FSM News and Articles
Where food meets medicine – reform needed: “…the regulation of health claims for foods and therapeutic goods is inconsistent; complaint systems are inadequate, no effective penalties are applied for documented breaches of the law, and questionable (and potentially dangerous products) are proliferating.” So, what should be done?
“The Public Health Association of Australia, Choice and Friends of Science in Medicine suggested expanding the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code to a Therapeutic Claims Advertising Code so complaints could be dealt with by one authority.” This was considered to be beyond the scope of the TGA. “The problems documented above should be a matter for the new government that will be formed after the 18 May 2019 election. We suggest the new government asks the Australian National Audit Office to revisit their 2011 audit of the TGA, add FSANZ to the terms of reference, and focus the audit on ensuring ethical health claims are made in both food and medicines.”
FSM Friends News and Articles
Debunking sleep myths: “So if you have poor sleep the first step is to dispel sleep myths. Then adopt good sleep habits. If this does not work, you have questions about what your sleep habits should be, or if you have any concerning symptoms such as severe snoring, then consult your physician.”
General
Taylor Winterstein: Taylor Winterstein is using her profile to sell a purple powder that costs up to $1000 a kilogram. But medical experts say the supplement is just ground-up rice.
Some think Big Pharma is suppressing a cure for cancer. Here’s why that could never happen: A nice brief exploration of human nature and its relation to the conspiracy that won’t go away: the suppressed cure for cancer.
Today’s Abused Health Concept
Chiropractor treating concussions for earlier return to play: Concussion, and ‘second impact syndrome’ is a serious problem in many sports, and can lead to long term brain damage or even fatal consequences. In recognition of the potentially serious consequences, guidelines for return to play after a concussion have been developed by numerous organizations. THERE IS NO TREATMENT THAT WILL SPEED RECOVERY. Rest is the first step, followed by a graded return to activity and clearance for sports only after full recovery.” However a chiropractor is even claiming that following a concussion, he can return players to the field WEEKS faster though his use of invalid diagnostic tests, the invalid use of pulsed massage, and the use of an invalid ‘BrainTap’ device. This chiropractor also works with high school students.
“Chiropractic is not a science. It is more like a cult.” The use of invalid techniques is rife in chiropractic. It is well known that chiropractors see themselves as doctors, and as such regularly attempt to expand the care they can provide. In this case they want to be team doctors for sports players. “There is even an American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians.” The use of invalid pseudo-science to treat players andto bypass safety guidelines is likely to cause significant harm to players who become patients of such a chiropractor. This is especially concerning considering that children are among the potential victims. This disregard for ethics is symptomatic of the wider problems with chiropractic as a field.
Great Moments in Health and Science
Blood Donation and the History of Blood Banking: Less than 100 years ago, blood donation involved on-call volunteers who would donate blood directly when required. With modern storage and blood-screening, the safe use of this precious resource continues to save thousands of lives.