Dana Ullman
Encyclopedia
Gregory Dana Ullman is an American
author, publisher, journalist, and proponent in the field of homeopathy
.
Ullman received his MPH
from the University of California at Berkeley, and has since taught homeopathy and integrative health care.
Ullman served as an instructor in homeopathy at the University of California at San Francisco, and as member of the Advisory Council of the Alternative Medicine Center at Columbia University
's College of Physicians and Surgeons. In previous years he has been the chairperson for the National Center for Homeopathy's Annual Conference, and has been consulted by Harvard Medical School
's Center to Assess Alternative Therapy for Chronic Illness. He is also a regular speaker at universities, medical schools, pharmacy schools, and hospitals.
Journalist John Stossel of ABC News
described Ullman as "homeopathy's foremost spokesman." Anastasia Toufexis of Time Magazine described him as a "leading proselytizer of homeopathy".
experiment, a study that seemed to show that ultra-dilute solutions of histamine
, diluted to the levels used in homeopathic remedies
, could affect cells just as the controls did.
were ruled to be valid by independent experts commissioned by the BBC.
In an editorial in The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
, editor-in-chief Gerald Weissmann criticized the scientific basis of homeopathy and included Dana Ullman in his criticism. Weissmann criticized Ullman for recommending, during the 2001 anthrax attacks
in the USA, the use of the homeopathic preparation called Anthracinum to prevent infection. Ullman said he recommended Anthracinium for people who are at high risk of infection and who decline ciprofloxacin
because of concerns over its side effects. While Ullman expressed concern about vendors "taking advantage of people wrapped up in the fear of the situation", he said "It would be irresponsible for us not to provide something that might be helpful." There is no evidence for the efficacy of Anthracinum, which is derived from nosodes gathered from infected pigs, and then diluted to "a point where no molecules of the disease product remain." In a right-of-reply letter, Ullman depicted Weissmann's editorial as an "unscientific critique" of homeopathy and cited five peer-reviewed studies. Weissmann responded: "Mr. Ullman is clearly a devotee of his art, and I respect his opinions. I’m afraid that I view Mr. Ullman’s references to the efficacy of homeopathy as modern versions of those Dr Holmes distrusted," and went on to quote from a well-known critique of homeopathy by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
: "...such cases deserve very little confidence. Yet they may sound well enough, one at a time, to those who are not fully aware of the fallacies of medical evidence."
, saying:
Ullman published an article on a similar theme on his website, in which he says:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author, publisher, journalist, and proponent in the field of homeopathy
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
.
Ullman received his MPH
Master of Public Health
The Master of Public Health and the Doctor of Public Health are multi-disciplinary professional degrees awarded for studies in areas related to public health....
from the University of California at Berkeley, and has since taught homeopathy and integrative health care.
Ullman served as an instructor in homeopathy at the University of California at San Francisco, and as member of the Advisory Council of the Alternative Medicine Center at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's College of Physicians and Surgeons. In previous years he has been the chairperson for the National Center for Homeopathy's Annual Conference, and has been consulted by Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
's Center to Assess Alternative Therapy for Chronic Illness. He is also a regular speaker at universities, medical schools, pharmacy schools, and hospitals.
Journalist John Stossel of ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
described Ullman as "homeopathy's foremost spokesman." Anastasia Toufexis of Time Magazine described him as a "leading proselytizer of homeopathy".
Views and controversies
Ullman was interviewed on the American Broadcasting Company program 20/20 in a segment about homeopathy (January 30, 2004). He claimed that homeopathic preparations of extremely high dilution, i.e. those likely to contain zero molecules of the original substance, are effective because, he said, "the water gets impregnated with the information or memory of the original substance." When asked to suggest a laboratory experiment that 20/20 could independently conduct as a way to test the legitimacy of homeopathy, Ullman recommended the EnnisMadeleine Ennis
Madeleine Ennis is a pharmacologist and researcher at Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She generated controversy by publishing results that seemed to show that ultra-dilute solutions of histamine, diluted to the levels used in homeopathic remedies, could affect cells just as the...
experiment, a study that seemed to show that ultra-dilute solutions of histamine
Histamine
Histamine is an organic nitrogen compound involved in local immune responses as well as regulating physiological function in the gut and acting as a neurotransmitter. Histamine triggers the inflammatory response. As part of an immune response to foreign pathogens, histamine is produced by...
