Reader Q&A Q: Sometimes the things you write make us all sound like dummies. I think we are aware when we are being conned by a drug ad. A: First, it is not my intention to make any of you feel inferior. It
is my intention to share the things I have learned that, just possibly, others haven’t
been paying too much attention to. And there are many tactics being used in marketing
today that are so totally subliminal, the average person is not aware s/he is being
conned. For example, are you aware (any of you?) that most marketers, especially drug
firms and food marketers, have declared psychological warfare on you? Me? Not me. Yes, if
you are a consumer, this war’s for you, Bud! J [disclaimer: obviously some psychological profiles are more
susceptible to these tactics than others] Think seriously about the cons going on all around you. How can you
say, “This must be healthy because it is endorsed by the American Heart Association”?
Folks, the AHA earns big bucks by licensing its logo to manufacturers of foods that
blatantly contain many unhealthy ingredients. We are also suffering through a big “natural
foods” scam and many of those so-called “natural” grocery products are
really just more junk food with new improved labels. “Please make a donation to X”…
that race for the cure and many other fund raisers for disease are blatant cons. I hear
one every night that tells me “27,000 children died just last night.” Gee, if we
wait one more year, everyone will be dead and you won’t need my 80-cents-a-day. L Every single day, these marketers use covert tactics of seduction
that literally alter your beliefs and behaviors without you even being aware, directly
manipulating you into purchasing high-profit products that are utterly useless, if not
outright dangerous, and yet most people think they’re getting a great deal. People
have no idea they’re being manipulated by tactics like: logic reversals
(linguistic sleight of hand to twist the truth and get people to change their purchasing
behavior), disempowerment (making you think there’s nothing you can do
about it by yourself), misdirection (drawing your attention elsewhere), and false
flattery (they trick people into thinking they’re making a smart, independent
decision, even while that decision was anticipated all along). I watched one commercial
use this last tactic by showing a competitor’s product being explained by a “scientist”
(an actor dressed in a lab coat) who was saying really stupid things, then the announcer
came on and proclaimed to the audience, “You’re not stupid! Here’s what really
happens…” That type of thing is designed to first, get you pissed off at the
other guys, who obviously believe you are stupid, then to move you into the new
camp where you’ll swallow their line of BS because they clearly think you’re
intelligent, therefore they must be telling the truth. Wrong! Appealing to your ego
and building up your self-esteem are potent tactics. These tactics operate at a subliminal level, beneath your
consciousness, to reshape the beliefs and behaviors of nearly everyone. This is how those
companies get away with exploiting the health (and pocketbooks) of the public without
being caught: they’ve developed these seduction tactics into an art that’s
virtually undetectable! They’ve fine-tuned their weapons of mind-warping, like “appeal
to arrogance” and “the illusion of choice.” And they’ve layered these
techniques into every single message they broadcast: newspaper and magazine ads, TV ads,
movie product placements, public relations campaigns, editorial coverage, and the
“educational” information handed out to doctors. It’s happening right now,
every day, right here in the USA and all around the world. The population is being
expertly manipulated – almost mind-controlled – into a purchasing behavior that
enriches Big Business at your expense (and your health). Listen carefully to
exactly how the words are said in a TV ad, then work out all the possible meanings for
those words and you’ll learn the truth behind the message, the reality behind the
product label, and the true nature of the company trying to peddle these garbage products
onto you. There’s a guy on one of the web sites I visit, I think his name is Mike Adams, who has written a book about this very subject (I think it’s called Health Seduction). If I remember, that was at www.newstarget.com. I have not bought this book because I learned many of these tactics myself when I worked in Marketing many years ago. Maybe I should buy it, though, because I’ll bet they have some new whoppers that are even programming my “usually fortified defenses.” J Medical News? As many as 195,000 people a year could be dying in U.S. hospitals because of easily prevented errors, a company said on Tuesday in an estimate that doubles previous figures.
“The HealthGrades study shows that the IOM report may have underestimated the number of deaths due to medical errors, and, moreover, that there is little evidence that patient safety has improved in the last five years,” said Dr. Samantha Collier, vice president of medical affairs at the company.
It said it found about 1.14 million “patient-safety incidents” occurred among the 37 million hospitalizations.
