The headlines are ablaze with results from a new study that shows
raising levels of your good cholesterol may take no more effort than
popping a daily pill. But what the headlines don't mention is that this
so-called "groundbreaking" study involved no more than
twenty
people! When a sample size that small, the results are probably not
even statistically significant.
It's amazing to me how the
pharmaceutical industry takes a tiny shred of evidence -- a distorted
study, a slight improvement in blood chemistry, or a tiny reduction in
symptoms -- and exaggerates that evidence until it sounds like a miracle
cure in a pill. The mass media seems more than happy to go along, too,
and they regularly print front-page news headlines with highly
misleading statements on the supposed benefit of various prescription
drugs (such as the current round of ridiculous claims about statins).
The fact is that no prescription drug comes close to producing
the health benefits of simple physical exercise. Daily exercise
outperforms prescription drugs by some 10,000% according to some blood
chemistry markers. A daily 30-minute walk will make you far healthier
than a daily dose of whatever drug is the current rage. And yet part of
the reason prescription drugs are so popular -- and so heavily promoted
with absurd news headlines -- is because the general public wants to
believe in them. They want a magic pill that allows them to avoid
the responsibility of taking charge of their own health. So they're
primed to believe in any miracle promise offered by the pharmaceutical
industry. But it's really just quackery. Organized quackery. By and
large, prescription drugs are worthless, and even when they improve one
particular area of blood chemistry (like modifying good or bad
cholesterol levels), they introduce a whole array of dangerous side
effects that can cause far greater problems.
Let's face it: your
body already knows how to be healthy. You don't need to ingest chemicals
on a daily basis to balance your blood chemistry, all you need is
regular physical exercise, outstanding nutrition, and avoidance of all
metabolic disruptors -- the ingredients in foods and beverages that
cause disease in the food place. Prescription drugs are just a
convenient way for people to avoid making healthful lifestyle choices
and, instead, put their health (and their wallets) into the hands of
greedy drug companies.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In mid 2010, Adams produced NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also the CEO of a highly successful email newsletter software company that develops software used to send permission email campaigns to subscribers. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.
Friday, June 04, 2004
Email this article to a friend
Share this article on: 
Now Available from 
