Given the current discussion of allergy and allergy testing around the recent House of Lords report, and Shinga’s recent post on IgG testing, this seems like a good time to look at some words of wisdom from Professor Patrick Holford of Teesside University. For Holford, “Although it is hard to believe, [health dowsing] is an accurate and simple method of diagnosis that uses intuition rather than logical thinking to determine people’s nutritional needs” (Holford 1983, 132). Unsurprisingly, health dowsing is not an effective diagnostic technique: there is no plausible mechanism by which it might work, and no good evidence that it does.
It is interesting to see Holford focusing on “intuition rather than logical thinking”: sadly, given the type of ‘evidence’ that Holford views as “deeply impressive”, it appears that Prof Holford’s approach to science and nutrition is failing in certain ways. Here at Holford Watch, we feel that logical thinking about nutrition can be useful: relying on intuition is inadequate. I trust that Teesside’s staff will currently be thinking logically about certain interesting features of Patrick Holford’s application for his professorial post.
Holford, P. (1983) The Whole Health Manual, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire: Thorsons.
27 responses so far ↓
Shinga // September 27, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Never a truer phrase was written by the man.
Wipes eyes, thanks Patrick for the laugh.
LeeT // September 27, 2007 at 8:18 pm
To be fair to Patrick Holford the book was written in 1983. I am sure we all do and say stupid things in our younger days. For example I … , but errr back to Mr Holford: is there any evidence that he still looks at nutritional problems in that way? Would he perhaps like to renounce his youthful self and provide some context to what he was saying?
I wonder what the attitude of BANT would be to a nutritional therapist with such an attitute
LeeT // September 27, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Sorry, the sentence should read: “I wonder what the attitude of the British Association for Nutritional Therapy would be to a nutritional therapist with such an attitude to clincial diagnosis.”
jonhw // September 27, 2007 at 8:31 pm
re. BANT’s attitude, I asked them about Applied Kinesiology (which is as implausible an approach to nutritional testing as health dowsing) here. They stated that:
As for whether there is evidence that Professor Holford still looks at things in this way, I’d argue that the food intolerance tests he currently favours - while more plausible than health dowsing or applied kinesiology - are not backed up by good evidence. Prof Holford is also broadly positive about homoeopathic vaccinations, so he does still appear to be supportive of at least some similarly implausible approaches to healthcare; one might also note Holford’s supportive statements about the QLink Pendant.
If Teesside’s new visiting professor had obviously turned his back on such implausible approaches to health(care), I would feel bad about dredging up this stuff from the 80s. As things stand, though, my conscience is clear.
LeeT // September 27, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Although the book now seems to be out of print it is available on Amazon at the price of 1p upwards + delivery.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0722508433/ref=dp_olp_2/202-9094413-4091855?ie=UTF8&qid=1190920836&sr=8-2
I would be interested to know if Patrick Holford stands by the comments quoted above. Also did he actually use the term “health dowsing” anywhere in the book?
UK dietitian // September 27, 2007 at 10:30 pm
a “simple method of diagnosis that uses intuition rather than logical thinking to determine people’s nutritional needs”
I guess that explains why Professor Holford gets it so wrong, so often. We RDs prefer clinical evidence, research and logic to put nutritional messages in context rather than the whimsical musings of self-styled nutritionists such as Holford.
Shinga // September 27, 2007 at 10:45 pm
Holford links to hair analysis on his HPFL site. Frankly, there is no more reason to think that this technique that relies upon someone else’s intuition is any more effective than holding a seance and consulting a spirit guide to calculate mineral levels etc.
LeeT // September 27, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Does Patrick Holford use the term “health dowsing” in the book?
draust // September 27, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Hwa hwa hwa hwa hwa hwa…!!
…(falls off chair cackling madly)
Goodness.
At first I was beginning to wonder if PaddyBaby was simply trying to wind you up , Shinga. But the quarter-of-a-century back clears that up.
While he clearly isn’t saying this now, it does make one think that “Patrick Holford never saw a bogus therapy he didn’t like / wouldn’t endorse”. He is a jackdaw, really, collecting a great grab-bag of Woo-notions as he has gone along but doing it in a smart jumper and masking it with lots of sciencey-sounding words.
Thinking about it, I am actually surprised he is not more chary about supporting truly daft things like the qLink, or [sharing several ideas] with Matthias Rath. Since his core income seems to depend on appearing “plausible and sensible, not barking”, you might think he would try and avoid the loonier fringe stuff.
[Material in [] edited on request]
jonhw // September 28, 2007 at 12:35 am
Thanks for the comments. Lee- the book definitely referred to health dowsing, though I don’t have a copy handy so can’t be 100% sure what phrase was used. 95% confident it was “health dowsing”, though (and alternate phrases like ‘dowsing for health’ do not make the process any more credible ;) ).
Edited on request
Shinga // September 28, 2007 at 11:18 am
Holford’s juvenalia do make fascinating reading, particularly when one considers that he must have been researching and writing some of them in the gap between graduating in 1979 and beginning to treat ‘mental health patients’ in 1980 (pdf) - you know, when he was spending time as a student of Drs Hoffer and Pfeiffer.
After the interesting corrections to the Holford CV and profile, we are fascinated by when, where, and with whom Holford gained sufficient clinical knowledge and experience to start working with clients in such an important capacity.
Claire // September 28, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Come, come, now, haven’t you read this? : http://www.integralhealth.org/ - DNA hair analysis, no less! With a helpful link to ‘Our dispensary team’ http://www.metabolics.com/
Shinga // September 28, 2007 at 2:23 pm
To quote Orac: The stupid, it burns….
