10:23 Campaign

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The 10:23 Campaign is an awareness and protest campaign against homeopathy organised by the Merseyside Skeptics Society,[1] a non-profit organisation, to oppose the sale of homeopathic products in the United Kingdom. The campaign has staged public "overdoses" of homeopathic preparations.[2][3]

Aims

The campaign aims to raise awareness of implausible and unsubstantiated claims made by homeopaths.[1] It opposes high street retailers, such as Boots UK, stocking homeopathic remedies alongside mainstream medicines,[3] saying that "the support lent by Boots to this quack therapy contributes directly to its acceptance as a valid medical treatment by the British public, acceptance it does not warrant and support it does not deserve."[4]

The organisers state that homeopathy is "an unscientific and absurd pseudoscience",[3] and that, according to their statement, "There is nothing in it."[5][6] They question the ethics of selling treatments to the public which have not been proven to be efficacious and are widely disregarded by the scientific community.[7]

Name

The campaign's name, 10:23, is a reference to Avogadro's number (approximately 6 × 1023 mol−1).[8]

Participation

Michael Marshall leads a homeopathic overdose at QED Conference

On 30 January 2010, members participated in a protest involving a mass overdose of homeopathic products in order to demonstrate its inefficacy.[2][3][9] Many protesters stood outside branches of Boots UK, other shops selling homeopathic products, and other prominent public spaces and took 84 pills each of arsenicum album, 20 times the recommended dose.[3]

A second overdose was organised for 5–6 February 2011.[10] Worldwide, the campaign received commitments of participation from 70 cities in 30 countries.[11][12] In the United Kingdom, events took place in Manchester, as part of the QED Conference,[13] and Cardiff.[14]

In April 2012, at the Berkeley SkeptiCal conference, over 100 people participated in a mass overdose, taking caffea cruda which is intended to treat sleeplessness.[15][16]

There have been no reports of ill-effects following any of the overdoses.[17]

Support

Notable scientists and public figures have shown support for the 10:23 Campaign, including Phil Plait,[18] James Randi Educational Foundation,[19] Simon Singh,[20] Steven Novella,[21] Penn Jillette[22] and the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.[23]

James Randi invited advocates and retailers of homeopathy to take the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge to prove that homeopathy was efficacious in order to win a prize and has himself overdosed on homeopathic sleeping pills as part of his stage show.[24][25][26]

Reaction and media coverage

The campaign gained international coverage in the press from The Australian,[27] Medical Observer,[28] BBC[3] Independent,[7] Telegraph[29] and Guardian.[30]

The British Homeopathic Association dismissed the 10:23 Campaign as "grossly irresponsible", describing the public overdose as dangerous, and claimed that the participants had no understanding of how to select remedies appropriately.[31]

Melbourne-based Dr Ken Harvey told Pharmacy News "the campaign would raise awareness of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) transparency review and concerns over homeopathic products."[32]

Gallery

  • Michael Marshall leads a homeopathic overdose at the QED Conference in 2011

  • Skeptical activist and magician Mark Edward overdoses in Monterey, CA 2011

  • Tray shows products used Chile in 2011

  • 10:23 campaign in Santiago, Chile 2011

  • SkeptiCal group overdosing on homeopathic solution. Berkeley, CA 21 April 2012

  • 10:23 campaign in Oslo, Norway, 2011

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "1023.org.uk". Retrieved 2 November 2013. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Overdose' protest against homeopathy". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2010-02-02. Retrieved 2 November 2013. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Liverpool anti-homeopathy campaigners stage protest". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2010-02-02. Retrieved 2 November 2013. 
  4. ↑ "An Open Letter to Alliance Boots". 
  5. ↑ http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527455.800-homeopathy-overdosing-on-nothing.html?full=true#.UnRhavn0F8E
  6. ↑ "The 10:23 Challenge". Merseyside Skeptics Society. Retrieved 2011-04-12. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Davis, Margaret (2010-01-30). "Mass 'overdose' staged in homeopathic protest - Health News - Health & Families". The Independent. Retrieved 2013-11-29. 
  8. ↑ "10:23 Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved 01/11/2013. 
  9. ↑ "Mass "overdose" in Leicester city centre". Leicester Mercury. 2010-01-30. Retrieved 31 January 2010. 
  10. ↑ "The 10:23 Challenge". Merseyside Skeptics Society. Archived from the original on 5 February 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-05. 
  11. ↑ "The 10:23 Challenge 2011". Merseyside Skeptics Society. Retrieved 2011-04-11. 
  12. ↑ "The 10:23 Challenge 2011 | The 10:23 Campaign | #ten23". 1023.org.uk. Retrieved 2013-11-29. 
  13. ↑ "Event Schedule :: QED :: Question Explore Discover". North West Skeptical Events Ltd. Retrieved 2011-02-05. 
  14. ↑ Morgan, Rhys (28 January 2011). "Consumers in Cardiff stage homeopathic ‘overdose’". Skeptical. Retrieved 2011-12-03. 
  15. ↑ Munger, Kel. "Drugs, not bugs". Sacramento News Review. Retrieved 5/4/2012. 
  16. ↑ "Mixing Homeopathic "Remedies" for 2011 San Francisco 10:23 "Overdose" ". 10:23 campaign. Retrieved 5/9/2012. 
  17. ↑ "No ill effects after public homeopathic overdose". Medical Observer. 2011-02-15. Retrieved 2013-11-29. 
  18. ↑ Phil, Plait (4 January 2010). "Homeopathy and the 10:23 project". Discover. Retrieved 2 November 2013. 
  19. ↑ "Worldwide 10:23 campaign on homeopathy: Feb. 5". Randi.org. Retrieved 2013-11-29. 
  20. ↑ Print Email Shortlink (2010-01-30). "Andy Lewis and Simon discuss Homeopathy and the 10:23 Campaign". Simonsingh.net. Retrieved 2013-11-29. 
  21. ↑ "Randi issues a Challange". Retrieved 2 November 2013. 
  22. ↑ "Penn Point : Massive Homeopathic Overdose Cures". Youtube. Retrieved 2 November 2013. 
  23. ↑ "The 10:23 Event". Retrieved 2 November 2013. 
  24. ↑ Randi, James. "James Randi Speaks Homeopathy Week 2010 ". JREF. 
  25. ↑ Randi, James. "James Randi Lecture @ Caltech - Homeopathy ". California Institute of Technology. Retrieved 5/9/2012. 
  26. ↑ Randi, James. "James Randi's Challenge to Homeopathy Manufacturers and Retail Pharmacies". JREF. Retrieved 5/9/2012. 
  27. ↑ Adam Taor. "Good week for sceptics". The Australian. Retrieved 2011-04-11. 
  28. ↑ Caroline Brettingham-Moore. "No ill effects after public homeopathic overdose". The Medical Observer. Retrieved 2011-04-11. 
  29. ↑ "Boots hit by mass homeopathy 'overdose'". Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-11-29. 
  30. ↑ Martin Robbins. "Homeopathy: At 10:23 tomorrow we will prove there's nothing in it | Martin Robbins | Life and style". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2013-11-29. 
  31. ↑ "The British Homeopathic Association dismisses 10:23 campaign". British Homeopathic. Retrieved 2013-11-29. 
  32. ↑ "Homeopathy "overdose" to highlight TGA transparency". Pharmacy News. Retrieved 2011-04-11. 

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