DOCSLIB.ORG

WEIGHT Loss QUACKERY and FADS 5 Crime for Vitamin Makers and Health Food Stores to Tell Or Exercising, and Discounts the Benefits of Exercise

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
WEIGHT Loss QUACKERY and FADS 5 Crime for Vitamin Makers and Health Food Stores to Tell Or Exercising, and Discounts the Benefits of Exercise eight Loss uackery and Fads Frances M. Berg Healthy Weight Journal • Bee Pollen • Herbal Tea • Infomercials • Thigh Cream • "Fat Burning'' pill • Illegal Drug Claims • Voice of the Quack • Chromium Picolinate • Manchurian Mushroom Tea • How to Identify and Report Fraud CONTENTS Guidelines for identification of quackery . 2 1. Voice of the Quack .............................. 3 2. Creams, Patches and Aids . 7 Creams and lotions; Appetite patches; Appetite spray; Fiber cookies; Herbal teas 3. Gadgets . 10 CMP tables; Acupressure; Belts; Vacuuming fat; Body wraps; Heat 'melts fat'; Historic devices 4. Diet Pills . 13 Herbals as hoaxes?; Anti-cellulite; Bee pollen; Blockers; Fiber pills; Ephedrine; Chromium Picolinate 5. Themes, Schemes & Combos . 18 Herbal and "all natural"; Cellulite concepts; Spot reduction; Detoxifying the body; Lean people differ; Targeting the wlnerable; Combinations; Easy money; Pyramid schemes; Hit and run; Wealth building; Infomercials; Hypnosis 6. Slim Chance Awards . 25 Banned nonprescription drugs . 29 How to report fraud . 30 References . 31 Index ............................................ 32 WeightLoas Quackery and Fads. Second edition. Copyright 1994 1995. ISBN 0-918532-60-4. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited without publisher's written permission. Published by Healthy Weight Jouma~ 402 South 14th Street, Hettinger, ND 58639. TE: 701-567-2646; FAX: 701-567-2602. WEIGHT LOSS QUACKERYAND FRAUD Guidelines for identification FrancesM. Berg, M. S. Fraudulent weight loss products and programs dentials. (Nutrition educators and registered dieti­ often rely on unscrupulous but persuasive combina­ tians are preferred. The science of nutrition is tions of message, program, ingredients, mystique taught only through college Home Economics and and method of availability. A weight loss product or related departments.) program may be fraudulent if it does one or more of • Fails to state risks or recommend a medical exam. the following: Ingredients Message • Uses unproven, bogus or potentially dangerous • Claims or implies a large, fast weight loss - often ingredients such as: dinitrophenol, spirulina, amino promised as easy, effortless, guaranteed or per­ acid supplements, glucomannan, human chorionic manent. (Recommended loss for most people is gonadotrophin hormone (HCG), diuretics, slim­ no more than two pounds per week.) ming teas, echinacia root, bee pollen, fennel, • Implies weight can be lost without restricting calo­ chickweed and starch blockers. (When its review ries or exercising, and discounts the benefits of process is complete, FDA is expected to approve exercise. only phenylpropanolamine, PPA.) • Uses typical quackery terms such as: miraculous, • Claims ingredients will block digestion or surround breakthrough, exclusive, secret, unique, ancient, calories, starches, carbohydrates or fats, and re­ accidental discovery, doctor developed. move them from the body. • Oaims to get rid of "cellulite." (Cellulite does not exist and reference to it is a red flag warning of Mystique fraud or misinformation.) • Encourages reliance on a guru figure who has the • Relies heavily on undocumented case histories, "ultimate answers." before and after photos, and testimonials by "sat­ • Grants mystical properties to certain foods or isfied customers" (who are often paid for ingredients. testimony which is written by the advertiser). • Bases plan on faddish ideas, such as food allergies, • Misuses medical or technical terms, refers to stud­ forbidden foods or "magic combinations" of foods. ies without giving complete references, claims • Declares that the established medical community is government approval. against this discovery and refuses to accept its • Professes to be a treatment for a wide range of miraculous benefits. ailments and nutritional deficiencies as well as for Method of availability weight loss. • Is sold by self-proclaimed health advisors or "nutri­ • Makes claims which are not stated on the label. tionists," often door-to-door, in "health food" Program stores, or a chiropractor's office. • Promotes a medically unsupervised diet of less • Distributes through hard-sell mail order advertise­ than 1000 calories per day. ments, television informericals, or ads which list • Diagnoses nutrient deficiencies with computer­ only an 800 number without an address, indicating scored questionnaire and prescribes vitamins and possible Postal Service action against the com­ supplements (rather than a balanced diet). Rec­ pany. ommends them in excess of 100% of • Demands large advance payments or long-term Recommended Dietary Allowance. contracts. (Payment should be pay-as-you-go, or • Requires special foods purchased from the com­ refundable.) pany rather than conventional foods. • Uses high pressure sales tactics, one-time-only • Promotes aids and devices such as: body wraps, deals, or recruitment for a pyramid sales organiza­ sauna belts, electronic muscle stimulators, passive tion. Displays prominent money-back guarantee. motion tables, ear stapling, aromatherapy, appe­ (A common complaint against these companies is tite patches and acupuncture. that they do not honor their guarantees). • Promotes a nutritional plan without relying on at Berg F, Weight Loss Fraud and Quackery. Healthy least one author or counselor with nutrition ere- Weight Journal/Obesity & Health 1990;4:9:71. 