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• Idaho and Arkansas are set to allow ivermectin quackery.
• Aid-in-dying resources discussed.
• Faith-healing parents who rejected medical care convicted of murdering their daughter.

Idaho and Arkansas are set to allow ivermectin quackery. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ivermectin only for the treatment of specific parasitic diseases. Nevertheless, right-wing influencers are promoting the drug for unproven uses, including against cancer and autism. Idaho Gov. Brad Little has signed into law Senate Bill 1211 that deregulates ivermectin and permits it to be sold without a prescription. [Pfannenstiel K. In Idaho, ivermectin can be sold over the counter—after Gov. Little signs bill. Idaho Capital Sun, April 14, 2025] Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders also signed a bill into law permitting over-the-counter sales of ivermectin. [Lenora J. New Arkansas law allows over-the-counter ivermectin sales. Little Rock Public Radio, March 26, 2025]

Similar legislation is pending in at least six other states: Kentucky, West Virginia, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama and Texas, according to a recent article in The New York Times. [Fausset R. Why the right embraces ivermectin. The New York Times, March 31, 2025] The article notes:

Indeed, ivermectin has become a sort of enduring pharmacological MAGA hat: a symbol of resistance to what some in the movement describe as an elitist and corrupt cabal of politicians, scientists and medical experts. While many of those experts fear that misinformation about ivermectin could lead to overdoses — or prompt people to reject proven treatments for Covid or other ailments — conservative lawmakers in a number of states are promoting legislation that would allow ivermectin to be sold without a prescription, often in the name of medical freedom.

Early in the pandemic, the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC Alliance), a group founded by three critical-care physicians, began promoting the use of the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin against COVID-19. The group currently operates as the Independent Medical Alliance. It promotes ivermectin as effective in treating a wide range of ailments.

Multiple expert organizations internationally have found evidence lacking to support ivermectin as a COVID-19 drug. An FDA consumer page states “currently available clinical trial data do not demonstrate that ivermectin is effective against COVID-19 in humans.” The Infectious Diseases Society of America recommends against the use of ivermectin in ambulatory persons with COVID-19. On February 4, 2021, Merck, the company that manufactures the drug and sells it in the U.S. under the brand name STROMECTOL, issued a statement declaring ivermectin has:

• no scientific basis for a potential therapeutic effect against COVID-19 from pre-clinical studies
• no meaningful evidence for clinical activity or clinical efficacy in patients with COVID-19 disease
• a concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies

Aid-in-dying resources discussed. Lamar W. Hankins, a retired attorney, has provided an illuminating guide to “options available for those facing an unacceptable protracted death that lacks the dignity most people seek.” He offers the examples of people with inoperable brain tumors, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease, who at some point in the course of their disease may consider seeking medical assistance in dying (known as MAID). In the United States, MAID is legal in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana (through a court decision, not legislation), New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia. MAID is available in Vermont to non-residents of the state. In other states where MAID is legal, non-residents must go through the expensive and time-consuming process of establishing state residency to be eligible for MAID services. The residency requirement in Oregon is enforced in only one county in the state. Bills have been filed for legalizing MAID in several other states. Hankins refutes disability activists’ arguments in opposition to the right to die.

Aid-in-dying resources include:

• Final Exit Network (FEN), whose purpose is to: “Educate qualified individuals in practical, peaceful ways to end their lives, offer a compassionate bedside presence, and defend their right to choose”
• Swiss Groups Supporting Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD)
• Derek Humphry’s book Final Exit 2020 (The paperback 3rd edition is available for purchase. The updated Final Exit 2020 Digital Edition is available only as a PDF and can be downloaded at https://www.finalexit.org/.)
• Compassion & Choices
• the 2021 book Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking: A Compassionate, Widely-Available Option for Hastening Death, edited by Quill, P.T. Menzel, T.M. Pope and J.K. Schwarz
• the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to people who call 988 in suicidal crisis or emotional distress

Hankins concludes:

Anyone facing an intolerable, perhaps protracted, death, an unacceptable and irreversible decline of mental and/or physical functions, or a significantly diminished quality of life can do their own research using the resources provided above. The result may be that they will find a way to have a good and dignified death—one that doesn’t depend on the whims of legislators or the personal decisions of their doctors but puts them in charge of their own life and death. The rationality common among freethinkers seems, in my experience, to make dying on one’s own terms a preferred choice.

[Hankins LW. A freethinker’s guide to the right to die. Free Inquiry, 45(1): 34:40, Dec 2024/Jan 2025.

Faith-healing parents who rejected medical care convicted of murdering their daughter. Joshua and Rachel Piland of Lansing, Michigan, who shunned medical care for their critically ill newborn daughter, Abigail, because of their religious beliefs, have been found guilty in a jury trial of second-degree murder and first-degree child abuse following a two-week trial. Sentencing has been set for June 11. Abigail died as a result of hemolytic disease of the newborn due to Rh incompatibility with her mother, which led to a lethal buildup of unconjugated bilirubin (jaundice). About 20 hours after she was born, a midwife and her assistant noticed she was jaundiced. They and Rachel’s mother advised the couple to take her to a hospital immediately, but the couple declined. [Palmer K. Lansing faith-healing parents convicted of murder, child abuse by jury. Lansing State Journal, March 26, 2025]

Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by William Matthew 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 Digest’s 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.

• Researchers find link between religiosity and medical conspiracy theory beliefs.
• Book exposing cultism in multilevel marketing recommended.
• Truth in Advertising warns consumers about compounded versions of drugs in high demand.

Researchers find link between religiosity and medical conspiracy theory beliefs. Based on their analysis of data from the Eurobarometer survey conducted in 2021 in 37 European countries, researchers from Adam Mickiewicz University and Poznan University of Medical Sciences found:

• Medical conspiracy theories are more common in Baltic, Balkan, Southern, Central, and Eastern European countries than in Scandinavian and Western European countries.
• People who declare themselves to be religious are more willing to believe in conspiracy theories than those who are not religious.
• Muslims are most associated with beliefs in medical conspiracy theories. Catholics and Orthodox Christians also had stronger support for medical conspiracy theories than did other faith groups and non-believers.

The researchers statistically controlled for variation in four characteristics of respondents: gender, age, educational level, and trust in scientists. They noted:

Efforts to bridge the gap between scientific evidence, public perceptions, and religious influences are crucial in promoting evidence-based healthcare practices and mitigating the adverse effects of medical conspiracy beliefs on public health. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown explicitly what the consequences of the spread of post-truth can be for the public health of entire populations.

[Jabkowski P, Domaradzki J, Baranowski M. Religiosity and beliefs in medical conspiracy theories in 37 European countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, 12, 434, 2025]

Book exposing cultism in multilevel marketing recommended. Robert L. FitzPatrick, author of Ponzinomics, the Untold Story of Multi-Level Marketing, has reviewed the new book Cults Like Us by Jane Borden. He describes it as the first book from a major publisher—Simon & Schuster—”to specifically identify multilevel-marketing [MLM] as part of the self-destructive cultism sweeping across America.” He notes:

Beyond its enormous scale, MLM’s significance is further amplified by its corrupting influence on government, also recognized in Cults Like Us. For more than a decade leading up to his first presidential election, Donald Trump was paid millions as the most famous endorser of MLM. After election, Trump placed Betsy DeVos of Amway, the largest and oldest of MLMs, over the nation’s schools. Recently, he put Mehmet Oz in charge of Medicare and Medicaid. MLM is the most aggressive promoter of snake oil “pills, potions, and lotions” as medical remedies. “Dr. Oz” gained fame and fortune as an MLM “wellness” champion. MLM has also leveraged the power of the US government to globally spread its pyramid recruiting scam. Two of its highly paid “ambassadors,” Alexander Haig and Madeleine Albright, were previously U.S. Secretaries of State. As the book chronicles, Bill Clinton also was a highly paid MLM promoter after his term as US President.

[FitzPatrick RL. Multi-level marketing identified as “cult” in new book from major publisher: A review of Cults Like Us. PyramidSchemeAlert, April 10, 2025]

Additional information about MLM is available at MLM Watch.

Truth in Advertising warns consumers about compounded versions of drugs in high demand. Truth in Advertising has noted a recent explosion of telehealth companies marketing compounded versions of brand-name drugs. The agency advises consumers the FDA has not verified the safety and effectiveness of compounded drugs, as it has for brand name and generic drugs. It notes examples of compounded-drug advertisements that inadequately disclose their health risks and show compounded drugs that are not FDA-approved. [What you should know about telehealth companies selling compounded drugs: Ads don’t always give the full picture. TINA.org, April 8, 2025]

Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by William Matthew 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 Digest’s 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.

• Misinformation-spreading anti-vaccine doctor disciplined for unprofessional conduct.
• Utah bans community water fluoridation.
• NY Division of Consumer Protection warns consumers about dietary supplements.
• Vitamin A against measles, as supported by RFK, Jr., leaves children more ill.
• CFI posts videos addressing consumer health issues.

Misinformation-spreading anti-vaccine doctor disciplined for unprofessional conduct. Edmonton pathologist Dr. Roger Hodkinson has admitted to charges of unprofessional conduct and has been sanctioned by a Hearing Tribunal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA), Canada. On several occasions in 2020 and 2021, Dr. Hodkinson made public statements at an Edmonton City Council meeting, in a media interview and on social media, about public health measures in place at the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The comments offered by Dr. Hodkinson fell outside the scope of practice of a pathologist and were inconsistent with accepted public health medicine guidelines. This was contrary to expectations outlined in the Canadian Medical Association’s Code of Ethics and Professionalism that states physicians must clearly indicate when they are offering an opinion contrary to the accepted view of the profession, and be cautious in not overstepping the limits of their knowledge and skills.

