By H. GILBERT WELCH
Published: February 27, 2012
Joe Mortis
EARLY diagnosis has become one of the most fundamental precepts of modern medicine. It goes something like this: The best way to keep people healthy is to find out if they have (pick one) heart disease, autism, glaucoma, diabetes, vascular problems, osteoporosis or, of course, cancer — early. And the way to find these conditions early is through screening.
It is a precept that resonates with the intuition of the general public: obviously it’s better to catch and deal with problems as soon as possible. A study published with much fanfare in The New England Journal of Medicine last week contained what researchers called the best evidence yet that colonoscopies reduce deaths from colon cancer.
Recently, however, there have been rumblings within the medical profession that suggest that the enthusiasm for early diagnosis may be waning. Most prominent are recommendations against prostate cancer screening for healthy men and for reducing the frequency of breast and cervical cancer screening. Some experts even cautioned against the recent colonoscopy results, pointing out that the study participants were probably much healthier than the general population, which would make them less likely to die of colon cancer. In addition there is a concern about too much detection and treatment of early diabetes, a growing appreciation that autism has been too broadly defined and skepticism toward new guidelines for universal cholesterol screening of children.
The basic strategy behind early diagnosis is to encourage the well to get examined — to determine if they are not, in fact, sick. But is looking hard for things to be wrong a good way to promote health? The truth is, the fastest way to get heart disease, autism, glaucoma, diabetes, vascular problems, osteoporosis or cancer ... is to be screened for it. In other words, the problem is overdiagnosis and overtreatment.
Screening the apparently healthy potentially saves a few lives (although the National Cancer Institute couldn’t find any evidence for this in its recent large studies of prostate and ovarian cancer screening). But it definitely drags many others into the system needlessly — into needless appointments, needless tests, needless drugs and needless operations (not to mention all the accompanying needless insurance forms).
This process doesn’t promote health; it promotes disease. People suffer from more anxiety about their health, from drug side effects, from complications of surgery. A few die. And remember: these people felt fine when they entered the health care system.
It wasn’t always like this. In the past, doctors made diagnoses and initiated therapy only in patients who were experiencing problems. Of course, we still do that today. But increasingly we also operate under the early diagnosis precept: seeking diagnosis and initiating therapy in people who are not experiencing problems. That’s a huge change in approach, from one that focused on the sick to one that focuses on the well.
Think about it this way: in the past, you went to the doctor because you had a problem and you wanted to learn what to do about it. Now you go to the doctor because you want to stay well and you learn instead that you have a problem.
How did we get here? Or perhaps, more to the point: Who is to blame? One answer is the health care industry: By turning people into patients, screening makes a lot of money for pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and doctors. The chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society once pointed out that his hospital could make around $5,000 from each free prostate cancer screening, thanks to the ensuing biopsies, treatments and follow-up care.
A more glib response to the question of blame is: Richard Nixon. It was Nixon who said, “we need to work out a system that includes a greater emphasis on preventive care.” Preventive care was central to his administration’s promotion of health maintenance organizations and the war on cancer. But because the promotion of genuine health — largely dependent upon a healthy diet, exercise and not smoking — did not fit well in the biomedical culture, preventive care was transformed into a high-tech search for early disease.
Some doctors have long recognized that the approach is a distraction for the medical community. It’s easier to transform people into new patients than it is to treat the truly sick. It’s easier to develop new ways of testing than it is to develop better treatments. And it’s a lot easier to measure how many healthy people get tested than it is to determine how well doctors manage the chronically ill.
But the precept of early diagnosis was too intuitive, too appealing, too hard to challenge and too easy to support. The rumblings show that that’s beginning to change.
Let me be clear: early diagnosis is not always wrong. Doctors would rather see patients early in the course of their heart attack than wait until they develop low blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat. And we’d rather see women with small breast lumps than wait until they develop large breast masses. The question is how often and how far we should get ahead of symptoms.
For years now, people have been encouraged to look to medical care as the way to make them healthy. But that’s your job — you can’t contract that out. Doctors might be able to help, but so might an author of a good cookbook, a personal trainer, a cleric or a good friend. We would all be better off if the medical system got a little closer to its original mission of helping sick patients, and let the healthy be.
H. Gilbert Welch, a professor of medicine at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, is an author of “Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health.”
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Fructose and Sugar
Almost Everyone Eats it, But it's a "Breeding Ground" for Disease
Posted By Dr. Mercola | February 27 2012 |
According to Dr. Robert Lustig, one of the leading experts on childhood obesity, sugar is a poison, responsible for obesity along with chronic and lethal diseases
Recent research shows that fructose can activate taste cells found on your pancreas, a reaction that can increase your body’s secretion of insulin and raise your risk of type 2 diabetes
Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are a complex group of compounds formed when sugar reacts with amino acids. Glycation is one of the major molecular mechanisms whereby damage accrues in your body, which leads to disease and aging
As a standard recommendation to limit glycation, I strongly advise keeping your TOTAL fructose consumption below 25 grams per day
By Dr. Mercola
Evidence is mounting that sugar is the primary factor causing not just obesity, but also many chronic and lethal diseases.
Dr. Robert Lustig, one of the leading experts on childhood obesity, and arguably the number one enemy of the sugar lobby, has published a well written article in the prestigious scientific journal Nature arguing that sugar is a poison.i
He believes that the negative health effects of sugar consumption can no longer be ignored, any more than the health effects of tobacco and alcohol could.
According to Dr. Lustig, via the website Diet Doctorii:
"The problem with sugar isn't just weight gain ... A growing body of scientific evidence is showing that fructose can trigger processes that lead to liver toxicity and a host of other chronic diseases.
A little is not a problem, but a lot kills -- slowly."
For the first time in history, "lifestyle" diseases -- diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers -- are killing more people than communicable diseases. And treating these entirely preventable illnesses costs more than one-seventh of the U.S. GDP. It stands to reason then that simply preventing these diseases could save the US health care system around one trillion dollars a year.
One of the primary, and likely most effective ways of preventing these diseases would be to curb the outrageous over-consumption of sugar.
Dr. Lustig rightfully argues that sugar used to be available to our ancestors only as fruit or honey—and then only for a few months of the year—compared to today, when sugar (primarily in the form of high fructose corn syrup) is added to virtually all processed foods and drinks; even items you normally would not think of as being high in sugar. Tragically, many infant formulas even contain more than 50 percent sugar! "Nature made sugar hard to get; man made it easy," Dr. Lustig says.
Fructose is NOT the Same as Glucose
Glucose is the form of energy you were designed to run on. Every cell in your body, every bacterium -- and in fact, every living thing on the Earth -- uses glucose for energy.
Fructose is not the same molecule. Glucose is a 6-member ring, but fructose is a 5-member ring. Sucrose (table sugar) is 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose, and HFCS is 42-55 percent fructose.
If you received your fructose only from vegetables and fruits (where it originates) as most people did a century ago, you'd consume about 15 grams per day. Today the average is 73 grams per day which is nearly 500 percent higher a dose and our bodies simply can't tolerate that type of biochemical abuse. Furthermore, in vegetables and fruits, the fructose is mixed in with fiber, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and beneficial phytonutrients, all of which help moderate the negative metabolic effects. So it's not that fructose itself is "poisonous"—it's the biologically inappropriate doses you're exposed to that make it hazardous to your health and well-being.
How High Fructose Corn Syrup has Decimated Human Health
We now know, without a doubt, that it's the excessive sugar content in the modern diet that is taking such a devastating toll on people's health. According to GreenMedInfo.com, scientific studies have linked fructose to about 78 different diseases and health problemsiii. Select the hyperlinks provided to review how fructose may:
Raise your blood pressure, and cause nocturnal hypertension Insulin resistance / Type 2 Diabetes Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
Raise your uric acid levels, which can result in gout and/or metabolic syndrome Accelerate the progression of chronic kidney disease Intracranial atherosclerosis (narrowing and hardening of the arteries in your skull)
Exacerbate cardiac abnormalities if you're deficient in copper Have a genotoxic effect on the colon Promote metastasis in breast cancer patients
Cause tubulointerstitial injury (injury to the tubules and interstitial tissue of your kidney) Promotes obesity and related health problems and diseases Promotes pancreatic cancer growth
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was invented in Japan in 1966 and introduced to the American market in 1975. Food and beverage manufacturers quickly began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup when they discovered that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) could save them a lot of money. Sucrose costs about three times as much as HFCS. HFCS is also about 20 percent sweeter than table sugar, so you need less to achieve the same amount of sweetness.
In the mid 1970s, dietary fats were blamed for heart disease, giving rise to the "low-fat craze," which resulted in an explosion of processed nonfat and low fat convenience foods—most of which tasted like sawdust unless sugar was added. Fructose was then added to make all these fat-free products more palatable. Yet as the low-fat craze spread, rates of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity skyrocketed...
Clearly, there was a major flaw in the plan, and it's not difficult to see that trading fat for sugar is not a wise move.
The problem is that excessive fructose consumption leads to insulin resistance, and insulin resistance appears to be the root of many if not most of the diseases listed above. Insulin resistance has even been found to be an underlying factor of cancer.
How Fructose Increases Insulin Secretion and Worsens Your Insulin Sensitivity
Interestingly, recent research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that fructose can activate taste cells found on your pancreas, a reaction that can increase your body's secretion of insuliniv. And, while this is of particular concern for people prone to diabetes, if statistics are any indication, this could include virtually everyone.
At present, one in four Americans already have either pre-diabetes or some form of diabetes, and type 2 diabetes is directly linked to your diet, so anyone on a high-fructose diet can be at risk.
In this study, the researchers were able to demonstrate that fructose activates the same proteins in your pancreatic cells that your tongue uses to taste sweets. And when these cells are exposed to both glucose and fructose, they secrete more insulin than they do when exposed to glucose alone. According to Science Newsv:
"Most sugars join the [metabolic assembly line] at a point where a supervisory enzyme can control the flow of goods. But fructose comes in farther down, where it can lead to an overproduction of fat. And because fructose ... doesn't stimulate the same insulin response that glucose does, the hormone isn't doing the other regulatory things it usually does, like moderating appetite."
Limiting Sugar is Also Vital for Longevity
By increasing your insulin and leptin levels (and subsequently decreasing receptor sensitivity for both of these vital hormones), excessive sugar/fructose consumption not only increases your risk of type 2 diabetes, it also accelerates aging in general. In fact, limiting sugar in your diet is a well-known key to longevity, because of all the molecules capable of inflicting damage in your body, sugar molecules are probably the most damaging.
Two years ago, the journal Nutrients published an excellent report on the impact of fructose on aging.vi Fructose is a particularly potent pro-inflammatory agent that creates advanced glycation end products, commonly known as "AGEs."
AGEs are a complex group of damaging compounds that form when sugar reacts with amino acids. Besides oxidation, glycation and the subsequent formation of AGEs is one of the major molecular mechanisms causing ongoing damage in your body, which leads to disease, (premature) aging and, eventually, death. According to the authors:
"[T]he data are supportive that endogenous AGEs are associated with declining organ functioning. It appears that dietary AGEs may also be related... As of today, restriction of dietary intake of AGEs and exercise has been shown to safely reduce circulating AGEs, with further reduction in oxidative stress and inflammatory markers."
In short, if you want to live a long healthy life, you need to restrict your consumption of sugar, particularly fructose. As a standard recommendation to limit glycation, I strongly advise keeping your TOTAL fructose consumption below 25 grams per day.
Most people would be wise to limit their fructose to 15 grams or less however, especially if you have elevated uric acid levels, which can be used as a predictor for fructose toxicity. This includes keeping track of your fructose intake from whole fruits. To evaluate the fructose content of many common fruits, please see this helpful fructose chart. I recommend this lower level of 15 grams a day simply because if you consume processed foods or sweet beverages at all, you're virtually guaranteed to consume "hidden" sources of fructose that can have a major impact on your health.
When I have mentioned this in the past many people have strongly disagreed with me as they believe fruit is fine because it is natural. And it may be ok for some people, especially those doing long and intense exercise sessions. However, there is an easy way for you to find out your risk. If your uric acid is above 5.0 would be wise to follow the rule. The higher above 5.0 your uric acid is, the worse your risk for damage. If your uric acid is between 3.5 and 5 you should be fine. I believe I must have a genetic polymorphism for uric acid as mine is always above 5.5 even with intense exercise and less than five grams of fructose a day, so I nearly always avoid fruit.
The authors of that paper offer an in-depth review of the many health hazards of fructose, due to its pro-inflammatory actions:
"Accumulation of AGEs has been found in healthy aging persons, and this accumulation is higher during high glucose concentrations. Microvascular and macrovascular damage, seen in diabetes, is attributed to the accumulation of AGEs in tissues, but it is also associated with atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, end stage renal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcopenia, cataracts, and other degenerative ophthalmic diseases, Parkinson's disease, vascular dementia and several other chronic diseases. For instance, Bar et al. have demonstrated differential increases of AGEs products in Alzheimer's dementia and vascular dementia compared to controls. It has also been suggested that AGEs are involved in the loss of bone density and muscular mass associated with aging."
How to Tame Your Sugar Cravings
If you're struggling with sugar addiction, I recommend trying an energy psychology technique called Turbo Tapping, which has helped many "soda addicts" kick their sweet habit. If you still want to use a sweetener occasionally, here's what I recommend in lieu of sugar:
Use the sweet herb stevia.
Use organic cane sugar in moderation.
Use organic raw honey in moderation.
Avoid ALL artificial sweeteners, which can damage your health even more quickly than fructose. Agave syrup has been touted as a healthy alternative by many, but don't fall for it. It's a highly processed sap that is almost all fructose, and should therefore be avoided.
References:
i Nature, February 2, 2012: 482, pages 27-29
ii Diet Doctor, February 12, 2012
iii Greenmedinfo.com
iv Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012 Feb 6. [Epub ahead of print]
v Science News, February 7, 2012
vi Nutrients. 2010 December; 2(12): 1247–1265
Source: Diet Doctor February 8, 2012
Posted By Dr. Mercola | February 27 2012 |
According to Dr. Robert Lustig, one of the leading experts on childhood obesity, sugar is a poison, responsible for obesity along with chronic and lethal diseases
Recent research shows that fructose can activate taste cells found on your pancreas, a reaction that can increase your body’s secretion of insulin and raise your risk of type 2 diabetes
Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are a complex group of compounds formed when sugar reacts with amino acids. Glycation is one of the major molecular mechanisms whereby damage accrues in your body, which leads to disease and aging
As a standard recommendation to limit glycation, I strongly advise keeping your TOTAL fructose consumption below 25 grams per day
By Dr. Mercola
Evidence is mounting that sugar is the primary factor causing not just obesity, but also many chronic and lethal diseases.
Dr. Robert Lustig, one of the leading experts on childhood obesity, and arguably the number one enemy of the sugar lobby, has published a well written article in the prestigious scientific journal Nature arguing that sugar is a poison.i
He believes that the negative health effects of sugar consumption can no longer be ignored, any more than the health effects of tobacco and alcohol could.
According to Dr. Lustig, via the website Diet Doctorii:
"The problem with sugar isn't just weight gain ... A growing body of scientific evidence is showing that fructose can trigger processes that lead to liver toxicity and a host of other chronic diseases.
A little is not a problem, but a lot kills -- slowly."
For the first time in history, "lifestyle" diseases -- diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers -- are killing more people than communicable diseases. And treating these entirely preventable illnesses costs more than one-seventh of the U.S. GDP. It stands to reason then that simply preventing these diseases could save the US health care system around one trillion dollars a year.
One of the primary, and likely most effective ways of preventing these diseases would be to curb the outrageous over-consumption of sugar.
Dr. Lustig rightfully argues that sugar used to be available to our ancestors only as fruit or honey—and then only for a few months of the year—compared to today, when sugar (primarily in the form of high fructose corn syrup) is added to virtually all processed foods and drinks; even items you normally would not think of as being high in sugar. Tragically, many infant formulas even contain more than 50 percent sugar! "Nature made sugar hard to get; man made it easy," Dr. Lustig says.
Fructose is NOT the Same as Glucose
Glucose is the form of energy you were designed to run on. Every cell in your body, every bacterium -- and in fact, every living thing on the Earth -- uses glucose for energy.
Fructose is not the same molecule. Glucose is a 6-member ring, but fructose is a 5-member ring. Sucrose (table sugar) is 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose, and HFCS is 42-55 percent fructose.
If you received your fructose only from vegetables and fruits (where it originates) as most people did a century ago, you'd consume about 15 grams per day. Today the average is 73 grams per day which is nearly 500 percent higher a dose and our bodies simply can't tolerate that type of biochemical abuse. Furthermore, in vegetables and fruits, the fructose is mixed in with fiber, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and beneficial phytonutrients, all of which help moderate the negative metabolic effects. So it's not that fructose itself is "poisonous"—it's the biologically inappropriate doses you're exposed to that make it hazardous to your health and well-being.
How High Fructose Corn Syrup has Decimated Human Health
We now know, without a doubt, that it's the excessive sugar content in the modern diet that is taking such a devastating toll on people's health. According to GreenMedInfo.com, scientific studies have linked fructose to about 78 different diseases and health problemsiii. Select the hyperlinks provided to review how fructose may:
Raise your blood pressure, and cause nocturnal hypertension Insulin resistance / Type 2 Diabetes Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
Raise your uric acid levels, which can result in gout and/or metabolic syndrome Accelerate the progression of chronic kidney disease Intracranial atherosclerosis (narrowing and hardening of the arteries in your skull)
Exacerbate cardiac abnormalities if you're deficient in copper Have a genotoxic effect on the colon Promote metastasis in breast cancer patients
Cause tubulointerstitial injury (injury to the tubules and interstitial tissue of your kidney) Promotes obesity and related health problems and diseases Promotes pancreatic cancer growth
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was invented in Japan in 1966 and introduced to the American market in 1975. Food and beverage manufacturers quickly began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup when they discovered that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) could save them a lot of money. Sucrose costs about three times as much as HFCS. HFCS is also about 20 percent sweeter than table sugar, so you need less to achieve the same amount of sweetness.
In the mid 1970s, dietary fats were blamed for heart disease, giving rise to the "low-fat craze," which resulted in an explosion of processed nonfat and low fat convenience foods—most of which tasted like sawdust unless sugar was added. Fructose was then added to make all these fat-free products more palatable. Yet as the low-fat craze spread, rates of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity skyrocketed...
Clearly, there was a major flaw in the plan, and it's not difficult to see that trading fat for sugar is not a wise move.
The problem is that excessive fructose consumption leads to insulin resistance, and insulin resistance appears to be the root of many if not most of the diseases listed above. Insulin resistance has even been found to be an underlying factor of cancer.
How Fructose Increases Insulin Secretion and Worsens Your Insulin Sensitivity
Interestingly, recent research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that fructose can activate taste cells found on your pancreas, a reaction that can increase your body's secretion of insuliniv. And, while this is of particular concern for people prone to diabetes, if statistics are any indication, this could include virtually everyone.
At present, one in four Americans already have either pre-diabetes or some form of diabetes, and type 2 diabetes is directly linked to your diet, so anyone on a high-fructose diet can be at risk.
In this study, the researchers were able to demonstrate that fructose activates the same proteins in your pancreatic cells that your tongue uses to taste sweets. And when these cells are exposed to both glucose and fructose, they secrete more insulin than they do when exposed to glucose alone. According to Science Newsv:
"Most sugars join the [metabolic assembly line] at a point where a supervisory enzyme can control the flow of goods. But fructose comes in farther down, where it can lead to an overproduction of fat. And because fructose ... doesn't stimulate the same insulin response that glucose does, the hormone isn't doing the other regulatory things it usually does, like moderating appetite."
