DC's Improbable Science

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Every single request for information about course materials in quack medicine that I have ever sent has been turned down by universities,
It is hardly as important as as refusal of FoI requests to see climate change documents, but it does indicate that some vice-chancellors are not very interested in openness. [...]

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The purpose of this post is to reveal a few samples of things that are taught on a homeopathy ‘degree’ course. The course in question was the "BSc Hons homeopathy course at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN). Entry to this course was closed in 2008 and, after an internal review, UCLAN closed [...]

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The first major victory in the battle for the integrity of universities seems to have been won. This email was sent by Kate Chatfield who is module leader for the “BSc” in homeopathic medicine at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN).

from Kate Chatfield…
Dear All,
It’s a sad day for us here at UCLan [...]

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Times Higher Education has published a league table showing that the University of Westminster is head of the league table for the number of courses in quackery. With fine timing, I just acquired the slides for their lecture on “vibrational medicine”. See a selection of them. It seems that Amethyst; the ‘Transmutator’ . . .emits high Yin energy so transmuting lower energies and clearing and aligning energy disturbances . . .”. This is part of a vocational “Bachelor of Science” degree. It is beyond parody. You couldn’t make it up.

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Well, guess what turned up in a brown envelope this morning. A copy of the Society of Homeopaths’ Newsletter
It makes interesting reading, not least when the homeopaths’ discussion group are abuzz with talk of the demise of homeopathy

“The Society is urging its members to be cautious when responding to phone calls and e-mails following [...]

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Thanks to a correspondent for alerting me to a medical emergency in France.
You can read the press release here, from Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits de Santé (AFSSAPS, the French equivalent of the MHRA or FDA).

Withdrawal of batches of Gingko biloba and Equisetum arvense
AFSSAPS has been informed by Laboratoires Boiron of an [...]

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