Quacks 3/3
- From: califchief@xxxxxxxxxxx (Califchief)
- Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 12:14:00 -0400
*Quackwatch Search Results:*
(continued)
*Affidavit of Joseph Pizzorno, N.D.
<http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Cancer/clarkaff/pizzorno.html>*,
30/6/2001
a. WHD's herbal formulas, cure packages and herbal cure packages are
effective in treating and curing cancer; b. WHD's herbal formulas, cure
packages, herbal cure packages and the Zapper Electrical Unit are
effective in treating and curing Alzheimer's Disease; c. WHD's herbal
formulas, cure packages and herbal cure packages are effective in
treating and curing diabetes; d.WHD's herbal formulas, cure packages and
herbal cure packages are effective in treating and curing *arthritis*;
e. WHD's herbal formulas, cure packages, herbal cure packages and the
Zapper Electrical Unit are effective in treating and curing AIDS and HIV
infection; f. WHD's herbal formulas, cure packages and herbal cure
packages, when used by persons with cancer, make surgery and
chemotherapy unnecessary.
The curecancer.com website makes explicit claims to cure not only every
type of cancer, but also AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, *arthritis*, back
problems, diabetes and heart diseases. The claims are explicitly to
cure, not prevent mitigate or treat disease.
Claim D. WHD's herbal formulas, cure packages and herbal care packages
are effective in treating and curing *arthritis*.
There is no competent and reliable evidence that the WHD formulas and
packages effectively treat or cure *arthritis*.
For rheumatoid *arthritis*, Clark asserts that the worms actually live
in the joints. For osteo*arthritis*, she asserts that chronic,
undetected staph and strep infections are responsible. She also believes
that excessive phosphates (from meat, soft drinks and grams) are a
problem in this condition. There is no substantiation for these
theories. The case histories presented were diagnosed based only on
symptoms, not standard diagnostic procedures. Without an accurate
diagnosis, it is impossible to determine if there is any significance to
the very modest clinical improvements in a few of the cases. There was
no apparent pattern in the therapies, so I am unable to determine if
they've any valid theoretical basis.
*Magnet Therapy: A Skeptical View
<http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/QA/magnet.html>*, 30/6/2006
In 1998, Magnetherapy, Inc., signed an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance
with the State of Texas to pay a $30,000 penalty and to stop claiming
that wearing its magnetic device near areas of pain and inflammation
will relieve pain due to *arthritis*, migraine headaches, sciatica or
heel spurs. The agreement also requires Magnetherapy to stop making
claims that its magnets can cure, treat, or mitigate any disease or can
affect any change in the human body, unless its devices are FDA-approved
for those purposes . Ads for the company's Tectonic Magnets had featured
testimonials from athletes, including golfers from the senior pro tours.
Various ads had claimed that Tectonic Magnets would provide symptomatic
relief from certain painful conditions and could restore range of motion
to muscles and joints. The company had provided retailers with display
packages that included health claims, written testimonials, and posters
of sports stars. Texas Attorney General Dan Morales stated that some
claims were false or unsubstantiated and others had rendered the product
unapproved medical devices under Texas law. In 1997, the FDA had warned
Magnetherapy to stop claiming that its products would relieve
*arthritis*; tennis elbow; low back pain; sciatica; migraine headache;
muscle soreness; neck, knee, ankle, and shoulder pain; heel spurs;
bunions; arthritic fingers and toes; and could reduce pain and
inflammation in the affected areas by increasing blood and oxygen flow .
In 1999, the FTC obtained a consent agreement barring two companies from
making unsubstantiated claims about their magnetic products. Magnetic
Therapeutic Technologies, of Irving, Texas, is barred from claiming that
its magnetic sleep pads or other products: (a) are effective against
cancers, diabetic ulcers, *arthritis*, degenerative joint conditions, or
high blood pressure; (b) could stabilize or increase the T-cell count of
HIV patients; (c) could reduce muscle spasms in persons with multiple
sclerosis; (d) could reduce nerve spasms associated with diabetic
neuropathy; (e) could increase bone density, immunity, or circulation;
or (f) are comparable or superior to prescription pain medicine. Pain
Stops Here! Inc., of Baiting Hollow, N.Y., may no longer claim that its
"magnetized water" or other products are useful against cancer, diseases
of the liver or other internal organs, gallstones, kidney stones,
urinary infection, gastric ulcers, dysentery, diarrhea, skin ulcers, bed
sores, *arthritis*, bursitis, tendinitis, sprains, strains, sciatica,
heart disease, circulatory disease, *arthritis*, auto-immune illness,
neuro-degenerative disease, and allergies, and could stimulate the
growth of plants.
