Paul Offit discusses Oscillococcinum

Paul Offit discusses a recent experience in which he noted the homeopathic product Oscillococcinum, was being touted as "better than placebo" by a homeopathic exhibitor. He explains what Oscillococcinum is, with a typical description of dilution techniques [of duck liver and heart] that we all know and love as unique to homeopathic balderdash.
Discarding credulity - and those annoying laws of chemistry that homeopaths can't abide - this "remedy" claims to be effective against influenza symptoms, whilst containing less than one molecule diluted in a volume equivalent to our universe. That's 3 x 10 [to the 80th] cubic meters.
Which, I shag you not, is ridiculously common in homeopathy. Never mind explaining how mashed up and diluted duck organs combat influenza, or as claimed leave a memory imprint on water, to do the same.
Sold in pill form you have plain sugar. A placebo. Nothing more.
And whilst homeopaths wail about FDA conspiracies and Big Pharma conflicts of interest, it's worth noting the FDA seems content to allow this scam to continue.

Transcript here;
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/735358?src=mp&spon=17

SKEPTIC BLOG:
http://skepticblog.org/2011/03/03/oscillococcinum/

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• 10.23 Ten23 campaign
• homeopathy
• paul offit
• Oscillococcinum

[largraf]

Bullshit. This guy would sell his soul for money. If any children get autism from your vaccines and if any children die from your vaccines, you will stand in God's court and get his judgment. HELL!

[firesnakepodcast]

@largraf Autism "Epidemic" Myth [1]. If diagnostic criteria has attenuated developmental disorders toward ASD, rather than an "epidemic", we'd expect to see undiagnosed adults with ASD. We'd thus also expect to see consistency in it's causes rather than an association with vaccination schedules. Conclusion includes-"The lack of an association with age is consistent with there having been no increase in prevalence and with its causes being temporally constant."

[largraf]

@firesnakepodcast So Ur trying to say there hasn't been a dramatic rise in the rate of autism among children who received vaccinations with thimerisol? Unfortunate for U, the science does support a direct link bet. vaccs. and autism. The best U could hope for is that it's not the thimerisol, but other toxins, like formaldehyde, aspartame, aborted fetal tissue or unattenuated viruses given in the same vaccinations. U don't have a leg to stand on. Y are U fighting so hard to murder children?

[firesnakepodcast]

@largraf No rise in autism, merely a change in diagnostic criteria. There's no aborted fetal tissue and I'm not wasting time with someone who abuses the term 'science'. Shifting goal posts with thimerosal, then "toxins" & now the number of vaccines. I can't reason with a belief system. Murder? Here's facts from New Yorkshire Encephalitis Society: Convulsions: After measles 1 in 200. After MMR 1 in 1000. Meningitis/encephalitis: measles 1 in 200 and 500. MMR < 1 in 1 million.

[firesnakepodcast]

@largraf cont'. SSPE (which leaves permanent brain damage & death) Measles: 1 in 8,000. MMR - zero. Death: Measles - 1 in 2500 to 5000 depending on age. MMR - ZERO. I feel sorry for you simply reciting the prayers of conspiracy theorists. Can you reason your own argument? Without assumption? I'm reading about vaccine preventable deaths in Australia and the US. Recently - fatal diphtheria in an un-vaccinated person. And I'm fighting to murder? Utter rubbish, begets idiocy.

[firesnakepodcast]

@largraf cont: If changing environmental factors: vaccination, medication & background heavy metal levels has no effect on ASD development we'd also expect to find the paucity of literature suggesting this link, that we do. We'd expect to see no "epidemic" using the *same* diagnostic criteria on adults (9.8/1000) & children 10/1,000). Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011;68(5):459-465. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.­2011.38

Wakefield is a fraud and now a conspiracy nut - he'll be speaking with Icke in UK.

[SpunkMonkey]

Wow, "largraf" clearly illustrates the core difference between science-based medicine and anti-vaccination talking points: SBM is based on empirical evidence, while largraf is basing his/her position entirely on faith and willful ignorance; evidence is just part of some conspiracy. Thank you largraf for showing your side of the argument for what it really is.

[HomeoScandalous]

They certainly should crack down on this quackery. Disgusting that people will make money selling this bullshit.

[largraf]

You better go on your extended vacation, Offit. The lawyers will be looking for you.

[largraf]

@firesnakepodcast This is a false. Dr Offit totally discredited: According to Adventures in Autism: "Upon further review, it appears that a number of Dr. Offit's statements, as quoted in the OC Register article, were unsubstantiated and/or false. Attkisson had previously reported on the vaccine industry ties of Dr. Offit and others in a CBS Evening News report 'How Independent Are Vaccine Defenders?'"

[largraf]

After I got the flu shot, I got the flu. After my dogs got parvo shot, they got parvo & died. U can't argue with experience. My mom died at the hands of doctors. I've had Many friends die in the care of doctors. I will give you a statement: in every sense of the Word -

DOCTORS ARE A DIEING BREED.

U have the money & what you call "science" which has only been around for 200 years. Natural medicine has been around for thousands. YOUR way is against GOD. YOUR WAY is going away.