Google Under Criminal Investigation Over Drug Ads: Report

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/13/google-drug-ad-investigation_n_861532.html

Earlier this week, Google revealed in a cryptic filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it was setting aside $500 million--equivalent to around one sixth of its revenue in the first quarter of 2011--to resolve a mysterious case with the Department of Justice.

Now, sources say that Google is nearing a settlement with regulators following a criminal investigation into allegations that the search giant profited from selling online ads to illegal pharmacies. These illicit pharmacies may violate U.S. law by peddling expired or counterfeit prescription medication, or selling medicine without a physician's prescription.

The $500 million Google may be required to pay would be unprecedented: According to the Wall Street Journal, "A payment of that size would be among the highest penalties paid by companies in disputes with the U.S. government."

Though Google has attempted to crack down on rogue pharmacies in the past--the company filed a suit against illegal prescription drug sellers last year and now requires pharmacies to receive accreditation before purchasing ads--people "familiar with the matter" said investigators are probing "the extent to which Google knowingly turned a blind eye to the alleged illicit activities of some of its advertisers—and how much executives knew," notes the Journal.

Google and the Department of Justice have declined to comment on the investigation. Google co-founder Sergey Brin dodged a question on the probe during Google's I/O conference.

"Luckily, since we changed roles a few months ago, I don't have to deal with filings, and the DOJ, the SEC or other acronyms," Brin said, according to the Journal.

The investigation could have far-reaching implications for Google's lucrative ad business.

We wonder if a lot of people who find their substance of choice is unavailable will be forced to go off their meds... that could be disastrous if done "cold turkey". But information on how to withdraw from psychotropic meds without doing yourself further harm is on this site. Check out our LINKS in the right-hand column - you will find info on halting antidepressants/SSRI's by Dr. David Healey and the excellent work by Dr. Heather Ashton on getting off Benzos - and other resources.

Charles Gant, MD - End Your Addiction Now

Dr. Charles Gant  writes,
"I specialize in molecular health and healing, especially as it supports psychospiritual growth and mental health recovery from problems such as AD/HD, autism, mood problems, addictions, food and carbohydrate compulsions and nicotine dependence.
Most people believe that their psychological well-being has little to do with the molecules in their body.  However, a rapidly growing body of scientific evidence has amassed suggesting that one’s molecular status is the most important factor in causing symptoms such as mood instability, substance and alcohol cravings and inattentiveness,and that it can be altered by 3 kinds of interventions: nutritional restoration, detoxification and hormonal balancing.
Like a weight lifter who takes vitamins and goes into the gym to pump iron, efforts directed at enhancing attentiveness and mindfulness is the "iron pumping" part of psychospiritual growth and mental health recovery.  A successful body builder must have both parts, good nutrition and exercise.  The same is true for psychospiritual growth and mental health recovery, because the brain is an organ just like the muscles.  Good nutrition, detoxification and hormonal balancing, along with mindfulness-directed exercises of the mind/brain get the best results."


Watch the video to learn about Dr. Gant's beliefs of the current status of addictions treatment and what really should be done to effectively overcome an addiction.





 About End Your Addiction Now -
Here is the write up from the publisher about the book:
"Whether it is to alcohol, drugs, smoking, or food, addiction is an overwhelming and destructive force that negatively impacts the lives of those in its grip. While there are programs galore that promise an end to these dependencies, the truth is, far too many “reformed” addicts fall right back into their old habits.
Why?
Because powerful biochemical factors override the psychological will to quit.
End Your Addiction Now is a unique book that not only explores the real cause of this recurring problem, but also offers a proven biochemical approach that can break addiction once and for all.
Written in easy-to-understand language, End Your Addiction Now is based upon the extensive research and medical practice of Dr. Charles Gant and other pioneers in the field of orthomolecular medicine. It both guides readers to physicians and facilities that support a biochemical approach to the treatment of substance-use disorders, and provides step-by-step directions for those who want to quit their addictions on their own.
At the heart of Dr. Gant’s approach is a unique “Quick-Start” program of nutritional supplements. After completing a questionnaire to determine which key brain chemical disruptions are causing their substance cravings, moods, and behaviors, readers are given a targeted list of nutritional supplements designed to jump-start their recovery–supplements that help reduce cravings within twenty-four to seventy-two hours.
The book then walks readers through a natural process of detoxification and additional biochemical testing to establish a complete biochemical profile.
Finally, it addresses the specific nutritional deficiencies that must be addressed for a full psychological and spiritual recovery."


Click on the link below to order from Amazon:
End Your Addiction Now: A Proven Nutritional Supplement Program That Can Set You Free


Download and read some of Dr. Gant's articles here - free
http://www.charlesgantmd.com/articles.html

London, Ontario - WOTCH

From the site:
"WOTCH Community Mental Health Services is dedicated to serving adults in South Western Ontario who live with serious mental illness. The skilled mental health professionals at WOTCH help clients achieve realistic goals and to live interdependently within the community.

With a history extending back to 1970, WOTCH (Western Ontario Therapeutic Community Hostel) is the lead agency in Middlesex County for mental health housing and is a strong component in the mental health support system in the areas of case management, community integration and life skills support, employment programs, treatment programs, clinical programs and women's mental health programs.

Approximately 120 employees provide service to more than 1,000 adult clients annually. WOTCH is a registered non-profit corporation and a registered charitable organization. WOTCH programs and services are governed by an independent Board of Trustees."

That's quite a lot of medico-social work jobs.

