Axe Alt Med Programs Urges Cartel

[Albert Hidel]

Australian unis have been at the forefront of legit alternative medicine programs. Now the entrenched conventional medicine cartel wants to shrink the playing field. Can the Gollin-esque fairy tales of unlicensed doctors killing innocent children be far behind?

Scientists urge unis to axe alternative medicine courses
KELLY BURKE
26 Jan, 2012 03:00 AM

MORE than 400 doctors, medical researchers and scientists have formed a powerful lobby group to pressure universities to close down alternative medicine degrees.

Almost one in three Australian universities now offer courses in some form of alternative therapy or complementary medicine, including traditional Chinese herbal medicine, chiropractics, homeopathy, naturopathy, reflexology and aromatherapy.

But the new group, Friends of Science in Medicine, wrote to vice-chancellors this week, warning that by giving "undeserved credibility to what in many cases would be better described as quackery" and by "failing to champion evidence-based science and medicine", the universities are trashing their reputation as bastions of scientific rigour.

The group, which names world-renowned biologist Sir Gustav Nossal and the creator of the cervical cancer vaccine Professor Ian Frazer among its members, is also campaigning for private health insurance providers to stop providing rebates for alternative medical treatments.

A co-founder of the group, Emeritus Professor John Dwyer, of the University of NSW, who is also a government adviser on consumer health fraud, said it was distressing that 19 universities were now offering "degrees in pseudo science".

"It's deplorable, but we didn't realise how much concern there was out there for universities' reputations until we tapped into it," Professor Dwyer said. "We're saying enough is enough. Taxpayers' money should not be wasted on funding [these courses] … nor should government health insurance rebates be wasted on this nonsense."

Professor Dwyer said it was particularly galling that such courses were growing in popularity while, at the same time, the federal government was looking at ways to get the Therapeutic Goods Administration to enforce tougher proof-of-efficacy criteria for complementary medicines, following the release of a highly critical review by the Australian National Audit Office last September.

Of particular concern to the group is the increase in chiropractic courses, following the recent announcement of a new chiropractic science degree by Central Queensland University. More than 30 scientists, doctors and community advocates wrote to the vice-chancellor and health science deans at the university voicing their concern, which laid the foundations for Friends of Science in Medicine.

The groundswell of protest from medical professionals comes after a decision in Britain that means from this year it will no longer be possible to receive a degree from a publicly-funded university in areas of alternative medicine, including homeopathy and naturopathy.

German and British medical insurance providers are also in the process of removing alternative therapies from the list of treatments they will cover.

Australia's vice-chancellors will meet in March and Professor Dwyer said his group was aiming to get a commitment from them to endorse health courses only with evidence-based science.

The spokesman for Universities Australia said tertiary institutions were self-accrediting. "[They have] the autonomy … to ensure the quality and relevance of the courses they offer," he said.

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, a government body set up to regulate higher education, refused to comment.

Most health funds pay rebates for alternative therapies under top cover polices. Private Healthcare Australia did not return the Herald's calls.

[ham]

sure...academic rigoUr...go ask on which bases they spent billions to buy pig flu, mexican flu, chinese flu etc vaccines...perhaps because the sponsor owns the company?
Academic rigoUr? Go ask how they lost the Mars orbiter...perhaps because one of those non-quacks calculated in inches while the machine was set in meters or the other way round...
Keep up the good job.

[Virtual Bison]

I actually have a friend from Thailand who studied medicine there and earned a legitimate degree. She did have an MD but says that, because of the severe restrictions placed on students with foreign degrees, many graduates of Asian schools earn a living practicing traditional medicine. In fact, many of them are excellent doctors but cannot prescribe medicine or perform surgery.

I did see a program about Ayarvedic medicine and it was very interesting. Supposedly people who were given weeks to live sought treatment and went into complete remission. I do not know if its a placebo effect but I heard a lot about it. There are so many testimonials on the effectiveness of such treatment that I think there must be some truth to it.

Indecently, Thom Hartmann, the famous progressive radio host has a doctorate in herbology. He no longer is active in healthcare and has since become a famous author, lecturer and radio personality who speaks on political issues.

[ham]

I actually have a friend from Thailand who studied medicine there and earned a legitimate degree. She did have an MD but says that, because of the severe restrictions placed on students with foreign degrees, many graduates of Asian schools earn a living practicing traditional medicine. In fact, many of them are excellent doctors but cannot prescribe medicine or perform surgery.

I did see a program about Ayarvedic medicine and it was very interesting. Supposedly people who were given weeks to live sought treatment and went into complete remission. I do not know if its a placebo effect but I heard a lot about it. There are so many testimonials on the effectiveness of such treatment that I think there must be some truth to it.

Indecently, Thom Hartmann, the famous progressive radio host has a doctorate in herbology. He no longer is active in healthcare and has since become a famous author, lecturer and radio personality who speaks on political issues.

I personally believe in herbal medicine...what's in medicine that is supposed to heal? Chemicals.
What's in plants? Chemicals.
All depends on the circumstances, the patient, the illness, but a wide variety of symptoms can be effectively treated with plants or minerals opportunely distilled and combined by practitioners who know their job.
It certainly astounds that a number of remedies (I said a number, not all at all times) laid down by "primitives" several centuries BCE may be as effective -or even more so- than synthetic chemicals invented by politicking stooges in white lab coats charging you an extortionate fee.
Hint: you cannot patent plants because they occur in nature.

[Herbert Spencer]

Indecently, Thom Hartmann, the famous progressive radio host has a doctorate in herbology.

