Chris Rock on Drug Companies
February 15, 2008
Chris Rock’s brilliant stand-up routine includes some riffs on the ubiquitous television drug commercials that “keep naming symptoms till they get one” that the viewer has.
Even if the ads don’t mention what it is the medicine is supposed to do: “You see a lady on a horse or a man in a tub, and they just keep naming symptoms: ‘Are you depressed?’ ‘Are you lonely?’ ‘Do your teeth hurt?’” Even “‘Do you go to bed at night and wake up in the morning?’ They got that one!” he adds. “I got that. I’m sick. I need that pill!”
The New York Times quotes Chris Rock as part of its review of Greg Critser’s new book, Generation RX. This book examines how baby boomers and their offspring have become the most medicated generations in history, taking pills that promise to “do everything from guarding us against our excesses of drink, food and tobacco, to increasing our children’s performance at school, to jump-starting our own productivity at work, to extending our very time on this mortal coil.”
Critser traces the massive growth of drugs claiming to do everything to the loosening and speeding up of the regulatory processes that used to keep the big pharmaceutical companies in check.
As an onslaught of money and lobbyists has made the government increasingly willing to do the bidding of drug companies, and doctors are similarly besieged with advertising, the barriers between Big Pharma and the public have grown thin and porous. New York Times September 30, 2005 Dr. Mercola’s Comment: Chris Rock’s routine is right on the money. It’s great that the social critics like Rock and the muckrakers like Critser are exposing the truth about what’s going on in the drug industry. Sometimes it’s so ridiculous you just have to laugh.
But it’s also a serious issue. For those of you who regularly read my newsletter, you know that I strongly advise AGAINST using drugs when possible. And, though drugs are sometimes appropriate and at times can save a person’s life, most of the time they are unnecessary, harmful and expensive. The drug companies aren’t interested in saving your life; they’re interested in taking your money.As Critser points out and Rock implies, drug companies are driven by profits and have used their power to influence many areas of medicine. What is most unfortunate is that this has resulted in many biased studies, which ultimately lead to misleading information to the public.
In addition, health costs are rising through the roof, and shortly we will be spending over $2 trillion a year for health care in the United States! It is safe to estimate that over three-fourths of this money is wasted on short-term fixes, primarily drugs and surgeries, which in no way address the long-term cause of the problem.
Further, the far-too-cozy relationship between government agencies like the FDA and major drug companies lets Big Pharma get away with practically anything they want. This has much to do with why I’m so focused on my vision of exposing the existing medical paradigm’s techniques, habits and messages that have put your health and that of the American public in grave danger.
The key to caring for illnesses is to focus on finding the underlying cause of the problem. It is possible to maintain total health by avoiding unnecessary drugs and by gaining a comprehensive understanding of good nutrition and proper lifestyle choices.
Flu Shot? No Thanks!
February 13, 2008
Influenza kills 30,000 Americans every year was the headline. One so-called “researcher” said that flu kills up to 40,000 Americans every year!!! (4) http://www.acponline.org/journals/news/jul-aug04/vaccinations.htm
How many people really die of influenza every year? Following are from the CDC:
2002: 753 died http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr52/nvsr52_13.pdf (p.16)
2001: 267 died http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr51/nvsr51_05.pdf (p.16)
2000: 2,175 died http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr49/nvsr49_12.pdf (p.15)
1999:1,685 died http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr49/nvsr49_08.pdf (p.28)
Flu shot and Alzheimer’s
Hugh Fudenberg, MD, the world’s leading immunogeneticist and 13th most quoted biologist in the world today, states that if an individual has five consecutive flu shots his/her chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease are 10 times higher. Apparently the aluminum and mercury in the flu shot have an affinity for brain tissue causing brain damage. So why is the flu shot recommended for pregnant women and infants?
The flu shot helps infants and children with asthma and congenital heart disease?
Not at all. In fact a study published in Archives of Diseases of Children showed the opposite. The vaccinated group had a significantly increased risk of asthma-related clinic and emergency room visits. (Christy C, Aligne CA, Auinger P et al. Effectiveness of influenza vaccine for the prevention of asthma exacerbations. Arch Dis Child. 2004;89(8):734-735.)
Is MD really short for mentally defective? A recent report that appeared in the August 22/29, 2005 issue of the AMA News stated that 98% of MDs surveyed plan to offer influenza vaccine to patients (Source: University of Colorado Heath Sciences Center Survey, Funded by the CDC). And that’s after studies show that the flu vaccine doesn’t work in reducing flu deaths. Oh well, follow the money.
The bottom line…look to facts, statistics, and common sense when making decisions regarding your health – not hype and scare tactics generated by the people who have something to gain.
For more information on flu shots and how to stay well ask about attending our next “Developing a Titanium Immune” system workshop.
Why Don’t Self Help Books Work for Me?
February 11, 2008
The irony of today is that we live in a world of massive information on dieting, nutrition, fitness, and emotional management, yet we’re more overweight, have more nutritionally related illness, and are more anxious and depressed then ever before.
Did you ever wonder why with all of the millions of books, tapes, programs, etc. on physical and mental health being sold on T.V., web-sites, bookstores, and malls we’re failing more than any other time in recorded history to be healthy physically or mentally?
To help describe the problem, imagine a race car driver building the most powerful engine available, but sticking it in one of those big family vans that also has tires that are 18 years old. The point; there may be power in the engine but the foundation isn’t set to use it effectively. In fact, at high speeds, the wheels just come off - or even blow.
Our lives lack the structure and foundation necessary to effectively implement and carry out -long term - the information we receive. Nothing is wrong with the programs out there. While one book or CD may war against the next, they probably both have benefits. In fact, the claims that are being made are really just good marketing to make you think -THIS IS THE ONE! The truth is, you can’t just drop the next idea or plan into your current life culture and expect to see different results. If you want life to sprout up, you’ve got to make sure there is fertile ground. If the way you live your life is not a breeding ground for success, changing books and theories isn’t the answer. The foundation just isn’t there and if you just try harder the wheels may just explode on you.
HERE ARE 4 THINGS YOU HAVE TO BE AWARE OF AND IN FACT, CHANGE, IF THERE’S HOPE FOR ONE OF THOSE BOOKS ON YOUR SHELF TO WORK FOR YOU:
1. WE’RE INFORMED BEYOND OUR LEVEL OF DISCIPLINE
In the classic movie Karate Kid, when Mr. Miaggi asked Danielsan if he was ready to start his Karate training the boy answered, “I guess so.” Mr. Miaggi explained that if you walk on the right side of the road -fine. If you walk on the left side of the road -fine. But, if you walk down the middle -squish. Not fine.
If you want to learn Karate -fine. If you don’t want to learn Karate -fine. If you “guess so’ -squish. Not fine.
We’ve got to learn what it takes to honor our commitments. To understand what it means to maturely develop discipline enough to finish what we started. Either don’t begin or complete what you set out to accomplish.
The importance of our bodies goes beyond our current level of awareness. That is to say, we unconsciously make decisions about what we put in and do with our bodies every day. If you consciously decide to down some junk food a couple of times/week as a means of really taking a vacation from your mature commitment to your health that’s fantastic. If when overwhelmed with pain, you make a conscious decision to use a medication, all the while considering why those symptoms may exist and what must be done to correct the situation, that’s fine. However, if you unconsciously consume refined, packaged, fast foods and carbohydrates consistently and pop pills and slug down caffeine just to subdue hunger, fatigue, and symptoms consistently it’s a child-like way of handling your life. Children make decisions out of no remorse for the future.
Your body is important to God, the people you serve, and the family who cares about you. To disregard it is to show contempt for the people who care. I’m committed to my body not so much for me as I don’t want to widow my wife, leave my kids while they still badly need their father, and fall short of my purpose and all that God has called me to do. You are a V.I.P. to a whole lot of people including yourself.
2. WE’RE INFORMED BEYOND OUR EDUCATION
We have more information than we can understand how to implement. In other words, we’ve got just enough knowledge to be dangerous and little enough education to really get any where.
