Oral Roberts is dead so prayers must get answered - it is just a shame that it has taken god 11 years to answer them.
Maybe god will save a few more people from the 2004 tsunami, he just hasn't had a chance to get to it.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/12/15/oral.roberts/index.html
It is times like these that I truly wish there were an afterlife - Oral would be getting anal ;-)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Trevor Hopwood: ENROLMENT PROCESS MAKES NO SENSE
Apparently I missed this letter to the editor in The Sarnia Observer.
http://theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2215125
And, Trevor, get your kids into the Catholic schools by doing what they do - LIE. Claim you're a Catholic - it's a far greater stretch to claim there is an all-knowing and all-powerful sky god who listens to billions of people praying. (I can promise you that there are many teachers who claim to be Catholics to increase their odds of getting job placements! And no sky pals for them!)
It's time for public education to be public education. Thanks for the letter to the editor Trevor.
http://theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2215125
Trevor is absolutely right - public money for public schooling, period. Ontario would not be the first province to ditch the two school board system and, believe it or not, kids in a single school system don't rob, kill or rape any more frequently than Catholic priests do (I would compare the statistics to kids raised in a Catholic school system but the priests are far worse).ENROLMENT PROCESS MAKES NO SENSE
Sir:My wife and I read your articles about the Catholic school board having to close St. Patrick's High School for declining enrolment. These articles infuriated us.We are non-Catholic. We tried to enrol our son into Junior Kindergarten at St. Anne's Elementary for September 2009. We were willing to transfer our portion of the school taxes to the Catholic system. We were denied due to "numbers."
We also have a daughter that would have started in September 2011.
There is another family on our block in the same situation. Their daughter started Junior Kindergarten this year as well and was denied to St. Anne's due to "numbers." So it is no wonder that they have a declining enrolment.
We only live a block away from the school and our son could have walked to school from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12. I am sure there are a lot more people in our situation around the Rapids Parkway community. All the public school kids get bused out of this district and then all the buses line up every day bringing Catholic school kids into St. Anne's and St. Christopher's. This doesn't make sense.
Some rezoning needs to be reviewed which would allow more revenues to the Catholic school system. My son and many other public school kids would not need to use a bus for their entire elementary and high school years (which would save the system money).
I also read that the Catholic board wants $10 million of public funding to expand St. Christopher's School. Funny how they want public money but they won't let public kids enrol.
-- Trevor Hopwood Sarnia
And, Trevor, get your kids into the Catholic schools by doing what they do - LIE. Claim you're a Catholic - it's a far greater stretch to claim there is an all-knowing and all-powerful sky god who listens to billions of people praying. (I can promise you that there are many teachers who claim to be Catholics to increase their odds of getting job placements! And no sky pals for them!)
It's time for public education to be public education. Thanks for the letter to the editor Trevor.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Harriet Hall: The End of Chiropractic
A reader of my blog just forwarded me a link to Harriet Hall's article on Science Based Medicine.
I have some "posts in progress" that I haven't had a chance to finish - doing research is a lot more work than simply making stuff up - regarding Chiropractic but, until then, head over to The End of Chiropractic on the Science Based Medicine blog.
I have some "posts in progress" that I haven't had a chance to finish - doing research is a lot more work than simply making stuff up - regarding Chiropractic but, until then, head over to The End of Chiropractic on the Science Based Medicine blog.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The Inanity Continues
Another letter to the editor, in the Sarnia Observer, is published following Brian Edwards' "Christian Country" theme:
Mark Twain - Faith is believing what you know ain't so. / Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.
Robert Ingersoll - With soap, baptism is a good thing.
Albert Einstein - who also updated Newton's theories - I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own--a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism. It is enough for me to contemplate the mystery of conscious life perpetuating itself through all eternity, to reflect upon the marvelous structure of the universe which we can dimly perceive, and to try humbly to comprehend even an infinitesimal part of the intelligence manifested in nature.
Are we to forget about all the bad of the Christian religions because of something someone famous has said?
