Hilary Fairclough and AIDS idiocy (again)
Posted by gimpy on March 17, 2008
I’ve just come across this astounding press release from the College of Practical Homeopathy which is recognised by the Society of Homeopaths (SoH) and the Alliance of Registered Homeopaths (ARH) amongst others.
DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO TREATING COMPLEX DISEASEBy Hilary FaircloughSunday April 27th 2008, 10am -5pmCollege of Practical HomeopathyHomeopaths are required to treat increasingly complex disease. This requires an understanding of a full range of homeopathic prescribing styles and methodologies.The ability to deal with disease processes, suppression of natural diseases and intense emotional states related to pathology is needed. Also important is the ability to deal with illness in the context of societal factors that have important implications for disease progression and homeopathic treatment.Hilary Fairclough, a homeopath and a former nurse, set up The Maun Homeopathy project in Botswana in 2002. Since then about 1500 people have been treated for Aids and HIV.Hilary Fairclough is going to share her immense experience and knowledge gained from running the Maun project. The day will cover:· Various homeopathic analysis techniques used in the project· The Triad Method· Using the Triad Method alongside conventional medicine· Using this method for children and adults, similarities and differences and implications for case-taking and management· What to look for in follow-ups· Importance of miasmatic prescribing· Understanding posology· Homeopathic principles related to the triad method· Palliation of incurable conditionsAt the end of the day you will have an increased knowledge of treating difficult cases including HIV and Aids with confidence.BOOKING AND PAYMENT:Seminar: Treating Complex DiseaseDate: Sunday, April 27th, 2008Time: 10am – 5.00pmVenue: College of Practical Homeopathy, 760 High Rd, North FinchleyCost: CPH students: £40.00CPH Graduates: £45.00Non-CPH students and graduates: £50.00Cheques payable to: Nimisha ParekhPlease return the booking form with your payment to: Nimisha Parekh, 1491 High Rd , Whetstone, London N20 9PJCPD certificates will be provided. Refreshments will be served. There is a wide choice of restaurants in the area for a great lunch. Parking is free on Sundays.
Hilary Fairclough is the homeopath who runs the Maun Homeopathy Clinic in Botswana and gave a SoH organised talk last year resulting in numerous critical articles from Ben Goldacre, Nick Cohen, David Colquhoun, Orac and many others.
You would have hoped that the homeopath profession would have taken on this criticism and responded appropriately. However, from this press release it seems business as usual in the world of conducting unethical homeopathic treatments in third world countries without fear of professional misconduct charges. Still what can you expect from a profession that is utterly incapable of forming a coherent regulatory body. The most depressing thing about this press release is the small print in italics at the bottom.
CPD certificates will be provided.
Certificates of Professional Development (CPD) mean that this course is recognised as part of the ongoing professional development of homeopaths, a requirement of the SoH and ARH. This, together with other examples, is yet further proof that homeopaths are dangerously deluded and need to be independently regulated to avoid the spread of such counterknowledge. Or that the profession should be abolished except for those medically qualified homeopaths who are regulated by their strict professional bodies and would b e statutorily prohibited from such idiocy.
March 17, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Is there any point complaining to the SoH?
March 17, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I doubt it, note the use of the treat/cure semantic shuffle.
March 17, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Someone give me £50, I’ll go and heckle.
March 17, 2008 at 8:55 pm
To have no shame like this you really must be seriously stupid or deluded.
March 17, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Ahhaha that’s really funny.
It was a central plank of the complaints from homeopaths after my November piece - and specifically the complaint from Jeanette Winterson - that I had misrepresented the work of Hilary Fairclough and the Maun Project, because she does not claim to treat HIV, only to ameliorate the side effects of anti-HIV drugs.
Thanks for yet another piece of evidence showing that this is simply not true.
These complaints from the homeopathy community are becoming a story in themselves, and the localised and pragmatic approach to consistency is as funny as it is revealing. Why deny treating HIV in one place, and then promote it in another? It’s all absolutely absurd, like arguing with children.
March 17, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Mugsandmoney, how good at heckling are you? It’s a 7 hour bash, do you really reckon you’re up to it?
March 18, 2008 at 2:18 am
CPD here presumably indicates “Certificate of Pathological Delusion”.
The em, contrast, once again, between what the homeopaths say “on camera” and what they say “among friends” is a real jaw-dropper.
