| Posted 19 December 2024 Dr. Edzard Ernst, an emeritus professor at the University of Exeter, has described several categories of harm caused by so-called alternative medicine (SCAM). Reference: Ernst E. The harm of so-called alternative medicine. Skeptical Inquirer, 48(6):56-57 They include: - direct harm by SCAM therapies such as chiropractic spinal manipulation, acupuncture, and herbal medicine
- harm such as missing a serious diagnosis or giving false positive diagnoses caused by SCAM diagnostic techniques that haven’t been validated
- harm caused by SCAM practitioners recommending subpar treatments, offering poor advice, diagnosing conditions that don’t exist, or exaggerating the importance of everyday health impairments
- harm caused by the industry by leading consumers to misspend their money and by endangering species through the exploitation of natural resources
- harm caused by unreliable research that undermines trust in science
- harm caused by fallacious notions, such as “nature knows best,” that undermine rational thought
Ernst concluded: As … Read the rest Posted 19th June 2024 An analysis of nationally representative, commercial insurance data has found while prescriptions of semaglutide drugs for weight management have increased exponentially, many patients discontinued the drugs before achieving clinically meaningful weight loss. Key findings include: - about half the patients who received prescriptions stayed on treatment for a minimum of 12 weeks, enough time to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss
- 30% of patients discontinued treatment within four weeks, before reaching the targeted dose
- patients aged 35 and older were more likely to stay on GLP-1 treatment for at least 12 weeks
- patients who regularly visited their healthcare providers were more likely to stay on the drugs
The report notes that almost all new users of the drugs suffer some gastrointestinal side effects. Patients often stop treatment due to difficulty coping with vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. Reference: Real-world trends in GLP-1 treatment persistence and prescribing for weight management… Read the rest Posted 19 June 2024 McAfee’s Threat Research Team has described the problem of malicious websites, emails and texts, posts on social media, and marketplace listings used by scammers to capitalize on both high demand and high prices for semaglutide drugs that can help with weight loss. McAfee researchers reported: - 449 risky website URLs and 176,871 dangerous phishing attempts centered around Ozempic, Wegovy, and semaglutide
- scammers on Facebook impersonate doctors based outside of the U.S. and promise semaglutide drugs without a prescription
- there were 207 scam postings in just one day in April for Ozempic on Craigslist and similar marketplaces
- scammers offered drugs at too-good-to-be-true, deeply discounted prices
- scammers offered to accept payment through Bitcoin, Zelle, Venmo, and Cash App, which are nonstandard methods for prescription drug payment.
- scammers may fail to deliver drugs consumers paid for or may even deliver fakes. Examples include EpiPens loaded with allergy medication, insulin pens,
… Read the rest Posted 19 June 2024 Yale University clinical neurologist Steven Novella, M.D., has noted the term “adaptogen” used in marketing some dietary supplements is vaguely defined and “just another marketing buzzword for snake oil products.” Claims made for adaptogens are akin to meaningless “structure-function” claims tolerated under the Dietary Supplement Health and Health Education Act (DSHEA) such as ”boosting the immune system,” “increasing energy,” and “supporting a positive outlook.” Novella calls adaptogens “the same con with a new label.” Reference: Novella S. What are “adaptogens”? Science-Based Medicine, June 5, 2024 Source: Consumer Health Digest #24-24, June 16, 2024 … Read the rest Posted 27 May 2024 Professor Edzard Ernst, who was the world’s first department chairperson in complementary medicine, has posted on his blog a four-part series on the fake diagnoses of so-called alternative medicine. - Part 1 addresses adrenal fatigue, candidiasis hypersensitivity, and alleged chronic intoxications eliminated by so-called “detox” treatments.
- Part 2 addresses chronic Lyme disease, electromagnetic hypersensitivity, and homosexuality.
- Part 3 addresses leaky gut syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity, and neurasthenia.
