Your Weekly Update of News and Reviews
May 28, 2002
Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by Stephen Barrett, M.D., and cosponsored by NCAHF and Quackwatch. It summarizes scientific reports; legislative developments; enforcement actions; news reports; Web site evaluations; recommended and nonrecommended books; and other information relevant to consumer protection and consumer decision-making.
New code of conduct for drug reps. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, which represents about 80 leading drug and biotechnology companies, has issued a professional code of conduct intended to limit what doctors receive from drug company representatives. The items still acceptable include drug samples; a free stethoscope; free meals (if modest and accompanied by educational or scientific exchange); and free medical books (if the cost is not substantial). Unacceptable items include meals that are expensive or not accompanied by appropriate educational activity; bookstore gift certificates; reimbursement for gasoline expenses; and tickets to theater or sporting events. The code’s main thrust is that interactions with drug reps must focus on the product and that educational activities must be genuine. [Robeznieks A. Pharmacy group details what drug reps can give physicians. American Medical News 45(20:1-2, 2002] The rules are a reaction to concerns that drug companies have been using expensive perks to influence medical prescribing habits.
“Classic” MLM sales pitches debunked. John Milton Fogg, a prominent consultant, has blasted four statements that have been used for many years to recruit people into multilevel marketing:
- The Wall Street Journal has said that by the year 2000, 60 to 70 percent of all goods and services will be sold through MLM.
- Network marketing is taught at Harvard and Stanford business schools and in numerous other leading colleges and universities throughout the country.
- Some 20 percent of all the millionaires in America were created through network marketing.
- John Naisbitt, in his best-selling book, Megatrends, says network marketing is the wave of the future.
Fogg’s analysis is posted to MLM Watch.
Chiropractic stroke victim wins $700,000 jury verdict. A Kentucky jury has awarded $700,000 to Terry Smith, a 42-year-old former plumber’s helper who had a stroke following a series of neck manipulations by a chiropractor. Smith testified that he has trouble walking, suffers from severe headaches, is unable to work, has great difficulty in swallowing, and must spend long periods of time feeding himself through a stomach tube. Expert testimony established that the stroke was caused by dissection and subsequent blockage of the vertebral arteries to the brain on both sides. The chiropractor’s attorney argued that the stroke, which took place 19 days after the last chiropractic treatment session, could have been spontaneous and unrelated to the treatment. Plaintiff’s expert, L. Creed Pettigrew, M.D., who heads the University of Kentucky’s stroke treatment center, acknowledged that vertebral artery dissections can occur spontaneously. But he testified that the fact that both arteries were involved at the same time at essentially the same level in the neck almost certainly meant that the manipulations were responsible. Dr. Stephen Barrett believes that the chiropractic profession and medical stroke centers should create a reporting system so that the causes and incidence of the problem can be studied closely.
Neck manipulation by “bonesetter” causes stroke. A stroke has been reported in an otherwise healthy 32-year-old woman who, during a Native American “healing” ceremony, underwent vigorous manipulation in which her head was suddenly thrust upward and to the right while her left shoulder was held to the ground. Six days later, she experienced vertigo (dizziness), vomiting and left-sided ataxia (poor muscle control) that her doctors attributed to a vertebral artery dissection. [Quintana JG and others. Vertebral artery dissection and stroke following neck manipulation by Native American healer. Neurology 58:1434-1435, 2002′] “Bonesetting” is a centuries-old folk practice that includes spinal manipulation and reduction of dislocated bones.
Olympic skiers penalized for alleged “blood doping.” Two Austrian skiers, their coach, and their chiropractor were sanctioned over the use of blood transfusion equipment at last winter’s Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. The athletes were disqualified and the coach (who administered the transfusions) and the chiropractor (who prescribed them) were barred from participating in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympic Games. According to a report in Sports Illustrated magazine:
- The Austrians claimed that the equipment had been used for ultraviolet radiation treatment of athletes’ blood to treat and prevent colds and flu, and not for performance-enhancing purposes.
- The chiropractor told investigators he had been carrying out the treatments at his clinic in Germany for years, including on some athletes from other countries.
- The International Olympic Committee noted that the equipment had been brought in weeks before the games and had not been declared to Olympic medical officials, which suggested that its real purpose was “blood-doping” (a practice that enables the blood to deliver more oxygen to the muscles). [Doping sanctions: IOC bans Austrians in blood transfusion case. Sports Illustrated, May 26, 2002]
The article did not mention that blood irradiation has no proven therapeutic value and should be considered a quack treatment.
Many chiropractors sell dietary supplements. Of 398 chiropractors who responded to an online survey by Chiropractic Economics magazine, 68% said they sold nutritional products in their office. [Stulze T. Fifth annual salary & expense survey results: Are you getting your fair share? Chiropractic Economics 44:26-40, 2002] Although the participants were self-selected (not randomly selected), this figure fits with other survey reports. Supplement products sold through chiropractic offices usually cost much more than comparable products in retail outlets; and patients are usually charged at least twice what the chiropractor pays for them.
2001 || 2002 || 2003 || 2004 || 2005 || 2006 || 2007
2008 || 2009 || 2010 || 2011 || 2012 || 2013 || 2014
2015 || 2016 || 2017 || 2018 || 2019 || 2020 || 2021
2022 || 2023 || 2024 || 2025
To subscribe, click here.
