Stephen Barret M.D
Stephen Barrett, M.D. The National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF) adheres to the HONcode principles of the Geneva-based Health On the Net Foundation. These principles have evolved from discussions with Webmasters and medical professionals in several countries. These principles are sound, but compliance is voluntary and some sites displaying the code contain unreliable information or link to other sites that contain unreliable information. To be certified by HON, a Web site must formally apply for registration. If accepted, it must subsequently comply with all the principles enumerated in the HONcode. When a noncompliant site is reported, HONcode officials ask that the logo be removed—and most sites comply. In July 2009, there were about 6,800 certified Web sites. You can confirm that a site is registered …
Timothy N. Gorski MD, FACOG Stephen Barrett, MD In March 2000, President Clinton announced the creation of a White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (WHCCAMP) to provide a report to the President on “legislative and administrative recommendations for assuring that public policy maximizes the benefits to Americans of complementary and alternative medicine.” On November 16, 2001, the commission issued an 86-paragraph draft report recommending across-the-board “integration” of “complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)” into government health agencies and the nation’s medical, medical education, and insurance systems. These recommendations are an affront to medical science and an assault on consumer protection. Here is our paragraph-by-paragraph analysis with the report’s words in ordinary type and ours in bracketed dark-red type. As you read our …
Response to a Letter in the Washington Post by WHCCAMP Chair James S. Gordon, MDStephen Barrett, MD WHCCAMP Chair James S. Gordon, MD, is is upset that his 2-year pet project is under attack. On March 26, 2002, the Washington Post printed a letter in which he defended his irresponsible behavior. My comments are interspersed in bracketed red type. CAM Panel’s Chair Responds Washington Post, March 26, 2002. The article “Alternative Health Panel Under Attack” [March 19] suggests I was “dismayed” by “critics” of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy, which I had the honor to chair. The quoted “critics,” including Stephen Barrett, were repeatedly and cordially invited to present their views to the commission — and almost all, …
Well-reasoned criticism of chiropractic quackery has triggered an angry response from the profession. The criticism took place during a segment (“Adjusting the joints”) of Scientific American Frontiers (SAF) that was broadcast beginning June 4th on Public Broadcasting System stations throughout the country.and can be viewed on the SAF Web site. The program acknowledged that spinal manipulation might be useful for acute low back pain [1]. But it also noted that chiropractic’s basic theory is nonsense and that neck manipulation can be dangerous. The parts that upset the chiropractors are summarized on the SAF Web site: Invented by Daniel Palmer in 1895, chiropractic aims to correct blocked nerves — what Palmer claimed were the cause of all disease — by re-aligning the spine. But as former …
Stephen Barrett, M.D.NCAHF has won a civil lawsuit against Aroma Vera, Inc., a leading manufacturer of aromatherapy supplies and other personal-care products. The suit, filed in 1997, charged that the company and its president Marcel Lavabre had violated California’s Business and Professions Code by making advertising false claims about many products. The lawsuit disputed that the products can promote health and well-being, relax the body, relax the mind, enhance mood, purify the air, are antidotes to air pollution, relieve fatigue, tone the body, nourish the skin, promote circulation, alleviate feminine cramps, or do various other things claimed by the company. The suit sought sought restitution for consumers, cessation of these claims, and payment of reasonable attorney fees and costs. The National Council Against Health Fraud …
