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North Americans have known,
or suspected, for some time, that there has been an
organized assault by a
well funded group, against companies, and practitioners,
offering alternatives to the drugs/surgery paradigm. That
group calls itself the "quackbusters," and they
are a scam.
I'm about to tell you WHY that assault was formally
assembled, HOW THE SCAM works, and WHO the players are,
and WHAT they're up to right now.
If you know
who they are, and how they operate, you can beat them.
North America
has been going towards what are called
"alternatives," in health and medicine, in a big
way. More than half of the US health dollar is
currently being spent on this phenomena. With new
billing codes (ABC Codes) going into effect, allowing
insurance and Medicare to pay for "alternative"
therapies, that percentage will, no doubt, increase
dramatically.
In
California, the fifth largest stand-alone economy in the
world, where I live, the health
freedom movement is much larger than anywhere
else. Here, we'd rather be healthy than medicated.
We've analyzed the politics of the problem, and
successfully turned the political environment to our way
of thinking. We simply do not put up with
"quackbuster"
crap, here.. Why should we?
And, neither
should you...
Throughout this discourse keep something important
in mind. It's this - we in the Health Freedom
Movement outnumber the quackbusters 100,000 to 1.
We've got more money than they do, and we've got
better, and more talented people. We also have
better lawyers. It is time to use our advantage to
destroy them.
WHY IT WAS FORMALLY
ASSEMBLED...
Three things, I believe, seriously alarmed
conventional (mainstream) medicine and spurred them
to action in late 1996.
The FIRST thing was reports showing that medical
care in this country is so bad that doctors and
hospitals were listed as the third largest cause of
unnecessary death. Since then, they have moved to
the Number one spot. Americans have been finding
out that the average MD these days, beyond the
emergency room, has little
to offer
beyond the "magic bullet," meaning
the new drug pushed this week by the drug company
salesman.
The
bottom line in conventional
medical care is a shock, and Americans are
expressing their displeasure
with the
situation with their changes in health buying
patterns - which leads to the Second thing.
The SECOND thing was a 1993 report in the New
England Journal of Medicine (JAMA) that showed the
huge financial impact of "Alternative Medicine"
on the US health care dollar.
The THIRD was the Clinton Administration's
identification of "health fraud" as a major
cause of health care's rising costs - and the
announcement of Attorney General Janet Reno's plans
to deal with that issue STRONGLY.
THE EFFECTS ON
MAINSTREAM...
STOMACH ACHE #1 -
The 1993 JAMA report on Alternative
Medicine... had to be a shock to conventional
medicine. It showed that the American public was
not in the "Marcus Welby," or the "Ben
Casey" mode any more - where the guy in the
white coat, with the stethoscope around his neck,
was America's sole source of health advice. The "Ask
Your Doctor" program was flat-out dying.
The JAMA
report suggested that more visits were being
made to unconventional practitioners in 1990 then to
conventional - 488 million unconventional visits to
388 million to primary care physicians. 13.7
billion dollars was spent on unconventional
practices as opposed to 12.8 billion for
hospitalization. Alternative Medicine, which
excels outside of the Emergency Room
was, offering real health solutions.
STOMACH ACHE #2 -
Then, in 1995, Janet Reno, the then Attorney
General, under the direction of the US
President, came out with a program
identifying "health fraud" as a major
problem in the US health care system. She shocked,
and frightened, conventional practitioners.
"Health Fraud" - was, and is, defined by the
Justice Department as "Over billing, false
coding, MD kickbacks, etc.." Reno, of course,
was right - conventional medicine was, and is,
involved in sheer greed and dishonesty. It was, and
is, a huge problem.
In response, mainstream medical went into orbit,
trying to deflect her attack - to no avail. Janet
Reno was teaching "seniors"
how to read their medical bills - and turn their
doctor into the Feds. The "Meds" were in
trouble with the "Feds." And, still are.
And, should be...
So mainstream, rather than fix their own house, had
to come up with a plan to counter these two assaults
on their dollar intake. They did... and here it
is...
HOW THE SCAM WORKS...
In 1996, mainstream launched their counter-attack.
It was a four part dis-information Public Relations
campaign designed to kill two birds (stomach
aches) with one stone. They wanted Janet
Reno (and the American public) off their backs, and
they wanted to get rid of their upstart competitor
Alternative Medicine. So they came up with a simple
plan - re-define the term "health fraud"
with a massive dis-information campaign. The intent
was to re-define the word AWAY from Reno's
definition of "Over billing, false coding, MD
kickbacks, etc.." to a different focus -
"Alternative Medicine." They put the plan into
effect.
Enter,
from stage right - the
"quackbusters..."
