So that happened!
I intended to write this follow-up post on my experience with Dr. Whitcomb and his Neurologic Relief Centers Technique last Monday, but have been sidelined by a bad flare-up. Yes, I do attribute my flare to the workshop and testing technique, but even so, I intend to give you a fair account of the workshop, although as with everything on my blog, it will be full of my opinions. It may be a lot to follow, so I hope I have managed to present a readable review.
The logistics of the day went like this:
I was initially invited to the workshop by a local acupuncturist who I will call “Dr. J.” The workshop began at 1PM on Friday, July 24. The local acupuncturist as well as several other local chiropractors actually paid for a training session with Whitcomb. They spent all of Thursday and Friday morning training to learn his technique. Then at 1PM on Friday, myself and the other patients whom each practitioner invited arrived for a lecture by Whitcomb. After the hour long presentation, we broke off with the practitioner who invited us to be tested to see if the technique would benefit us.
So What is This Technique?
The technique involves several minutes of firm pressure to either the anterior or posterior neck trigger points. The pressure is intended to release the tension on the nerves that travel through the meninges, and relive the pain and symptoms this tension causes. Whitcomb attributes most symptoms of FM to this compression. His name for this is meningeal compression, which he uses interchangeably with Fibromyalgia.
I brought three of my support group members with me. As you can imagine, given my impression of Paul Whitcomb and his clinic, I approached this event with a healthy amount of skepticism. Adding to my skepticism was the information one of my resourceful members shared with me about Whitcomb. He is still under investigation by the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners. There is still a possibility that he may lose his license for charges of administering “excessive treatment” and making “sensational statements which are intended to deceive the public.” He has recently closed his practice in South Lake Tahoe and is traveling nationwide to teach his technique. The reason he gave during the presentation for this move is to eliminate the need for patients to travel to him.
Whitcomb’s Presentation
The presentation Whitcomb gave was full of dramatizations: “Fibromyalgia patients are closest to prisoners of war.” “The Fibromyalgia patients who came to my clinic did not want to continue living.” “Eighteen percent of Fibromyalgia patients commit suicide.” I am really curious to know where he got that number, but unfortunately he did not allow for Q & A. He never once described Fibromyalgia patients as type A, as givers, or as overachievers, which in my experience is closer to the truth. Instead he painted a very bleak and desperate picture of us. Most of his claims were dramatic and over-the-top. He did not share anything about FM that I did not already know, but he did supply us with many statistics about his practice and the tremendous results he gets; such as 85% of his patients remain symptom free, only 6% lost the benefit of his correction and treatment after leaving his clinic. It makes me wonder why he would choose to close up shop.
As we moved on to the testing part of the workshop, we were all required to sign a waiver agreeing to let our test be recorded on video and used at their discretion. I refused, as did the other members of my group. I attended this workshop to research and share as much information as I could about Whitcomb’s technique. I would not agree to have my image shown in support of it and without my knowledge. Dr. J expressed our concern and they agreed to let him test us without being filmed.
I think because we were not being filmed, Whitcomb basically left Dr. J on his own, while paying closer attention to the chiropractors he trained and their patients who were being filmed. Also, Whitcomb unfairly sold Dr. J on training with him. He told Dr. J that “the test is the technique,” but then during the presentation he said just the opposite, because the chiros learning the technique also learned a particular adjustment that an acupuncturist like Dr. J is not legally qualified to perform. When I questioned Dr. J about this he said, “Yeah, I guess he kind of fooled me there.” So the “technique” that Dr. J paid to learn and implement into his practice is not complete. I really feel like Whitcomb snowballed Dr. J and any other non-chiro who paid to learn his technique.
And Now I Share Why I Have Been in a Flare
My first instinct was to not be tested, and I wish I had followed it. Instead I sat and watched many patients receive the technique and seemingly have instant improvements. One older gentleman with Parkinson’s had a noticeable reduction in his tremors. Another man was able to lift his arm above his head for the first time in months. I should note that we were not all fibromyalgia patients in the room, although the presentation was geared specifically to FM. After observing for some time, I was just too curious to opt out, so I hopped up on the table and let Dr. J proceed. After a short palpation he concluded I was sorest and tightest at the trigger points on the side of my neck below my ears. I concurred with this assessment.
He used metal rods with soft ends to place steady, firm pressure on my neck for five minutes. It did not take long for me to begin to feel nauseous. I tried to breath through it. Dr. J frequently check with me to see if I had a reduction in pain. I had rated my pain a 6 on the 1-10 scale, with 10 being worst. That day my neck, head, shoulders, upper back and hips were painful. I did not feel any change as I laid there. He asked me to focus on my hips. Laying still I felt no difference, but when I moved my hips, I eventually felt a reduction in pain. After the test, upon standing, my right hip was free from pain, and my left was improved. There was no improvement to my neck, head, shoulders or upper back.
I remained nauseous for sometime after the test. I had driven my members, and did not feel well enough to drive right away, so it gave us an opportunity to stay and talk about the workshop. The test had zero effect on two of my members, and two of us had a slight decrease in our symptoms. For one member the pressure was too painful to bear. Her pain level had been very low to start the day, and after her reaction to the test, Whitcomb remarked he wasn’t sure why she was even being tested if she had no pain. He told the second member who did not experience any relief that she was just being difficult. When I remarked to him that I did not experience any relief in my upper body he said I just needed to have the test performed longer. We all felt underwhelmed by the experience. It did nothing to change my opinion of him that his care for FM patients is motivated most heavily by his bottom line.
Conclusion
The proposed follow-up with Dr. J was to involve an initial consultation, and then three consecutive days of treatment, which would require three visits each day. After the three days of visits he would reevaluate and propose further treatment. It is expected to take weeks or months for complete healing, and then there is likely to be maintenance to assure the meningeal release holds. Given that I have been in a flare since receiving the test at the workshop, and that the improvement I felt in my hips lasted only an hour or two, I called Dr. J and told him I was not interested in pursuing this treatment. He then told me hed decided not to implement the technique into his practice, and that he too was underwhelmed by the experience. I have to say I think he made a very wise decision.
So there you have my experience and my opinion on the matter. I feel like a little guinea pig, but I am happy to have had this experience to share. When Whitcomb had his Web site up, there were a lot of testimonials of people who swear by his technique. One of my members who attended the workshop has personally spoken with several of his former patients who claim to be symptoms free. She was considering attending his clinic and did a tremendous amount of research. She was the most hopeful of us last Friday that his technique would benefit her, but unfortunately she was one of the two it did not.
If Whitcomb comes to your community to teach his technique, I cannot recommend that you attend his workshop, but as we all know, what works for one will not for the other. Even after this particularly bad flare, I still plan to keep an open mind about treatment options available and useful to us. But I most certainly will not be having my meninges released anytime soon!
NOTE: On Tuesday October 27, FibroHaven was moved from a WordPress domain to its own URL. In doing so the comments of each and every post have been affected. They are no longer chronological or nested (if they were a direct reply to a previous comment). It happened on each post, but because this particular post has been so active it is especially troublesome to try and follow the comments logically. I apologize for this confusion and we are trying to fix it, but it appears it may not be possible.
I can assure you no censoring or editing of comments has occurred. If you are interested and brave enough, feel free to read the comments and try to piece them together. I do warn you against taking things out of context as that has already happened. To avoid any more confusion, I am turning off comments on this post until the issue is resolved. If you have something you absolutely must say in response to this, feel free to email me at fibrohaven@gmail.com.
Cheers,
Dannette
10/28/09
Wow, you really took one for the team didn’t you? Thank you for writing this and feel bad about you flaring.
It’s hard to know what to think about various treatments. They claim they have the cure…but it just ain’t so. I’ve seen and tried so many of them.
What do you think is the best way of weeding the “bad apples” out? (Wow, mixing my metaphors. Time for bed.) Might be something to talk about…
I have always called you my baby Sister but you really are my brave Sister. I am always so proud of you. I admire how you always some hoe do you best to make a difference. To think out side of the box and are willing to try new things. It makes me sad when you have a flare up and even worse when you have the bad ones. I always pray for you everyday and if I could take your pain away I would. Hang in there and keep being strong. I LOVE YOU!!!
Hello,
I came to your site through research for the new fibro book about missing pieces. Anyway, years ago, I was very close to flying all the way to CA and be treated by Dr. Whitcomb. He spoke to me several times and seemed genuine. The thing is, though, that one size does not fit all!!!! I agree, great big exaggeration. I wondered what happened to him and his
mission. Now I know. I also know that I didn’t have ‘a peace’ to go into great debt either. Glad I listened to my heart on this matter.
Thank you.
Julie
About a year ago I was on vacation in NM, and a “show” about fibromyalgia came on the TV. It was this Dr. Whitcomb. It was just a long commercial. I watched the whole thing, and really it just upset me so much. The whole show was them claiming to have cured fibro and that makes me angry. People are desperate to stop the pain and I feel like this kind of stuff just takes money from their pockets and hope from their hearts.
Thank you so much for taking one for the team. I am not surprised that it didn’t cure you, although I wish it had!
I want to just say that I had just returned from a seminar with dr. Whitcomb in Miami. I realise that there is LOTS of negative things being said about him all over the internet. Also positive. It has long bothered me that the medical profession (meaning very well- I think they care about helping people as much as we do) can literally kill hundreds of thousands of people every year, and you will hardly hear about it. Just have a few unhappy people complain about anything alternative, and it spreads like wildfire. People STILL go to M.D’s for dangerous drugs to relieve their pain. they still undergo unsuccessful surgeries for this condition. They still pay tens of thousands of dollars for these treatments.
I am a chiropractic baby (born and raised by one) and I have been in practice for ten years. We have a very good name in our town, and we work with at least 4 M.D’s on some difficult cases here locally. I went with a healthy dose of skepticism. After all, I know what is and what isn’t possible with chiropractic.
I have NEVER seen results like I saw today. I saw one lady crying so hard, so amazed by her pain being gone, that she couldn’t even speak. I SAW this with my own eyes. Let’s just pretend that he only got 50% of all fibromyalgia patients better. (It was more today, and an online study is available proving his rates have been much higher than this) If the medical profession suddenly got 50% of all Fibromyalgia patients better, the media would be on fire! The internet would be buzzing! If we have 3 out of ten people leaving, not getting that relief, we are tossed under the bus.
Just think about it. You yourself said you saw people get better, people with serious conditions. Why? What happened to them?
I am not suggesting that all people can be helped. No condition is universally curable. I AM suggesting that Fibromyalgia CAN get 100% better in some cases. I speak the truth as I know it. I got people to that point in my own practice even before I knew about this technique. I have a lady in my practice that couldn’t even pick up her grandchildren, because it would cause her to be in bed all of the next day. She eventually went to night school and is now working full time. I have another lady who told me her twin sons raised themselves ever since they were three years old (they were 16 when she started) She is NEVER in pain. She doesn’t get headaches anymore. Her mind is now clear. Both of these patients had to go through SIX MONTHS of treatments before they really felt better. Both of them had flare ups after their first few treatments. I love them both, and I rejoice for the lives they have today. I shudder when I think that they, too, could have just walked away after their first treatments.
They are doing research with his technique as we speak. Doctors all around the country are participating. It is a major research company doing the research, used by pharmaceutical companies also. I guess time will tell.
I do think that you wrote a thoughtful piece, and that you mean to also tell the truth, as you see it. Just wanted to give my input, also.
“A river of truth ends at a dam of bias- truth floods and moves on”
– Gloria Steinem
Hello,
This is in response to Dr. Connors recent post. I think she does makes some interesting and enlightening comments written very fairly. I did not mention earlier that I met with a famous surgeon who was familiar with Dr. Whitcomb’s work. I once heard a radio broadcast where Dr. Whitcomb mentioned this particular doctor by name. Anyway, he was in my medical network and I lived within an hour of his once office.
Dr. Whitcomb indicated during that radio broadcast that
it could be determined whether I would be a candidate for treatment if my MRI was read by this surgeon. Unfortunately, the answer
was a resounding no. I was in tears. Therefore, there was no point in following up with Dr. Whitcomb.
It is incredible how doctors and chiropractors have different opinions and beliefs. The President of the Washington County Chiropractors (in Washington Co. Maryland) did research Dr. Whitcomb and read his website, so forth.
His verdict was that it was all poppycock & highly discouraged me to go to CA.
Another chiropractor who has treated me after two whiplashes, could only take me so far without doing more
harm than good. He did say that if Dr. Whitcomb was in the area and he learned the technique, he would be open to helping me more. However, when I visited with the surgeon that Dr. Whitcomb recommended to see, I closed that door.
I am glad that some people are having success with chiropractic care. My personal and reliable research hasn’t given it high marks for helping Fibromyalgia patients. Oh, I did visit yet two more who could not help me. One ended
up just giving me a massage each time.
Dr. Whitcomb took the time years ago to share his personal story. It is a heart wrenching one. Almost from rags to riches emotionally and financially. He was in a lot of emotional and physical pain himself. I personally feel that
in his helping some he is redeeming his pain and has purpose. What I don’t like is the pushiness and the willingness
of them ‘lending’ me money (interest free) that I probably could never pay back!!!! He was so convincing…..
So with all that said, I am believing we all have to seek personal wisdom for our lives and do tons of research. No two people are the same nor will their bodies respond the same. I do think that Dr. Whitcomb in retrospect was a bit over the top in his statements of healing but not in his passion.
Personally, I am glad that I was a patient that could be ‘ruled out’ before making the journey. Because, to tell you the truth, I am not sure that Dr. Whitcomb and staff would have ruled me out there & then if I didn’t heal, he could
very well pointed the finger back at me as he has done with others. I shutter as to what that would have done to
me.
