NCAHF THE BULLETIN BOARD MARCH / APRJI..,191J4

The Bulletin Board is sent to NCAHF membersand oomplimentarymedia NCAHF Newsletter recipients only. It is intended to stimulate and aid in activismagainst health fraud,misinformation and quackeryat the local, state & national levels.

ANNUAL MEETING NEW EDIDON OF STANDARD NU1RITION SCJENCE The 1994 annual general membership meeting will be held in TEXTBOOK HAS CHAPTER ON FOOD conjunction with the spring Board of Directors meeting on Drs. Stephen Barrett and Victor Herbert have collaborated Sunday, April 24 starting at 8:00 am. The meeting will be at on a new chapter entitled "Fads, Frauds, and Quackery" that the Grand Hotel. Please ask for the meeting room upon will appear in the 1994 revision of Modem Nutritionin Health arrival. The NCAHF meeting is being held in conjunction and Disease,8th Edition, Volume 2, (Lea & Febiger) edited by with the national convention of the Federation of American Shils, Olson and Shike, which is the standard textbook for Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). The Grand nutrition science. Hotel is at 7 Freedman Way (off Harbor Blvd, east of Disneyland), Anaheim, CA 92802 (714-490-4875). SPECIAL RATE FOR NCAHF MEMBERS NCAHF member Jack Raso, MS, RD, author of Mystical SYMPOSIUM Diets (Prometheus Books, 1993) and the forthcoming A 3.5 hour symposium entitled "Separating Genuine From "Alternative•Healthcare: A ComprehensiveGuide, has become Fraudulent Health and Nutrition Alternatives" will be held co-publisher/editor of NutritionForum. For ten years, NF, has following the Annual Membership and Spring Board of provided cutting-edge, behind-the-scenes critiques of such Directors meeting in Room B-3 of the Anaheim Convention methods as Gerson therapy for cancer, macrobiotics, Natural Center in connection with the national FASEB convention. Hygiene, nutripathy, and nutritional herbology. Raso and Presenters will include Charles Du Vall, DC, Victor Herbert, associate editor Ira Milner, RD, declare that their unique, 8- MD, JD, Saul Green, PhD, James Lowell, PhD, and John page bimonthly newsletter will prove valuable to every Renner, MD. The seminar has been approved for 3.5 hours NCAHF member. Milner calls NF "a publication that no Category I credit for continuing education by the California quackbuster should be without." NF is offering to NCAHF Medical Association and the American Dietetic Association. members only introductory annual subscriptions at the For more information contact Wallace Sampson, MD, at 408- reduced price of only $15 (nearly 60% below regular price). 299-4487,or William Jarvis at the main office. Members may subscribe by sending a check or money order to: NutritionForum, P.O. Box 747924, Rego Park, NY 11374. DENTAL QUACKERY: THEN AND NOW Dental educators will find Dr. Irwin Mandel's "Dental COMPARING LOGIC AND MAGIC quackery: a retrospective view," (J Amer Dent Assoc; IN MAINSTREAMAND FRINGE MEDICINE 1994;125:153-60)to be a well-written and informative review "Logic and magic in mainstream and fringe medicine," J Royal of dental quackery past and present. Mandel's historical SocietyMed, 1993;86:721-3)provides a useful discussion about review provides perspective on the inability of the public to the art of patient care that is part of mainstream medicine, judge dental procedures, and the need to rely upon the but often is claimed to be the turf of--and justification for-­ trustworthiness of providers themselves. fringe medicine.