At a hearing held in November 2024, Dr. Hodkinson admitted to the allegations against him and acknowledged that his conduct breached the Code of Ethics and Professionalism. The Hearing Tribunal recognized Dr. Hodkinson’s admission of unprofessional conduct and accepted a joint submission on sanctions, ordering the following:

• Dr. Hodkinson will receive a caution.
• At his own cost, Dr. Hodkinson must complete an online course from the Canadian Medical Association on influence and advocacy.
• Dr. Hodkinson is responsible for a portion of the costs of the investigation and hearing, totaling $5,000.

[Dr. Roger Hodkinson sanctioned by CPSA Hearing Tribunal. College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta media release, March 27, 2025]

A recent article described Dr. Hodkinson as “one of world’s most high-profile contrarian COVID-19 medical ‘experts’.” [Rusnell C. Anti-vax doctor punished for relentless spread of misinformation. The Tyee, March 28, 2025]

Utah bans community water fluoridation. Utah has become the first U.S. state to ban fluoridation of public drinking water. Florida, Ohio and South Carolina are also considering community water fluoridation bans. [Brown M, Schoenbaum H, Gruver M. Utah bans fluoride in public drinking water, a first in the US. Associated Press, March 28, 2025] Fluoridation of drinking water safely prevents tooth decay in children and adults, saving money for everyone. [About community water fluoridation. CDC, May 15, 2024] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognized the fluoridation of drinking water as one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20^th century. Nevertheless, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has called for removal of fluoride from the country’s water supplies. [Kounang N, Hassan C, McPhillips D. RFK Jr. says fluoride is ‘an industrial waste’ linked to cancer, diseases and disorders. Here’s what the science says. CNN Health, Nov 4, 2024]

NY Division of Consumer Protection warns consumers about dietary supplements. The New York State Division of Consumer Protection has issued a consumer alert “warning consumers to take precautions when selecting vitamins and dietary supplements.” [New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection warns consumers to take precautions when purchasing vitamins and dietary supplements. New York Department of State Consumer Alert, April 2, 2025] It states:

Dietary supplements are not required to be subjected to premarket testing, clinical trials, and FDA approval in the same way that over the counter and prescription medications are and can be sold without the FDA ever knowing they are on the market. Reports of labeling violations related to dietary supplements are common and there have been reports of:

• inclusion of potentially harmful ingredients,
• counterfeit and fake supplements sold online, and
• deceptive advertising and communication strategies by some companies.

The alert includes tips for consumers buying vitamins and dietary supplements:

Research and Verify

• • Buy only products that have been independently tested to verify label accuracy.
  • Look into evidence of efficacy and safety from scientific review as provided by the National Institute of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements and The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Beware of Potentially Unsafe Products, Counterfeit or Misleading Claims

• • Laboratory testing has found that many products sold online contained various undeclared active ingredients while others were removed from the market due to serious safety concerns.
  • Beware of misleading, false or prohibited claims.

Consult a Healthcare Professional

• • Consult a physician if you are on any other medications.
  • Read the ingredients label to make sure the nutrients meet the recommended amount and do not exceed upper limits.
  • Consult the list of unapproved products in FDA’s Health Fraud Product Database.

The alert neglects to inform people that “Supplements have no proven benefit for healthy people who have even a remotely balanced diet.” [Seres D. What supplements do you need? Probably none. Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Jan 26, 2023]

Vitamin A against measles, as supported by RFK, Jr., leaves children more ill. Multiple children, but fewer than 10, who were recently hospitalized in West Texas due to measles complications were found to have vitamin A toxicity (hypervitaminosis A) and were treated for it. Some of the children were given vitamin A for both prevention and treatment of measles. As of April 4, the Texas State Department of Health Services had reported 481 cases of measles including 56 patients who have been hospitalized in the South Plains and Panhandle regions since late January.

After a child died of measles in late February, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., falsely claimed vitamin A and cod liver oil could be used to prevent or treat measles. He published an opinion piece on Fox News Digital in early March, citing a study and CDC notice to support his claims that “vitamin A can dramatically reduce measles mortality,” but that finding is applicable where vitamin A deficiency is common, not in the United States. [Martin S. West Texas children treated for vitamin A toxicity after measles hospitalizations. USA Today, April 4, 2025]

CFI posts videos addressing consumer health issues. Several videos from Center for Inquiry events in the last year that address topics relevant to consumer health are available on YouTube. Among them:

• Countering the Next Phase of American Anti-Vaccine Activism | Peter Hotez
• Echo Chambers vs. Evidence: Ideological Conflicts in Science Acceptance | Andrea Love
• Falling for Misinformation | Melanie Trecek-King
• Family Constellation: Quantum Misogyny | Natalia Pasternak—“Family Constellation is a pseudoscientific therapy in which the “quantum energy” of the family and relatives of the patient (dead or alive) manifests itself. Created in Germany, it became popular in Brazilian courts of law as a way to ease family disputes. The practice systematically blames women for refusing to submit to their male relatives.”
• Friendly Fire: The Role of Bad Science in Spreading Health and Wellness Misinformation | Nick Tiller
• How Disinformation Threatens Genetic Innovation | Kevin Folta
• Saving Your Mental Health from the Wellness Industry | Jonathan Stea
• Superfoods, Silkworms, and Spandex | Dr. Joe Schwarcz
• The Latest in Autism Claptrap | Stuart Vyse
• What RFK Jr ’s Confirmation Could Mean for the American Health Care System | Paul Offit
• Why Bother? The Nature of Pseudoscience, How to Fight It, and Why It Matters | Massimo Pigliucci

Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by William Matthew 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 Digest’s 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.

• Robert O. Young found guilty of treating terminally ill patients without medical credentials.
• Harmful influence of the health freedom movement spotlighted.
• FDA’s top vaccine regulator resigns under pressure from RFK, Jr.
• HHS hires anti-vaccine activist to conduct vaccine safety study.

Robert O. Young found guilty of treating terminally ill patients without medical credentials. Robert O. Young, author of a series of “pH miracle” books and promoter of various dubious health products and services, has been convicted on criminal charges that he treated terminally ill patients without medical training, certifications, or any college degrees. A San Diego County jury found him guilty on several felony counts, including willful abuse of an elder, two counts of practicing without a medical license, and one count of theft from an elder. Young’s co-defendant, Galina Migalko, who helped him run his business, was also found guilty on the same charges except for willful abuse of an elder, which was not one of the counts against her. Young had two previous convictions for practicing medicine without a license. According to testimony at the most recent trial, Young treated an elderly woman, Jane Clayson, for liver and thyroid disease using his expensive dietary supplements. He also convinced her to not get liver scans recommended by real doctors. [Hargrove D. Founder of pH Miracle Diet found guilty of elder abuse and treating patients without a license. CBS 8 San Diego, Feb 7, 2025] Dr. Stephen Barrett has written about Young’s record of legal difficulties in an article at Quackwatch.

Harmful influence of the health freedom movement spotlighted. In a lengthy essay, Matt Hongoltz-Hetling, author of If It Sounds Like a Quack. . . A Journey to the Fringes of American Medicine (Public Affairs Books, 2023), tells the story of Dawn Kali, a woman who was wary of the medical system and “had grown up in a family that revered the principles of all-natural living.” After she was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer, which can be treated effectively with standard care, Ms. Kali read Robert O. Young’s 2002 book The pH Miracle. The book led her to adopt “Young’s ‘alkalarian’ program: an all-liquid, low-acid diet of vegetable smoothies supplemented by Young’s proprietary pHour Salts, purified water drops and green powders” in combination with meditation and exercise. Eventually, she spent time working and living at Young’s $2,000-a-night health resort. While staffing a sales booth for Young at a health freedom expo in Chicago, she experienced pain from what turned out to be her cancer that “had metastasized throughout her bones.” Ms. Kali died last May at age 50. Hongoltz-Hetling wrote:

In her quest for options outside traditional medicine, Ms. Kali found herself part of what has become known as the health freedom movement. In the past 25 years, the movement has stitched together yoga moms, flag-waving anti-maskers, alternative healers, disenchanted doctors and other fellow travelers who believe that the government has no business meddling in personal health decisions. With the installment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary, what was once a fringe coalition of grass-roots activists and libertarians now controls the regulatory halls of power.

Moreover:

Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Young, health freedom activists and their many followers are right that people deserve to choose the health care they want, especially given America’s expensive, often inaccessible and impersonal health care system. But Americans also deserve protection from fraudulent claims of self-proclaimed health experts. They also need to be educated about the risks. . .

While skeptics and scientists have attempted to aggressively debunk the claims of the medical freedom movement, it has continued to flourish. To change the current trajectory, government and medical institutions need to sap the movement’s destructive power by addressing the fundamental concerns that so animate its public support: Curb lobbying and influence from pharmaceutical industries, improve transparency and accountability, increase the national supply of doctors and other professional medical personnel and create a health care system that incentivizes those professionals to build long-term, respectful relationships with their patients.

In the alternative health sphere, we should create licensing frameworks that harness the entrepreneurial energy of healers while holding them to ethical standards that protect the public. Enacting any of these measures requires an appetite for self-reform and political power, and right now, they seem in short supply.

[Hongoltz-Hetling M. The story of one woman who fell prey to the medical freedom movement. The New York Times, March 29, 2025]

FDA’s top vaccine regulator resigns under pressure from RFK, Jr. Dr. Peter Marks has resigned from his position as Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), effective April 5, 2025, under pressure from Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and his team. In his resignation letter, Dr. Marks wrote:

. . .it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.

