Let's invent a new syndrome...

[Mich the Tester]

Two more things: Google & peer-reviewed research.

We need some web sites set up to support the subject matter. Filled with the same sort of bollocks as you get on the herbal remedies web sites.

But most important is the peer-reviewed research. A bunch of us need to write papers on the subject that are all self-referential. That creates a body of work from which peer reviews can be written which confirm each paper does say what the others say, therefore validating each paper. Since the reviewers are themselves experts in the subject with peer-reviewed papers, nobody can fault the works.

The 'publication' of these papers gets done on the afore-mentioned web sites, plus any other dodgy site that can be found, even blogs.

In this way the likes of lying cheats like 'Dr' Gillian McKeith has made her money.

Dr Ben Goldacre's Bad Science is a handbook on how to fool and cheat the public with science - we should use that as a guide.

All it needs is half a dozen people with some time on their hands, and a desire to make money which exceeds their ethical threshold.

Maybe it would be a fun thing to do, then publish books on how it was done for a second round of income?

Excellent ideas.

Gillian McTurd is clearly talking complete tulipe, and I'm not even convinced by the Bristol Stool Chart either. After a good evening out I'm quite capable of producing 1 to 7 and back again in one visit to the throne.

[RichardCranium]

Two more things: Google & peer-reviewed research.

We need some web sites set up to support the subject matter. Filled with the same sort of bollocks as you get on the herbal remedies web sites.

But most important is the peer-reviewed research. A bunch of us need to write papers on the subject that are all self-referential. That creates a body of work from which peer reviews can be written which confirm each paper does say what the others say, therefore validating each paper. Since the reviewers are themselves experts in the subject with peer-reviewed papers, nobody can fault the works.

The 'publication' of these papers gets done on the afore-mentioned web sites, plus any other dodgy site that can be found, even blogs.

In this way the likes of lying cheats like 'Dr' Gillian McKeith has made her money.

Dr Ben Goldacre's Bad Science is a handbook on how to fool and cheat the public with science - we should use that as a guide.

All it needs is half a dozen people with some time on their hands, and a desire to make money which exceeds their ethical threshold.

Maybe it would be a fun thing to do, then publish books on how it was done for a second round of income?

[MarillionFan]

That's what my 5 yr old has got.

Oh! Are you Doogies dad?

You shouldn't let him on the computer he's not old enough.

[rootsnall]

It can be called Attention to Detail Deficit Disorder

That's what my 5 yr old has got.

The alternative diagnosis is she might have THICK syndrome.

[amcdonald]

Deficit Denial Syndrome totally incurable, as shown by every Labour MP

[MarillionFan]

It can be called Attention to Detail Deficit Disorder

[Mich the Tester]

The symptoms are;
- impatience with and refusal to answer long lists of inane questions
- refusal to care about one's conformity to some arbitrary social 'norm'
- hatred of filling in forms
- feelings of pent up anger when confronted with petty officialdom
- ability to reason out 4 different answers when answering IQ questions (just a point here; how valid are IQ test questions if the candidate is more intelligent than the person who writes the questions?)

Now, Asperger's syndrome is well known and common among brainy people; perhaps we should introduce its lesser known relative, Asparagus Syndrome. Of course, variants are needed, such as Asparagus Syndrome by Proxy (when you think you've got it because somebody you know has it).

We could then set up an 'Association of Accredited Asparagus Therapists' and charge good money for treating people with this chronic condition (whatever you do, don't invent a syndrome you can cure; you need a constant income stream).

Who's up for it?

We need;

- some sufferers, prepared to write testimonials for the website
- some therapists (real quacks), who'll provide 'treatment'
- a couple of people who'll be portrayed as quacks providing nonsense treatment that doesn't work (preferably with extensive formal medical qualifications; psychiatrists would be ideal)
- a guru who has invented the therapy on the base of personal experience