A charge reading “NMX*DR BROWNSTEIN RPRT” or “NMX Dr Brownstein Report” on your credit card statement is a subscription fee for Dr. Brownstein’s Natural Way to Health, a monthly health newsletter published by Newsmax Media. The Dr. Brownstein Newsmax charge typically reflects an annual rate of $54 and renews automatically each year until you cancel.1Newsmax. NMX Dr Brownstein Report2Newsmax. NMX Dr Brownstein Report Charge
The newsletter is edited by Dr. David Brownstein, a family physician based in West Bloomfield, Michigan, and covers holistic and alternative health topics such as thyroid disorders, iodine supplementation, and natural hormones.3Newsmax. Dr. Brownstein on Iodine and Thyroid Health Billing, renewals, and customer service are handled by Newsmax, not by Dr. Brownstein’s medical practice.
Before assuming the charge is fraudulent, check the descriptor carefully. Newsmax publishes several health newsletters with similar prefixes. “NMX HEALTH RADAR,” for example, is a different newsletter priced at $39 per year.4Newsmax. NMX Health Radar Billing Match the exact wording on your statement against any subscription confirmations in your email or postal mail.
How to Cancel the Subscription
Newsmax offers two ways to cancel:
- By phone at 1-800-485-4350. Customer service is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern, and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern. The line is closed Sundays.5Newsmax. Customer Service Contact
- Online through the contact form at newsmax.com/contact. Select “Please cancel subscription” from the dropdown menu.5Newsmax. Customer Service Contact
Whichever method you use, keep a record. Save the confirmation email, note the date and time of the call, and ask for a cancellation number if one is available. That record matters if a future renewal still posts to your card.
Disputing the Charge With Your Card Issuer
If Newsmax will not refund the charge, or if you never authorized the subscription in the first place, dispute it through your credit card company. Federal law caps your liability for unauthorized charges at $50.6Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
To open a billing-error dispute, send a written notice to your issuer’s billing-inquiry address (not the payment address) within 60 days of the statement date that first showed the charge. Include your name, account number, the amount, and why you’re disputing it. Certified mail creates a paper trail. Once the issuer receives your letter, it must acknowledge the dispute within 30 days and resolve it within 90 days. During the investigation, the issuer cannot report the disputed amount as delinquent or take collection action on it.6Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
The FTC also advises reporting a company that charges you without consent or refuses a refund at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or to your state attorney general.7Federal Trade Commission. Getting In and Out of Free Trials, Auto-Renewals, and Negative Option Subscriptions
Why the Renewal May Have Surprised You
Newsmax says its renewal policy includes a letter, an email, and a phone voice message before it charges the card again.1Newsmax. NMX Dr Brownstein Report In practice, these notices are easy to miss, particularly when the original subscription came through a promotional offer or was placed by another member of the household a year earlier.
Newsmax’s billing has also drawn legal challenges. The Sun-Sentinel reported on a lawsuit filed on behalf of a 93-year-old man who was allegedly charged $4,596 across 49 separate magazine and newsletter charges over roughly two years, many of which his family said were unauthorized. Newsmax called the complaint “baseless” and noted the man had been a subscriber for over five years and had previously received refunds.8Sun-Sentinel. Newsmax Accused of Charging 93-Year-Old Man for Magazine Subscriptions
What Federal Law Requires of Auto-Renewing Subscriptions
Auto-renewals like this one are called “negative option” programs in regulatory terms. The main federal law that applies is the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, which requires sellers to disclose subscription terms clearly, obtain express informed consent before charging, and provide a cancellation method at least as simple as the sign-up method. The FTC has used ROSCA to reach settlements with large sellers over auto-renewal practices, including Amazon ($1 billion in civil penalties plus $1.5 billion in refunds tied to Prime) and Instacart ($60 million over free-trial disclosures).9Federal Register. Negative Option Rule
The FTC finalized a broader “click-to-cancel” rule in October 2024 that would have required cancellation to be as easy as sign-up across the board.10Federal Trade Commission. FTC Announces Final Click-to-Cancel Rule The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated that rule in July 2025 on procedural grounds, and as of early 2026 the FTC has submitted a new advance notice of proposed rulemaking to restart the process.9Federal Register. Negative Option Rule Until a new rule is in place, ROSCA and your card issuer’s dispute process remain the primary tools for a charge you did not authorize or cannot get refunded.