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SPECIAL REPORTS

Beware of Quacks at the WHO Objecting to the WHO Draft Report on

CEES N.M. RENCKENS, TOM SCHOEPEN, AND WILLEM BETZ

ven though the World Health after sustained use. A substantial part of caused by chemotherapy, colic caused by Organization (WHO) has no this report was written by the World gallstones, strokes, and sciatica. The international power, it still enjoys Federation of (WFC) and very pursuit of a recommendation to E the World Self-Medication Industry apply in the case of dysen- great authority all over the world. In the past, its initiatives and resolutions have (WSMI), which represents manufactur- tery—a dangerous and not infrequently always been able to bear the test of sci- ers and distributors of nonprescription lethal infection—would cost many lives. entific criticism, based as they were on medicines—that is, over-the-counter Only few people are aware of the rational conceptions.1 medicines—two organizations that are insignificant legal and medical status of However, the situation has changed. not exactly known as promoters of evi- such reports; little wonder that quacks In the 1970s, the WHO lent a too- dence-based medicine. Resentment are very eager to loudly proclaim the willing ear to acupuncture. The tide has against "Western medicine" is tangible content of this report. The label not exactly turned on this tradition. In on every page. Countries like China, "Recognized by the WHO" inspires May 2002, the report Traditional North and South Korea, and Vietnam misplaced confidence. Medicine Strategy 2002—2005 was pub- are praised as having fully integrated Meanwhile, news of preparations for lished. Strangely enough, diis report also into their health a similar report, this time on the subject included alternative forms of medicine systems. The indigenous flora of such of scientific research on homeopathy, which are very popular in the West. The regions are conceived of as rich and so have leaked out. By chance, we were man responsible for this strategic report far uncultivated sources of new reme- able to take a look at this secret draft is Dr. Xiaorui Zhang, who is in charge dies, from whose supposed benefits report, which was handed around to a of two WHO departments that— only the Third World countries should number of unknown experts by Xiaorui curiously—merged togedier: the De- derive the profits. For example, the in November 2004. We immediately partment of Essential Drugs and Medi- South African plant Sutherlandia micro- conveyed our objections to him. An cine Policy and the Department of Tradi- phyllia is claimed to be a promising answer remains forthcoming, and that's tional Medicine. medicine that helps increase the weight why we feel compelled to raise the alarm According to a press release, the of AIDS patients. over this, before the WHO actually pro- report presents "the first global strategy Since 2002, Dr. Xiaorui has perse- ceeds to publish. on traditional and alternative medi- vered, and the situation is getting worse. A letter diat accompanied the draft cine." It is a very pro-alternative report, In 2003, the WHO issued Acupuncture: states that it "is intended for a restricted recommending the issuance of rules and Review and Analysis of Reports on audience only" and that the draft text government policies with regard to Controlled Clinical Trials. This review "may not be reviewed in any form or by , bypassing, for circumvented public evaluation and any means outside the restricted audi- instance, the usual methods of testing totally avoided the peer-review system. ence." Comments were to be sent before medicine by accepting "assumed safety" the end of January 2005- Reading this Indiscriminate Medicine draft report reveals why this secrecy is Willem Betz and Tom Schoepen are com- The consequences are grave. Showing required. The tenor of Homeopathy: mittee members of SKEPP (Belgian Study great contempt for the prevailing view Review and Analysis of Reports on Group on the Critical Evaluation of in medicine, the report touts the effec- Controlled Clinical Trials is no better and the (www. tiveness of acupuncture for, among than the content of the report on skepp.be/). Cees N.M. Renckens is the odier ailments, acute dysentery, hay acupuncture. The report refers to die chairman of the Dutch Association against fever, high blood pressure, rheumatoid infamous research of (www.kwakzalverij.nl). arthritis, white-blood-cell deficiency on -memory effects. Indeed,

