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Consumer Health Digest #24-39
September 29, 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.
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Anti-vaccine activist defaults lawsuit, surrenders licenseDr. Stephen Barrett has summarized the professional background, anti-vaccine activities, non-standard treatment methods, and legal problems of Carrie Lynn Madej, D.O.
[Barrett S. Dr. Carrie Madej accused of negligent COVID-19 treatment
https://quackwatch.org/cases/dr-carrie-madej-accused-of-negligent-covid-19-treatment/. Casewatch, Sept 22, 2024]
For at least four years, Madej has written articles, given lectures, and participated in interviews in which she has improperly portrayed COVID-19 vaccines as very dangerous. She continues to spread questionable advice through the Internet and social media even after she:
voluntarily surrendered her Georgia osteopathic license in January 2023
https://centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2024/09/22163012/surrender.pdf in the wake of a malpractice suit
failed to properly answer charges in a malpractice suit, resulting in the judge granting the plaintiff’s attorney’s request for a default judgment in 2023
had her registration to prescribe narcotics revoked in 2024
The malpractice suit alleged she negligently treated Stefan Suto, who had COVID-19 and a history of anemia and chronic kidney failure. The 80-year-old man died in December 2021 after enduring significant physical and emotional pain and suffering for more than two weeks. Although Madej was not licensed to practice in Tennessee, where Suto lived, she treated him in his home with an intravenous injection of dextrose, normal saline, and 3% hydrogen peroxide. She also administered a hydrogen peroxide solution through a nebulizer to create an inhalable mist. Following those treatments, which were contraindicated by kidney failure, Suto developed a bad reaction and a rapid decline in his health. He was transported to Florida for additional medical care, but his pre-existing kidney failure had worsened, his red blood cells had been “decimated” by the hydrogen peroxide injection, and his air passageways had been burned by the nebulizer treatment. Suto’s life might have been saved if he had been hospitalized and given blood transfusions instead of more hydrogen peroxide.
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Immunologist scrutinizes unfounded vitamin C claimsMany sellers claim vitamin C supercharges immunity and is useful for preventing or treating diseases other than scurvy. Immunologist and microbiologist Andrea Love, PhD, looked at the issue in an effort to distinguish science from pseudoscience. Excess amounts of vitamin C can lead to serious gastrointestinal issues and “interfere with muscle recovery after exercise or other important immune-related processes,” she writes.
[Love A. Vitamin C: Scurvy savior or immune overdose? More of a good thing isn’t always better
https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/vitamin-c-scurvy-savior-or-immune-overdose-more-of-a-good-thing-isnt-always-better/. Skeptical Inquirer, Sept 16, 2024]
Dr. Love concluded:
While legitimate vitamin C deficiency can impact your health, there’s a big difference between that and claims that excess vitamin C is advantageous. Vitamin C deficiency is uncommon
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7400810/pdf/nutrients-12-02008.pdf, especially in developed nations. Unfortunately, the wellness industry exploits people’s desire to take control over their health with clever marketing and vague science-adjacent statements. Even in the case of an essential nutrient such as vitamin C, if the claims sound too good to be true, that should be a sign that they are.
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ProPublica analyzes shortage of in-network mental health providersA recent ProPublica investigative report provides insights about the shortage of affordable mental health care in the U.S. [Waldman A, and others. Why I left the network
https://projects.propublica.org/why-i-left-the-network/. ProPublica, Aug 25, 2024] The report notes:
There are nowhere near enough available therapists in insurance networks to serve all of the people seeking
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/narrow-networks-get-even-tighter-when-shopping-for-mental-health-specialists/ care. And although almost all Americans are insured, about half of people
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/1785174 with mental illness are unable to access treatment. The consequences
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2022/06/20/mental-health-services-should-up-doctors-not-insurers/7629980001/ can be devastating
https://www.courthousenews.com/suit-over-kaiser-handling-of-mental-health-care-revived/.
Hundreds of psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists in nearly all 50 states told ProPublica they left health insurance networks because insurers:
(a) pressured them to limit care,
(b) failed to provide proper reimbursements and properly address complaints,
(c) paid mental health clinicians less than medical providers for similar services,
(d) clawed back payments for errors even when they were at fault, and
(e) sometimes took years to provide reimbursements.
The reporters commented:
Although federal law requires insurers to provide the same access to mental and physical health care, these companies have been caught, time and again, shortchanging customers with mental illness—restricting coverage
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2021/attorney-general-james-and-us-department-labor-deliver-14-million-consumers-who and delaying
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-10-13/kaiser-permanente-200-million-settlement-mental-health-care or denying
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-26-million-fines-against-insurance-companies-failing-adequately treatment.
These patients—whose disorders can be chronic and costly
https://www.milliman.com/-/media/milliman/pdfs/articles/milliman-high-cost-patient-study-2020.ashx—are bad for business, industry insiders told ProPublica.
The article doesn’t discuss the related problem of “ghost panels” that develop because insurers continue to list therapists as being in their networks even after the therapists have left. Consumers wind up wasting time trying to make appointments with therapists who no longer accept their insurance coverage. ProPublica is a nonprofit corporation that does investigative reports aimed at exposing problems and improving our society
https://www.propublica.org/. Donations are welcome.
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Free at-home COVID-19 tests available againOnce again, every U.S. household is eligible to order free at-home tests. See covidtests.gov
https://covidtests.gov/ for a link to order four tests, information about the tests, what to do when you have an immediate need to be tested, and guidance about actions to take based on your test result. Help placing an order is available by calling 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489). The instruction page states:
Nobody should pay full price for COVID-19 therapeutics. COVID therapeutics are covered under most major insurance programs, but you don’t need insurance to get access to COVID-19 therapeutics. Patient assistance programs
https://aspr.hhs.gov/COVID-19/Treatments/Pages/Possible-Treatment-Options-for-COVID19.aspx#PAP are available for eligible individuals.
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Stem cell biologist criticizes stem cell supplement claimsStem cell biologist Paul Knoepfler, PhD, has reviewed and fact-checked stem cell products sold as dietary supplements and concluded the market has worsened in the last two or three years. He noted: “While Google has rightly (and generally very effectively
https://ipscell.com/2019/10/my-b-grade-to-google-on-early-test-of-its-stem-cell-clinic-ad-ban/) banned stem cell clinic ads, it still feels like anything goes with stem cell supplement ads.”
[emphasis in the original]
[Knoepfler P. New review of stem cell supplements and pills
https://ipscell.com/2024/09/new-review-of-stem-cell-supplements-and-pills/. The Niche blog, Sept 18, 2024]
He provided this article summary:
Stem cell supplements claim to improve your health by impacting your stem cells. My research indicates there are no strong clinical trial data to support such claims. Stem cell supplements pose risks, too, and they are expensive. As a stem cell biologist, I generally recommend against taking stem cell supplements but consult your physician.
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Stephen Barrett, M.D. m,
Consumer Advocate
7 Birchtree Circle
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
Telephone: (919) 533-6009
http://www.quackwatch.org (health fraud and quackery)
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