Pathologic and Disingenuous Intimidation from Big Homeopathy

The science-free cult of homeopathy has struck again. Steve Novella at Science Based Medicine has the scoop. Apparently a blogger in Italy wrote about the homeopathic treatment Oscillococcinum which is used to treat flu and the homeopathic manufacturer threatened him with legal action, simply for stating the truth about Oscillococcinum, that it is a bogus treatment based on nonsensical ideas compounded together.

A good place to start is always QuackWatch. Which has a nice discussion of the “theory” behind homeopathy and how it is only a placebo. Another good site is What's the harm, a site that documents the real harms that can come from using placebos like homeopathy instead of real treatments.

The Main Stream Media has picked up on this, the BMJ has an article on how Boiron is threatening the blogger. There are some blogs about quack veterinarians being upset that real veterinarians only want science based treatments.

It is a pretty sad state of affairs when a big corporation uses hired lawyers as shills to try and keep people from speaking the truth, and when governmental laws and regulations allow them to do so. I am not the only one who thinks so, those of us in the reality based community are opposed to magical thinking fake treatments such as homeopathy.

Things are looking up for victims of homeopathy in the US, there are a couple of lawsuits for fraud via homeopathy that are proceeding.

Doctor's Data sues QuackWatch

Doctor's Data sues QuackWatch

There is a story running around on the intertubes which I am blogging about just to increase the Streisand effect, not because this has much of anything to do with nitric oxide. Check out the whole scoop at the Quackometer (a site I highly recommend for the quackometer).

Doctor's Data has sued Dr Stephen Barrett of QuackWatch for a bunch of stuff, mostly for pointing out that Doctor's Data is facilitating the exploitation of parents of children with autism by participating in the bogus testing of urine for heavy metals including mercury. I happen to share Dr Stephen Barrett's opinion that this is fraudulent behavior on the part of Doctor's Data.

What reinforces my opinion that Doctor's Data is engaging in fraudulent behavior is that they object to posts by Dr Stephen Barrett that are only reports of individuals suing Doctor's Data for fraud.

I think the description of Doctor's Data use of chelation provoked urine tests for mercury by Quackwatch is accurate and does describe actual fraudulent behavior by Doctor's Data.

Unnecessary chelation is harmful, and does cause intellectual declines in experimental animals. There is zero evidence that mercury is involved in autism, much evidence that mercury is not involved in autism, no evidence that chelation helps autism symptoms. It is pure quackery.

I recommend that everyone go to Quackwatch and donate to help defeat the forces of darkness, now epitomized by Doctor's Data.