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There is no practical limit to the made up magical nonsense that people will use to sell snake oil to the public. I was recently asked to take a look at this particular product - the Only Natural Flea and Tick tag.  

The product promises to be all-natural and to employ the latest holistic science. Of course I am always fascinated by the section on such websites titled "how it works." Let's see:  

"The EasyDefense tag is treated with a bio-energetic process and sealed in an electro-magnetic shielded envelope. When opened and placed on your pet, it uses your pet's own inherent energy to send out frequencies that repel pests. The process operates with quantum mechanic's refined frequencies, and is somewhat similar to the basic principles of homeopathy. (It does not use traditional energy forms like electrical, chemical, thermal, magnetic, or radioactive.)"  

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In an age of Internet daily deals, we are used to getting invitations from Groupon, LivingSocial, AmazonLocal, and a host of copycat websites. Pay $15 for $30 of food at a local restaurant; buy a cheap vacation for two in Cabo; get 52% off on go-kart racing. Businesses receive less money than they normally would for their goods or services with the worthwhile trade-off of attracting new clientele.

It’s quite common to receive such offers for alternative health treatments (Acupuncture, Reflexology, and Chiropractic seem to be particularly popular), so it didn’t surprise me one morning to receive a Groupon offer for “Up to 57% Off Colon Hydrotherapy” at a small clinic less than two miles from my house. The deal read, in part:

 

Like a house, your body should be thoroughly cleaned every so often to sweep away stubborn crumbs and ensure that there are no poltergeists hiding inside. Flush out unwanted bodily residents with today's Groupon [for] Colon Hydrotherapy.

In a Nutshell: FDA-approved LIBBE equipment gently flushes toxins & waste from colons with disposable nozzles that expel purified water.

The ad contained more description and weak attempts at humor, but I’ll break it down for you: Colon Hydrotherapy (a.k.a. Colonic Irrigation) attempts to remove “toxins” from your digestive tract by placing a tube in your rectum and pushing water into your body to make you expel the contents of your colon.

This is the point at which most of us would hit the delete key and read the next email. Not me, though. I knew immediately that I had to buy this. After all, on my podcast, my co-host and I investigate fringe science and supernatural claims first hand. “We show up so you don’t have to,” is our motto. We’d already had listener requests to try colon cleansing, and there’s no way I was going to pay the full $90 to have water flushed up my rear end. This was my golden opportunity. I called my co-host Carrie Poppy to see if she wanted one as well (you could buy up to 2 additional sessions as gifts). She demurred: “Water up my butt? No thanks. I’ll try the Master Cleanse.” (Carrie may have thought she was getting off easy, but her recent blog post tells otherwise.)

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Scientology is back in the news these days, and the top story is that Katie Holmes is filing for divorce from prominent Church member Tom Cruise (born July 3, 1962). This is allegedly in part to protect her daughter from the practices of the Church.  

There have been many other major defections and revelations as well, all covered in great detail at the Village Voice by Tony Ortega. There has been so much bad news lately that one writer called it the Summer of Hell for the Church.

Coincidentally, several historic dates in the history of the Church of Scientology occurred in July, so I thought to take a look at that history. They relate to the technology of the Church, criminal law and civil law.

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Are you as excited as we are? The Amaz!ng Meeting (TAM) is one short week away. With engaging speakers like Penn & Teller, Carol Tavris, Pamela Gay, Lawrence Krauss, and Michael Shermer, it’s going to be one amaz!ng experience. Make the most of your four days with us by signing up for one of our additional TAM events, including fantastic evening shows, fun and challenging workshops, and a lunch with the Amaz!ng One himself, James Randi. Simply use the same e-mail address you used when registering for TAM in order to add tickets for these special events.

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As a skeptic, I am faced with what I will call the “Debunker’s Dilemma.” Because there is such an incredible amount of misinformation, pseudoscience, and straight-up bunk out there, it appears that a skeptic’s stance on many beliefs is constantly “negative.” Not negative in the way of cynicism, but negative in the way that we are consistently reciting the phrase “You know that’s just a myth…” or something similar. Surf any skeptical forum like the skeptic subreddit and you will find many threads lamenting over ignorance with “myth this” and “nonsense that.” Again, this is the dirty work that must be done. However, when this bleeds over into the public sphere we get the (undeserved) “cynic” moniker. This is the dilemma we face: in order to counter nonsense, we are doomed to be ever seen as dismissive critics of people’s beliefs.

  1. Teaching Lies, Propaganda And Disinformation In The Classroom
  2. “Cleaning” My Colon: A Master Cleanse Diary
  3. This Week In Doubtful News
  4. Philosophising Children And Camp Quest UK – Interview With Samantha Stein