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Use Astrology To Save Britain's Health System, Says MP
An anonymous reader writes: An MP from the governing Conservative Party has said that using astrology could radically improve the performance of Britain's National Health Service and that its opponents are "racially prejudiced" and driven by "superstition, ignorance and prejudice." David Treddinick even claims he has "helped" fellow legislators through astrology.
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/health/aortic-aneurysms-caused-by-movement-of-saturn-admits-nhs-2015022595714
Is...is this real? Not some wayward story from The Onion?
... that this is all a dream and I'm going to wake up.
"Ninety per cent of pregnant French women use homeopathy. Astrology is a useful diagnostic tool enabling us to see strengths and weaknesses via the birth chart."
At first, I have failed to see the common ground between homeopathy and astrology - these two sentences sounded completely unrelated. But they are actually related - it says
"90% of French women are gullible enough to fall for homeopathy. This means that most of them are stupid enough to also believe astrology crap, so market is ripe"
But I asked a magic 8-ball if it was a good idea and it said "Without a doubt". Who am I to argue with science?
Tredinnick's a nut who has form for this kind of statement.
Still. At least he's not on the House of Commons Health Committe or anything. What's that? Oh...
I had a dream, bright and carefree, but now there's doubt and gravity
Its not aprils fools day yet is it? If MP says that for real, they better lock him to tower dungeon in horry.
I'd like to remind David Treddinick, and any other non-US citizens contemplating similar actions, that we in the US take our intellectual property rights seriously. We believe that we and we alone enjoy the right to use or sell crackpot politicians. Unless Mr. Teddinick has a license for our technology, he's set himself up to be on the receiving end of some very strongly worded letters from our attorneys.
If I change the word "Astrology" for a "pat on the back" in that article, it makes more sense.
And here I thought the USA got all the nut jobs after the American War. Good to see the UK retained a few.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
The Democrats used voodoo to come up with Obamacare. What's the difference?
OOoooo! Spoooky.
ARS
We had a good run from post WWII to about the early 21st century. For some reason, science and technology had to wait for a major war, then suddenly we accepted science and technology as we gave ourselves a great orgy of technology.
Now that the wind has run out of that sail, and we've hit plateaus on pretty much everything, and university education is dumbed down and sold like a late-night infomercial, humanity will slide back to what we always were; a bunch of emotionally-driven lunatics hungry for power.
but what else would you expect from a capricorn...
-- Make America hate again!
... it's more down-to-earth.
David Tredinnick ... come on down, you're our next contestant on "how did I live so long being such a fucking moron?"
I'm sorry, but no.
Dumb as a box of hammers, looking to spend taxpayer money on unproven voodoo, and this guy is a conservative??
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Good to hear about the trans-Atlantic stupid-party co-operation.
Treddinick and his family with withdraw from the NHS and use astrology for 10 years as a test of the effectiveness. If he's still alive then we can talk.
Anyone who laughs at using the predictable alignment of stars and planets to make earthbound decisions is clearly only doing it because they hold an ugly prejudice against ancient Sumerians.
Few things are more disgusting than an anti-Urist. Come on people, its not 1965 (BC) anymore!
When applied correctly homeopathy is GREAT for treating not-actually-existing issues plaguing patients. Essentially you are applying a placebo to a patient who is feeling "nervous" or something else rather hypochondriac and if the placebo producer did not violate production regulations you end up giving them a bit of sugar and like that you cured the non-existing with the not-healing.
Despite tongue-in-cheek I do mean this serious because there are people who DO suffer from non-existing issues, yes it is all in their head, and that's where homeopathy can help. So even homeopathy does have its uses.
The real question is whether it should be covered by a national healthcare system and I am inclined to saying absolutely not.
"Only one thing is impossible for God: To find any sense in any copyright law on the planet." - Mark Twain
its opponents are driven by superstition !! .. oh my god i'm gonna laugh my ass out .. I cant stop ..
Those that say "Yes" get demoted, those that say "No" get promoted.
