Comments on: More crap journals?

By: Ironmonkey66

Ironmonkey66 — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:06:09 +0000

I entirely agree that the era of “it’s published so it must be true” does not apply anymore. And I wonder if it has ever been the case…after all one quality of a scientist is to remain critical in the face of new results and hypotheses, whether they come from obscure or prominent journals. I personally have encountered some very low quality papers in well-known and usually high quality journals.

By: ephemera

ephemera — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:40:06 +0000

I guess they’ve never heard of Buteyko breathing… works a treat for me….!

But then again I’m not a fella.

By: mostly sunny

mostly sunny — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:51:44 +0000

I fell for that old line… once

harumph!

By: csrster

csrster — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:37:28 +0000

An early bid for next year’s IgNobel in Medicine, I fancy.

By: doctormonkey

doctormonkey — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 18:53:28 +0000

“And I thought that ejaculation was a treatment for hearing loss… or have I read too much into the phrase “eh, come again”?”

Which is even more amusing if you read the threads on doctors.net (if you are allowed to) where the GPs have a tendency to talk about sticking their wanger in some poor punter’s ear as a response to silly/frivolous requests…

By: Pro-reason

Pro-reason — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 18:34:27 +0000

“Interesting. My personal experience is exactly the opposite.”

That’s because you’re hunched forward too much.

By: chltx

chltx — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 02:20:53 +0000

“a potential treatment of nasal congestion in mature males.”

Interesting. My personal experience is exactly the opposite.
–
http://www.chl-tx.com

By: pewtertankard

pewtertankard — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:12:22 +0000

And I thought that ejaculation was a treatment for hearing loss… or have I read too much into the phrase “eh, come again”?

By: Robert Carnegie

Robert Carnegie — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 16:49:54 +0000

It’s true of course that that -is- a hypothesis. Anecdotally it can clean out your sinuses very effectively, although I find that lying flat helps too. Both get you asked questions if you do them at work.

I once read about a restaurant that offered breakfast with a free orgasm. Thhe small print stated that the orgasm was on a self-service basis.

By: Diotima

Diotima — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:11:48 +0000

Yes! The quickest way to a woman’s heart; ‘I’ve got a terribly stuffed up nose, would you mind. . .?’

By: le canard noir

le canard noir — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:45:56 +0000

fantastic. The alternative therapy with a happy ending. I just hope ofquack gets involved and Prince Charles sets up the appropriate national proficiency standards. If the university of central lancashire do not want to set up a BSc in nasal congestion relief then I am perfectly willing to set up my own non-accredited college in this new therapy. I could probably sign off and issue certificates to two or three practitioners a day, if push came to shove.

By: wilsontown

wilsontown — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:24:42 +0000

"It occurs to me that the bar could easily be completely reversed: I’m sure there are peer-reviewed homeopathy journals, in which every paper is carefully scrutinised by, er, other homeopaths…" Such journals do indeed exist. They even look superficially like proper scientific journals.

By: David Mingay

David Mingay — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:57:35 +0000

#6: The eyesight problem is OK experimentally, since it would then become a blind trial. What interests me is what the placebo condition would involve.

By: Daibhid C

Daibhid C — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:41:22 +0000

“no bar to nonsense being published in obscure peer-reviewed journals (where the bar is much lower)”

It occurs to me that the bar could easily be completely reversed: I’m sure there are peer-reviewed homeopathy journals, in which every paper is carefully scrutinised by, er, other homeopaths…

By: gazza

gazza — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:05:50 +0000

@le canard noir

I don’t think NICE needs to be involved in ejaculation therapy. It’s quite amenable to self medication – overdosing may be a minor possibility leading to long term sight problems possibly but other risks are low.

The danger is letting this new treatment get into the hands (literally) of CAM therpists. I can just imagine a ‘Society of Hand Relief Practitioners’ being recruited on the streets of Soho right now, not just to sort out nasal congestion but every other ailment known to mankind. It may even get incorporated into other quack approaches associated with massage!

But at least the homeopathic version of this therapy is doomed…..

By: drunkenoaf

drunkenoaf — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:55:18 +0000

Much like the competition to get the most nonsensetastic comment on the Daily Mail and Telegraph’s comments pages, why not try (amongst us) to get the most ricockulous, tenouous, and hack-seducing paper planted in such a journal.

If the “page printing” fees (or whatever they’re called) aren’t too exorbitant, that is.

By: le canard noir

le canard noir — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:24:55 +0000

Will NICE approve this or will we get a postcode lottery? Will Gordon and his NuLabour NHS cronies deny us this vital remedy, or will we have to take this treatment into our own hands?

Sorry, thought I was on the Daily Mail message boards then.

By: Steve Page

Steve Page — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:19:49 +0000

Some people give me a funny look if I blow my nose in public. I’m not sure that this method of clearing nasal congestion would lead to less public attention, to be honest.

By: Toenex

Toenex — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 08:35:20 +0000

We need greater transparency in the process. I’d like to see all journals embrace the information age and go completely electronic and carry discussion boards for every paper where people can openly discuss the work.

In many cases I see no reason why the data and the analysis tools shouldn’t also be submitted with the paper, particularly when the work has been grant funded.

By: JQH

JQH — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:54:15 +0000

All sorts of obscene comments come to mind but I’ll wait til I’m sober & see if they’re still funny.