Comments on: The Pie gets more emphatic!

By: Dr. Kaplan

Dr. Kaplan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:43:34 +0000

Yes, it’s not really related and not my field of expertise at all. Vaccination is a big issue and there is also a lot of nonsense spoken about it by its detractors. However who can say what the long term effects of taking the hundreds of vaccinations that will surely emerge, could be. We do tend to be becoming more fearful in relation to the amazing power of the media spreading ‘news’. Nuclear holocausts (in the 70s and 80s), terrorism, global warming, mad cows, bird flu, swine flu, ‘credit crunch’ etc. generate huge fear in the public and I see a level of fear in people that seems to be rapidly increasing.

By: paul

paul — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:31:30 +0000

Not sure how related this is but i feel that the video I have linked to makes interesting viewing. As with the pie man it shows using the establishments own statistics that the warnings of swine flu pandemic are overblown and misleading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0JqQyl09zQ

Happy viewing. I found the humanity shown a joy to watch.

By: ez

ez — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:56:52 +0000

Dear Brian,

THank you very much for your answer, and for your “solidly positivist” (if you see what I mean) conclusion: “this does not mean that stupidity, arrogance, vulnerability to pressure and blatant double standards will not prevail. History shows us that they often have.
Still, we must all do our best.”
Indeed, this is what we must do!

I am a student of homeopathy, so I’ll just go on with my quest as well, and in fact I have found your comment about “provocative therapy” methods and homeopathic case-taking being in a synergistic connection very interesting, so I’ll keep looking in this direction later.

THank you very much again,

EZ(These are simply my real-life name initals)

By: Dr. Kaplan

Dr. Kaplan — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:34:59 +0000

EZ, Thanks for reminding me of this.

My approach to this remains consistent. If people like Ernst, Baum and Colquhoun insist on using evidence-based medicine as a blunt instrument to bash homeopathy and CAM in general, I will feel more than free to turn the lens of EBM on to orthodox medicine. The following are useful in this regard:

1. The pie which shows how little of conventional medicine is actually evidence based. (http://clinicalevidence.bmj.com/ceweb/about/knowledge.jsp)
2. The following study which showed that anti-depressants (a multi-million dollar ‘breakthrough’ if ever there was one)have no evidence for their use in treating depression except in the most severe cases and only then (and very small evidence for even this) after alternatives have not worked. (http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050045) With such evidence why are these drugs ‘allowed’ to be prescribed like smarties by GPs all over the UK? Because advertisements have been successful? Because drug reps have are more persuasive than serious meta-analyses such as the one I’ve referred to? And then if you like you can ask about the side effects of these drugs and the suicide rate among the takers of these drugs – compared to those taking homeopathy especially as according to THEIR statistics both are no more curative than placebo.
These are the questions to be asked imo – but this does not mean that stupidity, arrogance, vulnerability to pressure and blatant double standards will not prevail. History shows us that they often have.
Still, we must all do our best.

By: ez

ez — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:57:15 +0000

Dear Brian,

I always enjoy your posts – well, this message is not directly related to your post above, but are you aware of the hearing that’s coming soon in parliament? Skeptics are all so excited about it…

http://gimpyblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/homeopaths-use-witchcraft-to-influence-parliament/

I wonder what you would think about it?

Always lookin gforward for more of your posts?