BOOM, instant increase in efficiency.
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
But I'm only laughing because I'm not British. This would terrify me if I were British. Not that we don't have plenty of similar nuts in Congress.
Has anyone checked recently if Treddinick weighs as much as a duck? I think it's time.
"Astrology is a useful diagnostic tool enabling us to see strengths and weaknesses via the birth chart."
Doctor: Hmm, I've consulted the charts and I'm afraid you're in for a difficult birth. It would seem that on the due date your Sun will be in Uranus.
The funniest line in this article is "The MP for Bosworth, in Leicestershire, who is a Capricorn..." -- well done to the journalist who wrote this!
"If you think the problem is bad now, just wait until we've solved it." --- Arthur Kasspe
You pompous Americans have no idea how juvenile you are at the art of political asshattery. The house of commons, this year, will create more asshattery than your entire congress has over your short history.
*their* stuff is unscientific nonsense, but the Death Asteroid and Mars One, *that's* real science!!!
Surely this is grounds for him being dismissed as an MP. What a truly stupid man.
... even when used with good intentions.
It may do good in the short term for some people, much the same as a placebo, but unlike a placebo it brings with it a whole load of baggage (like homoeopathy and it's pseudo science research that was government funded in the UK until only recently).
The last thing anyone wants to see is astrology becoming more widely accepted as anything other than fiction... Stick with the placebo pill, it has the same effect and is a plain white lie with no baggage polluting minds of the mass ignorant.
It's certainly true for me. I have a deep prejudice against astrology and homeopathy and unrelated (so far as I know) Eastern traditional medicines that are commonly practiced today.
What luck! There is a really well thought out system of hypethesis and testing and validation of results that can be used to demonstrate the efficacy of these and any other misunderstood medical process. Advocates should have no trouble proving, one way or another, whether these systems actually work, even over the objections of someone as prejudiced as myself!
Seriously.
I did consult a homeopath in the 90ies and early 2000nds, mostly because my mother was all super-pushy about it and I wanted her to quit pestering me. He would question me on the phone for 40 to 60 minutes. His anamnesis was the best I ever had. I don't recall if I even opened the package that came a week or so later containing the "LM Potence" of some obscure Homeopathic substance, i.e. a water and alcohol mixture in a small important looking flask. But I do remember being way calmer and way more educated on my condition. I thought I had heart problems and he pin-pointed reflux after the extensive questionaire and talk on the phone.
I've never spoken to an doctor for that long and I'd be suprised if any doctor had time or could afford such a thing. I would like to have such a medical expert to talk to that does not push obscure 'treatment' on me, that would be optimal.
I treated my reflux with healing-earth, baking soda, meditation/relaxation excercise and a change in diet and told my MD who wanted to sell me a "heart and lung condition" diagnosed in the record time of 2.5 minutes to fuck off. Never had problems since.
The point is: Good Homeopaths are actually quite well medically educated and can be terrific "anameticists" (wording?), because their main job actually is to talk to the patient, find out what's bugging him and - ideally - do a solid diagnose. That they only prescribe sugar-pills is a minor nuiscance from that perspective.
If astrology would lead to a new occupation in which the main purpose is talking to the patient and find out what exactly the condition is, it could be a good thing. Wether the professional in question would be a homeopath, an astrologer, magician or whatnot wouldn't really matter. Only treatment then, of course, would need to be decided upon by a different party.
Modern medicine need a profession specifically for anamnesis. Until that happens, homeopaths and perhaps even astrologers will fill that gap. Poorly at time perhaps, but they'll fill it.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
The Guardian is a left-wing newspaper which supports Labour to a ridiculous degree.
There are stupid politicians of both colours, take the Labour MP who claims to be the son of a 9ft alien.
Astrology and Homoeopathy are both extremely effective, especially for difficult conditions such as mental health issues. Now sure, this is only due to the placebo effect, but doctors are pretty rubbish at exploiting the placebo and the placebo is extremely powerful! Something seems to prevent them from telling a patient nonsense that will make them believe they will get better and thus actually help them get better. Astrologists and Homoeopaths have no such issues, so this politician is completely correct that utilising astrologists and homoeopaths could help take the load of the NHS.
