[ed. note: Michael Jorrin, who I call Doc Gumshoe, is a longtime medical writer (not a doctor) who writes for us about medicine and health a couple times a month. He has agreed to our trading and disclosure restrictions, but does not generally write directly about investment ideas. His ideas, thoughts and words are his own, and you can see all his past pieces here.]
This one is fiendish indeed, and the arch-fiend is none other than our former President, Barack Obama. I’ll try to whiz past the particulars of the plot as quickly as I’m able and take a look at a few of the life-saving cures that Obama is attempting to bury. This particular spiel emanates from an outfit about which I know absolutely nothing – it’s the Alliance for Advanced Health, which sounds upstanding and forward-looking and benevolent in every possible way.
Here’s how the pitch leads off:
“Revealed!
Obama’s Deadly Revenge Against American Seniors
Confirmed: If you are over 60 as of January 1, 2017, you need to protect yourself now…
WARNING: This Alert Is Intended Only for American Citizens. Unauthorized Persons Should Not View This Broadcast.
In the next 60 seconds, you’re going to be presented with verified information that PROVES Barack Obama was the most corrupt president in US history.
But this information will also expose a NEW plot by ex-President Obama…
A so-called “Death Order” he signed back in 2016…
…that could result in the needless deaths of more than 1.3 million American seniors this year.”
What President Obama’s “Death Order” consisted of, according to the screed, was the appointment of Robert Califf, MD, as Commissioner of Food and Drugs, on February 16, 2016. Why Dr Califf should be more evil than his predecessors such as Margaret Hamburg or Andrew von Eschenbach is not explained, but the implication is that Dr Califf will use his position to deny Americans the right to use a great many life-saving drugs. The pitch even includes a photo of Dr Califf, with a little black patch over his eyes, because it’s important to conceal his identity. Here’s a bit more:
“You’re about to learn about Obama’s one final act of revenge against the American people he hates.
And there is innocent American blood on his hands.
Because we’re about to reveal how, in his last year as president…
Obama planted a sleeper agent into the US government …
…to benefit a group of corporate elites who personally paid Obama more than $4.5 million.
But make no mistake, this is NOT political “business as usual” because…
This sleeper agent’s mission could result in the deaths of more than 1.3 million American seniors in the next 12 months.
That’s an American senior every 29 seconds.
And more every single year after. It’s already underway.
You are now at immediate risk
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You’ve already guessed the effect of Obama’s “Death Order” and the “corporate elites” that stand to benefit from it. The “Death Order” prevents the manufacturers and suppliers of would-be pharmaceuticals from stating that their products have direct curative properties.
And the “corporate elites” are, of course, the pharmaceutical companies that would be damaged by competition from these miracle cures. The pitch from the Alliance for Advanced Health goes so far as to reproduce a page of campaign contributions to Obama from individuals linked with pharmaceutical or medical device companies, headed by a statement that in the years 2002 through 2016 Obama received a total of $4,547,333 from pharma-linked sources. (I might note that compared with what the super-PACs shell out, that’s not a whole lot.)
We’ve heard it before, many many times, that Big Pharma will stoop to any and all low tricks to squelch the natural cures that can come from the supplements and “nutraceuticals,” because if folks twigged to the truth, that those natural cures would really cure diseases, it would totally put Big Pharma out of business. Here’s the credo according to Alliance for Advanced Health:
“You see… there’s one chilling fact the drug companies hope the public never figures out…
Drugs don’t CURE anything…
It’s true.
There’s not a single chronic disease in history that’s been cured by a prescription drug.
After all, why would they want to cure you?
Then you’d stop taking the drug… and their profits would tank.
No, their goal is to keep you on their dangerous drugs… and make sure you keep paying for them – while never actually getting better.”
The statement “Drugs don’t cure anything” is, on the face of it, a flat-out lie. Drugs cure – actually cure! – any number of infectious diseases, including such killers as pneumonia and influenza, and there are millions of cancer survivors currently in remission with combination treatments that include drugs. Pharma companies like Gilead have made huge news by developing agents that effectively cure hepatitis C and reduce the viral load in patients with HIV to undetectable levels. The Alliance slightly qualifies the assertion that “drugs don’t cure anything” by referring to “chronic diseases,” which presumably excludes those acute infectious diseases that do actually get cured by drugs. But that could also depend on what we mean by “cure.” If we insist that “cure” translates to “drug-free with complete absence of symptoms” that would exclude the millions upon millions of patients who are able to live normal lives despite relying on relatively inexpensive drugs that keep their symptoms under control. I would not claim that those patients are “cured,” but there’s no doubt that the great majority of patients with many different chronic diseases are way, way better on drug treatment than they would be without.
And, by the way, how does the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, whether Dr Califf or any of his predecessors, have the power to prevent Americans (or anyone else for that matter) from getting access to the miracle cures promised by the Alliance?
The Commissioner of Food and Drugs and the FDA seldom intervene in the marketing of drugs that are presented as “natural,” other than to place restrictions on medical claims unsupported by evidence. There were efforts by the FDA to regulate megavitamins; these were defeated in Congress in the mid-1970s. Then, in the early 1990s, there was another attempt by the FDA to regulate supplements, which was again defeated in Congress.
The FDA does, to a minor degree, regulate supplements, especially with regard to specific medical claims. A supplement cannot go beyond stating that taking that supplement “supports” a particular area of health, such as heart, bone, digestive, etc, unless – as happens very seldom indeed – there are acceptable clinical studies substantiating specific claims.
This restriction is easily circumvented. All the supplement marketer needs to do is find a compliant physician and a few patients who have used the supplement and experienced benefits, and the personal testimonials regarding the supplement’s effectiveness as a cure for any and all ailments can be propagated far and wide with no restrictions. That’s what the Alliance for Advanced Health is doing in the present spiel.
As for safety, the NIH language makes it clear that it’s the responsibility of manufacturers of supplements and similar products to have evidence that their products are safe, but that they do not have to provide that evidence to the FDA before the products are marketed.
So I don’t think there’s much to Obama’s plot. But it suits the marketers of miracle cures to present themselves as the victims of schemes by the unholy alliance of pharmaceutical companies, established medicine, and government over-regulation. That’s the reason that your doctor keeps you on those expensive prescriptions for years on end, when you could be getting the natural miracle drug and be really cured in a short time. It’s a plot, and what’s behind it? Look for the money, of course!
