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[Omegafant]

This is a unexpected development. To say the least.

[*quote*]
Consumer Health Digest #15-46
November 22, 2015

Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by Stephen Barrett, M.D
http://www.quackwatch.org/10Bio/bio.html
.,with help from William M. London, Ed.D., M.P.H
http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/william-m-london
It summarizes scientific reports; legislative developments; enforcement actions; news reports; Web site evaluations; recommended and nonrecommended books; and other information relevant to consumer protection and consumer decision-making.

###
Group launched to facilitate personal drug importation

The Prescription Justice Action Group (PJAG
http://www.pjag.org/
)is now available to help Americans whose imported prescription drugs are intercepted by the FDA. Due to the high prices in the United States, about five million Americans are ordering drugs online from foreign pharmacies. Although many foreign pharmacies are not legitimate and pose a safety threat, PJAG's leaders believe it is possible to identify safe sources. But Section 708 of the Administration Safety and Innovation Act of 2012 authorizes the FDA to destroy personally imported medication regardless of product quality. To protect and improve access to affordable medications, PJAG advocates four policies:

Enforcement action against prescription drugs purchased by mail or online should be limited to unsafe or counterfeit products.
Medicare should be permitted to negotiate drug prices.
“Pay-to-delay” should be ended. (This involves payment by a brand-name company to a generic drug company to delay marketing a generic version that has obtained FDA approval.)
Personal importation of safe and effective drugs should be permitted.

PJAG's directors are Stephen Barrett, M.D
http://www.quackwatch.org/10Bio/bio.html
.; David Belk, M.D. (TrueCostOfHealthCare
http://truecostofhealthcare.net/
);Tod Cooperman, M.D. (ConsumerLab.com
http://www.consumerlab.com/index.asp?claffid=101024
); Douglas Grover, Esq
http://www.schlamstone.com/attorney/douglas-e-grover-2/
.;Lee Graczyk (RxRights.org
http://www.rxrights.org/
);Gabriel Levitt (PharmacyChecker.com
http://www.pharmwatch.org/p
);and James "Jake" Nadler (Berkshire Prescription Services).

###
Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) seller receives prison sentence

Louis Daniel Smith, 45, was sentenced to 51 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. In June, a jury convicted Smith of six criminal counts related to marketing an industrial bleach as a "miracle cure" for cancer, AIDS, malaria, hepatitis, Lyme disease, asthma, the common cold, and many other diseases. MMS contains a 28% solution of sodium chlorite, which, when mixed with an acid such as citrus juice, produces chlorine dioxide, a potent bleach used for stripping textiles and industrial water treatment. High oral doses, such as those recommended in MMS labeling, can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and symptoms of severe dehydration. Sodium chlorite is not legal to sell for human consumption, and legitimate suppliers of the chemical include a warning sheet stating that it can cause potentially fatal side effects if swallowed. Evidence presented at trial indicated that Smith (a) created phony "water purification" and "wastewater treatment" businesses in order to obtain sodium chlorite and ship his MMS without being detected by the FDA or U.S. Customs and Border Protection and (b) hid evidence from FDA inspectors and destroyed evidence while law enforcement agents were executing search warrants. Before Smith's trial, three of his conspirators pleaded guilty to introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. Quackwatch
http://www.quackwatch.org/02ConsumerProtection/FDAActions/mms/mms.html
has a history of MMS-related enforcement actions.

###
Trial of Robert O. Young begins

Robert O. Young, author of The pH Miracle, has begun standing trial for grand theft and practicing medicine without a license.
[Figueroa T. Trial starts for pH Miracle author
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/nov/18/criminal-trial-opens-robert-young-ph-miracle/
.San Diego Tribune, Nov 18, 2015]
The charges allege that he broke the law when he went beyond advocating dietary changes and administered intravenous treatments to patients at his avocado ranch in Valley Center, California. The case involves a dozen alleged victims, six of whom died. Young, who represents himself as "Dr. Young," has a "Ph.D." from Clayton College of Natural Health, a nonaccredited correspondence school that closed in 2010 after Alabama began requiring accreditation for license renewal. The central premise of Young's approach—which lacks scientific support—is that health depends primarily on proper balance between an alkaline and acid cellular environment that can be optimized by dietary modification and taking supplements.
[Barrett S. A critical look at "Dr." Robert Young's theories and credentials
http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/young3.html
.Quackwatch, Jan 25, 2014]
Young's Web site
http://www.phmiracleliving.com/t-about.aspx
asserts that he and his wife Shelley "have established themselves as the preeminent scientific researchers on how to balance the body chemistry and achieve one's ideal weight."

###
Continuing request for help from Dr. Barrett

In June 2010, Doctor's Data, Inc. sued Dr. Barrett because it didn't like what he wrote about them on Quackwatch and in this newsletter. The events leading up to the suit are described at
http://www.quackwatch.org/14Legal/dd_suit.html
In November, 2011, about half of the allegations were dismissed, but discovery was permitted for more than a year. The rest of the suit is ripe for dismissal; and the court is now considering a motion to dismiss that was filed more than a year ago. However, the proceedings have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even small donations, if sent by enough subscribers to this newsletter, will be very helpful. Contributions to reduce the cost can be made by mail or through
http://www.quackwatch.org/00AboutQuackwatch/donations.html
###

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http://www.ncahf.org/digest15/index.html
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=================================

Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Consumer Advocate
Chatham Crossing, Suite 107/208
11312 U.S. 15 501 North
Chapel Hill, NC 27517

Telephone: (919) 533-6009
[*/quote*]