Follow up on Dr. Whitcomb & NRCT
So that happened!
I intended to write this follow-up post on my experience with Dr. Whitcomb and his Neurologic Relief Centers Technique last Monday, but have been sidelined by a bad flare-up. Yes, I do attribute my flare to the workshop and testing technique, but even so, I intend to give you a fair account of the workshop, although as with everything on my blog, it will be full of my opinions. It may be a lot to follow, so I hope I have managed to present a readable review.
The logistics of the day went like this:
I was initially invited to the workshop by a local acupuncturist who I will call “Dr. J.” The workshop began at 1PM on Friday, July 24. The local acupuncturist as well as several other local chiropractors actually paid for a training session with Whitcomb. They spent all of Thursday and Friday morning training to learn his technique. Then at 1PM on Friday, myself and the other patients whom each practitioner invited arrived for a lecture by Whitcomb. After the hour long presentation, we broke off with the practitioner who invited us to be tested to see if the technique would benefit us.
So What is This Technique?
The technique involves several minutes of firm pressure to either the anterior or posterior neck trigger points. The pressure is intended to release the tension on the nerves that travel through the meninges, and relive the pain and symptoms this tension causes. Whitcomb attributes most symptoms of FM to this compression. His name for this is meningeal compression, which he uses interchangeably with Fibromyalgia.
I brought three of my support group members with me. As you can imagine, given my impression of Paul Whitcomb and his clinic, I approached this event with a healthy amount of skepticism. Adding to my skepticism was the information one of my resourceful members shared with me about Whitcomb. He is still under investigation by the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners. There is still a possibility that he may lose his license for charges of administering “excessive treatment” and making “sensational statements which are intended to deceive the public.” He has recently closed his practice in South Lake Tahoe and is traveling nationwide to teach his technique. The reason he gave during the presentation for this move is to eliminate the need for patients to travel to him.
Whitcomb’s Presentation
The presentation Whitcomb gave was full of dramatizations: “Fibromyalgia patients are closest to prisoners of war.” “The Fibromyalgia patients who came to my clinic did not want to continue living.” “Eighteen percent of Fibromyalgia patients commit suicide.” I am really curious to know where he got that number, but unfortunately he did not allow for Q & A. He never once described Fibromyalgia patients as type A, as givers, or as overachievers, which in my experience is closer to the truth. Instead he painted a very bleak and desperate picture of us. Most of his claims were dramatic and over-the-top. He did not share anything about FM that I did not already know, but he did supply us with many statistics about his practice and the tremendous results he gets; such as 85% of his patients remain symptom free, only 6% lost the benefit of his correction and treatment after leaving his clinic. It makes me wonder why he would choose to close up shop.
As we moved on to the testing part of the workshop, we were all required to sign a waiver agreeing to let our test be recorded on video and used at their discretion. I refused, as did the other members of my group. I attended this workshop to research and share as much information as I could about Whitcomb’s technique. I would not agree to have my image shown in support of it and without my knowledge. Dr. J expressed our concern and they agreed to let him test us without being filmed.
I think because we were not being filmed, Whitcomb basically left Dr. J on his own, while paying closer attention to the chiropractors he trained and their patients who were being filmed. Also, Whitcomb unfairly sold Dr. J on training with him. He told Dr. J that “the test is the technique,” but then during the presentation he said just the opposite, because the chiros learning the technique also learned a particular adjustment that an acupuncturist like Dr. J is not legally qualified to perform. When I questioned Dr. J about this he said, “Yeah, I guess he kind of fooled me there.” So the “technique” that Dr. J paid to learn and implement into his practice is not complete. I really feel like Whitcomb snowballed Dr. J and any other non-chiro who paid to learn his technique.
And Now I Share Why I Have Been in a Flare
My first instinct was to not be tested, and I wish I had followed it. Instead I sat and watched many patients receive the technique and seemingly have instant improvements. One older gentleman with Parkinson’s had a noticeable reduction in his tremors. Another man was able to lift his arm above his head for the first time in months. I should note that we were not all fibromyalgia patients in the room, although the presentation was geared specifically to FM. After observing for some time, I was just too curious to opt out, so I hopped up on the table and let Dr. J proceed. After a short palpation he concluded I was sorest and tightest at the trigger points on the side of my neck below my ears. I concurred with this assessment.