*Stay Away from Adrenal Cortical Extract (ACE)
<http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/holisticdent.html>*,
20/6/2006
Price also performed poorly designed studies that led him to conclude
that teeth treated with root canal therapy leaked bacteria or bacterial
toxins into the body, causing *arthritis* and many other diseases. This
"focal infection" theory led to needless extraction of millions of
endodontically treated teeth until well-designed studies, conducted
during the 1930s, demonstrated that the theory was not valid.
Melvin Page, D.D.S., one of Price's disciples, coined the phrase
"balancing body chemistry" and considered tooth decay an "outstanding
example of systemic chemical imbalances." Page ran afoul of the Federal
Trade Commission by marketing a mineral supplement with false claims
that widespread mineral deficiencies were an underlying cause of goiter,
heart trouble, tuberculosis, diabetes, anemia, high and low blood
pressure, hardening of the arteries, rheumatism, neuritis, *arthritis*,
kidney and bladder trouble, frequent colds, nervousness, constipation,
acidosis, pyorrhea, overweight, underweight, cataracts, and cancer. Page
also claimed that milk was "unnatural" and was the underlying cause of
colds, sinus infections, colitis, and cancer.
A few hundred dentists claim that the mercury in silver-amalgam fillings
is toxic and causes a wide range of health problems, including multiple
sclerosis, *arthritis*, headaches, Parkinson's disease, and emotional
stress. They recommend that mercury fillings be replaced with either
gold or plastic ones and that vitamin supplements be taken to prevent
trouble during the process. However, scientific testing has shown that
the amount of mercury absorbed from fillings is only a small fraction of
the average daily intake from food and is insignificant. In 1992 an
extensive review by the U.S. Public Health Service concluded that it was
inappropriate to recommend restricting the use of dental amalgam. The
American Dental Association Council on Ethics, Bylaws, and Judicial
Affairs considers the unnecessary removal of silver-amalgam fillings
"improper and unethical."
In the mid-1980s the U.S. Food and Drug Administration forced Huggins to
stop marketing mineral products with false claims that they would help
the body rid itself of mercury. Huggins has also claimed that root canal
therapy can make people susceptible to *arthritis*, multiple sclerosis,
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and other autoimmune diseases. As with
mercury-amalgam fillings, there is no objective evidence that teeth
treated with root canal therapy have any adverse effect on the immune
system or any other system or part of the body. Huggins's dental license
was revoked in 1996. During the revocation proceedings
Huggins is among a small number of dentists who maintain that facial
pain, heart disease, *arthritis*, and various other health problems are
caused by "cavitations," within the jaw bones, that are not detectable
on x-ray examination or treatable with antibiotics. Advocates now call
this condition "neuragia-inducing cavitational osteonecrosis (NICO" and
claim they can cure the patient by locating and scraping out the
affected tissues. They may also remove all root-canal-treated teeth and
most of the vital teeth close to the area where they say a problem
exists. There is no scientific evidence to support this assertion or the
diagnostic and treatment methods based on it. Proponents of this dubious
theory have formed the American Academy of Biological Dentistry.
*Government Action Curbs Shark Cartilage Claims
<http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/News/shark.html>*, 16/12/2004
In your statements to the Agency, you stated that Lane Labs makes no
drug claims for these products. However, there are drug claims in the
labeling of Lane Labs' "BeneFin" and "SkinAnswer." For example, claims
made for "BeneFin" include the treatment of *arthritis*, psoriasis, and
cancer as well as, more specifically, breast cancer, prostate cancer and
Kaposi's sarcoma." SkinAnswer" is promoted as an "all-natural
glycoalkaloid cream for skin cancer."
Magazine advertisements (such as one in the March/April 1997 issue of
"Christian American") that bear pictures of Lane "Labs' "BeneFin" and
Dr. Lane's claim that "BeneFin helps fight *arthritis*, psoriasis, and
cancer."
In December 1999, I noted that Dr. Lane's Web site still contained many
cancer-related claims. The "Frequently Asked Questions" page for cancer
stated that "shark cartilage attacks cancer by inhibiting the
development of the blood vessels which supply the food that tumors need
to grow -- in effect starving tumors of a needed blood and food supply."
The page includes directions for use as well as recommended regimens for
using shark cartilage for rheumatoid *arthritis*, psoriasis, diabetic
retinopathy (a degenerative eye condition, and osteo*arthritis*. The FAQ
page for skin cancer suggested that a glycoalkaloid preparation was
better than standard treatment for treating skin cancer. And the FAQ
page on AIDS, hepatitis, and cancer suggested that MGN-3 was very
effective for both preventing and treating cancer.
