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Consumer Health Digest #10-08
February 25, 2010
Current # of subscribers: 11,773
Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by
Stephen Barrett, M.D., with help from William M. London, Ed.D. 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.
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"pH Miracle" debunked.
Quackwatch has posted a detailed analysis of
the activities of Robert O. Young, author of The pH Miracle. [Barrett
S. A critical look at "Dr." Robert Young's theories and credentials.
Quackwatch Feb 24, 2010]
http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/young3.html Young-who markets himself as "Robert O. Young, M.S., D.Sc.,
Ph.D."-claims to be "widely recognized as one of the top research
scientists in the world." The article notes, however, that all of his
graduate degrees came from Clayton College of Natural Health, a
nonaccredited correspondence school, and that the Medline database
lists no articles with him as author. Young claims that (a)
"acidification and overgrowth of negative microforms in the body are
the root cause of every symptom, illness and disease' and (b) health
depends primarily on proper balance between an alkaline and acid
environment that can be optimized by dietary modification and taking
supplements. However, homeostatic mechanisms keep the acidity of the
blood stream within a narrow range, and no one has ever demonstrated
that trying to change it produces a general health benefit or can
cure a wide range of diseases. Young markets supplement products and
advises people based on microscopic examinations of their blood. The
San Diego Tribune has reported that in 2003, after two brushes with
the law in Utah, he moved to California because he thought the legal
climate there was more tolerant for "dietary researchers" such as
himself. [Jenkins L. Naturopathic technique stirring bad blood. San
Diego Tribune, April 11, 2005]
http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/jenkins/20050411-9999-1m11jenkins.html###
"Coma man" miracle was a hoax.
Tests by the Belgian skeptical organization SKEPP have confirmed that
the "facilitated communication" with Rom Houben-a Belgian man who has
been in a persistent vegetative state for more than 20 years-was a
hoax. In November 2009, Houben's doctors declared that his PET scans
had shown signs of consciousness and that he was able to communicate
with help from a "facilitator." Throughout the world, uncritical
video coverage showed Houben typing complex messages with one finger
while the facilitator guided Houben's hand over a keyboard,
supposedly feeling and amplifying his tiny intentional movements.
Although simple tests would have revealed the hoax, reporters failed
to request them. [Clever Linda phenomenon. Skeptic's Dictionary, Feb
19, 2010]
http://www.skepdic.com/cleverlinda.htmlWhen properly tested by the Skeptical group, Houben was able to
answer questions when the facilitator knew the questions and could
see the keyboard. However, when questions were asked with facilitator
out of the room, or when the facilitator was not permitted to see the
keyboard, the typing produced gibberish. Thus it was clear that the
messages were composed by the facilitator not the patient. [Betz W.
Facilitated communication with coma patient is a sham. Quackwatch,
Feb 25, 2010]
http://www.mentalhealthwatch.org/reports/fcc.shtmlCNN's sensationalized and misleading report--"Trapped 'coma' man: How
was he misdiagnosed?"--remains available online at
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/24/coma.man.belgium/index.html?iref=allsearch It might be instructive for CNN if readers of this newsletter posted
comments on the Anderson Cooper 360 blog asking the network to do an
appropriate follow-up of this topic.
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/11/24/trapped-coma-man-how-was-he-misdiagnosed/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_ac360blog+%28Blog%3A+AC360%29###
Lifescan ordered to tone down claims for x-ray screening tests.
The British Advertising Authority has ordered the marketers of
Lifescan screening to modify its advertising.
http://www.casewatch.org/foreign/asa/lifescan_2010.shtml The ruling
came is response to a television ad which stated that their CT
testing "has helped us save the lives of people all across the UK and
given peace of mind to many more. It only takes a few minutes and
could detect the early stages of heart disease, lung and colon
cancer, as well as the early stages of osteoporosis and other
illnesses, giving you a check-up all in one go." Challengers to the
ad said that (a) benefit had not been substantiated, (b) radiation
risk had been ignored, and (c) the ad might make people think that
the test could identify every type of health problem. After
concluding that CT scanning had not been proven cost-effective for
general population screening, the ASA ordered the company to (a) stop
suggesting that scanning for colon cancer in people aged under 50
years, osteoporosis, or lung cancer was suitable for all people
without symptoms, (b) to avoid suggesting that a CT scan could
identify every kind of health problem, and (c) to include information
about the risk from exposure to radiation. A 2008 ASA ruling
expressed similar concerns about a Lifescan leaflet.
http://www.casewatch.org/foreign/asa/lifescan_2008.shtml The FDA has
issued public warnings based on similar reasoning.
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/ct.html###
Rife device marketer gets prison sentence.James Folsom has been ordered to pay a $250,000 fine and was
sentenced to 59 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of
supervised release. The judge also ordered the destruction of more
than 450 devices that the Government had seized during the execution
of a search warrant at a self-storage unit that Folsom used. In
February 2009, a federal jury convicted James Folsom of 26 felony
counts relating to his sale of quack medical devices. Evidence
presented at his trial indicated that for more than ten years, he
conspired with others to ship Rife-type biofrequency devices in
interstate commerce. Royal Raymond Rife (1888-1971) claimed that
cancer was caused by bacteria and that his devices could emit
vibrations that would shatter them. For additional details and links
to court documents, see
http://www.devicewatch.org/reports/rife/folsom.shtml###
Please help Simon Singh.
Simon Singh, who is being unfairly sued by the British Chiropractic
Association, has initiated a new petition to promote the repeal of
the UK's Draconian libel laws. Please sign the petition at
http://www.libelreform.org/sign, even if you signed the previous one.
###
Other issues of the Digest are accessible through
http://www.ncahf.org/digest10/index.htmlIf you enjoy this 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
http://www.quackwatch.org (health fraud and quackery)
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