Snuffing out ear candles
Feeling blocked up and bloated? Over-tired and stressed? Digestive system not functioning optimally? One of the many physical symptoms resulting from a poorly functioning digestive system is a production of excessive ear wax. Now there is an easy way to flush your system of ear wax, whilst detoxing and relaxing all at the same time.
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Summary:
Edzard Ernst, the professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter and co-author of the book Trick or Treatment, published a review article in 2004 in the Journal of Laryngology and Otology entitled: “Ear candles: a triumph of ignorance over science”. He concluded; “Ear candling is one of those CAM modalities that clearly does more harm than good…..it’s mechanism of action is first implausible and second, demonstrably wrong..in my view, therefore, it should be banned (1)”.
Many scientific studies have been conducted on ear candling, several examining the claim that they remove ear wax. In order to do this, they would need to draw a vacuum. A study by Seely et al., (2) using 2 different brands of ear candles, demonstrated this not to be the case.
The Seely study also contains a clinical arm, where 122 ear nose and throat specialists were surveyed. The authors reported 21 cases of serious injury caused by ear candling. In 6 of these cases, patients temporarily lost their hearing. Other problems reported among the group included, 13 cases of burns, 7 cases where the wax from the candle had blocked the ear canal and 1 case of a punctured ear drum (2).
Based on this evidence and studies conducted by their own laboratories, the Canadian authorities have banned ear candles from sale and import into Canada.
When you look at the evidence, ear candling is dangerous. What part of putting burning sticks in your ears sounds like a good idea to you?
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Introducing ear candles!
This week I present to you an alternative modality that encompasses just about every misconception made by CAM, defies the laws of science in every possible way, and above all is dangerous. Most of us would remember our mothers telling us not to put anything in our ears smaller than our elbows rght? I don’t remember her ever mentioning burning sticks, but then why would she, she knew I was not that gullible. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for other people….
What is ear candling?
An ear candle, ear cone or Hopi ear candle is a narrow, hollow cone that has been soaked in beeswax or paraffin and allowed to harden. The process of ear candling involves the patient lying on his or her side while someone else inserts the point of the cone inside the ear. The top of the cone is then set on fire and left to burn for 5 – 15 minutes.
The health claim most often made for ear candling is that the flame creates suction, which draws ear wax out of the ear canal. Proponents say the evidence for this is in the candle itself – when you have finished candling, you cut open the candle to expose the brown waxy mush at the bottom which they claim is ear wax and “toxins”. Promoters also say that ear candling can cure a wide range of medical problems, including ear aches, headaches, sinus pain/infections, sinus pressure, tinnitus, vertigo. In addition, they are said to remove impurities from the ear passages by drawing excess yeast, fungus, and bacteria from the sinuses and lymph glands and even revitalize the chakras. Of course, I could go on, but I think you get the idea…
Yet, absolutely none of this is true.
Ear candling does more harm than good.
oooh, yukky ear wax and toxins...oh hang on, it's just candle wax. Science says so.
I’m almost embarrassed to tell you that good science from proper scientists and doctors has been wasted testing these things. The seminal study on the safety and efficacy of ear candles was published in the journal Laryngoscope in 1996. The authors were particularly interested in the claim that the candles create a vacuum so they used a pressure device to measure changes in pressure for the duration of the burn. In 20 trials with 2 different candle types, they detected no negative pressure at any point during the trial.
In a clinical trial also conducted as part of this study, 4 people (2 with ear wax and 2 without), the authors reported the candles did not remove ear wax as proposed and in fact, in some cases candle wax was actually deposited in patient’s ears (2).
The authors also conducted a survey of 122 ear nose and throat specialists and found 21 cases of serious injury caused by ear candling. In 6 of these cases, patients temporarily lost their hearing. Other problems reported among the group included, 13 cases of burns, 7 cases where the wax from the candle had blocked the ear canal and 1 case of a punctured ear drum (2).
Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter and co-author of Trick or Treatment, published a review article in 2004 in the Journal of Laryngology and Otology entitled: “Ear candles: a triumph of ignorance over science”. He concluded; “Ear candling is one of those CAM modalities that clearly does more harm than good…..it’s mechanism of action is first implausible and second, demonstrably wrong..in my view, therefore, it should be banned” (1).