Limiting Sugar is Also Vital for Longevity
By increasing your insulin and leptin levels (and subsequently decreasing receptor sensitivity for both of these vital hormones), excessive sugar/fructose consumption not only increases your risk of type 2 diabetes, it also accelerates aging in general. In fact, limiting sugar in your diet is a well-known key to longevity, because of all the molecules capable of inflicting damage in your body, sugar molecules are probably the most damaging.
Two years ago, the journal Nutrients published an excellent report on the impact of fructose on aging.vi Fructose is a particularly potent pro-inflammatory agent that creates advanced glycation end products, commonly known as "AGEs."
AGEs are a complex group of damaging compounds that form when sugar reacts with amino acids. Besides oxidation, glycation and the subsequent formation of AGEs is one of the major molecular mechanisms causing ongoing damage in your body, which leads to disease, (premature) aging and, eventually, death. According to the authors:
"[T]he data are supportive that endogenous AGEs are associated with declining organ functioning. It appears that dietary AGEs may also be related... As of today, restriction of dietary intake of AGEs and exercise has been shown to safely reduce circulating AGEs, with further reduction in oxidative stress and inflammatory markers."
In short, if you want to live a long healthy life, you need to restrict your consumption of sugar, particularly fructose. As a standard recommendation to limit glycation, I strongly advise keeping your TOTAL fructose consumption below 25 grams per day.
Most people would be wise to limit their fructose to 15 grams or less however, especially if you have elevated uric acid levels, which can be used as a predictor for fructose toxicity. This includes keeping track of your fructose intake from whole fruits. To evaluate the fructose content of many common fruits, please see this helpful fructose chart. I recommend this lower level of 15 grams a day simply because if you consume processed foods or sweet beverages at all, you're virtually guaranteed to consume "hidden" sources of fructose that can have a major impact on your health.
When I have mentioned this in the past many people have strongly disagreed with me as they believe fruit is fine because it is natural. And it may be ok for some people, especially those doing long and intense exercise sessions. However, there is an easy way for you to find out your risk. If your uric acid is above 5.0 would be wise to follow the rule. The higher above 5.0 your uric acid is, the worse your risk for damage. If your uric acid is between 3.5 and 5 you should be fine. I believe I must have a genetic polymorphism for uric acid as mine is always above 5.5 even with intense exercise and less than five grams of fructose a day, so I nearly always avoid fruit.
The authors of that paper offer an in-depth review of the many health hazards of fructose, due to its pro-inflammatory actions:
"Accumulation of AGEs has been found in healthy aging persons, and this accumulation is higher during high glucose concentrations. Microvascular and macrovascular damage, seen in diabetes, is attributed to the accumulation of AGEs in tissues, but it is also associated with atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, end stage renal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcopenia, cataracts, and other degenerative ophthalmic diseases, Parkinson's disease, vascular dementia and several other chronic diseases. For instance, Bar et al. have demonstrated differential increases of AGEs products in Alzheimer's dementia and vascular dementia compared to controls. It has also been suggested that AGEs are involved in the loss of bone density and muscular mass associated with aging."
How to Tame Your Sugar Cravings
If you're struggling with sugar addiction, I recommend trying an energy psychology technique called Turbo Tapping, which has helped many "soda addicts" kick their sweet habit. If you still want to use a sweetener occasionally, here's what I recommend in lieu of sugar:
Use the sweet herb stevia.
Use organic cane sugar in moderation.
Use organic raw honey in moderation.
Avoid ALL artificial sweeteners, which can damage your health even more quickly than fructose. Agave syrup has been touted as a healthy alternative by many, but don't fall for it. It's a highly processed sap that is almost all fructose, and should therefore be avoided.
References:
i Nature, February 2, 2012: 482, pages 27-29
ii Diet Doctor, February 12, 2012
iii Greenmedinfo.com
iv Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012 Feb 6. [Epub ahead of print]
v Science News, February 7, 2012
vi Nutrients. 2010 December; 2(12): 1247–1265
Source: Diet Doctor February 8, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
The Silent Time Bomb on Your Plate - When Will Your Moment of Truth Arrive?
Posted By Dr. Mercola | February 26 2012 |
IMPORTANT! The producers of this powerful film are allowing a full and FREE preview until Saturday, March 3rd! Please tell everyone you know to watch this film in its entirety. Please show your support by purchasing a copy of this film for $15 by clicking HERE!
Visit the Mercola Video Library
Story at-a-glance
The “faster, bigger, cheaper” approach to food production is unsustainable and contributing to the destruction of our planet and your health
It is time to shift our food paradigm toward one that is more focused on natural, organic and independent community farms that practice polyculture, as opposed to monoculture
Monoculture agricultural practices damage the soil, increase dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, encourage the use of GMOs, and contribute to antibiotic resistant bacterial strains
The argument that small independent farms cost more to operate and are less profitable is a myth that has been disproven by science
Government subsidizes corn growers but not veggie growers, and massive food production monopolies like ADM and Cargill control the food chain from seed to plate, essentially holding farmers captive
By Dr. Mercola
The "faster, bigger, cheaper" approach to food is slowly draining dry our planet's resources and compromising your health.
The Earth's soil is depleting at more than 13 percent the rate it can be replaced.
The documentary "FRESH" celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system.
The film demonstrates how we can collectively transform the current "industrial agricultural paradigm" into a healthier, more sustainable way of feeding the world, while restoring the health of our ailing planet.
I hope you will set aside the time to watch it, as it will be time well spent.
We have already lost 75 percent of the world's crop varieties over the last century.
Over the past 10 years, we've had 100 million tons of herbicides dumped onto our crops, polluting our soil and streams.
The agriculture industry now tries to convince us that housing 110,000 to more than one million chickens or 20,000 hogs in a warehouse is a necessary practice to feed the masses.
The quality of our food is in free-fall, and disease is rampant. Not to mention that the quality of life for those animals is so horrid that many people cannot bear to look. Meanwhile, the human population on our little blue globe continues to rise, recently topping 7 billion souls. We simply cannot sustain this growth with our current model. If we continue along the present path, world hunger will continue to escalate without a viable way to meet the need.
Forging more sustainable alternatives is imperative if we hope to survive.
As illuminated in the film, one of the major issues is that farmers have been forced into the practice of monoculture, or monocropping, which is detrimental to our soil, water, plants, and animals—and therefore detrimental to us.
Playing "Chicken" with Mother Nature
In the words of Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and a number of other bestsellers: "Mother Nature destroys monocultures." What is a monoculture? Monoculture (or monocropping) is defined as the high-yield agricultural practice of growing a single crop year after year on the same land, in the absence of rotation through other crops. Corn, soybeans, wheat, and to some degree rice, are the most common crops grown with monocropping techniques. In fact, corn, wheat and rice now account for 60 percent of human caloric intake, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
By contrast, polyculture (the traditional rotation of crops and livestock) better serves both land and people. Polyculture evolved to meet the complete nutritional needs of a local community. Polyculture, when done mindfully, automatically replenishes what is taken out, which makes it sustainable with minimal effort.
Some critics of monocropping claim it even contributes to unsustainable population growth and mass starvation. According to an article on GreenFudge.org, monoculture is detrimental to the environment for a number of reasons, including the following:
It damages soil ecology by depleting and reducing the diversity of soil nutrients
It creates an unbuffered niche for parasitic species to take over, making crops more vulnerable to opportunistic pathogens that can quickly wipe out an entire crop
It increases dependency on chemical pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics and genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
It increases reliance on expensive specialized farm equipment and machinery that require heavy use of fossil fuels
It destroys biodiversity
The Most Famous Monoculture Disaster: The Great Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s
Monoculture farming practices have sadly resulted in a widespread shift away from sustainable family farms and local foods, and toward industrialized agriculture, massive farming complexes, and confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), all driven by large corporations whose chief motivation is maximizing profit. Countless small independent family farms have been squeezed out by "Big Ag" and replaced by massive monocultural operations.
Thousands of animals in small spaces means large quantities of antibiotics are needed to prevent rampant disease. Outbreaks of mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), salmonella, E. coli, avian flu, and campylobacteriosis are all products of industrialized food production. Antibiotics are fed to livestock and poultry to ward off low-grade infection. Weak strains of pathogens are killed off, allowing strong strains to mutate and become even stronger. You consume these bacterial strains in your meat, which then contribute to the spread of infections that are increasingly resistant to the antibiotics your physician prescribes...
The Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s is a perfect example of how monocropping can lead to disaster.
Lack of genetic variation in Irish potatoes was a major contributor to the severity of the famine, allowing potato blight to decimate Irish potato crops. The blight resulted in the starvation of almost one of every eight people in Ireland during a three-year period. But the greatest shortcoming of monocrops may lie in the compromised quality of those foods, and the long-term effect that has on your health.
There's No Such Thing as Cheap Food
Food is most nutritious in its whole, fresh form. This is why local food is more healthful. Freshness means better taste AND better nutrition. The more you process food, the less nutritional it is. The greater the variety in your diet, the better nourished your body will be. Supermarkets are full of processed foods whose nutrients have been expunged in the name of "convenience."
Michael Pollan said it best:
"Cheap food is an illusion. There is no such thing as cheap food. The real cost of the food is paid somewhere. And if it isn't paid at the cash register, it's charged to the environment or to the public purse in the form of subsidies. And it's charged to your health."
In other words, pay now or pay later. Consider organic eggs, for example. They cost more, but they're WORTH more. Organic free-range eggs are far richer in omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene, and vitamins A and E—a 79-cent cage egg just can't compete. Grass-fed beef contains three to five times as much CLA as cheap, conventional corn-fed beef.
But there are people who cannot afford high quality food at these prices. In today's environment, organic food is expensive to put on the dinner table because it's expensive to produce. And millions of Americans live in "food deserts" where fresh produce is hard to find but processed food is available everywhere. You can find Ramen noodles, but you can't find an apple.
Enterprising Farmers Show the Impossible is Possible
Virginia farmer Joel Salatin, featured in the films "FRESH" and "Food, Inc.," is a living example of how incredibly successful and sustainable natural farming can be. He produces beef, chicken, eggs, turkey, rabbits and vegetables. Yet, Joel calls himself a grass-farmer, for it is the grass that transforms the sun into energy that his animals then feed on. By closely observing nature, Joel created a rotational grazing system that not only allows the land to heal but also allows the animals to behave the way the were meant to—expressing their "chicken-ness" or "pig-ness," as Joel would say.
Cows are moved every day, which mimics their natural patterns and promotes revegetation. Sanitation is accomplished by birds. The birds (chickens and turkeys) arrive three days after the cows leave—via the Eggmobile—and scratch around in the pasture, doing what chickens do best.
No pesticides. No herbicides. No antibiotics. No seed spreading. Salatin hasn't planted a seed or purchased a chemical fertilizer in 50 years. He just lets herbivores be herbivores and cooperates with nature, instead of fighting it. It's a different and refreshing philosophy.
Instead of making 150 dollars per acre per year from a crop that produces food for three months, but lays fallow for the rest of the year, he's making $3,000 per acre by rotating crops throughout the year, thereby making use of his land all 12 months—and maintaining its ecological balance at the same time. This generates complimentary income streams. But can the entire world be fed this way?
Monocropping is More Productive and More Profitable… WRONG!
Proponents of monocropping argue that crop specialization is the only way to feed the masses, that it's far more profitable than having small independent farms in every township. But is this really true? Recent studies suggest just the opposite!
Studies are showing that medium sized organic farms are far more profitable than ANY sized industrial agricultural operation.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (results published in 2008 in the Agronomy Journal) found that traditional organic farming techniques of planting a variety of plants to ward off pests is more profitable than monocropping. The organic systems resulted in higher profits than "continuous corn, no-till corn and soybeans, and intensively managed alfalfa."
Rotational grazing of dairy cows was also shown to be more profitable. The researchers concluded:
"Under the market scenarios that prevailed between 1993 and 2006, intensive rotational grazing and organic grain and forage systems were the most profitable systems on highly productive land in southern Wisconsin."
The research team also concluded that government policies supporting monoculture are "outdated," and that it's time for support to be shifted toward programs that promote crop rotation and organic farming.
As it turns out, when you eliminate the agricultural chemicals, antibiotics, veterinary treatments, specialized machinery and multi-million dollar buildings, fuel costs, insurance costs, and the rest of the steep financial requirements of a big industrial operation, your cost of producing food makes a welcome dive into the doable. And did I mention… the food from organic farms is better? So, if small to medium-scale organic farming is more profitable, why aren't all farmers doing it?
Government Subsidies and Food Processing Monopolies have a Chokehold on American Farmers
The government is subsidizing the makers of high fructose corn syrup but doing nothing to subsidize the growers of healthy, fresh produce. That's issue number one. The second issue is that a very small number of very large companies control the food chain, from seed to plate. Farmers are held captive by huge food processing companies you may have never heard of, because they sell very few products directly to the general public.
Two major players are ADM (Archer Daniels Midland Company) and Cargill, each having ENORMOUS power in agriculture. Current.com reports Cargill has greater interests in soybean production and trade than any other company on the planet. Cargill is responsible for more than 75 percent of Argentina's grain and oilseed production and has partnered with the Gates Foundation to introduce similar soybean monoculture to Africa.
So, here's how it works…
Food processors, like ADM and Cargill, sell the farmers seed, fertilizers and pesticides. Then when the crops come in, those food processors turn around and buy the corn and soy, processing it into high fructose corn syrup and soybean oil that they then sell to huge food industry clients, like fast food chains. They also own feedlots. According to "FRESH," 83 percent of commercial beef in the U.S. is processed by just three meat processors.
These players tell the farmers that, if they want to play the game, they play by their rules or not at all. These food-processing monopolies also promote GMOs. In 1998, Monsanto partnered with Cargill to develop and distribute genetically modified food and feed products. We need to level the playing field.
Growing a Movement
Farmers and lovers of real food, such as those portrayed in this film, show us that change IS possible. But your help is needed! As was suggested in the documentary, if each of you purchased only 10 dollars of food each week from your local farmer's market or organic food stand, the market impact would be tremendous. There are "10 FRESH actions" you can take in order to live a more sustainable lifestyle:
Buy local products whenever possible. Otherwise, buy organic and fair-trade products.
Shop at your local farmers market, join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), or buy from local grocers and co-ops committed to selling local foods.
Support restaurants and food vendors that buy locally produced food.
Avoid genetically engineered (GMO) foods. Buying certified organic ensures your food is non-GM.
Cook, can, ferment, dry and freeze. Return to the basics of cooking, and pass these skills on to your children.
Drink plenty of water, but avoid bottled water whenever possible, and do invest in a high quality water filter to filter the water from your tap.
Grow your own garden, or volunteer at a community garden. Teach your children how to garden and where their food comes from.
Volunteer and/or financially support an organization committed to promoting a sustainable food system.
Get involved in your community. Influence what your child eats by engaging the school board. Effect city policies by learning about zoning and attending city council meetings. Learn about the federal policies that affect your food choice, and let your congressperson know what you think.
Spread the word! Share this article with your friends, family, and everyone else you know.
IMPORTANT! The producers of this powerful film are allowing a full and FREE preview until Saturday, March 3rd! Please tell everyone you know to watch this film in its entirety. Please show your support by purchasing a copy of this film for $15 by clicking HERE!
Visit the Mercola Video Library
Story at-a-glance
The “faster, bigger, cheaper” approach to food production is unsustainable and contributing to the destruction of our planet and your health
It is time to shift our food paradigm toward one that is more focused on natural, organic and independent community farms that practice polyculture, as opposed to monoculture
Monoculture agricultural practices damage the soil, increase dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, encourage the use of GMOs, and contribute to antibiotic resistant bacterial strains
The argument that small independent farms cost more to operate and are less profitable is a myth that has been disproven by science
Government subsidizes corn growers but not veggie growers, and massive food production monopolies like ADM and Cargill control the food chain from seed to plate, essentially holding farmers captive
By Dr. Mercola
The "faster, bigger, cheaper" approach to food is slowly draining dry our planet's resources and compromising your health.
The Earth's soil is depleting at more than 13 percent the rate it can be replaced.
The documentary "FRESH" celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system.
The film demonstrates how we can collectively transform the current "industrial agricultural paradigm" into a healthier, more sustainable way of feeding the world, while restoring the health of our ailing planet.
I hope you will set aside the time to watch it, as it will be time well spent.
We have already lost 75 percent of the world's crop varieties over the last century.
Over the past 10 years, we've had 100 million tons of herbicides dumped onto our crops, polluting our soil and streams.
The agriculture industry now tries to convince us that housing 110,000 to more than one million chickens or 20,000 hogs in a warehouse is a necessary practice to feed the masses.
The quality of our food is in free-fall, and disease is rampant. Not to mention that the quality of life for those animals is so horrid that many people cannot bear to look. Meanwhile, the human population on our little blue globe continues to rise, recently topping 7 billion souls. We simply cannot sustain this growth with our current model. If we continue along the present path, world hunger will continue to escalate without a viable way to meet the need.
Forging more sustainable alternatives is imperative if we hope to survive.
As illuminated in the film, one of the major issues is that farmers have been forced into the practice of monoculture, or monocropping, which is detrimental to our soil, water, plants, and animals—and therefore detrimental to us.
Playing "Chicken" with Mother Nature
In the words of Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and a number of other bestsellers: "Mother Nature destroys monocultures." What is a monoculture? Monoculture (or monocropping) is defined as the high-yield agricultural practice of growing a single crop year after year on the same land, in the absence of rotation through other crops. Corn, soybeans, wheat, and to some degree rice, are the most common crops grown with monocropping techniques. In fact, corn, wheat and rice now account for 60 percent of human caloric intake, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
By contrast, polyculture (the traditional rotation of crops and livestock) better serves both land and people. Polyculture evolved to meet the complete nutritional needs of a local community. Polyculture, when done mindfully, automatically replenishes what is taken out, which makes it sustainable with minimal effort.
Some critics of monocropping claim it even contributes to unsustainable population growth and mass starvation. According to an article on GreenFudge.org, monoculture is detrimental to the environment for a number of reasons, including the following:
It damages soil ecology by depleting and reducing the diversity of soil nutrients
It creates an unbuffered niche for parasitic species to take over, making crops more vulnerable to opportunistic pathogens that can quickly wipe out an entire crop
It increases dependency on chemical pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics and genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
It increases reliance on expensive specialized farm equipment and machinery that require heavy use of fossil fuels
It destroys biodiversity
The Most Famous Monoculture Disaster: The Great Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s
Monoculture farming practices have sadly resulted in a widespread shift away from sustainable family farms and local foods, and toward industrialized agriculture, massive farming complexes, and confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), all driven by large corporations whose chief motivation is maximizing profit. Countless small independent family farms have been squeezed out by "Big Ag" and replaced by massive monocultural operations.
Thousands of animals in small spaces means large quantities of antibiotics are needed to prevent rampant disease. Outbreaks of mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), salmonella, E. coli, avian flu, and campylobacteriosis are all products of industrialized food production. Antibiotics are fed to livestock and poultry to ward off low-grade infection. Weak strains of pathogens are killed off, allowing strong strains to mutate and become even stronger. You consume these bacterial strains in your meat, which then contribute to the spread of infections that are increasingly resistant to the antibiotics your physician prescribes...
The Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s is a perfect example of how monocropping can lead to disaster.
Lack of genetic variation in Irish potatoes was a major contributor to the severity of the famine, allowing potato blight to decimate Irish potato crops. The blight resulted in the starvation of almost one of every eight people in Ireland during a three-year period. But the greatest shortcoming of monocrops may lie in the compromised quality of those foods, and the long-term effect that has on your health.
