The Health Plus Letter
November 11, 2003, Vol. 1, No. 16
By Larry Trivieri, Jr. – founder & publisher

Table Of Contents:
What’s New
Quote of the Day
Fast Facts
Medical Freedom Alert
How to Use Diet, Exercise, and Lifestyle Changes to Lower High Blood Pressure
Cancer Research: A Super Fraud? by Robert Ryan, B.Sc.
Recipe of the Week: Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew
Reader Feedback:
Recommendations
Humor


What's New

In this issue I’m excerpting another selection from the eBook Burton Goldberg’s Definitive Guide to Heart Disease, this time sharing some of the valuable information the eBook contains about proven self-care methods for preventing and reversing high blood pressure.

Also in this issue is an article examining the lack of progress made by the cancer industry since the so-called "war on cancer" was declared by President Nixon in 1972. Although the article, by Robert Ryan, B.Sc., was written in 1997, the points it makes are still valid, and I agree with his conclusions about the misguided, but extremely profitable paradigm the cancer industry promotes.

Due to the length of this week’s issue, I’m delaying the third installment of The Power of A Human Spirit, my tribute to my sister Andrea. Part 3 will appear next issue.

Please continue to send me with your comments and suggestions. You can email me at larry@1healthyworld.com. And please spread the word about The Health Plus Letter by passing it along to your friends and inviting them to subscribe.


Quote Of The Day

"I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion."
- Thomas Jefferson, September 28, 1820


Fast Fact

Your brain is more active during sleep than it is watching television.


Medical Freedom Alert

Please do your part to ensure that the misleadingly named "Dietary Safety Supplement" Act (S. 722) is defeated. To become informed about S. 722 and to take action to help defeat its passage, please visit: http://capwiz.com/nnfa/S722.html


Health News and Commentary

Researchers Find That Conventional Medicine is the Leading Cause of Death and Disability in the U.S.

Research compiled by Gary Null, Ph.D., Carol Dean, M.D., Martin Feldman, M.D., and their associates has shown that conventional medicine, previously considered to be the third-leading cause of death in the United States, is in fact the leading cause of death, and by a significant margin. Their findings, published last month in the paper Death By Medicine by the Nutrition Institute of American, were determined following a "definitive review and close reading of medical peer-review journals, and government health statistics." According to the data, over 780,000 Americans die each year as a direct result of conventional medical procedures and/or medications. This compares to the approximately 700,000 Americans who die each year due to heart disease, and the approximately 550,000 who die due to cancer.

In addition, the researchers also found that 2.2 million Americans are injured each year from prescription drugs alone, while 7.5 million"unnecessary" medical and surgical procedures are performed, and 8.9 million Americans are "needlessly" hospitalized during the same twelve month period. Moreover, health care costs in the U.S. will total $1.6 trillion dollars in 2003, accounting for 14% of the nation’s gross national product (GNP).

Commenting on the findings, Dr. Dean said,"I was completely shocked, amazed, and dismayed when I first added up all the statistics on medical death and saw how much allopathic medicine has betrayed us."

The complete findings are available online on the homepage of Gary Null’s website ( http://www.garynull.com) or by contacting the Nutritional Institute of America, which describes itself as "a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization that has been enlightening the public on health issues for nearly 30 years." For more information, visit http://www.nutritioninstituteofamerica.net.

[Comment: I am grateful to D. Huber, one of my readers, who first tipped me off to this paper. I urge you to read it in its entirety because the figures cited above don’t come close to telling the full story about conventional medicine’s dismal failure as a provider of health care. Despite the shocking evidence the authors of the study have compiled, I have yet to read any coverage of their research anywhere in the major media. Therefore I ask that you please forward this story in its entirety to everyone you know, because only by getting the word out can we expect the story to be told.]

Low Vitamin C Levels in Blood Found to be Predictive of Mortality Among Older People

According to a recently published study published by researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, low blood levels of vitamin C in older people is a strong indicator of mortality, with people having the low concentrations of vitamin C having nearly double the risk of premature death compared to their peers who have optimum levels of the nutrient.

Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 78, No. 5, 999-1010, November 2003.

[Commentary: It seems that each passing year brings further validation to the late Linus Pauling, Ph.D (who lived a full and active 93 years by following his own recommendations), who since the 1950s recommended daily supplementation of vitamin C as a preventive health measure. For his efforts to educate the public about vitamin C’s many health benefits, he was for many years labeled a quack by the scientific and medical community, despite the fact that he’d won two Nobel Prizes. The study above is only one of many that confirmed his original research.]

New Study Rules Out Vaccination-Autism Link, But Is It Good Science?

