Article on academic "width" as opposed to "quality" in the UK

[Diane]

Via Butterflies and Wheels, an article in the Independent by Dominic Lawson: So now we will have degrees in quackery.

This news article asks, "what is the difference between acupuncture and psychic surgery?"

Excerpt:

A few months ago an investigation into acupuncture, involving 1,162 patients with lower back pain, made a splash in newspapers across the world. The researchers at Regensburg University declared that just 27.4 per cent of those who had only conventional treatments such as physiotherapy felt able to report an improvement in their condition. However, of those who also underwent acupuncture, 47.6 per cent reported an improvement. So all that stuff about "different levels of Qi", "meridians", "major acupuncture points" and "extraordinary fu" is scientifically validated, then? Well, not quite, despite what some of the news reports said.

You see, the cunning researchers of Regensburg had one control group of back-pain sufferers who were told that they were undergoing traditional acupuncture – whereas in fact the needles were inserted entirely at random; and instead being put in to a depth of up to 40mm (as required by the acupuncture textbooks) were merely inserted just below the skin.

This was sham acupuncture. And guess what? It worked – within the statistical margin of error – just as well as the "real" acupuncture: 44.2 per cent of the recipients of the sham treatment said that their back pain had been alleviated in a way which they had not experienced through conventional medicine.

I guess the writer never heard of exteroception.
He continues, getting to a possibly more pertinent consideration:

That indefatigable quackbuster, Professor David Colquhoun of University College London is on the case, however. His indispensable blog points out that Professor Pittilo is a trustee of the Prince of Wales's Foundation for Integrated Health, which advocates exactly the sort of therapies that this committee is supposed to be regulating.

Pittilo and his band of "stakeholders" have come up with their own way of "regulating" the alternative health industry – which the Government has welcomed. It is to suggest that practitioners gain university degrees in complementary or alternative medicine. Pittilo's own university just happens to offer such courses, which Professor Colquhoun has long campaigned against as "science degrees without the science."

It will be a particular boon to the University of Westminster, whose "Department of Complementary Therapies", teaches students all about such practices as homeopathy, McTimoney chiropractic, crystals, and 'vibrational medicine'.

One can see how this might fit in with the Government's "never mind the quality, feel the width" approach to university education. One can also see how established practitioners of such therapies might see this as a future source of income – how pleasant it might be to become Visiting Professor of Vibrational Medicine at the University of Westminster.

The whole world has gone mad, it seems.

[gilbert]

Yes Diane

The other day I came across a website advertising a big physiotherapy practice in Australia (sorry can't find the link just now). It was full of testimonials about their wonderful visceral manipulations; case studies about how the guy with knee pain turned out to have connective tissue restrictions around his colon.... (diagnosed how??????????) and that 80% of painful problems are actually visceral in origin.

Tends to bring on the nausea for me I don't understand that the professional association can't get after people who advertise BS like that and do something to stop it.

[Diane]

Sounds like Barrel has found his way to Aus.

[nari]

Gilbert,

The APA works in mysterious ways which I have never understood, but the NSW Rego board may well be keeping a close eye on this practice. The ACT reg board would if the practice was here.

Nari

[Luke Rickards]

Argh! Barral is everywhere.

[Jon Newman]

The Wisconsin chapter of the APTA puts out a quarterly newsletter. The most recent newsletter contained a flyer for a visceral manipulation course put on by the Barral Institute . I've written them inquiring about it.

The other day I came across a website advertising a big physiotherapy practice in Australia (sorry can't find the link just now). It was full of testimonials about their wonderful visceral manipulations; case studies about how the guy with knee pain turned out to have connective tissue restrictions around his colon.... (diagnosed how??????????) and that 80% of painful problems are actually visceral in origin. --Gilbert Thomson

According to the flyer it's actually 90% of painful problems that have a visceral component. Not only that but Jean-Pierre Barral is the one that discovered this "fact."

Nice, what does "a visceral component" mean?

Here's a snippet from the flyer:

Visceral Manipulation assists with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome due to a mechanical connection. The brachial plexus are commonly put under tension via the ligaments that suspend the pleura from the cervical spine and from the neck of Rib 1. These ligaments include the costopleural, vertebral pleural, and the transverse pleural ligament. As an example, a patient may have abdominal restriction of the stomach, liver, and phrenico-colic ligaments (all of which attach directly to diaphragm). These restrictions can over time, via the diaphragm, transmit their tensions to the pleura and pull it inferiorly. Also, via the aformentioned suspensory ligaments, they can restrict the brachial plexus (who lie on the pleural dome), whose nerves travel down the arm and through the carpal tunnel.

$995 (US) for four days if you don't register 2 months in advance. But that's just the beginning. This is just the first segment of the visceral manipulation certification program.

[Diane]

So-called visceral manipulation tsunamied through Vancouver several years ago. I even went to a level one class myself. There was actually a medical doctor there.

I can assure you it is all primo conceptual hallucination combined with perceptual fantasy. There is no way anyone can untwist my liver via the falciform ligament through a good couple inches of greater omentum, several layers of slippery peritoneum, three layers of abdominal wall plus attendant fascia, after getting past my cutaneous nerves. Good luck. I've likened visceral 'manipulation' to learning in one weekend how to peel slippery mangoes with no knife through a neoprene diving suit.

All (and I mean ALL) they are doing is dermoneuromodulation on the outside of the body and claiming that they can do all these mysterious things inside.
There are many people in this city (not many PTs as far as know) who solemnly believe they can push organs back into place, all sorts of goofy things.