azor
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..."it is not a TENS device..."????...well, you might want to tell the FDA:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf8/K081255.pdf
...because they seem to think it is:
"The Scrambler Therapy MC-5A TENS Device is a multi-channel TENS device...the device is substantially equivalent (for the indications for use stated in the enclosure) to legally marketed predicate devices..."
...hmmmmm...kinda hard to translate "substantially equivalent" into "superior" from where I stand...
...There's more oversight on departmental requisitions..."???...uh-huh:
http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/06/28/256216/boeing-price-gouging-army/
...$650 for a gear that normally costs $12???...I wonder what the OIG will say after reading my letter telling them they're paying $50,000 for a TENS device that hasn't demonstrated superiority to the TENS devices sold on Amazon for $40-50...because I definitely DID write the OIG...
..."There is only one vendor who offers scrambler therapy devices - CTTC."????...I can't imagine why...one would think that Henry Schein and all the other medical distributors would be lining up at Johnnie's door, cash in hand, for a chance to offer to the professionals to their customers...could probably do a better job than a real estate agent in the middle of Utah...
..."That has already been debunked as not true..."????...how about the $1000 toilet sets:
"http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=3930"
...say what:
"There were reports of a soldier who spent $3,100 at a nightclub on the taxpayers' tab, and a reservist's wife who went on a $13,000 shopping spree in Puerto Rico. You get the picture. But apparently the Pentagon did not."
...and:
"The GAO found, for example, "a weak overall internal control environment" at the San Diego facilities. That means that no one was minding the store."
...no kidding!...hmmmmmmm...the GAO?...I don't think I've written them yet...
..."Where is the data that refutes the patients that have recorded testimonials when they have benefited from Calmare?"???...well, probably in the same place as the data from 11-14 patients that reported they got "no effect" and the 4-12 patients that reported thet got worse or experienced other adverse effects...
..."Where is the data that says that the Mayo Clinic trials are not properly designed?"???...in pretty much EVERY textbook on statistics and experimental design that you can find on this planet...
..."Please send link to where it says that Calmare cannot work despite patients saying it does work."???...sure -- as soon as you send me a link showing which insurance companies reimburse bugzapper therapy and how much they pay...
..."Where is the information saying that the US Military made an error in judgment when purchasing 12 Calmare units recently?"???......inside pretty much every post I've ever put on this board -- perhaps more specifically:
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=67645275
..."Because each individual claim it handled on a base by case basis..."????...which is nothing more than another way of saying that insurance DOESN'T cover it since EVERYTHING that insurance DOESN'T cover is dealt with on a "case by case basis"...
..."You do NOT know that NO insurance knowingly covers Scrambler."????...then be so kind as to enlighten everyone as to which ones DO...
..."I agree with the disparaging remarks about Marineo's credentials, as far as I can discern..."???...why, bless your pea pickin' little heart!...a gentleman AND a scholar, no doubt...
..."It is not impossible that Marineo hit upon some pulse sequence that has pain-calming influences on central neurons...it's not impossible that you'll look up one day and see a flying pig, but I wouldn't bet on it...
..."He declined at the time, saying that others were doing that."???...yeah, right!...as far as I can tell NO ONE is doing a PROPERLY RANDOMIZED, BLINDED and APPROPRIATELY CONTROLLED study...
..."4-5 scientific studies I've read seem to indicate."???...the ones I've read hardly qualify as "scientific"...indeed, Smith's study, if anything, demonstrated the bugzapper FAILED to reduce opioid consumption, FAILED to improve quality of life, and Smith FAILED to replicate his results on the other pain scales he tried...that hardly suggests an "effective" analgesic, now, does it?...
..."Versant Funding"????...per the 8K filed 10/3 by CTT:
"On September 28, 2011, Competitive Technologies, Inc. (“CTTC”) entered into a Factoring Agreement with Versant Funding LLC (“Versant”). Under the Factoring Agreement CTTC will sell to Versant certain of CTTC’s accounts receivables. For those accounts receivable CTTC tenders to Versant and Versant chooses to purchase, Versant will advance 75% of the face value to CTTC, and will submit a percentage of the remainder to CTTC upon collection on the account based on the delinquency of the account.
