Consumer Health Digest Archive (2022) (original) (raw)
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 #22-49, December 25, 2022
- Erroneous cancer prevention beliefs on online forums investigated
- Baseless claims for backward walking spotlighted
- Pain-patch hype scrutinized
- Consumers warned about fraudulent flu products
- Deceptive hair growth claims for Nutrafol identified
Issue #22-48, December 18, 2022
- Vaccination distrust becoming mainstream among Republicans
- Zoltan Rona agrees to no longer practice medicine
- Suspended acupuncturist to be disciplined for blood-letting
- Tijuana doctor charged with manslaughter for cosmetic surgery death
- At-home COVID-19 testing guide published
Issue #22-47, December 11, 2022
- High-quality evidence for acupuncture still lacking
- American Heart Association evaluates “alternative” treatments for heart failure
- Ban on naturopath treating autism with fecal transplants upheld
- FDA announces enforcement priorities for homeopathic products
- Nonsurgical body sculpting spotlighted
Issue #22-46, December 4, 2022
- Chiropractic regulatory decision judged “unreasonable”
- Fake COVID-19 vaccination schemer sentenced
- Consumer protection lacking against naturopaths in Arizona
Issue #22-45, November 27, 2022
- Anti-vaccine “documentary” debunked
- Anti-vaccine physician surrenders her license
- Naturopath who failed to detect patient’s rectal tumor suspended
- Pseudoscience in sport spotlighted
- E-book website operators charged for intellectual property piracy
Issue #22-44, November 20, 2022
- Recommendations to promote healthy longevity globally released
- Theranos founder sentenced
- Companies warned for selling dietary supplements to treat cardiovascular disease
- “Holistic” nurse practitioner charged with unprofessional conduct
Issue #22-43, November 13, 2022
- Simone Gold sued
- Alex Jones ordered to pay for his “malicious’”conduct
- India’s Chief Justice speaks out against quackery
- Insufficient evidence found for screening youth for prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes.
- Kendrick Frazier, editor of Skeptical Inquirer, has died
Issue #22-42, November 6, 2022
- Predictors of susceptibility to health misinformation identified
- Fad weight-loss diets scrutinized
- Warnings issued about “Artri” and “Ortiga” products
Issue #22-41, October 30, 2022
- Ivermectin fails as COVID-19 treatment in major clinical trial
- Telemedicine doctor who prescribed ivermectin to treat COVID-19 no longer licensed
- California law bans physicians from lying to their patients about COVID-19
- High-fiber diet promoters sued
- Urine therapy scrutinized
Issue #22-40, October 23, 2022
- Anti-vaccine pediatrician must surrender his medical license
- Syphilis screening recommendation reaffirmed
- Hype for cord-blood treatment of autism criticized
- Evidence lacking for “bioenergy therapies”
- Over-the-counter hearing aids now available
Issue #22-39, October 16, 2022
- Alex Jones loses major defamation cases
- Irrationality of conspirituality spotlighted
- Experts slam Florida Surgeon General’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendation
- “Sculpted Vegan” weight-loss claims banned
- Spokesman for COVID-19 misinformation group convicted on Capitol riot charges
- Misconduct by anti-vaccine doctor alleged
- Need for community mental health service funding identified
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline launched
- Small-print disclaimers for Nugenix Total-T scrutinized.
- Anti-vax nurse suspended.
- Journal tells homeopathic product seller to stop using article in marketing
- Dietary supplement touted for curing vision problems scrutinized
- Longevity House biohacking spotlighted
- K-Tape lambasted
Issue #22-36, September 18, 2022
- Homeopathy confirmed as pseudoscience
- Amazon warned to stop promoting homeopathy for children
- Chiropractors criticized for videos showing manipulation of babies
- Stressed documentary and Neuro Emotional Technique scrutinized
- Consumer health instructional innovation recommended
Issue #22-35, September 11, 2022
- Recommendations for statins to prevent heart attacks, strokes reaffirmed
- Listing of naturopaths on appointment site criticized
- Comprehensive article on diet and weight loss published
- Misleading hype for methylene blue and oxygen scrutinized
- Buyers of deceptively marketed CBD to receive refunds
- Children’s Health Defense suspended from Facebook, Instagram
- Vitamin D supplementation failed to lower fracture risk
- State Farm sues chiropractors
- Misleading promotion of colloidal silver spotlighted
- “Immune” dietary supplements scrutinized
- Dr. Oz criticized for unethical product promotion
- Sham health-insurance purveyors agree to pay $100 million consumer redress
- Lawsuit against anti-competitive drug industry groups proceeding
- Companies ordered to stop selling mole- and skin-tag-removal products.
