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Homeopathy: HRH’s Woo Walkabout

Blue Wode

Graduate Poster
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I haven't seen it on any of the other usual media outlets. Has anyone else "publicised" it yet?
 
Deetee said:
I haven't seen it on any of the other usual media outlets. Has anyone else "publicised" it yet?
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It has had a few mentions…
THE Prince of Wales's Duchy Originals firm is to launch a range of herbal remedies.

Prince Charles watched the new products rolling off the assembly line as he toured the factory and laboratories of Nelsons, a natural healthcare company in Wimbledon, south-west London. The Duchess of Cornwall cancelled her visit because she is has a virus.

http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Just-what-the--Duchy.4799108.jp
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The prince visited Nelsons, the U.K.’s largest maker of alternative medicines, in Wimbledon, southwest London, today. His tour of the manufacturing laboratories highlighted the prince’s backing for such treatments.

“When I was very small, I remember my grandmother having her wonderful leather pouch with all these homeopathic glass phials in it,” the prince told workers, according to the Press Association pool report. His Duchy Originals Ltd, a U.K. company that makes organic food and drink, will introduce a line of herbal remedies made by Nelsons next year.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601102&sid=a6pYvy11scQU&refer=uk
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Prince Charles made his second visit to Wimbledon in as many months with a trip to a natural medicine factory this morning.
He made the visit to local manufacturer Nelsons, which is based in a business park off Merton Road.

It is Europe’s oldest manufacturer of homeopathic remedies.

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/.../3982340.Royal_visit_is_the_perfect_medicine/
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…but your right, it’s not fully hit the mainstream press, although I still think that it will be given “even more” publicity in the New Year once the remedies go on sale.

See this as an FYI thread in advance of all the likely hoo-hah.
 
Just in case anyone misses it, here’s a little more speculation….

Most alternative medicine is illegal
http://dcscience.net/?p=790

The gist of the matter is that it is now illegal to claim that a product will benefit your health if you can’t produce evidence to justify the claim.
I’m not a lawyer, but with the help of two lawyers and a trading standards officer I’ve attempted a summary. The machinery for enforcing the law does not yet work well, but when it does, there should be some very interesting cases.

-snip-

The fact remains, that the UK is obliged to enforce the law and presumably it will do so eventually. When it does, alternative medicine will have to change very radically. If it were prevented from making false claims, there would be very little of it left apart from tea and sympathy.
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Some interesting comment from lecanardnoir:
I would like to add that Prince Charles may not be so safe for so long. Our King to be is becoming just one more quack huckster as he launches his own herbal/homeopathic remedies through his brand - Dutchy Originals.

Wow. That would be a court spectacular to see him prosecuted as a test case in this area.

http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2008/12/charm-of-powerful-trouble.html
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Blue Wode said:
No doubt this latest venture by HRH will be given even more pro-sCAM publicity by the media next month.
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Rather ironic link on the same daily mail page that is publicising hrh's latest business venture, "Now women are warned herbal remedies for the menopause 'could damage health'"

As I once commented to a homeopath/anti-vaccinator who was harassing me at the time, "Prince Charles is an adulterer who talks to plants and kills animals for pleasure; why would anyone give his views on medicine any credibility?" Still waiting for a reply on that one if memory serves.

Yuri
 
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Yuri Nalyssus said:
As I once commented to a homeopath/anti-vaccinator who was harassing me at the time, "Prince Charles is an adulterer who talks to plants and kills animals for pleasure; why would anyone give his views on medicine any credibility?" Still waiting for a reply on that one if memory serves.Yuri
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To my mind what is of more relevance is that he lacks both the education and the intellect to distinguish truth from fantasy. I'm afraid that lots of bright people with good ideas do unpleasant things. Newton was very nasty to his rivals in science.
 
