Morgellons Makes Money

If you search for “Morgellons” on Google, you get three ads under “Sponsored Links”:

Cure for Skin Parasites
got Morgellons Disease? We did
Dr. Uppal agrees
www.be-healthy-forever.com

Scabies? or Skin Parasite
Learn the difference for quick cure
Recommended by doctors – safe
www.cure-skin-parasite.com

Morgellons Disease
Natural Remedies for Morgellons
Information and Recommendations
www.renewalenterprises.com

The first site, “be-healthy-forever”, says that Morgellons is Hookworms, and tries to sell you a book for $120, explaining the “cure”, along with a “propriety blend” of oils, for $350, and a full treatment package for $1500.

The second site, “cure-skin-parasite”, is dermatechrx, which I have discussed before. They say Morgellons is “unidentified”, as if the word “unidentified” somehow clearly defines something. (“Do you have “unidentified”? You need “this”!). They simply sell variants of Bactine, for vastly inflated prices. A few gallons of disinfectents and some antiseptic cream comes to $400.

The third site, “renewalenterprises”, says that Morgellons is Lyme, and recommends “the use of supplements that treat viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungus”, just to cover all the bases. Of course, it also says “These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” They give a long list of “treatments” that are “ESSENTIAL”. The full course is about $500 for about a month’s supply.

And the sad thing is: people will buy this stuff, and in all probabilty they will simply damage their weakened skin even more, continuing the cycle of itching, scratching and lesions.

Of couse, such snake oil is nothing new. It’s not going to go away either. The FDA is not doing a good job here.

Morgellons also makes money for the more serious practicioners of medicine. It was reported on Lymebusters that Nurse Practicioner Ginger Savely charges $500 for a session. Upon seeing a patient with persistent unexplained pruritus and/or neurotic excoriations, she can refer them to a dermatologist who is qualified to make a specific diagnosis, or she can diagnose them with the catch-all “Morgellons”, and begin a course of unconventional treatments that takes several months, at $500 per session, followed by very expensive “phone visits” . For the latter, she was effectivley expelled from Texas by the Texas Medical Board.

This thread on Lymebusters suggests even higher prices:(registration required):

http://lymebusters.proboards39.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=rash&thread=1148324262&page=1

London2146:
Curious here- Is it true her apointments range in the astronomical figures these days?

Patti:
London, I know that sounds (and is) so expensive but all the LLMDs charge these huge figures.

01tr3v (trev)
Her fees are $1000 to see you and she also has some type of structured telephone fee with is rediculous. Its something like 200 for the first 15 minutes, then 175 for the next 15 minutes and so on.

tonie
Yes, the fee to see her is correct. I’d gotten the info emailed to me,

People push Morgellons for a variety of reasons. For some, those reasons might include money.