Rate Your Doctor

http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/41951/ON/Kitchener/Polevoy

The purpose of the site is to be a resource for people who want to find a good doctor. Where else can you find out what others think of your doctor? When choosing a doctor, wouldn’t you like some information first? It also gives you, the user, a place to voice your opinion. Your opinion will help others find a good doctor.

Skeptical about the skeptics

Whenever I really want to be amused, I spend a few minutes reading the latest admonishments and retortments from the extreme skeptics of natural medicine. By “extreme skeptics,” I don’t mean actual critical thinkers who apply genuine open-minded curiosity to the world around them, I mean the pseudoscientific zealots who berate anyone who believes in acupuncture, massage therapy, homeopathy, herbal medicine, sunlight therapy, breath therapy, meditation or any number of other natural healing modalities. They think vitamins are useless, acupuncture isquackery, and that all medical treatment should be limited to drugs, surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Read More…

The Semmelweis Reflex

On this blog, I often talk about the way the mind works. We are flooded with information all the time, so the mind has to filter through this vast volume of data and choose what to give attention to, then process it into recognizable form. Science tells us the world is quite a different place than what we perceive. What we perceive is a mental construct based on the incoming information, a construct we tune as children until it matches enough with the society in which we function. Conditioning, this is called. Read More…

Quackwatch Begging for Money for Legal Costs

Dr. Barrett’s followers are begging for donations to pay for legal costs after the California Supreme court fined him and Polevoy for bringing forth a frivilous lawsuit. The court batte went on for 6 years against Ilena Rosenthal. Why these individuals would want to spend so much effort going after someone who is out to protect the health of women is a mystery. The best thing that could happen for people and their abilities to make choices would be if this lawsuit bankrupt these people. They have gone out of their way to discredit many honest people and deserve this loss.

Uri Geller – UFO’s, metal-bending and the PSI War

“Uri Geller.” Two words which seem to invoke passion in anyone who has read about or seen this truly remarkable person. Yet if one is lucky enough to meet or speak to the man himself, you quickly realise what a disarming and genuine person he really is.

So why all the fuss?

Uri says that he first became aware of his mindpower at the age of four. He was eating, when the fork he was using bent and snapped. His mother, a member of the Freud family, was not surprised at his ability and nurtured his childhood accordingly. It was this acceptance, rather than denial, which enabled his self belief. A belief, Uri says, is inherent in all children, it is social conditioning which creates the denial.

After getting wounded during the Six Day War, Uri left the Israeli Army, and worked as a fashion model by day, and at night started to give displays of his mind-power with the support of his brother, Shimson ( Shipi ). His extraordinary demonstrations quickly became well known and he soon developed a professional stage show. Nothing really strange about the story so far, yet word had spread. Far enough to warrant the mysterious Andrija Puharich to enter the scene ( see http://www.forteantimes.com/artic/126/nine.html ).

Puharich had been working previously with the equally mysterious, Dr Vinod, drawing together ‘channelled’ information on the principles of ‘The Nine’ and was a pivotal figure in the ‘contactee’ movement. Under the wing of Puharich, Uri was flown to the USA, where he was introduced to astronaut Edgar Mitchell, and physicists Hal Puthof and Russel Targ. In December 1972 he allowed himself to become the subject of a scientific study undertaken at the prestigious Stanford Research Institute at Menlo Park, California.  Read More …..

Anti-alternative “Quackbusters” Have Giant Court Losses on Two Continents: Holland, Pennsylvania & California Courts Rule Against Them

PRESS RELEASE:

Recent rulings in Amsterdam, Pennsylvania and the Supreme Court of California are heavy blows to the Quackwatch anti-chiropractic and anti-alternative medicine organizations.

After years of being labeled a”quack,” defamed and ridiculed professionally, ” Dr. Maria Sickesz won a great victory in Amsterdam, Holland early June 2007.

The Netherlands Appeals Court ordered the “Vereniging tegen de Kwalzalverij” (Association Against Quackery, which is the Dutch version of the so-called “Quackbusters” ) to cease and desist from using the demeaning, subjective and pejorative term “quack.” This group is linked extensively on their website with the American “quackwatch” headed by Stephen Barrett, who also has suffered several legal defeats recently.

The Justices recognized that this group’s affinity for giving demeaning labels to doctors with whose practices they disagreed was a way of shutting down emerging science. They were also ordered to publish a public retraction in two widely circulated newspapers,  which is estimated to cost around thirty thousand euro dollars and has been said will bankrupt this highly controversial association.

Dr. Sickesz developed a kind of healing called orthomanual therapy which integrates chiropractic practices. For several decades the “quackbuster” organizations around the world have waged legal and public relations wars against chiropractors and other non traditional practitioners, demonizing them with their biased campaigns.

In June, for the second time, Barrett lost a case in a Pennsylvania Appeals Court against a local and respected chiropractor. Suing Dr. Tedd Koren has definitely backfired on the longtime head of the quackwatch empire. During this case, Barrett had to reveal that he had failed his psychiatric medical board tests and was never board certified for the decades he practiced. Board certification protects patients.

Barrett Vs Rosenthal was decided in November, 2006 against Barrett and his co-plaintiffs, Terry Polevoy and Christopher Grell. Though Barrett had claimed he was “defamed” and “libeled,” the Supreme Court Justice’s final words in the decision were, “As the lower courts correctly concluded, however, none of the hostile comments against Dr. Barrett alleged in the complaint are defamatory.” In May, 2007, Barrett and Polevoy were ordered to post bonds of over $433,000 in this case.

In an earlier court loss, Barrett and fellow “National Council Against Health Fraud” member, Wallace Sampson, were ruled to be “biased and unworthy of credibility” in a case they lost against King Bio, a homeopathtic remedy company.

Sources:  http://www.volkskrant.nl/wetenschap/article433699.ece/Wie_zalft_er_dan_wel_kwak
http://www.BreastImplantAwareness.org/BarrettVsRosenthal.htm
http://www.HumanticsFoundation.com/kingbio.htm
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/282560/court_victory_for_chiropractors_against.html

Skeptics Left Doubting Their Own Skepticism

Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) June 20, 2007 — On June 14th ,2007 at Simon Fraser University, B.C. Skeptics Colloquium sponsored a lecture by Arthur Grollman, M.D., Professor of Pharmacological Sciences at the University of New York Stony Brook. Barry Beyerstein, PhD, a professor of Psychology at S.F.U. and head of the B.C. Skeptics Society, hosted the event entitled “The Pharmacology of Herbal Remedies and the Placebo Effect”.

With an audience of about 25 people, mostly students, Grollman presented a lecture and then fielded questions from the audience. He addressed science’s growing awareness and validation of the tight mind/body connection, which he referred to as the placebo effect, the most powerful factor in pharmacology, at 30% efficacy. “Placebo is the most interesting and understudied factor,” admitted Grollman. When asked specifically how placebo relates to prescription drug trials, he confessed that in prescription drug trials, with placebo being a known 30%, a drug is called “effective” if it demonstrates 31% efficacy. That fact in itself was amazing and made attending this event worth the price of admission: it was free, or at least sponsored by our taxes toward funding Universities in their quest for greater knowledge. Read More….

Chiropractors Claim Court Victory Against Infamous ‘Quackbuster’

Chiropractors Claim Court Victory Against Infamous ‘Quackbuster’

http://digital50.com/news/items/PR/2007/06/14/DCTH129/chiropractors-claim-court-victory-against-infamous-quackbuster.html

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif., June 14 PRNewswire-USNewswire — In a strongly worded opinion, the Appeals Court for the State of Pennsylvania ruled against Stephen Barrett, a long-time critic of chiropractic and alternative health care. In an action that chiropractors see as a major setback for their nemesis, the judge refused to overturn a 2005 decision against Barrett.

The earlier lawsuit was won by chiropractor Tedd Koren, DC, whose company markets chiropractic educational pamphlets that Barrett had harshly criticized.

In his newsletter, Dr. Koren referred to the self-proclaimed “Quackbuster” as a “Quackpot” and commented that Barrett was “de-licensed,” and “in trouble.” Barrett sued Koren for defamation and lost the case.

Barrett, who represents himself as an expert on health care quackery, has appeared as a medical expert in numerous court cases and claims the FDA, FTC and other governmental agencies have consulted him on health care issues. He is noted for his outspoken opposition to and criticism of non-medical health care approaches, most of which he labels “quackery.” His targets have included chiropractic, homeopathy, naturopathy, and even two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling.

Heading the legal team for the original Koren case and appeal was Carlos Negrete, who serves as legal counsel for the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA).

