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Consumer Health Digest #07-20
May 15, 2007
Current # of subscribers: 11,779
Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail
newsletter edited by Stephen Barrett, M.D., and
cosponsored by NCAHF and Quackwatch. 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. Donations to help support this
newsletter can be made conveniently through
PayPal or Amazon via
http://www.quackwatch.org/00AboutQuackwatch/donations.html###
Chelation therapist charged with killing four patients.
The Texas Medical Board has charged Kenneth W.
O'Neal, M.D. with violating the standard of care
in connection the deaths of four patients to whom
he had administered chelation therapy and/or
vitamin infusions known as a "Myers cocktail."
http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/oneal/complaint.pdf In October 2005, the board temporarily suspended
his license after learning what had happened to
three of the patients.
http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/oneal/oneal.shtml O'Neal became medical director of the Texas
Institute of Functional Medicines in 2002 but is
no longer listed on its Web site.
http://www.tifm.com/###
More alleged"sex enhancers" found to contain drug analogs.
The FDA is warning consumers not to use "True
Man" or "Energy Max" products. Both contain
undeclared ingredients with structures similar to
those in prescription drugs approved for treating
erectile dysfunction. FDA chemical analysis has
revealed that Energy Max contains an analog of
sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra. True
Man contains an analog of sildenafil or of
vardenafil, the active ingredient in Levitra.
These ingredients can interact with nitrates
found in prescription drugs (such as
nitroglycerin) and lower blood pressure to
dangerous levels. Many men with diabetes, high
blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart
disease take nitrates. [FDA issues health risk
alert for 'True Man' and 'Energy Max' products].
FDA news release, May 10, 2007]
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01633.html###
Mail-order fraud king dies.
Almon Glenn Braswell (1943-2006), who probably
conned more people and took in more money than
any other mail-order health scammer in U.S.
history, was found dead last October. During the
late 1970s and early 1980s, Braswell was the
object of 140 federal enforcement actions and
served a brief prison sentence for tax evasion
and perjury charges developed during a mail-fraud
investigation. But after his release he bounced
back,
grossed over $1 billion, and was even
pardoned by President Clinton for his earlier
crime. In the late 1990s, his formerly owned Gero
Vita International distributed hundreds of
millions of mail-order brochures and "journals"
that generated more than $1 billion in product
sales. Some of the products may have had some
effectiveness (though they were overpriced), but
most were promoted with misleading claims.
[Barrett S. Be wary of Gero Vita, A. Glenn
Braswell, and Braswell's 'Journal' of Longevity.
Quackwatch, Jan 4, 2006]
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/PhonyAds/braswell.html In 2004, after having pleaded guilty to tax
evasion and paid more than $10 million in back
taxes, penalties, and interest, Braswell was
sentenced to 18 months in prison for tax evasion.
###
Thought field therapy exposé published.
Monica Pignotti has described her 7-year
experience as a leading practitioner, author, and
teacher of thought field therapy (TFT). [Pignotti
M. Thought field therapy: A former insider's
experience. Research on Social Work Practice
17:392-407, 2007]
http://rsw.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/17/3/392 TFT is based on the notion that acupressure
points are related to "blockages of body energy"
associated with physical and emotional illnesses.
Proponents claim that finger-tapping along
"acupuncture points" while focusing on problems
or symptoms can cure a wide variety of problems
by releasing the purported blockages. TFT's
techniques include muscle-testing (a variation of
applied kinesiology) and "voice technology," in
which the practitioner analyzes patients' voices
over the phone and determines where the patients
should tap themselves. Pignotti's lengthy story
describes (a) what initially interested her, (b)
how she trained to TFT's highest level became
part of its inner circle, and (c) what led to her
ultimate disillusionment. Pignotti's Debunking
Thought Field Therapy Web site contains
additional information.
http://www.geocities.com/pseudoscience_2000###
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Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Board Chairman, Quackwatch, Inc.
NCAHF Vice President and Director of Internet Operations
P.O. Box 1747, Allentown, PA 18105
Telephone: (610) 437-1795
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Editor, Consumer Health Digest
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