It ’s become a heartbreakingly common raft on the internet : People using crowdfunding sites to raise money for their expensive health care , include cancer discussion . But a new reportpublishedWednesday in the BMJ suggests that do-or-die people are often using this money to pursue dubious , possibly dangerous treatment from unscrupulous charlatans .
The written report , written by freelance UK journalist Melanie Newman , detail an depth psychology conducted by the Good Thinking Society , a nonprofit in the UK that advocates for scientific skepticism . And the analytic thinking itself is base on data from two major crowdfunding sites used by UK resident , GoFundMe and JustGiving . According to the analysis , around £ 8 million ( $ 10.4 million ) has been raised for alternative Crab treatment , meaning those not covered by the body politic ’s public health system , since 2012 .
The majority of this money was used for treatments offer outside of the UK , via privately fund clinic in countries including the U.S. , Mexico , and Thailand . Many of these clinic , as well as the doctors take them , have been criticise and even officially penalise for their medical call and activities .
In Texas , for example , Polish - trained doctor Stanislaw Burzynski has launch the Burzynski Clinic for decade , claiming that his experimental antineoplastons can handle even the most terminal of Cancer the Crab cases . But antineoplastons have never been approved by the Food and Drug Administration , nor has any randomized clinical trial ever shown them to be efficient . And both the FDA as well as the Texas Medical Board have tried to reprimand Burzynski for get misleading title about his clinic ’s achiever charge per unit .
Last March , the Texas Medical BoardsanctionedBurzynski for lying to his patients about the risk of his discourse , as well as for countenance non - licensed stave members to pose as doctors . But despite being placed on five long time probation , Burzynski is still allowed to rehearse medicine , and the expectant fines originally proposed—$380,000 — were finally let down to only $ 60,000 .
According to the paper , hundreds of M of pound have been raised for the great unwashed to visit the Burzynski Clinic . Elsewhere , others havedetailedthe many patients ( and their families ) who go to Burzynski assay a miracle , but come home with empty wallets and fail shortly after .
“ We are interested that so many UK patients are raising huge sums for treatments which are not grounds establish and which in some cases may even do them harm , ” Michael Marshall , the project director of Good Thinking Society , told the BMJ .
It ’s not just a problem in the UK , either . Other enquiry free-base in the U.S. and Canada hasfoundthat crowdfunding site are lift money for citizenry to get care from unregulated stem cell clinic in the U.S.
GoFundMe say the BMJ it would be “ taking proactive steps ” to better inform its users about these clinics , first in the U.S. and finally globally over the next few months . But JustGiving declined to take action mechanism .
“ We do n’t conceive we have the expertise to make a judgment on this , ” the company severalize the BMJ .
It ’s understandable , of course , why multitude dealing with terminal Crab might be willing to pursue any unorthodox treatment that purports to help them when other treatments ca n’t . But crowdfunding sites , Marshall say , have an obligation to protect their substance abuser and the donating populace from quack who take advantage of this despair . As do sensitive outlets that havepromotedthese crowdfunding drives as feel - in effect human pursuit stories in the past .
“ If a fundraiser is for discussion for a serious or life-time threatening condition such as malignant neoplastic disease , it ought to be reviewed before it is transmit live , especially if it contains nomenclature that raises red flagstone for quackery , ” Marshall told the BMJ .
example of these snake oil therapy include endovenous vitamin C therapy , antineoplastons , uttermost diets , and coffee bean enemas .
[ The BMJ ]
An earlier reading of this article misspelled Michael Marshall ’s name . We regret the computer error .
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