Quack Donsbach Arrested

[Steve J]

Kurt Donsbach, whose record of quackery is extensive, was recently arrested in Southern California (USA) and at last report is being held in jail in lieu of $1,500.000 bail.

One of the concoctions he markets is called "Prostasol."

The charges include "11 felony counts including treating patients without a license, misbranding drugs for sale, grand theft, unlawfully dispensing drugs as a cure for cancer, and falsely representing a cure for cancer."

More, including the affidavit in support of the arrest warrant, here: http://www.casewatch.org/crim/donsbach/declaration.shtml

Hoorah! Long overdue!

[Arnon Krongrad, MD]

Steve, we are not so much a neighborhood crime watch as a scientific clearinghouse. If the "record of quackery" is evidenced with convictions and is public record it will be good to cite it. If not, let's delete this suggestion. Thanks. As a separate matter, it will be good to explain Prostasol, what it is, what it does, and what the data show.

[Steve J]

Quackwatch has 23 files on this.....person.
See http://www.quackwatch.org/search/webglimpse.cgi?ID=1&query=dons...

Included is a thorough biography as well as a copy of the affidavit in support of the arrest warrant in the present case. Interesting reading. Donsbach has an extensive arrest and conviction record.

Prostasol and its predecessors are alleged to help "maintain prostate health," not quite saying that it's a cure for PCa.

AIUI, Prostasol is essentially the same herbal conglomeration as PC-SPES and PC PLUS. In 2004, PC-SPES was found to be contaminated with various prescription drugs (not, of course, shown on the label) and was banned. So whatever effect it had was from the prescription drugs, not the herbs.

On July 15, 2008, an article entitled "Prostasol: A Risk for Blood Clots?" was published here on this site. There were three replies, Chuck Maack and Mike Scott (anti) and John Radovic (pro).

Chuck cited a report from Denmark that demonstrated that Prostasol contains (undeclared) diethylstilbestrol.

There is much, much more, some from True Believers, most from science.

Since we are most of us struggling to survive PCa, it seems to me that it was of vital interest to publish information on Donsbach and his operations.

[Gerald Chodak MD]

This is certainly interesting information prompting to share some experience I have had with the Prostasol. There are no published reports on this agent but prompted by PC SPES, I had 8 patients who tried it. All 8 had a drop in their PSA some for several years. The only side effect reported was breast tenderness, similar to what we would expect from estrogen. We wrote a paper summarizing the results but could not get it published. Our intention was to generate interest for an evaluation of the agent to determine if it contain restricted drugs as was the case for PC SPEs. We are not likely to ever know if the combination of herbs has something of interest or whether it was another case of abuse my profiteering over the counter companies.


Gerald chodak

[E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott]

Arnon: I think it is relatively safe to say that -- regardless of the merits/demerits of Prostasol, the individual in question has had a 30+ year track record of highly questionable medical, clinical, scientific, and pharmacological practices -- including multiple convictions.

[Paul Blake MH]

I think a little reading between the lines is called for here. He has been in the natural health field since 1957 about the time your parents were wearing 3 cornered pants. He is 73 and runs 2 clinics and he actually holds of number of degrees in naturopathic medicine which our one dimensional medicinal system has done its best to outlaw. At one point he was head of a naturopathic college with 4,000 graduates I believe that makes him a naturopathic doctor. He developed oral chelation therapy used all over the world by MD's and naturopaths. Doctor Donsbach is literally an instruction of naturopathic medicine. Now let’s see they have exactly one person claiming a problem out of the 15,000 the doctor treated in his Mexico (treating patients since 1983) and USA clinics. Via a bias media the FDA and courts are advertising for people who have received mal treatment at his hands to come forward, except for your headlines weak very weak.

[L. J. Martin]

I have no idea what Donsbach's other activities are, but I buy Prostisol from his company. I've had long experience with the combination of herbs therein and can only tell you when I get off a couple a day, my PSA rises. 13 years, with few, if any side effects, unlike Casodex and Lupron. I started with PC Spes, which was destroyed by the politicians and drug companies (who I'm sure are behind this attack), went to tea made from the list of contents on the package, and my PSA went to zero, went to Prostisol when it was introduced, PSA zero. Get off, PSA rises, back on, goes to zero...the proof of the puddin'. Docs all thumb their noses, dead friends tell no tales, but I'm still kickin' and can. Oh yeah, "It only masks the PSA." I've heard it a hundred times and it's BS. I'd be dead if it wasn't.

[Mike Simmons]

I have been using Prostasol for more than three years. I have recurrent prostate cancer. My PSA was at 15 and rising quickly prior to my fortunate discovery of Prostasol. After beginning Prostasol, my PSA dropped to 0.3 and continued to decline to 0.1. I stoped taking it for about six weeks and my PSA rose to 2.4. Resuming Prostasol at one capsule per day quickly brought my PSA back to 0.1. Taking more than you need may lead to nipple tenderness.

Calling Dr. Donsbach a quack is so juvenile! I can attest to the efficacy of Prostasol as well as a lesser known but very effective arthritis approach. He is not conventional and because of that, I believe he sees what other rigidly trained medical practitioners are blinded to. While conventional doctors may be good at what they do, they do not have all of the answers and have difficulty in seeing what is outside of their classical training. When the little guy develops or discovers something of great benefit, he is on his own in getting it to those who need it and our system is solidly set against him. It shouldn't be that way.

What is long overdue is a complete reformation of our medical system. A little more forethought and civility would be wonderful too.

I believe that if you had prostate cancer and had tried Prostasol, you would be supportive of Dr. Donsbach. Give the man a fair chance, he is offering a gift to extend my, and possibly your, life.

Mike S