Mysteries, Magic, and Miricles 11.3.09

MYSTERIES

Is Keanu Reeves immortal?

I don’t know about you but I’m convinced.

MAGIC

MIRACLES

1. Koran verses “appear” on baby in Russia – I have to agree with Phil Plait on this one. It’s not simply pareidolia but seems like a clear case of someone simply writing on the child.

2. Faith healing and other medical quackery in health care reform bill – Senate Bill 1679 currently contains language that would require support for faith healing practices:

The essential benefits provided for in subparagraph (A) shall include a requirement that there be non-discrimination in health care in a manner that, with respect to an individual who is eligible for medical or surgical care under a qualified health plan offered through a Gateway, prohibits the Administrator of the Gateway, or a qualified health plan offered through the Gateway, from denying such individual benefits for religious or spiritual health care, except that such religious or spiritual health care shall be an expense eligible for deduction as a medical care expense as determined by Internal Revenue Service Rulings interpreting section 213(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as of January 1, 2009.

Here’s another article on it.

3. ‘Miracle’ communion wafer transubstantiates into heart tissue? – In Poland, the Catholic Church is investigating an alleged miracle involving a Eucharist turning into heart tissue. It turns out the secret is to just add water. We’re told this has “dumbfounded sceptics” but I say the heart tissue was there in the water all along, waiting to be picked up after the glorified Ritz cracker was dropped into the water. Case closed.

News From Around The Blogosphere 10.28.09

1. Obama Administration slams U.N. anti-blasphemy position -

The Obama administration on Monday came out strongly against efforts by Islamic nations to bar the defamation of religions, saying the moves would restrict free speech.

“Some claim that the best way to protect the freedom of religion is to implement so-called anti-defamation policies that would restrict freedom of expression and the freedom of religion,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters. “I strongly disagree.”

2. Did the anti-vaccinationists convert Star Trek’s Data? – Oh, please tell me it isn’t true. Apparently, actor Brent Spiner tweeted that he was a fan of Jay Gordon and when asked if he was an anti-vaccinationist, here was his tweeted response:

RT @SusietheGeek @BrentSpiner Are you an antivaxxer–Not completely. But it’s worth investigating before letting drug cos. bamboozle us.

No, don’t do it, Data!! Don’t be assimilated! Resistence is not futile!

3. Help the Center For Inquiry educate our legislators – CFI is fighting to keep religion and quackery out of health care reform and they need your help.

News From Around The Blogosphere 10.23.09

1. 800 Nigerian scam websites shut down -

In a statement EFCC, which has previously relied on raiding cyber cafes and complaints from the public to clampdown on the crime, said it has now adopted smart technology working in conjunction with Microsoft, to track down fraudulent emails.

When operating at full capacity, within the next six months, the scheme, dubbed “eagle claw” should be able to forewarn around a quarter of million potential victims.

2. Health insurance companies declare past rape a pre-existing condition - After 2 men slipped her a knockout drug, Christina Turner feared she’d been raped. As a precaution, her doctor prescribed a month’s worth of anti-AIDS medicine, which turns out to have made her virtually uninsurable. Several months later, she lost her health insurance. But although she never developed HIV, when considering whether or not to cover her, health insurance companies decided the HIV medication raised too many health questions and told her to come back in 3 years. Where’s the outrage, Sarah Palin?

3. Happy birthday, Creationist Earth -

. . .in 1658, Archbishop Ussher determined that the world was created precisely at 9am, 23 October, 4004 BC, making today the official creation day, and the earth 6012 years old.

4. FDA and FTC go after Andrew Weil – Weil is one of the most notorious “alternative” “medicine” conmen working today. Now the FDA and FTC have sent him a warning demanding he stop selling bogus herbal flu remedies containing astragalus on his website. And of course leading Quack Profiteer Mark Adams is very grumpy about this no doubt because he suspects he might be next.

5. Mumps epidemic in Brooklyn -

The outbreak was traced to a child who went to Britain – where the illness is more common because of lower levels of vaccination – and then attended a summer camp upstate, apparently infecting dozens of kids.

Thanks anti-vaccinationists!

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/21/insurance-companies-rape-_n_328708.html

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/21/insurance-companies-rape-_n_328708.html

Health care opponent lies getting dumber

The lies being perpetuated by health care opponents keep getting more ridiculous. I feel like there were at least halfway intelligent distortions last year back when opponents were emphasizing how public health care would lead to waiting on lines for gazillion years. But the lies coming out these days make that long lines hyperbole seem genius by comparison. First there was the completely made up “death panels’ from the person who insisted the media who should “stop making things up.”

