Joanne Randall and Alison Chick

ICE Integrated Clinical Excellence - a hilarious title, given the claims they make on their website - is a small health clinic in Bedfordshire.

(Image credit)

Founded by two respectable but misguided physiotherapists - the scarier of whom is picture above - it's been successful enough to expand into the quackery business.

Alongside their evidence-based therapies they offer acupuncture, which they reckon is

"...regarded as a complete system of medicine, and used to treat a wide variety of conditions..."

That will be exciting news for the world of medicine, which until now believed acupuncture was useless for anything besides back pain (and a couple of other minor conditions).

Cranial Osteopathy is also on the menu. The clinic make this astonishing, and probably illegal, claim:

"Cranial Osteopathy for Babies can be used to treat complaints such as: Colic..."

(Image credit: CBS/Paramount Pictures)

I'm glad Alison and Joanne have a website now. It's a lot easier to keep an eye on local quacks when they're on the interwebs.

In other news: ASA complaint follows!

"The website makes a number of health claims which I suspect are misleading.

1. ( http://www.pssclinic.co.uk/ice%20cranial%20osteopathy.html )

"Cranial Osteopathy for Babies can be used to treat complaints such as: Colic - Crying - Feeding Difficulties - Sleep Disturbances"

I'd like to challenge whether the advertisers can substantiate their claims that cranial osteopathy can "treat" colic, "feeding difficulties" and "sleep disturbances".

2. ( http://www.pssclinic.co.uk/ice%20cranial%20osteopathy.html )

"Cranial Osteopathy for Adults can be used to treat complaints such as: Neck/ Back pain - Headaches - Digestive Problems - Arthritic & Joint Pain"

I'd like to challenge whether the advertisers can substantiate their claims that cranial osteopathy - a therapy which usually involves rubbing the bones of the skull - can "treat" neck pain, back pain, digestive problems and arthritic pain.

3. ( http://www.pssclinic.co.uk/ice%20acupuncture.html )

"[Acupuncture] is regarded as a complete system of medicine, and used to treat a wide variety of conditions, as well as restoring health and general well-being in individuals."

I'd like to challenge whether the claim that acupuncture is a "complete system of medicine" that can be "used to treat a wide variety of conditions" is misleading, because I understand that evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture is limited to a small number of conditions (such as non-specific lower back pain).

4. ( http://www.pssclinic.co.uk/ice%20homeopathy.html )

"Based on their experience of their symptoms, a homeopath will match the most appropriate medicine to the patient."

Because the advertisers use the term "most appropriate medicine" and not "most appropriate homeopathic medicine" or "most appropriate homeopathic remedy", I challenge whether the word "medicine" is misleading.

5. ( http://www.pssclinic.co.uk/ice%20homeopathy.html )

"Scientifically, it cannot yet be explained precisely how it works. However, new theories in quantum physics are going some way towards shedding light on the process. What we do know is that a carefully selected homeopathic remedy may act as a trigger to the body’s healing processes."

I challenge whether the claim that homeopathy "works" is misleading.

I challenge whether the advertisers can substantiate their claim that "new theories in quantum physics are going some way towards shedding light on the process" of how homeopathy works, by identifying precisely the research published in respectable physics journals dealing specifically with the mechanism of homeopathic preparations.

I challenge whether the claim "What we do know is that a carefully selected homeopathic remedy may act as a trigger to the body's healing processes" can be substantiated.

6. ( http://www.pssclinic.co.uk/ice%20homeopathy.html )

"Homeopathy has been used in the UK for centuries, but has an honourable tradition dating back to ancient Greece."

Since homeopathy was invented in 1796, I challenge whether the advertiser's claims that homeopathy has been used in the UK for "centuries" and dates "back to ancient Greece" can be substantiated.

7. ( http://www.pssclinic.co.uk/ice%20homeopathy.html )

"It was Samuel Hahnemann, a brilliant doctor working in 1796, who developed the scientific and philosophical foundations of this gentler way of healing. These scientific principles form the basis of successful homeopathic practice today."

Samuel Hahnemann used tests known as "provings" to investigate his homeopathic medicines. The methodology of these "provings" are not considered reliable by today's standards of clinical research. For that reason, I challenge whether the description of Hahnemann's work as "scientific" and the phrase "These scientific principles" are misleading.

I've made some screenshots of the relevant pages, which are available at:
http://leicester.skepticsinthepub.org/FishBarrel/ci.aspx?id=5EIorsEq3K
http://leicester.skepticsinthepub.org/FishBarrel/ci.aspx?id=cyIWqCE8to
http://leicester.skepticsinthepub.org/FishBarrel/ci.aspx?id=tvw35hEPfm

I can confirm that I have no connections with the advertiser or with the alternative medicine industry in general."