Friday, June 9, 2017

10 Colossal False Health Claims Made By Big Pharma & Mainstream Media

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It’s no secret that Big Pharma is fuelled by profit, often putting business interests ahead of patients’ lives and well-being. And North American culture practically worships the pharmaceutical industry, failing to recognize many of the issues within it.

Many Americans are completely unaware that new prescription drugs have a 1 in 5 chance of causing serious reactions, even after being approved, or that Harvard University stated that prescription drugs are the fourth leading cause of death. We’re not talking overdosing or misprespcribing; these are drugs that are deemed safe and properly prescribed to patients who simply have an adverse reaction to them.

Despite these facts, people take the risks of pharmaceuticals very lightly, turning to them when they’re sick only to provide a “bandaid” effect, covering up the symptoms rather than treating and preventing the root cause. The public isn’t entirely to blame for their ignorance; Big Pharma paints a perfect image of themselves, making false claims and highlighting the “benefits” of drugs while minimizing the potential risks associated with them (or printing them in extremely small font sizes).

Here Are 10 False Health Claims Big Pharma and the Mainstream Media Make:

1. “Cancer cannot be cured without chemotherapy/radiation and the associated drugs.”

The cancer industry is a money making machine, one that will suppress real treatments in order to profit off of the “treatments” they so heavily market. Both chemotherapy and radiation negatively impact the body’s natural ability to heal itself, as they harm healthy tissues, too. This isn’t surprising given that the origin of chemo itself came from mustard gases used in war. One study even proved that chemotherapy is ineffective more than 97% of the time (watch Dr. Peter Glidden discuss these findings here).

One of the most suppressed cancer treatments is cannabis, especially since Big Pharma has spent a lot of money to keep it illegal. Numerous organizations and universities, including Harvard Medical School, have been studying the effects cannabis has on cancer cells, proving its success and recommending it to be used as a cancer treatment.

You can read more about treating cancer with cannabis below:

20 Medical Studies That Show Cannabis Can Be A Potential Cure For Cancer

Aside from cannabis, there are a number of other all-natural treatments for cancer that are being studied and used by cancer patients all over the world. Some of these alternative methods include vitamin C injections, turmeric, plant-based diets, frankincense, alkaline diets, and more.

Diet can both treat cancer and prevent it, something that many conventional doctors don’t focus on enough. Sugar also feeds cancer cells, which mainstream media has blatantly denied numerous times. Read more about that here:

The Sugar & Cancer Connection Many Doctors Aren’t Telling You

2. “Mentally ill individuals have a chemical imbalance in their brains.”

Joseph Coyle, a neuroscientist from Harvard Medical School, sums it up best, writing that “chemical imbalance is sort of last-century thinking. It’s much more complicated than that.”

As Scientific American reports, “much of the general public seems to have accepted the chemical imbalance hypothesis uncritically,” and “it is very likely that depression stems from influences other than neurotransmitter abnormalities.” (source)

Harvard Medical School put out a press release a few years ago stating that it’s “often said that depression results from a chemical imbalance, but that figure of speech doesn’t capture how complex the disease is.”  (source)

Not only is there no solid scientific proof to back up the chemical imbalance theory, many depressed people are not even helped by taking antidepressants like SSRIs. For example, a review done by the University of California in 2009 found that one third of people treated with antidepressants do not improve, and a significant portion of these people remain depressed. Scientific American points out that “if antidepressants correct a chemical imbalance that underlies depression, all or most depressed people should get better after taking them.” (source)

Irving Kirsch, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Associate Director of the Program in Placebo Studies, and Lecturer in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, explained in a publication obtained from the US National Library of Medicine:

Antidepressants are supposed to work by fixing a chemical imbalance, specifically, a lack of serotonin in the brain. Indeed, their supposed effectiveness is the primary evidence for the chemical imbalance theory. But analyses of the published data and the unpublished data that were hidden by drug companies reveals that most (if not all) of the benefits are due to the placebo effect. Some antidepressants increase serotonin levels, some decrease it, and some have no effect at all on serotonin. Nevertheless, they all show the same therapeutic benefit. Even the small statistical difference between antidepressants and placebos may be an enhanced placebo effect, due to the fact that most patients and doctors in clinical trials successfully break blind. The serotonin theory is as close as any theory in the history of science to having been proved wrong. Instead of curing depression, popular antidepressants may induce a biological vulnerability making people more likely to become depressed in the future.

3. “ADHD medication is ‘safer than aspirin’ and can ‘increase kids’ test scores.’ “

ADHD drug marketing has gotten out of control in America, as commercials run on TV and in magazines all the time, targeting parents by suggesting their children are too excitable.