March 18, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Sigh. They really are a tiresome bunch.
March 18, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Submit your homeopathic success story!
March 19, 2008 at 8:15 am
H:MC21, the fact that you spam a blog that helps expose some of the hypocrisies and dangerous practices of homeopaths in an attempt to garner support for homeopathy really does represent a new low. Is your profession in that much trouble that you have to resort to spamming your critics to get noticed? I hope so.
March 19, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Please read my thread about how how homeopathy can undo vaccine caused illnesses along with why the polio vaccine is unnecessary, is harmful and had no involvement reducing polio.
March 20, 2008 at 1:24 am
Cervical Cancer vs Gardasil vaccine, risk vs. benefit
——————————————————————————–
from allopathy-hates-homeopathy troll
And vaccines do not prevent anything.
March 20, 2008 at 1:47 am
DDT caused Polio.
Vaccine unnecessary and dangerous
Homeopathy works!
——————————————————————————–
Read all my homeopathy posts at:
Read PROOF that DDT causes Polio at:
MY statement - “Symptoms that are labeled as polio or poliomyelitis
are NOT proven to be caused by poliovirus by any test in a majority
of cases in the 40’s and 50’s and certainly not before that.” - meant
to say that POLIO or POLIOMYELITIS has NEVER been proven to be caused
by poliovirus. And a majority of cases labeled as poliomyeltis WERE
NEVER even tested for the virus anyway.. And testing and finding
presence of the virus or pieces of material labeled as the virus does
NOT constitute truth
But the word polio is just a word, a label.
The virus is not involved in this at all………………..
Symptoms that are labeled as polio or poliomyelitis are NOT proven to
be caused by poliovirus by any test in a majority of cases in the
40’s and 50’s and certainly not before that.
Same as SMON said to be caused by virus in Japan, but later after
MUCH problem - found to be caused by clioquinol, a drug
Poliomyelitis said to caused by a virus and truly caused by toxic
exposure - DDT and other pesticides, Vaccines (DPT preceeding),
removal of tonsils impairing the immune system, polio vaccine
containing toxic material.
Are you near Love Canal?
<a href=”http://enhs.umn.edu/5200/estrogen/history.html”
OR
google on your town name + pesticides or +DDT
There was tons of DDT in milk due to spraying of barns and cows and
contamination of other products
excerpt
13.8 ppm DDT in Milk
Just one year before polio incidence peaked, in 1951, doubts about
the safety of DDT became prominent enough for U.S. government and
industry to hold hearings and investigations (the Delaney Committee)
.. These investigations allowed the number 13.8 ppm to surface
regarding the highest concentration of DDT found in dairy milk. This
number and other numbers found in literature are utilized in the
tables below. I found 13.8ppm in Thomas R. Dunlap’s, DDT: Scientists,
Citizens, and Public Policy, Princeton University Press (1981), p69.
In the first and second tables, 13.8ppm is used to determine how much
DDT was reaching human infants and this is compared with the amount
of DDT needed to cause human infant illness and death. Infants were
the primary victims of polio.
The third table uses 13.8ppm to determine how much DDT was being
applied to fodder crops for dairy cattle. This calculation is of more
general interest and serves as an exercise to verify the previous
calculations and the context of the number 13.8ppm.
Since application recommendations are never followed perfectly, due
to human imperfection, error probability, and the multiple
coincidence of these, it seems that ppm in milk could easily exceed
the amount required in LD50 studies, thus causing illness, paralysis,
and death in infants.
It certainly makes sense that some children and adults were more
susceptible for some reason as all drank milk and most were exposed.
But again, it was never infectious and a vaccine did not prevent the
spread as it wasn’t infectious
Thanks for sharing your story.
This all should have been investigated way back way but too many
vested interests in NOT investigating
Many tried and testified but were ignored or ridiculed
You see the same thing with autism now
Sheri
——————————————
Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath
&
ONLINE/Email classes in Homeopathy; Vaccine Dangers; Childhood Diseases Reality
March 20, 2008 at 5:11 am
Sheri, you’re insane. Either engage with the issue in the blog or go away.
April 2, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Wow, I just happened to look at this hate filled blog this week. And its interesting Mr. Gimpy that you would be spewing your hatred this week against this homeopath when it was discovered that Vytorin and Zetia are ineffective against heart disease.
