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-   -   News about Quackbuster Stephen Barrett (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/medical-health-discussion-94/news-about-quackbuster-stephen-barrett-133049/)

Villages PL 11-15-2014 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barefoot (Post 968621)
Now that we have the internet and google, it's easy to see Null's history, his outrageous statements, and that he basically makes his money by writing controversial books targeting the medical community.
And of course he also sells supplemental products.
I wouldn't believe anything written by an author with his credentials.

You have the internet to see what Stephen Barrett is all about. He's a shake-down artist slinging mud at doctors. But that makes no difference to you? Who else do you have besides Stephen Barrett? Anyone?

Barefoot 11-15-2014 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villages PL (Post 968636)
You have the internet to see what Stephen Barrett is all about. He's a shake-down artist slinging mud at doctors. But that makes no difference to you? Who else do you have besides Stephen Barrett? Anyone?

Just Google the name "Gary Null". I think you will quickly understand that this author is a questionable source at best.
I'm trying to be polite and not use the term "Medical Huckster".
Go on amazon.com and see the 30 books he has written.
By using the internet for research, you can see for yourself and not rely on anyone's second-hand information.

dbussone 11-15-2014 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villages PL (Post 968635)
How does it compare with 4 doctors dividing the proceeds of one book? They are certainly not going to make a boatload of cash on one book.

Why would a competent doctor head the CDC if not to make a good salary? Just for the fun of it?

To serve humanity. Certainly profit and lifestyle are motives for physicians, but I personally know many academic physicians who made far less than I did...because teaching, research and patient care mattered to them. Why don't you read about the life of Arthur Guyton (from Mississippi) who developed the math model for the circulatory system. I believe he made about $120K. Jim Hardy, another wonderful man, was the surgeon who developed the surgical technique that Christian Barnard used for the first man to man heart transplant. He also did the first lung transplant in man. I think he made about $200k in his last year. I could go on and on, and have been so fortunate to know so many medical pioneers. Gary Null, PhD is no comparison.

perrjojo 11-15-2014 04:21 PM

I always take medical advice from someone who wrote for Penthouse.

CFrance 11-15-2014 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villages PL (Post 968608)
I would have explained it sooner if I had been given the chance. The statistics in his book don't necessarily disagree with CDC statistics, as far as I can tell.

As far as profit: Those who head the CDC probably make far more money than Gary Null. Should we discredit CDC doctors for making a lot of money ? "Center for Disease Control" is an impressive title too. So what?

Are you against "catchy" titles? If you write a really good book and nobody reads it because it has a dull title, what good it that? It wouldn't be very smart of the authors if they go through a lot of trouble and no one buys the book.

Is a book written for profit a bad thing necessarily? And in this case they have to split the money between 4 doctors. How about our personal physicians. Don't they make a profit off of every office visit? Is that bad?
Can we believe them when they say we need to come back for a follow-up exam?

The CDC is a non-profit government agency. Nobody there is personally profiting by what they say or do, and you can't compare the doctors that work there at all to a doctor or doctors writing books to be sold for profit.

I'm leery of any books that these so-called experts write for profit, catchy title or dull title. Or the ones that make the talk-show rounds. Or the ones that ARE the talk shows. The people that hold credibility for me are the ones doing the research and publishing in the trusted medical journals.

My doctors have never once said to me, "Go to the library and read this book by Dr. So-and-so."

CFrance 11-15-2014 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villages PL (Post 968628)
Am I the only one that you're holding to a higher standard? Am I the only one that must read more than one book before judging?

Suppose I first read one book by him alone and I don't like it. Then I read, "Death By Medicine" by him and 3 MDs and I like it. What does that mean? One was good and one was bad, but not written by the same authors. What am I suppose to think?

To me it would mean that you haven't done enough research on the author(s) to be able to assess their credibility.

dbussone 11-15-2014 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perrjojo (Post 968675)
I always take medical advice from someone who wrote for Penthouse.

LOL! Oh my gosh. Now that's a hoot. Did you get any other useful information?

CFrance 11-15-2014 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perrjojo (Post 968675)
I always take medical advice from someone who wrote for Penthouse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbussone (Post 968707)
LOL! Oh my gosh. Now that's a hoot. Did you get any other useful information?

Yes, they furthered Low T awareness.

dbussone 11-15-2014 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CFrance (Post 968711)
Yes, they furthered Low T awareness.

:jester:

Loudoll 11-15-2014 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perrjojo (Post 968675)
I always take medical advice from someone who wrote for Penthouse.

:agree:

Villages PL 11-17-2014 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barefoot (Post 968609)
By googling Gary Null's name, you can easily see that he went on to write 30 controversial books and market a variety of supplemental products.
Doesn't that make you doubt his authenticity?

Yes, it does make me doubt his authenticity. But I also doubt Wikipedia's authenticity for using Stephen Barrett as a source to discredit Null. Read my opening link!!!!

The book "Death By Medicine" does not recommend any particular lifestyle, products or alternative medicine. In many cases this book quotes CDC statements and statistics.

For example: In 2008, Dr. Lauri Hicks, a CDC medical director, warned that, "Antibiotic overuse is a serious problem and a threat to everyone's health."

Also in his book: CDC Estimated 10-year Mortality Rate due to hospital infections: .99 million, Cost: $5 billion+

Then there were other statistics of Medical Interventions that brought the total deaths up to 794,936 annually.

Villages PL 11-17-2014 12:10 PM

In addition to the CDCs estimated 10-year Death Rate of .99 million for hospital infections, I just found the following report by JAMA:

Adverse drug reactions may cause over 100,000 deaths among hospitalized patients each year.

It's beginning to add up and I assume these are sources you trust.

Chi-Town 11-17-2014 12:11 PM

OK. I can almost understand people reading Playboy for the articles, but Penthouse is just for the porn. What a source.

Villages PL 11-17-2014 12:29 PM

Here's another from NPR: Search: "How Many Die From Medical Mistakes In U.S. Hospitals?

It was first estimated at 98,000 yearly deaths. But a new study, published in The Journal of Patient Safety, states that the numbers may be much higher - between 210,000 and 440,000 patients each year.

This is in addition to hospital infections and adverse drug reactions.

Want more? I'm just getting started.

KayakerNC 11-17-2014 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Villages PL (Post 969469)
Here's another from NPR: Search: "How Many Die From Medical Mistakes In U.S. Hospitals?

It was first estimated at 98,000 yearly deaths. But a new study, published in The Journal of Patient Safety, states that the numbers may be much higher - between 210,000 and 440,000 patients each year.

This is in addition to hospital infections and adverse drug reactions.

Want more? I'm just getting started.

If that was a serious question, the answer is No Thanks. :mornincoffee:


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