The grifter doesn’t take kindly to his con being revealed

And he will do his best to isolate his mark from the truth. 

Corporate thuggery comes in all shapes and sizes. Dr. Steven Novella tells us about the latest.

Criticizing homeopathy is always fun, because it is at the extreme absurd end of the silly pseudoscience spectrum, even among some stiff competition. But now homeopathy has a corporate face in Boiron – a large multinational corporation based in France. Boiron is the largest manufacturer of homeopathic products in the world and the second largest manufacturer of over-the-counter products in France.

What they are doing to this small blogger, in my opinion, is nothing less than corporate thuggery. They are using their resources and their corporate lawyers to try to silence completely legitimate criticism of their pseudoscientific products. Of course, they will only succeed in magnifying that criticism.

For example, Riva suggested that Boiron’s oscillococcinum has no active ingredient. Well, let’s see- the company lists the active ingredient in this product as “Anas barbariae hepatis et cordis extractum 200CK HPUS.” The “200C” means that the listed ingredient was diluted with a 1:100 dilution 200 times. Serial dilution is a funny thing – a 200c dilution is the equivalent of diluting 1ml of original ingredient into a volume of water that is the size of the known universe. This is far far beyond the point where there is any reasonable chance of there being even a single molecule of original ingredient left.

I am fascinated by this particular part of homeopathy. Where do they get all that water for manufacturing their nostrums on such a large scale?  I mean, homeopathy is sold all over the world and the preparation of even one dose requires gallons and gallons of water.  I truly would like to see a homeopathy manufacturing plant in action. 

So Riva was completely justified (as have many other critics) in saying that Boiron’s 200c product has no active ingredient. In fact it is deceptive to list something that has been diluted 200C as an “active ingredient.”

Not that it matters in this case, because the original ingredient is a pseudoscience unto itself. Mark Crislip gives the full details, here is his summary:

In the 1919 flu epidemic a physician who did not understand that artifacts on the slide, probably bubbles, move randomly due to Brownian motion. Looking at the tissues of flu patients with a microscope, he found what he thought was not only the cause of influenza, but the cause of all diseases: small cocci (round balls) that oscillated under the microscope. He found these wiggling bubbles in all the tissues of all the ill people he examined and thought he discovered the true cause of all disease. Sigh. Yet another cause of all illness. He is the only person, before or since, to see these oscillating cocci. Hence the name.

That’s right, oscillococcinum does not even exist – essentially Boiron takes fairy dust and then dilutes it out of (non)existence. The “anas barbariea hepatis” is basically duck liver, which is supposed to contain the most concentrated nonexistent oscillococcinum. It’s a pseudoscience trifecta.

There really is a reason why they call it “quack” medicine.

Dr. Novella concludes (and I agree):

I hope Boiron does draw a line in the sand over their oscillococcinum product, and that it becomes the center piece of a broader public discussion about homeopathy. Most of the public does not understand what homeopathy actually is. They think it means “natural” or “herbal” medicine. They have no idea that homeopathy is about taking fanciful ingredients with a dubious connection to the symptoms in the first place, and then diluting them into oblivion, then placing a drop of the pure water that remains and placing it on a sugar pill. The resultant pill is then supposed to contain the magic vibrations of the original substance.

This rank pseudoscience, which has no place in 21st century medicine, is the business of Boiron. Let’s see them try to defend themselves and their products. Let’s see them harass bloggers and those who are just trying to expose the public to the truth. Let’s see them argue in public how air bubbles in duck liver fantastically diluted can treat the flu.

Department Store Friday

Department of Look Over There!

katiebird:

And what is going on in the background while we’re trembling in fear of our lives?

Well, the Obama administration has its eyes on the prize:

Social Security Suicide

Via Jonathan Chait, The Hill reports that Obama administration economic officials are pressing for Social Security benefit cuts.

It’s starting to look like a particularly vicious form of slight-slight-of-hand to me.

 

Department of Here We Go Again

Gaius: Never met a war they didn’t like

And they’re yelling we can’t afford unionized public employees, Social Security, or Granny’s meds.

