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Re: her September 14, 2015 New York Times article, What Comes After the Heimlich Maneuver, can "trusted authority on health" Jane Brody back up her own claims?

Ms. Brody didn't reply to my e-mails, so I've asked Margaret Sullivan, the paper's public editor, to jump in.

Click here to download a copy.

Via the website of the Heimlich Institute, hosted by Deaconess Associations

As Sidebar readers know, for decades Cincinnati's Heimlich Institute has funded and promoted violative offshore human experiments in which patients suffering from cancer, Lyme Disease, and AIDS have been infected with malaria, a crackpot cure my father called "malariotherapy."

For decades my father's organization also put the public at risk by hyping a string of baseless, experimental, thoroughly-discredited medical treatments such as claiming the Heimlich can revive drowning victims, stop asthma attacks, and cure cystic fibrosis.

His so-called institute -- which, according to IRS filings, hasn't had any employees for nearly a decade, currently has $1000 in assets and is apparently nothing but a website -- has been a subsidiary of Deaconess Associations Inc., a healthcare conglomerate in the Queen City, since June 1998.

A few years ago, Deaconess launched a new venture, a first aid training program called Heimlich Heroes, intended to teach the Heimlich maneuver to kids around the country.

As Sidebar readers also know, Heimlich Heroes is teaching kids -- here we go again -- to perform "the Heimlich" to revive unconscious choking victims, an untested experimental medical treatment that's not recommended by the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association.

Like his other bogus medical claims, apparently my father pulled this out of thin air.

So what happens if a Heimlich Heroes-trained kid hurts or kills someone using the treatment?

I'd rather not find out, so today I filed complaints against Deaconess and the Heimlich Institute -- both 501(c)(3) nonprofits registered with the state of Ohio -- with the IRS and the Ohio Attorney General's Charitable Law Bureau. (In June I filed similar complaints regarding the American Heritage Girls, a "Christ-centered alternative" to the Girl Scouts of America that's partnering with Heimlich Heroes.)

Page down or click here to download a pdf of both letters.

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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.

As I reported yesterday, on April 6 I filed a request with the directors of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to investigate this treatment recommendation which has been posted on the NLM's website since at least June 22, 2000:


I asked for an investigation because the "unconscious Heimlich" is reportedly not recommended by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross, I'm unaware of any research that supports the treatment recommendation, and when I've asked A.D.A.M. Inc. -- the health care information company that supplied the information -- to provide me with citations to research that supports their treatment recommendation, I can't get an answer.

Yesterday the page was updated -- here's proof:



Here's what the page looks like now:


Among other unanswered questions, it's unclear on what basis the "unconscious Heimlich" treatment was ever recommended by the NIH/NLM.

Unless the agencies can produce legitimate evidence in the form of published research, it appears that for over 15 years they've been recommending an experimental medical treatment.

(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.

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.

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Via 94-year-old Heimlich maneuver namesake pens memoir by Lisa Cornwell, Associated Press, February 17, 2014:

(Dr. Henry) Heimlich now lives in an assisted-living facility but responds to emails and letters about his work and makes guest appearances with the Heimlich Heroes program. The program designed to teach young people how to use the Heimlich maneuver allows him to still pursue his passion for saving lives.

Apparently my father's passion includes teaching students to perform a first aid treatment that's not recommended by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross

Take a look at this a brief clip from a training video posted on the Heimlich Heroes website:

Voiceover: If the person falls unconscious while you're performing the Heimlich maneuver, try to ease him to the floor and put him on his back. Kneel over his hips and put one of your hands on his abdomen and put your other hand on top of the first. Then, use your full body weight to press into the victim's abdomen with a quick upward thrust.  Once the object is dislodged, immediately get your hands and arms under his shoulder and roll him to his side. You should not be surprised if he throws up. Being on his side will keep him from choking again.

Last week representatives of the Heart Association and Red Cross wrote me that their organizations do not recommend Heimlich-ing unconscious choking victims.

[Click here and page up a few lines for the Heart Association's most recent guidelines for responding to unresponsive choking victims. Click here for a pdf of a 2011 Red Cross Ready Reference pamphlet; guidelines for unconscious choking victims are on page 5.]

According to the Heimlich Heroes website, "over five hundred" students at these schools have participated in the program since last year:


It's unclear why the program is teaching a treatment that's not recommended by the AHA and ARC, but presumably everyone can agree that the students are entitled to the best available training.

So today I sent this letter to Lance D. Himes, Acting Director of the Ohio Department of Health, asking for a review of Heimlich Heroes and for the names of the medical professionals and organizations that reviewed and approved the program. (Click here to download a copy.)

[UPDATE: The next day I sent a similar letter to Tim Ingram, Hamilton County's Health Commissioner. Click here for a copy on Scribd. Click here to download a copy.]