Imagine if you were the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK and your mission was to judge the honesty and accuracy of all advertising, including claims on millions of websites. Of all the ads you see and hear every day, which one would you single out to critique and censor?
Would it be the pharmaceutical ad depicting patients with crippling arthritis playing tennis after taking their drug? Would it be the oil company that just polluted your fishing waters, saying they are stewards of the environment? Perhaps you would choose the Nuclear industry claiming their leaking plant poses no danger to the public? Or, maybe you would pick the Biotech company saying their GMO foods are perfectly natural.
Actually, if you were the real Advertising Standards Authority, you would go after ….the little Society of Homeopaths! What greater threat to society?
We decided to interview C. Farma, the secret expert from the ASA, who made the decision.
Hpathy: Why did you single out the Society of Homeopaths?
C. Farma: They dared to suggest that homeopathy could treat disease.
Hpathy : Well, the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital saved thousands of lives from the worst epidemics of cholera, yellow fever, plague and typhus over the last 100 years. It’s historical record.
C. Farma : That doesn’t count. The ASA only considers randomized controlled trials (RCT), not real life events.
Hpathy: I see, helping real patients isn’t as good as studies. But homeopathy also has many RCT’s proving it works.
C. Farma: Those don’t count either. If you prescribe different remedies for patients with different symptoms, the ASA doesn’t consider that evidence.
Hpathy : But prescribing based on a person’s symptoms is how homeopathy works! So this means that homeopathy and most holistic therapies can never pass the ASA test of validity?
C. Farma: That’s correct.
Hpathy: So there’s no way homeopathy can win here? All that’s left for people who get sick are pharmaceutical drugs with deadly side effects.
C.Farma: I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll toss a coin to see if homeopathy is allowed to make any claims.
Hpathy: Really?
C. Farma: Sure. Heads I win, tails you lose.
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Hpathy’s International Homeopathy Short Story Contest
We thank our readers from around the world who submitted 164 stories to the first Hpathy International Homeopathy Short Story Contest. The results of the contest will be announced in the August issue of Homeopathy for Everyone.
In this issue:
Our interview this month is with Mike Bridger, Principal of The Contemporary College of Homeopathy (CCH) in Bristol, U.K and co-director of The Orion Postgraduate Training Course held annually in London. Practicing for 30 years, he’s taught at most colleges in the U.K, as well as in Ireland, the U.S.A, Iceland, and Finland. CCH also presents articles on their college clinic, on susceptibility and on Carcinosin.
Cases: We have cases from : Lucinda Torabi (paralysis, psychosis), Dr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra (endometrioma), Dr. Pawan Pareek ( hydrocephalus), Dr. Krishnamurthy (hypothyroidism), Dr. Kenneth Silvestri solves a case using homeopathy and psychotherapy and Kyu Kyu Lwin treats a severely burned monk.
Articles: Dr. H.A. Roberts reviews some important remedies in Sepsis. Kavita Singh profiles the life of her father Dr. Gurnam Singh, Robert Medhurst presents more studies on homeopathy. Gert E. Schuitemaker sheds light on the controversy over anti-oxidants, Dr. E. Carleton give indications for remedies in Hernia. Dr Rashmi Shukla comments on current homeopathy education in India. Dr. Firuzi Mehta reviews Dr. Subrata Banerjea’s book – Success of Homoeopathy-Authentic Cures., Filmmaker Laurel Chitin discusses her new film about homeopathy and Iman Navab offers another in his series on the history of homeopathy.
As always look for The Plant Doctor with Mark Moodie, case quizzes from Elaine Lewis and Dr. Amarsinha Nikam, Tips and Secrets and a new Cartoon and Crossword puzzle. We welcome your cases, articles, comments and questions. Send them to us a [email protected]
Bril article on ASA, thank you!
Grossly inaccurate. Actually I advised as I did to protect the physicists from the shame of having to admit they are wrong about the atomic nature of matter and the so-called “laws” of thermodynamics and conservation of energy.
Brilliant Alan!!
Got a big chuckle, Alan, thanks!
Dear Alan Schmukler, I have gone through your interview with the secret expert from ASA. I am not convinced with the statement of secret expert of ASA that If we prescribe different remedies for patients with different symptoms, the ASA doesn’t consider that evidence. Why is it not considered as evidence? Are there any rules and regulations on basis of which, this statement has been made? I am also very much surprised with the statement of secret expert from ASA, that he will toss a coin to see if homeopathy is allowed to make any claims. It seems that there is no logic behind the above statements made by the secret expert from ASA.
Hilarious! Nice Read!
Tossing the coin to decide perfectly sums up the case for C Farma being declared persona non grata at ASA and the opinions give declared irrelevant. Otherwise ASA itself reveals itself irrelevant.
Nice summing up Alan