Julie
Thank you for a fair and honest reply. Well written, in my humble opinion. I have a truth/karma theory, so I try to be very honest in all my endeavors, and will let you know from time to time how some of my patients are doing, if you want.
I am so sorry that you are so young and in pain.
I will cross my fingers for a light at the end of that tunnel, for you.
katinka
Hello Katinka,
Nice to hear back. Well, I ‘might’ not be as young as you think I am. Actually, I am 55 but my name does mean “Youthful One.” I am a Christian who doesn’t believe in the saying about keeping my fingers crossed. However, it is always good to hear
from people who genuinely care. Therefore, you and Dr. Whitcomb are in that wonderful category:)
My struggle has been long and disappointing. But now I have found acceptance or the Serenity Prayer to make all the difference in the world. Also, I am in greater tune with what my personal ‘triggers’ are for making my condition much worse. I am learning to Pace with Grace.
God does give me strength to endure. As I persevere, I know that my character is better than ever. All good. My joy is in His strength. I am more than the temple I happen to be in. Plus, as a believer, I will have a perfect body one day. Now talk about HOPE!
Yes, I would love to hear about your successes with people that you do treat. Certainly God grants healing hands to whomever He chooses & for His purposes.
Bless you!
Julie
Thanks for your blog and trying to inform people about Dr. Paul Whitcomb. I saw Dr. Whitcomb a few years back and did have a little relief, but it didn’t last. For the majority of the people who saw him, they lost their relief after 4-6 weeks. He falsely claimed on his website and interviews that his success rate is 96%. At the time I saw him, he said that statistics of his success rate where being done. He’s still saying that. His lies are disturbing. Some people did get major relief, but it just didn’t last. You are told not to lift anything heavy, do excessive movement like vacuuming, or have stress for up to a year. I was told by some that once they started to live a normal life their pain started coming back. His technique is not full proof. You will spend thousands of dollars to only have a few months of relief. This is the majority. A few actually stayed well. Many said it was really hard to feel good again to lose it. I understand what the chiropractor said previously. However, this technique will help a small percentage and needs more research in understanding why it doesn’t hold. I spent about $10,000 for 3 months of treatment. It costs a lot of money because you have 2-3 adjustments a day. Not many people can afford to lose this much money. Also, this special adjustment was told to my chiropractor who said it was a normal cervical adjustment that they learn in chiropractic school. People with fibromyalgia suffer enough. It just makes me sad to see people taken advantage of. If you have money to spare, then why not give it a try. You might be one of the few lucky ones.
I recently did a google type search of Dr. Paul Whitcomb. I hadn’t done that yet. I have become more curious as to what other women’s experiences have been. The main thing is the main thing. Evidently, every woman was wooed, charmed, and
manipulated because he did promise the moon. The only positive thing I read was that the women developed ‘lasting relationships’ with one another.
Only a sparse few were healed indefinitely. The majority of the cases who had initial success, did not last. One former patient shared that she would receive $300 for each woman recruited. She believed that people could be helped. However, she eventually lost faith and quit as people weren’t getting those lasting results.
I understand that Fibromyalgia Support groups were targeted to get more and more patients. People were desperate for answers & what Dr. Whitcomb had to offer each of them was ‘too good to be true’. And it was…….In fact, some people are recognizing his special newly found technique not to be new at all. He did not invent anything new that hasn’t been used before.
The hype was great for me. So tempting….He said all I would do is sleep so my body would heal. Then in the next breath, he said that I would love the area and could go skiing. Yeah, right! I think that is when I really didn’t believe him. He also said that I could bring my daughter, who I was homeschooling. Wonder what kind of education she would have received if all I would be doing was getting multiple treatments per day & sleeping!!!!!
Okay, I just had to share these thoughts. I seem to remember that he has been fined $2,000+ at some point & that he has been quoted as saying he just might open up a clinic in Costa Rica.
Julie
I’ve recently heard about Whitcomb and found your blog from doing a google search. I was diagnosed in 2003 with fibro by a rhuematologist who threw a pamphlet at me, gave me a script for muscle relaxers, anti depressants and sleep aids and I said no thanks. By that time I had been bounced from one specialist to another, who all wanted to just prescribe drugs to deal with the symptoms. I finally realized that the ‘practicing’ Dr. were doing just that…practicing. Traditional medicine Dr. are taught to deal with symptoms, hence the pharma co. get rich and people keep coming back. By the grace of God, I found a Chiropractor and a integrative, preventative Dr. who within a month had me virtually pain free and I even looked younger. Not getting much sleep and pain can age one real fast. That was in 2005. Part of what my chiro. does is myofascial massage and I have cervical decompression, but he also does trigger point therapy in my neck…and interestingly is where he says most women hold their stress. Right before I had gone to the chiro. I bought a still point inducer and amazingly would almost fall asleep while laying on it, so I knew that my sleep issue had something to do with my ocipitals or my neck, and I got some relief. Am I cured….no. I still have flare ups if I don’t get enough sleep, run myself ragged, get spiritually depleted, don’t eat properly, don’t exercise, have a lot of stress and don’t go to the chiro. for a long time. Regarding the patients that have gotten relief from Whitcomb’s work…are they on a maintainance program?
We have miraculous, God given bodies. Even if they are messed up. We’ll have one part our bodies’ funtions, compensate for others that are in distress. Which will whack us out. I’m a firm believer that so many people have acid reflux is because we are eating waaaaay too much processed foods and our bodies are sending out more acid to break down chemicals that shouldn’t be in our bodies in the first place. I digress…my preventative Dr. said that our Adrenals get fried because they’re shooting out all kinds of hormones to counteract other malfunctions happening in our bodies due to a variety of things. Big issue with CFS & FMS sufferers. For me, the key is my chiro visits, I go about 1X a month now…probably could go more but funds won’t allow, keep up on my adrenal supplements, mag/potassium/malate, enzymes, stay away from sugar as much as possible, NO caffeine, work out regularly, drink plenty of H2O, sweat, eat well, get my sleep and I’m good to go!
Yep, we all been there, done that. Dani has a holistic chiropractor, I have had a NUCCA chiro…she is working the holistic side, I’m still trying to dump the narcotics (finally found a doctor!!) and we all have our stories…we’re all trying to get back to healthy. So yeah…I think we’re all on the same team, Gidget.
Hi Dannette,
Your blog has been on my blog roll for awhile now, but I must have missed a lot because I just realized that you’ve been writing about Whitcomb when I read today’s newsletter from Dominie Bush. In my defense, I have gotten three MORE diagnoses in the last year… I’ve even lost count now!
We share a lot of the same sentiments RE: Whitcomb. I can’t even in good conscience refer to him as “Dr.”
On the sidebar of my blog I keep a list of links to posts about Whitcomb (and now to the decision to revoke his license-yea!). I’m going to add your posts to this list, unless you don’t want me to.
Thanks very much for all you do for people with FM.
promised to check in, and so I am. I have been using this technique in my practice for two weeks now with absolutely astounding results. What impresses me most is how well some of my long term fibromyalgia patients are doing. I have knees and hips and low back pain clearing up that I have never been able to help clear up before in fibromyalgia patients. (One patient is pain free for the first time in four years under my care!)
What impresses me most, is that for the first time in my ten years of practice, can I now help people by clearing their migraines up instantly. Not all the time, but more often than not. This is new. I would always adjust them and send them home to rest. Their migraines would occur less frequently, but never have I been able to make the symptoms of a full- blown migraine clear up on my table.
I do believe in stabilization and maintenance care, since most people will step back into the lives they have always had, with the same stress and the same circumstances as before. Also, in my opinion, spinal problems do tend to come back, without proper supportive care.
My patients expect to be with me for at least a year, but ideally, they use chiropractic as lifetime wellness care, and do not treat it as just another symptom cure, albeit a natural one. I, myself, have used chiropractic this way in my life for 35 years as a wellness regimen, and I am very satisfied with my health.
So. I understand that people will always have different opinions, but so far, I am very pleased with this technique and the results I have seen. I, too, have trained in many chiropractic techniques, and while upper cervical work is common in chiropractic, I have never seen this particular adjustment ever before. In my opinion, it is not accurate to state that this is a common chiropractic technique. I was raised by a chiropractor (father) whom has been in practice for 38 years, and he has never seen this specific technique before, either.
I will keep you guys updated as promised, as long as you are interested.
Wishing you all a great long weekend!
Katinka
Katinka, so all positive results using Whitcomb’s method? Wow. I think that really speaks for itself.
FH–beating dead horse here?
Katinka – been using the technique for TWO WEEKS??? Let me know when you’ve got some results from an actual clinical research study. Until then you’re just one chiropractor talking. That’s the very best thing I can say about you.
In ONE month I have seen more miracles in my office than in the last 5-7 years, so at this rate in 3 more months I will have seen more miracles than my 30 years of practice, I am excited, there is a buzz in the office, and that is priceless. Yes, jealous MD’s in Tahoe got the Board to investigate and ABC news to show up and do what media does best, that is not medically based, and spliced video tape to have him say he had the cure for fibromyalgia, I have seen ABC news do this to a Chiropractic married couple who works on children and had a total pediatric practice( adjusting kids ,,,oh my WHY?). When you get BIG, you get noticed, and the Medical masses do not like to get showed up. Sincerely; Dr, Booth..of Bakersfield, CA. Enough said.. PLEASE READ BELOW, these were gotten from the ABC news article, on Dr Whitcomb story, below came from the comment section.
SKEPTICAL DAD PROTECTING DAUGHTER
I am admittedly a very naïve person. I always hold out hope that people do not believe everything they see on the news or the internet, but unfortunately most do. I am also the biggest skeptic you will ever want to meet. My daughter, Cari, who appears on Dr. Whitcomb’s website, has been pain free and symptom free of fibromyalgia for eight months now. How did this happen? Was it through years of taking her to the “best doctors”? Taking her to UC Davis, Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital (Stanford), UCSF Medical Center (University of California San Francisco) to name a few? No, but most of these doctors I believe did their best. There was a doctor that claimed she had ADD and prescribed medication for Restless Leg Syndrome that I don’t remember seeing on any of your ireports. Was it from all the medications that were prescribed that did everything from make her physically ill to turning her into a zombie? No, but the drug companies continue to profit.
I also consider myself a relatively intelligent and pragmatic person. I am continually amazed at the gullibility of people. One of my favorite shows on TV is Penn & Teller’s Bull****. Some of these charlatans are mildly amusing while some are downright scary. Nonetheless, I can now understand the desperation of people looking for a magic pill or searching for that person that can miraculously fix their problems. I pray no one has to watch their child reduced to a spasmodic shell that is constantly writhing in pain and unable to sleep through the night because it can admittedly lead you in any direction.
We heard through a friend of a woman with severe fibromyalgia that had been confined to a wheelchair and was now walking pain free. She told us about Dr. Whitcomb and a lecture he was having in Rancho Cordova, California. I reluctantly went to see this lecture of Dr. Whitcomb’s through the insistence of my wife and daughter in December of 2007. I sat through his lecture occasionally looking around the room for the snake oil or the plate that I was sure was going to be passed around. I went to a chiropractor once with lower back spasms and wasn’t overly impressed (I think a good massage could have done as much good). After listening to his talk and wishing Penn & Teller were here to listen, he “tested” anyone who was willing to give his treatment a try. It was free and I am not one to turn down anything free. After the “test”, my daughter got off of the table and told me she didn’t have any pain. Her tremor had slowed considerably, and she was able to do some deep knee bends. After choking back some tears (it isn’t easy when the snake oil salesman that, a few minutes before, you were wondering if anyone would really be upset if you just leveled him was standing there smiling at you) we went in search of some stairs where she proceeded to walk up and down unassisted. Wait a minute; hadn’t my wife and I just started having a conversation about wheelchairs? Dr. Whitcomb told us the relief was only temporary and the fibro would return in a day or two. It did. He also said that he could help (not cure). At this point, we were taking my daughter to Stanford for treatment and had been to UCSF for further opinions. The treatments at Stanford gave us hope but it became apparent the results were precisely that – hope. Regardless of this magic that had taken place before my eyes, I insisted that my daughter continue with the Stanford treatments and if there was no improvement, we would visit Dr. Whitcomb in the summer when school was out. This seemed totally reasonable to me (I wasn’t the one in pain) however my wife and daughter rebelled and went off to South Lake Tahoe in January. In March my wife returned with this kid that looked a lot like my daughter except she had no tremor, dystonia, or pain. This little girl told me that she had attained her goal of being able to run with her dog. This transformed child (is that better than “cured”?) is now an active teenager (just had her 16th birthday) excelling in school and marching up and down fields in her high school marching band. I still catch myself looking for a tremor, a limp, a grimace of pain, but there is only laughter.
I paid this Dr. Whitcomb nearly $8000 (that included the hotel for 10 weeks) – what was I thinking? Do I feel cheated? You’ve got to be kidding, if I were magically shown a video of my daughter the way she is now back when we were going through this a year ago, I would have gladly signed away the mortgage to the house and the rights to my soul to the good doctor. I consider him now more than a trusted friend. I have recently stood with him at his lectures and told our story (without pay) and I will do it again in a courtroom or before any commission or camera. It’s the least I can do.
By the way, were those drug companies I saw advertising on your news program? And just what does the i in ireport stand for? As for Dan Noyes (what an appropriate surname), some reporters aspire to the greatness of Walter Cronkite and some to Geraldo Rivera. To your credit, I guess Geraldo has made more money.
Thank you Paul Whitcomb for giving us a family with normal problems and let me know when I can return the favor.
Posted by: Jeff | November 21, 2008 at 02:32 PM
HERE IS A COMMENT BY A PARENT OF A PATIENT
It is a shame in this country that we cannot pursue natural treatments without the threat of having those that are truly successful face such scrutiny and unfairness in reporting. I personally talked with patients who had long term success from Dr. Whitcomb’s method of treatment for fibromyalgia. I brought my daughter to his clinic and witnessed first hand many people transform from being in severe pain, even while on heavy medication, to being almost pain free and off most medications. My daughter has transformed before my eyes. We have tried all the conventional methods from all the doctors who claim there is no cure, only drugs, counseling, and physical therapy, and they failed to mention…a whole lot more drugs. The destruction these drugs have upon these patients lives is the true crime here. Every medical treatment has a degree of success and failure and they all have risks. How many people have you heard that have had back surgery and get worse not better. Dr. Whitcomb is an incredible man who wants to help people. The costs are well within the line of any other medical treatment. Losing access to Dr. Whitcomb’s treatments means loss of hope to fibromyalgia patients because the mainstream conventional healthcare has nothing to offer these people. I feel we should be able to make our own choices as to what medical treatment we want to pursue. Pesonally, I think Dr. Whitcomb and his staff are some of the rare medical professionals who are in this field for the right reason: they want to help people get well and they are doing a fantastic job!
Posted by: Cindie Hicks | November 15, 2008 at
POSTED BY ANOTHER GRATEFUL PATIENT
I was a patient during the summer of 2007. I went there knowing full well the cost, risk and whether or not it would work. I had been told by so called professionals I was beyond help, had ALS and went to the point of a muscle biopsy. If I had to go very far I was in a wheel chair. I had been basically bedfast for over a year. My young son had to do with a foggy brained, disabled half man half zombie father. Within weeks I was walking without a cane and almost pain free. When I left I did what I was told. I did nothing heavy for six months and eased back into life. I was there when one of the patients was there that is at the root of this. She did not follow orders and did other therapies, self diagnosed everything from Wilson Thyroid syndrome to parasites. I wonder how many of the ones who did not stay well went right back to work or did not take the time to recover? Who’s fault is that? The Doctor’s? If you knew you were going back to work and couldn’t take time to recover why did you come out to begin with. I had a totally favorable experience and would recommend anyone to seek Dr. Whitcomb’s treatment. We are the ten percent that cannot be helped by conventional medicine and for me to be mostly rid of FMS and am rid of numerous other side effects from it is a testament in itself. I know he went to Missouri to see a patient that couldn’t make it out there, paid his way to come out and seek help. That sounds like a money grubber to me. I also know that many patients were not charged if they went past eight weeks. I saw him in Raley’s buying groceries for a patient and his family. Terrible man, just terrible. I know from my own experience some of the bad talk comes from people who did not follow orders while there. One carried a backpack with college books and a laptop. One worked at night as a nurse lifting people and moving TV’s and not resting. They didn’t get better. Duh. But again that’s Dr. Whitcombs fault. I was never told he had a cure, only he could help. He did. The news segment was a joke. They showed up under false pretenses and blindsided him. The “tools” he uses are for his hands because they get tired and sore from the test. Would it make anyone feel better if he had them made in china? He used rubber tips on chrome rods. So? There’s a problem there? I was there. I saw. I saw some get sent home because he could not help them and by their admission Dr. Whitcomb returned their money. Oh horrors. Has anyone pursued a cancer doctor like this when a loved one passes away? We are imperfect human bodies that “REAL” doctors gave up on. We are head cases and have mental troubles. All of us have been there when a Doctor gave up and sent you down the road. He didn’t. I walked for the first time in five years and sat and cried. I have my life back for the most part. I’m not 100 % but accidents and trauma tend to do that to people. But what I am is greatful to a man who endures criticism from people that no one else could help either. Do you demand repayment from the Rheumy’s or Neuro’s or demand they be investigated? Why not? I went knowing full well the expense, the time and the recovery process. The ones I have recommended have gone through and are continuing to do very well. Funny how I was never called to see how I was. Maybe you don’t want to hear from me because I am doing good and don’t fit into the plot, which is what it appears to be. I wanted to stay out of this but my conscience wouldn’t let me. I saw people leave early against his advice and sure enough they regressed. Again that’s Dr. Whitcomb’s fault? I for one think you should be ashamed for what you are doing. Tell the little 12 year old who had spasms so bad her parents hung a 20 pound weight from her wrist to keep it from flying uncontrollably and within days that was off. Tell her parents the Doctor was no help. Tell the man who couldn’t have relations with his wife that Dr. Whitcomb didn’t help. Go on..stand in their face and tell them they are not helped, it’s all in their mind. Like I said the media was disgraceful and what you people are doing is too.
Posted by: Cowboy | November 18, 2008 at 12:02
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Yes, Sherril, two weeks at the time I wrote this. What I was trying to say is that in two weeks, and sometimes ONE visit, I saw results that I haven’t seen in ten years. Just stating my point of view. I have a farely busy practice and I have worked with lots of Fibro patients, and I have never seen these kind of results. I find that amazing, but you don’t have to. Isn’t it great that we can all agree to disagree?
I am not trying to convince you of anything. I just wanted to share my experience with this technique. I am very excited by what I am seeing, especially with my established pateints. THEY are very excited, because we have walked this road together for so long, and now I am helping them so much more than before. You absolutely have the right to wait for the research. You should never do a treatment that you are not comfortable with.
I have been getting this treatment from my chiro for the last 5 weeks. And one of the things he said up front was this does not work for everyone. I can see that. When I had the test I did NOT have good results. Like you I did have spots I was pain free and only on one side but still I had to give it a try – I’m so tired of not living. For me the FM was very restricting – couldnt’ plan events, things to do and such because I didnt’ know if i’d be up to it or not.
I started treatment in the hopes it would work and it has. I am usually a sceptic but when nothing else works you gotta try everything. I am now sleeping without meds (first time in about 10 years) and able to walk without much pain and sit and work with a pretty clear head. I am still part time but with this treatment I expect to be back at work full time before the end of the year. It does take multiple treatments and following doc’s orders. I see my chiro 6 times a week right now. It has made a world of difference to me. I am only on one rx now and working my Rheume plan to wean off of that one too. My dr’s all work together and believe in trying alternative methods. It was my rheume that got me going to accupunturist and massage and chiro regularly. They helped me cope but did nothing to “cure” or “aleviate” the problems. NOW it’s is being alleviated in all areas. My hips are pain free as well as my lower back. It’s working it’s way thru my body and does have ups and downs but the most important thing is there is a steady improvement which is being tracked. It’s wonderful that God gave someone this idea to help us with FM. Dont’ disregard the treatment because of the person who you heard it from. It does work over time.
Kantinka I do appreciate you sharing your experience with the method here. I hope you continue to update us because what I am most curious about is how long the benefits last. From the many reports from Whitcomb’s former patients, that seems to be the biggest complaint: great relief while they were actively receiving treatments, but as soon as they returned home their symptoms returned, and sometimes even increased. What are your thoughts on this?
Yes, I do have a great team of doctors. They talk to each other but more importantly they talk to me and work with me and each other. I am truly blessed in that arena. Took a long time to find this group of people.
My understanding on the prognosis for me is that I should reach at least 90-95% of what I would be like without the FM. That to me is amazing! Simply amazing. We are thinking (my chiro, rheume and myself) that afterwards I will probably see the chiro once a month to be sure everything stays status quo. I have had so many “other” problems that we want to be sure nothing triggers the FM again. Once a month to me is nothing. I can do that blind folded (LOL). I am supposed to go 3 more weeks at 6 times a week then taper off. That is the plan now but it can be adjusted depending on how I am doing. IT’s not the same for everyone either. Depending on the severity and time you’ve had it will affect your treatment plan.
I am just thankful that I have a chiro who beleives in educating his patients. He tells us everything he can and educates us so we don’t injur ourselves further. Right now I’m only getting treatment from the chiro no accupuncture right now. And since my pain level is way down I may not need to return to the accu. We will have to wait and see how it goes. Feel free to ask any questions you want. Glad to share my experience.
I personally aim to have my patients under some form of lifetime care. That may sound strange, but I teach my patients that chiropractic is a lifetime choice for optimal health. That is the way I have used chiropractic since birth, in my own life. Dr. Whitcomb did not have the opportunity to treat his patients past the first few months, since most of them lived far away from him. I work out a treatment plan that includes all treatments for the first year, and will hopefully involve maintenance care past that year, once my patient is educated.
I personally see people slipping back into old stress once they leave care. I believe that some patients will always have the tendency to react in a specific physical pattern once under stress, and that some maintenance (x2/month, in my opinion) is required to manage this. I always tell my patients that you can’t stop brushing your teeth once the dentist took care of your tooth ache.
I know that a lot of Dr. Whitcomb’s patients did not regress, even without supportive care. You tend to only hear about the negative experiences on the internet. The people who had good experiences just go on and live ther lives! Still, it makes sense to me to support your body with maintenance treatments. Some people will surely regress. I am noticing that as the treatment continues, people have better and better weekends, even without the tratments (in my case, for three days at a time, since I don’t practice on Fridays.)
I love sharing my experiences honestly with all of you. I have a great deal of empathy for the amount of pain you guys have to live with on a day to day basis. I will continue to keep you informed.
Have a great week!
Katinka – I agree with you. My chiropractor has always educated his patients and one thing he does inform us about is maintenance. Without maintenance ( I like the dental image) we can’t stay healthy. For me it will be once a month. I do have 3 day weekends and they are so nice now – I can get stuff done! I have been finishing up projects around the house and let me tell you that feels wonderfully satisfying. I have read some positive responses from people who once “healed” have not regressed. I will be updating after I complete treatment. I really pray it is wonderful news.
Jeanette
I will cross my fingers for you, Jeanette. One of our patients just stopped her Lyrica cold- turkey (NOT my idea, and NOT a good idea! She didn’t tell me until after)and told me that her co- payment for this one medication after insurance was $300.00 a month. A MONTH! it is great to watch people get so much better that they can get on without all the medication. We are seeing such amazing results. I want that for you, too. It is amazing to me that once a person has been really, really sick, they enjoy their health so completely. It is a gift that we don’t appreciate until we lose it. I hope you are one of the patients that get to keep enjoying it for the rest of your life.
I am sorry to hear that Paul Whitcomb is still getting work. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia at age nine. I traveled to South Lake Tahoe and stayed there for three months at sixteen years old. I lived in a run down motel for two months and then moved to a house with two other patients when my mother had to return to New Jersey for her job as a teacher. My mother can be very naive and she reached a point of desperation when I started missing a lot of school due to my symptoms, largely my fatigue. At first, my mother was hesitant about traveling across country to relocate, but after talking to former patients and Paul Whitcomb’s office, she decided to take me to California. We went in mid summer and my mother told him that she was hesitant to take me there because of money problems and the left that it would cut into my school year. Paul Whitcomb told my mother that I needed to relax during my treatment so I shouldn’t be doing school work anyhow and that I could make up my school work. I missed two months of the beginning of my junior year of high school and fell very behind at a crucial point in my life. Paul Whitcomb also told my mother that she could use some of her 41k to pay for my treatment, which she did to the tune of approximately 10 thousand dollars(not including room and board. While I was in Lake Tahoe, I saw employees and even a chiropractor come and go after altercations with Paul. A chiropractor who worked their for atleast half of the time I was there quit in what was described as a volatile fight. It had gotten to the point that Jack always seemed extremely nervous and quiet at work, and many patients would no longer let Jack touch them anymore because they said that he did not adjust them correctly and it caused them to flare. Paul also had a conversation with me about moving his business to some tropical place..somewhere in the caribbean. I couldn’t remember where it was until I read on two separate sites that he also spoke with other people about moving..to Costa Rica! As a teenager, I remember thinking that this was odd, but not because of the laws, or lack thereof. I noticed that with some people in the office (mostly those who reported feeling better) were beginning to obsess over Paul. They would speak of him constantly, they began acting so upbeat and positive that they came off as having serious mental illness, some were offered jobs at his office as photographers, videographers, secretaries, even as a chiropractor in one case! When I went there (about four years ago?) his sixteen year old son, Landon worked at the office doing small jobs, as well as his Russian wife who I have to admit, gave a killer massage. She always wore flashy outfits and wore super expensive high heels on the days she worked in his office and seemed to rely heavily on her husband’s money. I was in Paul’s home a few times (I was aquaintances with his children) and they had a nice house, but it was not outrageous. Unfortunately, he told me that they were building a house in the area and later it was pointed out to me. The house was very large and absolutely beautiful, easily over a million dollar home. Not too hard to afford when you could potentially be bringing in over half a million dollars a year. During my time spent in CA, I met some great people and honestly, I also met some very unstable people. I will say that more of the very unstable people left feeling good/great and that out of everyone during my entire stay that I encountered (probably about thirty people) only three or four left feeling good and I know atleast two of those people relapsed shortly after they left. About an hour ago after reading about Paul Whitcomb’s lawsuit and considering whether or not I should tell my mother about what I found, I finally decided tell her. After all of my mother’s positivity and faith in this man, she responded with, “Well..I can’t say I’m surprised.” This experience has kind of been a no discussion zone in my house hold for a few years now, but I felt that she should know that an ever so small amount of justice had been served. If only we could feel safe about her retirement fund being ten thousand dollars short.
Thanks so much for sharing your story, Lisa. Here again, I am so glad that I had an inner warning not to go into $12,000 worth of debt. As I shared before, so much of Paul Whitcomb was his ability to be charismatic and to promise the world with enticements. But so much of what he said did not make sense. Justice does come in its own timing to be sure.
Thanks for all the posts – but please keep an open mind. I am getting the treatment NOT from Dr. Paul. It is working for me. I can’t stress it enough that I am getting great results as are alot of my chiro’s patients. He is not charging $12,000 for the treatment. I don’t know very many people who could afford that. I know I would not be getting the treatment at that price.