If Christianity is good for anything it is keeping our contractors employed during a depressed economy. Since there are no homeless and hungry people in Sarnia, local churches have been able to spend MILLIONS on renovations and upgrades - and they're doing it with reckless abandon apparently.
Thank you, Christian churches, for spending the money where it needs to be spent. Without your elaborate buildings and fixtures for the homeless to stare at in awe, they'd have nothing to live for.
Sir: Regarding the letter by Brian Edwards published Dec. 3 ("Christ or Allah in our schools?")M.H.: Whether or not Canada is a Christian Country (it isn't), your comments are a bit bewildering. What about comments/quotes from people like:
Our country was founded by the Fathers of Confederation on Christian principles. The motto they chose is, "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea," from Psalm 72 in the Christian Bible, which these Founding Fathers habitually read.
Sir Isaac Newton is quoted, "There are more marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history."
Emmanuel Kant said, "The existence of the Bible as a book for the people is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity."
Let other people have their own beliefs, but let us understand that Canada was and is a Christian country.
M. H. Moir, Sarnia
Mark Twain - Faith is believing what you know ain't so. / Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.
Robert Ingersoll - With soap, baptism is a good thing.
Albert Einstein - who also updated Newton's theories - I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own--a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism. It is enough for me to contemplate the mystery of conscious life perpetuating itself through all eternity, to reflect upon the marvelous structure of the universe which we can dimly perceive, and to try humbly to comprehend even an infinitesimal part of the intelligence manifested in nature.
Are we to forget about all the bad of the Christian religions because of something someone famous has said?
If Christianity is good for anything it is keeping our contractors employed during a depressed economy. Since there are no homeless and hungry people in Sarnia, local churches have been able to spend MILLIONS on renovations and upgrades - and they're doing it with reckless abandon apparently.
Thank you, Christian churches, for spending the money where it needs to be spent. Without your elaborate buildings and fixtures for the homeless to stare at in awe, they'd have nothing to live for.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Brian Edwards' Letter to the Editor - The Observer (Sarnia)
In the Thursday, December 3rd edition of The Sarnia Observer, there is a letter to the editor from a "Brian Edwards". Rather than paraphrase it, here is the complete letter:
It would be one thing to argue "Religion should be kept out of schools altogether" but that is not what Brian is suggesting. Brian, "The Free Dictionary" online defines "bigot" as "One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ." To show that Brian is not a "bigot", I suspect he'll write a letter to the editor showing concern that Christianity is being taught in foreign nations that currently worship other gods or traditions. His letter will complain that Christianity should not be taught in third-world nations because of the horrible history that it has (or have Christians forgot about their even recent history?) and he'll actively support the continued instruction of their equally silly myths and traditions without interference from Christianity.
Many have suggested (and I would tend to agree with) the idea of teaching comparative religions. If the "program" that Brian is referring to is just that, it might be a great idea and could show teachers and students how silly all religions are. After all, all gods are the same - they fail to exist*.
And, Brian, does Jesus really need you to stand up for him? Couldn't your almighty, all-knowing and all-powerful (but imaginary) friend handle this battle himself? Couldn't he simply make the people instructing the course speak in tongues so no one could understand the course that is being taught? Would that not achieve your goal? And, even better, it'd be a bit of evidence to support your beliefs!
Happy Winter Solstice Brian!
*I say that in the "almost certainly do not exist" sense but until evidence is presented for the existence of a god, I would suggest that they do not exist.
CHRIST OR ALLAH IN OUR SCHOOLS?
Sir:I was talking to a teacher from the Chatham-Kent school board and she told me about a program for building character in our school children. She signed up thinking it was a good idea. She went to the first meeting and was shocked to find that the program was about teaching our children that all gods are one god. This program wants to teach our children about other religions -- Muslim, Hindu, Buddhism, etc., but nothing about Christianity.
