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Via (PA) State Rep. Jim Marshall’s infant choking bill to be amended to avoid teaching Heimlich procedure for use on babies by staff reporter J.D. Prose, Beaver County Times, June 17, 2019:

State Rep. Jim Marshall’s recent bill on infant CPR and choking prevention will need to be amended in the Senate after he learned that the well-known Heimlich maneuver is not recommended for babies.

...(Peter Heimlich) said his father’s namesake technique is not recommended for infants. Heimlich said medical groups, such as the American Red Cross, advise against using the procedure on infants.

...“Unfortunately, I didn’t receive Mr. Heimlich’s email until after the bill passed the House of Representatives, but we’ve passed along his information to the Senate so they can consider a corrective amendment when House Bill 783 is considered,” Marshall said in an email. “It is certainly my intent to ensure there is no confusion about the appropriate rescue procedures for a choking infant.”

In contrast to Rep. Marshall's prompt, responsible actions, an unaccountable, renegade "first aid training" program based in Cincinnati has been putting the lives of infants and others at risk around the nation since 2012.

Further a Fort Mitchell foundation is funding this madness.

I've asked Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, the IRS, and Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear to step in before someone gets killed.



About seven years ago, two Cincinnati nonprofits -- Deaconess Associations and my dad's Heimlich Institute -- launched Heimlich Heroes, a medical training project which claims to have provided classes to over 100,000 people across the nation -- including teaching them to perform abdominal thrusts on choking infants.

To my knowledge the treatment has never been recommend by any legitimate medical organization.

Why not?

As I've reported, the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Red Cross informed me that doing so "may cause injuries."

What kind of injuries?

According to the AHA:

Abdominal thrusts, however, may cause complications. For this reason, the Heimlich maneuver should never be performed unless it is necessary. Reported complications of the Heimlich maneuver include damage to internal organs, such as rupture or laceration of abdominal or thoracic viscera. In fact, victims who receive the Heimlich maneuver should be medically evaluated to rule out any life-threatening complications.

If those concerns apply to children and adults, it’s easy to imagine the potential complications for tiny, vulnerable bodies.

Perhaps astoundingly, Heimlich Heroes is fully aware of those concerns.


That's not the only problem.

Heimlich Heroes, a Cincinnati-based first aid program developed partly by Henry Heimlich, is teaching students to perform the Heimlich maneuver on unconscious choking victims. This means that school children are being taught a medical practice that is not recommended by the American Heart Association or Red Cross, two highly credible public health organizations.

Who would be reckless enough to encourage teaching the public an unapproved, experimental "treatment" that may serious injure infants -- or worse?

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Recently I learned that the Elsa Heisel Sule Foundation of Fort Mitchell, KY has awarded Heimlich Heroes over $31,000, so I sent multiple inquiries to foundation executives asking if they were aware of the serious medical issues described above?

I didn't receive a reply, so I've filed a string of investigation requests to government agencies.

First, here's my letter to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine requesting that the state bring some discipline to this madness being perpetrated by Deaconess Associations and the Heimlich Institute -- whose longtime vice president is my brother Phil Heimlich, who a decade ago served on the Hamilton County Commission with the governor's son, Pat DeWine -- with a same-day reply from press secretary Dan Tierney informing me that my request is being processed. Click here to download a copy. 



Next, here's my letter to the IRS re: the nonprofit Sule Foundation putting lives at risk. Click here to download a copy.

I also asked the agency to revoke the Heimlich Institute's 501(c)3 nonprofit status because the organization -- whose decades of  outrageous medical misconduct and fraud has been widely-reported -- hasn't had any employees since 2005 and its most recent IRS tax filing (2017) showed zero assets.



Finally, here's my letter to KY Attorney General Andy Beshear re: the Sule Foundation funding the dangerous Heimlich Heroes program. Click here to download a copy.

How should a mainstream news organization respond after being made aware that a published story contains bad information that may seriously injure babies?

