Training my sights on...

So I'm watching Curious George on PBS with my daughter. My son is milling around the room, trying to decide which corner he wants to hide the next toy in. The wife is out.

In this episode the 'man with the yellow hat' is sick, and George has been trying to take care of him, the help him recover. Good monkey. George brings him lots of fluids, goes to the pharmacy and 'talks' to the pharmacist who recommends some medicine... all good things to do. Unfortunately, George also takes just about everyone's advice, and on various recommendations, also attempts to follow folk wisdom such as "Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever." In one example, George is comparing the symptoms of the man with the yellow hat to ones described by a cat owner who's cat was sick. Due to the misapplication, George believes that the man will soon have kittens, and prepares the apartment for their arrival.

At the end of the animated episode, there is a live action sequence where a group of school-age children go to visit a doctor, to learn a little about sickness and medicine. My jaw hit the floor when I found out that the doctor was a Naturopath. Please read the article linked here on Naturopathy before proceeding.

In the segment with the Naturopath, the kids are shown various pills. I wondered briefly what was in those pills, until the man opened one up and asked the kids to attempt to identify the substance within. One child guessed it was rosemary, but was told it was actually oregano. I did a little searching around but honestly, it would seem that even Naturopaths are in disagreement as to what oregano is used for. I saw everything from 'pain killer' and 'immune system booster' all the way to treating Lyme disease and Autism. No description of mechanism, just "Trust us, we're doctors."

No, you're not.

So, basically, George believes just about everything he hears, and tries just about everything, when all the man needed was rest and something for his symptoms. Something any decent medical doctor would have told him, and what doctors have often told me for my colds. Instead George tries a few 'alternative therapies' and even misdiagnoses the illness, with comical effects, sure, but I can tell you from experience that diagnosis without medical training can lead to disaster. And the punch line is this friendly Naturopath, showing these kids his 'medicines'. I'm not sure whether I wanted to cry or throw up.

Well, I didn't hold back. I said exactly what was on my mind. My daughter agreed with me a little too quickly. I admonished her for that, and said she shouldn't believe something on someone's say so, even mine. She needs to learn how to look at the evidence, and think critically about things. I think she kind of got it. I'm sure we'll revisit this again in the near future. I plan to.

One other thing I want to make clear. The article I linked above is supposed to be an authoritative source. Wiki4CAM was started by CAM practitioners who got tired of the smackdown they were getting on WikiPedia. Here's the WikiPedia entry on Naturopathy, by the way. Note the differences and the similarities. What's mentioned in the Wiki4CAM article that doesn't show up in WikiPedia? (I'm not pointing it out here, because I want you to actually read it.)

Also note the abjuration to skeptics on Wiki4CAM. WikiPedia invites open debate on subjects, which is usually resolved in some way by citing references. Wiki4CAM basically says, and yes, I'm paraphrasing, "Don't argue with us here, just go away. We don't want to be challenged." Based on that alone, when the Wiki4CAM article on Naturopathy opens itself up with:

This article does not cite adequate references or sources.

I think that says it all.

Now I have two questions. First, how do I explain to my daughter why I was so upset with that segment and introduce critical thinking to her in a positive way? Second, what do I do about the show? Do I write WGBH? PBS? I'm open to suggestions.