Sunday, February 27, 2011

Response to: Quack of the Day: Alan Phillips

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2011
Quack of the Day: Alan Phillips

Costner, your blog rants are getting more and more obsessed with twisted personal attacks and unmerited accusation you have no basis for. Whats up with that? You seem to be a very angry person who has all the makings of the lid blowing clean off? Your blog page makes me laugh; it is so mind bending asinine! Again just because you could not address the real information about herd immunity, and you know you couldn't, you again go on the personal attack mode.

You missed the entire point to the Allan Phillips article, and the failure of herd immunity references that were in it. If you are so on target, and honest; why did you miss that? You know that subject matter in both of your last two blog posts surrounded that issue. Why is it that you can never address the information honestly without cherry picking the information you choose to respond to? Very similar to Gorski, who you reference. 

You can not have that many herd immunity failures happening with even 100% coverage and claim the the science is solid, and as well you know I can add many more vaccine and herd immunity failures. I asked you to provide me some science as to herd immunity and you presented one study article, which as clearly refuted as to its validity. Then you posted all sorts of studies from pubmed which had nothing to do with herd immunity. You can find my analysis of those studies in my response blog page.

Those outbreaks were not in only the un-vaccinated, and those who could not be vaccinated; they were largely in those that had been fully vaccinated. Or do you want to argue again the meaning of the word term, fully? Why don't you do a little expose on the percentage of vaccine exemptions existing in a typical US schools? Then see how many schools actually ever lack herd immunity? Be sure you cross check that with the CDC percentages given for claimed herd immunity for each vaccine.


A little putting it all in perspective background information.
Herd Immunity - Facts
Modern Medicine - Facts
Now - The Third Leading Cause of Death, originally published in the AMA Journal.
Modern Medicine - Truth

This referenced to above blog page is copied here, and I will make a response to each paragraph, and that if there is anything even worth responding to.  
Here we go.

As mentioned previously, Mr. Hubbs thought it was a good idea to cite the work of Alan Phillips, because Hubbs felt Phillips was qualified to write on the subject of vaccines.  Thus, if we wish to be logical and speak about qualifications we should determine who Alan Phillips is.  Phillips is not a doctor, he is not a research scientist, he does not hold a PhD, nor has he written any peer-reviewed papers.  He is not an immunologist nor has he attended medical school.  He isn't a nurse, he doesn't hold an advanced degree in any medical or scientific field, and as far as I can tell he has never so much as set foot in a research lab where vaccines are being studied.
As mentioned previously, Mr. Hubbs thought it was a good idea to cite the work of Alan Phillips, because Hubbs felt Phillips was qualified to write on the subject of vaccines.  Thus, if we wish to be logical and speak about qualifications we should determine who Alan Phillips is.  Phillips is not a doctor, he is not a research scientist, he does not hold a PhD, nor has he written any peer-reviewed papers.  He is not an immunologist nor has he attended medical school.  He isn't a nurse, he doesn't hold an advanced degree in any medical or scientific field, and as far as I can tell he has never so much as set foot in a research lab where vaccines are being studied.


Reply: What does it matter, as long, as the information is truth? Truth is truth, no matter who tells it! Again, Mr. Phillips clearly outlined with the references that the coined term of herd immunity is purely a myth. You as well know there are many more references to vaccine and herd immunity failure than what was listed in that article. Those herd immunity failures referenced, were up to and including known 100% vaccination rates. As well, you have failed to produce when asked for it any science whatsoever that proves the concept of herd immunity is based in actual science. You posted a study, but its study design and its credibility was clearly shot down in the links attached the very same study article. What does it take to get you to face the truth? Again, nothing would be enough to end your denial.    