As part of the Factoring Agreement, CTTC and Versant entered into a Security Agreement whereby CTTC granted Versant a security interest in certain of CTTC’s assets to secure CTTC’s performance of the representations made with respect to the purchase of the accounts receivable."
...hmmmmmmm...so, CTT is selling its accounts receivable now in order to raise money?...I presume it was the VA contract funds since Versant looks for clients with "creditworthy" customers:
http://www.slideshare.net/chrislehnes/introduction-to-factoring-from-versant-funding-1106890
...and they have a very sophisticated application that must be filled out:
http://www.versantfunding.com/documents/Versant_Intake.doc
...so CTT pays $2500 up front and gets $450,000...then as the account is paid, Versant gets 2.5% of whatever is outstanding at the end of each month?...is that about it?...
...it's curious that the "slideshare" says Versant doesn't care about the condition of the borrower but is only interested in the credit worthiness of the borrowers customers...yet Versant apparently demanded "collateral" to "guarantee CTTC's representations of the performance" that they apparently made to get the money...so if CTTC's performance turn out less than represented, then Versant gets a roomful of bugzappers?...I mean, that's about all the "assets" CTT's got, right?...
...the "slideshare" also says Versant usually signs 1-2 year deals...so does this mean that the VA isn't going to be paying in full right away?...I presume so since why would CTT pay dough to sell receivables when they're expecting to collect a big wad of cash within only a few weeks...right?...I mean, the order was announced six weeks ago and I presume they had the bugzappers in stock, and the VA contract I believe stipulated payment within 30 days?...
...so shouldn't the bugzappers have been delivered and paid for already?...it's also interesting that they pursued "factoring" to raise dough versus trying to sell stock...it suggests they couldn't put together a prospectus sufficiently optimistic to convince investors to buy stock...right?...
..."Your link does not work."????...works fine for me...it's post #5900...
..."Please post your alleged correspondence..."????...there was a link to it in the post you responded to...
..."If you're short the stock or getting paid to spam"???...neither one, darling!...neither one!...and I'm STILL waiting for someone to point out any errors or falsehoods in ANY of my posts...just like I'm still waiting for for someone to tell me where Marineo got his PhD...I see Spero took my question in that regards down again...you just have to wonder exactly WHAT are they afraid of?...
..."I believe that all of this discussion regarding the lawsuit including blow-by-blow details as to service of a subpoena, etc. are not very productive..."????...ESPECIALLY when you consider they aren't even suing the right guy!...HAW!!!...although they have ticked me off since they clued the good doc into recognizing that his wifi was unprotected and forced me to go find another free access point!...and where am I today?...Brazil?...hmmmm...maybe Portugal?...danged annoying!...and for a couple of days there just played heck with my porn downloading!...HAW!!!...
...anyway, just to see what might happen, I went ahead and sent letters similar to the one I mentioned earlier:
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=67645275
...but with greater depth and more details to all FOURTEEN members of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel:
http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/military-personnel
...and while I was at it, I went ahead and sent a copy to Ralph Nader and his organization as well as to Consumer's Union AND the ABC/CBS/NBC news departments...so keep watching...you never know where a story might pop up...HAW, HAW, HAW!!
..."Strange?"????...why no!...not if he's dead!...HAW!!!...now wouldn't THAT be just like CTT?!!!...HAW!!...
...but I got to thinking...it's funny, isn't it?...not ONCE can I recall CTT mentioning ANYWHERE any objections to ANY of my posts...and I've been posting about the bugzapper something approaching TWO YEARS now?...and during all that time, not ONE gripe from them ANYWHERE, and then suddenly they're suing some poor clown -- God rest his soul -- that can't possibly know CTT exists...HAW!!!...that's a riot!...
...BUT now I'm thinking how maybe -- JUST maybe -- something ELSE is going on...when you think about it, it's really rather goofy to go spending good money trying to shut up a lone poster on a forum...if anything, it gives the poster added credibility...let's face it, neither "pumpers" nor "bashers" likely have much effect via forum postings...so filing a suit against single poster without ever issuing any kind of response to them is tantamount to admitting that the company CAN'T rebut the claims of the poster...
