A general record of my ongoing battle with all forms of nonsense.

Wednesday, 26 November 2008

A Rather Weak Reply from Leicestershire CC Library Services

I received this rather weak reply from Library Services.  It was quite impressive that she actually spent the time to visit the libraries and look at the book, chat to collegues and then completely ignore the points I was trying to make.

Thank you for your letter of 20th November, and your comments on the new Oadby Library. I am pleased that you think it is fantastic – we are very proud of it.

You make some very clear points about the stock there, and thank you for these.  I have spoken to the buying team, a customer service librarian at Oadby and visited the library to look at the stock myself before replying to you. 

We do attempt to avoid bias in all areas of our stock and to represent all viewpoints, within the law of the land. We have to be selective in what we buy as we have a limited budget and there are many thousands of books published in any one year. In the case of Alternative Medicine there is certainly no deliberate “anti-science basis”. In the Health and Well-being section, there are titles on lots of areas, including mainstream medicine. Not every title we stock is on the shelf at any one time, as they will have been borrowed. We do stock material that is popular with our library users and is reflected in the number of times they have been borrowed. Books which are not in stock in Oadby Library may be available in other libraries across the network, and can be requested. We will also borrow titles from across the country through the Inter-Library Loan services to enable borrowers to have access to any title they wish, if it is available. 
 

We do try to satisfy our users requirements, if we can. I hope this is helpful. 

Thank you for your interest, 

And my response:

I thank you for your reply of 24th November 2008, however I wish to point out that none of the issues I raised were responded to.

My issues are as follows:

  • There is huge bias against the current scientific consensus in areas such as alternative medicine and the paranormal, to the point that there appear to be a total of zero books supporting the scientific consensus on the subjects.

  • That some of the information in some of these books is potentially dangerous to the reader, to the point where making the claims would be illegal if made by a practitioner.

  • That by promoting books in exact opposition to the scientific consensus, the library is spreading ignorance on extremely important matters such as health.
You mentioned that the library has lots of books on mainstream medicine. However, this was irrelevant to my point – I was discussing alternative medicine. The books on alternative medicine are ones with incredible bias – thankfully most of the books on mainstream medicine support the scientific consensus otherwise I’d be complaining about those too.

Though you have said there is no deliberate bias, having seen my letter and visited the library you are no doubt now aware of significant bias – even if it is not deliberate. However, you have failed to say what, if anything, the library service plans to do about it. I’d like a response on the following:
  • Does the library even acknowledge that the bias exists?

  • Does the library plan to do anything about this problem?

  • If so, what?

I look forward to your reply.

Thursday, 20 November 2008

The Woo Promoters of Leicestershire County Council

I've always been slightly annoyed by the mumbo-jumbo department in the local library.  While I can understand it in a bookshop (their only job is to sell books), a library should be a centre for spreading knowledge - not superstition.

All the books I could find on psychic ability promote it as something that exists.  All the books on alternative medicine are extremely positive about it's efficacy. There is no critical thought whatsoever.

Finally I got round to (trying to) get something done about it.  With, so far, the predictable lack of success.  Of course that won't stop me trying.  To be honest, I love the argument.

Below are my series of letters to Leicestershire County Council Libraries.  I'll carry on adding to this post as they continue to go back and forth.



Reader Development Team
929-931 Loughborough Road
Rothley
Leicestershire
LE7 7NH

Dear ,

The new Oadby Library premises look fantastic, and the longer opening hours will mean I will be using the library much more often. I have a few comments, however, on the book selection.

The Oadby Library has an excellent selection of non-fiction books on the subject of the Holocaust.

In the photo below there are 2 piles of books from the Oadby Library. On the right are all the books I found relating to the Holocaust that support the view taken by historical experts. On the left is the pile of books promoting the pseudo-history that the Holocaust did not happen. There are zero books in this pile.



I completely agree with this approach, but why doesn’t the library provide books showing both viewpoints? There are many Holocaust-deniers out there, so why is the library not providing for their views too?  I’d hope that the answer to this question is that it is the library’s responsibility to help educate. Providing books promoting Holocaust denial would be mis-education, and therefore not only a wilful neglect of the library’s responsibility, but a deliberate attempt to spread ignorance.


Why doesn’t the library take this same approach throughout its non-fiction section?