I am in constant contact with all of my doctors. Dont’ forget your health is your responsibility. Get another doctor. Get one that listens to you and will try new ideas. No one knows for sure what causes FMS but finding ways to ease it and allow us to live with less pain and freedom. It’s always worth a try – AND nothing works for everyone. So even if it doesn’t work for some it could work for others.
Just my opinion and my results talking here. I pray that we all get releif from FMS – it’s just to restricting living with it.
Definitely agree that it is a patient’s responsibility to find what is appropriate for themselves. What works for someone else does not always work for someone else. Yes, there will be trials and errors before finding what improves any health situation.
However, with all that said, it is not the fact that the technique in question (and I am not a candidate myself through checking with a surgeon Paul Whitcomb cited) may or may not work. It is the outright deceit of a man who claimed to have the patient at heart. He did not. He took advantage of many hurting &
vulnerable people. It is his character that is in question not necessarily the
technique in my humble opinion.
Perhaps one day Dr. Paul Whitcomb’s life story will be depicted on the show “American Greed” or on “Dateline”. It certainly would be quite interesting to say the least.
Katinka,
My point exactly; you are just stating your point of view and it should in no way be considered as anything remotely resembling research. What you’re doing is called “Testimonial.”
See “How Quackery Sells,” http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/quacksell.html, especially the section titled “Turning Customers into Salespeople.” You are a salesperson for Whitcomb, and if you use your patients like he is using you… word spreads. But that doesn’t mean it’s true.
It IS absolutely is great that we can agree to disagree, and I’m not trying to convince you of anything either. I AM trying to make sure that anyone who reads what you are writing here understands that just because you say you’re a chiropractor (or an M.D., or a D.O., or a N.D., etc.) doesn’t mean your opinion qualifies as anything remotely resembling valid clinical research.
I keep a list of all of the links that I know of to fact-based information about Paul Whitcomb and his technique, on my blog. It’s in the right sidebar directly below the Blog Archive.
I’ll save the rest of what I have to say about what’s going on RE: Whitcomb’s technique for my own blog but one last thing I want to mention specifically to you, Katinka. I think that you are genuinely trying to communicate equitably and probably really trying to help people. But I’m thinking it might help you to know that to me your attitude seems condescending. I don’t need your permission to have my own opinion or to wait for research or to avoid treatment I’m not comfortable with.
I might not mind if my own chiropractor or doctor who I respect said those things to me, but I guess that considering the treatment you are advocating and what I know about it, not only are you not MY chiropractor and you never would be, but I simply cannot have any respect for you as a chiro. I expect you are a perfectly nice person and I don’t say this to be hurtful in any way. It’s just that I see what you are doing in spreading the word about the technique of a chiropractor whose license has just been revoked FOR PRACTICING THAT VERY TECHNIQUE, as a grave injustice to those who may not be able, for whatever reason, to research what you are saying for themselves.
In the spirit of encouraging people to do the research and think through ANY health treatment they are considering, below are a couple of links RE: FM and alternative medicine.
From the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine :
“…research evidence is insufficient to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of other CAM treatments—biofeedback, chiropractic care, hypnosis, and magnet therapy—used for fibromyalgia.”
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/pain/fibromyalgia.htm
From BetterHealth.com: “Alternative Treatments For Fibromyalgia: A Critical Analysis”
http://getbetterhealth.com/alternative-treatments-for-fibromyalgia-a-critical-analysis/2009.10.01
New York Times Consults Blog: “Alternative Therapies for Fibromyalgia”
http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/complementary-and-alternative-therapies-for-fibromyalgia/
I think that the Internet is a powerful, powerful tool. One can say anything, without proof, and someone’s reputation may be hurt permanently. I think we all experience things through our specific filters. It is what makes the world a good place to live. We all see things differently.
Lisa, I am sorry you had a bad experience. I mean that.
You did say that only four out of thirty people got better while you were there? Out of those patients, they wanted to become “photographers, videographers, secretaries, even”…” a chiropractor in one case”? All four of them? :)You have to go through some serious training to become a chiropractor. More hours than an M.D. You can’t simply be recruited to start as one. “Mentally unstable?” That seems harsh. To call anyone that had a different experience than you did mentally unstable. Some of my patients are getting excited, too. I guess you can seem really excited if you have been sick for years and now you can see light at the end of a never ending tunnel.
I met Dr. Paul Whitcomb, and he seemed like a nice, down-to earth, passionate guy. We had a long private conversation about lying awake at night worrying about patients under your care. He seemed genuine, and he seemed caring. This was a conversation between two doctors. Why act as if you care if no one can hear you? Of course, I only met him in person once, but I am usually a pretty good judge of character.
In my opinion (and that is all this is), one does not become as well- known as Dr. Whitcomb if you only help 4 out of thirty people, especially considering that two of those relapsed later. He relied heavily on referrals. If you did not get better using a specific technique, and paid $12 000 for the privilege, would you urge your friends/family to undergo the same treatment?
The medical profession kills hundreds of thousands of patients each year. Do you hear about this? All over the Internet? I wonder if Dr. Whitcomb would have been judged quite as harshly, had he been a medical doctor.
As far as the big house goes, and his wife’s clothes… I don’t care what any doctor drives. I don’t care if he lives in a multi million dollar home. There are many, many chiropractors, M.D’s, osteopaths, dentists, etc. who all live in big homes. So what? Does financial success automatically cast doubt on one’s character?
I am seeing fantastic results. In my community, I am known as a caring doctor. Our office is well- respected, and I love my patients. I think Dr. Whitcomb did a wonderful thing when he developed this technique. It brought me a giant step closer to living my passion every day: helping people who have lost all hope of ever getting better.
katinka well said.
Katinka, Whitcomb’s reputation was not hurt here or anywhere else online. Whitcomb’s reputation was hurt at his own (now closed) practice and by his own hands. Whitcomb lost his license for unethical practices. That is a fact. We are not filtering what we want to hear/read. We are basing our comments on first hand experience and on the facts that lead to his license being revoked.
Defend your practice and your decision to train with him and implement his technique into your practice, but do not defend him. His reputation is beyond repair and he is the only one to be blamed.
Why act as if you care in Whitcomb’s case? Profit, plain and simple. I met Whitcomb too, and yes he seemed nice and charming and very concerned – right up until the point where I refused to be video taped, then it was as if I wasn’t even in the room. My pain and need for relief did not matter one bit to him once he realized he would not benefit from me in any way. Real charming!
And I have really held back on my opinion of him. I sat at his workshop and watched while a patient started having a reaction to the treatment being performed on him at the hands of one of Whitcomb’s trainees. It was later described to me by the trainee as a mild seizure. Do you know what Whitcomb did when the patient started having his reaction? Whitcomb ran and grabbed his video camera to record it. He really showed a lot of concern for the patient there. Disgusting!
And why do you think it was so important to record a patient recovering from a seizure? Could Whitcomb possibly be building his defense to get his license reinstated? Hmmm.
Yes Whitcomb is well known, but for all the wrong reasons. Google his name. Do you find his business profile and website? Why not?
You really need to separate yourself from Whitcomb. My opinion of Whitcomb does not translate to you. I believe you are a caring and well respected doctor. I do not believe Whitcomb is. Please stop feeling you need to defend him in order to defend yourself. You do not. He is beyond defense.
Excellent point Julie. Whitcomb the man/doctor is at question here – not the technique. And in fact Whitcomb’s “technique” is simply an excessive variation of already existing treatment protocols. And my how he profited from his excessiveness.
Whitcomb is no longer able to practice. We are not making that up or embellishing anything here. He lost his license for a reason people. Like I said to Katinka below, Whitcomb is beyond defense. Just ask his lawyer!
Lisa, I too want to thank you for sharing your story. I am glad you were able to bring it up to your mom and I hope that it will no longer be a taboo topic between you. I admire the lengths your mom went to to bring you some relief. I am just sorry she trusted and had faith in the wrong person.
I don’t know if you like to read, but if you do you should really read The Road to Wellville by T.C. Boyle. It is a clever fictitious commentary on the health and wellness industry set in the infamous Battle Creek spa run by Dr. Kellogg (the real life inventor of Corn Flakes). Judging from your description of Whitcomb’s former clinic, you will find a lot of similarities between the two.
My Best to You!
Thank you Sherril for all the great links. You are a wealth of relevant information. I really appreciate you.
And thank you also for making the most important point that everyone reading this needs to remember – we are talking about “the technique of a chiropractor whose license has just been revoked FOR PRACTICING THAT VERY TECHNIQUE.” Not much more needs to be said.
I really like your group and the tone it sets. No one is rude, confrontational, or too argumentative. That being said, I only feel the need to say what is in my heart. Let’s just say, for arguments’ sake, that Whitcomb is everything you say. He still developed this technique, and to me that is a gift that was given to me.
I have trained with a lot of big names in chiropractic, some very closely, and no one was ever as down to earth as he was. He made his cell phone number available to every doctor training with him. When I had difficulties with an RSD patient, and called him, he called me back immediately. He did this on three different occasions. In his last conversation, he urged me to not give up on her. She was being treated at no charge (due to hardship) and he helped me every time I called him. It didn’t matter whether he was on an airplane, or with his family. He did not benefit financially from helping me.
I speak the truth in my heart. If that translates into me defending him, that is not my intention. I just can’t see everything written about him and not tell you about the man I met.
I learned along time ago that everything under the sun has two sides, and that no one is only good or only bad.
The California board, in my humble opinion, is pretty medical- minded. This is great if you are a medical doctor. I have heard of at least one chiropractor that got brought up by the California board of Chiropractic Examiners for adjusting a healthy child. Not to drag everyone into chiropractic politics, however, just because a Chiropractic Board disagrees philosophically with your practices, does not make you a bad or unethical doctor. It could mean that you are a doctor who did do what everyone considers to be acceptable. That being said, we have a wonderful board here in Arkansas, which I support all the way. Just glad I don’t practice in California, personally.
Maybe we can all just agree to give the technique the benefit of doubt, since every person with fibromyalgia, regardless their views, would love to be pain free. I don’t personally believe that medications like Lyrica are the answer. Today, I sent a fibromyalgia patient home after she was 1 out of 10 on the ten scale all day. She used to live at a nine. This is fantastic. This is hope!
Thank you for your courtesy. I enjoy the interaction with all of you, since it makes me a better doctor.
Hope all of you have a good night’s sleep! It can be hard to come by for you guys.
I have been blessed by all of the communications posted on this site. What a wonderful learning and thinking tool. With all that said, I would just like to pick up on the comment about there being two sides to each story. Certainly there is, but are there really two sides of a character? It is either good or evil. When it starts out good and merges into evil (bad) the person is unstable, unreliable, hurtful, not to be trusted…….
I personally partook (is that a word?) of Paul’s caring, sincere ways. But then I also was ‘badgered’ later on to participate. It was like being wined and dined. A line needs to be drawn. People who are vulnerable and looking for answers sometimes either go ‘for broke’ or just give up–later to regroup in another direction.
What started out as genuine care became power hungry management. Maybe it doesn’t have a thing to do about the money. Maybe it has to do about the power. When that power striving goes awry, many people suffer.
History has proven this out. I, too, am a discerning person. It was time to stop the madness. At the very least, it is always better to err on the side of caution.
Can there be redemption? Absolutely….but only if a person can come out of denial, get the help that they personally need, and live a balanced and moderate life.
Katinka, I appreciate your enthusiasm, however, from where I am standing, you are profiting from this and so it is hard for me to take you as unbiased. I googled your name, and found some interesting stuff. You were over on MDjunction claiming this is a “miracle” cure for people with RSD and fibro, and you made these claims BEFORE you even went for your training. I also notice you kept saying this is a “new” technique, only done for a few months, and this isn’t true either. Dr. Whitcomb has been at this for a very long time. I am really curious why you chose to say it’s new, is that to distance yourself from Dr. Whitcomb?
I am greatly interested in the comments of the people here who do have fibro and have had the procedure. I can’t wait to see how some of these folks are feeling in 6 months or a year. The patients aren’t going to make a profit off this procedure, and that makes their testimonial unbiased.
It is a “new” technique in chiropractic since it is only now being taught in the field and being researched. I think I have made it clear that I am not in any way trying to distance myself from Dr. Whitcomb’s name. I have been quite honest from the start.
I am not interested in getting involved in any kind of arguments with anyone. I liked fobrohaven’s blog and her honest reporting, and promised to post my experience here with this technique as honestly as possible. I will continue to report on my results as frankly as possible, as long as there remains an interest in it.
I am also interested in hearing about Jeanette’s progress. If you read all the posts on MDJunction, you certainly must have noticed that “Miracle” had a question mark after it, and that I was referring to ONE specific patient. I was wondering if this was going to help this specific patient. If any one is interested in reading these posts, they are there for all to see.
I am passionate about this, because I am passionate about helping people. To me, money is secondary to my primary passion: helping sick people.
Have a great weekend.
Well here is an update after 6 weeks of treatment. I am noticing so many things changing in my life – such as (and these are all real) I can brush my teeth and squeeze the tube of toothpaste now without any trouble! I can clean the kitchen every night – this was almost impossible before and i couldn’t clean regularly. I can even mop the floor now – I know this doesn’t sound earth shattering but to me who couldn’t do this without paying for it for weeks – well it’s been over 10 years since I could clean like this. I AM VERY VERY HAPPY about this. According to the charts we are measuring my improvements – I have went from 30% to now almost 70% – which means 70% of where I should be with no pain and no limits. I will try and post at least weekly so you all can follow my progress. Another area I have noticed is that I am in much better moods now – i’m sure living without as much pain has attributed to that. Have a wonderful week everyone.
