CHARITY? CHECK BEFORE YOU GIVE!

[Hal Eaton]

If you haven't followed Stephen Barret's "Consumer Health Digest" before, now is a good time to start. His current offering, (CHD) Consumer Health Digest # 13-23, repeats both CNC's and a Tampa, Fla. newspaper's rousing revelation about amazing charity rip-offs.

My wife and I help fund about 15 charities, but we research every one on Charity Navigator and any other source to ascertain their reliability, honesty, and stats.

Such information is priceless (and money-saving).

Barret's research is meticulous with regard to charities, the relation of governmental over-seeing of other types of rip-offs, and the tracking and punishments of many medicine-, health-, and drug-related exploitations.

Join the struggle! (IMO, of course)

[William Thornton]

Good. I wish more did as you do.

[KeithE]

[TrudyU]

KeithE writes "Note that he has been called a “quack” himself with many suits filed against him."

Ed: Being called a quack proves nothing. Nor does having any number of suits filed against one. What counts are judgements against.

[KeithE]

[TrudyU]

[KeithE]

[TrudyU]

[KeithE]

[Hal Eaton]

I get to tell my story (in any way I want to) as did Stephen Barrett and his chief attacker, Tm Bolen.

Barrett replies to Bolen's hatchet attack with a complete version of Bolen's background, which certainly provides motive, psychological basis, and reason-for-doubt concerning Bolen's writing.

So I tell my own version of Barrett's contribution to my understanding of such matters.

I have long followed several of Barrett's entries. He routinely provides court findings for actions against medical practitioners who have been caught in less-than-proper conduct; he also provides court actions from federal and state authorities in their findings against both alternative and complementary medical efforts. His job seems to be reporting the news; his own motivations may be open to analysis, but his conclusions are remarkably consistent, applicable, and trust-
worthy.

I am half-way through a book Barrett recently recommended, Dr. Paul Offit's "Do You Believe in Magic?" (The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine), which follows the tortuous path of the federal entry into the field of alternative medicine. Offit describes the actions of politicians who served the business interests of their constituents by leading the effort to keep the medical supplement industry (many located in Utah) from any federal control or oversight. (Offit particularly describes the role of Sen. Orrin Hatch, known among the lesser-lights on Capitol Hill as "Mr. Sanctimony.")

Finally, to quote Dr. Offit (paraphrased): There is no such thing as traditional, or alternative, or complementary medicine. There is only good and bad medicine. Good medicine has been tested, tried, and proven effective. Bad medicine . . . is bad medicine.

IMO - - - Oldad Eaton