Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

[Barry Karr <SkeptInq@aol.com>]

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 Russian roulette: the all-natural way

 Amherst, NY (November 30, 2000)-In his article in the January/February issue
of Skeptical Inquirer, John Allen, associate professor of chemistry at
Indiana State University, deflates the New Age mantra that organic and
natural are better. Herbal medicines and dietary supplements represent a
multi-billion-dollar business worldwide. Certainly, the active ingredients in
some herbal preparations show promise in the prevention and treatment of
certain illnesses. However, there is little uniformity, testing or control of
herbal products in the market place: the name of the game is caveat emptor.

 The herbal industry in the Unites States remains unregulated. Because herbs
are not classified as drugs, the FDA has no oversight of their
production-until it is established that they have harmed or killed consumers.
There is absolutely no guarantee of the dosage or purity of the herbal
remedies available on store shelves across the country. Adding to the risks,
the pharmacological side effects of the vast majority of herbal remedies have
never been studied.

 The "All-Natural" Myth

 For most of us, attaching the words "organic" and "natural" to a product
evokes emotional assumptions that it is healthy, pure and absolutely safe.
For the chemist, however, an organic substance is simply a substance that
contains the element carbon; a natural product is one derived from plant or
animal sources.

 There is absolutely no reason to believe that exposure to naturally derived
organic chemicals is any less likely to be toxic than exposure to synthetic
chemicals. There is for example, a potent toxin called aflatoxin. It's
organic, natural, and synthesized by a fungus that grows on improperly stored
corn, peanuts, and other plant material such as herbs. Aflatoxin is thousands
of time more toxic to humans than DDT, the much-feared synthetic pesticide,
as well as being a potent carcinogen.

 Allen lists several cases in the past decade where use of herbal remedies
has proven to be harmful-even deadly-for some consumers:

 ·  St. John's Wort: it contains hypericin, which can lead to cataract
formation. (Roberts et al. 1999; Colasanti, Kisslinger, Villani 2000)

 ·  Tripterygium wilfordii, a Chinese herb used for the treatment of
autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, frequently leads to blood cell
abnormalities. A significant hematotoxic effect is exerted on human bone
marrow cells by this natural herb (Pyatt et al. 2000).

 ·  In 1989, approximately 1500 people were struck with a syndrome called
eosinophilia myalgia-which causes severe muscle pain, neuropathy-after taking
L-tryptophan dietary supplements.

 ·  Scutellariae radix, used in some herbal medications, was found to cause
fetal abnormalities and birth defects of the skeletal and urinary systems
(Kim et al. 1993).

 ·  Pyrrolixidine alkaloids present in comfrey tea are widely recognized
hepatotoxins (substances harmful to the liver).

 In the November 5, 2000, issue of New England Journal of Medicine, research
into the records of 140 ephedra users who suffered medical complications
found that the herb-also known as ma huang-was definitely responsible for
one-third of the health problems experienced and probably responsible for
another third.

 Writes Allen, "…for patients stricken with AIDS or cancer…the use of herbal
medicines and dietary supplements as well as experimental drugs that have
undergone only limited testing may be justified. For the average relatively
healthy person, however, the ingestion of herbal medicines and dietary
supplements represents the assumption of unquantified, but potentially
serious, health risks and dubious benefits."

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 PRESS RELEASE
 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Contact: Kevin Christopher
 Phone: (716) 636-1425 ext. 224
 Fax: (716) 636-1733
 E-mail: SIKevinC@aol.com

 Chiropractic: what works, what doesn't

 Amherst, NY (November 30, 2000)-Samuel Homola, D.C., practiced chiropractic
for 43 years. In an article for the January/February 2000 issue of Skeptical
Inquirer, he warns readers of the dangers of unnecessary spine and neck
manipulations, listing simple guidelines to help the public separate
effective chiropractic from risky quackery.

 Homola stresses that manipulation can relieve back pain and other
skeletomuscular symptoms. He warns, however, that there is still no evidence
that chiropractors can treat asthma, allergies, or a host of other ailments.
"Most chiropractors claim to do more than just treat back pain," Homola
writes. Many still cling to rejected theories that misaligned or "subluxated"
vertebrae result in broad range of health problems. As a result he says,
"many chiropractors use 'spinal adjustments' to treat disease and infection
as well as pain."

 The chiropractic profession continues to define itself as a method of
correcting "subluxations" to restore and maintain health-making claims of
effectiveness that go beyond the established benefits of pain relief for the
back and neck. Homola defines the limits of truly effect chiropractic and
lists the warning signs of a chiropractor who has wandered from sound
medicine into pseudoscience.

 Look for chiropractors who know their limits: Look for a chiropractor who
openly states that his or her practice is limited to the treatment of
neuromusculoskeletal problems that have a mechanical origin.

 Find professionals who work with their hands: Properly performed spinal
manipulation is always done by hand. A good chiropractor who specializes in
the care of neuromusculoskeletal problems does not use instruments or
machines to diagnose or treat "subluxations."

 Know when to stop or seek another specialist: An acute episode of back pain
can be incapacitating and scary, but remember: most back pains resolve in two
to four weeks. If you go to a chiropractor for relief of back pain, you
should not continue treatment if your pain worsens in the first week or if
you are not better after two weeks. If symptoms persist after one month, see
an orthopedic specialist for a diagnosis.

 Find proof in pain relief, not in the "popping": Completely normal spinal
joints "pop" when the joint surfaces are forcefully separated by
manipulation-patients interpret this as the realignment of out-of-place
vertebrae. Some chiropractors abuse this misconception, encouraging regular
adjustments to "maintain vertebral alignment." This kind of regular
adjustments is mere placebo. As a general rule, back pain treatment should
stop when you are feeling well. You don't need to continue with spine
adjustments unless you have a structural back problem causing chronic pain
that periodic manipulations can relieve.

 Don't stick your neck out unless absolutely necessary: Some
subluxation-based chiropractors, believe most ailments are related to
misaligned neck vertebrae. Such specialists always adjust the neck. This can
be dangerous, since excessive rotation of the head and upper cervical spine
puts a strain on vertebral arteries which can result in vascular injury or
stroke. There are limited cases when cervical spine manipulation can be
beneficial-if head rotation during manipulation is less that 50 degrees and
the patient has been screened for vascular problems and is not elderly or on
blood thinners.

 Skeptical Inquirer magazine is the official journal of the Committee for the
Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP). Issued
bimonthly, Skeptical Inquirer publishes critical scientific evaluations and
informed discussions of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.

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 Kevin Christopher
 Public Relations Director
 CSICOP/Skeptical Inquirer
 P.O. Box 703
 Amherst, NY 14226
 Tel (Direct): (716) 636-1425 ext. 224
 Tel (Alternate): (716) 636-1426
 Fax: (716) 636-1733
 E-mail: SIKevinC@aol.com