He used metal rods with soft ends to place steady, firm pressure on my neck for five minutes. It did not take long for me to begin to feel nauseous. I tried to breath through it. Dr. J frequently check with me to see if I had a reduction in pain. I had rated my pain a 6 on the 1-10 scale, with 10 being worst. That day my neck, head, shoulders, upper back and hips were painful. I did not feel any change as I laid there. He asked me to focus on my hips. Laying still I felt no difference, but when I moved my hips, I eventually felt a reduction in pain. After the test, upon standing, my right hip was free from pain, and my left was improved. There was no improvement to my neck, head, shoulders or upper back.
I remained nauseous for sometime after the test. I had driven my members, and did not feel well enough to drive right away, so it gave us an opportunity to stay and talk about the workshop. The test had zero effect on two of my members, and two of us had a slight decrease in our symptoms. For one member the pressure was too painful to bear. Her pain level had been very low to start the day, and after her reaction to the test, Whitcomb remarked he wasn’t sure why she was even being tested if she had no pain. He told the second member who did not experience any relief that she was just being difficult. When I remarked to him that I did not experience any relief in my upper body he said I just needed to have the test performed longer. We all felt underwhelmed by the experience. It did nothing to change my opinion of him that his care for FM patients is motivated most heavily by his bottom line.
Conclusion
The proposed follow-up with Dr. J was to involve an initial consultation, and then three consecutive days of treatment, which would require three visits each day. After the three days of visits he would reevaluate and propose further treatment. It is expected to take weeks or months for complete healing, and then there is likely to be maintenance to assure the meningeal release holds. Given that I have been in a flare since receiving the test at the workshop, and that the improvement I felt in my hips lasted only an hour or two, I called Dr. J and told him I was not interested in pursuing this treatment. He then told me hed decided not to implement the technique into his practice, and that he too was underwhelmed by the experience. I have to say I think he made a very wise decision.
So there you have my experience and my opinion on the matter. I feel like a little guinea pig, but I am happy to have had this experience to share. When Whitcomb had his Web site up, there were a lot of testimonials of people who swear by his technique. One of my members who attended the workshop has personally spoken with several of his former patients who claim to be symptoms free. She was considering attending his clinic and did a tremendous amount of research. She was the most hopeful of us last Friday that his technique would benefit her, but unfortunately she was one of the two it did not.
If Whitcomb comes to your community to teach his technique, I cannot recommend that you attend his workshop, but as we all know, what works for one will not for the other. Even after this particularly bad flare, I still plan to keep an open mind about treatment options available and useful to us. But I most certainly will not be having my meninges released anytime soon!
NOTE: On Tuesday October 27, FibroHaven was moved from a WordPress domain to its own URL. In doing so the comments of each and every post have been affected. They are no longer chronological or nested (if they were a direct reply to a previous comment). It happened on each post, but because this particular post has been so active it is especially troublesome to try and follow the comments logically. I apologize for this confusion and we are trying to fix it, but it appears it may not be possible.
I can assure you no censoring or editing of comments has occurred. If you are interested and brave enough, feel free to read the comments and try to piece them together. I do warn you against taking things out of context as that has already happened. To avoid any more confusion, I am turning off comments on this post until the issue is resolved. If you have something you absolutely must say in response to this, feel free to email me at fibrohaven@gmail.com.
Cheers,
Dannette
10/28/09
I have been getting the treatment for 10 weeks and I have improved from functioning at 30% all the way to 80%. There were a couple of weeks I was out of town and did not get any treatments and I did not loose any of the improvements I had made. The treatment does not work for everyone but it does work for a lot of people. One visit with the treatment is not enough to see if it will work for a person. All I can say is look into it for yourself . The treatment works – regardless of who started advertising it – it works. I have a life again. I can make plans and keep them! I can do things around the house and I am enjoying life again. It’s so much fun! I’m off all meds for FMS!!!! ALL – prescription free. You don’t know how good that makes me feel. (i won’t be responding to any comments – just wanted to update y’all)
Court Case: Stephen Barrett, M.D. vs. Tedd Koren, D.C. and Koren Publications, Inc.
Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County for the State of Pennsylvania
Court Case No.: 2002-C-1837
Barrett lost (again).
If anyone did a search on Barret’s testimonies in court they would find that he has lost almost 40 cases in which he brought defamation lawsuits against alternative health care providers, the supplement industry, and other individuals with one of the latest in October 2005, as stated above, when they disagreed with his views and told the public the truth. See the above website for more information.
I too have been successfully treated with Dr. Whitcomb’s method. I can sympathsize with those who did not get relief from this relatively safe treatment, but when you consider that approximately 250,000 people DIE* every year in the U.S. using medications that were “properly” administered by licensed medical doctors, I would rather take my chances with a properly trained chiropractor. Deaths* caused by doctors (iatrogenic – Journal American Medical Association July 26, 2000;284(4):483-5physican caused) are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Note: The reference in the astrisked article is to the publication Journal American Medical Association July 26, 2000;284(4):483-5.