A story about Prince Charles from Richard Dawkins:

http://www.richarddawkins.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64293&hilit=Prince+Charles

A friend and colleague of mine was seconded into the civil service to head an important government agency, where his scientific expertise was put to good use. On one occasion, he met Prince Charles at a drinks party and the Prince promptly launched into an attack on his agency. The details don't matter here, it could have been homeopathy or GM crops or any of half a dozen bees in the Royal bonnet. The point is that my friend, as he is well qualified to do, mildly remonstrated along the lines of, "With respect, Sir, I think you'll find you are mistaken. The facts are . . ." Without another word, the Prince simply turned on his heel and walked away. An equerry immediately approached my colleague, a very distinguished scientist and Fellow of the Royal Society, and said, "One doesn't disagree with the Prince."
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No wonder he's so ignorant.
 
Asolepius said:
To my mind what is of more relevance is that he lacks both the education and the intellect to distinguish truth from fantasy.
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My correspondent was convinced that merely being Royal qualified him as an authority on anything he cared to comment upon. As far as she was concerned that was it - no further thought required. Curse the deferential Brits

Yuri
 
On sale now…
Suffering from the sniffles? Try a Duchy Herbal remedy!

Our exciting new range of herbal tinctures, called Duchy Herbals, is now available in-store at Boots! Each of our tinctures provides an alternative and natural way of treating common ailments such as colds and flu.

Our decision to launch these products reflects The Prince of Wales's passion for integrated healthcare and here at Duchy we hope that our range of herbal remedies will encourage more people to adopt this integrated approach to their health.

We developed the range with one of the UK's leading herbalists, Michael McIntyre and Nelsons - the UK's leading producer of natural healthcare products. The three herbal tinctures in the range are: Duchy Herbals Hyperi-lift Tincture, Duchy Herbals Echina-Relief Tincture and Duchy Herbals Detox Tincture. You can buy each tincture now from Boots, and from next month, Waitrose. Each product is priced £10.

� Duchy Herbals Echina-Relief Tincture has been produced to help alleviate symptoms of the common cold and influenza type infections. It includes Echinacea which has been traditionally used to treat colds and flu.

� Duchy Herbals Hyperi-lift Tincture is a traditional herbal medicinal product used to relieve symptoms of slightly low mood and mild anxiety. It includes Hypericum - a herbaceous perennial plant commonly known as St John's Wort.

� Duchy Herbals Detox Tincture has been produced to help support the body's natural elimination and detoxification processes. It includes extracts of Dandelion and Artichoke, the latter of which is a well-known digestive aid, making it the ideal product to help kick-start your body after the festive period!

Duchy Herbals Echina-Relief Tincture and Duchy Herbals Hyperi-lift Tincture are the first UK produced herbal tinctures to be approved under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive laid out by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and we are the first UK company to launch herbal tinctures under this new directive, which applies to all European states. The directive means that the two tinctures have been assessed - in terms of their safety, quality and efficacy - by the UK regulatory authorities. Duchy Herbals Detox Tincture is classed as a food supplement as it helps aid digestion and supports a detox programme, rather than treat a medical condition such as colds and flu, so it is not licensed under the same Directive as Duchy Herbals Echina-Relief Tincture and Duchy Herbals Hyperi-lift Tincture.

Links to each remedy can be found here:
http://www.duchyoriginals.com/post.php/News/269
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Woo for the worried well, except, perhaps, for the Hyperi-lift Tincture?
 
Thanks Blue Wode - you have not done my blood pressure any good. I think this contains deliberate lies. Firstly, there is evidence that St John's Wort is a mild anti-depressant. There is no evidence for effects in anxiety. But worse than that, none of this expensive rubbish has been evaluated by the MHRA or anyone else for efficacy. My discussions with the MHRA this very week confirm that they are simply following slavishly the EU directive that has deliberately excluded any consideration of efficacy. This is very well known and has been going on for a long time. When I asked the press office how this scheme protects public health there was a pause that must have been 10 seconds long, and a refusal to answer.

This must be one of the worst abuses of an unearned and highly privileged position that has been seen in modern times. Here we have the heir to the throne involved in scurrilous business practices, and wilfully misleading the paying public. If ever there were justification for a republic this is it.
 
Maybe HRH needs a treatment with tincture of the dried leaves of Bursera microphylla? It might cure one of his problems. :D
 
The publicity has begun, and it’s not all good…
Charles brings his herbal medicines to the high street
Duchy Originals range of treatments includes controversial Detox Tincture

…the world's first professor of complementary medicine, Professor Edzard Ernst of Exeter University, attacked as "laughable" the latest effort of the Prince to support alternative cures, following his founding in 1993 of the Foundation for Integrated Healthcare (FIH).

