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Mission Statement

Medical Accountability Network provides resources on issues of integrity¹ in medicine. This site focuses on informed consent as the keystone² to an ethical physician patient relationship. Through advocacy and education the MAN seeks to raise the responsibility of participants in all quarters affected by medical matters.

1. Integrity: Freedom from corrupting influence or motive (Webster's Dictionary, 1913);
    Steadfast adherence to strict moral or ethical code (American Heritage Dictionary, 2000).
2. Keystone: The central supporting element of a whole (American Heritage Dictionary, 2000)

A clue to disease mongering can be found in how the condition is classified and described.  It will often be announced as a ‘syndrome’ rather than calling it a disease. Syndrome is a medical term for a collection of symptoms that occur together and roughly define a condition. This is different from the strict definition of disease, which requires definite pathological markers that clearly delineate normal from abnormal. ‘Syndrome’ is readily translated into ‘disease’ in the minds of the non-medical public.

The latest example of disease mongering is Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). It is a true ‘syndrome’ in that all of the criteria for making a diagnosis are subjective, meaning they are all just symptoms. There are no objective measurements to determine if someone has this, nor is there any actual tissue pathology necessary to the diagnosis. RLS is defined as an urge to move due to an unpleasant feeling in the legs, with onset or worsening of symptoms when at rest or not moving around frequently, obtaining partial or complete relief by movement. Symptoms occur primarily at night and can interfere with sleep or rest. If such a feeling strikes your legs even less frequently than once a month, you still fall into the criteria for an RLS diagnosis.

Once the diagnostic criteria were established, however vague, it was necessary to popularize the condition. Take a look at the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation. It is a classic in pretended grassroots organizations, which have become known as ‘AstroTurf©’. The two manufacturers of drugs for RLS, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Boehringer Ingelheim are listed as Gold Level Sponsors of the RLS Foundation. The first ever press release of the Foundation was coincident with the FDA’s approval of GSK’s new RLS drug. In fact the website displays the same blue and gold colors as the packaging for Glaxo’s drug.  GSK’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Development, Ronald Krall, MD, was awarded with the RLS Foundation’s first ever Science Award. Dr. Krall himself selected the researchers that came up with the statistics describing how many supposedly suffer from the syndrome. Several of the members serving on the Foundation’s Medical Advisory Board are or have been in the pay of Glaxo, Boehringer and other drug makers. Read full article.

Popular flu medication associated with suicide: What you need to know about Roche's Tamiflu.
By Moira Terese Dolan, M.D.

Is it true about the flu?
An alternative to the flu type and hysteria
By Moira Terese Dolan, M.D.

While Rome burns: Collusion With Pharmaceutical Scientific Fraud
And The Prognosis For Dispassionate Academic Discourse
By Aubrey Blumsohn, MBBCh, PhD, MSc, BSc(hons), MRCPath

Pharmacists Need To Do The Right Thing!
By James T. O'Donnell, PharmD MS FCP ABCP

The Doctor Will See You Now
An Inside Look At Prescription Drug Pushing
By Gwen Olsen

Another Bad Idea: Cholesterol Screening In Children
New Guideline Threatens Young Brains
- What The American Heart Association Is Not Telling You
By Duane Graveline, MD MPH 

Not So Miraculous: Telling The Truth About The New Vaccine Gardasil®
- Does It Prevent Cancer? A Guide To Informed Consent
By Moira Terese Dolan, M.D.

Family Caregiver Advocates For Ethical Treatment Of The Elderly
And For Informed Consent Regarding Treatment Decisions
By Jeanne M. Hannah, J.D. 

Protecting Your Heart From Your Heart Doctor: Informed Consent For Cardiac Procedures - Replacing Medical Coercion With Knowledge
By Howard H. Wayne, MD, F.A.C.C., F.A.C.P., F.C.C.P.