It just makes me wonder what our country is coming to, when our Christian heritage is pushed out the back door of our schools and governments. How can this be considered building character in our children by teaching them that what they see in the media about terrorism is okay to learn about in this religious program? I know that not all Muslims are terrorists, but if our children are allowed to learn about these religions and not our Christian heritage, they will end up thinking terrorism is okay if it is a religion.
I think it's time Canadians and Christians stand up for our heritage. This program should not be allowed in our schools if Christianity (Christmas, Easter, The Lord's Prayer, etc.) is not allowed in our schools. Has it come to the point where Christians and our government are too politically correct to put forward our heritage of Christianity that this country was built on?
As a Christian, I believe it is our duty as parents to teach our children about our heritage and stop worrying about other religions being insulted by Jesus Christ.
Come together Christians and stand up for Jesus. -- Brian Edwards
Sarnia
It would be one thing to argue "Religion should be kept out of schools altogether" but that is not what Brian is suggesting. Brian, "The Free Dictionary" online defines "bigot" as "One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ." To show that Brian is not a "bigot", I suspect he'll write a letter to the editor showing concern that Christianity is being taught in foreign nations that currently worship other gods or traditions. His letter will complain that Christianity should not be taught in third-world nations because of the horrible history that it has (or have Christians forgot about their even recent history?) and he'll actively support the continued instruction of their equally silly myths and traditions without interference from Christianity.
Many have suggested (and I would tend to agree with) the idea of teaching comparative religions. If the "program" that Brian is referring to is just that, it might be a great idea and could show teachers and students how silly all religions are. After all, all gods are the same - they fail to exist*.
And, Brian, does Jesus really need you to stand up for him? Couldn't your almighty, all-knowing and all-powerful (but imaginary) friend handle this battle himself? Couldn't he simply make the people instructing the course speak in tongues so no one could understand the course that is being taught? Would that not achieve your goal? And, even better, it'd be a bit of evidence to support your beliefs!
Happy Winter Solstice Brian!
*I say that in the "almost certainly do not exist" sense but until evidence is presented for the existence of a god, I would suggest that they do not exist.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Skeptic North: Fake Doctors With Real Drugs: The News From Canada
Sorry for the long delay in getting a post up. I've been busy becoming a nutritionist (It is hard work becoming something that anyone can claim to be!). Below is an important message about a law in Ontario that should concern you.
Reposted from "Swift"
(http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/786-fake-doctors-with-real-drugs-the-news-from-canada.html)
Dear Swift Friends:
My name is Steve Thoms and I'm the editor of the new pan-Canadian skeptic blog, Skeptic North. Thanks to some friendly promotional assistance from Phil Plait, Skepchick.org and many other sites to whom our team owes a debt of gratitude, you may have heard of us by now. If not, that's okay, because we've only launched on October 1st. We're a team of skeptical writers, professionals and activists from across Canada, brought together in one place for the first time. Our aim is to be the authority of all things related to skepticism in Canada, and it is with this last point in mind that I come to you all with an urgent call for action and assistance.
As Skeptic North's resident science-based pharmacist reported week, the Ontario legislature is poised to grant prescription rights to naturopaths. I think I hardly need explain to Swift readers how dangerous this is, but please indulge me in a little exposition.
Bill 179 was introduced in the spring of this year as a way of expanding scope-of-practice for health care professionals in Ontario, including (but not limited to) nurses, midwives, pharmacists and radiologists. Such an expansion was recommended by the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council (HPRAC), and this organization also recommended further that naturopaths be granted prescription rights. The Bill would have aimed to do this by amending a previous act of the Ontario Legislature, the Naturopathy Act, 2007. In this act, a "naturopath" is defined simply as someone who graduated from one of the two naturopathic colleges in Canada (neither of which are affiliated with any Canadian accredited university, and have extensive courses in homeopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and colonic hydrotherapy). After the first reading of the bill, the HPRAC's recommendation for naturopath prescribing rights were soundly rejected. Before the bill's second-reading, a coalition of naturopathic associations organized a write-in campaign to put the naturopathic amendment back into the bill, and they were successful on Oct 20.
