Pigasus Awards - Consumer Scams - Quackwatch

[Guest guest]

2011 Pigasus Awards announced.

Consumer Health Digest #11-07, March 31, 2011

The Randi Educational Foundation (JREF has announced its 2011

Pigasus Awards, which have been given annually on April Fool's Day

since 1997 to promoters of nonsense. This year's notables include:

**The Funder Pigasus Award goes to CVS/pharmacy, for their work to

support the manufacturers of scam " homeopathic " medications by

selling them in thousands of stores across the U.S., alongside real

medicine, with no warning to consumers.

**The Media Pigasus Award goes to Mehmet Oz, M.D., who is first

person to win a Pigasus two years in a row. Oz, a Harvard-educated

cardiac surgeon, has promoted alleged communication with the dead,

faith healing, " energy medicine, " and other practices that have no

basis in reality.

**The Performer Pigasus Award-this year for " Best Comeback " -goes to

televangelist Popoff. Popoff made millions in the 1980s by

pretending to heal the sick and receive information about audience

members directly from God. He went bankrupt in 1987 after JREF

founder Randi exposed him for using a secret earpiece to

receive information about audience members from his wife. Now he's

raking in millions by offering " supernatural debt relief " in exchange

for donations.

**The Refusal to Face Reality Award goes to Wakefield, the

researcher who launched the modern anti-vaccine panic with unfounded

statements linking the MMR vaccine with autism that were not borne

out by any research, even his own.

For additional details, see

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/jref-news/1260-pigasus-2011.html

[Guest guest]

I have casually followed Randi for 30 years now. I like the guy, because he is

an ENTERTAINER

However, like everyone, he has his OPINION, i.e., his perception of the 'facts'.

It's a bit like politics, or religion.

There are studies, scientists, etc., which confirm the 'reality' of homeopathic'

solutions. Now, maybe he doesn't like the scientists, or what this new data

would do to his belief system, but there is another side. Sort of similar to the

placebo effect, which is a bona fide scientific reality, which is now being used

bit by bit in emerging research/treatment. And yes, we all 'love' those 'real'

medicines, in large part because they make some of my friends who are PI

attorneys very wealthy suing drug companies for doing sloppy research which ends

up killing, or severely disabling, scores of people.

And OZ. How can anyone not like someone with the name 'Oz'? That's just too

cool! Anyway, coolness aside, Randi's 'basis in reality' refuses to consider

data which might upset the apple-cart of his beliefs. Actually, there IS a

growing body of evidence confirming some of these 'spooky' things, which Randi

probably refuses to read.

As for Popoff, I've never heard of the guy most likely because I don't watch tv.

But again, what a name!

As for Wakefield, again, there IS another side to this story. A BIG side.

Wakefield's study was never 'discredited' or 'disproved'. These are just primal

screams of grossly opinionated journalists. You need to read Wakefield's study

to understand this. What HAS happened is a massive institutionalized reaction

against Wakefield because he dared to dissent, hold another perception of this

world. And that is not just sad, but disgusting. Those of us with neurological

problems should carefully consider the neuroimmune implications of various

vaccines, as much - if not more - than we do for Vitamin B6! As of 2010, there

were approximately 21,000 adverse reactions in young girls to the Gardasil

vaccine, but do you hear anyone standing up and saying 'Whoa, wait a minute -

let's recheck this vaccine!'? No! And that is just one vaccine, and only the

reported cases. Anyway, if you want vaccines, then by all means do so to your

heart's content. But the 'institutionalized' reaction I've seen regarding those

who dissent with public policy OPINION regarding vaccines is nothing short of

religious fanaticism. That's the dark, evil side of human nature, and the reason

why I drink.