(For more testimonials like these please visit:
www.emofree.com )
Hi Everyone,
Acupuncturist Lee Beymer provides us with an example of a "now you see it, now you don't" cessation of depression. Even though we don't always get these rapid results, EFT'ers who deal with depression see this happen with some frequency. It's a real heart warmer every time it happens.
Gary,
.......This particular case was interesting because it was both extreme in its affects and yet core to the integrity of being human.
M. is 50ish, single mom with two teenage daughters - one of whom was terribly scarred in an auto accident a year ago. At about that same time she had broken up from a negative relationship and was feeling depressed. She had gone in for help and was put on Paxil - which did indeed give her the support she needed to cope. About two months ago M. came to see me in my practice wanting to get off the drug because she said that she could feel it hurting her liver and knew it wasn't good for her in the long run. As an acupuncturist I am not allowed to speak at all about prescription drugs but I agreed to help her deal with the "underlying" factors.
In talking with M. it became quickly clear that the underlying factor to her depression was a deep sense of worthlessness.
GC RESPONSE: Small point here. Some might argue that a sense of worthlessness is so close to depression as to be the same thing.
LEE CONTINUES: At the time, she stated that she had felt this for at least some 30+ years and gave it an intensity rating of 10 out of 10. We applied the modified EFT [including a form of BSFF] and cleared it to 0 in two minutes! Much to her amazement, she felt it leave her energy field during the process. Afterwards upon asking how she felt, she reported that she felt "empty and bereft from the source". It seemed that she had lost an old friend, one who had accompanied her and consoled her for so many years, leaving such a big hole in her energy field that she felt loss.
So we then tapped again (I always tap along with my patients) for these issues. During which we both felt a shedding of a veil, followed with a warmth that filled us with Light and a deep sense of peace. It was truly profound with the shift occurring virtually instantly and stayed with us for the remainder of the session (and the rest of the day for me).
GC RESPONSE: Thank you for mentioning this "old friend" feature. Some people have lived with depression and other emotional negativity for so long that they have adjusted to it. They are so used to it being there that they have embraced it as an integral part of their self image. When it is gone, they aren't quite sure how to cope.
This need not be a problem, however, because this hole or empty feeling is usually just another tappable issue. You picked up on this beautifully. I don't know precisely how you handled it but I might suggest these examples for EFT'ers to use.....
"Even though I have this empty thing within me...."
"Even though I can no longer rely on my former depression..."
"Even though I don't know how to be happy yet..."
LEE CONTINUES: Since then she has, of her own accord, quit the drugs cold-turkey without any side-affects nor any sign of the depression returning. This experience was truly remarkable and life transforming for both of us! Much more than I had bargained for.
Lee Beymer
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
The grieving widow with many weighty issues
As is often the case with overweight problems, there are many contributing "heavy" or "weighty" emotional issues. Such is the case with Therese Baumgart's client ("Sue"). In this article, Therese gives us many details and creative approaches that establish a great start to "lighten the load" for Sue. This is not, however, a one session wonder wherein the pounds immediately fall off. It doesn't usually work that way for weight issues as the process often needs to be more methodical. You will find the language Therese uses in her various EFT Setup phrases most useful. It can be adapted to a wide variety of problems.
50 year agoraphobia goes "Poof"
Agoraphobia, in my experience, is often complicated and its many aspects usually require several sessions before tangible progress is achieved. That's not always the case, however, as clearly detailed in this article by Patti Spencer. This case appeared so easy that I wrote Patti back asking her for any stumbling blocks, etc. that may have been present. She responded, "I wish I could make it more complicated, but it was pretty much a slam dunk, 2 or 3 rounds, 15 minute wonder! No stumbling blocks to speak of. It seemed incredible to me that after nearly 50 years of agony in his life, it just kind of went "poof!" and disappeared."
**************
By Patti Spencer
Gary,
I want to share with you the story of my friend Bob. When Bob was 17 years old, he had an emergency appendectomy. When he awoke from the surgery, he was in a severe panic and only his mother could comfort him. From this experience, he developed agoraphobia lasting for years.
His chosen profession was real estate, and years before cell phones were available, he would always need to know the location of every phone booth so that he could call for help and find a "safe" person. He had an unhealthy dependence on his mother, and a fear of dying. He saw scores of psychiatrists, and took psychotropic drugs for years. These medications caused a myriad of health problems and altered his wittiness, his great sense of humor, his level of confidence and his basic personality.
He became a self-centered and needy person, and most of his family shunned him. Eventually, he was unable to work. Leaving his home took a great deal of effort. His marriage fell apart. He moved across the country, and I didn't see him for some years.
When I learned about EFT, I was eager to do a session with Bob, who is now 65 years old. He had made some progress in the last several years as a result of a promise to God following successful cancer and heart surgery. When he visited me several months ago, however, he was still crippled by his phobia. He was on his way to travel to New Zealand and Australia, fulfilling a lifelong dream, and brought his ex-wife, Ella, with him because being without a "safe" person was terrifying to him. He couldn't drive anywhere by himself, and basically was extremely uncomfortable being anywhere by himself, especially an open place, such as a park.
