Widespread Condemnation of Wikipedia Bias

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Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, May 3, 2010

 

Widespread Condemnation of Wikipedia Bias

Readers Report Suppression of Nutritional Medicine

 

 

(OMNS, May 3, 2010) The public has something to say about a lack of

objectivity at the Wikipedia page on Orthomolecular Medicine

 

 

_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthomolecular_medicine_

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthomolecular_medicine) :

 

 

One reader writes:

 

" I created a Wikipedia account to learn to edit in order to keep the

orthomolecular side straight. If you check edits under CSC 42

_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/CSC_42_

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/CSC_42) you'll notice that

after hours of editing, my

edits have nearly all been replaced by original posts. Looks to be an edit

war. "

 

 

Another reader attempted to add the following text, unsuccessfully:

 

" Diseases that are accepted by conventional medicine to be the result of

vitamin or other nutrient deficiencies are: scurvy, pellagra, beriberi,

rickets, tetany, osteoporosis, goiter, Keshan disease, and iron deficiency

anemia. "

 

 

Here is some of the other correspondence that OMNS has received:

 

 

Australia:

" It is clear that Wikipedia authors are biased against orthomolecular

medicine. Those of us who use ascorbate and other vitamins in high doses know

better. The science behind the use of vitamins as recommended by

orthomolecular physicians and researchers is very well established.

_http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v02n02.shtml_

(http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v02n02.shtml) There are many hundreds

of MDs, naturopaths,

nutritionists and others who successfully treat patients with mega doses. And

there are

many thousands of well educated people who use the same on their own. "

 

United Kingdom:

" Wikipedia? Rubbish! I don't care what anyone writes about orthomolecular

medicine. I use it and it has served me well. "

_http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v03n11.shtml_

(http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v03n11.shtml)

 

 

" Homeopaths are experiencing the same bias on Wikipedia.

_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy_

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy) When a

person posts truth about how homeopathy works, or bona fide research into

the effects of homeopathic medicine, it is immediately changed to lies. I

suspect that it is the same for virtually any form of natural medicine. "

 

 

France:

" There is no doubt in my mind that there is an organized campaign against

orthomolecular research. In my experience there is one way to defeat them,

and that is to do like you have done in this newsletter: let a hundred

thousand eyes search for the truth. "

_http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml_

(http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml)

 

 

California:

" For over three years after being diagnosed with chronic lymphatic

leukemia I have been receiving 100,000 milligrams of vitamin C intravenously,

twice a week. My oncologist is extremely impressed that my white blood level

has maintained a healthy level. My treatments have now been reduced to one

treatment per week. I feel strong, have a great sense of well being, and I

have had no ill effects from this mode of treatment. "

_http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v01n09.shtml_

(http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v01n09.shtml) and

_http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v04n19.shtml_

(http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v04n19.shtml)

 

 

Nebraska:

" Having headed up the research centers for several national

medically-related corporations, I have reviewed articles at the Wikipedia site

quite a

large number of times in recent years and have long been familiar with its

strong biased reports disseminated quite widely throughout their system.

Their extreme negative spin has convinced me that there is a no-win status in

trying to influence them. "

_http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v06n02.shtml_

(http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v06n02.shtml)

 

 

Minnesota:

" Creating a Wikipedia for natural medicine is the only way to ensure

accurate data on the subject. I am not sure how we would manage data from Big

Pharma backed authors. "

_http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v05n02.shtml_

(http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v05n02.shtml)

 

 

South Carolina:

" I have noticed an almost universal Wikipedia bias against any form of

alternative medicine, and against those who have well documented and

reasonable concerns about the safety and efficacy of many practices of the

pharmaceutical companies, especially vaccinations. (

_http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v04n17.shtml_

(http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v04n17.shtml) and

_http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v05n06.shtml_

(http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v05n06.shtml) ) This attitude goes

against

the Wiki spirit that truth should be distilled through the process of

debate. When labels like " quack " are thrown around so freely, when statements

such as " these claims are not verified by science " (meaning the reigning

establishment, of course), it does not lead to healthy debate and exposes the

ignorance of those who must resort to name calling rather than intelligent

conversation. There seems to be a power complex behind what was meant to be

a public arena. "

 

 

Elsewhere in USA:

" Wikipedia editors that have a long history of maintaining an article keep

tabs on the content. After reading the article it seems quite clear that

those holding a negative viewpoint have won the battle. The only way to get

the article to be more neutral is to propose a change and cite

peer-reviewed references in the Discussion tab

_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Orthomolecular_medicine_

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Orthomolecular_medicine) . It is quite

educational to read the existing Discussion to get a

feel for the players involved and what their objections are likely to be. "

 

 

A registered nurse writes:

" Wikipedia bias? Oh well, that leaves more great supplements for the rest

of us! "

 

 

Allan N. Spreen, M.D.:

" The biggest objectivity problem with Wikipedia is that by its very

concept, nothing can be trusted in any of the information. Bias is implicit. If

they see something they don't like, they can remove it, without reference to

qualifications. That's why I never use Wikipedia. "

 

 

Ralph K. Campbell, M.D.:

" The old war is still intense. Wikipedia's account of Orthomolecular

Medicine makes me regret that pharmaceutical medicine's stubborn defense of its

practices can only be bolstered by attacking the enemy. Yet rarely does a

week go by but " Medscape " warns physicians of a new " black box " label

attached to a drug, due to bad side-effects. What is " normal " vitamin intake?

Five to seven pesticide-laden fruit and vegetable servings a day, and

processed foods virtually devoid of nutrients? "

 

 

Erik Paterson, M.D.:

" The Wikipedia account of Orthomolecular Medicine is quite misleading. Dr.

Roger J. Williams _http://www.doctoryourself.com/rjwilliams.html_

(http://www.doctoryourself.com/rjwilliams.html) found there to be a wide range

of

variations in human biochemistry and need for nutrients, work which has never

been refuted. Mainstream medical scientists and doctors do not take such

variability into account when considering the nutritional requirements of

patients. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of the individual nutrients

only provides enough to prevent the deficiency diseases in healthy people

but offers nothing about the requirements of people who are ill.

_http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v03n10.shtml_

(http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v03n10.shtml) Orthomolecular

physicians take the specialized

nutritional needs of sick patients into account. Drugs, best described as

deadly poisons given in sublethal doses, cannot be considered safe, since, in

the USA alone, well over 100,000 patients per year die from the toxic effects

of drugs given according to the manufacturers' recommendations. By

contrast, deaths due to vitamins given in doses far higher than the RDA is zero

_http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v06n04.shtml_

(http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v06n04.shtml) . "

 

 

Interested readers may contribute to the Wikipedia Orthomolecular Medicine

page _http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthomolecular_medicine_

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthomolecular_medicine) .

 

 

Or can they?

 

 

 

Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine

 

Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight

illness. For more information: _http://www.orthomolecular.org_

(http://www.orthomolecular.org/)

 

The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and

non-commercial informational resource.

 

 

 

Editorial Review Board:

 

Ralph K. Campbell, M.D. (USA)

Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. (Canada)

Damien Downing, M.D. (United Kingdom)

Michael Gonzalez, D.Sc., Ph.D. (Puerto Rico)

Steve Hickey, Ph.D. (United Kingdom)

James A. Jackson, PhD (USA)

Bo H. Jonsson, MD, Ph.D (Sweden)

Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. (USA)

Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D. (Puerto Rico)

Erik Paterson, M.D. (Canada)

Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D. (Netherlands)

 

Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D. (USA), Editor and contact person. Email:

_omns_ (omns)

 

 

 

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