I forgot from which site I stole this next one, but it is good info. The
Antifungal / Anti-Mycotoxin Properties of Certain Foods Fish and The Fish Oils Epidemiological evidence of Greenland and Alaskan Eskimos demonstrated a substantially reduced mortality rate from atherosclerosis. These observations led to comparative analyses of Eskimo and Western diets, which pointed to the possibility that it was the relatively larger amount of fish consumed by the Eskimos that was protecting the Eskimos. It was also found that Japanese, living in coastal areas, who eat much more fish, were also less at risk for atherosclerosis than inland farmers. These positive effects of fish in the diet led to postulate that it was the polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n3 family, particularly eicosapentaenoic and docosahexanoic acids, present in large quantities in fish oils, that was responsible for the benefit. This opened the door to a series of investigations that employed fish oils in both humans and animal models measuring changes in blood lipid values, amount of vascular lipid deposition and/or changes in the amount, size and nature of atherosclerotic lesions. Unfortunately, the results of this research to date has been rather
inconsistent and the present state of events is characterized by increasing hesitancy by
clinicians to prescribe fish oil in the treatment of such a serious disease as
atherosclerosis, given the availability of the other more proven pharmacotherapeutic
agents. (it figures…) Again, unfortunately, the fish controversy is more due to man than to the fish for the epidemiologic data that brought the issue into being dealt with fish and not fish oils. It is strange indeed that the experiments do not include feeding animals or humans fish itself rather than just their oils or similar fatty acids. Furthermore, the conclusion that it was only the omega-3 fatty acids that were providing the benefit ignores the fact that the fish oil contains many other fatty acids that vary with the species of fish. Finally, the fish oils used are quite variable as to their source, such as squid, sardines, manhden, etc. The Antifungal Activity of Fatty Acids The fatty acids have been documented to be inhibitors of fungal growth. This antifungal activity is particularly seen in the short chain fatty acids, including formic, acetic, butyric, propionic, capric, capryllic, valeric, isovaleric, levulenic, undecyclic, 2,3nonenoic, 2,3decenoic, 10undecenoic, 23 dodecenoic and 2,3tridecenoic acids (Fencl & Leopol 1956), (Philip et al1963), (Ozaki & Baba 1943), (Millis et al 1963), (Romano & Kornberg 1969). Fatty acids are believed to act at the cell surface by preventing uptake of nutrients and they are known to prevent phosphate and sulphate absorption in Aspergillus species. In respect to the fatty acid content of the fish oils, certain facts need to be brought out into our understanding of their beneficial use. Firstly, fish does not usually become moldy as it deteriorates; spoiling is by bacteria. Obviously, fish are relatively protected from fungal colonization, the risk of which is quite high due to the fungal colonization of the waters in which fish live. Secondly, the fatty acid content of the fish oils varies from species to species and is much more complex than simply containing omega 3 fatty acids. Garlic Kendler (1987) has reviewed the beneficial effects of garlic (Allium sativum) and onion (Allium cepa) in cardiovascular disease. Garlic and onion have been used for millennia in the traditional medical practice of many cultures to treat cardiovascular and other disorders. Both Allium species, their extracts, and the chemical constituents of these plants have been investigated for possible effects on cardiovascular disease risk factors and have been found to be effective agents. Mohammad and Woodward (1986) found that garlic is a potent inhibitor of platelet aggregation and release reaction, a property which is obviously of great significance in the treatment of atherosclerosis. The Antifungal Activity of Garlic Ghannoum (1990) reported the inhibition of Candida adhesion to buccal epithelial cells by an aqueous extract of Allium sativum (garlic). The degree of Candida pathogenicity is measured by the ability of the fungus to adhere to the tissues to be invaded. Appleton and Tansey (1975) studied the inhibition of growth of 200 pathogenic fungi by garlic extract. Yoshida, et al, (1987) have reported the antifungal activity of Ajoene, derived from Garlic. Davis, et al, (1990) reported the antifungal activity in human cerebrospinal fluid and plasma after intravenous administration of Allium sativum. Commercial Allium sativum (garlic) extract was given intravenously to two patients with cryptococcal meningitis and three patients with other types of meningitis. Plasma tiers of anti-cryptococcus neoformans activity rose twofold over reinfusion tiers. AntiC. neoformans activity was detected in four of five cerebrospinal fluid samples but not in pooled normal cerebrospinal fluid. Other foods documented to possess significant antifungal and/or anti-mycotoxin activity include soya protein, beans, green vegetables, onions, carrots, Vitamins A, C and D, sea weed (Oriental diet), most herbs and spices (as used in ancient Egypt to perfectly preserve bodies), plant proteins, olive extracts, etc. Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Fungi David A. Holland, M.D. The following text is copied from the book The Fungus Link: An Introduction to Fungal Disease,