2 WEIGHT Loss QUACKERY .AND FADS HEALTHY WEIGHT JOURNAL 1. Voice of the quack he voice of the quack is seductive, smoothly eliminate fat and calories from the system in a short time. pitched to charm money out of vulnerable men, Weight loss fraud covers the spectrum in a surprisingly T women and children. 1 broad field. Because of our First Amendment rights, con What counts is not the product, but the illusion cre­ artists are free to give false testimony against science, ated around the product. The strong advertising message medicine and reason. They take full advantage of this is beamed out to customers through newspapers, maga­ freedom, and today are challenging regulation and truth­ zines, radio, television and through the mails. Radio and ful disclosure at every federal level, in Congress, the Food television talk show hosts willingly provide free and lu­ and Drug Administration FDA and the National Insti­ crative publicity for interesting new fads. tutes of Health which has a new division called the Office The tainted genius in this is the huckster's ability to of Alternative Medicine that gives much credibility to write copy that sells, not the talent to design a product questionable claims. that delivers. In many cases, it's been shown that the Thus, it is naive to believe, as many do, that, "If it's in advertising copy is written first, with the product created . a book or magazine, it must be true." Or, "The govern­ later to fit the ad, or even no product at all. ment wouldn't let it be sold if it could be harmful." Or, Fraud thrives most when there is no good medical cure "If its expensive, it must be good." for a health problem. Science has yet to come up with an The voice of the quack is amazingly successful in its easy answer for weight loss, so obesity, like arthritis, can­ seduction. Money flows so fast that federal and state in­ cer and AIDS, is an ideal subject for quackery. vestigators can't keep up. For instance, in the 1989 Cho low Tea scam by Aus­ It works! tralian Peter Foster, the first five days of full-page news­ Weight loss appeals to the fringe industry because al­ paper advertising brought in $215,000, a figure known most anything works - or at least, it seems to work. only because authorities intercepted the mail. A unique property of weight is that, because of water "Weight loss fraud costs Americans between $10 bil­ loss, almost any change in eating shows up on the scale lion and $40 billion a year," estimates Ray Johnson, an as a weight change. Even without a planned decrease in assistant attorney general in Iowa's consumer protection eating, the person who is excited about a new weight loss division. effort tends to eat In a single nation- less sugar and starch. wide mailing out of i The voice of the quack is seductive, This drop in carbohy­ Iowa, Johnson found drate intake releases the pronioters of the smoothly pitched to charm money water from the cells, Nutralizer GH diet pill out of vulnerable men, women and children and the person "loses brought in $1.7 mil­ amazingly successful in its seduction. , weight." lion. Another company The explanation netted $250,000 from is that 1 gram of gly­ Iowans alone in six cogen a storage form of glucose binds 3 to 4 grams of months with diet pills costing $30 a bottle. water in the cells. This water is freed and excreted in the Con artists can simply place an ad and wait for the urine if the glycogen store is reduced. checks to roll in. With a return to normal eating, the cells rehydrate and weight returns to normal. Anything goes But, fortunately for the quack, this return to normal Getting into this market with a high-profit weight loss weight is easily blamed on the customer, and he or she scam is easy. Almost anything goes. The quack can choose is usually willing to accept the blame. So, because of this from teas, pills, wraps, gadgets and complex combina­ classic blame-the-victim scenario, people who are cheated tions, and promise they'll bum, block, flush, or otherwise in weight loss schemes seldom complain, even over the flEAL771Y WEIGHT JOURNAL WEIGHT Loss QUACKERY AND F,ws 3 most outrageous and injury-causing scmns. On the talk show circuit Con artists promote themselves and their wares daily Who is vulnerable? in the media, often through free publicity on "news Who are the people who send these millions of dollars shows."3 to con artists? They're ordinary Americans who for one Modem quacks can be hard to spot They have a slick reason or another are unhappy with themselves or their image, professional, or guru-like. They use scientific jar­ appearance. gon, have glib answers for all questions and problems, Disproportionately, they may be poorly educated or and use high tech advertising methods.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Homeopathy and Psychological Therapies