- Debt collection lawsuits against friends, family of nursing-home residents spotlighted
- Medical repercussions of abortion criminalization summarized
- Educational materials on genetically engineered foods released
- Chiropractor gaining popularity on TikTok criticizing chiropractic
- Nonsensical homeopathic poison oak paper retracted
- Two reports unmask deceptive language of quackery
- TikTok criticized for permitting herbal abortion content
- Naturopath accused of writing vaccine-exemption letters has license suspended
- Alberta politician’s false claims lambasted
- New blog spotlights chiropractic shortcomings
- “Integrative” cancer care promoter’s registration revoked
- Proposed dietary supplement legislation criticized
- Consumers warned not to use unsafe UV wands.
- Hyped honey products tainted with erectile-dysfunction drugs.
- Heart and neuropathy supplement promoters must cease ads and sales
- Liver injury due to improperly manufactured homeopathic product reported
- Nutritional psychiatry book panned
- Ads for Fungus Eliminator criticized
- Implications of overturned Roe v. Wade decision discussed
- Emergency contraception availability and misinformation spotlighted.
- Physicians urged to help curb gun violence
- Multilevel-marketing consumer-protection videos available
- Physicians selling multilevel-marketed products to patients criticized
- Founder of fringe doctor group sentenced for January 6 activities
- Missouri lawmaker convicted of bogus stem-cell scheme and other frauds
- Stem-cell marketers agree to stop deceptive advertising
- Buyers of “free trial” products will receive refunds
- Study looks at tainted dietary supplements
- Supplements discouraged for preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer.
- AMA releases strategy to combat public-health disinformation
- Abortion restrictions described in U.S. states without explicit bans or protections
- Homeopathic dental products criticized
- Adaptogen hype scrutinized
- Cancer nutrition misinformation on Pinterest spotlighted
- FDA warns against self-treatment of skin growths
- Video of pseudoscience and the law lecture available
- Global roadmap for healthy aging issued
- Recommendations to improve nursing-home care issued
- Overpayments for generic drugs spotlighted
- Pediatric melatonin poisonings increasing
- Footwear seller sued to stop baseless pain-relief claims
- Marketers targeting people with lingering COVID-19 symptoms
- Dietary supplement education initiative launched
- FDA wants to allow some late notifications of new dietary supplement ingredient
- Research on health misinformation evaluated
- Dr. Barrett’s anti-cigarette activities recounted
- COVID-19 misinformation in neurosurgery journal blasted
- COVID-19 misinformation super-spreader Steve Kirsch spotlighted
- Missouri state representative indicted and sued for stem-cell scheme
- Poor advice for making baby formula proliferating on social media
- Federal Trade Commission may strengthen guidelines against misleading reviews
- Ryan Cole, M.D. accused of additional wrongdoing
- U.S. Senator Ron Johnson’s COVID-19 disinformation efforts scrutinized
- Christiane Northrup’s COVID-19 disinformation spotlighted
- Addiction treatment network ordered to stop deceiving consumers
- AdvoCare distributors will receive refunds
- Forever Living accused of making deceptive income claims
- Major MLM consumer-protection webinar scheduled
- Family doctor who promoted COVID-19 misinformation suspended
- FDA orders companies to stop selling delta-8 THC
- Medical board advocacy agency adopts misinformation/disinformation policy
- Center for Inquiry helps federal analysis of COVID misinformation
- Science prevails in parental COVID-19 vaccine dispute
- U.S. Senate candidate has promoted dubious health products
- Evidence lacking for aspirin in preventing cardiovascular disease
- Video blaming COVID-19 on snake venom debunked
- CFI launches consumer protection office
- Cosmetic surgery by Arizona naturopaths spotlighted.
