azor
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...it's funny how after I post a simple question, the response comes back as a half-dozen quotes of descriptions that have nothing to do with my questions...
...I repeat -- why does no one else at Mayo seem to be boosting the device...why does Loprinzi not simply go on record and say that the device works, that he is so pleased with the results that he routinely incorporates it into pain regimen, and that he heartily recommends fellow clinicians to give it a try?...
...AND -- if the device is so good, why don't any of the departments at Mayo incorporate it as a standard part of their pain therapies?...after all, it's already approved, and if it's doing such a marvelous job, and there's no reason for them not to use it, then why isn't everyone there using it?...
...the "Student Doctor Network" discovers the bugzapper:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=11737808#post11737808
...that should be worth watching...some of my favorite quotes so far:
"We just got the machine in our clinic....lots of jokes about it flying around here."
"I'm curious, but very very skeptical." (Board Certified, Pain Medicine)"
"I have no idea about billing or insurance - as of right now, it is sitting in the corner collecting dust."
"Me: There is this new device available that has a chance to alleviate your pain.
Pt: Bring it on doc! I'll do anything to help this pain.
Me: It won't be covered by your insurance and might cost you $50 - 100 per month.
Pt: Oh hell, doc, I can't afford that! Just gimme some o' them Norco's and I'll just suffer with this pain."
"My bet is that this machine is like all the others that come down the pike (H-wave, various microstim units, laser, etc.). It may help some patients to varying degrees but it won't turn out to be a miracle. And, if it's classified as experimental, insurance won't cover it and very few patients will pay out-of-pocket for it (as suggested earlier)."
"Yes. Try it lightly battered and flash fried with the marinara sauce. Umm. Tasty."
..."ringing endorsement"????...but wouldn't it "ring" much louder if Loprinzi simply went on record saying it's so effective that he has incorporated it as a standard part of pain therapy; and if other clinicians at Mayo backed him up and incorporated it into their pain regimens as well?...that would be quite a boost, wouldn't it?...big prestigious institution and everyone on staff treating pain with the "calmare"...
...why won't he and/or they do that?...after all, it's already approved...no reason for them not to -- right?...
..."Nice find"????...I thought so...but your response doesn't answer my other points about why no one else at Mayo seems to be boosting the device, why Loprinzi apparently never goes on record anywhere promoting the device, etc, etc...
...if the device is so good, why don't any of the departments incorporate it as a standard part of their pain therapies?...after all, it's already approved, and if it's doing such a marvelous job, and if there's no reason for them not to use it, then why isn't everyone there using it?...
...I'm surprised no one jumped all over this:
http://www.nature.com/clpt/journal/v90/n3/full/clpt2011115a.html
...where it says:
"Cutaneous electrostimulation is a nonpharmacological therapy that appears, from an early pilot trial, to be potentially effective in the treatment of CIPN."
...although I guess maybe "cutaneous electrostimulation" could be referring to any TENS device currently on the market, I presume it's the bugzapper since Loprinzi's name is on it...regardless, it doesn't exactly sound like a ringing endorsement, does it?...
..."from an early pilot trial"????...not just from a "trial" but from a "PILOT trial"?...and not from just any "pilot trial" but from an "EARLY pilot trial"?...is that like a euphemism for a "waste of time"?...
...and "potentially"????...well, Loprinzi is treating patients using the device -- presumably -- so does it work or not?...you don't really need a study to use it since it's already approved -- the valid study is only needed to make the insurance companies happy...so if it appears to work clinically, why doesn't Loprinzi simply come out and say something to the effect, "Look, I use this to treat patients every day and have had great results and would encourage all my colleagues to give it a try."?...seems simple enough...there's no law against it...nothing unethical about it...unless, of course, CTT were to pay him for his endorsement...
...by the same token, if Loprinzi is having such great success, why aren't any of his colleagues at Mayo touting its use?...what would make for better publicity than to have the oncology department at Mayo announce the adoption of the bugzapper as the standard of care for CIPN?...