A new study conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in this month’s issue of the journal Pediatrics suggests that there is "no link between neurological disorders such as autism and mercury in childhood vaccines, despite an earlier unpublished study by the CDC, which found a significant link between the two." The study has already been trumpeted in the mainstream media, but critics of the study say the data it contains were in fact manipulated by the CDC to achieve the findings it contains, to protect the federal government and vaccine manufacturers from embarrassment and potential lawsuits. Among those critics is Safe Minds, self-described as "a research organization dedicated to identifying causes of autism in children."

Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by Safe Minds, "expose concern on the part of the study’s author, Dr. Thomas Verstraeten, that his findings indicated a link between Thimerosal (mercury) in vaccines and the alarming rate of autism in children exposed to the toxic substance.

"Once Dr. Verstraeten began working for vaccine manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), he altered the data, sampling and methodology of the study so that results would point to enough inconsistencies to cast doubt that mercury in vaccines causes autism.

"Dr. Verstraeten is not named as an employee of GSK in the study, but rather is misidentified as an employee of the Centers for Disease Control. GSK is one of only five vaccine manufacturers in the world and produces mercury-laced vaccines."

Safe Minds and other critics of the study allege that, "Data was manipulated, in part, by adding in samples from Harvard Pilgrim, an HMO in Massachusetts, the only state in the country that severely underreported autism in the years looked at in the study, appearing to have almost no cases compared to a nearly 500% increase in other states. Using Harvard Pilgrim data helped skew results so that a conclusion of "inconsistencies" between Harvard Pilgrim and other HMO’s appears to disprove a link between mercury-laced vaccines and autism."

For specific analysis on the data manipulation, see www.safeminds.org/verstraeten/verstraeten.html

[Commentary: In other words, the data the CDC is touting in its study is bogus, yet the media has already reported that we can all be assured there is no connection between vaccines containing Thimerosal (such as the MMR - Measles, Mumps, Rubella - vaccination) and autism. Business as usual at the CDC, I’m afraid. And similar bad science occurs at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), too. How else do we explain the nearly 800,000 people killed in this country each year by the medical drugs and procedures approved by these agencies? (See first news item above.) The fact that a medical journal such as Pediatrics chose to publish such a flawed study calls into question the integrity of such journals, as well. But don’t expect the changes that are necessary to ensure fair and credible medical studies and reporting to occur in-house. It simply will not happen so long as Big Pharma’s powerful influences continue to hold sway.]


How to Use Diet, Exercise, and Lifestyle Changes to Lower High Blood Pressure: A Holistic Perspective

[An excerpt from the the eBook Burton Goldberg’s Definitive Guide to Heart Disease]

Conventional high blood pressure medications treat hypertension by reducing the heart output, lowering the blood pressure, or reducing the fluid retention through the use of diuretics. These medications may relieve the symptoms of hypertension but do little to address the cause. As many of these drugs have unwanted side effects and can actually increase the risk of life-threatening heart disease, an alternative for reducing blood pressure is warranted. Alternative medical approaches inevitably begin with a careful evaluation of the factors contributing to the patient’s illness. Such an evaluation often reveals a need for dietary changes and lifestyle changes such as increased exercise, weight loss, and stress management.

Diet

A diet low in fat, sugar, and salt, and rich in foods containing potassium, calcium, magnesium, and fiber is highly recommended for hypertensives. Also, garlic and other members of the onion family should be included in any diet that aims to lower high blood pressure, as they significantly reduce both systolic and diastolic pressure.

Making relatively simple changes in diet, such as eating less fat and more fruits and vegetables, can lower blood pressure as effectively as conventional hypertension drugs. This conclusion comes from a study directed by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, in cooperation with researchers at Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Duke Uni/versity. The study enrolled 459 adults (50% women, 60% African-American) with a starting blood pressure of less than 160/80-95 (high blood pressure was considered 140/90 or higher). The participants were divided into three groups, each of which followed a different diet. The first group ate a conventional American diet (typically high in fats, sugar, meat, and processed foods); the second group ate the same diet complemented with a high level of fruits and vegetables. The third group practiced a diet low in fats, comprising only 31% of the total calories compared to 37% in a typical American diet. This group kept their consumption of fats and cholesterol low and their consumption of fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products high. Changes in blood pressure were noticeable within two weeks. For those in the third group, blood pressure values dropped by an average of 5.5/3, while for those in the second group, the readings declined an average of 2.8/1.1. In the view of the researchers, both changes were significant. Even more impressive, those in the third group who, technically, had high blood pressure to start with experienced drops of 11.4/5.5.

Another study compared the effects of omega-3 fatty acids in fish or fish oil supplements on 125 men with moderately high blood pressure consuming high-fat or low-fat diets. The subjects ate fish, took fish oil supplements, or had a combination providing an average total of 3.65 g per day of omega-3 fatty acids. There was a significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressures in the subjects eating fish and/or taking fish oil supplements, particularly in those on a low-fat diet, compared with control subjects.

A third study of 2,300 middle-aged people, all moderately overweight and with blood pressure in the high normal range, found that those who lost around ten pounds within six months and cut the sodium in their diet experienced a 60% lowering of their blood pressure.

Blood Pressure Drugs—Another Heart Disease Risk Factor

For adults with borderline to mild high blood pressure, the use of conventional antihypertensive drugs is not only often unneeded, but also can increase the risk of heart attack by nearly four times, according to physicians at Malmo University Hospital in Malmo, Sweden. Lead researcher Juan Merlo noted that despite mounting doubt about the effectiveness of high blood pressure drugs in preventing heart attacks, the trend of physicians routinely prescribing them continues to grow. In the study, 484 men, born in 1914, were tracked between 1969 and 1992, and their use of antihypertensive drugs recorded.

Out of this group, 13% who had a diastolic blood pressure below 90 mm Hg (mild high blood pressure) and were taking blood pressure lowering drugs experienced a rate of heart attacks 3.9 times greater than men with similar blood pressures not taking any heart drugs. For men with blood pressures exceeding 90 mm Hg (high blood pressure) and who were taking antihypertensive drugs, the risk of having a serious heart attack was doubled.

Calcium channel blockers also pose threats to heart health. A study of 900 elderly people with high blood pressure found that taking one kind of calcium channel blocker (the short-acting type of nifedipine, marketed as Procardia and Adalat) had twice the likelihood of dying within five years after using the drug, typically from heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes. American doctors wrote two million prescriptions for this drug in 1994, despite the lack of rigorous scientific trials by either the FDA or drug companies to prove its safety.

Lowering Hypertension with Diet and Supplements

Eric R. Braverman, M.D., director of Place for Achieving Total Health (PATH) in New York City, treats hypertension with a program centered around diet and nutritional supplementation. Dr. Braverman’s diet is low in sodium, low in saturated fat, high in vegetables from the starch group, and high in protein (particularly fish). In addition, the diet features large amounts of fresh salad. Simple sugar, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and refined carbohydrates are reduced dramatically or eliminated altogether. His nutritional supplement program for a typical hypertensive patient includes fish oil (containing omega-3 fatty acids), garlic, evening primrose oil, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc, vitamin B6, niacin, vitamin C, tryptophan, taurine, cysteine, and coenzyme Q10.

One of Dr. Braverman’s patients had been treated with medication for hypertension for two years and his blood pressure was still 150/90. Dr. Braverman started him on multivitamins and supplements of B6, folic acid, B12, magnesium, taurine, garlic, and evening primrose oil. Within two weeks, he was off medication and his blood pressure had dropped to 128/82. When John, 62, first came to Dr. Braverman, he had suffered from high blood pressure for ten years. His levels for total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), which are key indicators of heart health, were highly imbalanced. He was taking strong daily doses of three conventional medications. When John began Dr. Braverman’s program, his blood pressure was 140/90.

First, Dr. Braverman put John on a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet to help him lose weight. Next, he started John on daily supplementation with evening primrose and fish oils, a niacin-garlic formula, safflower oil, and a hypertension nutrient formula Dr. Braverman had specially developed for his blood-pressure-lowering program. The formula consisted of garlic powder (200 mg), taurine (200 mg), magnesium oxide (50 mg), potassium chloride (6.7 mg), selenium (sodium selenite, 20 mcg), zinc chelate (4 mg), chromium chloride (26.7 mcg), niacinamide (50 mg), vitamin C (40 mg), molybdenum (40 mg), vitamin B6 (50 mg), and beta carotene (1222.33 IU). John took six pills daily of this formula along with a magnesium formula, containing vitamin B6 (65 mg), magnesium oxide (470 mg), and zinc chelate (15 mg).

Two weeks into the program, John’s cholesterol had dropped from 264 to 131, his triglycerides had decreased from 161 to 100, his blood pressure was 120/80, and his HDLs increased positively from 59 to 64. John was able to stop taking his conventional medications. After another week on the nutrients, his blood pressure was a healthier 110/80. Over the following months, Dr. Braverman reduced John’s nutrient program and adjusted his diet. John continued to be medication-free, his energy level and sexu^l drive had increased, and he was "doing fantastically well," reports Dr. Braverman.

