"The Doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease."

Thomas Edison

First, Create And Be The Change... 

Worst Pills.org

Worstpills.org is researched, written and maintained by Public Citizen, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest group founded in 1971 to represent consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch and the courts.

Consumer advocate Dr. Sidney Wolfe and his team of experts work for research-based, system-wide changes in health care policy, with a primary focus on working to ban or relabel unsafe or ineffective drugs and to encouraging greater transparency and accountability in the drug approval process.

In order to maintain its independent status, Public Citizen does not accept funding from corporations, professional associations or government agencies.

Although the website is subscription based, it offers lots of Free information and information guides which will help to keep you safe and informed before making your drug choices.

Learn more informative details, utilize this valuable consumer resource and...Create And Be The Change!

http://www.worstpills.org

"You and I are essentially infinite choice-makers. In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices."

Deepak Chopra

Musical Interlude: Check out this truly awesome live performance of Pop Music Icon Elton John performing his hit song "Philadelphia Freedom" with a full orchestra at the Royal Opera House here:

http://tinyurl.com/oyp2pn

"What is it in you that searches for love? The answer is simple: it is love itself."

James Twyman

Chicago At Play Spotlight: There are NO couch potatoes here! Chicago's Senior Citizens got it going on!

Check out this brief and entertaining video of Chicago-area seniors getting into the groove of what all Chicago has to offer in the way of Free Senior Fitness programs and activities here:

http://tinyurl.com/4loxugy

And...

Chicago The Beautiful Spotlight: This brief yet great video is titled "Downtown Chicago Night Time." Enjoy!

http://tinyurl.com/3g8pu8v

Before We Get To Our Main Topic...

This Is Very Important & Illuminating!

To watch a truly remarkable and absorbing documentary, produced by the legendary Dr. Gary Nulls, which explains in stark and compelling detail the current state of our medical system and the pharmaceutical companies role in it's critical condition...absolutely Free, then click here:

http://tinyurl.com/2yzqqf

Also...

Access Fabulous Fitness Tips Directly From Your iPod!

The "Fitness Attack" Podcast Series with Amy McIntyre offers one minute health and fitness tips directly to your iPod!

Covering everything from food and drink, quick workout tips and healthy workout alternatives, this great Podcast Series will help you to be the best you can be.

Access this terrific Podcast Series from Amy...absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/loxmqg

Plus...

Are You Dealing With Chronic Depression?

Discover How You Can Overcome Your Depression by using the Power of Self Hypnosis here:

http://tinyurl.com/m96fbe

And...

Do You Try Too Hard To Be Perfect?

The wonderful Ebook by Christy Whitman titled "Perfect Pictures: An Inspirational Book For Those Who Like It Perfect" addresses the issue of perfection as a standard to which we judge ourselves.

Receive this truly valuable Ebook from Christy...absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/dz8vmz

Also...

Learn About The Inner Peace Movement!

Access a wonderful audio program featuring Dr. Judith Orloff titled "The Inner Peace Movement"...absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/oo6gbz

Plus...

This Story Is Both Healing & Magical!

"The Healing Tree: A Poet, A Mermaid & A Miracle" is a heartwarming story of tragedy, trial and redemption.

Through the magic of friendship, poetry and love, Carrie Anne Murphy transforms a devastating misfortune into the platform from which to build a NEW future.

This extremely poignant story was written by Joe Tye and teaches a very important lesson about life.

The greatest miracle of all is not something that happens to you, it's something that happens within you.

This is the story of such a miracle.

Receive this truly awesome Ebook...absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/nrsa3e

And...

Are You Addicted To Prescription Drugs?

If so, this powerful Self Hypnosis program may help you!

Receive all the details here:

http://tinyurl.com/mmhdpa

Also...

Learn How To Stop Your Panic Attacks Naturally!

Peter Lambrou, Ph. D, has developed an excellent step by step guide to overcoming panic and anxiety.

His 88 page Ebook is rich with the processes, exercises, and methods for overcoming panic and anxiety attacks in 4 simple steps.

Also, within the Ebook are links to audio resources for relaxation.

Receive this wonderful Ebook from Dr. Lambrou...absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/y8ncyj9

Plus...

Learn How To First Ground & Then Raise Your Energy Levels To Support Your Well Being!

This wonderful guided meditation titled "Grounding & Raising Your Energy" will help you to revitalize your health and enhance your state of well being.

