News Front

Homeopathic treatment claims to ‘cure' autism in NZ

Where: newsroom.co.nz

Who: Farah Hancock

When: 15/08/2019

Skeptic summary: A brilliant piece on CEASE therapy, the bogus autism ‘cure' made from watered down vaccines. CEASE stands for the Complete Elimination of Autisim Spectrum Expression, and was invented by a homeopath, Tinus Smits, who followed the basic (false) principal of homeopathy that like cures like. So assuming that vaccines and toxins cause autisim (which they don't—the cause is still unknown, and there is no link between vaccines and autism), it was thought that diluting vaccines and toxins (which ones?) would cure autism.

Sadly, CEASE therapy is in use in New Zealand today. We have been following UK skeptics' efforts to make the practice illegal there. If there are any readers with a legal background who would like to help us with a similar effort here, do get in touch.

James Renwick: Climate change deniers' arguments are ‘fact-free'

Where: newshub.co.nz

Who: James Renwick

When: 19/07/2019

Skeptic summary: In this article James Renwick calls us to action to mitigate the climate emergency. He examines the points (or lack of points) put forth by radio presenter Peter Williams in an earlier article ‘The science is never settled on climate change”

Reading Peter's article I was struck by the volume of words devoted to feelings of being attacked and persecuted, and the idea that climate scientists who believed in anthropomorphic climate change were like priests in their climate change church.

Peter points to an educational video, so lets take a quick look at that. The video from 2015 says natural climate cycles caused by the sun are responsible for the warming we currently experience. The video is critical of the theory of man-made climate change and repeatedly says we should question carbon dioxide as the main cause of climate change, but doesn't talk to why 97% of scientists accept that view as fact, and their reasons for doing so. The video is saying science is always changing, and that we should be skeptical, but as James Renwick points out, that isn't the case when it comes to our understanding of electricity and gravity for example. One of the scientists in the video, Willie Soon, is quoted about climate change, but as an astrophysicist (not a climate scientist) is he speaking from his field of expertise? Checking for his name and “myth” a found a hit at skepticalscience.com along with four myths he is known for spreading, and links to articles refuting those myths. The other scientist in the video, David Legates, is a climate scientist, but he has been linked to ExxonMobil by The Union of Concerned Scientists. He works for institutions funded by ExxonMobil. If you have half an hour to spare, read the two articles and watch the video.

A new law says that Kentucky public schools must put up ‘In God We Trust' signs

Where: ascienceenthusiast.com

Who: Dan Broadbent

When: 26/07/2019

Skeptic summary: Due to new legislation, all schools in Kentucky U.S.A, including a school called ‘Science Hill School', have to prominently display signs with the words 'In God We Trust'. It is sad to see this county breaking down the barriers between church and state. The article clarifies that the motto began it's life in 1954 after a speech by President Eisenhower during the cold war. Eisenhower saw faith as a weapon, “our country's most powerful resource in peace and war.”

Auckland homeopath could mislead patients by using 'doctor' title - ministry

Where: stuff.co.nz

Who: Caroline Williams

When: 04/07/2019

Skeptic summary: Indian trained homeopath Dr. Preet is looked into for misleading patients with his signage saying ‘Doctor Open' and ‘Dr. Preet'. Homeopaths are not real doctors.

Auckland homeopath did not breach guidelines, allowed to use ‘doctor' title.

Where: stuff.co.nz

Who: Arvind Kumar

When: 01/08/2019

Skeptic summary: After a thorough investigation, Dr. Preet was found to not be in breach of guidelines. It was clarified that homeopaths that qualify in India receive the title of ‘doctor' and are allowed to use that title in New Zealand. New Zealand qualified homeopaths do not receive that title, and can get in trouble for using it.

Clear as mud for the average consumer then.

Justice prevails! Cancer quack Colleen Huber loses her defamation case against me

Where: naturopathicdiaries.com

Who: Britt Hermes

When: 03/06/2019

Skeptic summary: Great news! Britt is in the clear after a long fight against the homeopath who accused her of defamation (when in fact Britt was just telling the truth).

