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Consumer Health Digest #09-40
October 1, 2009
Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by
Stephen Barrett, M.D. with help from William M. London, Ed.D., M.P.H.
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 haven't already done so, please read
http://www.ncahf.org/digest07/07-48.html and send a contribution to
support our work.
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Misguided senators pushing for quackery coverage.Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), with support
from Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), have sponsored a Health Care Reform
Bill amendment that would prohibit insurance policies from
"discriminating" against any state-licensed or certified health care
provider.
http://help.senate.gov/BAI09I50_xml.pdf The measure,
contained in Section 2713 (p. 30), would prevent insurance programs
from excluding acupuncturists, chiropractors, homeopaths, massage
therapists, and naturopaths, but the extent to which they would have
to be covered is unclear. In July, the Boston Globe reported that the
Senate committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions agreed to
the measure, but the Senate Finance Committee would have to draft
language about potential reimbursement, the matter would then be
debated on the Senate floor, and a similar amendment might be offered
in the House. [Kranish M. Senators seek coverage for alternative
therapies. Boston Globe, July 24, 2009]
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/07/24/senators_seek_coverage_for_alternative_therapies/?page=2 Harkin, who seems hopelessly confused about the boundary between
science-based care and quackery, keeps claiming that "alternative,"
"complementary," and/or "integrative" practices are more focused than
mainstream medicine on preventive care and can save money, when just
the opposite is true. [Statement by Senator Tom Harkin. Senate
heating on integrative care: A pathway to a healthier nation, Feb 26,
2009]
http://harkin.senate.gov/blog/?i=0b48b652-1947-405e-b4db-622f58d2a76cThe Center for Inquiry's Office of Public Policy, which lobbies for
scientifically sound government policies, has criticized Harkin's
efforts to enact legislation to cover unsubstantiated and implausible
treatments. Instead, CFI recommends that any health care reform bill
should prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars to cover
non-evidence-based medicine. CFI further recommends that Congress
greatly reduce or eliminate funding for the NIH National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine, because a decade of study has
shown that most alternative "cures" work no better than placebos.
[Mielczarek EV. A Fracture in Our Health Care: Paying for
Non-Evidence Based Medicine. CFI Office of Public Policy, Washington,
DC, Sept 22, 2009]
http://www.centerforinquiry.net/uploads/attachments/A_Fracture_in_our_Health_Care_Paying_for_Non-Evidence_Based_Medicine.pdf###
British homeopaths making outrageous vaccine claims.The Alliance for Registered Homeopaths, which represents over 700
homeopaths who practice in the United Kingdom, is warning that swine
flu vaccine is dangerous and claiming that homeopathic products are
both "highly effective" and "entirely safe." [The swine flu
vaccine-more dangerous than the disease? Alliance of Registered
Homeopaths press release, Sept 21, 2009]
http://www.a-r-h.org/NewsandEvents/21%2009%2009%20Swine%20Flu%20Vaccine.pdf The simple fact is that homeopathic products are worthless. [Barrett
S. Homeopathy: The ultimate fake. Quackwatch, Aug 23, 2009]
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.html###
Australian homeopath sentenced to prison.
Thomas Sam, 42, and his wife Manju Sam, 37, have been sentenced to
prison for fatally neglecting their 9-month-old infant daughter
Gloria, who died in 2002. Thomas received a 6-8 years sentence, and
Manju was sentenced to a maximum of 5 years and 4 months. [Arlington
K. Parents failed Gloria, jailed for 'cruelty'. Sydney Morning
Herald, Sept 29, 2009]
http://www.smh.com.au/national/parents-failed-gloria-jailed-for-cruelty-20090928-g992.html In June, the couple were convicted of manslaughter by criminal
negligence by failing to get appropriate treatment, instead mainly
relying on homeopathic remedies. At their trial, the prosecution
successfully argued the couple were criminally negligent by
persisting with homeopathic remedies instead of seeking conventional
medical help in the last two weeks of her life. The jury was also
told that the daughter's rash was so bad at age six months that her
skin would weep and tear when her parents changed her clothing and
diapers. As her health deteriorated, the parents continued to
administer homeopathic drops and ointments recommended by Thomas's
professional peers. Doctors who reviewed Gloria's case said that she
had been malnourished for months and in severe pain for weeks before
her death.
###
===================================================================
PLEASE SIGN PETITION TO SUPPORT ANTIQUACKERY WRITER SIMON SINGH
===================================================================
More than 17,200 people have signed the online petition of support
for Simon Singh, the British science writer who lost a motion to
dismiss a libel suit because the judge ruled that the word "bogus"
must be interpreted as deliberately dishonest. The case arose after
Singh criticized the British Chiropractic Association for claiming
that its members can help treat children with colic, sleeping and
feeding problems, frequent ear infections, asthma and prolonged
crying. Singh is appealing the judge's ruling, and Sense About
Science is spearheading a campaign to modify the laws, which are
heavily weighted against writers. Please support the campaign to
reform British libel laws by signing the petition at
http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/project/333/====================================================================
Other issues of the Digest are accessible through
http://www.ncahf.org/digest09/index.html. For information about the
National Council Against Health Fraud, see
http://www.ncahf.org/about/mission.html. If you enjoy the newsletter,
please recommend it to your friends.
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Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Consumer Advocate
Chatham Crossing, Suite 107/208
11312 U.S. 15 501 North
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
Telephone: (919) 533-6009
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