What happened to Tenpenny’s Facebook page?
Hi Reader,
If you see any lost lambs staggering around Facebook today, despairingly bleating out “Tenpenny”, you may be able to help them. These anti-vaxxers will undoubtedly be searching for Sherri Tenpenny’s currently-defunct Facebook page, and agonizing about where it went. More on their tentative conclusions below, but first, a little background on this saga. As you may be aware, Sherri Tenpenny is a licensed D.O. based in Cleveland, Ohio. Those who do not live in the U.S. may be unaware that in the States, a D.O. is a fully credentialed medical professional, equivalent to an M.D, and that the vast majority of D.O.s are eminently sensible and are excellent healthcare practitioners. However, of late Tenpenny has been posting things on her Facebook page that in my opinion appear to be increasingly odd; including (but not limited to) the following:
1. Allowing a bomb threat against a vaccine provider and other violent anti-vax links to stand on her page.
2. Calling physicians and public health practitioners “The enemy within our borders“.
3. Attempting to link vaccination to the tragic Newtown shootings.
4. Allegedly harassing Craig Egan, another Facebook poster who likes to call her out on her nonsense.
This last item may be at the center of the mysterious disappearance of Tenpenny’s Facebook pages in the afternoon hours of Friday, January 4th. Egan has publicly stated that he has filed a formal complaint with the State Medical Board of Ohio regarding Tenpenny’s activities in posting personal information about him on Facebook, as was discussed here earlier. It is also possible that the Board has received other complaints about Tenpenny’s apparent violation of the following statute (4731.22(B)(5), Ohio Revised Code):
“Making a false, fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading statement in the solicitation of or advertising for patients; in relation to the practice of medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine and surgery, podiatric medicine and surgery, or a limited branch of medicine; or in securing or attempting to secure any certificate to practice or certificate of registration issued by the board.
As used in this division, “false, fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading statement” means a statement that includes a misrepresentation of fact, is likely to mislead or deceive because of a failure to disclose material facts, is intended or is likely to create false or unjustified expectations of favorable results, or includes representations or implications that in reasonable probability will cause an ordinarily prudent person to misunderstand or be deceived.”
Such a complaint, if it were made, would probably be based on misleading information about vaccinations that is repeatedly posted on Tenpenny’s Facebook pages, which she also apparently uses to advertise her practice. I know what you are thinking, reader, and one could certainly argue about whether Tenpenny’s acolytes are “ordinarily prudent”. But let’s not get sidetracked. Egan’s complaint and this code may be in part why Tenpenny’s Facebook pages (Tenpenny on Vaccines and Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center) have disappeared, and her Twitter account has been locked. Of course, this is pure speculation. It is entirely likely that these sites are in the process of being scrubbed of any alleged evidence of Tenpenny’s alleged antics and will soon reappear. If that is the case, it will be very interesting and instructive to see the new shape of the pages and which information has been omitted.
It must be noted that the hypothesis that Tenpenny simply wanted a weekend off from cyberspace cannot be rejected, but perhaps other theories can. These latter suppositions are represented by the conspiratorial spin regarding the disappearance of Tenpenny’s pages that is nothing short of hilarious. At babycenter.com, current theories include:
1. That Tenpenny’s Facebook page was hacked…by supervillian Craig Egan.
2. That Craig Egan is paid by Big Pharma to attack anti-vaxxers’ websites.
Further, a poster at babycenter.com wrote, and I paraphrase, that someone with “great power” is behind the disappearance of Tenpenny’s pages. Some commenters there seem to be convinced that this person is Bill Gates. So, allegedly, in anti-vaxxer world, Bill Gates and a Big Pharma cabal have hired Craig Egan to take down anti-vax Facebook pages, one by one, and this is the only way the disappearance of Tenpenny’s various media outlets can be explained.
If that last sentence seems reasonable to you, reader, I shall weep. But anyway, that’s the update for now. Thanks for stopping by.
I love cousin Craig. That is all.
Well, of course it’s reasonable. Doesn’t Bill Gates always work with Big Pharma cabals – look at what the Gates Foundations do, anyway! They support vaccinations! TEH HORRORZ!!!!111!!!!!! And Craig Egan MUST be getting money from Big Pharma or he wouldn’t be attacking people with THE TRUTH!!!!
(/sarcasm)
Not that I ever read Tenpenny’s page anyway. Just so sad that a DO could go so wrong.
LOL. Awesome comment.
LOL! Thanks for my daily giggle, Skewed.
I was lurking on Tenpenny’s FB page one day, and there was a discussion of having a “private” page for both her and the now non-existant PPOUC. So it’s entirely possible that she and the die-hard anti-vax crowd are working on this. Hopefully it will never come to pass, but sadly, I doubt we’d be so lucky.
On a separate note, I think it’s high time the Ohio Osteopathic Medical Board started to monitor dear Tenpenny’s extra-curricular activities. I think she’s a biggest hypocrite ever, and it’s utterly disgusting how she denigrates all Pediatricians, but then has one working in her own clinic, i.e., Dr. Janet Levatin, who is needless to say, a homeopathogen (no surprise there!). So basically unless you totally denounce modern medicine, vaccines, and all that, the only Pediatrician that your child *should* be seeing is an alternate medicine loving, and vaccine hating nut, like herself. Give me a freakin’ break!
Hopefully she will get what she deserves for the nonsense that she openly spouts everywhere, including the idiotic Huff Post and her own web page. I suppose one can only hope.
What is PPOUC?
Proud Parents of Unvaccinated Children
Otherwise known as ‘My kid is never sick because I didn’t vaccinate – does anyone know any home remedies for double ear infections, flu, chickenpox, bronchitis, strep, etc.” To which the response is, “Colloidal silver, garlic oil, coconut oil, breastmilk, in the ear, and so forth”.
