Spreading Woo on support forums

[samanthakayee]

I am on a support forum for a medical issue. Today I see a post on the forum of some drive by poster trying to hock a CD of music that will help make Hyperemesis Gravidarum go away. Makes me want to scream sometimes the nerve of the woo tossers. I guess spending 6mo in the Hospital on meds and TPN to keep me and my baby alive was just a waste of time if I would have listened to a damn CD at night I am sure it was because all the doctors and nurses had stock in the med Zofran and did not want me to know about the unique sounds

This is the woo that was posted...

Morning Well It's a revolutionary audio programme that has been created from a unique blend of music, specific frequencies and pulses to relieve the symptoms of morning sickness.

HG is a bit more then normal morning sickness but I can not see even with normal moring sickness how a cd of sounds would effect your need to vomit. Also at the peak of HG I could not even listen to the beeping of the IV without it making me vomit. I guess it was the wrong blend of sound.


I know it made me sick seeing this poster going after very sick people who wish there was a cure.

 

[pgwenthold]

I am on a support forum for a medical issue. Today I see a post on the forum of some drive by poster trying to hock a CD of music that will help make Hyperemesis Gravidarum go away. Makes me want to scream sometimes the nerve of the woo tossers. I guess spending 6mo in the Hospital on meds and TPN to keep me and my baby alive was just a waste of time if I would have listened to a damn CD at night I am sure it was because all the doctors and nurses had stock in the med Zofran and did not want me to know about the unique sounds

This is the woo that was posted...

Morning Well It's a revolutionary audio programme that has been created from a unique blend of music, specific frequencies and pulses to relieve the symptoms of morning sickness.

HG is a bit more then normal morning sickness but I can not see even with normal moring sickness how a cd of sounds would effect your need to vomit. Also at the peak of HG I could not even listen to the beeping of the IV without it making me vomit. I guess it was the wrong blend of sound.


I know it made me sick seeing this poster going after very sick people who wish there was a cure.

Are there any restrictions against advertising/selling?

That's one thing I use to complain about woomeisters peddling their wares. Just report the post for improper advertising, if you can.

(BTW, I don't restrict my complaints to woo - if I am in a forum that does not allow advertising, I tend to be active in stopping it)

 

[samanthakayee]

They wrote it in a way as a question to get it pass the mods. Like they found this page lol. But because of the low post count I did mark it for the mods. So they should take it down.
It just makes me mad people do this. About 3 weeks ago there was another person hocking a weatgrass diet book that would cure HG too.

 

[Mojo]

I know it made me sick seeing this poster going after very sick people who wish there was a cure.

A particular and pernicious problem with support forums for particular conditions is that any attempt to debunk their claims is likely to be portrayed as some sort of attack on sufferers from the condition.

 

[pgwenthold]

Hopefully the mods will recognize the spam for what it is. The disingenuous "Hey, look at this great webpage I just found" is pretty obvious.

 

[samanthakayee]

Not sure what you mean? If I could listen to a CD and be able to have more kids I would totaly be happy. I did not enjoy taking the meds and being on a death bed at all.

Before I 100% knew what was wrong with me I tried all the wise tails for Morring sickness. Trying them all first before going to the OBGYN made my HG worse because I allowed myself to go without meds for 3 weeks.

 

[pgwenthold]

Not sure what you mean? If I could listen to a CD and be able to have more kids I would totaly be happy. I did not enjoy taking the meds and being on a death bed at all.

Before I 100% knew what was wrong with me I tried all the wise tails for Morring sickness. Trying them all first before going to the OBGYN made my HG worse because I allowed myself to go without meds for 3 weeks.

Yeah, but I think Mojo is right. Any attempts to debunk their claims _is going to be portrayed_ as an attack on the sufferers.

Look at the vaccine/autism debate, where this is not uncommon

"There's no evidence vaccines cause autism, and these doctors are just preying on the fears and desperation of parents without actually helping them."
"Why do you insult these parents, who are just trying to help their damaged kids?"

Woo claims are overwhelmingly accepted, if not as effective, but at least as well meaning. You and I may know better, but that's not the way they are portrayed.

 

[samanthakayee]

I understand that. I think because there is so much woo when it comes to being preggo. Most women on the fourm is bitter about woo.