    Entry Homeopathy and Psychological Therapies Davide Donelli * and Michele Antonelli AUSL-IRCCS Reggio Emilia, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Definition: Homeopathy is a popular, although highly debated, medicinal practice based on the administration of remedies in which active substances are so diluted that no detectable trace of them remains in the final product. This hypothesis paper aims to outline a possible reinterpreta- tion of homeopathy in the light of psychological therapies in order to improve its clinical safety and sustainability. Keywords: homeopathy; psychology; reinterpretation; hypothesis 1. Introduction Homeopathy is a popular, although highly debated, medicinal practice. In Italy, for ex- ample, it is estimated that, even if with a slightly declining trend, around 4.1% of the entire population (almost 2.5 million people) occasionally or regularly seeks homeopathic care, and these data, collected in 2013, suggest that homeopathy is the most used Complemen- tary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) by Italians [1]. Epidemiological studies aimed to assess the worldwide prevalence of homeopathy use have reported similar data for other high-income countries [2]. Homeopathy was first invented by the German doctor Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843), and it is based on the administration of remedies in which active substances are so diluted that no detectable trace of them remains in the final product [3]. In his empirical studies, Citation: Donelli, D.; Antonelli, M. Hahnemann reported that the self-administration of a common antimalarial medicinal Homeopathy and Psychological Ther- plant (Cinchona) resulted in the occurrence of the same symptoms of malaria, but to a Encyclopedia 2021 1 apies.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Frozen 2' Gives Homeopathic Quackery a Warm
    Technology & Ideas ‘Frozen 2’ Gives Homeopathic Quackery a Warm Embrace Disney's film appears to support a debunked, but increasingly popular, form of alternative medicine. By Ariel Procaccia December 24, 2019, 5:30 AM EST No memory whatsoever. Photographer: Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images Like millions of other parents, I dutifully took my kids to see Disney’s “Frozen 2” last month, thinking nothing of it. But a few weeks later, not only am I still humming “Into the Unknown.” I am also pondering whether the company that created Donald Duck has embraced quack medicine. Let me explain. The recurring theme in “Frozen 2” is that water has memory. This idea appears time and again throughout the movie, from the very first song — the haunting lullaby “All Is Found” (“where the Northwind meets the sea, there’s a river full of memory”) — to the predictably sentimental ending. At first glance that doesn’t seem unusual; after all, this is a movie whose main characters are an ice witch, a talking snowman and a guy who can basically read his reindeer’s mind. What I found suspicious, however, is a scene where Olaf (the snowman) entertains his friends with scientific trivia: Water has memory, turtles breathe through their butts, men are six times more likely to be struck by lightning than women, and wombats poop in squares. These claims are reasonably accurate, 1 except for water memory. To make matters worse, Olaf actually insists that “it’s disputed by many, but it’s true.” Olaf’s lecture seems to support homeopathy, a system of alternative medicine that relies on the idea that water “remembers” the effects of substances that were previously dissolved in it.
    [Show full text]
  • Information-Seeking Behavior in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM): an Online Survey of Faculty at a Health Sciences Campus*
    Information-seeking behavior in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM): an online survey of faculty at a health sciences campus* By David J. Owen, M.L.S., Ph.D. [email protected] Education Coordinator, Basic Sciences Min-Lin E. Fang, M.L.I.S. [email protected] Information Services Librarian Kalmanovitz Library and Center for Knowledge Management University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, California 94143-0840 Background: The amount of reliable information available for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is limited, and few authoritative resources are available. Objective: The objective is to investigate the information-seeking behavior of health professionals seeking CAM information. Methods: Data were gathered using a Web-based questionnaire made available to health sciences faculty af®liated with the University of California, San Francisco. Results: The areas of greatest interest were herbal medicine (67%), relaxation exercises (53%), and acupuncture (52%). About half the respondents perceived their CAM searches as being only partially successful. Eighty-two percent rated MEDLINE as a useful resource, 46% personal contacts with colleagues, 46% the Web, 40% journals, and 20% textbooks. Books and databases most frequently cited as useful had information about herbs. The largest group of respondents was in internal medicine (26%), though 15% identi®ed their specialties as psychiatry, psychology, behavioral medicine, or addiction medicine. There was no correlation between specialty and patterns of information- seeking behavior. Sixty-six percent expressed an interest in learning more about CAM resources. Conclusions: Health professionals are frequently unable to locate the CAM information they need, and the majority have little knowledge of existing CAM resources, relying instead on MEDLINE.
