what they said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

A B.C. man believes he's stumbled over a cure for baldness.

Now, Dirk Stass, who concocts herbal teas and remedies from native plants, is preparing for clinical trials on what many consider the cosmetic industry's Holy Grail.

In a recent interview with CBC News, the Cherryville man said a friend had been ribbing him about his bald spot. As a joke, Stass said, he rubbed a herbal healing tea into his scalp.

The original article can be found at: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/03/23/bc-baldness-cure.html?ref=rss

The original article can found in the Media Doctor archives.

how did it rate? (more information)

what we said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

The title and first line of this report are misleading and pose several issues in suggesting that the new herbal treatment will cure balding. First of all, most of these claims are prematurely presented as the new treatment has not been advanced to clinical trials and not been tested beyond friends and family of this B.C. herbalist. Second, while he claims that the remedy "rejuvenates the epidermis," "cleanses the hair follicles," and "regrows hair to a degree", the article also states that the tonic is more effective at stopping hair loss. These two statements make it difficult to distinguish whether the remedy will cure baldness (and bring hair back) or whether it will serve as a preventative measure by reducing hair loss in the first place. Although the article indicates individuals receiving the treatment have seen positive results, it neglects to report if there were any patients that saw little or no effects after treatment. Even a simple acknowledgment of the preliminary nature of this report would serve to address the multiple gaps in the reporting of this potential cosmetic "Holy Grail."

public forum

voice your opinion in the forum

• All comments and feedback submitted to Media Doctor are subject to editorial approval before being made viewable by the public. It may take up to a week for your comments to be approved. Additionally, no response will be given to questions posed in public comments. Media Doctor does not provide medical advice, or answers to medical questions posed by the public.
• If you provide your email address it will not be displayed to the general public.
• Comments may be edited by Media Doctor to remove defamatory or sensitive statements, and brand names.
• Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).