Now we’ve got the Investor’s Business Daily finding a most unusual way to resurrect the old waiting line gambit and persuade Americans of how terrible the health services in the UK are:

“The controlling of medical costs in countries such as Britain through rationing, and the health consequences thereof, are legendary,” read a recent editorial from the paper. “The stories of people dying on a waiting list or being denied altogether read like a horror script…

“People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn’t have a chance in the UK, where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.”

Let’s see that again:

Stephen Hawking wouldn’t have a chance in the UK, where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.

Let that extraordinary bit of epic stupidity sink in for one moment as I remind you that Stephen Hawking is from the UK. To their credit, the site has made the correction and left an editor’s note explaining the correction. But that’s kinda the whole point of the article, isn’t it? A rather key example to prove the writer’s point was that Stephen Hawking would be doomed in such a system. . .despite the fact that he clearly is not only NOT DEAD but has thrived in such an environment.

Tanning beds aka cancer beds

A special committee of the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer found that tanning beds increase the risk of skin cancer by 75%. UV radiation from tanning beds is as carcinogenic as asbestos, cigarettes, arsenic, and radium. Though in my opinion, this finding goes in the DUH bin. I mean, wasn’t it kinda obvious that tanning beds would increase the risk of skin cancer already?

Walgreens court settlement from Wal-Born scandal

First, there was Airborne, the bogus cold relief “medicine” that was forced to pay out a $37 million court settlement last year. Then Rite Aid was forced to pay out a $500,000 in refunds to customers for “Germ Defense,” Rite Aid’s version of the same product. And now Walgreens makes it a trifecta, as they too now have to pay the consequences for selling their own version of the same stupid, completely ineffective product, Wal-Born (also briefly sold as Wal-Borne).

Class action lawsuit settlement provides up to $14.97 or a free flu shot to many consumers. Walgreens recently settled the class action against them involving their product Wal-born. Wal-born is Walgreens generic equivalent of the popular Airborne Health Formula.

Further, Walgreens does not require any proof of purchase or receipt necessary to submit a claim. So while I’m not advising anyone who hasn’t bought the product to take advantage of this per se, I’m just sayin’. . .

And of course my advice is that people take the flu shot over the $15, especially since this promises to be a bad flu season, what with the H1Ni strain going around and the rising anti-vaccine movement and other grand conspiracists risking our herd immunity by discouraging people from vaccinating.

Rite Aid caught selling bogus ‘Germ Defense’

Remember Airborne, the sham cold remedy whose manufacturer settled to cough up $37 million dollars last year because of that whole not working thing?

While the company admitted no wrongdoing, under the settlement, Airborne Health Inc. will discontinue any claims about the “health benefit, performance, efficacy or safety” of its supplements in preventing and treating colds and other ailments.

Well, now there’s a new Airborne falling out of the sky, Germ Defense. Germ Defense is another natural cold “remedy” like Airborne (and right next to it on the shelves) sold at Rite Aid, which now must pay $500,000 in refunds to customers who bought this product that doesn’t actually do anything. . . unless we change the definition of “anything” to include nothing.

The manufacturer of Germ Defense, Improvita, has also been charged with false advertising. If you bought Germ Defense tablets or lozenges, you’re eligible for a refund of the value of up to six packages of the supplement. From the FTC’s press release:

Like Airborne Health, Inc., which settled deceptive advertising charges with the FTC last
year for marketing its effervescent tablets as a cold prevention and treatment remedy, Rite Aid will settle similar charges for selling a purported cold-and-flu remedy under its private label. Rite Aid will pay $500,000 for consumer redress under the agreed-upon final order. The company is required to post a refund notice, along with postage-pre-paid refund request forms, in a clear and conspicuous location in the cold-and-flu aisle at each of its stores for 60 days beginning on October 1, 2009. Consumers will have until December 31, 2009 to submit refund requests for up to six packages of Germ Defense.

Also under the settlement agreement, Rite Aid may not claim that any Rite-Aid-label version of Airborne, or any Rite-Aid-label food, drug, or dietary supplement can reduce the risk of or prevent colds or flu, reduce the severity or duration of colds, or boost the immune system unless the claims are truthful, not misleading, and substantiated by competent and reliable scientific evidence.

Rite Aid and Improvita marketed several flavors of Germ Defense lozenges and tablets as
dietary supplements that contained vitamins C and E, zinc, and echinacea. They claimed the products could reduce the risk of or prevent colds and flu; protect against or fight germs; reduce the severity or duration of a cold; protect against colds and flu in crowded places; and boost the immune system, according to the complaints. The FTC charged that there is inadequate evidence to support these claims.

