The Milk of Canine Kindness

The list of things contained (or more accurately not contained) in homeopathic remedies is long and varied. Many people would have heard of arnica, snake venom, and belladonna (deadly nightshade). Of course, caffeine provides a homeopathic sleeping pill which works (take it and you will fall asleep eventually).

I had however missed the use of dog milk - which appears to deal with dreams of snakes among other things.

I am lucky enough never to have been plagued with dreams of snakes, although judging from the 325,000 entries when I Googled this, plenty of people have. (Note to self: dream interpretation must be a future blog topic.) Perhaps this is because I stick to cow juice on the morning Coco Pops.

1023 and all that

Tomorrow is the day when hundreds of brave men and women risk life and limb in a mass homeopathic overdose taking place across UK cities.

Except that they don't. Barring those who are diabetic and take too many sugar pills, they are risking nothing of the sort, for there is no active ingredient in homeopathic remedies.

There's been a lot written on why homeopathy does not work, and why so called proofs are very far from what a scientist would take the word to mean.

Apart from checking out the 1023 campaign itself at www.1023.org.uk I'd suggest you take a look at this article from the Times of 20th January - and in particular at Matt Parker's splendid mathematical demolition of homepathy.

But, this shouldn't just be about efficacy. This is about Boots. In evidence before the Commons Science and Technology Committee, Boots admitted that they had no evidence homeopathy works. They sell the pills because people want to buy them.

Of course, the company is now known as Alliance Boots, but for years was Boots the Chemist - and I guess that's how most of us still think of them. So, at least in part, we trust them. We go to them with our ailments and the Boots brand, to me at least, should imply that what we leave is something that does what it says on the package.

So what should you do?

1. Inform yourself. Find out what homeopathic tinctures are - this isn't about herbs and flowers
2. Remember, just because it's dressed up in a trusted High Street label doesn't mean it is of value..
3. Support the 1023 guys. They are doing a great job. Though given the derivation of 1023 (see their website as above), wouldn't it have been been better to do the whole thing a week later? 6/02 at 1023 am would make any chemistry teacher proud!

This is what I am talking about

First post - and perhaps a lazy one, so I hope not indicative of future efforts. However, it's worthy of a mention.

Two things that annoy me are: The Daily Mail, and scare stories which are either groundless or blow something out of all proportion. It is remarkable how strong the positive correlation is between these two betes noires.

Early 80's new wave pop star Joe Jackson sang 'Everything Gives You Cancer". This was one of several songs he wrote lampooning the ability of popular culture to sensationalise pretty much anything. So, one generation (25 years) on, what have we learned?

Here is a nice little list of claims that the Mail has advanced over the years, which would make poor Joe pull his hair out. (Thinking about this, he wasn't exactly hirsute in the late 80's so this may be an inappropriate comment), but ....

Causes of Cancer - no honestly

Admittedly, I have yet to research the extent to which the Mail blames this on asylum seekers, or suggests the effect it is bound to have on house prices, but I am confident it is only a matter of time!