Amazingly, many people believe in Way-Out Bizarre medical conspiracy theories. Go figure.

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Medical Conspiracies That Came True

by Jeffrey Dach MD

Link to original article

If you happen to be a professor at the University of Chicago sitting around wondering what to do next to generate interest in your work, why not do a piece about Crazy Lunatic Medical Conspiracy theories?  This sounds like a good idea.

This is exactly what Dr. Eric Oliver did.  He has a PhD and is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago.  He created a phone questionnaire with some weirdo medical conspiracy questions. and then published the results.(26-34)  Amazingly, many people believe in Way-Out Bizarre medical conspiracy theories.  Go figure.

Rather than dwell on Dr. Oliver's weirdo conspiracy theories concocted at the University of Chicago for the enjoyment of the tabloid news media, lets look at something else:  Let's take a look at medical conspiracy theories that actually came true as recorded fact in the medical literature.

Examples of Medical Conspiracy Theories that Came True According to the Mainstream Medical Literature

1) Medical Conspiracy Theory:

Do You believe that Synthetic Hormones Handed out by the Medical System are unsafe and in fact cause Cancer and Heart Disease. Yes, or No ?

Yes, Synthetic hormones cause cancer and heart disease.(4)   It seems incredible, but true.  The mainstream medical system has been using synthetic "monster" hormones for years.  The 2002 WHI (Women's Health Initiative) study finally convinced millions of women to switch to safer and more effective bioidentical human hormones.  My previous articles on the safety and importance of bioidentical hormones discusses this at length. (5)(6)

2) Medical Conspiracy Theory:

Do You Believe that Knee Arthroscopy for Arthritis is a Fraud and a Scam ? Yes or No.?

Yes. The second example of a medical conspiracy theory is the discredited practice of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis.  Millions of these useless procedures were performed in the late 1990"s until it was abandoned after randomized trials showed no benefit.(7) My previous article on the power of the placebo discussed this.(8)

3) Medical Conspiracy Theory:

Do you believe that SSRI antidepressant drugs have the same benefit as a placebo ? Yes or No ?

Yes, the latest study shows that the benefits of SSRI drugs are equivalent to placebo pills.(9)  In cases of mild depression, the known adverse effects of SSRI antidepressants clearly outweigh the benefits.  My previous article on SSRI antidepressants  discussed this.(10)

4) Medical Conspiracy Theory:

Do you believe that there is no mortality benefit for screening mammography and the adverse effects may overwhelm the benefit.(11)  Yes or No ?

The answer is, Yes, as discussed in my previous article on screening mammography, national data on mortality from breast cancer shows no significant reduction in mortality after the introduction of screening mammography.  This was discussed in JAMA by Dr Laura Esserman.(12)

5)  Medical Conspiracy Theory: Do you believe that PPI proton pump inhibitor antacid drugs are overused and misused ?  Yes or No ?

The answer is yes. Antacid Drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPI's) have serious adverse effects of increased rates of fractures, Clostridium difficile infection, and increased risk of pneumonia. (13-18) I discussed the harms and benefits of acid blocker drugs in a previous article . (19)

These first five examples can be found in an editorial in the May 10 Archives of Internal Medicine by Deborah Grady MD.

6) Bone Marrow Transplantation for Breast Cancer

Medical Conspiracy Theory:

Do you believe that bone marrow transplant for breast cancer is a fraud and a scam ? Yes or No ?

The answer is Yes. Starting in the 1980"s, thousands of these procedures were done costing up to 400,000 dollars each.   After a couple of decades of harming thousands of severely ill women, medical studies were done showing the procedure had no merit and it was abandoned.  This incredible story can be found in an  article by Nicholas Gonzalez MD, and also in a book which documents the story called False Hope. (20-22)

More Medical Conspiracy Theories:

Could an FDA approved pain pill called Vioxx cause heart attacks ? Yes or No ?

Yes. Vioxx, a new type of painkiller launched in 1999, was one of the most heavily promoted drugs in history, with sales in 80 countries and a global market of 80 million patients.  The drug Vioxx was withdrawn after it was found to cause 140,000 heart attacks and over 50,000 deaths.(34)

Medical Conspiracy Theory: Does Premarin, a commonly used Estrogen Pill Cause Endometrial Cancer ?  Yes or No ?

Yes, Premarin is a horse estrogen isolated from the urine of pregnant horses.   Available since FDA approval in 1942, Premarin has caused an estimated 15,000 cases of endometrial cancer, representing the largest epidemic of serious iatrogenic disease ever reported.

Medical Conspiracy Theory: Does the Hormone Pill DES (Di-ethyl Stilbestrol) cause cervical cancer in the daughters of women taking this pill ?  Yes or No?