PART ONE of the plan was what I call the
"definition switch." Janet Reno, in her
original plan, had expected cooperation from the
State Medical Boards. She expected the Boards to
prosecute billing
cheaters. She NEVER got that cooperation.
In Chicago in 1996, at the FSMB (Federation of
States Medical Boards) annual meeting, a major
program was presented. It was, supposedly, on
"health fraud," and how to combat it.
Conspicuously, there were no speakers from Janet
Reno's team. If any of Janet Reno's people thought
this was going to help the Federal program - they
were wrong.
The Feds that were attending must have been in
shock, upon seeing the presentation.
Only once in
the program was the Fed's definition of "health
fraud" ever mentioned
- it was by FTC's Matt Daynard who made it clear
that their (the FTC's) concerns were MUCH broader
than theirs. Other than an apparently confused
Daynard, no where in the program was there a
discussion of how to prosecute doctors who
over-billed, false coded, took kickbacks, etc. All
they talked about was "Alternative Medicine,"
and how to prosecute it - calling it "health
fraud."
From that moment on - While Feds prosecuted sleazy
hospitals, greedy MDs, clinics, ambulance operators,
home suppliers, etc., State Medical Boards were to
target two categories (a) solo practitioner MDs that
recommended supplements, exercise, etc., instead of
prescription drugs, and (2) unlicensed competitors
to the drug/surgery dollars, i.e.; Naturopaths,
Homeopaths, Nutritionists, Health food Stores,
Massage Therapists, etc..
And the war began in earnest. For, even then the
Health Freedom Movement, although not organized, had
muscle. Hundreds of fights across the nation,
ensued.
PART TWO of the plan was to affect Federal Agencies
- and try to redirect those agency's efforts away
from the Justice Department's program, and convince
them to focus their energies on "Alternative
medicine" proponents. They did this with a four-part
sub-plan. (a) They invited FTC and FDA lower level
employees to their meetings for the express purpose
of propagandizing, and kissing-up to them. (b).
They created a system of "meetings" where
they had access to those Federal employees on a
regular basis - for the purpose of propagandizing
them (c) They used their contacts within those
Federal agencies to gain unwarranted credibility for
their own plans, and anti-alternative medicine
programs. (d) They
got the US Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS) to give them official government
credibility.
PART THREE of the plan, was a propaganda gambit. It
was in two parts (a) create a so-called "information
base." Websites appeared, sounding
authoritative, like Stephen Barrett's sleazy
"quackwatch.com,"
and others. The questionable organization, the
National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF), was
to provide so-called "expert witnesses" for
testimony. The FSMB was to act as a clearinghouse,
both for names of people suggested for prosecution
(persecution), and for where to find
"information" and "expert witnesses."
And more...
DHHS
was duped into giving the quackbusters unwarranted
credibility. Type in the key words "health
fraud" on a government website, and up pops the
National Council Against Health Fraud's website, and
quackwatch.com.
The second part (b) , and equally important was to
demonize, and criminalize, all aspects of
"alternatives" through false suggestions, or
claims, against them. For instance; The claim that
herbals are "untested" and not
"standardized" is simply a ploy to make herbals
look bad. Herbals do not need to be "tested,"
nor "standardized." Herbals are more like
wine - since they are a natural product, dependant
upon natural factors like weather, no two batches
are going to be the same. Herbals, being part of
nature (part of earth's life cycle) have been field
tested since the beginning of time. The
"testing" process we the people put in place is
for new "drugs," not herbals - those things,
unlike herbals, that have NEVER been introduced into
the human body before. Generally speaking, drugs
are HUGELY DANGEROUS - hence the warnings of side
effects.
PART FOUR of the plan was to create a relationship
with Medicare, and
the health Insurance Industry, to supposedly,
advise them of "health fraud." It
incorporated, in a sub-plan parts One, Two, and
Three, above.
WHO THE PLAYERS ARE...
The
whole scam is run out of a New York ad agency...
I believe one of the primary players in this scam is
the Board, management, and staff of the FSMB
(Federation of States Medical Boards). Their
website basically says "We don't know what
alternative medicine is - so we'll call it health
fraud." It is they, I believe, who
control the daily operation of the plot. As you
read this, at exactly this moment, some, or all of
the FSMB people, are probably on the phone, the FAX,
or the internet, organizing the persecution of some
unsuspecting leading-edge healer in North America.
Ten minutes from now, they will begin another. Then
another, then another, then another...
The National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF) is
another player. It wants to appear to be an
important wheel in health care. The reality is
different. It was rudely EVICTED from Loma Linda
University a few years ago, and after bouncing
around from place to place, has now found a home in
a hair removal salon in Massachusetts, where the
NCAHF president, Robert S. Baratz MD, DDS, PhD is
the "Medical Director." Hair removal?
