Category Archives: Law, Regulation, and Politics

Australian Government Cracks Down on Bogus Claims for “Black Salve”

One of my most popular (and unpopular) articles concerns the quack cancer remedy Neoplasene. This is one of a family of herbal derivatives called bloodroot, and it has never been shown to be a safe and effective therapy for cancer. … Continue reading

Posted in Herbs and Supplements, Law, Regulation, and Politics | 2 Comments

The Ethics of Referring Patients for Alternative Medical Therapies

I recently ran across an editorial on the subject of the legal and ethical issues associated with conventional doctors referring patients for alternative medical therapies. It does a nice job of highlighting an issue which I think gets too little … Continue reading

Posted in Law, Regulation, and Politics | 7 Comments

Growing Support for the AVMA Resolution Declaring Homeopathy is Ineffective

As I discussed last month, the AVMA House of Delegates will soon vote on Resolution 3, declaring that all veterinary therapies should be judged by the same standard, the standard of scientific evidence, and that homeopathy has consistently failed to … Continue reading

Posted in Homeopathy, Law, Regulation, and Politics | 3 Comments

Health & Human Services Inspector General Finds Dietary Supplement Companies Make Misleading, Unsupported Claims and Ignore FDA Regulations

I have discussed the bizarre and ineffectual regulatory scheme for dietary supplements in detail previously. The stunningly misnamed Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) basically exempts any product called a “supplement” from any meaningful regulation to ensure safety or … Continue reading

Posted in Herbs and Supplements, Law, Regulation, and Politics | 3 Comments

AVMA Considers Resolution Acknowledging Homeopathy is Ineffective

A recent article in the Veterinary Practice News (VPN) revealed that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is considering a resolution, proposed by the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), relating to homeopathy, specifically, and to the role of science and … Continue reading

Posted in Homeopathy, Law, Regulation, and Politics | 23 Comments

Eric Weisman Gets Fine and Probation for Violating Court Order

I recently received a comment from Mr. Eric Weisman, promoter of Evolution Diet, regarding a post I wrote about his products in 2009. The comment was full of conspiracy theories, baseless accusations, and a general disregard for truth. At that … Continue reading

Posted in Law, Regulation, and Politics, Nutrition | 4 Comments

Can you own an idea? Hemopet sues Nestle-Purina and Hill’s over Nutrigenomics.

Intellectual property law is a complex, often bewildering tangle that I make no claim to be deeply conversant with. However, it has always struck me as odd to consider the notion that ideas can be owned. While I understand the … Continue reading

Posted in Law, Regulation, and Politics | 11 Comments

Dr. Eisen Takes Legal Action to Suppress Criticism

In the true spirit of quackery, which cannot bear criticism or the exposure of its absurdities, Dr. Steven Eisen has expeditiously taken action to suppress my criticism of his marketing himself as a dog cancer expert despite no formal training … Continue reading

Posted in Law, Regulation, and Politics | 20 Comments

FDA Finds Widespread and Serious Violations of Safety and Quality Control Regulations for Dietary Supplements

Despite the possibility that some dietary supplements could have real health benefits, there are many reasons to be skeptical of the safety and value of most supplements on the market. Most have not been tested scientifically to an extent that … Continue reading

Posted in Herbs and Supplements, Law, Regulation, and Politics | 2 Comments

Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation (VOM)-A Familiar Tale of Quackery

The hallmark of classic medical quackery is the lone genius proclaiming the discovery of a radical new approach to healing that is simple, perfectly effective, and perfectly safe. This magical new therapy, described in impressive scientific terminology invented from scratch … Continue reading

Posted in Chiropractic, General, Law, Regulation, and Politics | 18 Comments