Access this wonderfully healing guided meditation audio, in addition to a great Ecourse titled "Learn How To Meditate"...both absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/2udgvdk

And...

Learn About The Dangers Of Prescription Drugs From A Medical Expert!

Access a highly informative Ebook titled "Live With Dr. Ray Strand" which is an interview with Dr. Strand about his courageous book titled "Death By Prescription."

Dr. Ray Strand is one of the few brave doctors who regularly speaks out on the very serious dangers of prescription drugs to health.

Receive this outstanding Ebook featuring Dr. Strand, (a $9.95 value)...absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/crlpbq

Also...

Discover The Essentials For A Healthy Lifestyle!

The outstanding audio program by Marquese Martin-Hayes titled "Monday Again? Four Essentials For A Healthy Lifestyle" will help you to get the EDGE you need to move past barely living into TRUE happiness and fulfillment.

Receive this awesome audio program from Marquese...absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/29sptt9

Plus...

Learn How To Live Naturally!

Beth Greer is known as the Super Natural Mom!

Beth is an award-winning journalist and holistic health advocate.

She is the author of the Amazon bestseller "Super Natural Home" and is the host of "The Super Natural Mom" Radio Show.

Beth had thought she had been "living green" for much of her adult life until a health crisis prompted her to re-evaluate her lifestyle and surroundings, identifying and eliminating toxins that she never suspected she was being exposed to.

Beth's mission is to show how making small lifestyle shifts can make a HUGE difference in your health and well-being.

She shares the truth about what goes in you, on you, and surrounds you every day, and teaches you how to transform your home into a safe environment, protecting you and your family.

Access a series of Beth's informative "Super Natural Mom" Podcast ...absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/loczg8

Also, access this valuable quiz from Beth to determine how many toxic chemicals you unwittingly expose yourself and your family to every day and how to make changes for a healthier home...absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/mzrqfv

And...

Spiritual Healer Bill Austin is offering a wonderful spiritual healing MP3 audio recording which helps people to heal recreational and prescription drug abuse and overuse.

This energy healing session goes after the programs in the brain and neurochemistry that supports addictions and the genetic programming and predispositions in the DNA that contributes to drug abuse and overuse as well as the emotional, mental and spiritual imbalances underlying recreational and prescription drug abuse and overuse.

Receive this important audio program from Bill...absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/3gmaxup

Also...

Would You Like To Live A Long, Healthy & Happy Life?

Learn all of the exciting details about the extraordinary audio CD program by Dr. Eric Plasker titled "The Longevity Solution" and how you can receive if for a 30 Day Trial for only $1.00 here:

http://tinyurl.com/ybq3lo6

Plus...

Learn How To Create Inner Peace!

Leonard Szymczak is offering a wonderful and soothing guided visualization titled "Create Inner Peace" which will help you to relax and ease your worries and troubles.

Leonard creates the perfect space to let go of tension and stress and find nourishment in an imaginary sanctuary so you can replenish yourself and find inner peace.

Receive this wonderful guided visualization from Leonard and also receive the first chapter of Leonard's amazing book titled "The Roadmap Home: Your GPS To Inner Peace"...both absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/yaqmqc8 

And...

Steve Sisgold, Author of "What’s Your Body Telling You?" is offering the following package:

Audio 1 – Week One: Your Brilliant Body ( 90 minutes ! )

Week One of the six week audio course – Boost Your Personal and Professional Mojo

In this course, there is a blend of scientific research and interactive exercises.

Case studies of real-life situations from the many who have taken the live tele-course, are examined as a means of demonstrating how to use Steve’s effective techniques to:

Audio 2 – How To Keep The MoJo Going In Your Relationship

This audio teaches you how to get the life force working in your relationship with yourself and others. Guest, Gay Hendricks.

Audio 3 – About Beliefs, How They Live in Our Body and Not Just Our Minds

This podcast helps you learn more about how to overcome harmful thought patterns. Special guest, Gay Hendricks.

Receive this great package from Steve...absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/3slfayp

Lastly....

The Natural News Network

The Natural News Network, created by Mike Adams otherwise known as "The Health Ranger" is a non-profit collection of public education websites covering topics that empower individuals to make positive changes in their health, improve environmental sensitivity, and it also encourages informed consumer choices and informed skepticism with everything mainstream.

The Natural News Network believes that information should empower people, not just entertain them. 

Each weekday, receive breaking news on natural cures, green living, disease reversal and more...absolutely Free. 

Join over 800,000 subscribers who report extraordinary health improvements.