What the Alliance for Advanced Health and similar promotional elaborations are seeking to do is compensate for the fact, regrettable from their perspective, that the great majority of physicians and health professionals do not recommend, let alone prescribe, the products of non-FDA approved manufacturers to their patients. It absolutely couldn’t be because those products are ineffective, or Heaven forbid, not safe! Therefore, it has to be a conspiracy to suppress those products in order to protect the venal interests of Big Pharma.
Onward to the Miracle Cures
So, let’s ignore the conspiracy aspect of the spiel and try to figure out whether there is legitimate promise in any of the miracle cures being touted by the Alliance homily. Here’s their list:
“There are 7 NEW DISEASE TREATMENTS available right now that could help END this epidemic for good
That could help protect you… and even CURE you… from each of the 7 most dangerous diseases affecting American seniors:
- A cancer treatment that destroys even deadly pancreatic and colon cancers… and is 3,000 TIMES stronger than chemotherapy. (Shocking, but true!)
- The Asian wonder called “Coptic salt” that WIPES OUT Type 2 diabetes… and is better than diabetes drugs in head-to-head trials…
- A weird-looking mushroom from Europe that can REVERSE the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease… better than every dementia drug on the market.
- How the world’s most disgusting food – Japanese “stink custard” – can save YOU from a lurking heart attack or stroke. (Don’t worry, you don’t have to eat it.)
- A simple mineral supplement that can now ERASE chronic pain. Yet 80% of us are deficient right now. (You won’t believe how easy it is to live free of pain…)
- The true secret to reversing blindness… that is in your stomach. Just wait until you hear about this one…
- How a little-known breakthrough for men can RESTORE the physical and sexual performance you had in your 20s… (and even protect against cancer).
They’re called the “Silent 7” because they’re all but unknown in our country
They are DENIED by our corporate-owned US healthcare system…
Some might even say COVERED UP…”
Number 1: Annona muricata, aka graviola
The first one is identified by the Alliance blast as “muricata.” It is described as the fruit of a common tree in the Amazon rain forest, and the one true cure for cancer, 3000 times stronger than adriamycin, a common chemotherapy drug. The scientific name for “muricata” is Annona muricata, and it is known by a number of other names, including graviola, cherimoya, guanábana, corossol, soursop, custard apple, and Brazilian paw paw.
According to Cancer Network, an online information site provided by the journal Oncology, the active ingredients in this natural product, which they refer to by the more usual name of “graviola,” are phytochemicals called acetogenins, which may have some physiologic effects in humans, including potentially countering the Herpes simplex virus. Extracts of this plant in vitro have demonstrated effects against some human cancer cells, including doxorubicin-resistant breast cancer cells. Thus far, studies in human subjects are lacking. Muricata may also cause movement disorders and nerve damage with symptoms similar to those in Parkinson’s disease.
A lengthy paper in PLOS ONE (Moghadamtousi, SZ, PLOS ONE DOI:10.1371 /journal.pone. 0122288 April 10, 2015) seeks to justify the use of graviola/muricata in traditional medicine primarily based on low cost and a supposed relative absence of side effects., viz: “The long history of employing natural products in ethnomedicine with low-prices and limited side effects, in contrast to expensive synthetic drugs with severe adverse side effects, was the main reason for the development of new pharmaceutical drugs from natural sources.” The authors, from the University of Malaysia, conducted a study in several groups of rats, in which they found that several substances found in this plant did have potential beneficial effects in several classes of cancer cells, including the capacity to trigger apoptosis (cell death) in some cancer cells. Among other things, the study monitored the formation of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in rats, those being the earliest identifiable pre-cancerous lesions in colon cancer. The conclusion was that extracts of graviola/muricata had the capacity to diminish the formation of these pre-cancerous lesions in rats, as well as other potential anti-cancer effects, and thus had significant promise in the treatment of cancer.
A couple of small caveats: PLOS ONE is not a traditional peer-reviewed journal; thus the paper was not submitted to a panel of oncologists prior to being published. That’s a relatively minor caveat. The big caveat is that there is a huge distance between a carefully-conducted study of the active ingredients in a naturally-occurring substance, whether plant or animal, and a supplement concocted by a manufacturer that simply states that it comes from that naturally-occurring substance. The PLOS ONE authors painstakingly extracted those chemicals from the graviola/muricata plant, and that’s what they tested. What the supplements manufacturers did, who knows? The Annona muricata tree may indeed bear promising fruit, but my guess is that we’re many years away, if ever, from seeing an effective cancer drug based on that fruit.
Number 2: “Coptic salt,” aka Coptis chinensis
This one has a bunch of names, although “Coptic salt” appears to be the Alliance’s own moniker. It is made from the root of a plant called Chinese Goldthread, of the Ranunculacea family, which is used in folk medicine for a number of diseases and conditions. According to the World Health Organization, these may include bacterial diarrheas, acute conjunctivitis, gastroenteritis, boils, and cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis (“oriental sore”). Coptis chinensis is also used in the treatment of arthritis, burns, diabetes, dysmenorrhoea, toothache, malaria, gout, and kidney disease. WHO points out that none of these uses are in any way supported by clinical data.
The active constituent of the so-called Coptic salt is the alkaloid berberine, which does have in vitro antibacterial properties, inhibiting the growth of some common bacteria including staphylococci, streptococci, and some pathogens that cause cholera and dysentery, but not of others, including E. coli, Salmonella, and Shigella. The specific mechanism through which berberine exerts its antidiarrheal effects is thought to be inhibition of cyclic AMP accumulation, which results in a reduction of the motility of the intestinal system. Essentially, what berberine does is reduce stool volume. It does not appear to combat the infection itself.
The Alliance claims that there are more than 2,700 scientific studies in this particular substance. I could find 317 listed in PubMed, all in vitro or in animals. The Alliance also suggests that there was a head-to-head study in which Coptic salt “ran circles around” metformin in treating diabetes. The closest one I could find was a study in mice in which a tablet called JiQi-JiangTang, which contains Coptis chinensis along with other substances, was demonstrated to reduce insulin resistance and improve beta cell function. A study by Peng Ji-lan and others from the Tongji Medical College in Huazhong concluded that the JiQi-JiangTang tablets were no more effective than placebo in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Where the Alliance for Advanced Health got their data about the miraculous effectiveness of Coptic salt as a cure – not a treatment, but a cure! – for diabetes, I know not.