In 1998, the Federal Trade Commission obtained two consent agreements
barring unsubstantiated claims for shark-cartilage products. Nutriveda,
Inc., of Brooklyn, New York, had claimed that its product Cardilet was
effective against cancer, rheumatism, *arthritis*, diabetes, fibroids,
bursitis, circulatory problems, and cysts.
*The Medical Messiahs: Chapter 20
<http://www.quackwatch.org/13Hx/MM/20.html>*, 20/11/2004
"Quackery . . . s the legitimate offspring of ignorance." So asserted an
orator in the opening of a new medical school in Nashville in 1851.
Certainly ignorance remains one of medical quackery's major props. "Many
people . . . ," asserted a recent Food and Drug Commissioner, "know
little more about the human body than if they had lived a hundred years
ago." Much of what is "known" is what was known a century ago,
traditional lore, handed down from generation to generation by precept
and example, some of it going back centuries, even millennia, or at
least resembling medical lore cherished in those remote days. One
scholar bas done an intriguing job of tracing back the supposed
aphrodisiac properties of the mandrake root, which was a popular article
long before Machiavelli wrote his play centered on this theme. The same
might be done with other aspects of medical and nutritional folk belief.
False beliefs about health and therapy derive in part from outmoded
theories of orthodox physicians, Such antiquated theories, for example,
provide the base for a great deal of today's *arthritis* quackery.
Suffering, of course, may also sweep aside the intellectual defenses of
the very bright. Jerry J. Walsh, executive director of the Illinois
chapter of the *Arthritis* and Rheumatism Foundation, himself an
*arthritis* victim, explained for some Senators how this might be .
"But I can guarantee any of you gentlemen . he said, "that if you are in
this bed of pain with *arthritis*, you will try anything to stop the
pain, at any cost. You say, 'What have you got to lose?
Addresses Delivered by Professors Winston and Eve at the Opening of the
Medical Department of the University of Nashville (Nashville, 1851),
9-10; George P. Larrick, "Quackery as a Public Health Problem,"
mimeographed text of Oct. 23, 1957, address; C.J.S. Thompson, The Mystic
Mandrake (London, 1934); F. William Saul, Pink Pills for Pale People
(Philadelphia, 1949), 100-104; Ronald W. Lamont-Havers, "Quackery in
*Arthritis*," Proceedings, National Congress on Medical Quackery (1961),
51; Edward Eggleston, The Transit of Civilization from England to
America in the Seventeenth Century (N.Y., 1900), 60.
*The Medical Messiahs: Afterword
<http://www.quackwatch.org/13Hx/MM/21.html>*, 20/11/2004
Scientific medicine would certainly give no credence to the implied
claims on the Chicago handout that aloe vera would prove useful in
treating *arthritis*, asthma, baldness, cancer of the skin, coronary
thrombosis, diabetes, female problems, gallstones, glaucoma, psoriasis,
and stomach ulcers. Passengers suffering from such severe ailments who
yield to the El train soft-sell promotion and purchase aloe vera for
their ills contribute to the nation's multibillion-dollar annual
quackery toll.
Dr. Herbert, a professor of medicine at the State University of New York
Downstate Medical Center, a lawyer, and one of the nation's most dogged
foes of quackery, had in his testimony broken down his $25 to $26
billion yearly health fraud total into its component parts . Six billion
dollars, he told the House subcommittee, went for "food supplement,
pill, powder and potion quackery." About $3 billion each were expended
for *arthritis*, cancer, and heart disease quackery. Several complex
categories each accounted for $2 billion: (1) "quack diagnostic tests,
such as specious computer questionnaires, hair analyses, cytotoxicity
testing, kinesiology, iridology"; (2) "naturopathic, herbalist, occult
healing and other cult quackery"; and (3) "clinical ecology,
hypoglycemia, nontoxic, metabolic, and natural quackery." In the $1
billion range fell three more quack genres: (1) false treatment for
Alzheimer's disease and mental illnesses; (2) "quackery-promoting
literature"; and (3) diploma mills providing false credentials to those
offering dubious regimens of treatment. Thus the terrain of quackery had
become broader and more costly than ever and, Dr. Herbert charged, more
adept at its ability to "maim and kill."