    [Show full text]
  • Complementary Medicine the Evidence So
    Complementary Medicine The Evidence So Far A documentation of our clinically relevant research 1993 - 2010 (Last updated: January 2011) Complementary Medicine Peninsula Medical School Universities of Exeter & Plymouth 25 Victoria Park Road Exeter EX2 4NT Websites: http://sites.pcmd.ac.uk/compmed/ http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/fact E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0) 1392 424989 Fax: +44 (0) 1392 427562 2 PC2/Report/DeptBrochure/Evidence17 14/02/2011 3 Contents 1 Introduction................................................................................................................11 1.1 Background and history of Complementary Medicine...............................................................11 1.2 Aims.................................................................................................................................................11 1.3 Research topics................................................................................................................................11 1.4 Research tools..................................................................................................................................11 1.5 Background on the possibility of closure in May 2011..............................................................12 2 The use of complementary medicine (CM)..............................................................13 2.1 General populations........................................................................................................................13
    [Show full text]
  • And Folk Medicine in Dutch Historiography
    Medical History, 1999, 43: 359-375 Shaping the Medical Market: On the Construction of Quackery and Folk Medicine in Dutch Historiography FRANK HUISMAN* It has been stated many times: traditionally, medical history was written by, for and about doctors, telling the story of unilinear scientific progress. Positivism tended to look at the history of medicine as a process of linear progress from religion through metaphysics to science, in which mankind was liberated from superstition and irrationality. This view was confirmed by the Weberian notion of a "disenchantment" of the world: in the course of the last few centuries, the influence of magic and animism was seen as having declined. In the field of medical thinking and medical practice, man was thought to have freed himself from the chains of superstition. Gradually, he had learned to relate to the world in rational terms; in the event of illness, academic doctors were the logical engineers of his body. However, the times of the grand stories are over, in general as well as in medical history. With non-physicians moving into the field, there has been a growing awareness of the constructed nature of medicine.1 Medical knowledge has come to be seen as functioning within a specific cultural context from which it derives its meaning.2 Today, illness is no longer considered to be a universal, ontological unit. Instead, the meaning of illness-as well as the response to it-is thought to be determined by factors of a social, economic, political and religious nature.3 The attraction of the old historical image lay in its simplicity.
    [Show full text]
  • Please, Let Not Western Quackery Replace Traditional Medicine in Africa
    Tropical Medicine and International Health doi:10.1111/tmi.12037 volume 18 no 2 pp 242–244 february 2013 Editorial Please, let not Western quackery replace traditional medicine in Africa Cees N. M. Renckens1 and Thomas P. C. Dorlo1,2,3 1 Dutch Society against Quackery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2 Division of Pharmacoepidemiology & Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands 3 Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, Slotervaart Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands keywords quackery, CAM, traditional medicine, WHO, homeopathy In May 2012, the first gathering of homeopaths was speaking of a universally valid medicine, an open system organised on African soil (National Center for Homeop- that absorbs effective ways of treatment independently athy 2012). Despite the lack of evidence for the efficacy from their origin. Nowadays, acceptance and recognition of homeopathy in any disease and its blatant incompati- of treatments are judged by the rules of evidence-based bility with scientific medicine (see Box 1), the use and medicine, which demand a sound, rational scientific base, popularity of this Western quackery appears to be on preferably reinforced by convincing randomised clinical the rise in Africa, whereas its popularity in Europe is trials. One may regret it, but from this point of view the slowly waning. Western homeopaths who have set up future of TM is bleak. shop in Africa even impertinently suggest the potential This is particularly unfortunate because WHO data of homeopathy in the treatment of HIV and malaria, from 2006 indicate that access to regular medicine in inevitably with fatal consequences. These homeopaths sub-Saharan Africa is far from adequate; while there is like to compare their underdog position with that of one TM practitioner per 500 heads of population, there traditional medicine (TM) and thereby hope to gain is only one regular medicine practitioner per 40 000 undeserved respect in Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • GRAS Notice 000099: Pullulan