I asked Bob what would raise his intensity level the most, and he indicated that going to a park or a large open space by himself, away from his car and his cell phone would send him through the roof. He might be able to force himself to do this, but he would be extremely uncomfortable.
We tapped for no longer than 15 minutes on this issue (this fear of being alone--this anxiety), and his intensity level went down to about a 1. I asked him if he wanted to put it to the test, and he eagerly agreed to do so. He left in the car by himself, drove to an unfamiliar park by himself, and took a walk. Ella and I were beginning to be concerned because he was gone for a full hour (we were giving him about 20 minutes to return). He was perfectly fine when he did return, and had enjoyed the walk and the time to himself.
A couple of days later, Bob and I visited again. He was experiencing a high level of anxiety because he had to drop a relative off at a doctors' office, and then drive back to where he was staying by himself and be alone all afternoon. Another 15 minutes of tapping and I sent him off on his errand. When we met later that evening for dinner, I learned that not only was he relaxed driving by himself, but he decided to drive a significant distance further and go to the beach for a walk. He then drove to another area to visit a friend he hadn't seen in a long time. As it turned out, he was nearly late for dinner because he was enjoying himself so much. Ella was concerned because normally, he would have been calling her all afternoon if he was alone somewhere.
Bob was able to enjoy his vacation without any elevated anxiety, and when I followed up with him several months later, I found that he had been able to nearly completely leave off his medication. He was down to only one prescription, which was a low dosage and he was only taking it every third day. Before he came to visit me, he had to force himself to leave the house to go to his substitute teaching job, even though he enjoyed it immensely. Last week he informed me that he is starting his own company, a real estate brokerage firm.
I have been amazed and grateful at the transformation that can sometimes occur with just a short session of EFT, and it makes me sad to think of all the years Bob spent trying unsuccessfully to solve his problem through conventional methods. Here's the letter Bob sent me recently:
**************
**************
By Patti Spencer
Gary,
I want to share with you the story of my friend Bob. When Bob was 17 years old, he had an emergency appendectomy. When he awoke from the surgery, he was in a severe panic and only his mother could comfort him. From this experience, he developed agoraphobia lasting for years.
His chosen profession was real estate, and years before cell phones were available, he would always need to know the location of every phone booth so that he could call for help and find a "safe" person. He had an unhealthy dependence on his mother, and a fear of dying. He saw scores of psychiatrists, and took psychotropic drugs for years. These medications caused a myriad of health problems and altered his wittiness, his great sense of humor, his level of confidence and his basic personality.
He became a self-centered and needy person, and most of his family shunned him. Eventually, he was unable to work. Leaving his home took a great deal of effort. His marriage fell apart. He moved across the country, and I didn't see him for some years.
When I learned about EFT, I was eager to do a session with Bob, who is now 65 years old. He had made some progress in the last several years as a result of a promise to God following successful cancer and heart surgery. When he visited me several months ago, however, he was still crippled by his phobia. He was on his way to travel to New Zealand and Australia, fulfilling a lifelong dream, and brought his ex-wife, Ella, with him because being without a "safe" person was terrifying to him. He couldn't drive anywhere by himself, and basically was extremely uncomfortable being anywhere by himself, especially an open place, such as a park.
I asked Bob what would raise his intensity level the most, and he indicated that going to a park or a large open space by himself, away from his car and his cell phone would send him through the roof. He might be able to force himself to do this, but he would be extremely uncomfortable.
We tapped for no longer than 15 minutes on this issue (this fear of being alone--this anxiety), and his intensity level went down to about a 1. I asked him if he wanted to put it to the test, and he eagerly agreed to do so. He left in the car by himself, drove to an unfamiliar park by himself, and took a walk. Ella and I were beginning to be concerned because he was gone for a full hour (we were giving him about 20 minutes to return). He was perfectly fine when he did return, and had enjoyed the walk and the time to himself.
A couple of days later, Bob and I visited again. He was experiencing a high level of anxiety because he had to drop a relative off at a doctors' office, and then drive back to where he was staying by himself and be alone all afternoon. Another 15 minutes of tapping and I sent him off on his errand. When we met later that evening for dinner, I learned that not only was he relaxed driving by himself, but he decided to drive a significant distance further and go to the beach for a walk. He then drove to another area to visit a friend he hadn't seen in a long time. As it turned out, he was nearly late for dinner because he was enjoying himself so much. Ella was concerned because normally, he would have been calling her all afternoon if he was alone somewhere.
Bob was able to enjoy his vacation without any elevated anxiety, and when I followed up with him several months later, I found that he had been able to nearly completely leave off his medication. He was down to only one prescription, which was a low dosage and he was only taking it every third day. Before he came to visit me, he had to force himself to leave the house to go to his substitute teaching job, even though he enjoyed it immensely. Last week he informed me that he is starting his own company, a real estate brokerage firm.
I have been amazed and grateful at the transformation that can sometimes occur with just a short session of EFT, and it makes me sad to think of all the years Bob spent trying unsuccessfully to solve his problem through conventional methods. Here's the letter Bob sent me recently:
**************
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Artificial Sweeteners: The Bitter Truth
THE BITTER TRUTH ABOUT ASPARTAME
Aspartame and all artificial sweetners are a danger to human health. The fact that it is in thousands of food, while at the same time being listed under different names, make it all the more dangerous.