I can’t find a reference anywhere where Dr. Whitcomb’s method caused a death.
* http://www.naturodoc.com/library/public_health/doctors_cause_death.htm
In Hospital Deaths From Medical Errors at 195,000 – http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/11856.php
I am wondering what happened to Jeanette’s last positive comment about NRCT. Was it removed? Is this being censored, now? Surely not, as that would speak for itself in a very loud and clear way.
I thought you declared yourself done with commenting here Katinka. Lovely of you to come back and try to stir up problems.
Each and every comment is still here. I said before I would not censor and I am true to my word.
Work is being done on my site. It has been moved to its own URL and in doing so the comments are no longer nested and all new comments since the move are appearing at the top. It is something we are working on but have been unable to resolve thus far. It happened on every post, not just this one.
Thank you for assuming the worst. Surely that speaks about you in a loud and clear way.
Yes, I must very humbly appologize for assuming the worst. So I am.
I don’t know how to weed them out without exposing myself to them. That is why I went through with this test. What if this was the thing that would give me the best results? Obviously it was not, but without trying, I could never be sure. It would be great if we could come up with a less painful way!
I know you would! But I would not let you if it meant you had to suffer. This is mine to bear for a reason. I have you and Rob to love and support me. You help me be brave. Love you too!
Welcome Julie! I am happy you found me.
It sounds like your intuition served you well! I appreciate you sharing your experience. Whitcomb has charmed many patients into spending thousands of dollars – some say he helped. many say he did not. I wish I had listened to my intuition and not let myself be tested, but then if I had my review would have been less complete and authentic, so I guess it was worth the ten day flare!
Hope to see you back soon.
Thanks for adding your input Katinka. I can tell you are passionate about your work and about helping your patients heal.
If you had read many of my other post you would know that I am working closely with a holistic chiropractor and have made great strides with him. I am a huge proponent of alternative medicine and I write about it frequently. My opinion on Dr. Whitcomb does not equal my opinion on chiropractors and alternative medicine.
Yes, you are right, I did see people experience relief at Whitcomb’s workshop. I myself had improvement in my hips. But it only lasted an hour or two. I did not have the opportunity to follow up with any of the people he treated that day, so I cannot say for sure how long their benefits lasted. But I can report that I experienced a severe flare from receiving the test, as did one other member in my group.
I believe there is a relation between spinal cord compression and Fibromyalgia in some patients. I believe there is also some validity to his technique, but there are many things disturbing about it as well. He is under investigation for a reason. I understand that he is filming all of his workshops to use in his defense – to show the immediate improvements. But what all of his former patients that benefited while being treated, but once they resumed their normals lives the pain and symptoms came back? It is dangerous to ignore all of the facts.
Julie your comment is lovely – “I am learning to Pace with Grace.” Sounds to me like a great title for a blog!
And I too would love to hear updates on your patients Kantika. They are lucky to have such a caring and passionate practitioner. My best to you and to them.
Judy, your experience is exactly what is wrong with Whitcomb and his treatment. I am sorry your relief was not more long lasting. I am sorry for everyone who spent thousands of dollars for what amounts to a reprieve from their symptoms, not a reversal.
It is not even possible to get onto his website or send him a message anymore. He has taken everything down off the web. Why is this? Because things are not as he would like everyone to believe. It is disturbing to say the least.
I hope you are finding better ways to manage your symptoms. Thanks for sharing your story. My Best!
Jeanette, first I want to say Bravo for having a team of doctors who work together to create the best health plan for you. That is wonderful, and not an easy accomplishment. It is also great to hear about the positive results you are having with Whitcomb’s method. As I stated in the post, there are many accounts of patients feeling much improved while receiving the treatment. I am glad you are one of them. It sounds like you are doing a lot to improve your FM – acupuncture, massage, chiro. We all must be our own best health advocates and find what works for us. I hope you continue to feel the benefits of this treatment.
I am curious, if you don’t mind me asking, how long will you need to go 6 times a week, and what is the prognosis for when you stop going so often? That seems to be where many of the patients who originally benefited began reverting back to their previous symptom severity.
Kantinka I do appreciate you sharing your experience with the method here. I hope you continue to update us because what I am most curious about is how long the benefits last. From the many reports from Whitcomb’s former patients, that seems to be the biggest complaint: great relief while they were actively receiving treatments, but as soon as they returned home their symptoms returned, and sometimes even increased. What are your thoughts on this?
