FDA Orders Dr. Joseph Mercola to Stop Illegal Claims http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/mercola.html
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <authfriend@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long <sharelong60@> wrote: > > > > Hi Xeno, thanks for this. Well there will always be some 96 year old woman > > who "smoked every day of her life and wasn't bothered by the harmful > > effects of cigarettes." Yay for her, you go girl! But I'm gonna go with the > > statistics on this one, thank you! And with the stats on sugar. > > You mean the statistics in Xeno's article, right? > > > OTOH, maybe Woody Allen got it right in Sleeper: > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yCeFmn_e2c > > > > What sugar MIGHT be doing to your brain: > > http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/09/02/fructose-affects-brain-health.aspx > > I believe I told you awhile back that Mercola is > considered a quack. > > From Wikipedia: > > Views and controversy > > Mercola operates mercola.com, which he has described as the most popular > alternative-health website on the Internet.[3] The site reportedly brought in > about $7 million in 2010 through the sale of a variety of alternative > medicine treatments and dietary supplements. An article in BusinessWeek was > critical of his website's aggressive direct-marketing tactics and complained > of Mercola's "lack of respect" for his site's visitors, writing: > > Mercola gives the lie to the notion that holistic practitioners tend to be so > absorbed in treating patients that they aren't effective businesspeople. > While Mercola on his site seeks to identify with this image by distinguishing > himself from "all the greed-motivated hype out there in health-care land", he > is a master promoter, using every trick of traditional and Internet direct > marketing to grow his business... He is selling health-care products and > services, and is calling upon an unfortunate tradition made famous by the > old-time snake oil salesmen of the 1800s.[3] > > Phyllis Entis, a microbiologist and food safety expert, highlighted > Mercola.com as an example of websites "likely to mislead consumers by > offering one-sided, incomplete, inaccurate, or misleading information."[12] > The Better Business Bureau, responding to complaints including allegations > that Mercola did not honor an advertised money-back guarantee, gave the > website a grade of 'F'.[4] > > Mercola has also received three warning letters from the U.S. Food and Drug > Administration for violations of U.S. marketing laws. The first two letters, > dated 2005 and 2006,[13][14] charged Mercola with making false and misleading > claims regarding the marketing of several natural supplemental products, > which violated the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act.[5] In the most recent > letter, sent in March 2011,[15] Mercola was accused of violating federal law, > by making claims about the efficacy of certain uses of a telethermographic > camera exceeding those approved by the FDA concerning the diagnostic and > therapeutic potential of the device (regulation of such claims being within > the purview of the FDA). Dr. Mercola has challenged the FDA's order stating > that "We believe that the FDA's warning letter is without merit and is an > attempt to regulate the practice of medicine, which the agency does not have > the regulatory authority to do. Our use of the thermography device is > consistent with its 510(k) clearance for use by health care professionals in > their diagnosis and treatment of patients."[16] > > Food consumption > Mercola advocates a diet consisting mostly of unprocessed foods. He sees > value in paleolithic diets and advocates metabolic typing, and is a proponent > of vegetable juicing.[17] Mercola argues fervently against over-consumption > of sugar, especially high-fructose corn syrup, which is the predominant > sweetener of many commercial sodas and soft drinks, and processed flour and > grains, which the body rapidly converts into sugar. He has also been an > advocate of increasing the consumption of Omega-3 fats and of strategies to > greatly increase blood levels of Vitamin D3. > > Mercola's dietary recommendations often put him at odds with mainstream > dietary advice.[12] Mercola encourages the ingestion of unprocessed saturated > fats, including unrefined coconut oil in place of polyunsaturated fats such > as vegetable, corn, soy, safflower, sunflower and canola oils.[18] > > Food preparation > Mercola's website has called microwave ovens dangerous, claiming both that > they emit dangerous radiation and that microwaving food alters its > chemistry.[19][20] In contrast, academic reviews have concluded that "no > significant nutritional differences exist between foods prepared by > conventional and microwave methods."