What good for are laws and courts, which install such frauds as medical doctors!?[*quote*]
Consumer Health Digest #24-18
May 5, 2024
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; other news items; Web site evaluations; recommended and nonrecommended books; research tips; and other information relevant to consumer protection and consumer decision-making. The Digest’s primary focus is on health, but occasionally it includes non-health scams and practical tips. Items posted to this archive may be updated when relevant information becomes available. To subscribe, click here
http://lists.quackwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/chd_lists.quackwatch.org###
Doctor who claimed vaccines magnetize people has her medical license reinstatedOn April 10, 2024, the Medical Board of Ohio reinstated the license of Sherri Jane Tenpenny, D.O. Tenpenny operates a “health restoration center” in Cleveland where her offerings include external counter pulsation. This a treatment for chest pain that she also claims can treat erectile dysfunction, kidney failure, high blood pressure, and Alzheimer’s disease. She also runs a multidisciplinary health center in Middleburg Heights that advertises itself as “known for getting people well and symptom-free without pharmaceutical drugs.”
[Szilagy S. Medical license reinstated for doctor who made false claims against COVID-19 vaccines
https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/central-ohio-news/medical-license-reinstated-for-doctor-who-made-false-claims-against-covid-19-vaccines/. NBC4 WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH, May 3, 2024]
Last August, the Board suspended Tenpenny’s license for an indefinite period of time and fined her $3,000 due to failure to:
cooperate in an investigation conducted by the board triggered by approximately 350 complaints it received following her bizarre testimony to the Ohio House Health Committee
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/06/09/doctor-sherri-tenpenny-testimony-ohio-lawmakers-vaccines-magnetized-5-g/7616027002/ in 2021 about COVID-19 vaccines
comply with a subpoena or order issued by the board
truthfully answer a question presented by the board
According to the board hearing examiner’s Report and Recommendation accompanying its Entry of Order
https://centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2023/08/12175521/hearing_examiner_recommendations_2023.pdf dated July 14, 2023, Tenpenny failed to respond to interrogatories about:
*** her practice, in general
*** her practice regarding recommendations about and the administration of vaccines and whether any of her patients subsequently contracted certain illnesses
*** number of doses of COVID-19 vaccines she had provided
*** she had personally received a COVID-19 vaccine
*** sources of evidence regarding her claims that: (a) COVID-19 vaccines cause people to become magnetized or create an interface with 5G towers; (b) vaccinated patients suffer complications such as abnormal bleedings, myocarditis, strokes, and neurological complications; and (c) some major metropolitan areas liquify dead bodies and pour them into the water supply
Tenpenny was listed fourth in the Center for Countering Digital Hate’s “Disinformation Dozen”
https://counterhate.com/research/the-disinformation-dozen/ report published in 2021 about the 12 anti-vaxxers responsible for almost two-thirds of the anti-vaccine content circulating on social media platforms. Press reports indicate thet her license was restored because she agreed to cooperate with the medical board in the future.
###
Review supports hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms, not for disease prevention A review of four Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) randomized clinical trials that enrolled 68,132 postmenopausal U.S. women aged 50 to 79 years, and followed them for up to 20 years has found:
*** The WHI clinical trial results do not support hormone therapy with oral conjugated equine estrogens plus medroxyprogesterone acetate for postmenopausal women
*** the WHI clinical trial results do not support using conjugated equine estrogens alone for those with prior hysterectomy to prevent cardiovascular disease, dementia, or other chronic diseases
*** hormone therapy is effective for treating moderate to severe menopausal symptoms
*** the benefits of hormone therapy in early menopause, combined with lower rates of adverse effects, support initiation of hormone therapy before age 60 years for women without contraindications who have bothersome menopausal symptoms
*** there is no support for routinely recommending calcium plus vitamin D supplementation for fracture prevention in all postmenopausal women, except for those who do not meet national guidelines for recommended intakes of these nutrients through diet
*** evidence does not support using a low-fat dietary pattern with increased fruit, vegetable, and grain consumption for preventing breast or colorectal cancer
*** a potential role of a low-fat dietary pattern in reducing breast cancer mortality warrants further study
[Manson JE, and others. The Women’s Health Initiative randomized trials and clinical practice: A review
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2818206. JAMA, May 1, 2024]
The lead author of the review was interviewed on the “All Things Considered” radio program.
[Aubrey A. Hormones for menopause are safe, study finds. Here’s what’s changed
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/05/01/1248525256/hormones-menopause-hormone-therapy-hot-flashes. NPR, May 1, 2024]
###
Unproven menstrual-pain treatments scrutinizedSkeptical Inquirer has published an insightful overview of diet, exercise, and supplements for menstrual pain. The article was excerpted from Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation
https://drjengunter.com/blood/, the new book by obstetrician and gynecologist Jen Gunter, M.D
https://drjengunter.com/.
[Gunter J. Alternative therapies for menstrual pain
https://skepticalinquirer.org/2024/04/alternative-therapies-for-menstrual-pain/. Skeptical Inquirer, 48(3), 2024]
Her key points about alternative therapies for menstrual pain include:
*** “If the data were good, these therapies would be standard of care.”
*** “It’s not wrong to try an alternative therapy. It’s your body and your decision. What is wrong is for a medical provider to misrepresent the therapies. You can make an informed choice only if given accurate information.”
*** “Pain is an individual experience, and for some people who want to avoid pharmaceuticals, trying less-studied interventions, such as supplements, may be appealing.”
*** “Dietary changes, such as adding more fiber, fish, and plant-based protein and meeting the health guidelines of exercise, may or may not directly help with pain, but they will help overall health and should always be encouraged.”
###
NY Times spotlights meat-only-diet promotersA New York Times style piece features the names of the most prominent promoters of eating only meat, seafood, and eggs with or without dairy and a little fruit added.
[Kurutz S. Meet the men who eat meat (and only meat)
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/30/style/meet-the-men-who-eat-meat-and-only-meat.html. The New York Times, April 30, 2024] These advocates include:
*** podcasters Joe Rogan, Lex Fridman, and Jordan Peterson
*** orthopedic surgeon Shawn Baker, author of the 2018 book The Carnivore Diet
*** fitness influencer Brian Johnson, who is known as the Liver King
*** medical doctor Paul Saladino, author of The Carnivore Code
The article notes their dietary recommendations are not supported by nutrition science.
==============
Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Consumer Advocate
7 Birchtree Circle
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
Telephone: (919) 533-6009
http://www.quackwatch.org (health fraud and quackery)
[*/quote*]
