternate cancer therapies‘, a fact sheet to help patients and their families make decisions about therapies and another fact sheet for medical professionals with tips on how to help patients avoid such practices has been produced with funding from the State Government of Victoria, Department of Human Services.

‘Many people with cancer use some sort of complementary therapies for legitimate reasons such as maintaining hope and staying in control of their situation,” Dr Amanda Hordern, Deputy Director of the Cancer Information and Support Service said.

“Health professionals are the best people to help people make a safe treatment choice so we have gone to great lengths to publish some guidelines to assist them with this.

“Targeting sick people with unproven alternative therapies can be fraudulent and may have a huge effect emotionally, physically and financially on the person with cancer and their family.

“The new information has been developed to help people recognise which therapies may be helpful and which may be making false claims. This is an important aspect with many complementary and alternative therapies proving to be a risk for some cancer patients,” Dr Hordern said.

Associate Professor Michael Jefford, Clinical Consultant to the Cancer Council said people usually used these treatments hoping to get better.

“People are hoping to shrink or even cure their cancer, deal with side effects, or just improve how they’re feeling,” Associate Professor Jefford said.

“Sadly, people with cancer rarely discuss the use of complementary and alternative cancer therapies with their cancer specialist.

“Doctors are particularly concerned if people use unproven, alternative treatments instead of standard treatment options. They need to discuss all options with their doctor and then make an informed decision on alternative therapies,” he said.

“A major worry is when people with curable cancers don’t get the treatments that could cure their disease.

“It’s about access for patients to the right information and ensuring that they come to the best possible decision that will give them the best possible chance of dealing with their illness.

“Cancer Council Victoria has developed some really good information about these treatments.

“The Cancer Council Helpline has easy access to information about a lot of complementary and alternative medicines. Also, the Cancer Council is training health professionals to talk about complementary and alternative medicines with their patients,” he said.

Cancer Council Victoria keeps statistics on all cancers in Victoria and over the past 20 years survival rates have increased year on year. Detailed stats can be found at www.cancervic.org.au.

The booklet and fact sheets are available free, through the Cancer Council Helpline, 13 11 20, and are also available online.

To interview Dr Amanda Hordern or Associate Professor Michael Jefford please contact Tim Coghlan on 9635 5262 or 0431 150 365.

I have previously blogged about cancer quackery here.