The bill itself has gone through two readings so far, and the third and final reading has been ordered (but not yet scheduled). The current session of the Ontario legislature will likely be over in less than a month, so the bill will likely be presented for it's third reading, at which point it will be enshrined in law. Then naturopaths, homeopaths, acupuncturists, and Reiki practitioners will have the right to prescribe anti-inflammatory, anti-biotic, and narcotic (just to name a few) medications.
Supporters of the naturopath expansion have framed this issue in two disingenuous and/or problematic narratives: one of freedom, and one of access. The former is being presented as allowing Ontario citizens the freedom to seek out alternative health modalities and freedom for naturopaths to prescribe medications that they need to; the latter as a way of dealing with the doctor shortage. Both of these arguments are deeply concerning, because a) there is no law in Canada that prohibits citizens from seeking alternative treatments, and b) if a person who requires legitimate medical attention and feels they are unable to see a doctor in a timely manner, they are far more likely to seek out alternative avenues, potentially finding a dangerously-untrained and under-qualified naturopath.
This is not a matter of freedom of choice, nor is it a matter of helping deal with the doctor shortage. This is about granting political legitimacy to a pseudo-science when it's practitioners are unable to gain legitimacy the way that conventional medicine does: through science, evidence, testing, and peer-review. Most people are not skeptics, and when they hear "Naturopathic Doctor," many are just as likely to see the holder of title as just another primary care provider. Think about that when your mother needs heart medication, or your nephew gets an ear infection.
Defeating a bill in its third reading is rare, but not impossible. I'm asking for all Swift readers (especially the Canadians and Ontarians) to email the Ontario Premier, Dalton McGuinty, and (dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org), as well as the Minister of Long-Term Health and Care, Deb Mattews, (dmatthews.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org). It would also be wise to CC the same email to Andrea Horwath, leader of the New Democratic Party (ahorwath-qp@ndp.on.ca) and Tim Hudak, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party (tim.hudakco@pc.ola.org). The bill is under review by the Standing Committee on Social Policy (for a complete list of the members of the committee, click here), so Ontario residents would do well to email them as well. Remember to CC all correspondences, so that everyone knows who else is reading what.
For further information, visit the above links as well as my own follow-up posts here and here. These links will provide a helpful background and analysis of the practice of naturopathy, its academic standards, the bill itself, and how best to respond. British Columbia has already passed similar legislation, but it's generally the way of things in Canada that however Ontario goes, so-goes the rest of Canada. We really need everyone's help defeating this affront to health care standards and patient safety. If we beat them in Ontario, we just might stop them in their tracks.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me directly at skepticnorth@gmail.com.
Thanks a million
Steve Thoms
Editor-in-Chief,
Skeptic North
www.skepticnorth.com
Reposted from "Swift"
(http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/786-fake-doctors-with-real-drugs-the-news-from-canada.html)
Dear Swift Friends:
My name is Steve Thoms and I'm the editor of the new pan-Canadian skeptic blog, Skeptic North. Thanks to some friendly promotional assistance from Phil Plait, Skepchick.org and many other sites to whom our team owes a debt of gratitude, you may have heard of us by now. If not, that's okay, because we've only launched on October 1st. We're a team of skeptical writers, professionals and activists from across Canada, brought together in one place for the first time. Our aim is to be the authority of all things related to skepticism in Canada, and it is with this last point in mind that I come to you all with an urgent call for action and assistance.
As Skeptic North's resident science-based pharmacist reported week, the Ontario legislature is poised to grant prescription rights to naturopaths. I think I hardly need explain to Swift readers how dangerous this is, but please indulge me in a little exposition.