The website quackwatch also published a frequently cited article where they illustrate the dangers of ear candling with the following stories;
A Canadian woman who experienced stuffiness in the nose and ear pains while scuba diving went to a local health-food store and was referred to a “qualified” candler. During the “treatment,” she felt an intense burning in her ear. At the emergency room, attempts to remove wax that had dripped from the candle onto her eardrum failed. Surgery was required, and a hole in her eardrum was discovered, which presumably was caused by the procedure. She recovered fully and luckily her hearing was not affected. The practitioner apologized, compensated the woman, and stopped performing ear candling.
In addition, instances of house fires associated with ear candling have been reported in Alaska, one of which led to the user’s death. On January 27, 2005 a 59-year-old woman ignited her bedding when she dropped an ear candle that she was attempting to use the ear without assistance. The candle ignited the bedding then quickly spread to curtains and other combustibles in the room. The woman escaped the fire however, suffered an asthma attack in hospital and later died.
Ear candles are banned for sale or import in Canada, but sold in Australian Pharmacies.
Based on this evidence and studies conducted by their own laboratories, the Canadian authorities banned ear candles from sale and import into Canada. The Health Canada website has this to say about ear candling;
…the sale of this product for therapeutic purposes in Canada is illegal. As well, both Canada and the United States have issued directives that ban the importing of ear candles. Some promoters try to avoid the Regulations by advertising that ear candles are for entertainment purposes only. However, Health Canada maintains that these people are selling the product illegally, for medical purposes, as there is no other reasonable use for ear candles.”
Which makes it even more preposterous that in Australia they are listed with the TGA meaning they can be sold in pharmacies alongside science-based medicine.
This is a complete failure on behalf of the TGA with respect to protecting the public from harm. The Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods Devices lists 13 different types of ear candles including this nonsense, Alternet Detox Spa Series Ear Candles and these from Why Karma Natural Health Products described as “to apply a simple treatment of ear cleansing directly to the ear”. You know, one has to wonder what the role of this clearly constipated government body is in protecting the public from harm when they register this nonsense. You only need make a cursory glance at PubMed, to determine that these things are not only nonsense, but dangerous.
I personally have had experiences with staff in pharmacies regarding these devices, one who old me she wouldn’t recommend then to customers but they sell really well so what can you do, and another who looked at me blankly when I suggested that ear candles have no place in a pharmacy. Of course, I don’t expect a kid with an after school job to know that these things are a scam and worse still, can perforate your eardrums, but I do expect the pharmacist to know. And I do expect the government to not turn a blind eye.
Ear candling does not stem from ancient Indian tribes.
Here’s an example of one ear candle company who have hijacked the history of an ancient Indian tribe to add legitimacy to their product.
The Biosun company claims that their “Hopi Ear Candles are” based on “the formula that is traditional to the Hopi Indians of the USA- cotton, beeswax, honey, sage, chamomile and St John’s Wort. The Hopi who are renowned for their great medicinal knowledge collaborated with Biosun to pass their formula on to the rest of the world”.
Pfft. Well not according to Vanessa Charles, the public relations officer for the Hopi Tribal Council, who has stated there is no such treatment within traditional Hopi healing practices. Vanessa has said that ear candling “is not and has never been a practice conducted by the Hopi tribe or the Hopi people”. And even though The Hopi tribe has repeatedly asked Biosun, to stop using the Hopi name Biosun has not complied with this request and continues to claim that ear candles originated within the Hopi tribe.
If I have still not convinced you that ear candles are a load of rot, why not become an earconologist? Become a Certified Earconologist with a Correspondence Course from The Awareness Institute and perform a wonderful service to yourself and others. “The course consists of learning about the History of Ear Candling, Ear Anatomy, Candling Procedure, Cause and Effect, and much more”.
It just goes to show, people will believe just about any nonsense.
The take home message:
1) EAR CANDLES ARE DANGEROUS AND STUPID.
2) THEY DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD.
3) THEY WILL NOT REMOVE WAX FROM YOUR EARS.
4) IN SOME CASES THEY HAVE DEPOSITED WAX.
5) DON’T USE THEM.
1. The Journal of Laryngology and Otology. “Ear candles: a triumph of ignorance over science”. Ernst, E. (2004) 118: pp 1-2.
2. Seely DR, Quigley SM, Langman AW. Ear candles- efficacy and safety. Laryngoscope. 1996: Oct;106(10):1226-9.
My Dad Moose (OAM).
Happy Australia Day all!
I know this is not a sceptical issue but I am so proud of my Dad I just had to tell everyone my/his news.
