Stephen Barrett

For other people named Stephen Barrett, see Stephen Barrett (disambiguation).
Stephen Joel Barrett, MD
Born 1933 (age 82–83)
New York City
Occupation Psychiatrist, author, consumer advocate, webmaster
Website www.quackwatch.org

Stephen Joel Barrett (/ˈbærɪt/; born 1933) is an American retired psychiatrist, author, co-founder of the National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF), and the webmaster of Quackwatch. He runs a number of websites dealing with quackery and health fraud. He focuses on consumer protection, medical ethics, and scientific skepticism.

Biography

Barrett is a 1957 graduate of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed his psychiatry residency in 1961. In 1967 and 1968 he followed part of a correspondence course in American Law and Procedure at La Salle Extension University (Chicago).[1] He was a practicing physician until retiring from active practice in 1993. His medical license is now listed as "Active-Retired" in good standing: "No disciplinary actions were found for this license."[2] A longtime resident of Allentown, Pennsylvania, Barrett now resides in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.[3]

In addition to webmastering his websites, Barrett was a co-founder, vice-president and a board member of the National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF). He is a scientific advisor to the American Council on Science and Health, and a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI). From 1987 through 1989, he taught health education at Pennsylvania State University.

Barrett was the consulting editor for the Consumer Health Library at Prometheus Books,[4] and has been a peer-review panelist for at least[5] two[6][7][8] medical journals. He has also served on the editorial board of Medscape[9] and the Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine.[10] According to his website, he "has written more than 2,000 articles and delivered more than 300 talks at colleges, universities, medical schools, and professional meetings. His media appearances include Dateline, the Today Show, Good Morning America, Primetime, Donahue, CNN, National Public Radio, and more than 200 other radio and television talk show interviews."[5][11]

Barrett's work has received wide recognition and many awards. Quackwatch received the award of Best Physician-Authored Site by MD NetGuide, May 2003.[12] In 1984, he received an FDA Commissioner's Special Citation Award for Public Service in fighting nutrition quackery.[13] He was included in the list of outstanding skeptics of the 20th century by Skeptical Inquirer magazine.[14] In 1986, he was awarded honorary membership in the American Dietetic Association.[13] Barrett has been profiled in Biography Magazine (1998)[15] and in Time (2001).[16]

The magazine Spiked-online included Barrett in a survey of 134 persons[17] they termed "key thinkers in science, technology and medicine."[18][19] When he was asked: "What inspired you to take up science?" he replied that his appreciation of medical science:

probably began when I took a college course in medical statistics, and learned what makes the difference between scientific thought and poor reasoning. Medical school brought me in touch with the rapid and amazing strides being made in the understanding and treatment of disease. My anti-quackery activities have intensified my interest and concern in distinguishing science from pseudoscience, quackery and fraud.[19]

Consumer information

Main article: Quackwatch

The Quackwatch website is Barrett's main platform for describing and exposing what he and other contributors consider to be quackery and health fraud.[20] The website was part of Quackwatch, Inc., a nonprofit corporation founded by Barrett which aims to "combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct." The non-profit was dissolved in 2008.[21] Barrett's writing is supplemented with contributions from many scientific, technical, and lay volunteers and includes numerous references to published research articles.[22] Barrett defines quackery as "anything involving overpromotion in the field of health,"[23] and reserves the word fraud "only for situations in which deliberate deception is involved."[24] Barrett has become a "lightning rod" for controversy as a result of his criticisms of alternative medicine theories and practitioners. Barrett says he does not criticize conventional medicine because that would be "way outside [his] scope."[16][25] He states he does not give equal time to some subjects, and has written on his web site that "Quackery and fraud don't involve legitimate controversy and are not balanced subjects. I don't believe it is helpful to publish 'balanced' articles about unbalanced subjects."[26] Barrett is at the forefront of exposing questionable aspects of chiropractic.[27]

Barrett is a strong supporter of the HONcode and has made efforts to improve compliance with its rules and to expose those who abuse it. In a whole "Special to the Washington Post", extensive coverage of his views on the subject were provided, including his criticisms of many named abusers.[28]

A number of practitioners and supporters of alternative medicine oppose Barrett and Quackwatch for its criticism of alternative medicine.[25][29] Donna Ladd, a journalist with The Village Voice, says Barrett relies mostly on negative research to criticize alternative medicine, rejecting most positive case studies as unreliable due to methodological flaws. She further writes that Barrett insists that most alternative therapies simply should be disregarded without further research. "A lot of things don't need to be tested [because] they simply don't make any sense," he says, pointing to homeopathy, chiropractic, and acupuncture as examples of alternative treatments with no plausible mechanism of action.[25]

Some sources that mention Stephen Barrett's Quackwatch as a useful source for consumer information include website reviews,[30][31][32][33][34] government agencies,[35][36] various journals[37][38][39][40][41] including an article in The Lancet[42] and some libraries.[43][44][45][46][47][48]

Selected publications

A partial list of articles for which Barrett was an author include:

A partial list of his (co)authored and (co)edited books include:[51]

Collections of articles:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Barrett, Stephen (June 24, 2007). "Curriculum Vitae". Quackwatch. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
  2. ↑ "Pennsylvania Department of State; Stephen Barret Medical License Status and standing.". Pennsylvania Department of State; to be considered a primary resource. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  3. ↑ Wlazelek, Ann (June 13, 2007). "Allentown critic of quacks moves to 'milder winters'". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Prometheus Books Spring-Summer 2007 Trade Catalog" (PDF). p. 63. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 14, 2006. Retrieved March 29, 2007.
  5. 1 2 Barrett, Stephen (June 4, 2007). "Stephen Barrett, M.D., Biographical Sketch". Quackwatch. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  6. ↑ Williams, Elaine S (April 21, 1999). "The JAMA 1998 Editorial Peer Review Audit". Journal of the American Medical Association. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  7. ↑ JAMA Peer Reviewers for 2003
  8. ↑ "Thanks to Reviewers-2001" 135 (12). Annals of Internal Medicine. December 18, 2001: 1098–1106. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  9. ↑ "Introducing the Editorial Board of Medscape". Medscape. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2007.
  10. ↑ "The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine". Quackwatch. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  11. ↑ Sintay and Hagan. From Farrah Fawcett to Suzanne Somers: Is Alternative Medicine Safe?. Barrett participated on Good Morning America, April 7, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Pass the Envelope, Please...: Best Physician- Authored Site". MD Net Guide. May–June 2003. Archived from the original on June 25, 2003. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
  13. 1 2 Joel R. Cooper. "Consumer Health Fraud...don't be a victim! Interview with Stephen Barrett, M.D.". The Medical Reporter. Archived from the original on December 12, 2006.
  14. ↑ "Ten Outstanding Skeptics of the Century". Scientifically Investigating Paranormal and Fringe Science Claims. Skeptical Inquirer. Archived from the original on July 15, 2007. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  15. ↑ Rosen, Marjorie (October 1998). "Interview with Stephen Barrett, M.D". Biography Magazine. Retrieved August 16, 2007.
  16. 1 2 Jaroff, Leon (April 30, 2001). "The Man Who Loves To Bust Quacks". Time. Retrieved August 16, 2007.
  17. ↑ "What Inspired You? — Index of Survey responses". Spiked-Online. Retrieved July 23, 2007.
  18. ↑ "What Inspired You? — Introduction". Spiked-Online. Retrieved July 23, 2007.
  19. 1 2 Barrett, Stephen. "What Inspired You? — Survey responses – Dr Stephen Barrett". Spiked-Online. Retrieved July 23, 2007.
  20. ↑ Baldwin, Fred D. "If It Quacks Like a Duck ...". MedHunters. Archived from the original on February 6, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
  21. ↑ Barrett, Stephen, MD. "Quackwatch mission statement". Quackwatch. Retrieved August 16, 2007.
  22. ↑ Barrett, Stephen, MD (January 28, 2003). "150+ Scientific and Technical Advisors". Quackwatch. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  23. ↑ Barrett, Stephen, MD. "Quackery: How Should It Be Defined?". Quackwatch. Retrieved August 16, 2007.
  24. ↑ Barrett SJ, Jarvis WT. "Quackery, Fraud and "Alternative" Methods: Important Definitions". Quackwatch. Retrieved August 16, 2007.
  25. 1 2 3 Dr. Who? Diagnosing Medical Fraud May Require a Second Opinion. by Donna Ladd, The Village Voice, June 23–29, 1999. Retrieved September 2, 2006
  26. ↑ Barrett SJ. "How do you respond to accusations that your writing is unbalanced?". Quackwatch. Retrieved August 16, 2007.
  27. ↑ Singh S, Ernst E (2008). "The truth about chiropractic therapy". Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine. W.W. Norton. pp. 171–72. ISBN 978-0-393-06661-6.
  28. ↑ Christopher Wanjek. Attacking Their HONor: Some Dispute Value of Logo Used to Verify Accuracy, Integrity Of Health Web Site Contents. Special to The Washington Post, April 20, 2004; Page HE01
  29. ↑ Hufford DJ. David J Hufford, "Symposium article: Evaluating Complementary and Alternative Medicine: The Limits of Science and Scientists." J Law, Medicine & Ethics, 31 (2003): 198–212. Hufford's symposium presentation was the counterpoint for another doctor's presentation, which argued that "alternative medicine" is not medicine at all. See Lawrence J. Schneiderman, "Symposium article: The (Alternative) Medicalization of Life." J Law, Medicine & Ethics, 31 (2003): 191–198.
  30. ↑ "Quackwatch". The Good Web Guide. Retrieved October 13, 2007. Quackwatch is without doubt an important and useful information resource and injects a healthy dose of scepticism into reviewing popular health information. Its aim is to investigate questionable claims made in some sectors of what is now a multi-million pound healthcare industry.
  31. ↑ Forbes.com, Best of the Web website reviews: Quackwatch archived Jan 14 2008
  32. ↑ "Diet Channel Award Review of Quackwatch". Retrieved September 18, 2007. Quackwatch is a very informative site which informs you about health fraud and gives you advice on many decisions.
  33. ↑ Han LF. Selected Web Site Reviews, Quackwatch.com Archived December 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  34. ↑ U.S. News & World Report: The Best of The Web Gets Better Archived January 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  35. ↑ "Science Panel on Interactive Communication and Health". U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). July 11, 2002. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
  36. ↑ "U.S. Department of Health & Human Services". healthfinder.gov (National Health Information Center). Retrieved September 12, 2007.Quackwatch is available from their database.
  37. ↑ W Steven Pray. Ethical, Scientific, and Educational Concerns With Unproven Medications. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. Alexandria: 2006. Vol. 70, Iss. 6; pg. O1, 14 pgs. Quackwatch is named as a reliable source together with Skeptical Inquirer, specifically for pharmacy course on unproven medications and therapies.
  38. ↑ Lawrence B Chonko. If It Walks like a Duck . . . : Concerns about Quackery in Marketing Education. Journal of Marketing Education. Boulder: Apr 2004. Vol. 26, Iss. 1; pg. 4, 13 pgs. Chonko states “Many of the thoughts on which this article is based are adapted from materials found on this site.” (referring to Quackwatch)
  39. ↑ Wallace Sampson, Kimball Atwood IV. Propagation of the Absurd: demarcation of the Absurd revisited. Medical Journal of Australia. Pyrmont: Dec 5 – 19, 2005. Vol. 183, Iss. 11/12; pg. 580 – 1. Sampson states that “CAM source information tends to exclude well known critical and objective web pages such as those found on Quackwatch (www.quackwatch.org).”
  40. ↑ Eleese Cunningham, Wendy Marcason. Internet hoaxes: How to spot them and how to debunk them. American Dietetic Association. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Chicago: Apr 2001. Vol. 101, Iss. 4; pg. 460 – 1. Cunningham and Marcason state that “Two Web sites that can be useful in determining hoaxes are www.quackwatch.com and www.urbanlegends.com.”
  41. ↑ JAMA Patient Page – Click here: How to find reliable online health information and resources, Journal of the American Medical Association 280:1380, 1998.
  42. ↑ Marilynn Larkin. Medical quackery squashers on the web. The Lancet. London: May 16, 1998. Vol. 351, Iss. 9114; pg. 1520 – 2. Names Quackwatch as the premier site for exposing purveyors of health frauds, myths, and fads.
  43. ↑ "Southwest Public Libraries". Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
  44. ↑ "National Network of Libraries of Medicine". Evaluating Health Web Sites, Consumer Health Manual (National Library of Medicine). Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
  45. ↑ "VCU Libraries". Complementary and Alternative Medicine Resource Guide – Fraud and Quackery Resources (Virginia Commonwealth University). Retrieved September 12, 2007. Archived May 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  46. ↑ "Rutgers University Libraries". Finding What You Want on the Web: A Guide (Rutgers University Libraries). Retrieved September 12, 2007. Archived October 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  47. ↑ "USC Libraries – Electronic Resources – Quackwatch". University of Southern California. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
  48. ↑ "Medical Center Library". University of Kentucky Libraries. Retrieved September 12, 2007. Archived November 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  49. ↑ Barrett SJ (August 23, 1985). Commercial hair analysis. Science or scam? JAMA Vol. 254 No. 8.
  50. ↑ Assessment of Commercial Laboratories Performing Hair Mineral Analysis, Seidel S, et al. , JAMA. 2001;285:67–72.
  51. ↑ Barrett SJ. "Books and book chapters". Quackwatch. Retrieved February 12, 2007.

External links

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