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where was he a neurosurgeon?

Searching his web sites, I found that in mid-2004 & through at least early February 2005 his Blaylock Report web site said, "Dr. Russell Blaylock is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi."

In early 2005 his web page changed, the word "retired" was added:

However, there is no such institution as the "Medical University of Mississippi." Google finds thousands of references to that institution name, but all of them are about Blaylock.

In the Fall of 2005 or Spring of 2006 the name of the institution from which he retired changed on his web site. The new version of the sentence is, "Dr. Russell Blaylock is a retired Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center."

The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMC) is a respected institution. However, I've found no evidence of an association between UMC and Dr. Blaylock.

Google site search finds no references to Dr. Blaylock on the UMC web site.

This is the latest UMC faculty list, from their web site. Dr. Blaylock is not listed.

This is the oldest UMC faculty list which exists in the archive.org web archives. It is for Fall, 1998. Dr. Blaylock is not listed.

Neither is he listed in the Fall 1999, Fall 2000, Fall 2001, Fall 2002, Fall 2003, Fall 2004, Fall 2005 or Spring 2006 faculty list.

So where was he?

NCdave 19:04, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for adding the "citation needed" tags, Greensburger. I wrote to the department chairman at UMC, asking this question, and noted that he was not listed in the faculty lists. I received this reply:

He was appointed clinical assistant professor of neurological surgery-non-salaried on July 1,1996 and terminated on February 1,2003. Clinical faculty are not necessarily listed in the medical center faculty directory.

It seems to have taken Dr. Blaylock two full years after he left UMC before he got around to adding the word "retired" to his description of his relationship with UMC, plus another half year before he corrected the name of the institution. Also, it appears that the article's 2004 date for his retirement from neurosurgical practice might be incorrect. However, I have verified the fact that he was actually associated with UMC for six and a half years, so I will remove the "citation needed" for that. NCdave 11:16, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for researching this. I changed 2004 to 2003 in accordance with your new information. Issue 1 of his Wellness Report was dated July 2004. Greensburger 14:01, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

Well, his departure from UMC 2/1/2003 doesn't necessarily mean that he ceased his neurosurgical practice on that date. But that's not the sort of medical specialty that can be run from a doctor's office, so if he continued to practice neurosurgery after that date then he must have had privileges at some other hospital, which he doesn't seem to mention anywhere that I've seen.

And clinical assistant professor is no great honor. any experienced board certified specialist will usually be able to get such an appointment. DGG (talk) 10:43, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

I didn't realize that Issue 1 of his Blaylock Wellness Report was July, 2004. It is interesting that he didn't start doing his Blaylock Wellness Report until 1.5 years after his position at UMC was terminated, yet he still claimed on the associated blaylockreport.com web site that, "Dr. Russell Blaylock is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi." Note his use of the present tense (as well as the wrong name for the institution). NCdave 16:31, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

I emailed the department chairman at UMC with a follow-up question, asking what "non-salaried" meant, and I got a most surprising reply:

Non-salaried means that the University of Mississippi gave him an honorific title in the hope that he would contribute to our teaching conferences for resident education. He never actually practiced neurosurgery at the university hospital nor did he see patients here. Unfortunately, he did not come to any teaching functions at the university, being quite busy in his business.

In light of the fact that Dr. Blaylock apparently didn't actually do anything at UMC, except use the honorific title, it seems not quite accurate to say that he "served as" clinical assistant professor of neurosurgery at UMC. What, if anything, do you think the article should say about that?

It also makes me wonder if his claim to have practiced neurosurgery for 25 or 26 years is true. If he wasn't practicing neurosurgery at UMC, then where was he practicing neurosurgery? You can't do neurosurgery in a doctor's office! What's more, the cost of medical malpractice insurance for a practicing neurosurgeon is astronomical, which makes it almost unheard of for anyone to do that specialty part-time.

Thanks for the link to Dr. Blaylock's email address, Greensburger. I've emailed Dr. Blaylock at that address and one other that I found, asking where he last practiced neurosurgery. If I get an answer, I'll note it here. NCdave 21:27, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

<-(unindenting)

It seems downright weird to me, and not a little deceptive, that the first/main occupation which he often cites turns out to be something that was just "on paper," a job that he didn't actually do at all. E.g., in 2002 he wrote a little vita which began with this sentence:

"I am a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi and have a private nutritional practice under the name, Advanced Nutritional Concepts."

That was when he was supposedly practicing neurosurgery, which we now know he wasn't doing at UMC.
And how can he have "retired" from a job that he never did? E.g., in mid-2005 his vita on his blaylockreport.com web site had, as its 2nd sentence:

"Board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock is a retired Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi."

That is almost the same as the version currently there, except that he corrected the name of the institution:

"Board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock is a retired Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center."

I've wondered how he could get the name wrong for an institution at which he worked. But, since he never actually worked there, the mistake is understandable. Even so, he obviously wants people to think of him as a neurosurgeon: note the lab coat label in his photo: "Russell Blaylock, M.D. / Neurosurgery." But I wonder how long it has been since he actually practiced neurosurgery? NCdave 11:51, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

> I've wondered how he could get the name wrong for an institution at which he worked.

He did his internship and residency at the Medical University of South Carolina where the first word in the name is "Medical". Later he got an honorific title from the University of Mississippi Medical Center and he or his secretery shortened it to Medical University of Mississippi, an easily made error because he never worked there. When somebody mentioned the error, he or his secretery corrected it. Greensburger 16:43, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

Yes, that sounds like what probably happened. NCdave 14:28, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

Quackwatch

The article says:

Dr. Blaylock serves on the editorial staff of the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association and is the associate editor of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, official publication of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.

However, both the "Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons" and "Journal of the American Neutraceutical Association" are listed as untrustworthy by QuackWatch. So is the "Blaylock Wellness Report." I think the article should note that. Does anyone disagree? NCdave 11:30, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

Hi dave, you should cross post a note to the reliable sources noticeboard for input about this. The editors there are experienced in deciding waht is and what isn't a reliable source--Cailil 20:33, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the tip. I've done so. NCdave 11:13, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

Well, nobody has ventured an answer there yet, but I see that QuackWatch is cited elsewhere in Misplaced Pages. So my tentative guess is "yes," QuackWatch is considered a reliable source for Misplaced Pages. NCdave 11:49, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

Well, I have my answer on the reliable sources noticeboard. The consensus of the only two editors who replied is that QuackWatch "can be used for statements of opinion (as in: 'according to Dr. Stephen Barrett at Quackwatch, "blah blah blah"'), but should not be relied on for statements of fact." NCdave 11:32, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

It is odd that Blaylock's CV seems cloudy. Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch does not appear to be a reliable source though. This is from a judge's opinion in a case where Barrett sued King Bio Pharmaceuticals where the judge negates any of Dr. Barrett's testimony as an expert witness -

Dr. Barrett's heavy activities in lecturing and writing about alternative medicine similarly are focused on the eradication of the practices about which he opines. Both witnesses' fees, as Dr. Barrett testified, are paid from a fund established by Plaintiff NCAHF from the proceeds of suits such as the case at bar. Based on this fact alone, the Court may infer that Dr. Barrett and Sampson are more likely to receive fees for testifying on behalf of NCAHF in future cases if the Plaintiff prevails in the instant action and thereby wins funds to enrich the litigation fund described by Dr. Barrett. It is apparent, therefore, that both men have a direct, personal financial interest in the outcome of this litigation. Based on all of these factors, Dr. Sampson and Dr. Barrett can be described as zealous advocates of the Plaintiff's position, and therefore not neutral or dispassionate witnesses or experts. In light of these affiliations and their orientation, it can fairly be said that Drs. Barrett and Sampson are themselves the client, and therefore their testimony should be accorded little, if any, credibility on that basis as well. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Just here for the night (talk • contribs) 07:03, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

Do you have a link to that decision? I found a decision in that 2003 case, but it doesn't contain your quote.

Barrett did, indeed, lose the case. But it appears that the case was decided on the basis of a legal principle, not a scientific one. Namely, the Court ruled that suppliers of homeopathic remedies need not demonstrate the efficacy of their products or the truthfulness of their claims about those products. Rather, the Court ruled that in California the burden of proof rests on a plaintiff who charges a homeopathic supplier with false advertising. That decision does not appear relevant to the question of whether Barrett and Quackwatch are reliable sources of information about scientific questions. NCdave (talk) 22:30, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

BTW, it is helpful if you sign your comments by typing four tildes (~~~~) at the end. NCdave (talk) 22:30, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Quackwatch, originally Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud, Inc, took over from the Coordinating Conference on Health Information (CCHI) and the AMA's propaganda department called the Committee on Quackery when it had to disband. So hardly an unbiased source of information. Dr Victor Herbert, Stephen Barrett and William Jarvis are on the Scientific Board of the American Council on Science and Health. Founded in 1978, this organisation is funded solely by the large pharmaceutical and chemical companies, the AMA and industry supported Foundations. john (talk) 08:58, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

PS More insight re Quackwatch http://www.thenhf.com:80/newsflash_02.htm john (talk) 11:38, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

Licensed to practice medicine?

Whether a medical care provider is or is not a quack bears on the question of whether that person is or was licensed to practice medicine. The website of the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure does not list Russell Blaylock, but does list Darrell Nolon Blaylock, Greenville, MS. If Russell Blaylock was licensed to practice medicine prior to retirement, then he is not a quack. It would be helpful if the public knew exactly when and in which state he was so licensed. Greensburger 14:52, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

I am in receipt of a Sept. 7, 2007 email from the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure, saying:

This is in response to your request for verification of Dr. Blaylock's licensure status in 2004. Dr. Blaylock has been currently licensed in Mississippi since 1999. Dr. Blaylock has no board action to report.

So he is licensed to practice medicine. However, note the 1999 date. His UMC position or title commenced July 1, 1996, which seems to have been at least 2.5 years before he got his Mississippi medical license. Since he didn't actually do anything at UMC, it appears that he was not guilty of practicing medicine at UMC without a license during that 2.5 to 3.5 year period. However, it also appears that he could not have legally practiced medicine anywhere else in Mississippi during that period, either. Assuming that he was living near UMC (in Jackson, Mississippi) when he got the UMC title in 1996, it therefore seems that he could not have been "practicing neurosurgery" during that time (unless he was doing so in another State, which seems unlikely, since Jackson is right in the middle of the State of Mississippi). That appears to falsify his claim to have practiced neurosurgery for 25 or 26 years.

Thus far I have received no reply from him to the email which I sent on Sept. 7, asking where he most recently practiced neurosurgery. If I do then I'll note the answer here. NCdave 12:15, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Still no answer to my emails. It is clear that he is not going to reply. Were I a gambling man I would give long odds that he never practiced neurosurgery in the State of Mississippi at all. NCdave (talk) 22:34, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

The Mysterious Dr. Blaylock Answers His Critics

I was recently told of this site attacking my person and questioning that was was even a practicing physician in the state of Mississippi. I am normally too busy reviewing research articles and preparing lectures to involve myself in such activities. I must say I was amazed at some of the extreme speculations contributed by people who know absolutely nothing about me and have never met me. The writer from Carey, NC who seem to have an abundance of time to speculate about my life, claims to be "obsessed with the facts", yet his dissertations are filled with errors. I called the Mississippi State Licensing Board to see what they would say concerning my license. They quickly told me that I was licensed in the State of Mississippi to practice medicine on 6/11/71, the year I graduated from LSU School of Medicine. I have held this license for 35 years. The reason I had a Mississippi license was because my internship at the Medical University of South Carolina started before the Louisiana boards were to be held. I need the license sooner. So much for that mystery.

After my internship and residency, I went into a private practice in High Point, NC and did my neurosurgery at High Point Regional Hospital. I practiced neurosurgery full time for 15 years in High Point. I moved from North Carolina and opened a practice with a neurosurgeon, who in fact, was the first neurosurgeon in the state of Mississippi-Dr. Walter Neil. We practiced together for one year and he retired. My practice was in Jackson, Mississippi and yes, I did my neurosurgery (full time) at three hospitals in Jackson - Baptist Hospital, St Dominics Hospital and River Oaks hospital. Because I was in a solo practice and taking call every third night and every third weekend, I had very little spare time. I was appointed as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Mississippi some time in the 1990s by the then head of the neurosurgery department, Dr. Robert Smith. Dr Smith has since retired and died. The new department head never knew me and we had no association at all. I knew Dr.Smith quite well.

As for my duties at the University, I did attend conferences when time permitted. I did not take call at the University, if I had I would have never seen my family. I utilized the educational services at the University and referred several patients to the neurosurgery department. As for the name confusion- No real mystery there. I trained at the Medical University of South Carolina and was accustomed to using "Medical" as the predominate first name. Once I realized my error, I changed it. Nothing nefarious there. I never dropped the title, because I assumed it was in effect as long as I held an active license. Many physicians use the title all over the United States. It is not given to just anyone, you have to be a full time practicing neurosurgeon and board certified.

