Weston Price, D.D.S. (September 6, 1870 – January 23, 1948)
Dr. Price is regarded by very few as “one of the greatest dentists ever,” not because of his clinical skill or knowledge, but because his antiquated writings agree with uninformed practitioners of today.
Weston Price finished dental school in 1893. At this time, there was only one universal solution for a toothache – extraction. At this time, you may have seen a dentist, your barber, or even a blacksmith for extraction! A few “clinicians” were attempting to save teeth via rudimentary root canal treatment, however. The exact same tools used in these trades were used on your teeth. No anesthesia (e.g. novocaine, lidocaine) was used; perhaps a bottle of whiskey. No x-rays were taken to diagnose problems let alone determine if treatment was done properly. It was amazing that any teeth were even saved during these times, but the practitioners did the best they could.
It is during this backdrop that Dr. Price started to investigate root canal treatment. His knowledge of proper study design and experimental technique was rudimentary even for his time. Price claimed root canal treated teeth cause disease.
Dr. Price began to publish his dubious studies in the 1920’s. His big claim and the one cited by Joseph Mercola (and other misinformed individuals) was the patient with arthritis having a root canaled treated tooth extracted, and the tooth then was implanted into a rabbit which subsequently died. Dr. Price failed to recognize the shortcomings of his misguided experiment. The implanted tooth consisted of a poorly done, failing root canal which was covered in saliva, plaque and tartar into a rabbit, and it developed “crippling arthritis”(like the patient), sepsis, and died. Big deal. Admittedly, our understanding of medicine and dentistry was very limited 100 years ago. Is Dr. Mercola’s knowledge base as limited as Dr. Price’s? Any physician knows one of the most prominent types of bacteria in the human mouth is Streptococcus. Strep is present in everyone’s mouth. We are not born with it; we acquire it through our environment usually by age 2, whether it be from our mother, toys we place in our mouth, foods we consume etc. Strep causes strep infections such as strep throat and possibly rheumatic fever in severe cases or if left untreated. One pathognomonic symptom is severe joint pain! Dr. Price was not able to recognize the result of his most amazing experiment was due to the bacterial film surrounding the tooth. Also the patient suffering with crippling arthritis was nothing more than joint inflammation from a severe Strep infection. Additionally,the human tooth relative to the size of the rabbit would be like taking anything the size of your forearm, coating it in plaque, saliva, and calculus, implanting it in your back under non-sterile conditions, then developing infection and dying. Lastly, yet most importantly, root canal treatment back then consisted of wedging an orangewood stick or a heated wire into the canals in a tooth and calling the treatment finished. Well, the infection definitely persisted because sterility was not understood, no antibacterial irrigants or medications were used inside the tooth during root canal therapy, no rubber dams were used to prevent oral bacteria and saliva from recontaminating the tooth DURING treatment, no surgical operating microscopes were used to find all the canals, poor restorations were used that never sealed a tooth and instead leaked like a sieve, etc. It is so completely different now. Comparing Dr. Price’s antiquated experiment with a SAMPLE SIZE OF ONE, with modern treatment is akin to comparing “bleeding” patients in order to treat “wasting disease” with modern antiviral therapy to combat HIV. Failed root canals do harbor bacteria, but the critical element is to have them performed correctly. Often times, non-specialists perform the treatment poorly allowing for infection to persist. It is completely different when performed by a quality specialist (an endodontist). A terrible root canal performed under disgusting conditions in the early 1900’s does not demonstrate anything – see below.
Wikipedia even states,"Compared to modern research, Price's studies lacked proper control groups, used excessive doses of bacteria, and had bacterial contamination during teeth extraction, leading to experimental biases." See Wikipedia.
Dr. Price is regarded by very few as “one of the greatest dentists ever,” not because of his clinical skill or knowledge, but because his antiquated writings agree with uninformed practitioners of today.
