I don’t have a large list to send this to so for those of you who watch it and are as sickened as I am, please forward this to as many people, especially people with young children, as you can.
I am in my business for a reason. As a former medical professional I knew 20 years ago where medicine in this country was headed. I do not accept drug suggestions from my doctors and they know my politics. Make sure your doctor know your concerns and be firm!
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/05/health-liberty-and-forced-vaccination.aspx?e_cid=20111105_DNL_art_1
Reprints of this video are posted prior to this notice
Think Farmacy…not Pharmacy
To Your Good Health
Organic Jan
Sunday, November 6, 2011
How Many More of these "Unavoidably Unsafe" Drugs Will Become Mandatory?
How Many More of these "Unavoidably Unsafe" Drugs Will Become Mandatory?
Story at-a-glance
• Your health and liberty is seriously threatened by increasing pressure from pharmaceutical- and medical lobbyists promoting more mandatory vaccinations, effectively branding unvaccinated citizens as enemies of the state
• The base cost for a child to get every government recommended vaccine in a private pediatrician's office has increased from $80 per child in 1986 to a whopping $2200 per child in 2011 Americans, who represent about five percent of the world's population, consume nearly 40 percent of all pharmaceutical products sold
• American children are now receiving 70 doses of 16 vaccines, starting from the day of birth—three times as many as they received in the early 1980's
• In February, the U.S. Supreme Court granted pharmaceutical industry total immunity from lawsuits—even if they could have made a vaccine less harmful—because vaccines are "unavoidably unsafe"
For more than a century pharmaceutical companies have created and enjoyed a lucrative monopoly on health care in America.
They've done this by forming alliances with doctors and politicians and scientists inside and outside of government.
In this manner, slowly but surely, they've managed to steal basic human Constitutional liberties from you, especially your right to choose what is best for yourself and your children when it comes to drugs and vaccines.
Through it all, Barbara Loe Fisher and the National Vaccine Information Center have been fighting to help you keep your rights to make your own health care decisions.
But it's getting harder: these corporate entities are digging their heels in deeper and deeper, with the goal of taking your health liberties away from you through forced vaccination.
Here, Fisher lays out the harsh facts on this most important issue. Read it and weep. Then take swift action!
By Barbara Loe Fisher
In America today, there is an unprecedented assault on the human right to exercise informed consent to medical risk-taking.
It is being led by one of the most powerful and wealthy corporate empires in the world: the global pharmaceutical industry.
What is at stake for Big Pharma is a one trillion dollar market for prescription drugs and vaccines.1 What is at stake for the American people is our health and our liberty.
Pharma's Lucrative Monopoly on U.S. Health Care
For more than a century, pharmaceutical corporations have created a lucrative monopoly on health care in America. They have done this by forging an alliance with a select group of medical doctors and scientists inside and outside of government, who develop and promote widespread drug and vaccine use.
Dr. Mercola Recommends...
Every "Like" Helps Support This Cause
Doctors in private practice, who are encouraged to deliver drugs and vaccines to the people, have become - perhaps without even realizing it - de facto drug company sales reps.2
Americans, who represent about five percent of the world's population,3 4 are the most highly vaccinated5 6 and drugged population on the planet.7 8 We consume nearly 40 percent of all pharmaceutical products sold.9 In 2009, doctors ordered four billion prescriptions for Americans,10 which is one big reason why annual health care costs are nearly $3 trillion dollars in the U.S.11 Half of all Americans, including 25 percent of our children take one or more prescription drugs.12
Today, our children are being given three times as many vaccinations as they got in the early 1980's. 13 14 15 Three times as many vaccinations means three times as much profit for drug companies and doctors selling vaccines.
The base cost for a child to get every government recommended vaccine in a private pediatrician's office has increased from $80 per child in 198616 to a whopping $2200 per child in 2011,17 and that doesn't include physician office administration fees. The federal government now spends nearly $4 billion dollars per year to purchase vaccines for public health clinics,18 where half of America's children are vaccinated.
It is no surprise that vaccine development is one of the fastest growing sectors in the pharmaceutical industry.19 By 2013, Pharma will enjoy a $36 billion dollar vaccine market.20
Eight Big Drug Corporations Selling Vaccines Get Total Liability Shield
In 1986, there were three major drug corporations selling vaccines in the U.S. (Merck, Lederle, Connaught) and now there are eight (Merck, Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Astra Zeneca, CSL Biotherapies, Emergent BioSolutions). That is because, in 1986, Pharma blackmailed Congress into giving them partial liability protection from vaccine injury lawsuits21 by suggesting they would have to abandon the U.S. childhood vaccine market without a liability shield.
In February of this year, drug companies got what they wanted all along: the U.S. Supreme Court gave Pharma total immunity from lawsuits – even if they could have made a vaccine less harmful. 22 23
Vaccines, said the Court, are "unavoidably unsafe."
So if your child is brain injured by a vaccine that you may not have wanted your child to get in the first place, all you can do is file a claim in the federal vaccine injury compensation program. Even though the program has awarded more than $2 billion dollars to vaccine victims, two out of three plaintiffs are turned away empty handed.24
With no liability or accountability for those making, licensing, selling and giving vaccines in America, there are no checks and balances to ensure that vaccines are safe and effective. Doctors, who have been taught to believe that infectious microorganisms should be eradicated from the earth with the mandatory use of multiple vaccines, are as ripe for exploitation as the people they vaccinate.
Big Pharma Does Not Want You to Have Vaccine Freedom of Choice
The only barrier left to unlimited vaccine profit-making is the freedom for Americans to choose whether or not to use every new vaccine Pharma creates and wants mandated. Freedom of choice is something Big Pharma and the medical lobby does not want you to have.
They know that many educated consumers in America and around the world are dissatisfied with the old pharmaceutical-based health care paradigm.25 26 27 They know that 63 percent of all Americans, including 76 percent of health care workers, are empowering themselves with information and choosing less toxic, less expensive, more naturally effective ways to achieve and maintain health.28
Today, millions of Americans are choosing to buy and eat organic29 30 and avoid genetically modified foods.31 32 We are choosing to buy and drink pure water with no chemicals in it. 33 We are choosing mercury-free dental fillings.34 We are choosing exercise and meditation. We are choosing drug free, hospital free births35 and breastfeeding. We are throwing away the bottles of prescription drugs in our medicine cabinet and choosing to get advice from holistic health professionals offering less toxic alternatives to stay well like acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, and naturopathy.36
And we are questioning why we and our children should be required to get a long list of expensive vaccines that carry serious risks37 and sometimes don't work at all.38
This is a health liberty revolution and Pharma knows it.
So Pharma is funding medical organizations profiting from mass vaccination policies39 to press politicians into quickly passing laws that force Americans to buy and use dozens of doses of vaccines. 40 The goal is to demand that everyone salute smartly and obey doctors' orders to get vaccinated or be barred from getting an education,41 health insurance,42 medical care43 44 or a job. 45 The goal is to, in effect, brand unvaccinated citizens as enemies of the state,46 47 so they can be fined or imprisoned.
Can this really be happening in America?
Yes, it can.
Doctors Threatening People and Taking Away Vaccine Exemptions
In 2007, we witnessed physician public health officials summon nearly 1,000 parents with their children to a Maryland courthouse policed by armed guards and dogs to show proof the children had gotten chickenpox and hepatitis b shots.48 Parents were threatened with stiff fines and jail time if they did not comply.
Last spring in Washington state, medical organizations joined with Pharma lobbyists to pressure politicians to pass a law that requires parents to get the signature of a medical doctor or designated medical worker for a child to receive a non-medical exemption to vaccination.49 What this means is that some citizens in society, who have M.D. or certain other medical initials written after their names, now have the power in Washington state to pass judgment on the conscientious or spiritually held beliefs of fellow citizens. It gives some citizens, who may be ideologically opposed to the informed consent ethic,50 a green light to threaten and coerce other citizens into violating their conscience and personal beliefs.51
This expanded authority is added to the authority that medical doctors have had for a long time, which includes the power to refuse to grant a child a medical exemption to vaccination52 53 54 55 - even when the child has suffered a sudden and serious decline in health following previous vaccinations and could be more seriously harmed if additional vaccines are given.56
Colorado and California Citizens Losing Vaccine Choices
Right now, drug company- and medical lobbyists are trying to put further legal restrictions on vaccine exemptions in Colorado 57 and other states.58 In cash-strapped California, the Pharma-Med lobby has succuessfully pushed for a law to be passed that will allow doctors to give minor children expensive new vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases – like Gardasil - without the informed consent of parents.59
Nobody is Held Accountable for Vaccine Injuries and Deaths
But what happens if a vaccine given to a child without the parent's consent ends up injuring or killing a child? Is anyone accountable?
No. Nobody is liable in a court of law to be tried before a jury of our peers when our children and grandchildren are injured or die after getting vaccinated – not the drug companies that made the vaccines; not the federal health officials, who licensed and recommend the vaccines; not the doctor or medical worker, who gave the vaccines; and not the state politician, who voted for vaccine mandates or looked the other way while state health officials added another new vaccine to the required list.
Nobody is held accountable or liable when a child is injured or killed by vaccines in America except the parent of that child, whose informed consent rights may have been violated by fellow citizens wielding power they should never have been given.
This is a Health Liberty Revolution
After 50 years of heavy prescription drug and vaccine use, Americans are waking up to the fact that they are not healthier, but are sicker than ever before. And they are asking a lot of questions.
More of us are wondering why doctors inside and outside of government are insisting that every child get 70 doses of 16 vaccines starting on the first day of life 60 and why that list includes expensive new vaccines for mild diseases, like chickenpox, and for diseases you can't catch in a classroom, like hepatitis B.
More of us are asking why we have to get a flu shot every year 61 and why health care workers are losing their jobs if they don't.62
More of us are looking at vaccine studies published in the medical literature, many of which are paid for by drug companies 63 or public health agencies promoting one-size-fits-all vaccine policies, only to discover that a lot of those studies are the best junk science that money can buy. More of us are watching doctors paid by Pharma64 65 persuade journalists to demonize anyone asking questions about vaccination 66 so other people are afraid to speak up because they know they will be targeted for humiliation and persecution.
Why are so Many of Highly Vaccinated Children so Sick?
But, mostly, we are asking why so many of our highly vaccinated children are so sick with no good explanation coming from the public health officials and doctors we have trusted with their health.
Today, 1 child in 6 in America is learning disabled;67 1 in 9 has asthma;68 1 in 10 is diagnosed with ADHD;69 1 in 110 develops autism;70 71 1 in 450 becomes diabetic,72 and millions more are suffering with severe allergies,73 inflammatory bowel disorders,74 crippling depression75 and other kinds of brain and immune system dysfunction, while America's infant mortality rate ranks among the worst of all developed nations: 6 out of 1,000 babies born live in America die before their first birthday.76 77
New Vaccines Coming to Change Your DNA
Despite the reality that more vaccination does not equal better individual and public health, there are over 3,000 new vaccine clinical trials underway.78 Pharma is creating genetically engineered vaccines, which will ramp up the manipulation of our immune systems79 and even change our DNA,80 81 to prevent everything from tooth decay, 82 acne 83 and smoking84 to high blood pressure,85 herpes,86 gonorrhea87 and HIV/AIDS.88
It is time for all of us to stand up and end our participation in the failed Pharma-based health care paradigm so we can take back our health and our liberty.
If vaccines are safe and effective for everyone, then those who choose to get vaccinated should have nothing to fear from those who choose not to get vaccinated.
If vaccines are not safe and effective for everyone, then it is unethical to require anyone to get vaccinated without their voluntary, informed consent.
The human right to protect bodily integrity trumps any authority the state gives to some citizens to coerce other citizens into taking medical risks against their will. Because if the state can tag, track down and force individuals to be injected with biologicals of known and unknown toxicity today, then there will be no limit on which individual freedoms the state can take away in the name of the greater good tomorrow.
Please go to www.NVIC.org and volunteer to work in your state to defend vaccine exemptions. Empower yourself and stand up for liberty today.
It's your health. Your family. Your choice.
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 for NVIC's free Advocacy Portal at www.NVICAdvocacy.org not only gives you access to practical, useful information to help you become an effective vaccine choice advocate in your own community, but when national vaccine issues come up, you will have the up-to-date information and call to action items you need at your fingertips to make sure your voice is heard.
So please, as your first step, sign up for the NVIC Advocacy Portal.
Contact Your Elected Officials
Write or email your elected state representatives and share your concerns. 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.
Share Your Story with the Media and People You Know
If you or a family member has suffered a serious vaccine reaction, injury or death, please talk about it. If we don't share information and experiences with each other, everybody feels alone and afraid to speak up. Write a letter to the editor if you have a different perspective on a vaccine story that appears in your local newspaper. Make a call in to a radio talk show that is only presenting one side of the vaccine story.
I must be frank with you; you have to be brave because you might be strongly criticized for daring to talk about the "other side" of the vaccine story. Be prepared for it and have the courage to not back down. Only by sharing our perspective and what we know to be true about vaccination will the public conversation about vaccination open up so people are not afraid to talk about it.
We cannot allow the drug companies and medical trade associations funded by drug companies to dominate the conversation about vaccination. The vaccine injured cannot be swept under the carpet and treated like nothing more than "statistically acceptable collateral damage" of national one-size-fits-all mass vaccination policies that put way too many people at risk for injury and death. We shouldn't be treating people like guinea pigs instead of human beings.
Internet Resources Where You Can Learn More
I 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 is becoming the modus operandi of the medical establishment in an effort to stop the change in attitude of many parents about vaccinations after they become truly educated about health and vaccination.
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.
See new "The Greater Good" Documentary for Free This Week
"The Greater Good" movie is a groundbreaking documentary about the vaccine safety and informed consent debate that is a "must see" for everyone who wants to learn more about the different scientific, health policy, economic, legal, ethical and political issues involved in the vaccination controversy. This film will help you educate others about how important it is to do your own research and learn more before you make a vaccination decision for yourself or your child. You can see this eye-opening movie for free on Mercola.com this week only and also get the DVD of the film for $10 until supplies run out. Click here.
REFERENCES:
• 1 VFA (Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies) – Germany. Statistics: The Global Pharmaceutical Market. Apr. 14, 2010.
• 2 Weinberger J. America's Top Selling Prescription Drugs. CNBC. May 23, 2011.
• 3 Rosenberg M. Current USA Population. About.com. July 21, 2011.
• 4 Liptak A. U.S. prison population dwarfs that of other nations. New York Times. Apr. 23, 2008.
• 5 IAC. State Immunization Mandates.
• 6 Miller NZ,, Goldman GS. Infant mortality rates regressed against number of vaccine doses routinely given: Is there a biological or synergistic toxicity? Human and Experimental Toxicology: Published online May 4, 2011.
• 7 Matthews AW. So Young and So Many Pills: More Than 25% of Kids and Teens in the U.S. Take Prescriptions on a Regular Basis. Wall Street Journal. Dec. 28, 2010.
• 8 CDC. Prescription Drug Use Continues to Increase: U.S. Prescription Drug Data for 2007-2008. NCHS Data Brief: Number 42. September 2010.
• 9 See Reference #1.
• 10 Van Arnum P. U.S. Prescription Drug Market Rebounds. Pharmaceutical Industry Sourcing and Management: Volume 6, Issue 4. PharmaTech.com. April 7, 2010.
• 11 Pickert K. The Unsustainable U.S. Health Care System. Time Magazine. Feb. 4, 2010.
• 12 See References #7 & 8.
• 13 CDC. Recommended Schedule for Immunization of Normal Infants & Children. 1983 (through 1986).
• 14 CDC. Recommended Immunization Schedule for Persons 0 through 6 Years. 2011
• 15 CDC. Recommended Immunization Schedule for Persons Aged 7 Through 18 Years. 2011.
• 16 CDC. Vaccine Price List – 1986.
• 17 CDC. Vaccine Price List – 2011.
• 18 Hamilton J. Rising costs complicate vaccine guidelines. NPR. July 20, 2011
• 19 Drug Discovery & Development. Vaccine Market A Refuge for Big Pharma. January 13, 2011.
• 20 Reuters. BCC Research Press Release: Global Market for Vaccines Worth $36.3 Billion by 2013. Technologies and Global Markets. Jan. 24, 2008
• 21 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986(PL99-660).
• 22 Supreme Court of the United States. Russell Bruesewitz et al v. Wyeth et al. No. 09-152. Argued October 12, 2010 – Decided February 22, 2011
• 23 NVIC. Press Release: NVIC Cites "Betrayal" of Consumers by U.S. Supreme Court Giving Total Liability Shield to Big Pharma. Feb. 23, 2011.
• 24 HRSA. Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Statistics
• 25 C.S.Mott Children's Hospital. National Poll on Children's Health: Vaccine and Medication Safety Are Parents' Top Research Priorities. University of Michigan Health Center. October 11, 2010.
• 26 Consumer Reports. Press Release: Two-Thirds of Americans Say Drug Makers Have Too Much Sway Over Doctors; Information About Safety and Side Effects Sorely Needed. Aug. 24, 2010.
• 27 Barnes PM, Bloom B. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults and Children: United States, 2007. National Health Statistics Reports 2008; No. 12.
• 28 Shalmali P. Complementary Medicine Popular with Healthcare Workers. MedPage Today. Aug. 19, 2011.
• 29 Dettman RL. Organic Produce: Who's Eating It? A Demographic Profile of Organic Produce Consumers. Paper selected for presentation at the American Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting July 27-28, 2008.
• 30 Organic Trade Association. Consumer survey finds 41% of parents buying more organic foods than a year ago: US families are buying a wider variety of organic products than ever. Organic Trade Association December 8, 2010.
• 31 Organic Consumers Association.
• 32 Institute for Responsible Technology.
• 33 Fluoride Action Network.
• 34 Consumers for Dental Choice.
• 35 Doheny K. Home Births Jump 20 Percent in 4 Years: U.S. Report. HealthDay News. May 20, 2011
• 36 Eisenberg DM, Davis RB. Trends in Alternative Medicine use in the United States, 1990-1997. JAMA 1998; 280(18): 1569-1575
• 37 See Reference #24
• 38 Crowe K. Many whooping cough victims have been immunized; Experts Spar Over Prospects of New Disease Strain. Watchdog Institute. Dec. 13, 2010.
• 39 Attkisson S. How Independent Are Vaccine Defenders? CBS-TV News. July 25, 2008.
• 40 Fisher BL. WA & NJ Families Stand Up for Vaccine Choices. NVIC Vaccine E-News. Mar. 23, 2011.
• 41 See Reference #5.
• 42 NVIC. Testimonials. Cry for Vaccine Freedom Wall.
• 43 Walker E. Should Doctors Fire Young Patients if Their Parents Refuse to Vaccinate Them? MedPage Today. Oct. 29, 2009.
• 44 Allen J. Doctors Refuse to See Unvaccinated Children. 7 News (ABC-Denver). Feb. 27, 2011
• 45 Caplan A. Time to mandate influenza vaccination in health-care workers. The Lancet July 23, 2011; 378(9788): 310-311.
• 46 Sapatkin D. Considering vaccine as public responsibility. Philadelphia Inquirer.. June 24, 2011.
• 47 Ropeik D. Refusing vaccination? Risky behavior puts others in danger. Morning Sentinel (Maine). Aug. 20, 2011.
• 48 CNN News. Vaccinations…or Jail: County's Threat to Parents. Nov. 17, 2007.
• 49 Fisher BL. WA State Vaccine Law Threatens Exemptions & Threatens Privacy. Feb. 13, 2011. Also see Reference #40.
• 50 Kleifgen B. Informed Consent in Vaccination. Vaccine Ethics.org. July 2010.
• 51 See References #42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48.
• 52 Title 64. Interpretive Rule, Department of Health & Human Resources: Immunization Requirements & Recommendations for New School Enterers. West Virginia. March 21, 2011.
• 53 Appeal of N.C. on behalf of her daughter, V.C. from action of the New York City Department of Education regarding immunization. Decision No. 16, 172. November 30, 2010.
• 54 Salmon D. Mandatory Immunizations and the Role of Medical, Religious and Philosophical Exemptions. Unpublished Commentary. August 2002.
• 55 Knight A. Religious Exemption to North Carolina's Childhood Immunization Requirements. University of North Carolina School Law Bulletin. Fall 2004.
• 56 Fisher BL. Doctors Denying Vaccine Risks: An American Tragedy. NVIC Vaccine E-News. April 21, 2011.
• 57 Health Advocacy in the Public Interest (HAPI). Under Attack in Colorado: Religious & Personal Exemptions to Mandatory Vaccinations. July 27, 2011.
• 58 AAP. State Government Affairs: State Legislation Report 2010. Childhood Immunization Challenges.
• 59 Gilbert K. California mulls giving 12-year olds STD vaccine Gardasil without parental consent. LifeSiteNews.com. Aug. 12, 2011.
• 60 See References #14 & 15.
• 61 Moyer CS. CDC stresses need for flu shot every year. American Medical News. June 14, 2011.
• 62 Fisher BL. Forcing Flu Shots on Health Care Workers: Who Is Next? NVIC Vaccine E-News. Sept. 29, 2011. Also see Reference #45.
• 63 Jefferson T. Relation of study quality, concordance, take home message, funding, and impact in studies of influenza vaccines: systematic review. BMJ 2009; 338:b354.
• 64 Kotz D. Flexible approach to vaccination comes under fire. U.S. News. Dec. 29, 2008.
• 65 Orange County Register. CORRECTION re: August 4, 2008 article "Dr. Paul Offit Responds." April 18, 2011.
• 66 See Reference #56.
• 67 Boyle CA, Boulet S et al. Trends in the Prevalence of Developmental Disabilities in US Children 1997-2000. Pediatrics. Published online May 23, 2011
• 68 CDC. Asthma in the U.S.: Growing Every Year
• 69 Mozes A. Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. Kids Diagnosed with ADHD. HealthDay News. Aug. 18, 2011.
• 70 CDC. How Many Children Have Autism? (2006).
• 71 Ostrow N. Autism Leads Rise of Developmental Disabilities. Bloomberg News. May 23, 2011.
• 72 CDC. National Diabetes Fact Sheet - U.S. 2003.
• 73 Landau E. Why are food allergies on the rise? CNN. Aug. 3, 2010.
• 74 Vozella L. Inflammatory bowel disease in kids is on a mysterious rise. Herald Review. Sept. 21, 2010.
• 75 Carey B. Bi-polar disease cases rise sharply in U.S. children. New York Times. Sept. 3, 2007.
• 76 MacDorman MF, Mathews TJ. Behind International Rankings of Infant Mortality: How the U.S. Compares with Europe. NCHS. 2009.
• 77 See Reference #6.
• 78 NIH. Clinicaltrials.gov. Vaccine Clinical Trials. Accessed Aug. 23, 2011.
• 79 Petrovsky N. BioPharm International. New Age Adjuvants: Friend or Foe? Aug. 2, 2007.
• 80 DeYoung R. DNA Vaccines. Nvate.com. Aug. 18, 2011.
• 81 DNAVaccine.com. GeoVax Announces Expansion of Phase 2A Human HIV/AIDS Vaccine Trial. Dec. 6, 2010.
• 82 Stephens A. Could this vaccine end tooth decay? The Daily Mail (UK). Aug. 18, 2011.
• 83 Kim J. Acne Vaccines: Therapeutic Option for the Treatment of Acne vulgaris? Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2008; 128: 2353-2354.
• 84 Musgrove M. Nabi makes deal for smoking vaccine. Washington Post. Nov. 17, 2009.
• 85 Sample I. Vaccine could offer protection against high blood pressure. The Guardian. Mar. 7, 2008.
• 86 Valigra L. Genocea's $35M VC round pushing herpes vaccine torward clinic. Masshightech.com. Jan. 5, 2011.
• 87 UroToday Promising Target Identified for Gonorrhea Vaccine. July 20, 2005.
• 88 Bowdler N. Monkey HIV vaccines 'effective,' say researchers. BBC News. May 11, 2011.
Story at-a-glance
• Your health and liberty is seriously threatened by increasing pressure from pharmaceutical- and medical lobbyists promoting more mandatory vaccinations, effectively branding unvaccinated citizens as enemies of the state
• The base cost for a child to get every government recommended vaccine in a private pediatrician's office has increased from $80 per child in 1986 to a whopping $2200 per child in 2011 Americans, who represent about five percent of the world's population, consume nearly 40 percent of all pharmaceutical products sold
• American children are now receiving 70 doses of 16 vaccines, starting from the day of birth—three times as many as they received in the early 1980's
• In February, the U.S. Supreme Court granted pharmaceutical industry total immunity from lawsuits—even if they could have made a vaccine less harmful—because vaccines are "unavoidably unsafe"
For more than a century pharmaceutical companies have created and enjoyed a lucrative monopoly on health care in America.
They've done this by forming alliances with doctors and politicians and scientists inside and outside of government.
In this manner, slowly but surely, they've managed to steal basic human Constitutional liberties from you, especially your right to choose what is best for yourself and your children when it comes to drugs and vaccines.
Through it all, Barbara Loe Fisher and the National Vaccine Information Center have been fighting to help you keep your rights to make your own health care decisions.
But it's getting harder: these corporate entities are digging their heels in deeper and deeper, with the goal of taking your health liberties away from you through forced vaccination.
Here, Fisher lays out the harsh facts on this most important issue. Read it and weep. Then take swift action!
By Barbara Loe Fisher
In America today, there is an unprecedented assault on the human right to exercise informed consent to medical risk-taking.
It is being led by one of the most powerful and wealthy corporate empires in the world: the global pharmaceutical industry.
What is at stake for Big Pharma is a one trillion dollar market for prescription drugs and vaccines.1 What is at stake for the American people is our health and our liberty.
Pharma's Lucrative Monopoly on U.S. Health Care
For more than a century, pharmaceutical corporations have created a lucrative monopoly on health care in America. They have done this by forging an alliance with a select group of medical doctors and scientists inside and outside of government, who develop and promote widespread drug and vaccine use.
Dr. Mercola Recommends...
Every "Like" Helps Support This Cause
Doctors in private practice, who are encouraged to deliver drugs and vaccines to the people, have become - perhaps without even realizing it - de facto drug company sales reps.2
Americans, who represent about five percent of the world's population,3 4 are the most highly vaccinated5 6 and drugged population on the planet.7 8 We consume nearly 40 percent of all pharmaceutical products sold.9 In 2009, doctors ordered four billion prescriptions for Americans,10 which is one big reason why annual health care costs are nearly $3 trillion dollars in the U.S.11 Half of all Americans, including 25 percent of our children take one or more prescription drugs.12
Today, our children are being given three times as many vaccinations as they got in the early 1980's. 13 14 15 Three times as many vaccinations means three times as much profit for drug companies and doctors selling vaccines.
