Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

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The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is a animal rights group based in Washington, D.C., USA, founded in 1985 by physician Neal D. Barnard. It describes itself as an "association of doctors and laypersons" whose stated purposes are to promote preventive medicine and encourage higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research.^[1]

PCRM is firmly against animal testing, and the organization advocates a vegan diet.

Membership

The organization's advisory board includes T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., of Cornell University, Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D., of The Cleveland Clinic, Henry J. Heimlich, M.D., and John A. McDougall, M.D among others.^[1] PCRM has a paid staff of 40,^[2] and claim a membership of approximately 5,000 physicians and 100,000 lay members. ^[3]

In late 2009, Elizabeth Kucinich became director of public affairs for PCRM.^[4]

Policies

Nutrition

The PCRM advocates for a vegan diet, which it argues helps combat a multitude of physical ailments, such as diabetes and high blood pressure among many others. PCRM goes further and claims that certain vegan products, which are "naturally low in saturated fat, high in fiber, and replete with cancer-protective phytochemicals," can help to prevent cancer. ^[5]

PCRM runs a website that collects reports of adverse health effects experienced by people on the Atkins diet..^[6] PCRM also argues that consuming dairy products is unhealthful and advocates for improving the food served in school lunchrooms.^[7] In addition, PCRM runs The Cancer Project, a program for cancer prevention, research, and nutritional assistance to cancer patients.^[8]

The organization's nutrition director, Amy Lanou, Ph.D., has criticized the U.S. Department of Agriculture for promoting high-fat, high-calorie product, such as some cookies and fast-food products ^[9] linked to child obesity.^[10] Lanou also sent a letter to the minor league baseball team the West Michigan Whitecaps to complain about a 4-pound, 4,800-calorie hamburger on the team's concession stand menu and to request that the team put a label on the burger indicating that it was a "dietary disaster".^[11]

PCRM's founder, Neal Barnard, is a psychiatrist by training, however he has published dozens of peer-reviewed scientific papers on nutritional topics in such journals as The American Journal of Cardiology and the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.^[12]

The American Council on Science and Health is critical of PCRM's nutritional policies, saying that the group emphasize and exaggerate the reliability of certain research, to further an animal rights agenda.^[13]

Other Lifestye changes

Analysis and research by PCRM has suggested that exercise and other lifestyle changes other than, or in combination with, dietary changes, can improve health. Non-dietary lifestyle changes recommended include aerobic exercise, weight-bearing exercise, and exposure to sufficient sunlight for vitamin D production.^{[14][15][16][17]}

Animal testing

Animal testing Main articles Animal testing Alternatives to animal testing Testing on: invertebrates frogs · primates rabbits · rodents Animal testing regulations History of animal testing History of model organisms IACUC Laboratory animal sources Pain and suffering in lab animals Testing cosmetics on animals Toxicology testing Vivisection Issues Biomedical Research Animal rights/Animal welfare Animals (Scientific Procedures) Great ape research ban International trade in primates Controversial experiments Britches · Brown Dog affair Cambridge University primates Pit of despair Silver Spring monkeys Unnecessary Fuss Companies Charles River Laboratories, Inc. Covance · Harlan Huntingdon Life Sciences UK lab animal suppliers Nafovanny · Shamrock Groups/campaigns AALAS · AAAS · ALF Americans for Medical Progress Boyd Group · BUAV Dr Hadwen Trust Foundation for Biomedical Research · FRAME National Anti-Vivisection Society PETA · Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Primate Freedom Project Pro-Test SPEAK · SHAC Speaking of Research Understanding Animal Research Writers/activists Tipu Aziz · Michael Balls Neal Barnard · Colin Blakemore Simon Festing · Gill Langley Ingrid Newkirk · Bernard Rollin Jerry Vlasak Categories Animal testing · Animal rights Animal welfare Related templates Template:Animal rights This box: view • talk • edit

Its research department promotes alternatives to the use of animals in education and research. The organization's official position paper on animal experimentation argues that the scientific and medical communities must move decisively to replace animals: "The exploration and implementation of non-animal methods should be a priority for investigators and research institutions and should take advantage of a wide variety of viewpoints to ensure progress toward scientific, human health, and animal protection goals."^[18]

In 2007, the American Medical Association debated a resolution to specifically "condemn [the] ongoing activities of the PCRM that impede humane and responsible animal research." The resolution was not accepted, instead the AMA chose to reaffirm its support for "continued efforts to defend and promote the use of animals in meaningful research, product safety testing, and teaching programs." ^[19][20]

Relationship with PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has donated more than $1.3m to PCRM.^[21] PETA is based in Norfolk, Va., and PCRM in Washington, D.C. There is a third organization called Foundation to Support Animal Protection housed out of the same address as PETA. This organization's board consists in part of PCRM founder and president Neal Barnard and PETA president Ingrid Newkirk.^[22] The IRS form 990s filed for FSAP confirm that from 1999 through 2000 PCRM was a supported organization. Since 2000, FSAP has declined to itemize its supported organizations.^[23]

The ties between PCRM, PETA, and FSAP have been criticized by the American Council on Science and Health^[24] and The American Physiological Society.^[22]

Criticism

Jerry Vlasak, a former spokesman for the PCRM, caused controversy in 2004 when he said, "I don't think you'd have to kill too many researchers. I think for five lives, 10 lives, 15 human lives, we could save a million, 2 million, 10 million non-human lives." PCRM subsequently distanced themselves from Vlasak, who acknowledged he was working independently of the group.^[25]

The Observer reports that, in 2001, PCRM president Neil Barnard joined Kevin Jonas, a former leader of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), to co-sign hundreds of letters sent to the bosses of companies involved with Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), a contract animal-testing company, asking them to sever their relationships with HLS.^[26] Jonas was later jailed under the Animal Enterprise Protection Act for running the SHAC USA campaign's website, which aims to close HLS down.^[27]

The PCRM has been criticized by the website, Activistcash^[28], because "Less than 5% of their members are physicians",^[29] which can lead to misinformation about food.

See also

• Animal Rights
• Lifestyle medicine
• Veganism

References

External links

• Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
• The American Council On Science and Health
• The American Physiological Society
• The Cancer Project
• Atkins Diet Alert -- a project of PCRM
• Ethics, atrocities, and PCRM's "Heimlich Award"