Thursday, January 14, 2010

This Stand-Off Is Pretty Clear (Pull The Trigger)

"How do homeopathic products get away with their quackery?

Well, back in 1938, a US Senator named Royal Copeland inserted a provision into the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act that exempted homeopathic preparations from FDA oversight. They don’t have to prove any of their claims.  (Should I mention that Copeland was a homeopath in civil life?)

No requirement to prove effectiveness or even safety. That exemption is long overdue for revocation."
F. Paul Wilson, on the caring oversight the government's taken toward quackery - no mention of the corrosive belief system that goes along with homeopathy - which (like homeopathy's "healing" properties) doesn't exist, though we now have the True/Slant.

"If every last allegation that Church of Scientology (CoS) defector Nancy Many charges in My Billion Year Contract is true, then her book should inspire several FBI raids and a Lifetime mini-series to rival any Charles Manson documentary. But even if just some of her trials really happened — we'll leave that debate to Many and her ex-cronies — her new memoir might still be the most shocking nonfiction work featured at this week's American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in Boston."
Chris Faraone, reviewing a new book by another Scientology escapee (yes: we are having an effect) and with another statement the government ought to act - aggressively - so, maybe, common sense can rise again like The Boston Phoenix.

10 comments:

  1. I actually think you're way off the mark on this one.

    I think we should praise this fact because the market for homeopathic whatevers probably harm fewer people than FDA approved hamburger.

    I believe in the free market's ability to make things safe and work reasonably well (for their audience at least- hey as long as they're happy, right?).

    So really, screw the FDA.

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  2. If homeopathy's so great then let it meet the same requirements as other medicines - and that includes efficacy.

    In case you don't know, my ex-wife killed three people - starting with her own mother - working with a homeopath. Ever asked yourself how many other deaths are caused by quackery that you don't hear about?

    Ignorantly supporting such things, when you wouldn't even being living this long without the FDA, is stupid.

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  3. First, I don't like homeopathy or any other wacky stuff. I read your blog, and I like it.. I like how you rip on goofballs that believe in crystals and so on.

    All I am saying is that for an unregulated industry, it's doing pretty good. I mean you have to be pretty dumb think snake-oil is going to save you, but at least the market forces are with you.

    Now cults and such are adifferent subject but I am talking about industries selling weird stuff like ground up fish eyeballs to improve hair fullness and stuff like that. I am saying that that industry is pretty safe even though its unregulated.

    And I said you missed the mark, because while you are completely right about all this BS, I think you are misguided to look to the Feds to stop the quacks from getting their fix.

    If anything it'll just make things worse by creating a black market with even more mysticism and probably make things less safe.


    Also, just cause some Feds says its okay doesn't mean it is. Feds watch beef production and stamp their stamps on the meat but people sometimes get e coli poisoning.

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  4. Sorry, Jon, but after living in France - which doesn't have an FDA - and, repeatedly, getting sick as a dog, I'm actually grateful for them.

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  5. Hm...

    Work with me here, man. If they weren't socialists, would they still need an FDA?

    Do we need an FDA?

    Thanks,
    JON

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  6. Sure we do, man.

    I'm a caveman and, while I know e coli poisoning happens, I also know I can still eat meat safely, knowing we have standards high above every other country in the world.

    Why the hostility to the people who keep our food safe?

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  7. Well i figured out something recently. And it's deplorable.

    You cannot slaughter your cow and sell its meat to you neighbors. It's against the law. The FDA must approve it. You must have a FDA approved slaughter house and have a FDA officer monitoring the process.

    Good bye small farm. Hello giant factory farm wastelands.

    It seems to me that big businesses only get big when they lobby congress to make laws against their competition to make the world safer.

    Just like Obama's bill against Tobacco flavoring, which phillip morris was all too gleeful about. John Stossel did a thing on it.

    And I like to think good farmers should be able to do as they please. And they should be determined good by the market. We could be meat connoisseurs but we choose to just accept what Tyson gives us. Yum!

    This is the root of all problems. Look at corn. We subsidize that and we screw Mexico over and they lose their awesome strains of corn, and we get a bunch of fatties drinking cokes and chomping candies.

    Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that our food system is so established that even our poor are fat, but I think the subsidies and special interest regulation could use a trimming.

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  8. I don't know, man. There's so many biases in what you're saying - especially "we get a bunch of fatties drinking cokes and chomping candies" - or even your concern for Mexico, it makes me wonder.

    I'm a patriot, so statements like "screw the FDA", when I have my overseas perspective, bother me. Are you not appreciative of the fact that we don't get sick at the levels of others? And what would you replace the FDA with?

    Don't get me wrong, I have my problems with them, too (homeopathy, for instance) but I'm just more likely to root for our government doing better than to diss 'em.

    Except for Obama - screw Obama.

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  9. Okay then truce.

    in the end, you're right, because the people working at these flawed agencies are we can easily assume good people for the most part.

    I appreciate it. A lot.. But, I would like to see small time farmers compete with the big guys. And I would like to see small time tobacco growers and sellers having a chance against PM.

    And I would replace the FDA with consumer choice, blogs, technology, and the courts. I mean in the end, you should be able to sue the socks off of somebody who wrongfully poisoned you.

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  10. Truce. And thanks for writing:

    It's truly appreciated.

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