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In reality, Phillips is a lawyer rather than a scientist or doctor.  That was obvious as soon as I read the first paragraph of his editorial, because even the most anti-vaccination doctors out there seem to have a better grasp on the facts, but beyond being a lawyer, Mr. Phillips is actually an anti-vaccine lawyer or a vaccine exemption lawyer whichever you prefer.  This means he gets paid to sue organizations, states, the federal government or whoever else in an attempt to claim vaccine exemptions for his clients for a number of different reasons with the most common falling under the guise of a religious objection.  He even posts a FAQ on his website (http://www.vaccinerights.com/q&a.html) which counsels people on how to go about requesting a religious exemption even if they have no such religion in the first place.  Does this wreak of a conflict of interest to anyone?  I find it ironic that a lawyer writing about vaccines and making claims about vaccines being harmful has such an obvious ethical conflict here, but that isn't likely to sway any of the anti-vaxers even when they (hypocritically) try to suggest the vaccine manufacturers are just in it for the money.

 
Reply: Here are the Allan Phillips sites:
http://www.alanphillipslaw.com/   http://www.vaccinerights.com/q&a.html 

No where under vaccine exemptions does it state he does any of that in regard to vaccines nor exemptions; those said services and issues certainly appear to be unrelated to vaccines. And even if he could or did provide those services, why would you care if a parent gets a vaccine exemption for whatever reason is legal? Thats pretty sick, don't you think? Taking into account that even herd immunity is proven to be a myth? If the parent chooses not to risk autism, or their health having met all their milestones child turning into a seizure ridden vegetable after vaccines, that is clearly 
their choice. 


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Philips is also an advisory board Member of the American Chiropractic Autism Board (yes really... I didn't even have to make that up) and a board member of the World Association for Vaccine Education.  If neither of these organizations means anything to you don't fret because you aren't alone.  The anti-vaxers like to create groups and give them clever names even though the same handful of people are involved in all of them... it is just another way they try to give credibility to their cause because they can add things to their resumes and websites to make themselves sound important.


Reply: I am quite sure that in reality the last thing those people are concerned about is adding things to their resumes. The goal is unbiased vaccine education. I have yet to see, view, or review any vaccine truth information site that misrepresented any information ...ever! To much focus has been at previous times placed on thimerosal, as the sole factor in autism; however as research, biomedical treatment options and the whole information field has evolved, that has become more educated to the facts that there are three issues involved. Heavy metal toxicity, viral overload and healing the children's damaged gut by elimination of typically allergenic foods. The common denominator that created that situation in so many children? The MMR shot.

Biomedical Treatment

You see now why Costner has gone after me for now nearly a years time? To much truth being put out there. And how has he done that? From an entirely unknown identity and only the use of an Argus and blog character name; which by the way was attached to his current blog account, dated back to 2006. Guess what; he removed that name. So, he was blogging even then, with apparently a false name? Claimed he worked in consulting.


Here he goes on to claim:

How do I know these groups are entirely worthless?  Well in the case of the "World Association for Vaccine Education" (or WAVE as they like to be called), they have a introductory statement on their website that reads "... study vaccine data from a non-medical point of view".  Are you serious?  What other way is there to study vaccines that from a medical and/or scientific viewpoint?  Frankly you cannot study vaccines any other way.  The quackery doesn't stop there however - WAVE even invented their own journal (Medical Veritas - obviously not an accepted or reputable journal within the medical or scientific community) so they could pack it with their own data and claim it was "published in a journal".  The mere fact their website is http://www.novaccine.com/ is enough to tell us they aren't interested in the scientific process but rather have formed opinions and seek to throw data at those opinions in the hopes something will stick.  If you want to talk about bias - this is a prime example at work.


Reply: How do we now you aren't entirely worthless Coster. You could care less about vaccine damaged children. You do not care how many people get well with natural protocols, even after modern medicine has entirely failed them, and only made the situation worse with their for billions in profit selling sickness and disease nightmare. Your business is denial, and continued false promotion of a clearly and largely failed medical model.
What do you care Costner, how Medical Veritas presents their information? Fact is fact no matter what form it is in. How much of their information can you refute, and/or with your pharma science? Thats what I thought! Nothing. You false rantings are clearly the devils pride ....dude!!!


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Besides Philips, who else is on the board of WAVE?  Well it is a laundry list of anti-vaxers, but there are the usual suspects including Sherri Tenpenny, Mary Tocco, a guy who created the "Hyperbaric Medical Association" and who operates a "Hyperbaric Medical Center" and a "Hyperbaric Oxygen Clinic" (I could write a whole separate post about this guy and his unscientific alternative medicine quackery) and several chiropractors, one of which feels it important to specifically list in his bio that he was Michigan All-State Cross Country in 1983.  Yes really - these people really have no shame.


Reply: What scares you so much about WAVE Costner? You sound like a little girl that is about to pee their pants for fright? Is it the fact that they outline all the nasty ingredients in vaccines, and provide the vaccine inserts? Inserts that the parents lucky for you most never see nor read? Hey, oxygen is good, don't knock it. And how many times does the word quackery appear in your blog? It is quite obvious where the real quackery exists, but your hope Costner is that the majority of the public never figure that out! You will drive the train with everyone aboard all the why to Stupidville and Sheeplesville if you can. Make sure they all have the standard medical no dissent blinders on! 


And what is it that you hate so much about the chiropractic profession. The standard medical model has falsely trashed chiropractic since its beginning. Why? Because nothing competes; an nothing is allowed to. Learn of that real history...dude! Is it that you can't stand to see people not filling prescription orders at the pharmacy, and lining up for flu toxic shots? Are you that afraid of the truth? And really, many chiropractors believe in natural health enough to have investigated vaccines from unbiased sources. If they choose to not vaccinate, or provide truth information, let it be. I do not know of single chiropractor that believes they can cure or reverse autism with chiropractic care. However some of them are onto the biomedical treatment methods; and even have become DAN doctors. But then honestly caring about children never was your cup of tea Costner. You are only interested in saving face for the false medical model. You know what, if you actually became educated to the concepts of the soil and the seed, and all the hidden history of modern medicine; I guarantee you the rest of the understanding of it all will fall right into place. You are not capable of it, as you stubbornly choose not to. 

More in denial .. lunacy:

So what about the comically named "American Chiropractic Autism Board" or ACAB?  Well if you visit their website you will find their "board of advisers" includes many of the same people as are found on WAVE such as Philips, Boyd Haley and Mary Tocco.  You will also find Tocco's daughter and Tocco's husband (or former husband... I seem to remember something about them being divorced) both of which are Chiropractors, and you will find a few other Chiropractors, NDs, a woman who is a "Certified Nutrition Counselor" and a couple of women who have no official credentials at all other than the fact they are mothers of autistic kids (or in the case of one a mother of a kid who was autistic and has since recovered).  I suppose one of them does claim to be a "writer, teacher and cartoonist" so that is probably worth something right?


Reply: You know what Costner? I guarantee you if you sat in on one of Mary Tocco's presentations, and they had one right here in Sioux Falls, you could not respond to nor refute that presented and factual information and studies! You would as a fact look like the fool that you are. Here again you keep ranting about credentials. What credentials do YOU have? Fact is fact no matter who presents it. Personal attacks will never change that. You Costner have bashed the credibility of any doctor as well, and no matter what their expertise on vaccines, or anything else. So apparently anyone that deviates from the standard medical model or dissents in regard to any claims of that standard medical model in any way being wrong; those people are immediately branded according to you, as quacks. Well, you have Gorski, Orac, and Quackwatch to back you up, so go write for them and stop chasing me around!!! But hopefully if anyone starts writing replies to your articles you can't defend against; you won't be putting a $5000 hit on them to go mess them up, like you did on me! How did that work out?  


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I'm not sure being affiliated with either of these organizations makes Phillips qualified to speak on the subject of vaccines, but he sure seems to think so.  In fact he claims on his website that he is "is one of the nation's leading vaccine rights attorneys" (although I'm not exactly sure how he is able to verify such a claim).


Reply: What qualifies you to speak here Costner? An over inflated ego? You do not even have any identity, period! How sick is that? There aren't many vaccine rights attorneys so perhaps he is right, by the way. What your claim Costner sounds like only a conspiracy theory??? Yet where the real conspiracies exist, you deny it. So much for your credibility.


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Rest assured however if you can't afford Mr. Philips services he can offer you his book for the low-low price of $24.95.  Keep in mind that is a great value, because the book is "over 100 pages" and Philips claims it holds a retail price of $39.95.  Of course it is only an e-book because for $25 you can't expect real paper, and you will need to download it yourself or pay an extra $5 to have them mail you a CD.  Honestly - are there ANY of these anti-vaxer types who DON'T have a book, CD, DVD, or line of supplements to sell?


Reply:  I guarantee you Costner, the ONLY reason Alan Phillips does what he does is because he firmly believes in the rights of the parents to protect their children against harmful and toxic load vaccines now on the CDC schedule. No vaccines are ever evaluated for their cumulative effect, and you know it. What the CDC has on their site for information as to multiple vaccines is so paltry and scarce for any science, it is outright criminal! 

You know what Costner, if I had a child at the age of needed vaccines to attend school, I would buy that book and find it to be the cheapest investment I could have ever made in protecting my child's health. How else are the parents to educate themselves? The schools and the state lie to the parents all the time, about what is legally available to them. They act like if they don't vaccinate the whole planet will come down with deadly diseases, they have been so falsely fear mongered and mislead for so many generations, that people no longer even think for themselves. The concept of herd immunity is a proven fact, right? Common sense tells you that doesn't even make sense, from square one. 


More lying, intellectually dishonest, and delusional comments by Costner!

The most comical aspect of Philips' bio however is the following quote: "Alan is an accomplished professional singer-songwriter on piano and 12-string acoustic guitar, with achievements that include standing ovations at seven international conferences and sales of original music to citizens from countries on six continents."
Awesome - so apparently when you get a standing ovation for your music, or when you have sold some CDs in a few different countries... that means you are somehow qualified and at all relevant to speak about vaccines.  Gothca.


Reply: Well gezz Costner, now you are even hateful toward musicians??? What will it be next? Again, WHAT are YOUR qualifications Costner? Nameless blogger?? Is that now qualifying for some large medical knowledge award? Or maybe you are an undercover medical expert of some sort? Boy, sure doesn't look like it to me. If you were an actual doctor, I assure you all of your patients reading your blog would never come back.   



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As sad as it is, these are the types of people who are professed as experts on vaccine related subjects within the anti-vaxer camps.  Actual credentials matter little when the snakeoil salesman is telling you exactly what you want to hear, but don't expect an anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist to admit it.  In truth I really can't even blame Phillips because he is probably a very intelligent guy.  He found a niche market (parents who are petrified that their kids will be harmed by vaccinations) and he ran with it.  For all I know Phillips might have kids who are all up to speed on their vaccinations, but he understands he has a role to play, and it becomes rather easy to prey upon ignorant anti-vaccination types while laughing all the way to the bank.


 
Reply: Keep on telling everyone that knows anything that they are conspiracy theorists and snake oil salesmen Costner. There hasn't been near enough harm done yet! With the autism rate at 1 in 91, I would be a little concerned as a parent myself. Especially when we know that went to where it is from 1 in 10,000 prior to the NVCA, and the no liability production of vaccines that quadrupled in number of vaccines since then. And really, how would you know if Phillips vaccinated his kids? From the looks of his article he wrote and referenced below, what possibility obviously seems to be in all honesty about 0. But keep up the good work there Costner, such endless false allegations are always the first sign of very failed credibility. 


DISPELLING VACCINATION MYTHS
A Documented Report by Alan Phillips

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So at the end of the day what do you really believe?  Do you take the opinion of a lawyer who has an obvious ethical bias tied to his personal income, or do you trust proven time-tested scientific methods which produce research and results which are replicated and peer-reviewed?  For someone with a level head and at least average intellect the answer is clear, but for someone like Lowell Hubbs apparently it isn't quite so easy... which is exaclty what keeps so many anti-vaccine snakeoil salesman in business.


Reply: Obvious ethical bias tied to his personal income? And where is your proof for that? We are at the end of your blog page and you still have provided no evidence for that. So, what do we have here? We have a delusional nearly foaming at the mouth crazed man with no identity but has a character name of Costner, placing unfounded claims against anyone and anything that gets in the way of his path to endlessly trying to deceive the public as to fact.

The polio vaccine: a critical assessment of its arcane history, efficacy, and long-term health-related consequence.