The new head of the department of neurosurgery was inundated with calls from all over the country searching for me. They notified me that they would like me to no longer use the title and I complied. I still use the university's educational services. Most of my time was spent in private neurosurgical practice. I retired from full time practice in the year 2000 and opened a nutritional practice that same year. Nutrition has always been a love of mine and it gave me a chance to see patients with other disorders. I have since quit all practice and devoted all of my time to research, writing and lecturing. I have created the Advanced Nutritional Concepts, LLC as a way to network with other researchers and practioners throughout the world. There are no paid salaries -it is a free association exchanging ideas. No one belongs to the organization. In fact, I am the sole officer of the entity. As far as my visiting professorship at Belhaven College in Jackson, MS, I was given the appointment by the president of the college. I am paid no salary, but I lecture intermittenly to the students and the faculty advisor for the senior biology students' research projects. No, Belhaven college is not Harvard University of Johns Hopkins, but the students are quite bright and the department strong. Our research projects have won many awards in the state's science conferences, many times beating out the University of Mississippi presenters.

I do write a health newsletter, which is based on intensive research reviewed by me and presented to the readers. I do not ask anyone to agree with what I write and if they wish to debate the scientific issues I more than welcome such an exchange. What I do not like is slandering my name and even implying that I never practice neurosurgery in Mississippi. If the writer from Cary, NC would like to bet that I never practiced in this state, I will wager him $300,000 on the bet. One can easily look in any public library to check on the practice of any physician in the United States. Also, I am listed in the publications by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons during the years of my active practice. I was board certified in Neurosurgery in 1980 and passed the examination the first time, which some neurosurgeons do not. When I took the written boards during my second year of residency, my scores were higher than my chief resident. (we could take the written at that time, but not for credit) It is so easy to confirm one's practice credentials that the statements by the NC writer are ludicrous.

As for my credibility as a neurosurgeon, I have published a number of articles in neurosurgical journals and my co-author in many happens to be one of the most famous neurosurgeons in the world-Dr. Ludwig G. Kempe. We have remained friend all these years. I am quoted in a number of neurosurgical textbooks and co-developed a surgical technique with Dr. Kempe that is still used today to remove deep-seated brain tumors. I worked with Dr. Peter Jennetta when I was a senior medical student and he was the head of the LSU Medical Center Neurosurgery department. He was doing his original research on vascular compression and trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm. He left LSU and asked me to go with him to the University of Pittsburg as his first resident in neurosurgery. I decided instead to go to the Medical University of South Carolina.

At the Medial University of South Carolina I worked in one of the nation's first trauma units under the direction of two of the most famous trauma surgeons in the world-Dr. Curtis Arts and Dr. John Moncrief. Dr. Arts became a friend. I was one of the first interns to rotate on the new unit and did two tours. I was also the chief neurology resident for one year during my neurosurgery resideny. Since the entire neurology resident staff had quit in protest of the passing over of one of their favorite professors, I ran the department by myself.

As for how long I practiced neurosurgery full time -it was approximately 24 years. My residency was different from most in the US in that we literally ran the service and did all the patient care and most of the surgeries, especially as a Chief Resident and teaching fellow. Many residents who visited our program were amazed that as junior residents we were clipping aneurysms as the primary surgeon.

So, I hope this removes all the mystery concerning Dr. Blaylock. If you want to observe my knowledge concerning what I write about, read my books, papers and attend my lectures. I have written three highly regarded books, written and illustrated chapters in three medial textbooks and published a number of articles in peer-reviewed journals. No, they are not all in the New England Journal of Medicine, but they are carefully researched and later research in more prestigious journals have confirmed many of my hypotheses. As for my editorial position in several journals, no they are not the most prestigious journals, but they are accepted medical journals and are read by medical students and a number of doctors -including full professors in medical centers. It is an honor to be asked to serve on the editorial board of a medical journal. Maybe the person from Cary, NC would like to share with the readers all his credential and many awards. Its an easy thing to attack someone anonymously, but just what have my critics accomplished? Maybe we should delve into their lives a little deeper. I hope this has answered the burning questions you all have concerning the mysterious Dr. Blaylock.

Russell L. Blaylock, MD, CCN (the CCN is Certified Clinical Nutritionist for which I took a three hour board examination)

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