Oh Glenn, that was then. This is NOW: Obama on presidential war-making powers

Obama’s answer seems dispositive to me on the Libya question:  “The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.”  And he went on to say that the President could constitutionally deploy the military only “in instances of self-defense.” Nobody is arguing — nor can one rationally argue — that the situation in Libya constitutes either an act of “self-defense” or the “stopping of an actual or imminent threat to the nation.”  How, then, can Obama’s campaign position possibly be reconciled with his ordering military action in Libya without Congressional approval (something, it should be said, he has not yet done)?

[ . . .]

The dangers from unilateral, presidential-decreed wars are highlighted in the Libya situation.  There has been very little public discussion (and even less explanation from the President) about the reasons we should do this, what the costs would be on any level, what the end goal would be, how mission creep would be avoided, whether the “Pottery Barn” rule will apply, or virtually anything else.  Public opinion is at best divided on the question if not opposed.  Even if you’re someone who favors this intervention, what’s the rationale for not requiring a debate and vote in Congress over whether the President should be able to commit the nation to a new military conflict?  Candidate Obama, candidate Clinton, and the Bush-era Democrats all recognized the constitutional impropriety of unilateral actions like this one; why shouldn’t they be held to that?

Do read Glenn’s entire post. Very much worth your time.

 

Department of Critical Thinking

Jaw-dropping.  Swimming In A Sea of Pseudoscience

Like the demon-obsessed evangelicals who treat mental illness as an event of religious significance rather than a medical condition, New Agers are discouraging the genuinely sick from seeking help and treatment. Their endless doctrinal flexibility and limitless tolerance for the absurd are part of the reason for this. But I can’t believe that no one among the organizers of this event noticed the symptoms or drew the obvious conclusion. It’s more likely that they just see this as an additional source of income, whatever the consequences.

[ . . . ]

And money, of course, is a huge motive of the expo’s organizers and presenters; they’re not even shy about it. Ironically, some ads rail against the profit-driven corporatocracy and the greed of the mega-wealthy while hawking their own products and charging hundreds or thousands of dollars a pop for seminars and private consultations. Others promise that they can teach conference-goers the infallible way to acquire fabulous wealth for themselves, using the law of attraction, astrology, or whatever other fashionable nonsense is in vogue. Still others run the classic snake-oil salesman’s game of enriching themselves by selling false hope to the desperate, promising good health with no effort or magical cures for incurable diseases. The cures on offer run the gamut: psychic powers, prayer, ionized water, “far infrared light” (a new one to me), fad diets, “detoxification”, and classic scams like the Rife machine. One unintentionally hilarious ad apparently touts a raw-food diet as a means of healing gunshot wounds.

Most of the ads also display the credential inflation so common among pseudoscientists. Since most of their “specialties” require no knowledge and no certification, why not claim as many as you can? If one kind of bait doesn’t hook a potential client, maybe another one will! In that vein, here’s one who claims to be an MD as well as “an ordained rabbi in the Baal Shem Tov lineage, clan chief of the Lakota Spirit Dance, a Native American Sundancer, and a lineage holder in the Nityananda liberation tradition, and acknowledged as liberated by his two recognized enlightened spiritual teachers. He is an in-depth teacher in Advaita Vedanta, japa yoga, bhakti yoga, nada yoga, and karma yoga.” (Busy fellow! – and he must be absolutely up to his eyeballs in student-loan debt.)

Radiation Network provides a useful map, updated in real time, for those who might be worried about radiation levels on the West Coast. I’m not, but those who are running around and clearing shelves of iodine tablets, might want to check the map out before opening their wallets. 

How to Read the Map:

Referring to the Map Legend at the bottom left corner of the map, locate Monitoring Stations around the country that are contributing radiation data to this map as you read this, and watch the numbers on those monitoring stations update as frequently as every minute (your browser will automatically refresh).  The numbers represent radiation Counts per Minute, abbreviated CPM, and under normal conditions, quantify the level of background radiation, i.e. environmental radiation from outer space as well as from the earth’s crust and air.  Depending on your location within the US, your elevation or altitude, and your model of Geiger counter, this background radiation level might average anywhere from 5 to 60 CPM, and while background radiation levels are random, it would be unusual for those levels to exceed 100 CPM.  Thus, the “Alert Level” for the National Radiation Map is 100 CPM, so if you see any Monitoring Stations with CPM value above 100, further indicated by an Alert symbol over those stations, it probably means that some radioactive source above and beyond background radiation is responsible.