Unlike your excellent Holocaust section, the Oadby Library has some sections where:
  • The selection of books relating to specific subjects is extremely biased.
  • The bias is drastically in opposition to the scientific consensus.
  • Some books provide false information that is potentially harmful to the reader, in some cases to the point where it would be illegal to provide the same information in an advertisement.
  • That in health, the science-based information is mixed up with the information proven to be false by science.
From a brief browse around the library, I have found significant bias against the scientific consensus exists within the following subjects:
  • Alternative Medicine
  • Nutrition
  • Psychic Ability
  • Ghosts
However, to keep this letter to a (semi)readable length I’m going to tackle Alternative Medicine and Psychic Ability only.

Alternative Medicine
The pile of books on the left goes against the scientific consensus. The pile on the right is in favour of the scientific consensus. There are zero books in this pile.



Within the health section, there are books on both “conventional” and “alternative” medicine. Science is extremely important in being able to determine which medicine (alternative or otherwise) works and which does not. While the “conventional” medicine books are generally good and based upon science, why is there so much anti-science bias on the subject of “alternative” medicine?

There are many excellent books available on this subject:
  • Trick or Treatment?: Alternative Medicine on Trial, by Simon Singh & Edzard Ernst
  • Bad Science, by Ben Goldacre
  • Suckers: How Alternative Medicine Makes Fools of Us All, by Rose Shapiro
  • Placebo, by Dylan Evans
  • Snake Oil and Other Preoccupations, by John Diamond
  • Snake Oil Science: The Truth About Complementary and Alternative Medicine, by R. Barker Bausell
Some of the alternative health books on the library shelves make specific claims about alternative health products that:
  • Have no evidence for their efficacy whatsoever.
  • Have been conclusively shown to be false by scientific experiment.
  • Would be illegal for an alternative health practitioner to advertise or claim.
  • Are potentially dangerous to the reader if they believe them.
The book “Family Guide to Complementary and Conventional Medicine” is particularly dangerous. Not only does it give advice that would be illegal to be given by a practitioner under consumer protection law, but it also makes claims that would be illegal under The Cancer Act 1939:



Psychic Ability
The pile of books on the left goes against the scientific consensus. The pile on the right is in favour of the scientific consensus. There are no books on the right. 




There are many fantastic books on the subject of psychics supporting the scientific consensus. Why is there such extreme bias? There are many excellent books available that cover the subject:
  • The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading, by Ian Rowland
  • The Truth about Uri Geller, by James Randi
  • The Naked Quack: Exposing the Many Ways Phony Psychics and Mediums Cheat You! by The Psychics
  • "Psychic" Wendy
  • The Psychic Mafia, by M.Lamar Keene & Allen Spragg
  • Deception and Self-deception: Investigating Psychics, by Richard Wiseman
  • Flim-Flam, by James Randi
  • Confessions of a Medium, Anonymous
  • Guidelines for Testing Psychic Claimants, by Richard Wiseman
  • Tricks of the Mind, by Derren Brown
  • Why People Believe Weird Things, by Michael Shermer
People have different opinions on what is true and what is not. For this reason, we have science. Science has no interest in people’s opinion - it is only interested in the dispassionate search for what is true.

The library does not have books denying the Holocaust in its history section for good reason - it would be against the library’s function if it was to help spread such ignorance.

I’d like to ask why, in sections on psychic ability and alternative medicine, does the library take the exact opposite approach?

I look forward to your reply.


Friday, 10 October 2008

Aromatheutics get slap on the wrist from the ASA.

Just a quick update on the quacks at Aromatheutics Ltd. They got the well deserved slap on the wrist by the ASA for their nonsense "PainSolv" device following my complaint.

http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/TF_ADJ_45102.htm

Another success, but I can't help thinking we need a better method of policing. After making lots of money selling nonsense to the sick and vulnerable, they deserve a proper fine - not just a warning not to place the ad again. At the very least, any profits gained from the venture should be taken away.

If you can profit from this sort of thing even when you get caught, where is the incentive not to deceive?

Sunday, 7 September 2008

Pamella - Deluded Clairvoyant?


With the current British weather being as it is, there isn't too much to do outside. Might as well get another reading.

Blaby was holding a Mind, Body & Soul fair. These fairs are usually jam-packed with psychics/mediums/clairvoyants, so I thought I'd pop along.