What a Bowl of Oatmeal Can Do for Your Heart

While people living in the British Isles may take it for granted, making oatmeal a mainstay of the diet makes smart nutritional sense. In recent years at least 37 clinical studies have affirmed the ability of oatmeal and oat bran to reduce blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and generally reduce the long-term risk of heart disease.

In recognition of these well-established benefits, in 1996, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted manufacturers or packagers of oatmeal (as a food category) the right to make specific health claims about this food. It was the first such permissible health claim ever accorded to a food by the FDA, an agency that generally has favored drugs over natural substances. The FDA’s proposed health claim (now in the process of public review) states that diets high in oatmeal or oat bran may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Among the numerous studies that have demonstrated the health benefits of oatmeal, at least four put the food’s health advantages in clear focus. In 1995, researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, reported that people who regularly consumed even a modest portion of oatmeal (one ounce, cooked, daily) had lower blood pressure and cholesterol readings than those who never ate oatmeal. The study was based on evaluation of 850 men, 17-77 years old, living in China; their oatmeal consumption ranged from 25-90 grams daily.

The researchers stated that "the higher the oats intake, the lower the blood pressure," regardless of other factors such as age and weight, or alcohol, sodium, or potassium intake which are known to affect blood pressure. According to chief researcher Michael Klag, M.D., it is oatmeal’s high content of water-soluble fiber (called beta glucan) that produces the heart benefits. A six-year study involving 22,000 middle-aged Finnish males showed that consuming as little as 3 grams daily of soluble fiber (from the beta-glucan fiber component of oats, barley, or rye) reduced the risk of death from heart disease by 27%.

Another study of oatmeal’s heart benefits was conducted by scientists at the Chicago Center for Clinical research in Illinois. The researchers enlisted 156 adults, all of whom had a diagnosis of high cholesterol or multiple heart risk factors, and had them consume differing amounts of oatmeal or oat bran. In this case, more was not necessarily better. Those who ate 56 grams (two ounces, dry weight) daily of oat bran for six weeks achieved the best results (15.9% reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) followed by those who consumed 84 grams (three ounces) daily of oatmeal (11.5% reduction).

A related study involved 206 adults, 30-65 years old, who consumed 60 grams daily of oatmeal or oat bran, in addition to reducing their fat intake, for 12 weeks. The results also showed that eating oats at a "moderate and practical level" produced important decreases (at least 5.2%) in blood cholesterol levels.

Studies have also certified the widely circulated folk saying that a bowl of oatmeal "sticks to your ribs" throughout the morning. William Evans, Ph.D., director of the Noll Physiological Research Center at Pennsylvania State University, at State College, tested oatmeal’s ability to sustain athletic perform^nce in 18 college students. The study participants were divided into three groups, each consuming equal calorie portions of oats in three different forms: oatmeal; oat rings, a snack food; and dry oat cereal. Then they exercised on stationary bicycles as long as they could, stopping just short of exhaustion. Students who had oatmeal were able to exercise for five hours compared to four hours for the other two groups, according to Dr. Evans. The results confirm that oatmeal at breakfast can help keep you feeling "energized" throughout the morning.

Lifestyle and Exercise

Lifestyle plays a major role in the development of hypertension, and any program to reduce blood pressure must take this into consideration. Dr. Cowden notes that any changes that are implemented must be maintained if blood pressure is to be controlled on a long-term basis. Smoking should be moderated or, preferably, totally avoided, and alcohol intake should be kept to a minimum. Weight loss reduces blood pressure in those with and without hypertension, and should be a primary goal for hypertensives who are obese or moderately overweight. Other lifestyle factors important in reducing and controlling hypertension are stress management and increased exercise.

Stress Management

Stress-reduction techniques from the various disciplines of mind/body medicine such as biofeedback, yoga, meditation, qigong, relaxation exercises, and hypnotherapy have all proven successful in lowering blood pressure. In fact, meditation is so effective in reducing stress that in 1984 the National Institutes of Health recommended meditation over prescription drugs for mild hypertension.

To reduce stress and improve digestion and thus improve absorption of nutrients from food and supplements, Dr. Cowden has his patients perform stress-reduction techniques before meals and at bedtime. Says Dr. Cowden, "The nutrients we recommend have to be absorbed out of the gastrointestinal tract. But if the gut is in a stressed state, it will not absorb those nutrients nearly as well as if it is in a relaxed state."