Or they could just heed the CDC’s latest tweet:

CDCemergency‎: NO ONE in US needs KI b/c of Japan nuclear pwr plants, KI has serious health risks, #japan CDC Radiation Emergencies | Potassium Iodide (KI)‎

Rubberband Whack-A-Mole

First there was Power Balance, now there is iRenew. Both are scams. But their promoters are laughing all the way to the bank.

What do these two items have in common?

Applied Kinesiology.

Applied kinesiology (AK) is the term most commonly used to identify a pseudoscientific system of muscle-testing and therapy. It was initiated in 1964 by George J. Goodheart, Jr., D.C. (1918-2008) and has become quite elaborate. Its basic notion is that every organ dysfunction is accompanied by a specific muscle weakness, which enables diseases to be diagnosed through muscle-testing procedures. Most practitioners are chiropractors, but naturopaths, medical doctors, dentists, bogus nutritionists, physical therapists, massage therapists, nurse practitioners, and multilevel distributors (most notably for Nature’s Sunshine) are also involved. In 1991, 37% of 4,835 full-time American chiropractors who responded to a survey by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) said they used AK in their practice

[ . . . ]

Applied kinesiology should be distinguished from kinesiology (biomechanics), which is the scientific study of movement.” Unfortunately, some professionals and educators refer to science-based kinesiology as “applied kinesiology,” which increases the risk that people searching for information will confuse the two.

AK proponents claim that nutritional deficiencies, allergies, and other adverse reactions to foods or nutrients can be detected by having the patient chew or suck on these items or by placing them on the tongue so that the patient salivates. Some practitioners advise that the test material merely be held in the patient’s hand or placed on another part of the body.

[ . . . ]

Some people who undergo AK muscle-testing report that although they resisted as hard as they could, the practitioner was still able to pull down their arm. Differences from one test to another may be due to suggestibility; variations in the amount of force, leverage, or follow-through involved; and/or muscle fatigue. Distraction can also play a role. (Touching another part of the body just before pulling down the arm may cause the patient to focus less on resisting.) But trickery (deliberate or unconscious) may also be a factor. A sudden slight upward movement can cause a “set” muscle to relax so that it can be immediately pulled downward. I have found that when this is done quickly, the person being tested is unlikely to detect the upward motion. Try this on a friend.

[ more at link]

I love this good’ol boy.

AB89: Science takes a backseat at the Nevada Legislature

Currently,  Nevada law requires private insurers who choose to cover acupuncture, to also  reimburse certified non-physician practitioners as well.   I get it.  Sauce for the goose, and all that.  I suppose that if an insurance company chooses to cover  a “treatment” that  has been shown to be no more effective than placebo, then it only seems fair that all “certified” practitioners should be equally reimbursed.

But a new law before the Nevada legislature is about to take that choice to cover out of the insurance companies’ hands.

If AB89 passes, private insurers will be required to cover acupuncture. Period.

“The skeptical movement is an offshoot of the Communist Party.”

That has got to be the absolute funniest line in this great post by Steven Novella, host of one of my favorite podcasts, The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe.

Sunday Morning Reading: Sagan, Voltaire, Astrology, Village Idiots and more!

Some tidbits from the Field of Science blog network, which describes itself thusly:

Field of Science lacks a grand manifesto/mind numbing contract/long winded code of conduct. We’re also without a marketing department, a revenue stream, an editorial hierarchy, or corrupting force of any sort as far as I’m aware. In fact, if you look closely, you’ll discover that the network itself is more or less just an allusion craftily assembled in order to give the appearance of some sort of official looking structure from which we propel our blog posts from the homely state of obscurity to the lofty realms of authoritative infallibility–which, as everyone knows, is the key to successful science blogging.

• The Astronomist: Our Terraqueus globe - Carl Sagan and Voltaire – good read, two beautiful videos
• Large Picture Blog - Gorgeous space photos. Click on link and scroll.
• Lab Rat: Targeting dormant bacteria - Non-lab rat that I am, even I understood this post. (Okay, I didn’ t understand all the  sciencey words, but that’s what a dictionary is for.) Basic idea: current antibiotics only target active bacteria, but leave dormant bacteria alone. By targeting a bacteria’s cell membrane, energy synthesis is thwarted and bye-bye bacteria.