My hope is that during the coming years, the unprecedented assault on scientific truth that has adversely impacted public health in our nation comes to an end so that the citizens of our country can fully benefit from the breadth of advances in medical science.

[Jewett C, and others. Top F.D.A. vaccine official resigns, citing Kennedy’s ‘misinformation and lies’. The New York Times, March 28, 2025]

HHS hires anti-vaccine activist to conduct vaccine safety study. David Geier, who has no medical degree and who was once disciplined by the Maryland State Board of Physicians for practicing medicine without a license, has been hired to lead a new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study to identify whether a relationship between vaccines and autism exists, despite dozens of previous studies showing no such relationship. Geier has promoted the unproven and costly Lupron treatment of autism. He has also conducted poorly designed research with his father Mark Geier, M.D. Paul Offit, M.D., of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told MedPage Today: “I think one can expect that with David Geier at the helm and Kennedy as head of HHS, we may soon see a study that shows that vaccines cause autism, even though they don’t—which will further scare parents, further cause them to forego vaccines for their children, and further increase the rates of vaccine-preventable diseases.” [George J. Who is David Geier, the man leading federal autism-vaccine study? MedPage Today, March 27, 2025] On Quackwatch, Dr. Stephen Barrett has discussed the related to the Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs (CoMeD), the 501(C)(3) not-for-profit group they founded.

Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by William Matthew 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 Digest’s 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.

• Leaked videos reveal health guru Joe Mercola relies on channeled entity for medical advice.
• Four people arraigned in connection with death of 5-year-old boy in hyperbaric chamber fire.
• FDA warns six companies about marketing unapproved fat-dissolving injections.

Leaked videos reveal health guru Joe Mercola relies on channeled entity for medical advice. Science communicator Jonathan Jarry has reported that major anti-vaccine and “alternative health” influencer Joe Mercola has daily Zoom calls with Christopher W. Johnson, the CEO of a now-defunct branding agency, who goes by the name Kai Clay and claims to channel an entity called Bahlon. Journalist Rick Polito for Natural Products Insider (now called SupplySide Supplement Journal) originally reported this story in a series of articles last year. A whistleblower within Mercola’s company has shared over 100 two-hour videos of the Zoom calls with McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, and Jarry watched 26 of them. A link to a 62-minute video summary written, shot, and edited by Jarry is provided at the end of his report.

Jarry reports that the videos he reviewed provide evidence Mercola:

• claims a net worth of over $300 million
• has grandiose ideas such as believing “he will earn more Nobel Prizes than anyone in the world; he will create an infrared-light-emitting device that will one day end up in a museum like the first Apple computer; and that he will bring about a chain of international wellness clinics, restaurants, hotels, and farmer’s markets”
• blows carbon dioxide “up his [own] bum regularly,” 1.5 liters at a time, claiming it creates a force field around him
• relies on both Bahlon and ChatGPT for medical advice and information
• wants to “destroy the veterinary industry” to “protect our pets from the damage that’s been inflicted upon (them) by this industry” and received advice from Bahlon on how to do so
• believes the Catholic Church is “the heart of the Global Cabal,” that it has one of the best brainwashing techniques on Earth, and that Catholic employees have no place at his company, as confirmed by a legal filing by Mercola’s sister in which firings are described as “the Catholic Purge” at Mercola’s company

Jarry also reports:

• Mercola’s former CEO Steve Rye filed a civil action accusing Christopher Johnson and Mercola’s new CEO Laura Berry of having moved assets from Mercola’s company into new entities they control, thus enriching Johnson and the new CEO
• Berry knew Johnson prior to becoming the CEO of Mercola’s company
• Berry is a lawyer with multiple complaints lodged against her
• Journalist Rick Polito has reported that Christopher Johnson is paid 1.2 million dollars a year for his work for Mercola

Jarry concludes:

The potential harms of health-related pseudoscience and the conspiracy theories that often accompany it are laid bare in the Mercola Tapes. . . The quality of the information we receive from alternative health influencers is always suspect: here, one of the major health gurus of our time is revealed to be asking medical questions to an alleged spirit and to an AI interface known to hallucinate. Getting health advice from Joe Mercola at this point is beyond defensible.

[Jarry J. Exclusive videos show Dr. Joe Mercola’s dangerous ideas whipped up by alleged medium. McGill Office for Science and Society, March 18, 2025]

Four people arraigned in connection with death of 5-year-old boy in hyperbaric chamber fire. Four people have been arrested and charged following the death of 5-year-old Thomas Cooper during his treatment in a hyperbaric chamber that exploded at The Oxford Center in Troy, Michigan. Oxford Center owner Tamela Peterson, 58, safety manager Jeffrey Mosteller, 64, and primary management assistant Gary Marken, 65, each face one count of Second-Degree Murder and a potential life sentence or, alternatively, one count of Involuntary Manslaughter that carries a potential 15-year sentence. Aleta Moffit, 60, the operator of the hyperbaric chamber, is charged with one count of Involuntary Manslaughter and one count of Medical Records–Intentionally Placing False Information on Chart, a felony that could carry a four-year sentence. [Four charged in connection to death of 5-year-old after hyperbaric chamber explosion at Oxford Center. Michigan Department of Attorney General press release, March 11, 2025] In a news conference, Attorney General Dana said:

• “This was an unscrupulous business operating powerful machines, beyond their manufacturers’ intended term of use, on children’s bodies over and over again to provide unaccredited and debunked so-called treatments, chiefly because it brought cash into the door.”
• “The Oxford Center routinely operated sensitive and lethally dangerous hyperbaric chambers beyond their expected service lifetime and in complete disregard of vital safety measures and practices considered essential by medical and technical professionals.”

[Chuck E. Hyperbaric chamber facility where boy died put profits before client care, Michigan attorney general says. NBC News, March 11, 2025]

Two Democratic state legislators are working together to explore regulatory options for hyperbaric chambers in Michigan. [Chuck E. Michigan boy’s death raises concerns about unregulated hyperbaric oxygen therapy outside of health care facilities. NBC News, March 16 2025]

Lawyers for Thomas’s parents said the boy was treated for sleep apnea and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, which are not recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as conditions treatable with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Thomas’s family plans to file a lawsuit. [Chuck E. Family whose 5-year-old was killed in a hyperbaric chamber is ‘absolutely devastated,’ attorney says. NBC News, Feb 14, 2025]

FDA warns six companies about marketing unapproved fat-dissolving injections. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted six warning letters to companies responsible for introducing unapproved fat-dissolving injectable drug products into interstate commerce. The agency reminds consumers that fat-dissolving injections not FDA-approved can be harmful. [FDA roundup. FDA, March 11, 2025] The letters were sent to:

• Amazon.com, Inc.
• Fox Pharma LLC
• Filler Lux, doing business as Filler Lux USA
• Hyaluron Pen Store, LLC, doing business as Glow Nest Beauty
• Julian Naya Beauty LLC
• Vivid-Scientific LLC

Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by William Matthew 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 Digest’s 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.

• Conspiracy mindset linked to acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination misinformation.
• Researchers find ads for compounded drugs for diabetes and obesity are often misleading.
• Refunds ordered for consumers deceived by Pure Green Coffee weight-loss ads.
• McGill Office for Science and Society honored by JREF.

Conspiracy mindset linked to acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination misinformation. Researchers from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania have identified “conspiracy mindset” as an important source of vaccination resistance in the United States. The findings were published after they reviewed research they had conducted from the first through the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. They concluded:

• Conspiracy mindset played a large role in the acceptance of misinformation about the safety and efficacy of vaccination, including the vaccines that can protect against COVID-19.
• People with a conspiracy mindset tended to show greater reliance on conservative media such as Fox News that undercut efforts to promote vaccination.
• Republicans who received messages from members of their own party that supported vaccination were more likely to get vaccinated.
• For Black Americans, reduced acceptance of misinformation appeared to be more related to pro-vaccination communication within their local communities than their use of mainstream media.
• “For those who are simply misinformed, especially in the early phases of a health crisis, correcting their misinformation through mainstream media may be effective.”
• “However, for those with strong levels of mistrust of authorities, especially in the health system and mainstream media, simple corrections will not be persuasive. Persons with the mindset are prone to discount messages coming from sources they do not consider credible.”

[Romer D, Jamieson KH. Lessons learned about conspiracy mindset and belief in vaccination misinformation during the COVID pandemic of 2019 in the United States. Frontiers in Communication, 10, Feb 16, 2025]

Researchers find ads for compounded drugs for diabetes and obesity are often misleading. Researchers from the Yale School of Medicine and UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine conducted online searches between July and September 2024 to identify and review websites advertising the sale of compounded semaglutide, tirzepatide, or liraglutide, or prescriptions for these glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs). GLP-1 RAs are high-demand drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. Because of shortages, pharmacies are allowed to sell compounded versions of the drugs containing the same active ingredients as the brand-name versions approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but compounded versions may contain different inactive ingredients than the approved versions. The researchers found:

• 98 unique websites that sold any GLP-1 RA, of which 79 sold compounded GLP-1 RAs or a prescription for compounded medications
• all of the 79 websites sold compounded semaglutide, 57 (72.2%) sold compounded tirzepatide, and 3 (3.8%) sold compounded liraglutide
• median first-month prices, including discounts, for compounded semaglutide, tirzepatide, and liraglutide were $231, $330, and $248 respectively
• while 34 websites (43.0%) stated the compounded medications were not FDA-approved, 29 (36.7%) incorrectly stated or implied they were FDA-approved
• 39 websites (49.4%) did not report adverse effects, warnings and precautions, and contraindications of compounded GLP-1 RAs
• 32 (40.5%) advertised an efficacy claim not on the authorized label of the FDA-approved branded GLP-1 RA
• 52 websites (65.8%) featured a mark of certification, 50 of which displayed LegitScript certification
• 11 websites (13.9%) did not disclose that the GLP-1 RAs for sale were compounded
• 7 websites (8.9%) referred to compounded medications as generic

The researchers concluded:

Enhanced regulatory guidance and oversight are needed to clarify criteria for “truthful, non-misleading, and accurate” advertising to ensure consumers are informed of the risks and benefits of compounded GLP-1 RAs and other compounded medications. The FDA could require websites to explicitly disclose and define compounding, including lack of FDA approval; institute unique naming conventions for compounded medications; and be given greater authority to act against misleading compounded medication advertising. 