Here is a good read on Whitcomb if you are interested in an M.D.’s perspective. A telling excerpt from the article:
The Whitcomb Technique: A Skeptical Look by Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Oh, Stephen Barret. What a friend to alternative healthcare. Here is a bit on Doctor Stephen Barrett himself. (Can you be called doctor if you didn’t pass your board exams?) The following is posted by Quackpotwatch.org (quack, a favorite word of doctor Stephen Barrett)
Stephen Barrett – Professional Crackpot…
The Internet needs health information it can trust. Stephen Barrett doesn’t provide it…
Barrett is one of those people whose ambitions and opinions of himself far exceeds his abilities. Without ANY qualifications he has set himself up as an expert in just about everything having to do with health care – and more.
And this from a man who is a professional failure.
Records show that Barrett never achieved any success in the medical profession. His claim to being a “retired Psychiatrist” is laughable. He is, in fact, a “failed Psychiatrist,” and a “failed MD.”
The Psychiatric profession rejected Barrett years ago, for Barrett could NOT pass the examinations necessary to become “Board Certified.” Which, is no doubt why Barrett was, throughout his career, relegated to lower level “part time” positions.
Barrett, we know, was forced to give up his medical license in Pennsylvania in 1993 when his “part-time” employment at the State Mental Hospital was terminated, and he had so few (nine) private patients during his last five years of practice, that he couldn’t afford the Malpractice Insurance premiums Pennsylvania requires.
In a job market in the United States, where there is a “doctor shortage,” Stephen Barrett, after his termination by the State mental Hospital, couldn’t find employment. He was in his mid-50s at the time. He should have been at the top of his craft – yet, apparently, he couldn’t find work.
It is obvious, that, after one humiliation after another, in 1993 Barrett simply gave up his medical aspirations, turned in his MD license, and retreated, in bitterness and frustration, to his basement.
It was in that basement, where Barrett took up “quackbusting” – which, in reality, means that Barrett attacks “cutting-edge” health professionals and paradigms – those that ARE achieving success in their segment of health care.
And there, in “quackbusting” is where Barrett finally found the attention and recognition he seems to crave – for, a while, that is, until three California Judges, in a PUBLISHED Appeals Court decision, took a HARD look at Barrett’s activities, and declared him “biased, and unworthy of credibility.”
Bitterness against successful health professionals is Barrett’s hallmark. To him they’re all “quacks.” In this, his essays are repetitive and pedestrian.
Barrett, in his writings, says the same things, the same way, every time – change the victim and the subject, and still you yawn your way through his offerings. It’s like he’s filling out a form somebody gave him…
Take an overactive self importance, couple it with glaring failure and rejection in his chosen profession, add a cup of molten hatred for those that do succeed, pop it in the oven – and out comes Stephen Barrett – self-styled “expert in everything.”
Barrett, we know, along with his website, is currently named, among other things, in a racketeering (RICO) case in Federal Court in Colorado.
He’s also being sued for his nefarious activities in Ontario, Canada.
Barrett, in the Canadian case, has formally admitted, according to Canadian law, to a number of situations put to him by the Plaintiff, including:
“The sole purpose of the activities of Barrett & Baratz are to discredit and cause damage and harm to health care practitioners, businesses that make alternative health therapies or products available, and advocates of non-allopathic therapies and health freedom.”
“Barrett has interfered with the civil rights of numerous Americans, in his efforts to have his critics silenced.”
“Barrett has strategically orchestrated the filing of legal actions in improper jurisdictions for the purpose of frustrating the victims of such lawsuits and increasing his victims costs.”
“Barrett failed the exams he was required to pass to become a Board Certified Medical Doctor.”
Let’s separate the technique from the man, for now. Let’s give it a fair chance, and give patients like Jeanette a fair chance to report their results after a few months have gone by. A patient treated by Dr. Whitcomb’s technique, but not by Dr. Whitcomb. And an honest doctor, using his technique, wanting to help other people just like you with all her heart.
Disclaimer: Typing with a baby on my lap. I should have added quatation marks right before Stephen Barrett. My apologies.
Fair enough Katinka, Dr. Barrett may not be a reputable or respected doctor, but the point of what I shared from him was the judges findings on Whitcomb.
You want to separate the technique from the man for YOUR purposes. The purposes of MY blog post was to highlight and bring attention to Whitcomb, and as the investigating judge put it, “his hubris and zealotry, his inability to recognize that he has harmed patients and his contempt for these patients.”
It serves your purpose to ignore the many findings against Whitcomb. You write it up as something being wrong with the California board of Chiropractic Examiners – and not Whitcomb! I simply cannot understand this.
I think I have finally had my say on the matter. I will let the facts of the case against Whitcomb speak for themselves. Please feel free to continue sharing here. It has been interesting to say the least.
As I read the piece fibrohaven shared, I didn’t even consider the author of the piece. What I did take notice of was what the judge said. As a medical provider, Paul Whitcomb did ignore ‘do no harm’. We can’t ignore the facts or countless testimonies of what did happen.
I was almost another person who was caught up in the web of deceit. I am not
even talking of the medical care I would or wouldn’t have received or the outcome.
This is ethics–plain and simple. No, let’s not defend someone who does not follow the Golden Rule of conduct as a person whether thinks he is a savior or not.
Yes, enough is probably enough of this topic.
I do feel a sense of gratitude and peace for discovering I made the right
choice and was spared.
And let’s give the people who do find relief through this technique a chance to speak up, perhaps? After a few months have gone by? There is no harm in keeping an open mind.
No one here has said that they don’t want to hear from our fellow fibro sisters and brothers who have had this treatment. Quite to the contrary, I think most of us have said we do want to hear from these people, but our interest is in the long term, not a few weeks. We want unbiased testimony, and I know that I am not alone in thinking yours is biased.
You have been condescending to us, especially in your reply to Miss Lisa. She is sharing her experience as a fibro sufferer. You stated on MDjunction in the fibro forum that “I just very humbly want to tell you guys what I have been telling fibromyalgia patients in here in Fayetteville. I used to be a doctor that thought that maybe, a part of all this was just created by your minds. I am SO SORRY. I have sent letters to four local M.D’s here (pain management doc, neurologist, general practitioner, and OBGYN) to tell tehm what I know today.” You claim to have more schooling then doctors yet you believed (as a highly schooled doctor) that a recognized disease was in our minds.
Then you stated on the RSD forum there that while you had never even heard of RSD until 6 weeks before these postings. When one of the members said if you don’t know about the disease, how can you treat it, you responded “will learn more about RSD, because I like to know, but I don’t need to know in order for the treatment to work.” This statement was made before you had even seen your first RSD patient. I find this mind blowing.
To my fibro sisters and brothers, you can read everything, something like 82 posts on her new technique, all in a few weeks time. I think this link will take you to a page that has a link to every post she made over there. Please don’t take my word for it, go read for yourselves.
http://www.mdjunction.com/member/discussions/107298/60
I still haven’t read all of them although I have read 3/4’s of them, but I have yet to see her disclose to anyone over on MDjunction that this new technique is actually Whitcombs technique. I have yet to see Whitcomb mentioned by you over there. That to me isn’t full disclosure. I would like to think that someone over on that forum would have sounded the alarm loudly if you had mentioned him.
Katinka-
Yes, I noticed that most of the people that worked for Whitcomb were former success patients and that he also hired/tried to hire a couple of people while I was there. The person that Whitcomb offered a chiropractic position to was a chiropractor before she became so ill that she could not work. I believe that chiropractic can be very therapeutic and I believe that both medical doctors and chiropractors are very important in this world and in my life, but since you brought it up, don’t medical doctors train for about two years longer than chiropractors? It would make sense since many of them can deal with immediate, life threatening problems. I have a friend in medical school and that was my understanding, but please correct me if that is not accurate!
As far as the mentally unstable comment, many people who went to see Whitcomb did have mental health problems. Some patients were open about this and some were not, but it was apparent in many of the patients. I think we all know that Fibromyalgia and depression and anxiety go hand in hand. One man who spent several months at the clinic was very open about his past suicide attempts and abusive parents.He also told us that he had BiPolar 1. He would frequently tell people that he didn’t know what he would do if he was not healed by Whitcomb and that he didn’t know how he could go on. He left without feeling any better. I saw Whitcomb make so many references to Fibromyalgia and suicide and he seemed to use this to reconfirm the hopelessness that his patients reported feeling in order to keep them at his office longer. He would tell people that they needed to give themselves more time to heal (while handing over all of their savings, or charging treatment) and that if they left treatment they would continue to be useless in their own lives anyway. Whitcomb not only accepted very mentally unstable patients, but he also fueled their mental illness by providing false hope and putting them down, using their own weaknesses against them. I was not surprised to see in the court document that one person reported that when they attempted to leave treatment, Whitcomb said, “What are you going to do, kill yourself?” I believe that was the quote. I am not calling patients mentally unstable because they were feeling better, I am saying this because of the way they acted before and after treatment. One patient reported that he started having symptoms of Fibromyalgia after he jumped out of a window in an attempt to kill himself. Whitcomb knew this and treated him regardless of his continuous of mental instability. I recently found one woman who I lived with in S. Lake Tahoe on Amazon and I was so thankful to see her raging review against Whitcomb simply because I was so worried after I left that she might take her own life.
Paul is as charming as they come, which is why one day around this man will show little of a human being’s personality. It took some weeks, months or years to finally see his true colors and accept what had happened to them.
Also, when I was reading through the court documents, I saw that one person that testified at the case that was named a very important and convincing man named Jeff. Jeff was one of my favorite patients whose time in California overlapped much of my stay. Jeff was probably the most positive and healthy person I have ever met: he was a vegetarian, he walked almost everywhere, he practiced positive thinking and outlets nearly his entire stay. Jeff had more faith than many people in the treatment, but he never got better and he saw the manipulation going on in the office. He was tired of being pressured to stay, “a couple more weeks,” and he was tired of the drama that Whitcomb and his employees were causing within their own office. The few adults that did feel better lashed out at the people who were still ill, sometimes passively and sometimes they made it blatant. I was verbally attacked by a forty year old woman who told me that Whitcomb told her that maybe I was not well so late in my treatment because I did not have Fibromyalgia. Other people were told that they were not healing because of their negativity..they would not get better if they did not believe it possible. If I did not have Fibromyalgia, then why was he taking thousands of dollars from my family?
I know that investigators came out to his clinic atleast one time while I was there and interviewed many people, including myself. They were following up on a complaint from a man who had been there near the beginning of my trip and was irate because he paid in advance, discovered that half the people in the office were unstable, including Whitcomb and wanted the remainder of his money back.They also asked about a very recent incident of one of the patients having a seizure immediately following an adjustment (I was there at the time.) I believe that woman’s name was Chrissy and she later went on to do a testimonial for Whitcomb’s website. Chrissy was one of the few that had a very positive response to her treatment. Chrissy had experienced seizures before so I believe that is why nothing came out of that whole happening.
There was not a single person at the office that went their because they personally knew of someone who had success there.The people who went out there googled Fibromyalgia and Whitcomb’s website popped up, they watched a couple of testimonials, made a couple of phone calls and that was it.
I also do not simply become upset if someone is wealthy. However, Whitcomb flaunted his wealth as he promised (yes, promised) to nearly alleviate all of his patient’s pain, while raping them of the little security they had left. Some patients did get relief out of Whitcomb’s adjustments, but so much less than the ninety? percent that was reported. I would be surprised if the real amount was above ten percent, not that he could really tell with the way he tried to document my “progress.” He was supposed to track me every week, but he skipped weeks regularly and in the end he only counted the first days number results and the last. My numbers were completely erratic while I was there, with not sign of consistent progress, but he came up with a bs percentage by looking at how i rated my pain the first day in comparison to my last day there. For instance, I was a ten on my day there and a 7 on the day I left so I left his office, thirty percent better.That can be considered accurate statistics..in a third grade science class.
No, most medical doctors do not train for two more years than medical doctors. Here is an actual study. Go to http://www.dcgrisanti.com for an actual breakdown of schooling hours to graduate. This study was quoated on that site.
“We took the admission requirements for medical schools from the publication titled: Medical School Admission Requirements, 1997-1998: United States and Canada, 47th edition (published by The Association of American Medical Colleges). Admission requirements for accredited chiropractic schools are dictated by the Council on Chiropractic Colleges (the agency appointed by the U.S. Dept. of Education to accredit chiropractic colleges).
The Parker College study reported that on average, chiropractic college involves 372 more classroom hours than medical school. Chiropractic students also have more hours of training in anatomy, physiology, diagnosis, and orthopedics (the musculoskeletal system).
It should be apparent from looking at the data below that in general, the chiropractic student has a more extensive classroom education and practical training in these areas, particularly in diagnosis, than the medical student.”
If I sound defensive, I don’t mean to, there is just such a common misconception against this, and I like to clear it up whenever I have the opportunity.
I do not personally agree with many decisions made by the California board. This is not a situation where I am defending Dr. Whitcomb VS. the board. I am simply stating my opinion of the board. And a few facts.
In March, 2008 California state Auditor, Elaine Howle, released her report finding members of the California State Board of Chiropractic Examiners violated laws and took other inappropriate actions. This audit details serious flaws in the chiropractic board’s enforcement, licensing, continuing education, open meeting laws, and the actions of the chiropractic board members.
In addition to this, the World Chiropractic Alliance has file at least two formal complaint against the California board. You can go to http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/news/craw2.htm to read more about this. It does appear, to many chiropractors, that the California board targets subluxation based chiropractors.
I did my homework before I started to use this technique. My reputation is very important to me. I spoke to many doctors using the technique, and they all spoke enthusiastically (to say the least) of results they have never seen in their careers after incorporating this technique. They had nothing to gain by urging me to train in this technique. One of the doctors I spoke to had fibromyalgia herself, and is completely pain- free for three months now. That is why she decided to use this technique in her practice.