...and it certainly did look that way whenever I posted and neither CTT, Marineo, D'Amato, nor any of the other CTT associated "professionals" would stand up and try to counter any of my arguments...or when I posted on Spero's facebook page just asking where Marineo got his PhD and they took it down immediately without any answer...
...no, it seems to me like maybe CTT is looking for an excuse for something...kind of like when they sued the Arbitrator's Association in the MIDDLE of arbitration when they realized that Nano had a lock on his 750 grand...now they can just blame the AA for giving them a bad arbitrator..."We tried telling that arbitrator what a scoundrel Nano was, but he just wouldn't listen!"...
...now, I ended up writing a small truckload of letters to various people at the VA and Congress demanding a review of that bugzapper contract...oh, wouldn't it be sumthin' if the VA actually listened to ME, took a look at the data and changed their mind!...now THAT would bring out some serious guffaws!...well, from me at least...HAW!!!...
...and is this just a weird coincidence or what:
http://www.internetdefamationlawblog.com/
...I particularly liked the opening sentence:
"In a 1964 decision, the Supreme Court established that truth is an absolute defense against defamation."
...like I've always said, "If you dwell within the revelation I have brought, you are indeed my disciples; you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free"...yeah, buddy!!!...can I have an "AMEN!"?!!!...HAW!!!...
..."I was so excited!"????...as I recall you were excited when CTT announced they were suing the Arbitrator's Association...and look how that's turning out...one might consider the TRULY distinct possibility that you're hatching eggs that really haven't even been laid...indeed, you would think CTT would learn some lessons along the way...but then again, learning doesn't seem to be part of CTT's MO...
..."Madisonville"?????...Madisonville, KY???...merciful days!...does he own an airplane?...HAW!...
..."I am pleased that CTTC spent shareholder dollars to file a lawsuit against Raymond R Taylor for tortious interference"???...well, that's nice...I guess...although since he hasn't the foggiest idea of what CTT is, it's probably just going to end up being another Arbitrator's Association fiasco...besides, you're probably right...advertising "therapeutic magnetic diatons" probably wouldn't be cost effective...and what was that other thing?...some sort of eye gizmo made in Russia, as I recall...oh, yeah, some sort of tonometer...how many of those things do you reckon they've sold?...
..."I'm certain"???...your shareholder equity at work?...I would think you'd rather they be spending money on advertising their latest lines of "Magnetic Therapy DIATONs" and the...uhh...the uhhhh...hmmmmm, what WAS that other thing they were planning on selling?...do you think they've sold ANY yet?...
..."on Friday (9/30/11) CTTC filed a lawsuit..."???...are you sure?...it seems quite odd that they would sue someone who likely has no idea who they are...ESPECIALLY when you consider that in the past they haven't lifted so much as a pinky finger to contradict any posted accusations nor to defend themselves in anyway whatsoever...why, they wouldn't even provide the name of the institution that provided Marineo his ALLEGED PhD?...ain't that right?...
...moreover, think of the exposure...why, it would make for grand publicity, wouldn't it?...popping up on forums and blogs all over the place...then MAYBE CTT would HAVE to provide Marineo's employment and educational history...oh, wouldn't that be grand?...and maybe THEN they would have to admit he's a FRAUD since he DOESN'T have the "MD,PhD" nor the "MD, DSc" he claimed...right?...that should attract a bunch of customers, I bet...
...and they'd also have to explain why they let Nano get away with ALL those nasty things that THEY themselves said he did...like signing a deal with "Innovative Medical Therapies" -- a "distributor" that apparently never really existed...as well as explaining all those other distributors that apparently never sold a single bugzapper...what WAS the BOD they doing all that time?..
...and they might have to explain why they hired someone who was sued by the SEC for manipulating CTT's stock price as a distributor...not exactly stuff to inspire customer purchases, right?...why, it just gets juicier and juicier...
...and isn't it kind of embarrassing for a company -- a publicly traded company, no less -- to admit that it's getting "b_tch slapped" by an anonymous poster on a web forum?...especially when all they would have to do to shut him (or her) up is simply disprove what has been posted...