From an AP article I found that Vytorin and Zetia are used by four million Americans, (and probably millions of English) and have racked up sales of more than $5 billion. How many people were put in danger by this drug by thinking they were “protected”- well four million. The scale is staggering.
You can argue all you want about how “isn’t it nice this little error was caught” etc. but noow lets see, how many thousands of people were involved in the research and sale of these drugs. I don’t see you or Golddigger calling THEM “delusional” or “quacks” or “scumbags”.
All I see is that your hate-on for homeopaths and supporters of homeopaths is to cover up your own inadequacies as a small time medical researcher and for the great inadequacies of medical research in general. But then I’m making an assumption- it could be that you simply enjoy being hate filled, libellous and nasty. But it will catch up with you and your College and funders.
April 2, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Bewaiwai, perhaps you can enlighten me what the exaggerations of big pharma have to do with the efficacy of homeopathy in aids treatment?
PS I’m funded by the tax payer, I fear that should homeopathy rise in popularity then they will indeed suffer through increased ill-health.
April 2, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Are you saying this is a tax payer funded blog????
April 2, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Are you suggesting that calling people, “c**nts”, “delusional” “quacks” scumbags is supported by taxpayers and the College you work in?
April 2, 2008 at 3:34 pm
No, I write this blog for free.
April 2, 2008 at 3:37 pm
I’m sure a little College time is involved.
April 2, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Take it up with my employers.
April 2, 2008 at 3:46 pm
OK, please forward to me their names and email addresses and I would be happy to.
April 2, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Oh grow up. I blog anonymously to avoid this kind of spurious and vindictive response of you and your ilk. I think in future I will be more careful about revealing information about my work in private correspondence too.
April 2, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I too am interested to know what the exaggerations of pharmaceutical companies have to do with the idiotic quackery known a homeopathy. Apart from being entirely irrelevant, how do one set of exaggerated claims justify the delusion of homeopathy. The majority of homeopaths as far as I can tell from their web site and ridiculous claims are scientifically and historically ignorant - which would be their get-out for offering expensive water and lactose as medicine for every ailment known (and unknown) to man. The others are just plain fraudsters.
The activities of the pharmaceutical industry, however corrupt at times, in no way mitigates the long established fact that the 200-year old invention of a German doctor, Samuel Hahnemann, has absolutely no medical or scientific basis. It has never cured or prevented an non-self-limiting ailment; there is not a single incontrovertible record of it ever having done so.
“Faith” is belief without evidence and people are free to have faith in whatever they like - it’s otherwise known as religion. But they are not free to choose their facts, and the most important fact about homeopathy is that it is evidence-free. Furthermore I think it’s safe to say there never will be any evidence to support its efficacy or a mechanism for it. There is no physical mechanism because homeopathy does nothing
Please don’t point to anything to do with physics, “quantum” this or “nano” that, or anything to do the the preposterous and discredited “memory of water”. If homeopaths understood any physics they wouldn’t be homeopaths (unless they were fundamentally dishonest).
I’m also curious to know how an observation, that homeopathy is in fact a delusion, is “hateful”. It is demonstrably a delusion in whatever medical or scientific way you choose to look at it. Furthermore many of the claims of homeopaths are delusional or fraudulent, and certainly illegal. How is this statement of fact “hateful”?
April 2, 2008 at 10:36 pm
No Gimpy, I was just taking a run at a suspicion I had about what you did from reading this blog over the last week.
And Mr. Gimpy says: “I blog anonymously…”
You blog anonymously so you can spout your hate filled diatribes and attack and slander people, homeopaths and organizations. This has little to do with debating homeopathy. And this is not what the tax payer pays you to do.
And yes, making the comparison about these major drugs that went through the glorious system that you revere so much and which you consider not to be delusional is very pertinent to this discussion (or should I say in response to your hate filled rants).
Why would a group of medical researchers who say that something works and then it doesn’t to the tune of four million people being seriously impacted not be held accountable in the same way that you and Pv feel homeopaths should?
Why should these not be considered in your diatribes as “delusional”. Why would this system of research and science not be shown to be a sham or worse extremely harmful?
Well, it is apparent. YOU ARE INVESTED HEAVILY IN THE CURRENT CONVENTIONAL MEDICAL SYSTEM and RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT. You are biased- you are not just some consumer who took a first aid course and is “concerned” about homeopathy.