Professor Ernst, who in the past called for the FIH to withdraw "misleading and inaccurate claims", said the move would not help respected herbalists. "Someone who doesn't understand science and medicine like Prince Charles can only damage the respectable side of herbal medicine."

-snip-

For his first products, Prince Charles has played safe. St John's Wort is one of the few herbal remedies for which there is scientific evidence that it works as a treatment for depression. There is some evidence, too, that echinacea can prevent colds, though that is disputed.

In one respect, the Prince can relax – unlike many medicines, his products are unlikely to do harm. Except to people's wallets.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...bal-medicines-to-the-high-street-1514517.html
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Prince of Wales moves his Duchy brand into herbal medicines

Its move into medicines with the Duchy Herbals range, however, has raised a few eyebrows.

-snip-

The launch comes just three weeks after Voice of Young Science, a group of PhD and post-doctorate students, criticised detox products available in chemists. "There is little or no proof that these products work, except to part people from their cash," their report concluded.

They argued that the human body is capable of processing any harmful chemicals on its own, with any need of "detox" medicines.

Alice Tuff, at the charity Sense About Science which contributed to the report, said: "It's incredible that the Prince of Wales' company is launching a 'detox' product just days after scientists have exposed such products as making empty and misleading claims."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...es-his-Duchy-brand-into-herbal-medicines.html
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Blue Wode said:
The publicity has begun, and it’s not all good…
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From the Telegraph link:
Michael McIntyre, the herbalist in charge of producing the Duchy Herbals range, said: "Each of the tinctures has been manufactured to the highest standards after exhaustive lab testing and meticulous in-depth research into the traditional and scientific benefits of the plants which they contain."
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I bet melamine is manufactured in China to the highest standards too.
 
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Asolepius said:
I think this contains deliberate lies. Firstly, there is evidence that St John's Wort is a mild anti-depressant. There is no evidence for effects in anxiety. But worse than that, none of this expensive rubbish has been evaluated by the MHRA or anyone else for efficacy. My discussions with the MHRA this very week confirm that they are simply following slavishly the EU directive that has deliberately excluded any consideration of efficacy. This is very well known and has been going on for a long time. When I asked the press office how this scheme protects public health there was a pause that must have been 10 seconds long, and a refusal to answer.

This must be one of the worst abuses of an unearned and highly privileged position that has been seen in modern times. Here we have the heir to the throne involved in scurrilous business practices, and wilfully misleading the paying public. If ever there were justification for a republic this is it.
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If it’s any consolation, the Quackometer has taken some action:
'Charles brings his herbal medicines to the high street'
Don't worry. ASA complaint is in.

http://www.quackometer.net/
(See quick blog on the right)
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So it's likely that we’ll see a blog piece on the outcome of the complaint in a few weeks’ time.
 
David Colquhoun hints at trouble brewing for the Prince, not least in respect of the Duchy Herbals 'Detox' Tincture:
…The claim that the product is “cleansing and purifying” is either meaningless or false. Insofar as it is meaningless, it is marketing jargon that is designed to deceive. The claim that it supports “the body’s natural elimination and detoxification processes, and help maintain healthy digestion” is baseless. It is a false health claim that, prima facie, is contrary to the Unfair Trading law, and/or European regulation on nutrition and health claims made on food, ref 1924/2006 and which therefore should result in prosecution.

More…
http://dcscience.net/?p=920
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Yuri Nalyssus said:
As I once commented to a homeopath/anti-vaccinator who was harassing me at the time, "Prince Charles is an adulterer who talks to plants and kills animals for pleasure; why would anyone give his views on medicine any credibility?" Still waiting for a reply on that one if memory serves.
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You forgot "inbred" and "only career prospects involve outliving his mother".

Has he done anything useful with his life?
 
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Yes. He had sex twice with his wife. This produced two children. One of them is second in line and the other is a spare.

PS. I hope it was him who had sex with his wife.
 
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