“This is a great victory for the chiropractic profession,” Koren stated after the Pennsylvania Appellate Court decision was announced. “Once again, chiropractors across the country have been vindicated and exposed the specious and evil attacks by someone who has no knowledge or expertise in our field.”

Negrete specializes in representing alternative health care providers who are targeted by advocates of the medical and pharmaceutical industries. His previous court victories have positioned him as the premier “health freedom” attorney in the US.

During heated and often dramatic courtroom proceedings, Negrete pointed out many of the questionable statements Barrett includes on his websites attacking chiropractic, as well as facts about Barrett’s own credentials that shocked even his supporters. Under Negrete’s intense cross-examination, Barrett admitted that he had not been a licensed physician for more than a decade and had failed the neurological exam, preventing him from being certified as a specialist. Negrete demonstrated that, despite his claims, Barrett had no real expertise in any medical field.

Barrett also admitted, under questioning, that he misrepresented himself as a licensed physician in a previous court case.

“These revelations cast serious doubts about Barrett’s credibility and integrity and were major factors in the judge’s decision,” Negrete stated.

Calling the case a “landmark decision” for chiropractors and alternative care providers, Negrete noted that “Barrett has made a career out of attacking core chiropractic values, specifically subluxation, with no scientific basis for his contentions. This case clearly shows that his opinions about chiropractic or other health care options are irrelevant.”

WCA President Terry A. Rondberg, DC, agreed with Negrete. “This is a turning point not only for Barrett, but for all unscientific and uninformed opponents who seek to impose the medical monopoly on the public. People around the world deserve freedom of choice in health care and need valid, unbiased and truthful information on all options available to them. Thanks in great part to the WCA legal counsel, Carlos Negrete, they now have a better chance of getting both.”

The World Chiropractic Alliance — an international organization representing doctors of chiropractic — promotes traditional, drug-free and non-invasive chiropractic to correct vertebral subluxations. The WCA is an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information and publishes the peer-reviewed chiropractic research journal, Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research. For more information, contact the WCA at 800-347-1011 or http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org.

SOURCE World Chiropractic Alliance

Challenging Quackwatch’s Position on Lyme Disease

http://www.redflagsdaily.com/my_opinion/2005_jun23.html

Excerpt:

IN MY OPINION
Challenging Quackwatch's Position on Lyme Disease

By Marjorie Tietjen
Director For Lyme Concerns
Common Cause Medical Research Foundation

The honest unvarnished truth concerning Lyme Disease, it's
co-infections and chronic illness will be exposed. Deception and fraud
eventually bring about their own demise.  This is simply a natural law
of the universe. In the meantime, however, we need to be alert to the
methods used to deceive concerning this particular medical cover up.
Here is a link to the article I am challenging.
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/lyme.html

The folks at Quackwatch claim they have no financial and or political
ties to government/corporations. Anyone can say this, but it would be
difficult to prove. Actions, attitudes and results speak louder than
words. "By their fruits ye shall know them."  From what I've read on
this website, it appears that the writers are extremely one- sided in
their views and seem inclined to attack and ridicule.

They speak a lot about "approved studies" and base many of their
conclusions on these studies, many of which are carried out by
universities and government agencies which are funded by the drug
companies. Of course, many drug companies directly carry out their own
research studies. Doesn't it seem very likely that their studies would
be heavily biased?

Just for the record, I don't believe that there is a single study out
there that can prove the nonexistence of chronic active Lyme disease,
but there are studies out there that irrefutably prove that Lyme can
still be present in the body after many months of antibiotic
treatment. http://www.lymeinfo.net/lymefiles.html . The Greater
Hartford Lyme Disease Support and Action Group has put up a US$10,000
reward to anyone who can prove that Lyme disease is always cured
within 30 days of antibiotics and can never become actively chronic.
This reward has been posted for over a year now and so far no one has
responded.  Many are beginning to observe that it is the private
researchers, who have no such affiliations, who are being harassed and
labeled as quacks, even when their work produces favorable results.

