Newsfront

'It pains us to say no': Church refuses to marry Kāpiti Couple

Where: www.stuff.co.nz

Who: Joel Maxwell

When: 25/09/2017

Skeptic summary: Congregation sides with God who apparently prefers gay couples to live in sin rather than be married in his church.

The truth about 'registered clinical nutritionists'

Where: www.noted.co.nz

Who: Jenny Nicholls

When: 19/09/2017

Skeptic summary: By any other name a "nutritionist" may not actually be qualified.

New centre offers "what's missing" from healthcare System

Where: www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail

Who: Katy Jones

When: 3/10/2017

Skeptic summary: What is missing includes Naturopathy - see article in this issue uncovering the dark side of this.

Alternative medicine can be a death sentence

Where: www.nzherald.co.nz

Who: Jake Bailey

When: 28/09/2017

Skeptic summary: A cancer survivor does not totally rule out Naturopaths to provide care, but appeals to cancer sufferers to follow their doctor's advice and to not replace real medicine for alternative medicine,

Belle Gibson fined $410,000 after lying about curing Cancer

Where: www.smh.com.au

Who: Tom Cowie

When: 28/09/2017

Skeptic summary: In Australia, Consumer Affairs Victoria took legal action and won against the writer of "The Whole Pantry", a book and app promising to cure cancer through nutrition.

Coffee sold in California could carry cancer warning labels

Where: www.stuff.co.nz

Who: Brian Melly

When: 26/09/2017

Skeptic summary: A non-profit called the Council for Education and Research on Toxics is involved in a long running lawsuit with a large number of coffee companies. For some reason they are not also suing bread and hot chip purveyors. The carcinogen acrylamide is also found in starchy foods when they are heated to high temperatures. Should they win it's likely coffee prices will increase globally.

News flash—The World Health Organisation says coffee does not cause cancer.

Calls for NZ to get serious about wildlife crime trafficking

Where: www.radionz.co.nz/programmes/ninetonoon

Who: Kathryn Ryan

When: 5/10/2017

Skeptic summary: Kathryn Ryan talked to Fiona Gordon who was lead researcher and co-author of "Under the Hammer" about the ivory and rhino horn trade in Australia and New Zealand. Apart from carvings, those products are used in Chinese "medicine" which have no beneficial effect at all on humans. Rhino horn is made mostly of keratin which is the same protein found in human hair and fingernails.