Indecently indeed. His "doctorate" is from Brantridge Forest School, operated from the same address as Bruce Copen's legendary Sussex College of Technology. Not to say the discipline is without substance, but the degree certainly is, just like his "progressive" nonsense.

[ham]

Indecently, Thom Hartmann, the famous progressive radio host has a doctorate in herbology.

Indecently indeed. His "doctorate" is from Brantridge Forest School, operated from the same address as Bruce Copen's legendary Sussex College of Technology. Not to say the discipline is without substance, but the degree certainly is, just like his "progressive" nonsense.

Well, just because BOTH Nazis AND hippies in the 1960s endorsed Tibetan culture for their opposing political agendas doesn't mean Tibetan culture isn't worth a damn. Some saw shamanic justification of master race theories; others a justification to get stoned and boff some skunk while listening to Joe Cocker singing the glory of North-Vietnam. All some seek in herbology is another LSD trip.

[Virtual Bison]

Indecently, Thom Hartmann, the famous progressive radio host has a doctorate in herbology.

Indecently indeed. His "doctorate" is from Brantridge Forest School, operated from the same address as Bruce Copen's legendary Sussex College of Technology. Not to say the discipline is without substance, but the degree certainly is, just like his "progressive" nonsense.

This may be why Thom never referrs to himself as "Dr"or lists his education in his official biography. I did meet Thom at a book signing once. I would say that he is a very kind person. He is also not afraid to talk about issues with anyone, even a libertarian like myself.

---

Well, just because BOTH Nazis AND hippies in the 1960s endorsed Tibetan culture for their opposing political agendas doesn't mean Tibetan culture isn't worth a damn. Some saw shamanic justification of master race theories; others a justification to get stoned and boff some skunk while listening to Joe Cocker singing the glory of North-Vietnam. All some seek in herbology is another LSD trip.

Oddly enough, Tibet before it was invaded by China was a feudal theocracy where people convicted of crimes were bounded and tied in large wicker baskets and left to die slowly of starvation. Tibetian peasants were practically serfs who were bounded to the land.

Of course the Chinese Communists are really no better.

The swastika is used by Buddhists in China and Tibet. It is also a symbol used in Hindu and Jainist religious traditions. It symbolizes the sun and is thought to be a protection against evil spirits.

I am not 100% sure but I think that it was the Beatles who introduced the western world to Yoga, meditation and eastern religious practices. I read how they went to see Maharishi so-and-so in India and how George Harrison was really into that stuff. Then this holy dude began hitting on all their women and they all got pissed. That is except for George who still was into that.

Yea, I think natural health is a good thing. I used to think western medicine was the cure for everything. But now I realize that doctors are really not that much smarter than you or I. They are just technicians who have a skill in something. But that Ayervedic stuff really does work. I read a number of testimonials.

[ham]

Oddly enough, Tibet before it was invaded by China was a feudal theocracy where people convicted of crimes were bounded and tied in large wicker baskets and left to die slowly of starvation. Tibetian peasants were practically serfs who were bounded to the land.

That's the Chinese variant: compassionate Reds invading Tibet to free oppressed peasants...compassionate Yankees invading countries to uphold the barbers' right to exert their activity, cable TV porn to be relayed and miniskirts...that is what i call altruism...

The variant implies that numbers of supposed Tibetan victims of the Chinese takeover are made-up, for there are disparate census figures that make it impossible for the Chinese to have disposed of so many Tibetans...and those who had a hard time were by all accounts lazy abbotts, land-owners and other slimy bourgeois...

Sounds familiar? Try substituting Tibetans with another well-known group and to apply these brilliant arguments grounded in facts and unshakable logic ...then see how long you last...

[Virtual Bison]

That's the Chinese variant: compassionate Reds invading Tibet to free oppressed peasants...compassionate Yankees invading countries to uphold the barbers' right to exert their activity, cable TV porn to be relayed and miniskirts...that is what i call altruism...

The variant implies that numbers of supposed Tibetan victims of the Chinese takeover are made-up, for there are disparate census figures that make it impossible for the Chinese to have disposed of so many Tibetans...and those who had a hard time were by all accounts lazy abbotts, land-owners and other slimy bourgeois...

Sounds familiar? Try substituting Tibetans with another well-known group and to apply these brilliant arguments grounded in facts and unshakable logic ...then see how long you last...

There are two sides to any truth. And believe me, the Chinese Communists are no angels. I recall in grade school, about the time Nixon went to China how our teachers showed us a film about how wonderful China was. We were told that before Mao took over, this was a land in the dark ages ruled by warlords and where any man can kill his own wife and get away with it. We were shown how China was now able to feed its people.

Of course they never spoke about the Great Leap Forward, which cause a famine killing millions or the horrors of the Cultural Revolution.

When my dad was young in the 1930s he was told that Stalin was a great man and they regarded the USSR as a great experiment.

Incidentally, even though Hitler was a genocidal mad man, I did read a great deal about how many Russians willingly joined up with the Nazis because they preferred the Germans to the Communists. They just could not tell one form of dictatorship from the other. Later the Western Allies sent them all back to Stalin where most of them were either killed or forced to live the rest of their lives in hellish labor camps.

But since history favors the victors, this is a story we seldom hear about.

Or to quote George Bernard Shaw, history will tell lies as usual.

[Yancy Derringer]

When my dad was young in the 1930s he was told that Stalin was a great man and they regarded the USSR as a great experiment.

Sounds like he went to a California government school. The union goons there are still teaching it that way, except now they add Castro, Mao, Harvey Milk and Cesar Shave Ass.