Pat Sullivan Blog

Forbes nails Big Pharma

I am a sales and marketing guy by training and by trade so I appreciate good marketing and selling.  But when it comes to our health, good marketing with multiple hundred million $$ advertising budgets is scary. 

This article from Forbes is downright frightening.  I have heard a lot of this before but never as well put together and researched as Forbes has done it.  I hope you enjoy the article as much as I did.

One picture sort of says it all!

Cherries: A Dangerous Drug? (UPDATED)

My friend, David Gumpert, who writes a very good column for Business Week Online, comments about the ominous threat of the FDA.  His comments are very insightful.    I wrote something similar a few months ago.

In their marketing, cherry farmers used studies showing that cherries were actually healthy to eat. (now that is shocking news, yes?)  Well, they got Nastygrams from the FDA telling them that they had to stop telling Americans that cherries were healthy.  The FDA told them that to claim health benefits for cherries they would have to do drug studies on the cherries.  Now keep in mind these studies typically cost over $300 million dollars to do to FDA standards. 

The scary thing is that the FDA could shut all these cherry growers down if they wanted to do so.  No due process is needed.  Pretty scary isn't it.  The FDA helped put out drugs like Vioxx which KILLED somewhere between 25,000 and 100,000 people.  Now they have time to threaten cherry growers with lawsuits?  How many people died from eating cherries??  We would all do good to eat a lot more cherries.  We don't need the FDA to regulate cherries!! I just wish they would keep dangerous drugs like Vioxx off the market.

UPDATE (by Patrick Sullivan Jr.):  More updates on David's blog, including the ever-charming Steven Barrett finding a new friend in cherry grower John King.  (Since I have to point it out for new readers, I'm being facetious.)

Internet SAFETY Act

(Posted by Patrick Sullivan Jr.)

This is repulsive.

In 2003, an estimated 20,000 images of child pornography were posted on the Internet every week. Between 1998 and 2004, child-pornography reports made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children increased from 3,267 to 106,119 - a 30-fold increase over a six-year period. The Justice Department also noted that there has been an escalation in the severity of abuse depicted in child pornography in recent years, “with the images found today more frequently involving younger children - including toddlers and even infants.”

This is from Senator John Kyl's weekly newsletter.  And the rest of the story ain't any better.  Absolutely sickening.

For and Against Mercury?

(Posted by Patrick Sullivan Jr.)

Can you be for mercury amalgams and against mercury in vaccines?  Sure, why not.  I just sent the following email to the Editor of Accuracy in the Media:

Mr. Kincaid,

I just read your article from May 22, 2006 about the two "safe amalgam" studies, "Remember the 'Toxic Teeth' Story?" 

There has been an enormous amount of scientific and ethical criticism on these studies.  I've collected much of it on my blog here. 

You also make the argument about mercury from amalgams not being involved in the mercury autism link because the kids were too young to have had amalgams.  But it is the mercury accumulated inside the child's mother (either from her fillings or from thimerosal containing vaccines or flu shots given during pregnancy) that contributes to the mercury body burden of the newborn.  I can get you a source for this story if you'd like.

The point is, mercury is an insidious poison no matter the source, especially for those who are genetically predisposed to being poor excreters (APOe gene). 

CC: Dr. David Kennedy, DDS Retired.  Past-president of International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology.  Board Member of Consumers for Dental Choice and Jigsaw Health Foundation.  He's really the one on top of all the studies surrounding dentistry, especially mercury amalgams.

PS - I appreciate your moniker: "For fairness, balance and accuracy in news reporting." 

And based on AIM's tagline, I do expect a positive response.  I'll keep you updated.

Morgellons Disease

(Posted by Patrick Sullivan Jr.)

I came across this "Mystery Disease" article this afternoon.

Anette Riaubia, Morgellons patient, says "They start out like little pimples or something and you scratch them, and they bust open and they spring forth these weird fibers like a strand of a piece of cotton. " Annette Riaubia, lives in LA. She believes she has a skin disease called Morgellons.

Anette says, "The most disturbing symptom is just the crawling feeling on your skin like you got bugs crawling all over you." She has to wear a wig to cover the lesions on her scalp.

...

Dr. Omar Amin, Parasitologist, says, "There is no mystery to it." Dr. Amin heads the Parasitology Center in Tempe and treats patients from all over the world.

Dr. Amin says, "If you treat the cause and you alter the effect, then you know you're on the right track." His theory, the mysterious skin parasite called morgellons is really something he calls N-C-S or "neuro-cutaneous syndrome." He thinks patients are simply experiencing rare allergic reactions to everything from breast implants to dental fillings.  He says the fibers are either carried into the wounds by nesting insects or grown from fungus festering under the skin.

Dr. Amin says, "The fiber is a by-product of the fungus."

Weird.  But Dr. Amin is probably just a weird "altie" that believes ridiculous ideas about things like external toxins making the body do strange things. 

Pictures at http://www.morgellons.org/

"Dentistry Scams Exposed" & Lunch with my dentist

(Posted by Patrick Sullivan Jr.)

Health Ranger Mike Adams rails on conventional dentistry today.  Although with much less vitriol than he usually dishes out to Big Pharma.  I was glad to see a good plug for IAOMT and "Smoking Teeth" video produced by Dr. David Kennedy.  Would have been nice to see plugs for Consumers for Dental Choice and/or Jigsaw Health Foundation since both are relevant, but no matter.

