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Consumer Health Digest #08-18
April 29, 2008
Current # of subscribers: 11,758
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.
###
Quackwatch and Dr. Barrett need your help. If you
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a contribution to support our work.
###
MLM mockumentary available on DVD.
"Believe," a comedy about multilevel marketing,
tells the story of Adam Pendon, a steel mill
truck driver struggling to support his family.
When the mill closes unexpectedly, Adam's life
looks grim until he is approached by a slick
salesman who offers a business opportunity and
quick fix to Adam's sudden financial problems.
Despite his wife's concerns, Adam joins Believe
Industries and begins to succeed despite himself.
He rockets to super-stardom as his wife grows
increasingly concerned with how the business is
changing him. When Adam realizes Believe is
misleading his fellow Believers at the company's
convention, he has to decide whether turn a blind
eye and enjoy the wealth and fame he is amassing
or to walk away from it all. The movie is based
on actual experiences by writer-director Loki
Muhlholland during years of undercover research.
In addition to being funny, it is a wake-up call
for MLM enthusiasts, their families, their
friends, and their prospective customers.
[Barrett S. Believe-A hilarious movie about
multilevel marketing. MLM Watch, April 29, 2008]
To order or sample the movie, see
http://www.mlmwatch.org/02News/believe.html###
Appeals court upholds huge penalty against defunct MLM company.
The U.S. Court of Appeals has upheld a lower
court ruling requiring Seasilver USA, Inc.,
AmericAloe, Inc. and their principles Jason and
Bela Berkes, to pay nearly $120 million for
failing to comply with a 2004 stipulated judgment
that required payment of $3 million in consumer
redress. The 2004 order barred the defendants
from making false or misleading claims and
suspended a $120 million judgment if they paid
the lesser amount within a specified time. In
February 2006, the FTC asked the court to impose
the full obligation because the defendants had
paid only $763,000 and had not made a significant
payment since May 2005. The defendants claimed
that they had been unable to do so because
revamping their products and advertising
materials was expensive, the number of
distributors had dropped from about 8,000 to
about 1,500, and the company's annual sales had
dropped from about $200 million to $10 to $12
million. The also told the court that they
expected to be able to pay in a year or two. The
FTC countered that since Seasilver USA was forced
to stop making false claims for its product, it
lost money and appeared headed for extinction. In
June 2006, the court ordered payment of
$119,237,000 plus interest. At various times
before the FTC clamped down, Seasilver USA and
its distributors had falsely claimed that their
product (Seasilver) was effective against
hundreds of diseases, including cancer and AIDS,
and would cause rapid, substantial, and permanent
weight loss without dieting. The FDA also took
vigorous enforcement action. Seasilver USA shut
down in December 2007. For a a detailed report on
Seasilver USA's history, see
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/seasilver.html###
Ernst blasts chiropractic.
Edzard Ernst, Professor of Complementary Medicine
at Exeter University, has issued a copiously
referenced analysis of chiropractic history,
theories, and therapeutic value. He concludes:
"Chiropractic is rooted in mystical concepts.
This led to an internal conflict within the
chiropractic profession, which continues today.
Currently, there are two types of chiropractors:
those religiously adhering to the gospel of its
founding fathers and those open to change. The
core concepts of chiropractic, subluxation and
spinal manipulation, are not based on sound
science. Back and neck pain are the domains of
chiropractic but many chiropractors treat
conditions other than musculoskeletal problems.
With the possible exception of back pain,
chiropractic spinal manipulation has not been
shown to be effective for any medical condition.
Manipulation is associated with frequent mild
adverse effects and with serious complications of
unknown incidence. Its cost-effectiveness has not
been demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt. The
concepts of chiropractic are not based on solid
science and its therapeutic value has not been
demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt." [Ernst E.
Chiropractic: A critical evaluation. Journal of
Pain and Symptom Management 35:544-562, 2008]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18280103###
Popular dietary therapy for autism unsubstantiated.
A Cochrane review of gluten- and/or casein-free
diets for autism has concluded that "current
evidence for the efficacy of these diets is
poor." The reviewers found only two reports of
randomized controlled trials (totaling 35
subjects) that had mixed results and lacked
important details. [Millward C and others.
Gluten- and casein-free diets for autistic
spectrum disorder. Cochrane Database of
Systematic Reviews Issue 2. Art. No.: CD003498.
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003498.pub3, 2008]
http://mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD003498/frame.html###
Other issues of the Digest are accessible through
http://www.ncahf.org/digest08/index.html. For
information about the National Council Against
Health Fraud, see
http://www.ncahf.org/about/mission.html. If you
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Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Board Chairman, Quackwatch, Inc.
Chatham Crossing, Suite 107/208
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