To find out more about what aspartame does, you can do a search on the Internet and find out a lot more. One such web page that provides a lot of information is:
www.dorway.com
One of the purposes of this blog is, to inform you in capsule information; have more full lenght articles on this same blog for those who have more time to read; and, have web address posted here for your further consideration.
Aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods. Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death as recently disclosed in a February 1994 Department of Health and Human Services report.(1) A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include:
Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.
According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame:(2)
Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Cholorinated Water--A Big No-No!!
CHLORINATED WATER.... A BIG NO-NO !!!
Most of us have some vague, fuzzy idea that city water may not be the best for us and many have turned to bottled water to use for ourselves.
Have you thought of doing the same for your pet? If not, why not? Maybe it's because you really don't understand the harm done by the multiple ingredients found in all municipal water supplies throughout the U.S.A.
Water is a God-given crucial nutrient for the body. But we have been hoodwinked into accepting a product that is of progressively more inferior composition. It is well known that the average city water today contains over 500 chemicals that do not belong in it. Part of this is due to the fact that most delivery systems in the U.S. include cement, asbestos pipes, cast iron, PVC (porous to certain solvents, herbicides and pesticides) and that lead, cadmium and other toxic metals leach out of valves and couplings of pipes between a water treatment plant and a faucet in the home.
To make matters worse, we INTENTIONALLY add chlorine !! So what?, you may ask .
Chlorine is a halogen that damages enzymes. It does not belong in our bodies as part of our water needs !!
For starters, chlorine potentiates magnesium deficiency, which can cause almost any symptom you can think of from high blood pressure, to chemical sensitivity or even sudden death. Furthermore it also decreases the absorption while increasing the excretion of calcium and phosphorus. The increased loss of calcium into the urine, promotes osteoporosis.
It is known that it not only contributes to hypertension, but also cancers of the pancreas, colon, bladder and has been linked to heart attacks, diabetes, kidney stones and much more.
All these years we've been putting people on low sodium diets for control of high blood pressure. But it turns out the sodium is not the problem as much as the chloride !!
To make matters worse for pets, some people still use plastic water bowls. Most, if not all, of these absorb and retain numerous toxic materials. Dr. Christopher Day (England) reports..."I once had an epileptic dog I had been treating unsuccessfully for eighteen months. One day its plastic feeding bowl was accidentally broken and replaced with a ceramic one. The fits stopped immediately."
Although many breeders are aware of the chlorine problem in drinking water, a common mistake is to overlook the fact that bathing in it can have the same effect !! Please remember that because of dermal absorption, anything on the skin is like drinking it !!
In some cities of the U.S., the chlorine level is so high, that taking 3 showers a day puts you over the government standard for exposure.
For 'show dogs' that exhibit skin irritations after bathing, maybe you would be advised to check the water you are using at the show site rather than blaming it on a shampoo or something else.
Also often overlooked is the water system used in motor homes. What are you loading your holding tanks with ? I know we used to be guilty of simply taking our garden hose and filling up from the tap at home. Ah, ignorance is truly bliss.
So what can we do about it ? As usual, the Europeans are ahead of us in preserving natural health. In wide spread areas of Europe the most common method of killing bugs in water systems is the use of OZONE treatment. It does a beautiful job, you have none of the free radical damage to the body that is common with chlorine, and there are multiple benefits of ozone to be derived from its interaction with the body ! Do you think we'll ever get our cities to consider this ??
There are many filtering devices available but you better do your homework when it concerns quality and effectiveness.
I have heard from one breeder in Texas, who has installed a 'reverse osmosis' system that has been very successful in eliminating most of the problems associated with our water--including chlorine. The system not only treats her drinking water but looks after all water entering her premises. This means that even water going to her refrigerator (ice cubes) has been treated.
Evidently, the system may be purchased but she found it more economical to lease it on a monthly rental basis that included regular maintenance, filter changes, etc. It certainly seems worth looking into as this type of system does require routine monitoring and replacement of the membrane periodically.
The ultimate system I have read about combines distillation and carbon filtration both before and after the distillation process.
Most of us have some vague, fuzzy idea that city water may not be the best for us and many have turned to bottled water to use for ourselves.
Have you thought of doing the same for your pet? If not, why not? Maybe it's because you really don't understand the harm done by the multiple ingredients found in all municipal water supplies throughout the U.S.A.
Water is a God-given crucial nutrient for the body. But we have been hoodwinked into accepting a product that is of progressively more inferior composition. It is well known that the average city water today contains over 500 chemicals that do not belong in it. Part of this is due to the fact that most delivery systems in the U.S. include cement, asbestos pipes, cast iron, PVC (porous to certain solvents, herbicides and pesticides) and that lead, cadmium and other toxic metals leach out of valves and couplings of pipes between a water treatment plant and a faucet in the home.
To make matters worse, we INTENTIONALLY add chlorine !! So what?, you may ask .
Chlorine is a halogen that damages enzymes. It does not belong in our bodies as part of our water needs !!
For starters, chlorine potentiates magnesium deficiency, which can cause almost any symptom you can think of from high blood pressure, to chemical sensitivity or even sudden death. Furthermore it also decreases the absorption while increasing the excretion of calcium and phosphorus. The increased loss of calcium into the urine, promotes osteoporosis.
It is known that it not only contributes to hypertension, but also cancers of the pancreas, colon, bladder and has been linked to heart attacks, diabetes, kidney stones and much more.
All these years we've been putting people on low sodium diets for control of high blood pressure. But it turns out the sodium is not the problem as much as the chloride !!
To make matters worse for pets, some people still use plastic water bowls. Most, if not all, of these absorb and retain numerous toxic materials. Dr. Christopher Day (England) reports..."I once had an epileptic dog I had been treating unsuccessfully for eighteen months. One day its plastic feeding bowl was accidentally broken and replaced with a ceramic one. The fits stopped immediately."
Although many breeders are aware of the chlorine problem in drinking water, a common mistake is to overlook the fact that bathing in it can have the same effect !! Please remember that because of dermal absorption, anything on the skin is like drinking it !!
In some cities of the U.S., the chlorine level is so high, that taking 3 showers a day puts you over the government standard for exposure.
For 'show dogs' that exhibit skin irritations after bathing, maybe you would be advised to check the water you are using at the show site rather than blaming it on a shampoo or something else.
Also often overlooked is the water system used in motor homes. What are you loading your holding tanks with ? I know we used to be guilty of simply taking our garden hose and filling up from the tap at home. Ah, ignorance is truly bliss.
So what can we do about it ? As usual, the Europeans are ahead of us in preserving natural health. In wide spread areas of Europe the most common method of killing bugs in water systems is the use of OZONE treatment. It does a beautiful job, you have none of the free radical damage to the body that is common with chlorine, and there are multiple benefits of ozone to be derived from its interaction with the body ! Do you think we'll ever get our cities to consider this ??
There are many filtering devices available but you better do your homework when it concerns quality and effectiveness.
I have heard from one breeder in Texas, who has installed a 'reverse osmosis' system that has been very successful in eliminating most of the problems associated with our water--including chlorine. The system not only treats her drinking water but looks after all water entering her premises. This means that even water going to her refrigerator (ice cubes) has been treated.
Evidently, the system may be purchased but she found it more economical to lease it on a monthly rental basis that included regular maintenance, filter changes, etc. It certainly seems worth looking into as this type of system does require routine monitoring and replacement of the membrane periodically.
The ultimate system I have read about combines distillation and carbon filtration both before and after the distillation process.
Margarine and Fatty Acids
THE MARGARINE HOAX
Margarine, Fatty Acids and Your Health
To maintain good health it is important that we have the correct intake of omega fatty acids in our diets. Hydrogenated fats like margarine are non-foods with toxic effects and should be avoided at any cost.
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HEALTH FOOD LABELS MAY DECEIVE Have you ever spent extra money to purchase a 'higher-quality' health food or vitamin product, only to discover some time later that it wasn't all it was claimed to be? It has happened in our family more than once. Our most recent experience was with a line of vegetable oils sold in health food stores and co-ops. The attractively labelled bottles touted their special processing techniques, implying low temperatures and the superior quality of their product. We had used their canola oil for many years when I decided to write the company with some questions and request information on their oils.
We were shocked to find out that the "cold-pressed" and "lightly refined" canola oil was subjected to the same high temperatures (450°-500° Fahrenheit, or 232°-260° Celsius) and most of the chemical processing steps suffered by regular grocery store oils! The main difference was that they didn't use chemical solvents to extract the oil from the seeds or add preservatives or defoamer.
Disappointed, and determined to find a source of healthy oils for my family, I began a search for accurate information on the production of food oils to supplement my scanty knowledge. This article is the culmination of that exploration to date, and will provide you with information you need to make healthier selections of foods and oils for your family.
THE IMPORTANCE OF FATTY ACIDS Fatty acids are essential for our cells to function normally and stay alive. The cell membranes allow the passage of necessary minerals and molecules in and out of our cells. Healthy cell membranes discourage dangerous chemicals and organisms like bacteria, viruses, moulds and parasites from entering the cell. These membranes also maintain chemical receptor sites for hormones, the body's crucial messengers. Fatty acids are involved in countless chemical processes in our bodies and are used as building blocks for certain hormones.
Two types of fatty acids&emdash;omega-3 and omega-6&emdash;cannot be made by our bodies and therefore must be obtained through our diets. They are called "essential fatty acids" (EFAs), and if we have an adequate supply we can use these EFAs to manufacture the other fatty acids we need.
EFA supplementation has been helpful to many people with allergies, anaemia, arthritis, cancer, candida, depression, diabetes, dry skin, eczema, fatigue, heart disease, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), psoriasis, sluggish metabolism, viral infections, etc., and in easing the addiction recovery process.
TRANS- FATS AND CONFUSED CHEMISTRY Naturally-occurring fatty acids contain double bonds of a particular configuration, referred to as "cis-" by biochemists. The cis- causes the molecules to be bent so that the two hydrogen atoms are on the same side of the double bond. This means the bonds between the molecules are weaker due to their irregular shape, resulting in a lower melting point&emdash;or, in supermarket shopper lingo, they are solid at room temperature. Fats with either trans- double bonds or no bonds ("saturated") are solid at room temperature.
Margarine is made by adding hydrogen atoms to the fat molecules to make them more saturated, raising the melting point of the fat so it remains a solid at room temperature, i.e., the margarine won't run all over the table. This process, called "hydrogenation", requires the presence of a metal catalyst and temperatures of about 500°F (260°C) for the reaction to take place. It causes about half of the cis- bonds to flip over into a trans- configuration.
Hydrogenation became popular in the US because this type of oil doesn't spoil or become rancid as readily as regular oil and therefore has a longer shelf-life. You can leave a cube of margarine sitting out for years and it will not be touched by moulds, insects or rodents. Margarine is a non-food! It would appear that only humans are foolish enough to eat it! Because the fats in margarine are partially hydrogenated (i.e., not fully saturated), the manufacturers can claim it is "polyunsaturated" and market it to us as a healthy food.
Many other fatty chemicals are also created when oils are partially hydrogenated. In Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill (p. 103), Udo Erasmus stated: "So many different compounds can be made during partial hydrogenation that they stagger the imagination... Needless to say, the industry is hesitant to fund or publicize thorough and systematic studies on the kinds of chemicals produced and their effects on health."1
Erasmus also quoted a statement about hydrogenation, made by Herbert Dutton, one of the oldest and most knowledgable oil chemists in North America. It basically boils down to this: because of the known and unknown health effects of these hydrogenation by-products, government health regulations would not allow the process to be used for making edible products if it were to be introduced today.
Another 'side-effect' of hydrogenation is that a residue of toxic metals, usually nickel and aluminium, is left behind in the finished product. These metals are used as catalysts in the reaction, but they accumulate in our cells and nervous system where they poison enzyme systems and alter cellular functions, endangering health and causing a wide variety of problems. These toxic metals are difficult to eliminate without special detoxification techniques, and our 'toxic load' increases steadily with small exposures over time. Since they are increasingly found in our air, food and water, the cumulative doses can add up to dangerous levels over time.
Since trans- fats don't occur in nature, our bodies don't know how to deal with them effectively and they act as poisons to crucial cellular reactions. The body tries to use them as it would the cis- form, and they wind up in cell membranes and other places they shouldn't be.
In recent years, measurements of trans- fats in the membranes of human red blood cells have been as high as 20 per cent, when the figure should be zero. While red blood cells were used because they're easy to access, it's safe to assume that most other cell membranes in the body also contain these unnatural fats.
Trans- fatty acids in cell membranes weaken the membrane's protective structure and function. This alters normal transport of minerals and other nutrients across the membrane and allows disease microbes and toxic chemicals to get into the cell more easily. The result: sick, weakened cells, poor organ function and an exhausted immune system&emdash;in short, lowered resistance and increased risk of disease.
Trans- fats can also derail the body's normal mechanisms for eliminating cholesterol. The liver normally puts excess cholesterol in the bile and sends it to the gall bladder, which empties into the small intestine just below the stomach. Trans- fats block the normal conversion of cholesterol in the liver and contribute to elevated cholesterol levels in the blood. They also cause an increase in the amount of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), considered to be one of the main instigators of arterial disease (hardening of the arteries). Meanwhile, trans- fats lower the amount of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) which help protect the cardiovascular system from the adverse effects of the LDLs. Trans- fats also increase the level of apolipoprotein A, a substance in the blood which is another risk factor for heart disease. Indeed, trans- fats have now been shown to cause even worse problems than saturated animal fats.
Another adverse effect of trans- fats in the diet is an enhancement of the body's pro-inflammatory hormones (prostaglandin E2) and inhibition of the anti-inflammatory types (prostaglandin E1 and E3). This undesirable influence exerted by trans- fats on prostaglandin balance may render you more vulnerable to inflammatory conditions that don't want to heal! Prostaglandins also regulate many metabolic functions. Tiny amounts can cause significant changes in allergic reaction, blood pressure, clotting, cholesterol levels, hormone activity, immune function and inflammatory response, to name just a few.
Many of these problems with trans- fats have been known or suspected for 15 to 20 years, but have been largely ignored in the US. In Europe, trans- fats are restricted in food products, and some countries allow no more than 0.1 per cent trans- fatty acid content. In contrast, margarines in the US may contain up to 30 to 50 per cent! Of course, the food industry denies there is any problem with this.
Meanwhile, scientific evidence continues to mount that trans- fats contribute to heart disease and possibly other conditions as well. Even the conservative Harvard Health Letter referred to them as "the new enemy".2
VESTED INTERESTS According to Russell Jaffe, M.D., a noted medical researcher, hog farmers will not feed trans- fats to their animals because the pigs will die if they eat them. When Dr Jaffe contacted the US Department of Agriculture, he found that it knew all about this but was not interested in the possible human effects since this area was not under its jurisdiction. The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) hasn't done anything about it, either. The fact that the food industry has succeeded in keeping a lid on public awareness of these facts is testimony to the political power it wields in governmental and scientific circles.
