Quackwatch

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Quackwatch, Inc.
Formation1969 (website in 1996)
TypeNon-profit organization
Location
  • USA
Official language
English
Chairman
Stephen Barrett
Websitequackwatch.org

Quackwatch, Inc., is an American non-profit organization founded by Stephen Barrett that aims to "combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct" with a primary focus on providing "quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere."[1][2] Since 1996 it has operated a website, quackwatch.org, which advises the public on unproven or ineffective alternative medicine remedies.[3] The site contains articles and other information criticizing many forms of alternative medicine.[4][5][6]

Quackwatch has received several awards and has been recognized in the media.[7] Numerous sources cite quackwatch.org as a practical source for online consumer information. The site has been criticized by supporters and practitioners of various forms of alternative medicine such as herbalism and homeopathy, as well as other practices that are criticized on the website.[8][9][10]

History

Founded in 1969 by Stephen Barrett, M.D., the Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud was incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania in 1970.[11] In 1996, the corporation began the website quackwatch.org, and the organization itself was renamed Quackwatch, Inc. in 1997 as its website attracted attention.[2] Quackwatch is closely affiliated with the National Council Against Health Fraud.[12]

Mission and scope

Quackwatch is overseen by Barrett, its chairman, with input from a board of advisors and help from volunteers, including a number of medical professionals.[13] As of 2003, Quackwatch engaged the services of over 150 scientific and technical advisors: 67 medical advisors, 12 dental advisors, 13 mental health advisors, 16 nutrition and food science advisors, 3 podiatry advisors, 8 veterinary advisors, and 33 other "scientific and technical advisors" were listed.[14]

Quackwatch describes its mission as follows:

"...investigating questionable claims, answering inquiries about products and services, advising quackery victims, distributing reliable publications, debunking pseudoscientific claims, reporting illegal marketing, improving the quality of health information on the internet, assisting or generating consumer-protection lawsuits, and attacking misleading advertising on the internet."[2]

Quackwatch states that there are no salaried employees, and a total cost of operating all of Quackwatch's sites is approximately $7,000 per year. It credits it is funded mainly by small individual donations, commissions from sales on other sites to which they refer, profits from the sale of publications, and self-funding by Barrett. Stated income is also derived from usage of sponsored links, including Amazon.com, ConsumerLab.com, HealthGrades, Inc, and Netflix.[2]

Site content

The Quackwatch website contains many essays and white papers, intended for the non-specialist consumer, written by Barrett, a board of advisors, and other writers. The articles discuss health-related products, treatments, enterprises, and providers which Quackwatch deems to be misleading, fraudulent or ineffective. Also included are links to article sources and both internal and external resources for further study.

The site is especially critical of products, services, and theories that it considers questionable, dubious, and/or dangerous, including:[15]

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The website provides information about specific people who perform, market, and advocate therapies it considers dubious, including in many cases details of convictions for past marketing fraud. It maintains lists of sources, individuals, and groups it considers questionable and non-recommendable.[28][29] Its lists includes two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling (for his claims about mega-doses of Vitamin C), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Alternative and Complementary Medicine, and integrative medicine proponent Andrew Weil.[30][31]

The site is part of a network of related sites, including Homeowatch (on homeopathy), Credential Watch (devoted to exposing degree mills), Chirobase (specifically devoted to chiropractic), each devoted to specific topics.[32][33][34][35][36] Quackwatch.org's articles are reviewed by the medical advisory board upon request[2] and many of its articles cite peer-reviewed research.[18][21][23] According to a review in Running & FitNews, the site "also provides links to hundreds of trusted health sites."[37]

The site is also available in German, French, and Portuguese, and also available via several mirrors, including www.quack-watch.org and www.quackwatch.com.[38][39][40][41][42]

Notability

Quackwatch has been mentioned in the media, reviews and various journals, as well as receiving several awards and honors.[7][43][44] In 1998, Quackwatch was recognized by the Journal of the American Medical Association as one of nine "select sites that provide reliable health information and resources."[45] It was also listed as one of three medical sites of U.S. News & World Report's "Best of the Web" in 1999:[46] A web site review by Forbes magazine stated:

"Dr. Stephen Barrett, a psychiatrist, seeks to expose unproven medical treatments and possible unsafe practices through his homegrown but well-organized site. Mostly attacking alternative medicines, homeopathy and chiropractors, the tone here can be rather harsh. However, the lists of sources of health advice to avoid, including books, specific doctors and organizations, are great for the uninformed. Barrett received an FDA Commissioner's Special Citation Award for fighting nutrition quackery in 1984. BEST: Frequently updated, but also archives of relevant articles that date back at least four years. WORST: Lists some specific doctors and organizations without explaining the reason for their selection."[47]

Quackwatch has also been cited or mentioned by journalists in reports on therapeutic touch, Vitamin O, Almon Glenn Braswell's baldness treatments, dietary supplements, Robert Barefoot's coral calcium claims, noni juice, shark cartilage, and infomercials.[48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57] The site's opinion on a US government report on complementary medicine was mentioned in a news report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.[58] Sources that mention Quackwatch.org as a resource for consumer information include the United States Department of Agriculture, the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, The Lancet, the Journal of Marketing Education, the Medical Journal of Australia, the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Skeptic’s Dictionary,[59][60][61][62][63][64][65] and the Diet Channel.[66][67][68] Websites of libraries across the United States of America, include links to Quackwatch as a source for consumer information.[69] In addition, several nutrition associations link to Quackwatch.[70] An article in PC World listed it as one of three websites for finding the truth about Internet rumours,[71] and WebMD listed it as one of eight organizations to contact with questions about a product.[72]

The American Cancer Society lists Quackwatch as one of ten reputable sources of information about Alternative and Complementary Therapies in their book "Cancer Medicine",[73] and lists it as one of four sources for information about Alternative & Complementary Therapies in an article about on-line cancer information and support.[74] It also uses Quackwatch as a reference in a long series of articles on many forms of alternative medicine.[75]

Reviews and commentary

The Good Web Guide of the United Kingdom described Quackwatch as "firmly anti-holistic" and "an important and useful information resource [which] injects a healthy dose of scepticism into reviewing popular health information."[5] Cunningham and Marcason in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association described Quackwatch as "useful"[64], while Wallace and Kimball, in the Medical Journal of Australia, described the site as "objective".[63]

Waltraud Ernst, Professor in the History of Medicine at Oxford Brookes University,[76] points out Barrett's thoroughness and care in advocating against hucksterism, and how it ends up downplaying alternative forms of healthcare, as well as faith, persuasion, spirituality, and cognition, in the treatment of diseases.[77][failed verification]

A review paper in the Annals of Oncology identified Quackwatch as an outstanding complementary medicine information source for cancer patients.[78]

Donna Ladd, a journalist, in an article in the Village Voice, suggested that Quackwatch's notability might be influenced by the economic competition between the medical industry and alternative sources.[9] Sociologist Joel Best wrote that critiques in Quackwatch and similar sites should be examined critically rather than being accepted at face value.[79]

In a The Consultant Pharmacist review, pharmacist Bao-Anh Nguyen-Khoa characterized Quackwatch as "relevant for both consumers and professionals". Nguyen-Khoa remarked that the implementation of a peer review process would benefit the site and improve its balance, and since the review one has been implemented.[43][14]