One other player, recently fading from the scene,
muscled out by Bobbie Baratz, is
Stephen Barrett MD, who the Pennsylvania
licensing board officially classifies as
"Not in Good Standing,"
operates the dubious website
"quackwatch.com"
out of his basement in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
There are other players, but it would take too long
to explain how it works. Again, I recommend James
Carter MD's SUPERB book "Racketeering In
Medicine." as a resource. Page #44 has an
outline of the whole
quackbuster scam.
THE REAL PROBLEM IS...
What is the REAL problem, exactly? Generally,
"we" are the problem. "We" meaning the
North American Health Freedom Movement.
Specifically, it's that "we," in the Health Freedom
Movement haven't completely countered the attack
plan put into place a few years ago (1996), by the
quackbuster conspirators to destroy "Alternative
Medicine." It's time we did that. - and we can
do it relatively easily.
What we have to remember is that, despite the
quackbuster's best efforts, "Alternative
Medicine" is gaining, not losing, ground in
public acceptance. Americans aren't buying into the
quackbuster "big lie" propaganda program.
Since identifying a problem is half-way to solution
- we're more than half done solving this issue.
SO WHAT ABOUT THE
QUACKBUSTER'S BIG PLAN?
We know that several years ago, the plan was put
together, and explained at the 1996 meeting of the
FSMB, by a group of conspirators, to use the Medical
Boards, the FSMB, the Attorney Generals, certain
employees of the FTC and the FDA, and top
quackbusters for the purpose of stamping out
"Alternative Medicine." Although the whole
thing was exposed in magazines like "The Townsend
Letter," the plan was activated. It is on-going
now. At that time there was no super-strong (like
there is now) "Health Freedom Movement," per
se - so there was no national counter-strategy, and
no counter-action.
That was THEN - this is NOW.
Now, of course, we know that when a "top
quackbuster" shows up to testify somewhere,
someone is waiting with the equivalent of a factual
ball-bat - and that quackbuster is publicly exposed
for the out-of-a-job loser crackpot they really
are. In other words, we've negated an important
component in their attack plan - their so-called
"experts." We did this to Bobbie Baratz in
Wisconsin. Each time he opened his mouth he sank
deeper into the quicksand.
Dismantling their "activated plan" is also
really a simple exercise. We simply use our size,
and intelligence, advantage.
"The Plan of 1996," such as it is, was in
five parts, and it had a basic theme - Destroy
Alternative Medicine by "Criminalizing" it.
Kind of like depicting Mother Theresa as "the
whore of Calcutta."
Their five part plan goes like this: (1) Set up a
central propaganda center. (2) Control who gets
prosecuted through the FSMB, and medical boards.
(3) Affect Medicare, and Medical Insurance Company
payment decisions (4) Use the system to harass,
discourage, and destroy Alt Med practitioners, and
providers. (5) Demoralize the opposition with the
viciousness of the campaign.
"The Plan of 1996" is having a limited
success, not because it's a good plan, but because
we don't do anything about it. Our reaction, to
this point, has been to put protective "Health
Freedom Laws" in place - and we are having only
LIMITED success with that. We need to change
strategies slightly.
WHY IT'S SO EASY TO BEAT THESE PEOPLE...
The quackbusters, I've found, aren't individually,
or in groups, that bright. Read delicensed MD
Stephen Barrett's website
"quackwatch.com,"
and his resume, and you'll see what I mean - and
he's their chief propagandist. Everything he says
is like he was simply filling out a form, someone
with a higher intelligence, had given him. His mouthings
are boringly the same, each and every time.
Keep in
mind that Barrett, although claiming to be a retired
Psychiatrist, was never able to become "Board
Certified." He failed his test. Also, Barrett
gave up his MD license in 1993. I suspect he just
couldn't keep up with new things. His employment
record shows he NEVER was able to hold a full-time
job - and his claim to "Psychiatric fame" was
his part-time (4 to 8 hours a week) employment at a
Pennsylvania Mental Hospital - from 1978 through
1993. From 1976 through 1978 he COULD NOT GET a
paying job.
Barrett, with his lack of basic intelligence, is
getting hammered when he shows up in a courtroom
situation - and tries to inflict his weird opinions
on a Judge. And Barrett has legal problems all over
the country. Basically, I see Barrett as a loser,
who couldn't make it in the medical profession.
And, Barrett is TYPICAL quackbuster leadership.
Bobbie Baratz, the current president of the NCAHF,
is laughable. He's, almost literally, hiding under
the bed, avoiding depositions asking about his
so-called "expertise." I believe he's
desperate for the "testifying" money.
Baratz, who's former position at a Boston area
medical center, was terminated (and Baratz doesn't
want to talk about it), after a physical altercation
with a 72 year old woman, now operates a hair
removal business. Some "expert." He also
operates the NCAHF out of that same hair
removal location.
