Thursday, July 8, 2010

Doctor's Data sues QuackWatch

Doctor's Data sues QuackWatch

There is a story running around on the intertubes which I am blogging about just to increase the Streisand effect, not because this has much of anything to do with nitric oxide. Check out the whole scoop at the Quackometer (a site I highly recommend for the quackometer).

Doctor's Data has sued Dr Stephen Barrett of QuackWatch for a bunch of stuff, mostly for pointing out that Doctor's Data is facilitating the exploitation of parents of children with autism by participating in the bogus testing of urine for heavy metals including mercury. I happen to share Dr Stephen Barrett's opinion that this is fraudulent behavior on the part of Doctor's Data.

What reinforces my opinion that Doctor's Data is engaging in fraudulent behavior is that they object to posts by Dr Stephen Barrett that are only reports of individuals suing Doctor's Data for fraud.

I think the description of Doctor's Data use of chelation provoked urine tests for mercury by Quackwatch is accurate and does describe actual fraudulent behavior by Doctor's Data.

Unnecessary chelation is harmful, and does cause intellectual declines in experimental animals. There is zero evidence that mercury is involved in autism, much evidence that mercury is not involved in autism, no evidence that chelation helps autism symptoms. It is pure quackery.

I recommend that everyone go to Quackwatch and donate to help defeat the forces of darkness, now epitomized by Doctor's Data.