Learn more details about The Natural News Network, become a Free subscriber and...Create And Be The Change!

http://www.naturalnews.com

*Finally: For better health and well being overall, please check out the 30 day Free trial nutritional supplementation program and also the low cost, high quality monthly nutritional supplementation program formulated by yours truly, in addition to dozens of Free tools and resources to improve your health, on the web page titled "Get Free Vitamins Here."

Also check out the extremely valuable info and Free tools and resources for healthy but delicious eating and get the lowdown on the Real Food Revolution on the web page titled "But Jesus Was Not Vegan!"

*To receive a print out of this web page, please send a blank email to the following email address:

knowdrugs@sendfree.com

"The measure of mental health is the disposition to find good everywhere."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Now On To...

Just Say "Know" To Prescription Drugs!

By Pamela K. Jones

"Never be afraid to stand with the minority when the minority is right, for the minority which is right, will one day be the majority."

William Jennings Bryan

I am a very strong advocate for nutritional and natural alternatives to ALL medical issues and problems, including mental health problems. Throughout my more than 12 year history of independently researching the untold benefits of targeted nutritional supplementation for the treatment of the VAST MAJORITY of medical issues and problems, with the exception of bodily injury, I have learned a great deal.  

Part of my mission is to inform the public in a variety of ways that they do indeed have a Choice, and prescription medication is not only not the "only" alternative, but can in many documented cases cause more harm than good. 

The tens of thousands of people who died from taking the drugs Vioxx and Celebrex are just two high profile examples among a list of dangerous prescription drugs that is only growing longer and longer...and keeping litigation and malpractice attorneys very happy.

Ladies and Gentlemen...Knowledge is POWER! 

There was a campaign launched in 2006 called "Just Say "Know" To Prescription Drugs."  

This campaign very wisely encouraged that you learn everything there is to KNOW about ANY drug that your doctor prescribes to you, including all dangers and risks BEFORE taking a prescribed drug.  I would take it one step further and advise that you research nutritional and natural alternatives...and try these FIRST! 

The Internet is a very useful tool in this regard. Ideally, you will have or find a doctor who uses an integrative approach to medicine which includes very serious nutritional and natural alternatives and recommendations as well. In my opinion, taking a prescription drug should be the absolute LAST RESORT. 

Fortunately, this opinion is the opinion of an ever growing number of licensed reputable medical professionals around the world...but much more must be done in regard to increasing awareness among the average citizen.

First, Here Is A Brief Yet Powerful Video In Regard To Children And Young Adults Mental Health Screening & The Dangerous and Unprecedented Psychiatric Labeling Of Our Kids:

http://tinyurl.com/2bxnww3

I and many others, including many reputable medical professionals, have grown increasingly concerned about the prescribing of very potent and potentially dangerous drugs to our children.  Drugs as dangerous and potent as Prozac have been prescribed to children as young as 5 years old. 

Parents have a serious obligation to use common sense and learn ALL THE FACTS about ANY prescription drug recommended for their child, before taking this drastic and potentially life altering step in regard to their children's health and the care of their child's still developing brain. 

In regard to my own "history" with pharmaceutical drugs, I am one of probably a handful of adults past the age of forty who can say that....I don't have one. 

I have never ever taken or been prescribed a drug in my life. I have not taken an over the counter medication in more than 10 years. I don't even have a medicine cabinet in my home. Ironically, I was kind of sickly as an adolescent, with frequent colds, allergies, hay fever, headaches, etc. 

Growing up in Chicago, every summer I would get regular nose bleeds and during my high school years, I would miss school at least one day of every month because of extremely severe menstral cramping. 

This is all a fraction of what I went through in my early years, which I know is very common place with many people, women in particular. During my early twenties, as a young mother, my health got a tad bit better, but I still ate junk food, fast foods, drank a pot of coffee a day and lived on Coke and Pepsi. 

Looking at my former health habits, it's surprising to me that I did not deal with serious illness or medical issues during that time period, but thankfully I did not. I think what kind of saved me is that I became a young single mother, and in caring for my oldest daughter and making a conscious attempt to keep her healthy, I was helping myself as well.  

What became a turning point in my life is when I was introduced to the power of Nutritional Supplementation through Network Marketing about 12 years ago. That changed my life in more ways than I can count. 

It put me on the road to research the power of targeted nutritional supplementation and it's role in not only maintaining optimum physical health but also mental and psychological well-being. Since my journey began a dozen years ago, instead of aging, I have been "youthing" meaning that I have been literally growing healthier and younger with each passing year. 

