POLITICAL ACTIVITIES

MACCAH

Former HEW / HHS Secretaries Want Menthol Banned As Cigarette Additive

Seven former federal health secretaries have signed a letter urging that menthol be banned as an ingredient in tobacco products. The pending Family Smoking and Tobacco Control Act ((S.625, H.1108) would: Restrict tobacco advertising and promotions, especially to children. Stop illegal sales of tobacco products to children. Ban candy-flavored cigarettes, which are the primary starter products for young, new smokers. (These flavorings are used to mask the unpleasant taste of inhaled smoke.) Require changes in tobacco products, such as the removal of harmful ingredients or the reduction of nicotine levels. Prohibit health claims about so-called “reduced risk” products that are not scientifically proven or that would discourage current tobacco users from quitting or encourage new users to start. Require tobacco companies to disclose the contents of …

Fighting Quackery: Tips for Activists

Many people concerned about quackery wonder what they can do about it. The crucial first step is to overcome any negative feelings about becoming involved. So before discussing techniques, let’s look at the concerns faced by would-be activists. The Fear of Libel Almost everyone who thinks about fighting quackery experiences some fear of being sued for libel or slander. The fact is, however, that no one who understands the law and follows commonsense rules faces any significant risk. To be libelous, a statement must be defamatory, malicious, and false, and must be published. Slander is similar but applies to oral claims and requires proof of actual damages. A defamatory statement is one that accuses someone of being dishonest, criminal, or professionally incompetent. One that is …

Why Psychologists Should Not Be Licensed to Prescribe Psychiatric Drugs

Since 2002, the American Psychological Association and many state psychological associations have sought passage of state laws that would enable psychologists to prescribe psychiatric medications to their patients [1]. Psychologists have also stepped up efforts to establish psychopharmacology training programs [2]. In March 2002, New Mexico became the first state to authorize psychologist prescribing. Its law (HB 170) enabled psychologists to acquire a two-year license to prescribe under physician supervision by: Completing at least 450 hours of coursework that includes psychopharmacology, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, clinical pharmacology, pharmacology, pathophysiology, pharmacotherapeutics, pharmacoepidemiology, and physical and laboratory assessments. Completing a 400 hour/100 patient practicum under physician supervision Passing a national certification examination. Then, if the supervisor approves and the psychologist’s prescribing records pass an independent peer review, the psychologist …

Institute of Medicine Committee Issues Irresponsible “CAM” Report

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has published a 350-page report [1] assembled by a committee dominated by advocates of “complementary and alternative medicine.” The committee—which I refer to below as the “CAM Committee”—recommends amending the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act to enable greater public protection against misleading claims made for dietary supplements, but nearly all of its other recommendations are poorly reasoned. Neither the IOM nor the parent organization, the National Academy of Sciences, has endorsed the report. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), which provided funding for the report, limited who could be on the “CAM” Committee by barring all persons whom the project administrators perceived as critics of irrational “CAM” practices. These critics, including me, were also excluded …

Analysis of the Reports of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (WHCCAMP)

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.” Nearly all of the Commissioners are philosophically aligned and economically involved with the so-called “CAM” movement. Few knowledgeable critics were appointed. The Commission worked for two years and submitted its final report to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson in March 2002. The report, which represents the views of 17 of the 19 Commissioners, recommends across-the-board “integration” of “CAM” into government health agencies and the nation’s medical, medical education, research, and insurance systems — a situation that would promote unscientific …

Dealing with Telephone Pests: Three Little Magic Words

Steve Rubenstein ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle Humanity could defeat its greatest scourge if everyone would repeat the phrase: “Hold on, please.” Three simple words, enough to change the world. Whenever a phone solicitor calls in the middle of dinner, don’t get sore. Don’t slam down the receiver. Don’t hang up. Just say, “Hold on, please.” Then gently set the receiver on the table and go about your business. Why will this change the world? Because the solicitor will hold on, too. While the solicitor is on hold, he cannot bug other people in the middle of dinner, can he? No, he can’t. For years, I have employed the Hold On Please technique. The mathematics behind the HOP technique are truly amazing. Phone solicitors make money …

SSCP Task Force Statement on Prescribing Privileges

Advocates for prescribing authority for psychologists (RxP) have advanced the following major arguments: A. Psychotropic medications have become a major class of interventions that can help psychologists’ clients. There is, to be sure, considerable controversy over the actual degree of efficacy and over the biological and psychological mechanisms responsible for their apparent effects. Nevertheless, it is an undeniable fact that they seem to benefit a substantial percentage of their target populations. This includes people who lack access to psychosocial treatments, or who have refused or cannot be counted on to respond adequately to them. B. Prescribing authority is a natural, desirable, and attainable extension of the practice of clinical and counseling psychology. Psychological science has long recognized the role of biological factors in psychological and …

Analysis of WCCAMP’s November 2001 Draft Report

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 analysis, please keep these points in mind: WHCCAMP simply assumes that …

Pro-Quackery Legislation

Instead of conducting scientific studies, quackery’s promoters use anecdotes and testimonials to promote their practices and political maneuvering to keep regulatory agencies at bay. The legislative strategies include: (1) protection through licensing laws, (2) “insurance equality” laws, and (3) weakening of regulatory agencies. Licensing Laws One way for unscientific practitioners to preserve their freedom to practice is to set up their own licensing boards that permit them. Chiropractors have been licensed in all 50 states since 1974. Although chiropractic boards occasionally discipline practitioners, they almost never interfere with quack practices. Naturopaths, nonphysician acupuncturists, and massage therapists (many of whom are engaged in bizarre practices) have achieved licensure in fewer states but are actively campaigning in many others. The achievement of licensure enables practitioners to assert, …