[*QUOTE*]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consumer Health Digest #12-11
March 29, 2012
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.
###
Continuing request for help from Dr. Stephen Barrett
In June 2010, Doctor's Data, Inc. sued Dr. Barrett because it didn't
like what what he wrote about them on Quackwatch and in this
newsletter. The events leading up to the suit are described at
http://www.quackwatch.org/14Legal/dd_suit.html In November, 2011, the judge dismissed about half of the allegations but
ruled that discovery can proceed until June 2012. The rest of the suit will
probably be dismissed soon afterward, but the discovery proceedings
will be time-consuming and costly. Contributions to the defense fund
can be made by mail or through
http://www.quackwatch.org/00AboutQuackwatch/donations.html###
AHRQ advises how to reduce medical errors.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has issued a consumer
brochure on "20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors."
http://www.chsourcebook.com/articles/avoiding_medical_errors.pdf The tips focus on medication use, hospital stays, preparing for surgery,
communication with providers, and seeking reliable information.
AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program Web site also offers extensive
information about treatment options.
http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/options/###
California petitions to revoke David Steenblock's probation.
The Osteopathic Medical Board of California has filed a petition to
revoke the probation of David Steenblock, D.O.
http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/steenblock/petition_2011.pdf In August 2009, the board placed Steenblock on 5 years of probation
after concluding that he had prescribed inappropriate hyperbaric
oxygen for an elderly stroke patient and done several other things
wrong. The petition states that in early 2010, Steenblock had
notified the board that he had not complied with his probation terms
because he had challenged a an earlier board decision in San
Francisco Superior Court and expected the court would stay his
probation until the matter was resolved. However, the court did not
issue a stay and, even though the Board notified Steenblock that he
was required to comply with probation, he did not make reports,
enroll in the required continuing education courses, or pay the
$25,166.60 for investigative and enforcement costs required under his
probation. For additional information about Steenblock's entanglement
with the Board, see
http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/steenblock/steenblock4.shtml###
Science-based "CAM" journal offers free access to recent issue.
The entire March 2012 issue
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/fct.2012.17.issue-1/issuetoc of Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies (FACT) has been
posted with free access. The lead editorial explains why biological
plausibility should be critical in determining research priorities.
It concluded: "In determining if we want to do efficient research, we
should focus on those treatments that are already supported by
biological plausibility. The danger of not adhering to this strategy
is considerable; such as wasting time, money and experience on
projects that have very little chance of success. This would not just
be uneconomical but also unethical."
###
"60 Minutes" accuses stem cell seller of fraud.
CBS's "60 Minutes" has broadcast a startling undercover investigation
of Dan Ecklund, who operates a stem cell laboratory and clinic in
Ecuador and sells alleged cell preparations through the Internet.
[Stem Cell Fraud: A 60 Minutes investigation. Jan 8, 2012]
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7394380n
The investigators videotaped Ecklund making extensive promises to help a
boy with cerebral palsy and then met Ecklund in a hotel room in Florida
where he arrived expecting to meet the boy. The cells, delivered in
advance, were examined by a prominent stem cell researcher at Duke
University, who concluded that they were dead and that the debris in
the specimen could cause serious problems if injected.
The program also revealed that in 2005, Ecklund's license to practice medicine
in Alabama was revoked for unprofessional conduct.
http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/ecklund.pdf
Documents from the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners state that during
the proceedings he admitted
(a) prescribing controlled substances to a patient he knew was a dug
addict and with whom he was having sex,
(b) having sex with his daughter,
(c) having sexual experiences with young female children
as well as with animals, and
(d) touching females without their consent in order
to gain sexual gratification.
Ecklund has posted an elaborate denial of wrongdoing on his StemTechLabs Web
site.
http://www.stem-cell-treatment-now.com/60MinutesAmbushJournalism.pdf
###
Other issues of the Digest are accessible through
http://www.ncahf.org/digest12/index.html. If you enjoy this
newsletter, please recommend it to your friends. To help prevent the
newsletter from being filtered out as spam, please add
broadcast-chdigest@ssr.com to your address book or other "whitelist."
To unsubscribe, send a blank message to chdigest-unsubscribe@ssr.com.
This must be sent from the address you used to subscribe.
--
---------------------------------------------
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)
http://www.allergywatch.org (under construction)
http://www.acuwatch.org (under construction)
http://www.autism-watch.org (guide to autism)
http://www.cancertreatmentwatch.org (under construction)
http://www.casewatch.org (legal archive)
http://www.chelationwatch.org (chelation therapy)
http://www.chirobase.org (guide to chiropractic)
http://www.credentialwatch.org (under construction)
http://www.dentalwatch.org (guide to dental care)
http://www.devicewatch.org (under construction)
http://www.dietscam.org (under construction)
http://www.fibrowatch.org (guide to fibromyalgia -- under construction)
http://www.homeowatch.org (guide to homeopathy)
http://www.ihealthpilot.org (guide to reliable information)
http://www.insurancereformwatch.org (under construction)
http://www.infomercialwatch.org (guide to infomercials)
http://www.mentalhealthwatch.org (under construction)
http://www.mlmwatch.org (multi-level marketing)
http://www.naturowatch.org (naturopathy)
http://www.nccamwatch.org (under construction)
http://www.nutriwatch.org (nutrition facts and fallacies)
http://www.pharmwatch.org (under construction)
http://www.ncahf.org (National Council Against Health Fraud archive)
http://www.chsourcebook.com (consumer health sourcebook)
Editor, Consumer Health Digest
http://www.quackwatch.org/00AboutQuackwatch/chd.htmlDonations to help support Quackwatch can be made through PayPal or by mail.
See:
http://www.quackwatch.org/00AboutQuackwatch/donations.html------------------------------------------------------------------------
[*/QUOTE*]
