Latest Story

BBC Snooker Promoting Cancer Quackery

April 24, 2012
By
BBC Snooker Promoting Cancer Quackery

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...

Read more »

Chiropractors Cash In on Olympics.

April 16, 2012
By
Chiropractors Cash In on Olympics.

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...

Read more »

Myovision Scans and Chiropractic

April 14, 2012
By
Myovision Scans and Chiropractic

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...

Read more »

Quack Totnes Cancer Conference Ends in Farce

March 27, 2012
By
Quack Totnes Cancer Conference Ends in Farce

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...

Read more »

The Burzynski Millions

March 19, 2012
By
The Burzynski Millions

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...

Read more »

Dr Burzynski Comes to the UK

March 16, 2012
By
Dr Burzynski Comes to the UK

In October this year, an organisation calling itself The Cambridge Institute of Complementary Health is hosting a conference on “cutting edge and innovative ways of treating cancer”. The keynote...

Read more »

Boiron Settles for $12M to Stop Homeopathy Lawsuits

March 8, 2012
By
Boiron Settles for $12M to Stop Homeopathy Lawsuits

I have long contended that homeopathy does so well because people do not know what it is. Homeopathy thrives on the esoteric nature of its beliefs: tell customers one...

Read more »

The Totnes Cancer Health Centre: A Quack Pascal’s Wager

March 8, 2012
By
The Totnes Cancer Health Centre: A Quack Pascal’s Wager

England has a rather odd piece of legislation prohibiting the advertisement of cancer treatments. It is odd because, on the whole, England is a pretty tolerant place when it...

Read more »

Frome Steiner Academy: Absurd Educational Quackery

February 27, 2012
By
Frome Steiner Academy: Absurd Educational Quackery

Having recently moved to Somerset, and as the parent of a couple of small children, potential future schools are obviously of interest. One that I will not be considering...

Read more »

IPAN – Questionable Treatments for ‘PreAutistic’ Children

February 2, 2012
By
IPAN – Questionable Treatments for ‘PreAutistic’ Children

According to the Sun and Daily Mail today, celebrity Melanie Sykes has won £50,000 on the TV game show The Cube and will be donating the money to the...

Read more »

Burzynski Supporting Charity Loses Funding

January 19, 2012
By
Burzynski Supporting Charity Loses Funding

Discussing the problems posed by unconventional clinics, such as the Burzynski Clinic in Texas, has been a frustrating business. Leaving aside the direct threats from the clinic, it appears...

Read more »

Burzynski in Court: Patient treated like a ‘Cash Machine’

January 19, 2012
By
Burzynski in Court: Patient treated like a ‘Cash Machine’

Dr Stanislaw Burzynski has some problems. His forthcoming hearing with the Texas Medical Board has been widely publicised.  It would now appear that he has more immediate concerns. According...

Read more »

Which? Uncovers Dangerous Advice from Nutritionists.

January 16, 2012
By
Which? Uncovers Dangerous Advice from Nutritionists.

Having just had a baby girl and moving house, I thought I would subscribe to Which? magazine as I knew I needed to make a few critical spends over...

Read more »

Why is Homeopathy Successful?

January 13, 2012
By
Why is Homeopathy Successful?

Just before Christmas, Lia Burkeman and Stephanie Kramer, wrote an article for Urban Times that asked the question, “Homeopathy: Can it be a Success Story?” To start, I would like...

Read more »

Your Perfect Homeopathy Kit for Christmas

December 27, 2011
By
Your Perfect Homeopathy Kit for Christmas

Have you over-done it this Christmas? Don’t worry. That homeopathic pharmacy to the Royals has the perfect remedy kit to see you through the following days. Ainsworths Pharmacy is...

Read more »

Dr Hilary Jones Promotes Questionable Burzynski Clinic on TV

December 21, 2011
By
Dr Hilary Jones Promotes Questionable Burzynski Clinic on TV

There is a stark and inexplicable difference in how the mainstream media and bloggers have been covering the Texas based cancer clinic of Dr Stanislaw Burzynski. There has been...

Read more »

The Observer Responds – Complicity in Misinformation

December 4, 2011
By

This morning, the Observer has responded to the large amount concern raised by its coverage of the Burzynski Clinic two weeks ago. The Observer told the story of how...

Read more »

Burzynski Clinic Issues a Statement

December 1, 2011
By
Burzynski Clinic Issues a Statement

What to make of the press release issued by the Burzynski Clinic? Well, the good news is that Marc Stephens, the PR man who threatened my family, has had...

Read more »

The Burzynski Clinic Threatens 17 Year Old Blogger

November 28, 2011
By
The Burzynski Clinic Threatens 17 Year Old Blogger

I have been hinting that Burzynski has been threatening other prominent UK bloggers. Well, that blogger has now gone public. Rhys Morgan Rhys Morgan is a 17 year old...

Read more »

Facebook

Twitter

Follow lecanardnoir on Twitter

Events and Talks

Does Integrated Medicine Make Sense?
Great Hall, Dartington, Devon
I will be debating the role of Integrated Medicine with Simon Mills from the College of Medicine, Sarah Wollaston MP for Totnes, and Becky Simpson who used CAM when being treated for cancer.

Saturday 26 May, 2012. 6.00pm

A History of West Country Quacks & Rise of Evidence Based Medicine
Plymouth Skeptics in the Pub
The West Country, particularly in Bath, saw some the greatest quacks and also the greatest advances in evidence-based medicine. I will talk about how the two approaches fought each other in the 18th and 19th Century.

Tuesday, June 19 2012 at 7:00PM

Subscribe

Get email alerts when the blog is updated.

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner