Laura Thomason
Author's posts
Jul 31 2019
ASA upholds our complaint against weight loss supplement claims
The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld our complaint against misleading advertising claims made by supplement company USN (UK) Ltd. The ASA investigated claims relating to three “weight loss” products advertised on the website https://uk.usn-sport.com: USN’s CLA Thermo was claimed to offer “vital nutrients that cause a Thermogenic reaction within the body”. Phedra Cut Lipo XT …
Nov 08 2018
BBC upholds our complaint against BBC Radio Leeds homeopathy phone-in
The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit has upheld our complaint against a homeopathy phone-in on Liz Green’s BBC Radio Leeds programme. Listeners were encouraged to call and text in to say whether homeopathy “has worked for them”. Two of the three callers interviewed were homeopaths, who were given significant air time and claimed that homeopathy is …
Sep 12 2018
Regulator removes osteopath from register following our complaint against misleading claims
The General Osteopathic Council has found Nicholas Handoll guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and has directed that his name be removed from the Register of Osteopaths. We reported Handoll to the GOsC in November 2015, highlighting misleading advertising claims regarding paediatric conditions. A webpage entitled “Infants and Children” stated: Osteopaths are first-contact practitioners, trained to …
Nov 02 2017
Chiropractor raises concerns about physiotherapy advertisers, but physios appear to be much more evidence based than chiropractors
We regularly monitor chiropractic and osteopathy websites and urge regulators to act against practitioners making misleading claims. Should we be looking at physiotherapy too? A chiropractor emailed us recently explaining that he thinks our work should be across the board for manual therapists. He also highlighted five physiotherapy websites, all of which were making misleading …
Jul 26 2017
ASA upholds our complaint against osteopath claiming to treat paediatric conditions
The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld our complaint against osteopath Nicholas Handoll (t/a Hereford Clinic of Osteopathy and Complementary Medicine). He has continued to make misleading advertising claims regarding a range of infant and childhood conditions, despite clear warnings from regulators. A page entitled “Infants and Children” stated: Osteopaths are first-contact practitioners, trained to undertake …
Apr 04 2017
BBC upholds our complaint against Look North report on chiropractic for animals
The BBC’s Editorial Complaints Unit has upheld our complaint against a BBC1 Look North (North East) news item on the treatment of animals by chiropractors. The introduction to the piece stated that it is becoming more common for vets to recommend chiropractic for animals. Throughout the report, animal chiropractic was presented in an undeservedly positive …
Dec 02 2016
Regulators issue new advertising guidance for osteopaths
The Advertising Standards Authority has teamed up with the General Osteopathic Council to send new guidance to over 4,800 registered osteopaths. The guidance relates to marketing claims for pregnant women, children and babies and provides examples of what kind of claims can, and can’t, be made for these patient groups. We have been concerned for …
Jul 19 2016
BBC acknowledges that Farming Today homeopathy coverage did not meet editorial standards
Following our complaint, the editor of BBC Radio 4 Farming Today has acknowledged that an item about the homeopathic treatment of farm animals did not meet editorial standards. The programme team was reminded of the need for accurate and balanced reporting in relation to scientific matters. The finding was published today by the BBC Editorial …
Jul 18 2016
BBC upholds our complaint against Steve Wright in the Afternoon’s Lynne McTaggart interview
The BBC’s Editorial Complaints Unit has upheld our complaint about BBC Radio 2’s Steve Wright in the Afternoon. In an interview broadcast last December, Steve Wright and Janey Lee Grace chatted to Lynne McTaggart, editor of the magazine What Doctors Don’t Tell You. It was not made clear at any point during the programme that …
Apr 06 2016
Tesco closes loss-making NutriCentre
Supermarket giant Tesco has announced the closure of its NutriCentre business – the in-store health and wellbeing chain we previously criticised for peddling quackery. Earlier this year, NutriCentre MD Jessica Frame admitted that the business had become beset with structural and distribution problems. She also acknowledged that NutriCentre needed to address regulatory compliance issues with …
