| The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research, and encourages higher
standards for ethics and effectiveness in research. Founded in 1985 by nutrition researcher
and author Neal Barnard, M.D., PCRM promotes a low-fat vegetarian diet, opposes unethical human experiments, and promotes alternatives
to animal research.
PCRM's membership includes physicians, scientists, and laypersons. Its critics point out that only 5% of its membership are
actually physicians. The organization's advisory board includes such prominent figures as 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 McDougall, M.D.
PCRM may be best known for its opposition to low-carb
diets. The organization runs a website that collects reports of adverse health effects experienced by people on these popular
weight-loss plans. PCRM also argues that consuming dairy products is
unhealthful and advocates for improving the food served in school lunchrooms. In addition, PCRM runs The Cancer Project, a
program for cancer prevention, research, and nutritional assistance to cancer patients.
PCRM's 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 nonanimal 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."
The organization's nutrition director, Amy Lanou, Ph.D., has frequently criticized the U.S. Department of
Agriculture for promoting allegedly unhealthful foods, including cookies and cheese.
PCRM has been criticized by the American
Medical Association for misrepresenting facts about animal research and for advocating vegetarianism. However, in a statement
issued on February 10 of 2004, the AMA
retracted its critical comments about PCRM's dietary recommendations. The AMA published one of Dr. Barnard's research articles in
the Archives of Family Medicine in 1995 and has used various PCRM physicians as quotable experts in American Medical
News.
PCRM's founder, Dr. Neal Barnard, is a psychiatrist by training, not a
nutritionist. However, Dr. Barnard has published dozens of peer-reviewed scientific papers on nutritional topics in such leading
journals as The American Journal of Cardiology and the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
PCRM has been accused of being a front group for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PCRM does partner with PETA on
some issues of common interest, including a campaign to reduce animal use in toxicity testing.
PCRM and PETA appear to be entirely separate and independent organizations. PETA being based in Norfolk, Va., and PCRM is headquartered in Washington, D.C. However,
there exists 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, MD and PETA's cofounder
and president Ingrid Newkirk.[1] (http://www.the-aps.org/pa/action/charity/charitymarks.htm) The IRS form 990s filed for FSAP
confirm that from 1998 through 2000 PCRM was a supported organization. Since 2000, FSAP has declined to itemize its supported
organizations. [2] (http://www.guidestar.org/)
FSAP board of directors: Neal Barnard, MD, President; Ingrid E. Newkirk, Secretary
PCRM board of directors: Neal Barnard, MD, President
PETA board of directors: Ingrid Newkirk, Director, Secretary
The ties between PCRM, PETA, and FSAP have received criticism from consumer and professional watchdog groups; including
ActivistCash.com[3] (http://www.activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm?oid=23) (a self proclaimed watchdog for
"anti-consumer activist groups" and the sources of their funding) and The American Physiological Society[4] (http://www.the-aps.org/pa/action/charity/charitymarks.htm).
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