The MP, the ASA and the Case of Alyssa Burns-Hill

27th May, 2016 22

Dr Alyssa Burns-Hill has advertised her medical services as “Harley Street Hormone Health”. With the Harley Street address and the title ‘Dr’ you might be forgiven for thinking that Alyssa Burns-Hill is a medically trained doctor. She is not. But she describes herself as a ‘practitioner of health in its broadest sense’, although not so broad as to be an actual qualified medical doctor. Using the title ‘Dr’ is not protected in [read more…]

Quacks Denounce ASA as Incompetent and Threatening

3rd August, 2011 28

Last week I reported that a top quack delegation was visiting the Advertising Standards Authority to tell them that they were being very mean to quacks by asking them not to make unsubstantiated claims in their websites. Well, once more, a leaked email landed in my inbox. And we also have an ‘official’ press release. And it shows a profession, if I can call it that, that is immature, confused [read more…]

The Advertising Standards Authority Seeks to Destroy Complementary Medicine–Apparently

27th July, 2011 27

This time, Jayney Goddard, who calls herself the President of The Complementary Medical Association, is calling on homeopaths and other quacks to provide evidence for her to take to the ASA that they are being very mean to them. She has been circulating an email asking for evidence that the ASA has really hurt the feelings of people who make livings from selling superstitious and pseudoscientific forms of treatments. And [read more…]

Desperate Homeopaths

1st July, 2011 12

Look what just appeared in my inbox. It a communication that appears to have gone out to most homeopaths in the UK, both medically trained and lay, about the current complaints against homeopaths being considered by the Advertising Standards Authority. The ASA have a large number of complaints to deal with as a direct result of the activities of a new pressure group called the Nightingale Collaboration. The NC was [read more…]

The Homeopaths and the Advertising Standards Authority

1st April, 2011 21

It is now the end of the Nightingale Collaboration’s first month of operation. This newly formed organization was set up to “challenge misleading claims in healthcare advertising”. In particular, TNC is focusing on the bizarre world of Pseudoscientific and Superstitious Medicine: an area that appears to get away with the most ludicrous health claims with little attention from any authority. In its first month, the Nightingale Collaboration asked people to [read more…]

The World Has Become Slightly Less Quacky

1st March, 2011 16

March 1st sees the Advertising Standards Authority take on complaints about misleading claims on websites. This means that if your local friendly quack is telling people that they can cure gouty toes and windy bowels with the power of a magic knitting needle then you can write to the ASA who may ask them to stop if they cannot substantiate their claims. I have a feeling that it is going [read more…]

The Magnetic Therapy Water Wand: A Debunking from History

8th June, 2010 19

The recent rain has ensured the last sniffles of hayfever have subsided. It has been a bad few days and the antihistamines may have made things a little more comfortable – but it is the natural cure of a downpour that has really done the trick. I know that many people have been suffering over the past week. The pollen levels must have been particularly high. And, helpful as ever, [read more…]