Snippets

By Melanie Segala - Executive Editor	Friday, September 11th - Issue #194
What Big Pharma Can Learn from Steve Martin Years ago on SNL, Steve Martin did a bit on a new drug he was taking called Pla-cee-bo.  “It’s fantastic!” he said. “Everybody should be taking it!”  In 2003, Merck introduced a new drug called MK-869. It was designed to tinker with the nervous system to provide a feel-good effect.  In early trials the drug seemed to work great.  Company executives and investors were thrilled. Then phase II testing was started.  The drug was tested against a control group taking only placebo.  And that’s when things fell apart.  Again, many test subjects taking MK-869 group reported reductions in anxiety.  But nearly the same number of people in the placebo group had the same positive response.   Further testing confirmed there was no difference between the experimental drug and a placebo.  MK-869 was shelved. The case of MK-869 is far from unique.  In recent years, more drugs than ever before are being pulled from clinical trials because they can’t outperform placebos.  Even billion-dollar money makers like Prozac are failing the test. Here’s where it gets interesting. Drug developers are now saying that it’s not that the meds are getting weaker, it’s that the placebo effect is getting stronger!  Why this is happening, they can’t say. But they are spending millions of dollars to try to prove their ridiculous theory. There are two lessons to be drawn from this: Big Pharma is not interested in the effectiveness of its drugs.  It’s interested in their profit potential. Placebos do work. Countless studies confirm it. They trigger the brain to release the body’s own curative effects.  This is why it is so important to treat illness holistically – with a mind body approach. Doctors and other research scientists have been trained to believe that natural remedies don’t work. But nature tells us over and over again that they do. Trust your body first.   The real cause of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer has been kept "hidden" by the mainstream media. But the truth will soon be out.   But why wait? Dr. Dwight Lundell, one of the nation’s most respected cardiac surgeons, has just published a book that pulls the covers off this long-standing conspiracy. He has identified the one common cause of all three of these mega-diseases. And he has a program to prevent them – a safe and effective program that he’s used successfully in his practice.  In Dr. Lundell's words: "The changes my patients experienced on this program were as dramatic as open heart surgery. Only these changes were forever, as opposed to surgery’s temporary fix.   And they were very inexpensive."  Get all the details about this life-changing program here. Click here now.  The Wonder Vitamin Speaking of how hoodwinked the medical establishment and media are, there is more news about the disease-fighting power of natural supplements. .  Researchers have now found that the B vitamin, folic acid, is one of the best things you can take for your heart and arteries. The recently published study showed that folic acid significantly reduced blood pressure and improved blood flow to the legs.  Decreased blood flow occurs when the arteries become clogged with fatty deposits.  Test subjects were given 400 mcg per day and improvements were seen in only 16 weeks. In previous studies, folic acid has been shown to reduce levels of the amino acid, homocysteine.  At elevated levels, homocysteine is a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.  While there are a few good natural sources of folic acid like cow’s liver, spinach and black-eyed peas, it’s difficult to get the amount you need from food only.  S A good quality supplement is your best bet to keep your heart and arteries healthy. Tough Love Is Good Medicine Eating toxic foods every day will sap your energy and eventually kill you. Associating with toxic people will have the same effect on your emotional well being. That’s the thesis of Dr. Tim Reynolds, who has written a thought-provoking article on this subject in this week’s THB.  “Having toxic people in your life will deplete you of energy, fill you with doubts and damn you to a life of unfulfilled dreams.” Dr. Reynolds has got a program for identifying the poison people in your life, getting rid of them and replacing them with great people who will help you realize your dreams.   You can read it by clicking here.  Power to the Children We’ve all seen the skyrocketing rates of childhood obesity in recent years.  While there are many theories on the cause, there haven’t been many solutions.  The numbers keep going up… and up.  But now researchers have stumbled upon what may be simple a simple way to get kids to eat what’s good for them. Researchers from Baylor University studied two groups of obese and overweight Mexican-American children between the ages of 10 and 14.  One group was told to read food labels and keep track of all the foods they ate.  The control group did not have any nutrition intervention. At the end of the two-year study, the group that read labels and kept track of the foods they ate showed significant weight loss compared to the control group.  They also lowered their cholesterol and improved their body mass index.  Pretty impressive I think.  When I read this story, I was reminded of something the cooking guru, Jacques Pepin said on his show several years ago.  When he made broccoli for his young daughter, she wouldn’t eat it.  But when he let her make it herself, she would eat it all and enjoy it. Perhaps the solution to the obesity problem is empowering children to be responsible and make healthy food choices for themselves.  After all, the best boss is you, even if you’re a kid. Does your boss make you cringe? Do you try and hide when you hear your boss coming? Do you dread your weekly, or daily, meetings? The daily grind is for people who don't know how easy it is to be free. Waking up whenever you want to… working on whatever you want to work on. This is the real dream… the freedom to be and do what you really want.

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