Folks, you may also like to get in touch with the Cystic Fibrosis Trust - enquiries@cft.org.uk
People like Knowland make my blood boil (I wonder if she can cure that as well?!)
Hayley, do you have the e-mail address of your local Health Authority (or the one which covers the location of this so-called "healing centre"?
I have just emailed the cystic fibrosis trust but it came back as unrecognised, I also cannot find an email address for my local health authority. only one for London?
Sorry, the address should have been enquiries@cftrust.org.uk
Also, I think the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Health Authority sounds like the relevant organization. Drop 'em a line at: editor@agwsha.nhs.uk
The Wiltshire Trading Standards Authority may also be interested to hear about Knowland's claim: tradingstandards@wiltshire.gov.uk
Let's see if we can get this woman stopped in her tracks before she does any real damage!
I have just emailed the cystic fibrosis trust but it came back as unrecognised, I also cannot find an email address for my local health authority. only one for London?
Sorry, the address should have been enquiries@cftrust.org.uk
Also, I think the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Health Authority sounds like the relevant organization. Drop 'em a line at: editor@agwsha.nhs.uk
The Wiltshire Trading Standards Authority may also be interested to hear about Knowland's claim: tradingstandards@wiltshire.gov.uk
Let's see if we can get this woman stopped in her tracks before she does any real damage!
done and done! thank you for finding this, I am now going to send an email to the wiltshire times editor.
Why are so many journalists just TOO BLOODY IDLE to actually investigate stories like this? The "Wiltshire Times" has published what is basically a free advert for Nina Knowland. It takes less than a minute to find her site and discover that she supposedly has the ability to cure cancer. This would have made a far more interesting story than the one that reached the press, but no - it was too much like hard work.
PS - Hayley, who is your MP? He/she might be interested to know that Knowland is touting for business amongst their constituents.
This woman will like the others get away with things because at the bottom of the list of 'Heals' she states:
'Nina: No doctor will tell everyone you can be cured, there are no guarentee's, I can't do this either, I can say I have a high success rate when have been able to.'
It's a bit like an 'for entertainment purposes' clause you see on the bottom of psychic phone lines!
Nina Knowland did her training with the nfsh so I had a look at the site, in doing so I came across the name Harry Edwards and followed his name to Burrows Lea Sanctury. He was the first member of the NFSH.
(During World War I, I presume.)
"A high number of cases of illness and injury led to many people coming to him for medical treatment, despite the fact that he had only basic equipment with which to treat them. Nevertheless, the recovery rate was remarkable and word spread of the healing powers of this 'Hakim' or healer. A local sheikh brought his aged mother for treatment and Harry obliged, but tooth powder was the only 'medicine' available so that is what he gave her. Complete recovery within two days confirmed his reputation and many more sick people came to him. Even a local governor sought his help with a favourite wife."
Wouldn't this be a simple case of critical quick care of someone giving them a chance to at least survive injuries, no doubt these people would then have been moved to a field hospital or such where they would have been given proper 'medical' care. Even if they attended him after being in hospital, aren't they in effect just recouperating and in doing so getting better themselves and its just conincidence that they saw him? Medics these days on the battle field still carry the basics to care for a soldier, much the same as he did but they don't claim to be healers.
Even in the last part of the paragraph they state he gave the Sheiks mother 'tooth powder' now where is the spiritual healing in that? It doesn't even mention what was wrong with the mother, maybe it was a simple case of toothache.
"Harry had an ordinary Church of England grounding and was sceptical of spiritualist claims. In 1936, the death of a nephew led him to an 'open circle' that in turn caused him to reconsider his views and become a medium himself. Other mediums insisted that he was a healer, so he attempted to intercede on behalf of a person dying from tuberculosis who recovered. Then he attended a person with terminal cancer who soon became well enough to return to work. Other cases followed in which Harry physically met the patient and also interceded through distant healing. He was unable to heal his best friend from severe meningitis, while a total stranger recovered from the same disease in the same week from his ministrations."
So Harry didn't want to be a healer, he wanted to be a medium but it would seem more money could be made in him being a healer not a medium so being a medium went bye bye. I know I am twisting the words in this paragraph but thats what it sounds like. Then to show how good he is just by conincidence he can't heal his friend with meningitis but some stranger heals instead and hey presto it was he who healed the stranger! Makes you want to laugh doesn't it.
"Harry realised that he was simply acting as a channel for Divine Energy and had no control over the final result. Media stories resulted and spiritual healing gained momentum."
Harry wasn't acting for Divine Energy to me, he was doing meetings and we all know that these types of meetings build up the hysteria of feeling good, feeling healed etc. Even admitting that Harry had no control over the final results proves that he wasn't a healer as they claim. A bit like saying, I have no control over what the spirits tell me, I just relate what they have said for a psychics get out clause.
And again we have distant healing, no hands on, just the power of thought. That doesn't prove anyone has healed anyone. We are not even made aware of what proper medical treatment these people are having. All it is in the end is the power of the mind to think we are getting well, giving the body time to mend and if that is healing someone, I've healed myself on many occasions but with the help of proper medical treatment.
Nina Knowland, did her training with someone at NFSH. Isn't she in effect just doing the same with her patients as Harry did with his?
I think of places like the Miners Home, where people who suffered in the mines went as a place to rest. They rested and the majority went on with their lives. The staff at the Miners Home don't call themselves healers so why the hell should anyone like Harry Edwards or Nina Knowland be named healers to make claims like curing cancer and so on?
I sent this message to Dr Andrew Murrison, the MP for Staverton:
I was very disturbed to hear that the Wiltshire Times has published a totally uncritical piece about Nina Knowland, who runs a spiritual healing centre in Staverton. Ms Knowland is seeking children suffering from cystic fibrosis to undergo treatment at her centre. It is clear from her website that she is a New Age crackpot peddling worthless therapies, and amongst the many illnesses she claims to have treated successfully is Cancer. Surely it is illegal to make this claim in the UK?
He sent this reply:
Thank you. As far as I'm aware there is no requirement for alternative therapists to be licensed or to be able to provide an evidence base for their remedies. She would of course be subject to normal civil and criminal proceedings in the event of one of her treatments going wrong. You may like to complain to the Editor of the WT who is at 12 Duke Street Trowbridge.
This woman will like the others get away with things because at the bottom of the list of 'Heals' she states:
'Nina: No doctor will tell everyone you can be cured, there are no guarentee's, I can't do this either, I can say I have a high success rate when have been able to.'
It's a bit like an 'for entertainment purposes' clause you see on the bottom of psychic phone lines!
I don't think the small print is enough to get her off the hook. Mojo of the JREF forums has drawn my attention to the actual wording of the Cancer Act:
"Prohibition of certain advertisements. — (1) No person shall take any part in the publication of any advertisement— (a) containing an offer to treat any person for cancer, or to prescribe any remedy therefor, or to give any advice in connection with the treatment thereof."
So it isn't necessary to offer a CURE for cancer (although what is "successful treatment" if not a cure?) Knowland is using her website to offer treatment and give advice to cancer sufferers.
I got a reply from the editor if The wiltshire Times.
"Thanks for your email. I accept that spiritual healing is a subject that provokes a wide range of opinions and I fully understand yours. However, others may think differently and if people want to approach Nina Knowland they are in their rights to do so.
As she has been established for 20 years, she is not some fly-by-night con artist and by putting a small news in brief in the paper we are not forcing anyone to do anything but some people might be interested in knowing the service is available.
On her page about the laws in saying you can't say you can cure cancer.
"Some successfully treated conditions so far...."
And then she goes on to say what they are, including cancer.
The quote about not saying you can heal cancer may be from this particular page.
