Sunday Lecture: The Rise of the Laptop Lizards

Stories of ‘Miracle Cures’ and other health claims occur because of marketing claims made – often without evidence – for products on the Internet. It’s been a short time since the Advertising Standards Authority started to regulate such claims.; In that time the Nightingale Collaboration has given the Advertising Standards Authority possibly their most serious challenge yet: curbing the misleading claims made on Complimentary & Alternative Medicine (CAM) websites. Many practitioners have realised their responsibilities and taken down long lists of ‘what homeopathy can help with…’ etc.; But much more needs to be done and we can’t rely on the Advertising Standards Authority to do everything so they have been using other regulators as well particularly the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).; Find out more about who the Nightingale Collaboration is what we’ve been up to and what our future plans are.; Alan Henness is the Director of the Nightingale Collaboration. The Nightingale Collaboration challenges questionable claims made by healthcare practitioners on their websites in adverts and in their promotional and sales materials by bringing these to the attention of the appropriate regulatory bodies. They also strive to ensure that organisations representing healthcare practitioners have robust codes of conduct for their members that protect the public and that these are enforced.; You can follow Alan on Twitter as @zeno001 and the Nightingale Collaboration as @NightingaleC.; 11.00 £3 on the door/free to members; Bottomless Tea & Coffee will be available.