- Part 4 covers vaccine overload, vertebral subluxation, and yin/yang imbalance.
Source: Consumer Health Digest #24-21. May 26, 2024 … Read the rest Posted 05 July 2023 Berberine, a compound found in several plants used in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine, is being hyped on TikTok as a natural alternative to Ozempic (semaglutide) for weight loss. However, Joe Schwarcz, PhD, who directs the McGill Office for Science and Society, notes: (a) berberine is poorly absorbed from the intestine when taken as a dietary supplement, (b) unlike semaglutide, it doesn’t act as an analogue of the hormone GLP-1 to suppress appetite, and (c) scientific evidence is lacking to support its use for weight loss. Reference: Schwarcz J. Berberine. Don’t swallow the hype. Or the pill. McGill Office for Science and Society, June 22, 2023 Source: Consumer Health Digest #23-27 July 2, 2023 … Read the rest Posted 25 May 2023 Dr. Edzard Ernst has written a commentary about research into so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) conducted since he became the world’s first professor of complementary medicine nearly 30 years ago. Reference: Ernst E. Applying science to SCAM: A brief summary of the past thirty years. Skeptical Inquirer, 47(1):11-12, 2023 He concludes: So, in the past thirty years of SCAM research, we have gone from the rejection of science to accepting that it would be good for promotion, to insisting on an “alternative” version of science, to misleading the public with false-positive findings. It has been a long and tedious journey without actually advancing all that far. Source: Consumer Health Digest #23-02, January 8, 2023 … Read the rest Posted 28 April 2023 The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sent notices to approximately 670 marketers of over-the-counter drugs, homeopathic products, dietary supplements, and functional foods. The notices indicated that they did not reflect any assessment as to whether the recipients have engaged in deceptive or unfair conduct. However, they warned that the recipients should avoid deceiving consumers with advertisements that make unsubstantiated product claims and said that the FTC will not hesitate to use its authority to hand violators large civil penalties. The notices refer to the FTC staff’s recently issued “Health Products Compliance Guidance.”
Reference: FTC warns almost 700 marketing companies that they could face civil penalties if they can’t back up their product claims. FTC press release, April 13, 2023 The notices outline specific unlawful acts and practices, including: - failing to have a reasonable basis consisting of competent and reliable evidence for objective product claims
- failing
… Read the rest Posted 19 April 2023 Experts on natural products and toxicology have provided an overview of the problem of liver damage due to herbal dietary supplement (HDS) use in the United States. They suggest two strategies they hope will improve consumer safety and drive bad actors from the marketplace. One is a path for pre-clinical assessment and the other is the establishment of a list of products.
Reference: Gurley BJ, and others. Hepatoxicity due to herbal dietary supplements: Past, present, and the future. Food and Chemical Toxicology 169:113445, 2022 Their key points include: - The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 provides an insufficient framework for regulating HDS products.
- 20% of adult Americans regularly consume HDS products.
- Liver toxicity is among the most frequent serious events reported through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Adverse Event Reporting System.
- 20% of all drug-induced
… Read the rest Posted 29 March 2023 Videos of sessions from the online conference “Multilevel Marketing: The Consumer Protection Challenge 2023,” are now available to be viewed for free. The event was the third annual multilevel-marketing (MLM) conference sponsored by The College of New Jersey School of Business. - Session 1 addressed how some current MLM businesses operate and outlined recent legal cases.
- Session 2 featured activists who are critical of MLM on social media.
- Session 3 focused on MLM industry documents, statements, and behaviors. It included a talk by Dr. Stephen Barrett on the types of harm caused by the multilevel marketing of useless health products, how ZYTO devices are used to offer baseless recommendations for multilevel-marketed health products, and baseless health claims made for multilevel-marketed Healy devices. (Quackwatch has detailed reports on the ZYTOand Healy devices.)
- Session 4 focused on the Business Opportunity Rule and other recent MLM news.
Videos of … Read the rest | |