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Researchers said Tuesday that generous but gullible people are sending millions of dollars to friends and foreigners who are raising money for unproven, even fictitious medical treatment.
They discovered over 1,000 websites that had raised nearly $ 7 million for people who needed help to get homeopathy, stem cell treatments and others doubtful treatments.
"When we selected five dangerous and naughty unnecessary interventions, we discovered that they had amassed a huge amount of money to help desperate people use them," said Art Caplan, bioethicist in New York. University.
"There is no doubt that there is a lot of generosity, but there is also no doubt that there are many people willing to rip off the desperate."
Dr. Ford Vox, a specialist in brain rehabilitation at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, said he noticed how many medical crowdfunding sites existed. He joined the medical ethics team at New York University to see what people were giving money to.
"More than 1,000 crowdfunding campaigns in the medical sector for five unsubstantiated or potentially dangerous treatments have raised more than $ 6.7 million," they wrote in a letter to the Journal of Health. 39; American Medical Association. "Another study found that 408 campaigns had raised more than $ 1 million for unproven stem cell interventions."
They searched for people looking for money for treatments deemed unproven or scientifically refuted. The research included: homeopathy or naturopathy for cancer; hyperbaric oxygen therapy for brain damage; stem cell therapy for brain damage and spinal cord injury; and long-term antibiotic therapy for "chronic Lyme disease".
The Food and Drug Administration has issued public warnings against homeopathy and unproven stem cell therapies. Stem cell therapy is a broad term that covers both proven and untested treatments, but clinics are numerous and offer "stem cell therapy" without any medical evidence of their effectiveness.
They discovered that although they had verified several crowdfunding sites, GoFundMe had almost all the medical fundraisers.
"The largest amount was raised through 474 fundraising campaigns for homeopathic or naturopathic cancer treatments for $ 3,464,871," they wrote.
People often looked for money to visit clinics abroad.
"We identified nine named practitioners and eight countries that activists were planning to visit, including homeopathic or naturopathic cancer clinics in Germany and Mexico, a New Orleans clinic offering hyperbaric oxygen therapy for brain injuries and clinics in the United States, Panama and Thailand. In India, China and Mexico for stem cell therapies, "they wrote.
"Donors have indirectly paid millions of dollars to practitioners to provide dubious and even dangerous care," they added.
Caplan said he would like to see the sites monitor the fundraising campaigns they sponsor. People do not know if the money they give really serves a legitimate cause, and medical pleas, by definition, attract strong emotions.
"If they raise money and collect more than they need, where are they going?" If they raise money and they do not have enough, where is it going? He asked. "Is their loved one dead? Did they arrive in Panama?
And Caplan has harsh words for clinics that offer the false treatments that desperate patients fall.
"The clinics promise them cures. They promise hope when there is none, "said Caplan.
GoFundMe did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
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