Stephen J. Barrett, MD
Fellow
Board of Directors
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Stephen Barrett, MD, a retired psychiatrist, is well known as the founder and owner of Quackwatch. Since 1996, this popular consumer information website has been foremost in “combating health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct” and provides vast stores of “quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere.” As the owner of Quackwatch and some two dozen related websites, Dr Barrett is often called on by the media for comment. His free email newsletter Consumer Health Digest is read by thousands.
Dr Barrett graduated from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed his psychiatric training at Temple University Hospital. Forty years ago, he founded the Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud. He went on to co-found the National Council Against Health Fraud and for many years served as an officer and board member. He is on the editorial board of The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine.
Dr Barrett has received numerous awards, including the FDA Commissioner’s Special Citation Award for Public Service for opposing nutrition quackery (1984). He was awarded Honorary Life Membership in the American Dietetic Association (1986). He was honored with the Distinguished Service to Health Education Award from the American Association for Health Education (2001). Quackwatch was awarded “Best Physician-Authored Site” by MD NetGuide (2003).
Dr Barrett was named one of the top ten skeptics of the 20th century by Skeptical Inquirer magazine. He was featured in Biography Magazine (1998) and Time (2001). In 2007, Spiked-Online proclaimed him as one of 134 “key thinkers in science, technology and medicine.” He is listed in Marquis’s Who’s Who in America (from 2001) and Who’s Who in Medicine and Health Care (from 2002).
Selected Books:
Dubious Cancer Treatment, editor with Barrie R. Cassileth (Florida Division of the American Cancer Society, 2001). Featuring over twenty highly respected authorities, explains the dangers of quack medicine, "alternative" cancer remedies, health fads, and "miracle diets." It argues for stronger laws and more vigorous policing of the marketplace.
Health Schemes, Scams, and Frauds (Consumer Reports Books, 1991).
Selected Papers:
- “The origin and current status of Christian Science,” Quackwatch, 2009 Dec 18.
- “Homeopathy: the ultimate fake,” Quackwatch, 2009 Aug 23 [revised].
- “Be wary of ‘fad’ diagnoses,” Quackwatch, 2009 Mar 14 [revised].
- “Twenty-five ways to spot quacks and vitamin pushers” (with V Herbert), Quackwatch, 2008 Mar 19 [revised].
- “Be wary of acupuncture, qigong, and ‘Chinese Medicine,’” Quackwatch, 2007 Dec 30.
- “Antioxidants and other phytochemicals: current scientific perspective,” Quackwatch, 2005 Jun 3.
- “Naturopathic opposition to immunization,” (with KC Atwood), Quackwatch, 2001 Dec 30. “One reason naturopaths (NDs) are held in low regard is their historical opposition to immunization. Some naturopaths now claim that this opposition ‘does not reflect the current view of NDs trained in accredited schools.’ However, a close look indicates that opposition is still widespread.”
- “Questionable cancer therapies” (with V Herbert), Quackwatch, 2001 Jul 6 [revised].
- “PBS broadcast angers chiropractors,” National Council Against Health Fraud, 2001 Jun 18.
- “A close look at Therapeutic Touch” (with LA Rosa, ECR Rosa & LW Sarner), Journal of the American Medical Association, 1998 Apr 1; 279(13):1005-1010. “Twenty-one experienced TT practitioners were unable to detect the investigator’s ‘energy field.’ Their failure to substantiate TT's most fundamental claim is unrefuted evidence that the claims of TT are groundless and that further professional use is unjustified.”
- “Commercial hair analysis: science or scam?” Journal of the American Medical Association, 1985 Aug 23-30; 254(8):1041-1045. “[C]ommercial use of hair analysis in this manner is unscientific, economically wasteful, and probably illegal.”
Podcasts:
- “Interview with Stephen Barrett, MD,” The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe, 2008 Mar 19.
- “Watching out for quackery,” Point of Inquiry, 2008 Jan 4.
Analysis of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (WHCCAMP) Final Report (with TM Gorski):
- “Executive summary,” Quackwatch, 2002 Mar 24.
- “[Chapter 2:] Overview of CAM in the United States: recent history, current status, and prospects for the future,” Quackwatch, 27 Mar 2002.
- “[Chapter 3:] Coordination of research,” Quackwatch, 27 Mar 2002.
- “[Chapter 4:] Education and training of health care practitioners,” Quackwatch, 2002 Mar 31.
- “[Chapter 5:] CAM information development and dissemination,” Quackwatch, 2002 Mar 30.
- “[Chapter 6:] Access and delivery,” Quackwatch, 2002 Mar 26.
- “[Chapter 7:] Coverage and reimbursement,” Quackwatch, 2002 Mar 25.
- “[Chapter 8:] CAM in wellness and health promotion,” Quackwatch, 2002 Mar 25.
- “[Chapter 9:] Coordinating federal CAM efforts,” Quackwatch, 2002 Mar 25.
- “[Chapter 10:] Recommendations and actions,” Quackwatch, 2002 Mar 24.
Webcasts:
- Panel discussion at The Amazing Meeting 2, James Randi Educational Foundation, 2004 Jan 15-18.
- Appearance on Penn & Teller’s exposé on Therapeutic Touch.
Additional Recognition:
- Marquis Who's Who in Science and Engineering, 2001-
- Marquis Who's Who in the World, 2002-
- Marquis Who's Who in Medicine and Health Care, 2002-
- Marquis Who's Who in American Education, 2006-
In the News:
- “Doctor’s Data sues Quackwatch,” by Kimball C. Atwood, Science Based Medicine, 2010 Jul 5.
- “Quackwatch founder Stephen Barrett takes on health care reform myths,” Terra Sigilata, 2009 Sep 7.
- “Words to Live By in Infomercial World: Caveat Emptor,” by Damion Darlin, The New York Times, 2006 Apr 8.
- “If it quacks like a duck … a retired Pennsylvania psychiatrist uses the Internet to debunk health-related fads and fallacies,” by Fred D. Baldwin, Medhunters, 2002 Summer.
- “Hulda Clark rebuttal” (with T Polevoy & L Bernstein), Tony Brown’s Journal, PBS, 2000. “In this two-part discussion, Dr Terry Polevoy, Dr Stephen Barrett, chairman of Quackwatch, and Dr Leslie Bernstein, a professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, challenge Dr Hulda Clark’s theories and methods for identifying and eliminating the causes of disease.”
Complete Bibliography:
The Online Steve Barrett:
- Healthfraud Discussion List
- Consumer Health Sourcebook
- Allergy Watch
- Acupuncture Watch
- Autism Watch
- Cancer Treatment Watch
- Casewatch (legal cases)
- Chelation Watch
- Chirobase
- Credential Watch
- Dental Watch
- Device Watch
- Diet Scam Watch
- Homeowatch (homeopathy)
- Internet Health Pilot (guide to reliable information)
- Insurance Reform Watch
- Infomercial Watch
- Mental Health Watch
- MLM Watch (multi-level marketing)
- National Council Against Health Fraud Archive
- Naturowatch (naturopathy)
- NCCAM Watch
- Nutriwatch (nutrition facts and fallacies)
- Pharmwatch