Patricia Chavez speaks about her mother's death at the hands of Hulda Clark

clipped from www.mandjshow.com

Alternative Cancer Treatments

Is the medical establishment wrong about cancer? Mike and Juliet of Fox TV's Morning Show look at alternative treatments that advocates say may save your life … but critics warn could kill you!

Dr. Stephen Barrett, and others appear in this clip from part of the show. Patricia Chavez attacks the treatment delivered at Hulda Clark's quack cancer clinic. But, somebody at Fox decided that it would be unwise to mention the name of the clinic, or Hulda Clark.

Why do you need QuackeryWatch?

QuackeryWatch is the creation of Dr. Terry Polevoy, a Canadian medical doctor who lives and works in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario. He graduated from Michigan State University where he obtained his B.S., and then completed his medical degree at the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. He completed his pediatric residency at the University of Western Ontario, and at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

He became interested in alternative medicine early on in his practice in both the United States and in Canada. After many years of experience he became totally disillusioned with the growth of blatant quackery in medicine, and the acceptance of bogus practices by mainstream medical organizations, and government funded institutions.

In 1997, Dr. Polevoy started his first web site that included a section on "alternative" medicine known as www.healthwatcher.net. He then expanded his web presence to add several other separate sites.

These include:

• www.quackerywatch.com
• www.chirowatch.com
• www.pigpills.com

In April 2003, he co-authored the E-book called Pig Pills, Inc. with medical reporter Marvin Ross, and former Health Canada inspector and private detective, Ron Reinhold. The book is the result of a two and-a-half year investigation of the Tony Stephan, and David Hardy and a nutraceutical known as EMPOWERPLUS. The publication of the book resulted in major actions by Health Canada against the Synergy Group of Canada and their Truehope suppport organizations. They sold this concoction to unwary customers who had serious mental health problems. Their research did not have the approval of Health Canada.
Dr. Polevoy has appeared numerous times on major North American television and radio programs to discuss medical quackery and scams in the nutraceutical and weight loss industries. He is perhaps better known to U.S. viewers for his two-part Tony Brown's Journal on PBS-TV that he did with Stephen Barrett on cancer quack Hulda Clark and her crazy theories and devices.

In March 2004, Dr. Polevoy was a featured guest on the Mitch Albom radio show in Detroit to talk about plastic surgery scams in Texas and California.

On Canadian TV he has helped both CTV and CBC with news specials on diet scams, and medical quackery. In a major documentary about Truehope, which ran on Discovery Health in Canada, as well as on other cable networks in the U.S., Dr. Polevoy was a prime force in convincing the government to investigate their organization.

His efforts to expose major cancer quackery, other health scams, and in particular, anti-vaccine activities of alternative medical practitioners, has made him one of the most hated health professionals by those who practice quackery, and deceive their patients.
A special pet project that is closely tied with his day to day medical practice is the International Skin Cancer Awareness Network - ISCAN. This web site focuses on the growth of the sunbed industry in North America, and the increased risk of skin cancer and other problems created by the overexposure of children and young adults to artificial tanning devices. In particular, the growth of malignant melanoma, and his experiences in his own family with this horrible cancer have helped motivate Dr. Polevoy to help educate the public and politicians to the dangers caused by sunbeds and those who promote them to our children.

Feature articles about Dr. Polevoy

Challenging quacks and frauds - Medical Post - November 2, 2004
By Barbara Kermode-Scott"Dr. Terry Polevoy is a self-appointed health watchdog. He investigates and challenges products, services and theories that are marketed with claims he believes to be false, unsubstantiated or even illegal."The original article was pulled from the Medical Post's web site in December 2004 allegedly because one of the people mentioned in the article called the publisher and demanded that it be removed. If I guess right, he is now consulting his lawyer to shore up his defense against numerous legal charges made against him by Health Canada.

Links to the discussion on our web site are here.

Raid! Medical Post - Sept. 02, 2003 - By Barbara Kermode-Scott
First by halting a Calgary trial and then by seizing product shipments, Health Canada has pulled the plug on a controversial neutraceutical being sold as a treatment for mental health disorders. Now protractors and supporters of the product are making their concerns heard

Cures of last resort - Eye Weekly - April 20, 2000 -By Nate Hendley
Alternative cancer therapies bring high-priced hope and deadly disappointment. A fine article about Bill O'Neill, Hulda Clark and Dr. Polevoy's fight against quackery.

Trauma-card story needed a critical eye - Toronto Star - Sept. 25, 2004 - by Don Sellar The Star's Ombud apologizes for sloppy article about Gentle Wind Project. Dr. Polevoy is available for presentations and interviews about his work.

• Contact Dr. Polevoy

Tragic victims of medical quackery

Tyrell Dueck - 13 year old boy from Saskatchewan

Tyrell Dueck died after his parents were advised by cancer quacks to go to Tijuana instead of living with an amputed leg that was riddled with bone cancer.

The case involved religious fundamentalists, a chiropractor who was also an MP, and of course the CCRG in Ottawa.

Scores of interviews, and phone-in shows across Canada added to the story as the nation watched. Of course, years later his death seems to have been forgotten.
The cancer quacks are still operating in Ottawa, and Tijuana, untouched by the government or consumer protection agencies.

• For more details

Sandra Schmirler - Champion Curler
Age 36

As she neared the end of her fight with cancer, curler Sandra Schmirler travelled to Ottawa for a last-ditch attempt at treatment. There, the former Olympian sought out the services of the Canadian Cancer Research Group (CCRG), a controversial medical centre that practises alternative cancer therapies.

In spite of Schmirler's unsuccessful treatment, William O'Neill, CEO of CCRG, says his centre is at the forefront of cancer research. He describes his outfit as the "largest private cancer think-tank research lab, treatment development laboratory and outpatient treatment centre" in the country. Founded in 1992, the CCRG saw about 2,000 patients last year. These patients paid fees ranged from nothing to a maximum of $10,000 for up to 12 months of treatment. The treatments Schmirler received cost between $3,000 and $4,000.

• More about the CCRG and Bill O'Neill
• Complaint against the CCRG with detailed documents

Hope Monaghan died of brain tumor
Age 3

Dave Wickware bragged on Curezone.com that he gave a ginseng product to the family and it seemed to help this poor unfortunate girl near the end of her life. Unfortunately for Dave and his associate Lu Lanzon, who practiced in the same office in Waterloo, Ontario, it proved to be nothing more than an attempt to spread the word about their practice. It didn't help Hope at all.

• Wickware on Quackerywatch

Jake and Willy Harms in wheel chairs

Ravi Devgan scammed a poor Mexican Mennonite family from Wallaceburg, Ontario out of $40,000 to treat their two 13 year old kids who were born with cerebral palsy. He did this even after his medical registration was revoked. His history of scamming patients goes back over one decade. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario should be ashamed of themselves. He was arrested on July 1, 2005 and charged with fraud again. Let's hope that this will be the last time that Devgan sees the light of day.

• More on Ravi Devgan's career