Quackwatch Exposed

(Barrett's publicists have been working long and hard and diligently to keep this valid information off the internet) http://www.canlyme.com/quackwatch.html Dr. Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch Exposed In Court Cases At trial, under a heated cross-examination by Negrete, Barrett conceded that he was not a Medical Board Certified psychiatrist because he had failed the certification exam. This was a major revelation since Barrett had provided supposed expert testimony as a psychiatrist and had testified in numerous court cases. Barrett also had said that he was a legal expert even though he had no formal legal training. The most damning testimony before the jury, under the intense cross-examination by Negrete, was that Barrett had filed similar defamation lawsuits against almost 40 people across the country within the past few years and had not won one single one at trial. During the course of his examination, Barrett also had to concede his ties to the AMA, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food & Drug Administration (FDA). P R E S S R E L E A S E FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: October 13, 2005 Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania Court Case: Stephen Barrett, M.D. vs. Tedd Koren, D.C. and Koren Publications, Inc. Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County for the State of Pennsylvania Court Case No.: 2002-C-1837 Contact: Carlos F. Negrete LAW OFFICES OF CARLOS F. NEGRETE San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 Phone: 949.493.8115 Fax: 949.493.8170 email: mediarelations@healthfreedomlaw.com mediarelations@negretelaw.com URL: www.healthfreedomlaw.com www.negretelaw.com Dr. Tedd Koren, DC. Phone: 800.537.3001 267.498.0071 Fax: 267.498.0078 URL: www.korenpublications.com Subject: *Quackwatch Founder Stephen Barrett loses Major Defamation trial in Hometown * In a stunning development, Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania Judge J. Brian Johnson on Thursday, October 13, 2005, tossed out nationally known self-proclaimed 'consumer medical advocate' Stephen Barrett's defamation lawsuit just minutes before it was going to be considered by a local jury. The lawsuit, filed in August 2002, against also nationally known Pennsylvania chiropractor, lecturer, researcher and publisher, Stephen Barrett sought unspecified damages against Koren and his company, Koren Publications, Inc. for statements that he wrote in his newsletter in 2001 about Barrett. Barrett, a long-time nemesis of chiropractic, filed the lawsuit because of Koren's publication that Barrett was 'licensed' and in trouble because of a $10 million lawsuit and because Barrett was called a 'Quackpot'. In his defense, Koren contended that the statements were true and not defamatory and that he had a First Amendment right to write them in his newsletter. Thursday's ruling by Judge Johnson represented a major reversal of the finding of an arbitration in August 2004 wherein a panel of three local private attorneys reviewing the case had found in favor of Barrett and awarded Barrett $16,500 in damages and that Koren should publish a retraction. That award was appealed by Koren. Dr. Koren was represented by well-known health freedom San Juan Capistrano, California, attorney Carlos F. Negrete for trial and Washington, D.C. attorney James Turner of Swankin & Turner. Easton, Pennsylvania attorney Christopher Reid of Laub, Seidel, Cohen, Hof & Reid served as local counsel for the team and was co-counsel for the trial along with Negrete. Turner and Negrete have been well known for their representation of clients in the health food, supplement and vitamin industries as well as representing naturopaths, nurses, dentists, physicians, chiropractors and complimentary therapists across the country. Turner's experience dates back the 1960s when he joined consumer advocate Ralph Nader and was one of the groundbreaking Nader's Raiders that made consumer advocacy popular and brought about significant changes in manufacturing and consumer protection. In making the ruling to throw out the case, Judge Johnson granted a rare directed verdict to the jury finding there was insufficient evidence to support Barrett's claims. Judge Johnson indicated that this case was one of those rare times where such a motion was appropriate. Barrett operates the web site www.quackwatch.org , www.chirobase.org and 20 other web sites and has been a long time critic of chiropractic calling much of it"quackery". The victory to chiropractor Koren comes almost 18 years to the date that chiropractors received national attention with their victory against the American Medical Association (AMA) by obtaining an injunction against the AMA from an Illinois federal judge for engaging in illegal boycotting of doctors chiropractic in Wilk et al vs. AMA. Barrett had been an outspoken supporter of the AMA at the same time that Koren had been a vocal advocate that the AMA has, in recent years, violated the spirit of the federal judge's order. After the ruling, Koren proclaimed that: I am overjoyed and enthusiastic that this nightmare is over and that the science, art and philosophy of chiropractic and the work of all of my colleagues have been vindicated. "This case took a toll on my life and family, but I knew that I was right in publishing the truth." Dr. Barrett has no right to misinform the public about chiropractic and other natural healing arts or to try to silence anyone who criticizes him or tell consumers that he is not what he purports to be. "I believe that it is not right to be silent when there is a duty