Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by William M. London, Ed.D., M.P.H., with help from Stephen Barrett, M.D., It summarizes scientific reports; legislative developments; enforcement actions; other news items; Web site evaluations; recommended and nonrecommended books; research tips; and other information relevant to consumer protection and consumer decision-making. The Digestās primary focus is on health, but occasionally it includes non-health scams and practical tips. Items posted to this archive may be updated when relevant information becomes available. To subscribe, click here.
Debt collection lawsuits against friends, family of nursing-home residents spotlighted. A Kaiser Health News (KHN) review of court records in Monroe County, New York, has exposed the problem of nursing homes suing family and friends of the residents to collect debts. The review found:
- 24 of the federally licensed nursing homes in Monroe County filed 238 debt-collection cases from 2018 to 2021 seeking almost $7.6 million.
- Nearly two-thirds of the cases targeted a residentās friend or relative other than the spouse.
- Many lawsuits accused family members and friendsāoften without documentationāof hiding residentsā assets.
- In a few cases, nursing homes sought payments of more than $100,000.
- In most cases, the people sued did not have an attorney.
- In nearly one-third of the cases, nursing homes won default judgments because defendants never responded.
- In many cases, lawsuits sought interest payments as high as 18%.
- In more than one-third of the cases, the people sued had no power of attorney, limiting their access to residentsā money to pay bills.
Consumer attorneys in California, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio told KHN that they regularly see lawsuits against the family and friends of nursing-home residents. Federal laws and regulations prohibit homes from requesting or requiring a residentās relatives or friends to financially guarantee the residentās admission, but nursing homes sometimes illegally request signatures in admission agreements calling for such guarantees. These admission agreements are included among other forms that are signed upon admission. [Levey NN. Nursing homes are suing the friends and family of residents to collect debts. NPR, July 28, 2022]
Medical repercussions of abortion criminalization summarized. Restrictions and bans on abortion in some U.S. states have reportedly resulted in:
- the reluctance of doctors to treat ectopic pregnancies, in which an embryo grows outside of the uterus, canāt be saved, and often become a life-threatening emergency
- the reluctance of doctors to evacuate the uterus when the motherās life is endangered by pregnancy complications, particularly when a fetal heartbeat is detected
- doctors being unwilling to prescribe methotrexate, a drug useful in treating a variety of diseases, because it is known to induce miscarriage and is used off-label to end ectopic pregnancies
- women with many potential reproductive years left seeking sterilization, some because they fear long-acting birth control or other contraceptives, will become targets
[Tanner L. Abortion laws spark profound changes in other medical care. Associated Press, July 16, 2022]
Educational materials on genetically engineered foods released. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released new educational materials to provide science-based information on genetically engineered food. [FDA releases new āFeed Your Mindā education materials on GMOs for consumers, health educators, and health care providers. FDA CFSAN Constituent Update, Aug 4, 2022] The new materials include:
- four-page downloadable PDF documents āGMOs 101: Your Basic Questions Answeredā and āGMOs and Your Healthā
- the infographic āGMO Crops in the U.S.ā
- forĀ consumers, the video āGMOs, Farm to Tableā and the infographic āWhere Can You Find GMOs?ā
- forĀ health educators, the videoĀ āGMOs and Food Safety: A Guide for Health Educatorsā and the discussion guideĀ āA Question of GMOsā
- forĀ registered dietitians (RDs), registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs), and nutrition and dietetics technicians, registered (NDTRs), the videoĀ āUnderstanding GMOsā and the fact sheet āUnderstanding GMOs,ā that were developed by the FDA and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Chiropractor gaining popularity on TikTok criticizing chiropractic. Trevor Zierke, D.C. has produced popular TikTok videos that are appropriately critical of chiropractors promoting unnecessary x-rays, neck āadjustments,ā treatment of non-musculoskeletal conditions, a popular handheld device, inappropriate touching of patients, and inappropriate reasons for seeking chiropractic care. [Bjella B. āWhen I say almost all the usual lines chiropractors tell you are lies, I mean almost all of themā: Chiropractor says that most of his profession is a scam. Daily Dot, Aug 5, 2022]
Nonsensical homeopathic poison oak paper retracted. The journal Science Reports has retracted an egregious 2018 paper that claimed that treatment with an ultra-diluted homeopathic preparation of poison oak popularly known as Rhus Tox for 14 days ameliorated neuropathic pain. The subjects of the reported research were cultured cells. [Salzberg S. When a science journal does the right thing. Forbes, July 25, 2022]
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