Maven adds her 2¢ about the “new” astrology: A 13th Astrological Sign? Your Astrology Defense Kit is here

A Minnesota community college astronomy instructor – Parke Kunkle – recently made headlines simply by pointing out something that has been known for about the last 2,000 years – that the earth wobbles on its axis and precesses, causing a different alignment between the earth and the stars than the way it was when the zodiac signs were first conceived.

In astronomy, precession refers to any of several gravity-induced, slow and continuous changes in an astronomical body’s rotational axis or orbital path.

The information is old news to anybody with a rudimentary education in physical sciences – which seems to exclude millions of believers in the United States and around the world. Astrology – the oldest of the pseudosciences – dates back thousands of years, before modern observational knowledge demonstrated its’ implausibility. That so many people still believe this in a Third World country is understandable, but in a modern country like the U.S. or even Europe is puzzling.

The reactions I’ve seen from many out there is along the lines of “You’ll get my astrological sign when you pry it from my cold dead fingers.”  Yeah, I know.  My initial thought when I heard about the “changing” astrological signs was this bit from Julia Sweeney’s Letting Go of God one-woman show where she tells the audience that when she was thirteen she finds out that her mother had been lying to her for years about her birthdate (originally changed by one month so that Julia could start kindergarten “early”):

More on astrology from the Skeptics’ Dictionary

Given his background, he knows whereof he speaks. Frank Schaeffer on the “fifth column of insanity.”

 ”A village cannot reorganize village life to suit the village idiot.”

22nd Annual Slim Chance Awards

Ah yes, the quest for the magic bullet of weight control.

Check this out.

The 22nd annual Slim Chance Awards were announced today by Francie M. Berg, a licensed nutritionist, adjunct professor at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine, and chair of the selection committee.

[ . . . ]

WORST CLAIM: Ultimate Cleanse

Ultimate Cleanse cashes in on a popular quack theme: the body must be detoxified regularly to get rid of wastes and toxins. An ideal scam, this notion sets up a problem that doesn’t exist and puts forth a solution to snare the gullible. If it were true, people would not survive, as one FDA agent pointed out: the body is naturally self-cleaning. Aside from their basic silliness, cleansing programs are often high-risk, containing potent laxatives. Ultimate Cleanse combines cascara sagrada, a harsh laxative that in 2002 was banned as an ingredient in over-the-counter drugs, in a mix of herbs and fibers said to produce “2-3 bowel movements per day, while sweeping, toning, and cleansing the digestive and eliminative system.” Supposedly it cleanses in five areas (bowel, liver, kidneys, lungs and skin) as well as bloodstream, cells and body tissues. An Arizona man who used Ultimate Cleanse is suing the maker and seller charging that it caused perforation of his colon requiring two operations; his surgeon believes the perforation was caused by cascara segrada. There is no proven safe or effective dose for cascara, derived from the bark of a buckthorn plant. Long-term use may lead to potassium depletion, blood in the urine, disturbed heart function, muscle weakness, finger clubbing and cachexia (extreme weight loss). Regular use is linked to increased risk of hepatitis and colorectal cancer. Though banned as a drug, cascara sells in dietary supplements through a legal loophole.

WORST PRODUCT: HCG Supplements

In a resurge in popularity of HCG injections among some practitioners and spas, this 1950s weight loss method has spawned excitement in the supplement field, as well. HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), a hormone produced during pregnancy, is claimed to reset the hypothalamus, improve metabolism and mobilize fat stores. However, there is no scientific evidence supporting HCG treatment as a weight or fat loss strategy. In its herbal versions, HCG drops are placed under the tongue (5 drops times 6 times a day or 10 drops, 3 times). Advertisers claim, “You easily can lose 1-2 pounds per day safely! Shed Excess Fat … HCG resets your hypothalamus so that your weight loss is permanent!” “HCG will melt fat permanently while maintaining muscle tone.” HCG does all this, it is claimed, without exercise. The caveat: the program requires a semi-starvation diet of 500 calories a day, with attendant severe risks to long-term health and almost guaranteed weight rebound. Further, the HCG program often begins with a liquid fast detox period. Common short-term effects include fatigue, headache, mood swings, depression, confusion, dizziness and stomach pain.