It would also be good to reveal your identity so it becomes clear what that investment is. That would be much more honest than bashing and attacking people anonymously.
And come on Pv- the stuff you say on your “private” forums is awful and nasty and inciting. You are full of it by acting like the innocent here.
April 3, 2008 at 4:22 am
I think its hateful to give desperately ill, poor people sugar pills and false hope to combat their disease.
April 3, 2008 at 7:42 am
Bewaiwai:
In what way does the Vytorin and Zetia affair disprove the case that homeopathy has no effect against AIDS (or malaria or anything else)?
I note that ‘the system’ produced the evidence that dismissed Vytorin and Zetia. (’The system’ also discovered statins.) Can you imagine any sort of evidence that would convince you that homeopathy does not work? If so, what would that be?
April 3, 2008 at 9:01 am
Bewaiwai, please answer the initial question:
What do the exaggerations of big pharma have to do with the efficacy of homeopathy as a treatment for AIDS?
And stop this stupid speculation as to why I blog anonymously. I do it, deal with it.
April 3, 2008 at 1:34 pm
OK- You filled in the blanks very nicely. But it is interesting - you get to work and on the tax payers (my!) dollars start blogging “anonymously”. Go figure.
1. Why should the consumer believe that anti-retrovirals are going to be any more effective than Vytorin and Zetia? All these drugs passed your gold standard of double blind and were well vetted drugs.
2. I admire this homeopath for actually going to Botswana and trying to do something about the crisis there.
And she even cured some. Get over that!
Dr.Gimpy if you believe so strongly in conventional treatment and are a medical person- why aren’t YOU there and why isn’t Goldacre there? Anti-retroviral drugs require a lot of education to be effective- go there and stop ranting.
Goldacre seems to suggest that the AIDS crisis is because of homeopaths and the actions of homeopaths. Certainly getting all worked up over the numbers this woman treated is similar. This is demagoguery at its best. There are over 50 million, read that - 50 million people with AIDS and only 2 million being treated with anti-retrovirals- a mere 10 per cent.
Come on, stop even implying this is a homeopathy problem- especially you Goldacre! This is a major humanitarian crisis and if a homeopath, one of over 300,000 of them, decides to attempt to go there, live under difficult conditions and treat suffering humans, good for him or her!
You as medical people Dr. Gimpy and Dr. Goldacre should give up some of your golf weekends for the cause, go to Africa and stop ranting demagogically about “homeopaths spreading AIDS”.
April 3, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Bewaiwai, can we cut this Dr. crap. You don’t know anything about me and I intend to keep it that way.
The problems with Vytorin and Zetia were found out because of the system of checks and balances in place in medicine, sometimes this system doesn’t do the job fast enough and sometimes it makes mistakes but by and large it works.
I still fail to see how this has any impact on the efficacy of homeopathy in AIDS treatment.
It doesn’t matter what Fairclough’s intentions are, and I happen to think they are good, homeopathy does not work, cannot work, and it is dangerous to suggest it can treat treatable, by proper medicine, but not curable illnesses. This can give rise to false hope in patients and dissuade them from medical treatment that works and thus puts their life in danger.
April 3, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Dr. Gimpy says: The problems with Vytorin and Zetia were found out because of the system of checks and balances in place in medicine, sometimes this system doesn’t do the job fast enough and sometimes it makes mistakes but by and large it works.
I wouldn’t call four million people seriously impacted simply a minor glitch in the system. I wouldn’t even call it a system that works.
This can give rise to false hope in patients and dissuade them from medical treatment that works and thus puts their life in danger. Ah yes, so this is why 50 million(!) people aren’t being treated. Thank you for enlightening me. Homeopathy Works! Good bye.
April 3, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Just want to add my two cents worth and in capitals:
HOMEOPATHY DOES WORK
HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES CAUSE A GENTLE AND PERMANENT CURE TO OCCUR, WITH NO SIDE EFFECTS.
IT CAN AND DOES TREAT BOTH ACUTE AND CHRONIC ILLNESSES
MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WORLD WIDE CAN ATTEST TO THESE HEALINGS, DEEP AND PERMANENT, THAT THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED THROUGH HOMEOPATHY.
There….
April 3, 2008 at 2:29 pm
What you don’t seem to understand, Gimpy et al, that consumers read papers, internet etc. and even take conventional drugs- and experience the side effects that ALL drugs have. And then we may try a homeopathic remedy, and experience a cure WITH NOT SIDE EFFECTS!!
