Hilary's Desk

Part One: Words from Memory Lane.  

Part Two: Who controls the rhetoric? 

Part Three: The name of the game. 

When it comes to this article "Worried Sick", here’s the amazing thing.  “Nocebo” is treated as if it’s some white rabbit, just pulled out of the magician’s hat in the last five years. They say, “We’re in such a primitive state of understanding this phenomenon, particularly in a clinically oriented way, that we just need to do more research.”

This statement is a load of rubbish.  Continue Reading

Part One: Words from Memory Lane. 

Part Two: Who controls the rhetoric? 

The Scientist’s article “Worried Sick” confirms that nocebo and placebo are a primary drivers in medical practice, by their statement: “In places like primary care, people are swimming in placebo and nocebo effects.”

Placebo is defined as: “a usually pharmacologically inert preparation prescribed more for the mental relief of the patient than for its actual effect on a disorder”

A placebo could also be defined as “There there Dearie, you’ll be fine. This is simple to fix….” Continue Reading

Last week, The Scientist came out with an article by Megan Scudellari, called “Worried Sick” with the subtitle, “Expectations can make you ill. Fear can make you fragile. Understanding the nocebo effect may help prevent this painful phenomenon.”

This article from the Scientist, will form the basis of a blog series, so before you read further in this blog, please read The Scientist article.  The fundamental concepts lay out a framework which will radically alter medical research and has the potential to completely mess with a person’s ability to know what the doctor means by the words they say, or even what they are thinking. And as you read this, remember the saying that “He who holds the Gold, makes the rules.”  Continue Reading

The Supreme Court in USA, in a case called Mutual Pharmaceutical v. Bartlett, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-142. has just ruled that drug companies are now exempt from lawsuits  even when the adverse reaction (toxic epidermal necrolysis)  was one of several hidden by the drug makers, and later forced to be included on all warning labels.

As this blog says, the Supreme Court “cited the fact that all generic drugs and their manufacturers, some 80% of all drugs consumed in the United States, are exempt from liability for side effects, mislabeling or virtually any other negative reactions caused by their drugs,” and “that the FDA has ultimate authority over pharmaceuticals in the US. And if the FDA says a drug is safe, that takes precedent over actual facts….”

The court ruled “that the original inventors and manufacturers of pharmaceutical drugs, also known as ‘name brand’ drugs, are the only ones that can be sued for mislabeling, fraud or adverse drug reactions and side effects. If the generic versions of the drugs are made from the exact same formula and labeled with the exact same warnings as their brand name counterparts, the generics and their manufacturers were not liable.”

As the blog said, “Immediately upon the Supreme Court’s ruling, both drug manufacturers and Wall Street investors were celebrating. As one financial analyst pointed out, drug company profits should skyrocket going forward. Not only do the pharmaceutical companies no longer have to worry about safety or side effects, they are exempt from the multi-million dollar court-imposed settlements awarded to victims of their drugs.”

Remember this, the next time your doctor wants to give you a cheap generic.

Read the Reuter’s news item on this topic which amongst other things said:

"The generic industry dodged a bullet on this one," BMO's Maris said. "Had it gone against them it would have put a big cloud over the industry."

(BMO stands for Banque d’Montreal, which is a huge conglomerate industry with fingers in more pies than you can imagine…)

And even more important, remember THIS: If the companies don’t care about you, (even though they murmur platitudinous words to the contrary….,) and neither does FDA, ....  shouldn’t you be looking at other ways to fix “shoulder pain” -  or whatever the problem is that you have, instead of slapping a “band-aid” on, to simply suppress the symptoms accompanying a problem?  

Shouldn’t you be asking yourself, why it is, you would WANT to even take any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory? Particularly the drug this girl took, sulindac, which has been known since 2003, to carry a high risk of liver damage? Sulindac causes decreased kidney filtration with transient and permanent kidney problems  If you read the left column of this book page, you will see it causes proteinuria.  All red flags for anyone who thinks.

So why is it that people and doctors, reach first for a toxic drug like sulindac just for shoulder pain?  

And there is one more issue here: Sulindac, is the generic version of Merck & Co Inc's Clinoril, and we all know about the ways and means that Merck has, of weaselling out of drug and vaccine reactions!  Make no mistake… Merck took more than a passing interest in the outcome of THIS drug, since according to the extract above it is implied that Merck is really the one who should have been slapped with this court case, since apparently, they were the ones to first hide the nasty outcome data.

So why is anyone surprised that the Supreme court has yet again, conspired to protect Merck et al? The huge and varied vested interests know how to pull all the strings of protection: to manipulate and hide data, twist motives and the interpretation of “legal safeguards” so that the “justice system” covers their butt for them. Continue Reading

It's 32 years ago, since I started out researching medical history, obstetrics, drugs, vaccines and pretty much everything pertaining to keeping the family's health intact... in spite of the medical profession.

Back in 1984, when I started helping parents, whose children reacted seriously after vaccines, these are the words they said, every time, like a mindless monotone recording.

"But they never TOLD me this could happen!!! No-one gave me any information at all! I had no idea (tears) and if I had known,  I wouldn't have let them give that vaccine". Continue Reading

The news that CSL refuses to take responsibility for flu vaccines which cause seizures in Saba Button, an Australian child, should toll the bell and wake a few people up.  Look at CSL's reasoning:

“In a defence filed in court last week, CSL lawyer Belinda Thompson claimed Saba had two other shots, Neisvac and Priorix, on the same day and alleged they may have caused febrile convulsions and fever.

Ms Thompson said CSL was not required to do pre-marketing clinical studies for seasonal flu vaccines. She said her client was not told of at least 90 other children presented to Princess Margaret Hospital with adverse reactions - 19 of which involved seizures or convulsions - after receiving Fluvax between March 18 and April 15.”

HERE we have exactly the problem which has been pointed out ad nauseum before…. When three different vaccines are given together, how do you sort out what did what? Is anyone really surprised that CSL is screaming “This other company’s vaccine, or that other company’s vaccine could have done it. It’s their fault, not ours!” Pass the buckoh!!!  Continue Reading

The UK medical profession says that the one and only death from measles was caused by the fact that this 25 year old man didn’t have the MMR vaccine as a child.

Right at the bottom of the Daily Mail article we are told that this man died of Giant Cell Pneumonia, which was never diagnosed..

What is Giant Cell Pneumonia? It's also known as Heckt's Pneumonia, and it's where huge cells line the lung alveoli. It requires specific medical treatment.  Continue Reading

But not the "actual flu" mind you. The one that everyone thinks is the flu when it's not the flu. Now, let's be precise. The Herald yesterday had this bizarre piece  (pdf) which treads new ground.

For once, we are told a bit of truth. Very selective truth. Continue Reading

On 4th June, 2013, a notice appeared on Christchurch's Sydenham Rugby website:  The “Limited” spelled Limted, is the rugby club’s mistake, not mine (pdf) : Continue Reading

On Monday, Jamie Morton, who calls himself a science reporter, penned an article called, “Your winter flu will count this year”.  Jamie Morton’s twitter account, described himself as a, “Scribbler at NZ Herald. Enjoys irrelevant music and coffeehousing. Dislikes Nazis and any concept of a NZ celebrity culture. Views are his own.” Quite what qualifies him as being “scientific” is inscrutable, but at least he doesn’t describe himself, as an “investigative science journalist”, for if he had, I would have choked.  Continue Reading