    United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program Document Cover Sheet https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/national-list/petitioned Document Type: ☒ National List Petition or Petition Update A petition is a request to amend the USDA National Organic Program’s National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List). Any person may submit a petition to have a substance evaluated by the National Organic Standards Board (7 CFR 205.607(a)). Guidelines for submitting a petition are available in the NOP Handbook as NOP 3011, National List Petition Guidelines. Petitions are posted for the public on the NOP website for Petitioned Substances. ☐ Technical Report A technical report is developed in response to a petition to amend the National List. Reports are also developed to assist in the review of substances that are already on the National List. Technical reports are completed by third-party contractors and are available to the public on the NOP website for Petitioned Substances. Contractor names and dates completed are available in the report. January 31, 2018 National List Manager USDA/AMS/NOP, Standards Division 1400 Independence Ave. SW Room 2648-So., Ag Stop 0268 Washington, DC 20250-0268 RE: Petition to add Pullulan to the National List at §205.605(a) as an allowed nonsynthetic ingredient in tablets and capsules for dietary supplements labeled “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)).” Dear National List Manager: The Organic Trade Association1 is
    [Show full text]
  • Chiropractic Origins, Controversies, and Contributions
    REVIEW ARTICLE Chiropractic Origins, Controversies, and Contributions Ted J. Kaptchuk, OMD; David M. Eisenberg, MD hiropractic is an important component of the US health care system and the largest al- ternative medical profession. In this overview of chiropractic, we examine its history, theory, and development; its scientific evidence; and its approach to the art of medicine. Chiropractic’s position in society is contradictory, and we reveal a complex dynamic of conflictC and diversity. Internally, chiropractic has a dramatic legacy of strife and factionalism. Exter- nally, it has defended itself from vigorous opposition by conventional medicine. Despite such ten- sions, chiropractors have maintained a unified profession with an uninterrupted commitment to clini- cal care. While the core chiropractic belief that the correction of spinal abnormality is a critical health care intervention is open to debate, chiropractic’s most important contribution may have to do with the patient-physician relationship. Arch Intern Med. 1998;158:2215-2224 Chiropractic, the medical profession that (whereas the number of physicians is ex- specializes in manual therapy and espe- pected to increase by only 16%).6 cially spinal manipulation, is the most im- Despite such impressive creden- portant example of alternative medicine tials, academic medicine regards chiro- in the United States and alternative medi- practic theory as speculative at best and cine’s greatest anomaly. its claims of clinical success, at least out- Even to call chiropractic “alterna- side of low back pain, as unsubstanti- tive” is problematic; in many ways, it is ated. Only a few small hospitals permit chi- distinctly mainstream. Facts such as the ropractors to treat inpatients, and to our following attest to its status and success: knowledge, university-affiliated teaching Chiropractic is licensed in all 50 states.
    [Show full text]
  • Keeping Track of the Quacks: Drug and Device Enforcement in the COVID-19 Era by Beth Weinman, Josh Oyster, and Meighan Parker
    Join our Author Happy Hour Discussion on November 10 Register Here Keeping Track of the Quacks: Drug and Device Enforcement in the COVID-19 Era by Beth Weinman, Josh Oyster, and Meighan Parker Introduction Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) or federal In February 2020, the Secretary of the Department of Health mail and wire fraud statutes where “quackery” may be a par- and Human Services (HHS) declared a public health emergen- ticularly apt description of the alleged conduct. However, we cy involving the virus that causes COVID-19.1 Unfortunately, expect that at some point the government will pivot towards the public health emergency has provided seemingly fertile cases involving subtler theories of potential deception or ground for nefarious characters to prey upon mass uncertainty failures to comply with applicable regulatory requirements. and consumer fear for their own personal gain. To protect This article reviews key COVID-19-related DOJ and FDA en- consumers from fraudulent medical products during the forcement actions to date, makes predictions regarding what COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administra- the next wave of federal government enforcement may look tion (FDA) launched “Operation Quack Hack.”2 Similarly, the like, and recommends best practices for ensuring compliance Department of Justice (DOJ) has prioritized the investigation with FDA requirements for the duration of the pandemic and and prosecution of fraudulent or otherwise unfair practices re- beyond. 3 lated to COVID-19. DOJ has established hotlines for reporting Overview of DOJ and FDA Enforcement 4 COVID-19 fraud as well as hoarding and price-gouging.