Biofeedback has proven particularly valuable in working to lower hypertension. Patients in one study were able to sustain lower blood pressure readings than those registered prior to treatment after three years of using biofeedback. Combining biofeedback with other stress-reduction techniques can also help patients achieve optimum results. A study of mildly hypertensive males treated with either biofeedback, autogenic training, or breathing relaxation training showed a significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The higher the pretreatment blood pressure, the greater the effects of relaxation training.

Self-guided relaxation techniques can be a quick and effective way to lower the blood pressure, according to researchers at the National Taiwan University in Taiwan. Hypertension is widespread there with 27% of men and 13% of women having readings of at least 140/90. Based on a study group of 590 individuals with high blood pressure, Taiwanese researchers found that practicing progressive relaxation techniques (from a taped cassette) coupled with home study of healthful practices led to an average drop of blood pressure to 130/85 after two months. No drugs or other treatments were involved other than the power of self-directed relaxation.

Exercise

Regular exercise reduces stress and blood pressure, so it is highly recommended that it be an integral part of your life. Consistent aerobic exercise can both prevent and lower hypertension. In a study of 902 people, aged 45 to 69, with hypertension, positive long-term effects on blood pressure and all cholesterol levels were achieved with increased exercise along with a lower fat diet.

Swimming, which is frequently prescribed as a non-impact exercise to lower high blood pressure, can produce a significant decrease in resting heart rate (a sign of cardiovascular health) and resting systolic blood pressure in previously sedentary people with elevated blood pressure.

Caution: Before undertaking any exercise program, an individual with hypertension should consult a physician.

The Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic training of any kind, including rebounding (using a mini-trampoline), improves your cardiovascular fitness in a variety of ways, according to John A. Friedrich, M.D., who first reported on the effects of aerobic exercise on the body in the Journal of Physical Education (May/June 1970).

Aerobics can strengthen heart muscles and produce other cardiovascular changes so that the heart can pump more blood with fewer beats. This means your resting (normal) heart rate will be lower, which is good. By regularly working your heart harder during exercise, you improve its overall function so that it doesn’t have to work as hard during your normal activities, Dr. Friedrich wrote.

"A conditioned person may have a resting heart rate 20 beats per minute slower than a deconditioned person," says Dr. Morton Walker. "He saves 10,000 beats in one night’s sleep." Reducing the day-to-day workload of your heart can lessen your chances of developing heart disease, Dr. Walker adds.

Aerobic exercises such as rebounding increase red blood cell count, allowing faster oxygen transport through the body, and can help lower elevated blood pressure. According to Dr. Friedrich’s research, aerobic exercise helps dissolve blood clots and increases the amount of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs, the so-called good cholesterol and a major factor in the prevention of atherosclerosis) in the blood. The capacity of the lungs also increases, enabling them to process more air and replenish oxygen in the cells of the body’s tissues and organs more quickly. Metabolism (conversion of food into energy) is enhanced and you tend to absorb nutrients from your food more efficiently. Any tendency towards constipation, kidney stones, or diabetes is reduced by this type of exercise.

Lower Your High Blood Pressure Naturally

Here are easy alternatives to blood-pressure-lowering drugs for mild to moderate hypertension, according to naturopath Michael T. Murray, N.D.

If you have mild hypertension (140-160/90-104):

Reduce your weight.
Eliminate your salt intake and avoid alcohol, caffeine, and smoking.
Exercise more and practice stress-reduction techniques (such as biofeedback, self-hypnosis, yoga, meditation, muscle relaxation). Change your diet to include more potassium-rich foods (such as potato, avocado, cooked lima beans, bananas, flounder), fiber, and complex carbohydrates.
Eat more celery, garlic, onions, and vegetable oils high in omega-3 fatty acids, but eat less animal fats.
Take supplements, including calcium (1,000-1,500 mg/day), magnesium (500 mg/day), vitamin C (1-3 g/day), zinc picolinate (15-30 mg/day), and flaxseed oil (one tablespoon/day).

Maintain this program for at least three months, and preferably for six; if your blood pressure isn’t normal after this period, see a doctor.

If you have moderate hypertension, (140-180/105-114):

Do all of the above, plus:
Take hawthorn herbal extract (100-250 mg, three times daily, provided the extract contains 10% procyanidins).
Take coenzyme Q-10 (20 mg, three times daily).
Follow this program for three months; if there is no change in your blood pressure, see a physician.


