Forgive me if this has been posted...
I've always been interested in the conspiracy surrounding the FDA. With all the 'side effects' of prescripion drugs, it seems that for many people, the drugs keep on piling up to cancel each other out. (My dad is on 12 right now.) I've always wondered if they have cures for cancer and AIDS and the like but are holding them back, because it's more profitable to keep America on drugs than to give them a cure. What do you think?

Forgive me if this has been posted...
I've always been interested in the conspiracy surrounding the FDA. With all the 'side effects' of prescripion drugs, it seems that for many people, the drugs keep on piling up to cancel each other out. (My dad is on 12 right now.) I've always wondered if they have cures for cancer and AIDS and the like but are holding them back, because it's more profitable to keep America on drugs than to give them a cure. What do you think?

You didn't state this explicity, but you are assuming that pharma companies are fronts for FDA activity? or that the FDA otherwise controls them?

Which one is the FDA again (non-American)? There is FDA and USDA....which one is which?

FDA = food and drug administration

prescription medications..as well as otc, are meant to treat the symptom..not the cause..
to my knowledge, when your sick its because something in your body is out of balance (no **** sherlock..excuse my sad attempt at humor) and treating the symptoms of illness with harmful medications often only leads to making the problem worse..
so yes, i think the whole point of medications is to keep us sick..so that we have to continue going back to the doctor..getting a prescription..and more medication...its a nonstop cycle..
..
i believe that when your sick you need to find out the cause/reason yourself and treat it accordingly...not with medications..but natural supplements, vitamins..and nutrients that your body needs to thrive and maintain its health.
..
the mothers boyfriend, whos a carpenter...was working on a house for some guy who had been battling cancer for two years..
he had been on various medications and chemotherapy..etc..in attempt to kill the cancer, and keep it away...none of which worked..after doing this for two years, the doctors gave him another year to live..as none of the 'normal' medical treatments worked..
the mothers boyfriend suggested to him that he pick up some amino acid supplements..as well as a book on treatment of cancer with vitamins and amino acids...which he did..
he took the listed supplements and in a matter of a few months..the cancer was gone..
..
i think that if we actually take the time to inform ourselves of why our body is 'malfunctioning' so to speak...and stop thinking that we need to rely on traditional medicine for the good of our health...i think wed all be alot better off..





im sawry if my post is a bit jumbled and random...ive had too much caffeine..:drool:

silverundertone: Great post. Bravo.

mommyof1: Conspiracy theories are often scoffed at. Many wrongly I believe. Some probably not so wrongly. You may like to read this article

http://superspychick.com/topsecret/files/00000061.html

I was a bit suspicious of some of the things spoken about, but after having checked and double-checked and triple-checked on other web-sites, it seems that there is little here that can be disputed.

If it can be true for aspartame, one can imagine there's a lot of horrible things going on out there. Medicine saves sometimes. Most times it is a killer.

Another interesting article: http://www.intheagora.com/archives/2005/06/i_dont_mean_for.html

Here in Europe, homeopathy is very popular. It is safe and it cures even serious illnesses. But the pharmaceutical companies fight it like crazy. They will not win though, because the "people" are slowly becoming convinced of its validity. Thank god.

You didn't state this explicity, but you are assuming that pharma companies are fronts for FDA activity? or that the FDA otherwise controls them?

I've thought that maybe they are together... Like a team. I think the drug companies are greedy and evil, and I also think the FDA knows a lot more than it claims to. I forgot to mention in my first post that I think the government covers a lot of stuff up too. My BIL was in the Navy for some years, and during that time he knew a guy, also in the Navy, that had tested HIV positive. That guy came back from some routine tests and told my BIL he was now HIV negative, after he recieved a shot. I dunno. The guy could have been lying, but... who knows.

Oh, also, I've read somewhere that the FDA has strictly regulated manufacturers of supplements, herbs, etc. because those things can often cure diseases and condtions. I've heard that they come in to those factories with their guns and force them to shut it down. So, now the FDA makes the companies still out there put "This vitamin/mineral/supplement is not intedned to treat/cure any disease" on their labels.

Oh, also, I've read somewhere that the FDA has strictly regulated manufacturers of supplements, herbs, etc. because those things can often cure diseases and condtions. I've heard that they come in to those factories with their guns and force them to shut it down. So, now the FDA makes the companies still out there put "This vitamin/mineral/supplement is not intedned to treat/cure any disease" on their labels.

The FDA makes manufacturers of herbal supplements state that their product is not intended to diagnose treat or prevent any disease, but they are still mainly free to make any unfounded claim they wish on the packaging.

Ephedra was briefly outlawed, but it does kill people.

My BIL was in the Navy for some years, and during that time he knew a guy, also in the Navy, that had tested HIV positive. That guy came back from some routine tests and told my BIL he was now HIV negative, after he recieved a shot. I dunno. The guy could have been lying, but... who knows.