The base cost for a child to get every government recommended vaccine in a private pediatrician's office has increased from $80 per child in 198616 to a whopping $2200 per child in 2011,17 and that doesn't include physician office administration fees. The federal government now spends nearly $4 billion dollars per year to purchase vaccines for public health clinics,18 where half of America's children are vaccinated.
It is no surprise that vaccine development is one of the fastest growing sectors in the pharmaceutical industry.19 By 2013, Pharma will enjoy a $36 billion dollar vaccine market.20
Eight Big Drug Corporations Selling Vaccines Get Total Liability Shield
In 1986, there were three major drug corporations selling vaccines in the U.S. (Merck, Lederle, Connaught) and now there are eight (Merck, Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Astra Zeneca, CSL Biotherapies, Emergent BioSolutions). That is because, in 1986, Pharma blackmailed Congress into giving them partial liability protection from vaccine injury lawsuits21 by suggesting they would have to abandon the U.S. childhood vaccine market without a liability shield.
In February of this year, drug companies got what they wanted all along: the U.S. Supreme Court gave Pharma total immunity from lawsuits – even if they could have made a vaccine less harmful. 22 23
Vaccines, said the Court, are "unavoidably unsafe."
So if your child is brain injured by a vaccine that you may not have wanted your child to get in the first place, all you can do is file a claim in the federal vaccine injury compensation program. Even though the program has awarded more than $2 billion dollars to vaccine victims, two out of three plaintiffs are turned away empty handed.24
With no liability or accountability for those making, licensing, selling and giving vaccines in America, there are no checks and balances to ensure that vaccines are safe and effective. Doctors, who have been taught to believe that infectious microorganisms should be eradicated from the earth with the mandatory use of multiple vaccines, are as ripe for exploitation as the people they vaccinate.
Big Pharma Does Not Want You to Have Vaccine Freedom of Choice
The only barrier left to unlimited vaccine profit-making is the freedom for Americans to choose whether or not to use every new vaccine Pharma creates and wants mandated. Freedom of choice is something Big Pharma and the medical lobby does not want you to have.
They know that many educated consumers in America and around the world are dissatisfied with the old pharmaceutical-based health care paradigm.25 26 27 They know that 63 percent of all Americans, including 76 percent of health care workers, are empowering themselves with information and choosing less toxic, less expensive, more naturally effective ways to achieve and maintain health.28
Today, millions of Americans are choosing to buy and eat organic29 30 and avoid genetically modified foods.31 32 We are choosing to buy and drink pure water with no chemicals in it. 33 We are choosing mercury-free dental fillings.34 We are choosing exercise and meditation. We are choosing drug free, hospital free births35 and breastfeeding. We are throwing away the bottles of prescription drugs in our medicine cabinet and choosing to get advice from holistic health professionals offering less toxic alternatives to stay well like acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, and naturopathy.36
And we are questioning why we and our children should be required to get a long list of expensive vaccines that carry serious risks37 and sometimes don't work at all.38
This is a health liberty revolution and Pharma knows it.
So Pharma is funding medical organizations profiting from mass vaccination policies39 to press politicians into quickly passing laws that force Americans to buy and use dozens of doses of vaccines. 40 The goal is to demand that everyone salute smartly and obey doctors' orders to get vaccinated or be barred from getting an education,41 health insurance,42 medical care43 44 or a job. 45 The goal is to, in effect, brand unvaccinated citizens as enemies of the state,46 47 so they can be fined or imprisoned.
Can this really be happening in America?
Yes, it can.
Doctors Threatening People and Taking Away Vaccine Exemptions
In 2007, we witnessed physician public health officials summon nearly 1,000 parents with their children to a Maryland courthouse policed by armed guards and dogs to show proof the children had gotten chickenpox and hepatitis b shots.48 Parents were threatened with stiff fines and jail time if they did not comply.
Last spring in Washington state, medical organizations joined with Pharma lobbyists to pressure politicians to pass a law that requires parents to get the signature of a medical doctor or designated medical worker for a child to receive a non-medical exemption to vaccination.49 What this means is that some citizens in society, who have M.D. or certain other medical initials written after their names, now have the power in Washington state to pass judgment on the conscientious or spiritually held beliefs of fellow citizens. It gives some citizens, who may be ideologically opposed to the informed consent ethic,50 a green light to threaten and coerce other citizens into violating their conscience and personal beliefs.51
This expanded authority is added to the authority that medical doctors have had for a long time, which includes the power to refuse to grant a child a medical exemption to vaccination52 53 54 55 - even when the child has suffered a sudden and serious decline in health following previous vaccinations and could be more seriously harmed if additional vaccines are given.56
Colorado and California Citizens Losing Vaccine Choices
Right now, drug company- and medical lobbyists are trying to put further legal restrictions on vaccine exemptions in Colorado 57 and other states.58 In cash-strapped California, the Pharma-Med lobby has succuessfully pushed for a law to be passed that will allow doctors to give minor children expensive new vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases – like Gardasil - without the informed consent of parents.59
Nobody is Held Accountable for Vaccine Injuries and Deaths
But what happens if a vaccine given to a child without the parent's consent ends up injuring or killing a child? Is anyone accountable?
No. Nobody is liable in a court of law to be tried before a jury of our peers when our children and grandchildren are injured or die after getting vaccinated – not the drug companies that made the vaccines; not the federal health officials, who licensed and recommend the vaccines; not the doctor or medical worker, who gave the vaccines; and not the state politician, who voted for vaccine mandates or looked the other way while state health officials added another new vaccine to the required list.
Nobody is held accountable or liable when a child is injured or killed by vaccines in America except the parent of that child, whose informed consent rights may have been violated by fellow citizens wielding power they should never have been given.
This is a Health Liberty Revolution
After 50 years of heavy prescription drug and vaccine use, Americans are waking up to the fact that they are not healthier, but are sicker than ever before. And they are asking a lot of questions.
More of us are wondering why doctors inside and outside of government are insisting that every child get 70 doses of 16 vaccines starting on the first day of life 60 and why that list includes expensive new vaccines for mild diseases, like chickenpox, and for diseases you can't catch in a classroom, like hepatitis B.
More of us are asking why we have to get a flu shot every year 61 and why health care workers are losing their jobs if they don't.62
More of us are looking at vaccine studies published in the medical literature, many of which are paid for by drug companies 63 or public health agencies promoting one-size-fits-all vaccine policies, only to discover that a lot of those studies are the best junk science that money can buy. More of us are watching doctors paid by Pharma64 65 persuade journalists to demonize anyone asking questions about vaccination 66 so other people are afraid to speak up because they know they will be targeted for humiliation and persecution.
Why are so Many of Highly Vaccinated Children so Sick?
But, mostly, we are asking why so many of our highly vaccinated children are so sick with no good explanation coming from the public health officials and doctors we have trusted with their health.
Today, 1 child in 6 in America is learning disabled;67 1 in 9 has asthma;68 1 in 10 is diagnosed with ADHD;69 1 in 110 develops autism;70 71 1 in 450 becomes diabetic,72 and millions more are suffering with severe allergies,73 inflammatory bowel disorders,74 crippling depression75 and other kinds of brain and immune system dysfunction, while America's infant mortality rate ranks among the worst of all developed nations: 6 out of 1,000 babies born live in America die before their first birthday.76 77
New Vaccines Coming to Change Your DNA
Despite the reality that more vaccination does not equal better individual and public health, there are over 3,000 new vaccine clinical trials underway.78 Pharma is creating genetically engineered vaccines, which will ramp up the manipulation of our immune systems79 and even change our DNA,80 81 to prevent everything from tooth decay, 82 acne 83 and smoking84 to high blood pressure,85 herpes,86 gonorrhea87 and HIV/AIDS.88
It is time for all of us to stand up and end our participation in the failed Pharma-based health care paradigm so we can take back our health and our liberty.
If vaccines are safe and effective for everyone, then those who choose to get vaccinated should have nothing to fear from those who choose not to get vaccinated.
If vaccines are not safe and effective for everyone, then it is unethical to require anyone to get vaccinated without their voluntary, informed consent.
The human right to protect bodily integrity trumps any authority the state gives to some citizens to coerce other citizens into taking medical risks against their will. Because if the state can tag, track down and force individuals to be injected with biologicals of known and unknown toxicity today, then there will be no limit on which individual freedoms the state can take away in the name of the greater good tomorrow.
Please go to www.NVIC.org and volunteer to work in your state to defend vaccine exemptions. Empower yourself and stand up for liberty today.
It's your health. Your family. Your choice.
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 for NVIC's free Advocacy Portal at www.NVICAdvocacy.org not only gives you access to practical, useful information to help you become an effective vaccine choice advocate in your own community, but when national vaccine issues come up, you will have the up-to-date information and call to action items you need at your fingertips to make sure your voice is heard.
So please, as your first step, sign up for the NVIC Advocacy Portal.
Contact Your Elected Officials
Write or email your elected state representatives and share your concerns. 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.
Share Your Story with the Media and People You Know
If you or a family member has suffered a serious vaccine reaction, injury or death, please talk about it. If we don't share information and experiences with each other, everybody feels alone and afraid to speak up. Write a letter to the editor if you have a different perspective on a vaccine story that appears in your local newspaper. Make a call in to a radio talk show that is only presenting one side of the vaccine story.
I must be frank with you; you have to be brave because you might be strongly criticized for daring to talk about the "other side" of the vaccine story. Be prepared for it and have the courage to not back down. Only by sharing our perspective and what we know to be true about vaccination will the public conversation about vaccination open up so people are not afraid to talk about it.
We cannot allow the drug companies and medical trade associations funded by drug companies to dominate the conversation about vaccination. The vaccine injured cannot be swept under the carpet and treated like nothing more than "statistically acceptable collateral damage" of national one-size-fits-all mass vaccination policies that put way too many people at risk for injury and death. We shouldn't be treating people like guinea pigs instead of human beings.
Internet Resources Where You Can Learn More
I 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 is becoming the modus operandi of the medical establishment in an effort to stop the change in attitude of many parents about vaccinations after they become truly educated about health and vaccination.
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.
See new "The Greater Good" Documentary for Free This Week
"The Greater Good" movie is a groundbreaking documentary about the vaccine safety and informed consent debate that is a "must see" for everyone who wants to learn more about the different scientific, health policy, economic, legal, ethical and political issues involved in the vaccination controversy. This film will help you educate others about how important it is to do your own research and learn more before you make a vaccination decision for yourself or your child. You can see this eye-opening movie for free on Mercola.com this week only and also get the DVD of the film for $10 until supplies run out. Click here.
REFERENCES:
• 1 VFA (Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies) – Germany. Statistics: The Global Pharmaceutical Market. Apr. 14, 2010.
• 2 Weinberger J. America's Top Selling Prescription Drugs. CNBC. May 23, 2011.
• 3 Rosenberg M. Current USA Population. About.com. July 21, 2011.
• 4 Liptak A. U.S. prison population dwarfs that of other nations. New York Times. Apr. 23, 2008.
• 5 IAC. State Immunization Mandates.
• 6 Miller NZ,, Goldman GS. Infant mortality rates regressed against number of vaccine doses routinely given: Is there a biological or synergistic toxicity? Human and Experimental Toxicology: Published online May 4, 2011.
• 7 Matthews AW. So Young and So Many Pills: More Than 25% of Kids and Teens in the U.S. Take Prescriptions on a Regular Basis. Wall Street Journal. Dec. 28, 2010.
• 8 CDC. Prescription Drug Use Continues to Increase: U.S. Prescription Drug Data for 2007-2008. NCHS Data Brief: Number 42. September 2010.
• 9 See Reference #1.
• 10 Van Arnum P. U.S. Prescription Drug Market Rebounds. Pharmaceutical Industry Sourcing and Management: Volume 6, Issue 4. PharmaTech.com. April 7, 2010.
• 11 Pickert K. The Unsustainable U.S. Health Care System. Time Magazine. Feb. 4, 2010.
• 12 See References #7 & 8.
• 13 CDC. Recommended Schedule for Immunization of Normal Infants & Children. 1983 (through 1986).
• 14 CDC. Recommended Immunization Schedule for Persons 0 through 6 Years. 2011
• 15 CDC. Recommended Immunization Schedule for Persons Aged 7 Through 18 Years. 2011.
• 16 CDC. Vaccine Price List – 1986.
• 17 CDC. Vaccine Price List – 2011.
• 18 Hamilton J. Rising costs complicate vaccine guidelines. NPR. July 20, 2011
• 19 Drug Discovery & Development. Vaccine Market A Refuge for Big Pharma. January 13, 2011.
• 20 Reuters. BCC Research Press Release: Global Market for Vaccines Worth $36.3 Billion by 2013. Technologies and Global Markets. Jan. 24, 2008
• 21 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986(PL99-660).
• 22 Supreme Court of the United States. Russell Bruesewitz et al v. Wyeth et al. No. 09-152. Argued October 12, 2010 – Decided February 22, 2011
• 23 NVIC. Press Release: NVIC Cites "Betrayal" of Consumers by U.S. Supreme Court Giving Total Liability Shield to Big Pharma. Feb. 23, 2011.
• 24 HRSA. Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Statistics
• 25 C.S.Mott Children's Hospital. National Poll on Children's Health: Vaccine and Medication Safety Are Parents' Top Research Priorities. University of Michigan Health Center. October 11, 2010.
• 26 Consumer Reports. Press Release: Two-Thirds of Americans Say Drug Makers Have Too Much Sway Over Doctors; Information About Safety and Side Effects Sorely Needed. Aug. 24, 2010.
• 27 Barnes PM, Bloom B. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults and Children: United States, 2007. National Health Statistics Reports 2008; No. 12.
