quackery
terrasig | August 14, 2007The Wall Street Journal reports that a top Mannatech (Wikipedia, corporate) distributor has been found guilty of not paying federal income taxes.
He [Raymond Gebauer] became an associate in 1994 and his sales network, operating through companies he owned, was still signing up associates this year, said Karyn Johnson, assistant U.S. attorney in Seattle. He was a featured speaker in March at the annual national sales conference, MannaFest. In his book, "How to Cure and Prevent Any Disease," Mr. Gebauer said that he owned a million-dollar home, a ski boat and drove a Lexus RX 300.
Kind of…
terrasig | January 24, 2007I don't even know where to begin with this beautifully-crafted but very sad article in today's Wall Street Journal (sub req'd..sorry) by Suzanne Sataline.
This has all the features that are sure to send PZ Myers and Orac convulsing in a corner somewhere. As detailed in FDA allegations from an ongoing investigation as reported by Sataline:
A Pentacostal minister physician touting cancer cure rates of 60% or better, without chemotherapy
The sale/promotion of dietary supplements and herbal formulas, sometimes along with diets inspired by Biblical descriptions, at hundreds to thousands of…
terrasig | December 23, 2006In the US? Nope.
In England? No, sir.
In Australia? No, mate.
In Canada? No, eh?
Where??? In the United Arab Emirates.
terrasig | November 22, 2006I read yesterday with joy the post by fellow ScienceBlogger, Alex Palazzo (The Daily Transcript), on his disbelief that autism advocates are selling oral supplements of yeast RNA. The pseudoscientific rationale is that RNA might chelate divalent cations (i.e., mercury) in a less toxic fashion (i.e., with lower and more selective affinity) than EDTA. (exposed originally, I believe, by Bartholomew Cubbins' blog.). A little knowledge is indeed dangerous - the idea is put forth by a microbiology PhD who worked for an oligonucleotide synthesis company before getting a doctor of naturopathy…
What is the responsibility of the health care team with patients who refuse evidence-based medicine?
terrasig | October 10, 2006I'm a day late in recommending this, but I encourage all who are interested in alternative medicine for cancer to spend the time it takes to get through Orac's heartwrenching documentation of the case of a young breast cancer patient who is likely to die in the very near future, through no fault of medicine.
The bottom line: likely curative therapy (i.e., "upwards of 93% long term survival with proper surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy") was refused by a young woman with a small, treatable, breast mass, only to have her lack of success with alternative therapies bring…
terrasig | July 7, 2006This link provides a truly lengthy diatribe on "11 Effective, Natural Strategies To Kill Your Cancer" that I found the other day while reading on ABCNews about Sheryl Crow's battle with breast cancer. It literally takes about 15 min to read and then ends with a list of links to purchase products mentioned in the "report," with nearly all being mail order supplements from one Robert Harrison of Homer, Alaska.
Before even getting into the inaccuracies and misrepresentations in the diatribe, I started to tally the cost of all the immune boosting supplements I should purchase, but grew weary…
terrasig | June 19, 2006The US FDA has filed a seizure and forfeiture complaint for unapproved medical devices called, "Dr Ho's Double Massage" and "Dr Ho's Muscle Massage."
But, in all seriousness, this is serious:
The devices, components, and accessories, are adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because they are unapproved class III medical devices and they do not meet mandatory performance standards. In addition, the devices are labeled for use to treat serious medical conditions, including diabetic neuropathy, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and migraine headaches. Since these devices have not…