On his excellent new Counterknowledge blog, Damian Thompson points out that
An article by Bella Blissett in today’s Evening Standard, begins: “A glance at the average British lifestyle makes terrifying viewing for Dr Patrick Holford, the UK’s top nutritionist.” That doctorate makes an impressive addition to an already rather complicated CV. But where is it from?
One of the commenters on this blog noticed that GMTV have made a similar mistake, and apparently quite a few media bodies (GMTV, RTE, etc) have mistakenly assumed that Holford is a doctor. The google results on this are rather depressing. And people say that bloggers don’t fact-check their articles…
There’s also a new edition Skeptic’s Circle online now. I would think of something interesting to say, but this Circle uses lots of puzzles. For some reason, I can’t do puzzles. Not even the ‘Easy’ section. If you enjoy playing with that type of thing, go over and have a look - and if anyone wants to give me the answers I’m not opposed to cheating at these things…
Puzzles aside, I was pleased to see that the Bad Chemist blog has a nice ‘nutribollocks‘ section. For some reason, it seems to be dedicated entirely to a certain well-known media nutritionist. For the life of me, I can’t think why… And, while I’m writing about interwebby stuff, a final thing to note is how bloggers are responding to Society of Homeopaths attempts to censor the Quackometer: it looks as if using legal muscle to (try to) censor bloggers can backfire…
5 responses so far ↓
LeeT // October 14, 2007 at 12:08 am
An unnatural and malevolent force known as BigPharma has taken over the United Kingdom. They force the Food Standards Agency to develop a wheel of health that ONLY brings about the absence of disease. A weak parliament approves the food wheel as all MPs have accepted directorships in pharmaceutical organisations. In an effort, to increase sales of drugs the Food Standards Agency publishes advice saying there is no need to take vitamin supplements. Meanwhile, similar advice is given by the British Medical Association and BDA after all British doctors and dieticians are bribed by BigPharma. Some fearless nutritional therapists try to expose what is happening, but they are kidnapped by aliens. Mysteriously the world’s supply of vitamin C is taken under lock and key to a warehouse in Bracknell.
Democracy and world peace are under threat. Only one man can help: the Doctor. Where others fear to tread he advocates not just a balanced diet, but optimum nutrition. The doctor nurses a dark secret … His doctorate is an honorary one from the Intergalactic College of Herbal Nutritonal Therapy on the plant Ion in the Bant constellation.
What will the doctor do next? Who will save the world? Tune in to the next episode of Holford Watch
jdc325 // October 15, 2007 at 6:15 pm
LeeT - that’s genius. I think you missed out the psychic dolphins though…
LeeT // October 15, 2007 at 6:30 pm
The sad thing is most of the things I put in the above little satire have been advanced by supporters of alternative health eg corrupt doctors, incompetent dieticians and a wheel of health than only (!) prevents disease. I’ll admit no one has claimed any nutritional therapists have been kidnapped by aliens, but it is only a matter of time …
Idetrorce // December 15, 2007 at 12:04 pm
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
LeeT // December 15, 2007 at 11:40 pm
What don’t you agree with - RTE, GMTV and the London Evening Standard awarding Mr Holford doctorates or locking up the world’s vitamin C in Bracknell?
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