Posts Tagged Public Health
Compulsory Ignorance: More Anti-Vax Propaganda From The AVN
Posted by Marsh in Pseudomedicine, Pseudoscience, vaccination on September 1, 2009
Anti-Vax Propaganda from the AVN
A couple of weeks ago, I reported on the Australian Skeptics and their battle with the Australian Vaccination Network. The AVN are a ‘pro-choice’ organisation which promotes the spread of information and debate on vaccines. No, wait, sorry, I’ve got that completely wrong – they’re a deceitful, weaselly organisation spreading misinformation, rumour and lies when it comes to vaccination. Led by Meryl Dorey, the AVN have made dangerous and deceitful claims that nobody dies of whooping cough, that the swine flu pandemic was planned and deliberate and that the MMR vaccine causes autism.
The latest ignorant and dangerous pseudomedical crap from AVN’s website is this presentation, a 46-page PDF of hateful anti-vax propaganda. It’s so blood-boilingly, insultingly and pathetically manipulative it really has to be taken piece-by-piece, so permit me to do so.
Page 1 declares, in gaudy, sensationalist, fear-mongeringly red block capitals:
Compulsory Vaccination: IT’S HERE!
Erm, yes, true enough. It is here, admittedly in some very specific circumstances, but I’m with you so far. What next, Meryl?
February 2007, NSW became the first state to mandate full vaccination (10 required vaccines) for all medical staff and allied health students. Failure to comply will result in expulsion from school or loss of employment/transfer to another area of the facility if that area exists.
July 2007 – jump on the bandwagon
All other Australian states and territories have now introduced similar policies for their health students. Hospital policies will follow shortly
OK, so far so innocuous – although a successful scheme to raise vaccination rates and therefore lower rates of infection, injury and death from some very nasty diseases is somewhat flippantly dismissed as a ‘bandwagon’. And if it is a bandwagon – fuck it, it’s precisely the kind of bandwagon there should be more of. If there were a pro-condom bandwagon in South Africa, I’d welcome that too.
What does this mean?
- 5 out of the 10 required vaccines contain live viruses which will put vulnerable hospital patients at risk.- Staff and students who can think for themselves and who question authority will no longer be in the health system.
- The list of required vaccines is sure to increase – just as the childhood vaccination schedule is increasing. How many vaccines will be enough?
Ah, here we go, now begins the weasel-wording and the utter utter bullshit. Read the rest of this entry »
Daily Mail In Need Of Science Transplant
Posted by Marsh in Media, Pseudomedicine, Pseudoscience, Skepticism on August 27, 2009
In what has to be the weirdest and most bullshit-ridden thing I’ve seen in a long time, the Daily Mail last week ran with the headline: ‘Transplant has turned me into a housewife’: Man now addicted to cleaning after receiving woman’s cornea
I’ll let that sink in.
So, the story goes – workshy slob Will Palmer hated housework. Then, due to a condition called Fuchs’ Dystrophy – where cells lining the inner surface of the cornea to begin to die – his eyesight rapidly decreased to a point where he needed a cornea operation. Once he got his shiny new sight, he found he suddenly loves to clean. Which, apparently, can only be due to the new cornea and it’s previous owner. Because that’s how transplants work, obviously. Read the rest of this entry »
Son of God says the flu vaccine will kill your kids
Posted by Mike in Conspiracy Theories, Public Health, vaccination on August 18, 2009
Last week, the British government announced that it would concentrate on immunising vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women and health care professionals, against the H1N1 “swine” flu strain, before considering whether to extend the vaccination program across the wider population. Westminster is reported to have contracts in place for 132 million doses of the vaccine, enough to immunise the entire UK population. Whether they use it or not remains to be seen.
Unfortunately, the vaccination program has attracted the attention of Internet crackpot and former son-of-god David Icke, who contends that the swine flu vaccine is a conspiracy by the Illuminati to cull vast portions of the human population.
Oh dear.