The truth is, I NEVER get sick, I don't even get headaches, colds, indigestion, toothaches, etc., or any other ailment that most people consider "normal." I have never been hospitalized except for the birth of my two children, and I have never ever seen a doctor related to any illness as an adult. 

I should also mention that I have never received a flu shot, (which I believe do more harm than good), nor have I ever taken an antibiotic. I don't consider myself to be a "health nut." I just live consciously. I eat healthy and nutritious foods, but I am neither vegetarian or vegan. I eat high quality, hormone and antibiotic free meat and dairy products, but only as my body ask for them, which is not every day. 

There are also very few restrictions in my diet. I eat what my body asks for but my body does not ask for junk, fast food, coffee, soda, etc. anymore. I still eat sweets in moderation and even the occasional cheeseburger and fries, the rare occasion my taste buds craves them. 

There are a few foods that I will not eat, but for the most part I try not to limit or restrict myself. Overall, I believe that my excellent health can be attributed to many factors including targeted and high quality nutritional supplementation, conscious eating habits and also taking steps to eliminate my exposure to chemicals and toxins in household and personal care products. 

As a matter of fact, you will find a highly effective 30 day comprehensive nutritional supplementation program for absolutely Free, (minus shipping costs), on the web page on this website titled "Get Free Vitamins Here." 

Last, but not least, following my bliss and fulfilling my life purpose is also a crucial key. I would be negligent if I did not also mention "serving others" in my own unique way as a key part to my optimum health strategy. 

I also in the past have used natural healing methods like, EFT, Flower Essences, Hypnosis, Meditation, Affirmative Prayer, Personal Growth & Empowerment Tools, etc.

All of which are highlighted in great detail on this website. 

You see...there IS a method to my madness! 

My experience for more than a dozen years as an Independent Nutrition Researcher and Nutritional Consultant is that Prevention of all illness and ailments before they take root in the first place is ultimately the "Secret" to optimum health and well being. 

First....

Access a highly informative Ebook titled "Live with Dr. Ray Strand" which is an interview with Dr. Strand about his groundbreaking book titled "Death by Prescription."

Dr. Strand is one of the few courageous doctors who regularly speak out on the serious dangers of prescription drugs.

Receive this very important Ebook featuring Dr. Strand, (a $9.95 value)...absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/crlpbq

The Info In The Following Links Could Save Yours Or A Loved One's Life!

To learn more vital information about the truth and dangers of prescriptions drugs, please access the following links:

1) http://tinyurl.com/45pvcr

2) http://tinyurl.com/2637v

3) http://tinyurl.com/4xm8oe

4) http://tinyurl.com/3mn9xf

Also...

Receive a copy of the extremely valuable research guide titled,"Dealing With Chronic Disease In The 21st Century: Learn How To Enjoy Disease-Free Living For Life".....absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/4ual9u

Finally...

For The Health & Well Being Of Your Children...

Receive the important Ebook titled "Live with Dr. Fred Baughman: ADHD fraud and the chemical holocaust against a generation of children."

In the last 30 years, the field of psychiatry has transformed childhood into a disease through the label of ADHD. That's exactly what Dr. Fred Baughman, a pediatric neurologist and fellow of the American Association of Neurologists explores in this downloadable interview from Truth Publishing.

Dr. Baughman is one of the few neurological experts that is willing come forward with the truth about ADHD and the mass drugging of America's children.

Have you ever wondered why other countries don't have this explosion of mental illness in their kids?

Have you ever wondered why people in your parent's generation didn't have these problems? The answers are all right here in this interview.

Plus, Dr. Baughman shares his latest book on the subject, and a DVD warning to parents about the latest epidemic of childhood diagnosis, who is profiting from it, and how the label could hurt their child for life -- not to mention the risk of heart attack, stroke, drug abuse and all the other side effects that children on ADHD drugs experience.

Read all this and more in "Live with Dr. Fred Baughman," now available for downloading.