Katinka,
My point exactly; you are just stating your point of view and it should in no way be considered as anything remotely resembling research. What you’re doing is called “Testimonial.”
See “How Quackery Sells,” http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/quacksell.html, especially the section titled “Turning Customers into Salespeople.” You are a salesperson for Whitcomb, and if you use your patients like he is using you… word spreads. But that doesn’t mean it’s true.
It IS absolutely is great that we can agree to disagree, and I’m not trying to convince you of anything either. I AM trying to make sure that anyone who reads what you are writing here understands that just because you say you’re a chiropractor (or an M.D., or a D.O., or a N.D., etc.) doesn’t mean your opinion qualifies as anything remotely resembling valid clinical research.
I keep a list of all of the links that I know of to fact-based information about Paul Whitcomb and his technique, on my blog. It’s in the right sidebar directly below the Blog Archive.
I’ll save the rest of what I have to say about what’s going on RE: Whitcomb’s technique for my own blog but one last thing I want to mention specifically to you, Katinka. I think that you are genuinely trying to communicate equitably and probably really trying to help people. But I’m thinking it might help you to know that to me your attitude seems condescending. I don’t need your permission to have my own opinion or to wait for research or to avoid treatment I’m not comfortable with.
I might not mind if my own chiropractor or doctor who I respect said those things to me, but I guess that considering the treatment you are advocating and what I know about it, not only are you not MY chiropractor and you never would be, but I simply cannot have any respect for you as a chiro. I expect you are a perfectly nice person and I don’t say this to be hurtful in any way. It’s just that I see what you are doing in spreading the word about the technique of a chiropractor whose license has just been revoked FOR PRACTICING THAT VERY TECHNIQUE, as a grave injustice to those who may not be able, for whatever reason, to research what you are saying for themselves.
In the spirit of encouraging people to do the research and think through ANY health treatment they are considering, below are a couple of links RE: FM and alternative medicine.
From the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine :
“…research evidence is insufficient to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of other CAM treatments—biofeedback, chiropractic care, hypnosis, and magnet therapy—used for fibromyalgia.”
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/pain/fibromyalgia.htm
From BetterHealth.com: “Alternative Treatments For Fibromyalgia: A Critical Analysis”
http://getbetterhealth.com/alternative-treatments-for-fibromyalgia-a-critical-analysis/2009.10.01
New York Times Consults Blog: “Alternative Therapies for Fibromyalgia”
http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/complementary-and-alternative-therapies-for-fibromyalgia/
I have never been to a NUCCA chiro, but it seems like Whitcomb bases his technique on a lot of what NUCCA chiros know and practice. I do think there is validity to spinal cord compression causing chronic health issues. I just think Whitcomb created an extreme treatment protocol for profit – not to help patients. Now he has lost his license, and has been forced into the background in the teaching of this method. It is still being taught, and he is still profiting off it, he is just no longer the face of it.
The thing that really makes me mad, is that the practitioners who signed up for his seminar had no idea of the controversy surrounding Whitcomb. Don’t you think a little disclosure was warranted? But then again, if they were responsible and questioning like us FM patients, they would have done their own research on Whitcomb.
Thanks for having me on your blogroll and adding me to your Whitcomb list. Now that his license has been revoked is he still considered a Dr.? I am happy to have connected with you Sherril, even if it is by these circumstances
Katinka I just read what you posted. I also believe in a life commitment of spinal care. I have been in four car accidents and numerous operations where they’ve twisted my body and that wreaks havoc on our backs and necks.
I always go to the chiro first and more times than not he can take care of whatever is hurting. My teenage son goes too. It has helped him immensly – where family docs might give pain or relaxants we want to fix the problems not mask them.
I was getting a migraine on tuesday (first since I started this treatment and I used to get about one or two a week) and luckily I was seeing my chiro anyhow and after the treatment (nothing extra) it sorta popped and slowly faded away. About an hour later no headache and that is fantastic.
Excellent point Julie. Whitcomb the man/doctor is at question here – not the technique. And in fact Whitcomb’s “technique” is simply an excessive variation of already existing treatment protocols. And my how he profited from his excessiveness.
Whitcomb is no longer able to practice. We are not making that up or embellishing anything here. He lost his license for a reason people. Like I said to Katinka below, Whitcomb is beyond defense. Just ask his lawyer!
Lisa, I too want to thank you for sharing your story. I am glad you were able to bring it up to your mom and I hope that it will no longer be a taboo topic between you. I admire the lengths your mom went to to bring you some relief. I am just sorry she trusted and had faith in the wrong person.