The former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Science Panel on Interactive Communication and Health[80] named Quackwatch as a credible source for exposing fraudulent online health information in 1999. Dr. Thomas R. Eng, the director of the panel's study, later stated, "The government doesn't endorse Web sites." Still, he said, "[Quackwatch] is the only site I know of right now looking at issues of fraud and health on the Internet."[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ Barrett, M.D., Stephen. "Biographical Sketch". Quackwatch. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  2. ^ a b c d e Barrett SJ. "Quackwatch - Mission Statement". Quackwatch. Retrieved 2007-02-12. Cite error: The named reference "mission" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ Baldwin, Fred D. "If It Quacks Like a Duck ..." MedHunters. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
  4. ^ Barrett SJ. "Quackwatch.org main page". Quackwatch. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  5. ^ a b The Good Web Guide. Retrieved on September 14, 2007.
  6. ^ Politzer, M. Eastern Medicine Goes West. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on September 14, 2007.
  7. ^ a b Quackwatch: Awards and honors
  8. ^ Jaroff, Leon (April 30, 2001). "The Man Who Loves To Bust Quacks". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  9. ^ a b c Dr. Who? Diagnosing Medical Fraud May Require a Second Opinion. by Donna Ladd, The Village Voice, June 23 - 29, 1999. Retrieved July 14, 2008
  10. ^ David J Hufford, "Symposium article: Evaluating Complementary and Alternative Medicine: The Limits of Science and Scientists." J Law, Medicine & Ethics, 31 (2003): 198-212. Hufford is Professor Emeritus of Humanities at Pennsylvania State University. Hufford's symposium presentation was the counterpoint for another doctor's presentation, which argued that "alternative medicine" is not medicine at all. See Lawrence J. Schneiderman, "Symposium article: The (Alternative) Medicalization of Life." J Law, Medicine & Ethics, 31 (2003): 191-198.
  11. ^ Pennsylvania Department of State — Corporations
  12. ^ "Quackwatch home page". Quackwatch. Retrieved 2007-11-04.
  13. ^ Rosen, Marjorie (October 1998). "Interview with Stephen Barrett, M.D." Biography Magazine. Retrieved 2007-02-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ a b Barrett SJ. "Scientific and technical advisors". Quackwatch. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  15. ^ Barrett, Stephen. "Quackwatch — listing criticisms of several practices". Your Guide to Quackery, Health Fraud, and Intelligent Decisions. Quackwatch. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
  16. ^ Barrett, S. "Algae: False Claims and Hype" Retrieved 17 July 2007
  17. ^ Barrett, S. "The "Mercury Toxicity" Scam: How Anti-Amalgamists Swindle People" Retrieved 17 July 2007
  18. ^ a b Barrett, S. "Be Wary of "Alternative" Health Methods" Retrieved 17 July 2007
  19. ^ Worrall, Nevyas, Barrett. "Eye-Related Quackery" Retrieved 17 July 2007
  20. ^ Barrett, S. "Be Wary of Acupuncture, Qigong, and "Chinese Medicine"" Retrieved 17 July 2007
  21. ^ a b Barrett, S. "Don't Let Chiropractors Fool You" Retrieved 27 November 2007
  22. ^ Barrett, S. "Gastrointestinal Quackery: Colonics, Laxatives, and More" Retrieved 17 July 2007
  23. ^ a b Barrett, S. ""Dietary Supplements," Herbs, and Hormones" Retrieved 17 July 2007
  24. ^ a b Barrett, S. "The Shady Side of Embryonic Stem Cell Therapy" Retrieved 17 July 2007
  25. ^ Barrett, S. "The Herbal Minefield" Retrieved 17 July 2007
  26. ^ Barrett, S. "Homeopathy: The Ultimate Fake" Retrieved 17 July 2007
  27. ^ Barrett, S. "A Close Look at Naturopathy" Retrieved 17 July 2007
  28. ^ Barrett SJ. "Nonrecommended Sources of Health Advice". Quackwatch. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  29. ^ Barrett SJ. "Questionable Organizations: An Overview". Quackwatch. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  30. ^ Barrett SJ. "The Dark Side of Linus Pauling's Legacy". Quackwatch. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  31. ^ Relamn AS. "A Trip to Stonesville: Some Notes on Andrew Weil". New Republic. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  32. ^ Homeowatch
  33. ^ Credential Watch
  34. ^ Chirobase
  35. ^ Victims of Chiropractic
  36. ^ 22 There are web sites affiliated with Quackwatch. "Together, these have over 4,000 pages and cover thousands of topics."
  37. ^ "Cutting through the haze of health marketing claims". Thomson Gale. Running & Fitnews. Sept-October, 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ Quackwatch auf Deutsch
  39. ^ Quackwatch en Français
  40. ^ Quackwatch em Português
  41. ^ www.quack-watch.org
  42. ^ www.quackwatch.com
  43. ^ a b Nguyen-Khoa, Bao-Anh (July 1999). "Selected Web Site Reviews — Quackwatch.com". The Consultant Pharmacist. Retrieved 2007-01-25.
  44. ^ [1]
  45. ^ JAMA Patient Page - Click here: How to find reliable online health information and resources, Journal of the American Medical Association 280:1380, 1998.
  46. ^ U.S. News & World Report: The Best of The Web Gets Better
  47. ^ Forbes.com, Best of the Web website reviews: Quackwatch.
  48. ^ Kolata, Gina (April 1, 1998). A Child's Paper Poses a Medical Challenge. The New York Times
  49. ^ Siwolop, Sana (January 7, 2001). Back Pain? Arthritis? Step Right Up to the Mouse. The New York Times
  50. ^ Eichenwald, Kurt and Michael Moss (February 6, 2001), Pardon for Subject of Inquiry Worries Prosecutors. The New York Times
  51. ^ Associated Press (September 13, 2004). Man Once Pardoned By Clinton Again Faces Prison.
  52. ^ Another Dubious Pardon - U.S. News & World Report
  53. ^ Fessenden, Ford with Christoper Drew (March 31, 2000). Bottom Line in Mind, Doctors Sell Ephedra. The New York Times
  54. ^ Leon Jaroff, (March 14, 2003), Coral Calcium: A Barefoot Scam, Time magazine
  55. ^ Noni Juice Might Lower Smokers' Cholesterol. Forbes magazine