Studies are being done in all the practices where this technique is being performed by a well- known company used by large pharmaceutical companies (www.ppdi.com) so that our results can be formally published. A new start, perhaps? Personally, I strongly believe that follow up, continued care is vital to my patient’s success. This is something I do not agree with Dr. Whitcomb about, personally. This is just my strong belief for ALL my patients. I have seen patients with many different conditions regress once they make the decision to leave care. Unfortunately, our culture is one that typically believes that you only go to the doctor when you are sick, and when you do, you must get a pill, injection, surgery or antibiotic in order to get better.
This started of as myself sharing my point of view. I do not want it to get too argumentative, since we could probably go in circles forever.
I will report my results here from time to time. Especially since long term results seem to be so controversial. Not everyone may believe me, but I will do so for the few that may. After all, the medical success rate for Fibromyalgia is…close to zero? If you look at permanently alleviating symptoms without life- altering, dangerous drugs? If I had fibromyalgia, I would even prefer a 10% success rate to this. (Even though, based on my current success, I do not believe 10% to be at ALL acurate.) I am seeing amazing things in my patients, some of whom I have struggled with getting better all the way for many years. They had enough positive results to stick with me and with chiropractic…but now, they are looking at a whole new life. A life where they can horseback ride and go bowling. And yes, these are actual exmples of what some of my patients are doing these days.
The below comment is by Sherril @ theiciexperience.blogspot.com. For some reason she was unable to submit it, and since I am not a technical wizard and could not figure out why, I offered to post it for her. Sorry if anyone else is having trouble leaving comments.
From Sherril:
Please everyone, let’s not dismiss Dr. Barrett’s reputation too quickly. That’s what “quacks” and those who support them want; for reasonable people to grow tired and frustrated with ferreting out the facts. I find that it helps to try to ignore the sensationalism, whose very purpose is to cause us to get emotional and irrational, and instead to focus on the facts.
I did a blog post last year on the truth about Dr. Barrett: http://theiciexperience.blogspot.com/2008/06/email-about-whitcomb.html.
Just a couple of points from that post:
1. Barrett was written up by Time magazine in 2001 , “The Man Who Loves to Bust Quacks,” and the article remains online now, eight years later: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101010430-107254,00.html. I don’t think this article would still be online if even a fraction of what K. Connors has regurgitated about him were true.
2A. Barrett’s Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Barrett#External_links. Verifiable; accurate; references available.
2B. Barrett’s Curriculum Vitae (below), which consists of nothing but FACTS which can be proven or disproven: http://www.quackwatch.org/10Bio/biovitae.html. (As opposed to Tim Bolen, author of quackpotwatch.org, whose “Who Is Tim Bolen” page contains nothing but supposition. I won’t even go into googling him; if you’re into smoke and mirrors you might find it interesting. I just find it frustrating. And what’s with that FLASHING YELLOW THING at the top left of ALL of his pages? Talk about irritating!)
Barrett’s Bio:
Education and Training
* A.B., Columbia University, 6/54
* M.D., Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, 6/57
* Completed rotating internship, Highland Park General Hospital (Michigan) 6/58
* Completed 3-year psychiatric residency at Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, 6/61
* Correspondence course in American Law and Procedure, LaSalle University Extension Division, Chicago (1 1/2 years completed), 12/66-12/68
Professional Experience
* Chief, Psychiatric Service, Scott Air Force Base Hospital, Illinois, 8/61-7/63
* Psychiatrist, San Francisco Juvenile Court, 7/63-8/67
* Psychiatrist, San Francisco Child Psychiatry Clinic, 7/63-1/66
* Private practice of psychiatry, 8/63-12/93
* Consultant, San Francisco Department of Welfare, 8/64-7/65
* Consultant, school nurses, San Francisco Public Health Department, 8/65-12/65
* Consultant, Parks Job Corps Camp, 12/65-1/66
* Psychiatrist, Center For Special Problems, 2/66-8/67
* Consultant, San Francisco Adult Probation Department, 8/66-8/67
* Staff Psychiatrist, Allentown State Hospital, 9/67-7/77
* Consultant, Pa. Board of Probation and Parole (research project), 11/67-2/69
* Consultant, Lehigh Valley Mental Health Association, 12/67-2/69
* Consultant, Lutheran Children’s Home, 2/68-6/72
* Psychiatrist, Allentown Hospital Psychiatric Clinic, 4/68-6/90
* Consultant, Pastoral Institute of the Lehigh Valley, 11/68-1/71
* Consultant, Allentown Counseling Center for Alcoholism, 6/69-6/72
* Consultant, Lehigh University Centennial School, 1/70-3/77
* Psychiatrist, Muhlenberg Medical Center Psychiatric Clinic, 6/71-6/86
* Medical Director, Haven House (partial hospitalization program), 8/76-6/87
* Consultant, Allentown Police Department (evaluation of police candidates), 8/80-3/85
* Medical Director, NewVitae Partial Hospitalization Program, 8/90-3/91
Memberships and Appointments (Medical)
* Chairman, Quackery Committee, Lehigh County Medical Society, 10/69-12/80
* Chairman, Board of Directors, Quackwatch, Inc. (originally called Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud, Inc.), 6/70-7/08
* Member, Board of Trustees, Lehigh Valley Opportunity Center (half-way house for paroled offenders), 7/70-5/72
* Member, Committee on Health Fraud, Pennsylvania Health Council, 7/72-12/74
* Member, Committee on Quackery, Pennsylvania Medical Society, 12/73-12/79
* Member, Board of Advisors, California Council Against Health Fraud, Inc, 12/77-8/84
* Member, Board of Scientific Advisors, American Council on Science and Health, 4/78-
* Consultant on Unproven Health Practices, Pennsylvania Medical Society Council on Education and Science, 12/79-12/84
* Committee for the Scientific Investigation (originally called CSICOP)
o Scientific consultant, 7/80-
o Co-chairman, Health Claims Subcommittee, 7/80-
o Member, Council for Media Integrity, 7/96-
* Member, Advisory Board, Children’s Health Care Is A Legal Duty (CHILD), 2/83-
* National Council Against Health Fraud, Inc. (NCAHF),
o Member, Board of Directors, 9/84-
o Chairman, Task Force on Victim Redress, 10/87-
o Vice President, 9/00-
o Director of Internet Operations, 9/00-
* Treasurer, Nutrition Council of Pennsylvania, 1/85-6/87
* Member, Steering Committee, Citizens for Children’s Dental Health (Allentown), 2/98-6/00
* Member, NIH Special Emphasis Panel (to evaluate alternative medicine research proposals), 3/98-4/98
* Member, ad hoc advisory group, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 10/98-
* Member, Advisory Board, National Center for Fluoridation Policy and Research, 10/98-
* Member, Advisory Board, Association for Science in Autism Treatment, 11/99-
* Member, Council for Scientific Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry, 6/00-5/03
* Fellow, Council for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health, 5/03-
* Advisory Board Member, Center for Inquiry Office of Public Policy. 7/06-\
* Member, Board of Directors, Instiute for Science in Medicine, 9/09-
Memberships and Appointments (Journalistic)
* Medical Consultant, WFMZ-TV, Allentown, 5/79-6/89
* Member, Medical Advisory Board, National Health (a consumer newspaper), 9/79-1/80
* Medical Editor, George F. Stickley Co., Philadelphia, 8/80-12/88
* Consumer Health Editor, Nautilus Magazine, 7/81-6/84
* Consulting Editor, ACSH News and Views, 10/81-6/88
* Health Editor, Our Age (newspaper of the National Alliance of Senior Citizens), 5/82-6/83
* Contributing Editor, Environmental Nutrition Newsletter, 9/82-3/84
* Editorial Advisor, Shape Magazine, 9/82-4/94
* Science and Health Editor, Inside Radio, 10/82-8/83
* Editor, Nutrition Forum Newsletter, 1/84-12/93
* Editorial Consultant, Nutrition Forum, 1/94-9/00
* Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Rx Being Well, 5/84-10/87
* Consumer Affairs Editor, Healthline Newsletter, 3/85-9/00
* Editorial Consultant, Prevention Magazine, 3/86-1/93
* Editorial Advisory Board, Healthy Weight Journal, 6/87-12/03
* Member, Society of Professional Journalists, 6/87-3/89
* Member, National Association of Science Writers, 11/87-12/97
* Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc, 2/89-12/98
* Medical Editor, Prometheus Books, 2/91-
* Editorial Advisory Board, The Diet Busine$$ Bulletin, 5/92-7/94
* Contributing Editor, The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, 6/97-
* Member, Editorial Board, Science & Pseudoscience Review in Mental Health, 2/00-
* Editor, Consumer Health Digest, 11/00-
Memberships and Appointments (Internet-Related)
* Member, Internet Healthcare Coalition, 10/97-12/99
* Member, Editorial Board, Medical Web Search, 6/98-12/00
* Member, Editorial Board, MedScape/MedGenMed, 5/99-2/05
* Member, Editorial Board, MD net guide, 8/99-3/02
* Participant member, Fraud Defense Network, 11/99-11/01
* Member, Editorial Board, Family Medicine net guide, 2/00-5/02
* Member CBS HealthWatch Physicians Network, 3/00-12/02
* Weekly columnist (“Alternative Medicine: A Skeptical Look”), Canoe 4/00-5/02
* Consumer Empowerment Advisor, PlanetFeedback, 4/00-3/01
* Advisory Board, Pyramid Scheme Alert, 10/00-
Memberships and Appointments (Academic)
* Instructor in Health Education, The Pennsylvania State University, 5/87-6/89
* Inststructor, Duke University Osher Lifelong Learning Institute program, 9/09-
Journal Peer Review (Panelist or Occasional Manuscript Reviewer)
* Annals of Internal Medicine
* Journal of the American Medical Association
* Medscape General Medicine
* The New England Journal of Medicine
* Nutrition Research
* Topics in Clinical Nutrition
* The Western Journal of Medicine
Honors and Awards (Academic, Professional, and Public Service)
* Pulitzer Scholar, Columbia University, 1950-54
* Freshman Chemistry Prize, Columbia College, 1951
* Lehigh Valley Dental Society’s Dr. Francis J. Trembley Outstanding Citizen Award for “decisive contributions dedicated to the betterment of oral medicine,” 1975
* Mediquiz Contest National Award (Resident Physician magazine), 1960
* FDA Commissioner’s Special Citation for “outstanding and consistent contributions against the proliferation of nutrition quackery to the American consumer,” 1984
* Honorary Lifetime Membership Award, Lehigh Valley Dietetic Association, 1986-
* Honorary Member Award, American Dietetic Association, 1986-
* Fellow, Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), 1992-
* Annals of Internal Medicine: Editors’ commendation (“top 10%”) for quality and timeliness of reviews in 1999
* Distinguished Service to Health Education Award “in recognition of outstanding contributions to the health and well-being of mankind through health education.” American Association for Health Education, 2001
* Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in the East, 1993-
* Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in America, 2001-
* Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, 2001-
* Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in the World, 2002-
* Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in Medicine and Health Care, 2002-
* Listed in Marquis Who’s Who in American Education, 2006-
Honors and Awards (Quackwatch)
* Journal of the American Medical Association: One of nine “select sites that provide reliable health information and resources,” 1998
* U.S. News & World Reports: Best of the Web (one of three medical sites), 1999
* Oncolink Editor’s Choice, 1999
* Britannica Internet Guide Award, 2000
* Forbes “Best of the Web,” 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
* “Nettie” Award for best Web site operated by an individual physician in 2002. MD net guide, 2003.
* Other Honors and Awards
Athletic Achievements (Swimming)
* Columbia University: Freshman team, 1950-51; varsity, 1951-3
* Allentown JCC “Channel Swim”: winner and age-group recordholder, 1959
* North Caroline Senior Games (State Championships)
o 2008: Two gold medals, one bronze
o 2009: Four silver medals, one bronze
* North Carolina Short Course Championships (Masters Swimming, 2009): Won five events.
Other Activities and Achievements
* Eagle Scout, January 1950
* American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor, 1952
* Life Master, American Contract Bridge League, 1959-
* Captain, United States Air Force: Active duty, 1961-1963
Now really people, does this sound like someone “who never achieved any success in the medical profession?” Oh yeah, this guy is obviously just an all around failure (NOT).
While Dr. Barrett is sometimes a bit too skeptical even for my taste, he’s still my first go-to resource for anything medical that seems even a little bit iffy.
Semi- off topic, but interesting: Dr. Barrett’s daughter, Deborah Barrett, has FM: http://www.quackwatch.org/03HealthPromotion/fibromyalgia/fms06.html.
Something got messed up with the last link about Deborah Barrett, above. Here’s the correct link:
http://www.quackwatch.org/03HealthPromotion/fibromyalgia/fms06.html.
Link still not working. Let me try again w/o the period at the end of the sentence.
http://www.quackwatch.org/03HealthPromotion/fibromyalgia/fms06.html.
At least I can comment again!
What, exactly, did I “regurgitate” about him tat wasn’t true? In my opinion, Stephen Barret is rabidly anti- alternative healthcare and pro- medicine. Anyone is welcome to go to quackwatch and make up their own minds. Here are a few more highlights.
As posted by http://www.publichealthalert.org
“The folks at Quackwatch claim they have no financial and or political ties to government/corporations. Anyone can say this, but it would be difficult to prove. Actions, attitudes and results speak louder than words. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” From what I’ve read on this website, it appears that the writers are extremely onesided in their views and seem inclined to attack and ridicule.