Read this from AP News today:
“Under pressure from U.S. regulators, drug maker GlaxoSmithKline has added warnings of reported psychiatric problems to the list of side effects accompanying its flu drug Relenza.
The new language names seizures, hallucinations and delirium among the problems experienced by patients taking the drug. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration highlighted the changes Wednesday in a posting to its website.
Most problems occurred in Japanese children taking the drug. Japan is the largest market in the world for flu medications because doctors there prescribe drugs like Relenza as a standard treatment for flu symptoms.”
So, if I had a flu and it was not getting better, I would take one of the homeopathic remedies well documented within homeopathic literature to alleviate the symptoms- this I have done in the past, and had complete success with, as have many thousands, if not millions, of others.
April 3, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Rainbow9/Bewaiwai, are you two sides of the same coin?
PS No, there is no evidence homeopathy can cure disease.
April 3, 2008 at 4:54 pm
rainbow9
There are no side effects because there are no main effects either. If Homeopathic theory was correct then remedies would be very dangerous substances indeed.
April 3, 2008 at 5:02 pm
rainbow9
When I last had flu I took nothing and it cleared up it in a fortnight. If I had taken a homeopathic remedy it would have taken 14 days instead.
April 4, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Gimpy,
you have groupies!
Nash you can have side effects with homeopathic remedies.
If you take the wrong one you can suffer “urge to stool, but stool reverses in intestines” which sounds very scary to me.
(found on Dr. O’s forum)
April 4, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Try http://abchomeopathy.com/go.php for a laugh.
Enter your symptoms and be prescribed your homeopathic remedy.
Some of the symptoms are odd, eg “Mouth contains air”, “gurgling in the genitals, 5pm going up” - so gurgling genitals at any other time isn’t something to worry about.
I put in the symptoms for something I had last year and was recommended silver nitrate. If I licked an old black and white photograph I would get more silver nitrate molecules in my body than from the remedy.
April 5, 2008 at 3:39 am
Very interesting Nash
I tried different variation on “urging to stool” -which must be a proper homeopathic phrase as it recurs several time s in the remedy finder.
I ended up with “urging to stool, but not to stool ” -and the remedy is lachesis. Whatever that is.
April 5, 2008 at 12:11 pm
If you right click on the remedy a window opens explaining about the remedy. For instance I shouldn’t be given sulphur as I am not tall and thin.
April 6, 2008 at 3:39 am
Okay.
lachesis is some kind of snake venom.
April 8, 2008 at 10:22 am
As I pointed out on my own blog, the Maun delusionists are endangering thenselves too.
They go to Botswana, tell the locals that their sugar pills cure AIDS.
Locals take sugar pills, and according to some reports, stop taking their ARVs
AIDS sufferers die.
Relatives link death with magic western pills
Cue angry band of locals bearing torches advancing on the clinic…
He who lives by confirmation bias shall die by confirmation bias.
April 8, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Why have you all stopped?
I was enjoying that.
Especially the “type it in capitals ‘cos then it must be true” post that one of homeopaths posted.
Presumably Rainbow and the rest of them have seen the badscience demolition of homeopathy that generated 400+ comments and really did nail the whole sorry fraud once and for all?
April 9, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Locals take sugar pills, and according to some reports, stop taking their ARVs
According to which reports?
And how many locals are actually taking ARVs? You are implying that ALL 50 million of the AIDS sufferers in Africa have ARVs and therefore are happy until the homeopaths came along. (Hey listen only 2 million do).
What a bunch idiocy. And Ben Goldacre spending his time and profile on fighting homeopaths (in an effort to raise it) instead of using it to deal with this tragedy is the most ridiculous part of it all.
April 11, 2008 at 5:20 am
“You are implying that ALL 50 million of the AIDS sufferers in Africa have ARVs and therefore are happy until the homeopaths came along. (Hey listen only 2 million do).”
Nobody implied that.
April 19, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Since no one else has pointed it out, I shall. As well as being dim-witted in matters of logic and science, homeopaths can’t do arithmetic either.
” There are over 50 million, read that - 50 million people with AIDS and only 2 million being treated with anti-retrovirals- a mere 10 per cent.”
That would be 4%, numbnuts!