..."I will be shocked if he does not discuss Calmare..."????...given that he practically hasn't said a word about it anywhere else, I'd be surprised if he mentioned it...on the other hand, he's also at this conference:
http://csn.cancer.org/node/228676
...I don't know if he's the speaker but several topics would be right up the bugzapper alley:
"Talking with Your Health Care Team About Your Financial Concerns"
"Tips on Appealing Medical Insurance Claims and Provider Denials"
"Finding Resources for Financial Help"
..."try to warn these people not to try Calmare therapy."????...no, don't think so...I consistently advised everyone to discuss the therapy with their family doctor before parting with cash for an unproven therapy...all other information I posted were simple facts, corroborated by links usually, which prospective patients could review and assess...
..."here to save unsuspecting patients!"???...no, I'm just here to provide my opinion and links to indicate how I arrived at that opinion, in order that investors might have access to an alternative view...
...and the DOD?...yes, since it's my tax dollars being spent, I felt compelled to dispute what I feel is an incorrect decision...nothing done by anyone associated with the DOD constitutes a study sufficient to claim the bugzapper is superior to any other other TENS device currently on the market...
..."There is no placebo that has demonstrated pain relief at 60-90%."????...and you can provide links to studies supporting that claim?...
...besides, I've already described on several occasions how easily a scientifically valid study could be constructed to demonstrate whether the bugzapper is superior to any other TENS device currently on the market...so there's no excuse not to do it...
...Smith's study also demonstrated that the bugzapper results COULDN'T be duplicated on other pain scales, COULDN'T reduce opioid consumption, and COULDN'T improve quality of life...hardly what one would expect with such "dramatic" pain relief, eh?...
...and of course consumers care about "blinded, randomized, trials" -- although they may not realize it...because such trials allow them to assess claims of efficacy made by promoters of the device and permit them to make an informed decision...something particularly useful since refunds aren't offered...
..."they just want pain relief"????...no argument about that...but is it ethical to promote the machine by by claiming efficacy without also telling them that none of the studies done so far have been sufficient to make that claim?...is it ethical for Marineo to claim degrees he doesn't have in order to get papers published?...is it ethical for CTT to publish documents promoting their product and assigning various degrees to Marineo to give him credibility while knowing he doesn't have the degrees?...was it ethical for CTT to sign a deal with "Innovative Medical Technologies" -- a company set up by the previous CEO's relative apparently for the sole purpose of generating a press release?...
...I think it's only fair that the consumer have access to all the facts surrounding the product, people, and companies involved in its design and manufacture...nothing unethical about that, is there?...besides, asking CTT to provide a properly done study to demonstrate superiority to all the other TENS devices currently available doesn't seem like much to ask -- right?...providing Marineo's education and employment history seems easy enough -- right?...
...besides, as pointed out elsewhere, for business purposes, CTT's primary focus should be on insurance reimbursement...and by now surely everyone knows what they demand -- right?...
..."The patients don't care is there aren't any blinded, randomized, controlled studies..."???...that's arguable but who cares...for investors, more important is that insurance companies care...without insurance coverage, few therapists are likely willing to fork over 50 grand...
..."New order..."????...some deep thoughts:
http://www.raymondtaylor.net/2011/02/rules-for-ethical-life-r4el.html
http://www.raymondtaylor.net/2011/02/its-only-business.html
..."make sure you know how to pronounce scrambler therapy,"????...that's charming but inclusion in a dictionary won't make it valid NOR will it convince insurance companies to reimburse the therapists...that will require CORRECTLY RANDOMIZED, BLINDED, and APPROPRIATELY CONTROLLED studies to demonstrate superiority to placebo and every other TENS device on the market...
..."But cut Johnson's comp now..."????...how about the BOD's own compensation?...as I recall, that worked out to about 20-40 grand a piece plus they added Brennan to the board and made it that much more expensive...
..."How 'bout we discuss the, IMO, insane compensation..."????...given Johnnie's experience with bankruptcy courts, maybe the BOD figured they needed someone with his experience...
..."What else is in the (proverbial) pipeline?"???...CTT has a pipeline?...oh, wait!...I forgot!...they got that magnetic therapizer doowahicky thing, don't they?...I wonder how many sales reps and distributors they'll for hire for that one...HAW!!!...
..."Well we know he has misrepresented many things about both himself and Calmare."????...such as?...moreover, I usually provide links to support assertions I make so ANYONE can look up the information and satisfy themselves as to the quality of the source...
..."had to list his contact info."????...so what?...if I'm not mistaken, medical licensing boards in every state have a website where you can look up every physician licensed in that state and gather as much "contact info." as you wish...
..."Call him or email him and ask. He will respond."????...I did email him...in English AND Italian..Life Episteme, too...neither he nor they responded...why?...I can only presume because they're embarrassed by the answer...
..."He who is his own lawyer..."???...given the Nano/American Arbitration Association fiasco, one might reasonably argue who's worse off...
...what a difference a month can make in someone's education...Marineo goes from being a "MD, DSc":
http://www.competitivetech.net/media/pdf/Annual%20Meeting%202010.pdf
...to being a "MD, PhD":
http://www.competitivetech.net/media/pdf/Nano_Boston.pdf
...and, of course, in his most recent manifestation, Marineo demotes himself to just "PhD"...from where, who knows?..right?...
...now IF Marineo isn't really a MD, doesn't that put CTT in a rather awkward position?...either they have to claim their star inventor LIED to them and hence admit signing a deal with a con artist...or else they have a blame Nano for committing fraud and hence admit the company committed fraud at the time it published those press releases...especially considering they never corrected the error publicly...one must wonder whether they violated some SEC rule in that respect...
...but then it gets worse since Marineo CLEARLY lied in those two items he authored -- see links in an earlier post -- where he claimed "MD, DSc" and "MD,PhD" degrees...I've already quoted him from that interview about his trial saying that he never claimed to be a doctor and only had a background in electronics...it's only natural someone might wonder whether he actually even has a PhD...and since CTT won't defend that claim, it makes them look like they have something to fear in his educational background...n'cest pas?...
..."Myths?"????...no but nevertheless lack the basic requirements for scientific validity -- i.e. correct randomization, blinding, and appropriate controls -- which, in turn, makes them valueless for convincing insurance companies to reimburse therapy...
..."This is awesome..."?????...as of 1:30 not a single share has traded -- no doubt a clue as to how "awesome" Wall Street thinks it is...
..."I look for VA sales to explode."????...of course, I felt obliged to send my letter of discontent to everybody listed here:
http://waronpain.fedprac.com/home.html
...and if anyone forgot my letter reads:
"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 yet the company maintains that it isn't a TENS device and does so despite there being no evidence that it acts any differently than any other device on the market. 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, that iss 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 Calmare studies, you may note that those where he was involved produced truly extraordinary success -- success that no one independent of him seems able to duplicate. 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 a VAMC to purchase one of these machines for $50,000, not including supplies:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Competitive-Technologies-pz-2361864024.html?x=0&.v=1
I find that ridiculous. Fifty 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 machine will be serviced, maintained, and repaired. CTT is certainly in no position to do it since they have only about two employees total and have been having financial difficulties, and the contract manufacturer, GEOMC, is in Korea and appears to have financial difficulties of its own.
In any case, I'm sending out emails similar to this to various "quack" surveillance websites as well as to consumer organizations trying to marshall some support for my complaint. I appreciate any attention you give the matter."
..."the all-encompassing nature of palliative care can see a team helping patients deal with the psychological trauma of being disfigured, assisting families with finding transportation to the hospital and aiding doctors with summarizing the plans of multiple providers"...finding transportation?...dealing with psychological trauma?...summarizing plans?...sounds like every doc's dream job...
..."Victory Over Pain!!!"????...calmarett by another name?...or is it another "Innovative Medical Technologies"?...let's see, someone remind me how many they sold...or, for that matter, how many ANY of the other "distributors" that reach over THIRTY countries worldwide has sold...Excel?...Biogene Pharma?...seems hardly worthwhile to have distributors that don't ever distribute...