1 2 Volume 29. Issue 5 Benveniste's study did make it to Science by Majority Vote? Dr. Xiaorui should put any future draft (with serious reservations by the editor), When it comes to health, what is deci- reports under review by experts. In our but there's not a word on the subsequent sive for the WHO—popular belief or opinion, a degradation of the WHO revocation of that same article." expertise? As a matter of fact, it looks as standards presents a sad and dangerous The draft report also indiscrimi- though the majority opinion among die situation. nately adopts the ill-quoted conclu- Third World countries in the WHO is Notes sion of German scientist Klaus Linde, the deciding factor and the organiza- whose research was published in The 1. Since its foundation in 1948. ihc WHO tion's policies on some alternative reme- has been publishing strategic documents in which Lancet in 1997. Linde stated that the dies are determined by popular vote. If it addresses global health problems and clinical effects of homeopathy could announces its plans. The 1977 report Anion the application of holy water and irradi- Programme on Essential Drugs, which listed 300 not be entirely attributed to the ated tomatoes for the treatment of ath- essential medicines and vaccines, is a good exam- placebo effect. (Linde has since lete's foot becomes popular, will the ple. Since 1986, this action program has become renounced this conclusion.) But he part of the WHO strategy on the rational use of WHO also buckle under arguments of drugs, pleading in addition for national regula- also added that he had not found a popularity? Listing the category "experi- tions on the registration of medicines, more single piece of evidence that home- ence-based medicine" alongside the cat- schooling and exchange of information, [reduc- opathy clearly works. The WHO tion/elimination) of deceptive drug advertising, egory "evidence-based medicine" is and more research on tropical diseases. Another clearly applies a method which count- plainly misleading. For centuries, expe- important report was Health for All in the Year less homeopaths also use: selective 2000, which was the result of a conference in rience made people believe that treat- Alma Ata, Kazakhstan, in 1978. The recommen- critical thinking. ments like were excellent dations in this document were undisputed and for one's health—until someone decided included the guideline that developing countries 'Factually Wrong' and should spend at least 5 percent of their gross 'Problematic' to scrutinize this claim. national product on health care. The contempt for scientific stan- 2. About Benveniste. the report says: "A study With regard to homeopathy, the draft dards in the evaluation of alternative published by a group led by Benveniste (Davenas report presents some indications for and traditional medicine has disastrous which effectiveness is claimed to be consequences for the reputation and proved: tropical diarrhea among chil- authority of the WHO, and leads to a dren, hay fever, beginning influenza, considerable increase in quackery. In the United Stales or Canada, the fibromyalgia, stomatitis during chemo- By legitimizing acupuncture while names and addresses of the officials to contact to put pressure on the therapy, and postoperative ileus, among at the same time asking for "more WHO to stop promoting medical others. Also, senseless explanations are research," the WHO is blowing hot pseudoscience and to encourage the brought up to support the supposed and cold, creating a dangerous prece- application of scientific medicine in effectiveness of submolemlar Hilured dent. Also, the too-favorable judgment all regions of the world are: solutions. The statements on the of "traditional medicine" by the WHO importance of agitation during the definitely won't alleviate the urgent preparation of homeopathic remedies need for rational and effective medicine Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary are downright hilarious.' in the Third World. It is very impor- The United States Department of As in me report on acupuncture, critical tant that the WHO office realize that Health and Human Services reviews by the most influential authors/ its documents are scrutinized. The 200 Independence Avenue S.W. authorities that are specialized in scientific quack lobbies that have infiltrated the Washington, D.C. 20201 research on alternative treatments—the Web WHO cannot be given a free ride. We Telephone: (202) 619-0257 site Bandolier (Oxford University), the ask all scientific and skeptical organi- Toll free: 1-877-696-6775 Cochrane Library, and Edzard Ernst (Exeter zations to contact their health officials University)—are entirely ignored. In fact, to let the WHO know that they expect Ernst considers the report to be "misleading The Honorable Ujjal Dosanjh, the highest scientific standards to be Federal Minister of Health and factually wrong." applied in all official WHO statements Health Canada Even more damaging to the credibil- on medicine. A.L. 0900C2 ity of the WHO report is the recent Furthermore, die WHO's recommen- Ottawa KIA 0K9 opinion of Klaus Linde, ironically, the dations for methods of treatment should most cited author in the same report. no longer be made by a majority vote but Telephone: (613) 957-2991 He considers the draft report on home- instead be based on a set of undisputed Toll free: 1-866-225-0709 opathy as "overoptimistic" and would scientific criteria. Contributors to WHO Fax: (613) 941-5366 find it "problematic" if this would be reports should be above any suspicion of circulated as an official WHO paper.' conflicts of interest. We also insist that