Yes. Many people have forgotten about the disaster of DES, Diethylstilbestrol, the first synthetic hormone invented in 1938.  This carcinogenic, monster hormone was approved by the FDA and given to millions of women from 1940 until it was banned in 1975 when it was shown carcinogenic.  The first report of cervical cancer in the daughters of DES treated women was published in April 1971 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Medical Conspiracy Theory:  Do you believe FDA Approved Drugs are Harmful and Ineffective?  Yes or No ?

Yes.  Many drugs developed over the last few decades that are in fact, Bad Drugs, and are eventually banned.  These FDA approved drugs are expensive, yet have marginal effectiveness, and horrendous adverse side effects.   An excellent book on this topic entitled, Drugs that Don't Work, Natural Therapies that Do, is available from Dr. David Brownstein.(25)
Read about the Ten worst drug recalls in FDA History.

There are many more examples of medical conspiracy theories which have come true.  We have merely scratched the surface.

Jeffrey Dach MD

Link to original article

Articles with related interest:  Protect Your Family From Bad Drugs

Links and References

(1) http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/170/9/749
Less Is More, How Less Health Care Can Result in Better Health
Deborah Grady, MD, MPH; Rita F. Redberg, MD, MSc,  Editor
Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(9):749-750.

(2) http://www.annals.org/content/138/4/288.abstract
Fisher ES, Wennberg DE, Stukel TA, Gottlieb DJ, Lucas FL, Pinder EL. The implications of regional variations in Medicare spending, part 2: health outcomes and satisfaction with care. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138(4):288-298.

(3) http://www.annals.org/content/138/4/273.abstract
Fisher ES, Wennberg DE, Stukel TA, Gottlieb DJ, Lucas FL, Pinder EL. The implications of regional variations in Medicare spending, part 1: the content, quality, and accessibility of care. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138(4):273-287.

(4)http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/288/3/321
Rossouw JE, Anderson GL, Prentice RL; et al, Writing Group for the Women's Health Initiative Investigators. Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women: principal results from the Women's Health Initiative randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2002;288(3):321-333.

(5) http://jeffreydach.com/2008/06/27/the-safety-of-bioidentical-hormones-by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx
The safety of bioidentical Hormones by Jeffrey Dach MD

(6) http://www.drdach.com/BioIdentical_Hormones.html
The Importance of bio-identical Hormones by Jeffrey Dach MD

(7) http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/347/2/81
Moseley JB, O'Malley K, Petersen NJ; et al. A controlled trial of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee. N Engl J Med. 2002;347(2):81-88.

(8) http://jeffreydach.com/2007/05/22/the-power-of-the-placebo--by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx
The Power of the Placebo by Jeffrey Dach MD

(9) http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/303/1/47
Fournier JC, DeRubeis RJ, Hollon SD; et al. Antidepressant drug effects and depression severity: a patient-level meta-analysis. JAMA. 2010;303(1):47-53.

(10)
http://jeffreydach.com/2010/01/21/jama-says-ssri-antidepressants-are-placebos-by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx
Antidepressants Found to Be No Better Than Placebo.

(11) http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/303/2/164
Woloshin S, Schwartz LM. The benefits and harms of mammography screening: understanding the trade-offs. JAMA. 2010;303(2):164-165.

(12)
http://jeffreydach.com/2009/11/17/mammogram-guideline-reversal-by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx
Mammogram Guideline Reversal by Jeffrey Dach MD

(13) http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/170/9/765
9. Gray SL, LaCroix AZ, Larson J; et al. Proton pump inhibitor use, hip fracture, and change in bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: results from the Women's Health Initiative. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(9):765-771. FREE FULL TEXT

(14) http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/170/9/784
10. Howell MD, Novack V, Grgurich P; et al. Iatrogenic gastric acid suppression and the risk of nosocomial Clostridium difficile infection. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(9):784-790. FREE FULL TEXT

(15) http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/170/9/772
11. Linsky A, Gupta K, Lawler EV, Fonda JR, Hermos JA. Proton pump inhibitors and risk for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(9):772-778. FREE FULL TEXT

(16) http://www.annals.org/content/149/6/391.abstract
12. Sarkar M, Hennessy S, Yang Y-X. Proton-pump inhibitor use and the risk for community-acquired pneumonia. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149(6):391-398.

(17)http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/301/20/2120
13. Herzig SJ, Howell MD, Ngo LH, Marcantonio ER. Acid suppressive medication use and the risk for hospital acquired pneumonia. JAMA. 2009;301(20):2120-2128.

(18) http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/170/9/747
14. Katz MH. Failing the acid test: benefits of proton pump inhibitors may not justify the risks for many users. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(9):747-748.