My Da (as he is affectionately known to me) was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia today for services to veterans through the Royal Australian Regiment Association, and to youth, particularly through Operation Flinders.
Me, Ma, Moose (OAM).
Colonel Graham John Dunlop, (known as “Moose” to almost everyone) served as an Officer in the Australian Army for 25 years. He trained at Duntroon (now known as ADFA), Canberra following high school in Maryborough, rural Queensland.
He did a tour of duty in Vietnam for 13 months in 1969 as part of 3RAR where he was a platoon leader.
Despite retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel after 25 years of service, he continued to work for the rights of Veterans and as a volunteer for the army cadets. In fact, he was made an honorary Colonel as part of his work for the cadets, where he served as a mentor for over ten years. This is particularly unusual since this position is generally for only 12 months, but owing to popular demand, Da was asked to keep coming back!
His work for Operation Flinders is included in today’s OAM and involved him mentoring troubled youth (often from broken homes or off the streets) and teaching them survival skills, team work and instilling them with self esteem.
Through his tireless work with campaigning for Veterans Affairs he has lobbied government to improve the entitlements for veterans. He continues this today, with his newly appointed role on the Veteran’s Affairs advisory committee. Throughout this campaign he has been stubborn, dogmatic and brave.
Despite him requesting they inscribe the medal with "Moose" it was deemed the name had to match his birth certificate. UN-AUSTRALIAN.
Such was the case when he agreed to appear on Hack, the Triple J current affairs show hosted by Steve Cannane, to share his experiences in the Vietnam war, as part of a series on how war has intergenerational effects. I also contributed to this interview, which eventually resulted in Steve winning a Walkely Award for excellence in Journalism – it was a harrowing experience for us both, but not more than for my Da. He opened up about the effects war had, and continues to have on him, all the while his daughter was berating him in the studio for putting her under too much pressure (don’t I feel like a twit now).
The response to this interview from fellow veterans and families was overwhelming and the effects were felt far and wide. My Da helped so many ex-soldiers that day, by demonstrating it is not a failing to admit to your problems, and talking to your family can go a long way to helping with the healing process. I can certainly attest to this.
The process leading up to him being awarded an OAM today, began with a phone call to my Ma from one of his mates suggesting the nomination be made. It’s been around 12 months since the wheels began to turn on this, and all the while, we as a family had to keep quiet. Mum, I am so proud of you for dealing with the secret negotiations when we all wanted to burst! I remember Mum showing me the official letter back in November 2008 when I was home for the sceptics national convention and I couldn’t hold back the tears.
Colonel Moose OAM; "Tie your own bloody knots, I'm fishing".
You would feel the same if you visited the pub after an ANZAC day march and saw how much his mates respect him. The moment they find out you are the daughter of Moose Dunlop, they 1) insist on buying you a drink 2) pour their guts out about how much of a good mate he is and a bloody good soldier.
Like any father and daughter we have our disagreements. However, there is nothing better than sitting in the tinnie, a couple of lines in the water, gazing onto a deserted beach somewhere on the west coast of South Australia and pulling in the King George whiting. But, don’t expect him to tie your rig for you,
“I gave you a bloody how-to-tie-knots-book, do it yourself, I’m fishing!”
Da, I am so incredibly proud of you. Well done you bastard.
Psychic of the year Stacey Demarco’s predictions for 2009
As promised, here is the clip from Today Tonight featuring Stacey Demarco giving her predictions for 2009.
Gasp as she reveals Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will have heart problems, that there will be a security threat on Barack Obama, and that the financial crisis is not over.
Here is the amazing video, you will believe!
Is this the beginning of cross promotion for “The One”?
Hello Poohers
This promo appeared on Channel 7 yesterday to advertise the appearance of Stacey Demarco on Today Tonight this coming Monday (January 26 th).
Call me cynical but this smells like a big fat cross promotion for “The One”. A second series has not been confirmed yet (I will keep you posted as soon as information comes to hand). I will also blog the full story here tomorrow as soon as I get my hands on the video.
Speaking of making shit up….a case of sensationalist science reporting.
I was just about to go to sleep when I came across this gem of sensationalist science reporting from Australia’s Today Tonight. Whilst this is not a recent story, it serves as a good example of how generalist journalists can completely cock-up an important public health story. Oh the stupidity, it burns…
Gardasil side effects controversy.
This story was screened on the incredibly erudite and well-researched-magazine-style-piece-of-fluff show, Today Tonight on December 7, 2007. I know this is over a year ago, but this kind of misrepresentation of science continues to occur all over the world and in many different incarnations. I was reminded of the extent of this nonsense during a recent conversation with Dr Ben Goldcare of the Bad Science column and blog. He has spent years tirelessly fighting the perpetuators of misinformation (in his own time, for no money) who will often go to incredible extremes just to get a sensationalist story*.
In this instance, the reporter Laura Sparkes has outdone herself by criticising the work of Professor Ian Frazer, a Queensland immunologist who’s team of researchers are responsible for developing the cervical cancer vaccine, marketed as Gardasil and more recently a skin cancer vaccine. Laura reports on two cases of adverse reactions by teenage girls after receiving the vaccine. Now if this is true, then it needs to be treated with all seriousness. There are mechanisms in place in Australia for reporting adverse reactions to registered drugs and this is particularly important when a new drug is released. But there is no need to get hysterical Laura.
“I had a headache, I was dizzy, I was nauseous, my right side was weak, my right fist was clenched and I was hallucinating,” Allie said. Gardasil has been hailed as a medical breakthrough, the first ever immunisation against cancer; but no-one was warned about this.
Well, this is just not true Laura. You can go to Gardasil’s own website where the side effects are listed on the front page and the TGA also details a list of adverse effects. It’s a government requirement that all drugs come with warnings of even the most unlikely or rare adverse effects. Whether this information was passed onto the girls I do not know, but certainly this information is publicly available.
But here’s where Laura really should have done her research when reporting on a serious public health issue. She asks the opinion of one Bronwyn Hancock from the vaccination information service, who is cited in the article as a “scientist and health researcher”. Long bow Laura. According to their website, Bronwyn has a BSc from Macquarie University obtained in 1981, which she never used – instead she went onto to work in computer programming for 14 years (which I don’t disparage, I just don’t think you can call yourself a scientist unless you have worked in the field). I hardly think you can call yourself a “scientist and health researcher” just because you have a BSc on paper. If I qualified as a hairdresser but never worked as one, then 14 years later offered to cut your hair, would you let me? She also has a certificate of nutrition which hardly qualifies you for anything particularly useful with respect to vaccines and immunology.
But this extract from her bio worries me even more.
“…to bring to the awareness of the public what is well published in the depths of medical research about this procedure, but is generally not studied or at least brought to the attention of the public by doctors or the media, due, it would seem, to the heavy influence of the “health”, rather sickness, industry”.
The depths of medical research? Hey Bronwyn, ever heard of the public database PubMed? Oh who really cares, you lost me with the big pharma conspiracy stuff at the end.
Then this little gem; “The Gardasil vaccine has never been shown to be safe or effective in preventing cervical cancer,” Bronwyn said. “There are so many limitations with the testing that they’ve done.” Okay so if you really are a scientist you would understand the structure of clinical trials, involving 4 phases of testing and millions of dollars and many, many years, (sometimes decades) before the drug is approved for human use.
People like this infuriate me because they detract from the complex and intricate process that is science. They also contribute to the public misunderstanding of science by suggesting that we just design a drug, test it on a bunny a couple of times then throw it out to the public, meanwhile exclaiming “it’s alive!”. The drug development process is complex, extensive and expensive. It makes my blood boil that people this daft are given air time to undermine the brilliant and thorough work of scientists like Professor Frazer, who has since gone on to develop a skin cancer vaccine.
Two strains of human papiloma virus (HPV) have been shown to cause cervical cancer. In 2006, the cancer council of New South Wales estimated there would be approximately 240 new cases and around 75 deaths attributable to cervical cancer in NSW. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women and it is estimated to result in over 470,000 new cases and cause 233,000 deaths per year worldwide.
Meanwhile in 2006, Professor Frazer was honoured with the Australian of the year for his work on the cervical cancer vaccine. This later resulted in his research facility attracting a $500 million donation from a wealthy Taiwanese donor. High praise indeed.
I wonder how many lives Bronwyn and her cronies can claim to have saved by perpetuating misinformation and lies about the effectiveness and science behind vaccines.
Congratulations morons.
*Buy a copy of Ben Goldacre’s wonderful book Bad Science to read for yourself how far journalists will go to get the positive results they required to perpetuate the MRSA (Methicillan Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) hoax from a few years back.
Registration is now open to become an official ‘make-shit-up’ practitioner.
This week the newly established Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) in the UK announced a code of conduct designed to regulate alternative medicine practitioners.