I don’t know if you like to read, but if you do you should really read The Road to Wellville by T.C. Boyle. It is a clever fictitious commentary on the health and wellness industry set in the infamous Battle Creek spa run by Dr. Kellogg (the real life inventor of Corn Flakes). Judging from your description of Whitcomb’s former clinic, you will find a lot of similarities between the two.
My Best to You!
Thank you Sherril for all the great links. You are a wealth of relevant information. I really appreciate you.
And thank you also for making the most important point that everyone reading this needs to remember – we are talking about “the technique of a chiropractor whose license has just been revoked FOR PRACTICING THAT VERY TECHNIQUE.” Not much more needs to be said.
Fair enough Katinka, Dr. Barrett may not be a reputable or respected doctor, but the point of what I shared from him was the judges findings on Whitcomb.
You want to separate the technique from the man for YOUR purposes. The purposes of MY blog post was to highlight and bring attention to Whitcomb, and as the investigating judge put it, “his hubris and zealotry, his inability to recognize that he has harmed patients and his contempt for these patients.”
It serves your purpose to ignore the many findings against Whitcomb. You write it up as something being wrong with the California board of Chiropractic Examiners – and not Whitcomb! I simply cannot understand this.
I think I have finally had my say on the matter. I will let the facts of the case against Whitcomb speak for themselves. Please feel free to continue sharing here. It has been interesting to say the least.
No one here has said that they don’t want to hear from our fellow fibro sisters and brothers who have had this treatment. Quite to the contrary, I think most of us have said we do want to hear from these people, but our interest is in the long term, not a few weeks. We want unbiased testimony, and I know that I am not alone in thinking yours is biased.
You have been condescending to us, especially in your reply to Miss Lisa. She is sharing her experience as a fibro sufferer. You stated on MDjunction in the fibro forum that “I just very humbly want to tell you guys what I have been telling fibromyalgia patients in here in Fayetteville. I used to be a doctor that thought that maybe, a part of all this was just created by your minds. I am SO SORRY. I have sent letters to four local M.D’s here (pain management doc, neurologist, general practitioner, and OBGYN) to tell tehm what I know today.” You claim to have more schooling then doctors yet you believed (as a highly schooled doctor) that a recognized disease was in our minds.
Then you stated on the RSD forum there that while you had never even heard of RSD until 6 weeks before these postings. When one of the members said if you don’t know about the disease, how can you treat it, you responded “will learn more about RSD, because I like to know, but I don’t need to know in order for the treatment to work.” This statement was made before you had even seen your first RSD patient. I find this mind blowing.
To my fibro sisters and brothers, you can read everything, something like 82 posts on her new technique, all in a few weeks time. I think this link will take you to a page that has a link to every post she made over there. Please don’t take my word for it, go read for yourselves.
http://www.mdjunction.com/member/discussions/107298/60
I still haven’t read all of them although I have read 3/4’s of them, but I have yet to see her disclose to anyone over on MDjunction that this new technique is actually Whitcombs technique. I have yet to see Whitcomb mentioned by you over there. That to me isn’t full disclosure. I would like to think that someone over on that forum would have sounded the alarm loudly if you had mentioned him.
The below comment is by Sherril @ theiciexperience.blogspot.com. For some reason she was unable to submit it, and since I am not a technical wizard and could not figure out why, I offered to post it for her. Sorry if anyone else is having trouble leaving comments.
From Sherril:
Please everyone, let’s not dismiss Dr. Barrett’s reputation too quickly. That’s what “quacks” and those who support them want; for reasonable people to grow tired and frustrated with ferreting out the facts. I find that it helps to try to ignore the sensationalism, whose very purpose is to cause us to get emotional and irrational, and instead to focus on the facts.
I did a blog post last year on the truth about Dr. Barrett: http://theiciexperience.blogspot.com/2008/06/email-about-whitcomb.html.
Just a couple of points from that post:
1. Barrett was written up by Time magazine in 2001 , “The Man Who Loves to Bust Quacks,” and the article remains online now, eight years later: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101010430-107254,00.html. I don’t think this article would still be online if even a fraction of what K. Connors has regurgitated about him were true.
2A. Barrett’s Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Barrett#External_links. Verifiable; accurate; references available.
2B. Barrett’s Curriculum Vitae (below), which consists of nothing but FACTS which can be proven or disproven: http://www.quackwatch.org/10Bio/biovitae.html. (As opposed to Tim Bolen, author of quackpotwatch.org, whose “Who Is Tim Bolen” page contains nothing but supposition. I won’t even go into googling him; if you’re into smoke and mirrors you might find it interesting. I just find it frustrating. And what’s with that FLASHING YELLOW THING at the top left of ALL of his pages? Talk about irritating!)
