Quackwatch Home Page

Quackwatch

Your Guide to Health Fraud, Quackery,
and Intelligent Decisions

Operated by Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Any Questions?
Questions related to consumer health will be answered by email. If you write, please mention how you found this Web site.

Questionable Products, Services, and Theories

Acupuncture (updated 12/26/99) FEATURE
AIDS-Related Quackery and Fraud (updated 3/20/00)
Algae Products: False Claims and Hype (posted 4/20/97)
Allergies: Dubious Diagnosis and Treatment (updated 10/14/99)
"Alternative" Methods:
- Be Wary of "Alternative" Health Methods (updated 2/20/00) FEATURE
- Commonly Publicized Methods (updated 12/8/99)
- Common Misconceptions (to be posted)
- Science vs "Alternative" Methods (posted 8/22/97)
- A Public Health Perspective (updated 8/16/99)
- Why Extraordinary Claims Demand Extraordinary Proof (posted 12/26/98)
- "Postmodern" Attacks on Science and Reality (posted 5/30/98)
- "Alternative Engineering": A Postmodern Parable (posted 1/4/00)
- Definitions of 1,169 Methods (130-page dictionary posted 5/27/97)
- Books: Recommended and Nonrecommended (to be posted)
- Journals and Newsletters: Recommended and Nonrecommended (to be posted)
- Should Managed Care Companies Cover "Alternative Medicine"? [posted 1/24/99]
Arthritis: Questionable Approaches (to be posted)
Aromatherapy: Making Dollars out of Scents (updated 9/1/99)
Ayurvedic Mumbo-Jumbo (updated 11/3/98)
Cancer: Questionable Therapies (index to many articles, updated 4/20/00) FEATURE TOPIC
"Candidiasis Hypersensitivity/Yeast Allergy" (updated 8/14/99)
"Cellulite" Removers (updated 3/28/00)
Chelation Therapy (updated 12/18/98) FEATURE
Chinese Medicine (updated 7/30/99)
Chiropractic: FEATURE TOPIC - ALSO VISIT CHIROBASE
- Don't Be Fooled (updated 7/31/98)
- Advertising Gimmicks (posted 5/20/97)
- Nutrition (posted 5/17/97)
- Pediatrics (to be posted)
- Subluxations: Chiropractic's Elusive Buzzword (updated 10/24/99)
- Undercover Investigations (posted 9/14/97)
- How Chiropractors Oversell Themselves (updated 11/20/98)
- My Visit to a "Straight" Chiropractor (updated 9/11/98)
- Inside View of a Chiropractic Office (posted 7/14/97)
- Applied Kinesiology (updated 4/23/99)
- Contact Reflex Analysis (updated 4/16/98)
- What a Rational Chiropractor Can Do for You (link to Chirobase)
- "Veterinary Chiropractic" (link to Chirobase)
- Chiropractic Victim Support Group (posted 6/13/98)
Colloidal Minerals (posted 12/11/98)
Colloidal Silver (updated 11/5/99)
Colon Therapy and Related Quackery (updated 8/11/99)
Dentistry: Dubious Care
- Holistic Dentistry (revised 1/5/00)
- Mercury-Amalgam Scam (updated 12/23/99)