Moving on, you may remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned that my dentist had invited me to lunch.  And since I've been almost totally absent from the Pat Sullivan Blog, you may have been thinking Dr. Death DDS had his ADA henchmen whacked me.  Thankfully, this was not the case at all.  I've just been swamped with the work. 

My conversation over lunch with my dentist was really interesting.  For background, he's not a member of ADA or IAOMT, just Arizona state dental board and a few other specialty groups.  He's mercury-free, but doesn't consider himself a "natural" or "holistic" dentist. 

He told me a theory that I had never heard before -- the upside to mercury amalgams being used for those that couldn't afford gold fillings over the last 160 years was that it enabled the tooth to remain in the mouth.  When you pull a tooth, the teeth in the mouth move.  The "explosive force" that causes adult teeth to come in behind baby teeth is always present, it's just held in check by the cheeks, the tongue, and the teeth themselves.  Once a tooth is gone, this can cause other problems in the jaw, the bite, gums, etc. 

Very interesting, but I told him I still felt the evidence against mercury far outweighs messed up jaws or buck-teeth.

Mercury in Tuna

Here is a good CNN article about the dangers for pregnant women who eat tuna.  Good advice but those same women get exposed to far more mercury from their silver fillings (over 50% mercury) every single day.  And that mercury gets passed onto their babies!  Duh!!!  What a sham.  Make a big deal about eating fish and then totally ignore the REAL exposure from Dentists who place the most toxic metal known to man permanently in peoples mouths.  Dentists place this toxin over 100 million times per year using over 50 tons per year.  Crazy.  They say that there are no studies proving this is dangerous.  Guess what?  There are no studies proving it is safe!  Not are there any studies showing that eating mercury filled tuna is dangerous.  It is just logical to avoid a known toxin.  But why fish and not mercury fillings?

Almost as bad, pediatritions then inject vaccinations containing mercury into the babies.  Lots of smart docs and researchers believe it is a major contributor to autism epidemic.  Fortunately they have been removing the mercury from the vaccinations and autism rates are beginning to drop.

Why is it that in the media everyday about the dangers of mercury in Tuna but the media basically ignores mercury in dental fillings and vaccinations?  Guess you can't sue a Tuna Fish.

Jigsaw Health sells "Minimal Mercury Canned Tuna" that is awesome.  Our supplier only cans tuna that is less than 3 years old.  They contain very minimal amounts of mercury and is really a great alternative.  Tuna is a very good, nutritious food.  We also have fabulous Wild Salmon you ought to try.

Jigsaw Health June eNewsletter - Anxiety

(Posted by Patrick Sullivan Jr.)

Health Matters: Anxiety June 2006 - Living in the Anxiety Age - Amino Acid Therapy: Soothing Your Nerves - 5-HTP: Up Your Serotonin - Featured Product: Neuro Bundle Products > Chronic Conditions > Learning > Testing > Healthy Lifestyle > Resource Center > The Jigsaw Health Product Catalog is here! The Jigsaw Health Foundation provides financial assistance for those who want to remove their mercury amalgams and enjoy better health. Click here to find out more! If you think your friends can benefit from receiving this newsletter, they probably can. Send them this e-mail so they can sign up! Living in the Anxiety Age We live in the Anxiety Age. Most of us suffer from chronic anxiety to some extent because modern life is jagged, fast-paced, and divorced from the natural rhythms that tend to create a harmonious inner life. The calming cycles of farming, the instinctive satisfactions of hunting and gathering, and pure faith in religion gave our ancestors inner resources that few of us possess today. Find out more about anxiety and how it affects your health. >> Amino Acid Therapy: Soothing Your Nerves Neurotransmitters are made from amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Low neurotransmitter levels—sometimes referred to as neurotransmitter deficiency disorder—affect the transmission of messages between cells, and may bring about anxiety or depression. Find out more about neurotransmitter deficiency disorder and how increasing amino acids may help improve anxiety and depression. >> 5-HTP: Up Your Serotonin, Down With Anxiety With anxiety disorders affecting some 19.1 million U.S. adults each year (and with drug therapies causing some potentially serious side effects), finding a way to reduce anxiety—without the side effects—has become increasingly important. 5-HTP, manufactured by the body from the essential amino acid tryptophan and a precursor to serotonin, may be just the solution. Learn more about how 5-HTP can positively affect serotonin levels in the brain. >> Relax and sleep - and better manage your health! Includes 5-HTP, L-Tyrosine, and L-Theanine from Suntheanine. It’s entirely possible that mild to moderate levels of anxiety and depression may be relieved with natural substances. Deficiencies in the B-vitamins can result in depression and anxiety. Deficiencies in the amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine are major causes of depression. Deficiencies in many minerals underlie anxiety, depression, ADD, headaches, dyslexia, and other neurological conditions. Deficiencies in omega-3 and omega-6 fats can lead to depression. I guarantee you that none of these mild to moderate neurological conditions results from a deficiency of Prozac®, Zoloft®, Valium®, or Paxil®! Download the first chapter in my book WELLNESS PIECE BY PIECE to learn more about deficiencies that underlie anxiety and depression. Find out more about Pat's continuing journey! The Amino Revolution Robert Erdmann, PhD with Meirion Jones 5-HTP: Nature's Serotonin Solution Ray Sahelian, MD

ACLU Opposes Free Speech

I have written a number of posts about the ACLU's selective free speech policies and litigation work.  Anything they are in favor of is OK to talk about.  Anything they oppose is NOT OK to talk about.  Free speech is only free for those they agree with.

Here is a great John Leo editorial about this same topic.