They speak a lot about “approved studies” and base many of their conclusions on these studies, many of which are carried out by universities and government agencies, which are funded by the drug companies. Of course, many drug companies directly carry out their own research studies. Doesn’t it seem very likely that their studies would be heavily biased?”
as posted on http://www.healthiertalk.com and forwarded by Dr. Saul Pressman
“Quackbuster Barrett Loses Appeal, Leaves Town
Self-proclaimed Quackbuster, Stephen Barrett, MD, who was recently handed
crushing defeats by chiropractor Tedd Koren and Ilena Rosenthal, has
announced he is leaving his home town and operating base in Allentown,
Pennsylvania.
On June 11th, 2007, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania affirmed a lower
court dismissal of Barrett’s defamation suite against Dr. Koren. Barrett’s
case was so lacking in merit the judge blocked it from going to the jury.
Barrett simply had no case against Dr. Koren.
This followed another stunning defeat last month in California. There an
appeals court ordered Barrett and crony Terry Polevoy, MD to post bonds of
more than $400,000.00 after they lost a defamation case against Illena
Rosenthal virtually identical to the Koren case.
Perhaps the fact that lawyers and judges in Allentown are catching on to his
intimidation schemes explains why Barrett is moving to Chapel Hill, North
Carolina. Barrett can run but he can’t hide. Chapel Hill collection
attorneys are already being asked to locate his assets to pay his unmet
legal obligations. Assets of other Quackwatch, Inc., principals might also
be sought.
Who Is Steven Barrett, What Are Quackbusters?
Steven Barrett is an unlicensed Pennsylvania psychiatrist, who, though he
failed his psychiatric board exams and has been criticized for his lack of
expertise by several courts, still claims to often advise the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the FBI, State
Attorneys General, HMOs, Consumer Reports, medical journals and state
medical, chiropractic and dental boards.
The insurance industry cites Barrett’s highly opinionated “Quackbuster”
attacks to deny paying claims for natural healthcare.
Barrett and the “Quackbusters,” a vigilante group of self- proclaimed
skeptics of any medical or health modality that is not drugs, surgery or
radiation, attack almost all non-conventional healthcare practices as
quackery. Ignoring all scientific research to the contrary, they dismiss
Gulf War Syndrome, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Chemical Sensitivity,
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and dietary supplements as rubbish. Nobel Prize
winner Linus Pauling is on their “quack” list along with many well known
and respected doctors and scientists, including Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil,
and dozens of others.
Barrett claims to give over 500 interviews a year to newspapers, magazines,
and television shows, including CNN and the Today Show. He claims to have
been a peer reviewer for seven medical journals, including the Journal of
the American Medical Association, even though he had no license to practice
medicine when he did the reviewing.
The Quackbusters run over 70 websites. Millions of people go to them every
year. Look up chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathy or even vitamin C, as
well as almost every other natural health topic, on the Internet and you
(and the public) will be led to Quackbuster sites advising you of natural
health “dangers.”
In all these forums Barrett and the Quackbusters relentlessly attack the
consumer right to informed choice. These activities continue the AMA’s
anti-quackery committee’s activities that were struck down by federal courts
as an illegal restraint of trade in a landmark lawsuit brought by Illinois
chiropractor Chester Wilk. They also help insurance companies deny consumer
reimbursement claims.
At the same time, Barrett shills for products like aspartame (NutraSweet),
which is the subject of tens of thousands of consumer complaints.
Question (asked on Barrett’s web site): “An email message is being
circulated with many statements to the effect that aspartame is dangerous.
How worried should I be?”
Answer (from Barrett): “Not at all. The message is pure rubbish.”
What Did Dr. Koren Do to Provoke Barrett’s Shakedown?
Dr. Tedd Koren is a well-known chiropractor, researcher, writer and
lecturer. Barrett sued Dr. Koren in 2003 for calling him a Quackpot; saying
he was in big trouble because of a racketeering law suit brought against
him; and attacking his lack of a medical license in his internet newsletter.
The trial judge and three appeals judges agreed unanimously that these
statements were so far from defamation that no jury could be legally allowed
to call them defamation. Dr. Koren also said Barrett was “delicensed.” One
of the three appeals courts judges thought a jury might be able to find this
to be defamation. However two appellate judges disagreed and jurors
interviewed after the trial said they too saw through Barrett and felt that
he was a litigious, ungrounded and biased denier of the truth.
In part jurors formed this view because Barrett testified in the Koren case
that he had sued many doctors – close to forty !- in similar cases,
demanding up to $100,000 if they wished to avoid a costly court trial. Some
paid up – how many is yet to be discovered. Drs. Koren and Rosenthal and a
few others did not. Barrett has failed to win a single lawsuit in this
shakedown scheme in any of the cases that actually went to trial.
Dr. Koren’s Legal Team
Well known consumer advocate, James S. (Jim) Turner, general counsel to
Koren Publications, who several years earlier had persuaded the FTC to drop
an investigation against Dr. Koren (brought at a time when Barrett was a
consultant to the FTC), organized and coordinated the legal team that
represented Dr. Koren. Attorney Christopher Reid of Allentown, Pennsylvania
acted as associate trial counsel and appellate counsel and California health
freedom attorney Carlos Negrete acted as trial counsel.
Mr. Negrete said, “Fortunately for all of his colleagues, Dr. Koren decided
not to back down and took the case to trial. Barrett is part of a group of
intolerant individuals. I am not certain who the supporters of the so-called
Quackbusters are, but they seem to me to be just skinheads with
stethoscopes.”
During heated and often dramatic courtroom proceedings, Mr. Negrete pointed
out many of the questionable statements Barrett includes on his websites
attacking chiropractic, as well as facts about Barrett’s own credentials
that shocked even his supporters.
Mr. Turner says, “It is very important that a very responsible judge in
Barrett’s hometown recognized that he was making false allegations and
dismissed the case. Barrett has cost unknown numbers of consumers pain,
anguish and probably serious harm by his misrepresentation of the facts
about subjects ranging from acupuncture to zinc.”
Mr. Turner, who among other campaigns:
– led the team that got acupuncture needles approved as safe by FDA,
– worked with a Senate committee to abolish the dysfunctional vaccine
regulatory agency,
– worked with whistleblowers to stop the Swine Flu inoculation campaign,
– kept aspartame off the market for ten years, and
– played a key role in lobbying the Organic Food Production Act through
Congress, says,
“Our objective is to end Barrett’s abuse of consumers by eliminating the
false and misleading information from his website and his entire network of
websites and replacing it with sound, useful information for consumers.”
Says Dr. Koren, “This is just the beginning. Just as the FTC battle was not
about Tedd Koren alone but had ramifications for the entire chiropractic and
natural health professions so the Barrett v. Koren battle will have major
ramifications for all. We’re going to give the Quackbusters a taste of their
own medicine. They’ll learn how dangerous medicine can be.”
“Our mission is not just about revealing the Quackbusters to be the
unscientific bigots that they are. We are fighting for health care freedom.
One of our goals is to permit parents to make sound decisions about
vaccination for their children. There are too many sound health reasons for
children to avoid vaccination and the government has recognized too many
vaccine caused deaths and maimings (over $1.5 billion of compensation has
been paid to bereaved families by the federal vaccine injury compensation
system since 1988) to allow a non-vaccinated child to be refused day care,
school, college, or employment,” says Dr. Koren. ”
http://www.chiroweb.com
“Carlos Negrete is extremely active in his pursuit against Dr. Barrett. According to his Web site (www.healthfreedomlaw.com), Mr. Negrete has been involved in numerous lawsuits with Barrett, including:
In June 2001, Barrett dismissed his libel suit against Dr. Joseph Mercola, DO, just days before the trial date. In July 2001, an Alemeda County (Calif.) judge threw out Barrett’s libel lawsuit against Ilena Rosenthal, awarding Rosenthal attorney’s fees against Barrett.
In November 2002, a federal court judge in Eugene, Ore., ruled that Barrett is a “public figure” and dismissed Barrett’s $100,000 defamation lawsuit against anti-fluoridation advocate Darlene Sherrell.
In April 2003, the California Court of Appeals handed down a landmark decision in favor of homeopathy and against Barrett’s National Council Against Health Fraud (www.chiroweb.com/archives/21/13/22.html). The lawsuit was against King Bio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its president, Dr. Frank J. King Jr., ND, DC, for false and misleading advertisement and unfair competition. The court upheld a Superior Court ruling issued in December 2001, in which NCAHF failed to provide any supportive evidence that homeopathic remedies produced and marketed by Dr. King’s company were ineffective.
After his latest victory, Mr. Negrete had much to say:
“Stephen Barrett is part of a group of intolerant individuals that have labeled chiropractic as ‘Quackery.’ Even though they purport to be ‘experts,’ they generally have no training or even understanding of chiropractic. Ultimately, there is a danger that the ‘big lie’ that they spread could potentially be misinterpreted by the consumer and those that could benefit from treatment. Barrett is, perhaps, the most visible nemesis of chiropractic in this country. He is media savvy and has been regarded as the voice of anti-chiropractic advocacy.
“Dr. Koren, I am proud to say, had the courage and vision to stand up to Barrett and published revelations about this so called ‘expert.’ Dr. Koren published the little-known fact that Barrett, even though boasting he was a ‘medical expert,’ did not have a medical license himself since the early 1990s. This is something that infuriated Barrett to the point that he filed this meritless libel lawsuit against Dr. Koren, I believe to silence him and get money. Fortunately for all of his colleagues, Dr. Koren persevered and decided not to back down and took the case to trial.
“Indeed, in going to trial, Dr. Koren was able to de-bunk the de-bunker. At trial, while on the stand, Barrett had to admit that he not only gave up his license in 1994, but that he was, in fact, not a board-certified psychiatrist, because he had flunked the examination that was required to receive certification. More significantly, under intense cross-examination, Barrett admitted that he did not pass the neurological portion of the exam.
“Barrett has filed countless cases around the country against complementary health care professionals or supplement companies. Barrett admitted at trial that he has sued ‘approximately’ 40 people for libel alone. He has sued so many people that he could not even remember or testify as to how many he sued. Many of these never got to trial or were dismissed. Some of those cases unfortunately resulted in settlements by insurance companies and people that believed that it was “cheaper” to just pay someone off, rather that stand up to convictions. That is unfortunate and presumably inspired the continued filing of frivolous lawsuits. I have been blessed by having clients that believed in what they said or did and took ‘no settlement’ positions and, instead, stood their ground to fight the menace. I am pleased to disclose that our firm has not settled any case with Barrett or his affiliate entities. We take no prisoners when our clients are attacked.
“Frankly, I am not certain who the supporters of the so-called Quackbusters are comprised of, but they seem to me to be just skinheads with stethoscopes around their necks. They are distinguished by the narrow and simple-minded intolerance of chiropractic. Chiropractors have brought no harm to them, why then do they feel it is so important to minimize the benefits of an entire, well-established healing art? These people have, for years, threatened, intimidated and harassed anyone that is not obedient and accepting of their banter. Finally, there has been a loud voice to silence their bullying tactics. All chiropractors can take in a breath of fresh air.”
I have said enough on this topic. There is so much bias agains alternative medicine and chiropractic. I am so tired of fighting this same old battle.
The answer here is really simple. If you don’t believe there is anything to this treatment, don’t do it! Don’t read about it! Spend your time studying other ways to get better. Spend it on positive things.
I will not be posting on here again, but enjoyed meeting some of you, and wish you all good health.
Have a great weekend.
I blocked my comment notification to the comments on this particular post a few days ago and they’re still coming through loud and clear. Is WordPress having a moment or is it me?
I think this was an interesting conversation…but it’s played itself out and it has digressed and I’m done. Actually I was done once Katinka started marveling over her total success with the technique.
The whole putting Whitcomb on a pedastal only to change the rules and told everyone to only look at the technique, not the man(who’s blog is this, anyhow?) made me roll my eyes. And then to start bashing someone else over his opinion of Whitcomb (even thought what was posted what appears to be a direct quote from the administrative law judge, not Barrett’s opinion). I swear it’s like watching a train wreck.
Anyone know how to convince WordPress that I’m done hearing about this? I tried to “block” the subscription to the post within WP but that obviously didn’t work. Yes, I could hit delete w/o reading but it is a fascinating train wreck even though watching it serves no useful purpose.
“The answer here is really simple. If you don’t believe there is anything to this treatment, don’t do it! Don’t read about it! Spend your time studying other ways to get better. Spend it on positive things.”
This statement brings a quote to my mind:
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
Edmund Burke
I won’t be posting on here any longer – this has gotten ridiculous. I looked on here cause I wanted to see others responses to the treatment. Fibrohaven and Katinka I really enjoyed reading your posts. I wish all of you luck in what ever you are searching for. As for me I believe I have found the answer in the treatment. It is working for me and has improved my quality of life like you would not believe. I am moving forward and recommending this treatment to others. I personally know of others who are getting remarkable improvement with the treatment.
Ta ta all
Jeanette
Please find me on Facebook if you want. (Others on here have.) Just search for Katinka Connors. I would love to stay in touch with you.
Katinka
A few words to the wise… Whitcomb and the technique is completely Scientology. It’s all about money and a NOT-permanent “cure”. After they take you for thousands, you’ll still be sick. Everyone in the videos is a Scientologist. 🙁 I have seen the “miracles” with NRCT, too, but they don’t last and we should all be wondering just what kind of damage such a technique might actually be doing to our necks, spines, meninges and nerves. There is NO research on this. After almost 10 years, Whitcomb hasn’t published a darn thing. THAT should tell us all something.
As a previous sufferer despite the lack of long term evidence of effect from the NRCT technique i am simply relieved that i got my life back. The technique is not that aggressive yet the results for some are great. i do not need to take any medications which they themselves have side affects. So.. we pick our battles hoping the least evasive will take the pain away without possible long term negative effect. There is also info regarding taking excess doses of Guaifenesin i.e. Robitussin or mucinex etc. that have been relieving FM sufferers pain. you can google that if you want more info. What it boils down too is…When you are in pain and it is progressing i think you should research ALL possible txs. that may help you have a better life. Just FYI.