Number 3: Erinaceous mushroom, AKA Lion’s Mane mushroom
The scientific name is Hericeum erinaceous, and the Alliance swears that it is a sure-fire cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Here’s that part of their gospel:
“… the amazing Erinaceous mushroom extract actually cleans the plaque out of your brain… like scrubbing baked-on grease off a dirty pan…
And there’s even more than that.
Scientists are now learning this incredible natural medicine…
…also SAVES your vital brain cells
That’s right. It actually stops your brain cells from dying… so your brain can function just like it used to. Imagine…
Your mind stays scalpel sharp… those embarrassing “senior moments” become few and far between…
And your healthy brain is SAVED from the slow decline into dementia… for good.”
There is a 2009 paper (Mori K, Phytother Res 2009;23:367-372) reporting a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial comparing two cohorts, 15 subjects each, with mild cognitive impairment. One group received tablets consisting of dried powder of the Yamabushitake mushroom, which is what the erinaceous mushroom is called in Japanese, while the other group got placebo. The findings were that the group that got the mushroom treatment showed improvement on a cognitive function scale starting after about 8 weeks of three-times-daily dosing. But by about 4 weeks after the 16-week treatment period, those improvements in cognitive function faded. The authors concluded that the erinaceous mushroom treatment regimen could be effective in treating mild cognitive impairment.
This, if I may make a mildly negative comment, is a far cry from curing Alzheimer’s disease. Several drugs have been shown to improve cognitive function, at least on a short-term basis; these include drugs used in treating Parkinson’s disease – Aricept and others. The mechanism of action of most of these drugs is inhibition of the enzyme acetylcholesterinase, which breaks down acetylcholine in the brain. Acetylcholine (ACh) is vital to brain function, and one of the things that happen in AD is a decline in the numbers of cholinergic brain cells, so any means of increasing the amount of circulating ACh is a potential boost in brain functioning.
Number 4: Japanese “stink custard” aka durian, or Kinase N4,
As per the Alliance credo, here’s what that one does:
“…there’s a special enzyme found in a smelly Japanese food… that naturally “eats” blood clots.
The food is called “stink custard” and for good reason.
It’s a foul mash of fermented beans – but don’t worry, you don’t have to eat it.
The enzyme in the food that dissolves clots can also be found in supplement form.
So you just pop an inexpensive capsule,
and your heart and brain are protectedAnd numerous research studies now confirm it: This enzyme, called Kinase N4, dissolves blood clots on contact.”
I will confess that my digging around for clues about this particular miracle cure led me far and wide, but to no satisfactory conclusion. The Alliance’s spiel identifies that active ingredient of the Japanese “stink custard” as kinase N4. The “stink custard” appears to be the fruit of a tree called the durian, and it does indeed stink, although some people find its overpowering smell somewhat tolerable, at least. The fruit of the durian is large and covered with sharp spines, such that people walking under durian trees have sustained nasty injuries if a durian fruit came loose and bonked them on the noggin. When split with a machete or similar sharp instrument, it contains a stinky inner core that some people like, and that has numerous roles in folk medicine, including as an aphrodisiac and as a fever cure. According to HealthyCommunications.com, durian’s health benefits include the treatment of depression, anxiety, insomnia, pain, migraine, Parkinson’s Disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and a bunch of other conditions. But no mention of anti-clotting activity. PubMed lists no papers mentioning either durian or kinase N4 in connection with anticlotting activity.
So, is it possible that the Alliance has secret information about durian/kinase N4?
Number 5: Magnesium as a cure for chronic pain
The Alliance’s doctrine as usual goes too far, but on balance Doc Gumshoe doesn’t have much of a quarrel with this one. In general, magnesium tends to be a muscle relaxant, so if the pain is muscular pain, magnesium supplements may well help, especially in persons who are magnesium-deficient. The Alliance says that about 80% of us are magnesium-deficient, but I see no basis for that. Elderly people and women are more likely to be magnesium-deficient than the rest of the population. And if the pain is not muscular, it’s not likely that magnesium will help.
Number 6: Lutein and zeaxanthin as a cure for age-related macular degeneration
The declaration starts out by raising the specter of terrifying but ineffective treatments:
“The “mainstream” treatment isn’t for the faint of heart.
I’m talking about drugs injected directly into your eyeball… lasers burning up the inside of your eye…
Or scary eye surgery.
And after all that, there is still no cure.”
The miracle cures touted by the Alliance are lutein and zeaxanthin, which are indeed acknowledged to be essential antioxidants in the eye, reducing the risk of chronic eye diseases including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. What these two carotenoids do is filter the high-energy blue short wavelengths of light, protecting the healthy cells in the retina. We do not synthesize lutein or zeaxanthin, and they do tend to break down over time, but they are present in foods such as green leafy vegetables and eggs.
Many studies have shown that lutein and zeaxanthin reduce the risk of chronic eye diseases, including AMD and cataracts. The American Optometric Association notes that some people who do not get enough of these nutrients from their diet may benefit from taking supplements of lutein and zeaxanthin, which are widely available.
So far, the Academy appears to be on the same track as mainstream medicine. Where do the secret miracle cures come in? Just wait – here’s the payoff:
“You also can’t just start taking a supplement with lutein and zeaxanthin.
These 2 vision-restoring nutrients don’t dissolve well into your body. Most of it just passes right on through you… and out the other end.
I think you catch my drift…
But there is a way to get lutein and zeaxanthin right to your eyes… where they can stop and even reverse the effects of macular degeneration.
You have to take a very special form– a combination that allows them to be fully absorbed.”
And, of course, only by becoming members of the Academy for Advanced Health, will you be able to find out precisely which supplement you need to take.
By now you’re getting the drift. But let’s take a look at the last miracle cure.
Number 7: A testosterone supplement the Academy calls “Man Roots”
Despite assiduous sleuthing, Doc Gumshoe can’t swear what this one is. Here’s what the Academy says:
“Of course, supplementing testosterone is nothing new for guys who have a little grey up top…
And who maybe are experiencing some “bedroom” issues.
