is Cheerios a drug?  If the FDA has their way, it will be.  This is a case about the FDA trying to expand their reach, and you can be sure that big pharma is in full support of the FDA’s fight against General Mills, the maker of Cheerios.

The issue between the FDA and Cheerios are essentially 2 issues.  The first is a claim that says that Cheerios is clinically proven to lower cholesterol by 4% in 6 weeks.  The second is the claim that Cheerios can lower the risk of coronary heart disease by decreasing bad cholesterol.  these two statements have landed general mills in hot water and have the government looking to punish them.

lets not kid ourselves.  this issue has an extremely far reaching potential.  All foods that are good for you have health benefits.  oatmeal lowers cholesterol.  fruits and vegetables lower cholesterol.  does this mean that they will be regulated as a drug.  the bigger question really is, are drugs the only thing that can lower cholesterol?  Is exercise a drug?  will the FDA regulate a gym that claims to say by exercising you will lower your chance for heart disease.  will the FDA be shutting down farmers markets who sell healthy heart vegetables?  This is ridiculous.

The FDA would have you believe only drugs can lower cholesterol.  also, i know that one of the issues with general mills is that the cholesterol study was paid for by them and two staff members helped author the study.  STOP THE PRESS!  Really, FDA, do you want to go there.  How many big pharma companies have been caught by you guys doing the exact same thing, more so, these billion dollar drugs have had fatal side effects and you turn a blind eye after catching them.  will someone die from eating cheerios.  but, click here to read about a popular drug who did the exact same thing as general mills with more serious consequences.

i wish the fda would get better at doing what they are supposed to do and not worry about regulating cereal.  can you imagine that you may not be able to say, this orange is good for your immune system, unless the FDA approves of it.  is that what the future holds.

One more thing.  you will read alot of “i’m glad the FDA is finally taking these companies to task” crap.  remember who is saying it.  people with ties to consumer groups with ties to pharmaceutical giants.  if you don’t think that is true, then i have some property to sell you.

The title of an article found on many major news sites called “Chemotherapy drug may reverse signs of aging” is extremely misleading.  First of all, the study involved only 21 patients.  Can you imagine what researchers around the world would say (wait, they already say it) if a study came out talking about the benefits of  a vitamin even if it was only tested on 21 people.  I also find it funny that the study only lasted 2 weeks.  2 WEEKS!

Here is what we do know.  Fluorouracil can cause skin irritation, burning, inflammation, itching, pain, tenderness, and changes of skin colour at the site of application.  wait, there is more.  Fluorouracil can also cause watery eyes, trouble sleeping, irritability, increased sensitivity to the sun, and a medicinal taste in the mouth while using the drug.  But, let’s not stop there.  you could get stomach pain, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, chills, fever and it is known to harm unborn babies.

So, you may be scratching and swollen, changing colors, and look like you are crying all of the time, mad at your kids, unable to go outside, constantly sucking on a mint because of the bad taste in your mouth, doubled over in pain while sitting on the toilet.  But, your skin might look younger…at least it did for the large group of participants in the study.

Heaven forbid that someone simply uses natural ingredients like creams with vitamin E, pine bark or co-q10.

A new study funded partially by the FDA has shown some grave concerns including sudden death in children taking drugs like Ritalin for ADD and ADHD. You will not beleive what the FDA response is to the study’s findings . They basically said ignore the finding’s and follow the doctor’s advice. Well wait a minute is not the FDA there to protect the public.? I mean talk about hyprocrisy. A month ago the FDA recalled a product called Hydroxycut because apparently one person died from taking it (rightly so). Anyone that has listened to me over the years know that i have been very hard on drugs like Ritalin because we had no studies showing long term side effects . The other problem is that ADD can be very well controlled by diet which of course is completely safe and nobody makes money on that

Story out today that the majority of people who get cancer try alternative therapies. No wonder when traditional treatment for cancer has not changed in the last 50 years which is the slash and burn technique. People are a whole lot smarter today and they do not look upon their physcians as god’s as they once used to. What people would really like is the best of both worlds . Meaning why not have traditional medicine and complimentary medicine come together (leave politics out of it) for the best of the patient . Makes sense to me. Since when does anybody have all the answers when it comes to cancer.
Unfortunately traditional medicine hates to be questioned and usually dismisses non traditional treatments for cancer as unscientific. Well tell me what is so scientific about the drug companies monopoly on cancer therapies that are hardly working.

Statistics Canada tells us that Canadians are starting to eat more fruits and vegetables especially berries. Now if we could get the majority of the population do buy into this type of healthy eating we would save literally billions of dollars a year on medical expenses. Friends we have no idea how powerful fruits and veggies are in terms of preventing disease. New study out recently that by consuming extra fruits & veggies can cut colon cancer risk by 25 % . We as individuals must take responsibility for our own health because our disease care system is broke and no amount of money is going to fix it anytime soon.

Another disappointing story in a long list of problems with the Canadian healthcare system.  i’m not going to get into the whole argument of socialized medicine vs. pay per use or insurance based healthcare.  Much smarter people than myself have given their opinions on the matter.  However, there is no doubt that even the biggest proponent of socialized medicine would have to admit that the current system needs an overhaul.  Many cities across canada have a single MRI unit that must service over a hundred thousand people.  This has led to a myriad of problems.  It is not uncommen for a person to have a significant knee injury and wait 2-5 months just to have the MRI.  Then, another 2-6 months just to see the specialist.  By the time all is said and done, 12-14 months have passed before the injury is even properly addressed.  Now, most likely that individual has had to take time off of work, or has significantly inconvienced his employer.  i can’t even speculate on the ripple effect the delayed in treatment has on the economy.

Now, as anybody with a bad hip will tell you, in most northern Canadian cities, you could wait up to 2 years just to get a new hip.  2 years!  last time i checked, we can’t walk without two properly functioning hips.  again, what cost does a 2 year wait for a hip replacement have on the economy.

i guess what i’m getting at is that we have to restore dignity to our healthcare system.  too ofen, an injured or sick person in canada is left waiting for care.  there is no dignity in that.

A new article in the Journal of Alzheimer’s disease says that vitamin D deficiency may be linked to alzheimers and vascular dementia.  Why again aren’t you taking Vitamin D?

These types of articles irritate me.  Is organic overrated?  Studies have shown that from a nutrition standpoint, you don’t get any extra vitamins from organic fruits or veggies.  BUT, that is not the point of organic.  You don’t eat organic food in order to get 5% more vitamin C from your fruits, you eat organic food because you don’t want to grow a third nipple from all of the chemicals used in the growing, packaging, shipping and displaying of the produce.

The news yesterday is that the flu shot does not offer any protection for the H1N1 virus (swine flu). No kidding, the flu shot rarely gives one added protection for even the ordinary flu. The best defense against any type of flu is probiotics, Vitamin D3, and oil of oregeno

While the media and public health officials continue to hype the swine flu, an new article by the Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports Magazine, says that there are still 98,000 people a year who die due to medical mistakes.  Are you kidding me!  98,0000 people!  my question is this.   Smoking kills 443, 000 people a year and each pack of cigarrettes comes with a big warning.  If medical mistakes cause almost 100,000 people a year to die prematuraly, then why aren’t there labels at the entrance of every hospital that says “Entering this building could be hazardous to your health”.  Of course, i’m just kidding.  But, why wouldn’t this story get the attention it deserves?  Why havent’ the top EU health officials banned non-essential visits to north american hospitals like they banned non-essential travel to the u.s. over swine flu fears.  Again, i’m kidding.  but, you get my point.  i find it strangely odd how so much attention can go to a virus that is less of a danger than the regular flu and yet a story about medical mistakes killing so many people goes unnoticed.