The Medical Freedom Channel

There were several news stories this week worth commenting on here. Each involved the relationship between medicines and the chronically ill, and each served to highlight the fact that conventional allopathic, Big Pharma-created and FDA-approved “drugs” are not getting the job done – at least not to the satisfaction of those who most need the relief they promise. The implications of this may range much further than that segment of our society.

The first was a Reuters piece on how dietary supplements are being used by our society; as it turns out, their most common use is among those with chronic disease, who’ve apparently discovered they get at least as much benefit from naturopathy as from more accepted methods. According to the article, “Having one or more chronic illness [sic] is the primary factor associated with the use of dietary supplements. Cancer survivors also use supplements to treat chronic medical conditions … a new study shows.”

Of course, after these two introductory sentences, the Reuters story goes immediately into dutiful obeisance to the conventional idols of regulation and orthodoxy, quoting a National Cancer Institute representative (who led the study) on her concerns about the “dangers” of permitting such free choices on the part of patients. As Dr. Melissa Farmer Miller reportedly puts it, “We really are just beginning to build an evidence base on the benefits of dietary supplements.” She then adds the kicker: “Even if there’s not a benefit, there is a potential for them to cause harm.” In other words, the assumption is of the negative effects of these supplements, rather than of their possible value – in spite of the obvious market evidence of their widespread use by the chronically ill.
Read the rest of this entry »

“The following are policy recommendations of the Consensus Group. These recommendations and the principles upon which they are based can provide a powerful guide for the policymaking process in achieving important goals of healthcare reform. They are not intended to provide a complete blueprint for reform, and reasonable men and women may differ over the details of how they should be implemented. We believe that following these recommendations will lead to a system in which costs will be restrained, private insurance coverage will expand rather than continue to contract, and quality will be enhanced primarily through additional competition and better consumer incentives.” [editor’s note: For part one see our MFC archives from last week’s issues - SAT] (04/01/2001)

“The drug Chantix may be linked to suicidal thoughts and depression in some people, but the risk of smoking is far worse, according to some physicians. The health risks of smoking, including lung cancer, emphysema, stroke and heart attack, outweigh the known side effects of Chantix, said Dr. Marc Siegal, a FOX News Channel contributor: “I still think it’s a first-line agent, … absolutely the best thing we have out there to help people stop smoking.’ The U.S. Public Health Service released its quit-smoking guidelines this week. The guidelines call Pfizer’s Chantix medication the most effective stop-smoking medication on the market, but also warn health officials to use caution when prescribing the drug due to adverse psychological side effects.” [editor’s note: A rather typical response from “(some) doctors”: “this’ll either cure or kill you — if you don’t kill yourself first!”] (05/08/08)

“Today, the American Medical Association (AMA) called for better government oversight of prescription drug advertisements directed at consumers to protect patients from misleading information. AMA President-elect Nancy Nielsen, M.D., shared the AMA’s concerns with some direct-to-consumer advertisements (DTCA) in testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. ‘Direct-to-consumer ads often portray drugs through rose-colored glasses by including more information about a drug’s benefits than risks,’ said Dr. Nielsen. ‘Imbalances in these ads can diminish patient understanding of certain drug risks, and increase the need for an ongoing dialogue between patients and physicians about the benefits and risks of prescription drugs.’” [editor’s note: A golden opportunity, if Dr. Neilsen is willing to push her colleagues toward self-restraint — resisting the urge to respond when a patient does “ask your doctor about …” — and even promote self-policing solutions (cf. the electrical industry’s Underwriters Laboratories?), there might be something of value here - SAT] (05/08/08)

“Pharmaceutical companies need to be more responsible in touting products to consumers or else face tighter controls from Congress, a top U.S. Democratic lawmaker said on Thursday. Rep. Bart Stupak, at a hearing to discuss specific ads by Pfizer Inc, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co Inc and Schering-Plough Corp, said television commercials in particular use deceptive techniques to push products to potential patients and increase sales. ‘It appears that we need to enforce significant restrictions on DTC (direct-to-consumer) ads to protect American consumers from manipulative commercials designed to mislead and deceive for the profit of pharmaceutical companies,’ said Stupak, head of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce investigative panel.” (05/08/08)

“Less than half of Americans can recognize the top five warning signs of stroke, information that could help save thousands of people from death and disability, the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention said on Thursday. Their report uncovered significant disparities in awareness, with whites, women and people with higher levels of education much more likely to be aware of individual stroke warning symptoms and call for an ambulance than others. ‘These findings indicate a need to increase awareness of stroke warning symptoms in the entire population, and particularly among blacks, Hispanics, men and persons at lower education levels,’ the CDC said in its weekly report on death and disease.” (05/08/08)

“Getting the cool kids to talk to their peers about the dangers of smoking cut the number of young people who started using cigarettes in one study by nearly 25 percent, British researchers said on Friday. The study published in the journal Lancet took a different approach than most tobacco cessation programs aimed at youths by asking students to nominate others they viewed as influential or leaders to spread the anti-smoking message. This peer selection proved more effective than conventional programs and greatly reduced the number of students likely to start smoking, the researchers said.” (05/08/08)

“History reveals that the AMA was dictatorially led for the first half of the twentieth century by George H. Simmons, MD (1852-1937) and his protégé, Morris Fishbein, MD (1889-1976). Simmons and Fishbein both served as general manager of the organization and as editor of its journal, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). While these two leaders provided substantial benefit to the organization and to medical doctors, their methods of doing so have been severely criticized, with some historians referring to them as ‘medical Mussolinis.’ When George H. Simmons began in 1899 what became a twenty-five-year reign as head of the AMA, it was a weak organization with little money and little respect from the general public. … Simmons came up with the idea to transform the AMA into a big business by granting the AMA’s ’seal of approval’ to certain drug companies that placed large and frequent ads in JAMA and its various affiliate publications.” (05/08/08)

“It’s not one of those so-what days. This Sunday, and surely no one needs to be reminded, is Mother’s Day. … And while you’re getting ready for Mother’s Day, let me share a few things with you so that we might make Mother’s Day brighter for more mothers, not only here in the United States, but all around the world. And some of what I want to share with you is not all pleasant. In fact, it’s pretty sad. The fact is that more than 200 million children under age 5 do not get basic health care when they need it, with the poorest children missing out and most at risk of dying, according to the ninth annual State of the World’s Mothers report issued Tuesday by Save the Children, a U.S.-based global independent humanitarian organization.” [editor’s note: This issue, which is truly about “basic healthCARE,” is indeed alarming; for once, the writer does not conflate it with “full insurance coverage”! - SAT] (05/08/08)

“Who needs the Food and Drug Administration? New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and personal injury lawyers certainly don’t — at least to the extent that the agency gets in the way of their political grandstanding and a multimillion-dollar payday, respectively. This column recently reported on the sad tale of the chemical bisphenol A — that is, how junk science-fueled anti-chemical activists successfully rigged the scientific review process at the federal National Toxicology Program to cast doubt on the safety of BPA, which led to decisions by Wal-Mart and others to stop selling plastic baby bottles made with the chemical.” [editor’s note: The irony here is inescapable, as nanny-stater Schumer blasts a government watchdog agency, while Milloy the free marketeer is forced somehow to defend it, in debunking the “expose” of BPA! - SAT] (05/08/08)

“In a series of reports, called ‘Dying for Coverage,’ Families USA purports to show how many people are killed by a lack of health insurance in each state. For example, they claim 6 people die every day in Florida because they are uninsured. Seven die every day in Texas, 8 in California, and 25 in New York. How is Families USA able to tally up all this carnage with such pinpoint precision? As it turns out, these claims are based on a 15-year cascade of studies — each repeating the errors and misinterpreting or mischaracterizing the findings of the previous one and ultimately relying on data that is 37 years old.” (05/02/08)

“Changing your behavior, rather than medication, may be the first step to a better night’s sleep. And surprisingly, for chronic insomnia, the best treatment may be to cut back on the time you spend trying to sleep. People with insomnia often find that spending less time in bed promotes more restful sleep and helps make the bedroom a welcome sight instead of a torture chamber. … Some sleep experts suggest starting with five or six hours at first, or whatever amount of time you typically sleep at night. Setting a rigid early morning waking time often works best. If the alarm is set for 7 a.m., a five-hour restriction means that no matter how sleepy you are, you must stay awake until 2 a.m. Once you are sleeping well during the allotted five hours, you can add another 15 or 30 minutes, then repeat the process until you’re getting a healthy amount of sleep.” (05/08/08)

“Are you ready for a life-changing experience? This May 31st through June 1st, [Mike Adams will] be joining David Wolfe, Peter Ragnar, Tony Balistreri, Jay Kordich (formerly the ‘Juiceman’), and other presenters in a live, two-day event called The Vitality Experience. It’s all happening in Atlanta, Georgia at the Marriott Perimeter Hotel. There, we’ll be presenting new information about natural health breakthroughs and solutions for reversing disease, accelerated healing, longevity, and more! Learn more by clicking here. Called, ‘The Best Weekend Ever,’ the event brings together selected pioneers in the natural living movement — pioneers who aren’t afraid to tell the truth about radical new healing technologies, discoveries and paradigm shifts.”

“Of the 47 million uninsured in the U.S., it’s estimated that nearly 30 percent are eligible for free or low-cost government programs but are not aware of them or signed up. The nonprofit Foundation for Health Coverage Education has launched the ‘Coverage For All’ campaign to educate the uninsured about their health coverage options. If you or someone you know needs health coverage, here are three simple, free resources you have to find out if you are eligible.” [editor’s note: While we do not endorse this “coverage” pathway for everyone, it may be well worth considering for some among our readership - SAT] (04/12/08)

Luncheon meeting with Elizabeth Whelan, speaking on health food choices. 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Lloyds Restaurant, 1 South Wacker Drive (southeast corner of Wacker & Madison), Chicago, Illinois

Members $30.00; Non-members $35.00

“For all those looking for access to the very best health secrets from the top thinkers in the industry, you’ll be overjoyed to hear about Kevin Gianni’s The Healthiest Year of Your Life. It’s an online health seminar featuring exclusive conversations with nine top health experts including Jon Barron, Byron Katie, Jonny Bowden and many more. I was also invited to participate in the event, so you’ll hear my latest findings on superfoods nutrition, disease prevention, health freedom and much more. Registration is free through Sunday evening.” [editor’s note: The seminar appears to be indeed FREE, but they do have “upgrades” to sell - SAT] (posted 01/24/08)

“You might remember us talking about our Questionnaire for Presidential Candidates during the summer. In August 2007, AAHF and our PAC contacted Presidential candidates and asked them to respond the following questions. We have already received 8 questionnaires and have met with several major campaigns (either in person or via call). The health freedom community knows where Republican candidate, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) stands on health freedom as he’s been a tireless champion on our issues, but what about the rest? We developed 7 probing questions …” [editor’s note: They promise to post the answers soon; this is (and will be) a must read for free market and/or integrative medicine advocates - SAT] (posted 12/14/07)