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. A non-profit organization (sometimes abbreviated to not-for-profit, non-profit or NPO) is an organization whose primary objective is to support some issue or matter of private interest or public concern for non-commercial purposes. ... Washington, D.C. is the capital city of the United States of America. ... This article is about the year. ... Neal D. Barnard is a medical doctor, author, clinical researcher, and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a national network of physicians and lay supporters that supports preventive medicine. ... Vegetarianism is the practice of not eating meat, beef, poultry, fish or their by-products, with or without the use of dairy products or eggs [1]. The exclusion may also extend to products derived from animal carcasses, such as lard, tallow, gelatin, rennet and cochineal. ... Filmed by PETA, Covance primate-testing lab, Vienna, Virginia, 2004-5. ...

PCRM's membership includes more than 6,000 physicians, as well as scientists, nutritionists, and laypersons. Its critics point out that only 5 percent of its membership are actually physicians.[1] The same could be said of such organizations as Doctors Without Borders and Physicians for Social Responsibility. 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. Médecins Sans Frontières (abbreviated MSF; sometimes known as Doctors Without Borders in English-speaking countries) is a nonprofit private organisation created in 1971 by a small group of French doctors led by Bernard Kouchner. ... Cornell University is a research university based in Ithaca, New York. ...

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. A package of diced pork, with a no-carb label Low-carbohydrate diets or low carb diets, are food diet programs for weight loss and dietary health that advocate restricted carbohydrate consumption, based on research that ties carbohydrate consumption with increased blood insulin levels, and increased insulin with obesity. ... Dairy products are generally defined as foodstuffs produced from milk. ...

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. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, also called the Agriculture Department, or USDA, is a Cabinet department of the United States Federal Government. ...

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. The American Medical Association (AMA) is the largest association of medical doctors in the United States. ... February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. Psychiatry is the branch of medicine that studies, diagnoses and treats mental illness and behavioral disorders. ...

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 eliminate animal use in toxicity testing. PCRM and PETA would appear to be independent organizations, PETA being based in Norfolk, Va., and PCRM 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.[2] The IRS form 990s filed for FSAP confirm that from 1998 through 2000 PCRM was a supported organization.[3] Since 2000, FSAP has declined to itemize its supported organizations. [4] For the SI unit of measurement, see Peta People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization in the world. ... Norfolk is a city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States of America. ...

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[5] and The American Physiological Society[6].

For the other side of the issue read the PCRM website (http://www.pcrm.org/news/release050628.html). The bulk of the criticism of the PCRM comes from The American Council on Science and Health and The Center for Consumer Freedom. These two organizations have ties to chemical, meat, dairy, alcoholic beverage industries, food product manufacturers, and fast-food chains.

References

• Lanou, Amy (July 11, 2004). Oreo promotion puts USDA on wrong side of obesity fight.
• PCRM Board of Directors (2004). PCRM Position Paper on Animal Research.

and some random guy saying that they are a stupid bunch of animal rights hippys

External links

• Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
• from the National Council Against Health Fraud
• Neal D. Barnard, M.D.
• from the American Council On Science and Health
• Dr. Henry J. Heimlich's Misrepresentations Regarding Animal Experimentation
• The Cancer Project
• Dissection Alternatives
• Atkins Diet Alert
• Healthy School Lunches
• Strong Bones
• Activist Cash tax contributions from PETA to PCRM
• ActivistCash writeup on Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
• Animalrights.net
• Americans for Medical Progress
• Physician Scam site operated by the Center for Consumer Freedom