Advertising ran rife in specialty catalogs, the magazines of
unorthodoxy, and the scantily self-policed press, as well as over the
airwaves. Cautious about claims, advertisers relied on getting their
curative messages across in First Amendment-protected feature articles,
often in the same journals in which the ads appeared . Sometimes such
stories were deliberately planted. in 1986 an officer and a former
officer of General Nutrition, Inc., the largest chain of health food
stores in the United States and Canada, pleaded guilty to misbranding a
proprietary form of evening primrose oil by arranging newspaper and
magazine stories and radio coverage that falsely praised the oil's value
in preventing such serious diseases as *arthritis*, hypertension, and
multiple sclerosis. This campaign was planned to coincide with company
advertising .
Advertising became increasingly sophisticated, often composed by M.D.s
and Ph.D.s and crafted with cleverness and skill, making pseudoscience
sound like science . The slickness of his advertising, suggested Wilbur
J. Blechman, Jr., a longtime observer of *arthritis* quackery, was
perhaps the quack's solitary scientific achievement .
FDA Consumer published numerous articles on the health fraud theme, and
the agency issued press releases on newsworthy developments. The FDA's
Consumer Affairs Officers stressed health fraud in their numerous
meetings with members of the public. Special programs were targeted at
groups deemed especially vulnerable: the elderly, Hispanic citizens,
*arthritis* sufferers, and people with AIDS.
*MediaPower: FDA Warning Letter
<http://www.quackwatch.org/02ConsumerProtection/FDAActions/mpfda.html>*,
10/2/2004
"What Results Can I Expect with CalMax?. . . . People suffering from
symptoms associated with chronic illnesses such as *arthritis*,
fibromyalgia, low back pain, insomnia or fatigue, have reported
noticeable results within the first 3-4 weeks of using CalMax
consistently . . . ."
The booklet suggests that CalMax is useful in treating or preventing a
variety of diseases, including *arthritis*, colon cancer, diabetes,
hypertension, heart disease, and arteriosclerosis.
The booklet also suggests that Bl-Bomber is useful in preventing or
treating ADD (attention deficit disorder), *arthritis*, and heart disease.
CalMax: " . ..I have severe *arthritis* . . . .CalMax has helped me a
lot." "I have had low back pain and hip pain continuously for over 3
years.... After 2 cans of the CalMax the pain has subsided...." "I took
2 doses and all my pain has disappeared."
Bl-Bomber: " . ..no headaches or migraines (from which I have suffered
since 1984)" Ií. . . has also helped my *arthritis*." "I was going
through Chronic Fatigue and spent most of my afternoons resting in bed.
Iíve been taking the Bl-Bomber for about 3 months and have noticed a
marked improvement in my fatigue."
*Lyme Disease: Questionable Diagnosis and Treatment
<http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/lyme.html>*, 20/6/2006
Ironically, many of the original advocates for a vaccine turned against
Lymerix as soon as it hit the market. Citing its less than perfect
efficacy and anecdotal evidence of vaccine-induced *arthritis* and other
injuries, they crowded FDA hearings with tales of personal injury,
flooded the Internet with anti-vaccine tautologies, and jointed lawsuits
seeking compensation from Glaxo and Pasteur Mérieux Connaught, the maker
of a second, but never licensed vaccine .
Despite the lawsuits and the web site tales of personal anguish,
repeated studies have failed to find any evidence of specific adverse
events associated with Lymerix. Neal Halsey, who helped monitor the
first vaccine trial, said, an "active, aggressive search for patients
who developed *arthritis*" after vaccination found no evidence of
increased *arthritis* risk . A CDC study published in the February 2002
issue of Vaccine also failed to detect any "unexpected or unusual
patterns" of adverse reactions to vaccination . Reports of adverse
reactions to Lymerix, and other vaccines, can be searched for on the
Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) Web site.
National Institute of *Arthritis* and Infectious Diseases (NIAID): (See
brochures.)
*Interesting Web Sites
<http://www.quackwatch.org/05Links/othersites.html>*, 16/5/2006
*Arthritis* and Related Diseases
*Arthritis* Foundation. Warning: The foundation is promoting quack
"alternative" methods through a book, its Web site and its magazine
(*Arthritis* Today). Although the medical information it provides is
excellent, its handling of "alternative medicine" subjects is completely
untrustworthy
National Institute of *Arthritis* and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
(NIACD)
*The "Mercury Toxicity" Scam:: How Anti-Amalgamists Swindle People
<http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/mercury.html>*, 2/3/2006
According to Huggins, "sensitive" individuals can develop emotional
problems (depression, anxiety, irritability), neurological disorders
(facial twitches, muscle spasms, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis),
cardiovascular problems (unexplained rapid heart rate, unidentified
chest pains), collagen diseases (*arthritis*, scleroderma, lupus
erythematosus), allergies, digestive problems (ulcers, regional
ileitis), and immunologic disorders (which he claims include leukemia,
Hodgkin's disease, and mononucleosis).
