The Charity Commission’s Failure to Stop Quack Charities

5th April, 2017 14

The regulator of charities in the UK, the Charity Commission, is undertaking a consultation into how it should approach registering charities that promote so-called Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). The Commission have an obligation to ensure that only organisations that provide a benefit to the public gain the benefit of charitable status. CAM, by definition, is the set of medical beliefs and practices that are based on pseudoscientific and superstitious [read more…]

Society of Homeopaths ‘Taking Legal Advice’ to Fight the ASA.

15th November, 2016 9

In September, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority wrote to all homeopaths informing them that it would be taking action against homeopaths that did not comply with the rules for making claims in advertising. It has taken the ASA many years to get to this position after trying to work with homeopaths and their trade bodies to ensure they cleaned up their act. The Nightingale Collaboration has been campaigning hard and [read more…]

What Effect Would Leaving the EU Have on Alternative Medicine in the UK?

21st June, 2016 18

Now, I expect you have already made your mind up and I do not have any expectation that issues around quackery will sway your vote on the EU. However, I thought it would be interesting to look at what consequences might unfold if the UK were to leave the EU for alternative medicines. What would happen to the prevalence, regulation and availability of CAM? What would it mean for the [read more…]

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…]

The Saatchi Bill: When Only the Fig Leaf Remains

23rd March, 2016 4

The Quackometer has been raising concerns for nearly two years that Lord Saatchi has been wanting to make a “Quack’s Charter” law in the UK.  The Bill’s aims were to remove a patient’s current rights to sue their doctor if they had been negligent. Instead, a doctor would have been required to perform some perfunctory box ticking that was supposed to show the doctor was taking due care. This change [read more…]

4Homeopathy – The Homeopaths Strike Back

16th November, 2015 30

Before you begin, if your irony meter is switched on, then to avoid damage, please turn it off now. For the Society of Homeopaths have today issued a press release condemning sceptics for their ‘half baked arguments and lack of understanding of research’. The homeopaths are very angry at Simon Singh again and his ‘traipsing around the media studios’ talking about how the government are to review if doctors will be [read more…]

Write to Your MP Today about the Quack Saatchi Bill.

12th October, 2015 0

The Stop the Saatchi Bill Alliance are making an urgent call to action for people to write to their MPs about the resurrected Saatchi Bill. We need you to make sure your MP knows the facts about Chris Heaton-Harris’s Access to Medical Treatments (Innovation) Bill, which will have its Second Reading in the House of Commons this coming Friday, 16th October. This is an important opportunity for MPs to discuss and thoroughly [read more…]

Chris Heaton-Harris MP Resurrects Lord Saatchi’s Zombie Quacks’ Charter.

16th September, 2015 6

Lord Saatchi has been trying for a number of years now to introduce a law that would drive a coach and horses through well established medical negligence law. The effect of the law would be to seriously erode a patient’s right to sue a doctor if they were harmed through negligence. Under the Saatchi Law, a doctor who would currently be found acting without proper care would be free from [read more…]

Disaster for British Homeopathic Association after Judicial Review fails over Provision of Homeopathy on NHS

30th August, 2015 40

Like many parts of the NHS, Lothian Health Board had recently made the sensible decision to stop funding homeopathy. It made this decision after an extensive public consultation. However a 73 year old woman with arthritis called for judicial review of the decision. That review came down firmly on the side of the Health Board and homeopathic provision will not be reinstated. However, the impact of this decision goes well beyond [read more…]

Professional Standards Authority Speaking at Quack Autism Conference.

25th August, 2015 107

Just what is Christine Braithwaite of the Professional Standards Authority doing speaking at a homeopaths’ conference on treating children with autism with sugar pills? The Society of Homeopaths is holding it annual conference with a theme based around treating children with autism. Braithwaite is the Director of Standards and Policy. You may think that the regulator would be doing its best to protect parents and children from the absurd fantasies of homeopaths [read more…]

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