Unabashed Plug

Learn the Truth about Heart Disease, Stroke and Hypertension. Most of what conventional medicine has to offer for treating these conditions is based on faulty and potentially dangerous assumptions. Discover the real causes behind these diseases and learn what you can do today to prevent and reverse them using safe and natural alternatives that have been scientifically proven to be effective. Read the critically-acclaimed eBook Burton Goldberg’s Definitive Guide to Heart Disease, featuring the contributions of Dr. Garry Gordon, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, and many other leading heart specialists. To order or to find out more about this potentially lifesaving guide, visit
http://www.1healthyworld.com/ebooks/Heart-Book-Info.cfm.



Cancer Research - A Super Fraud? by Robert Ryan, B.Sc.

"Everyone should know that most cancer research is largely a fraud and that the major cancer research organisations are derelict in their duties to the people who support them." - Linus Pauling PhD (Two-time Nobel Pri/ze winner).

Have you ever wondered why, despite the billions of dollars spent on cancer research over many decades, and the constant promise of a cure which is forever "just around the corner", cancer continues to increase?

Once quite rare, cancer is now the second major cause of death in Western countries such as Australia, the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom. In the early 1940s cancer accounted for 12% of Australian deaths. By 1992 this figure had climbed to 25.9% of Australian deaths. The increasing trend of cancer deaths and incidence is typical of most Western nations. It has been said that this increase in cancer is just due to the fact that people today live longer than their ancestors did, and that therefore the increase of cancer is merely due to the fact that more people are living to be older and thereby have a greater chance of contracting cancer. However, this argument is disproved by the fact that cancer is also increasing in younger age groups, as well as by the findings of numerous population studies which have linked various life-style factors of particular cultures to the particular forms of cancer that are predominant there.

The Orthodox "War on Cancer" Has Failed

"My overall assessment is that the national cancer programme must be judged a qualified failure," says Dr. John Bailer, who spent 20 years on the staff of the U.S. National Cancer Institute and was editor of its journal. Dr. Bailer also says: "The five year survival statistics of the American Cancer Society are very misleading. They now count things that are not cancer, and, because we are able to diagnose at an earlier stage of the disease, patients falsely appear to live longer. Our whole cancer research in the past 20 years has been a total failure. More people over 30 are dying from cancer than ever before . . . More women with mild or benign diseases are being included in statistics and reported as being 'cured'. When government officials point to survival figures and say they are winning the war against cancer they are using those survival rates improperly."

A 1986 report in the New England Journal of Medicine assessed progress against cancer in the United States during the years 1950 to 1982. Despite progress against some rare forms of cancer, which account for 1 to 2 per cent of total deaths caused by the disease, the report found that the overall death rate had increased substantially since 1950: "The main conclusion we draw is that some 35 years of intense effort focused largely on improving treatment must be judged a qualified failure." The report further concluded that ". . . we are losing the war against cancer" and argued for a shift in emphasis towards prevention if there is to be substantial progress.

Most Cancer Is Preventable

According to the International Agency for Research in Cancer "...80-90 per cent of human cancer is determined environmentally and thus theoretically avoidable." Environmental causes of cancer include lifestyle factors such as smoking, a diet high in animal products and low in fresh fruit & vegetables, excessive exposure to sunlight, food additives, alcohol, workplace hazards, pollution, electromagnetic radiation, and even certain pharmaceutical drugs and medical procedures. But unfortunately, as expressed by medical historian Hans Ruesch, "Despite the general recognition that 85 per cent of all cancers is caused by environmental influences, less than 10 per cent of the (U.S.) National Cancer Institute budget is given to environmental causes. And despite the recognition that the majority of environmental causes are linked to nutrition, less than 1 per cent of the National Cancer Institute budget is devoted to nutrition studies. And even that small amount had to be forced on the Institute by a special amendment of the National Cancer Act in 1974."

Prevention - Not Profitable to Industry

According to Dr. Robert Sharpe, " . . . in our culture treating disease is enormously profitable, preventing it is not. In 1985 the U.S., Western Europe and Japanese market in cancer therapies was estimated at over 3.2 billion pounds with the 'market' showing a steady annual rise of 10 per cent over the past five years. Preventing the disease benefits no one except the patient. Just as the drug industry thrives on the 'pill for every ill' mentality, so many of the leading medical charities are financially sustained by the dream of a miracle cure, just around the corner."

Desired: A State of No Cure?

In fact, some analysts consider that the cancer industry is sustained by a policy of deliberately facing in the wrong direction. For instance, in the late 1970s, after studying the policies, activities, and assets of the major U.S. cancer institutions, the investigative reporters Robert Houston and Gary Null concluded that these institutions had become self-perpetuating organizations whose survival depended on the state of no cure. They wrote, "a solution to cancer would mean the termination of research programs, the obsolescence of skills, the end of dreams of personal glory, triumph over cancer would dry up contributions to self-perpetuating charities and cut off funding from Congress, it would mortally threaten the present clinical establishments by rendering obsolete the expensive surgical, radiological and chemotherapeutic treatments in which so much mo/ney, training and equipment is invested. Such fear, however unconscious, may result in resistance and hostility to alternative approaches in proportion as they are therapeutically promising. The new therapy must be disbelieved, denied, discouraged and disallowed at all costs, regardless of actual testing results, and preferably without any testing at all. As we shall see, this pattern has in actuality occurred repeatedly, and almost consistently." Indeed, many people around the world consider that they have been cured by therapies which were 'blacklisted' by the major cancer organizations.

Does this mean that all of the people who work in the cancer research industry are consciously part of a conspiracy to hold back a cure for cancer? Author G.Edward Griffin explains ". . . let's face it, these people die from cancer like everybody else. . . [I]t's obvious that these people are not consciously holding back a control for cancer. It does mean, however, that the [pharmaceutical-chemical] cartel's medical monopoly has created a climate of bias in our educational system, in which scientific truth often is sacrificed to vested interests . . . [I]f the money is coming from drug companies, or indirectly from drug companies, the impetus is in the direction of drug research. That doesn't mean somebody blew the whistle and said "hey, don't research nutrition!" It just means that nobody is financing nutrition research. So it is a bias where scientific truth often is obscured by vested interest." This point is similarly expressed by Dr. Sydney Singer: "Researchers are like prostitutes. They work for grant money. If there is no money for the projects they are personally interested in, they go where there is money. Their incomes come directly from their grants, not from the universities. And they want to please the granting source to get more grants in the future. Their careers depend on it."

Money Spent on Fraudulent Research?

A large portion of money donated to cancer research by the public is spent on animal research which has, since its inception, been widely condemned as a waste of time and resources. For instance, consider the 1981 Congressional Testimony by Dr. Irwin Bross, former director of the Sloan-Kettering, the largest cancer research institute in the world, and then Director of Biostatistics at Roswell Park Memorial Institute for Cancer Research, Bufallo, NY: "The uselessness of most of the animal model studies is less well known. For example, the discovery of chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of human cancer is widely-heralded as a triumph due to use of animal model systems. However, here again, these exaggerated claims are coming from or are endorsed by the same people who get the federal dollars for animal research. There is little, if any, factual evidence that would support these claims. Indeed, while conflicting animal results have often delayed and hampered advances in the war on cancer, they have never produced a single substantial advance either in the prevention or treatment of human cancer. For instance, practically all of the chemotherapeutic agents which are of value in the treatment of human cancer were found in a clinical context rather than in animal studies."

In fact, many substances which cause cancer in humans are marketed as "safe" on the basis of animal tests. As expressed by Dr. Werner Hartinger of Germany, in regard to cancer-causing products of the pharmaceutical-petrochemical industry, "Their constant consumption is legalized on the basis of misleading animal experiments . . . which seduce the consumer into a false sense of security."

Imagine What Could Be Achieved

The next time you are asked to donate to a cancer organization, bear in mind that your money will be used to sustain an industry which has been deemed by many eminent scientists as a qualified failure and by others, as a complete fraud. If you would like to make a difference, inform these organizations that you won't donate to them until they change their approach to one which is focused on prevention and study of the human condition. We have the power to change things by making their present approach unprofitable. It is only through our charitable donations and taxes that these institutions survive on their present unproductive path.

Copyright © 1997 by the Campaign Against Fraudulent Medical Research, P.O. Box 234, Lawson NSW 2783, Australia. Ph. +61 (0)2-4758-6822. http://www.pnc.com.au/∼cafmr

References:
d'Espaignet, E.T. et al., Trends in Australian Mortality 1921-1988, Australian Government Publishing Service (AGPS), Canberra, 1991, p. 33
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Causes of Death, Australia 1992, ABS, Canberra, 1993, p.1
Dr. Bailer, speaking at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in May 1985, as quoted in Bette Overall, Animal Research Takes Lives - Humans and Animals BOTH Suffer, NZAVS, 1993, p.132
Robert Sharpe, The Cruel Deception, Thorsons Publishing Group, Wellingborough, U.K. 1988, p.47
Robert Sharpe, op. cit. 1988, p.47
Hans Ruesch, Na/ked Empress - the Great Medical Fraud, CIVIS, Massagno/Lugano, Switzerland, 1992, p.77
Robert Sharpe, op. cit. 1988, p.65 as quoted in Hans Ruesch, op.cit. 1992, p.65-66
Edward Griffin, The Politics of Cancer, (audio cassette) American Media, 1975 available from CAFMR $14.
Sydney Singer, Medical Demystification (M.D.) Report, Vol.1 No.1 p.5., Medical Demystification Crusade, 1992, CA, U.S.A.
Irwin Bross, as quoted in Robert Sharpe, op.cit., 1988 p.179
Dr. Werner Hartinger, in a speech given at the 2nd International Scientific Congress of the Doctors in Britain Against Animal Experiments (D.B.A.E.), London, 24 Sept. 1992.


Unabashed Plug

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To order this life-changing guide, visit
http://www.1healthyworld.com/ebooks/Mind-Mastery-Book-Info.cfm.


Recipe Of The Week: Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped 2 cups cubed butternut squash 
1 can vegetable or chicken broth (10 oz.)
1 pinch each of ground cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and/or cumin
1 can chickpeas (15 oz.), rinsed and drained

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add squash, broth, spices and salt; simmer until squash is soft, about 10 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook until heated through.

Serves 4.


Reader Feedback

Lois H. writes: "Hi, Larry. I really enjoy your newsletters and am glad to that you’ve returned to writing them. Given all that you’ve investigated about holistic medicine over the years, I am wondering if you believe there is a conspiracy on the part of vested interests to keep this type of health care from being more widely available."

Interesting question, Lois. I have no doubt that there are those who use their considerable resources (financial and otherwise) to do all they can to keep the public in the dark about the many safe and effective natural alternatives that exist for treating chronic illness (chronic conditions, along with prevention, being what holistic medicine is most effective at treating). Evidence that this is so dates back to at least the mid-1800's, when the American Medical Association was formed as a direct result of the growing popularity of homeopathy in this country. (Two years prior to the AMA’s formation, the American Institute of Homeopathy became the first national medical association ever founded in the United States.) Since that time, holistic medicine has been under continuous attack by various proponents of allopathic (conventional) medicine (but today even the AMA is showing far more acceptance of holistic medicine, even encouraging its members to become more familiar with the therapies that comprise it). And there is no question that Big Pharma has long exerted its influence to maintain the monopoly it still has in North America and throughout most of Europe. To be sure, the growing public demand for and acceptance of holistic medicine presents a significant challenge to that monopoly, but for very little mo/ney, proportionately, of the $1.6 trillion spent each year on health care costs in the U.S. goes towards holistic health care.

Certainly there are those who want to see that this does not change, and to that end we have current legislation, either proposed or already enacted, both in the U.S. and abroad, that is intended to restrict the public’s access to alternative therapies such as nutritional and botanical medicine (nutrients and herbs being prime targets of such laws). In fact, in Europe and Australia, such access has already been curtailed. But does all of that make for a conspiracy? Perhaps. Yet even if it does exist, I have always maintained that it is we the people who hold the power, not the vested interests or their governmental counterparts. And, as I see it, the biggest issue within the health freedom movement (and freedom movements in general) is twofold in nature: 1) Getting the public-at-large to recognize that it is we the people who have the power, and 2) more importantly, getting each of us to take responsibility for it. Fort vested interests, no matter how powerful they may be, are always a minority and they cannot hold sway without the our blessing, which is all too often given them through a combination of our ignorance and/or unwillingness to take action. For all of that, I remain confident that the tide is inexorably turning in our favor.


Recommendations

Books:
Greater Vision by Marc Grossman, O.D., L.A.c and Vinton McCabe. This is an excellent book that addresses not only holistic approaches for maintaining and improving eyesight, but for gaining emotional and spiritual clarity, as well.

The Einstein Factor by Win Wenger, Ph.D., and Richard Poe. Published in 1996, this book introduced the innovative research of Dr. Wenger to the mainstream public, including the Image Streaming technique he developed for improving one’s mental abilities that has been scientifically proven to raise IQ.


Humor

The following is an actual statement written by a child in Bible study class:

"St. Paul cavorted to Christianity. He preached the holy acrimony, which is another name for marriage. A Christian should only have one spouse. This is called monotony."

See you next Tuesday.

Health and Blessings!

Larry Trivieri, Jr. (larry@1healthyworld.com)


Disclaimer: The Health Plus Letter is a weekly eZine published by Larry Trivieri, Jr. and Library of Health, LLC (dba www.1healthyworld.com). It is made available without charge for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical care. If you are experiencing a health problem, seek prompt medical attention.

Legal Notice: The information in this eZine may be freely and widely disseminated so long as full attribution is made as follows: The Health Plus Letter, November 11, 2003, Vol. 1, No. 16. Copyright © 2003 by Larry Trivieri, Jr. All rights reserved.

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