Polevoy, in Canada, is a sissy. He likes to
frighten women. I think he pees his pants when
confronted by the male of the species. I'm eager to
hear his version of the story about why he isn't
practicing as a PEDIATRICIAN any more.
I see no reason to be impressed with the visible
quackbuster operation... I'm of the opinion that
the original "plan" was written by someone we
haven't met yet.
SO WHY DID THEY HAVE ANY
SUCCESS, AT ALL?
Because they organized, and activated, a plan...
and we, in the Health Freedom Movement, didn't react
with our own plan.
HOW DOES THEIR PLAN WORK?
(1) SET UP A CENTRAL PROPAGANDA CENTER
- They
simply set up a series of websites, and telephone
numbers, that all of their soldiers, government
employees, and members of the public, could refer to
for information about "alternative medicine."
They set up a "chat room" to send victims to
"for further information." Unsuspecting
readers have no idea that what they're reading is
all lies and misrepresentations.
(2) CONTROL WHO GETS PROSECUTED through the FSMB,
and medical boards. - Whoever designed the
original plan, understood the science of social
manipulation. They understood how to use
bureaucrats to their own advantage.
Generally speaking, public employees are not the
brightest stars in the sky - they are bureaucrats.
The 1970's book "The Peter Principle" was
written about them. Dr. Laurence J. Peter was the
one who said "In a bureaucracy, everyone rises to
their level of incompetence." How true.
Employees of agencies regulating health care in the
United States are no exception. The only thing you
can count on when dealing with them is (a) they are
definitely bureaucrats, (b) when it comes to
knowledge of the subject they are supposed to
regulate - never expect them to know anything about
what they are regulating, (c) expect pettiness,
brutality, and stupidity in their completion of
their assignments. If you keep these things in mind
(and don't be shocked by the reality) - you can deal
with them - and get things done.
Yes, it's not right - but it is the way things are.
The quackbusters have been operating in the
"public employee" arena for a very long time.
So, they know how to manipulate the arena to their
own advantage. Even though we, in the Health
Freedom Movement, outnumber them 100,000 to 1, they
can still control who gets attacked (prosecuted),
because they've managed to infiltrate, and poison
the minds of health agency bureaucrats against
"Alternative Medicine." One of the best
examples we've recently found is the "Training
Manual for Alternative Medicine Prosecutions,"
handed out to the gun-toting investigators of the
Medical Board of California (MBC).
Investigators of the Medical Board of California
(MBC), are only required to have a high school
education, are
not required to have any medical
training, and need only a six-week course at a
community college before they're handed their
fifteen-shot Berretta nine millimeter automatic, and
their "Training Manual for Alternative Medicine
Prosecutions."
See how it works?
(3) AFFECT MEDICARE, AND MEDICAL INSURANCE COMPANY
DECISIONS...
Unfortunately, a large slice of the American
population relies on Medicare and Medical Insurance
for their health care needs. Those that use this
combination solely - remain unhealthy, and then
die. For, as we know, Medicare, and Medical
Insurance, offerings have to have undergone an "approval
process" before they can be paid for. Which
translates to the unfortunate fact that if you're
relying on what Medicare will pay for - you're
relying on practices and procedures that are at
least FIFTEEN YEARS OUT OF DATE. And, in the case
of Medical Insurance - probably TEN YEARS OUT OF
DATE. New
things simply aren't paid for in the Medicare and
Medical Insurance world.
The
"quackbusters"
formed an organization called CHIRI (Consumer Health
Information Research Institute) for the express
purpose of, as James Carter says:
"The
CHIRI has for its constituency the health insurance
industry. It purports to serve that industry in an
advisory capacity, by approving or disapproving a
particular treatment provided by a health-care
provider. It plans to serve as a health-insurance
consultant regarding the legitimacy of certain
disabilities and health practitioners. An example
of an "illegal" disability would be chronic fatigue
syndrome. CHIRI is also said to have a computerized
list of more than 40,000 American physicians and
other medical practitioners who are suspected of
using "questionable medical practices."
(4)
USE THE SYSTEM TO HARASS, DISCOURAGE, AND DESTROY
LEADING-EDGE PRACTITIONERS AND PROVIDERS...
Taking
plan sections One, Two, and Three above into
consideration, you can see what effect the
combination has on leading-edge health care. The
"system" is designed to protect the status quo.
(5) DEMORALIZE THE OPPOSITION BY THE VICIOUSNESS OF
THE CAMPAIGN.
This section is self-explanatory. One of the
tactics used is to attack health providers who have
little, or no, financial resources as brutally as
possible, as publicly as possible, so that other
providers see what happens when they tell the drug
salesmen to go away.
And, so on...
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