The "60 Minutes" segment on dental amalgam, which was considerably
longer than most of its reports, was called "Poison In Your Mouth." It
interspersed remarks from an American Dental Association representative
with statements by three amalgam critics and four patients who claimed
to have made a remarkable recovery from *arthritis* or multiple
sclerosis after their amalgam fillings were removed. The most powerful
segment featured a woman who said that her symptoms of multiple
sclerosis had disappeared overnight. The fact that *arthritis* and
multiple sclerosis normally have ups and downs was not mentioned during
the program. Neither was the fact that removal of fillings temporarily
raises
In recent years, Hal Huggins has also targeted root canal therapy,
claiming that it can make people susceptible to *arthritis*, multiple
sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and other autoimmune diseases.
As with amalgam fillings, there is no objective evidence that teeth
treated with root canal therapy have any adverse effect on the immune
system or any other system or part of the body. Huggins's dental license
was revoked in 1996. During the revocation proceedings, the
administrative law judge concluded:
*Rev. George Malkmus and his Hallelujah Diet
<http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/malkmus.html>*, 18/1/2006
Reverend George M. Malkmus (1934- ) claims to have eliminated his colon
cancer and other serious health problems more than 25 years ago by
"following biblical principles for a natural diet and healthy
lifestyle." He and his wife Rhonda Jean operate Hallelujah Acres, where
they hold seminars, sell products, and advocate a diet that features raw
fruits and vegetables. Malkmus and his followers claim that his methods
have helped people with obesity, cancer, *arthritis*, and more than 100
other health problems. He is a very eloquent speaker who is capable of
inspiring people who trust what he says. This article explains why I do
not believe he is trustworthy.
Malkmus states that he met Rhonda Jean when she attended a seminar he
gave in 1991. At that time, he says, she was very overweight and
suffered from severe symptoms of *arthritis*. Within a year after
changing her diet and adopting an exercise program, however, she had
lost 85 pounds and her *arthritis* problems were gone .
In 1988, the FDA ordered AIM to stop claiming that Barley Green would
make people more energetic and was effective against cancer,
*arthritis*, high blood pressure, obesity, depression, and many other
health problems. The FDA also told the company to stop making false
statements about the quality of the American food supply . In 1989, the
FDA seized quantities of several AIM products because their labeling or
promotional material exaggerated the dietary value of the products. The
case was settled by a consent decree ordering destruction of one product
and the offending labeling for the others . However, some distributors
continued to make false claims, including claims that Barley Green is
effective against cancer.
*OTA Report: Dietary Treatments
<http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/OTA/ota03.html>*,
13/1/2006
It is unknown whether Gerson's formal medical training included study of
the therapeutic use of diet (939). Early on in his medical career, he
devised a dietary regimen to treat his own severe migraine headaches.
After reported success with his condition, he used his diet in the
treatment of a variety of other disorders, including skin tuberculosis
(lupus vulgaris), asthma, pulmonary tuberculosis, and *arthritis* (337).
In 1928, he began treating cancer patients with the diet he used on
tuberculosis, at the insistence of a patient with cancer of the bile
duct, who reportedly recovered following Gerson's treatment (336). By
the time he established his practice in New York in the mid-1940s, he
concentrated on treating cancer patients. His first paper published in
English (see footnote 3) on dietary treatment for cancer appeared in
1945 (331). In that paper, Gerson outlined his high potassium, low
sodium, fatless diet regimen, which included foods, mineral and vitamin
supplements, and crude liver injections (preparations of raw calves liver).
Current patient literature from the Gerson clinic states that the
treatment "restores the patient's healing mechanism so that the body can
heal itself and overcome degenerative disease." In addition to treating
patients with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, *arthritis*, multiple
sclerosis, and other diseases, the clinic also treats "some people with
no apparent serious disease come to the Center simply to detoxify and
build themselves up in order to feel good, to improve their health, and
to prevent disease" (329).
Further, the patient literature states that even for patients with both
cancer and other diseases (such as *arthritis*, heart disease, and
diabetes), the Gerson treatment "usually heals the body of all diseases
simultaneously" (329). This claim is reportedly based on Gerson's belief
that the body "will not heal cancer and yet leave *arthritis* or
arteriosclerosis or diabetes unimproved" and that "when the body's
ability to heal is restored, the 'physician within' will set about to
mend and restore the whole patient" (329).
Limit of 25 files reached.
.... Tonight's weather: Dark with continued darkness until dawn.
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