[Chetty AK, and others. Online advertising of compounded glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists. JAMA Health Forum, 6(1): e245018, Jan 17, 2025]

Refunds ordered for consumers deceived by Pure Green Coffee weight-loss ads. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced it is sending a total of more than $905,000 in refunds to 39,977 consumers who bought Pure Green Coffee, a sham weight loss product marketed by NPB Advertising with false health claims, bogus testimonials, and fake news websites. The FTC sued NPB Advertising, its principals and related companies in May 2014. The 2015 amended complaint alleged deception in promoting Pure Green Coffee. Most of the defendants settled the FTC’s charges in November 2015. The FTC won its suit against the “pitchman” of the operation, Nicholas Scott Congleton, in November 2016, and engaged in extensive efforts to collect on the judgment. [FTC sends refunds to consumers deceived by Pure Green Coffee weight loss ads. FTC press release, March 6, 2025]

McGill Office for Science and Society honored by JREF. The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) has given its most recent award to McGill University’s Office for Science and Society (OSS), which is directed by Dr. Joe Schwarcz. The award is given each year to persons or organizations that best represent the spirit of the foundation and the legacy of James “The Amazing” Randi. The announcement stated:

“Dr. Joe” and his team have been outspoken proponents of science literacy and critics of pseudoscience. We hope this award helps the OSS continue its excellent record of public outreach and science awareness.

[2024 JREF Award. James Randi Educational Foundation, Jan 21, 2025]

Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by William Matthew 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 Digest’s 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.

• Medical tests promoted on social media found to be misleading.
• Carnivore diet’s “foundation crumbles under the weight of evidence-based nutrition.”
• Investigator spotlights risks of aphrodisiacs.
• Little evidence Medicinal Garden Kit has therapeutic value.

Medical tests promoted on social media found to be misleading. Researchers from Australia, Denmark, and Austria identified 982 posts between April 30, 2015, and January 23, 2024 from accounts on TikTok and Instagram with more than 1,000 followers that discussed medical tests with potential for leading to overdiagnosis when used with generally healthy people. The medical tests discussed in the posts were:

• Full-body MRI — This claims to test for up to 500 conditions without evidence <that> any putative benefits outweigh the inevitable harms for healthy people.
• MCED tests — These are designed to detect circulating tumor-related mutated gene fragments in the blood and are being promoted to consumers as a way to screen for more than 50 cancers before symptoms arise. This is being promoted prior to full regulatory approval and in the absence of clinical-trial evidence that benefits will outweigh harms, including unnecessary diagnoses.
• AMH test — This is also known as the egg-timer test, falsely promoted and sold as a fertility test, causing concerns about overuse and subsequent, but unnecessary, fertility treatments.
• Gut microbiome test — This test takes a sample of stool and assesses the composition of microbiome in an individual’s gut, promising wellness via early detection of many conditions without good evidence of benefit.
• Low testosterone (or low T) blood tests — These tests lack evidence of benefit for asymptomatic healthy men and are likely to cause overuse of supplements.

Key findings of the researchers’ analysis of the posts included:

• 855 posts (87.1%) mentioned test benefits
• 144 posts (14.7%) mentioned harms with 46 posts (4.7%) minimizing or diminishing any harms mentioned
• 60 posts (6.1%) mentioned the risk of overdiagnosis or overuse
• 823 posts (83.8%) had a promotional rather than neutral or negative tone
• 63 posts (6.4%) explicitly used evidence
• 333 posts (33.9%) used personal anecdotes
• 498 posts (50.7%) encouraged viewers to get the test
• 668 account holders (68.0%) had financial interests in the sale of the tests
• posts from account holders with clear financial interests were less likely to mention potential harms, less likely to mention overdiagnosis, and more likely to have a promotional tone
• posts by physicians were more likely to mention potential harms of the tests
• posts that included evidence were less likely to mention benefits, more likely to include potential harms, and less likely to have an overall promotional tone

The researchers concluded:

[Most] posts have the potential to mislead the public to getting tested despite the lack of evidence to support these tests and the potential for harms related to overdiagnosis or overuse. These findings indicate an urgent need for stronger regulation of misleading medical information on social media.

[Nickel B, and others. Social media posts about medical tests with potential for overdiagnosis. JAMA Network Open, 8(2):e2461940, Feb 26, 2025]

Carnivore diet’s “foundation crumbles under the weight of evidence-based nutrition.” Mauro Proença, a graduate student in nutrition at São Camilo University in São Paulo, Brazil, has examined health claims made by those promoting diets consisting almost exclusively of animal-based foods. This diet is promoted in The Carnivore Diet, a book by orthopedic doctor and athlete Shawn Baker. [Proença M. Carnivore diet: Potential cause of heart problems. American Council on Science and Health, Jan 31, 2025] Proença concluded:

The Carnivore Diet might appeal to those craving simplicity or a contrarian narrative, but its foundation crumbles under the weight of evidence-based nutrition. Decades of research consistently show that balanced diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains support heart health and longevity. While its proponents revel in anecdotes and conspiracies, the real question isn’t “Is this sustainable?” but rather, “Is this survivable?” When it comes to health, the key is moderation and variety rather than extremism.

Investigator spotlights risks of aphrodisiacs. Skeptical investigator Autumn Sword has examined the evidence regarding the safety and effectiveness of three well-known ingredients in products promoted as love potions and concluded:

At the end of the day, while medicinal preparations of horny goat weed, Spanish Fly, and mandrake root might have some effect, there’s a good chance that effect won’t be a good one. At best, your love potion won’t work. At worst, you could end up poisoning someone. Depending on whether a love potion was purchased “ready-made” or how one sourced the ingredients if they were preparing it themselves, there’s little to no quality control or guarantee what the contents might be.

[Sword A. Love is the drug; do aphrodisiacs really work? Skeptical Inquirer, Feb 12, 2025]

Little evidence Medicinal Garden Kit has therapeutic value. McGill University science communicator Jonathan Jarry has taken a close look at the Medicinal Garden Kit, meant to serve as a “backyard pharmacy.” The kit contains seeds for 10 plants, including chamomile and feverfew. [Jarry J. The Medicinal Garden Kit will probably not save you. McGill Office for Science and Society, Feb 7, 2025] Jarry’s key points include:

• The kit is sold by Nicole Apelian, PhD (her degree is in sustainability education and cultural anthropology).
• In May 2020, the Federal Trade Commission sent Apelian a warning letter in May 2020, as she was unlawfully promoting natural substances as antivirals against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus with no scientific evidence.
• Apelian recommends you turn to a naturopath for medical advice even though naturopathy is not scientifically based.
• Apelian promotes unwarranted concern about 5G technology.
• The evidence for the alleged health benefits from the plants Apelian promotes comes from folk traditions and preliminary studies in cells and animals, not from human studies.
• Apelian claims to be successfully managing her multiple sclerosis through the use of unproven mushroom extracts and dietary supplements but does not consider how the course multiple sclerosis takes can be extremely variable regardless of treatment.

Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by William Matthew 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 Digest’s 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.

• Indiana AG drops case against “holistic” cancer treatment promoter Clifford Fetters, M.D.
• Journalist spotlights media hype in health news reporting.
• Biomedical scientist debunks claims mRNA vaccines are “harmful gene therapy.”

