Timothy N. Gorski, MD
Fellow
Arlington, Texas, USA
The controversy is not fundamentally one between personalities or philosophies but between
reason and unreason in the sphere of the marketplace for health-related products and services.
—Timothy N. Gorski
Timothy N. Gorski, MD, FACOG, practices obstetrics and gynecology in Arlington, Texas. He has served as President of the Greater Dallas-Fort Worth Council Against Health Fraud and on the Board of Directors of the National Council Against Health Fraud. He is Associate Editor for the Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, to date the only peer-reviewed journal devoted exclusively to objectively analyzing the claims of “alternative medicine.”
Dr Gorski took on the important task of revealing the many flaws in various surveys gauging the use of “complementary and alternative medicine” ("CAM") practices. These surveys, which misrepresented and greatly inflated the value placed on such practices to the public, were being used to legitimize unscientific practices and advance public funding for them. Dr Gorski was also a leading critic of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy set up in President Clinton’s administration. Dr Gorski has testified before the US Senate on the subject of medical quackery. He served as a consultant on "CAM" for the Federation of State Medical Boards.
Dr Gorski took his undergraduate degree in biochemical sciences at Harvard University, doing independent study under the guidance of the pioneering ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes (1915-2001), known as the "Father of Enthobotany." (Inexplicably, leading "CAM" proponent Andrew Weil also claims to be influenced by Schultes.)
Dr. Gorski earned his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1982 and completed his internship and residency at the University of Colorado. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center.
Selected Writings:
- “Gordon Commission spins a tangled web,” British Medical Journal, 13 Apr 2002. Letter.
- “Analysis of WHCCAMP’s November 2001 draft report” (with SJ Barrett), Quackwatch, 31 Mar 2002.
- “Response to a letter in The Washington Post by WHCCAMP chair James S. Gordon,” Quackwatch, 29 Mar 2002. “WHCCAMP Chair James S. Gordon, MD, is upset that his 2-year pet project is under attack. On March 26, 2002, The Washington Post printed a letter in which he defended his irresponsible behavior. This letter is a response.”
- “The Eisenberg data: flawed and deceptive,” Quackwatch, 16 Mar 2002.
- “How to investigate aberrant practice practitioners: a case of primary lateral sclerosis,” Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, 2001 Summer; 5(3):.
- “White House Commission stacked against science,” Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, 2001 Winter; 5(1):7-8.
- “Should religion and spiritual concerns be more influential in American healthcare? No,” American Council on Science and Health, 2000 Mar 1.
- “Use of hypericum as antidepressant: active substances must be identified,” British Medical Journal, 22 Apr 2000; 320(7242):1142.
- "Do the Eisenberg Data hold up?” Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, 1999 Fall-Winter; 3(2):62-69.
- “Does acupuncture affect labor and delivery?” Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, 1999 Spring-Summer; 3(1):.
- “Dr. White’s vision therapy,” The Skeptic, the Newsletter of the North Texas Skeptics, Oct 1992.
- “Can herbs help induce lactation?” Quackwatch.
Analysis of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (WHCCAMP) Final Report (with SJ Barrett):
- “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.
Testimony:
- “Current issues in protecting the public from health fraud: ‘dietary supplements’ as a public health problem,” United States Senate Special Committee on Aging; Hearing on Swindlers, Hucksters and Snake Oil Salesmen: The Hype and Hope of Marketing Anti-Aging Products to Seniors, 2001 Sep 10.
- A written response to the statement of the Honorable Dan Burton (R-IN), Chairman, House Committee on Government Reform; United States Senate Special Committee on Aging, Hearing on Swindlers, Hucksters and Snake Oil Salesmen: The Hype and Hope of Marketing Anti-Aging Products to Seniors, 2001 Sep 10.
In the News:
- “Cancer quack or miracle worker?” Special K Style, 2010 Feb 23.
- “Cancer doctor Stanislaw Burzynski sees himself as a crusading researcher, not a quack” (by Craig Malisow), Houston Press, 2008 Dec 31. Dr Gorski says Burzynski is “selling hope at a high price.”
- “How State Medical Boards Shoot Themselves (and You) in the Foot” (by KC Atwood), Science-Based Medicine, 2008 Oct 31.
- “Please be careful out there!” Junkfood Science, 2007 Jun 25.
- “Study Says Acupuncture Eases Arthritis Pain,” by Rob Stein, The Washington Post, 2004 Dec 21.
The Online Timothy Gorski:
