The several articles involving "neurocranial restructuring" (NCR) and homeopathy in the April 2003 issue of the ARCHIVES suggest common themes: the folly of licensing practitioners whose methods are irrational, the unethical nature of highly implausible health practices, and the futility of submitting such claims to clinical trials.
To begin with, there is more information regarding the case report of a nasal septum fracture caused by NCR.1 The practice has existed for significantly longer than the 8 years reported by the authors, but by a different name. There is also at least 1 other published report of a serious complication. The precursor of NCR is called "bilateral nasal specific" (BNS) and was invented by chiropractor J. Richard Stober.2 Both the endonasal balloon insertions and the panacea claims for BNS are virtually identical to those of NCR. According to the National Council Against Health Fraud, in 1983 a naturopath in Alberta performed BNS on a 20-month-old girl: she died of asphyxiation. A judge called the treatment "outright quackery" but sentenced the naturopath to only a $1000 fine and 1 day in jail.3