this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2024
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1,500 kids got bogus homeopathic pellets instead of lifesaving vaccines in NY (arstechnica.com)
submitted 10 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/health@lemmy.world
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The midwife paid a fine and is barred from accessing the state's vaccine records system.

A midwife in New York administered nearly 12,500 bogus homeopathic pellets to roughly 1,500 children in lieu of providing standard, life-saving vaccines, the New York State Department of Health reported yesterday.

Jeanette Breen, a licensed midwife who operated Baldwin Midwifery in Nassau County, began providing the oral pellets to children around the start of the 2019–2020 school year, just three months after the state eliminated non-medical exemptions for standard school immunizations. She obtained the pellets from a homeopath outside New York and sold them as a series called the "Real Immunity Homeoprophylaxis Program."

The program falsely claimed to protect children against deadly infectious diseases covered by standard vaccination schedules, including diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (covered by the DTaP or Tdap vaccine); hepatitis B; measles, mumps and rubella (MMR vaccine); polio; chickenpox; meningococcal disease; Haemophilus influenzae disease (HiB); and pneumococcal diseases (PCV).

Homeopathy is a pseudoscience that falsely claims that medical conditions can be cured or prevented by extreme, ritualized dilutions of poisonous substances that cause the same symptoms of a particular disease or condition when administered directly. Homeopathic products are often diluted to such a point that they do not contain a single atom of the original substance. Some homeopaths claim that water molecules can have a "memory" of their contact with the substance, magically imbuing them with healing powers. Homeopathic products work no better than placebos, though if they are improperly diluted, they can be harmful and even deadly.

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[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world -3 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I love how you mention an anecdote to attack the legitimacy of a profession that produces tangible results but demand I ignore anecdote for the quack profession you defend. Oh wow a doctor somewhere sometime was an asshole, that means medical science is shit and everyone should hire their random ass yoga friend to scream at doctors "she doesn't need a C-section fetch me another pinecone so I can channel Gaia". See? I can do what you did, you know only better.

Does a midwife have as much training as a doctor, yes or no? Do midwifes produce better patient outcomes for baby and mommy, in a measurable repeatable way? If the answer is no then have fun with your water sports when she bleeds out maybe the chanting will soothe her before the eternal blackness of a totally avoidable death.

[–] KevonLooney@lemm.ee 5 points 10 months ago

Do midwifes produce better patient outcomes for baby and mommy, in a measurable repeatable way?

Did you do a modicum of work? Or just ask questions?

https://nursing.yale.edu/news/midwifery-review-adding-care-midwives-improves-birth-outcomes

[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I didn’t say medical science was shit? On the contrary, I’m a big fan. But medical science is practiced by people, and people can be bad actors. I bring up the example to point out that this is an extremely vulnerable moment and it is entirely valid that someone would want a person whose role was to advocate for them. I think your example is obviously hyperbolic, but I could see a women being very insistent on a vaginal birth and asking for that to be affirmed.

Midwives don’t have as much formal training as a doctor. CNAs, LPNs, CMAs, the majority of people who are actually performing your medical care don’t have as much formal training as a doctor. They aren’t intended to replace a doctor. They are a specialized support role - part of a team. A midwife pushing against seeing a doctor would be a red flag.

[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Such a big fan that you didn't mention it once in your previous reply and instead dedicated half your reply talking about bad actors. Yes, that is balanced. I often accuse people I like and trust of assault and then later on claim that I am a big fan of them.

There is something truly broken with us as a species. The odds of a woman dying in first childbirth used to be at a horrific 33% and now have fallen to fractional percent. This scourge of the human race has been destroyed it lies at our feet battered and broken. We are free! So the first thing we do is demand to go back to the old ways.

Vaccines? No, water memory and horse dewormer

Doctors? No, midwifes

GMO and Green revolution? No, organic

Polio is making a comeback fyi.

[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I think you might have some struggles with reading comprehension. This is not midwifery versus doctors. I’m not arguing against doctors. Doctors are human beings and do not perform all aspects of your medical care. The doctor is not the one who draws your blood, the doctor is not the one who gives you your meds. A midwife would likely be the person to call at 3 am when you aren’t sure whether the spotting is normal or not, and who would help bring up your concerns to a doctor.

You have a very ill informed idea of what a midwife is and what they do.

[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

There’s an unfortunate history of pregnancy being an opportunity for a doctor to invoke harm. Look up the “husband stitch” - it’s difficult to estimate the prevalence but it’s known to happen. Behind the Bastards did a horrifying series on James Burt, a doctor who routinely modified the placement of vaginas without his patients knowledge or consent.

Don't try to gaslight me.

You have a very ill informed idea of what a midwife is and what they do.

Well according to this article it is giving out sugar cubes and claiming they are vaccines. Also I assume they use a rain stick as well as pine cones.

Hey noticed how you can't just cite statistics showing that they improve patient outcome? I have a few guesses why but what would I know? I didn't take a one week certification class on channeling Gaia.

[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

My concern for your emotional stability and reading comprehension continues to grow. I’m not sure why you are accusing me of gaslighting you? I provided examples of doctors causing harm, I did not say that all or most doctors cause harm, nor did I say that one should not see a doctor during pregnancy. I pointed to these examples, because when I have talked to people considering pregnancy, those are things that they are concerned about.

My friend, a midwife is essentially a nurse that specializes in reproductive health care. They aren’t chiropractors or naturopaths. In the US, they are certified medical professionals with specified roles.

Show me an accredited one-week midwifery program that teaches you to invoke Gaia. Here’s what the American College of Nurse-Midwives considers its core competencies. I do not see rituals calling upon Greek goddesses here.

More information about midwives that might help you better understand what they actually do. Source

▪ CMs are licensed, independent health care providers who have the same scope of practice, accredited education, and national certification as CNMs. CMs are authorized to practice in Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. CMs have prescriptive authority in New York, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

▪ While midwives are well-known for attending births, 55.1% of CNMs/CMs identify reproductive care and 38.5% identify primary care as responsibilities in their full-time positions. Examples include annual exams, writing prescriptions, nutrition counseling, parenting education, patient education, and reproductive health visits.

▪ In 2022, 94% of CNM/CMs births were in hospitals, 3% in freestanding birth centers, and 3% occurred in homes.

▪ Medicaid reimbursement for CNM care is mandatory in all states. Most Medicaid programs reimburse CNMs/CMs at 100% of physician rates. Medicare reimburses CNMs at 100%. Most states also mandate private insurance reimbursement for CNM/CM services.