It’s an empty headed echo chamber for folks who need to hear from others that being an idiot and not vaccinating their children was the right thing to do.
Thank you! Classic explanation. I have recently found this blog and find it fascinating. I’m one of those doctors who are a part of this big conspiracy to poison children, allow Big Pharma to take over the world, make girls sterile by giving them Gardasil etc. And proud of it.
Thanks for stopping by, Belinda. Hope you stick around.
Thanks for that in-a-nutshell explanation of the PPOUC page, Darwy. I had a good ol’ giggle when I read your post.
BTW, don’t forget all the anti-vaxxer nonsense about NOT vaccinating your pets, that was posted on said page. Because you know, you’re just poisoning your beloved pets, and rabies never killed anyone, anyway. Sheesh, the nuttiness clearly knows no bounds!
Oh and Belinda, your post made me laugh with its excellent sarcasm. Welcome, and I think you’ll find that you’re among kindred spirits here. I’m a doctor too; I vaccinate my own family and encourage vaccination for my patients. So I guess I’m right there with you, when it comes to the Big Pharma gambit, and all the other anti-vaxxer B.S. that I refuse to take seriously.
One day, if there is statistically significant data that vaccines cause more harm than good, then I may be willing to rescind my statements. Somehow, I doubt I would live to see that day in this lifetime.
Thanks for stopping by Shaliza. Agree with your last sentence. I think we are more likely to see a vaccine exemption-caused massive outbreak of diphtheria than we are to see data that show that vaccines cause more harm than good.
You nailed it, Skewed. One of my partners was recently saying the exact same thing. When the VPDs return with a vengeance thanks to all this anti-vax propaganda, we will see who succumbs first. I’m expecting diphtheria, pertussis, and even HiB meningitis to be flooding into our offices and ERs a lot sooner that *any* study showing statistically significant data that we’re better off without vaccinations.
Oh dear. I see that Dr Tenpenny’s page is back up. Says she was doing maintenance. Damage control given her recent harrassment of Craig Egan?
That’s what I am guessing!
Dang, I guess the temporary vanishing act was too good to be true.
I also read on the Chaos Central that TP seems to have installed a filter to automatically remove posts mentioning Craig Egan on her newly improved page. I feel bad for the guy, especially after he received a call from the FBI. I mean seriously? The FBI gets caught up in stuff like this?! Am I missing something here?
This is why screen shots are your friend.
Indeed!
Poor poor tenpenny her crack pot ranting a will not be missed
Except by her faithful anti-vaxxer minions who love to worship at her altar.
I thought I would share this gem with my kindred spirits.
Melanies’s Marvellous Measles is a lovely little book written by an Australian anti vaxxer aimed at children. Most likely the offspring of the PPOUC group. Forgets to mention the serious potential for death from measles! Thanks to change.org some major Australian book distributors have decided to remove this gem from their stores. Thank goodness for common sense.
This message is from Giovanni Torre, who started the petition “Pearson Australia Group (Angus and Robertson, and Bookworld): End sales of ‘Melanie’s Marvellous Measles’ in any forum.,” which you signed on Change.org.
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Bookworld contacted me today to say “Melanie’s Marvellous Measles” would be pulled from Bookworld and Angus and Robertson websites. (They advised it would be gone from A&R by tomorrow). Thanks everyone!
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health-fitness/controversial-anti-vaccination-book-removed-from-sale/story-fneuzlbd-1226551911539
________________________________________
View the petition | View and reply to this message online
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Mailing address: Change.org. 216 West 104th Street, Suite #130, New York, NY 10025. USA
Thanks for that info, Belinda. Each little victory against this anti-vaxxer propaganda is significant.
I had heard about this pathetic excuse for a children’s book, somewhere on Facebook. It’s downright scary that an anti-vaxxer would publish stuff like this, but then again, considering that the nuttiness knows no bounds, I suppose it is to be expected. The po-vax camp is constantly accused of injecting innocent young brains with toxins and other rubbish, but yet brainwashing impressionable minds with the motto “devastating illnesses are friends, not enemies” is perfectly acceptable. It’s clear that the perpetual double standards never get a break in anti-vaxxer land.
I can just imagine other titles in this lunatic series, should the writer decide to go there. I surmise we might see something along the lines of the following:
Meet Melanie’s other pals and their merry maladies!
Rob’s Radiant Rabies
Charlie’s Cheerful Chickenpox
Hannah’s Happy Hepatitis
Diana’s Delightful Diphtheria
Tommy’s Terrific Tetanus
Penny’s Phenomenal Pertussis
So on and so forth. I cringe at the sight of young kids referring to these devastating illnesses as long-lost friends, and I imagine that that is exactly what the author hopes to accomplish with his/her disgraceful publications.
Some of the Amazon reviews are hilarious! Especially the ones with five stars, which are mostly satirical. Though a couple are not, but the one that claims that measles was mild because that is what it showed in an episode of “The Flintstones” (a cartoon showing humans living at the time of dinosaurs), and “Gomer Pyle” (a marine in the 1960s with no mention of actually being in a war zone like Vietnam) that measles only meant a couple of days in bed with soup. Oh, good grief.
I’m waiting for the crossover graphic novel “Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Paralytic Polio.”
I highly recommend Skepticat’s review of Melanie’s Marvellous Measles – she’s actually read the wretched thing and it really does seem that the lunancy,
paranoia and spite of the anti-vax movement knows no bounds. It would almost be funny if it wasn’t so goddamn dangerous.
Other reviewers have also pointed out the gross insensitivity of the book’s title being a play on ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’, given that Roald Dahl’s daughter died of measles.
Keep up the good work anyway SD!