• 28 Shalmali P. Complementary Medicine Popular with Healthcare Workers. MedPage Today. Aug. 19, 2011.
• 29 Dettman RL. Organic Produce: Who's Eating It? A Demographic Profile of Organic Produce Consumers. Paper selected for presentation at the American Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting July 27-28, 2008.
• 30 Organic Trade Association. Consumer survey finds 41% of parents buying more organic foods than a year ago: US families are buying a wider variety of organic products than ever. Organic Trade Association December 8, 2010.
• 31 Organic Consumers Association.
• 32 Institute for Responsible Technology.
• 33 Fluoride Action Network.
• 34 Consumers for Dental Choice.
• 35 Doheny K. Home Births Jump 20 Percent in 4 Years: U.S. Report. HealthDay News. May 20, 2011
• 36 Eisenberg DM, Davis RB. Trends in Alternative Medicine use in the United States, 1990-1997. JAMA 1998; 280(18): 1569-1575
• 37 See Reference #24
• 38 Crowe K. Many whooping cough victims have been immunized; Experts Spar Over Prospects of New Disease Strain. Watchdog Institute. Dec. 13, 2010.
• 39 Attkisson S. How Independent Are Vaccine Defenders? CBS-TV News. July 25, 2008.
• 40 Fisher BL. WA & NJ Families Stand Up for Vaccine Choices. NVIC Vaccine E-News. Mar. 23, 2011.
• 41 See Reference #5.
• 42 NVIC. Testimonials. Cry for Vaccine Freedom Wall.
• 43 Walker E. Should Doctors Fire Young Patients if Their Parents Refuse to Vaccinate Them? MedPage Today. Oct. 29, 2009.
• 44 Allen J. Doctors Refuse to See Unvaccinated Children. 7 News (ABC-Denver). Feb. 27, 2011
• 45 Caplan A. Time to mandate influenza vaccination in health-care workers. The Lancet July 23, 2011; 378(9788): 310-311.
• 46 Sapatkin D. Considering vaccine as public responsibility. Philadelphia Inquirer.. June 24, 2011.
• 47 Ropeik D. Refusing vaccination? Risky behavior puts others in danger. Morning Sentinel (Maine). Aug. 20, 2011.
• 48 CNN News. Vaccinations…or Jail: County's Threat to Parents. Nov. 17, 2007.
• 49 Fisher BL. WA State Vaccine Law Threatens Exemptions & Threatens Privacy. Feb. 13, 2011. Also see Reference #40.
• 50 Kleifgen B. Informed Consent in Vaccination. Vaccine Ethics.org. July 2010.
• 51 See References #42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48.
• 52 Title 64. Interpretive Rule, Department of Health & Human Resources: Immunization Requirements & Recommendations for New School Enterers. West Virginia. March 21, 2011.
• 53 Appeal of N.C. on behalf of her daughter, V.C. from action of the New York City Department of Education regarding immunization. Decision No. 16, 172. November 30, 2010.
• 54 Salmon D. Mandatory Immunizations and the Role of Medical, Religious and Philosophical Exemptions. Unpublished Commentary. August 2002.
• 55 Knight A. Religious Exemption to North Carolina's Childhood Immunization Requirements. University of North Carolina School Law Bulletin. Fall 2004.
• 56 Fisher BL. Doctors Denying Vaccine Risks: An American Tragedy. NVIC Vaccine E-News. April 21, 2011.
• 57 Health Advocacy in the Public Interest (HAPI). Under Attack in Colorado: Religious & Personal Exemptions to Mandatory Vaccinations. July 27, 2011.
• 58 AAP. State Government Affairs: State Legislation Report 2010. Childhood Immunization Challenges.
• 59 Gilbert K. California mulls giving 12-year olds STD vaccine Gardasil without parental consent. LifeSiteNews.com. Aug. 12, 2011.
• 60 See References #14 & 15.
• 61 Moyer CS. CDC stresses need for flu shot every year. American Medical News. June 14, 2011.
• 62 Fisher BL. Forcing Flu Shots on Health Care Workers: Who Is Next? NVIC Vaccine E-News. Sept. 29, 2011. Also see Reference #45.
• 63 Jefferson T. Relation of study quality, concordance, take home message, funding, and impact in studies of influenza vaccines: systematic review. BMJ 2009; 338:b354.
• 64 Kotz D. Flexible approach to vaccination comes under fire. U.S. News. Dec. 29, 2008.
• 65 Orange County Register. CORRECTION re: August 4, 2008 article "Dr. Paul Offit Responds." April 18, 2011.
• 66 See Reference #56.
• 67 Boyle CA, Boulet S et al. Trends in the Prevalence of Developmental Disabilities in US Children 1997-2000. Pediatrics. Published online May 23, 2011
• 68 CDC. Asthma in the U.S.: Growing Every Year
• 69 Mozes A. Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. Kids Diagnosed with ADHD. HealthDay News. Aug. 18, 2011.
• 70 CDC. How Many Children Have Autism? (2006).
• 71 Ostrow N. Autism Leads Rise of Developmental Disabilities. Bloomberg News. May 23, 2011.
• 72 CDC. National Diabetes Fact Sheet - U.S. 2003.
• 73 Landau E. Why are food allergies on the rise? CNN. Aug. 3, 2010.
• 74 Vozella L. Inflammatory bowel disease in kids is on a mysterious rise. Herald Review. Sept. 21, 2010.
• 75 Carey B. Bi-polar disease cases rise sharply in U.S. children. New York Times. Sept. 3, 2007.
• 76 MacDorman MF, Mathews TJ. Behind International Rankings of Infant Mortality: How the U.S. Compares with Europe. NCHS. 2009.
• 77 See Reference #6.
• 78 NIH. Clinicaltrials.gov. Vaccine Clinical Trials. Accessed Aug. 23, 2011.
• 79 Petrovsky N. BioPharm International. New Age Adjuvants: Friend or Foe? Aug. 2, 2007.
• 80 DeYoung R. DNA Vaccines. Nvate.com. Aug. 18, 2011.
• 81 DNAVaccine.com. GeoVax Announces Expansion of Phase 2A Human HIV/AIDS Vaccine Trial. Dec. 6, 2010.
• 82 Stephens A. Could this vaccine end tooth decay? The Daily Mail (UK). Aug. 18, 2011.
• 83 Kim J. Acne Vaccines: Therapeutic Option for the Treatment of Acne vulgaris? Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2008; 128: 2353-2354.
• 84 Musgrove M. Nabi makes deal for smoking vaccine. Washington Post. Nov. 17, 2009.
• 85 Sample I. Vaccine could offer protection against high blood pressure. The Guardian. Mar. 7, 2008.
• 86 Valigra L. Genocea's $35M VC round pushing herpes vaccine torward clinic. Masshightech.com. Jan. 5, 2011.
• 87 UroToday Promising Target Identified for Gonorrhea Vaccine. July 20, 2005.
• 88 Bowdler N. Monkey HIV vaccines 'effective,' say researchers. BBC News. May 11, 2011.
Testimonial...
Many people come by the Farmers Market on Sunday and tell me what FFO has done for them I decided to ask for testimonials from people who use it on a regular basis. Just got this one the other day. It's usually the ones who use it consistently that comment.
"When I went in to see my chiropractor and he muscle tested me on everything I was taking as well as many things that he suspected I was allergic or intolerant to. What he discovered is that my nervous system was very clearly under stress, such that my sympathetic system was dominant and kept overriding my parasympathetic system and I was unable to sleep. (No kidding . . . I was exhausted!)
Of all the supplements I took in the one that strengthened my system the most was your product, the diatomaceous earth preparation that you sell. He immediately asked me what in the world that was! He’d never heard of diatoms and I did my best to explain to him what they are. But in the final analysis – whether we can understand them or not – they certainly proved to be beneficial to me!
Thank you,
MR"
"When I went in to see my chiropractor and he muscle tested me on everything I was taking as well as many things that he suspected I was allergic or intolerant to. What he discovered is that my nervous system was very clearly under stress, such that my sympathetic system was dominant and kept overriding my parasympathetic system and I was unable to sleep. (No kidding . . . I was exhausted!)
Of all the supplements I took in the one that strengthened my system the most was your product, the diatomaceous earth preparation that you sell. He immediately asked me what in the world that was! He’d never heard of diatoms and I did my best to explain to him what they are. But in the final analysis – whether we can understand them or not – they certainly proved to be beneficial to me!
Thank you,
MR"
Thursday, November 3, 2011
CDC and ADA Now Advise to Avoid Using Fluoride
CDC and ADA Now Advise to Avoid Using Fluoride
Two top public health agencies have finally conceded there are risks to fluoride in your drinking water...Link to full story:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/13/cdc-and-ada-now-advise-to-avoid-using-fluoride.aspx
Organic Food May Become a Thing of the Past
These five companies own the vast majority of worldwide seeds. And now many organic livestock farmers are being forced to use GM foods, simply because there are no other options available. If you care about your family's health, this is what you must do to fight back...Link to full story:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/11/how-monsanto-controls-the-future-of-food.aspx
Don't Give This to Your Daughter - Despite What Your Doctor Says
Doctors recommend ALL young girls take this. But they don't tell you about these common post-marketing adverse events including sudden fainting, dizziness, seizures, and blood clots. Read this before visiting your doctor to protect your daughter's life...Link to full story:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/05/gardasil-vaccine-is-a-flop-for-good-reasons.aspx
Two top public health agencies have finally conceded there are risks to fluoride in your drinking water...Link to full story:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/13/cdc-and-ada-now-advise-to-avoid-using-fluoride.aspx
Organic Food May Become a Thing of the Past
These five companies own the vast majority of worldwide seeds. And now many organic livestock farmers are being forced to use GM foods, simply because there are no other options available. If you care about your family's health, this is what you must do to fight back...Link to full story:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/11/how-monsanto-controls-the-future-of-food.aspx
Don't Give This to Your Daughter - Despite What Your Doctor Says
Doctors recommend ALL young girls take this. But they don't tell you about these common post-marketing adverse events including sudden fainting, dizziness, seizures, and blood clots. Read this before visiting your doctor to protect your daughter's life...Link to full story:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/05/gardasil-vaccine-is-a-flop-for-good-reasons.aspx
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
A Shot in the Arm for Big Pharma...The Epic $40 Billion Business
Boom Behind the Vaccine Machine
Highlights:
"All are at risk from being harmed by the (flu) vaccine," says Dr. Morris. "Particularly from the mercury, aluminum and formaldehyde in it."
And there are many reasons why these other ingredients are risky too:
• Aluminum: Another neurotoxin that often linked to Alzheimer's disease and cognitive diseases.
• Formaldehyde: A substance that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists as a carcinogen.
• Triton X-100: A dangerous detergent never intended to be injected into the human bloodstream.
"The CDC and FDA, for reasons not explained, have chosen to ignore this fact," says Dr. Miller.
And he says this is unacceptable...given the amount of evidence available.
The whole story below:
Every year at this time...the flu specter rises again. And our health leaders rally us to fight back against it...and they arm us with flu shots.
They tell us we need these shots...because our lives may literally depend on them. And they have lots of scary figures to "prove" this.
The CDC tells us that every winter up to 20 percent of people catch the flu. Almost 200,000 people wind up in the hospital because of it. And 36,000 people die from it.
But one top doctor from the University of Washington (UW) says these numbers don't paint a true picture. He says these numbers are distorted...and are part of a huge fear campaign that generates billions of dollars for the drug makers.
In fact...he says flu vaccines are the fastest growing medical money-maker of our time.
And while most doctors may say flu shots are vital to your health and are totally safe...decades of research shows these drugs may do a lot more harm than good.
That's why our UW expert says...
"Seventy percent of doctors do not get a flu shot."
And why another doctor–recognized by Time Magazine–says...
"The flu vaccine is one more attempt by our federal health officials to open up our bodies to the free market capitalism of the pharmaceutical coffers."
So stay with us as we look at the real figures behind flu shots...compare the true risk-to-benefit ratio...and uncover what is fueling the epic rise of flu vaccines.
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Shooting Down Flu
Flu shots are now a part of the season. Millions of people get them every winter. And up to 65 percent of seniors get an annual shot.
You can't ignore them at this time of year.
Every CVS and Walgreens has banners in their windows...the CDC distributes mailings...and even Wal-Mart and Target are getting in on the act by offering "free" shots at their in-store clinics.
The message over and over again is that they're a powerful preventative step to keep you flu-free this year...a cheap and easy measure that may potentially save your life. And as we've already shown you...the official figures back this up.
But an educated review of those figures paints a different picture.
"The CDC mounts a well-orchestrated campaign each season to generate interest and demand for flu shots," says Dr. Donald Miller.
Dr. Miller teaches at the University of Washington. He's also a practicing cardiac surgeon and a member of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness. After graduating from Harvard Medical School over 40 years ago he began his career as a naval surgeon...before moving into civil practice. And he currently directs the surgery program at the Seattle VA Medical Center.
He says if you actually break down the CDC reports those figures get a lot more murky. In fact...about 35,000 of the deaths that are attributed to flu are actually just flu-associated...and are actually due to things like hearts attacks.
Dr. Gary Null agrees. He's been on the forefront of medicine for the last 30 years and was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the top health gurus in the US. They call him "The New Mr. Natural." He's published over 70 papers and is a New York Times best-selling health author.
And he doesn't buy into the official flu figures either.
"The CDC is completely clueless about this past season's flu infection rate," he says.
But Dr. Morris takes these thoughts further. He says it's not just that the CDC makes the threat sound much greater than it actually is...he says the "solution" doesn't do much good.
"There is a lack of evidence that (we) benefit from flu shots," he says. "A review of 51 studies involving 260,000 children found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo."
The figures he's quoting come from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. (And Cochrane studies are considered the gold standard for scientific research.)
The review was led by Dr. Tom Jefferson. He heads up the Vaccine Field Group for the Cochrane Library. And his findings were published in the Lancet.
Dr. Jefferson also found that flu shots weren't much better for adults. In fact...they did nothing for 94 percent of adults.
"Vaccination of healthy adults only reduced (flu) risk by six percent," says Dr. Jefferson.
There's plenty of other research that confirms Dr. Jefferson's findings.
A study was just published in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.
It also found that flu shots didn't reduce flu-related hospitalizations or doctor visits during the last two flu seasons.
The researchers concluded that:
"Influenza vaccine effectiveness could not be demonstrated
for any season, age or setting."
And further findings from the Group Health study found that flu shots don't protect seniors against developing pneumonia.
They looked at research dating back to 1980. And they found that while 40 percent more seniors now get flu shots...there's been no difference in flu-related death numbers.
Back in 1980, just 15 percent of seniors got shots. These days 65 percent get them. But there's no difference whatsoever in deaths from influenza or pneumonia.
And there are many scientists around the world who say these shots just don't do any good.
In Canada there is a network of scientists, doctors and journalists looking into vaccines. It's called the Vaccination Risk Awareness Network (VRAN).
And after looking through available findings and published papers these doctors and journalist have reached one conclusion.
They say that the flu shot is "the most useless vaccine of all time."
And it's not just overseas authorities who say flu shots are worthless.
Believe it or not...the former Chief Vaccine Office of the FDA agrees. His name is Dr. Anthony Morris. Before he took over the vaccine investigations group for the FDA he was the top virologist for the US Division of Biological Standards.
He's spent a long and distinguished career studying flu vaccines. And he was so good at his job that he rose to the top government spot in the field.
He surprised the world when he came out and said flu shots simply don't work.
"There is no evidence that any flu vaccine is effective in preventing any attack of flu," he said. "The producers of these vaccines know they are worthless, but they go on selling them anyway."
He was fired by the FDA shortly after making his statement.
That's a lot of scientists and studies that say flu shots don't do much good.
But Dr. Morris takes this one step further. He doesn't just say flu shots are worthless. He also says they're dangerous.
"There is a great deal of evidence to prove that immunization does more harm than good," he says.
Flu Shots May Pose Plenty of Risk
So why does Dr. Morris think flu shots are risky?
He says it's because many include an ingredient called thimerosal.
This is a preservative that's in 90 percent of flu shots and vaccines. The problem is that over 49 percent of it is made up from mercury.
"Mainstream medical journals publish studies that claim thimerosal is safe," says Dr. Miller. "These articles are written in large part by researchers in the pay of vaccine makers."
But Dr. Miller says there's plenty of research which clearly shows the dangers of thimerosal.
He points to one study by Mark and David Geier. Their study "documents a strong association between the amounts of mercury injected in vaccines and autism," says Dr. Miller.
"The mercury in flu vaccines plays a role in this disease," says Dr. Miller. "One investigator has found that people who received the flu vaccine each year for three years had a 10-fold greater chance of developing Alzheimer's disease than people who had zero shots."
And there's lots of other research that shows mercury is dangerous to your health. We've reported on the dangers of it in the past. And you can read those stories here and here.
So...when you get a flu shot you're also getting high levels of mercury. That's because most flu shots contain about 25 micrograms of thimerosal. And its mercury content exceeds the EPA safety levels by 250 times.
That's a big number...and it comes from Mike Wagnitz. He's a senior chemist at the University of Wisconsin. He's spent the last 20 years evaluating products for mercury.
"A common myth is that thimerosal is added to vaccines in 'trace' amounts," he says.
But he says this just isn't true.
"The concentration of mercury in a flu vaccine is 50,000 parts per billion," he says.
That might not mean much on its own...so he explains why that's a bad number.
"Drinking-water can't exceed two parts per billion of mercury," he says. "Waste is considered hazardous if it has only 200 parts per billion."
But flu shots are OK with 50,000 parts per billion. That means your average flu shot contains literally 250 times more mercury than hazardous waste.
He says there's no denying this simple fact. That means flu shots are a danger to the people they are most often aimed at...pregnant mothers, children and seniors.
And these are the people who have the least defense against mercury.
And this has been a big problem for years. So you'd think that the government would step in...
But they haven't so far.
In fact...the Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs contacted the FDA about it back in 2004. They noted the dangers of mercury. And sent a petition to cut thimerosal in flu shots.
But the FDA denied the petition...and that reply eventually went public a few years later on MSN.
"Pharmaceutical companies still add thimerosal in their Flu vaccines, which the FDA has chosen not to recall," says Dr. Miller.
Since then there's been plenty more studies showing that mercury is dangerous.
The latest one came out just a few months ago...and it's the sixth to be published recently. It specifically linked flu shots to Alzheimer's and autism.
And flu shots don't just contain mercury. They are loaded with other dangerous fillers too.
"All are at risk from being harmed by the (flu) vaccine," says Dr. Morris. "Particularly from the mercury, aluminum and formaldehyde in it."
And there are many reasons why these other ingredients are risky too:
• Aluminum: Another neurotoxin that often linked to Alzheimer's disease and cognitive diseases.
• Formaldehyde: A substance that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists as a carcinogen.
• Triton X-100: A dangerous detergent never intended to be injected into the human bloodstream.
"The CDC and FDA, for reasons not explained, have chosen to ignore this fact," says Dr. Miller.
And he says this is unacceptable...given the amount of evidence available.
"There is growing evidence that vaccines cause both autism and Alzheimer's disease," says Dr. Miller. "(That) evidence includes privately funded studies. Research on how mercury damages brain cells grown in culture. Animal studies in rodents, sheep and primates. And clinical studies in children and adults."
And yet these vaccines still contain mercury.
So the big question is...why do these shots stay on the market?
Dr. Morris says that "one reason" is that many health leaders are "in the pay of vaccine makers."
And because of that...many of the true dangers behind flu shots stay hidden.
Burying the Truth
While there's loads of evidence against flu shots...most it stays buried.
"The medical and public health communities publicize only what they want us to know about vaccines," says Dr. Kristine Severyn.
Dr. Severyn is an Ohio pharmacist with a Ph.D. in bio pharmaceutics from the University of Cincinnati. She's testified before many federal vaccine policy-making groups in Washington, D.C.
"I was taught that vaccines work all the time (and) with extremely rare adverse effects," she says. "Researching federal health information, reading medical literature, and attending vaccine policy-making meetings have caused me to reverse my original trust in vaccines."
During the last five years she's been in many FDA and CDC meetings about flu shots. And she says that at one meeting the CDC said "influenza vaccines are among the least effective immunizing agents available, and this (is) particularly true for elderly recipients."
All of her research has led her to one firm conclusion.
"The taxpayer has been defrauded about flu shots," she says. "We do not know what the risks are because our government is not interested in finding out."
She says the FDA should "do its job of monitoring safety and efficacy of licensed vaccines."
But she says that's not happening at the moment. And until that happens it's up to independent scientists to bring these truths to light.
Dr. Severyn says she's been doing just that. She's spent several years going through the FDA database...studying reports of bad reactions to vaccines.
"The FDA (has) collected nearly 32,000 reports of (bad) reactions (to) vaccination," she says. And she notes that there were "more than 700 deaths."
But she says you won't hear about them.
"The FDA dismisses them as coincidental," says Dr. Severyn. "Nearly all reports languish in a government computer data base."
Dr. Severyn says these cases are real...and there is a money trail showing that families are quietly compensated in these cases.
But she says these cases are kept quiet. That's because the government passed a law back in 1986 to get around noisy legal battles.
"To compensate those killed or injured by vaccines, congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act," she says.
And that act created the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).
"As of 1994, the program has paid $452.5 million for vaccine injury or death, and is backlogged with more than 2,600 cases," she says.
"Vaccine manufacturers enjoy the enviable position of having their products mandated and their liability costs shouldered by the US taxpayer," she says. "Victims of vaccine are prohibited from suing the drug companies until they are denied assistance from the VICP."
So that's how bad news about vaccines stays buried.
And burying the truth helps promote vaccines. But why are so many groups working to keep them on the market?
Dr. Severyn says it's all about money. And in the case of vaccines...epic amounts of it.
"Flu shots (are) useless," says Dr. Severyn. "The shots only benefit the companies that make them...public health bureaucrats who promote them...and medical personnel who administer them."
And Dr. Null agrees with this.
"Big Pharma money and corporate favors are what shape drug and vaccine policies and this is rampant throughout the system," he says.
Vaccines Are Epic Business
Most people wouldn't link flu shots to big money. After all...there are always chain stores giving them away for "free". And they're often promoted as a cheap way to protect your health.
Most insurers cover them. And even people without coverage can get them for as little as $15 or $25.
But they're generating billions of dollars in profits for the drug companies.
Sales of just one flu vaccine made Sanofi-Aventis $500 million in the final quarter of 2009. Vaccines brought in around $6 billion for the company the following year. And the company expects sales to double by 2013.
"There's a huge demand and a lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon," says Dr. Michael Ossi. He's a disease expert with GlaxoSmithKlein.
"It's something that will continue for good now," he says. "It's a new marketplace."
Philippe Monteyne agrees. He's the senior vice president of global vaccines development at the same company.
"We are just at the early days of a new era which is just exploding," he says. "The whole vaccine industry is changing."
And vaccines are so big...that whole countries are now clients to the drug makers.
Monteyne says the cost of flu shots is flexible...depending on the wealth of the country.
"We have a tiered pricing strategy," he says. "It is mainly based on the level of income of the country."
Why Vaccines Are So Valuable to the Drug Makers
There are two big reasons why vaccines are so valuable to the big drug makers.
Most other drugs have limited potency. With time...their effects lessen. But flu shots don't have this problem because they're largely used seasonally.
The second reason is that flu shots offer the big drug makers an exclusive market to mine and plunder.
Most drugs have a limited patent protection. Once those patents end, generic versions undercut the market. But this isn't a problem for vaccines.
That's because it's very expensive to make them. A new plant costs up to $1-billion to set up. So only the biggest players can even afford to sit at the table. That means companies like Glaxo, Novartis and Sanofi-Aventis have the market to themselves.
"The barriers to enter the market are extremely high," says Monteyne. "You don't become a vaccine maker overnight. That's why we have a few big players...and very few only."
And the big players plan on keeping it that way.
Over the last couple of years they've bought out any smaller players...as you can see from the following figures:
• Novartis spent $5 billion to buy flu vaccine maker Chrion
• Astra Zeneca paid $15 billion for Medimmune
• Glaxo bought out BioChem's vaccine operation for $1.4 billion
So now it's just the big players in the game.
But for those players...the payoffs are huge.
In the three years between 2004 and 2007...vaccine sales have soared by 32 percent each year. That's four times as fast as any other drug. And leading all vaccines were flu shots.
Vaccines are now a $24 billion business. Analysts expect that business to grow to $40 billion next year.
The CEO of Sanofi is Chris Viehbacher. He simply had this to say about the sales....
"Vaccines, vaccines...wonderful business..."
So there's little doubt that vaccines are a booming market. And as we've seen...there are many potential conflicts of interest within the world of vaccines. And there are plenty of benefits to be had from flu shots.
But there are many experts who don't think those benefits have anything to do with your health. As always, we'll keep you updated on any developments in this story...as they happen.
But if you currently receive our paid monthly newsletter...you can read an extended report about this subject. This is an exclusive report that's available FREE to our paid members only.
This report is called the NHD Insider Files. It's a formatted PDF that's easy-to-print and file. And it gives deeper and extended coverage of today's Undercover.
Today's 20-page report looks at the massive business that's driving flu shots this season. And it's packed with 50 percent more content than the regular free version.
It gives you more access to:
• Vital studies and findings...
• Exclusive charts and graphic content...
• A safe and natural doctor-recommended alternative to fight flu this season...
And because this report is big enough to cover all the facts...it even peels away an extra layer of financial corruption...that suggests that the people behind flu vaccines may be even more powerful than the World Health Organization (WHO).
So...if you get our paid monthly newsletter...go ahead and check your inbox now. You'll find today's issue includes a one-click link to the FREE PDF report.
If you're one of our free members you can also access this report by signing up to become a paid subscriber. As a paid subscriber you won't just get these extended reports...you'll get plenty of other exclusive benefits too.
Think Farmacy not pharmacy!
To Your Health
Organic Jan
Boom Behind the Vaccine Machine
Highlights:
"All are at risk from being harmed by the (flu) vaccine," says Dr. Morris. "Particularly from the mercury, aluminum and formaldehyde in it."
And there are many reasons why these other ingredients are risky too:
• Aluminum: Another neurotoxin that often linked to Alzheimer's disease and cognitive diseases.
• Formaldehyde: A substance that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists as a carcinogen.
• Triton X-100: A dangerous detergent never intended to be injected into the human bloodstream.
"The CDC and FDA, for reasons not explained, have chosen to ignore this fact," says Dr. Miller.
And he says this is unacceptable...given the amount of evidence available.
The whole story below:
Every year at this time...the flu specter rises again. And our health leaders rally us to fight back against it...and they arm us with flu shots.
They tell us we need these shots...because our lives may literally depend on them. And they have lots of scary figures to "prove" this.
