The Quack Watch

[Sherman]

The purpose of this thread is to look at the influential quacks out there. Some of them are going to be worse than others.

Rashid Buttar: Rashid Ali Buttar is an American osteopathic physician from Charlotte, North Carolina. He doesn't sound nutty yet. He uses chelation therapy for quite a few conditions, including autism and cancer. Chelation therapy? That is not going the fix autism. He has had his hand slapped twice by the North Carolina Board of Medical Examiners for unprofessional conduct. He was cited by the FDA for illegal marketing of unapproved drugs and drugs that have been mixed with other substances or diluted. The fallout from this caused the Hawaii Medical Board to deny Buttar a medical license in 2011.

In April 2010, the FDA sent Buttar a warning letter for illegally marketing unapproved topical creams as drugs. Inspection conducted by the FDA also revealed that Buttar's company, V-SAB Medical Labs, had very poor manufacturing practices. It's products were adulterated according to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

He gets worse with the arrival of Covid 19. He advanced the idea that Anthony Fauci's research helped to create COVID-19. He gets crazier still making the claims that such as 5G cell phone networks and "chemtrails" causing COVID-19.

Buttar promotes the anti-vaccination videos sold by another member of the disinformation dozen, Ty and Charlene Bollinger and receives a commission whenever his referrals result in a sale.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashid_Buttar

 

[Sherman]

Joseph Michael Mercola:
He is an American alternative medicine proponent, osteopathic physician, and an Internet business personality. He markets dietary supplements and medical devices. My personal experience with his site as I was a member ten years ago. I skipped the flu shot the year I tried his stuff and I got the flu. I was spouting green. Nasty! Never again! I prefer the vaccine. His advice on tea caused me to develop acid reflux disease.

Mercola persistently promotes scientifically discredited views about medicine and disease. He wrote two books, The No-Grain Diet, and the Great Bird Flu Hoax.

I tried The no Grain diet because I am celiac. I found the diet somewhat helpful, but I became malnourished. Adding Oats and Quinoa and removing the tea helped to restore me to health and a healthy body weight.

In my assessment of his advice, I was not as healthy following his guidelines. I had developed health problems that had to be addressed by my physicians eating the foods that he recommended.

Specific quacky views

1. Microwaving food alters its chemistry, despite consensus that microwaving food does not adversely affect nutrient content compared to conventionally prepared food.
2. Homogenized milk has little nutritional value. It contributes to an assortment of negative health effects. This view has not been able to be substantiated.
3. Denies the role of HIV in causing AIDS.
4. Mobile phones cause ‘radiation’ which causes cancer.
5. Sunscreen causes skin cancer. Rolls eyes at this one. I was very badly sunburned as a little girl from not using sunscreen!

For his plethora of dietary supplements and devices he sold over some 16 years during the 21st century, Mercola was warned by the FDA for falsely advertising products approved treat various illnesses or diseases.

During the 2020–2021 COVID-19 pandemic, Mercola, his company, and social media site received a warning by the FDA for falsely advertising high doses of vitamin C, vitamin D3, quercetin, and pterostilbene products to treat COVID-19.

In 2016 the Federal Trade Commission filed a false advertising complaint against Mercola for selling tanning beds with the claims that they reduced cancer. Mercola and his company had to pay $2.6 million in refunds to customers who had bought their tanning beds and had to agree to a ban from selling any more tanning beds.

Mercola on Vaccines:

Mercola has claimed that thimerosal, a preservative found in vaccines, is harmful due to its mercury content. Thimerosal has been removed from the majority of vaccines given to young children in the U.S., with no impact on rates of autism diagnosis.

Mercola made it into the Disinformation Dozen after a March 2021 analysis of Twitter and Facebook anti-vaccine content.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Mercola

 

[Sherman]

BTW this is not a debate thread. Debate and quacky posts will be removed.