There's No Such Thing as Cheap Food
Food is most nutritious in its whole, fresh form. This is why local food is more healthful. Freshness means better taste AND better nutrition. The more you process food, the less nutritional it is. The greater the variety in your diet, the better nourished your body will be. Supermarkets are full of processed foods whose nutrients have been expunged in the name of "convenience."
Michael Pollan said it best:
"Cheap food is an illusion. There is no such thing as cheap food. The real cost of the food is paid somewhere. And if it isn't paid at the cash register, it's charged to the environment or to the public purse in the form of subsidies. And it's charged to your health."
In other words, pay now or pay later. Consider organic eggs, for example. They cost more, but they're WORTH more. Organic free-range eggs are far richer in omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene, and vitamins A and E—a 79-cent cage egg just can't compete. Grass-fed beef contains three to five times as much CLA as cheap, conventional corn-fed beef.
But there are people who cannot afford high quality food at these prices. In today's environment, organic food is expensive to put on the dinner table because it's expensive to produce. And millions of Americans live in "food deserts" where fresh produce is hard to find but processed food is available everywhere. You can find Ramen noodles, but you can't find an apple.
Enterprising Farmers Show the Impossible is Possible
Virginia farmer Joel Salatin, featured in the films "FRESH" and "Food, Inc.," is a living example of how incredibly successful and sustainable natural farming can be. He produces beef, chicken, eggs, turkey, rabbits and vegetables. Yet, Joel calls himself a grass-farmer, for it is the grass that transforms the sun into energy that his animals then feed on. By closely observing nature, Joel created a rotational grazing system that not only allows the land to heal but also allows the animals to behave the way the were meant to—expressing their "chicken-ness" or "pig-ness," as Joel would say.
Cows are moved every day, which mimics their natural patterns and promotes revegetation. Sanitation is accomplished by birds. The birds (chickens and turkeys) arrive three days after the cows leave—via the Eggmobile—and scratch around in the pasture, doing what chickens do best.
No pesticides. No herbicides. No antibiotics. No seed spreading. Salatin hasn't planted a seed or purchased a chemical fertilizer in 50 years. He just lets herbivores be herbivores and cooperates with nature, instead of fighting it. It's a different and refreshing philosophy.
Instead of making 150 dollars per acre per year from a crop that produces food for three months, but lays fallow for the rest of the year, he's making $3,000 per acre by rotating crops throughout the year, thereby making use of his land all 12 months—and maintaining its ecological balance at the same time. This generates complimentary income streams. But can the entire world be fed this way?
Monocropping is More Productive and More Profitable… WRONG!
Proponents of monocropping argue that crop specialization is the only way to feed the masses, that it's far more profitable than having small independent farms in every township. But is this really true? Recent studies suggest just the opposite!
Studies are showing that medium sized organic farms are far more profitable than ANY sized industrial agricultural operation.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (results published in 2008 in the Agronomy Journal) found that traditional organic farming techniques of planting a variety of plants to ward off pests is more profitable than monocropping. The organic systems resulted in higher profits than "continuous corn, no-till corn and soybeans, and intensively managed alfalfa."
Rotational grazing of dairy cows was also shown to be more profitable. The researchers concluded:
"Under the market scenarios that prevailed between 1993 and 2006, intensive rotational grazing and organic grain and forage systems were the most profitable systems on highly productive land in southern Wisconsin."
The research team also concluded that government policies supporting monoculture are "outdated," and that it's time for support to be shifted toward programs that promote crop rotation and organic farming.
As it turns out, when you eliminate the agricultural chemicals, antibiotics, veterinary treatments, specialized machinery and multi-million dollar buildings, fuel costs, insurance costs, and the rest of the steep financial requirements of a big industrial operation, your cost of producing food makes a welcome dive into the doable. And did I mention… the food from organic farms is better? So, if small to medium-scale organic farming is more profitable, why aren't all farmers doing it?
Government Subsidies and Food Processing Monopolies have a Chokehold on American Farmers
The government is subsidizing the makers of high fructose corn syrup but doing nothing to subsidize the growers of healthy, fresh produce. That's issue number one. The second issue is that a very small number of very large companies control the food chain, from seed to plate. Farmers are held captive by huge food processing companies you may have never heard of, because they sell very few products directly to the general public.
Two major players are ADM (Archer Daniels Midland Company) and Cargill, each having ENORMOUS power in agriculture. Current.com reports Cargill has greater interests in soybean production and trade than any other company on the planet. Cargill is responsible for more than 75 percent of Argentina's grain and oilseed production and has partnered with the Gates Foundation to introduce similar soybean monoculture to Africa.
So, here's how it works…
Food processors, like ADM and Cargill, sell the farmers seed, fertilizers and pesticides. Then when the crops come in, those food processors turn around and buy the corn and soy, processing it into high fructose corn syrup and soybean oil that they then sell to huge food industry clients, like fast food chains. They also own feedlots. According to "FRESH," 83 percent of commercial beef in the U.S. is processed by just three meat processors.
These players tell the farmers that, if they want to play the game, they play by their rules or not at all. These food-processing monopolies also promote GMOs. In 1998, Monsanto partnered with Cargill to develop and distribute genetically modified food and feed products. We need to level the playing field.
Growing a Movement
Farmers and lovers of real food, such as those portrayed in this film, show us that change IS possible. But your help is needed! As was suggested in the documentary, if each of you purchased only 10 dollars of food each week from your local farmer's market or organic food stand, the market impact would be tremendous. There are "10 FRESH actions" you can take in order to live a more sustainable lifestyle:
Buy local products whenever possible. Otherwise, buy organic and fair-trade products.
Shop at your local farmers market, join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), or buy from local grocers and co-ops committed to selling local foods.
Support restaurants and food vendors that buy locally produced food.
Avoid genetically engineered (GMO) foods. Buying certified organic ensures your food is non-GM.
Cook, can, ferment, dry and freeze. Return to the basics of cooking, and pass these skills on to your children.
Drink plenty of water, but avoid bottled water whenever possible, and do invest in a high quality water filter to filter the water from your tap.
Grow your own garden, or volunteer at a community garden. Teach your children how to garden and where their food comes from.
Volunteer and/or financially support an organization committed to promoting a sustainable food system.
Get involved in your community. Influence what your child eats by engaging the school board. Effect city policies by learning about zoning and attending city council meetings. Learn about the federal policies that affect your food choice, and let your congressperson know what you think.
Spread the word! Share this article with your friends, family, and everyone else you know.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Anti depressants
He Murdered a Friend After Taking This Best-Selling Drug
Posted By Dr. Mercola | February 25 2012
A Canadian judge has ruled that Prozac caused a teenage boy to murder his friend, as the drug caused him to overreact “in an impulsive, explosive and violent way”
Many drugs, particularly antidepressants, are associated with violence, including suicidal and homicidal tendencies. Of the top 10 drugs linked to violence, half are antidepressants
Recent research has discovered that certain genetic variations may predispose you to homicidal behavior following exposure to antidepressants, due to an inability to properly metabolize the drugs
Studies have found that up to 75 percent of the benefits of antidepressants can be duplicated by a placebo. So not only are these drugs ineffective, but the evidence is clear that most of these drugs in fact increase your risk of suicide and violence, including homicide
Diet and lifestyle factors such as sun exposure, exercise, and intestinal health are root causes of many mental health issues, and need to be addressed in order for healing and recovery to occur. Guidelines and recommendations included
By Dr. Mercola
A Canadian judge has ruled that a teenage boy murdered his friend because of the effects of Prozac.
The ruling will not be appealed.
The decision has revived the debate regarding the widespread prescription of antidepressants to young people.
Justice Robert Heinrichs ruled that the 15-year-old boy was under the influence of the medication when he stabbed and killed a close friend.
He was sentenced to 10 months on top of the two years he had already spent in jail.
"Prozac is meant to curb the effects of depression, but Justice Heinrich concluded it set off a steady deterioration in the young murderer's behavior," CCHR1 reports.
"He had become irritable, restless, agitated, aggressive and unclear in his thinking," the judge said.
"It was while in that state he overreacted in an impulsive, explosive and violent way. Now that his body and mind are free and clear of any effects of Prozac, he is simply not the same youth in behavior or character."
Should Antidepressants Carry Black Box Warning for Homicidal Tendencies?
In 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided SSRI antidepressants must carry a black box warning that the drug can cause suicidal tendencies. But what about violence and homicidal tendencies? Despite mounting evidence that antidepressants and certain other drugs can induce violent behavior and has led to the tragic death of spouses, family members and friends, the FDA has done nothing to warn or curb the use of such drugs.
According to CCHR2:
"It is well documented that psychiatric drugs, particularly antidepressants, can cause a host of violent side effects including mania, psychosis, aggression, violence, and in the case of the antidepressant Effexor, homicidal ideation ... [P]eople with no prior history of violence (or suicide) became homicidal and suicidal under the influence of antidepressants. ... However, despite all the documented violence-inducing side effects of these drugs, the FDA has never issued black box warnings on antidepressants causing violence or homicide despite the fact that at least 11 recent school shootings were committed by kids documented to be on or in withdrawal from psychiatric drugs."
The expert testimony in this case was supplied by Dr. Peter Breggin, an outspoken critic of psychiatric drugs. The featured article quotes him as saying:
"These drugs produce a stimulant or activation continuum... That continuum includes aggression, hostility, loss of impulse control … all of which are a prescription for violence."
Other still feel the link between antidepressants and homicide is thin, but I can't help but wonder if that's just because they're refusing to look at the evidence and give it the attention it deserves. The CCHR website includes a helpful search feature3, allowing you to search for all sorts of reports and research relating to psychiatric drugs and their side effects. It took 13 years before the FDA finally agreed SSRI's can cause suicidal thoughts and behavior. How many decades-worth of evidence will have to mount up before the apparent link to uncontrolled violence and homicide is addressed?
Your Genes May Predispose You to Homicidal Side Effects of Antidepressants
Interestingly, in related news, a 2011 study published in Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine4 has found that certain genes may predispose you to homicidal behavior following exposure to antidepressants. Both sudden withdrawal from antidepressants and continuing to take them was found to worsen the problem. According to the study's authors:
"... The results presented here concerning a sample of persons given antidepressants for psychosocial distress demonstrate the extent to which the psychopharmacology industry has expanded its influence beyond its ability to cure.
... [T]he Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (Star *D) study ... found that antidepressants were only marginally (2.7%) more efficacious compared with placebos. The same meta-analyses documented profound publication bias, inflating their apparent efficacy as well as bias in failing to report the negative results ... The authors argue for a reappraisal of the current recommended standard of care of depression." [Emphasis mine]
What they discovered is that many people being treated with antidepressants can't metabolize them due to common genetic mutations, which can cause severe drug interactions and akathisia (a movement disorder characterized by a feeling of inner restlessness). Some researchers and physicians believe that akathisia is the chief symptom that triggers impulsive violence in certain individuals who take antidepressant drugs. This is thought to be an extreme form of akathisia. Homicidal impulses and murderous behavior due to akathisia is now being called "homicidal akathisia."
Forensic psychiatrist and lead author of the study, Dr. Yolande Lucire, is now campaigning to introduce ways of minimizing over-prescription of antidepressants by taking genetics into account. Of 129 subjects, more than 120 of them were diagnosed with akathisia/serotonin toxicity caused by psychiatric medications. The authors further explain:
"They were tested for variant alleles in CYP450 genes, which play a major role in Phase 1 metabolism of all antidepressant and many other medications. Eight had committed homicide and many more became extremely violent while on antidepressants. ... All those described [in the paper] were able to stop taking antidepressants and return to their previously normal personalities."
Antidepressants Top List of Most Violence-Inducing Drugs
It's certainly worth paying heed to drug interactions such as violence and homicidal leanings, both as a patient and as a concerned parent, family member or friend. According to a 2010 study published in the journal PLoS One5, half of the top 10 drugs disproportionately linked with violent behavior are antidepressants:
Varenicline (Chantix): The number one violence-inducing drug on the list, this anti-smoking medication is 18 times more likely to be linked with violence when compared to other drugs
Fluoxetine (Prozac): This drug was the first well-known SSRI antidepressant
Paroxetine (Paxil): Another SSRI antidepressant, Paxil is also linked with severe withdrawal symptoms and a risk of birth defects
Amphetamines: (Various): Used to treat ADHD
Mefoquine (Lariam): A treatment for malaria which is often linked with reports of strange behavior
Atomoxetine (Strattera): An ADHD drug that affects the neurotransmitter noradrenaline
Triazolam (Halcion): This potentially addictive drug is used to treat insomnia
Fluvoxamine (Luvox): Another SSRI antidepressant
Venlafaxine (Effexor): An antidepressant also used to treat anxiety disorders
Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq): An antidepressant which affects both serotonin and noradrenaline
Is Usage of these Drugs Ever Appropriate?
Depression, or more accurately, un-repaired emotional short-circuiting, can absolutely devastate your health and life. However, using antidepressants as the primary (or only) treatment option is simply not advisable, especially if the one suffering from depression is a child or teenager. Whereas severe depression can indeed progress to suicide if left untreated, antidepressant drugs have been shown to CAUSE both suicidal and homicidal thoughts and behaviors. As mentioned in the featured report, at least 11 tragic school shootings were done by children who were either on antidepressants, or going through withdrawal...
I believe this is an enormous price to pay for what amounts to highly questionable benefits.
Studies have found that up to 75 percent of the benefits of antidepressants could be duplicated by a placebo. So not only do these drugs not work as advertised, but the evidence is quite clear that most of these drugs do in fact increase your risk of suicide and violence. Since depression can be a terminal illness, why take a drug that will actually increase your risk of killing yourself—or someone else?
Please understand that I am not seeking to diminish the impact of mental illness. It is massively pervasive and responsible for tens of thousands of deaths every year and needless suffering in millions of others.
My clinical experience leads me to believe that the only appropriate use of these dangerous medications is as a last ditch effort when the patient is at a serious risk to themselves or others. (And, of course, they must be closely monitored for lethal side effects such as suicidal and/or homicidal thoughts and tendencies!) The drugs should be continued until the condition is under control and they are out of harm's way, and then carefully weaned. This is a very similar strategy to going to the ER and seeing an orthopedic surgeon for a cast when you've fractured a major bone.
You don't use that cast the rest of your life. You use it until your bone is healed.
The REAL tragedy is that most of the drug companies do NOT view antidepressants this way. There are enormous marketing efforts to classify normal behavior as aberrant or diseased, which then requires lifelong therapy with their drug solution.
How to Address the Root Cause of the Problem
I strongly believe that energy psychology is one of the most powerful tools for resolving emotional issues—specifically a technique called EFT—and I'll be talking more about that in a moment.
But diet and general lifestyle are clearly parts of the "root" that must be healed if you want to resolve mental health issues. For example, mounting evidence tells us that having a healthy gut is profoundly important for both physical and mental health, and the latter can be severely impacted by an imbalance of intestinal bacteria. I strongly recommend addressing the following lifestyle factors if you're suffering from depression or any other mental health problem.
Dramatically decrease your consumption of sugar (particularly fructose), grains, and processed foods. (In addition to being high in sugar and grains, processed foods also contain a variety of additives that can affect your brain function and mental state, especially MSG, and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame.) There's a great book on this subject, The Sugar Blues, written by William Dufty more than 30 years ago, that delves into the topic of sugar and mental health in great detail.
Increase consumption of probiotic foods, such as fermented vegetables and kefir, to promote healthy gut flora
Get adequate vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 deficiency can contribute to depression and affects one in four people.
Optimize your vitamin D levels, ideally through regular sun exposure. Vitamin D is very important for your mood. In one study, people with the lowest levels of vitamin D were found to be 11 times more prone to be depressed than those who had normal levels.6
The best way to get vitamin D is through safe exposure to SUNSHINE. Remember, SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a type of depression that we know is related to sunshine deficiency, so it would make sense that the perfect way to optimize your vitamin D is through sun exposure, or a safe tanning bed if you don't have regular access to the sun.
Get plenty of animal-based omega-3 fats. Many people don't realize that their brain is 60 percent fat, but not just any fat. It is DHA, an animal based omega-3 fat which, along with EPA, is crucial for good brain function and mental health7. Unfortunately, most people don't get enough from diet alone. Make sure you take a high-quality omega-3 fat, such as krill oil.
Dr. Stoll, a Harvard psychiatrist, was one of the early leaders in compiling the evidence supporting the use of animal based omega-3 fats for the treatment of depression. He wrote an excellent book that details his experience in this area called The Omega-3 Connection.
Evaluate your salt intake. Sodium deficiency actually creates symptoms that are very much like those of depression. Make sure you do NOT use processed salt (regular table salt), however. You'll want to use an all natural, unprocessed salt like Himalayan salt, which contains more than 80 different micronutrients.
Get adequate daily exercise, which is one of the best-kept secrets to preventing and overcoming depression.
Get adequate amounts of sleep. You can have the best diet and exercise program possible but if you aren't sleeping well you can easily become depressed. Sleep and depression are so intimately linked that a sleep disorder is actually part of the definition of the symptom complex that gives the label depression.
New Research Shines Light on the Benefits of EFT
Additionally, it's imperative to address any underlying emotional issues. I have been a fan of energy psychology for many years, having witnessed its effectiveness in my medical practice and in my own personal life. EFT, as opposed to drugs and supplements, hits at the root of the problem—even if you don't know exactly what that is. This is the beauty of energy medicine in general—and anyone can learn to apply EFT to themselves, even a young child.
In the following videos, Julie Schiffman, a licensed EFT practitioner at my Center for Natural Health in Chicago, guides you through how to tap for headaches and other pain. As you will see, by simply altering your statements you can use this tapping technique to address virtually any ailment you may be experiencing at any point in time.
Unfortunately, studies have been few and far in-between as science has been trying to "catch up" with clinical experience. But all of that is changing now!
Before I go any further, I want to stress the importance of getting professional help if you suffer from depression, and that includes seeing a qualified EFT therapist. Although you can learn how to do EFT in a few minutes it can take years to apply it effectively. The best therapists are typically those with conventional psychological training who have studied this in addition to conventional methods. There are times where hospital admission may be necessary to prevent a suicide attempt and untrained therapists will not be able to discern this danger.
If the first therapist can't help you, I recommend seeking out another. Getting a second opinion is pretty standard when it comes to medicine, and this is no different. The connection between you and your doctor or therapist can have a great influence on the success of your treatment or therapy.
As for the success rate of EFT, several studies have recently been published, demonstrating just how safe and effective EFT really is. For example, the following three studies show remarkable progress in a very short amount of time for people with a history of trauma:
A 2009 study of 16 institutionalized adolescent boys with histories of physical or psychological abuse showed substantially decreased intensity of traumatic memories after just ONE session of EFT.
An EFT study involving 30 moderately to severely depressed college students was conducted. The depressed students were given four 90-minute EFT sessions. Students who received EFT showed significantly less depression than the control group when evaluated three weeks later.
A study of 100 veterans with severe PTSD (Iraq Vets Stress Project) showed an astounding reduction of symptoms after just six one-hour EFT sessions. After completing six sessions, 90 percent of the veterans had such a reduction in symptoms that they no longer met the clinical criteria for PTSD. Sixty percent no longer met PTSD criteria after only three EFT sessions. At the three-month follow-up, the gains remained stable, suggesting lasting and potentially permanent resolution of the problem.
[The Iraq Stress Project is still recruiting veteran volunteers. If you are a veteran and interested in participating, you can get more information here.]
Operation Emotional Freedom
In a new documentary film entitled Operation: Emotional Freedom, directed by Eric Huurre, a number of Veterans and their families went through intensive therapy using EFT. The results were truly astounding. EFT developer Gary Craig, along with other EFT practitioners worked very closely with Veterans who recently returned home from war. They were all suffering from PTSD, depression, anxiety and a few were suicidal.
At the end of treatment, each one of them describes a new feeling of peace and hope that there is help and they were able to overcome emotional traumas experienced in combat.
This film is a close look at the current state of health care for combat veterans diagnosed with PTSD. The film is about examining the myths and misconceptions surrounding the medical/chemical approach to treating emotional conditions and why drugs are not "the answer" that pharmaceuticals promise. Instead, the story follows this group of volunteer Vets and their families on a journey from the hell of their post-war experiences through a newer vision of health and recovery for PTSD and trauma.
Visit the official website www.operation-emotionalfreedom.com to learn more about efforts to assist veterans and their families through energy psychology.
Clearly, energy psychology beats pharmaceuticals HANDS DOWN as a safer, more effective, longer-lasting treatment for stress and emotional problems. And there have been EFT successes with a wide range of other issues—both emotional and physical. EFT is easy to learn, no matter what your age—children included—so I encourage you to add it to your stress-busting tool kit.
In closing, please remember that your emotional health is intimately connected with your physical health, which is largely controlled by diet and lifestyle choices and your reactions to stress. These daily habits have enormous impact, whether you want to overcome depression or just continue enjoying great health. So please, actively investigate and consider the natural treatments I've suggested above, ideally with the support and guidance of a knowledgeable natural medicine friendly healthcare practitioner.
Important Concluding Thoughts...
I want to make something abundantly clear before I leave you. I know firsthand that depression is devastating. It takes a toll on the healthiest of families and can destroy lifelong friendships. Few things are harder in life than watching someone you love lose their sense of joy, hope, and purpose in life, and wonder if they will ever find it again. And to not have anything within your power that can change things for them. You wonder if you will ever have your loved one "back" again.
It's impossible to impart the will to live to somebody who no longer possesses it. No amount of logic, reasoning, or reminders about all they have to live for will put a smile back on the face of a loved one masked by the black cloud of depression.
Oftentimes you cannot change your circumstances. You can, however, change your response to them. I encourage you to be balanced in your life. Don't ignore your body's warning signs that something needs to change. Sometimes people are so busy taking care of everybody else that they lose sight of themselves.
There are times when a prescription drug may help restore balance to your body. But it's unclear whether it is the drug providing benefits, or the unbelievable power of your mind that is convinced it is going to work.
If you have been personally affected by depression, my heart goes out to you.
A broken body can be easier to fix than a broken mind. Depression is real. It is my hope that you don't feel judged here, but that you are encouraged and inspired by those who have been there.
1 CCHR December 7, 2011
2 CCHR December 7, 2011
3 CCHR International Warnings and Studies on Psychiatric Drugs Search Engine
4 Antidepressant-induced akathisia-related homicides associated with diminishing mutations in metabolizing genes of the CYP450 family, Yolande Lucire and Christopher Crotty, Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine July 29, 2011
5 PLoS One December 15, 2010; 5(12)
6 American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry December 2006; 14(12): 1032-1040
7 Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Mental Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Evidence Report/Technology Assessment: Number 116
Source: CCHR December 7, 2011
Source: Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine July 29, 2011
Related Links:
They Cause 40,000 Deaths a Year - But They're Handed Out Like Candy
These Popular Drugs Can Make You Violent – Avoid Them
Antidepressants and Violence
Posted By Dr. Mercola | February 25 2012
A Canadian judge has ruled that Prozac caused a teenage boy to murder his friend, as the drug caused him to overreact “in an impulsive, explosive and violent way”
Many drugs, particularly antidepressants, are associated with violence, including suicidal and homicidal tendencies. Of the top 10 drugs linked to violence, half are antidepressants
Recent research has discovered that certain genetic variations may predispose you to homicidal behavior following exposure to antidepressants, due to an inability to properly metabolize the drugs
Studies have found that up to 75 percent of the benefits of antidepressants can be duplicated by a placebo. So not only are these drugs ineffective, but the evidence is clear that most of these drugs in fact increase your risk of suicide and violence, including homicide
Diet and lifestyle factors such as sun exposure, exercise, and intestinal health are root causes of many mental health issues, and need to be addressed in order for healing and recovery to occur. Guidelines and recommendations included
By Dr. Mercola
A Canadian judge has ruled that a teenage boy murdered his friend because of the effects of Prozac.
The ruling will not be appealed.
The decision has revived the debate regarding the widespread prescription of antidepressants to young people.
Justice Robert Heinrichs ruled that the 15-year-old boy was under the influence of the medication when he stabbed and killed a close friend.
He was sentenced to 10 months on top of the two years he had already spent in jail.
"Prozac is meant to curb the effects of depression, but Justice Heinrich concluded it set off a steady deterioration in the young murderer's behavior," CCHR1 reports.
"He had become irritable, restless, agitated, aggressive and unclear in his thinking," the judge said.
"It was while in that state he overreacted in an impulsive, explosive and violent way. Now that his body and mind are free and clear of any effects of Prozac, he is simply not the same youth in behavior or character."
Should Antidepressants Carry Black Box Warning for Homicidal Tendencies?
In 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided SSRI antidepressants must carry a black box warning that the drug can cause suicidal tendencies. But what about violence and homicidal tendencies? Despite mounting evidence that antidepressants and certain other drugs can induce violent behavior and has led to the tragic death of spouses, family members and friends, the FDA has done nothing to warn or curb the use of such drugs.
According to CCHR2:
"It is well documented that psychiatric drugs, particularly antidepressants, can cause a host of violent side effects including mania, psychosis, aggression, violence, and in the case of the antidepressant Effexor, homicidal ideation ... [P]eople with no prior history of violence (or suicide) became homicidal and suicidal under the influence of antidepressants. ... However, despite all the documented violence-inducing side effects of these drugs, the FDA has never issued black box warnings on antidepressants causing violence or homicide despite the fact that at least 11 recent school shootings were committed by kids documented to be on or in withdrawal from psychiatric drugs."
The expert testimony in this case was supplied by Dr. Peter Breggin, an outspoken critic of psychiatric drugs. The featured article quotes him as saying:
"These drugs produce a stimulant or activation continuum... That continuum includes aggression, hostility, loss of impulse control … all of which are a prescription for violence."
Other still feel the link between antidepressants and homicide is thin, but I can't help but wonder if that's just because they're refusing to look at the evidence and give it the attention it deserves. The CCHR website includes a helpful search feature3, allowing you to search for all sorts of reports and research relating to psychiatric drugs and their side effects. It took 13 years before the FDA finally agreed SSRI's can cause suicidal thoughts and behavior. How many decades-worth of evidence will have to mount up before the apparent link to uncontrolled violence and homicide is addressed?
Your Genes May Predispose You to Homicidal Side Effects of Antidepressants
Interestingly, in related news, a 2011 study published in Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine4 has found that certain genes may predispose you to homicidal behavior following exposure to antidepressants. Both sudden withdrawal from antidepressants and continuing to take them was found to worsen the problem. According to the study's authors:
"... The results presented here concerning a sample of persons given antidepressants for psychosocial distress demonstrate the extent to which the psychopharmacology industry has expanded its influence beyond its ability to cure.
... [T]he Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (Star *D) study ... found that antidepressants were only marginally (2.7%) more efficacious compared with placebos. The same meta-analyses documented profound publication bias, inflating their apparent efficacy as well as bias in failing to report the negative results ... The authors argue for a reappraisal of the current recommended standard of care of depression." [Emphasis mine]
What they discovered is that many people being treated with antidepressants can't metabolize them due to common genetic mutations, which can cause severe drug interactions and akathisia (a movement disorder characterized by a feeling of inner restlessness). Some researchers and physicians believe that akathisia is the chief symptom that triggers impulsive violence in certain individuals who take antidepressant drugs. This is thought to be an extreme form of akathisia. Homicidal impulses and murderous behavior due to akathisia is now being called "homicidal akathisia."
Forensic psychiatrist and lead author of the study, Dr. Yolande Lucire, is now campaigning to introduce ways of minimizing over-prescription of antidepressants by taking genetics into account. Of 129 subjects, more than 120 of them were diagnosed with akathisia/serotonin toxicity caused by psychiatric medications. The authors further explain:
"They were tested for variant alleles in CYP450 genes, which play a major role in Phase 1 metabolism of all antidepressant and many other medications. Eight had committed homicide and many more became extremely violent while on antidepressants. ... All those described [in the paper] were able to stop taking antidepressants and return to their previously normal personalities."
Antidepressants Top List of Most Violence-Inducing Drugs
It's certainly worth paying heed to drug interactions such as violence and homicidal leanings, both as a patient and as a concerned parent, family member or friend. According to a 2010 study published in the journal PLoS One5, half of the top 10 drugs disproportionately linked with violent behavior are antidepressants:
Varenicline (Chantix): The number one violence-inducing drug on the list, this anti-smoking medication is 18 times more likely to be linked with violence when compared to other drugs
Fluoxetine (Prozac): This drug was the first well-known SSRI antidepressant
Paroxetine (Paxil): Another SSRI antidepressant, Paxil is also linked with severe withdrawal symptoms and a risk of birth defects
Amphetamines: (Various): Used to treat ADHD
Mefoquine (Lariam): A treatment for malaria which is often linked with reports of strange behavior
Atomoxetine (Strattera): An ADHD drug that affects the neurotransmitter noradrenaline
Triazolam (Halcion): This potentially addictive drug is used to treat insomnia
Fluvoxamine (Luvox): Another SSRI antidepressant
Venlafaxine (Effexor): An antidepressant also used to treat anxiety disorders
Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq): An antidepressant which affects both serotonin and noradrenaline
Is Usage of these Drugs Ever Appropriate?
Depression, or more accurately, un-repaired emotional short-circuiting, can absolutely devastate your health and life. However, using antidepressants as the primary (or only) treatment option is simply not advisable, especially if the one suffering from depression is a child or teenager. Whereas severe depression can indeed progress to suicide if left untreated, antidepressant drugs have been shown to CAUSE both suicidal and homicidal thoughts and behaviors. As mentioned in the featured report, at least 11 tragic school shootings were done by children who were either on antidepressants, or going through withdrawal...
I believe this is an enormous price to pay for what amounts to highly questionable benefits.
Studies have found that up to 75 percent of the benefits of antidepressants could be duplicated by a placebo. So not only do these drugs not work as advertised, but the evidence is quite clear that most of these drugs do in fact increase your risk of suicide and violence. Since depression can be a terminal illness, why take a drug that will actually increase your risk of killing yourself—or someone else?
Please understand that I am not seeking to diminish the impact of mental illness. It is massively pervasive and responsible for tens of thousands of deaths every year and needless suffering in millions of others.
My clinical experience leads me to believe that the only appropriate use of these dangerous medications is as a last ditch effort when the patient is at a serious risk to themselves or others. (And, of course, they must be closely monitored for lethal side effects such as suicidal and/or homicidal thoughts and tendencies!) The drugs should be continued until the condition is under control and they are out of harm's way, and then carefully weaned. This is a very similar strategy to going to the ER and seeing an orthopedic surgeon for a cast when you've fractured a major bone.
You don't use that cast the rest of your life. You use it until your bone is healed.
The REAL tragedy is that most of the drug companies do NOT view antidepressants this way. There are enormous marketing efforts to classify normal behavior as aberrant or diseased, which then requires lifelong therapy with their drug solution.
How to Address the Root Cause of the Problem
I strongly believe that energy psychology is one of the most powerful tools for resolving emotional issues—specifically a technique called EFT—and I'll be talking more about that in a moment.
But diet and general lifestyle are clearly parts of the "root" that must be healed if you want to resolve mental health issues. For example, mounting evidence tells us that having a healthy gut is profoundly important for both physical and mental health, and the latter can be severely impacted by an imbalance of intestinal bacteria. I strongly recommend addressing the following lifestyle factors if you're suffering from depression or any other mental health problem.
Dramatically decrease your consumption of sugar (particularly fructose), grains, and processed foods. (In addition to being high in sugar and grains, processed foods also contain a variety of additives that can affect your brain function and mental state, especially MSG, and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame.) There's a great book on this subject, The Sugar Blues, written by William Dufty more than 30 years ago, that delves into the topic of sugar and mental health in great detail.
Increase consumption of probiotic foods, such as fermented vegetables and kefir, to promote healthy gut flora
Get adequate vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 deficiency can contribute to depression and affects one in four people.
Optimize your vitamin D levels, ideally through regular sun exposure. Vitamin D is very important for your mood. In one study, people with the lowest levels of vitamin D were found to be 11 times more prone to be depressed than those who had normal levels.6
The best way to get vitamin D is through safe exposure to SUNSHINE. Remember, SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a type of depression that we know is related to sunshine deficiency, so it would make sense that the perfect way to optimize your vitamin D is through sun exposure, or a safe tanning bed if you don't have regular access to the sun.
Get plenty of animal-based omega-3 fats. Many people don't realize that their brain is 60 percent fat, but not just any fat. It is DHA, an animal based omega-3 fat which, along with EPA, is crucial for good brain function and mental health7. Unfortunately, most people don't get enough from diet alone. Make sure you take a high-quality omega-3 fat, such as krill oil.
Dr. Stoll, a Harvard psychiatrist, was one of the early leaders in compiling the evidence supporting the use of animal based omega-3 fats for the treatment of depression. He wrote an excellent book that details his experience in this area called The Omega-3 Connection.
Evaluate your salt intake. Sodium deficiency actually creates symptoms that are very much like those of depression. Make sure you do NOT use processed salt (regular table salt), however. You'll want to use an all natural, unprocessed salt like Himalayan salt, which contains more than 80 different micronutrients.
Get adequate daily exercise, which is one of the best-kept secrets to preventing and overcoming depression.
Get adequate amounts of sleep. You can have the best diet and exercise program possible but if you aren't sleeping well you can easily become depressed. Sleep and depression are so intimately linked that a sleep disorder is actually part of the definition of the symptom complex that gives the label depression.
New Research Shines Light on the Benefits of EFT
Additionally, it's imperative to address any underlying emotional issues. I have been a fan of energy psychology for many years, having witnessed its effectiveness in my medical practice and in my own personal life. EFT, as opposed to drugs and supplements, hits at the root of the problem—even if you don't know exactly what that is. This is the beauty of energy medicine in general—and anyone can learn to apply EFT to themselves, even a young child.
In the following videos, Julie Schiffman, a licensed EFT practitioner at my Center for Natural Health in Chicago, guides you through how to tap for headaches and other pain. As you will see, by simply altering your statements you can use this tapping technique to address virtually any ailment you may be experiencing at any point in time.
Unfortunately, studies have been few and far in-between as science has been trying to "catch up" with clinical experience. But all of that is changing now!
Before I go any further, I want to stress the importance of getting professional help if you suffer from depression, and that includes seeing a qualified EFT therapist. Although you can learn how to do EFT in a few minutes it can take years to apply it effectively. The best therapists are typically those with conventional psychological training who have studied this in addition to conventional methods. There are times where hospital admission may be necessary to prevent a suicide attempt and untrained therapists will not be able to discern this danger.
If the first therapist can't help you, I recommend seeking out another. Getting a second opinion is pretty standard when it comes to medicine, and this is no different. The connection between you and your doctor or therapist can have a great influence on the success of your treatment or therapy.
As for the success rate of EFT, several studies have recently been published, demonstrating just how safe and effective EFT really is. For example, the following three studies show remarkable progress in a very short amount of time for people with a history of trauma:
A 2009 study of 16 institutionalized adolescent boys with histories of physical or psychological abuse showed substantially decreased intensity of traumatic memories after just ONE session of EFT.
An EFT study involving 30 moderately to severely depressed college students was conducted. The depressed students were given four 90-minute EFT sessions. Students who received EFT showed significantly less depression than the control group when evaluated three weeks later.
A study of 100 veterans with severe PTSD (Iraq Vets Stress Project) showed an astounding reduction of symptoms after just six one-hour EFT sessions. After completing six sessions, 90 percent of the veterans had such a reduction in symptoms that they no longer met the clinical criteria for PTSD. Sixty percent no longer met PTSD criteria after only three EFT sessions. At the three-month follow-up, the gains remained stable, suggesting lasting and potentially permanent resolution of the problem.
[The Iraq Stress Project is still recruiting veteran volunteers. If you are a veteran and interested in participating, you can get more information here.]
Operation Emotional Freedom
In a new documentary film entitled Operation: Emotional Freedom, directed by Eric Huurre, a number of Veterans and their families went through intensive therapy using EFT. The results were truly astounding. EFT developer Gary Craig, along with other EFT practitioners worked very closely with Veterans who recently returned home from war. They were all suffering from PTSD, depression, anxiety and a few were suicidal.
At the end of treatment, each one of them describes a new feeling of peace and hope that there is help and they were able to overcome emotional traumas experienced in combat.
This film is a close look at the current state of health care for combat veterans diagnosed with PTSD. The film is about examining the myths and misconceptions surrounding the medical/chemical approach to treating emotional conditions and why drugs are not "the answer" that pharmaceuticals promise. Instead, the story follows this group of volunteer Vets and their families on a journey from the hell of their post-war experiences through a newer vision of health and recovery for PTSD and trauma.
Visit the official website www.operation-emotionalfreedom.com to learn more about efforts to assist veterans and their families through energy psychology.
Clearly, energy psychology beats pharmaceuticals HANDS DOWN as a safer, more effective, longer-lasting treatment for stress and emotional problems. And there have been EFT successes with a wide range of other issues—both emotional and physical. EFT is easy to learn, no matter what your age—children included—so I encourage you to add it to your stress-busting tool kit.
In closing, please remember that your emotional health is intimately connected with your physical health, which is largely controlled by diet and lifestyle choices and your reactions to stress. These daily habits have enormous impact, whether you want to overcome depression or just continue enjoying great health. So please, actively investigate and consider the natural treatments I've suggested above, ideally with the support and guidance of a knowledgeable natural medicine friendly healthcare practitioner.
Important Concluding Thoughts...
I want to make something abundantly clear before I leave you. I know firsthand that depression is devastating. It takes a toll on the healthiest of families and can destroy lifelong friendships. Few things are harder in life than watching someone you love lose their sense of joy, hope, and purpose in life, and wonder if they will ever find it again. And to not have anything within your power that can change things for them. You wonder if you will ever have your loved one "back" again.
It's impossible to impart the will to live to somebody who no longer possesses it. No amount of logic, reasoning, or reminders about all they have to live for will put a smile back on the face of a loved one masked by the black cloud of depression.
Oftentimes you cannot change your circumstances. You can, however, change your response to them. I encourage you to be balanced in your life. Don't ignore your body's warning signs that something needs to change. Sometimes people are so busy taking care of everybody else that they lose sight of themselves.
There are times when a prescription drug may help restore balance to your body. But it's unclear whether it is the drug providing benefits, or the unbelievable power of your mind that is convinced it is going to work.
If you have been personally affected by depression, my heart goes out to you.
A broken body can be easier to fix than a broken mind. Depression is real. It is my hope that you don't feel judged here, but that you are encouraged and inspired by those who have been there.
1 CCHR December 7, 2011
2 CCHR December 7, 2011
3 CCHR International Warnings and Studies on Psychiatric Drugs Search Engine
4 Antidepressant-induced akathisia-related homicides associated with diminishing mutations in metabolizing genes of the CYP450 family, Yolande Lucire and Christopher Crotty, Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine July 29, 2011
5 PLoS One December 15, 2010; 5(12)
6 American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry December 2006; 14(12): 1032-1040
7 Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Mental Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Evidence Report/Technology Assessment: Number 116
Source: CCHR December 7, 2011
Source: Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine July 29, 2011
Related Links:
They Cause 40,000 Deaths a Year - But They're Handed Out Like Candy
These Popular Drugs Can Make You Violent – Avoid Them
Antidepressants and Violence
Friday, February 24, 2012
Chiropractors and Exercise Are Better than Drugs Says New Study
Posted By Dr. Mercola | February 24 2012
Medication is typically not the best option for treating neck pain. According to a new study, those who used a chiropractor or exercise were more than twice as likely to be pain free compared to those who took medication.
