Acu Seeds
Re: Dragons' Den, BBC One, 18 January 2024:
Complaint to the BBC has been upheld by the Executive Complaints Unit (ECU). 'This edition of the programme included a successful pitch
for Acu Seeds, a product which applies acupressure to the ear by means of "ear seeds". Six viewers complained that the pitch included claims
that the product could be beneficial in the treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) which had no scientific basis
and were potentially misleading to the audience. The ECU considered the complaints in the light of the BBC's editorial standards of accuracy.' Also see earlier post below.
Cancer Quackery
'A woman who almost died trying to cure her cancer with a
juice diet
has warned others against "cutting out" traditional medical
advice and trying to source alternative information online. Medics tried to get Irena Stoynova to use conventional cancer
treatments after she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in June 2021, but she "shut them out" … Instead of chemotherapy,
she sought alternatives online and took the advice of a man, who has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, and
claims the human body can "heal itself" with help of a radical lifestyle and diet changes … (She) followed various diets and
holistic therapies for two-and-a-half years, which left her emaciated with fluid on her lungs.'
Autism Quackery
'The Royal Borough of Greenwich has warned schools and nurseries to be on guard after being made aware that someone claiming to be a
doctor plans to visit the UK to offer
dangerous "experimental procedures"
for autistic children.'
Big Cat sightings
It's time for yet another report of
a big cat sighting in the UK. 'A motorist has been left stunned after he spotted a 'big cat' prowling
through the Worcestershire countryside. In what could be a new sighting of the infamous Worcestershire panther, Geoff Thompson spotted
the strange creature in the distance while pulled over in a layby between Great Witley and Martley in Worcestershire.'
(OK,
so we don't need to rewild big cats like lynxes, pumas and panthers. We've already got them! Yes? - Ed.)
UFOs Again
'There have been
multiple claims of UFO sightings all over the world with no concrete evidence of the same. But the strangest claim is being
heard from Britain these days. People here believe that most of the UFOs in the country are seen above supermarket car parking lots.
… An alien expert named Ash Ellis had said that if one wants to encounter UFOs in Britain, then the best place is Wales. He claims
hat last year 323 cases of UFO sightings were registered in Wales alone. …Those who have claimed to have seen UFOs say that the
parking spotlights installed in 12,700 shops in Britain actually attract UFOs.'
That's enough - Ed.)
Out-of-Body Experiences
'People who've had an out-of-body experience
(OBE) report the sensation of leaving their physical body and floating up above it. Many also say that their point of view shifts,
so that they look down at their body for a period of time, before 're-entering' it. While some take a more mystical approach to
these experiences, researchers have linked them to problems with the vestibular system, a suite of organs in the inner ear that
are sensitive to the direction of the pull of gravity and also to head movement, helping us sense when we're moving. Vestibular
signals are also thought to be important for the feeling that our conscious self is located in our physical body, though senses s
uch as vision contribute to this, too. In a recent study in iScience, Hsin-Ping Wu and colleagues explore how OBEs might come about,
reporting a technique which stimulates both vision and the vestibular system to create the illusion of an OBE in healthy people.'
Child Geniuses
'Stories of child geniuses
seem to be perennially popular. One of the latest appeared at the end of January 2023, featuring a boy who taught
himself to read at the age of two. By age three, he had become the UK's youngest member of Mensa, the society
for people with a high IQ. But while we often think of intelligence as being stable … a major new (review) has
found that it's more variable across the lifespan than we might think'.
Evidence Week
From Sense About Science’s Evidence Week: 'It is vital that Parliament uses the best available evidence when making
important decisions. Evidence Week in Parliament shows MPs that the public care about evidence by asking them about
the basis for evidence being used for political decisions, and how it is scrutinised at Westminster. Can you join us in
Parliament on 24 June to publicly ask MPs about an issue important to you? You can ask about anything: we’ve had questions
ranging from net-zero targets, allotments and electoral reform to the future of personalised prescribing'.
Submit your question now.
UFOs
'A spike in UFO sightings in the 1950s and 60s was caused by tests of advanced US spy planes and space technology, a
Pentagon report has concluded. Officials also said
there was "no evidence" that the US government had encountered alien life. Most sightings of UFOs were ordinary objects
from Earth, according to the report submitted to Congress on Friday. But Pentagon officials accepted that their research
won't quell popular beliefs about alien visitors.'
ADHD Again
'
The ADHD nation: are too many of us being diagnosed? A rise in cases has been attributed to celebrities' stories - but
some say the condition is finally getting the attention it deserves … "After years of under-recognition for ADHD,
it looks as though we're now at risk of overdiagnosis. We're already seeing it in the US," says Philip Asherson, emeritus professor
of neurodevelopmental psychology at King's College London … The demand is taking its toll on already overstretched NHS
mental health services, with the average wait time for referral now at three years - a delay that many experts fear is
preventing the people most in need of a diagnosis from getting one.'
UK Medicines Regulator
'The
All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on pandemic response and recovery has raised "serious patient safety concerns"
about the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), along with other aspects of a system that, "far from protecting
patients, continues to put them at serious risk".'
Covid Vaccines
'
Largest Covid vaccine study ever finds shots are linked to small increased risk of neurological, blood and heart disorders - but they are still
extremely rare.'
Skepticism
Thoughtful piece
by Ted Griffith in International Policy Digest: 'During my forty-year career as a communications adviser to governments,
corporations, non-profits, and individuals, I have never experienced a time when so many people and organizations
were not only lying but were also repeating the lies of others. I understand the reason for lies in general,
each born of enlightened self-interest. But why do so many of us believe these lies, so much so that we allow
them to influence what we put in our bodies (or don't), how we vote, and perhaps most importantly, how we
feel about other people (including friends, family, and foreigners)?'
Russian Geneticist Dismissed
'Russia's Ministry of Science and Higher Education has removed the head of a prestigious genetics institute,
Alexander Kudryavtsev, who stirred controversy by asserting that ancient humans lived for centuries, and the reduced lifespan of modern humans is a result of
ancestral sins.'
'Ear Seeds'
'Dragons' Den has been accused of a pattern of featuring "extravagant claims" about controversial products without subjecting them to proper scrutiny.'
Concerns have been raised
by Good Thinking Society, a pro-science group founded by science writer Simon Singh, whose campaigning project manager Michael Marshall
is well known to skeptics worldwide. The most recent complaint concerns the recent appearance of Giselle Boxer, an entrepreneur who claimed that her "Acu Seeds"
(which are placed on the patient's ears) aided her recovery from myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) within 12 months.
She received a £50,000 investment, despite there being no proven benefits of these products for ME. Outrage has also been expressed
by academics and medical practitioners and the campaigning group Action for ME. 'Days after it was revealed the corporation had removed the recent
episode from streaming platform BBC iPlayer, the instalment ....has been reinstated, but
with a disclaimer.'
Caroline Richmond
Caroline Richmond, 'Determined medical journalist known for her campaigning zeal against health misinformation'
died on December 24, 2023.
In 1988, 'convinced that the UK needed an organisation to call out health misinformation', she helped launch the Campaign Against Health Fraud (CAHF),
later renamed HealthWatch and now HealthSense.
Measles Update
'Health experts have warned "we must act now" as
measles cases have soared across the country amid an increase in unvaccinated children. There were 1,603 suspected cases of measles in England and
Wales in 2023, new statistics from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show. MMR cases have increased significantly in the last two years - in 2022,
there were 735 cases, and just 360 the year before.'
Synagogue Church of all Nations
'British members of a
global evangelical church … have spoken out amid claims its leader raped and tortured followers, forcing some to undergo abortions. Dozens of
former members of the Synagogue Church of all Nations (SCOAN) - five of whom are British - claim that its leader, the late Temitope Balogun Joshua,
known as TB Joshua, who had hundreds of millions of followers around the world, ran a "cult" which enabled his campaign of abuse.'
Slapping Therapy
Hongchi Xiao from Cloudbreak, California,
has pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of a 71-year-old diabetic patient who died on 20.10.16 during a 'slapping therapy' workshop he was running in
Wiltshire in 2016. The workshop is understood to have involved paida lajin therapy,
during which patients are repeatedly slapped, or slap themselves, until their skin turns red or bruised.
Reasons to be Cheerful
2023 was a depressing year in so many ways that have been extensively reported by our mainstream media. And the omens for
2024 don't read too well. But is there too much emphasis on the bad things that are happening? Are there good reasons for
us to feel more hopeful and optimistic? Look at the facts, the evidence! The Sunday Times (1.1.24) lists '54 ways the world
got more wonderful' in 2023. It's at
this website and will cost you just £1 for a 4-month introductory subscription. And a new book by scientist Hannah Ritchie
presents a much more positive outlook on the world's efforts to mitigate climate change than we are used to reading about
('Not the End of the World'). Meanwhile for long-term trends, visit the late great Hans Rosling's 'Gapminder'
website.
ADHD
'Wellness firms are exploiting a national shortage of ADHD medication to push so-called
"smart supplements"
as an alternative to prescribed drugs. As patients struggle to get hold of medication - or face years-long waits for NHS assessments
- companies are peddling unproved products as a "natural" treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In some cases
the supplements are being marketed for use in children as young as three.'
King Charles
'The King's charity is being forced to return up to £110,000 to the Indian government after Charles fronted a deal for
an
NHS alternative medicine clinic that was never set up. In April 2018, Charles unveiled a plaque marking the "inauguration
of a centre of excellence and research and Indian traditional medicine" at St Charles Hospital, an NHS centre in Kensington,
west London, with Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister. Under the plans, local GPs were to refer patients for "Ayush"
treatments. The term refers to practices including Ayurveda, the system of Indian traditional medicine, yoga, naturopathy
and homeopathy.' And ...
'King Charles's appointment of
a pro-homeopathy head of the royal medical household has been described as worrying and
inappropriate by academics and campaigners. Dr Michael Dixon, who has championed faith healing and herbalism in his work
as a GP, has quietly held the senior position for the last year, the Sunday Times reported. While Dixon, 71, is head of
the royal medical household, for the first time the role is not combined with being the monarch's physician. Duties include
having overall responsibility for the health of the king and the wider royal family - and even representing them in talks
with government. Dixon, who has a penchant for bow ties and a long association with the king, worked in the NHS for almost
half a century and is an outspoken advocate of complementary medicine.'
Antidepressants
'Politicians, experts, and patient representatives call for the UK government to reverse the rate of antidepressant
prescribing. … Over the past decade, antidepressant prescriptions have almost doubled in England, rising from
47.3 million in 2011 to 85.6 million in 2022-23. Over 8.6 million adults in England are now prescribed them
annually (nearly 20% of adults), with prescriptions set to rise over the next decade. In addition, the average
duration of time for which a person takes an antidepressant has doubled between the mid-2000s and 2017, with
around half of patients now classed as long term users. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have similar rates
of antidepressant prescribing. …. Rising antidepressant prescribing is not associated with an improvement in mental
health outcomes at the population level, which, according to some measures, have worsened as antidepressant prescribing has risen.'
Vaccination
From The New York Times: 'Disruptions to health systems during the Covid-19 pandemic have left more than
60 million children worldwide without a single dose of standard childhood vaccines, in turn
resulting in large outbreaks of diseases that primarily kill children. Many who missed their
shots have now aged out of routine immunization programs. Protecting them will require a costly
vaccination blitz. By the numbers: By the midpoint of this year, 47 countries were reporting serious
and deadly measles outbreaks, compared with 16 countries in June 2020. Twelve countries reported the
polio virus was circulating. Nigeria is facing a major outbreak of diphtheria, with nearly 600 deaths so far.'