CHIROPRACTIC:A MEDICAL PERSPECTIVE GUIDE TO UNDERGROUND AIDS nlERAPIF.S Dr. Paul Brown, an internist with Park Nicollet Medical Braun, et al, provide "A guide to underground AIDS Center in Burnsville, MN, and NCAHF member, authored an therapies," (Patient Care/August, 1993, pp.53+ ). This guide exceptional article on from a contemporary describes the realities of the current situation regarding self­ medical perspective. Included is a synopsis of the history, treatment, fringe treatment, and legitimate therapies theory, education and training of chiropractors; a review of surrounding AIDS. Included is a list of drugs being used and the antitrust decision against organized medicine--including some useful information about each; where people get these a much needed clarification of 's right to educate the remedies; recommendations on how to talk to patients; how public about chiropractic. Minnesota has the largest per to keep up with new developments; information on buyers capita number of DCs in the world. Brown's review of clubs; and, how the ethical physician should relate to the use research on the benefits of chiropractic is very helpful. He of unapproved therapies. The line that should not be crossed, concludes with the status of manipulation therapy and the article says, is that " should not actively chiropractic which are well-known to NCAHF readers. The promote the use of any unlicensed agent for which some value of this article is that it brings together facts on documentation of safety and efficacy, obtained from a clinical contemporary chiropractic in an exceptionally well-written trial conducted in this country or elsewhere, is not available. way. (MinnesotaMedicine, 1994;77:21-5) This article is exceptional. REPORTON TRADmONAL COLORADONATUROPA1HIC LICENSURE FARS CHINESE MEDICAL TREA1MENT OF AIDS On Feb 9, a 5-2 vote in the Health, Environment, Welfare & In 1992, the American College of Traditional Chinese Institutions committee of the Colorado House of Medicine in San Francisco entered into a contract with the Representatives killed a bill that would have established a County Depanment of Public Health to provide Traditional naturopathic practice act. The act would have permitted NDs Chinese Medical (TCM) services to AIDS patients. On to serve as primary care health providers who could deliver 9/20/93, the College published a report describing its babies, prescribe medications, perform minor surgery, employ experiences. TCM diagnostia; methods and treatments, which colonic therapy, raw-juice cures, vitamin megadoses, applied involve mainly and herbal remedies, are kinesiology, homeopathy, iridology, and spinal manipulations. described quite clearly. Data are presented on 67 patients Testimony was heavily weighted in favor of the bill. One ND (demographia;, TCM diagnoses, and symptom changes). introduced 8 of his patients, each with a positive story to tell. Two members of the Colorado Skeptia; testified against the TOXICTERROR IS A BOOK FOR OUR TIMES bill. Linda Rosa, RN, stated that she would also liked to have Elizabeth Whelan's book Toxic Te"or (Prometheus, 1993) presented a couple of testimonials about the dangers of reviews books which predicted dire effects upon human , but the witnesses were dead! Larry Sarner, health, and sometimes human existence itself, which have testifying on behalf of the Colorado Union of Taxpayers, failed to come true. Whelan reviews most of the safety of warned the lawmakers not to be swayed by the appearance of technology issues of the past several decades. Cancer is the nobility and high ideals. "This is about money," he said. He focus because of the public fears it engenders. This is an pointed out NDs were trying to get a piece of the health-care excellent reference book for anyone wanting a ready source pie by using "the corridors of power to achieve what they of reliable information on public safety issues surrounding could not achieve through the halls of science--an acceptance technology and the environment. Such a book is badly needed of the practices and beliefs without evidence." None of the in this era when every school child is being hit with "save the other opposing witnesses testified on the lack of scientific earth" hysteria. Price: $26.95 + $3.50 p&h. Order from merit of naturopathy (these included the state medical and Prometheus Books, 59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY osteopathic societies, hospital association and Dept of 14228-2197; 800-421-0351 (24-hrs). Regulatory Agencies). The NDs vowed to try again next year.

PIN-HOLE EYEGLASSF.SSETILE FI'C CHARGES 19'J4DIRECfORY CHANGES Three companies and five individuals agreed to settle Federal New York: Rockland C.Ounty:Ira Milner, P.O. Box 471, Trade Commission charges that they made numerous false Monsey, NY 10952, 914-624-1766 (h}; 914-352-9000 [w} and -unsubstantiated --claims about -the vision-improvement Greater Dallas-Ft. Wonh · Area C.OuncilApinst Healtli­ benefits of pinhole eyeglasses. Among other things, the Fraud: Phone change only: 817-792-2000; Fax 277-3720 settlement prohibits the defendants from engaging in similar practices in the future. The companies involved were: Natural HOMEOPA1HY'S PROORF.SSMISLEADING Vision, National Syndications, and Professional Product Homeopathic leader Jay Borneman asks "Is the homeopathic Research. (FTC News Notes, 1993;93:(42):l; Oct. 18) movement obsolete?" in a Jan-Feb '94 editorial in Resonance. He says that 80% of 300 media pieces were positive and that DIET PII.L PROMOTER TO PAY $225.(XX) sales of remedies to non-homeopathic consumers are "way Hi-Health Supermarket Corp. and Nutrition Research and up," but he also notes that membership and donations to Marketing entered into an agreement with the Federal Trade homeopathic organizations are "down across the board," and Commission, with no admission of wrongdoing (but they that sales to physicians and consumers who use traditional or won't do it anymore -parenthesisadded) to pay $225,000 for technical homeopathic medicine are flat. It appears from claiming that a much-advenised diet pill is effective. The Borneman's remarks that opponunists may be taking product HGH-3X was promoted on the Paul Harvey radio homeopathy away from its traditional constituency. Borneman show. Harvey still sells Hi-Health products. NCAHF has complains that homeopathic projects were eliminated by the noted that Paul Harvey has gone to bat for the health foods NIH Office of because the FDA industry in the past attacking FDA's regulation of dietary required lnvestigational New Drug permits. This seems to supplements. Another example of the influence of advertisers indicate that homeopathy sales could easily be stopped if the on thought leaders in our society. (The Arizona Republic, FDA requires marketers to meet normal drug standards. 10/24/93). HEAI..'nI FOODS INDUS'IRY WllL 1RY AGAIN SUGAR, ASPARTAME AND BEHAVIOR Health food industry trade journals are whipping up their A double-blinded, controlled trial of 25 normal, and 23 constituents to support another attempt by Orrin Hatch to children described by their parents as sensitive to sugar, exempt dietary supplements from responsible regulation. We followed experimental diets for each of three consecutive time will keep readers posted. periods. Researchers concluded that even when intake exceeds typical dietary levels, neither dietary sucrose nor Plealle -S ilam ol pmaibleiDlen:llt IO NCAHF mcmben for The Bldlelin aspartame affects children's behavior or cognitive function. Boanl, oc for laden cl the NCUIF Newdd/6 IO NCAHF, P.O. Bm 1276, Loma Linda, CA 923.54;Fu: 90IJ.824..4838.Provide clear (DOlFu:) a,pica (NEJM, 1994;330:301-7). IUitable for pbolOoopyiDg,and COIIIJ:Klen:fen:ua:s for c:italioa pwpmiCL