Bill 179 was introduced in the spring of this year as a way of expanding scope-of-practice for health care professionals in Ontario, including (but not limited to) nurses, midwives, pharmacists and radiologists. Such an expansion was recommended by the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council (HPRAC), and this organization also recommended further that naturopaths be granted prescription rights. The Bill would have aimed to do this by amending a previous act of the Ontario Legislature, the Naturopathy Act, 2007. In this act, a "naturopath" is defined simply as someone who graduated from one of the two naturopathic colleges in Canada (neither of which are affiliated with any Canadian accredited university, and have extensive courses in homeopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and colonic hydrotherapy). After the first reading of the bill, the HPRAC's recommendation for naturopath prescribing rights were soundly rejected. Before the bill's second-reading, a coalition of naturopathic associations organized a write-in campaign to put the naturopathic amendment back into the bill, and they were successful on Oct 20.
The bill itself has gone through two readings so far, and the third and final reading has been ordered (but not yet scheduled). The current session of the Ontario legislature will likely be over in less than a month, so the bill will likely be presented for it's third reading, at which point it will be enshrined in law. Then naturopaths, homeopaths, acupuncturists, and Reiki practitioners will have the right to prescribe anti-inflammatory, anti-biotic, and narcotic (just to name a few) medications.
Supporters of the naturopath expansion have framed this issue in two disingenuous and/or problematic narratives: one of freedom, and one of access. The former is being presented as allowing Ontario citizens the freedom to seek out alternative health modalities and freedom for naturopaths to prescribe medications that they need to; the latter as a way of dealing with the doctor shortage. Both of these arguments are deeply concerning, because a) there is no law in Canada that prohibits citizens from seeking alternative treatments, and b) if a person who requires legitimate medical attention and feels they are unable to see a doctor in a timely manner, they are far more likely to seek out alternative avenues, potentially finding a dangerously-untrained and under-qualified naturopath.
This is not a matter of freedom of choice, nor is it a matter of helping deal with the doctor shortage. This is about granting political legitimacy to a pseudo-science when it's practitioners are unable to gain legitimacy the way that conventional medicine does: through science, evidence, testing, and peer-review. Most people are not skeptics, and when they hear "Naturopathic Doctor," many are just as likely to see the holder of title as just another primary care provider. Think about that when your mother needs heart medication, or your nephew gets an ear infection.
Defeating a bill in its third reading is rare, but not impossible. I'm asking for all Swift readers (especially the Canadians and Ontarians) to email the Ontario Premier, Dalton McGuinty, and (dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org), as well as the Minister of Long-Term Health and Care, Deb Mattews, (dmatthews.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org). It would also be wise to CC the same email to Andrea Horwath, leader of the New Democratic Party (ahorwath-qp@ndp.on.ca) and Tim Hudak, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party (tim.hudakco@pc.ola.org). The bill is under review by the Standing Committee on Social Policy (for a complete list of the members of the committee, click here), so Ontario residents would do well to email them as well. Remember to CC all correspondences, so that everyone knows who else is reading what.
For further information, visit the above links as well as my own follow-up posts here and here. These links will provide a helpful background and analysis of the practice of naturopathy, its academic standards, the bill itself, and how best to respond. British Columbia has already passed similar legislation, but it's generally the way of things in Canada that however Ontario goes, so-goes the rest of Canada. We really need everyone's help defeating this affront to health care standards and patient safety. If we beat them in Ontario, we just might stop them in their tracks.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me directly at skepticnorth@gmail.com.
Thanks a million
Steve Thoms
Editor-in-Chief,
Skeptic North
www.skepticnorth.com
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Simply repeating lies does not make them truths
Over the past many weeks, I've encountered a great number of people who are misinformed about vaccinations/immunizations and the concern of the novel Influenza A H1N1. Previous posts have addressed the science and statistics behind this but I am constantly bombarded with "it was rushed through" or countless "personal stories" (anecdotes).
I must first say that anecdotes would be more useful if they weren't regularly complete lies. I had a follower of my blog (who wishes to remain anonymous) send me an email about statements posted on Facebook relating to Gary Null and a response that he (the facebook user) had sent to someone about the video. Much of what he had sent (as a response) was spot-on. He provided many links and valid questions that people should be asking about Gary Null (not a real doctor, by the way - at best he paid the shipping and handling on a fake Ph.D.).