to inform the public and let the truth be told." For years, Barrett has touted himself as a medical expert on 'quackery' in healthcare and has assisted in dozens of court cases as an expert. He also was called upon by the FDA, FTC and other governmental agencies for his purported expertise. He was the subject of many magazine interviews, including Time Magazine and featured on television interviews on ABC's 20/20, NBC's Today Show and PBS. He has gained media fame by his outspoken vocal disgust and impatience over natural or non-medical healthcare, including his criticisms of two time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling. Dr. Tedd Koren is known for his writings and lectures on chiropractic science, research, philosophy, and chiropractic patient adjusting. He is known for his Koren Publications chiropractic patient education brochures, posters, booklets, books and other products that are used in chiropractors' offices throughout the United States and around the world. Dr. Koren also co-founded a chiropractic college, is on the extension faculty of two chiropractic colleges, is published in chiropractic and bio-medical journals and has received numerous awards in his field. His web sites include www.korenpublications.com and www.teddkorenseminars.com In his 2001 newsletter, Koren published articles that revealed that even though he touted himself as a medical expert, Barrett had not been a licensed physician since the early 1990s. He also published that Barrett had been the subject of a $10 million racketeering lawsuit [that had been withdrawn] and called him a 'quackpot' for the contradiction of his website and lack of credentials. Koren's trial attorney, Carlos F. Negrete of San Juan Capistrano, California, is known for his defense of physicians, chiropractors, dentists, clinics and natural heath providers who practice what is known as complimentary & alternative medicine and holistic healthcare. Negrete has also handled groundbreaking cases against HMOs in California and has represented many celebrities and politicians. At trial, under a heated cross-examination by Negrete, Barrett conceded that he was not a Medical Board Certified psychiatrist because he had failed the certification exam. This was a major revelation since Barrett had provided supposed expert testimony as a psychiatrist and had testified in numerous court cases. Barrett also had said that he was a legal expert even though he had no formal legal training. The most damming testimony before the jury, under the intense cross-examination by Negrete, was that Barrett had filed similar defamation lawsuits against almost 40 people across the country within the past few years and had not won one single one at trial. During the course of his examination, Barrett also had to concede his ties to the AMA, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food & Drug Administration (FDA). This was not the first time that Negrete was a trial attorney in a Barrett case. He also represented anti-fluoridation advocate Darlene Sherrell in a federal lawsuit filed in Eugene, Oregon by Barrett. Barrett also lost in trial of that case. Negrete also represented Robert King of King Bio Natural Medicine of North Carolina and MediaPower (manufacturers of CalMax and Nu-Zymes) of Maine in cases filed by an organization led by Barrett, which were lost by Barrett's organization. Barrett has also filed a lawsuit against Negrete and his client Dr. Hulda Clark (author of The Cure for All Diseases and The Cure for All Cancers) , which is now pending and awaiting trial in San Diego, California federal court. After the Koren trial, Negrete stated: "The de-bunker has been de-bunked. I am pleased and satisfied with this outcome for Dr. Koren and am proud that Dr. Koren did not succumb to the pressures of the intimidation of Barrett's legal wrangling. Not everyone can stand up to someone as well known as Barrett." Negrete continued, "It is another great day for health freedom and alternative healthcare around the world. I am especially pleased that this most important victory was in Barrett's own hometown. It just goes to show you that there is justice anywhere, even when you are a visitor challenging the home team. Barrett is a shill for the medical and pharmaceutical cartels and his bully tactics and unjustified discrediting of leading innovators, scientists and health practitioners should not be tolerated." Negrete said, "You can be assured that our legal team will be wherever health freedom advocates and practitioners are being persecuted. The tide is now turning and people are no long accepting that synthetic drugs are the only form of treatment are the only way to address health concerns. "Every day, consumers are becoming more educated about the benefits of holistic and alternative methods. This is something that the medical establishment obviously fears and wants to crush with false propaganda." Koren said that he would now go back to his home in Pennsylvania to spend more time with his family and continue to write, research, and lecture on topics concerning chiropractic and healthcare and the experiences he has gained from this precedent setting legal battle. He plans to give new lectures to chiropractors across the country who are under attack or have been subjected to governmental actions. He also announced that he is forming a new organization aimed at informing and assisting chiropractors across the country. The trial started on Monday, October 10, 2005 and ended on October 13, 2005 Barrett was represented by local Allentown attorney, Richard Orloski.<http://www.breastimplantawareness.org/>