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S.A.R.S. Simply Another
Ridiculous Scam
LESSONS LEARNED
By Mary Starrett
September 11, 2004
NewsWithViews.com
ABC News anchor Peter Jennings started Tuesday night's (9/7/04) update story on former president Bill Clinton's heart bypass surgery with those words. Jennings mentioned at the top of the story that Clinton had "stopped taking his cholesterol-lowering medication". The anchor then suggested that Americans take note; they too, could find themselves undergoing the same drastic procedure as Clinton if they a) don't change their diets and start exercising and b) even thought about quitting their daily dose of cholesterol lowering medication.
Like the well-oiled machine that it is the media-en masse- have been using the Clinton quadruple bypass to preach the completely fallacious message that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs are necessary to avoid heart attack and stroke. That is a message the drug companies and their co-opted lap dog media sock puppets have managed to drive home very effectively over the last few years. The problem is not only don't the drugs reduce the incidence of heart attack and stroke, but they cause serious side effects. [1]
Right on cue the television networks and print media sprang into action to use the Clinton surgery as a chance to offer some value-added advertising to an industry which is becoming a bigger and bigger revenue source for them each year. Coverage over the past few days has invariably included video of the bottles of a variety of statin drugs. Names like LIPITOR, ZOCOR and PREVACHOL flashed before the viewer's eyes with strong messages about the dangers of discontinuing the drugs or worse, not even getting on them to begin with. Jennings' story included several sound bites from medical professionals who gave short shrift to the side effects and instead played up the dire necessity of taking these drugs. What the mainstream media are leaving out of these infomercials-masquerading-as-news-stories is that fully half of all heart attacks and strokes have nothing at all whatsoever to do with elevated cholesterol. So, that means, as many people who have lower cholesterol readings die from heart attacks as those with elevated levels. In a smoothly choreographed effort, you, the consumer have been convinced there is a connection between high cholesterol and heart attack. And, as I'm fond of saying, the reason is found simply by following the money. Last spring the federal government in concert with the drug companies hyped a "new study" that supposedly showed even MORE people should take the drugs. What you will hear very little about (in these studies funded by drug companies) is the severe danger associated with statin drugs. Statin Baycol was pulled reluctantly from the market after people DIED from taking it. "Ooops" says Bayer as they settle million dollar lawsuits by the dozen.
Here's what your doctor, the media and those slick commercials won't mention about statin drugs:
The carry an increased risk of cancer, they can destroy muscle tissue and cause liver damage. [2] Millions of people have fallen for the lie correlating dietary cholesterol, atherosclerosis and heart attack/stroke prevention through cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Not ones to shy away from capitalizing on trauma and tragedy, the drug companies have managed to convince Americans another health concern can be remedied by drugs. A frightening increase in the number of suicides in the last few years has little to do with more people being "depressed" and everything to do with what antidepressants do to brain chemistry. 30,000 people end it all each year in this country. There are more suicides than homicides and suicide is the third leading cause of death. To say antidepressant use "causes" suicide and attempted suicide is not overstatement.[3] Read a package insert on one of these SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors). Potential side effects INCLUDE depression. Recently the FDA asked the makers of 10 of these drugs to add suicide warnings to their labels. (Read about what these drugs can do by visiting websites such as www. breggin.com and www. worstpills.org. to give you an idea of the potentially disastrous side effects.) One drug, Lexapro, (Celexa) lists side effects such as "panic, auditory hallucinations, suicide attempts" and amazingly "depression".[4] No wonder those who take this stuff want out.
The use of antidepressants by children has risen by 10% a year for the last five years. The percentage of girls on antidepressants doubled from 1998-2002. Use among pre-school boys increased by 64%. According to Express Scripts, a pharmacy benefit company, there has been an increase in antidepressant use among the 18 and under set by 50%. The school counselors, TV and print ads and family docs who push these chemically-lobotomizing drugs have been successful- successful in killing our kids.
I encourage you to keep track, as I've come to, of the incidence of suicides, violent acting out and murders. Watch the news for bizarre events and then look deeper to see if the person who killed himself or others had ever taken psychiatric drugs. 99.9 % of the time they had. I also encourage you to read package inserts, do the background on these drugs and then ask yourself if it's a coincidence that these drugs are a factor so much of the time.
Oregon Senator Gordon Smith buried his 22 year old son Garrett after the boy committed suicide a year ago today. (the boy was "depressed" but not suicidal until the introduction of antidepressants) Now the senator assuages his grief (and perhaps guilt) by pushing for something called a "suicide prevention" bill in Congress. Authorizing $82 million, this piece of legislation would get both the state and federal governments involved in 'suicide prevention plans'.
Translated, that means more money for the drug companies and more kids on deadly drugs and as sure as night follows day that will mean more dead kids. There's a more sweeping plan pending in Congress to require insurers to cover "mental illness". This "parity" will mean higher insurance costs, more people encouraged to take dangerous drugs and an out of control mandate to cover everything from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) to SAD (social anxiety disorder) to jet lag. And all of these "disorders" are typically treated with DRUGS!
The drug companies love this, the psychiatrists love this and you can only surmise the funeral directors do, too.
NOTE: Do not discontinue the use of any psychiatric drug without proper supervision. (Most medical doctors are not qualified to supervise this process) It is extremely dangerous to attempt withdrawal without a medical professional experienced in detoxifying your body and mind) Often, suicides occur AFTER the drugs have been stopped.
Footnotes:
1
Russell Blaylock, M.D./ The Blaylock Wellness Report also Bill Sardi,
www.askbillsardi.com
2
Ibid
3
Peter Breggin, M.D./ "Your Drug May Be Your Problem"
4
Forest Pharmaceuticals
� 2004 Mary Starrett - All Rights Reserved
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Mary Starrett was on television for 21 years as a news anchor, morning talk show host and medical reporter. For the last 5 years she hosted a radio program. Mary is a frequent guest on radio talk shows. E-Mail M123STAR@aol.com�
Millions of people have fallen for the lie correlating dietary cholesterol, atherosclerosis and heart attack/stroke prevention through cholesterol-lowering drugs.