copyright © 2000, by Doug A. Kaufmann, with permission of the author. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, although distinguished by well-known characteristics, are collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the medical arena. IBD is characterized by a host of symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, rectal bleeding, weight loss, fever, and a host of extra-intestinal symptoms, including disorders of the eyes, liver, gall bladder, muscles and joints, kidneys and skin. (Journal of Musculoskeletal Medicine, Nov. 1996, pp 28-34) Treatment is usually focused on relief of symptoms using anti-inflammatory drugs or surgery. The cause of IBD remains unknown. With all of our advances in medicine, why do the causes of so many diseases remain unknown? Some have implicated a viral etiology to IBD. In the medical journal, The Lancet (1996, 348:315-317), Dr. Wakefield and colleagues found that three of four offspring in mothers that had measles during pregnancy developed severe Crohn’s later in life. Of note is that recurrent antibiotic-resistant pneumonia preceded the Crohn’s in every case. This is important because antibiotics are known to increase the risk of fungal infection. Other scientists have found carbohydrates to be a possible culprit. Two of three worldwide studies found the average intake of carbohydrates (including bread, potatoes, and refined sugars) to be much greater in those who developed IBD than in those who did not. (Heaton, K.W. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Allan, R.N., Keighley, M.R.B., Alexander-Williams, J., and Hawkins, C.F. [Eds.], Churchill Livingstone, New York, 1990.) In her book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, Elaine Gottschall describes the cycle of intestinal mucosal injury, impaired digestion, malabsorption, bacterial overgrowth, and increase in bacterial by-products and mucous production, which lead back to intestinal mucosal injury. We all know that antibiotics can alter the normal intestinal flora or bacteria. These bacteria usually keep in check the relatively small amount of existing yeast in the intestines. However, when antibiotics are taken for various purposes (and you can bet those kids in Dr. Wakefield’s study were given plenty of antibiotics!), the normal protective bacteria are eliminated, and yeast growth goes unchecked. The resulting effects range from “mild diarrhea to severe colitis, or systemic fungal or bacterial dissemination” (Saadia, Roger, and Lipman, Jeffrey, “Antibiotics and the Gut,” European Journal of Surgery, 1996, Suppl. 576:39-41). In Chapter 2, you read about the link between arthritis and fungus. When fungi become systemic from gut inflammation and the overuse of antibiotics, you can see how the whole body becomes involved in what doctors refer to as “gut diseases.” Still other scientists have directly implicated yeast with regard to Crohn’s disease. Former World Health organization expert A.V. Costantini has found that people with Crohn’s often have aflatoxin, a fungal toxin (refer to Patrick Kwan’s article), in their blood. Barclay, G.R., et al, (Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 1992, 27:196-200) found that disease activity in patients with Crohn’s was lower while they followed a yeast-free diet, specifically avoiding baker’s and brewer’s yeast. Over and over we have had patients with symptoms of IBD who have experienced incredible improvement once they followed a yeast-free, low-carbohydrate diet. We have been a little more aggressive, though, and have added antifungal medicines such as nystatin, which seem to speed up the improvement by inhibiting any further fungal growth. Chapter 13 of Principles and Practices of Clinical Mycology (Kibbler, C.C., et al, [Ed.], 1996, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., West Sussex, England) deals entirely with fungal infections in the gut. They describe how Blastomyces dermatitidis, a fungus, can produce granulomatous lesions in the intestines. Interestingly, this type of lesion has also been seen in patients with Crohn’s disease. Another fungus, called Histoplasma, produced intestinal disease with symptoms such as diarrhea, weight loss, fever, and abdominal pain – sound familiar? The common lesions seen in the gut with this infection were “masses or ulcers mimicking inflammatory bowel disease or carcinoma.” The authors concluded that Histoplasma should be a serious consideration in an immunocompromised patient with signs and symptoms of IBD. Now back to the big word “immuno-compromised,” which means a weak immune system. We strongly disagree that you must have cancer or AIDS or be on chemotherapy to have a weakened immune system. Just smell the air on your way to work or look at our Standard American Diet (SAD). Could these be impeding our immune systems? Anyone who has been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease knows the misery these diseases can cause. Given the alternatives for treatment, we think it would be worth a trial on a good antifungal program that includes diet, antifungals, and perhaps even desensitization to the fungi. |