The food industry funds a great deal of research. People in the research community know that you can often predict the outcome of a study if you know who is funding it. In that light, it's unwise to accept blindly the press releases on 'the latest research' without considering who paid for it. There are some rather scientific-sounding foundations out there that are basically 'front' organisations for the food industry.3
FATS IN OUR DIETS Margarine isn't the only grocery store item with a significant amount of trans- fats. Any 'food' that lists "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" on the label contains trans- fats and should be avoided. You may be surprised to discover how many products in your kitchen contain trans- fats. They include most baked goods such as bread and crackers, shortenings like margarine and Crisco, refined vegetable oils and most brands of peanut butter. Most peanut butter brands contain sugar or corn syrup which stresses the pancreas and is easily converted to fat by the body.
So be sure to read the labels on packaged foods and avoid those with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil!
Also avoid products containing cottonseed oil. Cotton is not considered a food crop and is heavily sprayed with highly toxic pesticides&emdash;some of which wind up in the oil. According to Dr Jaffe, cottonseed oil also contains toxic fatty acids similar to those present in rape seed oil about 30 years ago and suspected of causing several deaths before being taken off the market. These fatty acids caused illness when fed to dogs and pigs. Cottonseed oil is commonly used to fry potato chips, and is found in numerous processed foods.
Currently, the dominant medical opinion is that fats are bad for us and should be restricted in our diets. Given the types of fats usually consumed in America, this is probably a good idea. But several studies have shown that the quantity of fat is not as important as the quality of fat and the balance of the fats in relation to each other. In fact, the essential fatty acids (mentioned earlier) help control the types of cholesterol made by the body and help prevent heart disease. So, reducing saturated fats and unnatural trans- fats in our diets, while increasing the essential fats, would be a more prudent policy. Many scientists are now advocating this shift in emphasis.
Edward Siguel, M.D., Ph.D., is an award-winning researcher who was invited to investigate fatty acids in the Framingham Cardiovascular Offspring Study. He recently authored a book, Essential Fatty Acids in Health and Disease.4 Dr Siguel has developed a sensitive test to determine the amounts of the various fatty acids found in humans, and has found a definite correlation with trans- fats and heart disease. He has also found that many people with heart disease have low levels of EFAs. In a presentation at the Second Annual Symposium on Functional Medicine in 1994, he stated that insufficiency of EFAs may underlie many of the chronic diseases prevalent in Western societies. He also cautioned that low-fat diets not based on whole foods might be hazardous: "Individuals who maintain normal or low body-weight by eating low-calorie, low-fat, processed foods, such as supermarket cereals, breads and pasta, are at high risk for EFA insufficiency...compounded by the use of hydrogenated oils, leading to elevated levels of circulating trans- fatty acids..."
The breast milk of many US mothers also shows an excess of trans- fats and low omega-3 fatty acid content. Dr Donald Rudin, in his co-authored book, The Omega-3 Phenomenon, stated: "American mothers produce milk that often has only one-fifth to one-tenth of the omega-3 content of the milk that well-nourished, nut-eating Nigerian mothers provide their infants."5
A revealing study was recently published by the Nutrition Research Division of Health Canada. The researchers analysed the milk of 198 lactating mothers across Canada and found that trans- fatty acids averaged 7.2 per cent of total fatty-acid content, with a range of 0.1 to 17.2 per cent. Further analysis of these trans- fats showed that their major source was partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (that means margarine). They also noted that elevation of these trans- fats occurred at the expense of the EFAs, thus placing the infant in double jeopardy during a crucial period of development.6
Both types of EFAs are necessary for proper development of foetal and infant tissues, especially the nervous system. According to John Finnegan, in The Facts About Fats, the omega-3s in particular affect the parts of the brain that relate to learning ability, anxiety or depression, and auditory and visual perception. They also aid in balancing the immune system.7 A 1991 Mayo Clinic study of 19 'normal' pregnant women, eating 'normal' diets, showed that all of them were deficient in the omega-3 fatty acids and, to a lesser extent, the omega-6s. These researchers recommended that the omega-3 fatty acids be supplemented in every pregnancy, and that women avoid refined and hydrogenated fats during pregnancy.8
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed a dramatic difference between the heart-disease rates of populations in northern and southern India.9 The northerners were meat-eaters and had high cholesterol levels. Their main source of dietary fat was ghee (clarified butter). The southerners were vegetarians and had much lower cholesterol levels. Present-day 'wisdom' would predict the vegetarians to have the lower rate of heart disease, but, in fact, the opposite was true. The vegetarians had 15 times the rate of heart disease when compared to their northern counterparts! What was the reason for this surprising difference? Aside from meat versus vegetables, the major dietary difference was that the southerners had replaced their traditional ghee (a real food) with margarine and refined, polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Twenty years later, the British medical journal the Lancet noted an increase in heart-attack deaths amongst the northern Indians.10 The northerners had also largely replaced the ghee in their diets with margarine and refined vegetable oils.
One hundred years ago, heart disease was virtually unknown. Today, two-thirds of US citizens develop heart disease. Something has clearly gone wrong with the way we are living, and one of the main factors could indeed be the introduction of overrefined, overprocessed, devitalised oils.
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Thursday, December 01, 2005
How Big Pharma Dupes Medical Journals
How Big Pharma Dupes Medical Journals
By Antony Barnett
Public Affairs Editor
The Observer - UK
Hundreds of articles in medical journals claiming to be written by academics or doctors have been penned by ghostwriters in the pay of drug companies, an Observer inquiry reveals.
The journals, bibles of the profession, have huge influence on which drugs doctors prescribe and the treatment hospitals provide. But The Observer has uncovered evidence that many articles written by so-called independent academics may have been penned by writers working for agencies which receive huge sums from drug companies to plug their products.
Estimates suggest that almost half of all articles published in journals are by ghostwriters. While doctors who have put their names to the papers can be paid handsomely for 'lending' their reputations, the ghostwriters remain hidden. They, and the involvement of the pharmaceutical firms, are rarely revealed.
These papers endorsing certain drugs are paraded in front of GPs as independent research to persuade them to prescribe the drugs.
In February the New England Journal of Medicine was forced to retract an article published last year by doctors from Imperial College in London and the National Heart Institute on treating a type of heart problem. It emerged that several of the listed authors had little or nothing to do with the research. The deception was revealed only when German cardiologist Dr Hubert Seggewiss, one of the eight listed authors, called the editor of the journal to say he had never seen any version of the paper.
An article published last February in the Journal of Alimentary Pharmacology , which specialises in stomach disorders, involved a medical writer working for drug giant AstraZeneca - a fact that was not revealed by the author.
The article, by a German doctor, acknowledged the 'contribution' of Dr Madeline Frame, but did not admit that she was a senior medical writer for AstraZeneca. The article essentially supported the use of a drug called Omeprazole - which is manufactured by AstraZeneca - for gastric ulcers, despite suggestions that it gave rise to more adverse reactions than similar drugs.
Few within the industry are brave enough to break cover. However, Susanna Rees, an editorial assistant with a medical writing agency until 2002, was so concerned about what she witnessed that she posted a letter on the British Medical Journal website.
'Medical writing agencies go to great lengths to disguise the fact that the papers they ghostwrite and submit to journals and conferences are ghostwritten on behalf of pharmaceutical companies and not by the named authors,' she wrote. 'There is a relatively high success rate for ghostwritten submissions - not outstanding, but consistent.'
Rees said part of her job had been to ensure that any article that was submitted electronically would give no clues as to the origin of the research.
'One standard procedure I have used states that before a paper is submitted to a journal electronically or on disc, the editorial assistant must open the file properties of the Word document manuscript and remove the names of the medical writing agency or agency ghostwriter or pharmaceutical company and replace these with the name and institution of the person who has been invited by the pharmaceutical drug company (or the agency acting on its behalf) to be named as lead author, but who may have had no actual input into the paper,' she wrote.
When contacted, Rees declined to give any details. 'I signed a confidentiality agreement and am unable to comment,' she said.
A medical writer who has worked for a number of agencies did not want to be identified for fear he would not get any work again.
'It is true that sometimes a drug company will pay a medical writer to write a review article supporting a particular drug,' he said. 'This will mean using all published information to write an article explaining the benefits of a particular treatment.
'A recognised doctor will then be found to put his or her name to it and it will be submitted to a journal without anybody knowing that a ghostwriter or a drug company is behind it. I agree this is probably unethical, but all the firms are at it.'
One field where ghostwriting is becoming an increasing problem is psychiatry.
Dr David Healy, of the University of Wales, was doing research on the possible dangers of anti-depressants, when a drug manufacturer's representative emailed him with an offer of help.
The email, seen by The Observer, said: 'In order to reduce your workload to a minimum, we have had our ghostwriter produce a first draft based on your published work. I attach it here.'
The article was a 12-page review paper ready to be presented at an forthcoming conference. Healy's name appeared as the sole author, even though he had never seen a single word of it before. But he was unhappy with the glowing review of the drug in question, so he suggested some changes.
The company replied, saying he had missed some 'commercially important' points. In the end, the ghostwritten paper appeared at the conference and in a psychiatric journal in its original form - under another doctor's name.
Healy says such deception is becoming more frequent. 'I believe 50 per cent of articles on drugs in the major medical journals are not written in a way that the average person would expect them to be... the evidence I have seen would suggest there are grounds to think a significant proportion of the articles in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, the British Medical Journal and the Lancet may be written with help from medical writing agencies,' he said. 'They are no more than infomercials paid for by drug firms.'
In the United States a legal case brought against drug firm Pfizer turned up internal company documents showing that it employed a New York medical writing agency. One document analyses articles about the anti-depressant Zoloft. Some of the articles lacked only one thing: a doctor's name. In the margin the agency had put the initials TBD, which Healy assumes means 'to be determined'.
Dr Richard Smith, editor of the British Journal of Medicine, admitted ghostwriting was a 'very big problem' .
'We are being hoodwinked by the drug companies. The articles come in with doctors' names on them and we often find some of them have little or no idea about what they have written,' he said.
'When we find out, we reject the paper, but it is very difficult. In a sense, we have brought it on ourselves by insisting that any involvement by a drug company should be made explicit. They have just found ways to get round this and go undercover.'
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers
Comments:
Considering the above, can you trust your doctor? After all, his education is from universcities that are funded by the drug companies, and they believe and repeat what they are told.
By Antony Barnett
Public Affairs Editor
The Observer - UK
Hundreds of articles in medical journals claiming to be written by academics or doctors have been penned by ghostwriters in the pay of drug companies, an Observer inquiry reveals.
The journals, bibles of the profession, have huge influence on which drugs doctors prescribe and the treatment hospitals provide. But The Observer has uncovered evidence that many articles written by so-called independent academics may have been penned by writers working for agencies which receive huge sums from drug companies to plug their products.
Estimates suggest that almost half of all articles published in journals are by ghostwriters. While doctors who have put their names to the papers can be paid handsomely for 'lending' their reputations, the ghostwriters remain hidden. They, and the involvement of the pharmaceutical firms, are rarely revealed.
These papers endorsing certain drugs are paraded in front of GPs as independent research to persuade them to prescribe the drugs.
In February the New England Journal of Medicine was forced to retract an article published last year by doctors from Imperial College in London and the National Heart Institute on treating a type of heart problem. It emerged that several of the listed authors had little or nothing to do with the research. The deception was revealed only when German cardiologist Dr Hubert Seggewiss, one of the eight listed authors, called the editor of the journal to say he had never seen any version of the paper.
An article published last February in the Journal of Alimentary Pharmacology , which specialises in stomach disorders, involved a medical writer working for drug giant AstraZeneca - a fact that was not revealed by the author.
The article, by a German doctor, acknowledged the 'contribution' of Dr Madeline Frame, but did not admit that she was a senior medical writer for AstraZeneca. The article essentially supported the use of a drug called Omeprazole - which is manufactured by AstraZeneca - for gastric ulcers, despite suggestions that it gave rise to more adverse reactions than similar drugs.
Few within the industry are brave enough to break cover. However, Susanna Rees, an editorial assistant with a medical writing agency until 2002, was so concerned about what she witnessed that she posted a letter on the British Medical Journal website.
'Medical writing agencies go to great lengths to disguise the fact that the papers they ghostwrite and submit to journals and conferences are ghostwritten on behalf of pharmaceutical companies and not by the named authors,' she wrote. 'There is a relatively high success rate for ghostwritten submissions - not outstanding, but consistent.'
Rees said part of her job had been to ensure that any article that was submitted electronically would give no clues as to the origin of the research.
'One standard procedure I have used states that before a paper is submitted to a journal electronically or on disc, the editorial assistant must open the file properties of the Word document manuscript and remove the names of the medical writing agency or agency ghostwriter or pharmaceutical company and replace these with the name and institution of the person who has been invited by the pharmaceutical drug company (or the agency acting on its behalf) to be named as lead author, but who may have had no actual input into the paper,' she wrote.
When contacted, Rees declined to give any details. 'I signed a confidentiality agreement and am unable to comment,' she said.
A medical writer who has worked for a number of agencies did not want to be identified for fear he would not get any work again.
'It is true that sometimes a drug company will pay a medical writer to write a review article supporting a particular drug,' he said. 'This will mean using all published information to write an article explaining the benefits of a particular treatment.
'A recognised doctor will then be found to put his or her name to it and it will be submitted to a journal without anybody knowing that a ghostwriter or a drug company is behind it. I agree this is probably unethical, but all the firms are at it.'
One field where ghostwriting is becoming an increasing problem is psychiatry.
Dr David Healy, of the University of Wales, was doing research on the possible dangers of anti-depressants, when a drug manufacturer's representative emailed him with an offer of help.
The email, seen by The Observer, said: 'In order to reduce your workload to a minimum, we have had our ghostwriter produce a first draft based on your published work. I attach it here.'
The article was a 12-page review paper ready to be presented at an forthcoming conference. Healy's name appeared as the sole author, even though he had never seen a single word of it before. But he was unhappy with the glowing review of the drug in question, so he suggested some changes.
The company replied, saying he had missed some 'commercially important' points. In the end, the ghostwritten paper appeared at the conference and in a psychiatric journal in its original form - under another doctor's name.
Healy says such deception is becoming more frequent. 'I believe 50 per cent of articles on drugs in the major medical journals are not written in a way that the average person would expect them to be... the evidence I have seen would suggest there are grounds to think a significant proportion of the articles in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, the British Medical Journal and the Lancet may be written with help from medical writing agencies,' he said. 'They are no more than infomercials paid for by drug firms.'
In the United States a legal case brought against drug firm Pfizer turned up internal company documents showing that it employed a New York medical writing agency. One document analyses articles about the anti-depressant Zoloft. Some of the articles lacked only one thing: a doctor's name. In the margin the agency had put the initials TBD, which Healy assumes means 'to be determined'.
Dr Richard Smith, editor of the British Journal of Medicine, admitted ghostwriting was a 'very big problem' .
'We are being hoodwinked by the drug companies. The articles come in with doctors' names on them and we often find some of them have little or no idea about what they have written,' he said.
'When we find out, we reject the paper, but it is very difficult. In a sense, we have brought it on ourselves by insisting that any involvement by a drug company should be made explicit. They have just found ways to get round this and go undercover.'
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers
Comments:
Considering the above, can you trust your doctor? After all, his education is from universcities that are funded by the drug companies, and they believe and repeat what they are told.
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