(c) except in accordance with the provisions of the Medicines and Related Substances Act, 1965 (Act 101 of 1965), the Pharmacy Act, 1974 (Act 53 of 1974), the Health Act, 1977 (Act 63 of 1977), the Nursing Act, 1978 (Act 50 of 1978), the Chiropractors, Homeopaths and Allied Health Service Professions Act, 1982 (Act 63 of 1982), and sections 33, 34 and 39 of this Act, performs any act whatsoever having as its object-
(i) the diagnosing, treating or preventing of any physical defect, illness or deficiency in any person; and
(ii) by virtue of the performance of such act, the obtaining, either for himself or for any other person, of any benefit by way of any profit from the sale or disposal of any medicine, foodstuff or substance or by way of any donation or gift or by way of the provision of accommodation, or the obtaining of, either for himself or for any other person, any other gain whatsoever;
[Par. (c) amended by s. 12 (a) of Act 58 of 1992 and by s. 33 (a) (i) of Act 89 of 1997.]
(d) pretends, or by any means whatsoever holds himself out, to be a medical practitioner or intern (whether or not purporting to be registered) or a healer, of whatever description, of physical defects, illnesses or deficiencies in man;
Interesting! But the evidence is there in black and wh - erm, in electrons. Even if nothing comes of the Cancer Act thing we now know for a fact that exposure on Badpsychics really does work.
Yes Julia, being on here seems to have done the trick. As an extra precaution I did a bit of searching and here are three of the many I found about claiming to cure cancer.
May I remind you that the Cancer Act 1949 law is still valid in the UK so don’t advertise that you can treat cancer. Whereas, as far as I can see from the advertisements in Canada, they don’t have this restriction. There is a general consensus that the UK act is out of date and inappropriate but nonetheless it’s in force.
As a follow up the sites have changed. Helen Coles’ site as far as I can tell is completely compliant with the Code of Ethics.
Homeopathy UK on the other hand… I emailed the SoH telling them that Homeopathy UK was claiming to cure cancer which, curing a named disease, was a breach of their Code of Ethics. The site has been updated . Now Homeopathy only claims to cure Multiple Sclerosis. Last time I checked that was a named disease too. Does this indicate how seriously the Society of Homeopathy takes their ethical responsibilities?
And the last is actually about someone not liking the way the law is now.
It is illegal for a homeopath, naturopath, herbalist etc to treat cancer in the UK (Cancer Act), or advertise any remedy for cancer. Only a medical doctor, an allopath, is allowed to treat cancer. This effectively makes it illegal to treat cancer with herbs. You can treat yourself but you can't legally use the advice of a herbal doctor. You can go into any hospital or surgery and get virtually free drug medicine, but if you want to treat your cancer with far cheaper herbs or nutrients you have to first find a doctor, assuming you even know about the alternatives (unlikely), and then pay him, along with all the medications.
What people really need to know is people who specialise with cancer don't say don't go to these type of people if it is only being used as a complimentary treatment along with medical treatment from a proper doctor.
Looking at the quote from clioaudio, it seems to imply that you can't name any illnesses!
Oh so she has removed it. Well if anything we have had some result in getting her to remove one piece of crap from her website. No doubt she was "warned" by someone who I know spies on here.
I don't think I would be able to write a constructive article I am afraid, but I know there are many talented members here who probably could.
I received this email from Wiltshire Trading Standards:
Thank you for your complaint concerning the above lady based in our area. This has been referred to me by Wiltshire Police.
I have looked at the Wiltshire Times and Ms Knowland's website. As you are aware, Trading Standards enforces the Cancer Act and is able to take action where such claims are made. I have however been unable to find any claims on the website or in the newspaper relating to this specifically so I can only assume Ms Knowland has removed such claims.
Unfortunately Trading Standards currently has little powers in relation to the other claims made by Ms Knowland. However we are currently waiting for the implementation of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2007 (hopefully April 2008) which will give us more powers to deal with people making false claims. I understand that any offences under these Regulations will be strict liability and it will be for the peson making the claims to prove they are not false.
I am sorry that we are not currently in a position to take further action. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss this further.
Wiltshire County Council Trading Standards
... and have sent them Dippy's screen shot of the unaltered site. Quick thinking, Dippy! And let's hope new consumer protection legislation will make life harder for crackpots like Nina Knowland...