Wednesday, March 17, 2004

Doctor questions ‘facts’ in body restoration techniques

I read with dismay an article entitled, “Some helpful information about body restoration technique” [HealthWise, Feb. 25, 2004]. I am a board-certified pediatric endocrinologist and the “facts” written by the author are clearly outside the realm of any accepted human physiology.

The unsuspecting reader will assume that the author is a physician (she says her patients call her “Dr. V,” thereby avoiding any claim that she calls herself a doctor) and that she is basing her advice and treatment on principles of science that is supported by research.

She is savvy enough to use the lingo of hormones and receptors, but she misrepresents how they truly work, playing on the uninformed mind with an invitation to call her for a demonstration.

Her “article” is nothing more than an advertisement and her article and any future article written by her should be refereed by a panel of licensed medical practitioners before publication in your otherwise reputable newspaper.

I would suggest a retraction of the article and publication of a commentary that states that it is indeed an advertisement and its contents should be taken as such, and not as a statement of medical fact.

Quentin L. Van Meter, M.D.

Peachtree City, Ga.