    [Show full text]
  • City, University of London Institutional Repository
    City Research Online City, University of London Institutional Repository Citation: Rowlands, Barbara Ann (2015). The Emperor's New Clothes: Media Representations Of Complementary and Alternative Medicine: 1990-2005. (Unpublished Doctoral thesis, City University London) This is the accepted version of the paper. This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link: https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/13706/ Link to published version: Copyright: City Research Online aims to make research outputs of City, University of London available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the author(s) and/or copyright holders. URLs from City Research Online may be freely distributed and linked to. Reuse: Copies of full items can be used for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge. Provided that the authors, title and full bibliographic details are credited, a hyperlink and/or URL is given for the original metadata page and the content is not changed in any way. City Research Online: http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/ [email protected] The Emperor’s New Clothes: Media Representations of Complementary and Alternative Medicine: 1990-2005 BARBARA ANN ROWLANDS A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by prior publication Department of Journalism City University London May 2015 VOLUME I: DISSERTATION CONTENTS Acknowledgements 4 Declaration 5 Abstract 6 Chapter
    [Show full text]
  • Unsound Methods of Cancer Treatment
    UNSOUND METHODS OF CANCER TREATMENT. Gregory A. Curt, M.D. Division of Cancer Treatment, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 1. "Things are seldom what they seem, skim milk masquerades as cream. Gilbert and Sullivan, "HMS Pinafore" DEFINITION AND MAGNITIJDE OF THE PROBLEM Earlier editions of .. Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology" entitled this chapter "Unproven Methods of Cancer Treatment." However, the term "unproven" is nonjudgmental and is, at best, a euphemism for the unsound therapies that are described in this chapter. After all, many of the newer methods of cancer treatment described in the previous chapter are, in some sense, "unproven" in that their precise role in clinical treatment remains uncertain. The distinguishing characteristics of unsound methods of cancer treatment (whether one wishes to label them unproven, unorthodox, nontraditional, or alternative therapies) are:. 1) promotion without sufficient preclinical data to justify use in patients, and 2) unmethodical treatment of patients that is incapable of detecting either meaningful responses or therapy-related side effects. Not surprisingly, purveyors of unsound methods generally offer "non-toxic" or "natural" approaches to cancer treatment. Somewhat surprisingly, and as will be discussed in greater detail later, these unorthodox practitioners are largely physicians who escape regulatory control by the Food and Dru g Administration and offer their particular treatment ap proach to well-educated patients with early-stage disease. At a time when 50% of the serious cancers diagnosed in the United States are curable with existing therapies and access to scientifically sound ex perimental trials has been considerably simplified with computerized 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Affidavit of Stephen Barrett, M.D
    IN THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT FOR POLK COUNTY ________________________________________________________________ _ STATE OF IOWA ex rel. ) THOMAS J. MILLER, ) ATTORNEY GENERAL OF IOWA, ) EQUITY NO. CE-39318 99AG25112 ) ) Plaintiff , ) ) vs. ) AFFIDAVIT OF DR. ) STEPHEN BARRETT NEW WOMYN, INC. and ) DAN KAISER, ) ) Defendants. ) ________________________________________________________________ _ 1. I, Dr. Stephen Barrett of Allentown, Pennsylvania, being first duly sworn on oath, depose and state as follows: 2. I submit this declaration as an expert in the fields of quackery, “alternative medicine,” health fraud, peer review, and the analysis of unusual health claims. I intend this declaration to serve as expert testimony on the matters set forth herein. All opinions rendered herein are my professional and expert opinion, as consistent with my special knowledge, skill, training, education, and experience. 3. I have been asked by Investigator Barbara Blake of the Consumer Protection Division of the Iowa Department of Justice to review Paragraph 9 (a)-(d) of the Petition and Application to Enforce Civil Investigative Demand filed in the above-captioned matter. I have been asked to assume that the alleged representations as set forth below were made for a device called - 1 - "Stimulations VII" that was to be used by persons to enhance breast size. I have been further asked to express an opinion regarding the amount of substantiation experts in the field would agree is reasonable for the types of claims set forth below. 4. The claims set forth in the Petition are: (a). That Stimulations VII will permanently grow breast tissue; (b.) That Stimulations VII will cause breast enlargement of 2, 3 or even 4 cup sizes; (c.) That Stimulations VII has been scientifically proven safe and effective for breast enlargement; (d.) That Stimulations VII will regrow breasts that have been removed via mastectomy.
    [Show full text]