Barrett’s Bio:
Education and Training
* A.B., Columbia University, 6/54
* M.D., Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, 6/57
* Completed rotating internship, Highland Park General Hospital (Michigan) 6/58
* Completed 3-year psychiatric residency at Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, 6/61
* Correspondence course in American Law and Procedure, LaSalle University Extension Division, Chicago (1 1/2 years completed), 12/66-12/68
Professional Experience
* Chief, Psychiatric Service, Scott Air Force Base Hospital, Illinois, 8/61-7/63
* Psychiatrist, San Francisco Juvenile Court, 7/63-8/67
* Psychiatrist, San Francisco Child Psychiatry Clinic, 7/63-1/66
* Private practice of psychiatry, 8/63-12/93
* Consultant, San Francisco Department of Welfare, 8/64-7/65
* Consultant, school nurses, San Francisco Public Health Department, 8/65-12/65
* Consultant, Parks Job Corps Camp, 12/65-1/66
* Psychiatrist, Center For Special Problems, 2/66-8/67
* Consultant, San Francisco Adult Probation Department, 8/66-8/67
* Staff Psychiatrist, Allentown State Hospital, 9/67-7/77
* Consultant, Pa. Board of Probation and Parole (research project), 11/67-2/69
* Consultant, Lehigh Valley Mental Health Association, 12/67-2/69
* Consultant, Lutheran Children’s Home, 2/68-6/72
* Psychiatrist, Allentown Hospital Psychiatric Clinic, 4/68-6/90
* Consultant, Pastoral Institute of the Lehigh Valley, 11/68-1/71
* Consultant, Allentown Counseling Center for Alcoholism, 6/69-6/72
* Consultant, Lehigh University Centennial School, 1/70-3/77
* Psychiatrist, Muhlenberg Medical Center Psychiatric Clinic, 6/71-6/86
* Medical Director, Haven House (partial hospitalization program), 8/76-6/87
* Consultant, Allentown Police Department (evaluation of police candidates), 8/80-3/85
* Medical Director, NewVitae Partial Hospitalization Program, 8/90-3/91
Memberships and Appointments (Medical)
* Chairman, Quackery Committee, Lehigh County Medical Society, 10/69-12/80
* Chairman, Board of Directors, Quackwatch, Inc. (originally called Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud, Inc.), 6/70-7/08
* Member, Board of Trustees, Lehigh Valley Opportunity Center (half-way house for paroled offenders), 7/70-5/72
* Member, Committee on Health Fraud, Pennsylvania Health Council, 7/72-12/74
* Member, Committee on Quackery, Pennsylvania Medical Society, 12/73-12/79
* Member, Board of Advisors, California Council Against Health Fraud, Inc, 12/77-8/84
* Member, Board of Scientific Advisors, American Council on Science and Health, 4/78-
* Consultant on Unproven Health Practices, Pennsylvania Medical Society Council on Education and Science, 12/79-12/84
* Committee for the Scientific Investigation (originally called CSICOP)
o Scientific consultant, 7/80-
o Co-chairman, Health Claims Subcommittee, 7/80-
o Member, Council for Media Integrity, 7/96-
* Member, Advisory Board, Children’s Health Care Is A Legal Duty (CHILD), 2/83-
* National Council Against Health Fraud, Inc. (NCAHF),
o Member, Board of Directors, 9/84-
o Chairman, Task Force on Victim Redress, 10/87-
o Vice President, 9/00-
o Director of Internet Operations, 9/00-
* Treasurer, Nutrition Council of Pennsylvania, 1/85-6/87
* Member, Steering Committee, Citizens for Children’s Dental Health (Allentown), 2/98-6/00
* Member, NIH Special Emphasis Panel (to evaluate alternative medicine research proposals), 3/98-4/98
* Member, ad hoc advisory group, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 10/98-
* Member, Advisory Board, National Center for Fluoridation Policy and Research, 10/98-
* Member, Advisory Board, Association for Science in Autism Treatment, 11/99-
* Member, Council for Scientific Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry, 6/00-5/03
* Fellow, Council for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health, 5/03-
* Advisory Board Member, Center for Inquiry Office of Public Policy. 7/06-\
* Member, Board of Directors, Instiute for Science in Medicine, 9/09-
Memberships and Appointments (Journalistic)
* Medical Consultant, WFMZ-TV, Allentown, 5/79-6/89
* Member, Medical Advisory Board, National Health (a consumer newspaper), 9/79-1/80
* Medical Editor, George F. Stickley Co., Philadelphia, 8/80-12/88
* Consumer Health Editor, Nautilus Magazine, 7/81-6/84
* Consulting Editor, ACSH News and Views, 10/81-6/88
* Health Editor, Our Age (newspaper of the National Alliance of Senior Citizens), 5/82-6/83
* Contributing Editor, Environmental Nutrition Newsletter, 9/82-3/84