MOST OUTRAGEOUS: Basic Research LLC

Basic Research, marketer of bogus products, carries an extensive history of FTC warnings, charges, fines and on-going lawsuits against multiple products. Basic Research, also doing business as Carter-Reed Company, has been a plaintiff or defendant in more than 40 suits filed in federal court in the past five years. In 2006, the FTC ordered the company to pay $3 million on behalf of six companies and three principals. Together with one of these, Akävar , Basic Research faces a class-action suit based on new charges for violating that order. Most recently Basic Research is being sued for false advertising in marketing “Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Calorie Control” (Take Two Capsules Before Main Meals And You Lose Weight). Michaels, star and coach on the reality show, the Biggest Loser, gained a reputation as a credible fitness instructor before stumbling into the supplement quagmire, from which she now promotes her own Calorie Control, Fat Burner, Body Detox and Cleanse, and QuickStart Rapid Weight Loss System, marketing with Basic Research. (http://www.dietscam.org/reports/michaels.shtml) Founded in 1992, based in Salt Lake City, Basic Research is listed as an international importer and wholesaler specializing in supplements, with an estimated annual income of $10.5 million.

And to prove that there will always be a market for the “I don’t want to take any responsibility for my body size” crowd. :

WORST GIMMICK: Lapex BCS Lipo Laser

With full page advertisements in daily newspapers, LipoLaser promoters promise: “Lose 3 ½ – 7 inches of fat in 3 weeks. … proven inches lost, without diet or exercise … the LipoLaser is the only non-diet, non-invasive, pain-free way to lose inches of fat … all effortlessly and easily.” Credible studies are missing to show this works. Supposedly, shining the lighted device on a pocket of fat gives results “almost exactly the same as exercise” only instead of “hormones opening the fat cells with exercise, the Laser light opens the fat cells—right through your skin. The same stuff comes out of the fat cells.” So excess fat is released and the fat cells shrink, or so it is claimed. The FDA classifies the device as an infrared lamp rather than a laser, so likely it is harmless. Yet the price is hefty: $1497 (on special 50% reduction) up to $5000 for the typical program of nine one-hour sessions. An online diet review site rates the LipoLaser treatment negatively, along with a user’s report, “Young girls administer the treatment and do not give you any eye protection even though they have warnings on the walls that laser is in process. I have had no good results for my $4000 and I want my money back. This is one of the biggest scams out there.” A self-identified professional confessed that about 80% of the “guests” who completed their series were dissatisfied with results.

Hooboy. I just checked out their web site, and they are one big pile of scam.

You may also want to direct your attention to Diet Scam Watch.

A rubber band and the power of suggestion

Power Balance wristbands exposed as a sham

Dr. Harriet Hall gives us the rundown.

Power Balance representatives demonstrate their products in sports stores at malls. They purport to test your strength and balance and then give you a Power Balance card to hold or put in your pocket. When they retest you, you miraculously do better. There are some revealing videos on YouTube, including a short clip that shows the subject standing on one foot with arms outstretched. The salesman pushes down on the subject’s arm near the wrist, and the subject starts to fall over. After the subject puts a Power Balance card in his pocket, the salesman repeats the test but this time pushes down near the elbow, creating a shorter lever arm that of course reduces the effect of the force applied, so the subject doesn’t fall over. In other demonstrations, they use other simple biomechanical tricks like this to create false impressions of improved strength. The amount of force applied is subjective, both parties know when the card is in use, and they know what is expected to happen—it’s a recipe for self-deception.

That would fall right in line with Shaq’s glowing testimonial

“I don’t really do a lot of testimonials, but this really works! I came across Power Balance when someone did the test on me. That night, while playing for the Phoenix Suns, there were about three of my teammates with the product on and we won that game by 57 points! I kept feeling something when I wore the bracelet, so I kept wearing it. When I took it off I went back to normal. I’ve been wearing the bracelet ever since. I want to do everything to get the slightest advantage; wristbands, necklaces, t-shirts, band-aids, everything and anything we can get our hands on. I’m here to tell you it works!”

In the following video Richard Saunders demonstrates Applied Kinesiology, which is the scam used to promote these rubber bands.

A news story out of Australia showing a double-blinded experiment demonstrating the power of suggestion for both the user and the seller.

I find it fitting that the same Chinese company that manufactures Power Balance bands/necklaces also manufactures SillyBandz

Been there . . .

More Cectic comics here

Science vs Lore

A two-part video worth the watch

Part One

Part Two