Welcome to the Quackometer
WHAT IS THE QUACKOMETER ALL ABOUT?
The quackometer is a project based around the automation of debunking quack medicine on the web. The web is full of pages supporting dubious medical claims and inflated capabilities for cures. The freedom that the web gives us to express our views, entertain and do business also gives quacks a way to make a living by promoting nonsense treatments to unsuspecting people.
Spotting these web sites appears to be easy when you know what to look out for. If it is that easy, can the process be automated? The quackometer project intends to find out.
RECENT QUACKOMETER BLOG ENTRIES...
BBC Snooker Promoting Cancer Quackery
Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:27:02 +0000
Snooker player, Peter Ebdon, has been appearing on the BBC Snooker Championships with a promotional logo for ‘Gerson Therapy; emblazoned on his waistcoat. Gerson Therapy is a form a alternative cancer treatment offered by many quacks and supported by a US company, the Gerson Institute. People with cancer are persuaded that the diet should be used as an alternative to mainstream treatment. It mainly consists of eating huge quantities of fruit and having coffee enemas. There is no evidence that it has any effect beyond removing large quantities of cash from its users. Indeed, users may be harmed by its insane dietary requirements and the needless and dangerous enemas. Of course, it also harms people by driving a wedge between them and their oncologists and GPs. Informed decision making can no longer take place if you are being lied to by a quack with promises of ‘natural cures’. In short, there is every reason to believe that Gerson diets kill people. Ebdon is free to believe such nonsense, should he wish. But he should not be using his platform on national TV to promote such dangerous nonsense. And the BBC itself may be breaking the Cancer Act of 1939 which [...]
Chiropractors Cash In on Olympics.
Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:53:05 +0000
The Olympics are coming to London this Summer and the presence of such a huge jamboree means it will not just be athletes and race walkers flocking in, but thousands of support staff and businesses including caterers, pole dancers, medical teams and chiropractors. Yes, chiropractors. Apparently, a ‘Central Medical Unit’ has been appointing “doctors, chiropractors and physiotherapists” in order to treat athletes at the games. Google this ‘Central Medical Unit’ and you will see a plethora of chiropractors who are keen to announce their pride at their inclusion in the event. We see chiropractor Richard Skippings from Thirsk say “to have been selected is a massive honour”. Chiropractor Lauren Comley from Berkhampsted says on her website “to have been selected is a massive honour.” Tim Button from Mangotsfield also says that “to have been selected is a massive honour”. And we see Bath-based chiropractor Peter Dixon reporting to the newspapers that “to be part of the team and to have been selected is a massive honour”. It would appear that to be selected for the “Central Medical Unit” is indeed a massive honour. Except, I cannot find anyone else who thinks so. Indeed, I am struggling to find any reference [...]
Myovision Scans and Chiropractic
Sat, 14 Apr 2012 22:34:19 +0000
An advert in my local paper called for people to come into the Wells Chiropractic & Osteopathy Centre for an introductory price of £19. Included in this price was a “complete consultation and results, including the latest high-tech Myovision Scan”. Chiropractors have been criticised for trying to lure people into lengthy, costly and, importantly, unnecessary treatments. Chiropractic is of limited therapeutic value. It may help a little with lower back pain, but no more than pain killers and exercise. The wilder claims of chiropractic, such as being able to treat childhood ailments, have been shown to be utter nonsense. So what is a Myovision scan and what function does it provide during an initial chiropractic consultation? A Myovision device is a handheld scanner that is designed to measure electric activity in skeletal muscles. According to the manufacturer, The MyoVision Scan takes 90 seconds and is completely safe, painless and non-invasive. The MyoVision sEMG ScanVisions read the voltage that the muscles in your spine naturally emit. These readings look at the level of voltage and the patterns of directionality, which allows your healthcare professional to determine if your spine and nervous system are functioning optimally. The result is a picture, as [...]
Quack Totnes Cancer Conference Ends in Farce
Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:59:37 +0000
Earlier this month, I wrote about how Dr Stephen Hopwood was opening a new alternative cancer clinic in Totnes, Devon, that was to “offer real alternatives to the conventional approach to cancer health care”. To celebrate the opening, Hopwood was holding a cancer conference, inviting people with cancer to come along, and inviting a range of cancer cure peddlers to temp attendees with their magic beans. What followed was quite extraordinary. Local Devon MP, Dr Sarah Wollaston, after re tweeting my blog post, got in contact with the local Trading Standards. She was not the first to do so; prior to my post, others had also expressed their concerns. Trading Standards have recently come under academic attack for failing to act on breaches of various consumer protection laws around health claims. A study placed 39 complaints to various Trading Standards. None resulted in prosecution; many complaints were simply ignored. But the involvement of a local MP no doubt prompted TS into action and the BBC reported that they had initiated an investigation into claims that the clinic and conference were in breach of the Cancer Act of 1939. Hopwood accused the MP for being a “shop front” for the pharmaceutical [...]
The Burzynski Millions
Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:55:22 +0000
Dr Stanislaw R. Burzynski presents himself as a lone maverick doctor, struggling against the vested interests and great wealth of the medical profession. He claims to have found a safe and effective form of cancer treatment that can save children with the deadliest forms of cancer. But he claims the medical authorities and “Cancer Industry” do not want you to know this and will try anything to shut him down. They have their millions to protect. Burzynski came to America from Poland “with twenty dollars in his pocket, a theory in his head, and an indefatigable attitude that shown in his smile.” He had an idea, that a chemical extracted from urine, could cure cancer. From that humble beginning, he has fought the authorities to build the clinic and laboratories needed to give life to children where all others are happy to see them die rather than lose their profits. And so, when parents of desperately ill children from around the world hear about the Burzynski Clinic, they will have to find the money themselves. The UK’s NHS will not fund it, nor will health insurers. But his experimental protocols are not cheap and the many months of treatment will [...]
Dr Burzynski Comes to the UK
Boiron Settles for $12M to Stop Homeopathy Lawsuits
The Totnes Cancer Health Centre: A Quack Pascal’s Wager
Frome Steiner Academy: Absurd Educational Quackery
