ASA resolve complaint with Totally Nourish

Totally Nourish sells supplements and other ‘health’ products, and has Patrick Holford as one of its two ‘experts’. We were therefore interested to see that they were mentioned on the Advertising Standards Authority website earlier this month (click on the “Informally Resolved Complaints” button”. According to the ASA, “After consideration by the ASA of complaints received” Totally Nourish “agreed to amend or withdraw advertising without the need for a formal investigation”.

We do wonder what the advertising in question was. It is a shame that the ASA does not make these details available.

The Advertising Standards Authority May Be Closing Some Loopholes: About Time

HolfordWatch would like to direct your attention to a news item: YouTube virals must play by US ad rules: UK advertising rules may change to close loophole.^[a] We have blogged several ASA rulings that involve Patrick Holford and Equazen where the ASA has found that their advertising is untruthful, unsubstantiated etc. and yet, these breaches of advertising guidelines continue. We have remarked upon how very frustrating it is that it is possible to find a form of words in breach of guidelines when it is printed in a brochure or reproduced in a Google Ad or Sponsored Link but there is no redress against untruths and distortions when they are on a company’s own website. That may be about to change.

The Telegraph: The End of More Illusions

I used to be under the impression that – if something was in the Telegraph – it had been subjected to a reasonable amount of scrutiny.  DVNutrix has recently written heretically about a sad shattering of illusions about the Economist; likewise, I have recently become much less confident in the contents of the Telegraph.  The Telegraph has sold and advertised – in a clearly untruthful way, as confirmed by the ASA – a silly insomnia cure, and has recently also helped to promote a dubious miracle diet sold by an ‘expert’ with a ‘doctorate’ in nutrition.

Equazen and the ASA – Again

Visiting Professor Patrick Holford is Head of Science and Education at Biocare and has an unerring sense for his endorsements (see, e.g., the qLink with the unconnected coil and the dLan that may enhance your exposure to EMR and YorkTest, source of the IgG food intolerance tests criticised by both the House of Lords and the ASA). Holford managed to procure some useful backing for the Food for the Brain project. One of the companies is Equazen. Equazen donated essential fat supplements to school projects. With an astonishing sense of inevitability, although the ASA criticised Equazen in 2007 for being unable to substantiate some of its advertising claims, it has just issued an adjudication against more unjustified claims by Equazen, this time for indirectly implying that fish oils are a treatment for ADHD.

Google is advertising bogus cancer treatments

I was disappointed to see that (despite LCN discussing related issues – on his blog and with Google – a while back) Google are still running ridiculous, potentially harmful adverts for bogus cancer treatments – in clear breach of UK advertising regulations. For example, if you google ‘cancer nutrition‘ you may well see an advert informing you how

94% of Doctors Don’t Know That you can Beat Stage IV Cancer w/out Chemotherapy or Radiation

This advert is potentially harmful to cancer patients: if they forgo evidence-based treatments for bogus ‘cures’, this could have very serious consequences. It is also in clear breach of UK advertising regulations. As the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) confirmed when I pointed out the advert to them, this advert does appear to be in clear breach of ASA Codes.

Patrick Holford Still Advocates IgG Testing for Food Allergies

Professor Patrick Holford of Teesside University and Head of Science and Education at Biocare frequently upbraids professionals and researchers for what he perceives as their lack of up-to-date research.

Holford’s 100%health newsletter for November 2007 is full of the usual inexactitudes and creative interpretations of quite straightforward research. He once again conflates allergies and intolerance and discusses IgG as if it is relevant to any such discussion.

Patrick Holford, Food for the Brain and Equazen

Professor Patrick Holford of Teesside University and Head of Science and Education at Biocare has an unerring sense for his endorsements (see, e.g., the qLink with the unconnected coil and the dLan that may enhance your exposure to EMR and YorkTest, the IgG food intolerance tests criticised by both the House of Lords and the ASA). Holford managed to procure some useful backing for the Food for the Brain project. One of the companies is Equazen. Equazen donated essential fat supplements to school projects. With an astonishing sense of inevitability, Equazen has just been criticised by the ASA and found to be unable to substantiate some of its advertising claims: e.g. “A Hi-EPA fish oil formula that may help maintain concentration levels and healthy brain development”.