Paul Offit Books
Do you Believe in Magic?
The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine
Paul A. Offit, M.D. - Multco Hollywood 615.5 o328d 2013
- p1 42%/6000 hospitals offer some form of alternative therapies
p3 M.D. wife Bonnie Fass-Offit
p3 benign Cutaneous Blue Ne .vus syndrome mimics malignant melanoma, fools most dermatologists
- p4 loss of cartilage beneath kneecap, surgery and 1 year recovery
- p4 enlarged prostate, most men with prostate cancer die of something else first, while surgery is brutal
p5 Chiropractic manipulations can lead to injuries, acupuncture to infection, some megavitamins increase cancer risk
p7 Introduction: Saving Joey Hofbauer
p7 laetrile
- p7 1977 Oct 5 neck lump in 7yo Joey Hofbauer, one swollen lymph gland
- p8 Cancer of lymph glands, radiation and chemotherapy 95% chance of recovery
p11 laetrile "treatment" by psychologist Michael B. Schachter
- p13 after six months of unconventional treatments, Joey had 17 swollen lymph glands, liver damage (megadose vitamin A), possible cyanide poisoning
p14 Laetrile Robert BradfordJohn Birch Society
p15 William D. Kelley Clinic Mexico Steve McQueen (smoker, asbestos exposure in the marines) pleural mesothelioma died age 50
p16 N Engl J Med 1977;296:1167-1168 May 19 (not 26) 1977, Laetrilomania
p17 Judge rules alternatives adequate . p18 Joey dies 1980 July 10, McQueen dies 1980 Nov 7
p18 Charles Moertel teams at Mayo, UCLA, Sloan-Kettering study 178 cancer patents on laetrile and high dose vitamins
- no stabilization or improvement, median survival 4.8 moths, "... not justified", FDA bans laetrile in 1987
p21 Fringe group National Health Federation criticised by American Cancer Society and Quackwatch
p25 Ch 1 Recovering the Past: Mehmet Oz and His Superstars
p25 Mehmet Oz Dr. Oz Show
p29 Benjamin Rush bloodletting hastened death of George Washington (with Epiglottitis) and Benjamin Franklin
p30-31 John Snow cholera Robert Koch anthrax Alexander Fleming penicillin Oswald Avery DNA James Lind scurvy
p32 Dr. Oz faith healer Issam Nemeh patient Cathy with worrisome lung CT, miraculously cured "cancer" (but no biopsy), probably infection
p33 George Bernard Shaw regards Lourdes: "All those canes, braces and crutches, and not a single glass eye, wooden leg, or toupee
p33 Pamela Miles theraputic touch
p34 9yo Emily Rosa debunks therapeutic touch, published in JAMA
p36 James Randi says strategies are hot reading and cold reading
p37 Oz's superstars of Alternative Medicine, Andrew Weil and Deepak Chopra
p39 Samuel Hahnemann 1790 homeopathy and Daniel David Palmer 1896 chiropractic manipulation
- p40 Oz offers instruction book for life, personalized ancient wisdom
p41 "2012" catastrophe movie (2009) promotes "ancient wisdom"
- p41 orthodox medicine constantly changing (learning) while alternative medicine same over hundreds of years
- p42 mainland China only 18% rely in alternative medicines, acupuncture almost solely by the rural poor
p42 Hippocratic Oaths : Medicine and Its Discontents by Raymond Tallis
p42 Snake Oil And Other Preoccupations by John Diamond
p47 Ch 2 The Vitamin Craze: Linus Pauling's Ironic Legacy
- 13 vitamins
9 soluble:B₁ thiamine B₂ riboflavin B₃ niacin, nicotinic acid B₄ adenine B₅ pantothenic acid B₆ pyrodoxine B₇ biotin B₈ inositol B₉ folic acid B₁₀ PABA paramonobenzoic acid B₁₁ salicylic acid B₁₂ cobalamin C ascorbic acid
4 insoluble:A retinol D calciferol E tocopherol K phylloquinone
p48 2011 UMinn women taking multivitamins die at higher rates
p48 2011 Cleveland Clinic men taking vitamin E risk prostate cancer
- p48 Seven previous studies show vitamins risk cancer, heart disease, and shortened lives [Citation needed]
- are these association or double-blind-trial causal? Perhaps people at higher risk are motivated to take vitamins
- p49-50 Linus Pauling accomplishments
p51 1966, 65yo Pauling gets letter from biochemist Irwin Stone suggesting 3000mg Vitamin C for longevity
p53 Vitamins for Prevention of Colds December 19, 1942 DONALD W. COWAN, M.D.; HAROLD S. DIEHL, M.D.; A. B. BAKER, M.D. full paper PDF (19th, not 14th
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_David_Palmer ... vitamin C no effect on colds
- p54 Pauling persisted, attributed cold symptoms to allergies.
- p54 1971 Glasgow Ewan Cameron claimed 10g/d Vitamin C helped cancer patients, but those patients started healthier
- p55 1971 Pauling claimed 10% cancer decrease, in 1977 claimed 75% cancer decrease, someday maximum age 150yo
p55 1979/Sep Moertel Failure of High-Dose Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) Therapy to Benefit Patients with Advanced Cancer
p55 1985/Jan Moertel High-Dose Vitamin C versus Placebo in the Treatment of Patients with Advanced Cancer Who Have Had No Prior Chemotherapy — A Randomized Double-Blind Comparison
Fanatic: one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject Esar's Comic Dictionary 1943
- p56 Pauling claims vitamins as cure-all
p57 April 6 1992 Time article by Anastasia Toufexis
Pauling died of prostate cancer August 19, 1994, Pauling and Ava's ashes interred in Oswego Pioneer Cemetery near parents' graves
Probably Here Northwest of Stafford Road, entrance on northeast, 5 parking spots on one lane road through cemetery
p58 1994 Finnish smokers given vitamin E, beta carotine more likely to die of lung cancer or heart disease placebo control
p59 1996 Asbestos Beta Carotine Retinol placebo control
p59 2005 Meta-Analysis: High-Dosage Vitamin E Supplementation May Increase All-Cause Mortality free
p61 etc. "antioxidant paradox" ... free radicals might also hinder immune reaction to bacteria and cancer cells
p65 Ch 3 The Supplement Industry Gets a Free Pass: Neutering the FDA
p66 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act chemist Harvey Washington Wiley
p68 Upton Sinclair
p69 Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906
p71 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 required safety testing, but not effectivenss
p71 Chemie Grünenthal thalidomide sedative phocomelia and other deformities
p72 National Health Federation NHF supplement lobbying group founded by Fred Hart, Harry Hoxley, Royal Lee, Kirkpatrick Dilling, Bruce Halstead, Victor Earl Irons
p77 Natural Causes Death, Lies, and Politics in America's Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry Dan Hurley 1957-
p78 1991 Food, Drug, Cosmetic, and Device Enforcement Amendments Henry Waxman and David Kessler
p90 Trick or Treatment? Simon Singh 2009
- p91 1983 to 2004, 1.3 million reports of adverse reactions to supplements, 175K hospitalizations, 139 deaths
- p92 Harris poll public believes:
- 68% believe manufacturers report side effects,
- 58% believe herbals require FDA approval
- 55% believe scientific evidence is required for product claims
p94 Ch 4 Fifty-One Thousand New Supplements: Which Ones Work?
p95 James Lind Scurvy
p95 Clinical Trials 3 phases
p96 Phase 3 for RotaTeq 70 thousand children, eleven countries, four years, $350M
p96 NCCAM might test after marketing, useless/harmful results might get published, but no recall or warnings on product
- p97 NCCAM spent $1.6B between 1999 and 2013 (book) on silly studies, now focuses on supplements and pain relief
p98 Peter Medawar "kindly conspiracy in which everybody has the best intentions" ... "The controlled clinical trial is an attempt to avoid being taken in by this conspiracy of goodwill"
p99 Steven Novella " ... they often make claims that are not backed by evidence."
