For those not in the know, Gardasil is a cervical cancer vaccine, aiming to prevent 4 types of human papillomavirus (HPV). The official site is here. A number of healthcare professionals in Australia and America are reporting adverse reactions from this concoction of drugs. Don’t be deceived by the website listing the side effects; they’re not the complete list. Take note of the words ‘For a more complete list of side effects, ask your doctor or healthcare professional.’

If you are considering having the vaccination or have received it but are concerned, it is advisable to search the independent source of vaccinations: the Australian Vaccination Network.

You can find a ready list of all the vaccinations Australians are obliged to have, from birth to over 50 year olds here.

Science is defined by Wikipedia as being from the Latin word ’scientia’ meaning knowledge; ‘an effort to discover and increase human understanding of how the physical world works’. It makes reference to the words phenomenon - any occurrence that is observable and simulation - the imitation of some real thing, state of affairs or process.

So far so good; looks like Homoeopathy should fit as a science given that it aims to increase our understanding of the effects of substances and how a simillimum remedy aims to restore the individual to a healthy state.

Pseudoscience is defined by Wikipedia as ‘a body of knowledge methodology, belief, or practice that is claimed to be scientific or made to appear scientific, but does not adhere to the scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, or otherwise lacks scientific status’. So now the truth is revealed. The definition of science alone is not enough to call something scientific; it must pass the ultimate test - the scientific method.

It appears that science has conditions, is not free form and is biased towards methodologies that are narrow and contradictory. Of course, there’s no point arguing about it. Science and their converts can have their scientific method; it won’t change the power of Homoeopathy. And it won’t change the things they can’t explain.

Myer have announced that they are releasing a range of clothing for females sized 16-24, following the trend of other companies who are catering for the increasing epidemic of obesity in Australia. With 17% of 18-34 year old women considered obese, this move is expected to boost the morale and relative acceptance of being larger than the ‘norm’. This of course, widens the net for what is considered the norm.

While I support comfortable clothing for women of any size, it does bring to mind other issues such as; is there an unacceptable weight purely from a health perspective? On the other end of the scale, will size 6 (the American size 0) become the new size 8? Should this be an unacceptable weight from a health perspective? From the article:

And if figures grow bigger, so too will the Myer range. “It’s up to size 24, but we’ll move that,” Ms Coomber said. “If there’s a bigger demand for bigger sizes then we’ll look at that.”

I hope the day never comes…