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Consumer Health Digest #15-21
May 31, 2015
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. If you enjoy this newsletter, please recommend it to your friends.
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Israel likely to resume fluoridationDeputy Health Minister Ya'acov Litzman, who took office following the recent Israeli election, has announced that he intends to ask the Israeli legislature to reverse the ban on fluoridation instigated by former Health Minister Yael German last year.
[Siegel-Itzkovich J. Litzman seeks to return fluoride to drinking water after ban
http://www.jpost.com/Business-and-Innovation/Health-and-Science/Litzman-seeks-to-return-fluoride-to-drinking-water-after-ban-404663 ]
The Jerusalem Post, June 1, 2015] From 1970 through 2014, fluoridation was required in communities of 5,000 or more and ultimately reached 70% of Israel's population. But German, whose educational background consists of a bachelor's degree in history, a master's degree in business administration, and a teaching certificate, appears to believe that fluoridation is dangerous.
[Jalil J. Israel to discontinue fluoridation of tap water
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-to-discontinue-fluoridation-of-tap-water/The Times of Israel, August 25, 2014].
A petition asking Israel's High Court of Justice to overturn the ban is scheduled to be heard on July 15th.
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Wallace Sampson, long-time antiquackery leader, dead at 85Wallace I. Sampson, M.D
http://www.scienceinmedicine.org/fellows/Sampson.html, a cancer specialist who devoted considerable time and energy to fighting quackery since the 1970s, has died following a 3-month hospital stay for complications of cardiac surgery. During the 1980s, he chaired the California Cancer Advisory Council, which was a major force in combating cancer frauds in that state. He also served as Clinical Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, board chairman of the National Council Against Health Fraud (1990-1998) and editor of the journal Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine
http://www.sram.org/info/about He frequently expressed alarm at the infiltration of pseudoscientific teachings into medical schools and argued eloquently that the NIH Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine should be abolished
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/nccam.htmlThe San Jose Mercury News has published an obituary
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/mercurynews/obituary.aspx?n=wallace-sampson&pid=174960087with additional details.
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Enbrel provider charged again with improper advertisingThe Medical Board of California has charged Edward L. Tobinick, M.D. with advertising improperly that his clinic offers "revolutionary" and "breakthrough" treatment that can enable patients with strokes, Alzheimer's disease, and other chronic neurological conditions to improve rapidly—often within a few minutes—after receiving his injections. Tobinick, who operates the Institute of Neurological Recovery (INR)
http://www.strokebreakthrough.com/about/about-the-institute/,with offices in Boca Raton, Florida and Los Angeles, California, has for many years offered to treat spine-related pain and various neurological conditions with Enbrel (etanercept), a drug that is FDA-approved for other purposes. He and several other authors have published many papers supporting his off-label use, but his work remains controversial. The accusation document
http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/tobinick/accusation_2014.pdfstates that the ads "contained misrepresentation of facts, were likely to mislead or deceive, created false or unjustified expectations, and/or make scientific claims that cannot be substantiated by reliable, peer reviewed, published scientific studies." In 2006, he settled previous allegations
http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/tobinick/accusation.shtmlrelated his marketing of Enbrel by agreeing to serve a year on probation. Last year, Tobinick filed a suit against Steven Novella, M.D. for criticizing his advertising claims
https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/another-lawsuit-to-suppress-legitimate-criticism-this-time-sbm/###
FTC announces workshop on homeopathic regulationThe Federal Trade Commission plans to host a public workshop
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2015/06/ftc-host-september-workshop-washington-dc-examine-advertisingon Monday, September 21, 2015 in Washington, DC, to examine advertising for over-the-counter (OTC) homeopathic products. The agency has invited the public to submit research, recommendations for topics of discussion, and requests to participate as panelists, and public comments can be submitted electronically until November 20th. In April, the FDA hosted a hearing to discuss its homeopathic regulatory framework
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/NewsEvents/ucm430539.htm Both agencies may be trying to figure out how to cope with the multitude of irrational products that lack proven value but may have sufficient public support to generate a political backlash if tightly regulated.
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Continuing request for help from Dr. BarrettIn June 2010, Doctor's Data, Inc. sued Dr. Barrett because it didn't like 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, about half of the allegations were dismissed, but discovery was permitted for more than a year. The rest of the suit is ripe for dismissal (the court is now considering another motion to dismiss), but the proceedings have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even small donations, if sent by enough subscribers to this newsletter, will be very helpful. Contributions to reduce the cost can be made by mail or through
http://www.quackwatch.org/00AboutQuackwatch/donations.html###
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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
[...]
Editor, Consumer Health Digest
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Wallace Sampson --- Mar. 29, 1930 - May 25, 2015
http://transgallaxys.com/~kanzlerzwo/index.php?topic=8533.0Dr. Edward Tobinick and off-label use at law
http://transgallaxys.com/~kanzlerzwo/index.php?topic=8268.0