The CDC tells us that every winter up to 20 percent of people catch the flu. Almost 200,000 people wind up in the hospital because of it. And 36,000 people die from it.
But one top doctor from the University of Washington (UW) says these numbers don't paint a true picture. He says these numbers are distorted...and are part of a huge fear campaign that generates billions of dollars for the drug makers.
In fact...he says flu vaccines are the fastest growing medical money-maker of our time.
And while most doctors may say flu shots are vital to your health and are totally safe...decades of research shows these drugs may do a lot more harm than good.
That's why our UW expert says...
"Seventy percent of doctors do not get a flu shot."
And why another doctor–recognized by Time Magazine–says...
"The flu vaccine is one more attempt by our federal health officials to open up our bodies to the free market capitalism of the pharmaceutical coffers."
So stay with us as we look at the real figures behind flu shots...compare the true risk-to-benefit ratio...and uncover what is fueling the epic rise of flu vaccines.
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These aren't just theoretical cures of the future... in this video presentation you'll discover these amazing cures and more from around the world.
Click here to watch this video now.
Shooting Down Flu
Flu shots are now a part of the season. Millions of people get them every winter. And up to 65 percent of seniors get an annual shot.
You can't ignore them at this time of year.
Every CVS and Walgreens has banners in their windows...the CDC distributes mailings...and even Wal-Mart and Target are getting in on the act by offering "free" shots at their in-store clinics.
The message over and over again is that they're a powerful preventative step to keep you flu-free this year...a cheap and easy measure that may potentially save your life. And as we've already shown you...the official figures back this up.
But an educated review of those figures paints a different picture.
"The CDC mounts a well-orchestrated campaign each season to generate interest and demand for flu shots," says Dr. Donald Miller.
Dr. Miller teaches at the University of Washington. He's also a practicing cardiac surgeon and a member of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness. After graduating from Harvard Medical School over 40 years ago he began his career as a naval surgeon...before moving into civil practice. And he currently directs the surgery program at the Seattle VA Medical Center.
He says if you actually break down the CDC reports those figures get a lot more murky. In fact...about 35,000 of the deaths that are attributed to flu are actually just flu-associated...and are actually due to things like hearts attacks.
Dr. Gary Null agrees. He's been on the forefront of medicine for the last 30 years and was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the top health gurus in the US. They call him "The New Mr. Natural." He's published over 70 papers and is a New York Times best-selling health author.
And he doesn't buy into the official flu figures either.
"The CDC is completely clueless about this past season's flu infection rate," he says.
But Dr. Morris takes these thoughts further. He says it's not just that the CDC makes the threat sound much greater than it actually is...he says the "solution" doesn't do much good.
"There is a lack of evidence that (we) benefit from flu shots," he says. "A review of 51 studies involving 260,000 children found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo."
The figures he's quoting come from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. (And Cochrane studies are considered the gold standard for scientific research.)
The review was led by Dr. Tom Jefferson. He heads up the Vaccine Field Group for the Cochrane Library. And his findings were published in the Lancet.
Dr. Jefferson also found that flu shots weren't much better for adults. In fact...they did nothing for 94 percent of adults.
"Vaccination of healthy adults only reduced (flu) risk by six percent," says Dr. Jefferson.
There's plenty of other research that confirms Dr. Jefferson's findings.
A study was just published in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.
It also found that flu shots didn't reduce flu-related hospitalizations or doctor visits during the last two flu seasons.
The researchers concluded that:
"Influenza vaccine effectiveness could not be demonstrated
for any season, age or setting."
And further findings from the Group Health study found that flu shots don't protect seniors against developing pneumonia.
They looked at research dating back to 1980. And they found that while 40 percent more seniors now get flu shots...there's been no difference in flu-related death numbers.
Back in 1980, just 15 percent of seniors got shots. These days 65 percent get them. But there's no difference whatsoever in deaths from influenza or pneumonia.
And there are many scientists around the world who say these shots just don't do any good.
In Canada there is a network of scientists, doctors and journalists looking into vaccines. It's called the Vaccination Risk Awareness Network (VRAN).
And after looking through available findings and published papers these doctors and journalist have reached one conclusion.
They say that the flu shot is "the most useless vaccine of all time."
And it's not just overseas authorities who say flu shots are worthless.
Believe it or not...the former Chief Vaccine Office of the FDA agrees. His name is Dr. Anthony Morris. Before he took over the vaccine investigations group for the FDA he was the top virologist for the US Division of Biological Standards.
He's spent a long and distinguished career studying flu vaccines. And he was so good at his job that he rose to the top government spot in the field.
He surprised the world when he came out and said flu shots simply don't work.
"There is no evidence that any flu vaccine is effective in preventing any attack of flu," he said. "The producers of these vaccines know they are worthless, but they go on selling them anyway."
He was fired by the FDA shortly after making his statement.
That's a lot of scientists and studies that say flu shots don't do much good.
But Dr. Morris takes this one step further. He doesn't just say flu shots are worthless. He also says they're dangerous.
"There is a great deal of evidence to prove that immunization does more harm than good," he says.
Flu Shots May Pose Plenty of Risk
So why does Dr. Morris think flu shots are risky?
He says it's because many include an ingredient called thimerosal.
This is a preservative that's in 90 percent of flu shots and vaccines. The problem is that over 49 percent of it is made up from mercury.
"Mainstream medical journals publish studies that claim thimerosal is safe," says Dr. Miller. "These articles are written in large part by researchers in the pay of vaccine makers."
But Dr. Miller says there's plenty of research which clearly shows the dangers of thimerosal.
He points to one study by Mark and David Geier. Their study "documents a strong association between the amounts of mercury injected in vaccines and autism," says Dr. Miller.
"The mercury in flu vaccines plays a role in this disease," says Dr. Miller. "One investigator has found that people who received the flu vaccine each year for three years had a 10-fold greater chance of developing Alzheimer's disease than people who had zero shots."
And there's lots of other research that shows mercury is dangerous to your health. We've reported on the dangers of it in the past. And you can read those stories here and here.
So...when you get a flu shot you're also getting high levels of mercury. That's because most flu shots contain about 25 micrograms of thimerosal. And its mercury content exceeds the EPA safety levels by 250 times.
That's a big number...and it comes from Mike Wagnitz. He's a senior chemist at the University of Wisconsin. He's spent the last 20 years evaluating products for mercury.
"A common myth is that thimerosal is added to vaccines in 'trace' amounts," he says.
But he says this just isn't true.
"The concentration of mercury in a flu vaccine is 50,000 parts per billion," he says.
That might not mean much on its own...so he explains why that's a bad number.
"Drinking-water can't exceed two parts per billion of mercury," he says. "Waste is considered hazardous if it has only 200 parts per billion."
But flu shots are OK with 50,000 parts per billion. That means your average flu shot contains literally 250 times more mercury than hazardous waste.
He says there's no denying this simple fact. That means flu shots are a danger to the people they are most often aimed at...pregnant mothers, children and seniors.
And these are the people who have the least defense against mercury.
And this has been a big problem for years. So you'd think that the government would step in...
But they haven't so far.
In fact...the Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs contacted the FDA about it back in 2004. They noted the dangers of mercury. And sent a petition to cut thimerosal in flu shots.
But the FDA denied the petition...and that reply eventually went public a few years later on MSN.
"Pharmaceutical companies still add thimerosal in their Flu vaccines, which the FDA has chosen not to recall," says Dr. Miller.
Since then there's been plenty more studies showing that mercury is dangerous.
The latest one came out just a few months ago...and it's the sixth to be published recently. It specifically linked flu shots to Alzheimer's and autism.
And flu shots don't just contain mercury. They are loaded with other dangerous fillers too.
"All are at risk from being harmed by the (flu) vaccine," says Dr. Morris. "Particularly from the mercury, aluminum and formaldehyde in it."
And there are many reasons why these other ingredients are risky too:
• Aluminum: Another neurotoxin that often linked to Alzheimer's disease and cognitive diseases.
• Formaldehyde: A substance that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists as a carcinogen.
• Triton X-100: A dangerous detergent never intended to be injected into the human bloodstream.
"The CDC and FDA, for reasons not explained, have chosen to ignore this fact," says Dr. Miller.
And he says this is unacceptable...given the amount of evidence available.
"There is growing evidence that vaccines cause both autism and Alzheimer's disease," says Dr. Miller. "(That) evidence includes privately funded studies. Research on how mercury damages brain cells grown in culture. Animal studies in rodents, sheep and primates. And clinical studies in children and adults."
And yet these vaccines still contain mercury.
So the big question is...why do these shots stay on the market?
Dr. Morris says that "one reason" is that many health leaders are "in the pay of vaccine makers."
And because of that...many of the true dangers behind flu shots stay hidden.
Burying the Truth
While there's loads of evidence against flu shots...most it stays buried.
"The medical and public health communities publicize only what they want us to know about vaccines," says Dr. Kristine Severyn.
Dr. Severyn is an Ohio pharmacist with a Ph.D. in bio pharmaceutics from the University of Cincinnati. She's testified before many federal vaccine policy-making groups in Washington, D.C.
"I was taught that vaccines work all the time (and) with extremely rare adverse effects," she says. "Researching federal health information, reading medical literature, and attending vaccine policy-making meetings have caused me to reverse my original trust in vaccines."
During the last five years she's been in many FDA and CDC meetings about flu shots. And she says that at one meeting the CDC said "influenza vaccines are among the least effective immunizing agents available, and this (is) particularly true for elderly recipients."
All of her research has led her to one firm conclusion.
"The taxpayer has been defrauded about flu shots," she says. "We do not know what the risks are because our government is not interested in finding out."
She says the FDA should "do its job of monitoring safety and efficacy of licensed vaccines."
But she says that's not happening at the moment. And until that happens it's up to independent scientists to bring these truths to light.
Dr. Severyn says she's been doing just that. She's spent several years going through the FDA database...studying reports of bad reactions to vaccines.
"The FDA (has) collected nearly 32,000 reports of (bad) reactions (to) vaccination," she says. And she notes that there were "more than 700 deaths."
But she says you won't hear about them.
"The FDA dismisses them as coincidental," says Dr. Severyn. "Nearly all reports languish in a government computer data base."
Dr. Severyn says these cases are real...and there is a money trail showing that families are quietly compensated in these cases.
But she says these cases are kept quiet. That's because the government passed a law back in 1986 to get around noisy legal battles.
"To compensate those killed or injured by vaccines, congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act," she says.
And that act created the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).
"As of 1994, the program has paid $452.5 million for vaccine injury or death, and is backlogged with more than 2,600 cases," she says.
"Vaccine manufacturers enjoy the enviable position of having their products mandated and their liability costs shouldered by the US taxpayer," she says. "Victims of vaccine are prohibited from suing the drug companies until they are denied assistance from the VICP."
So that's how bad news about vaccines stays buried.
And burying the truth helps promote vaccines. But why are so many groups working to keep them on the market?
Dr. Severyn says it's all about money. And in the case of vaccines...epic amounts of it.
"Flu shots (are) useless," says Dr. Severyn. "The shots only benefit the companies that make them...public health bureaucrats who promote them...and medical personnel who administer them."
And Dr. Null agrees with this.
"Big Pharma money and corporate favors are what shape drug and vaccine policies and this is rampant throughout the system," he says.
Vaccines Are Epic Business
Most people wouldn't link flu shots to big money. After all...there are always chain stores giving them away for "free". And they're often promoted as a cheap way to protect your health.
Most insurers cover them. And even people without coverage can get them for as little as $15 or $25.
But they're generating billions of dollars in profits for the drug companies.
Sales of just one flu vaccine made Sanofi-Aventis $500 million in the final quarter of 2009. Vaccines brought in around $6 billion for the company the following year. And the company expects sales to double by 2013.
"There's a huge demand and a lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon," says Dr. Michael Ossi. He's a disease expert with GlaxoSmithKlein.
"It's something that will continue for good now," he says. "It's a new marketplace."
Philippe Monteyne agrees. He's the senior vice president of global vaccines development at the same company.
"We are just at the early days of a new era which is just exploding," he says. "The whole vaccine industry is changing."
And vaccines are so big...that whole countries are now clients to the drug makers.
Monteyne says the cost of flu shots is flexible...depending on the wealth of the country.
"We have a tiered pricing strategy," he says. "It is mainly based on the level of income of the country."
Why Vaccines Are So Valuable to the Drug Makers
There are two big reasons why vaccines are so valuable to the big drug makers.
Most other drugs have limited potency. With time...their effects lessen. But flu shots don't have this problem because they're largely used seasonally.
The second reason is that flu shots offer the big drug makers an exclusive market to mine and plunder.
Most drugs have a limited patent protection. Once those patents end, generic versions undercut the market. But this isn't a problem for vaccines.
That's because it's very expensive to make them. A new plant costs up to $1-billion to set up. So only the biggest players can even afford to sit at the table. That means companies like Glaxo, Novartis and Sanofi-Aventis have the market to themselves.
"The barriers to enter the market are extremely high," says Monteyne. "You don't become a vaccine maker overnight. That's why we have a few big players...and very few only."
And the big players plan on keeping it that way.
Over the last couple of years they've bought out any smaller players...as you can see from the following figures:
• Novartis spent $5 billion to buy flu vaccine maker Chrion
• Astra Zeneca paid $15 billion for Medimmune
• Glaxo bought out BioChem's vaccine operation for $1.4 billion
So now it's just the big players in the game.
But for those players...the payoffs are huge.
In the three years between 2004 and 2007...vaccine sales have soared by 32 percent each year. That's four times as fast as any other drug. And leading all vaccines were flu shots.