- Neuralgia Inducing Cavitational Osteonecrosis (NICO) (updated 12/23/99)
"Detoxification" Schemes (posted 8/15/97)
DHEA: Ignore the Hype (updated 10/12/98)
Dietary Supplements, Herbs, and Hormones (index to many articles, updated 4/14/00) FEATURE TOPIC
Dubious Diagnostic Tests (index to many articles, updated 4/7/00) FEATURE TOPIC
Ear Candling (updated 7/21/99)
Electrodiagnostic Device Quackery (slow-loading article, updated 3/7/00) FEATURE
"Ergogenic Aids" (updated 5/2797)
Eye-Related Quackery (updated 1/30/99)
Fad Diagnoses (index to 11 articles, updated 12/7/99) FEATURE TOPIC
Fad Diets (to be posted)
Faith Healing (updated 11/2/99)
Glucosamine for Arthritis (posted 11/21/97)
Gamma-hydroxybutyric Acid: A Growing Danger (posted 7/17/98)
Hair Analysis: A Cardinal Sign of Quackery (updated 11/6/99)
Herbal Practices and Products
- The Herbal Minefield (updated 2/15/00)
- Paraherbalism: Ten False Tenets (posted 8/31/99)
Homeopathy
- The Ultimate Fake (updated 2/24/00) FEATURE
- Essay by Oliver Wendell Holmes (1842) (posted 3/26/99)
Insurance Fraud and Abuse (updated 3/16/00)
Iridology (updated 9/20/99)
Juice Plus+^® (link to MLM Watch)
Juicing (updated 9/7/99)
Lyme Disease: Questionable Diagnosis and Treatment (updated 8/24/99)
Mail-Order Quackery (updated 12/18/99)
Magnet Therapy (updated 4/18/99)
Massage Therapy: Riddled with Quackery (to be posted)
Mental Help, Questionable Approaches:
- Feingold Diet (updated 3/29/99)
- Nutritional Supplements for Down Syndrome (updated 10/18/98)
- Orthomolecular Therapy (updated 10/15/97)
- Procedures to Avoid (updated 2/27/00)
- Psychotherapy Mismanagement (updated 4/22/99 )
- Self-Help Products (updated 8/5/98)
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (updated 11/24/99)
Multiple Sclerosis "Cures" (updated 8/31/99)
Multilevel Marketing: Mostly a Mirage (updated 8/26/99) ALSO VISIT MLM WATCH
Naturopathy
- A Close Look (updated 1/5/00)
- Opposition to Immunization (to be posted)
- HEW Report (1968) (updated 8/30/99)
- Medicare Testimony (1970) (posted 5/25/99)
Organic Foods: Will Certification Protect Consumers? (updated 8/30/99)
Osteopathy's Dubious Aspects (updated 1/29/00)
Pharmacists
- Selling Dubious Products and Services (updated 12/899)
- Misuse of Compounding (updated 12/5/99)
Pneumatic Trabeculoplasty (PNT) for Glaucoma (updated 11/27/98)
Power Lines and Cancer: Nothing to Fear (updated 2/16/00)
Qigong (updated 7/30/99)
Therapeutic Touch (several articles, updated 1/4/00) FEATURE
Top Health Frauds (FDA list, updated 4/5/99)
Unnecessary Surgery (posted 2/22/99)
Vitamin C: The Dark Side of Linus Pauling's Legacy (updated 11/16/97)
Weight Control Gimmicks and Fraud s (updated 2/7/99)
Wild Yam Cream Threatens Women's Health (posted 6/16/97)