Weston Price finished dental school in 1893. At this time, there was only one universal solution for a toothache – extraction. At this time, you may have seen a dentist, your barber, or even a blacksmith for extraction! A few “clinicians” were attempting to save teeth via rudimentary root canal treatment, however. The exact same tools used in these trades were used on your teeth. No anesthesia (e.g. novocaine, lidocaine) was used; perhaps a bottle of whiskey. No x-rays were taken to diagnose problems let alone determine if treatment was done properly. It was amazing that any teeth were even saved during these times, but the practitioners did the best they could.
It is during this backdrop that Dr. Price started to investigate root canal treatment. His knowledge of proper study design and experimental technique was rudimentary even for his time. Price claimed root canal treated teeth cause disease.
Dr. Price began to publish his dubious studies in the 1920’s. His big claim and the one cited by Joseph Mercola (and other misinformed individuals) was the patient with arthritis having a root canaled treated tooth extracted, and the tooth then was implanted into a rabbit which subsequently died. Dr. Price failed to recognize the shortcomings of his misguided experiment. The implanted tooth consisted of a poorly done, failing root canal which was covered in saliva, plaque and tartar into a rabbit, and it developed “crippling arthritis”(like the patient), sepsis, and died. Big deal. Admittedly, our understanding of medicine and dentistry was very limited 100 years ago. Is Dr. Mercola’s knowledge base as limited as Dr. Price’s? Any physician knows one of the most prominent types of bacteria in the human mouth is Streptococcus. Strep is present in everyone’s mouth. We are not born with it; we acquire it through our environment usually by age 2, whether it be from our mother, toys we place in our mouth, foods we consume etc. Strep causes strep infections such as strep throat and possibly rheumatic fever in severe cases or if left untreated. One pathognomonic symptom is severe joint pain! Dr. Price was not able to recognize the result of his most amazing experiment was due to the bacterial film surrounding the tooth. Also the patient suffering with crippling arthritis was nothing more than joint inflammation from a severe Strep infection. Additionally,the human tooth relative to the size of the rabbit would be like taking anything the size of your forearm, coating it in plaque, saliva, and calculus, implanting it in your back under non-sterile conditions, then developing infection and dying. Lastly, yet most importantly, root canal treatment back then consisted of wedging an orangewood stick or a heated wire into the canals in a tooth and calling the treatment finished. Well, the infection definitely persisted because sterility was not understood, no antibacterial irrigants or medications were used inside the tooth during root canal therapy, no rubber dams were used to prevent oral bacteria and saliva from recontaminating the tooth DURING treatment, no surgical operating microscopes were used to find all the canals, poor restorations were used that never sealed a tooth and instead leaked like a sieve, etc. It is so completely different now. Comparing Dr. Price’s antiquated experiment with a SAMPLE SIZE OF ONE, with modern treatment is akin to comparing “bleeding” patients in order to treat “wasting disease” with modern antiviral therapy to combat HIV. Failed root canals do harbor bacteria, but the critical element is to have them performed correctly. Often times, non-specialists perform the treatment poorly allowing for infection to persist. It is completely different when performed by a quality specialist (an endodontist). A terrible root canal performed under disgusting conditions in the early 1900’s does not demonstrate anything – see below.
Wikipedia even states,"Compared to modern research, Price's studies lacked proper control groups, used excessive doses of bacteria, and had bacterial contamination during teeth extraction, leading to experimental biases." See Wikipedia.
Hal Huggins, D.D.S. -Huggins received the degree doctor of dental surgery (DDS) from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1962
Hal Huggins is universally regarded as beset with ignorance at best, and a deceptive charlatan at worst. He has no license to practice dentistry. In 1996 Huggins was found guilty of deceptive advertising, practicing beyond dentistry's scope, and gross negligence at his treatment facility, and his license was revoked.
