As my father often quipped when our get together was concluding: “All good things must come to an end,” (adapted from Chaucer) as well as “Parting is such sweet sorrow…” (abbreviating Shakespeare’s Juliet).  Following this issue, I will no longer be part of the Townsend Letter’s publication for the first time since the Spring of 1983.  I am sure that I will experience the absence of reviewing and editing articles, coordinating advertising, and directing the magazine/e-Letter’s layout.  People ask and I answer somewhat cavalierly that I have already come to terms giving up such activities.  Perhaps at a moment of idleness around Labor Day the emotional and mental impact will hit me that I am no longer engaged in the magazine, work that was also devoted to patient care for 41 years. 

Of course, I would not have been able to put out the magazine or digital newsletter without a faithful crew of dedicated professionals, work colleagues and friends, who have stayed to the point now of turning over the publication to another organization headed by Ben Moss, of The Moss Reports.  I have been advised that the newsletter will continue as well as the website with its archive of issues. Readers should stay in contact after August 1 with info@townsendletter.com, while writers should submit articles to editor@townsendletter.com.

At the time when the Townsend Letter was started, there was no internet, no email, no fax, no cell phone, and, most importantly, no magazine or journal dedicated to natural and alternative medicine.  Setting up a publication providing a forum for naturopathic and integrative doctors was an important niche to fill.  Of course, continuing medical education was provided by medical and naturopathic organizations during annual or bi-annual meetings.  While lectures were recorded on audio tape, they were rarely available in written form.

The Townsend Letter for Doctors was the founding name for a 16-page magazine sent to about 1,000 doctors.  While some naysayers thought we would no longer exist after a year, the publication flourished expanding its editorial size, readership, advertising, and distribution.  Of course, by the early 1990s other magazines and journals appeared; but none served as a forum for doctors. The Townsend Letter had a substantial Letter-to-the-Editor section with some authors writing evidence-based and some not-so-much-so, except in the opinion of the author. While this gave doctors a place to discuss treatments that would fail to pass muster in a conventional peer-review setting, it did offer insight into what docs were doing in their offices. 

Some of this content also failed the smell test with medical boards. We reported on the legal actions doctors faced not only with their boards, but also insurance companies and with skeptics, including the vocal Victor Herbert, MD.  A number of organizations targeted physicians who engaged in what was deemed quackery. This publication was lampooned by a few who twisted the NY Times byline claiming our motto was to “print all the news that fit (in the page layout).”  Still it was not uncommon for writers in books, journals, convention meetings, to cite the Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients (our next name).   

2010 might have been considered a watershed moment for us.  The internet was rapidly developing along with search engines.  Writing no longer needed to be published on paper.  The advent of smart phones and social media expanded the distribution of alternative and naturopathic writing.  Readers no longer needed to subscribe to print journals to get their medical information.  Even more disruptive was the vast output of writing by non-professionals, supplement companies, and blogs professing to offer valid medical writing for the public and health professionals.  The print journal had become a “dinosaur” no longer needed by doctor or consumer.  Subscribers, writers, and advertisers all began to slip away.  However, not until 2017 did the financials of publishing mean taking on a loss. Despite all good efforts the downward turn only accelerated each year. Ironically, at least from our vantage point, the writing actually improved. But it’s hard to compete with the information and disinformation on the web. 

Additionally, the pandemic did not help.  Our readership seemed to fracture because of public health policies.  Wearing masks, lockdowns, and mRNA vaccines divided readers; the Townsend Letter’s editorials either supported or argued against these measures.  Not a few readers who despised the government actions as well as social media censoring information chose to cancel their subscriptions.  At the end of 2022, the Townsend Letter ceased to be a print magazine and only published as a digital letter. The past year and a half trimmed down the publication.  We thank all of you who have continued to read the e-Letter and invite you to continue your subscription under our new publisher, Ben Moss.

Ben currently serves as the producer of The Moss Report, a publication authored by Dr. Ralph Moss featuring evidence-based conventional and alternative cancer diagnostics and treatments.  Ben’s responsibility includes The Moss Report Podcast and video as well as the publication of 1200 articles by his father, Dr. Moss.  Of note, The Moss Report has published 8 books as well as 51 diagnosis-specific Cancer Treatment Guides.  Ben Moss has managed production schedules, content creation, and publication logistics.

Ben is looking forward to taking over the Townsend Letter, promising to provide the reader with an ongoing informative e-Letter as well as website for archival review and more.  We wish him the best in the Townsend Letter’s new direction.

Published July 27, 2024

New Editor’s note: Thank you, Dr. Collin, for all your dedication and hard work. 40 years without missing an issue is a legacy you can be proud of! You have contributed to the betterment of the world through careful examination of alternative medicine, and curating the discussions on these important topics. With gratitude, Ben Moss