NCAHF Newsletter articles from November 1999

NCAHF Newsletter archives from November 1999

FTC TARGETS INTERNET HEALTH FRAUD.
November 1, 1999... "Miracle cures, once thought to have been laughed out of existence, have found a new medium [on the Internet]," says Jodie Bernstein, director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, in an FTC press release. The FTC...

SPIN DOCTORS.
November 1, 1999... According to the British Medical Journal, some deans' letters, which accompany applications for residency, may put a positive spin on the budding physician's record. Researchers found more than a third of the 500 letters they looked at -- and...

QUESTIONING THE HIGH COST OF DRUG APPROVAL.
November 1, 1999... Herbal marketers argue that the deregulation of herbal remedies was necessitated by the high cost of moving an herbal remedy product through the FDA drag approval process. The Pharmaceutical Marketing Association (PMA) is the source of the data...

AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION TO HELP MEMBERS PROVIDE LUCRATIVE ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE TREATMENTS.
November 1, 1999... Modern Healthcare reports that the American Hospital Association (AHA) has found a way to help member hospitals take advantage of money-making alternative treatments. The AHA has formed a partnership with University Hospital and Medical Center,...

WEBSITE REVEALS HOW TO LIVE ON LIGHT.
November 1, 1999... Jasmuheen, author of the book, Living on Light, claims on her website that her physical nourishment has come solely from liquid Light since mid-1993. She refers to this as Pranic Nourishment. Her newsletter, The ELRAANIS Voice which is the...

CHANGES IN LAW DANGEROUS SAY NEW ZEALAND DOCTORS.
November 1, 1999... In New Zealand, legislature-mandated changes in accident and injury insurance may be dangerous to patients, say physicians. Injured patients can now receive immediate treatment from a range of treatment providers that include chiropractors,...

CARDIOLOGIST STUDIES COENZYME Q10.
November 1, 1999... Baltimore cardiologist Stephen Gottlieb decided to conduct a study of Coenzyme Q10 after discovering that about a third of his congestive heart failure patients were taking the nutritional supplement, which is also known as CoQ10 or ubiquinone....

HERBS BEFORE SURGERY A "NO-NO".
November 1, 1999... Just as some prescription medicines can be dangerous if taken before surgery, so can some commonly used herbs. Ginkgo biloba, garlic, ginger and ginseng are anticoagulants; they keep the blood from forming clots and could cause excessive blood...

HULDA CLARK CHARGED WITH PRACTICING WITHOUT A LICENSE.
November 1, 1999... The Brown County Democrat (10/6/99) reports that Feb 2, 2000 has been set as the trial date for Hulda Regehr Clark, who was charged with practicing medicine without a license in Brown County, Indiana in 1993. The charges stem from an undercover...

CHIROPRACTORS MAY GET MORE ACCESS TO VETS.
November 1, 1999... According to a 9/27/99 press release by the American Chiropractic Association, the House of Representatives approved the Veterans Millennium Health Care Act HR 2116, which could potentially result in full integration of chiropractic care in the...

JUICE PLUS+ AND JUICING EXPOSED.
November 1, 1999... In "The Juice Plus + 'miracle'; Can powdered, encapsuled foods save your health?" Nutrition Forum 1999;16:41+) Stephen Barrett, MD, does a splendid job of exposing the realities behind the multilevel marketed product Juice Plus+. The products...

GO TO THE PHARMACY NOT THE INTERNET FOR PRESCRIPTIONS.
November 1, 1999... Skip the Web when it comes to filling your prescriptions online. It may sound convenient but it could cost your wallet and even endanger your health, according to an article in HealthSCOUT. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania reported...

GRANTS AWARDED FOR RESEARCH IN ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE.
November 1, 1999... The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) (part of the National Institutes of Health), has awarded five Specialized Center Research Grants to advance complementary and alternative medicine research in aging,...

INSURER TO DISCOUNT ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES.
November 1, 1999... Carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield has become one of the first insurers in the nation to discount alternative therapies in response to customers. Acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, fitness centers, personal trainers and yoga classes are...

MELATONIN NO CURE FOR JET LAG.
November 1, 1999... Dr. Dean Edell reported on the results of a study looking at melatonin's effect on jet lag. Touted as a cure for jet lag and insomnia, melatonin is a hormone made by the body but is also sold as a food supplement and has been extremely popular....

ILLINOIS AG SUES MEDICAL FACILITY FOR SELLING FALSE HOPE.
November 1, 1999... Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan sued an Aurora medical clinic that has been promising to cure patients with devastating diseases. Ryan charged Life Care Systems, GenSys, Inc (Life Cafe's associated lab) Stephen Wechter and John Peterson with...

BRITISH DOCTOR CHARGED WITH MURDER.
November 1, 1999... Harold Shipman, a 53-year-old GP in Great Britain, was charged with 15 counts of murder, according to the British Medical Journal. He allegedly killed 15 women, most of whom were widows, between the ages of 49 and 81 from 1995 to 1998. He was...

HERBALIST CHARGED IN DEATH.
November 1, 1999... Lawrence Perry, 46, an "herbalist" who operates the General Health Care Facility for Preventive and Alternative Medicine in Columbus, North Carolina, has been charged with manslaughter in the October 21 death of 8-year-old Helena Rose...

DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS RESEARCH CENTERS ESTABLISHED.
November 1, 1999... The National Institutes of Health, through the Office of Dietary Supplements in collaboration with NCCAM, has announced funding to establish the first Dietary Supplements Research Centers with an emphasis on botanicals. These awards of...

THOSE GERO VITA PROMOTIONS.
November 1, 1999... NCRHI has collected a pile of those slick, four-color flyers put out by Gero Vita Laboratories of Toronto, Canada. People send them to us because they are so quackish. Like us, most seem to wonder how such blatant, exaggerated claims can...