Your host is Andy Wilson (@InKredulosi) of the Merseyside Skeptics Society.

Appearing this month are:

• Jay Novella (@skepticsguide) – Well known blogger and rogue from Skeptics Guide to the Universe
• Rich Smith (@Newsarse) – Editor and chief writer at satirical news source Newsarse.com
• Richard Gerardi (@LadyJadesLair) – Master puppeteer and skeptical humourist at http://www.youtube.com/user/LadyJadesLair
• Mystery Scouser (@No fixed abode) – Random drunken scouser.  Not a podcaster as such but he does shout in the street

• You can contact the show at andy@inkredulous.org, and follow us on twitter @InKredulosi to get the early heads up on who will appear on the next show. As always, thanks for listening.

I’d be more readily able to comment upon her job description if I could make sense of it.  A natural health therapist?  What does that even mean? What is “health therapy”?  What makes it “natural”?  Is “natural” a good thing?  Who knows.

Debbie was suffering from severe headaches.

I also experienced 2 miscarriages and developed pregnancy related diabetes during the subsequent successful pregnancy. The diabetes returned about 4 years after the birth of my son and gradually worsened from being treated by diet alone, to diet and tablets and eventually insulin.

Although she was being treated for diabetes by the NHS, Debbie decided to seek “alternatives” and was subsequently diagnosed with “candida”, by parties unknown.

I followed a herbal cleanse and build up programme which cleared the candida from my body and restored my health almost completely.

Candida albicans is a normal part of the human flora, often found in the gut and genitourinary tract. Occasionally, the growth of candida albicans can get out of control, causing a condition known as candida overgrowth, candidiasis, or (most commonly) thrush.

It’s very common, and very treatable.  It’s odd though, don’t you think, that her doctors had somehow missed candidiasis, and were treating her instead for diabetes?Thrush is isn’t exactly an inconspicuous infection.  A PubMed search didn’t reveal anything firm on a relationship between candida overgrowth and diabetes – though my search was far from exhaustive.  This confused me for all of twenty minutes, until I stumbled across the answer in Wikipedia.

“Practitioners of alternative medicine claim that Candida overgrowth can cause various health problems, from fatigue to weight gain, but this is rejected by most doctors and there is no evidence to support the theory.” – Candida (genus), Wikipedia.

Aaha! So, in pseudo-med land, “candida” means anything you want it to.  That explains a lot.  Or rather, nothing at all.  Nevertheless, Debbie was restored to health by the “herbal cleanse”, except for one symptom – her headaches.

On my last 2 holidays I went away with a supply of headache tablets but surprisingly never had a single headache on waking. I came to the conclusion that the bad heads were related to my house in some way although I wasn’t sure exactly how.

Something of a leap, don’t you think Debbie?

I read a leaflet on the effects of Geopathic Stress and it seemed it could be the answer. I discovered from a dowser that there was a ray crossing my bed. I bought a neutraliser initially which helped tremendously. I believe that the GS in my house contributed to my headaches, 2 miscarriages, my diabetes and eventually my candida.

Panaceas and inverse-panaceas are always a red flag. Geopathic Stress, whatever that may be, somehow causes headaches, miscarriages, diabetes and yeast infections? The story becomes more incredible by the sentence.

I read more on the subject and found I could dowse. This started me on a spiritual path as I began to learn more about Angels and the spiritual realms. I have developed clairvoyance, clairsentience and clairaudience. I was guided by the Angels to start healing Geopathic Stress in peoples houses. I now work with my Higher Self and the Archangels doing soul rescue, earth healing and past life healing.

Crikey that’s a lot of woo in a very small space. Angels? Soul Rescues? Spiritual realms and higher selves? I’m sorry, Debbie, do you have anything to back up any of this?  And what is this “Geopathic Stress” bollocks anyway?

Geopathic Stress (GS) or harmful earth rays, is natural radiation which rises up through the earth.

Certainly there is a background level of radiaton, some of which comes from the Earth. Googling around, I’ve found various figures for how much radiation this is, but the US Environmental Protection Agency website lists a figure of 28 milli-rems per year – or just under 80 micro-rems per day.

For comparison, a medical chest x-ray delivers around 4,000 micro-rems. This amount of radiation really isn’t going to do anyone any harm at all. It’s well, well below safe levels.

