N C A H F I T H E BULLETIN BOARD

NCAHFT H E·s UL L E T I NBOARDMARCH / APRIL, 1990[The NCAHF Bulletin Board is sent to members only. It is intended to stimulate and aid inactivism against health fraud, misinfonnation and quackery at the local, state and national levels.]NEEDED: MORE NCAHF SUPPORTING MEMBERSIt is clear from the financial statement elsewhere on thispage that NCAHF needs to increase its income if it is tobalance it books, let alone increase its effectiveness.Income sources are limited. NCAHF does not do publicfund raising because it is complex and expensive. Inaddition, public misperceptions about quackery and itsvictims does not make it a good competitor with othercharity causes. NCAHF has not sought government orprivate grant monies because of the fact that grantingagencies are apt to impose their values and prioritiesupon grantees, and NCAHF wants to be independent andtrue to its fundamental guidelines of science andconsumer protection legal principles.Although somephilanthropic grant monies may not subvert NCAHF goals,grant applications take an enormous amount of time andeffort and which would itself divert our limited resourcesaway from attending to NCAHF's business. The realityis that NCAHF is dependent upon those who believe inwhat it stands for and are willing to support it. Onlyabout 2% of its roughly 1600 members are SupportingMembers ( 100 per year).If ten percent of themembership would become Supporting Members, annualincome would rise about 8500, which would more thancover the additional 6000 occupancy fee NC HF willpay Loma Linda University in 1990, plus the amount ofshortfall experienced in 1989.HIDING OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTSIt would be great if NCAHF could toot its own horn a bitmore.NCAHF is responsible for many importantantiquackery actions throughout the year. Tooting ourhorn would be helpful in inspiring the membership. Itmight help elicit donations for the cause. Its not thatwe're modest, but that there are some very practicalreasons why NCAHF must keep many of itsaccomplishments private. Unfortunately, the kind of workdone is very sensitive and revealing NCAHF's role couldeasily be misconstrued by the proponents of quackery.People under prosecution could claim persecution, targetsof media exposes could claim that they had been unfairlysingled out by the "quackbusters," etc. Privacy must beobserved in cases involving victim redress.NCAHFPresident William Jarvis reports that he can honestly saythat there has never been an instance where NCAHF hasgone after someone on a personal basis. NCAHF simplytackles health fraud, misinformation and quackery wherewe find it. If someone has been mentioned often itsonly because he or she has been exceptionally active.NCAHF 1989 ANANCIAL REPORT1989 was an average year for NCAHF financially. Justas has happened in four of the last five years, NCAHFshowed a small deficit. These were all off-set by thegain NCAHF experienced in 1988 (for reasons unknown).1990 has us worried due to the substantial increase inwhat we must pay to LLU for occupancy (from 1000 to 1500 per month), but we cannot complain because thisis still a great bargain.1989 Financial SummaryIncomeMembership dues 2Total 46,714.16*Does not include Resource Center or NCAHF BookSales gross; these are separate businesses withwhich NCAHF has a symbiotic relationship.ExpensesLabor & Contracts 24,052.5212,000OccupancyAccounting1,200Secretarial service9,000Computer service2,052.52General Operating13,253.291,472.39Public InformationResearch & Investigation302.25152.75Legal Action & Defense2,203.50Promotion & ExpansionDirectors Expenses6,830.26 48,266.96TotalBalance: gain or (loss)Net worth 2/25/90(1,552.80) 42,531.661989 BULLETIN BOARD INDEXFor the first time, an annual index for the NCAHF Bulletin has been prepared. There is no plan to distributeit to the entire membership as is done with thenewsletter index. However, if members would like a copyof the 1989 BB index, send 1 and a SSAE to the MainOffice.

LEGISLATION TO STOP BOGUS DIPLOMA USEINTRODUCED IN CALIFORNIAOn 2127190, Assemblyman Curtis R. Tucker, Jr., (50thDistrict) introduced AB3409, a bill that would make it amisdemeanor to claim, either orally or in writing, topossess an academic degree, or the title associated withthe degree, unless the person has, in fact, been awardedthe degree from an institution that is accredited by anational or regional association recognized by the UnitedStates Department of Education or the Council for PrivatePostsecondary and Vocational Education (there is more,but the intent of the bill is clear). Assemblyman Tuckerwas impressed by the bill that NCAHF introduced andwas passed in Florida (CS/HB1575; see Nov-Dec, 1989NCAHF Newsletter) and realized that the only was tostop the use of fraudulent diplomas was to make theiruse illegal. California sought to reform its diploma millproblem by strengthening standards for "authorized"schools, but this did not prevent the use of boguscredentials obtained prior to the new standards or thoseobtained outside of the state.NCAHF applaudsAssemblyman Tucker for his efforts to protect Californiaconsumers from pretenders.California members areurged to write to their state representatives urging supporttor- AB3409.CONSUMER DISSERVICE AWARDSThe Board has long wanted to have· a mechanism forcalling people's attention to publications, broadcasts andactivities that represent a disservice to the community interms of advancing the problems of health fraud,misinformation or quackery.Such a system wasestablished at the Feb. 25 board meeting. The procedurefor nominating, selecting and presenting communitydisservice awards is:1. Send nominations and documentation to the MainOffice of NCAHF (no special form is required).2. Nominees will be compiled and distributed to theBoard of Directors annually.3. Board members will rank the top 20 nominees, withthe top ten selected for awards.4. Suitable names and a brief report will be developedtor each award. These will be reviewed by NCAHF'sGeneral Counsel to assure that they are not legallyactionable for defamation.5. Community Disservice Awards will be publicized in thenewsletter and/or presented at the National HealthFraud THFRAUD,MISINFORMATION AND QUACKERYNCAHF has been giving awards to writers, broadcastersand others who have made significant contributions to thecommunity by exposing health fraud, misinformation orquackery. Two types of awards are given: a NationalConsumer Service Award for publications, broadcasts oractivities that have a nation-wide impact, and a LocalConsumer Service Award for those that impact a smallerregion. The awards themselves are attractive 8"x10"parchment certificates with a gold embossed NCAHF logoat the top, appropriately worded, and signed by theNCAHF Board Chairman and President.In the past, nominations for awards have been made byNCAHF board members. At its February 25 meeting, theBoard voted to open the awards program up to thegeneral membership or anyone else who believes thatsomeone deserves recognition.The procedure tornominating and approving awards is:1. Obtain a nomination form from the Main Office.2. Fill out theform and supply the requireddocumentation.3. Send nomination form and required documentation toDr. Stephen Barrett, P.O. Box 1747, Allentown, PA18015; (215)437-1795.4. Dr. Barrett will process the nomination by attemptingto gain the support of at least two NCAHF Boardmembers.5. Approved awards can be given either publicly orprivately depending upon circumstances.METHODOLOGYOne of the areas most abused by the practitioners ofpseudomedicine is that of allergies, real and imagined.A document entitled "Food Allergies: IdentificationTechniques and Treatment" that is being distributed by ahealth food source and a . supplement manufacturer(neither put their names on it which is typical ofcompanies that know they are engaging in the illegalpractice of medicine with such documents) has fallen intoNCAHF's hands. Readers who confront pseudoallergypractices may find this inside information helpful byknowing the type of misinformation and pseudomedicalpractices that are being systematically used by a majorsource of nutrition-related quackery.Send 1 and aSSAE to the Main Office or Resource Center.WHAT THE VITAMIN HUCKSTERS ARE SAYINGThe Council for Responsible Nutrition, the leadingsupplement tradeassociation,has circulateditspromotional messages in media publications. These arethe tip sheets that provide radio interview reporters withfodder to chew on. Five "possible topics" are listed whichare propositions the supplement industry is advancing asto why Americans should be swallowing their products.Consumer health educators will find this information usefulfor countering to these flawed messages. (Same price asitem above OR free with above 1 order.)Please send items of possible interest to NCAHFmembers for The Bulletin Board or to readers of theNCAl:IF Newsletter to: P.0. Box 1276, Loma Linda. CA92354. Be sla'e to include complete references (source,date, page number(s), author(s), plus volume, number andpages of joumals.)

NCAHFT H EB U L L E T .I NBOARDIMAY / JUNE, 1990(The NCAHF Bulletin Board is sent to members only. It is intended to stimulate and aldinactivism against health fraud, misinfonnationand quackery at the local, state and national levels.)SUPPLEMENT TRADE GROUP PUSHES FORRECOGNITION OF NONDIETITIAN "NUTRITIONISTS"The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a major tradeassociation of supplement sellers, has been attempting toget the American Public Health Association to endorse itsposition against state laws restricting dietetic licensure toRegistered Dietitians or equivalent training. Backing theCAN position are "nutritionists" known to favor prescribingsupplements to clients. CRN's president, J.B. Cordero,cited promotion of a APHA position paper on nutritionistlicensure as a "targeted activity" during 1988. That year,Annette Dickinson, a CRN representative, fought hard tohave CRN's favored statement accepted by the Food andNutrition Section of APHA without success. It was voteddown 11-3. Dickinson is now attempting to introduce theCAN-favored statement as a resolution submitted by anindividual member.Apparently, CRN places a highpriority on getting APHA backing for its anti-RD-orequivalent nutritionist statement. CRN obviously has astrong self-interest in legitimizing nutritionists who willpush supplements. Its tenacity in trying to obtain APHAendorsement reveals how far pill promoters will go in theirmarketing efforts. APHA-NCAHF members need to informthemselves on this matter and do what they can toprevent APHA from being used to further the CRNagenda.USING EXISTING CHANNELS FOR EDUCATIONDr. Wallace Sampson, Coordinator of NCAHF's TaskForce on Consumer Activism, otters suggestions abouthow members can educate others about health fraud,misinformation and quackery. The following can be doneto reach your local communities: letters to the editor,regular column for shopper's newspapers, book reviews,presentations before local service clubs or senior citizengroups, newspaper interviews, publish local newsletters,put on a course through adult education channels offeredthrough, local schools or parks and recreationdepartments . Many of these are easier to arrange ifyou have a title such as a NCAHF Area NetworkCoordinator or chapter president.Those who areprofessionals can ask that a sectional meeting on healthfraud be included at conventions, AAAS meetings, or localprofessional (eg, medical, dental, dietetic, nursing,attorneys, insurance groups) society meetings. Sampsonemphasizes how much easier it is to plug into existingchannels of education and communication than it is totake on the burden of organizing and promoting specialevents of our own.FINANCIAL AFFAIRS UPDATEWe pointed to NCAHF's increased financial needs in thelast Bulletin Board. To bring members up to date wereport that in the first four months of 1990, NCAHF isoperating at about a 2,000 loss, proj cting a 6,000loss for the year.This is slightly better than thecomparable period for 1989 which showep a 3,000 loss.Last year the deficit was greatly helped by members whoresponded to a plea for midsummer contributions.NCAHF ended year with only a 1,200 loss. We againappeal for more to become supporting members or fortax-deductible contributions.1FOX COUNTY, WISCONSIN, DIETITIANS COMBATNUTRITION QUACKERYThe Fox County Dietitians established a CommitteeAgainst Health Fraud in 1989.Their goals includemaking local dietitians aware about quackery that is goingon in their area through a simple newsletter, respondingto newspaper articles that promote "alternative healthcare," making a video on nutrition quackery that can beshown for public meetings of business groups, auxiliaries,women's clubs, church groups, and so forth. A universitystudent has taken on the production of the video as aproject for her telecommunications training.They arealso working on plans to present a nationally-knownspeaker on health fraud at a jointly sponsored meeting oflocal professional societies.In 1988, the local mentalhealth center successfully sponsored a six-hour continuingeducation program, by NCAHF President William Jarvis,on quackery for a variety of health professionals. Thatprogram laid the groundwork for subsequent efforts in thearea.FDA SEEKS CONSUMER REPRESENTATIVESFDA's Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA) is recruitingcandidates to serve as consumer representatives onFDA's public advisory committees. Committee membersadvise the Agency on scientific and medical issuesrelating to drug products, biological and blood products,medical devices, radiological products, veterinary medicine,and toxicological research. Consumer representatives areneeded on each advisory committee to focus on theconsumer perspective relating to the issues underconsideration. Although the OCA would like to receivenominations by June 1, it noted that they would acceptnominations at any time. Write or call Catherine Beck orPhyllis Weller (HFE-40), FDA Office of Consumer Affairs,5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857; 301/443-5006.

ARTICLESFOR ACTIVISTSActivists will find the following articles of value for selfeducation or consumer information.These are more, specialized than those that appear in the newsletter.1. Czajka-Narins D and Parham E. "Fear of fat: attitudestoward obesity," Nutrition Today. pp.26-32, 1990.A most insightful article on the factors underlying what wesee happening in the field of weight loss. Few areasprone to quackery are more resistant to reform thanweight loss.With serious reform efforts are nowunderway. This article is a primer for anyone who mustdeal with this perplexing field.2. Herbert V. "Megavitamins, Food Fads, and QuackNutrition in Health Promotion: Myths and Risks," in HealthPromotion and Disease Prevention in the Elderly.editedby Chernoff and Lipschitz, Raven Press, Ud., NY, 1988.A comprehensive tome that describes good nutrition (4basic food groups and U.S. Dietary Guidelines} and thenpresents straightforward information on: the PritikinProgram, abuses of epidemiology, foods vs. pills, healthclaims in food labeling & advertising, the 1985 RDAs,fiber and colon cancer, cholesterol and heart disease,calcium supplementation, life extension, and ironsupplementation.3. Honig W. "Science's Miss Lonelyhearts," Sciences,May-June, pp.2 27,1984.A rare, wonderful account by the editor of what happenedwhen a journal was formed for publishing speculativescience articles for those writers who can't get their workpublished in peer-reviewed journals (a common complaintof quacks).4. Jarvis W. "Chiropractic: controversial health care,"Ministry. p.25-29, May, 1990.An up-to-date, reader-style description. Included are thevalue of spinal manipulative therapy for back pain,chiropractic's unique theory, its scientific shbrtcomings,factionalism, reform efforts, and consumer guidelines.5. Monaco G. Weird medicine doesn't work wonders,"Cope. 2/89.A brief, but substantive account of how to deal withpeople who·· in.quire about the value of a questionablecancer treatment. Provides information on Ms. Monaco'sevaluative database on questionable cancer remedies,Emprise, Inc.6. Mogadam M. "Cancer and nutritional misconceptions,"0Am J Gastroenterol, 83:1346-1351,CITIZEN SUES SCHOOL BOARDChristofer Trey heard a program that presented what hethought was medical misinformation on WDTR-AM, a radiostation operated by the Detroit Board of Education. Treyrequested nine tapes of the broadcasts through theMichigan Freedom of Information Act.The Board ofEducation turned over only five broadcasts, and stalled onsupplying the remainder. Trey sued, representing himselfin court, and won a judgment of 500 and costs.(Detroit News, 10/27/89). Although the nature of themedical misinformation did not appear in the article, thecase may be instructive for quackbusters who areattacking broadcast media abuse.FDA OFFERS HEALTH FRAUD TEACHING KITA health fraud teaching kit that includes a dozen 35 mmslides, a user's guide, lesson plans on weight lossscams, arthritis quackery, critiquing quack ads, fact andmyths ·of vitamins, and quackery which targets teens isavailable without charge from the FDA. Write: ·Jeffery A.Nesbit, Associate Commissioner for Public Affairs, U.S.Food & drug Administration, HFl-40, 5600 Fishers Lane,Rockville, MD 20857.1988.A review of the misconceptions and disinformation thathave clouded the relevance of nutritional practices incancer prevention.7. Sloan A, et al. "Consumer attitudes toward additives,"Cereal Foods World, 31:523-532,MORE ON LIBRARIES AND CENSORSHIPIllinois member Kurt Youngmann describes his experienceconfronting a community librarian who had set up adisplay of Adele Davis books for National Nutrition Week.After hearing both Youngmann's anti-censorship feelingsand concerns about the lack of validity of the Davisbooks, the librarian became very upset and justified herchoice on the basis of her own personal belief in Ms.Davis' works. Youngmann says, not knowing what to do,he dropped the matter at that point. He now asks, whatelse could he have done? NCAHF's answer: There isdocumented evidence on the lack of reliability of, andharm caused by, Davis' books. A letter specifying theflaws and dangers of the Adele Davis books, and pointingout the responsibility that a librarian--in this case a publicemployee as well--has to provide accurate informationmust supersede one's personal beliefs. Copies of theletter, with notation at the bottom, should be sent to thelibrarian's superiors and other socially responsibleindividuals in the community (eg, public health department,medical society, dietetic association, superintendent ofschools).1986.A penetrating analysis of consumer attitudes towardadditives and what food advertisers should do aboutthese. Specific additives that have received bad publicityare given special attention.Most interesting is the"believability ratings" of information sources regardingwhether a food is "safe" or "not safe." The AMA andpersonal physicians rate tops.The authors are withMcCall's and Good Housekeeping.SUMMER SCHEDULEDrs. Renner and Lowell will serve as primary contactpeople July 10

-----' N C A H F I T H E BULLETIN BOARD JANUARY/ FEBRUARY, 1990 [The NCAHF Bulletin Board is sent to members only. It is intended to stimulate and aid in activism agHlst health fraud, misinformation and quackery at the local, state and national levels.] NCAHF ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING RESCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 16