Exercise often leads to improved posture, range of motion and functionality of the body which may help treat the underlying source of pain, as well as help prevent chronic neck pain from developing in the first place.
Due to their comprehensive training in musculoskeletal management, numerous sources of evidence have shown that chiropractic management is much safer and often more effective than allopathic medical treatments, particularly for back and neck pain.
There is good reason to explore the many natural options available for relieving and healing pain before opting for medicated relief, as drugs carry a significant risk for side effects.
By Dr. Mercola
Chronic pain is an exceedingly common condition impacting an estimated 76.5 million Americans, one-third of whom describe their pain as severe and "disabling".i
Among them, many suffer from neck pain, which is the third most common type of pain according to the American Pain Foundation.
It is estimated that 70 percent of people will experience neck pain at some point in their lives but research into effective treatments is surprisingly limited.ii
If you visit a conventional physician for pain, there's a very good chance you'll leave with a prescription for a medication,as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen (Tylenol) and even opioids (OxyContin, Vicodin, etc.) are the go-to treatment for pain in the modern medical world.
However, there are better options than drugs for neck pain, not only in terms of pain relief, but also in helping to treat the underlying cause of the pain so that healing can truly occur.
New Study Shows Exercises and Chiropractic Care Beat Drugs for Neck Pain
According to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and funded by the National Institutes of Health, medication is not the best option for treating neck pain.
After following 272 neck-pain patients for 12 weeks, those who used a chiropractor or exercise were more than twice as likely to be pain free compared to those who took medication.
Specifically:
32 percent who received chiropractic care became pain free
30 percent of those who exercised became pain free
13 percent of those treated with medication became pain free
Researchers concluded:
"For participants with acute and subacute neck pain, SMT [spinal manipulation therapy] was more effective than medication in both the short and long term. However, a few instructional sessions of HEA [home exercise with advice] resulted in similar outcomes at most time points."
Why Exercise is Essential if You Have Neck Pain
Because exercise often leads to improved posture, range of motion and functionality of your body, it can help treat the underlying source of your pain as well as help prevent chronic neck pain from developing in the first place. Exercise helps prevent and relieve pain through a number of mechanisms including strengthening key supportive muscles and restoring flexibility.
Not surprisingly, repetitive strain injuries have become increasingly common as so many people spend most of their work days sitting in front of computers. Computer work is associated with neck pain specifically originating from the trapezius muscle, also referred to as trapezius myalgia, and many types of neck pain can be traced back to poor posture at work or during your commute.
It's a vicious cycle as poor sitting posture leads to neck pain and once neck pain develops, it can make your posture even worse. For instance, one study showed people with chronic neck pain demonstrate a reduced ability to maintain an upright posture when distracted.iii
The same study further revealed, however, that after following a specific exercise program, people with neck pain had an improved ability to maintain a neutral cervical posture during prolonged sitting, which suggests it may help break the poor posture/neck pain cycle. Other research has similarly shown that exercise is incredibly beneficial for treating neck pain including:
Research in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that repetitive strain injury caused by office work can be reduced using certain strength training exercises.iv
A study published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism showed that strength training targeting the neck and shoulder muscles is the most beneficial treatment for women with chronic neck muscle pain as opposed to a general fitness routine.v
Five Specific Exercises to Target Chronic Neck Pain
Five specific strength exercises target the neck and shoulder muscles involved in causing chronic neck pain. Both studies mentioned above involved the same five exercises using hand weights, and detailed explanations of how to perform each exercise are provided by the National Research Centre for the Working Environment:vi
Dumbbell shrug
Stand upright with the hand weights at the side of your body. In one even motion, lift your shoulders up towards your ears and lower them again slowly. At the same time, try to relax your jaw and neck.
One-arm row
Stand with one knee on the bench and lean on the same-side hand on the front of the bench. With the free arm you pull the weight up towards your lower chest. When the weight touches your chest, lower it in a controlled motion.
Upright row
Stand upright with your arms stretched and the hand weights in front of your body. Lift the weights in a straight line as close to your body as possible, until they reach the middle of your chest and your elbows point up and out. During the whole exercise, the hand weights should be placed lower than the elbows.
Reverse fly
Lie down on a bench in a 45° forward bent angle with the hand weights hanging towards the floor. Lift the weights outward and upward until they are horizontal, and then lower the weights in one controlled motion. During the exercise, the elbows should be slightly bent.
Lateral raise / shoulder abduction
Stand upright with the hand weights at the side of your body. Lift the weights outward and upward until they are horizontal, and then lower the weights in one controlled motion. During the exercise, the elbows should be slightly bent.
The researchers recommended performing the exercises three times per week (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) and alternating between exercises 1, 2, and 5 on one day, and exercises 1, 3, and 4 the next. When starting out, perform 2 sets of each exercise with 8-12 repetitions for each set. Increase at your own pace to 3 sets for each. Depending on the exercise and your current muscle strength, the recommended beginner's weight is between 6-12 lbs.
As a general rule of thumb, increase the weight as soon as you can comfortably execute all three sets. As a guideline, the participants in the study roughly doubled the weight used in 10 weeks. After approximately four weeks, you can reduce the number of repetitions of the last sets in order to increase the weight.
The Benefits of Chiropractic Care and Other Alternative Treatments for Neck Pain
Seeing a qualified chiropractor is another wise option if you suffer from chronic pain. I am an avid believer in the chiropractic philosophy, which places a strong emphasis on your body's innate healing wisdom and far less reliance on Band-Aids like drugs and surgery. Chiropractic, osteopathic, and naturopathic physicians receive extensive training in the management of musculoskeletal disorders during their course of graduate healthcare training, which typically lasts from 4-6 years.
Due to their comprehensive training in musculoskeletal management, numerous sources of evidence have shown that chiropractic management is much safer and often more effective than allopathic medical treatments, particularly for back and neck pain. In addition, researchers have also found that chiropractic adjustments affect our bodies on a deep cellular level.
What that means is that chiropractic care may affect the basic physiological processes that influence oxidative stress and DNA repair, so in addition to addressing any immediate spinal misalignment that might cause pain, it can also address deeper dysfunction in your body.
As many of you know I am an osteopathic physician. DOs, like chiropractors, also receive extensive additional training in spinal adjustments and may also be a good option for you. However, in my experience, only a small percentage of DOs are skilled in this area as they have chosen a more conventional allopathic model. So if you see a DO for this make sure they provide this service.
Overall, the important point to remember is that there are many other options for treating chronic pain than drugs. For instance, therapeutic massage has been found to offer clinically significant improvement in function and symptoms for those with neck pain,vii while a variety of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments (including acupuncture, massage, spinal manipulation, and mobilization) were deemed to be significantly more efficacious than no treatment, placebo, physical therapy, or usual care in reducing pain immediately or at short-term after treatment for those with neck or low-back pain.viii
So you have options when it comes to dealing with your pain, and there is good reason to explore them before you opt for medicated relief. Additionally, many massage and physical therapists can provide effective alternatives.
Pain Medications are Risky at Best
Millions of Americans depend on anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain, but the drugs are among the most dangerous on the market. Aside from significantly increasing your heart risks (such as a two to fourfold increase in the risk of heart attacks, stroke or cardiovascular death), NSAIDs are linked to serious gastrointestinal risks like bleeding of the digestive tract, increased blood pressure and kidney problems. Remember, this applies not only to prescription medications like Celebrex but also to over-the-counter drugs like aspirin, Advil and Motrin.
It's very difficult to find a drug-based method of pain relief that is not saddled with severe side effects. The FDA has even recently limited the amount of acetaminophen allowed in prescription products and added a boxed warning due to liver toxicity concerns. Acetaminophen is actually the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States.
As for the opioid painkillers like OxyContin, they are among the most commonly abused prescription drugs and are a leading contributor to the rising rates of fatal prescription drug overdoses. Many become addicted after using them to treat conditions like back or neck pain.
But no matter what type of painkiller you choose, the bottom line to remember is that they do not come without risks! Unfortunately, if you visit your conventional physician with chronic pain, a long-term treatment plan will typically include a drug-combination approach, using anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-seizure medications, muscle relaxants and possibly other types of pain medication as well. In other words, the answer for pain relief is drugs, drugs and more drugs -- each one raising your risk of suffering potentially lethal side effects. Is there a better way?
More Natural Solutions for Neck (and Other Types of) Pain
In the case of neck pain, the underlying cause is often related to body mechanics, meaning your posture or muscle balance is off kilter. Addressing your posture (or other factors that may be contributing to the strain, such as sleeping in an awkward position) and treating the condition with exercises is often effective at relieving the pain and addressing the underlying cause. If you have chronic pain of any kind, please understand that there are many safe and effective alternatives to prescription and over-the-counter painkillers, though they may require some patience.
Among the best are:
Start taking a high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fat like krill oil. Omega-3 fats are precursors to mediators of inflammation called prostaglandins. (In fact, that is how anti-inflammatory painkillers work, they positively influence prostaglandins.) The omega-3 fats EPA and DHA contained in krill oil have also been found in many animal and clinical studies to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Eliminate or radically reduce most grains and sugars (including fructose) from your diet. Avoiding grains and sugars will lower your insulin and leptin levels. Elevated insulin and leptin levels are one of the most profound stimulators of inflammatory prostaglandin production. That is why eliminating sugar and grains is so important to controlling your pain.
Optimize your production of vitamin D by getting regular, appropriate sun exposure, which will work through a variety of different mechanisms to reduce your pain.
In the meantime, you don't need to suffer unnecessarily. Following are options that provide excellent pain relief without any of the health hazards that pain medications often carry.
Astaxanthin: One of the most effective oil-soluble antioxidants known. It has very potent anti-inflammatory properties and in many cases works far more effectively than NSAIDs. Higher doses are typically required and one may need 8 mg or more per day to achieve this benefit.
Ginger: This herb is anti-inflammatory and offers pain relief and stomach-settling properties. Fresh ginger works well steeped in boiling water as a tea or grated into vegetable juice.
Curcumin: Curcumin is the primary therapeutic compound identified in the spice turmeric. In a study of osteoarthritis patients, those who added 200 mg of curcumin a day to their treatment plan had reduced pain and increased mobility. In fact, curcumin has been shown in over 50 clinical studies to have potent anti-inflammatory activity, as well as demonstrating the ability in four studies to reduce Tylenol-associated adverse health effects.
Boswellia: Also known as boswellin or "Indian frankincense," this herb contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties, which have been prized for thousands of years. This is one of my personal favorites as I have seen it work well with many rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Bromelain: This protein-digesting enzyme, found in pineapples, is a natural anti-inflammatory. It can be taken in supplement form, but eating fresh pineapple may also be helpful. Keep in mind that most of the bromelain is found within the core of the pineapple, so consider leaving a little of the pulpy core intact when you consume the fruit.
Cetyl Myristoleate (CMO): This oil, found in fish and dairy butter, acts as a "joint lubricant" and an anti-inflammatory. I have used a topical preparation for myself to relieve ganglion cysts and a mild annoying carpal tunnel syndrome that pops up when I type too much on non-ergonomic keyboards.
Evening Primrose, Black Currant and Borage Oils: These contain the fatty acid gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which is useful for treating arthritic pain.
Cayenne Cream: Also called capsaicin cream, this spice comes from dried hot peppers. It alleviates pain by depleting the body's supply of substance P, a chemical component of nerve cells that transmits pain signals to your brain.
Therapeutic modalities such as yoga, acupuncture, meditation, hot and cold packs, and even holding hands can also result in astonishing pain relief without any drugs.
References:
i American Pain Foundation, Pain Facts & Stats (PDF)
ii Annals of Internal Medicine January 3, 2012 vol. 156 no. 1 Part 1 1-10
iii Physical Therapy April 2007 vol. 87 no. 4 408-417
iv J Appl Physiol. 2009 Nov;107(5):1413-9.
v Arthritis & Rheumatism Vol. 59, No. 1, January 15, 2008, pp 84–91
vi National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Rehabilitation of Neck/Shoulder Muscle Pain
vii Clinical Journal of Pain. 2009;25(3):233–238.
viii Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:953139.
Source: ABC News January 4, 2012
Related Links:
Exercises That Can Reduce Neck and Shoulder Pain
Alert: These Over-The-Counter Drugs Double the Risk of Miscarriage
How to Prevent Lower Back Pain
Medication is typically not the best option for treating neck pain. According to a new study, those who used a chiropractor or exercise were more than twice as likely to be pain free compared to those who took medication.
Exercise often leads to improved posture, range of motion and functionality of the body which may help treat the underlying source of pain, as well as help prevent chronic neck pain from developing in the first place.
Due to their comprehensive training in musculoskeletal management, numerous sources of evidence have shown that chiropractic management is much safer and often more effective than allopathic medical treatments, particularly for back and neck pain.
There is good reason to explore the many natural options available for relieving and healing pain before opting for medicated relief, as drugs carry a significant risk for side effects.
By Dr. Mercola
Chronic pain is an exceedingly common condition impacting an estimated 76.5 million Americans, one-third of whom describe their pain as severe and "disabling".i
Among them, many suffer from neck pain, which is the third most common type of pain according to the American Pain Foundation.
It is estimated that 70 percent of people will experience neck pain at some point in their lives but research into effective treatments is surprisingly limited.ii
If you visit a conventional physician for pain, there's a very good chance you'll leave with a prescription for a medication,as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen (Tylenol) and even opioids (OxyContin, Vicodin, etc.) are the go-to treatment for pain in the modern medical world.
However, there are better options than drugs for neck pain, not only in terms of pain relief, but also in helping to treat the underlying cause of the pain so that healing can truly occur.
New Study Shows Exercises and Chiropractic Care Beat Drugs for Neck Pain
According to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and funded by the National Institutes of Health, medication is not the best option for treating neck pain.
After following 272 neck-pain patients for 12 weeks, those who used a chiropractor or exercise were more than twice as likely to be pain free compared to those who took medication.
Specifically:
32 percent who received chiropractic care became pain free
30 percent of those who exercised became pain free
13 percent of those treated with medication became pain free
Researchers concluded:
"For participants with acute and subacute neck pain, SMT [spinal manipulation therapy] was more effective than medication in both the short and long term. However, a few instructional sessions of HEA [home exercise with advice] resulted in similar outcomes at most time points."
Why Exercise is Essential if You Have Neck Pain
Because exercise often leads to improved posture, range of motion and functionality of your body, it can help treat the underlying source of your pain as well as help prevent chronic neck pain from developing in the first place. Exercise helps prevent and relieve pain through a number of mechanisms including strengthening key supportive muscles and restoring flexibility.
Not surprisingly, repetitive strain injuries have become increasingly common as so many people spend most of their work days sitting in front of computers. Computer work is associated with neck pain specifically originating from the trapezius muscle, also referred to as trapezius myalgia, and many types of neck pain can be traced back to poor posture at work or during your commute.
It's a vicious cycle as poor sitting posture leads to neck pain and once neck pain develops, it can make your posture even worse. For instance, one study showed people with chronic neck pain demonstrate a reduced ability to maintain an upright posture when distracted.iii
The same study further revealed, however, that after following a specific exercise program, people with neck pain had an improved ability to maintain a neutral cervical posture during prolonged sitting, which suggests it may help break the poor posture/neck pain cycle. Other research has similarly shown that exercise is incredibly beneficial for treating neck pain including:
Research in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that repetitive strain injury caused by office work can be reduced using certain strength training exercises.iv
A study published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism showed that strength training targeting the neck and shoulder muscles is the most beneficial treatment for women with chronic neck muscle pain as opposed to a general fitness routine.v
Five Specific Exercises to Target Chronic Neck Pain
Five specific strength exercises target the neck and shoulder muscles involved in causing chronic neck pain. Both studies mentioned above involved the same five exercises using hand weights, and detailed explanations of how to perform each exercise are provided by the National Research Centre for the Working Environment:vi
Dumbbell shrug
Stand upright with the hand weights at the side of your body. In one even motion, lift your shoulders up towards your ears and lower them again slowly. At the same time, try to relax your jaw and neck.
One-arm row
Stand with one knee on the bench and lean on the same-side hand on the front of the bench. With the free arm you pull the weight up towards your lower chest. When the weight touches your chest, lower it in a controlled motion.
Upright row
Stand upright with your arms stretched and the hand weights in front of your body. Lift the weights in a straight line as close to your body as possible, until they reach the middle of your chest and your elbows point up and out. During the whole exercise, the hand weights should be placed lower than the elbows.
Reverse fly
Lie down on a bench in a 45° forward bent angle with the hand weights hanging towards the floor. Lift the weights outward and upward until they are horizontal, and then lower the weights in one controlled motion. During the exercise, the elbows should be slightly bent.
Lateral raise / shoulder abduction
Stand upright with the hand weights at the side of your body. Lift the weights outward and upward until they are horizontal, and then lower the weights in one controlled motion. During the exercise, the elbows should be slightly bent.
The researchers recommended performing the exercises three times per week (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) and alternating between exercises 1, 2, and 5 on one day, and exercises 1, 3, and 4 the next. When starting out, perform 2 sets of each exercise with 8-12 repetitions for each set. Increase at your own pace to 3 sets for each. Depending on the exercise and your current muscle strength, the recommended beginner's weight is between 6-12 lbs.
As a general rule of thumb, increase the weight as soon as you can comfortably execute all three sets. As a guideline, the participants in the study roughly doubled the weight used in 10 weeks. After approximately four weeks, you can reduce the number of repetitions of the last sets in order to increase the weight.
The Benefits of Chiropractic Care and Other Alternative Treatments for Neck Pain
Seeing a qualified chiropractor is another wise option if you suffer from chronic pain. I am an avid believer in the chiropractic philosophy, which places a strong emphasis on your body's innate healing wisdom and far less reliance on Band-Aids like drugs and surgery. Chiropractic, osteopathic, and naturopathic physicians receive extensive training in the management of musculoskeletal disorders during their course of graduate healthcare training, which typically lasts from 4-6 years.
Due to their comprehensive training in musculoskeletal management, numerous sources of evidence have shown that chiropractic management is much safer and often more effective than allopathic medical treatments, particularly for back and neck pain. In addition, researchers have also found that chiropractic adjustments affect our bodies on a deep cellular level.
What that means is that chiropractic care may affect the basic physiological processes that influence oxidative stress and DNA repair, so in addition to addressing any immediate spinal misalignment that might cause pain, it can also address deeper dysfunction in your body.
As many of you know I am an osteopathic physician. DOs, like chiropractors, also receive extensive additional training in spinal adjustments and may also be a good option for you. However, in my experience, only a small percentage of DOs are skilled in this area as they have chosen a more conventional allopathic model. So if you see a DO for this make sure they provide this service.
Overall, the important point to remember is that there are many other options for treating chronic pain than drugs. For instance, therapeutic massage has been found to offer clinically significant improvement in function and symptoms for those with neck pain,vii while a variety of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments (including acupuncture, massage, spinal manipulation, and mobilization) were deemed to be significantly more efficacious than no treatment, placebo, physical therapy, or usual care in reducing pain immediately or at short-term after treatment for those with neck or low-back pain.viii
So you have options when it comes to dealing with your pain, and there is good reason to explore them before you opt for medicated relief. Additionally, many massage and physical therapists can provide effective alternatives.
Pain Medications are Risky at Best
Millions of Americans depend on anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain, but the drugs are among the most dangerous on the market. Aside from significantly increasing your heart risks (such as a two to fourfold increase in the risk of heart attacks, stroke or cardiovascular death), NSAIDs are linked to serious gastrointestinal risks like bleeding of the digestive tract, increased blood pressure and kidney problems. Remember, this applies not only to prescription medications like Celebrex but also to over-the-counter drugs like aspirin, Advil and Motrin.
