Researchers at York University have conducted randomised clinical trials on the efficacy of copper and magnetic bracelets and have reached the conclusion that they are no better than a placebo at relieving arthritis.
These devices are marketed to old and vulnerable people and they can cost up to £60 plus. An outright scam perpetrated by the unscrupulous.
Here’s a story from yesterday’s New Scientist on how they’ve actually caught the placebo effect in action within the spinal nerves.
A friend gave me some good advice on how to get rid of all the 40 odd tonnes of clay spoil from the footings – dig a hole and bury it.
Hay bought 30 odd bales of hay bales yesterday to stuff under the caravan for winter insulation. Had to put it in Caravan’s garage to prevent it getting wet. Just hope to hell the damned stuff doesn’t undergo spontaneous combustion when under the caravan.
Children should not start formal learning until they are six, a review of primary education in England says. Needless to say, despite a huge body of evidence from experts and the fact it works in Wales, Northern Ireland and vast swathes of the continent, the government and the Conservative opposition have rejected the idea with no evidence for their position whatsoever. So much for evidence-based decision making.
Personally I believe boys shouldn't go to school till they're 55.
2 comments:
On the question of magnetic bracelets, I know a chap who makes his living selling them at market stalls and is a great believer in them (Yes, he's mad as a hatter). He sells a complete range of magnetic apparel including things like waistcoats with implanted magnets which deal with more serious illnesses. He was on the organising committee for the Jazz Festival and a few years ago I managed to give him the job a leading the parade band through the streets of the village. I based the appointment on the assumption that he could walk in front of the band with his full magnetic outfit on and they would be forced to follow him.
Funny, that, about starting formal education later - the Germans I understand are just doing the exact opposite - bringing the school age down to equate with that of the UK. I wish they would just stop tinkering and get on with teaching! Mind you, here, the school-age kids are being sent home three afternoons a week because there isn't enough money to pay the teachers...If that happened in the UK, then people would really have something to think about.
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