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/huggins.html
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/holisticdent.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Huggins
I know Hal and his 12 ignorant followers will claim the state of Colorado and organized dentistry are operating in coordination to suppress “the truth.” Either they are delusional, or want to create a niche market for themselves by claiming the entire rest of the world is operating in collusion. Its amazing that the entire body of knowledgeable dentists, medical doctors, researchers, the World Health Organization, etc. advocate AGAINST Hal Huggins and his moronic disciples. Even the Mayo clinic (which Mercola erroneously cites - see below) has a clear position statement AGAINST Hal Huggins’ main claim – that dental amalgam fillings are unsafe:
http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/amalgam-is-a-safe-and-durable-choice-for-fillings/
Hal Huggins is someone who truly lacks credibility.
Hal Huggins is universally regarded as beset with ignorance at best, and a deceptive charlatan at worst. He has no license to practice dentistry. In 1996 Huggins was found guilty of deceptive advertising, practicing beyond dentistry's scope, and gross negligence at his treatment facility, and his license was revoked.
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/huggins.html
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/holisticdent.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Huggins
I know Hal and his 12 ignorant followers will claim the state of Colorado and organized dentistry are operating in coordination to suppress “the truth.” Either they are delusional, or want to create a niche market for themselves by claiming the entire rest of the world is operating in collusion. Its amazing that the entire body of knowledgeable dentists, medical doctors, researchers, the World Health Organization, etc. advocate AGAINST Hal Huggins and his moronic disciples. Even the Mayo clinic (which Mercola erroneously cites - see below) has a clear position statement AGAINST Hal Huggins’ main claim – that dental amalgam fillings are unsafe:
http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/amalgam-is-a-safe-and-durable-choice-for-fillings/
Hal Huggins is someone who truly lacks credibility.
George Meinig, D.D.S., author of Root Canal Cover Up.
George Meinig is reverently discussed as a founding member of the American Association of Endodontists, and theoretically has significant clout. However, George Meinig was never trained as an endodontist! That’s correct. The specialty of endodontics did not exist until it was recognized by the American Dental Association in 1964. Prior to this time, root canal therapy was scarcely taught at many schools, and our knowledge base was so limited. Any information communicated to others was from general dentists. Recognition of significant additional research and understanding lead to the notion of establishing a specialty dealing specifically with root canal therapy.
The genesis of the American Association of Endodontists was nothing more than a meeting of general dentists whom were interested in root canal therapy. It in no way was exclusive, let alone confirmed those in attendance were good practitioners let alone knowledgeable. George Meinig may have been an early member, but this does not mean anything! The quality of root canal treatment he shows in his book, “Root Canal Cover-up” is quite poor! It’s amazing a single tooth ever was successful. Not to be overly critical of Dr. Meinig, but root canal treatment was still in its infancy especially as shown in his work. His fallacy is judging ALL treatment based upon what he witnessed and produced. Incidentally, he even does show some quality endodontics in his book and remarks if root canals were performed like this, he would have no problem with them. Well, they are performed well routinely by qualified and well-trained clinicians, just perhaps not by you or your colleagues whose cases are shown in your book! Don’t universally spout that the treatment does not work and use that broad of a brush, when the truth is much more nuanced.
Root canal treatment does work! It is recognized as a very successful treatment option, when performed correctly! I see patients every week where they are told a tooth is cracked or the root canal “did not take” and needs extraction. Often times the tooth can be saved simply by performing the root canal CORRECTLY. So often root canal therapy is performed poorly, especially by non-specialists. Entire roots go untreated which ALWAYS leads to abscess development. I routinely treat these teeth and the infection completely resolves. For example, your upper first molar has 4 canals present >90% of the time. I have retreated (re-root canaled) 1000’s of cases with persistent infection. I have never once found all four canals treated by general dentists. Not treating these teeth properly is the greatest cause of root canal problems. But this in no way causes or is even related to cancer!