Now I wish to make an important point about my visits to these mystics. While I find it highly unlikely that they possess any sort of supernatural powers, I always go along with an open (albeit informed) mind and give them the opportunity to demonstrate their powers.

They don't normally get the opportunity to do this. Their usual punters, by giving information, do not allow them to show what information can be found by methods other than cold reading. The fact that to date, those I've visited have failed to demonstrate any other way of retrieving information is in no way due to lack of opportunity.

Happily, Pamella, a "medium" from Nottingham allowed me to record the entire session. She told me she doesn't normally record readings as the recorder doesn't pick her voice up very well. She put this down to the fact that she was partly "on a different plane".

Luckily, my Canon Digital Ixus 70 (a digital camera with built-in sound recorder) was able to pick up her voice quite well. I'd recommend this model to anyone wishing to pick up sound travelling "on a different plane". Those guys at Canon are geniuses.

As you'll hear from the MP3, most of it is ambiguous - but she does make the following verifiable/falsifiable claims:
  • My mother's grandmother (didn't say which) was brought up on a farm, or within a rural type of environment and used to read tea leaves or playing cards and was "in spirit" before I was born. She used potions (1:48). I've no idea if this is true, but its not unreasonable in 1885, especially with my mother having 2 grandmothers.
  • She suggested that I listen to "my boss" (06:59) This implies that I have a boss. MISS, I own my own business.
  • I've got a promotion coming at work within 16 months (14:02). MISS, I'm at the top already.
I may have missed one - if you notice any more claims that are verifiable/falsifiable please add a comment and I'll review it.

It gets funny at 15:35:
Mystic:"So does all that make sense?"
Me: "Not really"
Mystic: "Well it does, and you see, erm, it does and this is will happen whatever is going on in your life. This is what will happen and you can't argue with cards."

At about 19:57, she starts to get annoyed and accuses me of not coming with the "right intention". I'm asked to leave.

It seems clear: If you don't give Pamella any information, she can't get it from anywhere else.

I don't think that Pamella is a fraud, I do think she genuinely believes that she has these powers. But if she is going to charge people for a service, she should first verify her ability to fulfil that service.

Download the MP3 here: http://www.mediafire.com/?jh0b5oi4mat

Friday, 5 September 2008

Joanne Jordan, Fraudulent Psychic Medium or just Deluded?

Joanne Jordan Psychic Medium
This morning, I made a telephone call to Star Crystals & Healing in Oadby, Leicester, who were hosting a psychic for the day to do "readings". Cold?

Thanks to the recent Consumer Protections from Unfair Trading Regulations 2007, "psychics" need to advertise their services as for "scientific experiments" unless they have evidence to back them up. As Joanne Jordan did not do this, I assumed she must be a genuine psychic with proven powers - so I phoned to check. The lady on the phone insisted that this "psychic" was for real. So I booked a session. And recorded it.

Rather unsurprisingly, if you don't tell Joanne Jordan, Psychic Medium everything, apparently she can't get it from either the cards or the dead.

After about 15 minutes (12:36 on the MP3 linked below) of Joanne not producing anything relevant and insisting that it works better if the communication was two-way, I got a bit bored and decided to see what happened if I fed her some false information. "Psychic baiting" is the term used for this by Ian Rowland, author of the excellent Full Facts Book Of Cold Reading.

Joanne Jordan was soon making contact with my father who died of cancer (he's currently on holiday in France and to my knowledge, cancer free and alive).

What was most worrying however, was when Joanne Jordan was telling me that the cards were showing that someone very close to me was lying to me, and implying that it was my wife. For a typical gullible punter, this could have destroyed their relationship. They'd be living in a state of permanent suspicion to their partner simply because this woman is able to get away with charging £35 to make stuff up.

So - is Joanne Jordan a Fraudulent Psychic Medium or is she just self-deluded? I'm not really sure. But even if it's the later, she's certainly guilty of charging for her "powers" before properly checking she's got them. As I've shown, it's not difficult to do a simple test.

You can hear the MP3 here: http://www.mediafire.com/?tg1mcmgwwa0

I'll try to do more similar recordings, though it will be difficult while I'm in Tignes.

Wednesday, 18 June 2008

Bioflow: Looks like some success with the ASA

(You can click on the image to see it full size)

Sunday, 20 April 2008

Is my first fatwa on its way?