In somewhat identical situations, here's how FOX TV News affiliates in Oklahoma City and Cleveland responded.

One deserves to take a bow.

The other deserves to get sued.

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On June 13, FOX25 News in Oklahoma City aired How to help someone who's choking by staff reporter Jordann Lucero.

Here's a screenshot from her story with my highlighting:


Via that part of her story, here's an interview with a member of the Oklahoma City Fire Department:


Here's the problem.

No legitimate medical organization or medical expert recommends performing stomach thrusts (aka abdominal thrusts aka the Heimlich maneuver) on babies.

 As I've reported, executives at the American Heart Association (AHA) and American Red Cross (ARC) wrote me that the treatment "may cause injuries" to babies.

(To my knowledge, the only organization that recommends and teaches the treatment is Cincinnati's Heimlich Heroes program, a dubious operation whose charter is to promote my dad's "legacy.")

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After spotting Ms. Lucero's report I e-mailed AHA and ARC guidelines to Oklahoma City Battalion Chief and Public Relations Officer Benny Fulkerson.

A few hours later I received his reply:

Mr. Heimlich,

Sir, we just want to thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. After review, it has been determined that you are absolutely correct. The treatment demonstrated in the video was not in accordance with the AHA [American Heart Association] standard which we operate under. Please know that we feel terrible that this occurred, and we are working with Fox 25 to correct this information for their viewers. As a public safety organization, we take extremely seriously our role as an authority about all things related to fire and life safety. We do have amazing personnel who work very hard every day to serve our citizens. When we make mistakes, we take every measure to correct them and learn from them.

Again, thank you so much for contacting us about this. We are eager to get this information corrected.

I then received a thank-you from FOX25 New Director Adam Pursch who informed me that the story was being re-reported.

The re-reported story got it right:


I sincerely thanked Battalion Chief Fulkerson and Mr. Pursch for their professionalism and commitment to public safety.

I can't say the same re: the following mess.



Here's a transcript at about time stamp :35 from How to save a life: Help someone who is choking by staff reporter Adrienne DiPiazza, FOX8 News Cleveland, February 13, 2018:

DiPiazza: (The Akron Fire Department's Lt. Joe) Shumaker says don’t be afraid of hurting the baby, and forceful motions are the only thing that will help them breathe again.

Shumaker: “Can you cause some injury? Can you break a bone? Can you crack a rib? Perhaps, but in the end run the child will be breathing which is what we want as a result,” he said.

Who'd be irresponsible enough to stand behind the recommendation that first responders shouldn't worry about breaking a baby's bones?

Among others: Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan, Fire Chief Clarence Tucker, and FOX8 News Director Andy Fishman.

Akron, OH, Mayor Daniel Horrigan & Fire Chief Clarence Tucker (source)

Last February I sent all of them the same information I sent last week to the responsible parties in Oklahoma City

However, rather than fixing the error in order to protect babies from potential injury or worse, they all backed up Lt. Shumaker who, in fact, is certified according to AHA standards:


Here's the grammatically-challenged reply I received from Mr. Fishman at FOX8 which more or less corresponds to the replies I received from the offices of the mayor and the fire department:

From: Fishman, Andy <Andy.Fishman@fox8.com>
To: Peter M. Heimlich <peter.heimlich@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: blogger inquiry
Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2018 14:00:09 +0000

Peter

As highly trained first responders, we [sic] trust and stand by the information provided to us by the Akron Fire Department.

Best Andy

I then asked him for the name and e-mail address of his station's general manager to which he responded:

From: Andy Fishman <Andy.Fishman@fox8.com>
To: Peter M. Heimlich <peter.heimlich@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: blogger inquiry
Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2018 14:29:54 +0000

Peter

We consider this matter closed

Best Andy

Per the item you're reading, I don't.

After I asked FOX8 Cleveland News Director Andy Fishman to put me in touch with his boss, he Twitter-blocked me

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Sounds nice except for this big problem.

