The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "alternative treatment" ...
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Dubious Medicine
Alternative treatments have become very popular among autism patients and their families. Furthermore, physicians are promoting and using these treatments. This investigation reveals that these treatments are unproven and very risky to the children receiving the treatments. Also, in the investigation, they found a number of disappointing results from the few clinical trials, even though many families believe their children have benefited.
Tags: Autism; Alternative treatments; Physicians; Medicine; Children; Clinical trials; Disorder; Health
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School of Shock
This story investigates the Judge Rotenberg Center, a residential special education school in Massachusetts that treats students' problematic behavior through the use of controversial aversive therapy -- mainly in the form of electric shocks applied to the skin. This piece traces the history of aversive techniques and explores the question of when, if ever, they are appropriate; tells the story of the school and the man who founded it; explains the tough choices facing parents who consent to getting their children shocked; and describes in detail the methods used and the concerns regulators have about them.
Tags: education; therapy; psychology; alternative treatment; child abuse
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Where Hope is Locked Away: California's Youth Prisons. A Mercury News Special Report.
This series examines California's failing youth prison system. The state pledged that all youth would receive counseling and rehabilitative treatment, but it seems like the system is too flawed to keep those promises. Now, tear gas, gang violence, and fear are much more common than progress. The reporters specifically focused on five issues: education, treatment, sentencing, parole and alternatives. They compare the California system to better ones in Texas and Missouri.
Tags: Youth Authority; juvenile delinquents; abuse; sex offenders; therapy; mental health; rehabilitation; drugs
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Hope Sells
"Starting with casual introductions at public alternative health fairs and culminating inside clinics in Tijuana, PrimeTime followed the process through which a cancer patient can get scammed into paying tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars for useless, ineffective treatments.." Investigators found United States - based companies that operate illegal clinics in Mexico to offer alternative cancer treatments. Investigators went to the clinics, consulted experts and concluded that they made outrageous claims that could cost cancer patients their lives. The story shut down one clinic.
Tags: cancer treatment; sting operation; alternative medicine; chemotherapy; satellite clinics; quack; medicine; Mexico border; breast cancer; National Cancer Institute; Federal Trade Commission; Baja California
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BioPulse Clinic Shut Down
The story looks into the "medical" practices of BioPulse International, a company that offers alternative treatments to cancer patients in its Tijuana clinic. Reports from respected medical professionals and also from patients that followed the treatments signal that, despite the promises of the BioPulse doctors and the money the patients paid, their condition was unchanged if not worse. A sustained PR campaign (with what now seams misleading information) has also boosted share prices of the company. Following the article Mexican authorities have closed the clinic and the US Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation.
Tags: BioPulse; biotechnology; cancer; alternative treatments; cancer vaccine; insulin induced coma; FTC; Tijuana; Liviakis Financial Communications
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America's Shadow Drug War
In this group of stories Time examines the effectiveness of America's "war on drugs" at home and in South America. Ramo investigates the shoot-down of an unarmed American missionary plane over Peru by American and Peruvian anti-drug forces. American anti-drug spending is about $1.9 billion a year and government officials are still convinced that air surveillance and crop eradication methods will work in South America. In the second story Ripley profiles the American missionary, Vernoica Bowers, who was killed along with her seven-month-old daughter when their plane was shot down by Peruvian anti-drug forces. The last piece, written by Margot Roosevelt, looks at America's stance on drug offenders and mandatory drug sentencing in relation with the second Bush Administration. The story finds that many states are finding treatment alternatives for drug offenders instead of locking them up. The piece contains a follow-up story by Davis on the cycle of addiction that many drug users face.
Tags: Drugs; law enforcement; politics
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The Healer
This article examines Hulda Clark's controversial medical treatments for which she faces criminal charges. Indiana and Brown County authorities say she is doing nothing more than "dazzling the gullible with outlandish claims, baseless prescriptions and useless gadgetry." But Clark believes she can cure HIV and cancer, which she writes about in her books, The Cure for All Cancers, The Cure for HIV/AIDS, etc.
Tags: alternative medicine; controversial medical treatments; Hulda Clark; Leonard
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Hope in a Hypodermic
Thomas M. Vigil, a homeopathic doctor of highly questionable training and background is luring quadrapelgics and others to his AMBRI clinic to undergo a $10,000 treatment., which purportedly alleviates all sorts of pains and conditions, including spasms from spinal cord injuries. The "medicine" is called "neuralyn" and was revealed to the Yampa, ID doctor in a dream. Patient who went to the ID treatment reports feeling better, but it may have been the uplifting comradie of fellow patients. The reporter estimates Dr. Vigil has earned $8.4 million from the treatment of thousands.
Tags: neuralyn; alternative medicine; quadrapalegic; paralysis; pain management
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Mr. Natural
Millions of Americans swear by the alternative medicine of Dr. Andrew Weil, a Harvard-educated physician. He would rather prescribe meditation rather than medication. Nationwide, consumers spend nearly $14 billion a year for medical treatments rarely offered by the family doctor. What distinguishes Weil from the rest is his radical eclecticism. He recommends a variety of things: herbalism, acupuncture, naturopathy, but where he may get into trouble is when he uncritically endorses treatments such as cranial manipulation that seem like folly even to many alterative-medicine believers.
Tags: Doctors Drugs Food
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Malignant Law Enforcement
Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski is facing prosecution by the FDA for violating FDA regulations with his alternative treatment of cancer. Burzynski uses antineoplastons, or amino acid chains, to treat cancer. Many of his patients swear his treatments have helped them and care more about their effectiveness than whether the FDA has approved them.