Julian Whitaker
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Julian M. Whitaker, M.D. (born August 7, 1944) is a practitioner of alternative medicine who promotes vitamin cures and other alternative therapies through the internet, self-published newsletters, and books. He operates the Whitaker Wellness Institute in Newport Beach, California and states that he is a member of the American Medical Association,[citation needed] although he has never been certified in any specialty recognized by this body.[1] He is past president of the American Preventive Medical Association, now called the American Association for Health Freedom, an advocacy organisation that promotes allowing patients and physicians to receive insurance compensation for procedures not supported by scientific evidence.[citation needed] Whitaker's claims and methods have been the subject of criticism.
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[edit] Education and certification
Whitaker graduated from Dartmouth College in 1966 and earned his M.D. from Emory University Medical School in 1970, completing a surgical internship at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital in 1971.[citation needed] He did postgraduate training at Emory University and began but did not complete a residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of California San Francisco.[citation needed]
Although he is proclaimed to be "board certified" in "Anti-Aging Medicine" from the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M),[2] the A4M is not a medical certification board and "Anti-Aging" is not a medical specialty granted by the American Board of Medical Specialties.[3]
[edit] Activities and medical philosophy
Whitaker suggests, in his subscription-based newsletter called Health and Healing and in numerous books, that a combination of vitamin therapy and exercise can prevent or cure many ailments. As the director and founder of the Whitaker Wellness Institute in Newport Beach, California, Whitaker states that since 1991, his subscription-based newsletter has achieved a circulation of more than 2.5 million readers. He is a co-founder of the California Orthomolecular Medical Society.
Whitaker opposes the use of pharmaceuticals in the treatment of mental illness and supports the Scientologist position, popularised by actor Tom Cruise, that psychiatry is fraudulent. In a CNN interview with Anderson Cooper, Whitaker states that psychiatric diagnoses have "no basis" and are fabricated or voted into existence by powerful groups of doctors with financial interests. The combination of medication and talk therapy endorsed by psychiatry is a "script", says Whitaker, who claims in the interview that his golden retriever can provide talk therapy just as well as a psychiatrist. According to Whitaker, vitamins, such as those promoted on his website, can cure psychiatric disorders by improving general health.[4]
[edit] Criticism
Whitaker has been a controversial figure, and has been criticized for his self-promotional approach to medicine, potential conflicts of interest, and his embrace of scientifically unsound practices.
The National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF) criticises Whitaker for promoting himself as "America's #1 health advocate," "America's #1 health champion," and "the physician America trusts." According to the NCAHF, Whitaker advocates potentially dangerous therapies involving growth hormones, chelation and megavitamins, and intervenes on behalf of other "maverick" doctors in legal trouble.[5][6]
The Los Angeles Times notes that Whitaker serves as a consultant to vitamin companies advertised on his website, a practice criticised by other doctors who prefer to promote only evidence-based products. In the article, Whitaker is classified as a doctor "mixing celebrity and cyberspace".[7]
Whitaker claims to be a leading expert in "anti-aging medicine", a practice criticised by mainstream medical practitioners.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ Should We "Thank God" for Julian Whitaker? by Dr. Nada Mangialetti & Jack Raso, 1 December 1999:
- "Whitaker states that he is "board certified in anti-aging medicine" and that he practices preventive medicine—but he has never been conventionally certified in any specialty acknowledged by the official source of such certification, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), or by the American Medical Association (AMA). "Anti-aging medicine" is not a specialty thus acknowledged."
- ^ The World Health Network - Anti-Aging and Longevity
- ^ Specialties & Subspecialties
- ^ CNN interview of Julian Whitaker by Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees, June 30, 2005
- ^ NCAHF entry on Whitaker
- ^ NCAHF Newsletter 1 November 1997. "Julian Whitaker's smear campaign and the alleged 'NCAHF Quack List'".
- ^ Roan, Shari (24 January 2000). "Changing Their Role; By mixing celebrity and cyberspace, some high- profile doctors are redefining the way medicine is practiced and promoted.". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jan/24/health/he-57001. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
- ^ Antiaging Medicine, Scientific American, 13 May 2002. Antiaging Medicine, May 13, 2002