...why not let Henry Schein distribute them?...or some other company that REALLY exists and has a name someone might recognize...
..."Which one of those definitions..."????...uhhh:
"End of life care is an important part of palliative care..."
...which I do believe implies the patient has no "hope" of recovering...
...and, a more correct interpretation, in fact, since "palliative care" was really an euphemism someone probably came up with to replace "hospice care"...it's REAL purpose being to help "palliate" docs into accepting the assignment since end of life care frequently degenerates into "you do it," "no, you do it" arguments between a patient's docs -- they typically have several by that point -- when nurses start calling for orders for a feeding tube, soft restraints, manual disimpactions, etc, etc...
...so the "palliative care" doc is the poor guy who ends up with the "scut work" of care...and, just by looking at him, I'd say they hired the right man...
..."Anybody know the procedure for vetting his claim of an MD degree?"????...every state, I'm pretty sure, possesses a medical licensing board whose website allows easy access to a variety of data concerning every physician licensed in that state...
..."An MD would know the definition of palliative care."???...and I guess the World Health Organization would know as well:
http://www.who.int/cancer/palliative/definition/en/
...or would you prefer:
http://www.avert.org/palliative-care.htm
...do you think their definitions are in some way incompatible with my comment?...
..."You get promoted...???...wellllll...some docs might debate whether taking charge of a palliative care program is a "promotion"...most docs consider a job more appropriate for a secretary since as much as anything it involves coordinating other docs' care of a patient...moreover, it involves caring for people who are hopeless and near death -- not exactly what most docs visualized themselves doing when they decided to enter medicine...
..."What happened to all the negative postings?"????...waiting for the 10Q maybe?...isn't it about due?...
...all sorts of possibilities...have they've given Nano his dough yet?...have they dropped the AA lawsuit?...how much was spent on that suit?...will the VA actually pay them some money?...will they announce that D'Amato has finally opened one of the TEN CLINICS he promised would be open by January?...will they explain what happened to Chalmer's Las Vegas location?...will they announce that Aris Despo -- "Executive Vice-President" in charge of "business development" has FINALLY bought a share of CTT stock?...will they proudly display Marineo's curriculum vitae and finally demonstrate to all the world what an unscrupulous, deceitful human being I am?...
...or will it be the usual loss -- excuse...decreasing shareholder equity -- excuse...etc...etc...
..."Well then how about independent sources?"????...welllllll...people wanting to get on TV have been known to say all sorts of things for all sorts of reasons...that's why I like simple pain forums where there's less motivation by fame or money or a good job opportunity, and they just look to share their experience...
..."You don't know how to count."???...why, sure I do...I just don't count comments coming from websites trying to sell bugzapper therapy...
..."Another happy Calmare customer..."????...wow!...another ONE...a YEAR later?...why, at that rate, there ought to be, why, 90 or so by the turn of the century...but I have to admit, my rough census now stands at two positives, 11-14 no effect, and 4-12 worse pain and/or other adverse effects...still needing a little work, huh?...
...beside, Laurie appears to be one of these reiki-tiki, voodoo doll sticking, crystal licking, aura photographing types who would probably believe it if you told her shoving honey coated pine needles up her nose would relieve pain:
http://www.progressivepsychotherapy.com/images/Well-Being-Expo.pdf
...and judging by that flyer, her pain hasn't interfered with promoting her "Juice Plus" business...I must say that, judging from her website, I'm a tad surprised she hasn't found some "juicy" combination to relieve pain:
https://www.juiceplus.com/nsa/content/ResearchShows.soa?site=je75484
...I'm even more surprised that despite her "miraculous" results, she STILL takes ketamine, cymbalta, zanaflex:
http://crps.physiciansforpatients.com/lescu/bio
...that combination would render most people unconcious for several days...
...alas, what does it matter?...third party reimbursers could care less whether Laurie can now do triple reverse somersaults because that STILL wouldn't prove that bugzappers are any better at treating pain than other TENS units...and since third party reimbursers consider the bugzapper as NOTHING more than a TENS unit -- since that IS what the FDA approved it as -- they probably won't pay any more...