...besides, they haven't exactly been batting a thousand with their lawsuits recently, have they?...indeed, any word on their plans for the Arbitrators Association lawsuit?...have they finally thrown in the towel on that one?...well, at least CTT's lawyers get to go the bank with smiles on their faces, huh?...
...what happened?...was I hallucinating?...I thought someone was getting sued...shucks!...well, anyway...if it's true...although I find it hard to believe that the company would presume to sue someone without beforehand lifting so much as a finger to defend themselves in a public forum anywhere...ESPECIALLY after all the accusations they themselves made in their lawsuit against Nano about him engaging in all sorts of "misconduct"...which, if you think about it, pretty much indicted the company as well...
...anyway, as I was saying -- to commemorate a simultaneously hilarious and pathetic act of desperation on CTT's part, I did something a little special...I sent out a letter:
"May I suggest someone take a few minutes to review a device called the "Calmare" from this company:
http://www.competitivetech.net/
...which appears to be sold and distributed via:
http://www.calmarett.com/
...the device was approved as a TENS device by the FDA but the company maintains that it isn't a TENS device. Instead, they claim that it uses some sort of elaborate computer program to generate signals which causes neurons to send "scrambled signals" to the brain which, in effect, confuse the brain into believing that there isn't any pain. Judging from what I've read, it's utter nonsense and has no scientific basis whatsoever. Moreover, none of the studies so far could be considered to possess experimental designs sufficient to merit any claims of efficacy:
http://www.calmarett.com/doctor/index.html#panelid=publications
...I'm particularly offended by its inventor:
http://www.deltard.com/
...who appears to have been arrested for practicing medicine without a license in 1995 while treating AIDS patients with what sounds like another TENS device:
http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/1996/aprile/01/BEL LEZZA_mio_Aids_punizione_Dio_co_0_9604013050.shtml
...and who appears to be a fraud in that he has claimed "MD, PhD" as well as "MD, DSc" degrees in the past:
http://www.smj.org.sa/PDFFiles/Aug04/Delta20040158.pdf
http://www.nutritionj.com/content/3/1/9/comments
...and most recently claims just a PhD:
http://www.sperotherapy.com/pdf/Scrambler%2052-patient%20RCT_July2011_JPSM.pdf
Yet CTT has acknowledged that he has no MD and while they claim that he does have a PhD, they refuse to identify what institution awarded it. Despite my best efforts, I can find no evidence that he ever even went to college. I've emailed him several times requesting a CV but he has never responded. If you examine the papers, you may note that studies where he was involved produced truly extraordinary success. He also has another machine that he claims can cure cirrhosis, remove scars, and reverse the effects of aging by using electric currents via superficial electrodes to somehow "reverse" entropy.
But what motivates this email at this time is CTT's recent announcement that they convinced the US military to purchase 12 of the machines for $50,000 each, not including supplies:
http://www.competitivetech.net/news/110818.html
That is simply ridiculous. Six hundred thousand of MY tax dollars for a TENS device is bad enough, but for a device with NO studies sufficient to claim any superiority to a placebo? Also, it's unclear who and/or how the machines are to be serviced, maintained, and repaired. CTT is certainly in no position to do it since they have only about two employees total and having serious financial difficulties, and the contract manufacturer, GEOMC, is in Korea and appears to have financial difficulties of its own. I confirmed on the VA website that the contract was indeed awarded at the amounts specified, and I sent complaining letters to several people at the VA but failed to gain much traction, and I'm still working on my representatives in Congress.
In any case, I'm sending out emails similar to this to various "quack" watchers and consumer organizations trying to marshall some support for my assessment. I appreciate any effort you offer."
...so far I've sent it to about 20 sites -- everyone from the editor at Discover magazine to quackwatch.org to "http://www.cagw.org" to the VA "OIG Hotline" and assorted consumer protection related sites...and right now, I'm working my way through assorted newspaper editors...keep smiling!...HAW!!!...
..."You're now comparing the amount of feedback for Calmare versus the amount of feedback for SCS?"???...uhhhhh, no...I'm comparing the RATIO of positive posts to negative and neutral posts...as I said, oin the case of SCS, a review of the forums will show a diversity of responses with a ratio probably around 5 positive to 2-3 neutral to 1 negative...that's just a rough estimate from my survey of sites...
...but the bugzapper, on the other hand, the ratio is SKEWED so there in TWO YEARS there has been only ONE positive for about 12-14 neutral and 4-12 negative comments...one WOULDN'T reasonably expect an EFFECTIVE device to produce numbers like that...
...indeed, even IGNORING the neutral and negative comments, just where ARE are all the happy customers?...and I don't mean happy customers coming from websites trying to sell bugzapper therapy...
..."This market is wide open for Calmare."????...how so?...since NO ONE has yet done ANY SCIENTIFICALLY VALID STUDIES that demonstrate the bugapper is superior to placebo for treating symptoms of neuropathy...
..."Happy customers usually don't go around posting to every website to tell everyone to go and try the therapy."?????????...I repeat...???????????...
...so you're trying to tell me that people who -- after who knows how many years of suffering -- have been freed from the shackles of chronic pain...you're trying to tell me that they wouldn't be so EXCITED about the results that they wouldn't -- in OVER a year -- at least a FEW -- WOULDN'T get on the forums praising to HIGH HEAVEN the miracle of the bugzapper????...they WOULDN'T get on the forums to tell EVERYONE to try it?...
...and not ONLY did people who had BAD effects post but ALSO people who had "no effect" -- they ALL made the special effort required to go on the forums and post about their results...that's what you would have expected?...
...you're joking, right?...
...may I suggest that for comparison, you visit ANY pain forum and search for either "SCS" or "spinal cord stimulator" and then casually review the posts...and while you'll find an assortment of negative and neutral comments, you'll ALSO find MANY POSITIVE remarks...and that is pretty much what one would expect for ANY potentially effective device -- a VARIETY of comments with at least good representation by people HAPPY with the results...look for "calmare" and compare the reports from people who have DIRECT EXPERIENCE with the device -- neutral and negative comments in a ratio of 20-30 to ONE positive comment...see my point?...
..."you hold up anonymous postings of supposed patients"????...you seem to miss my point... that being that, IF the bugzapper REALLY worked, then the ratio of positive to negative/no effect comments on the pain forums should NOT be ONE to TWENTY TO THIRTY...it SHOULD be just the OPPOSITE...
...MOST people looking to invest money in a device look for a POSITIVE responses from customers...and they DON'T look at positive responses provided by the people trying to sell the therapy...the bugzapper appears to be FAILING the consumer test...would YOU pay 50 grand for a device when the pain forums show 20-30 negative/no effect posts and only ONE positive post in OVER a YEAR?...it doesn't sound like an easy sale to me...
...and I DO answer your questions...pretty much EVERY time in fact...you just don't like my answers...and your demand for a textbook reference in many cases is just silly...like I said before, there probably aren't many textbook references proving witchcraft and voodoo aren't effective therapies, but that hardly provides support for an argument to use them...
..."I have never heard of "cardic complaints..."...you clearly don't pay attention to the pain forums:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread156495.html
...where "Alaska49" says:
"I have read about and have gone through the therepy. I have full body and internal rsd and for me it caused more pain then help. I dreaded every visit and in the end really depressed me as the shocking it gives the body really hurts. I went through 2 weeks and then stopped. I now have a heart condition that the specialist say the acutual therepy is the cause and he has 8 more patients that had full body and after the therepy which made them worse too they have the then too developed the same heart disease. So my doctors are warning RSD patient if your full body to really be careful and if they do, do the treatment that if after like 2-3 and it causes pain to discontinue it."
...note where she says she now has a heart condition that her specialist says was caused by the "therapy" -- i.e. the bugzapper...and then she goes on to say that she knows EIGHT more patients that developed the SAME "heart disease"...
...granted, it's difficult to assess her case without further information, but, let's face it, NONE of the bugzapper studies -- as I recall -- bothered to do pre and post bugzapping EKGs...who knows but what bugzapping doesn't cause the brain to "learn" to send "scrambled signals" to the heart?...