The real problem with root canals is not the treatment itself; the problem is if the treatment is completed poorly, and beneath the standard of care. Rubber dams not being used = allows saliva and oral bacteria into the tooth during treatment. A lack of antimicrobial irrigants (which are necessary to kill bacteria) = allows for persistent infection. Poor obturation = leads to either nonexistent or deficient sealing of the root canal system which in turn allows for leakage. No smear layer removal = leaves behind bacteria, etc. Unfortunately, it’s a procedure that can be performed poorly with relative ease - it is VERY difficult to perform well with a high degree of proficiency. I am seeing so many root canal teeth requiring retreatment now from the same practitioners continually doing a terrible job - just like they did in 1920. It’s always amusing when these same practitioners, whom always do "their own endo", routinely send their family and friends to the specialist because they know there is A BIG DIFFERENCE.
http://www.endoruddle.com/blogs/show/18/quack-watch-keeping-your-patients-informed
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/holisticdent.html
It is really aggravating when uninformed practitioners such as Huggins, Meinig, and Mercola (see below) pretend they know so much more than 100,000's of practitioners. I personally know a few just like them from my dental school class. They almost invariably finished in the bottom half of their class, and confuse patients with their own stupidity. I also suspect that catering to this niche market is their only means of making money or staving off the death of their practice.
George Meinig is reverently discussed as a founding member of the American Association of Endodontists, and theoretically has significant clout. However, George Meinig was never trained as an endodontist! That’s correct. The specialty of endodontics did not exist until it was recognized by the American Dental Association in 1964. Prior to this time, root canal therapy was scarcely taught at many schools, and our knowledge base was so limited. Any information communicated to others was from general dentists. Recognition of significant additional research and understanding lead to the notion of establishing a specialty dealing specifically with root canal therapy.
The genesis of the American Association of Endodontists was nothing more than a meeting of general dentists whom were interested in root canal therapy. It in no way was exclusive, let alone confirmed those in attendance were good practitioners let alone knowledgeable. George Meinig may have been an early member, but this does not mean anything! The quality of root canal treatment he shows in his book, “Root Canal Cover-up” is quite poor! It’s amazing a single tooth ever was successful. Not to be overly critical of Dr. Meinig, but root canal treatment was still in its infancy especially as shown in his work. His fallacy is judging ALL treatment based upon what he witnessed and produced. Incidentally, he even does show some quality endodontics in his book and remarks if root canals were performed like this, he would have no problem with them. Well, they are performed well routinely by qualified and well-trained clinicians, just perhaps not by you or your colleagues whose cases are shown in your book! Don’t universally spout that the treatment does not work and use that broad of a brush, when the truth is much more nuanced.
Root canal treatment does work! It is recognized as a very successful treatment option, when performed correctly! I see patients every week where they are told a tooth is cracked or the root canal “did not take” and needs extraction. Often times the tooth can be saved simply by performing the root canal CORRECTLY. So often root canal therapy is performed poorly, especially by non-specialists. Entire roots go untreated which ALWAYS leads to abscess development. I routinely treat these teeth and the infection completely resolves. For example, your upper first molar has 4 canals present >90% of the time. I have retreated (re-root canaled) 1000’s of cases with persistent infection. I have never once found all four canals treated by general dentists. Not treating these teeth properly is the greatest cause of root canal problems. But this in no way causes or is even related to cancer!
The real problem with root canals is not the treatment itself; the problem is if the treatment is completed poorly, and beneath the standard of care. Rubber dams not being used = allows saliva and oral bacteria into the tooth during treatment. A lack of antimicrobial irrigants (which are necessary to kill bacteria) = allows for persistent infection. Poor obturation = leads to either nonexistent or deficient sealing of the root canal system which in turn allows for leakage. No smear layer removal = leaves behind bacteria, etc. Unfortunately, it’s a procedure that can be performed poorly with relative ease - it is VERY difficult to perform well with a high degree of proficiency. I am seeing so many root canal teeth requiring retreatment now from the same practitioners continually doing a terrible job - just like they did in 1920. It’s always amusing when these same practitioners, whom always do "their own endo", routinely send their family and friends to the specialist because they know there is A BIG DIFFERENCE.