(they did take down the post )

 

[pgwenthold]

I understand that. I think because there is so much woo when it comes to being preggo. Most women on the forum is bitter about woo.

Really? That's a good sign. I encounter way too many pregnant women on the general forums that swallow that crap up.

 

[Miss_Kitt]

My sympathy and empathy, samanthakayee! I was not quite so unlucky, but did have severe pre-eclampsia--to the point that my daughter was induced almost a month early--and I am sure there are woo-mongers with 'solutions' too.

It might, if you want to bother, be worth mentioning that there is no known mechanism by which sound could effect the body's adverse response to the pregnancy. The mechanism(s) of HEG are still under study, but none of them are linked to the ears or auditory nerves!

In defense of dubious evidence, however, *some* few cases of HEG seem to be at least partially psychologically based. Thus, if the Magic Sound Music is soothing and leads the patient to believe she is being helped, placebo effect could ease symptoms. Thus it is possible that some women have found this helpful. You won't win any friends among believers by saying, "It's placebo effect" though.

Hope you're doing great now, and congrats, MK

 

[samanthakayee]

Really? That's a good sign. I encounter way too many pregnant women on the general forums that swallow that crap up.

I have noticed that with "normal" pregnant women also.

 

[shadron]

"For where two or more are gathered together in any name, I am there in the midst of them." - The marketeer's motto.

Forums are great for small time marketeers. They focus people on an interest and make them ready to recieve the marketing message. So was it in the days of the snake oil salesman, and so shall it be. Only giving up on the community benefits will erase the unintended consequences.

 

[samanthakayee]

My sympathy and empathy, samanthakayee! I was not quite so unlucky, but did have severe pre-eclampsia--to the point that my daughter was induced almost a month early--and I am sure there are woo-mongers with 'solutions' too.

{snip}
Hope you're doing great now, and congrats, MK

Thank you I am for the most part ok. Some teeth issue and stones from the tpn but other then that I am ok. My baby came out with no issue also.

Hugs pre-eclampsia is nasty too.

 

[Mojo]

Yeah, but I think Mojo is right. Any attempts to debunk their claims _is going to be portrayed_ as an attack on the sufferers.

Look at the vaccine/autism debate, where this is not uncommon

"There's no evidence vaccines cause autism, and these doctors are just preying on the fears and desperation of parents without actually helping them."
"Why do you insult these parents, who are just trying to help their damaged kids?"

That's precisely the sort of thing I meant.

 

[samanthakayee]

I understand now Mojo for A second I thought you ment the CD worked lol

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Yeah, but I think Mojo is right. Any attempts to debunk their claims _is going to be portrayed_ as an attack on the sufferers.

Look at the vaccine/autism debate, where this is not uncommon

"There's no evidence vaccines cause autism, and these doctors are just preying on the fears and desperation of parents without actually helping them."
"Why do you insult these parents, who are just trying to help their damaged kids?"

Woo claims are overwhelmingly accepted, if not as effective, but at least as well meaning. You and I may know better, but that's not the way they are portrayed.

It didn't sound like the CD peddler was also a sufferer.

And even if parents are convinced their child(ren) was damaged by a vaccine, that is no reason not to address the woo they peddle. It's merely a reason to address their misconceptions sensitively.

I would confront the person's claims in the forum directly. And educate others to the scientific method at the same time. Ask for the peer reviewed scientific evidence and when it isn't forthcoming, address how valid treatments should stand up to study.

There are some standard replies that the CD peddler will likely reply with so be ready for those. When the peddler claims no one wants to study something where there is no profit, answer: remind the person not every research dollar comes from the commercial sources. Universities, HG foundations, and similar sources of research funding don't need to see a return on their R&D. So the peddler is wrong and the CD has no evidence of it's effectiveness.

You need a reply to the claim of anecdotal evidence supporting the product. It comes back to the science. If the anecdotal evidence is true, then research should show results. Anecdotes are nice for suggesting hypothesis but they are not something you'd want to either waste money on or worse, risk the life of your fetus and yourself on.

Any other standard woo promoters replies to your challenges, bring them to us and we'll likely be able to suggest replies.


I was nauseated for the first 5 months. I can't imagine how awful it would have been for the symptoms to have been worse. I'm glad you and the baby made it through OK.