Dr. Baughman shares startling facts such as:

• What group wants four out of every ten children diagnosed as ADHD
• How brain "disorders" lack an objective standard
• Why an ADHD-labeled child will have trouble getting healthcare coverage, getting a job, or getting into the military
• How diseases are created by a "show of hands"
• How parents, teachers and school districts are getting paid for ADHD diagnoses
• How many psychiatric experts are owned by the pharmaceutical industry
• The law the Bush Administration put into action that will REQUIRE your child to be screened for ADHD
• Adult ADHD "recruiting" centers where 80 percent are diagnosed as ADHD
• How the FDA lobbied another country to keep dangerous ADHD drugs on the market after fatalities occured
• Why your grandparents were never diagnosed with ADHD
• What percentage of kids walk out of their first psychiatric visit with an ADHD diagnosis
• How taxpayers foot the bill for every ADHD diagnosis

You'll want to pass this information on to everyone you know with children or grandchildren, so they don't become just another vehicle of profit for the drug industry. The risks are just too great, and too many parents and children have suffered already.

Receive this extremely enlightening Ebook featuring Dr. Baughman, (a $9.95 value)...absolutely Free here:

http://tinyurl.com/y78m8o9

"Health is my expected Heaven."

John Keats

Prescription Drugs

"The whole concept of drug induced disease is much better known that it was 10 or 15 years ago?" Paul Seligman, Director of the FDA's Pharmacoepidemiology and Statistical Services as stated in USA Today March 14, 2005 Section B.  Though some drugs save lives, unfortunately, many drugs create unwanted side-effects aka illnesses, toxicity and death."

"Millions of Americans swallow pills that are supposed to make them feel better — physically or mentally — but covertly wreak havoc with their body and brain. Many older folks are dismissed as senile, when in fact their drugs are causing their memory lapses and confusion."  Dr. Julian Whitacker, MD

Unintentional Poisoning Deaths --- United States, 1999--2004 - more about

The number of drug company lobbyists increased from year 2001 to 2002, along with the amount spent on lobbying activities. In all, the drug industry spent close to $100 million--a record amount.

Drug companies are most interested in influencing issues related to prescription-drug benefits for Medicare recipients, generic drugs, and imported prescription drugs from Canada. I hear that prescription Drug coverage is being dropped from many corporate health plans. Partly due to expense and partly due to drug side effects.

Women at Greater Risk of Drug Reactions
Taking more than one medication at a time is always a risky business, since it increases the likelihood of an adverse drug reaction (ADR) - a harmful, unintended, or unwanted effect of a medication. In the United States, ADRs are a leading cause of illness and account for as many as 106,000 deaths annually.

Prescription Drugs Anyone?

by Raymond Francis

Breathing.com FAQ Medical Advisory Panel Member.

Prescription drugs are one of America’s leading causes of disease and death. The problem with prescription drugs is very simple…they do nothing to cure disease. All they do is suppress the symptoms of disease by disrupting normal cellular functions. Abnormal cell function is the very definition of disease, and since prescription drugs cause our cells to malfunction, then…

Yes, drugs cause disease, but we obscure this fact by calling these diseases "side effects." Ironically, the "side effects" are often more dangerous than the disease being treated in the first place. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that in one year over two million hospitalized patients suffered serious drug reactions, resulting in 106,000 deaths. Some side effects! But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Too many adverse reactions cause public concern and scrutiny, so just imagine a hospital’s incentive to understate them. Another article in JAMA estimated that only 1 in 20 reactions are reported. In truth, tens of millions are injured and an estimated 400,000 are killed every year by these dangerous poisons.  Anyone taking a prescription drug will be harmed to some degree by these drug-caused diseases.

Consider that disrupting even one cell function will ultimately have a negative effect on the entire body. A single prescription drug can disrupt multiple cell functions causing thousands of biochemical changes. Introducing a second drug can cause tens of thousands of changes, and a third can produce hundreds of thousands. Since the average patient over 60 is on four drugs, you can begin to comprehend the extent of the biochemical chaos being created. This is not healthy! Very often a second drug is prescribed to suppress the problems caused by the first, and then a third drug to suppress the symptoms caused by the first two, and so on.

Statistics show that prescriptions for antibiotics are still on the rise, despite medical journals warning doctors to cut down on them. Excessive antibiotic use has bred "superbugs" that the strongest antibiotics cannot kill. Right now, there are people sick with infections that are immune to all known antibiotics. Another commonly ignored "side effect" of antibiotics is that they also destroy normal gut flora, leading to maldigestion, malnutrition, and cellular toxicity. The damage antibiotics can do is scary, often permanent, and getting worse as doctors continue to overprescribe them.