Indiana AG drops case against “holistic” cancer treatment promoter Clifford Fetters, M.D. The Indiana Attorney General’s office has filed a motion to dismiss its complaint against Clifford Fetters, M.D., a licensed physician and president at Health and Wellness of Carmel (H&W). The motion was filed with prejudice, meaning the case can’t be filed again. The motion stated that the office “re-evaluated the evidence” against Dr. Fetters and determined it now “lacks the evidence to support the charges” against him. WRTV Investigates reported that the office declined to disclose more information about the newly discovered evidence and characterized it as “confidential.” It also reported that two members of the Indiana Medical Licensing Board expressed concerns about the dismissal. [Kenney K. Medical licensing board agrees to dismiss complaint against Carmel doctor. WRTV Indianapolis, Dec 5, 2024]

The AG’s office received complaints from consumers against Fetters in August 2017, October 2017, April 2018, and March 2021. In May 2023, the state filed a 28-page, 13-count complaint accusing him of false and misleading advertising, failing to inform patients of side effects of tests and treatments, and not providing a patient with a truthful account of her condition. The state’s complaint alleged that Fetters is “unfit to practice due to failure to keep abreast of current professional theory or practice.” [Kenney K. “I’d like to see him lose his license”: Widowed man hopeful as state files complaint against Carmel doctor. WRTV Indianapolis, March 7, 2024] His alleged misconduct included services he provided to three patients diagnosed with cancer and one patient diagnosed with coronary artery disease. It also included:

• On May 25, 2022, H&W advertised that “through the use of holistic cancer treatment, [H&W] can effectively boost the immune system of [their] patients, as well as eliminate toxins in their body.”
• On May 25, 2022, H&W advertised several options for IV therapy for cancer treatment that included vitamin C, vitamin K3, IV ozone therapy, and hyperthermia.
• On May 25, 2022, H&W advertised that ozone has “many therapeutic properties” and “[c]an be used as part of a therapeutic plan for almost every disease,” including cancer, even though under 21 C.F.R. § 801.415(a), “Ozone is a toxic gas with no known useful medical application in specific, adjunctive, or preventive therapy.”
• On May 25, 2022, H&W advertised that vitamin C “may work in killing cancer (chemotherapeutic action)” by “increased production of hydrogen peroxide production (prooxidant), anti-angiogenesis (stop the blood supply that feeds cancer), immune system support (interferon, interleukin, etc.), and anti-inflammatory.”
• On August 31, 2021, the Respondent authored a blog on the H&W website titled, “How Does IV Therapy Help Treat Cancer?” The blog included these paragraphs:
  • IV therapy sessions can help to boost your immune system and increase the production of good chemicals in your body. Some treatments may also act as an anti-inflammatory. Cancer treatments can be harsh on the body, but with IV therapy, you may be able to reduce the number of cancer cells without traditional chemotherapy and the side effects that go along with it.
  • IV therapy may be able to help reduce the size of cancerous tumors and provide you with needed vitamins. There are different options to treat your cancer, and Dr. Clifford Fetters can help you decide which is best. Our office serves the Carmel, Indianapolis, and Noblesville, IN, areas. Dr. Fetters may be able to help you during your cancer diagnosis journey.

The complaint noted two aggravating factors: (a) On June 27, 2017, representatives of the estate of a fifth patient filed a Proposed Complaint for Damages with the Indiana Department of Insurance alleging as a proximate result of the Fetters’ negligence, the patient passed away after extensive suffering, lost the opportunity to treat, incurred medical expenses, went through additional treatment, lost wages and/or incurred other intangible damages of a nature as to require compensation; and (b) on July 23, 2021, the Indiana Medical Review Panel determined the evidence supported the conclusion the Respondent failed to meet the applicable standard of care.

Journalist spotlights media hype in health news reporting. Rina Raphael, a journalist and author of The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care, has spotlighted how “[news media] hype is becoming more common as reporters increasingly regurgitate press releases with barely any skepticism or due diligence.” [Raphael R. Why you should be more skeptical the next time you read a health news article. Skeptical Inquirer, 49(2):51-53, March/April 2025] She noted:

A big part of the problem is the need for more frequent, eye-catching content. Many publications feel pressured to adapt to the changing media landscape. With shrinking news audiences and dried-up advertising, social media platforms have become stiff competition. Reporters must churn out more stories to compensate, leaving less time for important stories that deserve more attention and less fanfare.

According to Raphael, reporting about offerings by the nebulous wellness industry is problematic because:

• “[reporters] who once covered Fashion Week are now pitching nutrition stories, even though they may be fuzzy on causation versus correlation”
• wellness sections that resemble health sections in subscriber-based outlets, particularly those catering to upper-middle-income female readers, that seem more permissive of pseudoscience and TikTok trends
• controversy inspires clicks and online comments
• “both sides-ism” in reporting, in which holistic healers and naturopaths are offered the same airtime and respect as medical experts, is used
• “[w]ellness stories are often not held to the same skeptical or fact-checking standards as health/medical reports, mainly because wellness is considered ‘lifestyle’ content” consisting of first-person “I tried it!” accounts for products such as at-home health tests and dietary supplements
• often “reporters don’t know enough about scientific research and how to critically assess a study”
• “health studies surrounding risks and exposures are all too frequently taken out of context, stirring unnecessary panic and demonizing harmless foods and products.”
• even esteemed organizations such as the Cleveland Clinic, which has a “complementary and alternative medicine” wing, and the World Health Organization, which legitimizes traditional Chinese medicine, sometimes promote nonsense.

Raphael made some of these points during her 25-minute lecture on “How the Media Fuels Health Misinformation” at CSICON 2024.

Problems in reporting about health topics aren’t new. Marilyn Larkin discussed them in “Confessions of a Former Women’s Magazine Writer,” originally published in the Fall/Winter 1993 issue in Priorities magazine.

Biomedical scientist debunks claims mRNA vaccines are “harmful gene therapy.” Immunologist and microbiologist Andrea Love, PhD, has written a detailed rejection of the false accusation by disinformation promoters that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are harmful gene therapies. She describes vaccines as “tools that train our immune system to recognize and respond to a pathogen without exposing us to the disease-causing microorganism.” They deliver molecules called antigens that provoke memory immunity. The spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19 is an antigen. When taken into cells, the mRNA in COVID-19 vaccines produce the spike protein rather than deliver the spike protein directly. She explains that mRNA isn’t a gene; it’s a gene transcript that originates from the gene (the DNA). mRNA is not a gene therapy because it doesn’t modify, silence, or replace genes. She describes gene therapy as a “life-changing therapeutic field” and notes “around forty gene therapies have been FDA approved for an array of diseases from rare pediatric neurogenetic disorders, pediatric blindness, cancers, and hematologic diseases.” [Love A. mRNA vaccines aren’t gene therapy, but gene therapy is nothing to fear. Skeptical Inquirer, 49(2):39-42, March/April 2025]

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 Digest’s 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.

• Legal scholars call for restricting patients’ access to unproven stem cell-based therapies.
• Gravity Defyer ordered to stop making allegedly deceptive pain relief claims for its footwear.
• Water treatment finance company agrees to pay $43.4 million to consumers it deceived.

Legal scholars call for restricting patients’ access to unproven stem cell-based therapies. Scholars from Western Sydney University’s law school have argued restricting patients’ access to unproven stem cell therapies is warranted because of ethical violations in global marketing by unscrupulous clinics that both undermine informed consent and endanger patients. [Langford L, Foong P. Unproven stem cell therapies: An evaluation of patients’ capacity to give informed consent. Griffith Law Review, 33(1):58-88, 2024] Their key points include:

• Direct-to-consumer advertising via the internet for stem cell tourism uses patient testimonials, visual imagery, and the language of hope and choice to promote unproven therapies as safe and effective, but scientific evidence and discussion of risks are rarely provided.
• Costs for each stem cell treatment are between $10,000 USD and $60,000 USD ($15,000 AUS and $90,000 AUS) for each stem cell treatment, not including travel, accommodation, and recovery.
• Misrepresenting benefits and downplaying risks associated with unproven stem cell therapies undermine the principle of informed consent.
• Regulatory loopholes under Australian and U.S. laws result in inadequate protection of consumers from unproven stem cell therapies promoted directly to desperate patients and their families.

Since stem cell tourism is a global problem, the scholars say the World Health Organization (WHO) should establish an Expert Advisory Committee on Regenerative Medicine (the Committee on Regenerative Medicine) that could: (a) develop a regulatory regime for harmonizing national laws to address current issues concerning stem cell tourism; (b) consider the optimal way to balance the scientific community’s interests that focus on research rigor with the patients who unwittingly pursue unproven treatments; and (c) set up an information campaign regarding unproven stem cell treatments to address misinformation and misrepresentation being disseminated.

The authors concluded:

The analysis in this paper highlights that putative stem cell-based therapies threaten the doctrine of informed consent. When adult patients give their informed consent to unproven stem cell therapies, it may be vitiated, given that unscrupulous clinics do not provide sufficient or accurate information about the intervention. Liberalists will reason states should respect the patient’s decision to obtain untested stem cell treatments. However, the potential adverse outcomes and the provision of misinformation justify state interference to safeguard their citizens’ well-being. There is no genuine informed consent when unscrupulous businesses exploit them and [the patients] receive no benefit from the transaction.

Moreover, when parents give their informed consent to untested stem cell therapies on their child’s behalf, their parental consent may be unlawful, considering how such ‘treatment’ is against the child’s best interests. The same can be said when substitute decision-makers consent on behalf of incompetent patients. Even if the minor or incompetent patient suffers from a severe medical condition and there is no other treatment available, it is difficult to conceive how consenting to risky and unproven interventions is in their best interests, given the high risk of harm. Therefore, having established that unproven stem cell treatments may not enable patients to give their informed consent, the state could intervene and impose tighter restrictions on patients’ access to unproven medical interventions.

Gravity Defyer ordered to stop making allegedly deceptive pain relief claims for its footwear. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced a settlement with California-based Gravity Defyer Medical Technology Corporation and its owner Alexander Elnekaveh. They must stop making alleged deceptive pain-relief claims for Gravity Defyer footwear. Elnekaveh must pay a $175,000 civil penalty for allegedly violating a prior Commission order in 2001 barring him from deceptive advertising of Gravity Defyer products often targeted to older Americans. [FTC secures court order barring Gravity Defyer and its owner from making unsupported pain-relief claims to market company’s footwear. FTC press release, Feb 20, 2025] According to the FTC’s complaint, without adequate scientific evidence, Gravity Defyer footwear has been advertised since at least 2016 as containing soles with “VersoShock” technology that:

• will relieve pain, including knee, back and foot pain
• will relieve pain in people suffering from multiple conditions such as plantar fasciitis, arthritis, joint pain, and heel spurs
• was clinically proven to relieve pain, including 85% less knee pain, 91% less back pain, 92% less ankle pain, and 75% less foot pain

According to the FTC, Gravity Defyer has:

• sold more than 100 styles of footwear for men and women on its website, including athletic shoes, casual shoes, dress shoes, hiking shoes and boots, and sandals with prices ranging from $140 for men’s and women’s sandals, $155 for the widely advertised Mighty Walk walking shoes, and $235 for men’s work boots
• sold its footwear on its own website, through its in-house call center, and at retailers throughout the country, including The Walking Company, Hammacher Schlemmer, and Shoe City
• advertised the products via magazines, Facebook, the Internet, radio, and catalogs

One of the ads stated its shoes are “clinically proven pain defying footwear.” Another stated, “Enjoy the benefits of exercise, with proven pain relief.” The ads cited a study to back up the claims, but the FTC alleges this study has substantial flaws and was insufficient to determine the effects of wearing Gravity Defyer footwear.