Dr Aust // September 28, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Endorsing the qLink and the Electrosensitivity Woo is daft enough all on its own.
Looking at the discussion of PH’s and Rath’s ideas and their areas or overlap (or not) previously on this site:
http://holfordwatch.info/2007/04/21/more-on-burne-holford-rath-and-hivaids/
and at what the TAC in S Africa wrote about Patrick:
http://www.tac.org.za/statement20070301.html
- the right description might be more like “fellow traveller”
Edited on request
LeeT // September 28, 2007 at 6:37 pm
Hmmm. All very odd. I’ll try and get a copy of the book and then perhaps contact Mr Holford via his website for further clarification.
jonhw // September 28, 2007 at 7:25 pm
LeeT - by all means. If you don’t get round to it, I will be able to confirm the exact phrase eventually, but don’t have a copy of the book here with me. We spotted a few other interesting titbits in the book, too - which we’ll post about in good time…
LeeT // September 28, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Thanks, I look forward to that. There’s certainly been a change over the last few years in the way nutritional therapy interacts with conventional medicine. The tone of the material in the ASA’s 2003 adjudication was very negative towards some aspects of conventional medicine e.g claiming medical doctors spent very little time studying nutrition. If you look at the websites of most nutritional therapists they stress how they work with other healthcare professionals in the best interests of their clients.
What their private views are is another matter. A few months ago I met some one who said he had no faith at all in conventional medicine. The guy said he was a great fan of Patrick Holford. He then went on to tell me how he communicated with the dead and the spiritual world in general. Admittedly, this bloke is probably on the lunatic fringes of the movement but it did bring home to me just how bonkers are some of the people involved with the movement.
Shinga // September 28, 2007 at 9:23 pm
It wasn’t quite phrased this way but this somewhat reminds me of the Eddie Izzard routine about transvestism (?) being a continuum, with him (cool, jet-setting, fabulous) at one end and weirdos (J Edgar Hoover, a recent news story) being at the other end.
Executive nutritionism - weirdo nutritionism: it’s a continuum.
pv // September 30, 2007 at 5:24 pm
My intuition tells me that Mr Holford isn’t really being up front about what he does or what he sells. My intuition tells me that he isn’t quite what he seems to his fans. Am I allowed to write about what my intuition tells me?
It’s good to know he and I agree on something, because my intuition tells me that, underneath it all, in reality he does agree with me - it’s just that he doesn’t want the whole world to know because that would be, like, voting himself out of a job.
Surely there must be some University in the UK where I could get a degree in intuitiveness because methinks I’m rather good at it.
Shinga // September 30, 2007 at 7:07 pm
I suppose that the nearest that universities come to ‘intuition’ as yet is teaching emotional intelligence but intuition may still yet have its day and accreditation. Maybe that would be a better notional chair for someone, Visiting Professor of Intuition and Nervology.
Holford on Applied Kinesiology testing: “there is little doubt that it works” « Holford Watch: Patrick Holford, nutritionism and bad science // October 1, 2007 at 2:40 am
[...] the overall function of our bodies” (Holford 1983, 130). Unfortunately - while Holford has also written in the Whole Health Manual about the utility of intuition - whatever intuition, evidence or knowledge Holford was drawing on appears to have let him down [...]
jonhw // October 1, 2007 at 2:41 am
Thanks, a bit more on intuition here. I wonder if my intuition would be enough to get me a Chair in something?
Shinga // October 2, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Lee, Jon - I have acquired a copy of the 1981 Whole Health Manual and shall upload the relevant page over the next few days.
I can confirm that we are looking at pg 104 and that it has a fabulous illustration. The heading for the section is Health Dowsing; the text reads:
Jon quoted some of the other text which seems unchanged. I shall upload the relevant section when I can it as it deserves a wider audience.
LeeT // October 2, 2007 at 9:31 pm
Okay, I am sure you are all gagging to try it out so check out these links (see below). Just think you could meet your future spouse at one of these events and spend a lifetime dowsing together for health, water and anything else. Typing “Patrick Holford” and “Health Dowsing” does not bring up much so presumably he has now moved on. So come on let’s have a public denouncing of the movement!
http://www.schoolofholisticdowsing.co.uk
http://www.schoolofholisticdowsing.co.uk/advice.htm#consultations
http://www.britishdowsers.org/whats_on/health_group.shtml
Shinga // October 2, 2007 at 10:14 pm
You make it all sound so tempting, Lee.
I think, however, that the dowsing has taken a more modern form in Holford’s endorsement of certain blood tests. I cleave to my position that certain blood tests do not differ substantially from holding a seance. They do, however, meet the need for a biomedical explanation and a certain sense of theatre, replete with props involving a lancet and sending stuff off to a laboratory…
Common Myths « Holford Myths: what is the problem with Nutritionist Patrick Holford? // January 6, 2008 at 2:07 pm
[...] Livercheck Test. He promotes hair testing to diagnose mineral deficiencies. In the past he has even promoted health dowsing, saying: although it is hard to believe, [dowsing] is an accurate and simple method of diagnosis [...]
Patrick Holford and The Whole Health Dowsing Kit « Holford Watch: Patrick Holford, nutritionism and bad science // January 6, 2008 at 7:32 pm
[...] may recall that we previously mentioned Holford’s advocacy of health dowsing as a way of diagnosing nutritional needs complete with a diagram of the kit that was for sale. Well, we promised a copy of the diagram: it [...]
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