It's the new buzz word around town. No company or government department today is now complete without a "wellness program".
Some of it is harmless, you know, those stupid signs telling you to wash your hands in the toilet or to take the stairs near the lifts.
But much of it is actually based upon highly dubious pseudo-science or very poor quality studies with weak findings that are only a step or two up from pseudo-science.
As a general resource on this and other health and diet matters, check out Junkfood Science.
But recently it's been noted that the left-wing blog The Huffington Post has taken a strange and disturbing direction in promoting all kinds of crackpot medical and health ideas that have no actual scientific evidence to support them, such as conspiracy theories about vaccines.
Now we know why.
It has a "wellness editor".
Here are her "qualifications":
Patricia Fitzgerald is a licensed acupuncturist, certified clinical nutritionist, and a homeopath. She has a Master's Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and a Doctorate in Homeopathic Medicine. She is the founder and Medical Director of the Santa Monica Wellness Center and the author of the best-selling, award-winning The Detox Solution: The Missing Link to Radiant Health, Abundant Energy, Ideal Weight, and Peace of Mind. You can learn more at TheDetoxSolution.com.Her mission is to inspire others to live their passion, while creating and enjoying optimal physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Oh dear, so much stupidity and snakeoil compressed into so few words.
And for fuck's sake, isn't having a "mission" so friggen last century?
In response to the question "what is a docorate in homoepathic medicine," a comment left on the Pharyngula blog gave the perfect definition:
...a doctorate in homeopathic medicine would be a blank piece of paper soaked in a 1:10,000,000 tincture made from the ink of an actual doctor's diploma.
As Mike the Mad Biologist says, it's "...like having a creationist as the science editor. And it explains quite a bit about The Huffington Post's War on Medicine."