Water treatment finance company agrees to pay $43.4 million to consumers it deceived. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced it is sending more than $19.8 million in refunds to 29,653 consumers who were harmed by deceptive sales tactics from household water treatment funding company Aqua Finance. [FTC sends more than $19.8 million in refunds to consumers harmed by Aqua Finance’s deceptive sales tactics. FTC press release, Feb 19, 2025] The commission filed a lawsuit in May 2024 against Aqua Finance, charging that the company’s nationwide network of dealers deceived customers in door-to-door sales about the financing terms for water filtering and softening products. According to the complaint, the false claims left consumers with hundreds to thousands of dollars in unexpected debt and large interest payments, while its financing terms impaired some consumers’ ability to sell or refinance their homes. The company also agreed to a settlement with the FTC requiring the company to closely monitor its dealers and make clear disclosures to consumers, and provide $23.6 million in debt relief to consumers in addition to providing money for refunds.

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 Digest’s 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.

• TCM practitioner found guilty of professional misconduct after medical tourist dies.
• Iowa secures settlements against executive of alleged scam stem cell treatment company.
• TINA.org debunks Healifeco’s ionic foot spa advertising.
• Exercise scientist divides wellness world into believer, liars, and bullshitters.

TCM practitioner found guilty of professional misconduct after medical tourist dies. Yen Sen Luo, a Sydney, Australia-based practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct. Luo was prosecuted by the Health Care Complaints Commission before the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal. In 2018, a 57-year-old woman with diabetes from China who was staying with her daughter in Australia, saw him about her psoriasis. The commission complained that during the initial consultation, Luo failed to obtain a sufficient history regarding the woman’s “high blood sugar” and provided inadequate care and treatment by advising her to cease all western medicine, including her prescribed medication for “high blood sugar.” After Luo received messages from the patient’s daughter regarding her mother’s symptoms, including “wanting to vomit all the time,” Luo failed to appropriately assess the deterioration of the woman’s health and she died. He conceded he was not suitably qualified to advise the woman about her worsening health conditions, and he did not recommend the woman be treated by a suitably qualified medical practitioner. Luo’s registration was suspended following a hearing in 2018. After an 11-day criminal trial in 2022, Luo was found not guilty of circumstances amounting to manslaughter. [May N. Sydney traditional Chinese medicine practitioner found guilty of professional misconduct after tourist dies. The Guardian, Feb 4, 2025]

Iowa secures settlement against alleged scam stem cell treatment executive. Iowa’s attorney general has announced a settlement resolving allegations that Michael Pavey, an executive of an Omaha-based stem cell company, tricked Iowans by marketing and selling them unproven and dangerous stem cell treatments. [Attorney General Bird secures settlement against executive of alleged scam stem cell treatment company. Iowa Attorney General news release, Feb 11, 2025] The settlement: (a) permanently bans Pavey from marketing or selling stem cell treatments in Iowa; (b) requires him to pay $239,744.86, the total amount he received from marketing and selling the alleged fake treatments, in restitution to Iowans; (c) requires him to pay $6,000 to Iowa’s consumer education and litigation fund; (d) prevents Pavey from making an effort to collect payment from Iowa consumers who received treatment from two Omaha stem cell treatment companies; and (e) bans Pavey from participating directly or indirectly in the formation or usage of corporations targeting Iowans.

In 2020, the attorneys general of Iowa and Nebraska each filed lawsuits against Regenerative Medicine and Anti-Aging Institutes of Omaha, as well as Omaha Stem Cells LLC, Stem Cell Centers LLC, and the companies’ owners and top executives, Travis Autor (aka Travis Broughton), Emily Autor and Pavey. Emily Autor was dismissed from the case in 2023. [Werner K. Iowa attorney general settles lawsuit against fake stem cell treatment executive. Des Moines Register, Feb 11, 2025]

Iowa accused Pavey in its lawsuit against the company and its executives of:

• wrongfully promoting the company’s stem cell treatments, which it sometimes called “regenerative medicine,” as cures for a range of health disorders including COPD, joint pain, Alzheimer’s disease, and even aging
• sickening Iowans with the treatments
• targeting older Iowans and creating a misleading testimonial video used in sales seminars that touted the effectiveness of treatments

TINA.org debunks Healifeco’s ionic foot spa advertising. Truth in Advertising, Inc. (TINA.org) has issued an ad alert calling for Healifeco to “cleanse its marketing tactics” for its ionic foot spa product in which water darkens during use. [Healifeco Ionic Foot Spa, TINA.org, Jan 9, 2025] It notes the lack of scientific support for claims the product:

• can “detoxify your body from hazardous impurities. . . for a toxin-free, healthy life!”
• offers impressive health benefits, including help with conditions such as arthritis and edema
• provides benefits due to its ionization method, which utilizes negatively charged electrons to “mimic the natural grounding effect you feel when walking barefoot on Earth”

The ad alert notes Healifeco’s website admits: (a) the change in water color will happen even if you don’t put your feet in the water at all because of “chemical reactions between ions generated by the machine and the minerals inside water,” and (b) the majority of toxins may not even be leaving through your feet, but rather the body “removes them through your excretory system.”

Exercise scientist divides wellness world promoters into believer, liars, and bullshitters. In an article just published in Skeptical Inquirer, researcher Nick Tiller suggests that when managing personal interactions with people in the commercial wellness world, it can be helpful to consider three categories of people that differ in their motivations and beliefs: (a) believers, (b) liars, and (c) bullshitters. [Tiller N. The three wellness mindsets: Believers, liars, and bullshitters. Skeptical Inquirer, Jan 23, 2025]

He suggests believers may be willfully ignorant or simply victims of misinformation who have been duped by liars and bullshitters. They may be like people whose high scores on The Bullshit Receptivity Scale have been linked to believing in pseudoscience, conspiracy theories, and the paranormal, as well as falling for fake news and sharing it online. He notes liars know they’re spreading falsehoods about the products they promote. He suggests most wellness vendors are bullshitters, who are indifferent to truth and may arbitrarily combine it with falsehoods to strategically further goals such as getting more followers on social media, elevating their professional status, making money, or influencing others. He concludes:

Identifying the type of person you’re dealing with takes practice and patience, but it’ll determine how you manage each interaction. My experiences have taught me to be kinder to believers because they’re usually victims. It could easily be you or me spreading misinformation, not deliberately or maliciously, but because we’ve been duped by someone else. More importantly, you don’t change minds with anger and vitriol but with empathy and kindness. We have a responsibility to ourselves and those around us to handle information with care.

The late anti-quackery activist and scholar William T. Jarvis, PhD, suggested three categories similar to Tiller’s:

Quacks may be placed into three general categories: charlatans, cranks, or health hucksters. Charlatans are deliberate fakers. Cranks are delusional people who sincerely believe in themselves and their nostrums. Health hucksters are businesspeople who idealize entrepreneurism and who are merely exploiting opportunities offered by the public’s interest in health.

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 Digest’s 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.

• Lyme disease clinics in U.S. found to offer unproven, potentially risky, and costly care.
• Skeptics blast The Telepathy Tapes podcast’s promotion of facilitated communication.
• FDA sends warning letters to companies marketing unapproved GLP-1 drugs for weight loss.

Lyme disease clinics in U.S. found to offer unproven, potentially risky, and costly care. To conduct the study, researchers from the University of Kansas, the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, and the University of Minnesota looked at the 14 U.S. states with the highest incidence of Lyme disease based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2008–2015. The states were Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. For each state, they searched online for standalone clinics that use the terms “alternative,” “integrative,” “functional,” “holistic,” or “naturopathic” in combination with “Lyme clinic” or “chronic Lyme disease” as search terms. The search was conducted between February 2024 and April 2024. It yielded 117 clinics. [Sakizadeh JR, Rothenberger MK, and others. Characteristics of clinics offering non-traditional Lyme disease therapies in Lyme endemic states of the US. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Jan 15, 2025] The researchers reported:

• One-third of the clinics had naturopathic doctors and approximately one-fifth had chiropractic providers
• 33 clinics (28%) listed the cost of a new consultation, which ranged from $87 to $3,250
• 23 clinics (20%) listed the cost of an established (follow-up) consultation, which ranged from $70-$690
• 10 clinics (9%) provided a package or membership, with six listing package costs ranging from $39 to $4,837
• Of the 69 clinics (59%) that specified having a health insurance policy, 34 clinics (49%) required patients to submit a claim to their insurance company, 25 (36%) accepted health insurance, and 10 (14%) did not accept health insurance
• 53 clinics (45%) offer herbs or supplements
• 30 clinics (26%) offer non-antibiotic intravenous therapy
• 26 clinics (22%) offer unspecified antibiotics
• 17 clinics (15%) offer hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the most expensive therapy ($85 to $6,400)
• 15 clinics (13%) offer ozone-based therapy
• Other therapies on offer include electrical/electromagnetic-based therapy (13 clinics); homeopathy (12 clinics); laser-based therapy (12); antibiotics in an alternative approach not recommended by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), American Academy of Neurology, or the American College of Rheumatology guidelines for the treatment of Lyme disease (11); acupuncture or acupressure (9); oligonucleotide therapy (70); peptide therapy (6); blood irradiation (5); disulfiram (4); infrared- or red-light-based therapy (6); osteopathic manipulation, chiropractic or massage therapy (5); low-dose immunotherapy (4); bioidentical hormone therapy (3); heat-based/hyperthermia therapy (3); methylene blue (3); neurotherapy or neurostimulation (3); oxygen therapy (3); antidepressants (2); essential oils (2); exosome therapy (2); whole body vibration (2); and 20 other therapies, each offered at 1 of 20 clinics

The researchers noted:

Some of the therapies we found…expose patients to unnecessary risks. For example, nonevidenced-based antibiotic regimens—particularly those that are prolonged or administered intravenously via a central venous catheter—have been associated with life-threatening complications, including fatal cases of catheter-associated bloodstream infections and Clostridioides difficile infection. Major autohemotherapy (a subset of “ozone-based therapy” that involves drawing blood from a patient via a venous catheter then infusing blood back in after being mixed with ozone) is an unproven therapy offered at some clinics, and it may also increase a patient’s risk for bloodstream infections. Additionally, although limited to a minority of clinics, our finding that some clinics offer “hyperthermia protocols” and intravenous hydrogen peroxide (one clinic) also raises safety concerns.

Skeptics blast The Telepathy Tapes podcast’s promotion of facilitated communication. The Telepathy Tapes is an extremely popular 10-part podcast series released in September 2024 that claims some nonverbal autistic children can read minds, speak to each other, and acquire knowledge ahead of what the rest of humanity knows. The claims are based on interpretations of messages generated using so-called facilitated communication (supported typing) and various letter-board methods such as the rapid-prompting method. Over thirty professional and advocacy organizations worldwide, including the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have written position statements against the use of facilitated communication. In addition, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has published position statements against both facilitated communication and the letter-board methods. Several skeptical inquirers have criticized The Telepathy Tapes and videos available on the website of the podcast for taking a credulous stance on paranormal abilities while ignoring parental influences on message generation. Those reporting include:

• Vyse S. The Telepathy Tapes: A dangerous cornucopia of pseudoscience. Skeptical Inquirer, Jan 6, 2025
• Jarry J. The Telepathy Tapes prove we all want to believe. McGill Office for Science and Society, Dec 13, 2024
• Marshall M. The Telepathy Tapes is wrong—autistic children don’t have supernatural powers. The Skeptic, Jan 31, 2025
• Novella S. The Telepathy Tapes—more FC pseudoscience. Science-Based Medicine, Feb 5, 2025

FDA sends warning letters to companies marketing unapproved GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  has sent four warning letters to companies for introducing GLP-1 drugs including semaglutide, tirzepatide and/or retatrutide products, into interstate commerce without the agency’s approval. The letters were sent to:

• Xcel Research LLC 
• Swisschems
• Summit Research Peptides
• Prime Vitality, Inc. doing business as Prime Peptides

The FDA also sent a warning letter to Veronvy, which offers unapproved and misbranded oral GLP-1 products, including one that claims to be approved by the agency. [FDA roundup. FDA news release, Dec 17, 2024]

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 Digest’s 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.

• Promoter of bogus “quantum” cure for COVID-19 gets 98-month prison sentence.
• Child dies in hyperbaric oxygen chamber explosion.
• KFF spotlights concerns about the booming dental-implant industry. 

Promoter of bogus “quantum” cure for COVID-19 gets 98-month prison sentence. Keith Lawrence Middlebrook, 57, of Huntington Beach, California, has been sentenced to 98 months in federal prison and fined $25,000 for soliciting investors for companies that marketed what, in fact, were bogus cures and treatments for COVID-19 during the pandemic’s early days. In March 2020, Middlebrook solicited potential investors in California, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Colorado via text messages, videos and statements posted on YouTube and Instagram about his purported risk-free COVID-19 cure called “QC20.” He also marketed a purported COVID-19 preventive, which he called “QP20.” He called his companies Quantum Cure CV 2020 Inc. (QC20) and Quantum Prevention CV Inc. (QP20). [Part-time actor from O.C. sentenced to over 8 years in prison for soliciting investors for shell companies peddling bogus COVID cure. U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California press release, Jan 6, 2025] Middlebrook induced victims to invest their money by:

• promising 100% guaranteed enormous returns
• claiming former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Earvin “Magic” Johnson was a director and officer of his company
• lying that a party in Dubai had offered to purchase his companies for $10 billion, and this offer would secure the victim-investors’ investments in the companies
• lying that he had secured funding from seven investors who had each already invested between $750,000 and $1 million

His long sentence was based, in part, on the judge’s finding he obstructed justice by lying on the witness stand when he testified about his purported relationship and business dealings with Johnson.

Middlebrook was arrested by the FBI in March 2020 after he delivered pills—purportedly the treatment that prevents coronavirus infection—to an undercover agent who was posing as an investor. He was indicted in June 2020 and found guilty in May 2024.

Child dies in hyperbaric oxygen chamber explosion. A five-year-old boy was found dead inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber that exploded at The Oxford Center in Troy, Michigan. A spokesperson for Fieger Law, which has been retained by the boy’s family, identified him as Thomas Cooper. His mother was standing beside the chamber at the time of the explosion and was injured. [Buczek J. 5-year-old Michigan boy killed in hyperbaric chamber explosion. CBS News, Feb 1, 2025]

The Oxford Center has promoted hyperbaric oxygen therapy on its website for conditions not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), such as autism, cerebral palsy, sports injuries, COVID-19, depression, alopecia, HIV/AIDS, strokes, migraine headaches, and as an anti-aging treatment.  The cause of the fire has not been identified. [Rappleye L. 5-year-old killed in hyperbaric chamber identified by family: ‘He loved life’. Detroit Free Press, Feb 1, 2025] An environment of pure oxygen in a pressurized environment poses fire risk requiring a well-designed fire protection system. [O’Connor B. Fire protection for hyperbaric facilities in hospitals. NFPA Journal, Aug 23, 2021]

In December, after pleading guilty in August to multiple felonies, Oxford’s former director of services, Kimberly Casey Coden, was sentenced to:

• 4–6 years’ on six counts of unauthorized practice of a health profession
• 4–7.5 years’ on two counts of identity theft
• 4–6 years’ on one count of bribing, intimidating a witness

Coden presented herself as a Board-Certified Behavioral Analyst (BCBA) when she was not licensed by the State of Michigan and did not possess the requisite educational background. She also used the certification number of a properly board-certified BCBA to obtain employment at Centria Health Care for several months in 2016 and the Positive Behavior Supports Corporation from 2017 to 2018, in addition to the Oxford Recovery Center, where she was employed from 2018 to 2021. Coden also intimidated a witness via text messages in an effort to prevent the witness from testifying against her. [Oakland County woman sentenced to prison for posing as health professional, witness intimidation. Michigan Department of Attorney General press release, Dec 3, 2024]

It’s worth noting that one opponent of FDA’s “aggressive suppression” of hyperbaric and other treatments promoted for questionable and dubious purposes is President Trump’s pick for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. [London WM. Three major reasons Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is unfit to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Skeptical Inquirer, Jan 31, 2024]

KFF spotlights concerns about the booming dental-implant industry. According to a months-long investigation by KFF Health News and CBS News:

• the dental-implant industry is booming with more than 3.7 million implants sold in the U.S. in 2022, according to a 2023 report produced by iData Research, a health care market research firm
• implants are now offered by more than 70,000 dental providers nationwide, two-thirds of whom are general dentists, according to the iData Research report
• some implant experts worry many dentists are losing sight of dentistry’s fundamental goal of preserving natural teeth and have become too willing to remove teeth to make room for expensive implants
• in interviews, 10 experts said they had each given second opinions to multiple patients who had been recommended for mouths full of implants the experts ultimately determined were not necessary
• experts warn that implants, for a single tooth or an entire mouth, expose patients to costs and surgery complications, plus a new risk of future dental problems with fewer treatment options because their natural teeth are gone forever
• lawsuits filed across the country have alleged that implant patients have experienced painful complications that have required corrective surgery
• other lawsuits alleged dentists at some implant clinics have persuaded, pressured, or forced patients to remove teeth unnecessarily
• implants require upkeep; studies have shown that patients can be susceptible to infections in the gums and bone around their implants
• large chains with clinics offering implant surgery, as well as the Association of Dental Support Organizations, which represents these chains, declined requests for interviews
• private equity firms have spent about $5 billion in recent years to buy large dental chains that offer implants at hundreds of clinics owned by individual dentists and dental specialists
• an analysis of webpages for more than 1,000 clinics in the nation’s largest private equity-owned dental chains that offer some implants, found more than 70% of those clinics listed only general dentists on their websites and did not appear to employ the specialists—oral surgeons, periodontists, or prosthodontists—who traditionally have more training with implants
• in 2024, Oregon became the first state to require dentists to complete 56 hours of hands-on training before placing any implants
• dental insurance provides limited coverage of implant surgery
• generally, a single implant costs a few thousand dollars while full-arch implants cost tens of thousands
• clinics partner with credit companies that offer loans for implant surgeries
• loans can be as large as $65,000 paid off over 10 years, according to the ClearChoice website

[Kelman B, Werner A. Dentists are pulling ‘healthy’ and treatable teeth to profit from implants, experts warn. KFF Health News, Nov 1, 2024]

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 Digest’s 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.

