Stapling the Stomachs of Anorexics

31st May, 2007 11

Yes, a deliberately provocative title for this blog entry. The distressing and puzzling illness of anorexia is very real. We see people convinced that their body is repulsive and overweight and they diet their way into oblivion. We feel helpless in the face of the strength of their conviction that something is wrong with their bodies. From the outside of the illness, it is clear that their beliefs are an [read more…]

How to Turn your Whole House into a Big Bad Wi-Fi Aerial.

28th May, 2007 0

So, with all this hot air blowing around about the inevitability of our imminent deaths due to mobiles and Wi-Fi, it is no surprise that nutrient supplement salesman Patrick Holford starts using his extensive physics knowledge to keep us safe from the evils of the ‘New Big Pharma’, the mobile-wifi-EMR conspiracy of ‘Vested Interests’. Patrick rids his home of Wi-Fi and in doing so starts a new experiment in the [read more…]

Wi-Fi, Quackery and the MPs

21st May, 2007 12

Well, today’s news has had lots of Wi-Fi scares being reported. Tonight’s Panorama is going to look at the ‘dangers’ of bringing Wi-Fi into schools. Let’s wait to see what they have to say, but early reports do not bode well as they are claiming that their ‘independent tests’ showed WiFi produces EM levels three times higher than mobile phone masts. It is difficult to think up a more meaningless [read more…]

Patrick Holford and Scientology: the Church of Optimum Nutrition?

12th May, 2007 40

Here is an odd one. Why would Patrick Holford’s Food for the Brain charity have associations with a Scientology linked organisation? His charity is working with schools to improve the ‘mental health’ of children. Should we be alarmed by this? What on earth has Scientology and Patrick got in common? My last rather large post concentrated on the philosophy of Patrick Holford, Optimum Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy. I made a [read more…]

Holfordism: Understanding Patrick, Optimum Nutrition, and the Nutritionist Industry

10th May, 2007 66

Patrick Holford has built up a very impressive and comprehensive empire; networks of web sites, charities, a college, educational trusts and of course, books, TV shows, supplements sales, and licensing deals. It is a very impressive achievement and it would be hard to argue that Patrick, and his philosophies, did not pretty much dominate the UK nutritionist scene. Some nutritionists might outsell him in book sales, but none have created [read more…]

Home Pregnancy Gender Testing – Pink or Blue or Con?

4th May, 2007 10

One of my repeated gripes is that the Daily Mail Health editorial policy is little more than to be a shill for quacks. Like most of the paper, you have to read it with deep suspicion. Here is the latest piece of questionable reporting on a new home pregnancy test that purports to tell you the sex on your baby only a few weeks into pregnancy. The £189 mail-order kit [read more…]

My Sparrow Dead and Cold

2nd May, 2007 3

I have recently been rather drawn into the world of electrosenstivity and found that passions run high. But loudness of voices and strength of convictions rarely match closely to soundness of argument. Indeed, high voices, closed minds and poor debate are a good indicator that quackery might be at work. I have been quite critical of those that support electrosensitivity suffers for being so hostile to the idea that people [read more…]