German city offers $1.7m to whomever proves it doesn't exist

Where: stuff.co.nz

Who: Unknown

When: 22/08/2019

Skeptic summary: Ha ha ha ha ha. Nice bit of tourism advertising there, and won't if be fun to see if someone wins and what spectacular nonsense they create to do so.

Queen's homeopathic pharmacist selling pills made from Berlin Wall

Where: telegraph.co.uk

Who: Henry Bodkin

When: 20/08/2019

Skeptic summary: Sold as a ‘cure' for asthma and depression, this nonsense has come up because Edzard Ernst, expert on all things alternative medicine, has brought out a new book and commented on the matter. His book published in 2019: Alternative Medicine: A Critical Assessment of 150 Modalities. If you liked that, he has another book out next year: Don't Believe What You Think: Arguments for and Against Scam.

Teen with measles visited Disneyland, Universal Studios, Santa Monica Pier

Where: latimes.com

Who: Soumya Karlamangla

When: 23/08/2019

Skeptic summary: Vaccines work, but unfortunately measles is back due to the spread of misinformation, and New Zealand is becoming infamous as a home of disease-vector anti-vaxxers.

One in two children not fully immunised at Christchurch's Helios medical centre

Where: stuff.co.nz

Who: Cate Broughton

When: 24/08/2019

Skeptic summary: Avoiding ‘browbeating' parents is putting the general public at risk. This clinic not only has the worst vaccination rates (30% for 6 month olds compared to 85.2% for Canterbury as a whole), they also sell homeopathy and mistletoe therapy.

Families from the local Rudolf Steiner school are enrolled there, and the Steiner philosophy about how health works is reflected in the low vaccination rate. It was Rudolf Steiner who looked at mistletoe growing on trees, as a cancer grows in a human host and concluded that because like cures like, mistletoe (otherwise known as Iscador in medicinal form) would cure cancer. It didn't, but that didn't stop people from wanting to believe it was true.

‘Extremely deep' Acupuncture treatment ends up piercing patient's lungs

Where: Sciencealert.com

Who: Carly Cassella

When: 11/09/2019

Skeptic summary: A 33 year old woman went to an Acupunturist in New Zealand. Needles were inserted and left in for half an hour before being rotated and removed. The patient complained of pain and having a strange ‘air' sensation around her lungs. She was sent home still in pain.

Her husband took her to the hospital later that night, and in the emergency department they confirmed both of her lungs had been punctured causing her lungs to collapse.

I'm retelling these details to answer the question “what's the harm?”. This isn't happening somewhere else, in another country we can read about in the news and shake our heads in concern. It's happening right here.

The article concludes by saying “While some of it's claims are not supported by medical evidence, generally speaking acupuncture is viewed as a fairly safe and non-invasive alternative medicine treatment.” I would ask, which of it's claims are supported by evidence? I have not found any. Also, just because something is viewed as ‘safe' in no way means it is effective. Those two things do not follow. Vegemite toast is safe, but not an effective treatment for (insert medical issue here).

Skeptics try to stop ‘psychic healer' from touring NZ

Where: rnz.co.nz

Who: Suzie Ferguson

When: 2/10/2019

Skeptic summary: Our Chair Craig Shearer explains why we contacted venues to inform them of the nature of the shows being put on there by Jeanette Wilson. We believe her shows are unethical, and we would like to reduce the emotional, physical and financial harm done to the vulnerable group of people who are likely to attend such events. We do not want to see anyone not going to a doctor or stopping taking their medication because of misguided beliefs. Delaying effective treatment causes real harm.

Self-proclaimed healer responds to NZ sceptics' criticism

Where: rnz c/o YouTube

Who: Lisa Owen

When: 1/10/2019

Skeptic summary: Lisa Owens does a great job trying to get some facts straight, asking where's the evidence, but facts are thin on the ground. Jeanette Wilson is telling porkies, claiming “and I never ever tell them not to see a doctor, not follow what doctors say”.

We beg to differ. We sent one of our under-cover operatives along to witness exactly what she does. According to him:

“In her shows, she is vehemently anti vaccination, anti fluoride, anti science, she peddles ridiculous anti-radiation stickers for cellphones, and sells, $1.99 plastic pinhole glasses for $20 which she claims will cure people's eyesight problems so that they don't need their prescription glasses anymore.”