* Editorial Advisor, Shape Magazine, 9/82-4/94
* Science and Health Editor, Inside Radio, 10/82-8/83
* Editor, Nutrition Forum Newsletter, 1/84-12/93
* Editorial Consultant, Nutrition Forum, 1/94-9/00
* Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Rx Being Well, 5/84-10/87
* Consumer Affairs Editor, Healthline Newsletter, 3/85-9/00
* Editorial Consultant, Prevention Magazine, 3/86-1/93
* Editorial Advisory Board, Healthy Weight Journal, 6/87-12/03
* Member, Society of Professional Journalists, 6/87-3/89
* Member, National Association of Science Writers, 11/87-12/97
* Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc, 2/89-12/98
* Medical Editor, Prometheus Books, 2/91-
* Editorial Advisory Board, The Diet Busine$$ Bulletin, 5/92-7/94
* Contributing Editor, The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, 6/97-
* Member, Editorial Board, Science & Pseudoscience Review in Mental Health, 2/00-
* Editor, Consumer Health Digest, 11/00-
Memberships and Appointments (Internet-Related)
* Member, Internet Healthcare Coalition, 10/97-12/99
* Member, Editorial Board, Medical Web Search, 6/98-12/00
* Member, Editorial Board, MedScape/MedGenMed, 5/99-2/05
* Member, Editorial Board, MD net guide, 8/99-3/02
* Participant member, Fraud Defense Network, 11/99-11/01
* Member, Editorial Board, Family Medicine net guide, 2/00-5/02
* Member CBS HealthWatch Physicians Network, 3/00-12/02
* Weekly columnist (“Alternative Medicine: A Skeptical Look”), Canoe 4/00-5/02
* Consumer Empowerment Advisor, PlanetFeedback, 4/00-3/01
* Advisory Board, Pyramid Scheme Alert, 10/00-
Memberships and Appointments (Academic)
* Instructor in Health Education, The Pennsylvania State University, 5/87-6/89
* Inststructor, Duke University Osher Lifelong Learning Institute program, 9/09-
Journal Peer Review (Panelist or Occasional Manuscript Reviewer)
* Annals of Internal Medicine
* Journal of the American Medical Association
* Medscape General Medicine
* The New England Journal of Medicine
* Nutrition Research
* Topics in Clinical Nutrition
* The Western Journal of Medicine
Honors and Awards (Academic, Professional, and Public Service)
* Pulitzer Scholar, Columbia University, 1950-54
* Freshman Chemistry Prize, Columbia College, 1951
* Lehigh Valley Dental Society’s Dr. Francis J. Trembley Outstanding Citizen Award for “decisive contributions dedicated to the betterment of oral medicine,” 1975
* Mediquiz Contest National Award (Resident Physician magazine), 1960
* FDA Commissioner’s Special Citation for “outstanding and consistent contributions against the proliferation of nutrition quackery to the American consumer,” 1984
* Honorary Lifetime Membership Award, Lehigh Valley Dietetic Association, 1986-
* Honorary Member Award, American Dietetic Association, 1986-
* Fellow, Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), 1992-
* Annals of Internal Medicine: Editors’ commendation (“top 10%”) for quality and timeliness of reviews in 1999
* Distinguished Service to Health Education Award “in recognition of outstanding contributions to the health and well-being of mankind through health education.” American Association for Health Education, 2001
* Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in the East, 1993-
* Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in America, 2001-
* Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, 2001-
* Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in the World, 2002-
* Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in Medicine and Health Care, 2002-
* Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in American Education, 2006-
Honors and Awards (Quackwatch)
* Journal of the American Medical Association: One of nine “select sites that provide reliable health information and resources,” 1998
* U.S. News & World Reports: Best of the Web (one of three medical sites), 1999
* Oncolink Editor’s Choice, 1999
* Britannica Internet Guide Award, 2000
* Forbes “Best of the Web,” 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
* “Nettie” Award for best Web site operated by an individual physician in 2002. MD net guide, 2003.
* Other Honors and Awards
Athletic Achievements (Swimming)
* Columbia University: Freshman team, 1950-51; varsity, 1951-3
* Allentown JCC “Channel Swim”: winner and age-group recordholder, 1959
* North Caroline Senior Games (State Championships)
o 2008: Two gold medals, one bronze
o 2009: Four silver medals, one bronze
* North Carolina Short Course Championships (Masters Swimming, 2009): Won five events.