But the mainstream options are scary… with an increased risk of blood clots or heart problems.
Now, thanks to the discovery of Man Root, there’s a much safer – and better – way.
In fact, scientists are now learning that an extract of Man Root is a kind of wonder supplement for men who want a return to their youthful vigor.
It’s been studied repeatedly, with researchers finding that Man Root extract increased testosterone levels…
But when Man Root was tested on men with ED… well, that’s where things get really interesting. You see, scientists found that Man Root…
Improves the ability to get an erection… and helps maintain hardness.”
There’s a testosterone booster called “Well Root,” which contains zinc, copper, tribulus terrestris, L-arginine, L-citruline, Tongkat ali (alias Long Jack), ginseng, and Co-enzyme Q10. Of those, zinc and ginseng are thought to have some testosterone-boosting characteristics, perhaps along with tribulus terrestris. Might the Academy’s “Man Root” be the same as “Well Root?” Or might it be another combination? Other substances that are thought perhaps to be testosterone/libido boosters include creatine, stinging nettle, ginger, maca, and aspartic acid.
The Academy also promises that their “Man Root” will improve cognition, putting an end to “senior moments,” and also have wonderful body-building effects. But, of course, you can’t identify the specific miracle supplement they’re touting on your own. No indeed! It’s only by joining the Alliance, and getting their free book, that you can learn about these amazing cures.
“You see, every single one of the breakthrough treatments and “underground” cures you heard about today…
…were first revealed to the 14,000 members of the Alliance.
And our work never stops. In fact, we’re researching some astonishingly powerful cures right now.
Prostate cancer… Parkinson’s… hearing loss… osteoporosis… MS…
With so many of our most devastating diseases, we are SO CLOSE
Today, you learned about the most advanced health solutions we’ve found so far.
And you’ll get all of them in your free copy of our new Uncensored Health encyclopedia of cures.
But it’s only through an Alliance membership that you can truly trust in your health and happiness… for decades to come.
Our goal for all Alliance members is to live a life free of disease… or even the worry of disease. If you were an Alliance member now…
While others succumb to aging… to dementia… to heart disease… to cancer… or worse… you’ll stay healthy and happy.”
The general outlines of the Alliance’s proposal are familiar. You, dear readers, are invited to become members of the Alliance, for some fee which they do not immediately disclose in their promotional material. In return, you get their book, Uncensored Health: 25 “Forbidden Cures” You Can Have Today, which they claim is “free,” but which you can only get by joining the Alliance. You also get another booklet, 10 Drugs You Should Never Take (And Their Safe, Natural Alternatives) plus one more, The Underground Secrets to Ultimate Male Vitality. But the most important benefit is that you have access to exactly the right formulations, at exactly the right doses, of these forbidden cures. Simply going to your neighborhood health food store and browsing the supplements aisle is a total waste of time and money. The Alliance for Advanced Health – and only the Alliance! – will guide you so that you can reap the benefit of these miracle cures.
As usual with these promotions, somewhere in their extravagant blather there is a small foundation in fact. Their “forbidden cures” are mostly used in folk medicine, and may in certain cases, in some circumstances, deliver some clinical benefit. Earnest, sober, serious scientific researchers are no doubt looking into the specifics of what is in these cures that might have a positive physiologic effect, and in the fullness of time, valuable drugs may be developed from some of these “natural” substances, much in the way that aspirin came from willow bark and tamoxifen from the Pacific yew. You can bet that the drug companies – Wicked Big Pharma – will be all over any hint that from durian, or any of those others, a valuable drug might be developed. Who knows, they might be working on those right now!
* * * * * * *
Doc Gumshoe confesses that he takes up these miracle cure promotions partly for their entertainment value. The spiels are P. T. Barnum taken to new extravagant heights! Last time around, it was the Nazi cure for cancer that was suppressed, and this time our former POTUS is cast as the scheming villain. However, there is a serious side in delving into these promotions. I truly believe, for example, that urging people with diabetes to forgo the standard treatment in favor of their touted miracle cure, “Coptic salt,” which will supposedly permit them to eat all manner of delicious food without the least concern, is seriously unethical. One thing is to recommend a harmless mushroom-based supplement that just might slow cognitive decline and another thing is to derail a treatment protocol that keeps many millions of people with diabetes in reasonably good health. Sounds to me as though the folks at the Academy for Advanced Health have their eye on the money as well.
Another great article, Doc. Thanks for the entertainment as well as the information.
Flim Flam has always been profitable. Fools are in abundase!
This article comes across as ‘Docs’ conflicted response to the comments he has received of late calling for clarity in health matters. Sort of a logical false either/or fallacious response to the new, refreshing call for health. That is, let’s find the most absurd case and torch it, as if that settles the matter.
The deal remains that there is a health revolution going on. Individuals round the world that have become quite concerned with the health/ag/pop/sugar/drug establishment’s approach (indeed for profits) that has led in fact to tragically soaring rates of obesity, joint replacements, diabetes, cancer, dementia, and more atrocities. Individuals that have grown weary with the control the sugar/pop/drug/ag industries exert over ‘professional’ health monitoring bodies round the globe.
Things have become so insanely controlled by industry that doctors round the world have been threatened with the loss of their license to practice for advocating obese people cut back on sweets. One such case is researcher, MD, Dr. Tim Noakes in South Africa. Let alone a sports drink company has been threatened to be prohibited from sales of their products as they do not contain enough sugar. You read that right.
So while we can find the most obtuse example and ridicule the new low carb/no sugar healthy fat revolution, nonetheless, the results have been fantastic, where in some places in the world (sadly not the USA) the soaring obesity/illness trajectories have actually been flattened and reversed. Individuals such as myself have lost tons of weight and been healed of many ‘incurable’ disease, such as cancer, diabetes, early onset dementia, and more. Without taking any medicine, letting real food, healthy food, be thy medicine. Not that I am opposed to medicine in its proper place, let alone investing in medicine if the stats warrant it.
So indeed Doc, agree, one cannot supplement out a bad diet, nor can one out-exercise, or out-medicine, a bad diet.
It’s certainly not for everyone, but for anyone that is serious about their health, I would highly recommend Dr. Tim Noakes recent writings/books/talks on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL5-9ZxamXc
He is the one who initially brought carb-loading for marathon running/sports in general to the world — who remarkably/humbly changed his understanding 180 degrees as the data led him to a low carb, no sugar diet, for his health had deteriorated (he, a marathon runner, had come down with diabetes) along with the world’s exploding health quagmire. A most gracious humble MD researcher worth listening to every word he speaks. And his peers.
So good sport ridiculing here what probably needs to be ridiculed Doc. But having overcome many a wicked disease, can state this is no laughing matter as most important is our health, let alone in getting the health revolution going in the states, as it is now in Northern Europe and elsewhere.
Cheers.
Well said Steve, I too was appalled at the “hatchet job” that the Doc did on natural cures, particularly when he admits that he “knows nothing about the Alliance for Health as an organization. All he succeeded in doing is exposing his BIAS, (and dare I say ignorance) as a medical writer trying to trash the competition. If he had dug a little deeper without prejudice he might have found that the “Alliance ” was founded and is written by experienced and medically trained doctors and researchers who as you say. “risk their medical iicense”s” by pointing out the deficiencies of medical orthodoxy and curing people by natural remedies not approved by the AMA who can be quite vicious in persecuting doctors who dare to think for themselves and through open minded research and study of all peer reviewed scientific evidence have concluded and proven natural remedies and lifestyle changes are safer, cheaper and more effective than many AMA approved drugs.that merely control symptoms but do not address the CAUSE of a disease which is often rooted in nutritional deficiencies from bad dietary choices, and YES, medical doctors get only about 7 hours training in nutrition and are trained by the pharmaceutical industry to think every form of illness should be treated with drugs, the prescription pad is their stock in trade.
It would be nice if the (MD’s) medical doctors list their names and site the journals instead of this paper or that paper so we can verify them. I would also hope there is a stack of papers that back up their claims.
Doc,
I read your article. The FDA Organization is. little bit too big and Political in this day and age. In order to get anything
past would cost millions. Back in the Nineties, An inventor
wanted to help in providing women a silicon device to detect lumps in there breasts. He had world patents and approval. He approached the FDA for approval. submission
would cost 1 million, which did submit. They required another million just to look at it. The end of story, he went
to Canada and became a millionaire. This adds to favoring big Pharma.
The Chinese have used plant based medicines,
for millennia, but, any one of these medications, that actually work, do not have FDA approval. Why??
There has been good medicines that have come from the
FDA, but The pharmaceutical companies have the last say
and political control over this organization.
Why do we take the these drugs, when the side effects can actually harm or kill you?? We should looking at these alternative medicine That other countries use and work without side effects. These medicines are either banned or
never see the light of day in the U.S.A.
Regards
JJW
Well reasoned comment but it is not only the Chinese that have effective plant based natural medicines, the Europeans are also way ahead of American medicine when it comes to natural remedies.
Thanks for mentioning alternative and Chinese style medicine.
I have been waiting for your acknowledgement of the curative powers of the natural world.
I grow many herbs and fruits myself that are mentioned in this report and many more that are too numerous to mention here. They are
indeed curesative and even more importantly preventative foods.
My favorites are Guanabana, man root which is Ginseng and the whole family of
mushrooms such as Reishi, Lions mane, Cordyceps etc..
I will stop here. All the alternative medical knowledge is available online for those who want to learn.
A good source of honest and well priced supplements and food based powders such as the mushrooms is iherb.com and there are others too.
Good health to you.
It is rather ironic that Hippocrates the so called “father of medicine” is most famous for the medical establishments “Hippocratic Oath” of “first of all DO NO HARM” but also is famous for his statement; let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food’ a wise and sound admonition that has stood the test of time. but the pharmaceutical industry has trashed in favour of drugs that are much more profitable, but of less value in promoting genuine robust health instead of living with a disease controlled by drugs..
It is a well established fact that drugs have “unintended consequences” usually expressed as undesirable side effects that often require another drug to alleviate and over the years many drugs gave been withdrawn from the market because after years of use they proved to be dangerous with serious side effects. proving they were nor adequately tested in the first place, thalidomide anyone? That is why I don’t trust the FDA which is really controlled by the pharmaceutical industry whose interest lies in rushing a drug to markets to make millions. As a child I was crippled by a diptheria shot for several weeks and I remember my father carrying me at 8-9 years of age on
a vacation because I could not walk. Fortunately I recovered the use of my legs and even played competitive hockey until I was 72, but as a teenager I began to look into vaccines and read the now unfortunately out of print book by Eleanor McBean;The POISONED NEEDLE” and decided when I became a father that I would not have any children vaccinated and I raised 5 healthy children who were never vaccinated for anything even though I had to fight the school board and even threaten a lawsuit before being able to exercise my free choice in the matter. There is no question that vaccines are dangerous, there have been many books since where stories of children damaged by vaccines have made it into print, (sometimes self published) because of industry suppression, but the fact that the industry sought legislation to protect them from lawsuits proves there is a problem, though denied by the medical establishment.
I am curious if these things work so well why doesn’t big pharma just use them and make their own supplements? A person cannot grow all this stuff. Instead of all this compound stuff, just grow the plants ans extract the stuff?
Because no one can patent a natural substance, & if it claims to “treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent” a disease FDA says you must pay 1.8 Billion to get it approved as a drug. Your competitors can sell it the day it is approved, & they did not have to pay 1.8 billion $$$.
Because big pharma cannot patent natural products that are known to help alleviate pain (arthritis relief cream, Natures Gel,Soothanol X2), lower blood pressure(vasotensin), lower blood sugar (cinnamon), fight cancer (Modifilan, N-Tense, ImmPower ,Immunoguard, ABM supplements, improve immune system (Beta Glucan), etc. Just like there are many prescription medications for treating the same disease or health problem, natural or herbal cures are the same. But everything you put in your body affects you kidney and liver enzymes, so an annual blood test is recommended to insure what you are putting in your body isn’t having a negative effect.
David, could you send me some of the plants and herbs you grow for alternative medicine and please share some of your knowledge if you will. I deal with chronic pain everyday after falling off a scaffold and I have 12 year old son that has Juvenile Rheumatoid arthritis. Thank you and God bless, Jason George
Email: JGeo79@gmail.com or JGElectricalServ@gmail.com
Where to I go for Number 3.
3.A weird-looking mushroom from Europe that can REVERSE the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease… better than every dementia drug on the market.
Polio 1950’s. CURE! Bayer tried buy them out.
65 years ago what have done to CURE anything?
DNA 2000 what’s happening – not much! 17 Years!
Drugs as a general rule do not address CAUSES of a disease they mainly deal with symptoms, for example, it would be safe to say that no disease is CAUSED by a lack of a drug prescribed to deal with the symptoms. Case in point, an aspirin may get rid of a headache, but has not removed the CAUSE which may be constipation, lack of sleep, excess drinking of alcoholic drinks or other lifestyle factors and the headache will return if the same conditions prevail. Unfortunately people have learned (been brain washed) into going for the “quick fix” of using a drug rather than making positive changes in lifestyle!
a lot of stuff Gumshoe looks into will cause you to lose money, but these supposedly suppressed cures for cancer, blood clots, and infections can cause you to lose your life. If they worked, believe me, the pharmaceutical industry would be doing all the research they can on finding the ingredients and making them accessible to patients. The US F00d & Drug Administration will slow up approvals of unproven nostrums–as they did with Thalidomide in the 1980s, saving American women from bearing deformed children. In Europe, less cautious regulators approved the drug and children were born with flippers instead of arms and legs.
I’ll take the regulators before their opponents.
The Pharmaceutical industry is doing research on the natural cures and making synthetic drugs to try to match the effects. If you think big Pharma actually cares about you please do more research. Its a money game to them. By the way I’m bias I’m a licensed Holistic Practitioner.
No need to apologize for being a natural health practitioner. Doc Gumshoe should apologize for his slanted and one sided treatment of the subject, it certainly dosen’t qualify as “entertainment” this is serious business and deserves honest and balanced exposure of all sides so people can make informed choices. It reminds me of the late newscaster Paul Harvey who became famous for his mantra of., now you know the rest, (other side) of the story, you are bang on when you say the pharmaceutical industry is profit rather than health motivated.
Sorry your misinformed! A well known scientist for a well known pharm company lost his job and has been black balled from the science community for having the natural cure for cancer sitting on a shelf in front of him. His wife dieing of cancer, he made a decision to use this med that is being with held. His wife showed up at the CHRISTMAS party, she looked completely healthy. When he was asked he acknowledged what he did.
I have an Aunt that was sent home back in the 50’s to die with cancer. My grandfather met a man at a livestock auction who said God have given him the cure for cancer and diabetes. He gave my grandfather( not sold) a quart jar with a clear liquid and told him how to give to her. On the 3rd jar my aunt was already back to eating, working in the garden etc. Tha man handed the 3rd jar to my grandfather, he said” 2 men in suits showed up at my door and told me to discontinue making the elixir or he would disappear. ) That same year the FDA OUTLAWED bitter almonds whitch has the second largest amount of a certain vitamin that our bodies are depleted of. Apricot seeds has the highest!
So if the FDA is looking for natural cures, than why are we told that certain fruit seeds are poisonous? When the BIBLE tells us to eat the fruits and the seeds there in. Why can a pharmacist be punished by the law if this vitamin is spoken of by them? Why will grocery stores be shut down if they put any information out about this. All of the FDA directors are former CEOs of Monsanto. The largest pharm and research company in the world.
Sorry Scott. You are the misinformed one. You have read too many grocery store tabloids.
Not Doc H. you are the one that is standing in the way of preventing people dying. You are the one doing harm with you arrogant greedy endeavor. You are a disgrace to the human race.
Many cancer patients have been cured by natural food/herb based remedies from ESSIAC to the B-17 found in Apricot kernels as mentioned by Steve or GERSONS Grape CURE and many more. For anyone interested in open mindedly researching the natural approach to cancer treatment as opposed to the standard medical cut, burn and poison approach, (surgery, radiation and chemotherapy with serious and destructive side effects I would
recommend the book WORLD WITHOUT CANCER by G Edward Griffin who is also the author of the book, The Creature From Jekyll Island” both available on his website.
Many years ago (17) I sat next to DR GERSONS mother who talked about how vitamin C , INTRAVEINOUSLY used to treat and cure cancer. She was not a doctor but had lots of knowledge. I think 50,000 mg of vitamin c by a qualified Doctor. However, people do not change unless it is life or limb threatening. Most will continue to use conventional medicine to treat there problem(s). They have never been told or taught any other way. Sad.
Nice article Scott , APPARANTLY doc H misspelled his name DOCK H. It is obvious dock h is a far left liberal. Big Pharma does not cure ANYTHING, they treat symptoms only and that is why they make billions of dollars annually. You have to take there medicine for life. Functional medicine,N integrative medicine, alternative medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, etc., are the way to go. Usually all natural, no side effect and they treat the root/cause of problem, not symptoms. I think Dock H would place a piece of tape over his vehicle’s RED WARNING light. Then he could continue to drive safely without taking care of the main problem.
So what was in the quart jar? I have a family member that needs help!!! Thanks to OBAMA the insurance company has refused any and all treatment because THEY feel she is a bad risk! Can you even believe that?
I think you have been sadly misinformed Vivian, if “regulators had done their job properly, thalidomide would never have made it to market and sadly in promotion of this lethal drug, (at least here in Canada) FREE SAMPLES were given out by doctors to pregnant women before it formally was marketed and because there is no paper trail of these free samples many resulting so called “thalidomide babies” with deformed or missing limbs NOW GROWN UP ARE BEING DENIED COMPENSATION FOR THEIR HANDICAPPED LIVES that has made it difficult for them to make a living. I believe it was W-5 here in Canada that recently did a comprehensive story and interviews with some of these tragic cases. AS to your previous comment re the pharmaceutical industry making the effective ingredients available, you are way off base, many of these folk remedies from plants and herbs work just fine as is and have been used successfully for thousands of years. long before profit motivated businessmen developed chemical concoctions in laboratories as concentrates the are eligible for patents so they can charge whatever the market will bear.
ignorance is bliss and you have beyond doubt become the poster child for this viewpoint
No ignorance is not BLISS, many people die needlessly because they believe the pied pipers of the pharmaceutical industry who sell nostrums created in a laboratory that can be patented, to enhance their profitsrather than embracing the real CURES that nature offers, Medical doctors for the most part do not know about HEALTH, because they primarily deal with symptoms, of diseases, not causes. This whole section is rather convoluted, perhaps because of the sequence which is a little hard to figure out by the posted dates. I am not sure WHO Dean is referring too, me since his post appears below mine, or Vivian pr even Doc Gumshoe so without explanation of his comment it is not really clear “what viewpoint” he is referring too.
Well said Myron, if Ray Charles or al hibler were alive they could see that conventional medicines heal nothing. They treat symptoms only. Doctors are given cash, paid vacations and other rewards to push Big Pharma’s medications on to there patients. Big Pharma does there own trial studies and picks out most profitable medications that will sell $$$$ they then educate doctors to push and show trial studies to the public. Diabetes medications generate $55 billion dollars annually , every year, yes every year. If big Pharma found a cure for diabetes do you really think they would come out with it and lose billions of dollars annually? lol lol that would be a joke,, money changes people just as well as lack of money changes people.
Recently Big Pharma executive lost his son to medication, his statement was that the industry should consider health over profits.
If something really works, the FDA will either find a way to make it illegal or just not available unless it comes from their Pharmaceutical buddies.
What a load of sh!t. I have family in the drug industry and another in mental health care working in the geriatric division and there is no suppression of life saving drugs, other than the deadly stew that the drug companies try get released without adequate testing and then try to get us to take. The drug companies would be the first to scream if he had. They are more powerful that Obama or the government. Seniors are much more likely to die when Trump dills their medicare and social security. You need to get evaluated for paranoia.
I don’t think you read my piece.
Tell me something, fredsgirl.
If it was true that the “drug companies would be the first to scream” why did Congress outlaw the sale of vitamin B-17 in the US at the urging of the FDA and big pharma in the 70’s?
My youngest daughter was born with a level 5 cancerous tumor on her back very close to her spinal cord known as fibrous sarcoma in 1977. We were told at the time that because she was an infant that chemo and radiation were not an option. So the only option was surgery, and there was almost a 100% chance that the cancer would return.
We fed her Apricot kernels and almonds in her cream of wheat for 3 years. She;’s now 39 years old and the mother of 2.
So why did the drug companies lobby Congress to outlaw the sale of a vitamin?
Thanks for another well researched article doc. As a physician who has spent his 21 years of retirement focused on studying personal health, I can say with near 100% certainty that you will find everything you need in the produce section of your grocery store. Skip the “faith and hope” section, i.e, the neutraceuticals and save yourself a lot of money. A good source of research and ideas is the Forks over Knives website which stresses whole food, plant based eating.
BRAVO DOC, but how can you hold the position you put forth and also endorse Jorrin’s article as “well researched” when it is so obviously medically biased?
I admit I didn’t read the full article, but the comment ‘PLOS ONE is not a traditional peer-reviewed journal’ caught my attention. That’s not correct. While PLoS One uses the somewhat newer ‘Open Access’ model (i.e. authors pay to publish instead of readers pay to get access), articles are still peer reviewed. Granted, the quality and thoroughness of reviews is variable – as I can attest from my own experience, having published in and reviewed for that journal several times. But that is true for any other journal of the quality similar to PLoS One. It’s not a bad journal, but not at the top, and generally the further you go down, the more variable review quality – though I’ve gotten my share of useless reviews from fancy journals.
My comment is not to discredit any of the points made here, as I said I didn’t even read the whole thing. Just wanting to set the record straight on that point.
PLOS ONE claims to be peer-reviewed. What this amounts to is that the editorial board reads the submission and might – just might! – consult an outside expert. They publish a huge number of papers per day; from what I have learned, nothing gets rejected. That’s not the standard as in NEJM, JAMA, BMJ, Lancet, etc.
From my experience, they really are peer reviewed, though sometimes one only gets 1 reviewer instead of the usual 2-4. “Nothing rejected” is not true. I have both rejected as reviewer and received rejections as author. I (and almost all of my colleagues) consider PLoS One a genuine, legitimate journal, that is not in the same category as those predatory ‘we publish anything’ journals.
I do certainly agree with you that PLoS One is also not in the same category as NJEM & Co and the quality of stuff published in PLoS One is more variable compared to the papers one usually finds in the big name journals you list. The publishing volume at PLoS One is large and they use a large number of academic editors with varying levels of competency and rigor. This certainly means some papers get published that probably shouldn’t have. That said, I see a good bit of junk science in the fancy journals, too…
Thank you Indimod for the clarification, I have worked with investigators who considered PLOS in cases where other journals turned them down. In the cases of the specific paper I cited, I doubt whether those investigators would have made other options with a project of that sort.
I would like the name of one (1) company who would spend One (1) Billion + $$$ to get approval of a natural (& thereby non-patentable) substance as a “Drug”. Since only a “Drug” is legally allowed to “cure, treat, diagnose, or prevent” a disease, &/or claim to do so… Just one (1) company, without which the “natural” cure will not be permitted… Please name only one (1) who would do so today in 2017…
RAY, have you ever considered the fact that just maybe what you cite as “LEGAL” for drugs only is the result of successful lobbying ( maybe even bribes) to get favourable legislation for the pharmaceutical industry?
The statement is ridiculous on its face, Vitamin C cures scurvy, calcium prevents osteoporosis, so if your point was that claims for cures by natural methods SHOULD be permitted, then you didn’t express yourself very well.
While the pharmaceutical industry loves the ruling as it tends to give them a monopoly which is their goal in discrediting all competitors touting cures by natural means, i.e. without resorting to drugs.
?
I considered that fact decades ago. The point you suggested was not my point. Rent seeking monopoly is not new. Likewise David Ricardo’s “Law of Rent”. My point is NO company would do it. Symptomatic of my being cursed with the highest IQ in the history of my JHS. The “Ruling” you refer to is by/from the FDA (not Congress, not Supreme Court). Since when can FDA make LAW? We need Free trade without Monopoly (Henry George should be allowed back into college [& earlier] education.)
I totally agree, there should be free trade and indeed the FDA should NOT be empowered to establish any rule of law that would hinder free competition. In other words, the pharmaceutical industry should not have any preeminence or ability to “socialize” the cost of their treatments, they should have to compete on the basis of costs vs RESULTS (outcomes) compared to any other healing modality, anything less is a denial of free choice.that results in responsible people who educate themselves and make every effort to eat only healthy natural whole foods themselves, subsidizing through their taxes the irresponsible who smoke, drink to access and eat unhealthy processed junk foods for the most part.
I realize this is a very divisive subject with strong advocates on both sides , but the people who have not studied the issues in depth with an open mind are in no position to pass judgement. Maybe the following video will help yo open some minds,
https://pro.hsionlineorders.net/p/HSI170125A/LHSITAFQ/?h=true
Getting the offered Health Encyclopedia certainly opened my mind and if you have not considered natural cures and simply bought into medical propaganda it may just be the most important video for your health you have ever watched.
Those who have “bought into medical propaganda” improve the gene pool by dying sooner & being less fertile, due in both cases to the patented drugs (& vaccines) & radiation treatments, which I would not wish on anyone (including criminals) . Genes are overrated anyway (only matter if expressed). How about that Tetanus vaccine in Kenya; overpopulation solved.
A thought provoking article by Doc Gumshoe. Thanks for a great attempt to provide a balanced view, so important in this divisive topic. Since we don’t live in the Garden of Eden any more we certainly won’t be getting the best results from our home grown natural whole foods, but we can try! With all the toxins in the world today we can only expect to see an increase in the variety of diseases around the world. This includes external environmental toxins we are all subject to and the ones we intentionally administer via oral or drug (including inoculation) means. I think it is important to remember the FDA charges hundreds of millions to get a drug through; it’s a licence to print money and pay for a huge bureaucracy. A drug company can do 50 studies and find three that have a marginal benefit and, of course, submit these three, together with the bri… payment for FDA approval, and voila! Maybe not quite that simple, but another aspect to keep in mind, as I am sure your Gumshoe readers are well aware “It’s money that motivates almost everyone”.
If one has the money , i.e., the wealthy people, they can get the proper drug for any disease. I know of a person who has alzheimer’s and is on a medicine that has changed his life back to normal.
OTTO: I agree that Doc Gumshoe’s article was “thought provoking” but hardly because it was balanced and a definitive conclusion to the debate on a divisive topic. You seem to think that it is not possible to get adequate nutrition from natural whole foods in our modern age . While I agree that there are many environmental toxins today we have to contend with that earlier generations did not contend with to the same degree. I would argue that one of those toxins is the introduction of drugs and I agree that many of them have as you state, “marginal benefits. and if I were pressed for a totally honest position I would say in the aggregate, drugs do more harm than good.
Myron, glad to hear you’re still around, as I have tried to reached you in the past without success. What is your current take on Select Sands Corp SLSDF. It seems to keep falling…and falling…and….
Thanks for the insight. This atrocity has been also tacked onto Hillary Clinton. As anyone who has witnessed a loved one or anyone suffer the debilitating effects of cancer , alzhiemers, etc. you can understand how articles like this are somewhat effective. Thank you for clarifying the scam.
Every day , I have someone in my office who has talked to the girl in the health food store or the naturopath who has convinced them that they have Lyme disease, or they are allergic to gluten, with no basis in fact whatsoever.
Mind you , they are no worse than the internists insisting that (my) patients in their nineties take massive doses of medications to reduce cholesterol.(with no evidence of benefit at all, and with numerous bad side effects). Or the clinics in the US who will perform a “screening” MRI , guaranteed to find something specious that will require follow-up imaging.
Essiac is A cure for breast cancer nurse Rene M. Caisse ,was persecuted for helping cure paitionts with it.To get the original call 1-866-293-3367 and ask for Essiac. A true cure.I tink.
Interesting article. But what I would say item 4 does not seem to be Durian, it’s a tropical fruit which is native to and much enjoyed in Southeast Asia, and no one seems to think there is any sort of curative properties to it. In fact, there is an urban legend that consuming durian fruit at the same time as alcohol will kill you.
I think nattokinase better fits with the description of the compound coming from “a foul mash of fermented beans”.
P.S. I am a fan of both Durian and Natto so does that mean I don’t need to worry about a bunch of diseases? (joking)
It is absolutely nattokinase and there is a ton of legitimate info regarding its effectiveness in busting up clots…I feel sorry for the people who take some ones opinion as the truth, and never investigate for themselves. This is the beauty of the internet.. Lives can be saved with so many natural substances, but unbelief, skepticism and of course the love of money, will prevent so many from even giving them a chance. Smarten up…Educate yourself, and stop letting some one with their own agenda decide what’s right for you!
The only supplement NASA gives the astronauts is Vitamin D and that’s because they don’t get a lot of sunlight up there. Otherwise, everything they eat in space is sourced from the local grocery store. But of course, they do not waste time and money on shooting junk foods into space. Eat the way grandma fed us after WWII and we’ll all be fine. And some of big pharma’s pills can certainly help extend life and improve its quality.
Doc Gumshoe is great. And anything about health that comes with conspiracy theories should be deleted immediately!
Interesting article and, as a European, I am amazed that such blatant lies can be spouted against a well-respeced former president without consequences. Also, here is a good way to keep fit and healthy in old age:
Don’t smoke (ever), drink only moderately (like a good wine), eat moderately healthy good food – stay away from processed food (cook your own) – avoid sugar as much as possible, exercise and move your muscles by cycling, gardeneing, sport etc., don’t get too upset at the idiocies of life and keep your sense of distance and humour – I can (almost) guarantee you a long and healthy life and it doesn’t even cost a lot!
Well respected former president?? Both my daughters and their families lived in New Zealand for a number of years and the Kiwis seemed to think the same thing of the worst US president ever. I guess you actually had to live here under him to realize what a lying, cheating person he was who made health care much more expensive than it was before him and doubled our national debt.
The problem with the above physician is that he is not knowledgeable in the subject of Naturepathic Medicine. It is akin to asking an artist about an engineering problem of a building. The above physician was not trained and has never studied or used any of the above compounds to have any real knowledge other than what he attempted to glean from a cursory review over the internet. Ask a Naturepathic physician like Dr Chris Kresser to give you a knowledgeable review.