This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Almost all of the sources are from ~2011.(February 2024) |
Rhys Morgan | |
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Born | 1994 (age 29–30) |
Known for | Science activism |
Rhys Morgan (born 1994) is a consumer watchdog, science activist, and health blogger from Wales who first received acclaim in 2010 when, at the age of 15, he played a key role in raising awareness of the health risks of Miracle Mineral Supplement. Morgan brought attention to the fact that the product contained bleach and was being illegally marketed as a "miracle" cure, which prompted a consumer warning across the European Union and earned Morgan a James Randi Award for Grassroots Activism. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
In 2011, Morgan again received media attention and acclaim, this time for his commentary on treatments offered by Stanislaw Burzynski, a controversial Texas-based physician who uses substances he calls "antineoplastons" as part of a non-approved alternative cancer therapy regimen. Morgan's critique provoked legal and personal threats from a public relations representative of the Burzynski Clinic, which in turn precipitated a hailstorm of criticism from the media, who defended Morgan, [6] [7] [8] [9] and prompted a public apology from the Clinic. [10] In January 2012 Morgan was censured by his school for posting a Jesus and Mo cartoon as his Facebook profile for a week, in solidarity with University College London's Atheist, Secular, and Humanist Society. The school told him to remove the cartoon from his Facebook archive, and when he refused, threatened him with expulsion. [11] Morgan spoke at the Rally for Free Expression in London on 11 February. [12]
Rhys Morgan was born in 1994 and lives in Cardiff, Wales. He attended Cardiff High School, where he studied mathematics, chemistry, biology and psychology at AS level, [4] [6] before studying for a BSc (Hons) in Health Sciences with the Open University. [13]
Morgan first learned of Miracle Mineral Supplement (MMS) in 2010 after he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease and, while researching his condition, came across the Crohn's Disease Forum, a website run by a patient support group. He noticed "a disturbing undercurrent of people trying to push alternative medicines to members". [4] One of these was a product called Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS), which was being advertised with claims that it cured cancer, AIDS, malaria, and a variety of other medical conditions. Upon further research, Morgan came across warnings from the United States Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada indicating that MMS consisted of 28% bleach and advising consumers not to use it. [14] [15]
Morgan and others began documenting sellers of MMS and reporting them to the relevant authorities in Britain, and he eventually addressed a public meeting of the Cardiff Council to win the backing of trading standards officers to highlight the dangers of MMS. [2] These efforts eventually led the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to issue a warning [16] across the European Union and put United Kingdom councils on alert over retail sales of MMS. [5] FSA representative Hefin Davies said that Morgan's actions had been "very positive" in bringing the issue to the attention of authorities. He recounted his saga with MMS on the BBC's The One Show , [17] and on podcasts such as The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe , [18] [19] Righteous Indignation, [20] and Token Skeptic. [21]
For his efforts in raising awareness about MMS, Morgan was presented with the James Randi Award for Grassroots Activism at The Amaz!ng Meeting (TAM) in London in October 2010, and received a standing ovation from the meeting's attendees. [5]
In November 2011, a music writer and editor for the British newspaper The Observer sought help raising £200,000 to have his four-year-old niece, who had been diagnosed with a glioma (a type of brain cancer), receive treatment at the Burzynski Clinic, a controversial cancer treatment facility in Texas operated by physician Stanislaw Burzynski. [22] Several bloggers, including Morgan, reported other cases of patients who had spent similar amounts of money on the Clinic's treatments, and had died, and challenged the validity of Burzynski's antineoplaston therapy. [23] [24] Marc Stephens, identifying himself as a representative of the Burzynski Clinic, sent emails to Morgan accusing him of libel and demanding that coverage of Burzynski be removed from his site. [25] Stephens accompanied the legal threats with a Google Maps satellite image of the teenager's house. In response, Morgan posted Stephens' emails on his blog and defended his original assessment as well as the importance of open dialogue in the evaluation of scientific research. [25] [26]
The threats against Morgan prompted a media backlash against Stephens and the Burzynski Clinic, as reporters from Discover Magazine , [8] Houston Press , [7] and The Guardian [6] [26] covered the story and defended Morgan's critique. The Guardian's Comment is Free section also featured an opinion piece written by Morgan in which he reiterated his position on Burzynski's therapy and argued that the Burzynski Clinic was using libel laws to silence critics of its cancer treatment and stifle debate about the validity of the Clinic's scientific methodology, [9] the so-called chilling effect.
Following the publicity fallout in response to Stephens' threats, the Burzynski Clinic issued a press release on 29 November confirming that the Clinic had hired Stephens "to provide web optimization services and to attempt to stop the dissemination of false and inaccurate information concerning Dr. Burzynski and the Clinic". [10] The press release included an apology for Stephens' comments and for the posting of Morgan's personal information, and announced that Stephens "no longer has a professional relationship with the Burzynski Clinic."
The story, including the threats against Morgan, was covered by the British Medical Journal , which referred to him as a health blogger. The chief clinician at Cancer Research UK expressed his concern at the treatment offered, and Andy Lewis of the Quackometer and science writer Simon Singh, who was previously sued by the British Chiropractic Association, said that English libel law harms public discussion of science and medicine, and thus public health. [27]
An enema, also known as a clyster, is an injection of fluid into the lower bowel by way of the rectum. The word enema can also refer to the liquid injected, as well as to a device for administering such an injection.
