here, I blatantly promote The Teaching Company's new media-based course "Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us" (2010) by Dr. Stephen Novella that I have just purchased but not yet received. Particularly, I've highlighted the areas I myself am most interested in as a scholar of naturopathy [see 001., below]; then, I quote from the British Columbia Naturopathic Association [BCNA] particularly, concerning their claim that homeopathy and naturopathy are scientific [see 002., below]:
001. the course description page states:
001.a. overall:
"[there are] 24 Lectures, 30 minutes / lecture [...and lecture topics include] Medical Knowledge versus Misinformation [...] Vitamin and Nutrition Myths [...] The Fallacy That Natural Is Always Better [...] Antioxidants—Hype versus Reality [...] Vaccination Benefits—How Well Vaccines Work [...] Vaccination Risks—Real and Imagined [...] Herbalism and Herbal Medicines [...] Facts about Toxins and Myths about Detox [...] Myths about Acupuncture's Past and Benefits [...] What Placebos Can and Cannot Do [...] Roundup—Decluttering Our Mental Closet."
Note: and if you known your naturopathy contents, what's listed is a huge body slam in so many body areas to naturopathy! Like a pro wrestler coming off the ropes and landing directly on.....'the therapies and claims of naturopathy'. I must point out that naturopathy isn't mentioned on this TTC page, and I don't yet know if it will be in the course.
001.b. regarding homeopathy:
001.b1. the course states:
"[regarding the lecture] Homeopathy—One Giant Myth [...] homeopathy is a controversial belief system that should not be substituted for effective treatment [...it was] devised before the advent of science-based medicine [...and asks] why has the science community rejected its prescriptions?"
Note: yes, a science-ejected mythic belief system GALORE.
002. meanwhile, in the land of sectarian pseudoscience-based pseudomedicine:
the BCNA states (archived here)[vsc 2010-12-21] that "homeopathy is a highly systematic, scientific method of therapy."
Note: obviously, there is a collision here of claims. And BCNA are the one's who claim, overall [quote falsely], that "naturopathic medicine is science based natural medicine [...and is built upon upon] a science-based platform" (archived here)[vsc 2010-12-22].
003. the bio. section of the course description states [and I provide here some useful web linkage]:
"Dr. Steven Novella is Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Yale School of Medicine [...with his] M.D. from Georgetown University [1991...] his personal blog [is] NeuroLogica Blog [...he is] founder and senior editor of Science-Based Medicine [...and] president and co-founder of the New England Skeptical Society [...and] host and producer of the organization's award-winning science show, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe."