Leicester Secular Society had a talk/debate this evening on Shariah Law. The speaker was a Sharia "judge" from the Islamist organisation Sunnah Leicester.

The point of his argument was to argue in favour of implementing Shariah Law, and the basis of it was to compare the worst problems of various international societies past and present against Sharia Law. There were two main problems with the argument given, (1) we were told nothing of Sharia, so it wasn't really what you'd call a comparison, and (2) it clearly committed the informal fallacy known of the false dilemma: there are more possible forms of society than those mentioned. Oh, and (3) he only compared Shariah with any given society on one or two points; not really what you'd call a proper cost-benefit analysis.

To break down the argument into it's fundamental components:


  1. Shariah is based laws from Allah, Society A is based upon laws from man.

  2. Society idea A (which was thought up by men) had problem X.

  3. You wouldn't get X in Shariah.

  4. Therefore; Shariah is better than society A.

  5. Repeat above arguments with societies B-F

  6. Therefore; Shariah is the best possible society.

As you may have noticed from the argument above; nothing was said about Shariah law (except that it doesn't have X). Which isn't really what you'd expect from a talk titled "Shariah Law". Perhaps it should have been titled "Shariah Law Surprise".


Anyway - onto how I'm on my way to my first fatwa. Someone at the back (one of the Muslims) had said that without Shariah there is much more of {crime A, crime B, crime C}. His list included rape.


Now, the thing is (sorry, we're going back a bit in time here for a bit of background) Muhammad invited the ruler of Egypt to join Islam. And although he didn't respond with a definite "yes"; he did respond with a gift. And that gift included a couple of Coptic Christian Slave girls accompanied by an elderly eunuch. This may sound funny now, but I'm sure it wasn't at the time. Especially if you were one of the slaves. And I wouldn't want to be the eunuch either.


Muhammad kept the slaves and had sex with them. His wives complained. But Muhammad had a "revelation" to deal with this. This essence of this revelation is Muhammad can shag is slaves whenever he wants, Allah said so, stop winging on about it. Sura (66:1-5).


So.... back to the more recent past. This chap had just talked about all the rape that's going on because of the lack of Shariah law. I thought that it would be fair to point out that Mohammad kept sex slaves and used them - and was therefore a rapist. Not an unreasonable amount of conjecture I thought.


"Listen, you better watch your mouth" I heard in a rather threatening voice. "Are you threatening me with violence?" I asked. "Yes" three of them responded.


I think it was Alexei Sayle who said something like "I'm convinced that it would be really funny if someone took the piss out of fundamentalist Islam. I'm also convinced that it shouldn't be me". He had a good point.


I was then informed by some members of the secular society that the particular brand of Islam being offered tonight was of the fundamentalist variety. Which to be fair should have been obvious from the beards alone. And the dress code. Oh, and their clearly stated goals of turning the whole world into a single state implementing Shariah Law.


Thankfully, a couple of society members escorted me to my car so I managed to get away unscathed.


There are good and bad sides to this. The bad side is obviously that I've been threatened with religiously motivated violence from a group of about 25 Islamic fundamentalists. The good side is that; when someone resorts to threatening violence, you must have won the argument.

Saturday, 5 April 2008

Nutri-Energetics Systems

At a psychic fair in October 2007, I came across a stand advertising "Nutri-Energetics Systems - A New Paradigm in Healthcare". Could it be that I had found the holy grail of pseudo-science?



According to their literature (click on the picture to see it in full-resolution), it's a
"revolutionary approach to health, the culmination of 25 years of work into how physics explains biology - through the mapping of the quantum electrodynamics body-field"

.... and it marvel at the multi-disciplinary science:
"the NES-Professional system integrates research from the fields of physics, quantum biology, mathematics and Western and Chinese medicine."

Their claim is that there is a "human electrodynamics body-field" that they've been able to map with their incredible technology. Just pay £45 and put your hand on something that looks like a mouse with tin-foil attached. The system will "read your body-field and compare it to the optimum human body-field, which is encoded in the software".

And if your "human body-field" isn't optimum? They sell "NES Infoceuticals" (small bottles of water) for £12.
"Nutri-Energetics has devised a unique method of imprinting a base of organic colloidal minerals with information representing different aspects of the optimum human body-field. When you take an Infoceutical as drops in water, the QED information acts as a magnetic signpost to the subatomic particles in your body-field; aligning these particles helps to restore optimum health."
Hmmmm.........

My letter to the Advertising Standards Authority (see below) prompted an investigation and the appropriate Adjudication. Success!


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10 November 2007

Advertising Standards Authority
Mid City Place
71 High Holborn

London
WC1V 6QT

Ref: A07-43223/ROC

Dear Mr. O’Connell,

I have enclosed the leaflet as requested in your last letter.

It’s extremely difficult knowing where to start with this complaint. The scientific content in the leaflet has simply been made up. Honing in on any specific claim is difficult because the leaflet is comprised almost in entirety of fabricated claims.

I have spent some time going through your web site and picking out the various points that NES’s leaflet would appear to breach.

2.1 All marketing communications should be legal, decent, honest and truthful.

The leaflet is dishonest in that it consists almost in entirety of pseudo-scientific claims that have simply been made up. Specifically, there is no scientific evidence for the existence of a “quantum electrodynamics body-field”. This claim is untruthful; it is pseudoscience. Everything else in the leaflet stems from this claim (e.g their claimed ability to be able to measure this field and manipulate it with “Infoceuticals”).

3.1 Before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove all claims, whether direct or implied, that are capable of objective substantiation.

Relevant evidence should be sent without delay if requested by the ASA or CAP. The adequacy of evidence will be judged on whether it supports both the detailed claims and the overall impression created by the marketing communication. The full name and geographical business address of marketers should be provided without delay if requested by the ASA or CAP.

As this is clearly pseudo-science rather than real science, there can be no credible documentary evidence to back up any of their claims. I have spent time looking for evidence on the Internet and all references to the “quantum electrodynamics body-field” seem to come only from NES or NES affiliated sites. This is clearly not a scientific theory.

The leaflet makes the following unsubstantiated claims:

· That they have managed to map a “quantum electrodynamics body-field”.

· That this body-field “acts as the master control system for the physical body”. (Note: Science has quite conclusively demonstrated that the master control system for the physical body is the brain.)

· That they have “devised a unique method of imprinting a base of organic colloidal minerals with information representing different aspects of the optimal human body-field.”

· That “When you take an Infoceutical as drops in water, the QED information acts as a magnetic signpost to the subatomic particles in your body-field”.

· That “aligning these particles helps to restore optimal health”.

· “The NES software is able to ‘read’ your body-field”.

6.1 Marketers should not exploit the credulity, lack of knowledge or inexperience of consumers.

The advertising material is specifically targeted to exploit consumers with a lack of scientific knowledge. By using scientific language such as “quantum electrodynamics”, “quantum biology”, “field” and “subatomic particles” they try to convince the inexperienced consumer that the product is based upon scientific investigation.

50.1 Medical and scientific claims made about beauty and health-related products should be backed by evidence, where appropriate consisting of trials conducted on people. Where relevant, the rules will also relate to claims for products for animals. Substantiation will be assessed by the ASA on the basis of the available scientific knowledge.

There appears to be no scientific basis for any of their claims. I can find no reference to clinical trials.

Again, the following claims are made:

· That they have managed to map a “quantum electrodynamics body-field”.

· That this body-field “acts as the master control system for the physical body”.

· That they have “devised a unique method of imprinting a base of organic colloidal minerals with information representing different aspects of the optimal human body-field.”

· That “When you take an Infoceutical as drops in water, the QED information acts as a magnetic signpost to the subatomic particles in your body-field”.

· That “aligning these particles helps to restore optimal health”.

· “The NES software is able to ‘read’ your body-field”.

I believe it is appalling that a company is trying to extort £45 for a “Consultation and scan” plus an additional £12 for “Infoceuticals” from ill people who are easily fooled. I do hope you take this complaint seriously.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,



Simon .

Proper labelling of Stem Cell treatments

Stem Cell research, we are told, is likely to lead to a revolution in medical care. And the possibility of science bringing such significant benefits to mankind, the Catholic church is naturally on a mission to put a stop to it.

Regardless of the outcome in the UK, the research will continue somewhere, and the treatments will be developed.