Once again though, the government is failing to really do its job. Ultimately this product is still going to be on shelves with only slightly different wording on the same shelf by the REAL cold medicine. The packaging will say some vague bullshit instead that can’t be legally fought like “Promotes healing” or “Improves immune system,” etc. So other than taking a little cash from them, these assholes will continue to sell their nonsense to those who assume their pharmacy isn’t selling them junk and who won’t have any idea that it doesn’t work.

It blows my mind that the federal government time and time again refuses to take any real action and shut down these criminal operations.

Religious pharmacists are going to need their own Plan B

For some time now, religious pharmacists have been fighting a legal battle arguing for the right to refuse to dispense the morning after pill Plan B on religious grounds. Then a district court gave them temporary permission to do so.

But that all changed on Wednesday when the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decided to lift the injunction, and therefore putting this whole silly issue to bed by insisting that pharmacists must fill the prescriptions for the drug regardless of how they feel about it.

I think the Friendly Atheist says it best:

Again, the pharmacists have a right to practice their religion, but not at the expense of someone else’s health. A woman shouldn’t have to suffer because some pharmacists can’t do their job properly. If they are opposed to dealing with contraceptives, they’re in the wrong line of work.

The benefits of red wine

It’s been suspected for some time that red wine in moderation has health benefits. A mini-review of recent findings on red wine’s polyphenols, particularly one called resveratrol seems to support this conclusion. Though there is  still plenty of legitimate skepticism regarding the alleged health benefits of red wine too.

But reading this article (the first one linked to above), I can’t help but think about the “toxins gambit” that is so popular among so-called “Alternative” “Medicine” practitioners and fans as well as among the anti-vaccine folk. They’re always going on about avoiding toxins (except for homeopathy practitioners who actually would insist customers should take toxins into their system in such minute doses that there are no longer any atoms of the actual toxin left).

They’re always saying things like, mercury is the second most dangerous toxin there is so we should keep away from it altogether. And when I explain to them the difference between ethylmercury and methylmercury and explain that it’s the dosage that makes a substance toxic, they don’t ever get it. I then typically warn them of the dangers of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is of course universally (especially among the Alt. Med. crowd) considered healthy in moderate dosages, but contrary to the beliefs of otherwise brilliant scientists like Linus Pauling, it’s extremely dangerous in large dosages. EVERYTHING is dangerous in large dosages.

But now I’m thinking from now on I’ll use red wine as my example. Nobody in their right mind would deny the danger of red wine in high dosages, but I think even the Alt. Med. crowd, with their love of “natural” cures will embrace the findings that moderate doses of red wine may have health benefits:

Low to moderate drinking – especially of red wine – appears to reduce all causes of mortality, while too much drinking causes multiple organ damage.

Despite being a toxin like mercury, a little red wine is not only not bad for you but it’s actually potentially good for you.

This week in medical quackery

Now I’ve done several blogs on the Daniel Hauser case, so I’m not going to discuss that here. And I also did one blog on the Lupron scandal, but David Gorski’s “friend” Orac did a number of pieces on it this week that I’d like to draw people’s attention to here, here, and here. The last of these also cites legendy anti-vaccinationist Dan Olmsted, which also reminds me that I don’t think I got around to blogging Jenny McCarthy’s latest hypocrisy. A month or so ago, Jenny “I hate toxins” McCarthy publicly expressed her love of botox, aka botulism, aka Botulinum toxin, aka the most dangerous toxin on the planet (not that there aren’t some real medicinal uses for it, which there are).

But now she publicly expressed her love of bleaching her hair:

“I guess this is what one might call a hypocrite. I talk about staying away from toxins, yet I bleach the hell out of my hair every month. It’s tough to avoid everything that is not good for you. Yes, I have given up a lot so far, but I don’t think I can ever let people see me with my original haircolor. Yuck. My hairdresser had just told me a couple of grays were seen. WHAT?!! Come on. I finally just got rid of my adult acne! Will my armpit hair turn gray one day too?”

And then finally there’s the  Madeleine Neumann case. Madeleine was an 11-year-old girl died of diabetic ketoacidosis because her parents chose prayer over real medicine, not unlike the almost inevitable fate of Daniel Hauser. But that was a year ago. The DA chose to prosecute the parents for second-degree reckless homicide, it went to trial, and now this week the parents were found guilty. Of course nothing will bring their daughter back but we can only hope that this ruling will serve as a lesson to other parents who put their own wacky beliefs above hard science. And in doing so, maybe some will be wiser for it and lives will be saved.

Then although this isn’t about quackery, Mark Hoofnagle from the Denialist blog wrote about the propaganda against universal healthcare versus the reality.