As with many other diseases and disorders, when it comes to A.D.H.D., pharmaceutical companies have paid doctors and researchers to overstate the dangers of A.D.H.D. and the benefits of taking their drugs and understate the negative side effects. It’s easy for people to believe this misguided information when it’s affiliated with well-known universities like Harvard and Johns Hopkins. Many people don’t even realize that these studies are funded by the very companies that profit from the drugs’ sale because that relationship is hidden in small print (source).

Even though many of the advertisements Big Pharma has released state that A.D.H.D. medication is “safer than aspirin,” these drugs can have significant side effects and are actually considered to be within the same class as morphine and oxycodone due to their high risk of abuse and addiction. You can’t just blame all doctors, either; many of them genuinely believe they’re helping these children because of the information they’ve been given in these studies and by Big Pharma.

Big Pharma creates advertisements for A.D.H.D. drugs that are specifically targeted at parents, describing how these drugs can improve test scores and behaviour at home, among other false claims. One of the most controversial ones was a 2009 ad for Intuniv, Shire’s A.D.H.D. treatment, which included a child in a monster costume taking off his terrifying mask to reveal his calm, smiling self with a text reading, “There’s a great kid in there.” The FDA has stepped in multiple times, sending pharmaceutical companies warning letters or even forcing them to take down their ads because they are false, misleading, and/or exaggerate the effects of their drugs (source).

4. “The vaccine-autism link has been disproven.”

This is perhaps one of the most concerning claims spread all throughout mainstream media (MSM). The vaccine-autism link has been proven numerous times, yet MSM continuously tries to debunk it, telling its viewers that this theory was “100% disproven.”

To be clear, this was not a theory dreamt up by concerned parents; it surfaced when scientists found that link. The CDC even tried to hide this information from the public, which you can read about here.

A study published by Dr. Brian Hooker, a previous CDC scientist, in the peer-reviewed journal Translational Neurodegeneration found up to a 340% increased risk of autism in African American boys receiving the Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. You can read more about this specific study in our CE article here.

The vaccine-autism link has even held up in courts, giving parents peace of mind and punishing Big Pharma companies. In one case, the Italian Health Ministry admitted that the MMR vaccine specifically caused autism in a 9-year-old boy. You can read more about that case in our CE article here.

Another paper published by Professor Christopher Shaw and Dr. Lucija Tomljenovic of the University of British Columbia showed that vaccines with aluminum adjuvants increase the risk of developing autism, autoimmune diseases, and neurological problems later in life. A demonstrated neurotoxin, aluminum is the only approved adjuvant in the U.S. Its use presents the risk of brain inflammation, autoimmunity, and other adverse health consequences (source).

There are so many more examples, which you can find if you search ‘vaccines’ and ‘autism’ on our website here.

Despite this, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently issued a press release to express its opposition to a federal commission that has been proposed by the Trump administration to examine vaccine safety and efficacy. The AAP argues that since we “already know that vaccines are safe and effective,” there is no need for further examination into their safety and efficacy. It’s clear that there is enough evidence that suggests vaccines need to be further studied, but the government wants to ignore it.

5. “Aspirin can prevent a heart attack.” 

Numerous people with heart disease or who suffer with increased risk of heart attack choose to take aspirin for “heart attack prevention.” This provides the exact same bandaid effect as most other pharmaceuticals do in the medical industry. By taking an aspirin a day, you’re just covering up the problem, rather than going to the root cause of it.

Why do you suffer from heart disease? Do you consume meat, dairy, sodium, fried foods, or any other products that are proven to cause heart disease? There are literally so many ways to prevent heart disease, yet many people choose to take pharmaceuticals like aspirin and blood pressure medication instead.

What many of these people aren’t told by their doctors is that by taking aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, frequently, you’re actually increasing your risk of heart attacks. A new study published in the British Medical Journal found that these painkillers, including aspirin, are linked to heart problems, and that the risk could be greatest within the initial 30 days of taking them.

You can read more about this in our CE article here.

6. “Flu shots are necessary and 100% effective.”

The flu shot is often referred to as the biggest joke in the medical industry, and for good reason. They’re made up of terrible ingredients, including formaldehyde and mercury — two powerful neurotoxins — and the vaccine industry even admits that laboratory tests prove the popular jab does not work.

study published in the International Journal of Medicine revealed something that you don’t hear too often: Flu vaccines result in inflammatory cardiovascular changes indicative of increased risk for serious heart-related events, like a heart attack.

The flu shot isn’t even very effective; the CDC openly admits it only works approximately 50% of the time. You can learn more about this hoax in our CE article here.

7. “Fluoride, chlorine, and other heavy metals added to our drinking water are safe.”

Research published in the Lancet by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) found that various chemicals that many children are exposed to are having a direct effect on the creation of disorders labelled under the name ADHD as well as other mental disorders., and this includes fluoride. The study clearly stated that it was a neurotoxin, which has been verified numerous times. You can read more about that here.

“In point of fact, fluoride causes more human cancer deaths than any other chemical. When you have power you don’t have to tell the truth. That’s a rule that’s been working in this world for generations. There are a great many people who don’t tell the truth when they are in power in administrative positions. Fluoride amounts to public murder on a grand scale. It is some of the most conclusive scientific and biological evidence that I have come across in my 50 years in the field of cancer research.”

 – Dr. Dean Burk, Biochemist, founder of Biotin and former Chief Chemist at the National Cancer Institute of Health (source)

Many places choose not to add fluoride to their water, particularly because it is a neurotoxin, including many countries in Europe. And chlorine is no safer. Even the U.S. Council Of Environmental Quality states that “cancer risk among people drinking chlorinated water is 93% higher than among those whose water does not contain chlorine.

8. “Alternative and naturopathic medicine are not studied and are ineffective.”

The belief system that alternative medicine and naturopathic medicine are somehow inferior to conventional medicine is continuously perpetuated by MSM and Big Pharma. News stories regarding studies on alternative medicine or all-natural treatment methods are barely ever covered by MSM.

There have literally been thousands of studies on alternative medicine such as cannabis, essential oils, and other naturopathic remedies. If an MSM news report ever takes a condescending tone toward naturopathy, keep in mind that this could be propaganda, which could even be funded by drug companies.

9. Cancer charities are working to find “a cure.”

First of all, these organizations are only affiliated with Big Pharma, and the “search for the cure” when it comes to cancer is pretty much over now that the healing properties of cannabis oil have been discovered. Second of all, most of these organizations are committing fraud.

For example, the National Children’s Leukemia Foundation was shut down because they lured people in, claimed that the funds would be used to conduct cancer research and locate bone marrow donors, but instead less than 1% of the millions of dollars raised actually went towards this. (source)(source)

A complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission describes four connected groups, all with cancer in their name, as “sham charities,” saying they instead “operated as personal fiefdoms characterized by rampant nepotism, flagrant conflicts of interest, and excessive insider compensation.” One of those names was the Cancer Fund of America Inc. These groups stand accused of taking in almost 200 million dollars. (source)

Perhaps the biggest marketing scam is the little pink ribbons that people claim represent “the fight against breast cancer,” created by the Susan G. Komen Foundation. In reality, the company puts less than a dime of each dollar toward actually finding a cure for breast cancer, and that’s only the beginning of the problem. You can read more about this sham in our CE article here.

10. “There are no adverse effects to taking over-the-counter medication or pharmaceuticals.”

Perhaps one of the most concerning beliefs in society is that “over-the-counter medication and pharmaceuticals pose no threats to human health” or that “the benefits outweigh the risks.” These are blanket statements often used by misinformed consumers or even by Big Pharma and medical doctors.

“The medical profession is being bought by the pharmaceutical industry, not only in terms of the practice of medicine, but also in terms of teaching and research. The academic institutions of this country are allowing themselves to be the paid agents of the pharmaceutical industry. I think it’s disgraceful.”

– Arnold Seymour Relman (1923-2014), Harvard Professor of Medicine and former Editor in Chief of the New England Medical Journal  (source)(source) 

A study published in the British Medical Journal showed that pharmaceutical companies were not disclosing all information regarding the results of their drug trials.

The Editor in Chief of the New England Medical journal explained:

It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgement of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. (source)

As previously discussed, anti-inflammatory drugs increase risk of heart attack, stroke, or dying from cardiovascular disease by approximately a third. “This means that for every 1,000 people with an average risk of heart disease who take high-dose diclofenac or ibuprofen for a year, about three extra would have an avoidable heart attack, of which one would be fatal,” the researchers noted.

Acetaminophen, often sold under the brand name Tylenol, overdose is the leading cause for calls to Poison Control Centers across the U.S., representing more than 100,000 cases per year. Tylenol can also cause liver failure, yet many people still take it frequently.

At the end of the day, many of us are vastly misinformed when it comes to modern medicine. Society trusts everything their doctors say, without realizing that Big Pharma plays a big role in their education, and so they literally profit off you being sick. It’s not surprising that these drugs cause adverse reactions and have negative side effects, without which they wouldn’t have any returning customers.

 

 



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