The Council was established in 2008, using money from the Department of Health (£900 000) and the King’s Fund (£1 million) with the purpose “to enhance public protection by setting standards” in the area of alternative medicine.
Sounds like a good idea to me. Regulation is something that has been sorely missing from the alternative medicine industry since inception. But wait, before we get too excited let’s examine the “legislation” in more detail.
First problem: A conflict of interest? The CNHC was set-up by the Prince’s Foundation for Integrative Health, in other words, woo ruling on woo. For an hilarious take on this aspect of the policy see this article from the daily mash website.
Second and bigger problem: registering with the CNHC is voluntary. (To add to the incentive, it also costs money). To get on to the government-register, therapists will have to show they have the qualifications and experience, abide by a code of conduct and ensure they have insurance in place.
But importantly, the efficacy of the therapies they are offering will not be addressed. Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter’s Medical School said, “There does need to be more rigour in the regulation of complementary medicine as there will be cowboys out there. However, I have concerns that the regulator does not have mandatory powers and is not looking at the efficacy of these therapies.”
Surely this is just arse-about. Whilst I don’t disagree with the idea of alternative therapists adhering to a code of conduct, I do object to them acquiring some official looking stamp just because they can produce a certificate of attendance for turning up to homeopathy school and pouring water into a little jar. A nod from the government with the addition of a regulator logo to promotional material and shopfronts just adds legitimacy to an industry that sells magic water and farcical “cures”.
Homeopathy is water or sugar pills. Therapeutic touch is made up shit debunked by an 11 year old girl as part of her school science project and published in the Journal of America Medical Association. Ear candles do more harm than good, and are based on lies about the creation of a vacuum and the removal of cerumen or ear wax from the ear canals. Detox can kill you, or give you brain damage.
But let’s not worry about that, as long as you have a certificate in “making-shit-up” we are fine with you chanting or holding your hands over someone’s head to channel energy into their aura. Just as long as you don’t do anything weird like have sex with your patient whilst you align their chakras.
The main plank of the council’s work will be to operate a register of practitioners. It will not judge clinics on whether therapies are effective, but rather on whether they operate a professional and safe business.
Maggie Dunn*, co-chair of the CNHC said the regulator would clean up the industry used by one in five people and she estimated thousands of clinics may go out of business in the process. As applying to the register is voluntary, Ms Dunn accepted that some therapists might not put themselves forward. Ms Dunn said: “It won’t take long for customers to start asking whether a practitioner is registered or searching on our website for ones that are. They will then vote with their feet.”
Whilst some people think those stupid enough to use alternative therapies get what they deserve, I believe governments have some responsibility to protect the public from harm. Especially since (in Australia at least) these “medicines” are approved for sale in pharmacies and drug stores, alongside the science-based medicine, thereby lending them legitimacy.
No one expects (and neither they should) Mr Jo Public to take responsibility for establishing whether these things work or not. If the government is going to set up regulatory bodies at least use them for good, not to give the stamp of approval to magic water and other collective bullshit.
*Interestingly, the board of the CNHC is occupied by woo and lay people. Maggie Dunn was lay Chair of the General Council for Massage Therapy until June 2008; the co-chair Maggie Wallace was lay Chair of the Council of Organisations Registering Homeopaths; Jenny Gordon completed her PhD in 2007 which focussed on the use of reflexology as an adjunct to care in the management of childhood idiopathic constipation. The other members appear to be lay people (solicitors), “consumer champions” and a physiotherapist. Medical doctors are conspicuous by their absence.
Debunking the detox myth
The silly season has ended for another year and many of us are feeling the effects of overindulgence. This time of year there is much talk about getting healthy, cutting back on the bad stuff and “detoxing”. But what exactly is detox and is it really effective? Today on Dr Rachie Reports, we delve in to the weird world of detox to look at the science (or lack there-of) behind this multi-billion dollar industry.
What exactly is detox?
Conventional detox has an established place in medicine, where it refers to weaning addicts off drugs or alcohol or eliminating poisons that have been ingested or injected (1). In alternative medicine the word detox has been hijacked to include a grab bag of pills, powders, supplements, kits, diets, magic water/drinks, colonic irrigation, chelation therapy and even shampoos and body brushes. Indicative of this, no two companies selling detox products use the same definition, as outlined by the Oxford English Dictionary as the removal of toxic substances or qualities. The word detox has simply been hijacked as a method for marketing expensive kits and supplements.
