I recently found myself the object of unwanted attention from a major television network. On Nov. 3, 2008 CBS Evening News broadcast, "How to Steer Clear of Medical Traps Online," sub-headed "As More Patients Turn To The Internet For A Second Opinion, How Do You Know What's Bogus?" I didn't actually see this broadcast, but it can be found on the CBS Web site, and I assume it aired on most of CBS's 16 owned-and-operated stations and its nearly 200 affiliates. That one-time airing is the least of it, since it is also being reprinted or rebroadcast on 2,130 Web sites.

The author of the story is Jonathan LaPook, MD, CBS's medical correspondent. The main thrust of his story seems to be to promote the negative views on alternative treatments of Barrie Cassileth, PhD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York. In the fourth paragraph of the written version of his story LaPook states that amid the "sea of phony remedies" that he warns are to be found on the Internet, many are supported by testimonials - and he goes on to quote one "that says it's by Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.," reading: ‘Conventional cancer therapy is so toxic and dehumanizing that I fear it far more than I fear death from cancer.'"

I must admit that I had a moment of anxiety when I read this. In the course of a 35-year career one says a lot of things, and not every one of these is precisely targeted. But I know that I do not agree with this statement, as given, and couldn't believe that I ever actually said this. I have criticisms of chemotherapy, of course. But it I had cancer, and decided not to take a particular treatment, that would be my right. End of story. So, in that case, there would be no need to fear the treatment. If, conversely, I decided to take conventional therapy, then by definition I would be showing that I feared death from the disease more than I feared the treatments.

As I looked through my own books and articles, going back to The Cancer Industry (1980), I couldn't find anything resembling this quote. So I felt reassured. Who then said it? And how did this quote get attributed to me? A short session on the Internet solved the puzzle. When I Googled the phrase in question I came up with 2,820 hits. The first of these, http://www.megadisc.com.au/index_files/ifcancer1.htm, quickly provided the answer. It states unequivocally:

"Dr. Whitaker goes on to say more about the treatment of cancer: In my opinion, conventional cancer therapy is so toxic and dehumanizing that I fear it far more than I fear death from cancer."

So, this statement was made by Dr. Whitaker, not by me. Another readily-accessible site (http://www.pau-d-arco.com/ifihadcancer.html) identifies "Dr. Whitaker" as Julian Whitaker, MD, director of Whitaker Wellness in Newport Beach, California and editor of a popular health newsletter. Confusion may have arisen at some point because the statement occurred in the course of a review that Dr. Whitaker kindly wrote of my book Questioning Chemotherapy a dozen years ago. Along the way, someone mistakenly assumed that I wrote the article in question and that Dr. Whitaker's own opinions - clearly identified as such in the original article - were to be attributed to me. A friend helpfully suggested that I write to the Web sites in question and get them to correct this misattribution. But in my experience, getting a single Web site to make a factual change is a daunting task. Convincing 2,820 Web sites to make a task would be a full-time job and would almost certainly not result in success.

Sloppy Journalism

I must say I am surprised at the sloppiness of CBS. I have dealt with many medical journalists over the years, and for most of them fact checking comes as second nature. But I never had an inquiry from CBS on this erroneously ascribed quotation. What I find particularly disturbing is that the author doesn't directly attribute this quotation to me, but says that some obscure Web site "says it's by Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D." Guess what: I am not all that difficult to find. I have a number of popular Web sites of my own. A phone call or email would have quickly cleared up the matter. But when the topic is alleged health fraud, it seems, all the normal rules of journalism seem to go out the window.

FROM THE MAILBAG

Our two newsletters on the subject of spontaneous regression of breast cancer generated considerable interest. Several readers wrote to us, raising questions about the Annals of Internal Medicine study that we discussed, and suggesting that the very significantly higher breast cancer rate noted among women who underwent regular screening mammography (as compared with those who were only screened once, at the end of the study's six year span) could have been due to radiation exposure from the mammography procedure itself.

Although there is some evidence that exposure to ionizing radiation from the screening procedure itself can contribute to an increased risk of breast cancer, it would take at least 10 years, and perhaps as much as 25 years, for such a risk to be realized in terms of increased breast cancer incidence. In other words, the 22 percentage point difference in breast cancer incidence between the women who received regular mammographic screening over the six year time span of this study cannot be attributed to radiation exposure from the imaging procedure alone.

--Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.

PHONE CONSULTATIONS

Recently we received the following comment from a phone consultation client:

"We thoroughly enjoyed our telephone consultation with Ralph Moss, who inspired us with his keen insight and up-to-date information. In a field so pervaded by fear, ignorance and hopelessness his knowledge, enthusiasm and empathy constitute a beacon of light and hope in a bleak and lonely landscape. We are truly grateful for his wise counsel and sensible advice that will enable us to make informed decisions in our search for new avenues and appropriate treatment choices." - N. and A. P. Dec 1, 2008

Clients who have purchased a Moss Report can schedule an appointment for a phone consultation by calling 1-800-980-1234 (814-238-3367 from outside the US) or by submitting a request via email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .