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CUSAP committee, as always standing proud against pseudoscience

You may know Simon for:
- Simon Clark YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@SimonClark/...
especially his PhD vlog series
- His book 'Firmament' (amazing read, I recommend it)
- Him getting surprise by the current Prime Minister

If you are neither, no worries! Get in touch with ideas for articles to be published in our blog via cusap.org/action/

You can sign this letter her to join us in protest: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

We call upon @cambridgebiocampus.bsky.social to re-examine this decision, and to uphold the scientific integrity on which its reputation rests.

To be clear: we respect that individuals, including Biomedical Campus staff, are free to pursue these activities privately if they wish. However, it is very different when a leading scientific institution hosts or promotes them, as this lends credibility where none is warranted.

Alternative medicine's popularity has had devastating consequences, including tragically in our Cambridge student community www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

By endorsing pseudoscience, the Campus risks legitimising practices with no foundation — particularly concerning at a time when antiscientific movements are rising worldwide.

Reflexology is based on the idea that specific points on the feet (or hands) correspond to organs and systems in the body. Practitioners massage these points to “restore health.” The supposed “foot map” has been thoroughly debunked, with no evidence it affects disease.

Reiki, or “energy healing,” claims practitioners can channel life force through their hands when placed lightly on or above the body, promoting healing and balance. Despite its popularity, there is no scientific mechanism or evidence that Reiki has effects beyond placebo.

We are deeply concerned about the decision of the Campus to host such an event, and the risk it poses both to public health and to the scientific credibility of one of the UK’s leading biomedical institutions.

And brought to you by a flippant joke, new pattern for our non-existent merch regarding Reflexology:

Health pseudoscience can be dangerous, even when directly harmless. What is wrong with a simple foot or body massage is the mystical framing which may snowball people into believing more harmful things or may lead them to ineffective treatment in a time of need.