What followed, yesterday, was amazing. A response from someone (not known to my blog follower, he suggests) who called him "uneducated" (among other things) and then suggested that someone close to her received a shot and couldn't walk or talk after that.*
Other points that were made (and I see and hear them all the time) were:
"We stopped testing for H1N1 on September 30 so any numbers about deaths are just guesses"
"The flu shot causes GBS" (this girl even went as far as to say that IN SARNIA in a dentist office of only 4000 clients, they have 7 people with GBS)
"It is all hype"
"It is no worse than the common flu"
And, as expected, a link to "Dr Mercola"'s site. (Note "Dr" Mercola is not an MD, he's an osteopath)
First, let me say, that dealing with idiocy is an uphill battle. It takes a long time to dispel myths and falsities - longer than many people are willing to focus on a particular issue. The anti-vax movement wins because people don't understand the real issues at hand and they don't put much value on the protection of the lives of others.
The suggestion that we "stopped testing for H1N1" is possibly an accurate one as it relates to testing everyone who presents with symptoms. With an overwhelming percentage of the samples tested coming back as H1N1, the need to keep testing everyone who presents with flu like symptoms disappears. It is a confirmed FACT that the 2009 Pandemic H1N1 is present in all Canadian provinces. We don't need to keep testing to prove that.
We are, however, still "testing" for deaths, hospitalizations and ICU admissions attributed to the H1N1 flu. There's even a website that you can go to that is updated twice weekly with the deaths.
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/alert-alerte/h1n1/surveillance-eng.php
The "FluWatch" that is put out by the Public Health Agency of Canada reports the hospitalizations and ICU admissions - but on a slightly less frequent basis. The most recent at the time of writing is:
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/fluwatch/09-10/w43_09/index-eng.php
Addressing the "flu shot causes GBS" claim is a little bit different. Scientific studies have shown that the prevalence of GBS in vaccinated populations is not statistically different from the baseline - about 1 in 1,000,000 (1 million). The risk of dying from GBS is less than 4 in 100,000,000 (100 million). As Dr. Novella (a REAL doctor) says: "If recognized early and treated properly, most patients with GBS have a short illness – days to weeks – and recover nearly fully. However, severe or untreated cases can result in permanent paralysis and there is a 3-4% death rate." Given that people who get flu shots over-report symptoms, it is likely that anyone receiving a flu shot would quickly present themselves for treatment if GBS symptoms occurred.
The risk, however, by simply looking at CURRENT numbers (up to November 10th, 2009) of DYING from the Pandemic H1N1 2009 flu is, well, let's do the math together:
Canadians as of 2008: 33,311,389
Deaths from H1N1 2009 to date: 135
Chance of dying from H1N1 = 1 in 246,751
When weighing the risk versus the benefit, the reward is substantial.
Heck, let's compare hospitalizations from GBS to Hospitalizations from H1N1:
Up until Oct 31, there have been 2440 CONFIRMED cases of H1N1 requiring hospitalization (661 during the week of Oct 25 - 31 alone - Stats for November are not listed on the site at the time of writing)
1 in 1,000,000 GBS cases = 33 GBS cases in Canada (I could not find any data that suggests ANY GBS cases in Canada in 2009 - if you come across any, please let me know at skeptic@sarnia.com)
That means that you are almost 74 times more likely to end up in the hospital with H1N1 being the cause than you will from GBS. (Keep in mind that the chance you will present with GBS does not change whether or not you get the H1N1 shot - so maybe you could be lucky and come down with both the flu and GBS.)
I could go on with statistics - heck, from August to October 31, over 14,000 people (of the limited numbers that were submitted for testing) presented themselves with H1N1 symptoms - with laboratory confirmations to boot! You do that math.