This is the most sensible Tory policy on the NHS that I have heard for a long time ...... sad but true
Never under estimate what you don't understand. After all it is the root if modern science, which is another form of mystical mumbo jumbo.
The guy is a well known loon. In the past he's been very vocal in his support of homeopathy and various other quackery. If memory serves he once also publically claimed that blood won't clot under a full moon.
He sits on the Science and Technology Select Committee and the Health Select Committee. An astonishingly clear example of an elected official not being fit for purpose.
"Physics is to math as sex is to masturbation." -R. Feynman
"Ninety per cent of pregnant French women use homeopathy. Astrology is a useful diagnostic tool enabling us to see strengths and weaknesses via the birth chart."
At first, I have failed to see the common ground between homeopathy and astrology - these two sentences sounded completely unrelated. But they are actually related - it says
"90% of French women are gullible enough to fall for homeopathy. This means that most of them are stupid enough to also believe astrology crap, so market is ripe"
90% of pregnant French women are deluded into believing in superstitions. (aka being stupid)
Carry on.
I guess it might be less so if you were actually british though.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/...
what a complete and utter waste of democracy this man is.
Ahh yes, crying racism is the new solid defense against anti-batshit/religious/woo claims.
I don't know who this asshole is, but I am willing to bet he is a white christian, which makes the claim even more hilarious.
I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
here is the working group list referred to in the parliamentary answer http://www.publications.parlia...
"An MP from the governing Conservative Party..."
Why am I not surprised.
The stars are also against the EU, I presume.
Okay, maybe your daily horoscope in the newspaper is computer generated nonsense, but it is a fact that planets and celestial objects have an effect on human behaviour and the environment.
Ask any police officer or health care provider how people act during the full moon. They will almost always tell you that they are busier and people are crazier around that time of the month - consistently - although they can't quite explain why. The moon also affects the tides of the oceans. This is a scientific fact. Celestial phenomenon is called astronomy. The effects of astronomy on human behaviour is called astrology.
We live in a world where everything is connected, and every action has a reaction associated with it. To think that there is absolutely no basis in truth regarding astrology is simply wrong.
The practice of astrology would not have survived for thousands of years if there were no truth to it. Granted, modern astrology is generally considered the realm of snake-oil peddling charlatans; but when we scrape the multiple layers of bull$hit off, we reveal an ancient artform that actually does have some merit to it.
It should not be idly dismissed just because we don't completely understand it yet.
Political correctness is really just herd psychology pushed by insecure people who desperately seek social conformity.
In a high tech world, we can no longer afford to be governed by the innumerate, technically challenged and the uneducated. Democracy as currently constructed is failing.
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
...to have him removed from the Health committee and the Science and Technology Committee: http://epetitions.direct.gov.u...
He'll have to consult the stars - same as always :-)
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Brits here on Slashdot keep telling us how wonderful their single payer system is and how backwards the US is for not having it adopted long ago.
Are the stories of long wait times and poor service in the UK true after all? Do the Brits perhaps just manage to live a long life because they know their health care system is sh*t and they therefore avoid getting sick in the first place?
"But the village idiot's dirty smock and wall falling are a far cry from the modern world of the urban idiot. What kinds of backgrounds do these city idiots come from?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
It also is, as Mr. T. said, an ancient practice that was well respected before modern science. Mind you, there have always been astrological crackpots, those who don't apply it scientifically, but just make stuff up. And, yes, the inference is "the sun's position in the sky has a direct and obvious effect on existence below the sphere of the moon; the moon's position in the sky also has an influence, although less strong (think: tides); therefore, the position of the other celestial spheres - mercury, venus, mars, jupiter, saturn and uranus - against the sphere of fixed stars, notably the constellations of the ecliptic, should have an influence.
Of course, it doesn't quite work that way. The inference is false, and the whole thing collapses.
but isn't astrology just superstition?
I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
It's good to know that USA does not have a monopoly on anti-science whackjob politicians.
Maybe we can swap politicians to keep 'em fresh: We'll trade you 2 witches and a faith healer for 2 astrologers and a Stonehenge cultist.
Table-ized A.I.
I think what you are looking for is a nurse practitioner. You can actually afford an hour of their time. The trick is getting insurance to agree that this is covered treatment.
A nurse practitioner can look up shit they don't know. It's not as satisfying as getting a diagnosis from a doctor, but I'll take a carefully-considered diagnosis of a nurse practitioner over a diagnosis of a doctor based on incomplete info and an assumption the patient is lying or doesn't mean what he says.
My reflux problems could have been diagnosed in my 20's if any doctor had taken me seriously. Instead, I got a self-diagnosis in my 40's after a coincidental diet change.
Since Vito Barbieri thinks woman can swallow a camera for a gynecological exam these two would make a great pair for medical reform. http://www.startribune.com/lif...
Based on a study that shows the average Briton doesn't take nearly enough placebo.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
Like most of the stupid anti-porn laws recently enacted such as face-sitting, female ejaculation (money shot from a guy is ok though, rolls eyes) and other retarded non-sense.
As a Virgo, I'm very skeptical of such things.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
"But I'm feeling better..."
"You are Sagittarius, dammit, you're dead." bonks him with the crystal ball.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
Astrology-based medicine could be the next social activism trend beyond anti-vax. Spend some time walking around in Hollywood (I have relatives there) and you will notice the creepy omnipresence of Scientology. The LA practice of putting company names on buildings makes this pretty obvious. In this environment, I can see a market for Tredinnick's outpourings. Watch for him on The View by summer and hosting the Oscars next year.
So, despite his handicap (beliving in the paranormal) he was elected president, and remembered by most Republicans as "The Greatest President".
Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company -- Mark Twain
As a resident in Mr Tredinnick's ward I am looking forward to voting him out at the next election. He also voted against the legalisation of gay marriage.
> "helped" fellow legislators through astrology.
In much the same way I "helped" yesterday's lunch through my sphincter this morning.
It is most likely that the full-moon lunatic effect serves a similar purpose to Grimm's fairy tales.
The latter keep (kept) children close to home and family/tribe, out of the dangerous forest, and also less likely to meet up for unapproved nocturnal activities.
The former kept hominids in their caves during a full moon, away from the hunting lions and other predators.
No doubt our brains are still wired to avoid being outside during a full moon, unless we have other protection. Of course the predators among us may be wired to go outside when conditions for hunting are best.
Most crime goes unreported (rapes, minor theft, fights, beatings, muggings, etc.) or is removed from the statistics by modern police manipulation (lies, damned lies, and statistics) so any effect is unlikely to be verified by studies.
What an embarrassment to the Conservative Party, parliament, and the United Kingdom.
It is shocking that such a moronic individual has risen to a position of power and responsibility.
Can you pay a homeopath with a stack of paper with one dollar stuck in there somewhere?
Only seems right.
I recall an article a couple of years ago, about the results of a scientific survey of all NHS data since World War II - essentially all the medical data about every UK citizen since WWII, which is about as comprehensive a data set (presumably anonymized of course) as could possibly be found, including the required birth date and time information. They found zero correlation between these medical histories and any astrological profiles.
It's easier to be a result of the past, but more fun to be a cause of the future! http://www.spacefinancegroup.com/
Wait... there's a problem with the British Healthcare System? I thought that was one of the the arguments for implementing ObamaCare in the first place - the argument that theirs was so much better than ours. Silly Rabbit.
David Treddinick even claims he has "helped" fellow legislators through astrology.
Names! We require names! It's the right of every voter.
........cause there's a difference.
I'm an actual, practicing astrologer and I would like to say: this is the stupidest idea I've ever heard.
