For the Sake of Science

I recently got an email from an irate reader concerning something I wrote about naturopathy. She sent her letter to the address I have set up for my paper, Without Apology, but I never printed anything of relevance in there. She also did not specify which piece of writing she was referencing. I’ve actually written several posts about naturopathic ‘medicine’. Probably the one with the toughest language, however, was this one. There I called Christopher Maloney, local naturopathic ‘doctor’, a charlatan, mountebank, and quack. All those terms were supported by clear refutations and short examinations of the lies Maloney was peddling. I can’t be sure if that’s what set off the reader, but here’s what she had to say.

Dear Michael Hawkins,

I am writing you a friendly letter to let you know that you might want to write an apology to Dr. Maloney for your article. I don’t think you really educated yourself on his medical education. And unfortunately for you, his wife is a lawyer. What you wrote is slander, and you definitely might be in a allot of trouble. Fact, he is a Naturopathic Doctor. People actually travel all over the country just to get an appointment to see him. But did you know you have to be a DO. or an MD. Oh, from your article it sounds like you might not know allot about the medical field. This type of doctor goes to medical school and study’s more osteopathic type of medicine. Thiers even a highly credited school in Maine called UNE :). And then you have an MD :) which is the one your probably more familiar with. Both study’s require at least 10 yrs. of medical schooling. Now a Homeopathic Doctor, or Naturopathic Doctor has to become a DO, or an MD before their aloud to study Naturopathic, or Homeopathic medicine. Which is usually an additional 2-4 yrs. of additional medicine. So yes, Dr. Maloney has been to over 12yrs. of medical school. And when he feels necessary, he will prescribe traditional medicine as you call it. But most of the time he try’s to heal threw more natural means because most people heal quicker threw natural means :). So a little bit more about him……. He went to Harvard, yup the big school of medicine LOL, and Brown LOL so he pretty smart and extremely educated. So yes, be careful before you put something in print OK :). The article made you look very silly :)

Wishing You The Best,
Cheryl :)

My favorite part is that after the threats and insults, she wishes me ‘the best’. No, really.

It’s perplexing that Cheryl has chosen to focus on Maloney’s medical education. I never raised that as an issue. I mean, creationists have completed bio programs from Harvard; that doesn’t mean I’m about to defer to them. But, at the least, she’s inaccurate. He did go to Harvard, but I see nothing about Brown. Also, notice the information Maloney includes as part of his education.

* B.A. Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
* Diploma in Continuing Health Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
* Four year medical degree from National College of Naturopathic Medicine, Portland,Oregon.
* National science boards and clinical medicine boards.
* Year in Singapore and Malaysia studying medicine with homeopaths, naturopaths, and osteopaths as well as traditional Chinese healers.
* Licensed in the state of Maine as a naturopathic doctor.

First, noticed nothing about Brown. Second, I reject the overall legitimacy of naturopathic schools, even if they do manage to get accredited. Maloney’s school, for instance, teaches Classical Chinese medicine. What does that include, you ask?

Cupping: A type of Chinese massage, cupping consists of placing several glass “cups” (open spheres) on the body. A match is lit and placed inside the cup and then removed before placing the cup against the skin. The resulting effect is the burning of oxygen within the cup, creating a relative vacuum, that allows the cup to stick right to the skin via suction. When combined with massage oil, the cups can be slid around the back, offering what can only be thought of as a reverse-pressure massage.

And third, notice that two of the final three things Maloney lists are not parts of his education, but rather his C.V. And need I say anything of studying cupping and similar exercises with Malaysian homeopaths?

In the process of making this post I’ve noticed a second email. This one is from a J. Smith. It’s clear he’s referring to the letter I had published in the local paper. It’s also clear that he had a bit more to get off his chest. I’m not going to take the time (at least right now) to respond to all he’s had to say, but I will paste his email in the comment section of this post.

Correction: I did sort of bring up Maloney’s education when I spoke of his qualifications. But again, this goes back to the creationist analogy. A person can have a bio degree, but if he believes in instant creation, he’s unqualified to tell me anything about evolution.

Also, I had forgotten the email for Without Apology was listed under my letter to the editor.

Filed under: Pure bullshit | Tagged: Christopher Maloney, Naturopathic medicine, Naturopathy | 4 Comments »