Is Horton correct? Can you trust JAMA, or the AMA journals to supply you with accurate information. Well, read the PDF and decide for yourself…but I’m going to give you my take on it.

You knew I would…

Puppets Of The Pharmies

I’ve been saying this for years, and I’m glad someone else much higher up on the health industry food chain is echoing the sentiments: A lot of what your doctor is reading in med journals is hooey funded by the pharmaceutical companies (I call them “pharmies”) in order to sell more drugs.

In short, some of the most popular medical journals are little more than paperback drug dealers. The drugs they deal are just as dangerous as the thug on the street, but come in a nice pretty package called “health care”—and Americans can’t get enough.

What Is The Reason?

First of all, this is not rampant paranoia, nor an indictment against all health trade journals. Many are very reputable, and provide invaluable information to the consumer and the medical professional. Most are geared for the professional, using lingo that only a doctor or scientist can fully relate to. Still, the “conclusions” are usually written in straightforward language.

However, in certain hot topic areas, such as cholesterol-lowering drugs and antidepressants, the data is so flawed it’s borderline humorous. Dr. Uffe Ravnskov, publisher of Thincs.org, debunks a lot of these studies—oddly enough by simply using the study itself! Sometimes the studies are just fine, but the bias slant put on them in the journals (oddly enough, funded by the pharmies, as are many of the studies) can make the data appear to be almost anything the editor wishes.

Here’s a practical analogy: Have you ever taken one of those “count the number of times the word ‘the’ appears in this sentence” types of tests? I have…and it freaks you out to find the answer. It’s usually two or even three times more than you think.

You see, your mind is programmed to ‘skip’ certain phrases and words it senses in frequency. This is one of the main techniques behind sight reading. A musician cannot possible read ‘every’ note on a page—they become so proficient at reading that their minds pick up on patterns of notes and phrases. They end up with the ability to literally read any piece of music on site with enough practice.

I know this to be true because I was a professional musician for many years. I was always amazed at sight reading abilities, as I never mastered the art. I could read charts just fine, and pick at the notes, but man…no way could I read and play at sight bracketed thirty-second-note triplets! I knew people who could, though, and they all said it’s in the patterns.

This is not a music lesson, however, so I’ll get to the point—many journalists, either intentionally or not, simply look for patterns in studies. They are the ones that should be reading “note for note”—not by patterns. The “devil resides in the details”, and in this case Lucifer is parading around in the form of misinformation and massive drug overdoses in the name of “studies” and “health care.”

The Solution

Educate yourself. It does not require a Ph.D. to learn to read a paper. Ask questions, if your doctor will even take the time to answer them. Research. Don’t ‘diagnose yourself’, but don’t let one doctor dictate your health care needs without doing your own due diligence. Most doctors know as much about nutrition as I do about repairing a car. I can change the oil…if I’m lucky. So, by all means, seek out those who do know nutrition and alternative means of treatment other than drugs. These are usually (but not always) the DOs or NDs, not the MDs. MDs are crucial for critical care medicine, so hats off to them for that. However, for preventative medicine, my money is on a really good DO any day of the week.

Lastly, do not be naivé—if the media is spending billions on something, you can bet your bottom dollar that someone other than you is getting the lion’s share of the benefit. Proceed with caution, and do your homework.