December 28, 2015
Looking Back At A Few Stories
By Michael D. Shaw
With 2015 about to fade into the history books, let’s revisit some articles from the past months…
No Minnesota Nice For Dan Markingson
We started off the year with this disturbing tale of a clinical trial at a prestigious university going way off the rails, replete with a nasty suicide and deep corruption. The powers that be at the University of Minnesota were only too willing to pocket Big Pharma cash, and do their level best to cover up the mess.
A few months after this piece appeared, a scathing commentary on the matter was written by former governor Arne Carlson. Funny how colleges are so eager to stamp out all “microaggressions,” but seem to ignore such outrageous wrongdoing.
Scaring People About e-Cigarettes: A Public Health Disgrace
This article registered big time on the hit-o-meter, and why not? There is a large community of e-cig users who have been able to stop smoking, or at least significantly cut back. Yet, the products are being demonized (at taxpayer expense, thank you very much) by officialdom.
So-called public health pamphlets on the subject resort to flat out lies, and champion dubious pharmaceutical solutions, including Chantix. Is it any wonder that this drug, which dampens certain pleasure receptors in the brain would induce bizarre side effects? Moreover, it is not terribly effective, and carries the dreaded black box warning against serious neuropsychiatric events.
The Bootleggers and Baptists rule is very much in effect.
Pernicious Junk Science
This one presented a jaundiced view of what passes these days for “science.” The piece touches on Autism and the anti-vaxxers; the supernaturally effective and deadly nonsense from Rachel Carson; and institutionalized chemophobia, courtesy once again of your tax dollars.
We even name some names.
Research Using Fetal Tissue
Here’s a hot topic. People who were upset over a series of grisly videos, depicting how aborted fetal body parts are harvested and sold were repeatedly assured that this tissue is essential in medical research. However, when you examine the biggest research grants in which fetal tissue is utilized, that contention is not borne out.
The biggest grant of all covered ongoing blue sky research in nanomedicine, and as I noted, “This is hard-core sexy sounding molecular biological research, far more suited to obtaining giant grants than advancing practical medicine.” Ironically, the very smallest grant, suggesting a cure for HIV–or at least freedom from a lifetime of meds–in light of related positive results from bone marrow transplants, is both practical and positive.
The most legitimate use of fetal tissue is to establish cell lines used in vaccine production, but precious little raw stock is needed for that.
More On Walking Back The Low Fat
We had fun with the “stunning revelation” earlier this year that a low fat diet may not be the solution to all health problems. Amazingly, the low fat meme was believed by millions–many of whom made plenty of money from the concept. In reality, a low fat diet, which inevitably also means high carb, is single-handedly responsible for the obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic.
Kudos to investigate journo and best-selling author Nina Teicholz, for her book The Big Fat Surprise.
Will 2016 be as interesting? Felix novus annus!