FSM News and Articles
Penalty over ‘anti-epidemic’ formula flogged on eBay: A company has been fined for advertising their traditional Chinese medicine product as being effective against COVID-19 on eBay – when no data showing its effectiveness against COVID-19 (or any infection) had been supplied. The TGA indications this product can be marketed under are far less specific, including “clear / dry / drain / eliminate / resolve dampness” and increase / augment / generate / promote / strengthen qi”. FSM’s Ken Harvey welcomed the ruling. However, he criticised the current systems in place by the TGA, which too frequently allow advertisers to make unfounded claims to sell their products. “Due to [the TGA’s] post-market monitoring approach, the ‘Anti-Epidemic Formula 1’ product – the label of which the TGA admits ‘carried an implied reference to COVID-19 through the name of the medicine’ – was able to be sold under that name for nearly a year during the pandemic.”
FSM Friends’ News and Articles
New Australian-first gene therapy gives Rylee and Saman sight at night — and the chance at a new life: “The other day I saw my first star in the sky.”
General
Former anti-vax Edson woman shares husband’s COVID-19 ICU horror story: “She plans to share her story with the anti-vaxxers she used to follow. She says she doesn’t want others to learn her lesson the hard way — first hand — and hopes to save them from grief by changing their minds instead.”
Today’s Abused Health Concept
Herbal detox patches: One should be sceptical when the word DETOX is used for any health product, as this is generally an indication of a scam. But the bigger question is why is it so common and so easy for such obvious scams to avoid regulatory control? “[FSM President] Professor Ken Harvey, … helped draft the World Health Organisation’s ethical criteria for medicinal drug promotion and described the detox foot patches as ‘a lucrative and well-known scam’. Prof Harvey lodged a complaint with the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for failing to take action on numerous complaints about detox foot patches. In the 2018 complaint, he said the patches do not ‘detox’ the body or remove toxins or treat medical conditions and called for ‘prompt regulatory action’. The TGA previously ordered an Australian company to cease claiming foot patches can detoxify the body or alleviate health conditions.”
Lesser-known Health Professions
Sexologist: A sexologist is a person who has studied human sexuality. Sexologists have studied the science of sex, which means they have studied human anatomy and physiology (how the body works and why) and psychology (how our minds work).