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Kathy Sykes rides again

Asolepius

Graduate Poster
Asolepius
Joined
Jul 5, 2004
Messages
1,150
....if any of us can stand her simpering at the camera any more. Yes, this time it's hypnotherapy. . Not entirely woo of course, but grossly over-hyped. Didn't I see the other week the new NICE guidance on smoking cessation, which said hypnosis is useless? Can't find it now!
 
It certainly doesn't sound too exciting, especially since a trustee of the Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health has been an advisor on the series:
Alternative Therapies, a three-part documentary series due to air on BBC Two from Monday 17 March [at 9.00pm], will follow the personal and scientific journey of Professor Kathy Sykes as she explores three fast-growing alternative therapies: meditation, hypnotherapy and reflexology.

The series, for which a trustee of the Foundation has worked on an advisory capacity, travels to locations around the globe to uncover where these therapies come from, why they are so popular and if and how they actually work.

As her journey unfolds, Professor Sykes looks at some of the impressive claims made by advocates of each therapy and with help of expert scientists, examines how such claims square with clinical and scientific results. She also experiences the therapies for herself and shares her honest reactions.

Alternative Therapies has been fully funded by the Open University. There will be follow-up debates and web-based blogs set up to discuss the issues raised in the programmes. You can reach the discussion sites via www.Open2.net.

http://www.fih.org.uk/news/alternative.html
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With regard to the Open University link mentioned in the quote box, it’s good to see that it’s included links to sceptic sites on one of its web pages for the series.
http://open2.net/alternativetherapies/alternative_weblinks.html
 
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Blue Wode said:
It certainly doesn't sound too exciting, especially since a trustee of the Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health has been an advisor on the series:
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I hear on the grapevine that said trustee is Professor Stephen Holgate, expert on political correctness. Another point towards his sought after knighthood.
With regard to the Open University link mentioned in the quote box, it’s good to see that it’s included links to sceptic sites on one of its web pages for the series.
http://open2.net/alternativetherapies/alternative_weblinks.html
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Wow, this must be the first time I have ever seen a public body providing sceptical links on a site about CAM. Folks, we are getting the message across.
 
Asolepius said:
I hear on the grapevine that said trustee is Professor Stephen Holgate, expert on political correctness. Another point towards his sought after knighthood.
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Presumably that’s the same Professor Stephen Holgate with whom our heir to the throne appears to be rather impressed because of his belief that complementary medicine encourages people to change their lifestyles…
In fact I remember talking to Professor Stephen Holgate, who chaired the Royal College of Physician's report on allergies, who said one of the best ways to overcome it would be for everybody to have a pet pig because the pig has the most beneficial micro-organisms.

Anyway, he said “the answer to prevention of allergy lies in changing our lifestyle. Allergy should now be regarded as a public health issue that requires public health intervention if we are not to incubate a major health burden in the years to come”.

So it sees to me, greater access to integrated healthcare would help to tackle this rise in allergies, not because complementary medicine can miraculously cure allergies, but because complementary practitioners emphasize preventative care and encourage individuals to adopt different lifestyles and undertake a greater degree of self-management.

http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/spe...nce_of_wales_titled_integrated_health_61.html
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…all of which ignores the fact that conventional doctors are trained to explain and emphasise to patients the importance of preventative care and lifestyle changes as a way to maintain or improve their health.

What a pity the BBC2 doesn’t televise Café Scientifique presentations. It’s likely that they would be cheaper to produce, far more informative, cover a greater range of topics, and be quite fun too:
http://majikthyse.wordpress.com/2008/03/07/an-interesting-evening/
 
Deetee said:
Might that be because the complementary therapies are entirely useless at treating/curing disease?
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Not only that, but HRH’s assertion that “complementary practitioners emphasise preventative care and encourage individuals to adopt different lifestyles and undertake a greater degree of self-management” doesn’t exactly ring true:
Several years ago our unit [Ernst’s], with the help of several practitioners of CAM, ran courses familiarising conventional practitioners with the essentials of CAM. Part of this programme was a round of discussions where we debated various approaches to treating certain conditions, e.g. back pain and insomnia. We asked participating practitioners (conventional and complementary) to outline how they would go about caring for such patients. At the end of these debates, the consensus invariably was that conventional practitioners were more holistic in their approach than complementary therapists.

-snip-

In a similar study, a journalist pretended to need advice about travelling into a malaria-affected part of the world. She consulted 10 professional homoeopaths, all of whom prescribed ineffective homoeopathic remedies for malaria protection. None of them chose to assess their patient holistically, e.g. to advise about lifestyle and protection, show concern about medical history, etc.4

http://www.medicinescomplete.com/journals/fact/current/fact1104a02t01.htm
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As for Kathy Sykes and her exploration of hypnotherapy, it didn’t make for riveting viewing. Indeed, it would be much more interesting if she took an in-depth look at homeopathy and chiropractic.

Anyway, tonight’s programme probably could have been edited down into a filler segment for a slow news day. The examination of popular hypnotherapy at the start, with its unconvincing results, could probably all have been dealt with in less than 10 minutes. And as for the tooth extractions under hypnosis (with the help of two ibuprofen tablets), that segment seemed a bit hyped up. After all, didn’t we hear in the news recently that some people have had to resort to pulling their own teeth out due to our lack of NHS dentists?

The programme’s (in)conclusion was also disappointing after its slow build-up: “hypnotherapy could work in a different way to placebo in response to pain” - although I expect hypnotists throughout the land will experience a bonanza for the next few months.
 
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It was absolutely panned in a review in today's Metro (free tabloid for commuters).

...presenter Kathy Sykes, professor of science and society at Bristol, seemed more interested in looking puzzled while modelling skimpy vests rather than getting to grips with anything approaching viable scientific testing.
If you were looking for proof that education has dumbed down, here it is: made for the Open University, Alternative Therapies was on CBeebies Level. 'You have to look at lots of evidence over lots of time, in what scientists call trials,' wittered Sykes. No kidding, she really said that.
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with Sykes at the helm, Alternative Therapies was just another self-obsessed me! me! me! documentary that told you more about presenter than subject.
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:D
 
Lucky said:
It was absolutely panned in a review in today's Metro (free tabloid for commuters).:D
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The word on the street is that the BBC had such a hammering over the last series (eg having to admit to Simon Singh that the open heart surgery under acupuncture was faked) that they just ladled on dollops of blandness this time round. Yes, there was far too much pouting at the camera and gushing enthusiasm. The problem is that scientific data are boring to Joe Public, whereas personal anecdotes are interesting human stories. So we get less than 5 minutes on published clinical trials. I never did work out why she had to go to Italy. Looks like a damn good excuse to ramp up the air miles. What would Lord Reith have thought of it?
 
It's amazing how much dental pain people will sit there and soak up. My mother once had root canal treatment done without any anaesthetic. She said afterwards how painful it was, but at the time she just sat there and put up with it.

Rolfe.
 
Just a reminder that tonight’s programme on Reflexology will be shown on BBC2 at 9.00pm. You can find a synopsis of it here:
http://open2.net/alternativetherapies/reflexology.html

And this from Madeleine Bunting in today’s Guardian:
…it takes a brave scientist to launch into this territory and risk getting attacked from both camps by daring to ask a simple question: is there anything science can learn from complementary medicine? That is precisely what Kathy Sykes is doing in her current television series, Alternative Therapies (the second programme is on BBC2 tonight).

-snip-

Several complementary therapies are particularly effective at pain relief - you had to see Sykes's footage of hypnotism helping a woman to have teeth extracted without anaesthetic to believe it.

‘It is unscientific to pour wholesale scorn on complementary medicine’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/mar/24/medicalresearch.pseudoscience
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“Particularly effective at pain relief”? Wasn’t the conclusion of the first programme something along the lines of more research being needed to see if hypnosis might perform better than a placebo for pain relief?
 
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I've just come over from reading the Bunting article. That woman has such wooly thinking she could start a sheep farm. Her views on theism are no less unconvincing.

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Professor Yaffle said:
Gordon Brown recently had root canal work done without anaesthetic because he had a speech to give later in the day.
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Yet by a mysterious process, not yet fully understood, pain was instantly transferred to those who were present when he spoke.
 
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So...... last night.....
The Prof seems to appreciate that reflexology has no scientific basis, but realises that the touchy-feely rituals, context and language provided by the reflexologists affect people's emotional state; i.e., it's just like any other CAM therapy you wish to mention.

The best bit was the "Hug party".
I suggest this is mandatory for TAM6 attenders. It might even rival the PJ party.
 
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