It's very difficult to find a drug-based method of pain relief that is not saddled with severe side effects. The FDA has even recently limited the amount of acetaminophen allowed in prescription products and added a boxed warning due to liver toxicity concerns. Acetaminophen is actually the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States.
As for the opioid painkillers like OxyContin, they are among the most commonly abused prescription drugs and are a leading contributor to the rising rates of fatal prescription drug overdoses. Many become addicted after using them to treat conditions like back or neck pain.
But no matter what type of painkiller you choose, the bottom line to remember is that they do not come without risks! Unfortunately, if you visit your conventional physician with chronic pain, a long-term treatment plan will typically include a drug-combination approach, using anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-seizure medications, muscle relaxants and possibly other types of pain medication as well. In other words, the answer for pain relief is drugs, drugs and more drugs -- each one raising your risk of suffering potentially lethal side effects. Is there a better way?
More Natural Solutions for Neck (and Other Types of) Pain
In the case of neck pain, the underlying cause is often related to body mechanics, meaning your posture or muscle balance is off kilter. Addressing your posture (or other factors that may be contributing to the strain, such as sleeping in an awkward position) and treating the condition with exercises is often effective at relieving the pain and addressing the underlying cause. If you have chronic pain of any kind, please understand that there are many safe and effective alternatives to prescription and over-the-counter painkillers, though they may require some patience.
Among the best are:
Start taking a high-quality, animal-based omega-3 fat like krill oil. Omega-3 fats are precursors to mediators of inflammation called prostaglandins. (In fact, that is how anti-inflammatory painkillers work, they positively influence prostaglandins.) The omega-3 fats EPA and DHA contained in krill oil have also been found in many animal and clinical studies to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Eliminate or radically reduce most grains and sugars (including fructose) from your diet. Avoiding grains and sugars will lower your insulin and leptin levels. Elevated insulin and leptin levels are one of the most profound stimulators of inflammatory prostaglandin production. That is why eliminating sugar and grains is so important to controlling your pain.
Optimize your production of vitamin D by getting regular, appropriate sun exposure, which will work through a variety of different mechanisms to reduce your pain.
In the meantime, you don't need to suffer unnecessarily. Following are options that provide excellent pain relief without any of the health hazards that pain medications often carry.
Astaxanthin: One of the most effective oil-soluble antioxidants known. It has very potent anti-inflammatory properties and in many cases works far more effectively than NSAIDs. Higher doses are typically required and one may need 8 mg or more per day to achieve this benefit.
Ginger: This herb is anti-inflammatory and offers pain relief and stomach-settling properties. Fresh ginger works well steeped in boiling water as a tea or grated into vegetable juice.
Curcumin: Curcumin is the primary therapeutic compound identified in the spice turmeric. In a study of osteoarthritis patients, those who added 200 mg of curcumin a day to their treatment plan had reduced pain and increased mobility. In fact, curcumin has been shown in over 50 clinical studies to have potent anti-inflammatory activity, as well as demonstrating the ability in four studies to reduce Tylenol-associated adverse health effects.
Boswellia: Also known as boswellin or "Indian frankincense," this herb contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties, which have been prized for thousands of years. This is one of my personal favorites as I have seen it work well with many rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Bromelain: This protein-digesting enzyme, found in pineapples, is a natural anti-inflammatory. It can be taken in supplement form, but eating fresh pineapple may also be helpful. Keep in mind that most of the bromelain is found within the core of the pineapple, so consider leaving a little of the pulpy core intact when you consume the fruit.
Cetyl Myristoleate (CMO): This oil, found in fish and dairy butter, acts as a "joint lubricant" and an anti-inflammatory. I have used a topical preparation for myself to relieve ganglion cysts and a mild annoying carpal tunnel syndrome that pops up when I type too much on non-ergonomic keyboards.
Evening Primrose, Black Currant and Borage Oils: These contain the fatty acid gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which is useful for treating arthritic pain.
Cayenne Cream: Also called capsaicin cream, this spice comes from dried hot peppers. It alleviates pain by depleting the body's supply of substance P, a chemical component of nerve cells that transmits pain signals to your brain.
Therapeutic modalities such as yoga, acupuncture, meditation, hot and cold packs, and even holding hands can also result in astonishing pain relief without any drugs.
References:
i American Pain Foundation, Pain Facts & Stats (PDF)
ii Annals of Internal Medicine January 3, 2012 vol. 156 no. 1 Part 1 1-10
iii Physical Therapy April 2007 vol. 87 no. 4 408-417
iv J Appl Physiol. 2009 Nov;107(5):1413-9.
v Arthritis & Rheumatism Vol. 59, No. 1, January 15, 2008, pp 84–91
vi National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Rehabilitation of Neck/Shoulder Muscle Pain
vii Clinical Journal of Pain. 2009;25(3):233–238.
viii Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:953139.
Source: ABC News January 4, 2012
Related Links:
Exercises That Can Reduce Neck and Shoulder Pain
Alert: These Over-The-Counter Drugs Double the Risk of Miscarriage
How to Prevent Lower Back Pain
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Why We Need to Defend Vaccine Exemptions
Posted By Dr. Mercola |
The Colorado Board of Health has been holding hearings on whether or not to adopt a new rule that would mandate healthcare workers get an annual flu vaccine, with NO religious or conscientious/philosophical belief exemptions. A federal vaccine advisory committee has already voted to encourage hospitals and medical facilities to force health care workers to get an annual flu shot as a condition of employment.
According to the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), there’s been an increase of reports of harassment in the past two years - not only from parents being coerced and “fired” by pediatricians if they decline one or more vaccines for their children - but also from health professionals. More health care workers are reporting being threatened and fired from their jobs for declining influenza vaccination, even in cases where they’ve suffered side effects from previous flu shots or other vaccinations or have health conditions that could get worse if they are forced to get vaccinated
Knowing your rights and your options for legally opting-out of vaccinations is crucial. Your doctor is legally obligated to provide the CDC Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) that describes vaccine reaction symptoms and discloses the potential side effects of federally recommended and state mandated vaccines you or your child is about to receive. If doctors don’t give you a VIS to read BEFORE you or your child get vaccinated, they are breaking US federal law
A Canadian couple is now suing three doctors and a clinic for failure to disclose the side effects associated with the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, claiming they were never told of any potential side effects. Their 14-year old daughter, Annabelle, died two weeks after receiving her second dose
By Dr. Mercola
All across the United States, people are fighting for their right not to be injected with vaccines against their will.
Currently, the Colorado Board of Health has been holding hearings on whether or not to adopt a new rule that would mandate healthcare workers get an annual flu vaccine -- with NO religious or personal exemption, while a federal vaccine advisory committee has recently voted to encourage hospitals and medical facilities to require health care workers get an annual flu shot as a condition of employment.
Other states are faring a bit better.
In New Jersey, Governor Christie recently pocket vetoed a bill that would mandate flu vaccine for the state's health care workers. (When a bill is "pocket vetoed" it is not returned to the legislature for a possible vote to override the veto.)
And in West Virginia, where residents can currently only obtain a medical exemption for vaccination, a new bill has been introduced that could expand exemptions to religious and conscientious reasons.
Parents in Kansas are also fighting for more vaccine exemption rights, along with those in Florida and Mississippi.
This is good news.
But in the state of Vermont, there are bills in the House and Senate to strip the right to exercise a philosophical exemption to vaccination from state public health laws.
Parents are opposing the legislation that is being supported by state public health officials and medical trade associations.
In Arizona, public health officials and medical trade groups are pushing bills to require doctors to sign off on religious and philosophical exemptions to vaccination, which is similar to a law that passed in Washington state last year..
At present, all but two states (West Virginia and Mississippi) allow religious exemption to vaccination.
In the video above, Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), discusses this important exemption, and why it's so vital we defend our right to opt out of vaccinations for medical-, religious-, or conscientious belief reasons.
All Americans need to know their options for legally opting-out of vaccinations, and you also need to know why it's so important to protect this legal option, whether you choose to use every federally recommended vaccine for yourself and your children or not.
Forced Vaccinations for Health Care Workers—A Real Threat to Health and Liberty
The right to make an informed, voluntary vaccination choice for yourself (or your child) should be an inalienable human right because it involves taking a risk with a pharmaceutical product that could cause harm or even death. There is no guarantee that taking a vaccine (or any other drug) will not cause a complication and lead to serious injury. Yet we've seen time and again how government tries to take away our human right to say 'aye' or 'nay' to potentially hazardous medical interventions like vaccination.
In response to the proposed federal recommendations for flu shot mandates for health care workers[i], the NVIC sent a public comment to the National Vaccine Program Office, US Dept. of Health and Human Services[ii] stating in part:
"The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) has historic standing in representing the vaccine injured and vaccine consumers concerned about vaccine safety and the critical need to protect the legal right to informed consent to vaccination in America. NVIC co-founders worked with Congress to insert
vaccine safety and informed consent provisions in the historic National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.
... NVIC does not advocate for or against the use of vaccines but defends the human right to exercise informed consent to medical risk-taking, including the right for everyone to have access to full information about infectious diseases and vaccines and the freedom to make voluntary decisions about vaccination.
Vaccines are pharmaceutical products that carry a risk of injury or death, which can be greater for some than others.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a landmark report in 2011, Adverse Effects of Vaccines: Evidence and Causality, and acknowledged increased susceptibility for individuals, who have unidentified genetic or other biological high risk factors for adverse responses to vaccination that can lead to permanent injury or death. In addition, out of the 27 adverse events reported to be associated with influenza vaccination, for which the IOM committee reviewed evidence in the medical literature to try to determine causation, the committee was unable to make a determination for 23 of the 27 adverse events because there was either an absence of studies or the studies were not methodologically sound enough to prove or disprove causation.
Therefore, a mandatory, one-size-fits all approach to vaccination punishes those at greater genetic and biological risk for suffering harm from vaccines.
Mandatory vaccination policies without exemptions also penalize those holding religious or conscientious belief objections to vaccination. It is unfair, irresponsible and unethical for employers to force health care workers to choose between their health, their deeply held spiritual or conscientious beliefs or their job. In the past two years, we have seen an increase in the number of harassment reports made by health professionals to NVIC. They are reporting they are being threatened and fired from their jobs for declining influenza vaccination even though
(1) they have already suffered previous vaccine reactions that their employers refuse to recognize as serious enough to qualify for a medical exemption because those reactions to not adhere to strict CDC contraindication guidelines; or
(2) they have a personal or family history of severe allergies, vaccine reactions, autoimmune or neurological disorders that employers reject as qualifiers for a medical exemption because the CDC does not list those medical conditions as a reason to defer vaccination; or
(3) they have deeply held spiritual or conscientious beliefs that oppose vaccination but the employer refuses to grant an exemption because the health care worker does not belong to an organized religion or church with a tenet opposing vaccination, which is a violation of constitutional rights.
As a result, these health care professionals – some of them with decades of experience on the front lines caring for patients – find themselves on the street with no job or income during these hard economic times. This should not be allowed to happen in America."
OSHA Opposes Mandatory Flu Shots
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has also issued a statement opposing mandatory flu shots for health care workers without exemptions, stating[iii]:
"While we are supportive of the Healthy People 2020 goal of a 90 percent vaccination rate, we have seen no evidence that demonstrates that such a high rate is in fact necessary. Furthermore, the current influenza vaccine is no magic bullet.
The current state of influenza vaccine technology requires annual reformulation and revaccination and the efficacy is quite variable. Every year there are numerous circulating strains of influenza that are not included in the vaccine. In years where the antigenic match is good, the vaccine only provides protection against the 3 strains in the formulation. In years when the antigenic match is poor, the vaccine may provide no protection at all.
The limits of current influenza vaccine technology are especially problematic in the context of a mandatory influenza vaccination program that results in job loss. Lastly, reliance on a mandatory influenza vaccination policy may provide healthcare workers, health care facility management and patients with an unwarranted sense of security and result in poor adherence to other infection control practices that prevent all types of infections, not just influenza. Influenza vaccination has always been just one part of a comprehensive multi-layered infection control program."
Understand the Risks You Take Before You Take Them...
If you want a clear illustration of what could happen to you or someone you love, should the seasonal flu vaccine become mandated for all health care workers without exemptions, take a look at this video profile of a former professor of nursing, who was left completely disabled after a seasonal flu shot. This is a risk every single health care worker would have to take in order to keep their job, should this federal recommendation go through...
Is that really reasonable?
Is Your Doctor Breaking the Law?
The seasonal flu vaccine is not the only vaccine the US government is trying to mandate. The HPV vaccine is another, and it has been associated with many reports of serious injuries and deaths, just like the flu vaccine. In September of last year, California passed bill AB499[iv], permitting minor children as young as 12 years old to be vaccinated with sexually transmitted disease vaccines like Gardasil without parental knowledge or parental consent.
This could be a disaster in the making... Informed consent is especially important when it comes to vaccination because no one can predict whether your child will be one of the children who has a devastating vaccine reaction, such as brain inflammation, paralysis, immune dysregulation, permanent brain damage, or even death. Furthermore, doctors have been notoriously lax when it comes to providing patients with full disclosure of potential side effects. And even if they did inform minor children of vaccine risks, are pre-adolescent children really cognitively and emotionally mature enough to understand them and fully weigh the risks and benefits appropriately? And what about the minor child, who is given one or more vaccines without the knowledge of a parent, and suffers a serious vaccine reaction but the parent, who has been kept in the dark, doesn't even know what is happening?
Lack of disclosure is now coming back to bite at least three Canadian doctors, who are being sued by the parents of a 14-year old girl, Annabelle, who died following her second Gardasil shot[v].
Linda Morin, Annabelle's mother, claims she was not informed by anyone of the side-effects linked to Gardasil, and that the doctors were negligent in their treatment of her daughter, as she suffered apparent side effects of the vaccine right after her initial dose. The symptoms: vomiting, confusion, incoherence and inability to speak or walk, was simply dismissed as a migraine attack. Two weeks after her second inoculation, Annabelle was found dead in the bathtub...
All Americans should know that if your doctor does not provide the CDC Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) sheet, or directly discuss the potential symptoms of side effects of the vaccination you or your child is about to receive BEFORE vaccination takes place, it is a violation of federal law.
You have a right to know!
In addition, the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 requires doctors and other vaccine providers to:
Keep a permanent record of all vaccines given and the manufacturer's name and lot number
Write down serious health problems, hospitalizations, injuries and deaths that occur after vaccination in the patient's permanent medical record
File an official report of all serious health problems, hospitalizations, injuries and deaths following vaccination to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS)
If a vaccine provider fails to inform, record or report, it is a violation of federal law.
Together We Can Change this Assault on Your Health Liberty
Non-medical exemptions to vaccination, including the religious and conscientious belief exemptions, are necessary because one-size-fits-all vaccine mandates, such as the one currently being proposed for health care workers violate the ethical principle of voluntary informed consent to medical risk-taking, which is a human right. Ultimately, our goal is to change the health paradigm so that everyone has the unobstructed freedom and legal right to make informed, voluntary choices about medical procedures, pharmaceutical product use and options for healing and staying well.
What You Can Do to Make a Difference
While it seems "old-fashioned," the only truly effective actions you can take to protect the right to informed consent to vaccination and expand vaccine exemptions, is to get personally involved with your state legislators and the leaders in your community.
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY.
Mass vaccination policies are made at the federal level but vaccine laws are made at the state level, and it is at the state level where your action to protect your vaccine choice rights can have the greatest impact.
Signing up to be a user of NVIC's free online Advocacy Portal at www.NVICAdvocacy.org gives you access to practical information to help you become an effective vaccine choice advocate in your own community. When national vaccine issues come up, you will have the latest information and call to action items you need at your fingertips to make sure your voice is heard.
With one click of a mouse on your computer or touch on your i-phone screen, you can be in touch with YOUR state legislator IMMEDIATELY when NVIC emails you an Action Alert about threats to vaccine exemptions and choices in your state. So please, as your first step, sign up for the NVIC Advocacy Portal.
Contact Your Elected Officials
NVIC will help educate you about how to write or email your elected state representatives and share your concerns. You might even want to call them, or better yet, make an appointment to visit them in person in their office. Don't let them forget you!
It is so important for you to reach out and make sure your concerns get on the radar screen of the leaders and opinion makers in your community, especially the politicians you elect and are directly involved in making vaccine laws in your state. These are your elected representatives, so you have a right and a responsibility to let them know what's really happening in your life and the lives of people you know when it comes to vaccine mandates. Be sure to share the "real life" experiences that you or people you know have had with vaccination.
Internet Resources Where You Can Learn More
I also encourage you to visit the following web pages on the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) website at www.NVIC.org:
NVIC Memorial for Vaccine Victims: View descriptions and photos of children and adults, who have suffered vaccine reactions, injuries and deaths. If you or your child experiences an adverse vaccine event, please consider posting and sharing your story here.
If You Vaccinate, Ask 8 Questions: Learn how to recognize vaccine reaction symptoms and prevent vaccine injuries.
Vaccine Freedom Wall: View or post descriptions of harassment by doctors or government officials for making independent vaccine choices.
Connect with Your Doctor or Find a New One that Will Listen and Care
If your pediatrician or doctor refuses to provide medical care to you or your child unless you agree to get vaccines you don't want, I strongly encourage you to have the courage to find another doctor. Harassment, intimidation, and refusal of medical care for making independent vaccine choices is becoming the modus operandi of the medical establishment. Never stay in an abusive doctor/patient relationship.
If you are treated with disrespect or are harassed in any way by a doctor (or government official), do not engage in an unproductive argument. You may want to contact an attorney, your elected state representatives or local media if you or your child are threatened.
However, there is hope.
At least 15 percent of young doctors recently polled admit that they're starting to adopt a more individualized approach to vaccinations in direct response to the vaccine safety concerns of parents. It is good news that there is a growing number of smart young doctors, who prefer to work as partners with parents in making personalized vaccine decisions for children, including delaying vaccinations or giving children fewer vaccines on the same day or continuing to provide medical care for those families, who decline use of one or more vaccines.
So take the time to locate a doctor, who treats you with compassion and respect and is willing to work with you to do what is right for your child.
REFERENCES:
[i] NVAC Adult Immunization Working Group, Health Care Personnel Influenza Vaccination Subgroup, Recommendations on Strategies to Achieve the Healthy People 2020 Annual
Goal of 90% Influenza Vaccine Coverage for Health Care Personnel, 15 December 2011
[ii] Re: Public Comment on Draft Recommendations of The Health Care Personnel Influenza Vaccination
Subgroup (HCPIVS) of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC),
[iii] OSHA position statement to NVAC, Certified minutes, Appendix B, page 25,
[iv] Assembly Bill
[v] Parents sue after Quebec teen dies following Gardasil vaccination, Lifesitenews.com February 2, 2012,
Source: National Vaccine Information Center January 26, 2012
Related Links:
Using the First Amendment to Opt Out of This Potentially Damaging Procedure
A Parent's Horrid Nightmare: Coming Soon to YOUR State?
How Many More of these "Unavoidably Unsafe" Drugs Will Become Mandatory?
The Colorado Board of Health has been holding hearings on whether or not to adopt a new rule that would mandate healthcare workers get an annual flu vaccine, with NO religious or conscientious/philosophical belief exemptions. A federal vaccine advisory committee has already voted to encourage hospitals and medical facilities to force health care workers to get an annual flu shot as a condition of employment.