...so treatment will STILL continue to cost most people 1500-2500 bucks and -- in all likelihood -- they STILL won't get a money back if not satisfied guarantee...
...oh, and I don't wanna forget to tell'ya about a curious post on another website:
http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/r25542088-Did-I-buy-a-stolen-Arris-telephony-modem-
...get down about a third of the way and check out the post by "cubbies" and you may see a name shared by someone mentioned in this document:
http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2007/lr20388.htm
...and, by golly, I do believe the same address complete with a google picture ...isn't there some kind of ol'saying about fruit falling from a tree?...
..."all accept Marineo's findings and body of work as valid then I do as well."????...that's wonderful...problem is that third party reimbursers probably could care less what you accept...and even I would admit that they could care less about degrees he has...
...but what they DO care about and what determines whether THEY accept a device are CORRECTLY RANDOMIZED, BLINDED, and APPROPRIATELY CONTROLLED studies that demonstrate the bugzapper is either more effective or at least more cost effective than other TENS devices...
...NONE of which the bugzapper currently has...and it's not likely to have any in the near future...Smith's study allegedly is controlled but he doesn't specify what he's doing so it's hard to tell...
..."He fooled Tor Vergata..."????...uh, yeah...of course, back in August they did change that one webpage so it no longer refers to him as "Professor" and now uses "Mr."...which coincidentally occurred not long after I emailed them requesting his CV...
...but isn't it silly to be debating the issue in this fashion when ALL CTT or Marineo has to do is provide a copy of his CV?...I mean, is that REALLY too much to ask?...is it?...
...and if they're unwilling to do so, then why?...what's there that they want no one to know about?...
...we already know that he's a BONAFIDE LIAR...he himself said he never claimed to be a doctor in 1997...and he dropped the "MD" off the latest paper he wrote...which means those two publications where he claimed to have "MD, DSc" and "MD,PhD" degrees, he simply lied...
...so now the question is whether he has ANY degrees at all...seems easy enough to answer...
..."someone really believes that everyone should be concerned"???...well, yes...because that might help explain why studies where Marineo is involved achieve 90 plus per cent...a number that no other study seemed capable of reaching...and if Marineo was willing to lie on published documents about having degrees that he REALLY doesn't have, then one might reasonably assume he would be more than capable of fudging data to make himself look brilliant...
...
..."no"??????...so you DON'T think that CORRECTLY RANDOMIZED, BLINDED, and APPROPRIATELY CONTROLLED studies proving the bugzapper could eliminate 90% of pain would dramatically improve sales?...I repeat -- ???????????????...seems rather pessimistic even to me...
..."Calmare is working about 90% of the time and has durability according to Dr. D'Amato and Dr. Chalmers..."???...now if you could just convince them to do some CORRECTLY RANDOMIZED, BLINDED, and APPROPRIATELY CONTROLLED studies to prove that, then sales would flow like the Mississippi, wouldn't they?...
..."silence without any confirmation of Marineo's CV"????...well, I did notice this one item:
http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/1997/febbraio/26/macchina_anti_Aids_deve_essere_co_10_9702264338.shtml
...where Marineo appears to be talking about his trial after getting busted for practicing medicine without a license where he says:
"Working for years in the field of electronics. I never posed as a doctor."
...he never posed as a doctor?...well, gee, then why does he claim an "MD, DSc" and a "MD, PhD" here:
http://www.smj.org.sa/PDFFiles/Aug04/Delta20040158.pdf
http://www.nutritionj.com/content/3/1/9/comments
...aw, gosh!...you don't think it could be because he's a BONAFIDE FRAUD, do you?...
...and "years in the field of electronics"???...let me guess -- as a repairman?...
..."This 8K info from last week seems encouraging..."????...makes you wonder why they never opened (or opened and closed?) the Las Vegas site, doesn't it?...
...personally, I'm still waiting for D'Amato to open the TEN clinics he promised would be open by January...not many weeks left...wouldn't want him to do a rush job, don't you know?...