Heimlich Heroes teaches the public to perform "the Heimlich" (abdominal thrusts) on infants.



To my knowledge, no legitimate medical organization or medical expert recommends the treatment for babies.

Why not?

According to e-mails I received from executives at the American Heart Association (Greg Donaldson) and the American Red Cross (Don Lauritzen), performing abdominal thrusts on infants "may cause injuries."

Further, to my knowledge there has never been any published research on the subject.

In other words, Heimlich Heroes has apparently taught 100,000 people that, when confronted with a life or death situation with your baby, you should perform an unapproved, experimental, potentially-harmful medical treatment.

Who would be reckless enough to recommend that?

As widely reported, my wife Karen and I helped expose my dad as a dangerous quack who, after he was fired for misconduct at his last medical job, spent the rest of his career as a celebrity doctor who used the press to circulate unfounded, experimental medical treatments that put lives at risk.

One was "the Heimlich" for choking infants, a claim he apparently pulled out of thin air.

Here's one good question.

Why is Cincinnati's nonprofit Deaconess Associations Inc. (DAI in the above graphic) funding and promoting this dangerous hokum?

Here's another.

Will a mainstream news outlet report this story before someone's baby is inadvertently injured or worse as a result of the Heimlich Heroes program?

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According to a press release they issued about a year ago, the Cincinnati-area American Heritage Girls is the "premier national character development organization for young women that embraces Christian values...Currently, American Heritage Girls has over 43,000 Members [sic] located in every state..."

According to a 2014 press release, the American Heritage Girls formed a "National Cooperative Venture" with Heimlich Heroes,  a "Deaconess Associations, Inc. and Heimlich Institute initiative that teaches kids as young as seven how to become a hero by learning to perform the Heimlich Maneuver correctly in order to save a life. Both organizations are based in Cincinnati."

Via American Heritage Girls Adult Training, Heimlich Heroes blog, December 12, 2017:

In honor of Heimlich Heroes week American Heritage Girls corporate office trained their staff using our Teen and Adult program!

Kristi Tatro, National Director of Girl Impact, spearheaded the training to set an example for their members and community.

AHG staff members went through the Heimlich Heroes Teen and Adult training using our new training video...

Tatro said, “AHG highly endorses and encourages this program. It’s easy and fun to learn!”

Via this clip from the Heimlich Heroes "new training video," here's the problem:



I'm unaware of any medical organization or medical expert that recommends performing "the Heimlich" (abdominal thrusts) on choking infants.

Why not?

According to recent e-mails I received from executives at the American Heart Association and American Red Cross, doing so "may cause injuries."

Further, I'm unaware of any published research on the subject.

In other words, the American Heritage Girls "highly endorses and encourages" teaching the public to perform an unapproved, potentially harmful medical procedure on babies.

I'm e-mailing this item to Ms. Tatro with an invitation to respond.

UPDATE, 11/10/16: Via Management of Airway Obstruction by Michael R. Sayre MD, Contemporary Cardiology: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Humana Press (2005)

Despite widespread education on the use of the Heimlich maneuver and other techniques for treatment of acute airway obstruction, the (US) death rate remains stable.

Here's an interesting question for statistics experts.

How many people have been saved from choking to death by the Heimlich maneuver? 

Via At 96, Dr. Heimlich Uses His Own Maneuver on Choking Victim by Christine Hauser, New York Times, May 27, 2016:

In 1974, (Dr. Henry Heimlich) developed the method that compresses the lungs, causing a flow of air that carries the stuck object out of the airway and then the mouth. More than 100,000 people owe their lives to the technique, by some estimates.

I've come across that "100,000 lives saved" number many times. I've also seen 50,000.

To the best of my knowledge, both numbers originated with the Heimlich Institute, a Cincinnati nonprofit whose sole activity appears to be running Heimlich Heroes, a program that teaches young people how to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

Via the Heimlich Heroes website

Via the Heimlich Heroes website

Ever since my wife and I started researching my father's unusual career, I've wondered if there was a way to determine how many choking deaths have been prevented by his namesake treatment.

