The Quackometer -

Welcome to the Quackometer

WHAT IS THE QUACKOMETER ALL ABOUT?

The Little Black Duck

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.

DO YOU HAVE A WEB SITE YOU WANT TO TEST FOR QUACKERY?
DO YOU WANT TO SEE IF SOMEONE MIGHT BE A QUACK?

Go to the quackometer...

recent quackometer blog entries...

Skeptics in the Field

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:45:00 +0000

So, a few days back from the Glastonbury festival, showered and variously recovered from vicious sun, torrential thunderstorms, lack of sleep and the magical outpourings of the cider bus. I had planned to twitter loads from the festival - I think I managed one - the festival is now many things, but a 'connected festival' it is not. Five days without any significant bandwidth was pretty tough

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Government bails out Ofquack as it rewrites old press release

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:30:00 +0000

� Last March I asked, “Will the government bail out Ofquack?” when it was becoming very clear that the new government backed ‘regulator’ for pseudo-medical trades people (quacks) were running out of money� fast. It looks like at about the time I was asking this, the CNHC were running cap in hand to the Department of Health. In documents I have obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, it

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Basic Alternative Medicine "Baffles Britons"

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:16:00 +0000

Many people in the UK are unable to identify the location of their major chakras, a study warns. A team at the Institute of Magical Thinking found public understanding of basic alternative medicine has not improved since a similar survey was conducted 40 years ago. Less than 50% of the more than 700 people surveyed could correctly place the anahata chakra, Moonbat’s Holistic Drop-in Centre

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Toadying and Sycophancy

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:01:00 +0000

Of Lordly acquaintance you boast, And the Dukes that you dined with yestreen; Yet an insect's an insect at most, Tho' it crawl on the curl of a Queen! Roburt Burns, The Toadeater In the UK, those who wish to challenge the beliefs of alternative therapy have a problem. The greatest exponent of alternative medicine is indeed our future head of state and King, Prince Charles. A

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McTimoney Chiropractors told to take down their web sites

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:45:00 +0000

This letter has been issued from the McTimoney Association to all its members… Date: 8 June 2009 09:12:18 BDT Subject: FURTHER URGENT ACTION REQUIRED! Dear Member If you are reading this, we assume you have also read the urgent email we sent you last Friday. If you did not read it, READ IT VERY CAREFULLY NOW and - this is most important – ACT ON IT. This is not scaremongering. We

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How the British Chiropractic Association Targets Children

Homeopathy Awareness Week, 14 - 21st June 2009

The University of Wales is Responsible for Enabling Bogus* Chiropractic Claims to be Made

Simon Singh to Appeal Bogus Decision

Chiropractic: A Joke

A Carnival of Bogus* Chiropractic

Bogus Law

Scepticism is the New Rock’n’Roll

There Goes My Knighthood

A quickly bashed out manifesto, if I were to have such a thing

About Me

The Quackometer has been developed by Andy Lewis. If you wish to get in contact then please read the FAQ and then email me. Details in the About section.