Here is the information on the site about what is offered at this program:

"Clinics and groups are offered to individuals as well as one-on-one assessments and interventions that include:

* Consultation Clinic with a psychiatrist
* Medical Clinic with a family physician
* Diabetes screening and self management program
* Free Foot care Clinics
* Collective Kitchen
* Nutrition Clinic"

We will enquire further as to the components of WOTCH "assessments" and the "nutrition clinic" to determine if they know about the 29 CAUSES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA.

Nutrition is the basis of good mental and physical health. "Nutrition Clinic"is last on this group's list, but Psychiatrist is first. We fear that clients in this program will be given drugs which merely substitute one problem for another - and necessitate yet another intervention, or morbidity and early mortality. See Anatomy of an Epidemic.

The staff have really nice clothes, though.

White Bird

Birds are symbols of the spirit,
and white birds represent the soul.

This video with the music of the Incredible String Band expresses the sorrow and loss of soul that can come from the use of drugs - and the joy of recovery. In two parts.

If you are an "accidental addict" looking for information about withdrawal from psychotropic medications, please see our links in the right hand column. And take comfort - the journey is not easy, but it is worth it!

Times Online: Hooked on Prescription Drugs

"...for many people I think the problem is that they were prescribed by a doctor in the first place. You feel terrible, and the doctor says you should take this drug to make you feel better. You do what the doctor says. The drug does this, and you can’t stop taking it because if you do you will feel terrible again. I don’t blame doctors — you can understand why their approach is to prescribe drugs to alleviate symptoms. Unfortunately, they don’t have the time or resources to get to the deep root of the problem."

Link

Such an addiction can happen to anyone. A "peace-and-love" folk singer, Stevie Nicks' lyrics created the vibe that helped propel '70s supergroup Fleetwood Mac to fame. Nicks speaks out on her addiction to Klonopin here
Video of Nicks' STREET ANGEL, a song about that addiction

Taking It Global Tackles Substance Abuse in Youth

"Substance abuse, also referred to as drug addiction, has been described as the continuous use of a harmful or potentially harmful substance for the purposes of sensory (i.e. your senses) or mood alteration that overtime may reinforce its permanent consumption (www.who.int). One of the factors most often associated with predicting one’s risk of future drug addiction is age. From childhood to young adulthood, people tend to be most susceptible to experimentation with drug use, however as we grow older, continued drug use begins to reflect future addiction. Yet even mild drug use can disrupt a young person’s life by negatively influencing their ability to relate with others (family, peers, etc.), maintain a sober composure over long periods of time, and it can even result in temporary memory loss depending on the type of drug and the length of use."

Link

And not all drugs people use that get them into trouble come from illicit sources.
from
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k7NSDUH/2k7results.cfm

BBC: Drug users turning to Diazepam

Story here

Vitamin C and Heroin, Cocaine, Crack, Meth Withdrawal

Tranquilizer Addiction Rampant in the UK: Daily Mail

"It's thought that between three and seven million Britons are affected, with antidepressants, tranquillisers, sleeping pills and pain-killers the main culprits.

A recent report by the United Nations' International Narcotics Control Board predicted that the scale of the problem of addiction to legal drugs will soon overtake addiction to banned substances.

Yet despite this, few patients receive any effective help - meanwhile, millions of pounds are spent helping those addicted to illegal drugs. In fact, the problem of prescription addiction has, for years, been ignored or denied by drug companies and successive governments."

Story here.

From Heroin to Methadone

Heroin used to be a big - and legal - seller for Bayer. Now a big moneymaker for Eli Lilly and other Pharma companies is Methadone.
However, Methadone is not needed if addicts are permitted to withdraw with Vitamin C.
Look at this introduction to the work of Dr. Alexander Schauss - pdf here - and learn about the Opium Wars here - and follow the money.

From the New York Times: Legal drugs cause more deaths than illegal ones.
No surprise....

The Roots of Authoritarianism in Psychiatry and Psychology

This is the image that Freud, a cocaine addict, hung above the famous couch where he dispensed "advice".



"In recounting the story of the Rat Man (“A Case of Obsessional Neurosis”, 1909), Freud digresses into that of another patient, a civil servant, who had many eccentricities. One was an obsession with cleanliness: he paid Freud in banknotes which had been ironed in order to get rid of bacteria. Another was his treatment of young girls. Among his friends he would play the role of a jolly uncle. In this role he would invite his friends’ daughters out for a day in the country and would contrive to miss the train so that he and the girl would have to spend the night in a hotel. Although he always arranged a separate room for the girl, he would come to her bed during the night and masturbate her with his fingers. Freud suggested that this was not a good idea on grounds of hygiene: “But aren’t you afraid of doing her some harm, fiddling about in her genitals with your dirty hand?”. To this remarkably mild objection – would such conduct have been acceptable with clean hands? – the civil servant responded by flying into a rage and declaring that his attentions had never done the girls any harm. He stormed out of Freud’s consulting room and never came back. The pattern that emerges, I suggest, is of extreme and excessive indulgence towards patriarchal authority and its abuse, and a lack of sympathy with the women and children who were, and evidently still are, its victims."
The rest of the article is here


Ritalin (an Amphetamine) and Cocaine are chemically almost identical. So Freud was a speed freak....something to think about next time you or your child are offered medication.

Nutrition for Heroin Withdrawal

Video: Sister Morphine, by Marianne Faithfull - one of the most famous survivors of heroin addiction.

Listen to Alexander Schauss explain how withdrawal from heroin without cold turkey can be done - using Vitamin C Poor nutrition may underlie many addictions. Correcting nutrition may halt many addictions.

This report (pdf) exposes the UK's drug rewards program for addicts. It doesn't make sense to give more drugs (meds) to those who get off drugs... unless someone is making a lot of money from it.

Please help get this information out to the people who need it.