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Consumer Health Digest #21-09
March 7, 2021
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. To subscribe, click here
http://lists.quackwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/chd_lists.quackwatch.org###
More supplement-promoting articles retractedDove Medical Press and its parent company, Taylor & Francis, have retracted six more articles written or co-authored by Marty Hinz, M.D. Between 2009 and 2016, Dove published 20 articles that Hinz has used to promote dietary supplements marketed by a family-owned company he founded. In December 2020, 14 of the articles were retracted. This week the rest were withdrawn. Quackwatch has a full report on Hinz’s activities.
[Barrett S. A skeptical look at Dr. Marty Hinz and his views of “neurotransmitter-related diseases.
https://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/hinz.html”
https://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/hinz.htmlQuackwatch, March 3, 2021]
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Chiropractic students’ cognitive dissonance toward chiropractic revealedAn analysis of survey data collected from 2,396 student chiropractors from 25 chiropractic training institutions in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand has found:
45.1% agreed that it is important for chiropractors to hold strongly to the traditional chiropractic theory that adjusting the spine corrects “dis-ease.”
55.5% agreed with the progressive chiropractic view that contemporary and evolving scientific evidence is more important than traditional chiropractic principles.
Students’ views about the statement “It is important for chiropractors to strongly uphold the traditional chiropractic theory that adjusting the spine corrects ‘dis-ease
https://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2013/03/19/disease-dis-ease-whats-the-difference’
were frequently in ideological conflict with their own views about the setting, role, and future of chiropractic.
The researchers concluded:
Chiropractic students in this study show both traditional and progressive attitudes towards the identity, role, setting and future of the chiropractic profession. In some students, perceptions on chiropractic identity, role, setting and future contradict in ideology, which we attribute to cognitive dissonance. This raises several hypothetical concerns including some students’ impaired ability to learn and make clinical judgements, potential for disharmony in the chiropractic fraternity, an illegitimacy amongst other healthcare professions and organisations. Educational stakeholders would be prudent to deliver clear and consistent curricula that are integrable across international chiropractic programs and relatable to other health disciplines. Future research is needed to better engage students and improve the operationalisation of chiropractic ‘philosophy’, so that the complex impacts on students, chiropractors and patients can be understood.
[Swain MS. Chiropractic students’ cognitive dissonance to statements about professional identity, role, setting and future: International perspectives from a secondary analysis of pooled data
https://chiromt.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12998-021-00365-6. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, 29:5, Feb 2, 2021]
Out of 2,381 students responding to this a question about professional role, 76.5% said chiropractors should be considered primary health care practitioners while 23.5% said they should be considered complementary/alternative health care practitioners. Professor William M. London and Dr. Stephen Barrett believe the respondents were given a misguided forced choice, that neither of the choices they were given would be appropriate for a reformed chiropractic profession, and the optimal role for scientifically minded chiropractors would be as back-care specialists. The researchers referred to primary care simply as “direct access.” However, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians
https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/primary-care.html, “Primary care is that care provided by physicians specifically trained for and skilled in comprehensive first contact and continuing care for persons with any undiagnosed sign, symptom, or health concern (the “undifferentiated” patient) not limited by problem origin (biological, behavioral, or social), organ system, or diagnosis.” Nurse practitioners are also trained to provide primary care
https://www.ajmc.com/view/nurse-practitioners-play-an-increasing-role-in-primary-care. “Complementary/alternative health care” is best viewed as a euphemism for unscientific methods of health care.
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More help for low-income communities to report fraudsThe Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched the Community Advocate Center
http://reportfraud.ftc.gov/community initiative to encourage lower-income communities to report fraud. The center will also provide advice to help recover losses. The program is supported by Legal Services Corporation, Inc., the National Legal Aid & Defender Association, the National Consumer Law Center, and the National Association of Consumer Advocates.
[FTC launches initiative to encourage lower-income communities to report fraud
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/03/ftc-launches-initiative-encourage-lower-income-communities-report?utm_source=govdelivery. FTC press release, Mar 3, 2021]
The initiative will:
provide new ways for organizations that provide free and low-cost legal services to report problems directly to the FTC on behalf of their clients
enable these organizations to give members of their communities specific, concrete steps they can take to try to get their money back
give them aggregated data detailing the types of fraud and other illegal business practices affecting their communities, such as the methods scammers use to defraud consumers, methods they use to demand payment, and the amount of money consumers report losing
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Six companies barred from making deceptive CBD claimsThe Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved final administrative consent orders against six companies that prohibit the companies from making illegal health claims: Bionatrol Health, LLC
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/2023114bionatrolorder.pdf, EasyButter LLC (HempmeCBD)
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/fully_executed_complete_agreement_and_order_december_10_2020_with_attachments_a_and_b.pdf, Epichouse LLC (First Class Herbalist CBD, Cobalt Serum, Cobalt Enhance, Cobalt Cream)
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/202_3094_epichouse_llc_-_decision_and_order.pdf, CBD Meds, Inc.
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/202_3080_cbd_meds_-_decision_and_order.pdf; Reef Industries, Inc. (ReefCBD.com, Reef Wellness)
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/202_3064_reef_cbd_-_final_order.pdf, and Steves Distributing, LLC (Steve’s Goods)
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/202_3065_steves_distributing_-_final_order.pdf. Some of the companies are required to pay money to the FTC.
[FTC approves final administrative consent orders against sellers of deceptively marketed CBD products
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/03/ftc-approves-final-administrative-consent-orders-against-sellers?utm_source=govdelivery. FTC press release, Mar 5, 2021]
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Direct-to-consumer genetic testing kits scrutinizedA recent Consumer Reports article examined the insights and limitations of information from do-it-yourself genetic testing. It notes that disease-risk information in such reports may provide false reassurance and that dietary recommendations based on test results are based on little evidence.
[Roberts C. Read this before you buy a genetic testing kit
https://www.consumerreports.org/genetic-testing/genetic-testing-kit-read-this-before-you-buy/. Consumer Reports, Feb 2, 2021]
A previous article noted that “better protections are needed for the intimate data you share when you take a direct-to-consumer genetic test.”
[Roberts C. Your genetic data isn’t safe
https://www.consumerreports.org/health-privacy/your-genetic-data-isnt-safe-direct-to-consumer-genetic-testing/. Consumer Reports, Jul 23, 2021]
===========================
Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Consumer Advocate
287 Fearrington Post
Pittsboro, NC 27312
Telephone: (919) 533-6009
http://www.quackwatch.org (health fraud and quackery)
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