Vaccines are now a $24 billion business. Analysts expect that business to grow to $40 billion next year.
The CEO of Sanofi is Chris Viehbacher. He simply had this to say about the sales....
"Vaccines, vaccines...wonderful business..."
So there's little doubt that vaccines are a booming market. And as we've seen...there are many potential conflicts of interest within the world of vaccines. And there are plenty of benefits to be had from flu shots.
But there are many experts who don't think those benefits have anything to do with your health. As always, we'll keep you updated on any developments in this story...as they happen.
But if you currently receive our paid monthly newsletter...you can read an extended report about this subject. This is an exclusive report that's available FREE to our paid members only.
This report is called the NHD Insider Files. It's a formatted PDF that's easy-to-print and file. And it gives deeper and extended coverage of today's Undercover.
Today's 20-page report looks at the massive business that's driving flu shots this season. And it's packed with 50 percent more content than the regular free version.
It gives you more access to:
• Vital studies and findings...
• Exclusive charts and graphic content...
• A safe and natural doctor-recommended alternative to fight flu this season...
And because this report is big enough to cover all the facts...it even peels away an extra layer of financial corruption...that suggests that the people behind flu vaccines may be even more powerful than the World Health Organization (WHO).
So...if you get our paid monthly newsletter...go ahead and check your inbox now. You'll find today's issue includes a one-click link to the FREE PDF report.
If you're one of our free members you can also access this report by signing up to become a paid subscriber. As a paid subscriber you won't just get these extended reports...you'll get plenty of other exclusive benefits too.
Think Farmacy not pharmacy!
To Your Health
Organic Jan
Grade Your Dog Food...
Ok this is helpful and an eye opener:
Nutrition and Dog Food
GRADE YOUR DOG FOOD
Start with a grade of 100:
1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points
2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used two or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice flour" are all the same
grain), subtract 5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than two meats in the top three ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
9) If corn is listed in the top five ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points
11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
Extra Credit:
1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one, count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken"
and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point
Scores:
94 -100+ = A BEST!
86 -93 = B STILL GOOD.
78 -85 = C May need to change or add additives.
70 -77 = D Need to think about changing.
69 or < = F AWFUL! CHANGE! Here are some foods that have already been scored. Scored Dog Foods:
Arkat VF Large Breed Puppy 103 A+
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula 99 A
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice 97 A
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold 97 A
Authority Harvest Baked 116 A+
Canidae 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior 115 A+
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato 106 A+
Foundations 106 A+
Innova Dog 114 A+
Innova Evo 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables 110 A+
ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley 103 A+
Royal Canin Bulldog 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult 106 A+
Wellness Super 5 Mix Chicken 110 A+
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice 92 B
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy 87 B
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold 73 D
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium 73 D
Bil-Jac Select 68 F
Diamond Maintenance 64 F
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice 23 F
Purina Beneful 17 F
Purina Dog 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It 16 F
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies 69 F
Nutrition and Dog Food
GRADE YOUR DOG FOOD
Start with a grade of 100:
1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points
2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used two or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice flour" are all the same
grain), subtract 5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than two meats in the top three ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
9) If corn is listed in the top five ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points
11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
Extra Credit:
1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one, count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken"
and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point
Scores:
94 -100+ = A BEST!
86 -93 = B STILL GOOD.
78 -85 = C May need to change or add additives.
70 -77 = D Need to think about changing.
69 or < = F AWFUL! CHANGE! Here are some foods that have already been scored. Scored Dog Foods:
Arkat VF Large Breed Puppy 103 A+
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula 99 A
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice 97 A
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold 97 A
Authority Harvest Baked 116 A+
Canidae 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior 115 A+
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato 106 A+
Foundations 106 A+
Innova Dog 114 A+
Innova Evo 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables 110 A+
ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley 103 A+
Royal Canin Bulldog 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult 106 A+
Wellness Super 5 Mix Chicken 110 A+
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice 92 B
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy 87 B
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold 73 D
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium 73 D
Bil-Jac Select 68 F
Diamond Maintenance 64 F
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice 23 F
Purina Beneful 17 F
Purina Dog 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It 16 F
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies 69 F
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The New Epidemic Sweeping Across America (and it's Not a Disease)
Some of you who have spoken to me at the Sundays Encinitas Farmers Market know my issues with western medicine and nutrition.......This is something I was aware of many years ago as a nurse. It is only now being reported.
The New Epidemic Sweeping Across America (and it's Not a Disease)
Story at-a-glance
• For the first time, deaths from properly prescribed drugs now outnumber traffic fatalities in the United States
• Drug-induced fatalities are being fueled by overdoses on prescription pain and anxiety medications
• Those most at risk from dying from this new drug crisis are people in their 40s, but teenagers and the elderly are also at risk
• Between 2001 and 2008, there was a 36 percent increase in hospital admissions, and a 28 percent increase in emergency room visits, among children 5 and younger who had accidentally ingested medication
By Dr. Mercola
Death by medicine is a 21st-century epidemic, and America's "war on drugs" is clearly directed at the wrong enemy!
Prescription drugs are now killing far more people than illegal drugs, and while most major causes of preventable deaths are declining, those from prescription drug use are increasing, an analysis of recently released data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by the Los Angeles Times revealed.
The Times analysis of 2009 death statistics, the most recent available, showed:
• For the first time ever in the US, more people were killed by drugs than motor vehicle accidents
• 37,485 people died from drugs, a rate fueled by overdoses on prescription pain and anxiety medications, versus 36,284 from traffic accidents
• Drug fatalities more than doubled among teens and young adults between 2000 and 2008, and more than tripled among people aged 50 to 69
Again, these drug-induced fatalities are not being driven by illegal street drugs; the analysis found that the most commonly abused prescription drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin, Xanax and Soma now cause more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined.
"Pharmageddon" is Upon Us
Pharmageddon is "the prospect of a world in which medicines and medicine produce more ill-health than health, and when medical progress does more harm than good" -- and it is no longer a prospect but fully upon us. Those most at risk from dying from this new drug crisis are people you would least expect; the analysis revealed the death toll is highest among people in their 40s, but all ages, from teenagers to the elderly, and all walks of life are being affected. In fact, prescription drugs are now the preferred "high" for many, especially teens, as they are typically used legally, which eliminates the stigma of being a "junkie."
And even if you don't have your own prescription, drugs of all kinds can be found in the nearest medicine cabinet in most homes.
Yet, these drugs are also now being sold on the black market and on street corners, where people who have run out of prescriptions are willing to pay upwards of $80 a pill to get their fix. Many become addicted after using the drugs for headaches or back pain, and teens are increasingly taking the pills from their parents to use recreationally, under the false assumption that they are not dangerous.
As written in the Baltimore Sun:
"According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, prescription drugs are second to marijuana as the drug of choice for today's teens. In fact, seven of the top 10 drugs used by 12th-graders were prescription drugs.
More than 40 percent of high school seniors reported that painkillers are "fairly" or "very" easy to get. They also reported that they believed that if they were to get caught, there was less shame attached to the use of prescription drugs than to street drugs. This mirrors the perceptions of their parents, who when queried said that they felt prescription drugs were a safer alternative to drugs typically sold by a drug dealer."
How Many are Dying From Prescription Drugs?
Nearly 20 percent of Americans have used prescription drugs for nonmedicinal reasons, three-quarters of whom may be abusing them. Legal prescription drug abuse is a silent epidemic, and is part of the reason why the modern American medical system has become the leading cause of death and injury in the United States. Authored in two parts by Gary Null, PhD, Carolyn Dean, MD ND, Martin Feldman, MD, Debora Rasio, MD, and Dorothy Smith, PhD, the comprehensive Death by Medicine article described in excruciating detail how everything from medical errors to adverse drug reactions to unnecessary procedures caused more harm than good.
Seven years after the original article was written, an analysis in the New England Journal of Medicine November 25, 2010 piqued my interest -- the researchers found that, despite efforts to improve patient safety in the past few years, the health care system hasn't changed much at all. So, earlier this year I updated posted an update to the original Death by Medicine article, which, unfortunately, shows more of the same:
• In a June 2010 report in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, study authors said that in looking over records that spanned from 1976 to 2006 (the most recent year available) they found that, of 62 million death certificates, almost a quarter-million deaths were coded as having occurred in a hospital setting due to medication errors.
• An estimated 450,000 preventable medication-related adverse events occur in the U.S. every year.
• The costs of adverse drug reactions to society are more than $136 billion annually -- greater than the total cost of cardiovascular or diabetic care.
• Adverse drug reactions cause injuries or death in 1 of 5 hospital patients.
• The reason there are so many adverse drug events in the U.S. is because so many drugs are used and prescribed – and many patients receive multiple prescriptions at varying strengths, some of which may counteract each other or cause more severe reactions when combined.
There are numerous repercussions to a society that eats, breathes and sleeps prescription medications, not the least of which is its impact on children. Between 2001 and 2008, there was a 36 percent increase in hospital admissions, and a 28 percent increase in emergency room visits, among children 5 and younger who had accidentally ingested medication. ER visits for ingestion of prescription opioid painkillers, such as Oxycodone, increased 101 percent!
And in 2009, there were nearly 4.6 million drug-related visits to U.S. emergency rooms nationwide, with more than half due to adverse reactions to prescription medications – most of which were being taken exactly as prescribed. When you add in the growing numbers of people who are using these drugs recreationally or due to addiction, you begin to see the magnitude of the problem that the pharmaceutical industry is propagating.
Unfortunately, this problem is now seriously impacting the next generation. When you were a teenager you may have snuck a beer or two at a party … nowadays teens will mix a variety of prescription pills together in a bowl and take a mouthful of them like candy! The kids think this is a safe way to get high, since they see their parents taking the same medications all the time, but it often turns out to be a literal prescription for disaster that can even be deadly.
The Real Thugs of the Drug World
The "war on drugs" has focused nearly exclusively on the illegal trafficking of drugs like cocaine, heroin and marijuana, while the most powerful drug dealers of all -- the pharmaceutical companies -- are allowed to grow their businesses with the U.S. government's gold seal of approval.
But make no mistake – the leading pharmaceutical companies are also among the largest corporate criminals in the world, and they are really nothing more than white-collar drug dealers.
Although many fail to realize this, prescription drugs can be just as addictive as illegal drugs. In fact, in many cases there's no difference between a street drug and a prescription drug. For example, hydrocodone, a prescription opiate, is synthetic heroin. It's indistinguishable from any other heroine as far as your brain and body is concerned. So, if you're hooked on hydrocodone, you are in fact a good-old-fashioned heroin addict.
But aside from the nature of their business, fraud, kickbacks, price-setting, bribery and illegal sales activities are all par for the course for big-name drug companies. Last year I set out to investigate some of the criminal activities that some of the largest pharmaceutical companies had been convicted of lately, and the amount of gross misconduct, fraud and deceit I found was so insidious, so massive, and so overwhelming that it shocked even me.
You can read the grim details in full here, but here is just a sampling of what the top drug companies are up to:
• Merck: With a long list of deaths to its credit, and more than $5.5 billion in judgments and fines levied against it, it was five years before Merck made its $30-billion recall of the painkiller Vioxx that I warned my readers that it might be a real killer for some people. After the drug was withdrawn, and 60,000 had already died, Merck picked up the pieces painlessly by getting a new drug fast-tracked and on the market.
That drug is Gardasil, a vaccine that so far has been linked to thousands of adverse events and at least 49 unexplained deaths. It's a situation that the FDA and CDC have been denying repeatedly, keeping their heads buried in the sand even as the adverse reports mount.
• Baxter: Dozens of recalls of products that caused deaths and injuries, at least 11 different guilty pleas to fraud and illegal sales activity, more than 200 lawsuits – many of them stemming from selling AIDS-tainted blood to hemophiliacs – and more than $1.3 billion in criminal fines and civil penalties.
• Pfizer: In the largest health care fraud settlement in history, Pfizer was ordered to pay $2.3 billion to resolve criminal and civil allegations that the company illegally promoted uses of four of its drugs, including the painkiller Bextra, the antipsychotic Geodon, the antibiotic Zyvox, and the anti-epileptic Lyrica.
How Can You Avoid Being Killed by a Prescription Drug?
There is a risk of side effects every time you take a prescription drug. No one (except for those who intentionally overdose) expects these medications to kill them, but they can do just that, and it happens far more often than you might think! In a study recently released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), officials emphasized that people should not assume there's no risk in prescribed medicines. The truth is, the only way to avoid all risk, including death, from prescription drugs is to not take them at all.
It is your body, not your doctor's and not your pharmacist's, so it is up to you to make the decision of what drugs to take, if any. Be SURE you are aware of the risks of any medication prescribed to you, and weigh them against any possible benefit. Then you can make a well-informed decision of whether it's a risk you're willing to take.
Of course, of paramount importance is also taking control of your health so you can stay well naturally, without the use of drugs or even frequent conventional medical care. If you adhere to a healthy lifestyle, you most likely will never need medications in the first place. This includes:
1. Proper Food Choices
Generally speaking, you should be looking to focus your diet on whole, unprocessed foods (vegetables, meats, raw dairy, nuts, and so forth) that come from healthy, sustainable, local sources, such as a small organic farm not far from your home.
For the best nutrition and health benefits, you will want to eat a good portion of your food raw. Personally, I aim to eat about 80-85 percent of my food raw, including raw eggs and humanely raised organic animal products that have not been raised on a CAFO (confined animal feeding operation).
