I Am Quite Extraordinarily Angry

Because I made the error of using the word 'homeopathy' on Twitter, I've received yet another follow from a random quack.

This particular person lists their website as a place for 'naturopathy'. In case you're unaware of what that is, I can sum it up relatively easily: take some fruits, vegetables, wheat grass and vitamin supplements, apply a complete misunderstanding of how the body assimilates and uses the goodness in these items, then open a website or clinic and charge people top dollar for what is, essentially, a lot of nonsense. With me? Good. Go and read Ben Goldacre's 'Bad Science' book - he has a lot more information on this stuff. And, in fairness, he's rather more charming, likeable and knowledgeable than I ever will be.

Clicking around on the tweets this quack has written, I came across this charming page.

I was in two minds as to whether or not I should reproduce what's written there, but decided to because of something that I thought it was important for people to see.

My mother is a case of stage IV throat (oropharynx) cancer and has completed 9 rounds of chemotherapy and 40 rounds of radiotherpy? She is unable to eat anything due to the side effects of radio therapy and of course the cancer present in the oropharynx part. Is there someone who has undergone similar cancer treatment through alternative medication? Any answers will be highly appreciated?? My e-mail ID is *********************. Please help.

This person is, obviously, going through absolute hell at the moment and I genuinely feel sorry for them. But, I'm afraid to say, alternative medicine is not the way to beat cancer.

What really angered me, however, was one of the comments left underneath.

Apricot seeds and b17 saved my fathers life. Dx in January with stage 4 stomach cancer to the liver,my dad was not given much hope. Five months later after 1 bag of apricot seeds and 2 bottles of b17 my dad is cancer free. The doctors are stunned, they dont know what to say. The stomach and liver are totally clean.

Wow. That's absolutely amazing. By the simple consumption of apricot seeds and vitamins, someone actually cured their cancer. No other medical intervention took place, merely this simple and cost-effective programme. I take it all back - alternative medicine works and...oh...wait, there's another part...

He did have 5 treatments of chemo each 3 weeks apart but I dont credit the chemo at all.

Can anyone else see the problem here?

I have no further comment to make other than to simply say I am absolutely fucking livid.