Covid-19 related treatment and other scams

Discussion in 'Long Covid news' started by Tia, Mar 20, 2020.

  1. Tia

    Tia Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    I've just seen on Facebook that Ashok Gupta (of the 'Gupta Process') has released a 'package' called the 10 day coronovirus challenge. He doesn't claim that his techniques (mediation, NLP, neural retraining etc. I think) can prevent you getting the virus in so many words but I think he very much suggests it. Statements like "Some of the tools in this program have been scientifically shown to reduce the chances of contracting an infection from a virus by over 80%".

    I totally get the fact that stress affects the immune system and I'm fully into mindfulness, meditation etc. but I'm just so uncomfortable with the way he is presenting this. He's using exactly the same tactics as he does to try to get people to sign up to his ME recovery programme.

    The program he's offering:



    More on him:
    https://www.meassociation.org.uk/20...me-for-me-cfs-and-fibromyalgia-11-april-2018/

    What do you think?
     
  2. Invisible Woman

    Invisible Woman Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    I think there are some very questionable claims being made there -

    The course (free) will boost your immune system and so reduce your chance of catching the virus.

    If you catch the virus, doing the course is likely to reduce covid 19 symptoms.

    Then, and most dangerous of all in my eyes, because your symptoms are reduced you will be less likely to infect other people. At a time when we want people to stop taking risks this is highly irresponsible.
     
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  3. Tia

    Tia Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    I'm glad you feel the same.

    (At the moment I'm feeling like the whole world is experiencing a lot of what we've been experiencing for a long time and now this seems to include being targeted by people like this!)

    I really dislike the way he talks about his techniques as equivalent to hand-washing and 'the thing the media isn't talking about' as though he's got some great secret. I think this is really dangerous.

    I wonder if there's anyone we can complain to?
     
  4. Cheshire

    Cheshire Moderator Staff Member

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    Charlatan. This is criminal behaviour in times of epidemy.
     
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  5. Invisible Woman

    Invisible Woman Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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  6. Peter Trewhitt

    Peter Trewhitt Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    As well as the Advertising Standards Authority it might be a good time to try to get an indignant reporter on to this. Anyone know one?
     
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  7. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

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    Trouble with getting reporters onto this sort of stuff is it gives it publicity, and desperate people will believe it and sign up. Better to protest to advertising standards, I think.
     
  8. Esther12

    Esther12 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    2 posts copied from the Coronavirus worldwide spread thread

    Phil Parker was in The Sun, offering ways to boost ones immune system. Phew. We're saved.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 21, 2020
  9. Invisible Woman

    Invisible Woman Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Take a pretend pill....


    Panic over, guys.

    :rolleyes:
     
  10. alex3619

    alex3619 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    ... from a pretend doctor?
     
  11. Sly Saint

    Sly Saint Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    "A researcher at LM Hospital..."? RUKM
     
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  12. Barry

    Barry Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Phil the pill.
     
  13. Sly Saint

    Sly Saint Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    the trouble is the ME communtiy identified it as quackery long ago but people are not going to find that out for themselves until much later.
    in light of all the attention Esther Ranzen and her daughter have been getting recently it's a pity that she doesn't mention that her sick daughter was supposedly 'cured' by Phil Parkers expensive 'treatment' and expose him for the charlatan he is.
     
  14. Roy S

    Roy S Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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  15. Mij

    Mij Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Too bad we closed our placebo pharmacy too soon, our unicorn pills would have been a big hit.
     
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  16. Barry

    Barry Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Last edited: Mar 22, 2020
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  17. large donner

    large donner Guest

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    The placebo effect in itself is not proven scientifically to show any objective difference.

    Apart from that he doesn't even understand the claimed logic of taking a placebo pill.

    It's supposed to be blinded you are not supposed to know its the placebo.
     
  18. Webdog

    Webdog Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Just a general acknowledgement there are a lot of treatment scam sites being created daily.

    New York Attorney General asks domain registrars to crack down on coronavirus scam sites

    https://securityaffairs.co/wordpres...ulations/fighting-coronavirus-scam-sites.html
    ag.png

    My evil plan to register "thiscovid19treatmentisprobablynotascam.com" has been foiled.
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2020
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  19. Adrian

    Adrian Administrator Staff Member

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    A member who wishes to remain anonymous made a complaint to the advertising standards agency (ASA) about the Gupta 10 day Corona virus challenge.

    The ASA have responded to say that there is a previous ruling against the owner or originator of the video and the video seems to fall within the scope of that ruling the case has been passed to the Compliance Team.

    The Compliance Team don't report back or update the original complainant but will take appropriate action.

    We assume this is because this will be considered part of the original complaint or ruling against Gupta and may be seen as a matter of enforcing the previous ruling rather than needing to open a whole new case.
     
  20. Cheshire

    Cheshire Moderator Staff Member

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    As coronavirus spreads around the world, so too do the quack cures

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...too-do-the-quack-cures?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
     
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