SKEPTICAL INQUIRER September/October 2005 13 1988) attracted wide attention AluSough these: Similar wording can be found in the February charge distribution (like proteins). However spec- studies have proved irreproducible, subsequent[ 2002 edition of Chembytes, the monthly e-zine of ulative this may sound, Del Giudice does not studies using a modified method . . . have showni homeopath and chemist Lionel Milgrom, who is comment on any effect of agitation (shaking) and positive results, which have been reproduced by sev- quoted in the draft report although he is not dilution. Nor is it evident how this mechanism eral different laboratories...." One of die studies• recorded in rhc bibliography. would take effect in alcohol or lactose (the vehi- quoted was from Belon ct a), in 1999. This study' Obviously, all this has nothing to do with the cles most often used for homeopathic solutions). was the subject of a carefully conducted experiment1 "clinical trials" in the title of the draft report. After all, it remains unclear how the effect of by the BBC and proved not to be able to demon- What this nonsense conceals, however, is that the knocking a vial on a leather-bound book strate any specific effects of ultra-diluted solutions, quoted article is not at all concerned with fixed {Organon of Mediant § 270, note 3) could have contrary to the unequivocal assertions. Neither the: structures that exist long enough to be replicated the slightest effect on molecules that constantly immediate refutation by Davenas ct al., the subse- but rather with the eventuality that the move- bump into each other at speeds of hundreds of quent one by Hirst ct al., nor the invalidation by ments of the rotation axes of free-water molecules meters per second. the BBC are mentioned in rhc report. show a certain connection. It is a fact that water This appeal to the highly speculative article of 3. About the role of agitation (shaking and' molecules arc generally stuck to one or more Del Giudice et al. can be treated in the same way knocking), the report states: "Theoretical work pre- neighboring molecules with hydrogen bonds. as the "proof" of Hahnemann that links a personal dicts that a body of water containing about Structures rhat come into being in this way have observation about the intoxicating smell of roses I0"-10" molecules will spontaneously self-organise a life span of about 10 " seconds and during the with an anecdote about the Byzantine emperor into a 'coherent domain' similar to electrons in a same duration, any pattern in the random move- Alexius, who passed out and was restored to con- free electron laser (Del Giudice 1988). It appears ments of the molecules crumbles away. This tem- sciousness with rose water by his sister (Organon of that such coherent domains could be triggered by porarily shared movement shows no preferential Medicine § 117. notes 1 and 2). the process of dilution and agitation used in the direction, but Del Giudicr speculates that it 4. E-mail message from Klaus Linde to preparation of homeopathic medicines." might arise in the vicinity of substances with a Willem Ben.

Mystical Experiences Magnetic Fields or Suggestibility?

JOE NICKELL

ome skeptics have embraced targeted by weak magnetic fields. 52-53, 186; Baker and Nickell 1992, Michael A. Persinger's studies Skeptics have been tempted to argue 135-139; Nickell 2001) may instead be Swhich supposedly demonstrate that from Persinger's work that certain para- due to "a psychoenergetic force." The two electromagnetic stimulation of the brain normal experiences may merely be due collaborators opine that, possibly, "elec- can produce religious or paranormal to brain stimulation. Supposedly, sight- tromagnetic components of mental states experiences. Persinger's findings received ings of ghosts, angels, and aliens, as well can interact with electromagnetic extensive media attention, including as out-of-body experiences might all be in the environment to produce the television coverage by the BBC, CNN, caused by exposure to electromagnetic events" (Roll and Persinger 2001, 152). and the Discovery Channel, in addition fields (as from electronic equipment or In late 2004, however, a joint study by to numerous citations in print, especially power lines) or Earth's geomagnetic scientists from two Swedish universities in popular science magazines. Recent fields (Roll and Persinger 2001; Shermer called into question much of Persinger's experimental results, however, cast doubt 2003; Granqvist et al. 2004). research. The scientists attempted to on Persinger's claims. Others (including myself) were trou- replicate Persinger's findings using the Persinger—a professor of psychology bled by some of Persinger's writings, such identical magnetic-field apparatus. Their and biology at Laurentian University in as "Investigations of Poltergeists and experiments involved eighty-nine stu- Sudbury, Ontario, Canada—has claim- Haunts: A Review and Interpretation," dents in psychology and theology. ed that a majority of test subjects (up to co-authored with parapsychologist The researchers found no evidence 80 percent) sense an unexplained pres- William G. Roll (Roll and Persinger that paranormal or religious experiences ence when their temporal lobes are 2001). This work suggests, for instance, were caused by the electromagnetic stim- that some poltergeist ("noisy spirit") dis- ulation. However, there were such Joe Nickell, CSICOP's Senior Research turbances that skeptical investigators reponed experiences in both the test and Fellow, is author of numerous investigative have attributed to human tricks or other control group subjects who were highly books inch/ding The Mystery Chronicles: mundane causes (Christopher 1970, suggestible (as determined by use of a More Real-Life X-Files. 142-163; Randi 1985; Randi 1995, special questionnaire). The researchers

1 4 Volume 29. Issue 5 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER