Tag: Homeopathy

March 7, 2011

Vic Department of Health's "Better Health Channel"

by Graeme Hanigan

This is the background to a petition addressed to The  Minister of Health, David Davis MLC, calling for a review of the Victorian Department of Health’s Better Health Channel. 

Penelope Dingle was 45 years old when she died of colorectal cancer on the 25th of August, 2005. Had her cancer been detected and treated when symptoms were first observed 4 years earlier, she may still be alive today.  Instead of seeking medical treatment, Penelope put her health into the incompetent hands of a deluded Homeopathic quack.
At the conclusion of the inquest into the sad death of Penelope Dingle, the W.A. State Coroner made two recommendations. View More Vic Department of Health's "Better Health Channel"

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February 20, 2011

Homeopathy is safe?

One of the main comments by homeopaths on the 10:23 overdose campaign is that skeptics have yet again demonstrated that homeopathy is safe.
That’s one possibility. Another possibility, and I think a more likely one; is that homeopathy is safe because there isn’t anything in it.

10:23 comments

Skeptics would also argue that homeopathy is unsafe precisely because it has nothing in it. If consumers are convinced enough to treat life-threatening conditions with homeopathy, results can be tragic. Take, for example, the case of Penelope Dingle: the coroner’s report in relation to her death in 2005 was recently released. [PDF]
Warning: this is a coroner’s report; it’s a very graphic and distressing account of her death and the role of homeopathy in the events leading up to her death.
Returning to the broader question of homeopathy being safe, I’ve found the view that homeopathy is safe, and that you can’t overdose on it, is not a universal opinion in the world of homeopathy. View More Homeopathy is safe?

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February 8, 2011

The 10:23 Event in Melbourne

On Saturday, the Victorian Skeptics joined forces with the Melbourne Skeptics and the Young Australian Skeptics to take part in the worldwide 10:23 Campaign.
The campaign was launched last year by the Merseyside Skeptics, as a public education stunt to demonstrate the ineffective nature of Homeopathy.
A video of the Melbourne event was posted a couple of days ago, and as I write this, it’s had over 1,000 views on YouTube.
(If you’re keen, there’s also a great video playlist of 10:23 events around the world).
We also had John, a good friend of the Victorian Skeptics, busily snapping some great stills while we were overdosing.
[slideshow]
Of course while it’s all fun and games in retrospect (and there’s a message in there somewhere too), it almost didn’t happen.
Torrential rain and flash flooding had hit View More The 10:23 Event in Melbourne

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February 6, 2011

10:23 in Melbourne, the video

The 10:23 overdose event in Melbourne went off very well yesterday.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvgRMcfo0Yk&w=448&h=252&hd=1]

The deluge of rain stopped minutes before 10:23am.

This is just a quick post to show you the video. A more detailed blog post about the Melbourne event will go up in the next few days. Thanks to the willing participants that came along from three skeptical groups in Melbourne. I think you’ll agree, great work done by our brilliant cameraman/editor/director Doug Hubbard.

Mal.

————-

UPDATE:

The Great Ocean Road Skeptics were also launched on Saturday, and decided to celebrate the launch with a 10:23 demonstration on the beach.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhDA07jYncU&w=448&h=252&hd=1]

Nice work guys!

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September 20, 2010

Superheros Are Amongst Us!

by Lucas Randall (aka Codenix)
I used to think superheros were the domain of fiction, existing only in comic-books and on film, their powers limited to battling their super-villain foe, equally the domain of fiction. I didn’t realise superheros and super-villains are actually real, living amongst us and affecting our lives in very real ways. View More Superheros Are Amongst Us!

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July 10, 2010

A Critical Look at Homeopathy

Graeme Hanigan of “The Celestial Teapot” reviews Homeopathy.  Graeme writes:
The following explanation for homoeopathy is taken from the Australian Homeopathic Association.

Homeopathy is a complete system of medicine developed by German physician and chemist, Dr Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), based on the principle of “let likes cure likes”. This law or principle is based on a long held belief as far back as Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, and other ancient healers such as Paracelsus, that substances that produce symptoms in a healthy individual can be used to treat similar symptoms in a sick person.

Let’s take a critical look at this statement.

Homeopathy is a complete system of medicine

This is an extraordinary claim requiring extraordinary evidence to support it.

… developed by German physician and chemist, Dr Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843).

This statement is supported by historical data and can be considered View More A Critical Look at Homeopathy

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April 18, 2010

Homeopath’s own studies show – it doesn’t work

A new review by Prof Edzard Ernst inclusive of studies by Homeopaths, fails to yield positive results.

Announcing a new review of Homeopathy to be published in the Medical Journal of Australia, the review is authored by Prof Edzard Ernst.  A press release by the MJA follows this short introduction.
The introduction to Homeopathy is by Dr Ken Harvey who will be speaking to the Victorian Skeptics on the 21st of June, 2010. [Now a past event.]
Homeopathy has been in the news of late. Earlier this year, a homeopath and his wife were found guilty of manslaughter after their baby daughter died when they treated her severe eczema with homeopathic remedies rather than conventional medicines.  In the United Kingdom, View More Homeopath’s own studies show – it doesn’t work

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April 10, 2010

A Skeptics Guide to Homeopathy

Homeopathy Week is upon us! To celebrate, here is our view on Homeopathy. (This and many other discussion topics can be found at our  “Useful Info” link).

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Homeopathy is an “alternative medicine” invented in the early 19th century by German doctor Samuel Hahnemann. Despite numerous experiments showing homeopathy to have no effect, it has become a multi-million dollar international industry with its own special rules in advertising law.
View More A Skeptics Guide to Homeopathy

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