Homeopathy 101: Overdoses and Avogadro
Posted by Marsh in Homeopathy, Pseudomedicine, Public Health, Skeptic 101 on August 5, 2009
Last week, in a forum post on mumsnet.com – a parent’s advice forum – a worried parent left the following concerned question (spelling and grammar as per the original post):
“Just found my labour preparation bottle of caulophyllum 200c Homeopathic remedy open on the floor with several of the little tablets lying next to it. Saw him chewing/sucking a few mins earlier but assumed it was the remains of our sushi. Am not panicking but wondering if anyone can advise if we should expect a level of disturbance/ill effects esp as 200c is such a high dose” – Source: Mumsnet.com
Clearly, the forum user is worried her dear child may be at risk of an overdose on her super-strength, 200c tablets. Of course, an overdose is clearly not possible. Even a homeopath will tell you that! In fact, homeopaths deny the possibility of an overdose because of the fact that homeopathy is ‘non-toxic’ and that ‘if you take fifteen tablets or five tablets (or 100 tablets for that matter) AT ONE TIME it is one dose. You will stimulate your curative response one time‘.
Cool, well that’s put my fears to rest. Except of course, that that’s clearly utter nonsense. Curative response? Non-toxic? One tablet has the same effect as one hundred tablets? Do they really think anyone is going to buy that?!
The real reason why an overdose is impossible is that there’s absolutely, completely and utterly nothing in a homeopathic tablet. It’s just water. The only way to overdose on homeopathy is if you drown.
Magnet Therapy: Positive or Negative?
Posted by Redwinelover in Pseudomedicine, Public Health, Skepticism on August 4, 2009
I was reminded recently about the claims made for “magnetic therapies”, when I bought a bracelet on holiday. I thought I was just buying an attractive trinket. Being relatively superficial and easily pleased, I was happy enough to have a bracelet that looked good. But this was no ordinary ornament, for it was made of ”Magnetic Hematite”, as it proudly stated on the box:
“The natural properties of magnetic hematite were known to be used by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. They produced artefacts and jewellery primarily in the belief that this mineral may relieve pain, aid blood flow, enhance energy, and calm emotions. Wearers of pacemakers and pregnant women should avoid wearing this product. Natural Therapy. Made in China”
I thought this sounded too good to be true! ’Enhance energy‘? Well, the most natural way to aid blood flow and enhance energy would be to just get up and move around a bit. ’Calm emotions?’ So, no more mood swings – like kind of a mineral prozac? I must admit, I was a bit concerned about the warnings for people with pacemakers and pregnant women… should I approach them with care while wearing this magic bracelet? What was a safe distance and what would happen if I failed to adhere to it?! Read the rest of this entry »
‘Flu Defence’ Effluence – Where Swine Flu Meets Bullshit
Posted by Marsh in Herbal Medicine, Homeopathy, Pseudomedicine, Public Health, Quacks on July 22, 2009
With the swine flu death toll recently exceeding 700 mortalities worldwide according to the WHO (that’s the World Health Organisation by the way – we at the MSS are not in the habit of contacting Roger Daltrey and co for updates on global mortality rates), understandably many people are scared. Even members of The Who, I dare venture, are scared (OK, that time I was talking about the rock band; the World Health Organisation know no fear). After all, despite the relatively tame death tolls of recent potential pandemics – SARS topped out at around 770 mortalities worldwide, and Bird Flu at just 250 – the threat of a genuine influenza pandemic is all too real, as the 50 million deaths from Spanish Flu between 1918 and 1920 are testament to.
With good fortune and a prevailing wind, the excellent work of the WHO (again, the health guys not the ‘My Generation’ chaps) will continue to help contain and cope with the spread and treatment of the virus, so their advice is generally not to panic, to avoid unnecessary risks, and to essentially let the WHO do what the WHO do. So being cautious but un-panicky is what we’ll do, and we’ll soldier on, make the odd joke, while listening to both the WHO and The Who (while potentially also watching Dr Who), and as best as we can try not to spread germs nor fear.
Which would be fine, if homeopaths and the rest of the pseudomedical community weren’t out there treating a pandemic as a cash cow. Google something along the lines of ‘flu cure‘, ‘swine flu remedy‘ or ‘fuck me those pigs are going to kill us all‘* and you’ll be confronted with all manner of homeopathic, dietary, herbal and generally all-round magical cures. And it’s to one of these fringe, whack-job, dangerous and completely bullshit quack-remedies my attention was drawn today, namely Flu Defence – a herbal pill with claims so unbelievably nonsense-filled and appallingly-unscientific, they really do need to be taken apart one by one. And if you’ll indulge me, that’s precisely what I’ll do… Read the rest of this entry »
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