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Consumer Health Digest #10-09
March 4, 2010
Quackwatch and Dr. Barrett need your help in maintaining and
expanding their activities. If you haven't already done so, please
read
http://www.ncahf.org/digest09/09-45.html and send a contribution.
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"Autism specialists" sued.The father of a 7-year-old boy has filed suit against two self-styled
"autism specialists," their clinics, and a laboratory that tests
urine specimens for "toxic metals."
http://www.casewatch.org/civil/coman/complaint.shtmlThe complaint states:
**Defendants Anju Usman, MD, True Health Medical Center, Dan
Rossignol, MD, Creation's Own, and Doctor's Data Laboratory conspired
to induce patients to undergo unwarranted chelation therapy.
**The scheme in this case centered around Usman's use of a "provoked"
urine toxic metals test to falsely assert that the boy had
accumulated dangerous levels of mercury and several other metals.
Usman made this initial assessment when he was only two years old
even though he had had no significant exposure to toxic metals.
**Chelation therapy was administered with suppositories when the boy
was four and included 41 intravenous sessions over an 18-month
period, beginning when he was five.
**The inappropriate treatments also included dietary supplements,
hyperbaric oxygen, hormones, and other drugs that were unnecessary,
unapproved, and/or potentially dangerous.
http://www.casewatch.org/civil/coman/affidavit.pdf**Whereas Usman examined and treated the boy at her office,
Rossignol, without ever examining him, based his recommendations on
telephone conversations with the mother over a 25-month period.
The provoked urine toxic metals test is a fraud.
http://www.quackwatch.org/t The suit asks for damages related to
negligence, lack of informed consent, intentional misrepresentation,
negligent misrepresentation, battery, and civil conspiracy.
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"Bioesthetic dentist" sued for fraud.Robin Bertsch, of Scottsdale, Arizona, has filed suit against Thomas
Wais, D.D.S., the OBI Foundation, and The Wellness Hour, a television
show that promotes non-mainstream practices . The complaint states
that in 2008, Bertsch, whom Wais had treated for more than three
years, sustained such severe damage to his mouth, jaw, neck, and
upper back that he demanded a refund plus additional amounts to cover
corrective measures. Bertsch also demanded that his picture be
removed from Wais's Web site, where it implied that Wais had
successfully treated Bertsch for a TMJ problem. Even though no suit
was filed, Wais's malpractice insurance company paid Bertsch $200,000
in response to his letter. Wais removed the picture, but later
displayed it and discussed Bertsch's case several times on The
Wellness Hour. After learning about the insurance settlement, the
Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners conducted an investigative
interview, during which Wais acknowledged that his treatment of
Bertsch had been unsuccessful. Bertsch's lawsuit, which accuses Wais
of negligent misrepresentation and conspiracy to commit fraud, notes
that Wais's use of Bertsch's image during the Wellness Hour broadcast
directly contradicted the statements Wais made during the
investigative interview.
Bioesthetic dentistry offers a very expensive way to improve
appearance by extensive application of crowns and other restorations.
It is claimed to greatly improve function and to provide health
benefits as well. Before-and-after pictures indicate that many
patients improve their appearance. However, preparation for crowning
requires removal of healthy tooth structure; and disturbing healthy,
functional teeth can, in the long run, result in complications.
[Barrett S. Baratz RS. Does "bioesthetic dentistry provide good
value? Dental Watch, Aug 1, 2009]
http://www.dentalwatch.org/questionable/bioesthetic.html The article
links to the documents relevant to the case, including a malpractice
suit that Bertsch's wife Carey filed against Wais last year.
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FDA acts against ear candles.The FDA had warned three large manufacturers to stop marketing ear
candles and has posted a consumer warning to its Web site. The
warning page states that during the past decade, the FDA has received
reports of burns, punctured eardrums, and blockage of the ear canal
that required outpatient surgery. An ear candle is a hollow cone
about 10 inches long made from a fabric tube soaked in beeswax,
paraffin, or a mixture of the two. In ear candling, also called ear
coning or thermal auricular therapy, a patient lies on his or her
side while a candle is placed in the outer ear and lit. Marketers
claim that warmth created by the device produces suction that draws
wax and other impurities out of the ear canal. However, tests by
Health Canada have found that ear candles produce no measurable
effect in the ear and have no therapeutic value. [Don't get burned:
Stay away from ear candles. FDA Consumer Update, Feb 18, 2010]
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm200277.htm###
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. More than 39,000 people worldwide have
supported it so far. Please sign the petition at
http://www.libelreform.org/sign, even if you signed the previous one.
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