• NYT scrutinizes promotion of blood-filter cancer treatment.
• Evidence found lacking for the Wim Hof Method as a key to good health.
• Consumer Reports finds bike helmets sold online that don’t meet safety standards. 

NYT scrutinizes promotion of blood-filter cancer treatment. Investigative reporter John Carreyrou has spotlighted the promotion of the unproven treatment of cancer patients at a small clinic in Antigua using a blood filter to supposedly remove circulating tumor cells. He also reported the experiences of patients undergoing the treatment. [Carreyrou. J. A start-up claimed its device could cure cancer. Then patients began dying. The New York Times, Jan 23, 2025] The filter is the only product made by California start-up ExThera Medical. Early last year, ExThera sold thousands of the devices at around $1,000 per filter to Quadrant Management, a private equity firm of billionaire Alan Quasha, who is also a partner of ExThera. According to Quasha, ExThera no longer has a business relationship with Quasha. Quadrant continues to offer a course of the filter treatment at the Antigua clinic for $45,000. ExThera and Quadrant have promoted the blood filtering in calls with patients by claiming extraordinary results for previous cancer patients including those in a Croatian study of patients treated with the filter. The study had only 12 participants and no clinical trial has shown the filtering slows or reverses cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the filter device only for use in emergency COVID-19 cases. While the FDA has allowed ExThera to test the filter on five pancreatic cancer patients in Oklahoma, the filter has not gone through the clinical-trial process required before the FDA can consider approving it for marketing. Carreyrou reported:

• Quasha said patients are told the treatment is experimental.
• In February, Dr. Jonathan Chow, ExThera’s director of medical affairs, warned the company’s top executives in a letter that the Antigua operation amounted to an unethical and unsafe experiment on patients and urged them to shut it down.
• Chow had witnessed patients at the clinic bleeding from catheter wounds and screaming in pain.
• ExThera didn’t act on Chow’s pleas.
• Of the more than 20 treated patients, one patient said the treatments provided significant relief from her pancreatic cancer patient, but six have died.
• An oncologist in Florida who had referred patients to the Antigua clinic stopped doing so because he didn’t see positive results among his patients.
• A nurse who accompanied her husband to the clinic for treatment of his metastatic esophageal cancer observed nurses not washing their hands, unsterilized surgical scissors used to cut dressings around catheter wounds, and, in one patient’s room, no machine for monitoring vital signs.
• Filtering devices at the clinic set with a low flow rate have been clogged with patients’ blood that became coagulated.

Evidence found lacking for the Wim Hof Method as a key to good health. Martin Bier, a professor of physics at East Carolina University, has provided background and reasons for concern about the popular health trend called the Wim Hof Method, which consists of breathing exercises and cold baths. [Bier M. The Wim Hof Method: Ice baths, risky breathing, and The Goop Lab. Skeptical Inquirer, 49(1): January/February 2025] According to Bier:

• Wim Hof has no formal medical or scientific training.
• He became a household name in the Netherlands in 2010 by performing well-publicized stunts such as swimming 200 feet under ice, running half marathons bare-chested and bare-footed in subzero temperatures, and spending two hours in a tank filled with ice cubes while wearing only briefs.
• His stunts landed him in an emergency room and intensive care on more than one occasion.
• The Wim Hof Method became a brand in 2011 when the company Innerfire BV was founded.
• As a motivational speaker, workshop organizer, and consultant, Hof promoted his method as a key to health and happiness by talking about “waking up powers that are inside every human being” and how “you are the miracle that you can cause yourself.”
• Hof has described three pillars to his method: (a) breathing exercises “through which you go deeper into the nervous system,” (b) getting used to cold “to train the cardiovascular system which leads to stuff reaching the immune cells,” and, (c) having a mindset for “neurotransmitter making better connections with the body.”
• Cold baths have become fashionable in the U.S., often associated with Hof’s 2020 book The Wim Hof Method, which made The New York Times bestseller list.
• Hof and his method were promoted in the second episode of The Goop Lab with Gywneth Paltrow on Netflix and in popular podcasts.
• An article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2014 about a randomized trial involving 24 volunteers, found some beneficial effects of 10 days of training in Wim Hof’s method, but those benefits might be due to other modifications of behavior based on the volunteers’ knowledge of the experimenter’s purpose.
• The breathing techniques used in Hof’s method can lead to a low oxygen concentration in the lungs, passing out, and the risk of drowning.

Consumer Reports finds bike helmets sold online that don’t meet safety standards. Safety experts with Consumer Reports (CR) report they easily found bike helmets for sale online that didn’t come with labels required by the Consumer Products Safety Commission indicating the helmets were properly tested to meet mandatory U.S. safety standards. The experts purchased 21 helmets from online marketplaces eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Shein, Temu, Walmart, and others. They found eight of them lacked the required sticker or label. Consumer Reports offered similar findings in a 2019 investigation. [Loria K. Why buying a bike helmet online could be dangerous. Consumer Reports, Jan 16, 2024] CR advises shoppers for bike helmets to:

• watch out for third-party sellers
• buy from a trusted retailer such as a brick-and-mortar bike shop or sporting goods store
• buy helmets from trusted manufacturers
• check CR’s bike helmet ratings

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 Digest’s 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.

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 Digest’s 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.

Issue #25-15, April 13, 2025

• Researchers find link between religiosity and medical conspiracy theory beliefs.
• Book exposing cultism in multilevel marketing recommended.
• Truth in Advertising warns consumers about compounded versions of drugs in high demand.

Issue #25-14, April 6, 2025

• Misinformation-spreading anti-vaccine doctor disciplined for unprofessional conduct.
• Utah bans community water fluoridation.
• NY Division of Consumer Protection warns consumers about dietary supplements.
• Vitamin A against measles, as supported by RFK, Jr., leaves children more ill.
• CFI posts videos addressing consumer health issues.

Issue #25-13, March 30, 2025

• Robert O. Young found guilty of treating terminally ill patients without medical credentials.
• Harmful influence of the health freedom movement spotlighted.
• FDA’s top vaccine regulator resigns under pressure from RFK, Jr.
• HHS hires anti-vaccine activist to conduct vaccine safety study.

Issue #25-12, March 23, 2025

• Leaked videos reveal health guru Joe Mercola relies on channeled entity for medical advice.
• Four people arraigned in connection with death of 5-year-old boy in hyperbaric chamber fire.
• FDA warns six companies about marketing unapproved fat-dissolving injections.

Issue #25-11, March 16, 2025

• Conspiracy mindset linked to acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination misinformation.
• Researchers find ads for compounded drugs for diabetes and obesity are often misleading.
• Refunds ordered for consumers deceived by Pure Green Coffee weight-loss ads.
• McGill Office for Science and Society honored by JREF.

Issue #25-10, March 9, 2025

• Medical tests promoted on social media found to be misleading.
• Carnivore diet’s “foundation crumbles under the weight of evidence-based nutrition.”
• Investigator spotlights risks of aphrodisiacs.
• Little evidence Medicinal Garden Kit has therapeutic value.

Issue #25-09, March 2, 2025

• Indiana AG drops case against “holistic” cancer treatment promoter Clifford Fetters, M.D.
• Journalist spotlights media hype in health news reporting.
• Biomedical scientist debunks claims mRNA vaccines are “harmful gene therapy.”

Issue #25-08, February 23, 2025

• Legal scholars call for restricting patients’ access to unproven stem cell-based therapies.
• Gravity Defyer ordered to stop making allegedly deceptive pain relief claims for its footwear.
• Water treatment finance company agrees to pay $43.4 million to consumers it deceived.

Issue #25-07, February 16, 2025

• TCM practitioner found guilty of professional misconduct after medical tourist dies.
• Iowa secures settlements against executive of alleged scam stem cell treatment company.
• TINA.org debunks Healifeco’s ionic foot spa advertising.
• Exercise scientist divides wellness world into believer, liars, and bullshitters.

Issue #25-06, February 9, 2025

• Lyme disease clinics in U.S. found to offer unproven, potentially risky, and costly care.
• Skeptics blast The Telepathy Tapes podcast’s promotion of facilitated communication.
• FDA sends warning letters to companies marketing unapproved GLP-1 drugs for weight loss.

Issue #25-05, February 2, 2025

• Promoter of bogus “quantum” cure for COVID-19 gets 98-month prison sentence.
• Child dies in hyperbaric oxygen chamber explosion.
• KFF spotlights concerns about the booming dental-implant industry.

Issue #25-04, January 26, 2025

• NYT scrutinizes promotion of blood-filter cancer treatment.
• Evidence found lacking for the Wim Hof Method as a key to good health.
• Consumer Reports finds bike helmets sold online that don’t meet safety standards.

Issue #25-03, January 19, 2025

• FTC sues to stop deceptive substance use disorder treatment marketing.
• FTC seeks comment on proposed rules on multilevel marketing and money-making pitches.

Issue #25-02, January 12. 2025

• Two chiropractors and their businesses banned from marketing stem-cell therapy.
• Quantum 360 Club proprietor Aaron Phypers sued over stem cell offer.
• Quantum University’s weirdness spotlighted.

Issue #25-01, January 5, 2025

• Louisiana public health workers forbidden to promote vaccines.
• COVID treatment questioner appointed as Louisiana surgeon general.
• Biomedical scientist lambastes EWG as anti-science organization.
• Investigators spotlight increased demand and harmful impact of exorcisms.