p103 2006 Glucosamine and/or Chondroitin Sulfate for Painful Knee Osteoarthritis
p105 Vitamin D Effective Dose 600iu 15 minute sunlight 2xWeek
p106 Folic acid
p111 Ch 5 Menopause and Aging: Suzanne Somers Weighs In
- p113 menopause 5 to 8 year process begins with irregular periods by age 45
- p113 Suzanne Somers 7 Dwarves of Menopause: Itchy, Bitchy, Sweaty, Sleepy, Bloated, Forgetful, and All-Dried-Up"
p115 hormone replacement
p128 Ch 6 Autism's Pied Piper: Jenny McCarthy's Crusade
p129 Bernard Rimland
- p130-132 18 "causes" of autism with odd treatments
p133 Ami Clin
p133 Attention to eyes is present but in decline in 2–6-month-old infants later diagnosed with autism
p140 Ch 7 Chronic Lyme Disease: The Blumenthal Affair
p144 Lyme Disease , Ixodes deer ticks
- p145 First stage bull's-eye rash, days to weeks
- If untreated, second stage, spreads to other parts of body, fatigue, swelling, rash, joint pain, 15% meningitis, Bell's palsy, 5% carditis
- Third stage months later, 10% experience arthritis
- Resolves faster if treated early, fewer symptoms later, antibiotics for 2 to 4 weeks
- p146 alternate healers claim fourth stage Chronic Lyme disease with way more symptoms
p147 Under Our Skin grab bag of symptoms and supplements
p148 Wolf Storl teasel cure (affiliated with planet Mars)
p149 Rife machine
p151 A Critical Appraisal of “Chronic Lyme Disease” Feder et al 2007 NEJM
"Statement by IDSA against" actually, a long description of therapies, with a paragraph of "Theraputic modalities not recommended" and 19 more "not recommendeds" scattered through this 46 page "Guidelines" paper. "Statement ... against" is misleading.
p154 Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal sues IDSA for violating antitrust laws.
p157 IDSA forms new and different panel, public hearings, New 2010 Report, Chronic Lyme isn't real
- p159 Science, Politics, and Values: The Politicization of Professional Practice Guidelines
summarypdf "The scientific process is not democratic — no amount of desire for different results can establish them — and inconsistent findings create true controversy only when their methods are of comparable validity."
p163 Ch 8 Curing Cancer: Steve Jobs, Shark Cartilage, Coffee Enemas, and More
p163 NYT article about Steve Jobs pancreatic cancer woowoo, then full tilt science later
p165 Dynamizer
- Physicist Robert Millikan said, "They are the kind of devices a ten-year-old would build to fool an eight-year-old."
p167 Harry Hoxsey "The world is made of two kinds of people - 'dem that takes and them that gets took"
p168 Andrew Ivy Krebiozen mineral oil and creatine.
p170 Max Gerson "therapies" fooled Steve Jobs
p171 Shark Cartilage William Lane (stomach acid destroys cartilage proteins
p173 Ch 9 Sick Children, Desperate Parents: Stanislaw Burzynski's Urine Cure
p175 Stanislaw Burzynski antineoplaston therapy
- urine-derived peptieds, peptide derivatives, and mixtures
- "Galileo's Lawyer: Courtroom Battles in Alternative Health, Complementary Medicine and Experimental Treatments" Jaffe, Richard (2008)
p197 Ch 10 Magic Potions in the Twenty-First Century: Rashid Buttar and the Lure of Personality
p223 Ch 11 The Remarkably Powerful, Highly Underrated Placebo Response
p241 Ch 12 When Alternate Medicine Becomes Quackery
p253 Epilogue: Albert Schweitzer and the Witch Doctor: A Parable
- p254 Witch doctor triage
- minor illness: herbs in a bag with instructions
- psychological problems: incantations
- major problems: sent to Dr. Schweitzer