Chelation Therapy

[LPC]

We've seen dentists and chiropractors fall victims to "pure trust" and other schemes, and now we've got a provider of "chelation therapy" (whatever the hell that is) falling under the delusion, with a return appearance from Karl Dahlstrom, who has been old news for years.

Steven E. Vlach and Nancy Vlach, et al. v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2013-116 (4/30/2013)

I'm not going to quote the entire opinion, but here's the meat of it:

In 1995 Dr. Vlach attended an ATHA [Alternative Therapies Health Association] seminar to learn more about chelation therapy and other alternative medicine practices. Since chelation therapy and many other alternative medicine practices were excluded from traditional medical malpractice insurance, Dr. Vlach like many other ATHA members was concerned with asset protection. ATHA invited an affiliate of the American Society of Trust Planners to present at the seminar. That year Karl Dahlstrom, who was affiliated with the American Society of Trust Planners, presented.

Before 1995 Dahlstrom was involved in several lawsuits memorializing his abusive trust promotions and practices,[6] but Dr. Vlach had never heard of Dahlstrom before the ATHA seminar. Convinced that Dahlstrom offered valuable tax planning and asset protection advice, Dr. Vlach purchased trust documents from Dahlstrom to create the following trusts: San Dee Cristo Trust (San Dee Cristo), Mt. Sophris Trust (Mt. Sophris), and the Charitable Remainder Trust of Ixlandia (Ixlandia).

On December 28, 1995, the Vlachs formed San Dee Cristo and Mt. Sophris using identical trust documents Dahlstrom provided. The trust documents stated that Charles J. Vlach, M.D., Dr. Vlach's father, was the "Creator" and the Vlachs were the "Exchangors." As "exchangors", the Vlachs each received 50 trust certificate units and $10 in exchange for real and personal property. The trust certificates stated that ownership of the certificates did not entitle the holders to any legal or equitable title in trust property or management.

And you know where it goes from there. (Yes, the trusts are "shams.")

Footnote 6:

[6] For information regarding Dahlstrom's abusive trust practices see Akland v. Commissioner, 767 F.2d 618 (9th Cir. 1985), aff'g T.C. Memo. 1983-249, United States v. Dahlstrom, 713 F.2d 1423 (9th Cir. 1983), and Dahlstrom v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1991-264 and T.C. Memo. 1991-265, aff'd without published opinion, 999 F.2d 1579 (5th Cir. 1993).

[Burzmali]

Chelation therapy is an advanced medical technique for removing heavy metals from the body, either in cases of lead (or other heavy metal) poisoning or in cases of patients having too much currency on their person (it is extremely efficient at removing gold from pockets).

[LPC]

A search for "American Society of Trust Planners" turns up exactly one item, and that is the Vlach opinion itself.

Karl Dahlstrom usually operated as the American Law Association, so I'm not sure if the "society" is a later scam, or if somebody got the name wrong somewhere along the way. (Or is it possible that there was a scam in the 90s that was not promoted through the Internet?)

[Pottapaug1938]

The sites www.quackwatch.com and www.ratbags.com have a lot of good information on this and other kinds of quackery.

[wserra]

Maybe he needs chelation therapy.

He probably ate a lot of lead paint as a child, the damage is already done.

[notorial dissent]

Sounds like a plan to me.[/sarcasm mode off]

The scary part is how many of them will do just that.

[wserra]

Hmm. I didn't write the above post attributed to me. Instead, I wrote a fairly lengthy post on the chemistry and medicine of chelation therapy, and its misuse.

Time to consult the MCP.

[AndyK]

Perhaps we could hook up the chelation therapy people with the colloidal silver blue man?

[webhick]

Sorry about that, didn't mean to edit it.

[LPC]

Sorry about that, didn't mean to edit it.

As I told Wes, I understand how that can happen, because I've done it several times myself.

Unfortunately, I don't think there's any way to undo the editing now.

Yes, with great power comes great responsibility (and great danger).

[wserra]

Hardly a big deal, guys. I didn't even notice it until Dan PM'd me questioning the attribution to him.

[Famspear]

Sorry about that, didn't mean to edit it.

As I told Wes, I understand how that can happen, because I've done it several times myself......

Yeah, I've accidentally edited someone else's posts twice in the nearly six years I've been here.

The second incident was just recently. I think it was one of Arthur Rubin's posts, but I was able to correct my mistake.

[Arthur Rubin]

(Or is it possible that there was a scam in the 90s that was not promoted through the Internet?)

No.

[Judge Roy Bean]

The chelation thing goes way, way back, all the way to the early 70's.

A number of physicians were drawn into a program that offered IV chelation as a way to treat any number of complaints. If memory serves, the key promoter was based in southern California and eventually retreated to a clinic across the border in Mexico when the scheme started to lose its luster among practitioners.

There were even video tapes produced that were shown to target 'patients' explaining how the procedure allegedly worked. Again, from memory, the major point made in the video was showing the volume of fats in blood shortly after consuming a meal of fried chicken then the same test after a chelation treatment.

Interestingly enough the program also included a tie-in to one of the health supplement MLM's. A physician I knew latched on to the opportunity to make very high revenue from the chelation procedures and soon found himself with an enormous inventory of crap that he and his staff were simply not in a position to try and sell to patients.

Given there wasn't such a thing as the Internet, this scheme was promoted largely through an ultra-conservative talk-radio program and by word of mouth among church affiliates.

Seems like nothing ever changes but the promotional technology.

[Number Six]

The sales techniques vary but rely on creating anxiety in clients over their real or imagined health problems, how toxic our air, water and food are, and hence our bodies.

Do various "tests", a hair analysis, iridology "exam", etc.; which is followed by the real shake down where the prospective sucker is told how lucky they are to have caught this in time and if they just have their magical therapy "x" a try, they will feel better and better every day. I have known quite a few of people suckered into various health schemes, they can really tie people in knots with expensive protocols and unnecessary products.

[wserra]

Real chelation therapy has only one medical use: treating heavy metal poisoning. "Chelation" is the process of using certain chemical binding agents (called "ligands") to neutralize highly-reactive metal ions, turning them into non-reactive compounds that the body then excretes. Chelation therapy can itself be dangerous, and is frequently done in hospitals. Someone who offers it for anything else, or certainly for casual use, is a quack.

'Course, what do you expect from someone who does business with Dahlstrom? That federal felony conviction - easy to find for anyone who actually looks - is a hint and a half.

[webhick]

You mind if i edit that down to a sentence and a snarky response?

[JamesVincent]

Real chelation therapy has only one medical use: treating heavy metal poisoning. "Chelation" is the process of using certain chemical binding agents (called "ligands") to neutralize highly-reactive metal ions, turning them into non-reactive compounds that the body then excretes. Chelation therapy can itself be dangerous, and is frequently done in hospitals. Someone who offers it for anything else, or certainly for casual use, is a quack.

Dok may have to correct me on this but IIRC when the Navy first starting using CWIS, the 20mm Close In Weapon System they use to shoot down in-bound missiles, they went through a period when this was an often occurrence. The actual rounds are made out of depleted Uranium, like some of the rounds made for other of our weapons system, and there was an issue with safe handling. Not only with the loading and maintaining of the system but it's actual use and testing has to be done in a controlled environment to avoid poisoning from the rounds. My stepdad worked on the actual weapon system and its use on the FFG-7 class frigates back when he specialized in the Mark 49 FCS. I actually got to see one fire during a ship check and it's pretty damn impressive.

[wserra]

You mind if i edit that down to a sentence and a snarky response?

That's what we expect you to do.