According to the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), there’s been an increase of reports of harassment in the past two years - not only from parents being coerced and “fired” by pediatricians if they decline one or more vaccines for their children - but also from health professionals. More health care workers are reporting being threatened and fired from their jobs for declining influenza vaccination, even in cases where they’ve suffered side effects from previous flu shots or other vaccinations or have health conditions that could get worse if they are forced to get vaccinated
Knowing your rights and your options for legally opting-out of vaccinations is crucial. Your doctor is legally obligated to provide the CDC Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) that describes vaccine reaction symptoms and discloses the potential side effects of federally recommended and state mandated vaccines you or your child is about to receive. If doctors don’t give you a VIS to read BEFORE you or your child get vaccinated, they are breaking US federal law
A Canadian couple is now suing three doctors and a clinic for failure to disclose the side effects associated with the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, claiming they were never told of any potential side effects. Their 14-year old daughter, Annabelle, died two weeks after receiving her second dose
By Dr. Mercola
All across the United States, people are fighting for their right not to be injected with vaccines against their will.
Currently, the Colorado Board of Health has been holding hearings on whether or not to adopt a new rule that would mandate healthcare workers get an annual flu vaccine -- with NO religious or personal exemption, while a federal vaccine advisory committee has recently voted to encourage hospitals and medical facilities to require health care workers get an annual flu shot as a condition of employment.
Other states are faring a bit better.
In New Jersey, Governor Christie recently pocket vetoed a bill that would mandate flu vaccine for the state's health care workers. (When a bill is "pocket vetoed" it is not returned to the legislature for a possible vote to override the veto.)
And in West Virginia, where residents can currently only obtain a medical exemption for vaccination, a new bill has been introduced that could expand exemptions to religious and conscientious reasons.
Parents in Kansas are also fighting for more vaccine exemption rights, along with those in Florida and Mississippi.
This is good news.
But in the state of Vermont, there are bills in the House and Senate to strip the right to exercise a philosophical exemption to vaccination from state public health laws.
Parents are opposing the legislation that is being supported by state public health officials and medical trade associations.
In Arizona, public health officials and medical trade groups are pushing bills to require doctors to sign off on religious and philosophical exemptions to vaccination, which is similar to a law that passed in Washington state last year..
At present, all but two states (West Virginia and Mississippi) allow religious exemption to vaccination.
In the video above, Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), discusses this important exemption, and why it's so vital we defend our right to opt out of vaccinations for medical-, religious-, or conscientious belief reasons.
All Americans need to know their options for legally opting-out of vaccinations, and you also need to know why it's so important to protect this legal option, whether you choose to use every federally recommended vaccine for yourself and your children or not.
Forced Vaccinations for Health Care Workers—A Real Threat to Health and Liberty
The right to make an informed, voluntary vaccination choice for yourself (or your child) should be an inalienable human right because it involves taking a risk with a pharmaceutical product that could cause harm or even death. There is no guarantee that taking a vaccine (or any other drug) will not cause a complication and lead to serious injury. Yet we've seen time and again how government tries to take away our human right to say 'aye' or 'nay' to potentially hazardous medical interventions like vaccination.
In response to the proposed federal recommendations for flu shot mandates for health care workers[i], the NVIC sent a public comment to the National Vaccine Program Office, US Dept. of Health and Human Services[ii] stating in part:
"The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) has historic standing in representing the vaccine injured and vaccine consumers concerned about vaccine safety and the critical need to protect the legal right to informed consent to vaccination in America. NVIC co-founders worked with Congress to insert
vaccine safety and informed consent provisions in the historic National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.
... NVIC does not advocate for or against the use of vaccines but defends the human right to exercise informed consent to medical risk-taking, including the right for everyone to have access to full information about infectious diseases and vaccines and the freedom to make voluntary decisions about vaccination.
Vaccines are pharmaceutical products that carry a risk of injury or death, which can be greater for some than others.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a landmark report in 2011, Adverse Effects of Vaccines: Evidence and Causality, and acknowledged increased susceptibility for individuals, who have unidentified genetic or other biological high risk factors for adverse responses to vaccination that can lead to permanent injury or death. In addition, out of the 27 adverse events reported to be associated with influenza vaccination, for which the IOM committee reviewed evidence in the medical literature to try to determine causation, the committee was unable to make a determination for 23 of the 27 adverse events because there was either an absence of studies or the studies were not methodologically sound enough to prove or disprove causation.
Therefore, a mandatory, one-size-fits all approach to vaccination punishes those at greater genetic and biological risk for suffering harm from vaccines.
Mandatory vaccination policies without exemptions also penalize those holding religious or conscientious belief objections to vaccination. It is unfair, irresponsible and unethical for employers to force health care workers to choose between their health, their deeply held spiritual or conscientious beliefs or their job. In the past two years, we have seen an increase in the number of harassment reports made by health professionals to NVIC. They are reporting they are being threatened and fired from their jobs for declining influenza vaccination even though
(1) they have already suffered previous vaccine reactions that their employers refuse to recognize as serious enough to qualify for a medical exemption because those reactions to not adhere to strict CDC contraindication guidelines; or
(2) they have a personal or family history of severe allergies, vaccine reactions, autoimmune or neurological disorders that employers reject as qualifiers for a medical exemption because the CDC does not list those medical conditions as a reason to defer vaccination; or
(3) they have deeply held spiritual or conscientious beliefs that oppose vaccination but the employer refuses to grant an exemption because the health care worker does not belong to an organized religion or church with a tenet opposing vaccination, which is a violation of constitutional rights.
As a result, these health care professionals – some of them with decades of experience on the front lines caring for patients – find themselves on the street with no job or income during these hard economic times. This should not be allowed to happen in America."
OSHA Opposes Mandatory Flu Shots
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has also issued a statement opposing mandatory flu shots for health care workers without exemptions, stating[iii]:
"While we are supportive of the Healthy People 2020 goal of a 90 percent vaccination rate, we have seen no evidence that demonstrates that such a high rate is in fact necessary. Furthermore, the current influenza vaccine is no magic bullet.
The current state of influenza vaccine technology requires annual reformulation and revaccination and the efficacy is quite variable. Every year there are numerous circulating strains of influenza that are not included in the vaccine. In years where the antigenic match is good, the vaccine only provides protection against the 3 strains in the formulation. In years when the antigenic match is poor, the vaccine may provide no protection at all.
The limits of current influenza vaccine technology are especially problematic in the context of a mandatory influenza vaccination program that results in job loss. Lastly, reliance on a mandatory influenza vaccination policy may provide healthcare workers, health care facility management and patients with an unwarranted sense of security and result in poor adherence to other infection control practices that prevent all types of infections, not just influenza. Influenza vaccination has always been just one part of a comprehensive multi-layered infection control program."
Understand the Risks You Take Before You Take Them...
If you want a clear illustration of what could happen to you or someone you love, should the seasonal flu vaccine become mandated for all health care workers without exemptions, take a look at this video profile of a former professor of nursing, who was left completely disabled after a seasonal flu shot. This is a risk every single health care worker would have to take in order to keep their job, should this federal recommendation go through...
Is that really reasonable?
Is Your Doctor Breaking the Law?
The seasonal flu vaccine is not the only vaccine the US government is trying to mandate. The HPV vaccine is another, and it has been associated with many reports of serious injuries and deaths, just like the flu vaccine. In September of last year, California passed bill AB499[iv], permitting minor children as young as 12 years old to be vaccinated with sexually transmitted disease vaccines like Gardasil without parental knowledge or parental consent.
This could be a disaster in the making... Informed consent is especially important when it comes to vaccination because no one can predict whether your child will be one of the children who has a devastating vaccine reaction, such as brain inflammation, paralysis, immune dysregulation, permanent brain damage, or even death. Furthermore, doctors have been notoriously lax when it comes to providing patients with full disclosure of potential side effects. And even if they did inform minor children of vaccine risks, are pre-adolescent children really cognitively and emotionally mature enough to understand them and fully weigh the risks and benefits appropriately? And what about the minor child, who is given one or more vaccines without the knowledge of a parent, and suffers a serious vaccine reaction but the parent, who has been kept in the dark, doesn't even know what is happening?
Lack of disclosure is now coming back to bite at least three Canadian doctors, who are being sued by the parents of a 14-year old girl, Annabelle, who died following her second Gardasil shot[v].
Linda Morin, Annabelle's mother, claims she was not informed by anyone of the side-effects linked to Gardasil, and that the doctors were negligent in their treatment of her daughter, as she suffered apparent side effects of the vaccine right after her initial dose. The symptoms: vomiting, confusion, incoherence and inability to speak or walk, was simply dismissed as a migraine attack. Two weeks after her second inoculation, Annabelle was found dead in the bathtub...
All Americans should know that if your doctor does not provide the CDC Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) sheet, or directly discuss the potential symptoms of side effects of the vaccination you or your child is about to receive BEFORE vaccination takes place, it is a violation of federal law.
You have a right to know!
In addition, the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 requires doctors and other vaccine providers to:
Keep a permanent record of all vaccines given and the manufacturer's name and lot number
Write down serious health problems, hospitalizations, injuries and deaths that occur after vaccination in the patient's permanent medical record
File an official report of all serious health problems, hospitalizations, injuries and deaths following vaccination to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS)
If a vaccine provider fails to inform, record or report, it is a violation of federal law.
Together We Can Change this Assault on Your Health Liberty
Non-medical exemptions to vaccination, including the religious and conscientious belief exemptions, are necessary because one-size-fits-all vaccine mandates, such as the one currently being proposed for health care workers violate the ethical principle of voluntary informed consent to medical risk-taking, which is a human right. Ultimately, our goal is to change the health paradigm so that everyone has the unobstructed freedom and legal right to make informed, voluntary choices about medical procedures, pharmaceutical product use and options for healing and staying well.
What You Can Do to Make a Difference
While it seems "old-fashioned," the only truly effective actions you can take to protect the right to informed consent to vaccination and expand vaccine exemptions, is to get personally involved with your state legislators and the leaders in your community.
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY.
Mass vaccination policies are made at the federal level but vaccine laws are made at the state level, and it is at the state level where your action to protect your vaccine choice rights can have the greatest impact.
Signing up to be a user of NVIC's free online Advocacy Portal at www.NVICAdvocacy.org gives you access to practical information to help you become an effective vaccine choice advocate in your own community. When national vaccine issues come up, you will have the latest information and call to action items you need at your fingertips to make sure your voice is heard.
With one click of a mouse on your computer or touch on your i-phone screen, you can be in touch with YOUR state legislator IMMEDIATELY when NVIC emails you an Action Alert about threats to vaccine exemptions and choices in your state. So please, as your first step, sign up for the NVIC Advocacy Portal.
Contact Your Elected Officials
NVIC will help educate you about how to write or email your elected state representatives and share your concerns. You might even want to call them, or better yet, make an appointment to visit them in person in their office. Don't let them forget you!
It is so important for you to reach out and make sure your concerns get on the radar screen of the leaders and opinion makers in your community, especially the politicians you elect and are directly involved in making vaccine laws in your state. These are your elected representatives, so you have a right and a responsibility to let them know what's really happening in your life and the lives of people you know when it comes to vaccine mandates. Be sure to share the "real life" experiences that you or people you know have had with vaccination.
Internet Resources Where You Can Learn More
I also encourage you to visit the following web pages on the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) website at www.NVIC.org:
NVIC Memorial for Vaccine Victims: View descriptions and photos of children and adults, who have suffered vaccine reactions, injuries and deaths. If you or your child experiences an adverse vaccine event, please consider posting and sharing your story here.
If You Vaccinate, Ask 8 Questions: Learn how to recognize vaccine reaction symptoms and prevent vaccine injuries.
Vaccine Freedom Wall: View or post descriptions of harassment by doctors or government officials for making independent vaccine choices.
Connect with Your Doctor or Find a New One that Will Listen and Care
If your pediatrician or doctor refuses to provide medical care to you or your child unless you agree to get vaccines you don't want, I strongly encourage you to have the courage to find another doctor. Harassment, intimidation, and refusal of medical care for making independent vaccine choices is becoming the modus operandi of the medical establishment. Never stay in an abusive doctor/patient relationship.
If you are treated with disrespect or are harassed in any way by a doctor (or government official), do not engage in an unproductive argument. You may want to contact an attorney, your elected state representatives or local media if you or your child are threatened.
However, there is hope.
At least 15 percent of young doctors recently polled admit that they're starting to adopt a more individualized approach to vaccinations in direct response to the vaccine safety concerns of parents. It is good news that there is a growing number of smart young doctors, who prefer to work as partners with parents in making personalized vaccine decisions for children, including delaying vaccinations or giving children fewer vaccines on the same day or continuing to provide medical care for those families, who decline use of one or more vaccines.
So take the time to locate a doctor, who treats you with compassion and respect and is willing to work with you to do what is right for your child.
REFERENCES:
[i] NVAC Adult Immunization Working Group, Health Care Personnel Influenza Vaccination Subgroup, Recommendations on Strategies to Achieve the Healthy People 2020 Annual
Goal of 90% Influenza Vaccine Coverage for Health Care Personnel, 15 December 2011
[ii] Re: Public Comment on Draft Recommendations of The Health Care Personnel Influenza Vaccination
Subgroup (HCPIVS) of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC),
[iii] OSHA position statement to NVAC, Certified minutes, Appendix B, page 25,
[iv] Assembly Bill
[v] Parents sue after Quebec teen dies following Gardasil vaccination, Lifesitenews.com February 2, 2012,
Source: National Vaccine Information Center January 26, 2012
Related Links:
Using the First Amendment to Opt Out of This Potentially Damaging Procedure
A Parent's Horrid Nightmare: Coming Soon to YOUR State?
How Many More of these "Unavoidably Unsafe" Drugs Will Become Mandatory?
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Thermography not Mamograhy
The Major Cause of Breast Cancer Almost Everyone Ignores
Posted By Dr. Mercola | February 14 2012
The FDA secretly monitored the personal e-mail of a group of agency whistleblowers for two years. All of the monitored employees worked in the office responsible for reviewing medical devices, including those for cancer screenings and were expressing concerns over several devices. Some of the employees were harassed and/or terminated, and six of them are now suing the agency
There’s a lot of compelling evidence that the dangers of mammography are being covered up, and that a Congressional hearing is well overdue
While roughly 15 percent of women in their 40’s detect breast cancer through mammography, many other women experience false positives, anxiety, and unnecessary biopsies as a result of the test, according to the data. In fact, a full decade ago, a Danish study published in The Lancet concluded that previous research showing a benefit of mammograms was flawed and that widespread mammogram screening is unjustified.
According to the Cochrane Collaboration, for every 2,000 women getting mammography screening over the course of 10 years, just ONE woman will have her life prolonged. Meanwhile, 10 healthy women, who would not have been diagnosed with cancer had it not been for the mammography screening, will be misdiagnosed as having breast cancer, and will be treated unnecessarily
By Dr. Mercola
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) secretly monitored the personal e-mail of nine whistleblowers—its own scientists and doctors—over the course of two years.
The monitored employees had warned Congress that the agency was approving medical devices that posed unacceptable risks to patients.
Six of the monitored scientists and doctors recently filed a lawsuit against the FDA, charging that the agency violated their constitutional rights to privacy by monitoring lawful activity in personal email accounts, and using that information to harass and ultimately relieve some of them of their positions.
According to the Washington Post1:
"All had worked in an office responsible for reviewing devices for cancer screening and other purposes.
Copies of the e-mails show that, starting in January 2009, the FDA intercepted communications with congressional staffers and draft versions of whistleblower complaints complete with editing notes in the margins.
The agency also took electronic snapshots of the computer desktops of the FDA employees and reviewed documents they saved on the hard drives of their government computers."
The FDA has declined to comment on the allegations, stating it does not comment on cases involved with litigation.
However, according to internal FDA documents obtained by the plaintiffs under the Freedom of Information Act, the agency had asked the Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) inspector general to conduct an investigation back in May 2010, stating suspicions that the plaintiffs had improperly disclosed confidential business information about the devices.
The HHS inspector general's office found no evidence of criminal conduct, stating the doctors and scientists had legal right to share their concerns with Congress and journalists.
Hence no investigation was launched. But the FDA was not satisfied.
On June 28 that same year, Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health wrote that, "We have obtained new information confirming the existence of information disclosures that undermine the integrity and mission of the FDA and, we believe, may be prohibited by law," and again requested action be taken against the employees in question. (Shuren is also the official who oversees mercury dental fillings, which they have been fraudulently referring to as 'silver fillings'. Shuren had promised to make an announcement about dental amalgam by the end of 2011. But with just six minutes left in the work year, at 4:54 pm on Friday, December 30, the FDA conceded that no announcement was forthcoming – not in 2011, and maybe not at all.)
After consulting with general prosecutors, the inspector general declined the second request for an investigation as well. Now the question is whether the agency monitored their employees within legal limits, and whether the purpose of the extensive monitoring was reasonable.
Senator Charles Grassley doesn't seem to think so, stating that:
"The FDA has a huge responsibility to protect public health and safety. It's hard to see how managers apparently thought it was a good use of time to shadow agency scientists and monitor their e-mail accounts for legally protected communications with Congress."
Systemic Corruption and Wrongdoing...
Although its roots go way further back, the current saga began in 2007, when the plaintiffs, all of whom worked for the FDA's Office of Device Evaluation, claim they began making internal complaints about a dozen radiological devices about to be approved despite lack of proof of effectiveness. The doctors and scientists were concerned that millions of patients would be put at risk. According to the featured article:
Three devices risked missing signs of breast cancer
One device risked falsely diagnosing osteoporosis
One ultrasound device could malfunction while monitoring pregnant women in labor
Several colon cancer screening devices employed such heavy doses of radiation that they risked causing cancer in otherwise healthy people
They also recommended against approval of a computer-aided imaging device for breast cancer screening a total of three times. But after the third rejection, a senior manager, Donna-Bea Tillman, suddenly approved the device in 2008. This and much more was detailed in a 2009 letter from an unknown number of FDA employees to President Obama's transition team.2,3 In that letter (in which all the signatures were blacked out due to fear of retaliation from the FDA), the authors clearly spell out the need for a complete overhaul of the agency due to deep-rooted systemic corruption at the highest levels.
They write:
"On January 7, 2009, FDA physicians and scientists wrote to Mr. John Podesta: Through this letter and your action, we hope that future FDA employees will not experience the same frustration and anxiety that we have experienced for more than a year at the hands of FDA managers because we are committed to public integrity and were willing to speak out.
Currently there is an atmosphere at FDA in which the honest employee fears the dishonest employee, and not the other way around. Disturbingly, the atmosphere does not yet exist at FDA where honest employees committed to integrity and the FDA mission can act without fear of reprisal. ... America urgently needs change at FDA because FDA is fundamentally broken, failing to fulfill its mission, and because re-establishing a proper and effectively functioning FDA is vital to the physical and economic health of the nation."
Remarkably, just two months later, Acting Commissioner Dr. Frank M. Torti and FDA attorneys sent an email to all FDA employees stating they "must comply with … obligations to keep certain information … confidential … [including] e-mail to and from employees within FDA [that document the] deliberative process." Furthermore, employees were told that "violation … can result in disciplinary sanctions and/or individual criminal liability."
A few days later, on March 24, 2009, Senator Grassley sent a letter to Dr. Torti stating that:
"Your memorandum … appears to run contrary to many statutes protecting executive branch communications with members of Congress… I am concerned with the timing of your memorandum, given some recent high profile matters concerning your Agency and the release of information that has shown failures in FDA's regulatory mission. [This] could be viewed … as an effort to chill and/or prevent FDA employees from exercising their rights under whistleblower protection laws."
Congressional Hearing on Mammography Cover-Up is Overdue
Folks, this is a major story, and it's about to get much bigger... There's loads of powerful and damning information out there that can, and will, be used to call for a congressional hearing on the mammography cover-up. Decades ago, in 1974, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) was warned by professor Malcolm C. Pike at the University of Southern California School of Medicine that a number of specialists had concluded that "giving a women under age 50 a mammogram on a routine basis is close to unethical."
And in the 1990's, Dr. Samuel Epstein started warning people about the dangers of mammography, stating:
"The premenopausal breast is highly sensitive to radiation, each 1 rad exposure increasing breast cancer risk by about 1 percent, with a cumulative 10 percent increased risk for each breast over a decade's screening... The high sensitivity of the breast, especially in young women, to radiation-induced cancer was known by 1970. Nevertheless, the establishment then screened some 300,000 women with X-ray dosages so high as to increase breast cancer risk by up to 20 percent in women aged 40 to 50 who were mammogramed annually."
Since then, concerned FDA doctors and scientists have issued a number of written warnings in the form of letters to various authorities, such as the October 2008 letter to Representative Dingell, notifying him of corruption within the FDA, which sparked a House Energy and Commerce Committee investigation into Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) activities. 4
A second letter, sent in January 2009 to HHS Secretary-Designate Tom Daschle, Baltimore City Health Department Chief Joshua Sharfstein, and nine members of Congress, delved into more detail. According to Medical Devices Today5:
"In the case of an April 2008 approval of a computer-aided detection device for mammography, the scientists specifically charge (by title, but not by name) ODE Director Donna-Bea Tillman "and her subordinates" with the "most outrageous misconduct by ordering, coercing, and intimidating FDA physicians and scientists to recommend approval, and then retaliating when the physicians and scientists refused to go along."
The letter also includes a bullet-pointed list of nine "examples of wrongdoing" by the ODE Director, including ordering physicians and scientists to ignore FDA guidance documents and allowing manufacturers to market unapproved devices."
In October that same year (2009), the US Preventative Task Force revised its recommendations on mammograms,6 stating that women in their 40's should no longer get routine mammograms for early detection of breast cancer. Instead, the panel recommended waiting until the age of 50, and only doing one mammogram every other year, instead of yearly. They also suggested women between 40 to 49 should talk to their doctor about the risks and benefits of the test, and then decide if they want to be screened. The Canadian task force followed suit in November last year.7
Many cancer organizations were outraged and have shunned the task forces' new directive; completely ignoring the data supporting their decision... The main reason behind the changed guidelines? The inherent dangers and short-comings of mammographic screening...
Could More Women Be Harmed than Helped with Mammography?
While roughly 15 percent of women in their 40's detect breast cancer through mammography, many other women experience false positives, anxiety, and unnecessary biopsies as a result of the test, according to the data. In fact, a full decade ago, a Danish study published in The Lancet concluded that previous research showing a benefit of mammograms was flawed and that widespread mammogram screening is unjustified.
That mammograms are still recommended at all speaks volumes about the state of modern medicine...
Mammograms expose your body to radiation that can be 1,000 times greater than that from a chest x-ray, which poses risks of cancer. Mammography also compresses your breasts tightly (and often painfully), which could lead to a lethal spread of cancerous cells, should they exist.
In April 2011, the prestigious Cochrane Collaboration chimed in, saying mammography screening may cause more harm than good8. For their informative leaflet, please see the following link. Even more provocative is the new book, Mammography Screening: Truth, Lies and Controversy by Peter C. Gøtzsche, Professor of Clinical Research Design and Analysis Director at The Nordic Cochrane Centre, and Chief Physician. The very first paragraph of the book's ad reads9:
"The most effective way to decrease women's risk of becoming a breast cancer patient is to avoid attending screening."
Now, that's a bold statement! And it's backed up by facts. According to the Cochrane Collaboration, for every 2,000 women invited for screening over the course of 10 years, just ONE woman will have her life prolonged. Meanwhile, 10 healthy women, who would not have been diagnosed with cancer had it not been for the mammography screening, will be misdiagnosed as having breast cancer, and will be treated unnecessarily. Additionally, more than 200 women will experience significant psychological distress for many months due to false positives.
Did You Know? There are No Guidelines for Lumpectomies...
These sad and shocking statistics are worsened further by reports such as this one, published in the New York Times on January 31,10 revealing that oncologists (cancer surgeons) perform lumpectomies without any guidelines whatsoever, despite the fact that it's the most commonly performed breast cancer surgery there is. According to the cited study, about half of all women undergoing a second lumpectomy may not have needed it. On the other hand, some who did not get repeat surgery may have benefited from it.
According to The New York Times:
"Rates of repeat surgery can vary widely by doctor, from zero percent to 70 percent, according to the study. The additional operations are done when pathology reports on tumor specimens suggest that the first operation may have left behind some cancer cells. But surgeons differ when it comes to interpreting those reports.
... Such uncertainty about a cancer operation that has been in use for 30 years is "a shame," said Dr. Laurence E. McCahill, the first author of the study and a surgeon and assistant director of the Lacks Cancer Center in Grand Rapids, Mich.
... [Another] major reason for the variation in repeat operations after lumpectomy is that there is no consensus among surgeons about how big a rim or "margin" of healthy tissue should be taken out when a cancer is removed. Surgeons try to cut cleanly around a tumor and remove enough of a margin to ensure that they excised all the cancer."
Indeed, you'd think they'd have it nailed down a bit better by now, but it just goes to show that a lot of what the general public assumes is science-based medicine is anything but. Interestingly, a study by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health indicates that spontaneous remission of breast cancer is not quite as miraculous as we might think. In fact, it's actually quite common. According to their findings, more than one in five invasive cancers detected in the study by mammography vanished without ever being treated!11, 12
All in all, there's convincing evidence that mammography is not all it's cracked up to be, and the FDA is not doing it's stated job to protect your health. Instead, they're busy catering to industry and skirting the boundaries of the law to protect their own and their client's behinds; their client, of course, being the drug- or medical company—the ones they're supposed to be regulating and keeping honest...
It's going to take a lot to change the course of this agency at this point, but indeed it must be done. Or the entire notion of a safety- and efficacy standard for drugs and medical devices of all kinds will be moot.
REFERENCES:
1 Washington Post January 29, 2012
2 i.bnet.com/blogs/cert-fda-letter-to-the-president-4-2-09-and-trans-team-1-7-09.pdf
3 www.whistleblowers.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1138
4 The Gray Sheet, November 24, 2008, Vol. 34, No. 047
5 Medical Devices Today January 15, 2009
6 www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/uspsbrca.htm
7 Chicago Tribune November 21, 2011
8 Cochrane Summaries April 13, 2011
9 www.cochrane.dk/screening/book/flyer-mammography_screening_standard.pdf
10New York Times, January 31, 2012
11Dartmouth Medicine Spring 2009
12 Canada.com December 15, 2011
Source: The Washington Post January 30, 2012
Related Links:
Avoid Routine Mammograms if You are Under 50
Two Charts that Prove the Government is Making You Sick
The Great Cancer Hoax: The Brilliant Cure the FDA Tried Their Best to Shut Down...
Posted By Dr. Mercola | February 14 2012
The FDA secretly monitored the personal e-mail of a group of agency whistleblowers for two years. All of the monitored employees worked in the office responsible for reviewing medical devices, including those for cancer screenings and were expressing concerns over several devices. Some of the employees were harassed and/or terminated, and six of them are now suing the agency
There’s a lot of compelling evidence that the dangers of mammography are being covered up, and that a Congressional hearing is well overdue
While roughly 15 percent of women in their 40’s detect breast cancer through mammography, many other women experience false positives, anxiety, and unnecessary biopsies as a result of the test, according to the data. In fact, a full decade ago, a Danish study published in The Lancet concluded that previous research showing a benefit of mammograms was flawed and that widespread mammogram screening is unjustified.
According to the Cochrane Collaboration, for every 2,000 women getting mammography screening over the course of 10 years, just ONE woman will have her life prolonged. Meanwhile, 10 healthy women, who would not have been diagnosed with cancer had it not been for the mammography screening, will be misdiagnosed as having breast cancer, and will be treated unnecessarily
By Dr. Mercola
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) secretly monitored the personal e-mail of nine whistleblowers—its own scientists and doctors—over the course of two years.
The monitored employees had warned Congress that the agency was approving medical devices that posed unacceptable risks to patients.
Six of the monitored scientists and doctors recently filed a lawsuit against the FDA, charging that the agency violated their constitutional rights to privacy by monitoring lawful activity in personal email accounts, and using that information to harass and ultimately relieve some of them of their positions.
According to the Washington Post1:
"All had worked in an office responsible for reviewing devices for cancer screening and other purposes.
Copies of the e-mails show that, starting in January 2009, the FDA intercepted communications with congressional staffers and draft versions of whistleblower complaints complete with editing notes in the margins.
The agency also took electronic snapshots of the computer desktops of the FDA employees and reviewed documents they saved on the hard drives of their government computers."
The FDA has declined to comment on the allegations, stating it does not comment on cases involved with litigation.
However, according to internal FDA documents obtained by the plaintiffs under the Freedom of Information Act, the agency had asked the Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) inspector general to conduct an investigation back in May 2010, stating suspicions that the plaintiffs had improperly disclosed confidential business information about the devices.
The HHS inspector general's office found no evidence of criminal conduct, stating the doctors and scientists had legal right to share their concerns with Congress and journalists.
Hence no investigation was launched. But the FDA was not satisfied.
On June 28 that same year, Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health wrote that, "We have obtained new information confirming the existence of information disclosures that undermine the integrity and mission of the FDA and, we believe, may be prohibited by law," and again requested action be taken against the employees in question. (Shuren is also the official who oversees mercury dental fillings, which they have been fraudulently referring to as 'silver fillings'. Shuren had promised to make an announcement about dental amalgam by the end of 2011. But with just six minutes left in the work year, at 4:54 pm on Friday, December 30, the FDA conceded that no announcement was forthcoming – not in 2011, and maybe not at all.)
After consulting with general prosecutors, the inspector general declined the second request for an investigation as well. Now the question is whether the agency monitored their employees within legal limits, and whether the purpose of the extensive monitoring was reasonable.
Senator Charles Grassley doesn't seem to think so, stating that:
"The FDA has a huge responsibility to protect public health and safety. It's hard to see how managers apparently thought it was a good use of time to shadow agency scientists and monitor their e-mail accounts for legally protected communications with Congress."
Systemic Corruption and Wrongdoing...
Although its roots go way further back, the current saga began in 2007, when the plaintiffs, all of whom worked for the FDA's Office of Device Evaluation, claim they began making internal complaints about a dozen radiological devices about to be approved despite lack of proof of effectiveness. The doctors and scientists were concerned that millions of patients would be put at risk. According to the featured article:
Three devices risked missing signs of breast cancer
One device risked falsely diagnosing osteoporosis
One ultrasound device could malfunction while monitoring pregnant women in labor
Several colon cancer screening devices employed such heavy doses of radiation that they risked causing cancer in otherwise healthy people
They also recommended against approval of a computer-aided imaging device for breast cancer screening a total of three times. But after the third rejection, a senior manager, Donna-Bea Tillman, suddenly approved the device in 2008. This and much more was detailed in a 2009 letter from an unknown number of FDA employees to President Obama's transition team.2,3 In that letter (in which all the signatures were blacked out due to fear of retaliation from the FDA), the authors clearly spell out the need for a complete overhaul of the agency due to deep-rooted systemic corruption at the highest levels.
They write:
"On January 7, 2009, FDA physicians and scientists wrote to Mr. John Podesta: Through this letter and your action, we hope that future FDA employees will not experience the same frustration and anxiety that we have experienced for more than a year at the hands of FDA managers because we are committed to public integrity and were willing to speak out.
Currently there is an atmosphere at FDA in which the honest employee fears the dishonest employee, and not the other way around. Disturbingly, the atmosphere does not yet exist at FDA where honest employees committed to integrity and the FDA mission can act without fear of reprisal. ... America urgently needs change at FDA because FDA is fundamentally broken, failing to fulfill its mission, and because re-establishing a proper and effectively functioning FDA is vital to the physical and economic health of the nation."
Remarkably, just two months later, Acting Commissioner Dr. Frank M. Torti and FDA attorneys sent an email to all FDA employees stating they "must comply with … obligations to keep certain information … confidential … [including] e-mail to and from employees within FDA [that document the] deliberative process." Furthermore, employees were told that "violation … can result in disciplinary sanctions and/or individual criminal liability."
A few days later, on March 24, 2009, Senator Grassley sent a letter to Dr. Torti stating that:
"Your memorandum … appears to run contrary to many statutes protecting executive branch communications with members of Congress… I am concerned with the timing of your memorandum, given some recent high profile matters concerning your Agency and the release of information that has shown failures in FDA's regulatory mission. [This] could be viewed … as an effort to chill and/or prevent FDA employees from exercising their rights under whistleblower protection laws."
Congressional Hearing on Mammography Cover-Up is Overdue
Folks, this is a major story, and it's about to get much bigger... There's loads of powerful and damning information out there that can, and will, be used to call for a congressional hearing on the mammography cover-up. Decades ago, in 1974, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) was warned by professor Malcolm C. Pike at the University of Southern California School of Medicine that a number of specialists had concluded that "giving a women under age 50 a mammogram on a routine basis is close to unethical."
And in the 1990's, Dr. Samuel Epstein started warning people about the dangers of mammography, stating:
"The premenopausal breast is highly sensitive to radiation, each 1 rad exposure increasing breast cancer risk by about 1 percent, with a cumulative 10 percent increased risk for each breast over a decade's screening... The high sensitivity of the breast, especially in young women, to radiation-induced cancer was known by 1970. Nevertheless, the establishment then screened some 300,000 women with X-ray dosages so high as to increase breast cancer risk by up to 20 percent in women aged 40 to 50 who were mammogramed annually."
Since then, concerned FDA doctors and scientists have issued a number of written warnings in the form of letters to various authorities, such as the October 2008 letter to Representative Dingell, notifying him of corruption within the FDA, which sparked a House Energy and Commerce Committee investigation into Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) activities. 4
A second letter, sent in January 2009 to HHS Secretary-Designate Tom Daschle, Baltimore City Health Department Chief Joshua Sharfstein, and nine members of Congress, delved into more detail. According to Medical Devices Today5:
"In the case of an April 2008 approval of a computer-aided detection device for mammography, the scientists specifically charge (by title, but not by name) ODE Director Donna-Bea Tillman "and her subordinates" with the "most outrageous misconduct by ordering, coercing, and intimidating FDA physicians and scientists to recommend approval, and then retaliating when the physicians and scientists refused to go along."
The letter also includes a bullet-pointed list of nine "examples of wrongdoing" by the ODE Director, including ordering physicians and scientists to ignore FDA guidance documents and allowing manufacturers to market unapproved devices."
In October that same year (2009), the US Preventative Task Force revised its recommendations on mammograms,6 stating that women in their 40's should no longer get routine mammograms for early detection of breast cancer. Instead, the panel recommended waiting until the age of 50, and only doing one mammogram every other year, instead of yearly. They also suggested women between 40 to 49 should talk to their doctor about the risks and benefits of the test, and then decide if they want to be screened. The Canadian task force followed suit in November last year.7
Many cancer organizations were outraged and have shunned the task forces' new directive; completely ignoring the data supporting their decision... The main reason behind the changed guidelines? The inherent dangers and short-comings of mammographic screening...
Could More Women Be Harmed than Helped with Mammography?
While roughly 15 percent of women in their 40's detect breast cancer through mammography, many other women experience false positives, anxiety, and unnecessary biopsies as a result of the test, according to the data. In fact, a full decade ago, a Danish study published in The Lancet concluded that previous research showing a benefit of mammograms was flawed and that widespread mammogram screening is unjustified.
That mammograms are still recommended at all speaks volumes about the state of modern medicine...
Mammograms expose your body to radiation that can be 1,000 times greater than that from a chest x-ray, which poses risks of cancer. Mammography also compresses your breasts tightly (and often painfully), which could lead to a lethal spread of cancerous cells, should they exist.
In April 2011, the prestigious Cochrane Collaboration chimed in, saying mammography screening may cause more harm than good8. For their informative leaflet, please see the following link. Even more provocative is the new book, Mammography Screening: Truth, Lies and Controversy by Peter C. Gøtzsche, Professor of Clinical Research Design and Analysis Director at The Nordic Cochrane Centre, and Chief Physician. The very first paragraph of the book's ad reads9:
"The most effective way to decrease women's risk of becoming a breast cancer patient is to avoid attending screening."
Now, that's a bold statement! And it's backed up by facts. According to the Cochrane Collaboration, for every 2,000 women invited for screening over the course of 10 years, just ONE woman will have her life prolonged. Meanwhile, 10 healthy women, who would not have been diagnosed with cancer had it not been for the mammography screening, will be misdiagnosed as having breast cancer, and will be treated unnecessarily. Additionally, more than 200 women will experience significant psychological distress for many months due to false positives.
Did You Know? There are No Guidelines for Lumpectomies...
These sad and shocking statistics are worsened further by reports such as this one, published in the New York Times on January 31,10 revealing that oncologists (cancer surgeons) perform lumpectomies without any guidelines whatsoever, despite the fact that it's the most commonly performed breast cancer surgery there is. According to the cited study, about half of all women undergoing a second lumpectomy may not have needed it. On the other hand, some who did not get repeat surgery may have benefited from it.
According to The New York Times:
"Rates of repeat surgery can vary widely by doctor, from zero percent to 70 percent, according to the study. The additional operations are done when pathology reports on tumor specimens suggest that the first operation may have left behind some cancer cells. But surgeons differ when it comes to interpreting those reports.
... Such uncertainty about a cancer operation that has been in use for 30 years is "a shame," said Dr. Laurence E. McCahill, the first author of the study and a surgeon and assistant director of the Lacks Cancer Center in Grand Rapids, Mich.
... [Another] major reason for the variation in repeat operations after lumpectomy is that there is no consensus among surgeons about how big a rim or "margin" of healthy tissue should be taken out when a cancer is removed. Surgeons try to cut cleanly around a tumor and remove enough of a margin to ensure that they excised all the cancer."
Indeed, you'd think they'd have it nailed down a bit better by now, but it just goes to show that a lot of what the general public assumes is science-based medicine is anything but. Interestingly, a study by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health indicates that spontaneous remission of breast cancer is not quite as miraculous as we might think. In fact, it's actually quite common. According to their findings, more than one in five invasive cancers detected in the study by mammography vanished without ever being treated!11, 12
All in all, there's convincing evidence that mammography is not all it's cracked up to be, and the FDA is not doing it's stated job to protect your health. Instead, they're busy catering to industry and skirting the boundaries of the law to protect their own and their client's behinds; their client, of course, being the drug- or medical company—the ones they're supposed to be regulating and keeping honest...
It's going to take a lot to change the course of this agency at this point, but indeed it must be done. Or the entire notion of a safety- and efficacy standard for drugs and medical devices of all kinds will be moot.
REFERENCES:
1 Washington Post January 29, 2012
2 i.bnet.com/blogs/cert-fda-letter-to-the-president-4-2-09-and-trans-team-1-7-09.pdf
3 www.whistleblowers.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1138
4 The Gray Sheet, November 24, 2008, Vol. 34, No. 047
5 Medical Devices Today January 15, 2009
6 www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/uspsbrca.htm
7 Chicago Tribune November 21, 2011
8 Cochrane Summaries April 13, 2011
9 www.cochrane.dk/screening/book/flyer-mammography_screening_standard.pdf
10New York Times, January 31, 2012
11Dartmouth Medicine Spring 2009
12 Canada.com December 15, 2011
Source: The Washington Post January 30, 2012
Related Links:
Avoid Routine Mammograms if You are Under 50
Two Charts that Prove the Government is Making You Sick
The Great Cancer Hoax: The Brilliant Cure the FDA Tried Their Best to Shut Down...
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