http://www.endoruddle.com/blogs/show/18/quack-watch-keeping-your-patients-informed
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/holisticdent.html
It is really aggravating when uninformed practitioners such as Huggins, Meinig, and Mercola (see below) pretend they know so much more than 100,000's of practitioners. I personally know a few just like them from my dental school class. They almost invariably finished in the bottom half of their class, and confuse patients with their own stupidity. I also suspect that catering to this niche market is their only means of making money or staving off the death of their practice.
Joseph Mercola, D.O. (1954- ) is an alternative medicine proponent, osteopathic physician, and web entrepreneur, who markets a variety of controversial dietary supplements and medical devices through his website, mercola.com. He demonstrates his minimal knowledge of dentistry in his writings, but especially by being a disciple of the above 3 misinformed "practitioners." He has received numerous warnings and orders to cease and desist from the Food and Drug Administration regarding his deceptive practices, but refuses to comply (see here - Mercola FDA troubles).
Mercola states the original researchers at Mayo Clinic proved that root canal therapy was unsafe. Again, no such proof can be found that the above statement was ever made (the only mention of this is on dubious websites such as Mercola’s). Secondly, even if one can find that claim (which does not exist – it’s a lie) that was 100 years ago which is completely different than today’s treatment. Lastly, Mayo Clinic offers root canal therapy to their patients requiring it – in the Specialty clinic (not performed by general dentists). Do you really believe Mayo Clinic is suppressing their OWN research and performing treatment they had shown to be dangerous? If you believe that is true, no amount of evidence to the contrary would likely sway you. (You likely also believe the moon landing was a hoax.)
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/root-canal/de00010
http://www.mayoclinic.org/dental-rst/diseases.html
The information contained in this section is to directly combat Joseph Mercola’s site:
http://www.mercola.com/article/dental/rootcanal/alternative.htm
Once again Dr. Mercola engages in dubious and dishonest behavior. On other links, Mercola states a root canal should be avoided and all should be extracted– PERIOD.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/18/dangers-of-root-canaled-teeth.aspx
Mercola states the original researchers at Mayo Clinic proved that root canal therapy was unsafe. Again, no such proof can be found that the above statement was ever made (the only mention of this is on dubious websites such as Mercola’s). Secondly, even if one can find that claim (which does not exist – it’s a lie) that was 100 years ago which is completely different than today’s treatment. Lastly, Mayo Clinic offers root canal therapy to their patients requiring it – in the Specialty clinic (not performed by general dentists). Do you really believe Mayo Clinic is suppressing their OWN research and performing treatment they had shown to be dangerous? If you believe that is true, no amount of evidence to the contrary would likely sway you. (You likely also believe the moon landing was a hoax.)
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/root-canal/de00010
http://www.mayoclinic.org/dental-rst/diseases.html
The information contained in this section is to directly combat Joseph Mercola’s site:
http://www.mercola.com/article/dental/rootcanal/alternative.htm
Once again Dr. Mercola engages in dubious and dishonest behavior. On other links, Mercola states a root canal should be avoided and all should be extracted– PERIOD.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/18/dangers-of-root-canaled-teeth.aspx
From Mercola's site
Apparently he changes his tune and allows for the possibility of keeping your tooth, IF you BUY a kit from “Dr. Pendergrass at the University of Kentucky.” The problem is Dr. Curt Pendergrass (whom he is referencing) does NOT work at or with the University of Kentucky! Copy and paste this link below and see for yourself. You can even enter that information in the search fields on that page to see for yourself.
http://ukcc.uky.edu/cgi-bin/phq?def=uk&brief=3&sort=0&exact=&field=name&value=Curt+pendergrass&x=32&y=10&field=&value=
He encourages his clients to contact Dr. Pendergrass (at the University of Kentucky – not true) by clicking on a hyperlink which directs one to an email address at Altcorp.com! Not surprisingly, Altcorp is a business willing to sell you an assay kit! Also even less surprising, is that Curt Pendergrass is a founder of this company willing to sell you the assay kit. Digging a little further, one finds Boyd E. Haley Ph.D. listed as the other founder of Altcorp, Inc. (apparently a division of TEST). Not surprisingly, Boyd Haley is listed as the ONLY member of the Board of Directors. I have never encountered any legitimate company with only one member on its Board.
http://iaomt.org/TestFoundation/testfounders.htm
In Boyd Haley’s biography, it even prominently lists him as Chair of the Chemistry Department at the University of Kentucky. Below is the exact link listed in his biography:
http://www.rgs.uky.edu/ca/odyssey/spring00/crossroads.html
The hyperlink contained above is not functional; shocking! So I decided to enter his name in the University of Kentucky’s Directory and Person Search. Amazingly, NO Boyd Haley exists! You will find a person named Haley Michelle Boyd. Again I am suspicious that Joseph Mercola just expects those whom are his disciples will never check neither the accuracy nor honesty of ANYTHING he claims. His web of lies is quite intricate. See Below: Or to see for yourself, go to the below website and enter “Boyd’s” information!
http://www.uky.edu/Directory/
I AM LEFT WONDERING IF THESE PERSONS EVEN EXIST!!!! Is this an elaborate hoax orchestrated by Joseph Mercola, D.O.?
Joseph Mercola is dishonest and many would argue a charlatan. His understanding of modern dentistry is quite poor. He continually references Dr. Weston Price from the early 1900’s. Dentistry has so vastly improved in the last 100 years, thank God!
Trying to equate the misguided findings of Dr. Price with modern dentistry and root canal therapy, is like comparing 1)“bleeding patients” to combat “wasting disease” and 2) modern retroviral therapy to combat HIV. Everyone knows the monumental difference except Joseph Mercola and his followers amazingly. The cynical side of me suspects it has everything to do with the high-priced supplements and “cures” Dr. Mercola is willing to sell you. These products are often at greatly inflated prices; where does at that extra money go?
I know that many persons feel western medicine has failed, been untruthful, or ignorant of homeopathic or naturalist practices. I personally have tried chiropractic, acupuncture, diet, miracle foods, yoga, meditation, massage, healing touch, etc. for back and neck pain yet never had long term relief, let alone a cure. Would I say that these modalities have no value for anyone? – absolutely not. For every person that has had western medicine fail them, there are others that have received no amelioration using the above “natural” remedies. I know these practitioners attract certain types of patients who distrust western medicine, associations (e.g. American Heart Association, American Dental Association, World Health Organization, etc), and conventionally trained doctors. These patients believe that these entities are at best misguided and misinformed, and at worst deceitful. The real deceit is these practitioners, such as Joseph Mercola, masquerading as experts. Others have attacked his qualifications, his education, his degree, his alma mater, etc. I will refrain from such. However, credentialing and expertise of practitioners like Dr. Mercola is highly suspect with no substantiating qualifications other than opposing what is commonly held to be true. Typical charlatan behavior.
http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/mercola.html
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Joseph_Mercola
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/February-2012/Dr-Joseph-Mercola-Visionary-or-Quack/
Please Note: Even the Better Business Bureau had awarded Mercola.com an “F “rating! (see above Chicagomag.com link). Recently Mercola changed the name of his business entity in order to start over with a “fresh” rating from the BBB. Again, dishonest and unethical behavior is routinely associated with Mercola.
I encourage anyone who has a few moments to make an online complaint with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional regulation:
https://www.idfpr.com/Admin/Filing/DPR/Complaint.asp
Perhaps the most effective way to deal with dubious practitioners such as Mercola, is having their licenses revoked.
http://ukcc.uky.edu/cgi-bin/phq?def=uk&brief=3&sort=0&exact=&field=name&value=Curt+pendergrass&x=32&y=10&field=&value=
He encourages his clients to contact Dr. Pendergrass (at the University of Kentucky – not true) by clicking on a hyperlink which directs one to an email address at Altcorp.com! Not surprisingly, Altcorp is a business willing to sell you an assay kit! Also even less surprising, is that Curt Pendergrass is a founder of this company willing to sell you the assay kit. Digging a little further, one finds Boyd E. Haley Ph.D. listed as the other founder of Altcorp, Inc. (apparently a division of TEST). Not surprisingly, Boyd Haley is listed as the ONLY member of the Board of Directors. I have never encountered any legitimate company with only one member on its Board.
http://iaomt.org/TestFoundation/testfounders.htm
In Boyd Haley’s biography, it even prominently lists him as Chair of the Chemistry Department at the University of Kentucky. Below is the exact link listed in his biography:
http://www.rgs.uky.edu/ca/odyssey/spring00/crossroads.html
The hyperlink contained above is not functional; shocking! So I decided to enter his name in the University of Kentucky’s Directory and Person Search. Amazingly, NO Boyd Haley exists! You will find a person named Haley Michelle Boyd. Again I am suspicious that Joseph Mercola just expects those whom are his disciples will never check neither the accuracy nor honesty of ANYTHING he claims. His web of lies is quite intricate. See Below: Or to see for yourself, go to the below website and enter “Boyd’s” information!
http://www.uky.edu/Directory/
I AM LEFT WONDERING IF THESE PERSONS EVEN EXIST!!!! Is this an elaborate hoax orchestrated by Joseph Mercola, D.O.?
Joseph Mercola is dishonest and many would argue a charlatan. His understanding of modern dentistry is quite poor. He continually references Dr. Weston Price from the early 1900’s. Dentistry has so vastly improved in the last 100 years, thank God!
Trying to equate the misguided findings of Dr. Price with modern dentistry and root canal therapy, is like comparing 1)“bleeding patients” to combat “wasting disease” and 2) modern retroviral therapy to combat HIV. Everyone knows the monumental difference except Joseph Mercola and his followers amazingly. The cynical side of me suspects it has everything to do with the high-priced supplements and “cures” Dr. Mercola is willing to sell you. These products are often at greatly inflated prices; where does at that extra money go?
I know that many persons feel western medicine has failed, been untruthful, or ignorant of homeopathic or naturalist practices. I personally have tried chiropractic, acupuncture, diet, miracle foods, yoga, meditation, massage, healing touch, etc. for back and neck pain yet never had long term relief, let alone a cure. Would I say that these modalities have no value for anyone? – absolutely not. For every person that has had western medicine fail them, there are others that have received no amelioration using the above “natural” remedies. I know these practitioners attract certain types of patients who distrust western medicine, associations (e.g. American Heart Association, American Dental Association, World Health Organization, etc), and conventionally trained doctors. These patients believe that these entities are at best misguided and misinformed, and at worst deceitful. The real deceit is these practitioners, such as Joseph Mercola, masquerading as experts. Others have attacked his qualifications, his education, his degree, his alma mater, etc. I will refrain from such. However, credentialing and expertise of practitioners like Dr. Mercola is highly suspect with no substantiating qualifications other than opposing what is commonly held to be true. Typical charlatan behavior.
http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/mercola.html
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Joseph_Mercola
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/February-2012/Dr-Joseph-Mercola-Visionary-or-Quack/
Please Note: Even the Better Business Bureau had awarded Mercola.com an “F “rating! (see above Chicagomag.com link). Recently Mercola changed the name of his business entity in order to start over with a “fresh” rating from the BBB. Again, dishonest and unethical behavior is routinely associated with Mercola.
I encourage anyone who has a few moments to make an online complaint with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional regulation:
https://www.idfpr.com/Admin/Filing/DPR/Complaint.asp
Perhaps the most effective way to deal with dubious practitioners such as Mercola, is having their licenses revoked.
