Dr Ben Goldacre : Quackiest of Quacks

Cultural Dwarfs
Quackiest of Quacky Quackpot Bad Scientists Awards

I think I may be one of the few people around in the Natural Health Industry who thinks that the vitriolic, potentially libellous, cynical and vindictive ramblings of Dr Ben Goldacre have been partly a good thing. He has probably done more than anyone to unite the Complementary Medicine Industry and help a vast new audience examine health alternatives more closely. Even just by highlighting the fact that there ARE alternatives to the grossly ineffectual NHS system.

Thousands more desperate people failed by the NHS having suffered from 13 years of 'IBS' (irritable bowel syndrome) , or even more years from constipation have suddenly found there was no need to be suffering and suddenly find themselves with relief after a few weeks.

Of course with any insufficiently regulated industry there are a few 'Earnest experimenters' who could do more harm than good, so encouraging people to be choosy in their choice of therapist can only be a good thing.

However Dr Ben Goldacre whilst he has encouraged the industry to be tighter, sharper and more professional has wasted a tremendous amount of practitioners and researchers time dealing with claims that are just pure fantasy and hypocritical political spin on his part.

He defends a system that fails to help people even with the basics, such as learning how to pooh properly, spends a ridiculous amount of money on laxatives and encourages Burger King into Hospitals.

Even the very worst therapists have grasped that drinking more water and eating more fruit and vegetables can cure most cases of constipation.

So many people could have been getting on with what they do best , healing people and educating the public - instead of that they've been fighting fires lit by the political pyromaniac Dr Ben Goldacre.

Good to see that finally someone has taken on Dr Ben Goldacre at his own game

Dr Ben Goldacre - Exposed

Cultural Dwarfs and Junk Journalism is Martin Walker's fourth book charting the development of the corporate science lobby that has grown rapidly since New Labour came to power in 1997. One of the most recent exponents of the Lobby is Dr Ben Goldacre who has regurgitated a bad 'Science' column in the Guardian newspaper since 2003.

Like other quackbusters Goldacre claims to write factually based and scientifically accurate articles about health, medicine and science either supporting scientists and doctors or criticising individuals involved in alternative or nutritional health care. Goldacre's writing, however, actually reflects the ideology of powerful industrial, technological and political vested interests.

Goldacre who it is claimed is a Junior doctor working in a London NHS hospital is actually a clinical researcher working at the centre of New Labour's Orwellian spin operation that puts a sympathetic gloss on anything shown to create adverse reactions from MMR to Wi-Fi, while at the same time undermining cost-effective and long tried alternative therapies such as acupuncture and homoeopathy. Goldacre is involved with public health researchers well known for trying to prove that those who claim to be adversely affected by pollutants in our modern high-technology society, suffer from 'false illness beliefs'.

It's about time Dr Ben Goldacre had a good ample dose of his own 'Quackpot' medicine - Martin Walker may be just the person to administer it.

Quackiest of Quacks