Questionable Advertisements

"80% of Doctors Take Antioxidants" (updated 12/6/97)
Baldness Remedy "Uncovered" (updated 1/5/00)
"Bust Developers" (to be posted)
"Chiropractic Healing Successfully Treats Cancer" (link to Chirobase)
Clarified Butter (Ghee): Is It a health food? (updated 9/1/98)
Homeopathic Hype (posted 2/15/98)
Life Force Energy Discs (posted 10/25/97)
Magnetic Bracelet (posted 8/13/99)
Magnetize Your Beverages? (posted 9/19/98)
"Mommy My Ears Hurt" (posted 6/3/97)
"Recommend Centrum to Bridge Nutrition Gaps" (updated 8/9/98)
Phony Diet Pills (to be posted)
Reflexology Steering Wheel Cover (posted 9/16/97)
"Free Preliminary Spinal Examination" (posted 10/11/97)
Stress Vitamins (to be posted)
Tobacco Ads: What Is Their Message? (to be posted)

Nonrecommended Sources of Health Advice

Books (updated 3/22/00)
Credentials to Be Wary of (to be posted)
Degree Mills (updated 3/29/00)
Health-Food-Store Advice: Don't Trust It! (updated 4/16/99)
Individuals
- Robert Atkins, M.D. (to be posted)
- Herbert Benson, M.D. (to be posted)
- Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D. (updated 9/2/99)
- Deepak Chopra, M.D. (updated 11/3/98)
- Hulda Clark's Bizarre Claims (updated 12/20/99)
- Adelle Davis (posted 3/27/99)
- Kurt W. Donsbach Sentenced to Prison (updated 1/15/98)
- Earl Mindell (to be posted)
- Gary Null (updated 5/19/99)
- Bernie Siegel, M.D. (updated 11/25/98)
- Lendon Smith, M.D. (posted 12/28/97)
- Andrew Weil, M.D. (link to another site)
- Julian Whitaker, M.D. (link to another site)
- Other Individuals (Index)
Questionable Organizations: An Overview (updated 4/20/00)
- American Association of Nutritional Consultants (updated 9/24/99)
- Center for Medical Consumers (to be posted)
- Citizens for Health (to be posted)
- Council for Responsible Nutrition (to be posted)
- Foundation for the Advancement of Innovative Medicine (revised 9/21/99)
- National Health Federation (to be posted)
- People's Medical Society (updated 12/19/98)
- Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (to be posted)
Periodicals (updated 3/22/00)
Psychic Advice by Mail or Telephone (updated 6/15/98)
Publishers That Promote Quackery
- Avery Publishing Group (to be posted)
- Future Medicine Publishing (to be posted)
- Keats Publishing (to be posted)
- Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (to be published)
- Rodale Press (to be posted)
Nonrecommended Web Sites (updated 1/22/00)

Consumer Protection

Intelligent Consumer Behavior (posted 5/1/97)
Doctor-Patient Communication Tips (posted 5/3/97)
Antiquackery Organizations (updated 12/26/99)
Where to Complain or Seek Help (updated 4/29/00)
NCAHF Victim Redress Task Force (updated 9/4/99)
Online Scams: A Message from the FTC (posted 5/20/97)
Plaintiffs Wanted for Consumer Protection Suits! (posted 9/19/99) FEATURE
Spam Messages:
- Some Strategies to Prevent Spams (updated 12/15/99)
- FTC Names "Dirty Dozen" Spam Scams (posted 4/6/00) NEW
Strengths and Weaknesses of Our Laws (updated 4/23/00)
How the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 Weakened the FDA (updated 4/24/00) MAJOR UPDATE
Genetically Engineered Foods Should NOT Bear Special Labels (posted 1/2/00)
Board Certification: What Does It Mean? (posted 7/28/98)
Why Nutritionist Licensing Is Important (updated 3/9/00)
AMA Discourages Product Sales in Medical Offices (updated 11/23/99)
The Assault on Regulatory Standards (to be posted)
Important Regulatory Actions
- General Nutrition (updated 9/24/99)
- Home Shopping Network (posted 4/17/99)
FTC Concerned about Chiropractic Claims (link to Chirobase)

Consumer Strategy: Health Promotion

Antioxidants and other Phytochemicals: Current Scientific Perspective (updated 2/10/00)
Cancer Prevention: Real and Imaginary Risk Factors (to be posted)
Cardiovascular Disease:
- Risk Factors (posted 11/8/97)
- Cholesterol Control (to be posted)
- High Blood Pressure: Diagnosis and Treatment (to be posted)
- Homocysteine: A Risk Factor Worth Considering (updated 4/14/00)
Child Care Guides: Infancy through Age 2 (eight articles, posted 3/18/00) NEW
Dietary Guidelines for Americans (posted 2/12/97)
Dietary Guidelines for Infants (updated 5/26/99)
Dietary Reference Intakes: New Guidelines for Calcium and Related Nutrients (posted 11/23/97)
Dietary Supplements: Appropriate Use (updated 3/17/00)
Exercise
- Choosing and Using Equipment (posted 11/7/97)
- Guidelines (to be posted)
Fluoridation: Don't Let the Poisonmongers Scare You! (4 articles, updated 3/22/99)
Food Irradiation: A Valuable Public Health Measure (link to another site)
Hormone-Replacement Therapy (posted 3/25/97)
Immunization: Common Misconceptions (updated 4/599)
Low-Fat Diet: Practical Tips (posted 9/3/97)
Osteoporosis Prevention (to be posted)
Sugar: Myths vs. Facts (to be posted)
Tobacco-Related News (updated 4/7/00)
Vegetarianism: Healthful But Not Necessary (updated 3/17/00)
Weight-Control Guidelines (to be posted)

Consumer Strategy: Tips on Practitioner Selection

Choosing Physicians (to be posted)
Choosing a Dentist (to be posted)
Where to Get Mental Help (to be posted)
Choosing a Nutritionist (to be posted)
Choosing a Chiropractor (updated 1/2/99)
Be Wary of "Free Foot Exam" Ads (updated 12/20/98)
How to Check a Physician's Credentials (updated 2/12/00)