And 7 people with GBS going to a dentist's office with a patient base of only 4,000 - that's something that neither our "Health Unit" nor Bluewater Health could support. Considering any noticeable form of GBS would require hospitalization, we're left with calling this one bullsh!t.*
"It is all hype" is one that I don't fully disagree with. The panic over limited supply of the H1N1 shot was a mess. Personal interest stories like the 13 year old boy dying and the 2 month old dying (for cases close to Sarnia, anyway), drove demands for the immunization. Luckily Sarnia didn't face any real shortages (for the "at risk" population anyway) so the panic wasn't seen here.
Hype is all about perspective. I do agree that the risk of dying from H1N1 is not "high" compared to other things. What I don't agree with is that it is "just" hype - the threat is real, the deaths are real and the methods of prevention that we have are real. The risks of not being immunized FAR out-weigh any supposed risk of actually getting the shot. The risk of being hit by a car is not "high" but we still take the precautions of checking both ways before we cross the street.
"It's no worse than the seasonal/common flu" is a horrible, horrible, horrible argument to start with. The seasonal flu is terrible. On average, in Canada alone, 4,000 people died as a result of contracting the seasonal flu. Yeah, who cares about 4,000 people? We have a safe and effective means of reducing the transmission of the seasonal flu and, with greater numbers being immunized, we'd see a reduction in the number of deaths. Learn more. However, the links above (FluWatch) points to H1N1 being worse than the seasonal flu. Check the data, it speaks volumes.
As for "Dr." Mercola (not a real doctor(MD), he's an osteopath), consider some links I've posted before as well as some new ones.
http://genome.fieldofscience.com/2009/09/scare-mongering-about-flu-vaccine-and.html
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=2116
http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/mercola.html
http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/comment/mercola.htm
*A final note about anecdotes: When medical stories that would be headline-making don't make even the local newspaper, it's not a conspiracy between the newspaper, everyone who works there, the medical industry, all scientists and every person who hears the story. It's probably just made up or has a much different explanation than they want you to believe.
I must first say that anecdotes would be more useful if they weren't regularly complete lies. I had a follower of my blog (who wishes to remain anonymous) send me an email about statements posted on Facebook relating to Gary Null and a response that he (the facebook user) had sent to someone about the video. Much of what he had sent (as a response) was spot-on. He provided many links and valid questions that people should be asking about Gary Null (not a real doctor, by the way - at best he paid the shipping and handling on a fake Ph.D.).
What followed, yesterday, was amazing. A response from someone (not known to my blog follower, he suggests) who called him "uneducated" (among other things) and then suggested that someone close to her received a shot and couldn't walk or talk after that.*
Other points that were made (and I see and hear them all the time) were:
"We stopped testing for H1N1 on September 30 so any numbers about deaths are just guesses"
"The flu shot causes GBS" (this girl even went as far as to say that IN SARNIA in a dentist office of only 4000 clients, they have 7 people with GBS)
"It is all hype"
"It is no worse than the common flu"
And, as expected, a link to "Dr Mercola"'s site. (Note "Dr" Mercola is not an MD, he's an osteopath)
First, let me say, that dealing with idiocy is an uphill battle. It takes a long time to dispel myths and falsities - longer than many people are willing to focus on a particular issue. The anti-vax movement wins because people don't understand the real issues at hand and they don't put much value on the protection of the lives of others.
The suggestion that we "stopped testing for H1N1" is possibly an accurate one as it relates to testing everyone who presents with symptoms. With an overwhelming percentage of the samples tested coming back as H1N1, the need to keep testing everyone who presents with flu like symptoms disappears. It is a confirmed FACT that the 2009 Pandemic H1N1 is present in all Canadian provinces. We don't need to keep testing to prove that.
We are, however, still "testing" for deaths, hospitalizations and ICU admissions attributed to the H1N1 flu. There's even a website that you can go to that is updated twice weekly with the deaths.