(19) http://jeffreydach.com/2009/09/14/heartburn-and-acid-blockers-by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx  Heartburn and Acid Blockers by Jeffrey Dach MD

Bone Marrow Transplant for Breast Cancer

(20) http://www.dr-gonzalez.com/bias.htm
Academic Bias and Fraud: The cases of bone marrow transplantation for breast cancer, and HIV-nevirapine By Nicholas J. Gonzalez, M.D.

(21) http://www.amazon.com/False-Hope-Marrow-Transplantation-Breast/dp/0195187768
False Hope: Bone Marrow Transplantation for Breast Cancer [Hardcover]
Richard A. Rettig (Author), Peter D. Jacobson (Author), Cynthia M. Farquhar M.D. (Author), Wade M. Aubry M.D. (Author)

(22) http://www.jcojournal.org/cgi/content/full/26/1/11
Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 26, No 1 (January 1), 2008: pp. 11-12
EDITORIAL A Dramatic Story of Hope and Reality Edward A. Stadtmauer

(23) http://medicine-opera.com/doing-nothing-reviews/
Neil A Kurtzman MD is the Grover E Murray Professor and University Distinguished Professor, Department of Internal Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock. He has combined careers in clinical medicine, education, basic research, and administration for more than 30 years. Dr Kurtzman was my research advisor in medical school.

(24) http://whcrc.ucsf.edu/people/bios/grady_deborah.html
Deborah Grady, MD, MPH is Professor of Medicine, Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research and Director of the UCSF Women's Health Clinical Research Center. Dr. Grady is an international expert on menopause and the risks and benefits of postmenopausal hormone therapy. Dr. Grady has trained and mentored over 40 young researchers interested in women's health and received the Chancellor's Award for the Advancement of Women and the UCSF Mentor of the Year award.

(25) Drugs that Don't Work, Natural Therapies that Do,
is available from Dr David Brownstein.
https://www.drbrownstein.com/bookstore_NaturalT.php

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Medical Conspiracy Theories

26) http://www.silverbearcafe.com/private/03.14/conspiracytheory.html
Do you believe in "medical conspiracy theories"? Daisy Luther

27) http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1835348
Research Letter | March 17, 2014 Medical Conspiracy Theories and Health Behaviors in the United States ONLINE FIRST J. Eric Oliver, PhD1; Thomas Wood, MA1  Author Affiliations  1Department of Political Science, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois    JAMA Intern Med. Published online March 17, 2014"

28) http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2277
Nearly half of Americans believe in at least one medical conspiracy theory, survey finds  BMJ 2014; 348 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g2277 (Published 20 March 2014)  Cite this as: BMJ 2014;348:g2277

29) http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/03/19/291405689/half-of-americans-believe-in-medical-conspiracy-theories
Half Of Americans Believe In Medical Conspiracy Theories by Nancy Shute March 19, 2014 3:25 PM

30) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/274236.php
31) http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-medical-conspiracies-study-20140319,0,7614817.storyNearly half of Americans subscribe to a medical conspiracy theory By Melissa Healy March 19, 2014, 4:54 p.m.

32) http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-medical-conspiracy-theories-vaccines-20140321,0,2307328.story#ixzz2xA7JNjLZ
Half of Americans believe in medical conspiracy theories. That's dangerous. By Matthew Fleischer, guest blogger  .   March 21, 2014, 2:07 p.m

33) http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-medical-conspiracy-theories-vaccines-20140321,0,2307328.story#ixzz2xA7cqAIB

34) http://www.truth-out.org/archive/item/51955:vioxx-linked-to-140000-heart-attacks-and-over-50000-deaths
Vioxx Linked to 140,000 Heart Attacks and Over 50,000 Deaths Tuesday, 25 January 2005     Painkiller Linked to 140,000 Heart Attacks in Patients     By Jeremy Laurance     The Independent U.K.     Tuesday 25 January 2005

Jeffrey Dach MD

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cies That Came True

Authors Website: http://jeffreydachmd.com

Authors Bio:

Jeffrey Dach MD is a physician and author of three books, Natural Medicine 101, and Bioidentical Hormones 101, and Heart Book all available on Amazon, or as a free e-book on his web sites.

Dr. Dach is founder and chief medical officer of TrueMedMD, a clinic in Davie, Florida specializing in Bioidentical Hormones, natural thyroid, functional medicine and low level laser therapy.

Dr. Dach was originally trained and board certified as an Interventional and Diagnostic Radiologist, and worked in the hospital setting for 30 years in Broward County at the Memorial Hospital System. Because of declining visual acuity, Dr Dach retired from radiology and returned to clinical medicine about 8 years ago when he founded the TruMedMD Clinic offering bioidentical hormones and natural thyroid to the South Florida region. For more information about Dr Dach, you can find his entire CV posted on-line on his web site.