Nobel Prize winning chemist Linus Pauling predicted that the use of toxic chemicals to suppress disease symptoms, which he called a toximolecular approach, was a blind alley that would lead nowhere. Where it has lead is to a catastrophically expensive and ineffective disease-care system, where people are killed and injured daily, where they remain chronically ill, and where the costs are projected to double in the next ten years. When someone is sick, they are already in toxic overload. Why compound their problems by giving them more toxins? Pauling proposed an orthomolecular approach where one provides molecules that are natural and helpful in supporting and restoring normal cell functions, allowing the body to heal and restore itself to health.

If you are now on prescription drugs, recognize that you are choosing to take them, and that there are safer, more natural, and more effective alternatives. You may want to find yourself another doctor, one practicing orthomolecular or preventive medicine, who will address the causes of your problem and help you get well, rather than prescribing poison to suppress your symptoms. To make a sick person well, you have give their cells all the things they need to function normally, and keep them away from the things that disrupt normal function. Prescription drugs disrupt normal cell function. When cell function is normalized, you cannot be sick. This is what the orthomolecular approach is all about. It's using vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and natural remedies to rebalance the body and make it well again. The obsolete approach of using toxic prescription drugs to suppress symptoms is guaranteed to make and keep people sick—yet pharmaceutical companies grow as sales go up every year. Go figure!   

The Other Drug War 

The FDA is wasting its time impeding harmless rice imports while ignoring what may be the fourth-leading cause of death

Michael Castleman" November 01" , 1998"

Last spring, scientists at the University of Toronto announced the results of a new study: By their calculations, the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States is prescription drugs. They weren't talking about drug abuse or overdoses, but rather, appropriately administered, FDA-approved drugs. Side effects, they determined, cause close to 106,000 deaths per year. That's more deaths than the annual totals for AIDS, suicide, and homicide combined, and equal to an astonishing 290 deaths per day.

As if this news isn't disturbing enough, the Food and Drug Administration -- the government agency charged with monitoring drug safety -- appears to be doing very little to address the problem, and, in some cases, seems to be actively working against less-toxic alternatives to prescription drugs.

While the FDA requires manufacturers to report adverse drug reactions (ADRs), manufacturers depend on doctors to volunteer that information. The agency's mortality numbers pale in comparison to those in the Toronto study: In 1997 the FDA reported "only" 3,200 deaths from side effects. The Toronto researchers, on the other hand, combed 30 years of medical literature (1966-96), extrapolating from 39 studies that met their strict criteria, to arrive at the 106,000 figure. The FDA maintains that its reporting system is not meant to be comprehensive. Rather, its goal is to identify new, previously undescribed reactions. The implication is that the agency is unconcerned with deaths from side effects it already knows about.

"There is nothing we can say about the study," says FDA spokeswoman Susan Cruzan. "The study was an estimate, a meta-analysis. While a significant number of people are affected by ADRs, greater numbers are saved [by prescription drugs]."

Granted, it's not clear-cut -- a drug that stabilizes a life- threatening heart problem may eventually prove fatal to another organ. The need to document such complications is precisely why the Toronto scientists initiated their research in the first place, says Bruce Pomeranz, a doctor who worked on the study. While about one quarter of ADRs are due to allergic reactions, the rest are the result of drug toxicity. "For most drugs, you could take half the [dosage] and still get an effect," he says. "Almost every drug is culpable. A drug as simple as aspirin kills a lot of people." Better hospital monitoring systems, Pomeranz notes, can significantly reduce ADRs by alerting doctors to early signs of problems.

Cruzan says the FDA has no plans to require such monitoring systems, but adds that the agency is revamping its ADR computer system to accommodate the increase in newly approved drugs.

A closer look at the FDA shows that the agency may have its priorities skewed. Take Mevacor (from Merck & Co.), an expensive prescription drug for controlling cholesterol. Elevated cholesterol, a leading risk factor for heart disease, affects some 50 million Americans. By all accounts, Mevacor, with U.S. sales at $875 million last year, has made miraculous inroads in fighting heart disease, the nation's No. 1 cause of death. At the same time, like many prescription drugs, it can aggravate liver problems and cause nausea, headaches, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. Combined with certain other drugs, it can lead to muscle weakness and degeneration. Animal studies hint that it may even raise cancer risk.

Fortunately, there are alternatives. People with somewhat elevated cholesterol may not need Mevacor. They might be treated more easily and cheaply with Cholestin, a safe, natural dietary supplement that has been proven to reduce cholesterol in people with mildly elevated levels.

If the FDA were truly committed to promoting public health, it would welcome Cholestin. But even though it has neither accused Cholestin of being hazardous, nor questioned Cholestin's label claim that it promotes a healthy cholesterol level, the FDA is trying to restrict its sale in the United States.