Taken from the Network of Young Scientists 'Debunking Detox" flyer
Taken from the Network of Young Scientists 'Debunking Detox" flyer
Why detox?
Many detox products refer to the large number of toxins – from cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes and pesticides to caffeine, alcohol and medicinal drugs – that our bodies are exposed to in today’s world. They talk of how toxins accumulate in the body, and of the extra burden this places on the body’s natural detoxification mechanisms. And they point the finger at this toxic overload as being behind a host of ills including constipation, bloating, flatulence, poor digestion, heartburn, diarrhoea, lack of energy and fatigue (2).
Claims on detox products include “stimulate your body’s natural detoxifying functions”, “improve the functioning of your digestive system”, “work like an intestinal broom”, “flush away potentially harmful toxins from your system” and generally give your body a “spring clean” and “improve your general health and wellbeing “and leave you feeling “revitalised” (2).
Does detox work?
Conventional detox can be life saving, however in alternative medicine, detox is a scam (1). In 2005, Choice (Australia’s consumer watch dog) conducted a study of 7 detox kits and concluded that, “Detox supplements provide little or no known benefit over a healthy diet. A week or two on a detox program won’t absolve you from a year of unhealthy eating, smoking or drinking too much alcohol. We suggest you save your money.” For full details see the report here.
Taken from the Network of Young Scientists 'Debunking Detox" flyer
Furthermore, a 2009 report from the Voice of Young Science Network (VoYS) and published by Sense about Science UK, reviewed 15 products from bottled detox-water to face scrub and concluded that “…at worst, some detox diets could have dangerous consequences and, at best, they were a waste of money”. You can read the full detox dossier here.
This report was the topic of a discussion between Dr Ben Goldacre (of the excellent BadScience column and website ) this week and the managing director of Detox-in-a-Box on the Today programme on Radio BBC 4. When asked if we ever need to detoxify, Dr Goldacre responded with an emphatic “No”. He went on to explain “..it is a purification ritual, it’s symbolic. The idea that you can fix things in just a month of healthy eating…is…dangerous because it means that people will imagine they are doing something quite useful for their lives when actually they’re not.” And in the words of Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst from their book Trick or Treatment; “the only substance that is being removed from a patient is usually money” (1).
Detox products that deserve ridicule
Detox foot pads
This gem is based on the concept that “toxins” can be removed through the soles of your feet. Now please. Just stop and think about this. The human body is well equipped with organs whose primary role is to get rid of waste products. You may have heard of them; the liver, the kidney and the skin, NOT THE FEET. Seriously, is science literacy so bad and are humans so gullible that we spend money on this stuff? My advice is, just don’t.
Here’s a brief overview of what how this thing “works”. Foot pads are like nappies or diapers for your feet. A pouch, reminiscent of a tea bag, containing a mixture of dried ingredients is secured to the soles of your feet usually overnight. When you wake up in the morning and peel of the pads, they will appear brown and sticky. Manufacturers will tell you the brown sticky stuff are the “toxins” which seeped out of your feet whilst you slept. If it sounds too good to be true that you can detox in your sleep, that’s because it is.
Foot pads contain various ingredients, including wood/sap or tree vinegar and hydrolysed carbohydrate or starch. Wood vinegar (or any other name) is a by-product of wood combustion and is highly hydroscopic, meaning it attracts and absorbs moisture readily (a little like silica beads which you find in foods to absorb moisture) upon which it turns brown. The sticky feeling described on the packaging is none other than the hydrolysed carbohydrate or sugar, which upon becoming wet feels sticky. As you can imagine, when these things are stuck to your feet overnight, you wil perspire. A recent investigation into foot pads by the NoYS reported this response from customer service upon enquiring about the reason for the foot pads turning brown and sticky; “Yes, the footpads turning brown is due to the ingredients getting wet...”(3).
Colonic irrigation
Enemas, colonic irrigation, colon hydrotherapy or colonics are marketed as a deep, whole-system cleansing method designed to remove toxins from intestine and “cleanse our body’s elimination system“. This treatment is sometimes administered with coffee (made popular by celebrities) or with various herbs. Based on the popular misconception that toxins build up over time in our bodies, this treatment is supposed to be effective against gastrointestinal disorders, migraine, obesity, allergies, bloating, cramping pains, acne and other skin complaints, arthritis and many other chronic conditions including chronic fatigue syndrome. Treatment involves insertion of a narrow tube via the rectum and flushing with considerable amounts of fluids. The fluid is flushed out through a viewing tube, so that what is eliminated may be monitored (nice!).
