27 February 2013 by Bart Farkas
In the last few years it appears that the number of clinics offering “Laser Therapy” for pain relief, arthritis, hair loss (or to remove hair) and a bevy of other health benefits. Billboard ads, radio spots, even flyers in alternative medicine offices (Chiropractors, naturopaths etc.) seem subjectively to be increasing. It got me thinking about [...]
Posted in Alt-Med or Alt-Menace?, Alternative Medicine, Health, Medicinal Advertising, Skepticism16 Comments
10 September 2012 by Kim Hebert
Screenshot taken summer 2011 from here. For context, see Part 1 and Part 2. I have outlined some general issues with the alternative medicine industry, I have described Bell Lifestyle Products as an example of the apparent futility of Health Canada’s Natural Health Products Database registration, and I will now describe the complaints I submitted [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Canada, Health, Medicinal Advertising3 Comments
10 April 2012 by Iain Martel
The following is a guest post contributed by Iain Martel of the Centre for Inquiry Canada’s Committee for the Advancement of Scientific Skepticism (CASS). “Homeopathy: There’s Nothing in it” is the slogan for the 10:23 campaign, a British-based global campaign to educate the public to the fact that homeopathic preparations are typically so dilute that [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Canada, Medicinal Advertising, Skepticism40 Comments
26 March 2012 by Kim Hebert
Pictured: Health consumers For background, see Part 1. The company I’m going to talk about is called “Bell Lifestyle Products” and I will use this example to demonstrate the uselessness of Health Canada’s Natural Health Products Database. The BLP “About Us” page is a testimonial by one of the owners summarizing anecdotal reports for their [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Canada, Health, Medicinal Advertising1 Comment
23 March 2012 by Dianne Sousa
Visit the Advertising Standards Canada website and take a few minutes to read through the adjudicated consumer complaints for the last quarter of 2011. You’ll come across this curious report: What could this mysterious, overall-wellness promoting medical device be? I happen to know, because I’m the complainant in this case. The report that appears on [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Canada, Medicinal Advertising, Skepticism7 Comments
10 January 2012 by Ethan Clow
A few weeks ago I talked about a strange hockey-skepticism convergence on Radio Freethinker. That convergence of course is about the goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens in particular. Carry Price, the BC born goalie who currently plays for the Montreal Canadiens is a spokesperson for the homeopathic product Oscillococcinum produced by the Boiron company in [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Health, Media, Medicinal Advertising, Quebec, Skepticism6 Comments
02 December 2011 by Kim Hebert
Hello? Anyone? Skeptics are often accused of being dogmatic, closed-minded, and/or shills when they criticise particular industries or companies for dishonest, irresponsible, or ethically questionable practices. The natural health industry, with its general lack of oversight and use of science as shiny wrapping paper instead of an inherent foundation, is a veritable cornucopia of claims [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Canada, Health, Medicinal Advertising7 Comments
20 October 2011 by Dianne Sousa
Is the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) ever ethically justified? What about its promotion by advocates? Skeptics have long criticized alternative medicine for its inherent lack of demonstrable efficacy and sometimes serious safety issues. This puts the question of ethics front and centre when we discuss the promotion of CAM, and there are excellent [...]
Posted in Medicinal Advertising, Skepticism3 Comments
19 October 2011 by John Underhay
Recently, on the CBC television program, The Dragon’s Den (Episode 3, available here), a product that the sales team for Roxon claimed to prevent and treat migraine and tension headaches was demonstrated. The product, Cefaly, is a tiara-like headband worn over the forehead delivers small electrical impulses. Their demonstration satisfied the Dragons, as they received [...]
Posted in Health, Medicinal Advertising7 Comments
31 August 2011 by Erik Davis
Back in March, I embarked on an experiment to test Canada’s consumer protection mechanisms as they relate to natural health products. As you may recall, I made three simultaneous complaints about a product called Provize to Health Canada, Ad Standards Canada, and the Competition Bureau. Provize is a natural health product that claims to prevent [...]
Posted in Alternative Medicine, Canada, Featured, Health, Health Policy, Medicinal Advertising, Skepticism8 Comments
Crack Your Back instead of a Vial of Vaccine?
Toronto Media, false balance, and the lack of evidence for claims about MIA vet John Hartley Robertson
How Western journalists in Vietnam and POW NGOs were not fooled by tales of MIA Vet back from the dead
Did a Canadian filmmaker find a left behind Vietnam vet or did credulous Toronto media give new life to an old scam?
How I cured my gout without medication