In all likelihood the Catholic church will continue protesting about the research and won't protest in the slightest about it's followers using the medication. They could do with a simple labelling system to help them remember. I've come across this petition for just that on the 10 Downing St web site here: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/StemCellLabels/.

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to create a law that will require all treatments invented using knowledge gained from stem cell research to be labelled "unsuitable for Catholics".

Few petitions have such a low likelihood of succeeding, although that's not really the point of posting it. Why not sign up?

Ken Ham, Answers In Genesis

I visited a highly entertaining talk from Ken Ham the Australian creationist on 3rd April. Ken Ham is the founder of Answers in Genesis and is so desperate to hold onto his faith that he has needed to build his own museum to convince himself of this nonsense.

There's no real need for me to say what went on, as it has the visit was properly recorded by others here.

Most surprisingly, I found that Ken and I agreed on one detail. His fear of losing the belief in the Genesis creation story is that without it; the whole basis of Christianity falls down. Without Adam and Eve, there's no original sin. And without original sin; Jesus's sacrifice is pointless. Which makes the entire Christ myth a waste of time.

I couldn't agree with Ken any more on this point. I really don't understand how so many Christians can continue to think the myth has any significance without it. Ken's world-view is without doubt mumbo-jumbo. But at least it's consistent mumbo-jumbo.

Featured on www.love-tignes.com

PainSolv in The Times

The Times on 4th April 08 featured an ad for "PainSolv", which is a "therapy based on more than 30 years of worldwide research carried out by renowned scientists." Hmmmm.....

See the full ad here.

Apparently it works by "pulsed electromagnetic wave forms into the body, passing through all body tissue including bone without any impairment of wave strength".

Which is amazing because you'd expect that, if this thing has any effect, the wave strength might just be impaired.

But apparently it does work, it's been "clinically proven to have vigorous biological effects, influencing cell behaviour by inducing electrical charges around and within the cell wall membrane, the starting point for a strong immune system." and "The resulting natural reactions within the body helps to activate and regenerate cell function that can be beneficial for a wide range of conditions."

Where is the evidence please?

For the amount of money it costs to place an ad of this size in a national newspaper, they are going to have to rip a hell of a lot of people off before making a profit. Even at £129.95 + £5.95 p&p.

I've submitted a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority this morning:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

05 April 2008

New Complaints
Advertising Standards Authority
Mid City Place
71 High Holborn

London
WC1V 6QT

To Whom It May Concern:

I have enclosed a misleading advertisement in The Times on April 4th 2008.

My complaints about this advert breaching your standards are as follows:

3.1 Before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove all claims, whether direct or implied, that are capable of objective substantiation.

Relevant evidence should be sent without delay if requested by the ASA or CAP. The adequacy of evidence will be judged on whether it supports both the detailed claims and the overall impression created by the marketing communication. The full name and geographical business address of marketers should be provided without delay if requested by the ASA or CAP.

50.1 Medical and scientific claims made about beauty and health-related products should be backed by evidence, where appropriate consisting of trials conducted on people. Where relevant, the rules will also relate to claims for products for animals. Substantiation will be assessed by the ASA on the basis of the available scientific knowledge.

“PainSolv encourages your body to enhance the efficiency of cell functions which in turn increases oxygen content in your blood as well as many other beneficial processes.”

(a) This claim breeches 3.1 and 50.1 as there is no credible evidence to suggest that the product enhances efficiency of cell functions.

(b) This claim breeches 3.1 and 50.1 as there is no credible evidence to suggest that the product increases oxygen content in the blood.

“PainSolv can help relieve the pain associated with the following conditions and many more – Arthritis, Back Pain, Migraine, Whilash, Joint Pain, Muscle Spasm, Stress, Leg Ulcers, Gout, Tendinitis.”

(c) This claim breeches 3.1 and 50.1 as there is no credible evidence to suggest that the product works better than placebo for any form of pain relief.

“PainSolv works directly on the cause rather than just the symptoms!”

(d) When combined with the claim that the product relieves pain from arthritis, the advertisement is making the claim that the product can repair damage to joints or remove infection of joints. As there is no credible evidence for this, this claim breeches both 3.1 and 50.1.

By charging £129.95 + £5.95 P&P, this company is extorting money from vulnerable people in pain, who are easily fooled. This in itself is a breech of 6.1.

Yours sincerely,


Simon.

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