Print

[Krik]

[*quote*]
Consumer Health Digest #18-46
November 25, 2018

Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by William M. London, Ed.D., M.P.H
http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/william-m-london
, with help from Stephen Barrett, M.D
http://www.quackwatch.org/10Bio/bio.html
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. Its primary focus is on health, but occasionally it includes non-health scams and practical tips.

###

Stem-cell clinic hype exposed

Several investigative journalists have documented the egregious ways that for-profit stem cell clinics in the United States mislead patients:

Weintraub K. 'Snake oil' stem cell clinics false hope for high prices
https://medium.com/s/thenewnew/snake-oil-stem-cell-clinics-peddle-false-hope-for-high-prices-2cbbed680b52
Medium. Nov 13, 2018

Buduson S. Assad S. Lasso G. Stem cell business booms, but state fails to regulate unproven potentially harmful treatments: hidden camera uncovers stem cell sales pitches
https://www.news5cleveland.com/longform/stem-cell-business-booms-but-state-fails-to-regulate-unproven-potentially-harmful-treatments
News 5 Cleveland. Nov 15, 2018

Zekman P. Ads for stem cell therapies promise relief that patients say they didn't get. CBS Chicago
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/11/15/stem-cell-treatments-false-hope-unproven-injections/
Nov 15, 2018

Goldstein D. Is a local stem cells 'expert' selling people false hope?
https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2018/11/20/goldstein-investigation-stem-cell-claims/
CBS Los Angeles. Nov 20, 2018

Commenting on these investigations, Professor Paul Knoepfler wrote:

"More investigations by news teams are ongoing and will shed additional light on the worst clinics, which again I think can rightly be called snake oil clinics. Along with the bad press as lawsuits and documented patient harms accumulate, you'd think at some point a potential Achilles heel for the worst clinics and their providers would be inability to get malpractice insurance."
[Knoepfler P. Several new investigations expose 'snake oil' stem cell clinics
https://ipscell.com/2018/11/several-new-investigations-expose-snake-oil-stem-cell-clinics/
The Niche, Nov 20, 2018]

###

Dietary supplement marketers warned about opioid use disorder claims

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent warning letters to Jack B Goods Outlet Store
https://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm626265.htm
for its Tianaa Red, Tianaa White, and Tianaa Green products and to MA Labs
https://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm626270.htm
for its Vicaine product.
[FDA warns marketers of products labeled as dietary supplements that contain tianeptine for making unproven claims to treat serious conditions, including opioid use disorder
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm626349.htm
FDA News Release. Nov 20, 2018]

Each of these products has been marketed as a dietary supplement that contains tianeptine sodium, a compound associated with adverse events that have been reported to the FDA. The challenged claims include:

"There has never been such a clear choice for pain and anxiety."
"Produces both Stimulatory and Opiate-like Effects."
"Induces Euphoria"
"Pain-killer, euphoriant, speed-ball in a bottle, stress-reducing agent"
"Vicaine possesses both stimulatory and opiate-like properties with a strong dopaminergic element."
"Containing potent dopaminergic-stimulants and a full-opioid agonist"
"Tianeptine attaches to these receptors in the same way that traditional opiates do, displaying strong activity at the mu-receptor (primarily responsible for triggering euphoria), moderate activity at the delta-receptor (partially responsible for triggering euphoria."

###

Lead found in spices, herbal products, and ceremonial powders

The North Carolina Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program has identified 59 homes where 61 children ranging from 0.9 to 6.6 years old had elevated blood lead levels (≥5 μg/dL) and found that 28.8% of the 386 samples of spices, herbal remedies, and ceremonial powders in the residences contained ≥1 of mg/kg lead.
[Angelon-Gaetz KA and others. Lead in spices, herbal remedies, and ceremonial powders sampled from home investigations for children with elevated blood levels—North Carolina, 2011-2018
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6746a2.htm
MMWR 67:1290-1294, 2018].

Of the contaminated products, 11% were not intended for consumption but young children may ingest them when within reach. Most of the families were of Asian decent. but some were African American or Hispanic. Children with chronic lead exposure can suffer developmental delays and behavioral problems
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/

The investigators noted:
"Increasing testing of spices, herbal remedies, and ceremonial powders for heavy metals by food safety regulators at the port of entry when these substances are imported into the United States might reduce the occurrence of lead poisoning associated with these substances. Because these products are sold nationwide, setting a national maximum allowable limit for lead in spices and herbal remedies might further reduce the risk for lead exposure from them."

=================================

Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Consumer Advocate
287 Fearrington Post
Pittsboro, NC 27312

Telephone: (919) 533-6009

http://www.quackwatch.org (health fraud and quackery)
[*/quote*]