  56. ^ Leon Jaroff, (Sep. 29, 2004), Medical Sharks, Time magazine
  57. ^ Damon Darlin, (April 8, 2006), Words to Live By in Infomercial World: Caveat Emptor, The New York Times
  58. ^ Reynolds Tom, White House Report on Alternative Medicine Draws Criticism, JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2002 94(9):646-648 Error: Bad DOI specified!
  59. ^ Fraud and Nutrition Misinformation: Dietary Guidance. Nutrition Information on the Internet. United States Department of Agriculture
  60. ^ W Steven Pray. Ethical, Scientific, and Educational Concerns With Unproven Medications. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. Alexandria: 2006. Vol. 70, Iss. 6; pg. O1, 14 pgs. Quackwatch is named as a reliable source together with Skeptical Enquirer, specifically for Pharmacy Course on Unproven Medications and Therapies.
  61. ^ Marilynn Larkin. Medical quackery squashers on the web. The Lancet. London: May 16, 1998. Vol. 351, Iss. 9114; pg. 1520 - 2. Names Quackwatch as the premier site for exposing purveyors of health frauds, myths, and fads.
  62. ^ Lawrence B Chonko. If It Walks like a Duck . . . : Concerns about Quackery in Marketing Education. Journal of Marketing Education. Boulder: Apr 2004. Vol. 26, Iss. 1; pg. 4, 13 pgs. Chonko states “Many of the thoughts on which this article is based are adapted from materials found on this site.” (referring to Quackwatch)
  63. ^ a b Wallace Sampson, Kimball Atwood IV. Propagation of the Absurd: demarcation of the Absurd revisited. Medical Journal of Australia. Pyrmont: Dec 5-Dec 19, 2005. Vol. 183, Iss. 11/12; pg. 580 - 1. Sampson states that “CAM source information tends to exclude well known critical and objective web pages such as those found on Quackwatch (www.quackwatch.org).”
  64. ^ a b Eleese Cunningham, Wendy Marcason. Internet hoaxes: How to spot them and how to debunk them. American Dietetic Association. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Chicago: Apr 2001. Vol. 101, Iss. 4; pp. 460 - 1. Cunningham and Marcason state that “Two Web sites that can be useful in determining hoaxes are www.quackwatch.com and www.urbanlegends.com.”
  65. ^ "U.S. Department of Health & Human Services". healthfinder.gov. National Health Information Center. Retrieved 2007-09-12.Quackwatch is available from their database.
  66. ^ "Diet Channel Award Review Of Quackwatch". Retrieved 2007-09-18. Quackwatch is a very informative site which informs you about health fraud and gives you advice on many decisions.
  67. ^ Health Quackery: Spotting Health Scams - U.S. National Institutes of Health
  68. ^ Carroll, Robert Todd (January 29, 2008). ""alternative" health practice". Skeptic’s Dictionary. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
  69. ^ "Southwest Public Libraries". Retrieved 2007-09-12.
     • "National Network of Libraries of Medicine". Evaluating Health Web Sites, Consumer Health Manual. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
     • "VCU Libraries". Complementary and Alternative Medicine Resource Guide — Fraud and Quackery Resources. Virginia Commonwealth University. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
     • "Rutgers University Libraries". Finding What You Want on the Web: A Guide. Rutgers University Libraries. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
     • "USC Libraries — Electronic Resources — Quackwatch". University of Southern California. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
     • "Medical Center Library". University of Kentucky Libraries. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
  70. ^ "Research". Texas Dietetic Association. November 6, 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
     • "Nutrition Resources". Illinois Dietetic Association. 2005. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
     • "Links". Greater New York Dietetic Association. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
     • "Nutrition Links". Maryland Dietetic Association. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
     • "Professional Resources — Health Quackery". American Dietetic Association. Diabetes Care and Education. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
  71. ^ Robert Luhn, "Best Free Stuff on the Web," PC World Jun 30, 2003
  72. ^ Health Quackery: Spotting Health Scams -- WebMD Public Information from the National Institutes of Health" WebMD
  73. ^ Reputable Sources of Information about Alternative and Complementary Therapies - American Cancer Society
  74. ^ Cancer Information & Support Available Online - American Cancer Society
  75. ^ A Google search lists a long series of articles on many forms of alternative medicine on the American Cancer Society website that use Quackwatch as a source.
  76. ^ "Waltraud Ernst". Retrieved 2009-09-21. {{cite web}}: Text "Oxford Brookes University" ignored (help)
  77. ^ Ernst, Waltraud (2002). Plural medicine, tradition and modernity, 1800-2000. New York: Routledge. pp. p.234–6. ISBN 0-415-23122-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  78. ^ Schmidt, K (January 2004). "Assessing websites on complementary and alternative medicine for cancer". Oxford University Press. Annals of Oncology. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
  79. ^ Best, Joel (2004). More damned lies and statistics: how numbers confuse public issues. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. p.179–180. ISBN 0-520-23830-3. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  80. ^ "Science Panel on Interactive Communication and Health". U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). July 11, 2002. Retrieved 2008-09-25.

Further reading

  • Paranormal Claims: A Critical Analysis, 2007, edited by Bryan Farha, University Press of America, ISBN 978-0-7618-3772-5. Three of the eighteen chapters are reprints of Quackwatch articles.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quackwatch&oldid=243316490"