[21] Other studies have suggested that > food cooked in microwave ovens can be more nutritious than conventionally > cooked food.[22][23] The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide states > that "as a general proposition, cooking with a microwave probably does a > better job of preserving the nutrient content of foods because the cooking > times are shorter."[24] > > Mercola is also against homogenization,[25] claiming that it leads to > xanthine oxidase absorption and oxidative stress.[26] This idea has been > described as "tenuous and implausible" in the Journal of the American Medical > Association.[27] A review published in the American Journal of Clinical > Nutrition concluded that "Experimental evidence has failed to substantiate, > and in many cases has refuted, the xanthine oxidase/plasmalogen depletion > hypothesis".[28] > > HIV and AIDS > Mercola has questioned whether HIV is the cause of AIDS. He has argued > instead that the manifestations of AIDS (including opportunistic infections > and death) may be the result of "psychological stress" brought on by the > belief that HIV is harmful.[29] Mercola.com has featured positive > presentations of the claims of AIDS denialists, a fringe group which denies > the existence of AIDS and/or the role of HIV in causing it.[29][30][4] > > The scientific community considers the evidence that HIV causes AIDS to be > conclusive[31][32] and rejects AIDS-denialist claims as pseudoscience based > on conspiracy theories,[33] faulty reasoning, cherry picking, and > misrepresentation of mainly outdated scientific data.[31][32][34] > > Drugs and supplements > Mercola opposes the use of most prescription drugs and immunizations, > favoring better food choices, especially unprocessed, organic produce and > elimination of most sugar and grains from our diet, lifestyle modifications, > especially regular exercise, better sleep, and removing household toxins from > cleaning supplies and cosmetics, and energy psychology tools to address > emotional challenges.[35] He promotes and sells numerous dietary supplements, > including krill oil, vitamin K, probiotics, and anti-oxidant supplements. > > Mercola is especially critical of new drugs, as well as of the U.S. Food and > Drug Administration.[36] > > Sunscreen > Mercola has also claimed that the use of many commercial brands of sunscreen > increases, not decreases, the likelihood of contracting skin cancer with high > UV exposure. He advocates the use of "natural" sunscreens, some of which he > markets on his website.[37] This view is not held by mainstream medical > science; in 2011, the National Toxicology Program stated that "Protection > against photodamage by use of broad-spectrum sunscreens is well-documented as > an effective means of reducing total lifetime UV dose and, thereby, > preventing or ameliorating the effects of UV radiation on both the appearance > and biomechanical properties of the skin".[38] > > Vaccinations > Mercola has been highly critical of vaccines and vaccination policy, claiming > that too many vaccines are used too soon during infancy.[39] He hosts vaccine > critics on his website, advocates preventive measures rather than vaccination > in many cases, and strongly criticizes influenza vaccines. > > Mercola argues that thimerosal, previously widely used as a vaccine > preservative, is harmful.[40][41] Thimerosal is no longer present in most > vaccines given to young children in the USA, though it is still present in > some vaccines approved for adults.[42] Extensive evidence has accumulated > since 1999 showing that this preservative is safe,[43] with the World Health > Organization stating in 2006 that "there is no evidence of toxicity in > infants, children or adults exposed to thiomersal in vaccines".[44][43] > > In his book The Great Bird Flu Hoax,[45] Mercola appears to take a stronger > anti-pharmaceutical industry stance by accusing them of a fear-mongering > marketing campaign against the public. In supporting this stance, Mercola > often has wholly critical views of those working in governmental health care, > as well as towards international health organizations. He argues at length > that concern over swine flu and the resulting immunizations were actually > false alarms put forth to terrify the public.[46] The World Health > Organization reports that by August 1, 2010, about 18,500 deaths have been > caused by the H1N1 pandemic influenza.[47] > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Mercola > > (See the page above for links to the references.) > > Also see: > > http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/mercola.html > > http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/February-2012/Dr-Joseph-Mercola-Visionary-or-Quack/index.php?cparticle=1&siarticle=0#artanc > http://tinyurl.com/mxqt6dg > > http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/9-reasons-to-completely-ignore-joseph-mercola-and-natural-news/ > http://tinyurl.com/kz3yyqb >