Cholestin is a variant of Hongqu, a product long marketed in China, made entirely from Chinese red yeast rice. On June 11, 1997, the FDA prevented the importation of several tons of red yeast rice by Cholestin's maker, Pharmanex. The FDA's reason: Cholestin contains lovastatin, a potent cholesterol-lowering compound -- and the active ingredient in Mevacor. (Merck holds the patent on it.) Never mind that lovastatin appears naturally in red yeast rice; the FDA claimed that because Cholestin contains lovastatin, it violates the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). These laws state that supplements cannot contain prescription drugs.

Now, I'm all for the FDA insisting that supplements be safe, unadulterated, and truthfully labeled. I support the FDA's seizure of supplements that violate these requirements. I also believe that supplements should not contain prescription drugs -- but in the sense that Congress intended, meaning that no supplement maker can mix a prescription drug into a supplement and call the result a supplement.

But Pharmanex does not mix the prescription formula of lovastatin -- which is a purified, crystallized, 100 percent laboratory-synthesized compound -- into Cholestin. Cholestin contains the lovastatin that occurs naturally in a noncrystallized form in red yeast rice.

Shortly after the FDA halted the import of Pharmanex's red yeast rice, the company sued, arguing that, because Cholestin does not include pharmaceutical lovastatin, it does not violate federal laws. This past June, Pharmanex won in federal court. U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball allowed the importation of the rice and ordered the FDA to stop interfering with Cholestin's manufacture and marketing. In his ruling, Kimball wrote that Pharmanex had "raised substantial and serious questions regarding the lawfulness of [the] FDA's interpretation" of the federal statutes that govern it.

Already the FDA is pursuing the matter further. It has a long history of prejudice against herbal medicines and dietary supplements. That's why Congress passed DSHEA -- to discourage the FDA from persecuting products like Cholestin. The agency has chafed ever since. The fight over Cholestin is a test of DSHEA's limits; the battle isn't over.

So, if you have mildly elevated cholesterol and want to try a safer, less expensive natural product before opting for a pricey and possibly more problematic prescription drug, stock up on Cholestin while you can.

Additional reporting by Vicki Kratz.

 Stealth Marketers

Are doctors shilling for drug companies on public radio?

By Shannon Brownlee and Jeanne Lenzer
Posted Tuesday, May 6, 2008, at 1:06 PM ET

A few weeks ago, devoted listeners of National Public Radio member stations* were treated to an episode of the award-winning radio series The Infinite Mind called "Prozac Nation: Revisited." The segment featured four prestigious medical experts discussing the controversial link between antidepressants and suicide. In their considered opinions, all four said that worries about the drugs have been overblown.

The radio show, which was broadcast nationwide and paid for in part by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, had the air of quiet, authoritative credibility. Host Dr. Fred Goodwin, a former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, interviewed three prominent guests, and any radio producer would be hard-pressed to find a more seemingly credible quartet. Credible, that is, except for a crucial detail that was never revealed to listeners: All four of the experts on the show, including Goodwin, have financial ties to the makers of antidepressants. Also unmentioned were the "unrestricted grants" that The Infinite Mind has received from drug makers, including Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of the antidepressant Prozac.

We don't know just how much funding or when the show last received it, since neither Goodwin nor the show's producers responded to repeated requests for interviews. But the larger point is that undisclosed financial conflicts of interest among media sources seem to be popping up all over the place these days. Some experts who appear independent are, in fact, serving as stealth marketers for the drug and biotech industries, and reporters either don't know about their sources' conflicts of interests, or they fail to disclose them to the public.

Take the November 2006 NBC Nightly News story that asked, "Can lung scans really prevent cancer death?" Reporter Mike Taibbi, a former smoker, underwent scanning by Dr. Claudia Henschke, a professor of radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. Henschke claimed on the show that early detection with lung scans could prevent 80 percent of deaths from lung cancer. Although Taibbi included another expert who said that Henschke's claim was "outrageous," viewers were left with little way to evaluate the two conflicting viewpoints. And Taibbi himself concluded that early detection was his "best chance." At no point did viewers learn that Henschke's research was funded by a tobacco company, which has an investment in making the risks of smoking appear to be manageable—or that many experts warn that more research is needed to determine whether the potential benefits of scanning outweigh its harms.