3. WE HAVE MORE STRESS THEN OUR NERVOUS SYSTEMS ARE CAPABLE OF HANDLING
I first started hearing the term “stress” back in the late eighties. At the time, it was sort of an abstract term for challenges and people were just starting to blame things like their bad backs, headaches, or foul moods on “stress.” In 1994, I taught college Anatomy & Physiology. At the time, I was amazed to find that in a college text book, the chapter on stress was the largest chapter. It turns out; stress isn’t just an ethereal word, but a very concrete, real thing with very specific, negative effects on your body.
When you’re experiencing negative stress, your body prepares for battle. It’s called the “fight or flight” response. During this 911 response, your nervous system goes into overdrive and sends energy and blood supply rushing to your extremities and away from your organ systems. Fight or flight was designed for the occasional need to protect yourself from your enemies or perform physically at appropriate times throughout your life. It wasn’t meant to be an every day, all day experience.
By going through life with an ever present sense of urgency, anxiety, or stress, your vital organs are not getting the energy and blood they need to heal, grow, thrive, and survive because it’s all in your parts needed for fighting or running. You’re virtually killing yourself. With your nervous system in a state of stress, it also kicks out stress hormones. In excess, these hormones cause advanced aging, weight gain, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, arthritis, and further trauma to your nervous system.
The nervous system is the command center of the entire body. Ultimately, it is impossible to be balanced, be mentally stable, healthy, or to make good, sane, solid decisions with the ever-present 911 state your sensitive nervous system is constantly experiencing.
A “positive mental attitude” is not enough. Some stuff is too challenging, especially if it’s just problem after problem. You need to completely reprogram the way you look at life and learn how to reduce the amount of stress or have “stress prevention.”
3. WE’RE BUSIER THEN WE ARE SUCCESSFUL
Prior to leaving school and getting ready to work with patients, I never considered the issue of people always claiming to be “too busy” to deal with their problems. I suppose for a few years I bought this excuse until moving to Orlando to practice. In Florida, we take care of many retirees. Interestingly enough, my retirees started telling me the same thing that they also were, “too busy.” I’d think, “What? Do you have a board meeting or something? You’re retired!” It was then I realized how truly desperate and pervasive this idea of “busy -ness” really was.
The question “Too busy doing what?” is a good one. If we’re sicker, fatter, and more depressed with higher divorce rates and more financial problems then ever, then what are we so busy doing? Clearly, we’re busier than we are successful!
Proper time management is key. If time is always spent on what is urgent, then what will you always have -urgency. Rather, plan time for what’s important. You don’t find success in any area of life -you plan it. Living right side up in an upside down world means making God, family, and health, your greatest priorities.
The future really relies on real commitments, an understanding of the importance of viewing life with respect to God’s plan and not our limited view of the present, and managing our lives in such a way that the things we’re committed to and the destiny we seek can rely on the foundation we’re developing.
A very helpful tool to put these things together is the book One Minute Wellness paired with the coaching and leadership of a good chiropractor.
History of Chiropractic
February 7, 2008
Most people who have never been to a chiropractor think chiropractic is for bad backs. Hopefully you (patients of this office) realize it’s much bigger than that, but let’s look at how it all got started.
Chiropractic was discovered in 1895 by DD Palmer. He had an office in a building in Davenport, Iowa. Harvey Lillard, the building janitor, had been almost completely deaf for 17 years since falling down a flight of stairs. Upon inquiring about his condition, Palmer examined him and noticed a lump on his back indicating a misaligned vertebrae. Upon the application of the first specific adjustment ever, the janitor regained full hearing. At first DD thought he had discovered the cure for deafness, but he quickly realized this wasn’t the case and developed the founding principles of chiropractic based on his discovery.
- The human spine is vulnerable to misalignments caused by injury or illness. These misalignments were termed vertebral subluxations.
- The resulting interference or damage may affect the nerves leading from the spinal cord to vital organs controlling bodily functions, placing stress on the body’s systems and causing ill health.
- A Doctor of Chiropractic is uniquely trained to locate and correct subluxations relieving nerve interference, restoring the body to its natural God given potential for health and function.
Here’s a newer definition from a 1927 Chiropractic textbook:
“Chiropractic is a philosophy, science and art of all things natural; a system of adjusting the segments of the spinal column by hand only, for the correction of the cause of dis-ease.”
Dr. Palmer saw many patients get well from many things through his early form of Chiropractic. He opened a school in Davenport Iowa in the early 20th century and the profession of Chiropractic was born. While DD is called the discoverer of Chiropractic, his son BJ is considered to be the developer of what chiropractic is today.
The Palmer School of Chiropractic is still one of the largest Chiropractic institutions and is still in Davenport, Iowa.
Statistics Prove Prescription Drugs are 16,400% More Deadly than Terrorists By Carolyn Dean, M.D.
February 5, 2008
America was rudely awakened to a new kind of danger on September 11, 2001: Terrorism. The attacks that day left 2,996 people dead, including the passengers on the four commercial airliners that were used as weapons. Many feel it was the most tragic day in U.S. history.Four commercial jets crashed that day. But what if six jumbo jets crashed every day in the United States, claiming the lives of 783,936 people every year? That would certainly qualify as a massive tragedy, wouldn’t it?
Well, forget “what if.” The tragedy is happening right now. Over 750,000 people actually do die in the United States every year, although not from plane crashes. They die from something far more common and rarely perceived by the public as dangerous: modern medicine.
According to the groundbreaking 2003 medical report Death by Medicine, by Drs. Gary Null, Carolyn Dean, Martin Feldman, Debora Rasio and Dorothy Smith, 783,936 people in the United States die every year from conventional medicine mistakes. That’s the equivalent of six jumbo jet crashes a day for an entire year. But where is the media attention for this tragedy? Where is the government support for stopping these medical mistakes before they happen?
The problem is, prescription drugs don’t treat diseases; they merely cover the symptoms. U.S. physicians provide allopathic health care - that is, they care for disease, not health. So, the over-prescription of drugs and medications is designed to treat disease instead of preventing it. And because there are so many drugs available, unforeseen adverse drug reactions are all too common, which leads to the highly conservative annual prescription drug death rate of 106,000. Keep in mind that these numbers came before the Vioxx scandal, and Cox-2 inhibitor drugs could ultimately end up killing tens of thousands more.
The public seems to genuinely believe that drugs advertised on TV are safe, in spite of the plethora of side effects listed by the commercial’s narrator, ranging from diarrhea to death. Patients feel justified in asking their physicians to prescribe them a particular drug they’ve seen on TV, since it surely must be safe or it wouldn’t have been advertised. Remember all those TV ads heralding the wonders of Vioxx? One might wonder how many lives could have been spared if patients didn’t see the ad on TV and request a prescription from their doctors.
The government spends upwards of $30 billion a year on homeland security. Such spending seems important. Since 2001, 2,996 people in the United States have died from terrorism - all as a result of the 9/11 attacks. In that same period of time, 490,000 people have died from prescription drugs, not counting the Vioxx scandal. That means that prescription drugs in this country are at least 16,400 percent deadlier than terrorism. Again, those are the conservative numbers. A more realistic number, which would include deaths from over-the-counter drugs, makes drug consumption 32,000 percent deadlier than terrorism. But the scope of “Death by Medicine” is even wider. Conventional medicine, including unnecessary surgeries, bedsores and medical errors, is 104,700 percent deadlier than terrorism. Yet, our government’s attention and money is not put into reforming health care.
If we really wants to save lives — a lot of lives — it needs look no further than the chemical war has been declared on Americans by Big Pharma. (From your Chiropractor For now, I’ll just get adjusted -)
Your Most Successful Year Yet - Serving Others, Part 5 of 5
February 3, 2008
When it comes to life, health, and happiness rarely is there a full proof, works 100% of the time solution. Sure, everyone says they’ve got "The" answer. Read my book, take my drug, swallow this herb and whammo; instant success. Unfortunately, a good percentage of people discover it was just good marketing.
There is, however, one method of bringing joy, peace, and ultimately success to your life that I have found works 100% of the time; SERVE.
The mission statement of the mythical Paradise of Camelot was, "By serving each other, we become free." Imagine a land where the welfare of the people around you is more important than you. Where would we be if all of us SERVED the person closest to us right now? Would anti-depressants be the leading medications sold today? Would there be homeless people? Starving people? Lonely people? War? Crime? It was an interesting world that King Arthur dreamed of and frankly, so do I.
Jesus said, "I came to the world to SERVE, not to be served." When given the option of having His feet washed, or doing the washing –He chose toe jam duty. The job usually reserved the SERVANTS.
Similarly, Rick Warren says, "You don’t get joy from having the goods….you get joy from being good and doing good." Or in other words, serving.
No one likes to hear this, but you’re obligated. There’s something you can do and something you know that obligates you to serve. With great power, comes great responsibility. If you’ve got more money than is necessary to meet your needs, then you’re obligated to help those who don’t have enough to meet theirs. If you have information about God, health, and functional relationships, then you’re obligated to help those that don’t know God, aren’t experiencing health, are living in a way that causes disease, or heading towards family crisis. It needs to be sound, well thought out help, but you’ve got a moral and ethical obligation to serve.
People are dying…before their time. Children are dying…or being set up for an early death. It’s being done with America’s radical overuse of medication, poor lifestyle, and severely degenerating spines and nervous systems.
How’s it done; drug company and junk food advertising has us all in a Full Nelson. They know our weaknesses, they’re smart, they’ve got money, and they make billions.
You know so please join our mission. Put other people first. SERVE, by bringing people to our classes and events and by getting people’s spine’s checked for damage.
"I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know is the only ones among you who will be truly happy are those that have sought and found how to serve." Albert Schweitzer
Not because you should, but because you want to.
Your Most Successful Year Yet - The Counter, Part 4 of 5
February 1, 2008
After reading all of these articles on success you might be saying, "Great Dr. Ben, this might work for some people, but you don’t understand my situation.
As someone who wrestled competitively for 19 years, I understand completely what it’s like to be caught in a dangerous, painful condition that appears impossible to wriggle free from. If you’re tired enough, hurting enough, behind by enough points, and have been working hard to no avail, the thought of success can all but completely diminish –and stop even being a dream. In an exhausted, unmotivated, painful state, all that may seem reasonable at that point are antidepressants, alcohol, or a whole lot of sugar.
In wrestling there are certain positions or "holds" that you never want to find yourself in. Getting caught in a "cradle," a "guillotine," a "chicken wing," or being stuck on your back are all potentially dangerous, match ending states of affair. In fact, if your opponent is really good, it can seem like there’s no way out and a feeling of discouragement, despair, and that "All is lost" can come over you pretty quickly. However, the truth is, there’s always a way out. That’s why many people have gotten out of these holds, fought off their back and come back to win the match. THEY KNEW HOW TO COUNTER.
As boxed in as you may feel now, whenever you may feel you’re at the end of your rope or the end, or if you come to a place where your sure a dream is no longer a reality, DON’T QUIT, COUNTER. "The Counter" is how you escape and come back from a compromising position. TO COUNTER:
1. Change your position: You have to be capable of seeing outside of your box of frustration and become aware of your blind spots. Death is in the blind spots. You can fit an invisible 18 wheeler in one. In the world of success, the illiterate are not people who can’t read or write, it’s those who can’t LEARN, UNLEARN, AND RELEARN.
The number one way to failure and completely stop any forward progress is the illusion that you "Already know." For example, U.S. families have the worst health of any other families in the world and Chiropractic families have the best health of anyone in the world. Yet, people keep being scared or hypnotized into following U.S. medicine?
….THINK, UNLEARN, RELEARN. (Ask yourself: "Is there anything we’ve been told about the benefits and safety of medicine that’s actually true?" Obviously not)
2. Pray for strength; A famous quote from the depression said, "Whenever I prayed to God to get me a chicken, I never got a chicken. But, when I prayed for God to give me the strength to catch a chicken, I always got me a chicken."
To hit a Counter, you’ve got to get mad instead of sad, use the fuel of failure as energy instead of despair, and muster up more strength than you believe you had. Your mind always quits before the body and God’s power is in endless supply. DON’T QUIT!
3. Purpose you would die for: When you first start wrestling, you stink at it and need to know a lot of counters. When I asked my coach how to get out of some of the more compromising positions he said, "If you want to get out, it’s got to be like you’re a drowning man trying to come up for air."
How bad do you want to win for God, your family, and to preserve your own life? We’re here to help coach you to victory, but you’ve got to want it bad enough.