Thomas Cowan (alternative medicine practitioner)

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Thomas Cowan is an American practitioner of alternative medicine, author, conspiracy theorist and former medical doctor. He relinquished his medical licence in 2020.

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Alternative medicine
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  • Alternative medical systems
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Career[]

Cowan ran an alternative medicine practice until July 2020. A former medical doctor, he was disciplined and put on probation by the Medical Board of California in 2017 after he prescribed medication for breast cancer without informing the patient that it had not been approved by medical authorities, and without reviewing her medical file. The probation period was due to end in 2022, but he renounced his medical licence in December 2020, to become an unregulated "health coach". He left California and continues selling supplements through a website.[1][2][3][4]

Cowan is a member of the Board of Directors of the Weston A. Price Foundation. He served as vice president of the Physicians Association for Anthroposophical Medicine.[5]

Conspiracy theories[]

Cowan has argued against the widely accepted scientific view that pathogens cause a variety of diseases.[6] He promoted conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming 5G wireless communications are responsible for making people sick.[1][3][7][8] A video of Cowan's claims, made at an anti-vaccination conference, quickly gained a widespread audience when it was promoted by multiple Facebook accounts.[2][9][10]

The World Health Organization, along with numerous health authorities, established COVID-19 is not transmitted by any kind of electronic communications and has spread in many regions where new 5G wireless equipment has not been installed.[11][12]

Publications[]

The health advice Cowan dispenses through his books is often based in pseudo-scientific theories, such as denying viruses cause disease. Two of them promote anti-vaccination pseudo-scientific theories.[1][13]

  • Cowan, Thomas (2019). Cancer and the New Biology of Water. Chelsea Green Publishing. ISBN 978-1603588812.
  • Cowan, Thomas (2018). Vaccines, Autoimmunity, and the Changing Nature of Childhood Illness. Chelsea Green Publishing. ISBN 978-1603587778.
  • Cowan, Thomas (2016). Human Heart, Cosmic Heart: A Doctor's Quest to Understand, Treat, and Prevent Cardiovascular Disease. Chelsea Green Publishing. ISBN 978-1603586191.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Feder Ostrov, Barbara (5 February 2021). "Conspiracy theory doctor surrenders medical license". Cal Matters. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b Nicholson, Katie; Ho, Jason; Yates, Jason (23 March 2020). "Viral video claiming 5G caused pandemic easily debunked". CBC News. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b Berman, Annie (15 November 2021). "Dozens of Alaska doctors are asking the State Medical Board to investigate physicians spreading COVID-19 misinformation". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  4. ^ Knight, Victoria (20 September 2021). "Will Doctors Who Are Spreading COVID-19 Misinformation Ever Face Penalty?". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Board of Directors". Weston A. Price Foundation. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Thomas Cowan, MD". Wise Traditions. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  7. ^ D'Ambrosio, Amanda (18 August 2021). "No Physicians Disciplined for COVID Falsehoods". MedpageToday. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  8. ^ Grimes, David Robert (26 April 2021). "COVID Has Created a Perfect Storm for Fringe Science". Scientific American. Archived from the original on 15 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  9. ^ Wynne, Kelly (19 March 2020). "YouTube Video Suggests 5G Internet Causes Coronavirus and People Are Falling for It". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  10. ^ Temperton, James (6 April 2020). "How the 5G coronavirus conspiracy theory tore through the internet". Wired. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: Mythbusters". World Health Organization. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  12. ^ "False claim: Coronavirus is a hoax and part of a wider 5G and human microchipping conspiracy". Reuters. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  13. ^ Fouquet, Helene; Turner, Giles (8 December 2020). "Anti-Vaxxer Books Top Search Results at Amazon, Barnes & Noble". Bloomberg. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
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