Other Activities and Achievements
* Eagle Scout, January 1950
* American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor, 1952
* Life Master, American Contract Bridge League, 1959-
* Captain, United States Air Force: Active duty, 1961-1963
Now really people, does this sound like someone “who never achieved any success in the medical profession?” Oh yeah, this guy is obviously just an all around failure (NOT).
While Dr. Barrett is sometimes a bit too skeptical even for my taste, he’s still my first go-to resource for anything medical that seems even a little bit iffy.
Semi- off topic, but interesting: Dr. Barrett’s daughter, Deborah Barrett, has FM: http://www.quackwatch.org/03HealthPromotion/fibromyalgia/fms06.html.
Something got messed up with the last link about Deborah Barrett, above. Here’s the correct link:
http://www.quackwatch.org/03HealthPromotion/fibromyalgia/fms06.html.
Link still not working. Let me try again w/o the period at the end of the sentence.
http://www.quackwatch.org/03HealthPromotion/fibromyalgia/fms06.html.
At least I can comment again!
I blocked my comment notification to the comments on this particular post a few days ago and they’re still coming through loud and clear. Is Wordpress having a moment or is it me?
I think this was an interesting conversation…but it’s played itself out and it has digressed and I’m done. Actually I was done once Katinka started marveling over her total success with the technique.
The whole putting Whitcomb on a pedastal only to change the rules and told everyone to only look at the technique, not the man(who’s blog is this, anyhow?) made me roll my eyes. And then to start bashing someone else over his opinion of Whitcomb (even thought what was posted what appears to be a direct quote from the administrative law judge, not Barrett’s opinion). I swear it’s like watching a train wreck.
Anyone know how to convince Wordpress that I’m done hearing about this? I tried to “block” the subscription to the post within WP but that obviously didn’t work. Yes, I could hit delete w/o reading but it is a fascinating train wreck even though watching it serves no useful purpose.
“The answer here is really simple. If you don’t believe there is anything to this treatment, don’t do it! Don’t read about it! Spend your time studying other ways to get better. Spend it on positive things.”
This statement brings a quote to my mind:
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
Edmund Burke
It is absolutely NOT true that everyone in the videos is a Scientologist. I know lots of them. Please get your facts right before shouting them all over the internet.
Debbie,
I am glad you took the opportunity to respond to what you read about your father.
I just find it too bad that you are taking the comments from ONE reader of my blog and determining that my entire blog is not worth returning to. This seems similar to the type of unfair criticism your father has received. Upon careful reading you should have noted that this blog is dedicated to encouraging and inspiring people with Fibromyalgia. It is a very positive space.
This particular post on Dr. Whitcomb is not an accurate reflection of my entire blog, and I personally said nothing negative about your father. I know little of him except his criticism of Whitcomb, of whom I am equally critical.
Thanks Debbie for the clarification. I work so hard to share information and encouragement that I would hate for someone to judge my blog by a readers comment. That entire Whitcomb post got out of control, but I did not feel comfortable letting one person comment while censoring another. I just let it play out. Sorry it touched you personally.
I do appreciate that you are reserving your energy for what is important in your life – friends, family, work – and not burning yourself out debating with short-sighted people. Good for you. Thanks for the email. I really appreciate it.
Take care of yourself!
My Best,
Dannette
Again, close and careful reading of my blog would show that this is a place of encouragement and positive reinforcement, but thank you for your suggestions on what I should and should not focus on in my blog.
In the case of Whitcomb, since I am the one being marketed to with claims of “a miracle cure,” it is my right and duty to approach this topic from any and every angle I choose.
There is plenty bad to say about Whitcomb’s technique. I suggest to you a little due diligence before criticizing and confusing facts with propaganda. Former patient testimony would be a good place to start.
Also congratulations on using this post as a platform for soliciting employment with Whitcomb. I hope that works out for you.
Great response, and I too find FibroHaven a place of peace respite. Thank you Dannette!
I also just wanted to point out that Mr. Bolen talks big, but I see no links supporting what he is saying. Same thing when I was checking the links that Katinka supplied in one of her comments, they didn’t seem to support what she was saying, although I didn’t waste a lot of time trying to see the connection. And when she mentioned Tim Bolen, I did look him up and I didn’t find anything good. It seems to be a circle game with him, no end (point) in sight. Once again I didn’t spend a lot of time looking; life is too short, especially if you live with chronic illness. My exaggerated sense of justice makes it hard for me to let go of these injustices, but I’m getting better with practice.