Consumer Strategy: Disease Management

Drugs
- Tips for Prudent Use (posted 10/25/99)
- Overuse of Antibiotics, Blood-Pressure Drugs, and Heartburn Drugs (posted 2/19/99)
- Glaucoma Patients: Don't Waste Money on High-Priced Eyedrops (to be posted)
Fibromyalgia Strategies (8 articles, updated 2/13/00) FEATURE TOPIC
Latex Allergy Epidemic (updated 1/23/00)
Low Back Pain (updated 5/18/99)
Refractive Surgery (updated 11/1/98)
Scoliosis: A Sensible Approach (posted 1/14/98)

Education for Consumers and Health Professionals

Consumer Health Textbook Updates (many topics, updated 4/7/00)
Consumer Protection Books (updated 4/30/99)
Book Reviews: Other Recommended Books (to be posted)
Handling Challenges to Skepticism (posted 9/30/99)
HONcode Principles: What Do They Signify? (updated 10/31/99)
Internet Guidebooks: Recommended and Nonrecommended (to be posted)
Internet Health Scares (posted 9/12/99)
Media Watch: Critiques of Recent Articles and Broadcasts
- Consumer Reports' Attack on Pesticides Criticized (posted 4/30/99)
- Why You Should Ignore the Baby Bottle Scare (posted 6/17/99)
- The Unfounded Vaccination/Autism Scare (posted 10/6/99)
News Briefs (many topics, updated 4/15/00)
Questions and Answers (updated 1/29/00)
Quiz: What's Your Consumer Health IQ? (posted 9/19/97)
Recommended Magazines, Newsletters, and Journals (updated 12/26/99)
Reliable Agencies and Organizations: (updated 12/26/99)
Urban Legends, Rumors, and Hoaxes (posted 11/6/99)
Web Site Evaluations (updated 2/20/00)

Research Projects (Volunteers Needed)

Alternative Cancer Treatment Registry (posted 9/20/98)
Antifluoridation Quackery (posted 10/14/98)
Dubious Advertising
Link Patrol (posted 5/18/98)
Multilevel Marketing through the Internet (updated 3/9/00)
Publicly Held Companies that Market Questionable Products (to be posted)
Quackery for Pets (updated 11/14/97)
Questionable Methods Project (updated 1/9/99)
Tips for Journalists (to be posted)

Legal and Political Action Activities (How You Can Help)

Fighting Quackery: Tips for Activists (posted 2/16/98)
Prosecuting Wrongdoers in California (posted 12/31/97)

Links to Other Web Sites

American Council on Science and Health (ACSH)
Chirobase (Quackwatch's skeptical guide to chiropractic history, theories, and current practices) FEATURE
Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP)
Health Frontiers Center for Quackery Control
Healthcare Reality Check (Georgia Council Against Health Fraud)
James Randi Educational Foundation
MLM Watch (Quackwatch's guide to multilevel marketing) FEATURE
Museum of Questionable Medical Devices
National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF)
NutriWatch (Quackwatch's guide to sensible nutrition) NEW FEATURE
Qakatak (Australian Skeptics)
Rational Radio [4/13/00]
Skeptical Links Project Index: Links to over 300 topics)
Skeptical Information Sources (18 links, updated 1/5/00)
Skeptics Dictionary (over 300 topics)
Other Valuable Sites (170 links, updated 4/16/00)

Quackwatch abides by the
HONcode principles of the
Health On the Net Foundation

Quackwatch is part of the Skeptic Ring, an alliance of sites that examine claims about paranormal phenomena and fringe science from a skeptical point of view

Navigate the Ring:
Next Site ||| Prev Site
Random ||| List Next 5
List All Sites

Quackwatch is also part of the Consumer Action and Advice Ring, an alliance of sites that provide free consumer advice or education

Navigate the Ring:
Next Site ||| Prev Site
Random ||| List Next 5
List All Sites

Quackwatch home page
visitors since 1/4/97: Our one-millionth home-page
hit was recorded on 3/28/00.
During most weeks, Quackwatch is updated several times daily.
Most recent update: 4/30/00. Site indexing is done daily at 6:00 AM.
Links are checked weekly by LinkWalker.

All articles on this Web site except government reports are copyrighted.
Single copies can be downloaded for personal education.
Other uses without authorization are illegal.