Irish Independent propigating quackery about cancer

blatantrereg

It's hardly the most credible paper at the best of times, but this is a step beyond.

http://www.zenbuffy.com/2012/08/balancing-act/

• By ‘dousing’ (an ancient practice of using two wires to find underground waterways) Brendan can identify where water runs under a house and has found a strong correlation between that and illness.
• If you’re constantly waking tired and unrefreshed it could be a sign that you’re sleeping over geopathic stress.
• There’s a growing interest in how geopathic stress or ‘sick building syndrome’ affects health, with planners in several countries now considering geopathic stress lines when building houses.
• On the basis that electromagnetic waves affect the body’s ability to restore itself during sleep, Brendan advises also keeping mobile phones and electricity boxes an arm’s length from the bed – as well as keeping WiFI switched off at night.

Not just one article in fact, but two:

Further down the page, nestled between largely sensible articles from an Irish Cancer Society representative and a dietician, Dr. Aileen O’Kane, now an Ayurvedic practitioner tells us that “if the digestive system is overtaxed the immune system is compromised and can’t gobble up the cancer cells that the body is always producing, the way it normally would”, and in a nod to the thoroughly debunked “alkaline diet” craze, that ”Many people who have cancer have excess acid in the body.” The conclusion, highlighted for you in a section of its own, is to “keep acidic foods to a minimum”. O’Kane believes that any illness, including cancer, is the body’s warning sign that our lives are out of balance

Colmustard

Snake oil stuff, I have geopathic illness, it pisses rain a lot were I live.

AnonoBoy

The Independent talking through its hoop????!!!! :eek:




I have to go and sit down for a second to recover from the shock of it. Excuse me please gentlemen.

later12

Here's the article in question, or at least the electronic version.

http://www.independent.ie/health/health-advice/electromagnetic-energy-expert-3201627.html

Meh, the paper doesn't actually condone it and does say there has been limited research as well as alluding to the fact that what the guy is saying is contentious.

AnonoBoy

later12 wrote: »

Here's the article in question, or at least the electronic version.

http://www.independent.ie/health/health-advice/electromagnetic-energy-expert-3201627.html

Meh, the paper doesn't actually condone it and does say there has been limited research as well as alluding to the fact that what the guy is saying is contentious.

Gah! A reasonable piece? That ruins my sarcastic reply above.

drunkmonkey

5:2 diet is the only show in town if you don't want the big C.

blatantrereg

Linking to their website only encourages them.

here is article copypasta:

Electromagnetic Energy Expert

It is an area that is still open to debate, but Brendan Murphy from Positive Energy believes geopathic stress, caused by sleeping above underground rivers, impacts on our health and the body's susceptibility to cancer.

By 'dousing' (an ancient practice of using two wires to find underground waterways) Brendan can identify where water runs under a house and has found a strong correlation between that and illness.

[SNIP]

Planners in several counties consider geopathic stress lines? Really? Better move the estate beside those pylons just to be safe I reckon.
No source for that assertion in the article of course. Also they present the 'expert's' claim that he can find water underground with two sticks as fact, rather than mental horsesh!t.

zenbuffy

later12 wrote: »

Here's the article in question, or at least the electronic version.

http://www.independent.ie/health/health-advice/electromagnetic-energy-expert-3201627.html

Meh, the paper doesn't actually condone it and does say there has been limited research as well as alluding to the fact that what the guy is saying is contentious.

I disagree - the electronic version doesn't show the prominence of position in the paper version, the fact that the whole section was titled "the truth about avoiding cancer", etc. You can see that if you head to the blog, as there's a shot of the paper there. There are two articles from a dietician and the Irish Cancer Society and they are completely overwhelmed by the space given to this geopathic stress nonsense.

As I said in the blog (it's mine), by placing this stuff side by side with (and indeed in a more prominent position than) other articles from actual medical professionals, it affords it an air of authenticity which it doesn't deserve. Telling people they should look into it because it might impact their health is disingenuous - there's no point in spending money on this stuff on the off chance that it might impact your health when there is absolutely no proof that it does.

humanji

blatantrereg wrote: »

Linking to their website only encourages them.

here is article copypasta:

Actually, we don't allow full pasting of articles due to Sherlock's Folly. Sorry, you'll have to either go to the site or take peoples word for it.

Son Of A Vidic

blatantrereg wrote: »

It's hardly the most credible paper at the best of times, but this is a step beyond.

Credible paper or not, it's no more and no less of a rag than The Irish Times. They all feed from the same trough.

Millicent

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Credible paper or not, it's no more and no less of a rag than The Irish Times. They all feed from the same trough.

It is most definitely not on a par with the Irish Times. The Irish Times errs sometimes but the two really aren't comparable in terms of ethical reporting and coverage.