My math skills are challenged when I have to balance my checkbook, but the only approach that made sense to me was to look at choking death statistics.

That is, if the deaths of 100,000 or 50,000 choking victims had been prevented, presumably there would be a statistical decrease in the number of choking deaths since my father introduced the treatment.

And to adjust for population growth, it seemed to me that the only useful numbers would be choking deaths per capita.

The National Safety Council (NSC) compiles statistics on various unintentional injury-related deaths: motor vehicles, falls, drowning, fires, firearms, poisonings, etc.

According to the organization's 2016 Injury Facts, the NSC has been compiling choking death statistics from 1943 to the present.

That's three decades before my father introduced the treatment and four decades since, which seems like a reasonable and perhaps useful date range.

I first reported about the NSC's choking death statistics in an October 21, 2013 item about a problematic audio documentary about my father produced by Radiolab, a syndicated NPR program.

At the time, here's what Radiolab reporter/producer Pat Walters (who has since left the program) e-mailed me:

I checked my NSC stats, and it looks like I was wrong. I’d had an intern run the numbers for me initially, with the intention of checking them later, which I always do. Here’s what I’ve found: I only have data up to 2009 (from the 2011 report), which I believe you said you have, too. I’m waiting on the 2012 report from the com people at NSC so I can avoid paying 90 bucks for it. But anyway, according to that data and my back of the envelope calculations using population estimates from the US Census, in 1973 (pre-Heimlich manuever [sic]), choking was listed as the cause for 1.42 deaths per 100,000 people in the US. In 2009? The rate was 1.49 per 100,000.

So, if anything, the rate has gone up a bit. But just a bit. Not even significant, if you ask me. My take on this is that, essentially, almost nothing has changed.

Interesting.

But Mr. Walters isn't a statistics expert, so I'm hoping this item finds its way onto the screens of some capable number crunchers who might be able to shed some light on the subject.

Page down for the NSC's most recent (2016) per capita choking deaths per 100,000 population. Click here to download a copy.

I'm going to forward this to Nate Silver's crew at FiveThirtyEight.com, but if you know any other stats experts who might want to chime in, I'd welcome any thoughtful analysis for a future item.

Click here for my contact info.

This item has been revised for simplicity. 

Via an item about AHG's annual convention this week in Anderson, Indiana, today through Saturday

Per my June 12 item, I filed a handful of complaints with government and private organizations against the Cincinnati-based American Heritage Girls, a self-described "Christ-centered" alternative to the Girl Scouts of America.

My gripe?

In association with Cincinnati's Heimlich Heroes first aid training program, AHG is apparently teaching thousands of girls around the country to perform abdominal thrusts (the Heimlich maneuver) to revive unconscious choking victims.

The treatment is reportedly is not approved by the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association and apparently has never been researched.

In other words, Heimlich Heroes and AHG are apparently circulating an experimental medical treatment.

Why?

Dunno. I've sent multiple courteous inquiries to both organizations, but I've never gotten an answer to that question.

What happens if someone gets hurt as a result?

Dunno. Ask their attorneys.

But here's something I do know.

Follow the Heimlich Institute's activities and you're likely to turn up unexpected, often-newsworthy information.

For example, Heimlich's Maneuver's, my father's autobiography published last year by Prometheus Books, has a chapter called "Anti-Semitism" that includes:

(Our community experienced) prejudice that was common in the 1930s. Specifically, prejudice against Jews. In school, Jewish children were sidelined. The principal read Christian prayers during assembly. And in December, many school activities were given a Christmas theme. (We Jews quietly resisted, however. When the class sang Christmas carols, we substituted the name “Moses” for Christ and “Chanukah” for Christmas.)

When I was in my young teens, my mother asked if I would prefer to use a middle name other than Judah. I believe she was attempting to protect me from the harm that might have come from having a Jewish-sounding name. In those days, Jews were denied work and acceptance into college simply because of their faith. I followed my mother’s advice when I was in high school and changed my middle name to “Jay.” (About twenty years ago, I went back to my original name. Today I proudly call myself Henry Judah Heimlich.)

...(It) was rare when I spent time with non-Jews and was not made to feel self-conscious about my religion.

And via Four questions with Dr. Henry Heimlich by staff reporter Barrett Brunsman, Cincinnati Business Courier, February 11, 2014:

BB: Your book notes that you encountered anti-Semitism in college and during your career. Was it significant that the Cincinnati hospital was Jewish?

HJH: It was significant in that Jewish doctors were not taken into non-Jewish hospitals in those days. That's the only place I could possibly be -- in a Jewish hospital. Those days are gone forever, I'm pleased to say.

Discrimination against Jews may have diminished in the medical profession, but it's proudly practiced by the Heimlich Institute's partner organization -- yes -- the American Heritage Girls.

Based on their "statement of faith," any woman who doesn't fit this description is barred from holding leadership positions in the organization.

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Dedication page of Heimlich's Maneuvers

That means my mother -- daughter of dance studio mogul Moses Teichman, better known as Arthur Murray -- and my aunt Cele would not have been permitted to lead an AHG troop.

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Same goes for my sisters Elisabeth Heimlich of Cincinnati and Janet Heimlich of Austin, TX, who edited Heimlich's Maneuvers and authored a nonfiction book about religious extremism and founded a related nonprofit intended to prevent kids from being harmed by religious kooks.

But wait, there's more.

Arguably the most prestigious public recognition my father ever received was being awarded the Albert Lasker Award in 1984.

Via the Lasker website:

The Lasker Awards are among the most respected science prizes in the world. Since 1945, the Awards Program has recognized the contributions of scientists, physicians, and public servants who have made major advances in the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention of human disease. Lasker Awards often presage future recognition by the Nobel committee, so they have become popularly known as "America's Nobels." Eighty-six Lasker laureates have received the Nobel Prize, including 44 in the last three decades.

Via Heimlich's Maneuvers:

Many people ask me how I came up with (the Heimlich maneuver)...I invented it just as I have all my other techniques and devices -- that is, through scientific research.

Via AHG's website, here's their approach to science:



Who's the knucklehead responsible for the Heimlich Institute's decision to partner with an organization that wouldn't permit members of Dr. Heimlich's own family to hold positions of authority and whose approach to science is based on the book of Genesis?

Dunno. Ask them.

Terri Huntington (who runs Heimlich Heroes) and my father at a book-signing event last year for his memoir, Heimlich's Maneuvers

FYI, I provided Terri Huntington of Heimlich Heroes and AHG founder/executive director Patti Garibay with the opportunity to comment for this item.

I haven't receive a reply from either, but if they or another representative of their organizations wish to submit a response, they can click here to e-mail me.

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Via American Heritage Girls Forms National Cooperative Venture with Heimlich Heroes, a March 17, 2014 press release issued by the American Heritage Girls Inc.:

Cincinnati-based American Heritage Girls (AHG), an international faith-based character-development program for girls ages 5 through 18, has joined with Heimlich Heroes to teach its members how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver when a person chokes on food or a small object. The training will be available free to all AHG troops nationwide.

Here's my concern.

Via Heimlich maneuver on unconscious persons causes controversy by Nick Kammerer, Rambler Newspapers (Irvine, TX), November 24, 2014

(The) American Heart Association and the American Red Cross, do not recommend using the Heimlich maneuver on unconscious patients...Heimlich Heroes, a Cincinnati-based first aid program developed partly by Henry Heimlich, is teaching students to perform the Heimlich maneuver on unconscious choking victims. This means that school children are being taught a medical practice that is not recommended by the American Heart Association or Red Cross, two highly credible public health organizations.

Via a January 6, 2015 e-mail to me from Eric Perez MD, an emergency medicine expert in New York City who reviews medical treatment information for the National Institutes of Health:

To my knowledge, there is no definitive evidence for or against performing abdominal thrusts (on an) unconscious patient.

Further, apparently the "unconscious Heimlich" protocol has never been the subject of any published research, therefore it's experimental.

Public health and/or liability risk if someone gets hurt?


Since the announcement of the Heimlich Heroes/American Heritage Girls partnership last year, I've made multiple attempts -- most recently last week after seeing the above Facebook post -- in order to obtain a position statement and comment from AHG representatives if they're teaching their members to "Heimlich" unconscious choking victims.

If they are, AHG is using unwitting kids and troop leaders to circulate an unapproved, experimental medical treatment.

I've never received a response from AHG (why not?), so I just filed complaints against the organization with the IRS (posted below), the Ohio Attorney General's Charitable Law Section, and two organizations that accredit AHG -- the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance, and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

I'll report the results in a future item.

If any parents of AHG kids or AHG troop members want to jump in, I'd encourage you to ask National Executive Director and Founder Patti Garibay for answers.

If you do and want me to consider publishing the results on The Sidebar, click here to e-mail me.

UPDATE, 6/16/15: According to their website, the AHG is endorsed by a number of religious organizations, so yesterday I sent similar letters of concern to two of them, the Archdiocese of St. Louis, MO and the Lutheran Synod of Missouri.




This item has been slightly revised.

(From my letter today to the Texas Department of Public Health Services, posted below -- click here to download a copy.)

This is to request your help regarding a first aid program that's scheduled to be presented next month to thousands of Texas students.

1) Via Heimlich maneuver on unconscious persons causes controversy by Nick Kammerer, Rambler Newspapers (Irvine), November 24, 2014:

Heimlich Heroes, a Cincinnati-based first aid program developed partly by Henry Heimlich, is teaching students to perform the Heimlich maneuver on unconscious choking victims. This means that school children are being taught a medical practice that is not recommended by the American Heart Association or Red Cross, two highly credible public health organizations.

2) Eric Perez MD is an emergency medicine specialist at Mount Sinai St. Luke's Hospital in New York City who reviews medical treatments published by the National Library of Medicine (under the aegis of the National Institutes of Health). Per a February 3, 2015 item I reported on my blog, Dr. Perez recently wrote me, “To my knowledge, there is no definitive evidence for or against performing abdominal thrusts (on) unconscious patient(s).”

Further, to my knowledge the Heimlich Heroes program has never been reviewed or approved by any licensed physicians.

Therefore, it appears the program is using students to circulate an unapproved, experimental medical treatment.

Yesterday I blogged about the recklessness and incompetence of a Cincinnati first aid organization called Heimlich Heroes that's mistraining thousands of kids around the country.

Posted a couple days ago on the group's Facebook page:


Only one problem.

The story's a spoof that originated two years ago from an Onion-style "news" outlet:


Via:


2/10/15 UPDATE: How pathetic is this? 

Days after I blogged the above item, here's a screenshot of the same Facebook post, but with some added words:


Hey there, Heimlich Heroes! 

Even though you're an incompetent operation that's mistraining students around the country, I'm glad you're following my blog -- I can use all the readers I can get. 

But when you get snookered, why not just laugh it off instead of trying to lie your way out of it?

Via Heimlich family maneuvers by Peter Korn, Portland Tribune, April 12, 2007:

"(Dr. Heimlich's) ideas are insane," (said Robert Baratz MD PhD, president of the National Council Against Health Fraud). "Some of his ideas are delusional. He has been experimenting on human beings for most of his career, and he's no different than the Nazi experimenters. There isn't one iota of scientific basis for this except that Heimlich said so."

Per this screenshot from the website of Cincinnati's Heimlich Institute, for decades my father has been recommending that the Heimlich maneuver (aka abdominal thrusts) be used to revive unconscious choking victims.

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I've been unable to locate any published research studies supporting that treatment recommendation. (If you know of any, please send me citations.)  