..."links to PROVE what you are saying is FACT"????...well, this is hardly the place to provide a course in statistics and experimental design, but if you're motivated, there are any number of textbooks available...for a brief summary, you may refer to:
http://www.stat.yale.edu/Courses/1997-98/101/expdes.htm
...and/or:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_blind#Double-blind_trials
...noting things like:
"In a double-blind experiment, neither the individuals nor the researchers know who belongs to the control group and the experimental group. Only after all the data have been recorded (and in some cases, analysed) do the researchers learn which individuals are which. Performing an experiment in double-blind fashion is a way to lessen the influence of the prejudices and unintentional physical cues on the results (the placebo effect, observer bias, and experimenter's bias)."
"Random assignment of the subject to the experimental or control group is a critical part of double-blind research design. The key that identifies the subjects and which group they belonged to is kept by a third party and not given to the researchers until the study is over."
"Double-blind methods can be applied to any experimental situation where there is the possibility that the results will be affected by conscious or unconscious bias on the part of the experimenter."
"Another type of bias that is most apparent in medical experiments is the placebo effect. Since many patients are confident that a treatment will positively affect them, they react to a control treatment which actually has no physical affect at all, such as a sugar pill. For this reason, it is important to include control, or placebo, groups in medical experiments to evaluate the difference between the placebo effect and the actual effect of the treatment."
...if you look at Loprinzi's "studies," you'll see that what he allegedly plans on doing meets NONE of these criteria...consequently, NONE of his "studies" will rule out the possibility of a placebo effect...sorry if that hurts your feelings...well, not really...nevertheless, that's just the way studies are SUPPOSED to be done...
...now if you want a real OPINION, I'd say Loprinzi has NO intention of doing ANY further studies...come on, TWO YEARS to bugzap TEN subjects????...I mean, REALLY?...no, I think those "studies" were just aimed at getting CTT ir's WORTHLESS for reimbursement purposes CPT category THREE code...
..."They are focusing on relieving pain, not posting CVs.???...more like focused on relieving naive victims of chronic pain of their cash...besides, why NOT post his CV?...after all, he is the inventor of the miracle painkillin' blinkin' bugzapper -- right?...you'd think they'd be proud to post his ENTIRE employment and educational history!...or at least leave the question up there so maybe someone else could answer it....
...indeed, it's doing a disservice to the institution that provided the degree to hold back the information, isn't it?....I mean, after all, think what it would mean to their prestige to have the world know that they contributed to the birth of a painkilling bugzapper!...
HAW!!!...maybe they should change the name to "sperochickensh_ts" or maybe sperocowards"!...I posted on spero's facebook page a simple question:
"Where did Marineo get his PhD?"
...that's all...no sarcasm...nothing remotely disrespectful...just a simple question...my answer?...two hours later and my question had disappeared...
...just another brick in the wall confirming my assessment that Marineo is a BONAFIDE FRAUD....
...for humor's sake I went over to the Kocherans clan bugzapper page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Calmare-Pain-Therapy-Treatment/162154963803419
...and posted:
"Where did Marineo, the device's inventor, obtain his PhD?"
...anyone want to bet on how long that one will last?...
..."Where is the textbook reference---cut and paste the pertinenet points and link--that say Calmare CANNOT work."?????...there are probably no textbook references that say that voodoo and black magic "CANNOT work"...but that hardly recommends them as effective therapies, now, does it?...and certainly "Calmare" can work every bit as well as every other TENS device currently on the market -- because, of course, that's ALL that it is...nevertheless, there is NO data to support ANY claim that the bugzapper is superior to EITHER a placebo or to any other TENS device...
..."Please send link to where it says that Calmare cannot work despite patients saying it does work..."???...I can help here...if you search back through my posts, I'm pretty sure I provided links to the 20-30 patients that said it either had "no effect" or else made their pain worse and/or caused other adverse effects -- e.g. cardic complaints...
..."Where is the data that says that the Mayo Clinic trials are not properly designed?"?????...well, that's easy...a PROPERLY designed experiment NEEDS three FUNDAMENTAL items...
...first is RANDOM selection of participants followed by RANDOM assignment to either an experimental or control group...
...second is making sure the trial is BLINDED so that neither the people administering the therapy NOR the people receiving the therapy have ANY knowledge of whether they are receiving the therapy or a placebo...
...third, there MUST be an APPROPRIATE control...if testing to determine equivalence or superiority to something else, then the "something else" functions as the control...if testing for ABSOLUTE effectiveness, then it is NECESSARY that the control be indistinguishable from the therapy EXCEPT, of course, minus the pertinent treatment...in the case of the bugzapper, this could simply be an identical machine giving random zaps of randomly assigned intensity with randomly assigned frequency minus any "special algorithms"...
...NONE of Loprinzi's "studies" meet those criteria...indeed, they hardly qualify as studies -- more like total WASTE OF TIME...
..."Providing Calmare Therapy has made a strong impression on our entire staff..."?????...too bad it hasn't made as big an impression on his patients as it has on Cooney...at least judging by the posts you find when looking on forums NOT associated with anyone trying to SELL bugzapper therapy...latest survey still stands at ONE positive from OVER A YEAR ago, 12-14 "no effect," and 4-11 "made pain worse" and or caused other adverse effects...
...even more interesting, though, is the dearth of comments of ANY kind regarding the bugzapper on ANY of the pain forums over the past
5-6 months -- at least in comparison to last summer and fall when its appearance generated at least a few posts inquiring about it... it appears as though it has almost fallen off the pain relief seekers' "radar screen" -- so to speak...maybe they need to expand their advertising budget...oh, wait...they don't have one, do they?...
..."I called and confirmed."????......maybe you should call him and ask why he appears to have killed this page:
http://www.sperotherapy.com/las-vegas.html
...because it sure isn't accessible from this page:
http://www.sperotherapy.com
...indeed, he doesn't even MENTION Henderson OR Las Vegas on that site...and it's interesting that he ALSO doesn't appear to have anybody working there:
http://www.sperotherapy.com/about.html
...although I do recall someone on the pain forums -- someone on whom bugzapper therapy DIDN'T work -- griping because the office where they went was open by the physician's assistant only ONE DAY a week...
...hardly good business practice to have a clinic but not tell anyone about it and not even bother to staff it...is it?...
...and for amusement, I asked Spero if they could tell me where Marineo obtained his PhD:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spero-Pain-Relief-Therapy/106660846068389
..."Henderson is there."????...you appear to have a fondness for outdated webpages...the most recent version makes NO MENTION of Henderson under "Locations":
http://www.sperotherapy.com/faq.html
...by the way, have you got any of the answers to your questions yet:
"Just explain what exactly the electrical shocks are doing to "rewire" the brain?
Why are these treatments and hour?
Why once a week? Why 10 sessions?
Were these times calculated?
If the algorithm is so complex, it sure seems to fit with the standard calendar pretty well.
What are the risks of doing the treatment EVERYDAY? Or longer than an hour? Scrambling is scrambling, right?"
..."reduce it down to 1 for all I care as long as he pays for the devices..."????...welllllll...that's fine...I guess...of course, it's hardly going to attract investors when they see Chalmers SAYING he's opening a third site and then he DOESN'T...just like when they see D'Amato promising he's going to open TEN sites and then doesn't appear to have so much as lifted a pinky finger to open ANY....
..."There are 2 Spero sites..."????...but weren't there supposed to be THREE by now?...and how come he ain't "certified":
http://www.calmarett.com/locations.html#panelid=MountainStates
...maybe he thinks it just ain't worth it...
..."The presence of proof makes it bonafide..."????...fine...call CTT and ask them to provide some "proof" that Marineo has a degree from ANYWHERE...until then, he is a BONAFIDE FRAUD...
...HAW!...cracks me up!...I just read the "FAQ" at:
http://www.chronic-pain-solution.com.php5-19.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/chronic-pain-solution-faqs/
...some of the things are hilarious...first, I don't know about you, but high on MY "FAQ" list is cost...an question they conveniently seem to have overlooked...regardless, it's funny where they say:
"Calmare is very new and there are limited studies. However the initial studies show that 8 out of 10 patients will receive greater than 50% relief."