Quackery, often synonymous with health fraud, is the promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices. A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, knowledge, qualification or credentials they do not possess; a charlatan or snake oil salesman". The term quack is a clipped form of the archaic term quacksalver, from Dutch: kwakzalver a "hawker of salve". In the Middle Ages the term quack meant "shouting". The quacksalvers sold their wares at markets by shouting to gain attention.
Chlorine dioxide is a chemical compound with the formula ClO2 that exists as yellowish-green gas above 11 °C, a reddish-brown liquid between 11 °C and −59 °C, and as bright orange crystals below −59 °C. It is usually handled as an aqueous solution. It is commonly used as a bleach. More recent developments have extended its applications in food processing and as a disinfectant.
The Burzynski Clinic is a clinic selling an unproven cancer treatment, which has been characterized as harmful quackery. It was founded in 1976 and is located in Houston, Texas, in the United States. It offers a form of chemotherapy originally called "antineoplaston therapy" devised by the clinic's founder Stanislaw Burzynski in the 1970s. Antineoplaston is Burzynski's term for a group of urine-derived peptides, peptide derivatives, and mixtures. There is no accepted scientific evidence of benefit from antineoplaston combinations for various diseases, and the Clinic's claimed successes have not been replicated by independent researchers. The therapy has been rebranded in various ways over the years to mirror fashions in medicine, for example as a kind of "immunotherapy". The therapy is administered through the ruse of running a large numbers of clinical trials, which long-time Burzynski lawyer Richard Jaffe has described as "a joke".
Matthias Rath is a doctor, businessman, and vitamin salesman. He earned his medical degree in Germany. Rath claims that a program of nutritional supplements, including formulations that he sells, can treat or cure diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and HIV/AIDS. These claims are not supported by any reliable medical research. Rath runs the Dr. Rath Health Foundation, has been closely associated with Health Now, Inc., and founded the Dr. Rath Research Institute.
Sodium chlorite (NaClO2) is a chemical compound used in the manufacturing of paper and as a disinfectant.
Generation Rescue is a nonprofit organization that advocates the scientifically disproven view that autism and related disorders are primarily caused by environmental factors, particularly vaccines. The organization was established in 2005 by Lisa and J.B. Handley. Today, Generation Rescue is known as a platform for Jenny McCarthy's autism related anti-vaccine advocacy.
Gary Michael Null is an American talk radio host and author who advocates pseudoscientific alternative medicine and produces a line of questionable dietary supplements.
Anthroposophic medicine is a form of alternative medicine based on pseudoscientific and occult notions. Devised in the 1920s by Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) in conjunction with Ita Wegman (1876–1943), anthroposophical medicine draws on Steiner's spiritual philosophy, which he called anthroposophy. Practitioners employ a variety of treatment techniques based upon anthroposophic precepts, including massage, exercise, counselling, and substances.
Sense about Science is a United Kingdom charitable organization that promotes the public understanding of science. Sense about Science was founded in 2002 by Lord Taverne, Bridget Ogilvie and others to promote respect for scientific evidence and good science. It was established as a charitable trust in 2003, with 14 trustees, an advisory council and a small office staff. Tracey Brown has been the director since 2002.
Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove colour (whitening) from fabric or fiber or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically to a dilute solution of sodium hypochlorite, also called "liquid bleach".
The Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij or VtdK is a Dutch organisation that investigates the claims of alternative medicine and opposes quackery.
Black salve, also known by the brand name Cansema, is an ineffective and unsafe alternative cancer treatment. The product is commonly classified as an escharotic—a topical paste which destroys skin tissue and leaves behind a scar called an eschar. Escharotics were widely used to treat skin lesions in the early 1900s, but have since been replaced by safer and more effective treatments. Escharotics, such as black salves, are currently advertised by some alternative medicine marketers as treatments for skin cancer, often with unsubstantiated testimonials and unsupported claims of effectiveness.
Miracle Mineral Supplement, often referred to as Miracle Mineral Solution, Master Mineral Solution, MMS or the CD protocol, is a branded name for an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide, an industrial bleaching agent, that has been falsely promoted as a cure for illnesses including HIV, cancer and the common cold. It is made by mixing aqueous sodium chlorite with an acid. This produces chlorine dioxide, a toxic chemical that can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and life-threatening low blood pressure due to dehydration.
The 10:23 Campaign (stylized as 1023) is an awareness and protest campaign against homoeopathy organised by the Merseyside Skeptics Society, a non-profit organisation, to oppose the sale of homoeopathic products in the United Kingdom. The campaign has staged public "overdoses" of homoeopathic preparations.
Natural News is a far-right, anti-vaccination conspiracy theory and fake news website known for promoting alternative medicine, pseudoscience, disinformation, and far-right extremism. The website began publishing articles in 2008 and is based in the United States.
The Good Thinking Society is a nonprofit organisation promoting scientific scepticism established by Simon Singh in September 2012.
Michael "Marsh" Marshall is a British skeptical activist and the editor of The Skeptic magazine since September 2020. He is the co-founder and vice-president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and co-host of its official podcast, Skeptics with a K, project director of the Good Thinking Society, and has occasionally written for The Times, The Guardian and New Statesman. As of 2022, Marshall is a fellow with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
Lair Geraldo Theodoro Ribeiro, MD, FACC is a Brazilian cardiologist, nutrologist, self-help and physician writer. He is the author of more than 100 scientific publications.