There is no cure for HIV nor any virus. They evolve too quickly.

There is no cure for HIV nor any virus. They evolve too quickly.

Not that we know of, but like I said who knows?

Here in Europe, homeopathy is very popular. It is safe and it cures even serious illnesses. But the pharmaceutical companies fight it like crazy. They will not win though, because the "people" are slowly becoming convinced of its validity. Thank god.

I am a great fan of homeopathy. Our child has been followed by a homeopathic pediatrician (a regular ped with a specialization in homeopathy) since she was born and I'm very happy with it. I do use 'regular' drugs sometimes when we need fast results but have had spectacular results with alternative medicine (including Bach flower remedies) as well.

But... in Belgium, unfortunately, the mainstream system is about to have another breakthrough. Our current minister of public health is planning to ban regular docs practising homeopathy from the regular medical circuit. This means visits to this type of doctor (including our pediatrician) will no longer be covered by our insurance. A huge step backwards, if you ask me...

As for the conspiration thing, yeah, I believe there is some of that. Absolutely. I agree about treating causes, not symptoms. But you have to be cautious. In acute, life-threatening situations, regular medication may be the only way to save a life. The holistic treatment can always be given later, to avoid recurrences. It is dangerous to generalize or reason in black/white terms where medical intervention is concerned.

Just my .02.

The FDA makes manufacturers of herbal supplements state that their product is not intended to diagnose treat or prevent any disease, but they are still mainly free to make any unfounded claim they wish on the packaging.

Ephedra was briefly outlawed, but it does kill people.

Right, but I think that in a lot of cases, vitamins, minerals and herbs can treat certain things. The fact that they don't every time shouldn't mean that they have to put that on their labels, and doesn't mean that their statements are 'unfounded.' The non-natural prescription drugs that the FDA approves don't always treat/cure or prevent diseases, and often makes them worse/stalled or prolonged. And they kill people too. A ton of natural things could kill you. If done in moderation, they may be helpful. But the FDA has the say wether or not they get sold, and I think they are flawed in that aspect.

In acute, life-threatening situations, regular medication may be the only way to save a life. The holistic treatment can always be given later, to avoid recurrences. It is dangerous to generalize or reason in black/white terms where medical intervention is concerned.



I agree with that to an extent. Like if you're in a trauma-type situation... But cancer and things like that are life threatening, and sometimes 'their' meds don't do what they claim to do.

I really don't believe in miracle stories about alternative cancer cures, sorry. They are far too sporadic to constitute proof. I am a big believer in alternative medicine but there are limits. I tend to think that very often, the best cure for cancer (same goes for AIDS) is prevention. We may not have control over every environmental or genetic factor, but there's a lot we can do to eliminate at least part of the risks.

I do believe that diet and supplements can speed healing, but I would never risk entirely passing by the classic treatment if I got cancer. However, that is just me. People should decide this stuff for themselves.

By the way. My kid got pneumonia when she was 14 months old and she was hospitalized and put on IV antibiotics and I was very thankful for that. The pneumonia was not immediately diagnosed and she'd been carrying it around for over a week and was wasting really fast. I don't think any homeopathic drug could have saved her that quickly at this stage. So I am trying to keep a middle-of-the-road attitude. Every case is individual. That's all I am trying to say. We did two courses of basic homeopathy to get her back into balance after this and she did get bronchitis a few times in later years, but it never turned into pneumonia again.

Oh and something else, not related to homeopathy directly. Another minister of public health we had a few years ago (I swear we seem to have a collection !) was at one stage (after a fatal incident with Chinese herbs) about to regulate the use of all herbal remedies. Including kitchen herbs. I swear !!! I mean, people would have been banned from growing parsley in their garden for instance (it has medicinal properties ! imagine !).

I agree the chemical/drug manufacturers lobby is way too influential.

Here's my conspiracy theroy.Actuall 2 I guess.
Yes I do believe the drug companies and the FDA are in bed with each other. The medical journals write on clinical trials as if they were done with out any cheating. But its the pharmaceutical companies that are funding the trials.

So between the chemical companies (monsanto, dupont) and the drug companies neither the FDA or the USDA are reliable sources of information.

My theroy,,,Monsanto makes GMO crops...We all eat the mutated food and wonder why we keep getting sicker and sicker. So you go to the doctor (who by the way may have been asked for his time, at inflated rates, by investment firms what their take is on a new drug.) he prescribes a drug. Never mind tellling the patient to change their diet (no profit in that) So now you take this drug and continue to eat the contaminated foods (herbicides, pesticides, GMO's, trans fats, etc) So you continue to take drug and then more drugs and so on and so on. Until you die.
d

I really don't believe in miracle stories about alternative cancer cures, sorry.

