The Thamesmead Grump

As this is the first post of the new year, the Thamesmead Grump would like to express the hope that his loyal readers all develop interesting diseases, fail to win the lottery, find that the rich relative that recently died hasn't left you any money in their will and perhaps, if you're lucky, get gangrene in your left leg.

Let's start the new year 

with a bit of quackery: 

it has everything. 

Below is a section of a bill currently being proposed by the Indian government to alleviate the shortage of doctors.

Yes folks, this would give all the "alternative" cranks, crackpots and charlatans equal status with proper Doctors in the treatment of patients in the Indian medical system.

I've already posted this on my Facebook page, but for those of you who don't do Facebook (you are really missing something if you aren't a follower of my page by the way, it's a cracking good read. Here is the link), this is a story about how the Indian Health Minister JP Nadda no less want to drag his country back into the dark ages by legitimising medical pseudo-science and mumbo-jumbo in order to alleviate the shortage of doctors.

Doctor Beetroot.
Notorious South African health minister
Dr Manto Tshabala-Msimang, claiming that
AIDS can be prevented by eating beetroot.

Nothing seems to be beyond the pale. Homoeopathy  (a mixture of distilled water and sugar pills), Acupuncture (and other forms of Chinese nonsense like grinding up the bones of rare animals and spreading them on the affected parts), Ayuveda (a traditional Indian form of medicine which involves obtaining messages from the Gods to determine the cause of the patients illness then feeding them an assorted cocktail of toxic heavy metals). All of these and more have been suggested as having a place in a modern medical practice.

It puts me in mind of Dr Manto Tshabala-Msimang, the notorious South African Health Minister from 1998 to 2008 who famously claimed that AIDS could be treated with alcoholic beverages and root vegetables (earning her the nickname "Doctor Beetroot) and so refused to introduce an effective AIDS prevention programme.

traveltrailtony.wordpress.com

Her argument was not dissimilar to that promoted by her Indian counterpart - that traditional African remedies should be preferred.

She, along with her equally barmy President, Thabo Mbeke, who even claimed that HIV didn't cause AIDS, is said to have cost the lives of over 300,000 South Africans.

Whether the policy of Indian health minister JP Nadda results in similar carnage, only time will tell. One can only hope that common sense will prevail and that the Indian Medical Association succeed in blocking the motion.

REFUGEES CAUSE GLOBAL WARMING

WHAT THE GOVERNMENT DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW

This item that appeared on the BBC news website suggests that global warming might be responsible for the increase in the number of asylum seekers in Europe as hotter and dryer conditions elsewhere cause food shortages.

This completely contradicts my headline but is much less appealing if I want to get more hits on my blog. It is a fact, which I can prove statistically, that blogs with the words "refugee" or "immigrant" are more that twice as popular as any others.

Tabloid rags like the Daily Express and Daily Mail have made a fortune by twisting stories like this one around in order to appeal to half wits so why shouldn't I?