[The radiation] is distorted by weak electro-magnetic fields created by subterranean running water, certain mineral concentrations, fault lines and underground cavities. The wavelengths of the natural radiation disturbed in this way become harmful to living organisms.

Hear this story and more on Skeptics with a K

I’m sorry, what?  Radiation is “distorted”?  What does that mean?  What sort of radiation? Do you have any idea what you’re talking about?

In the interests of given Debbie a sporting chance, I’m going to guess from her reference to “wavelengths” that she is talking about electromagnetic radiation.  But what does “disturbed” mean?  How do you “disturb” radiation?  Show it a video nasty?

Even assuming that, somehow, against all science and reason, fault lines and running water could alter the wavelength of some relatively innocuous geogenic electromagnetic radiation, for example turning radio waves in to gamma rays.  You can’t change the total energy of the system, so says the laws of the conservation of energy. If you increase the frequency of the wave, you increase it’s energy.  To keep the total energy of the system constant, you would have to deliver much less wave.  This is EM radiation, it travels at the speed of light.  You can’t just slow it down.  How is this meant to work?

GS does not cause any illness…

That’s something I can’t argue with, Debbie.

… but lowers your immune system and your ability to fight off viruses and bacterium.

This is the opposite claim to the ususal one we see from advocates of pseudomedicine; it’s usually “boosting the immune system” they like to shout about.  The problems are the same in either direction, though.  Immune systems cannot be simply “boosted” or “lowered”.  I mean, which part of the immune system are you lowering?

The immune system isn’t a single organ like a heart or a liver.  It is a very complex series of interacting systems.  To say something “boosts” or “lowers” the immune system doesn’t make sense on its own.  Which part of the immune system?  Does it stop antibody production?  Does it reduce white cell count?  What is this meant to be doing?

Whilst we are sleeping the body should be at rest and it can then do its repair work on body cells, fight infections, and absorb nutrients from the food eaten that day.

Well, your body will do all that when you’re awake too. It may be some of these things can be done more efficient at night, but that doesn’t mean they halt during the day.

When we are sleeping in a GS place the body has to use all its energy to just keep its vital organs going and consequently the immune system is lowered, we cannot absorb our nutrients or fight off infections.

Hang on, now our immune system is responsible for absorbing nutrients?   What does “keeping the vital organs going” mean?  In what way is the body doing this, which also means it can’t provide an adequate immune response?   Why isn’t this poor immune response detected as an immune disorder by doctors?   How does a poor immune response cause diabetes?

Debbie also claims that hyperactivity in children is caused by GS, as are allergies.  And asthma, eczema and bed wetting. And learning difficulties. And cot death.

Hold on, cot death?

Research has shown that 90% of babies, who died of cot death, had been sleeping in GS places.

This is just asserted, with no references provided to back it up. Just like her claims about the Big C:

GS is a major factor contributing to cancer. One is unlikely to develop cancer unless one has slept or stayed for long periods over GS. Cancer tumours almost always first develop where two or more GS lines cross. We nearly all produce cancerous cells on a regular basis, but they are continuously destroyed by the body’s immune system.

What mad bollocks!  The good news is, Debbie can help. With her magical seven-sided pyramid.

After many years of research and field trials the 7 sided pyramid will neutralise negative energies from Geopathic Stress and Electromagnetic Stress. The individually hand made 7 sided pyramids contain 5 double terminated clear quartz crystals with organic and inorganic substances, and will draw in negative energies produce by GPS and EMS and radiate out pure healthy life energy or Orgone.

Each pyramid costs £80 + £5 P+P. They are available in clear, blue and pink.

Phew, thanks for that Debbie. What would we have done without you? Aside from being £85 better off, of course.

Except, I was wrong. That’s fine though, I’m always happy to admit when I’m wrong (I am! What do you know, anyway?!). So it was with equal parts incredulity and glee I allowed my love/hate affair with the Telegraph to take me in its warm and scientifically-bereft arms with the headline ‘Do you believe in angels?‘

No, I don’t. Nor should you. Silly Telegraph.

Still, it’s been a while since we wrote about them, and it’s rude of me to deny the Telegraph their fun, so let’s see what it’s all about. Well, as Journalist Christopher Howse reports:

“A university lecturer has criticised parents for being dismissive when their seven-year-old daughter told them that she saw an angel at her bedside every night, which she felt comforted by. Quite right, too. Perhaps she had seen an angel. Children, if they are truthful and well, should be taken seriously”

So children should be taken seriously, even when what they’re being serious about is something fringe, wildly unlikely and patently silly? This is a bizarre attitude to take – we all know children are prone to make believe, and to accept their reports of angels uncritically is to teach our children that critical thinking and questioning experiences isn’t important. If we accept angels, should we accept invisible friends and monsters under the bed, too? Are these any more ridiculous claims?