...gosh, 50%????...doesn't seem too confident, huh?...I mean, what with Marineo getting more than 90% success in more than 90% of the patients he has been associated with, you'd think Fowler and Rice would be a little more optimistic!...
...and then there's:
"As the machine cycles through its program there will be a small snap sensation, similar to a small static spark."
...hmmmmm...kinda like a bugzapper, huh?...HAW!...
...here's a good one:
"Rarely, an increase of neuropathic pain can occur up to 36 hours after treatment. These two situations arise due to the placement of leads in an area of unrecognized pain."
...say what????...so you're telling me treatment is going to help me "recognize" pain somewhere I didn't know hurt before?...oh, well that's just dandy!...so now if the therapy doesn't work, I get to go home maybe hurting in even MORE places?...gee, thanks!...
...then he says under "New pain you may not have had before treatment":
"Patients who have had chronic pain for extended periods of time may have underlying muscle dysfunction and can have ligament and joint problems."
...oh, great!...so NOW you're saying that I may end up trading a pain you say you CAN treat -- i.e. "neuropathic" -- for one that you CAN'T treat?...ain't exactly the greatest sales pitch, ya'know what I mean?...HAW!...
...well, make up your mind already:
"If no improvement is being made, no further treatments are indicated. In some severe cases improvement is made with another session of 5-10 days."
...and then my favorite:
"It can take several years for multiple studies to be conducted and reviewed before Insurance Companies begin to cover new procedures."
...HAW!!...don't those bozos read ihub?...they'd learn there's all sorts of insurance coverage!...then again, no one's willing to volunteer the name of any companies, so maybe they wouldn't be any better off...
..."Showing proof would make it bonafide..."???...it's "bonafide" that 5-6 years ago he claimed "MD,PhD" and "MD,DSc" on publications readily available on the internet...
...it's "bonafide" that he is not employed as a professor since he would be listed on a registry the link to which I provided in an earlier post...
...it's "bonafide" that he isn't employed as a bioengineer because he would be legally required to register per a link provided previously...
...it's "bonafide" that a search of Tor Vergata's website reveals only the mention of the bugzapper he gave them some 10-11 years ago and that the most recent version of that particular page NO LONGER refers to him as "professor" but merely as "Mr" (and perhaps it's only a coincidence that that new page popped up not long after I sent an email to Tor Vergata seeking a copy of Marineo's CV -- to which they didn't respond, by the way)
...it's "bonafide" that on Marineo's "deltard" website, he NOWHERE provides ANY information about his educational or employment backgraound...he NOWHERE claims ANY degree of ANY sort...he NOWHERE claims ANY history of ANY academic association beyond his claims of being somehow affiliated with Tor Vergata -- an affiliation, by the way, that Tor Vergata doesn't appear to know about...
...perhaps most important, Marineo's knowledge of basic neuroscience, biophysics, statistics, and experimental design can be summed up in two words -- "jack" and "sh_t"...an opinion corroborated by Dr. Batie -- a REAL PhD in physical chemistry -- per a link provided previously...
...do I really need to go on here?...I mean, come on, it walks like FRAUD and goes "FRAUD, FRAUD, FRAUD"...how much more does it take to make it "bonafide"...
...moreover, ANYONE could disprove me by SIMPLY naming the university that granted him his degree...but Marineo won't do it...Life Episteme won't do it...CTT won't do it...think about that!...CTT is selling HIS invention and even THEY won't stand up to prove me wrong!...what does THAT tell you?...
...and why WON'T anyone simply provide a lousy CV?...one can ONLY presume that it contains information that he and/or they don't want to share with the public...like the MOST PROBABLE fact that he never even went to college and is probably working as an electronics technician at GE Security conveniently located across the street from his little yellow shack with the tile roof...
...so, as far as I'm concerned, it COULDN'T get more "bonafide" even if it wanted to!...feel free to email Marineo and tell him your concerns...maybe he'll send YOU a copy of his CV...
..."That is from direct experience of people who have reported on their daily Calmare therapy."???...funny isn't it that all the people I find on the pain forums who have "direct experience" with the bugzapper -- all 20-30 of them -- either say it had no effect or made their symptoms WORSE...one even claimed it may have caused her to have cardiac problems...