Nearly as important as knowing which foods to eat more of is knowing which foods to avoid, and topping the list is fructose. Sugar, and fructose in particular, acts as a toxin in and of itself, and as such drive multiple disease processes in your body, not the least of which is insulin resistance, a major cause of accelerated aging.
2. Comprehensive Exercise Program, including High-Intensity Exercise like Peak Fitness
Even if you're eating the healthiest diet in the world, you still need to exercise to reach the highest levels of health, and you need to be exercising effectively, which means including not only core-strengthening exercises, strength training, and stretching but also high-intensity activities into your rotation. High-intensity interval-type training boosts human growth hormone (HGH) production, which is essential for optimal health, strength and vigor. I've discussed the importance of Peak Fitness for your health on numerous occasions, so for more information, please review this previous article.
3. Stress Reduction and Positive Thinking
You cannot be optimally healthy if you avoid addressing the emotional component of your health and longevity, as your emotional state plays a role in nearly every physical disease -- from heart disease and depression, to arthritis and cancer. Effective coping mechanisms are a major longevity-promoting factor in part because stress has a direct impact on inflammation, which in turn underlies many of the chronic diseases that kill people prematurely every day. Meditation, prayer, social support and exercise are all viable options that can help you maintain emotional and mental equilibrium.
4. Proper Sun Exposure to Optimize Vitamin D
We have long known that it is best to get your vitamin D from sun exposure, and if at all possible, I strongly urge you to make sure you're getting out in the sun on a daily basis. There is preliminary evidence suggesting that oral vitamin D may not provide the identical benefits, although it's still better than none at all.
Just keep in mind that it's really best to get ALL your vitamin D from the sun. It appears that vitamin D plays a crucial role in sulfur metabolism and when you swallow it orally it may not have the same benefit as getting it from the sun.
5. Take High Quality Animal-Based Omega-3 Fats
Animal-based omega-3 fat is a strong factor in helping people live longer, and many experts believe that it is likely the predominant reason why the Japanese are the longest lived race on the planet.
6. Avoid as Many Chemicals, Toxins, and Pollutants as Possible
This includes tossing out your toxic household cleaners, soaps, personal hygiene products, air fresheners, bug sprays, lawn pesticides, and insecticides, just to name a few, and replacing them with non-toxic alternatives.
The New Epidemic Sweeping Across America (and it's Not a Disease)
Story at-a-glance
• For the first time, deaths from properly prescribed drugs now outnumber traffic fatalities in the United States
• Drug-induced fatalities are being fueled by overdoses on prescription pain and anxiety medications
• Those most at risk from dying from this new drug crisis are people in their 40s, but teenagers and the elderly are also at risk
• Between 2001 and 2008, there was a 36 percent increase in hospital admissions, and a 28 percent increase in emergency room visits, among children 5 and younger who had accidentally ingested medication
By Dr. Mercola
Death by medicine is a 21st-century epidemic, and America's "war on drugs" is clearly directed at the wrong enemy!
Prescription drugs are now killing far more people than illegal drugs, and while most major causes of preventable deaths are declining, those from prescription drug use are increasing, an analysis of recently released data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by the Los Angeles Times revealed.
The Times analysis of 2009 death statistics, the most recent available, showed:
• For the first time ever in the US, more people were killed by drugs than motor vehicle accidents
• 37,485 people died from drugs, a rate fueled by overdoses on prescription pain and anxiety medications, versus 36,284 from traffic accidents
• Drug fatalities more than doubled among teens and young adults between 2000 and 2008, and more than tripled among people aged 50 to 69
Again, these drug-induced fatalities are not being driven by illegal street drugs; the analysis found that the most commonly abused prescription drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin, Xanax and Soma now cause more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined.
"Pharmageddon" is Upon Us
Pharmageddon is "the prospect of a world in which medicines and medicine produce more ill-health than health, and when medical progress does more harm than good" -- and it is no longer a prospect but fully upon us. Those most at risk from dying from this new drug crisis are people you would least expect; the analysis revealed the death toll is highest among people in their 40s, but all ages, from teenagers to the elderly, and all walks of life are being affected. In fact, prescription drugs are now the preferred "high" for many, especially teens, as they are typically used legally, which eliminates the stigma of being a "junkie."
And even if you don't have your own prescription, drugs of all kinds can be found in the nearest medicine cabinet in most homes.
Yet, these drugs are also now being sold on the black market and on street corners, where people who have run out of prescriptions are willing to pay upwards of $80 a pill to get their fix. Many become addicted after using the drugs for headaches or back pain, and teens are increasingly taking the pills from their parents to use recreationally, under the false assumption that they are not dangerous.
As written in the Baltimore Sun:
"According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, prescription drugs are second to marijuana as the drug of choice for today's teens. In fact, seven of the top 10 drugs used by 12th-graders were prescription drugs.
More than 40 percent of high school seniors reported that painkillers are "fairly" or "very" easy to get. They also reported that they believed that if they were to get caught, there was less shame attached to the use of prescription drugs than to street drugs. This mirrors the perceptions of their parents, who when queried said that they felt prescription drugs were a safer alternative to drugs typically sold by a drug dealer."
How Many are Dying From Prescription Drugs?
Nearly 20 percent of Americans have used prescription drugs for nonmedicinal reasons, three-quarters of whom may be abusing them. Legal prescription drug abuse is a silent epidemic, and is part of the reason why the modern American medical system has become the leading cause of death and injury in the United States. Authored in two parts by Gary Null, PhD, Carolyn Dean, MD ND, Martin Feldman, MD, Debora Rasio, MD, and Dorothy Smith, PhD, the comprehensive Death by Medicine article described in excruciating detail how everything from medical errors to adverse drug reactions to unnecessary procedures caused more harm than good.
Seven years after the original article was written, an analysis in the New England Journal of Medicine November 25, 2010 piqued my interest -- the researchers found that, despite efforts to improve patient safety in the past few years, the health care system hasn't changed much at all. So, earlier this year I updated posted an update to the original Death by Medicine article, which, unfortunately, shows more of the same:
• In a June 2010 report in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, study authors said that in looking over records that spanned from 1976 to 2006 (the most recent year available) they found that, of 62 million death certificates, almost a quarter-million deaths were coded as having occurred in a hospital setting due to medication errors.
• An estimated 450,000 preventable medication-related adverse events occur in the U.S. every year.
• The costs of adverse drug reactions to society are more than $136 billion annually -- greater than the total cost of cardiovascular or diabetic care.
• Adverse drug reactions cause injuries or death in 1 of 5 hospital patients.
• The reason there are so many adverse drug events in the U.S. is because so many drugs are used and prescribed – and many patients receive multiple prescriptions at varying strengths, some of which may counteract each other or cause more severe reactions when combined.
There are numerous repercussions to a society that eats, breathes and sleeps prescription medications, not the least of which is its impact on children. Between 2001 and 2008, there was a 36 percent increase in hospital admissions, and a 28 percent increase in emergency room visits, among children 5 and younger who had accidentally ingested medication. ER visits for ingestion of prescription opioid painkillers, such as Oxycodone, increased 101 percent!
And in 2009, there were nearly 4.6 million drug-related visits to U.S. emergency rooms nationwide, with more than half due to adverse reactions to prescription medications – most of which were being taken exactly as prescribed. When you add in the growing numbers of people who are using these drugs recreationally or due to addiction, you begin to see the magnitude of the problem that the pharmaceutical industry is propagating.
Unfortunately, this problem is now seriously impacting the next generation. When you were a teenager you may have snuck a beer or two at a party … nowadays teens will mix a variety of prescription pills together in a bowl and take a mouthful of them like candy! The kids think this is a safe way to get high, since they see their parents taking the same medications all the time, but it often turns out to be a literal prescription for disaster that can even be deadly.
The Real Thugs of the Drug World
The "war on drugs" has focused nearly exclusively on the illegal trafficking of drugs like cocaine, heroin and marijuana, while the most powerful drug dealers of all -- the pharmaceutical companies -- are allowed to grow their businesses with the U.S. government's gold seal of approval.
But make no mistake – the leading pharmaceutical companies are also among the largest corporate criminals in the world, and they are really nothing more than white-collar drug dealers.
Although many fail to realize this, prescription drugs can be just as addictive as illegal drugs. In fact, in many cases there's no difference between a street drug and a prescription drug. For example, hydrocodone, a prescription opiate, is synthetic heroin. It's indistinguishable from any other heroine as far as your brain and body is concerned. So, if you're hooked on hydrocodone, you are in fact a good-old-fashioned heroin addict.
But aside from the nature of their business, fraud, kickbacks, price-setting, bribery and illegal sales activities are all par for the course for big-name drug companies. Last year I set out to investigate some of the criminal activities that some of the largest pharmaceutical companies had been convicted of lately, and the amount of gross misconduct, fraud and deceit I found was so insidious, so massive, and so overwhelming that it shocked even me.
You can read the grim details in full here, but here is just a sampling of what the top drug companies are up to:
• Merck: With a long list of deaths to its credit, and more than $5.5 billion in judgments and fines levied against it, it was five years before Merck made its $30-billion recall of the painkiller Vioxx that I warned my readers that it might be a real killer for some people. After the drug was withdrawn, and 60,000 had already died, Merck picked up the pieces painlessly by getting a new drug fast-tracked and on the market.
That drug is Gardasil, a vaccine that so far has been linked to thousands of adverse events and at least 49 unexplained deaths. It's a situation that the FDA and CDC have been denying repeatedly, keeping their heads buried in the sand even as the adverse reports mount.
• Baxter: Dozens of recalls of products that caused deaths and injuries, at least 11 different guilty pleas to fraud and illegal sales activity, more than 200 lawsuits – many of them stemming from selling AIDS-tainted blood to hemophiliacs – and more than $1.3 billion in criminal fines and civil penalties.
• Pfizer: In the largest health care fraud settlement in history, Pfizer was ordered to pay $2.3 billion to resolve criminal and civil allegations that the company illegally promoted uses of four of its drugs, including the painkiller Bextra, the antipsychotic Geodon, the antibiotic Zyvox, and the anti-epileptic Lyrica.
How Can You Avoid Being Killed by a Prescription Drug?
There is a risk of side effects every time you take a prescription drug. No one (except for those who intentionally overdose) expects these medications to kill them, but they can do just that, and it happens far more often than you might think! In a study recently released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), officials emphasized that people should not assume there's no risk in prescribed medicines. The truth is, the only way to avoid all risk, including death, from prescription drugs is to not take them at all.
It is your body, not your doctor's and not your pharmacist's, so it is up to you to make the decision of what drugs to take, if any. Be SURE you are aware of the risks of any medication prescribed to you, and weigh them against any possible benefit. Then you can make a well-informed decision of whether it's a risk you're willing to take.
Of course, of paramount importance is also taking control of your health so you can stay well naturally, without the use of drugs or even frequent conventional medical care. If you adhere to a healthy lifestyle, you most likely will never need medications in the first place. This includes:
1. Proper Food Choices
Generally speaking, you should be looking to focus your diet on whole, unprocessed foods (vegetables, meats, raw dairy, nuts, and so forth) that come from healthy, sustainable, local sources, such as a small organic farm not far from your home.
For the best nutrition and health benefits, you will want to eat a good portion of your food raw. Personally, I aim to eat about 80-85 percent of my food raw, including raw eggs and humanely raised organic animal products that have not been raised on a CAFO (confined animal feeding operation).
Nearly as important as knowing which foods to eat more of is knowing which foods to avoid, and topping the list is fructose. Sugar, and fructose in particular, acts as a toxin in and of itself, and as such drive multiple disease processes in your body, not the least of which is insulin resistance, a major cause of accelerated aging.
2. Comprehensive Exercise Program, including High-Intensity Exercise like Peak Fitness
Even if you're eating the healthiest diet in the world, you still need to exercise to reach the highest levels of health, and you need to be exercising effectively, which means including not only core-strengthening exercises, strength training, and stretching but also high-intensity activities into your rotation. High-intensity interval-type training boosts human growth hormone (HGH) production, which is essential for optimal health, strength and vigor. I've discussed the importance of Peak Fitness for your health on numerous occasions, so for more information, please review this previous article.
3. Stress Reduction and Positive Thinking
You cannot be optimally healthy if you avoid addressing the emotional component of your health and longevity, as your emotional state plays a role in nearly every physical disease -- from heart disease and depression, to arthritis and cancer. Effective coping mechanisms are a major longevity-promoting factor in part because stress has a direct impact on inflammation, which in turn underlies many of the chronic diseases that kill people prematurely every day. Meditation, prayer, social support and exercise are all viable options that can help you maintain emotional and mental equilibrium.
4. Proper Sun Exposure to Optimize Vitamin D
We have long known that it is best to get your vitamin D from sun exposure, and if at all possible, I strongly urge you to make sure you're getting out in the sun on a daily basis. There is preliminary evidence suggesting that oral vitamin D may not provide the identical benefits, although it's still better than none at all.
Just keep in mind that it's really best to get ALL your vitamin D from the sun. It appears that vitamin D plays a crucial role in sulfur metabolism and when you swallow it orally it may not have the same benefit as getting it from the sun.
5. Take High Quality Animal-Based Omega-3 Fats
Animal-based omega-3 fat is a strong factor in helping people live longer, and many experts believe that it is likely the predominant reason why the Japanese are the longest lived race on the planet.
6. Avoid as Many Chemicals, Toxins, and Pollutants as Possible
This includes tossing out your toxic household cleaners, soaps, personal hygiene products, air fresheners, bug sprays, lawn pesticides, and insecticides, just to name a few, and replacing them with non-toxic alternatives.
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