“Angels are not cuddly toys, and it is not just children who believe in them. They have become an adult craze. Gone are the merely jokey fancies. Unjokey books like Angels in My Hair by Lorna Byrne or Angels Watching Over Me by Jacky Newcomb sell millions”

Bzzzt! Argument from authority – just because it’s the belief of adults rather than children does not make the claim any less ridiculous. Unjokey books selling millions? Bzzzt! Argumentum ad populum – a million people can be wrong, just because something sells in vast numbers doesn’t make it true. The Bible, for example…

“Miss Jacky Newcomb, at the paranormal end of the angel spectrum, enjoys endorsements from Uri Geller.”

Bzzzt! Argument from authority again – and a lame authority at that. Uri Geller is an oft-debunked and wildly-ridiculed spoon bender who has been proven time and time again to have no paranormal ability. Even if he had (he hasn’t), his expertise would be in spoon bending and mind-reading (plus these days he flogs crystals on QVC). He’s not an authority on angels, then.

“Miss Lorna Byrne, whose memoir Angels in My Hair was bought for a six-figure sum by the publishers of The Da Vinci Code, is more devotional. “Remember strangers give you messages from your Angels too.” she says. “It could be a shop assistant, a bus driver, a neighbour’s child.”

Bzzzt! No true Scotsman fallacy? What they’re doing here is shifting the definition – if you’re definition of ‘angels’ allows for the inclusion of shop assistants, bus drivers and other people’s kids, then yes angels do exist. But they’re not angels. They’re shop assistants, bus drivers and other people’s kids. That’s not what the word ‘angel’ means.

“Guardian angels remain most popular, with 38 per cent of us believing in them, if we credit a single opinion poll”

Bzzzt! Argumentum ad populum. Just because 38% of people believe in guardian angels doesn’t mean guardian angels exist.

“But it doesn’t take a vision of a winged messenger with a flaming sword to convince people, once the possibility of angelic intervention is entertained. Gloria Hunniford has found angels very helpful in finding parking places.”

OK, you’ve got me there – I can’t begin to find a logical fallacy which describes this sufficiently. Argumentum ad bullshitum? What I will say is those angels do a damned noble job – thank the Lord in all of his wisdom that he deploys his ambassadors to Earth, his guardians from Heaven, to do His chosen work right here on this plane. And what does he, in his infinite and beardy wisdom, deign worthy of his interjection and aid? Cancer patients? Genocide? Keeping clergy from interfering with altar boys? No, blessed are the drivers, for they shall inherit a parking space. Sometimes. Brilliant.

“One day, after lunch, the late Jennifer Paterson, formerly one of the Two Fat Ladies, accidentally locked me out of my house in Shepherd’s Bush by closing the front door behind us in the front garden. What impressed me was her instant success in attracting the attention of a passing youth and persuading him to shin over the back wall and break into the house. I assumed he was part of the skilled Shepherd’s Bush burgling community. Later I wondered: perhaps it was an angel”

So angels can be burglers as well as kind strangers and parking attendants? Is there anything those angels won’t do for us? Angels – I salute you, and your fence-shimmying, car-park-watching glory!

“Theologically, angels are perfectly respectable. God is an uncreated spirit; human beings are bodily creatures with a spiritual component; angels are spiritual creatures with no bodily component. They have intellect and will and are much cleverer than we are. Satan is an angel gone to the bad.

Traditional Jewish, as well as Christian, speculation holds that there are millions more angels than there are human beings. So encountering one at your bedside would be only too likely”

Hear this and more on Righteous Indignation

Bzzt! Back to ad populums and authority arguments! Back on safe, clear irrational ground then. Just because the authority of religion says angels are real doesn’t make it so; just because there is speculation that there are millions of angels doesn’t make it so.

On the whole, this Telegraph article really is bizarre to read – if you ask me I’d guess that it’s some kind of blatant attempt to get into the SGU’s ‘Spot the logical fallacy’ feature, but then again I’m prone to those kind of outlandish statements based on little evidence…