I didn't say I did. :)

Right, but I think that in a lot of cases, vitamins, minerals and herbs can treat certain things. The fact that they don't every time shouldn't mean that they have to put that on their labels, and doesn't mean that their statements are 'unfounded.' The non-natural prescription drugs that the FDA approves don't always treat/cure or prevent diseases, and often makes them worse/stalled or prolonged. And they kill people too. A ton of natural things could kill you. If done in moderation, they may be helpful. But the FDA has the say wether or not they get sold, and I think they are flawed in that aspect.

There are very few examples of the FDA preventing a natural substance from being sold, there are probably more examples of other governmental agencies doing this. Ephedra is one I can think of, there aren't that many.

Merck lost millions of dollars when Vioxx was shelved, this is hard to explain if the FDA and Merck are working together.

Not that we know of, but like I said who knows?

I am confident that there is no cure for any virus.

Herbs, and any "home remedy" types of things are fine... but just because they're natural doens't mean that in itself they're superior to other things.

Unless something's changed that I don't know about... most drugs for colds, illnesses, cancer (not chemo/radiation, just the pain meds), etc are to cover up the effects of the actual illness - so that you can "live" better during the time.

There's no real way to say "this herb prevents ____" until all factors are identical (or as close as possible) for all people. For example... say an indian tribe in the amazon doesn't get cancer. You could say it's their diet. But do they have oil refineries within distance, cars, semitrucks, and/or trains driving through the forest on an interstate. Are there planes flying overhead constantly within "landing approach" heights? It might not be the diet or herb that "cures" the disease, but just the lack of disease causing agents, or at least not as many.

But what if you believe that herbs are better than any prescription pill around. You take the prescription, and it does nothing, but take the herb, and all's well. Not even this means the herb did anything. It just means that you believe that it did. Back in college, and years before that, and I'm sure years from now also, placebo drugs can have the same "healing" effect as the real thing. Even in cases where the real drug cures a disease or stops pain, there are some who have benefits from the placebo, if not the same effects.

There's a doctor in town that at one time would have a placebo that he'd give his patients to "see if it worked" first, and it did for many of them.

But with the FDA... there's a few catches. Let's say there a drug that has few known side effects, but can cure something.

FDA releases it
1) no side effects for 10-20 years - FDA did a great job!
2) other side effects appear or deaths - FDA should've done more testing

FDA doens't release it
1) how dare they keep something that can help us now, we'll live with the side effects
2) tested, and no other side effects made -- they're just too cautious, think of all those that suffered because of the wait
3) other side effects found that make it unsafe -- no one realizes that the drug was out there, other than the companies, doctors, and medical journals (but the FDA did their job)

They're in a business of no matter what they do, they'll be blamed. Either for rushing through their work, or being too cautious.


But like for side effects... Anything that you stick in your body can cause side effects. Herbs can cause them, dairy, meat, chemicals, dyes.... My mom turns red if she has pills that have red coloring in them (yet the companies still release pills with it, knowing it's a fairly common allergy).

If you want a company/organization/govt to release only things that have no side effects. It's not possible. It's more of a "lesser of two evils" thing, even though both are evil...

If you could take something that causes you to run to the bathroom (for one reason or another), or you could not take it, and die of an infection.

You could take something that causes temporary rash, or, you could have an operation without pain medication.


But even in the fine print, or just anymore assumed, just because a drug's designed to do something, doesn't mean it'll work for all people. People even need different doses of medications to have the same effect. There are medications out there, that'd fix someone's breathing so that they feel great while on it - but the side effects are too great for it to be prescribed for more than a short while (diabetes, liver/kidney problems [possibly requiring a transplant] & cataracts), but for some that won't live more than a year (assuming they could breathe), but would live for weeks without the medication, can live for months with it -- with being able to breathe unlike if they didn't take it.

http://www.compleatsteve.com/essays/side_effects.htm

As someone who works routinely with the FDA, I can say that they are guilty of a lot of things - but conspiring to keep us sick is not one of them.

Come on guys, there are WAY better conspiracies going on out there right now, we don't need to dig, not during this administration ;)

FDA doens't release it
1) how dare they keep something that can help us now, we'll live with the side effects
2) tested, and no other side effects made -- they're just too cautious, think of all those that suffered because of the wait
3) other side effects found that make it unsafe -- no one realizes that the drug was out there, other than the companies, doctors, and medical journals (but the FDA did their job)



Can you give an example of this happening?

It's pretty safe to say the FDA is corrupt...but implying that it's little more than a pseudoscientific front for the drug manufacturers is naive as all get-out. The entire reason we have an FDA was to protect consumers from the dangerous practices of the prepared food and drug manufacturers of the early twentieth century, who had very few restrictions on what they could do with their products. Were it not for the FDA, labels would never have been required to list all the ingredients in products. Formaldehyde would still be allowed as a food preservative (which it once was).

The drug companies want to keep us sick, and to distract us from alternate therapies like homeopathy. That I can agree with. The FDA and related agencies are simply powerless to do their jobs (as originally defined). They're not the cause of the problem. So what's the solution? Beats me.