Several other websites have taken Dr. Mercola's article and plagiarized it verbatim. Likely they obtained his permission because it would help Mercola promote himself and his ignorant notions. A quick perusal on these websites shows they are truly interested in only selling their wares.
http://www.realfarmacy.com/97-of-terminal-cancer-patients-previously-had-this-dental-procedure/
Briefly, Dr. Mercola cites unpublished data from Dr. Josef Issel, which claims 97% of persons whom Issel treated for cancer also had root canals. But NO ONE can present the data because it DOES NOT EXIST. This fictitious data set apparently has not stopped moronic “conclusions” from showing up on numerous quack sites. The study or data is not published anywhere! I can claim that root canal treatment extends your life by two years but will never publish my data to support this. If I have a few other websites repeat this claim, it must be true, right? 97% of cancer patients Issel has treated had root canals? Even if this “evidence” existed, this is not evidence of anything. It IN NO WAY PROVES or even points to root canals causing cancer. This does not establish causality meaning one thing (root canals) causes or is linked to another (cancer). This "report" from Dr. Issel is astoundingly stupid and ignorant, but what’s more amazing is Joseph Mercola seemingly cannot understand this. Ninety-seven percent seems fairly conclusive, right? I would bet 100% of those patients had brushed their teeth. 100% had probably eaten vegetables at some point in their life. Additionally 100% had ridden in a car in their lifetime. 100% had exercised at some point in their lifetime. Greater than 90% had taken a supplement, vitamin, or health food at least once in their life. Should we stop brushing our teeth, riding in cars, exercising, or taken supplements? NO! These are all completely illogical associations that IN NO WAY PROVE CASUALITY. Just because a correlation exists, provides NO EVIDENCE that it is true. Another example is that 93% of homosexual men have at least one filling. Does this mean that fillings cause homosexuality? You would laugh at me if I made that claim, but that is EXACTLY what Mercola is doing. A real doctor knows to examine for evidence.
For a much more detailed response to these fallacious claims, visit The Truth: Root Canals and Cancer
http://www.realfarmacy.com/97-of-terminal-cancer-patients-previously-had-this-dental-procedure/
Briefly, Dr. Mercola cites unpublished data from Dr. Josef Issel, which claims 97% of persons whom Issel treated for cancer also had root canals. But NO ONE can present the data because it DOES NOT EXIST. This fictitious data set apparently has not stopped moronic “conclusions” from showing up on numerous quack sites. The study or data is not published anywhere! I can claim that root canal treatment extends your life by two years but will never publish my data to support this. If I have a few other websites repeat this claim, it must be true, right? 97% of cancer patients Issel has treated had root canals? Even if this “evidence” existed, this is not evidence of anything. It IN NO WAY PROVES or even points to root canals causing cancer. This does not establish causality meaning one thing (root canals) causes or is linked to another (cancer). This "report" from Dr. Issel is astoundingly stupid and ignorant, but what’s more amazing is Joseph Mercola seemingly cannot understand this. Ninety-seven percent seems fairly conclusive, right? I would bet 100% of those patients had brushed their teeth. 100% had probably eaten vegetables at some point in their life. Additionally 100% had ridden in a car in their lifetime. 100% had exercised at some point in their lifetime. Greater than 90% had taken a supplement, vitamin, or health food at least once in their life. Should we stop brushing our teeth, riding in cars, exercising, or taken supplements? NO! These are all completely illogical associations that IN NO WAY PROVE CASUALITY. Just because a correlation exists, provides NO EVIDENCE that it is true. Another example is that 93% of homosexual men have at least one filling. Does this mean that fillings cause homosexuality? You would laugh at me if I made that claim, but that is EXACTLY what Mercola is doing. A real doctor knows to examine for evidence.
For a much more detailed response to these fallacious claims, visit The Truth: Root Canals and Cancer