There is no scientific evidence that colonic irrigation has any benefit, as previously stated our bodies are perfectly equipped to eliminate toxins through various physiological processes. There have been reports of colonic irrigation causing harm by perforating the bowel or depleting the body of electrolytes. I can’t understand why anyone would voluntarily place a tube up their bottom and want to examine the resulting deposits; it’s a waste of money and a hazard to your health (1).
Is detox safe?
If these products do nothing then there’s no harm in detox right? Not necessarily. Many detox kits or detox diets involve several facets, such as pills, drinks, exfoliants and may even include a booklet advising about exercise and increasing fluid intake. Many of them recommend increasing the amount of water you consume, under the false pretence that this will assist your liver with detox and flush your system.
In July 2008, an English court awarded a woman 800,000 pounds after she suffered permanent brain damage whilst on a detox diet. Dawn Page began vomiting uncontrollably after commencing “The Amazing Hydration Diet” in 2001 and later suffered a seizure which damaged her memory, speech and concentration. She was diagnosed with hyponatraemia, a condition involving dangerously low salt concentrations induced by excessive water consumption.
Hyponatraemia or water intoxication occurs when a person drinks too much water, diluting salts and electrolytes in the blood which can then essentially “flood” cells and tissues. All cells in the body are bathed in a “salty” environment, but if the outside fluid becomes more dilute, it can rush inside the more salty cells, essentially flooding them and causing them to burst. In extreme cases, this causes organs such as the brain to swell up, and can stop it working properly, putting the drinker in serious danger.
In an article from the BBC entitled “The Dangers of too much detox Professor Graham McGregor of St George’s University of London “In normal circumstances, when people should drink when their body tells them to – when they get thirsty. Anything else is completely unnecessary, and will just leave you standing in the queue for the toilet. Detox diets are a complete con in that respect.”
Some people are a little slow to catch on it would seem. Here’s a quote from naturopath Spiro Sindos from the Naturopath Practitioners Association taken from an interview on the breakfast magazine-show Sunrise in Australia. Listen to his response about what detox is; “…what you’re trying to do is clean your body out I suppose, is the best way to put it, the best way to do that is to improve your diet, improve your lifestyle and drink copious amounts of water”. Ummm, Spiro, drinking copious amounts of water can kill you. I guess that sorts out your detox, when you’re dead you won’t need to bother.
Taken from the Network of Young Scientists "Debunking Detox" flyer
Should we detox?
The short answer is no. The bottom line is that no studies have shown that a detox regimen increases the elimination of toxins (4). As Trick or treatment reminds us; “Detox, as an alternative medicine is based on ill-conceived ideas about human physiology, metabolism and toxicology. There is no evidence that it does any good and some treatments such as colonic irrigation (enemas) and chelation therapy can be harmful”.
If you’ve overindulged this silly season, the best thing you can do is eat fresh fruit and vegetables, get some sleep, drink some water and stay off the booze and fags. Just like most things in life there is no quick fix for detox.
Further reading and references
(1) Trick or Treatment: alternative medicine on trial. Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst, 2008, Bantam Press, London, UK.
(2) choice.com.au
(3) Bad Science. Ben Godacre, 2008, Forth Estate, London, UK.
A recent article from Fairfax press about one person’s experience with a 10 day post-Christmas detox
Skeptic Zone New Year 2009 – We couldn’t wait! And you shouldn’t either!
Exclusive audio from the Sydney New Year’s fireworks bringing in the new year!
We have
• An interview with Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com and The Skeptologists
• Eran Segev of the NSW Skeptics on Santa myths
• Interviews from Sydney Sci-Fi Convention FreeCon
• Dr Rachie Reports – with new insights on CAM and
• The ever irrepressible Think Tank drinking sceptically
Sign on to the Skeptic Zone and see why we’ve broken records in 2008 as a top-rating iTunes show – and are bound for glory in 2009!
Skeptic Zone stats.
In the category of science and medicine: number 1 in NZ, number 1 in Australia.
Oh, the irony.
I stumbled across this little gem today.
It gave Richard Saunders and me a good laugh, so I thought I’d share it with you. During some routine research compiling a list of psychic predictions for 2008 (essentially to see if they got anything right) I came across this little gem. A Google search led to me to a website known as the Australian Psychics Directory which contains several links to promos for Channel 7s reality TV show “The One“.
Links from the Australian Psychic Directory website
When I clicked on the first link, it took me to YouTube and to a channel known as “rachiesyd“. A channel belonging to well, me! The irony is, Richard, who was the sceptical judge on the show and for his troubles earned the reputation of “spook” and “meanie” had himself posted some of the videos when I was overseas earlier this year.
Richard "the meanie" Saunders applauds the psychics for their support of the sceptical community.
Further, the irony is not only contained in the link itself, but also that the psychics are inadvertently increasing the traffic to my YouTube channel. And an evil, sceptical, party-pooper channel at that!
But don’t let the psychics have all the fun, you too can hit up my YouTube channel here where you can see for yourself the video linked to their website and marvel at the 2,200 odd hits it has gotten as a result (ten times more than any others).
Thank you woo woo people, keep it coming!
Woo-woo jumps on the hair analysis drug testing bandwagon.
Disgraced footballer Ben Cousins to undergo drug testing by hair analysis every three months
Celebrity, drug-troubled Australian rules footballer Ben Cousins was back in the news this week. Australians may remember he was sacked by his team in October after being arrested and charged with possession of an illegal drug and refusing to submit to a blood test. This was followed by fleeing from a scheduled stint in rehab in Los Angeles to go on a 5 day cocaine binge.
This week, he was hired by a new football team with several very specific conditions. Thirty year old Cousins remains on a one-month good behaviour trial, and risks instant dismissal if he breaches a strict disciplinary code which includes providing up to three urine samples a week and a hair-follicle test every three months for drug testing.
The hair follicle test to which a news article referred is a legitimate test used to detect drug use and as such will be used to monitor his enforced abstinence. As I described in a previous blog, and in episode 7 of The Zone, when conducted correctly, hair analysis is a high-end powerful diagnostic test, used in forensics and toxicology studies.
Procedures involved in the detection of drugs in hair specimens are either the same or slightly modified from procedures used for the detection of drugs in urine, blood or other biological samples (1). Preparation of samples is critical since hair not only absorbs drugs and alcohol metabolites from the blood but also from the air (e.g., marijuana smoke, pollution).
Simplified structure of hair. Depending on moisture content it contains 65-95% protein (keratin), 15-35% water and 1-9% lipids. From (1).
Hence, thorough washing procedures are required usually with organic solvents followed by extended washing in phosphate buffers (ref. 1 and see table below). Following this, hair is digested to its constituent components, primarily amino acids from the protein keratin. Several methods are used to break the bonds between the amino acids including the use of acid (hydrochloric), alkali (sodium hydroxide) or enzymes. Analysis can then be conducted using gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography, or immunological methods (1), all high-end, complicated chemistry techniques.
I should have guessed it wouldn’t take long for the woo people to jump on this recent publicised use of hair analysis to lend legitimacy to their “quantum technology” allergy testing by hair analysis.
Check out this little gem I found on one woo website. Note these are the same people I watched with disdain work their random-allergy-generator at the recent Mind Body Wallet in Sydney for AU$195 a pop.
“..Hair analysis testing is becoming widely spread as an exceptable (sic) form of testing and measuring. Ben Cousins (the footballer) has to submit a hair sample each week as his testing proticol (sic) for drug consumption”.
I don’t know about you, but I certainly would not trust someone with my health, who a) can’t spell and b) can’t get their facts straight (as stated earlier, the hair-follicle test is to conducted every THREE months, not each week). Further, the test which they use has nothing to do with the techniques which will be employed by the Australian Football League (AFL) to ensure Ben Cousins remains on the wagon. That is apart from the name, since you can be certain the AFL will use real science, not woo (see table, right).
As I have stated before, you can NOT diagnose allergies by stuffing a piece of hair in a beaker and making lights flash and dials flicker. Even if the device allegedly uses quantum technology (which it doesn’t).
Reference: (1) Vassiliki A. Boumba, Kallirroe S. Ziavrou and Theodore Vougiouklakis. Hair as a Biological Indicator of Drug Use, Drug Abuse or Chronic Exposure to Environmental Toxicants. International Journal of Toxicology, (2006); 25:143–163.
* Asterik indicates a complete lack of either washing or digestion of hair samples by a provider I witnessed at the Mind, Body, Spirit Festival in November, 2008, Sydney Australia. I have since been unable to confirm whether woo practitioners undertake these procedures at all.
Thanks to Moose for the tip-off to this story.
