Consumer Health Digest #04-21
Your Weekly Update of News and Reviews
May 26, 2004
Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by Stephen Barrett, M.D., and cosponsored by NCAHF and Quackwatch. It summarizes scientific reports; legislative developments; enforcement actions; news reports; Web site evaluations; recommended and nonrecommended books; and other information relevant to consumer protection and consumer decision-making.
IOM debunks alleged vaccine-autism link. An Institute of Medicine (IOM) expert committee has concluded that neither thimerosal nor the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine are associated with autism and that the hypotheses connecting them are not worth further study. The committee report updates two IOM reports published in 2001 that found no association but recommended further research. Since that time, five large epidemiologic studies conducted in the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Sweden have found no association between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism, and 14 large epidemiologic studies consistently showed no association between the MMR vaccine and autism. Thimerosal is an organic mercury compound used as a preservative in some adult vaccines. It began to be removed from vaccines for children in 1999, and as of mid-2000, vaccines that are recommended for universal use in infants and young children are available in forms that have no or only trace amounts of thimerosal. The IOM report Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism can be read online free-of-charge or purchased at a discount from the National Academy Press Web site. The report dovetails with the prevailing scientific belief that autism does not have a toxic basis.
Mexican clinic operators arrested.
William R. Fry, Geronimo Rubio, M.D., Debbie LaRue, and John Ditredici
have been charged with conspiracy and health care fraud related
to the operation of the American
Metabolic Institute (AMI) in Tijuana,
Mexico. [United States Attorney, Southern District of California.
News release, May 20, 2004] The indictment also alleges that the
foursome submitted health insurance claim forms for medical procedures,
services,, and supplies that were not provided and fabricated
medical reports and hospital bills to support those claims. Fry
and Rubio were also charged with filing false tax returns, and
Fry was further charged with illegally structuring financial transactions
(by withdrawing more than $200,000 in cash from accounts in transactions
of $9,900, just below the $10,000-per-transaction level that requires
federal reporting). AMI is the parent company of Hospital San
Martin, which does business as St. Joseph Hospital. Fry and Rubio
are co-owners of AMI. LaRue, who is Fry's niece, managed the AMI
business office and processed insurance claims which falsely represented
that St. Joseph Hospital was located in San Diego. (This was done
because many insurance plans exclude coverage of treatment done
outside of the United States.) On its Web site, AMI has offered
lymphatic massage, laetrile, colonics, "bioelectrical medicine,"
and a long list of other dubious treatments that it has characterized
as "The most advanced alternative health care system for
cancer and other degenerative diseases."
FDA challenges illegal claims for "Supreme Greens." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ordered ITV Direct to stop claiming in labeling and on its Web site that Supreme Greens with MSM™ is effective against a long list of diseases and conditions. [Costello GT. Warning letter to Donald W. Barrett, Jr., April 19, 2004] The FDA warning letter also identified nine "structure/function" claims and one nutrient claim that FDA officials believe are not supported by reliable scientific evidence:
- "Supreme Greens with MSM is naturally alkaline helping to balance. your body's pH ,..."
- "Natural weight loss, Supreme Greens with MSM™ can help you lose weight easily and naturally . . .."
- "Helps to control hunger and cravings."
- "Neutralize acidity. Heartburn, acid reflux . . . may be a result of over-acidification."
- "May help to provide mental clarity"
- "Oxygenates the cells"
- "A powerful blood purifier and detoxifier"
- "A natural anti-aging formula"
- "Supreme Green with MSM helps you overcome this deficiency by providing you with the nutritional equivalent of 2 Ibs. of fresh vegetables in every serving."
- "Each 3 capsule sensing has the nutrition value of about 5-7 servings of vegetables."
Supreme Greens with MSM has also been promoted through infomercials featuring an interview with acupuncturist Alex Guerrero who claims:
- All disease is in the blood and over-acidification of the blood and tissues is the primary contributor to disease and sickness.
- Soil depletion has caused our diets to be nutrient deficient, which creates a huge nutritional deficiency in our diet.
- Yeasts, fungus, molds, bacteria, and viruses need an acidic environment to thrive and grow. Modern daily diets and lifestyles are conducive to such proliferation and growth.
- Supreme Greens with MSM is a powerful formulation of organically grown grasses and vegetables, sprouted grains, blood purifying and immune enhancing herbs, and antioxidants.
- Fatigue, foggy thinking, acne, diabetes, and many other diseases are signs that the body is too acidic.
- The nourishment given to the body needs to have a minimum resonating frequency of 70 Megahertz. Typical American diets rarely resonate above 50 Megahertz while most supplements have a standard frequency of only 5-10 Megahertz, but Supreme Greens "resonates at an astonishing 250 Megahertz."
- He has conducted a five-year study which found that 192 out of 200 people with cancer and various other diseases, all of whom were diagnosed as terminal, survived because they took his product.
After a "caller" to the program states that Supreme Greens caused her to shed 81 pounds in 8 months, Guerrero explains that weight loss occurs because the body no longer needs to have a layer of fat to protect itself against the effects of acidic body fluid. Web sites promoting the product also claim that a serving is equivalent to approximately two pounds of fresh vegetables, which is certainly not true. It contains some of the nutrients, but the pills do not contain the dietary fiber that accounts for much of the benefit obtained by eating vegetables. Like Robert Barefoot, who promoted coral calcium products in infomercials, Guerrero recommends frequent testing of one's saliva to see whether the body is too acidic. However, saliva testing has no practical value in evaluating general health status.
Medical Letter warns against cosmetic "penis enhancement." The Medical Letter for Drugs and Therapeutics has warned that various cosmetic phalloplasty procedures for patients with normal anatomy have not been proven effective, have a high complication rate, and are "generally disappointing" because:
- Pain, bruising, swelling and infection have occurred, with skin and urethral damage.
- Cosmetic complaints have included hypertrophic scars and shortening of the penis due to fibrosis.
- Fat injections have left painful residual nodules.
- The complications of cavernous grafting have included shaft deformities, erectile dysfunction and decreased sensation.
- Some patients have required reconstructive surgery for these complications. [Cosmetic phalloplasty. Medical Letter 46:44, 2004]
Procedures that can lengthen the penis 2-3 inches in the flaccid state do not make it bigger when erect.
Health Canada curbs unapproved erectile aid. Health Canada is warning consumers not to use Bell Magnum Bullet capsules, after it was found to contain an unauthorized substance similar to tadalafil, a prescription drug approved for male erectile dysfunction, sold under the brand name Cialis®. Because the substance in Bell Magnum Bullet has close chemical similarity to tadalafil, Health Canada believes that risks associated with tadalafil could also occur with use of this product. Tadalifil should not be used by people who are taking any nitrate products. Nitrate medications are commonly used for some types of heart disease such as angina. Concurrent use could result in the development of potentially life-threatening low blood pressure. In rare instances, tadalafil can cause penile tissue damage and permanent loss of potency. Health Canada has ordered the distributor to immediately cease sale of this product and has requested a recall. [Health Canada warns public not to use Bell Magnum Bullet News release, 5/21/04]
This page was posted on May 26, 2004.