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/alert-alerte/h1n1/surveillance-eng.php
The "FluWatch" that is put out by the Public Health Agency of Canada reports the hospitalizations and ICU admissions - but on a slightly less frequent basis. The most recent at the time of writing is:
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/fluwatch/09-10/w43_09/index-eng.php
Addressing the "flu shot causes GBS" claim is a little bit different. Scientific studies have shown that the prevalence of GBS in vaccinated populations is not statistically different from the baseline - about 1 in 1,000,000 (1 million). The risk of dying from GBS is less than 4 in 100,000,000 (100 million). As Dr. Novella (a REAL doctor) says: "If recognized early and treated properly, most patients with GBS have a short illness – days to weeks – and recover nearly fully. However, severe or untreated cases can result in permanent paralysis and there is a 3-4% death rate." Given that people who get flu shots over-report symptoms, it is likely that anyone receiving a flu shot would quickly present themselves for treatment if GBS symptoms occurred.
The risk, however, by simply looking at CURRENT numbers (up to November 10th, 2009) of DYING from the Pandemic H1N1 2009 flu is, well, let's do the math together:
Canadians as of 2008: 33,311,389
Deaths from H1N1 2009 to date: 135
Chance of dying from H1N1 = 1 in 246,751
When weighing the risk versus the benefit, the reward is substantial.
Heck, let's compare hospitalizations from GBS to Hospitalizations from H1N1:
Up until Oct 31, there have been 2440 CONFIRMED cases of H1N1 requiring hospitalization (661 during the week of Oct 25 - 31 alone - Stats for November are not listed on the site at the time of writing)
1 in 1,000,000 GBS cases = 33 GBS cases in Canada (I could not find any data that suggests ANY GBS cases in Canada in 2009 - if you come across any, please let me know at skeptic@sarnia.com)
That means that you are almost 74 times more likely to end up in the hospital with H1N1 being the cause than you will from GBS. (Keep in mind that the chance you will present with GBS does not change whether or not you get the H1N1 shot - so maybe you could be lucky and come down with both the flu and GBS.)
I could go on with statistics - heck, from August to October 31, over 14,000 people (of the limited numbers that were submitted for testing) presented themselves with H1N1 symptoms - with laboratory confirmations to boot! You do that math.
And 7 people with GBS going to a dentist's office with a patient base of only 4,000 - that's something that neither our "Health Unit" nor Bluewater Health could support. Considering any noticeable form of GBS would require hospitalization, we're left with calling this one bullsh!t.*
"It is all hype" is one that I don't fully disagree with. The panic over limited supply of the H1N1 shot was a mess. Personal interest stories like the 13 year old boy dying and the 2 month old dying (for cases close to Sarnia, anyway), drove demands for the immunization. Luckily Sarnia didn't face any real shortages (for the "at risk" population anyway) so the panic wasn't seen here.
Hype is all about perspective. I do agree that the risk of dying from H1N1 is not "high" compared to other things. What I don't agree with is that it is "just" hype - the threat is real, the deaths are real and the methods of prevention that we have are real. The risks of not being immunized FAR out-weigh any supposed risk of actually getting the shot. The risk of being hit by a car is not "high" but we still take the precautions of checking both ways before we cross the street.
"It's no worse than the seasonal/common flu" is a horrible, horrible, horrible argument to start with. The seasonal flu is terrible. On average, in Canada alone, 4,000 people died as a result of contracting the seasonal flu. Yeah, who cares about 4,000 people? We have a safe and effective means of reducing the transmission of the seasonal flu and, with greater numbers being immunized, we'd see a reduction in the number of deaths. Learn more. However, the links above (FluWatch) points to H1N1 being worse than the seasonal flu. Check the data, it speaks volumes.
As for "Dr." Mercola (not a real doctor(MD), he's an osteopath), consider some links I've posted before as well as some new ones.
http://genome.fieldofscience.com/2009/09/scare-mongering-about-flu-vaccine-and.html
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=2116
http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/mercola.html
http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/comment/mercola.htm
*A final note about anecdotes: When medical stories that would be headline-making don't make even the local newspaper, it's not a conspiracy between the newspaper, everyone who works there, the medical industry, all scientists and every person who hears the story. It's probably just made up or has a much different explanation than they want you to believe.
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