How frequently are journalists glossing over such conflicts? Gary Schwitzer, a professor of journalism at the University of Minnesota, is the publisher of HealthNewsReview.org, a Web site that reviews health care news for balance, accuracy, and completeness. Schwitzer and his team of reviewers have looked at 544 stories from top outlets over the two-year period from April 2006 to April 2008. Journalists had to meet several criteria in order to receive a satisfactory score, among them: They had to quote an independent expert—someone not involved in the relevant research—and they had to make some attempt to report potential conflicts of interest. Half the stories failed to meet these two requirements, Schwitzer says.

Conflicts of interest abound even in unexpected places. A recent survey of academic medical centers published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 60 percent of academic department chairs have personal ties to industry—serving as consultants, board members, or paid speakers, while two-thirds of the academic departments had institutional ties to industry. Such ties can be extremely lucrative. And according to these articles in the medical literature, researchers who receive funding from drug and medical-device manufacturers are up to 3.5 times as likely to conclude their study drug or medical device works than are researchers without such funding.

An equally clever way for companies to get out their marketing messages is to go through a consumer group. Drug companies often seed "pharm teams," consumer groups that start out as legitimate advocacy organizations and are subtly manipulated by funding from pharmaceutical companies to convey the desired talking points. Unless reporters ask where groups and individual researchers get their money, they have no idea that their sources may be biased—and neither do their readers, viewers, and listeners.

Which brings us back to The Infinite Mind and "Prozac Nation: Revisited," a show that may stand in a class by itself for concealing bias. In addition to the show's unrestricted grants from Lilly, the host, Goodwin, is on the board of directors of Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, an industry-funded front, or "Astroturf" group, which receives a majority of its funding from drug companies. CMPI President Peter Pitts was one of Goodwin's three guests for "Prozac Nation." We don't know which companies fund his group because when we asked him, Pitts said, "I don't want to go into that." But CMPI took in more than $1.4 million in 2006 and, according to its tax forms, spent $210,000 to influence the media through a large conference, a blog the group maintains, op-eds published in major newspapers, and multimedia programs and podcasts. Pitts has another title that might have been relevant to The Infinite Mind; he is the senior vice president for global health affairs at the PR firm Manning Selvage & Lee, which represents Eli Lilly Inc., GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, and more than a dozen other pharmaceutical companies. Yet on the show, Pitts was identified only by his title as "a former FDA official."

The second guest on "Prozac Nation," Andrew F. Leuchter, is a professor of psychiatry at UCLA who has received research money from drug companies including Eli Lilly Inc., Pfizer, and Novartis. The third guest, Nada Stotland, president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association, has served on the speakers' bureaus of GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer. None of Leuchter and Stotland's ties to industry was revealed to listeners—instead, each was introduced as a prominent academic.

The Infinite Mind's Web site states, "Our independence is perhaps our greatest asset." Perhaps, indeed. Neither Goodwin nor the show's producers responded to our repeated requests for interviews and queries about their funding. Pitts, who to his credit did give us an interview, said he didn't know why his ties to industry weren't revealed on the show. Curious, we tried to learn more about the funding for The Infinite Mind—and could discover only that the show's award-winning production company, Lichtenstein Creative Media, was dissolved by the state of Massachusetts on March 28 for failing to file a single annual report since its establishment in 2004.

Some reporters and producers argue that they can't be expected to ask every source whether he or she gets money from the drug industry. But there are obvious first steps to take. A list of academic researchers who are known to have financial ties to the drug and medical-device industries is available through the Center for Science in the Public Interest. (Yes, the name is a lot like the Astroturf group we mentioned earlier—coincidence?) To be fair, the list is inevitably incomplete, and Astroturf groups and academics with undeclared financial ties can make it difficult to ferret out their financial conflicts.

In hopes of making reporters' jobs a little easier, we've created for journalists an international list of prestigious and independent medical experts who declare they have no financial ties to drug and device manufacturers for at least the past five years. We have nearly 100 experts from a wide array of disciplines. E-mail us at Brownlee.Lenzer@gmail.com, and we'll be happy to name names.

Correction, May 6, 2008: The original sentence incorrectly stated that The Infinite Mind is carried on NPR itself, rather than on NPR member stations. (Return to the corrected sentence.)

Shannon Brownlee is a Schwartz senior fellow at the New America Foundation. Her e-mail address is brownlee@newamerica.net.
Jeanne Lenzer is a freelancer whose work appears regularly in the medical journal BMJ. Her e-mail address is jeanne.lenzer@gmail.com.

Article URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2190775/

"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else."

Booker T. Washington

Peace and Blessings!

Pam