Medical Roundup

In issue 16, I reported on an AIDS treatment scam run by a British doctor, James Sharp, and an Iraqi vet. This had been exposed as such by an investigative journalist.

Lancet Vol 1 No 8642 p856

An article in the British Medical Journal highlighted the circumstances which led to Sharp being struck off the Medical Register by the General Medical Council. The GMC was appalled by Sharp's behaviour as he had "sought to take advantage of particularly vulnerable patients and their relatives". The GMC was criticised for its reactive role and the article questions "the unwillingness of doctors to report colleagues whose ethics are questionable."

BMI Vol 299 9 Dec 1989 p1418-1419

We have had a similar episode in NZ (see The Milan Brych Story NZ Skeptic No 18) where a recent survey found that one third of Auckland GPs practised at least one form of alternative medicine, ranging from massage to moxibustion, acupuncture to anthroposophical medicine. Unless the medical profession can demonstrate a progressive and scientifically based supervision of medical practice, we will find such controls applied from outside the profession.

NZ Medical Journal 103: 213 1990

Vega machines are essentially a Wheatstone bridge measuring the potential difference between a hand-held electrode and the patient's left middle toe, a recognised acupuncture point. A Dr Steeper extended this "test" on a 16-month-old child by "directing questions from his own subconscious mind to the subconscious mind of the patient." As well as allergies, the testing revealed "inherited chronic miasms from ancestors who may have had venereal or mental diseases, but which could be removed from the child by appropriate homeopathic treatment."

The two other patients reported in the article were also subjected to equally fantastic diagnoses which prompted the Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (MPDC) to find Dr Steeper guilty of professional misconduct.

The MPDC accepted that some patients are not fulfilled by orthodox medical treatment and consult with alternative practitioners. However, they went on to say if that was the case "then the doctor should not operate under the guise of orthodox medicine." The only part of the report that I disagree with is where it stated "unorthodox or alternative medicine was not on trial". I say why not? I maintain that possession of a medical degree implies an understanding and acceptance of general science. Doctors who consistently demonstrate ignorance in this respect should be forced to either abandon what the MPDC called "foolishness" or give up their Practising Certificate and join the alternative camp.

The ruling of the MPDC does nothing to quell the use of these Vega machines although they stated "that this bioenergetic system was operator dependent and not amenable to critical evaluation or examination". Operator dependent simply means that the delusion of "Vega diagnosis" is in the mind of the operator.

This article is well worth reading in its entirety as it is a good illustration of current professional medical attitudes towards unorthodox medicine which, in my opinion, are too lenient.

NZ Med J 1990; 103: 194-195

L-tryptophan is an essential amino acid, harmless in the doses found in natural foods. It has been marketed in NZ for the treatment of insomnia, premenstrual tension and depression and is not registered as a medicine.

From all over the world, reports are coming in of the eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome caused by L-tryptophan in either tablet or capsule form. The symptoms of the disorder include severe muscle and joint pains, weakness, fever and skin rash.

This is a classic example of the dangers of taking untested drugs not subject to the normal controls of a licencing authority.

Circular Letter to Medical Practitioners, Dangerous Diets, Lancet Dec 16 1989 p1466, NZ General Practice April 24 1990, New Scientist 7 July 1990 p6, BMJ Vol 300 10 March 1990 p692.

The latest quack remedy is germanium, used as a "cure" for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), AIDS and other chronic diseases. Japanese doctors are reporting both deaths and irreversible renal damage from its use.

Lancet Sep 23 1989

This, and the L-tryptophan tragedy has lead the UK-based Campaign Against Health Fraud (CAHF) to call for the banning of the sale of germanium. CAHF has formed sub-committees to prepare position statements on such topics as Candida albicans. Their address is in the article in The Practitioner 8 October 1989, Vol 233 p1329-1330.

The substance "Tach" is the latest AIDS "cure" to come out of China. Made from 300 herbs, the substance comes in four colours, dealing with different aspect of the disease. The white form is for opportunistic diseases associated with AIDS (unfortunately there is no type for opportunistic treatments); the yellow attacks the "clinical symptoms" of the illness itself;

the red helps the patient's overall recovery (well red?); and the green is for carriers of the AIDS virus who had not yet developed the full-blown disease.

Is there no end to human desperation and foolishness? In the UK, a recent court ruling could lead to higher licensing fees for "natural remedies". The judge was Mr Justice Pill!

NZ Doctor 3 Sep 1990

Cholesterol blood tests may be dangerous to your health! People with moderate levels of blood cholesterol may wrongly conclude that they are "all right". This may interfere with population-based strategies aimed at getting an overall reduction in the consumption of saturated fat, which is metabolised by the liver into cholesterol.

Those people with higher cholesterol levels may be put on long-term drug treatment with new cholesterol-lowering drugs which have unknown long- term side effect profiles. These drugs can also be very expensive.

Rather than screening whole populations, it makes more sense to test individuals at higher risk, such as those with a family history of high cholesterol, and persevere with a population-based reduction in fat intake to no more than 35% of food energy.

New Scientist 23 June 1990

Animals are unfortunately not immune from being caught up in human health delusions. Bears are believed to be able to eat anything without becoming ill, with their gall bladders detoxifying substances ingested. Because of this, unfortunate bears are being forcibly and fatally deprived of their gall bladders so that Korean herbalists can prepare a "powerful all-purpose tonic". These simplistic, medieval beliefs are creating a demand which has led to the near extinction of many animal species.

The Economist April 1990 p37

A Fishy Tale?

On a lighter note, a Filipino woman claimed to have given birth to an 18cm mudfish which has been named Angeline Dyesebel. This was confirmed by her husband who reported hearing it say "ik ik" shortly after the delivery. We are not told whether the-birth was attended by a gynaecologist or an ichthyologist, but Angeline is doing swimmingly well in the local mayor's aquarium. Armed guards were stationed to control the crowds whose numbers appeared sadly deficient in skeptics. As the mother tried to bottle-feed the fish the crowd insisted, "it's sucking, it's sucking".

The fish will enjoy a Roman Catholic baptism if the local priest can be persuaded to go along with it. However, a doctor (spoilsport!) who had examined the mother prior to the delivery was "convinced that she had never been pregnant".

The mother is 45 and, in addition to the fish, has had 11 children.

Marlborough Express Wednesday October 17th 1990

Dr John Welch is a medical officer with the RNZAF.