It is absolutely NOT true that everyone in the videos is a Scientologist. I know lots of them. Please get your facts right before shouting them all over the internet.
I’m Stephen Barrett’s daughter and stumbled upon this discussion board while searching for something else. While you may or may not agree with my father’s stance on some issues, much of what I read above is inaccurate information. For example, he never failed his boards or had any difficulty with employment. My father scaled back his psychiatric practice as he became more involved in his writing and research, which he does for altruistic and not monetary gains. He is a good man, generous to those who call upon him (and there are many), passionate about aiding the underdog, infuriated when people are taken advantage of, especially when they are vulnerable. As someone noted, I do indeed have fibromyalgia. He has been a huge advocate for me. When I was at my most disabled, I moved back home, where my father helped in any way he could. He still does.
Because he puts himself and his work out there, he sometimes encounters critics and even libel. He has a sense of humor about this and admirable transparency — just check out the “cheers and jeers” section of his quackwatch website. He has posted there some mean-spirited comments that, as his daugther, were difficult to read. Everyone has a right to an opinion. But the above comments contained many factual errors and spins. For example, my father moved to North Carolina to be closer to me and my family, and not for any of the ludicrous reasons described above. While his views may be strong, he is much more open minded than his portrayal. His bias is to believe things that have been demonstrated to be effective by scientific standards. He His own lifestyle emphasizes a deliberately low-fat, high fiber diet, regular exercise, and supplements that are healthful to his life stage and circumstances.
I have no plans to return to this website. However, it did not feel okay to move on without responding to the venom I found here.
Debbie,
I am glad you took the opportunity to respond to what you read about your father.
I just find it too bad that you are taking the comments from ONE reader of my blog and determining that my entire blog is not worth returning to. This seems similar to the type of unfair criticism your father has received. Upon careful reading you should have noted that this blog is dedicated to encouraging and inspiring people with Fibromyalgia. It is a very positive space.
This particular post on Dr. Whitcomb is not an accurate reflection of my entire blog, and I personally said nothing negative about your father. I know little of him except his criticism of Whitcomb, of whom I am equally critical.
Hi Dannette,
Oh, my apologies. I’m very glad that you explained how you interpreted my comments. I did not mean to dismiss your blog or its credibility. I think you offer a very important forum and appreciate your tremendous support for people with pain. (We need that!) What I meant when I wrote was that I am not interested right now in engaging further in a dialog on this particular topic (my father’s reputation). I’m sure all of the readers understand that time and energy are scarce — and as someone with pain, two kids, two jobs, a relationship, and desires for a social life, I can spread myself too thin! If you have not already posted my comments, please feel free to remove that part. I just don’t want folks to expect that I will necessarily return to comment on future responses. I’d feel bad if they wrote expecting me to comment further and I did not. Make sense? Thank you, Debbie
Thanks Debbie for the clarification. I work so hard to share information and encouragement that I would hate for someone to judge my blog by a readers comment. That entire Whitcomb post got out of control, but I did not feel comfortable letting one person comment while censoring another. I just let it play out. Sorry it touched you personally.
I do appreciate that you are reserving your energy for what is important in your life – friends, family, work – and not burning yourself out debating with short-sighted people. Good for you. Thanks for the email. I really appreciate it.
Take care of yourself!
My Best,
Dannette
Dannette:
My suggestion to you is that you discourage the “personal” issues surrounding health care and its players – and stay focused on the things that might help. People with fibromyalgia, and other debilitating health issues, need ideas, information, and positive reinforcement – not negativity and bad feelings.
In a sense you brought this ill feeling discussion on yourself when you switched from focusing on Whitcomb’s technique to what happened to Whitcomb himself with the California Chiropractic Board. Katinka rightfully pointed out that the board, itself, was, just after the Whitcomb trial, investigated for massive corruption – and the Governor forced massive changes – including the firing of the board’s Executive Director who had signed the complaint against Whitcomb.
I suggest too, that you let people like me who specialize in the corruption of the US healthcare system deal with those issues. We do it well – but my articles can be very depressing due to their scope of interest.
And, as you can tell, I have absolutely no use for Stephen Barrett. I was very much instrumental in helping the US Court system, in a Published Appeals Court decision (NCAHF v King Bio), formally, and generally, declare Stephen Barrett “biased, and unworthy of credibility.”
That FORMAL statement about Barrett means exactly what it says.
Attacking the person, when there is nothing bad to say about the technique, is a propaganda ruse commonly used by Barrett. Don’t go there.
I don’t know Whitcomb. He didn’t hire me to help him, but if he contacts me, it is likely I can get his license back for him.
Tim Bolen – http://www.bolenreport.com
Again, close and careful reading of my blog would show that this is a place of encouragement and positive reinforcement, but thank you for your suggestions on what I should and should not focus on in my blog.
In the case of Whitcomb, since I am the one being marketed to with claims of “a miracle cure,” it is my right and duty to approach this topic from any and every angle I choose.
There is plenty bad to say about Whitcomb’s technique. I suggest to you a little due diligence before criticizing and confusing facts with propaganda. Former patient testimony would be a good place to start.
Also congratulations on using this post as a platform for soliciting employment with Whitcomb. I hope that works out for you.
Three cheers for fibrohaven’s comments:)!!!!!! And right you are!
Good grief, our openness added to our empowerment on the subject
of Dr. Whitcomb and his treatment attitude/plan to cure Fibro.
I resent being ‘told’ what we can and cannot talk about….especially
if it is our own experience and approached with dignity and respect
for another person. We have been honest. Yes, we have disagreed.
But we can make up our own minds. We don’t need anyone to
protect us.
As for me, this so called negative experience turned out to be a
cleansing one. So hurray for Fibro Haven! A service has been done
in a beautiful way.
I, for one, thank you again.
Julie
Thank you Julie for taking the time to leave your thoughtful and positive comment. I am so glad this has been a cleansing experience for you! Everything you said was right on and beautifully stated. I appreciate your cheers very much. My Best to You.
Great response, and I too find FibroHaven a place of peace respite. Thank you Dannette!
I also just wanted to point out that Mr. Bolen talks big, but I see no links supporting what he is saying. Same thing when I was checking the links that Katinka supplied in one of her comments, they didn’t seem to support what she was saying, although I didn’t waste a lot of time trying to see the connection. And when she mentioned Tim Bolen, I did look him up and I didn’t find anything good. It seems to be a circle game with him, no end (point) in sight. Once again I didn’t spend a lot of time looking; life is too short, especially if you live with chronic illness. My exaggerated sense of justice makes it hard for me to let go of these injustices, but I’m getting better with practice. 😉
I have been getting the treatment for 10 weeks and I have improved from functioning at 30% all the way to 80%. There were a couple of weeks I was out of town and did not get any treatments and I did not loose any of the improvements I had made. The treatment does not work for everyone but it does work for a lot of people. One visit with the treatment is not enough to see if it will work for a person. All I can say is look into it for yourself . The treatment works – regardless of who started advertising it – it works. I have a life again. I can make plans and keep them! I can do things around the house and I am enjoying life again. It’s so much fun! I’m off all meds for FMS!!!! ALL – prescription free. You don’t know how good that makes me feel. (i won’t be responding to any comments – just wanted to update y’all)
Court Case: Stephen Barrett, M.D. vs. Tedd Koren, D.C. and Koren Publications, Inc.
Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County for the State of Pennsylvania
Court Case No.: 2002-C-1837
Barrett lost (again).
If anyone did a search on Barret’s testimonies in court they would find that he has lost almost 40 cases in which he brought defamation lawsuits against alternative health care providers, the supplement industry, and other individuals with one of the latest in October 2005, as stated above, when they disagreed with his views and told the public the truth. See the above website for more information.
I too have been successfully treated with Dr. Whitcomb’s method. I can sympathsize with those who did not get relief from this relatively safe treatment, but when you consider that approximately 250,000 people DIE* every year in the U.S. using medications that were “properly” administered by licensed medical doctors, I would rather take my chances with a properly trained chiropractor. Deaths* caused by doctors (iatrogenic – Journal American Medical Association July 26, 2000;284(4):483-5physican caused) are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Note: The reference in the astrisked article is to the publication Journal American Medical Association July 26, 2000;284(4):483-5.
I can’t find a reference anywhere where Dr. Whitcomb’s method caused a death.
* http://www.naturodoc.com/library/public_health/doctors_cause_death.htm
In Hospital Deaths From Medical Errors at 195,000 – http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/11856.php
I am wondering what happened to Jeanette’s last positive comment about NRCT. Was it removed? Is this being censored, now? Surely not, as that would speak for itself in a very loud and clear way.
I thought you declared yourself done with commenting here Katinka. Lovely of you to come back and try to stir up problems.
Each and every comment is still here. I said before I would not censor and I am true to my word.
Work is being done on my site. It has been moved to its own URL and in doing so the comments are no longer nested and all new comments since the move are appearing at the top. It is something we are working on but have been unable to resolve thus far. It happened on every post, not just this one.
Thank you for assuming the worst. Surely that speaks about you in a loud and clear way.
Yes, I must very humbly appologize for assuming the worst. So I am.
I’m writing to clarify things about the NRCT. I’m not a scientologist, I’m a chiropractor, and I don’t know Dr Whitcomb but have learned the technique. By the way, Dr is the degree, not the license, so he will always be a Dr whether he’s licensed or not. NRCT is not only for fibromyalgia, but is being marketed to that group because it has the most potential to help. Your acupuncturist did the technique incorrectly, but despite this, you were helped. If you felt you would be completely out of pain after 10 minutes, you were misled, but you were helped. The test result benefits, if it gives relief, is for only minutes but may last months. It is only done to tell if you will benefit from a full treatment plan. My chronic TMJ was cured with NRCT, but now I need occasional “tune-ups”. Chiropractors and acupuncturists are receiving this training, but the acupuncturists seem to have more trouble with it. There is an additional adjustment that the chiropractors can do, but
I don’t personally use it. I use the same technique that an acupuncturist would use and it works just as well. In any profession, there are those that care more about their wallets than in their integrity, but there are doctors out there that truly want their patients to feel better.
Fibrohaven
After reading the article about your experience with Dr Whitcomb the foundation of your poor health problem stuck out like a sore thumb. It’s your “stinking – thinking” that’s holding you back in life. Get rid of the support group that supports your afflictions and quit blaming everything on someone else. Then seek qualified alternative health care to support you in the process that only you can provide.
Good Luck,
D Smith
Judy,
Although it is fair for you to write about your experience, you should also consider that not all treatments are right for all patients. You are not a doctor. Although you may be well informed, you still are not a doctor. What is wrong (as some commentors has posted about Dr. Whitcomb) with your blog or anything that anyone posts online for that matter is that anyone can say anything about anyone at anytime for any reason.
I do commend you that you state that your blog is your opinion. This technique/test has been around for a much longer time that Dr. Whitcomb has been promoting it. It is known, scientifically, that the meninges, the nervous system and spinal alignment are all related. Compound that with physical traumatic events, emotional and hormonal changes and stresses, environmental factors, and what you get is a very sick person.
One must be fair in explaining their own experience without faulting the messenger.
Dr. Whitcomb has a passion to help patients. He has helped thousands and there is a lot of research and evidence to prove that. While he did get his license suspended, it was not for malpractice or any sort of unethical medical practice.
When modern day chiropractic began in the U.S., chiropractors were being arrested and put in jail because the medical community didn’t quite understand what chiropractic was about and how it worked, so the were jailed for “practicing medicine”.
Today, Doctors of Chiropractic are widely accepted in the U.S. and around the world as the experts in treating neuro-musculo-skeletal conditions, especially those related to the spine and the nervous system.
Perhaps Dr. Whitcomb appeared to make extreme claims, but how is that any different from TV ads that make claims that you will “lose weight and look great” or any other product or service that is offered to the public?
Always keep in mind that not all results will be the same for all people.
“Doctor” is a degree and title that is earned through instruction, knowledge and demonstration of that knowledge. I can assue the person who asked if Dr. Whitcomb was still a doctor that he is indeed still a Doctor and is currently cleared by the Board of Chiropractic Examiners to re-establish his license if he so chooses to. However, he does not have to if he does not intent to actively practice any more.
To all who decide to state their comments online, be educated in you statement, or what you say will be nothing more than the writing on a public restroom wall.
Este Dr. Paul Whitcom es un mentiroso ladrón que se esta aprovechado de gente despeada y deprimida les da falsas esperanzas y cobra por torcerles o jalarles el cuello. Hasta tres veces al día. Estos pobres pacientes en su mayoría casi 90% son mujeres. Son personas que ya están cansadas de tanta incomodidad que ya no les importa gastar sus ahorros o endeudarse. Y los gastos de estadía agregan. conocí una pareja que vino de Nueva Zelanda. En 2005 A mi y mi esposa nos costo 40.000 dólares por 3 meses en lake thoae. Tiene sus pacientes que usa para su publicidad con videos. Pero estas personas desean creer que es cierto todo este circo y se el se aprovecha y filma y edita y publica lo que le conviene. Hasta la fecha me da rabia como fuimos tan inocentes y le aumentamos los su fortuna al doctor. Y no solo fuimos nosotros avían como 40 o 50 pacientes. Esto me Consuela un poco que fueron muchos los estafados. Mire muchos sufrir porque los gastos y por la estafada y no querían admitir que era todo falso. Yo no sé como no esta preso este delincuente. Sabe como robar es astuto y a sabe quien estafar. Lo publico en español. Pero solo usted puede decidir si deja estafar por este charlatán Andy