Astrology, as I practice it for my clients, is a tool for self-actualization and critical reflection upon oneself, personality, and goals.
It has no discovered factual basis - and while I choose to believe in it, I believe in it based on the notion that I can practice it in a way that's helpful whether it's "false" or not, and using it as some sort of medical treatment is NOT that case.
Additionally, horary, or predictive astrology, is notoriously used by flim-flam artists and is shaky as can be. There is nothing in astrology that remotely suggests it can predict the future or that any astrological body has an actual effect on the physical body or the events of the day-to-day world. Good astrology does not dismiss: genetics, physics, chemistry, or psychology, and good astrology does not seek to supplant any of these things - just as good religion doesn't view science as an enemy. Good astrology is philosophy, not medicine.
I'm not surprised though, the UK is the birthplace of bad astrological practices and where you're find most scam artists who use astrology, no better than John Edwards and his ilk.
It's a niche interest and that's completely fine, don't try to act like it's universally good.
As you were born under the sign of the feted barnacle, today you will have doubts but tomorrow will be a new day and there will be a sense of resigned indifference before first coffee. Initially, as the sun moves into the burrow of the Aardvark you will be unable to find comfort but later a game of exploding kittens and fails videos on Youtube will cheer you up and your, cancer predicted in your previous medical horoscope, will be gone. Later in the week you will be standing beside someone on packed public transport, reach out to this person, but be prepared to duck as they may not like your advances.
Can you pay a homeopath with a stack of paper with one dollar stuck in there somewhere?
Only seems right.
you don't actually leave the dollar in there. you dump a hundred slips of paper and one dollar bill into a jar bang it on the table a few times. then you dump it all out, put one of the treated slips and a hundred fresh ones into the jar and bang it... repeat 10 times and that's a jar of 10C homeopathic dollar bills. you'd have to ask a homeopath what the actual value of each of those bills is.
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. -- A.E.
Why listen not use the stars to shape your global outlook as opposed to the 5'o clock news. the media has a vested interest in selling you something and making a profit from science. However, I can thrwart their efforts just looking up at the sky and ordering your life around those pretty lights. The stars do not lie to me. They may not tell the truth or say anything, but they do not lie. Unlike the media, the stars have never told me I should smoke cigarettes for my health. Unlike the media, which changes its mind as to what is healthy constantly, the stars remain the same.
The really terrifying idea is...he might be right.
Anybody who is dead set against astrology has never bothered to explore it beyond the newspaper entertainment section and various skeptical papers claiming to disprove it. *Never* at the subject itself. That's a plain, simple truth.
The critics of astrology choose to play it safe and lazy, attacking from the side. "Confirmation bias!" "Cold reading!" "I don't need to look because I already know!"
Yes, yes. People can be tricked, this is true. -But you're still a biased coward playing at pretend science with sacred 'truths' lodged in your brain. No. Hush. You really are.
Until you genuinely explore without bias, your opinion remains based purely on populist dogma and smarty-pants bluster. Those who look, truly look, inevitably come away stunned by the discovery that astrology is not all BS. But having to say, "Gosh! I was wrong," is too big a fear to face for most people when their sense of self-worth is so wrapped up in their long-stated opinions.
That being said...
When I think of commercial/government policy being involved in alternative medicine, I get cold shivers. It's alternative precisely because the main stream is so limited in certain areas. (Not all.)
Big pharma is collectively one of the shadiest cons currently running.
Well, they do say laughter is a good medicine so horoscopes could add something.
Well, I might have a way, but it only works on a semi spherical planet in a vacuum.
The irony here is that he's pointing to practices from a time when they were popular simply because there was a lack education and understanding amongst the populous, and claiming that those who are now intelligent and educated enough to *demonstrate* scientifically that they are nonsense, are in fact ignorant.
Sure, the positive state of mind and attitude associated with the placebo effect are undeniably powerful, but that's all he's got. I've got a magic penny which is just as effective. Well, I don't, but if I did, there's no doubt in my mind it'd be just as good.