, diluted to the levels used in homeopathic remedies
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
, could affect cells just as the controls did.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
were ruled to be valid by independent experts commissioned by the BBC.
In an editorial in The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, abbreviated FASEB, is a non-profit organization that is the principal umbrella organization of U.S. societies in the field of biological and medical research. FASEB organizes academic conferences and publishes scientific literature...
, editor-in-chief Gerald Weissmann criticized the scientific basis of homeopathy and included Dana Ullman in his criticism. Weissmann criticized Ullman for recommending, during the 2001 anthrax attacks
2001 anthrax attacks
The 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States, also known as Amerithrax from its Federal Bureau of Investigation case name, occurred over the course of several weeks beginning on Tuesday, September 18, 2001, one week after the September 11 attacks. Letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to...
in the USA, the use of the homeopathic preparation called Anthracinum to prevent infection. Ullman said he recommended Anthracinium for people who are at high risk of infection and who decline ciprofloxacin
Ciprofloxacin
Ciprofloxacin is a synthetic chemotherapeutic antibiotic of the fluoroquinolone drug class.It is a second-generation fluoroquinolone antibacterial. It kills bacteria by interfering with the enzymes that cause DNA to rewind after being copied, which stops synthesis of DNA and of...
because of concerns over its side effects. While Ullman expressed concern about vendors "taking advantage of people wrapped up in the fear of the situation", he said "It would be irresponsible for us not to provide something that might be helpful." There is no evidence for the efficacy of Anthracinum, which is derived from nosodes gathered from infected pigs, and then diluted to "a point where no molecules of the disease product remain." In a right-of-reply letter, Ullman depicted Weissmann's editorial as an "unscientific critique" of homeopathy and cited five peer-reviewed studies. Weissmann responded: "Mr. Ullman is clearly a devotee of his art, and I respect his opinions. I’m afraid that I view Mr. Ullman’s references to the efficacy of homeopathy as modern versions of those Dr Holmes distrusted," and went on to quote from a well-known critique of homeopathy by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. was an American physician, professor, lecturer, and author. Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of the 19th century, he is considered a member of the Fireside Poets. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat...
: "...such cases deserve very little confidence. Yet they may sound well enough, one at a time, to those who are not fully aware of the fallacies of medical evidence."
Criticism of medical doctors
Regarding the treatment of children with pharmaceutical drugs and homeopathic remedies, Ullman has accused doctors of "medical" child abuseChild abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
, saying:
- "It deeply saddens me that so many parents and doctors give powerful drugs to infants and children. They unknowingly are committing what I call 'medical child abuse.' Although these may be harsh words today, I believe that history will show them to be accurate."
Ullman published an article on a similar theme on his website, in which he says:
- "The care that conventional physicians offer is often valuable, but powerful and multiple drugs are dispensed far too frequently by too many doctors without an effort to try safer, more natural therapies. This over-prescribing is a type of "medical child abuse" that is a sad state of affairs, especially since the average doctor doesn't even recognize it as a problem. It seems prudent to save the "bigger guns" of pharmacology for the more serious conditions that warrant their use. ... This kind of overprescribing is sometimes the result of inadequate knowledge of recent research. It also sometimes occurs because a doctor feels compelled to prescribe something for a sick child. Doctors often assume that the medicine, even if not certain to be effective, will at least have a beneficial placebo effect. However, considering the potential side effects from nearly every drug, it seems more prudent to consider more mild placebos or safer medicines, such as homeopathic remedies."