- FDA warns about prenatal screening tests
- FTC sues funeral and cremation businesses
- CFI sues major homeopathic manufacturer
- Fear-based marketing used to sell health and fitness products
- Major review attributes “multiple chemical sensitivity” symptoms to anxiety
- Holistic-clinic doctor sentenced to prison
- COVID and vaccination-card fraudster pleads guilty
- Substantial reporting bias found for homeopathic studies
- “Abortion pill reversal” claims criticized
- Delicensed Port Angeles, Washington, naturopath sentenced to prison
- COVID-19 misinformation-spreading physician suspended
- It Works! distributors marketing on TikTok despite MLM ban
- Ivermectin treatment of COVID-19 fails major clinical trial
- Please support better regulation of multilevel marketing
- Dissolvable oral film strip scheme banned
- Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. adults owe significant medical debt
- Many insured households lack financial resources to pay medical bills
- US Stemology sued for deceptive stem-cell treatment marketing
- Proposed order bans supplement marketers from making disease claims
- Distributor sues Isagenix for negligence related to “over-fortified” shakes
- Recommendations offered to combat predatory journals and conferences
- $3.65 million settlement in class action lawsuit alleging stem cell therapy fraud
- Dietary supplement company ordered to stop making treatment claims
- Evidence remains lacking for vitamins and zinc as COVID-19 treatment
- FTC says chiropractor is defying consent order about supplements and COVID
- Naturopathy regulator ordered to reconsider complaint about vitamin IVs given to a mentally ill man
- FTC sues marketers of COVID-19 herbal tea product
- Another vaccine opponent dies of COVID-19
- Unsubstantiated collagen supplementation claims spotlighted.
- Videos to combat vaccine misinformation released
Issue #22-09, February 27, 2022
- COVID-19-misinformation-promoting doctor to face disciplinary panel
- “Detox” tea buyers to receive refunds
- Inconsistency of FTC response to COVID-19 quackery spotlighted
- Intravenous nutrient drip fad scrutinized
- More details on Stoller discipline available
Issue #22-08, February 20, 2022
- Ontario promoter of “integrative” cancer care will be disciplined
- Misinformation from Physicians for Informed Consent spotlighted
- “Alternative” birth-related practices scrutinized.
- Comprehensive resource on dietary supplements updated
- Promotion of quackery by Prince Charles exposed
Issue #22-07, Fabruary 13, 2022
- Fake COVID-19 immunization and vaccination card peddler strikes undisclosed plea deal
- Telemedicine doctor who prescribes ivermectin to treat COVID profiled by NPR.
- Guilty plea in COVID-19 vaccine fraud scheme
- Purchasers of fish oil supplements to receive refunds
- FDA spotlights tianeptine risks
Issue #22-06, February 6, 2022
- doTerra distributors caught promoting COVID-19 nostrums
- Del Bigtree’s ICAN misinformation business thriving during the pandemic
- Joe Rogan’s COVID-19 misinformation statements spotlighted
- Global anti-aging and longevity quackery market is growing rapidly
Issue #22-05, January 30, 2022
- Gerson practitioner found guilty of practicing medicine illegally
- Substack profiting from anti-vaccination misinformation
- Spotify responds to anti-misinformation backlash with COVID-19 content advisory
- Online seller of Hubble lenses settles unfair marketing complaint
Issue #22-04, January 23, 2022
- Improper COVID-19-related conduct of Canadian physicians spotlighted
- Another anti-vax doctor profiled
- Arkansas inmates sue jail over improper COVID-19 treatment
- Faith-healing exemption for parents who neglect children is under fire
Issue #22-03, January 16, 2022
- License of another vaccination-misinformation promoter suspended
- Health experts call on Spotify to moderate misinformation on its platform
- Spending on ivermectin prescribed for COVID-19 estimated
- Naturopaths’ pediatric laboratory-test orders spotlighted
- CEO who blocked generic competition banned from drug industry
- Major report spotlights progress and challenges for U.S. oral health
- Anti-vaccine podcast episode removed from YouTube
- Another disinformation-spreader spotlighted
- Theranos founder convicted
- COVID-misinformation-promoting pathologist under investigation
- Twitter restricts Marjorie Taylor Greene
- Injunction issued against promoters of silver products to treat COVID-19
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