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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
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.
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!
Dumb as a box of hammers, looking to spend taxpayer money on unproven voodoo, and this guy is a conservative??
Well, yes. I fail to see the contradiction though.
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
That's what 'conservative' means - living in the past. Its a bit like being amish but you can have serfs work the land for you.
And the good news is most of these nuts are in politics, a profession that doesn't have any repercussions for everyone else...
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.
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
This is the most sensible Tory policy on the NHS that I have heard for a long time ...... sad but true
I'm more bothered he's a Capricorn, I mean, really! Us Capricorns don't generally believe in this astrology crap.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
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
It means "holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation" which yes would usually mean you have stupid beliefs. Since "traditional" is another word for "old" with a connotation that that is better than something new just because it is older.
Whereas non-stupid beliefs would be those that are justified by evidence, and you wouldn't need to label them traditional to justify them since you have that evidence even when they are in fact old.
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.
Confirmation bias. I've heard the same thing from nurses, but the fact is, no correlation has been found.
Last post!
OK, he and his family can use astrology for diagnosis, and homeopathy for treatment.
Seems like over a few years this would be a self correcting problem.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
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.
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.