Via the website of the affiliated Heimlich Heroes first aid training program:


Click here for a page on the organization's website listing dozens of cities and towns where kids have been or will be trained. The list doesn't identify who conducted the training or at what facility or school.

Via this clip from training videos posted on their website, Heimlich Heroes is teaching kids around the country to "Heimlich" unconscious choking victims:



According to her LinkedIn bio, Heimlich Heroes program director Terri Huntington has no medical training and her last job was working for a multi-level marketing company called The Pampered Chef.

When I asked her for any evidence supporting the use of "the Heimlich" to revive unconscious choking victims, she instructed me to go away.

Eric Perez MD is an emergency medicine specialist at Mount Sinai St. Luke's Hospital in New York City who reviews medical treatments posted on the website of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (under the aegis of the National Institutes of Health).

Via a January 6, 2015 e-mail, he wrote me:

To my knowledge, there is no definitive evidence for or against performing abdominal thrusts in unconscious patients.

Via Heimlich maneuver on unconscious persons causes controversy by Nick Kammerer, Rambler Newspapers, Irvine, TX, November 24, 2014:

Certain entities, such as the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross, do not recommend using the Heimlich maneuver on unconscious patients......Heimlich Heroes, a Cincinnati-based first aid program developed partly by Henry Heimlich, is teaching students to perform the Heimlich maneuver on unconscious choking victims. This means that school children are being taught a medical practice that is not recommended by the American Heart Association or Red Cross, two highly credible public health organizations.

Based on the above, unless I'm missing something, Heimlich Heroes appears to be using young people around the country to circulate an experimental, unapproved medical treatment.

The program was also recently tagged by the National Institutes of Health for circulating false information.

Here's a claim that, until recently, was posted on the Heimlich Heroes website's FAQ page:


Via a recent FOIA request I filed with the NIH:



The Heimlich Heroes FAQ web page has since changed the claim to:


I'll fact-check that claim with those three organizations and report the results.


This item has been slightly revised for clarity.

Erienne Lette (source)

Via Step up and save a life: why you need to do a Basic Emergency Life Support course by reporter Erienne Lette, published May 12, 2014 by PerthNow, a newspaper owned by News Corp Australia, "Australia’s number one media company" according to the company's website.














Sound like a story worth looking into by U.S. reporters?

It does to me, but, to my knowledge, it's never been reported anywhere except in the Land Down Under and here at The Sidebar.

FYI, "St John" in the article refers to St John Ambulance, "Australia’s leading provider of first aid services," according to their web site.

Click here for the organization's "non-Heimlich" recommendations for responding to a choking emergency.

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Want to learn more?

I'd suggest starting with The Heimlich manoeuvre, a half-hour Australian Broadcasting audio documentary by Aviva Ziegler that first aired on July 27, 2009 and includes interviews with these notables and yours truly:


Another news hook for interested journos?

Happy anniversary!

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Per my previous item, last night Cincinnati Reds baseball team representative Rob Butcher accused me of being "on some kind of mission to prevent people from helping others."

What did I do to elicit such opprobrium?

I asked him for information about ballplayer Todd Frazier's apparent endorsement of "Heimlich Heroes," a first aid training program in Ohio schools that includes performing the Heimlich maneuver on unconscious choking victims.

Here's a clip from one of the program's training videos:



As I reported last month, representatives of the American Red Cross and the American Red Cross told me they don't recommend the treatment.

And, per my previous item, "Heimlich Heroes" program manager Terri Huntington has refused to answer a number of reasonable questions I've submitted.

For example, would she please direct me to any published research studies, to any medical organizations, and/or to any licensed medical professionals that recommend performing "the Heimlich" on unconscious choking victims?

Because I can't find any.

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Despite the Rodney Dangerfield treatment I've gotten from the two Cincinnati organizations, my self-esteem just got a boost from the other side of the globe.

Via Lifesaving spaniel earns pat on the head from Heimlich by reporter Guto Llewellyn published this morning in the Carmarthen Journal:

Lifesaving spaniel Mollypops has been praised by none other than the son of the inventor of the Heimlich manoeuvre.

Owner Rachel Hayes, 40, from Drefach Felindre, had been choking on a chew sweet for several minutes and believed she was about to die until her pet jumped on her back, dislodging the sweet.

Since the Carmarthen Journal reported the story last week news of Mollypops's heroism has spread across the world, even drawing the attention of Peter Heimlich, whose father Henry invented the Heimlich manoeuvre.

The Heimlich manoeuvre involves using a series of abdominal thrusts on a choking victim in a bid to dislodge the item. However, the technique has been called into question, and by now it is advised that people follow St John Ambulance advice instead of the Heimlich manoeuvre. This involves using hard blows on the upper back of the victim.

Peter Heimlich said: "I give big props to Mollypops. Based on what I've read in the Journal, she's strictly up to date on St John Ambulance's first aid recommendations, plus she kept her cool in a stressful situation.

"I'd urge all creatures great and small to follow her example and learn how to respond to choking and other medical emergencies."

...Mollypops only needed one blow to save her owner's life, and Rachel says she is delighted with the recognition her dog is receiving.

She said: "It's really good. I have just been overwhelmed by the attention her story has received, and it's amazing to hear Mr Heimlich say that she did the right thing."

Based on my recent experiences with Rob Butcher and Terri Huntington, to get some pointers on how to deal with the media, their masters might wish to consult Mollypops.

Rob Butcher, Cincinnati Reds' Director of Media Relations (source)

According to the Cincinnati Reds, by asking questions about a first aid training program being taught in Ohio schools, I'm up to no good.

This started last month I asked the Ohio and Hamilton County Health Departments to review the "Heimlich Heroes" program because it teaches students and others to perform the Heimlich maneuver on unconscious choking victims.

As I reported, that treatment is not recommended by the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association.

Terri Huntington and my father at February 18, 2014 book-signing at Cincinnati's Joseph-Beth Booksellers (source)

I'm unaware of any published research that supports the treatment or any medical professionals who recommend it, so a few days ago I e-mailed these and other questions to "Heimlich Heroes" program manager Terri Huntington:

According to the training videos on your website, your program teaches students to perform the Heimlich maneuver on unconscious choking victims. Would you please direct me to any published research studies, to any medical organizations, and/or to any licensed medical professionals that recommend this treatment?

Your program's home page features a photo and quote from Cincinnati Reds baseball player Todd Frazier. On what date did Mr. Frazier or his representative endorse your program?

Her March 24, 2014 reply:

Although we appreciate your interest in our organization, we are not comfortable with the focus of your questions. As such, neither Deaconess nor any of its affiliates, including Heimlich Heroes, will respond to any additional inquiries from you and politely request that you refrain from contacting us further.

You appear to be on some kind of mission to prevent people from helping others. Feel free to write the Reds have no comment.

Melinda Zemper, Oak Tree Communications LLC, West Chester, OH (source)

After I tagged press agent Melinda Zemper for publishing false claims in a March 5 article, the Cincinnati Enquirer has deleted it.

For background, see my item last week, Hype tripe: Cincinnati press agent claims "Heimlich Heroes" first aid training program "expanding nationwide" via partnerships with the YMCA and two other national nonprofits -- the program's manager says "NOT." 

Here's a screenshot from Zemper's article that was published by the Enquirer's Community News Share section:

If you click the link to her article now, here's what you'll see:

 
I asked Enquirer Media Communities Editor Nancy Daly what happened.

source

A couple days ago she e-mailed me:

Once we learned there was some controversy we deleted it. Share is not a place for that.

Besides Zemper's false claim that three national nonprofits -- the YMCA, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the American Heritage Girls -- were partnering with the "Heimlich Heroes" program being taught in local schools, via my February 26 item, here's the other concern I brought to the Enquirer's attention: