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Consumer Health Digest #07-33
August 28, 2007
Current # of subscribers: 11,843
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###
FTC hits major spammers of alleged hoodia and HCG products.
The FTC has obtained a temporary restraining order and asset freeze
against Sili Neutraceuticals, LLC and Brian McDaid, d/b/a Kaycon,
Ltd. The agency charged them with violating anti-spam laws and making
false claims that their "HoodiaHerbal" and "Hoodia Maximum Strength
caused weight loss and that their "Perfect HGH" and "Dr-HGH" would
elevate human growth hormone levels and dramatically reverse the
aging process. Court documents indicate that the FTC spam database
received over 85,000 spam messages, many of which were sent using Web
form hijacking whereby the the messages are sent by using forms on
innocent third-party sites so that they appear to come from the
victim site. [FTC stops spammers selling bogus hoodia weight-loss
products and human growth hormone anti-aging products. FTC news
release, Aug 23, 2007]
http://www.casewatch.org/ftc/news/2007/spammers.shtml###
Pennsylvania chelationist charged with manslaughter.
Roy Kerry, M.D., whose administration of chelation therapy resulted
in the death of a 5-year-old autistic child, is being prosecuted. The
criminal police complaint accuses him of "administering medical care
in a reckless or negligent manner which caused the death."
http://www.casewatch.org/crim/kerry/complaint.pdf The charges include
(a) involuntary manslaughter, (2) endangering welfare of children,
and (c) recklessly endangering another person. Kerry is also facing a
civil suit by the child's parents
http://www.casewatch.org/civil/nadama/complaint.shtml and
disciplinary action by the Pennsylvania Board of Medicine.
http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/kerry/complaint.shtml There is no
scientific evidence that autism has a toxic basis or that chelation
therapy has any therapeutic value for autistic children.
###
Florida chelationist disciplined for unsanitary conditions.
Leonard Haimes, M.D. , who practices chelation therapy in Boca Raton,
Florida, has been reprimanded, fined $7,500, assessed $3,730.64 in
costs, and placed on probation for failing to correct unsanitary
conditions in his office.
http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/haimes/order.pdf The Palm Beach
County Health Department investigated his clinic after two of his
patients developed serious infections related to chelation. The
administrative complaint indicates that two subsequent visits
revealed that he had not followed the recommendations for correcting
the situation.
http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/haimes/complaint.shtml###
Performance report on Arizona homeopathic licensing board published.
The Arizona Auditor General has released it 2007 performance audit
and sunset review of the Arizona Board of Homeopathic Examiners. The
report said that if the state legislature chooses to continue the
Board, three steps should be taken to address three issues that limit
public protection:
**The Board appears to allow conduct that the state medical and
osteopathic boards consider unsafe or unprofessional. For example, it
has allowed two physicians to continue to practice although their
other licenses have been revoked. The Arizona legislature should
consider forming a study committee to determine the best way to help
ensure that one board's actions do not negate another board's actions.
**Consumers may be confused by a physician holding both a homeopathic
and a medical or osteopathic license. As a result, they may not know
whether the treatment being provided is standard or nontraditional.
To ensure that patients know they are receiving nontraditional
treatment, the legislature should require homeopathic physicians to
obtain informed consent.
**The board's name should be changed to reflect the fact that it
authorizes acupuncture, chelation therapy, and several other
nonstandard practices that have nothing to do with homeopathy.
http://www.homeowatch.org/reg/arizona_sunset_2007.pdfBecause the homeopathic board was actually formed to enable maverick
physicians to practice dubious treatments, the recommended measures
would offer little consumer protection.
###
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Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Board Chairman, Quackwatch, Inc.
Chatham Crossing, Suite 107/208
11312 U.S. 15 501 North
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
Telephone: (919) 533-6009
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Editor, Consumer Health Digest
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