"House" shilling for NAMI

This is so wrong on so many levels....
~ NAMI is confusing reality with television. "House" is not a doctor, he just plays one on TV.
~ "House" is strongly individualistic; NAMI members are generally conformists.
~ If real NAMI members met a doctor as curmudgeonly as "House" - and a drug addict to boot - they would certainly not become allies.
Beyond boycotting the HOUSE tv actor, ignoring this silly campaign, or remembering "everybody lies", there is another possible response...

Get it here.



MINDFREEDOM's old files, NAMI WATCH, are archived here.

Need, not Greed: Canadian Federation of Nurses Calls for Pharmacare

From the Canadian Federation of Nurses' Statement:

Drugs now rank second after hospitals in terms of share of total health care spending,
having overtaken spending on physicians in 1997. The share of total spending going to
drugs rose from 9.5 percent in 1985 to 16.2 percent in 2002. Spending on drugs is expected
to hit 16.7 percent of total health care spending in 2004, while spending on physicians will
be just 12.9 percent.3

The rapid rise in drug costs is primarily due to the ongoing substitution of newer, more
expensive drugs in place of existing, less expensive products. The newer drugs, in the
majority of cases, have no added benefit. Of the 117 drugs with new ingredients introduced
in Canada between 1998 and 2002, only 15 provided a substantial improvement over
existing drugs.4 The rest are “me-too” drugs that offer little or no therapeutic advances over
existing therapies but are responsible for 80 percent of the increased expenditure on drugs.5

Aggressive advertising by drug companies drives consumption of these me-too drugs.6
Apart from advertising directly to consumers, drug companies spend approximately
$30,000 per year for every doctor in Canada on drug samples, sales rep contact,
conferences, trips and giveaways.7 The influence of pharmaceutical companies on research,
education and clinical practice has also been widely documented.8 Both patients and
doctors are influenced by the onslaught,9 with the result that drug costs are skyrocketing
but health outcomes are not necessarily improving.

Pdf here

Bipolar Disorder Caused by Antidepressants

In an essay appearing March 17 in The Lancet, Franco Benazzi, MD, PhD, writes about a common but poorly recognized form of bipolar disorder, called bipolar disorder II.
Because the disorder is so often misdiagnosed, patients are often wrongly treated with antidepressants alone, which can make the problem worse, the professor of psychiatry tells WebMD.

"These patients need to be on mood-stabilizing drugs, and if depression persists an antidepressant can be added," Benazzi says. "Treating these patients with antidepressants alone can actually increase the manic episodes and worsen the disorder."

Bipolar II caused by antidepressants

And more evidence from Am J Psychiatry 166:2, February 2009.
Pdf
Thanks to Philip Dawdy of Furious Seasons for releasing this information.

GABA for gentle attitude adjustment and more

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a natural calming agent. It is one of the brain’s most important regulators of proper function and neurotransmission. It appears that many people with anxiety, insomnia, epilepsy, and other brain disorders do not manufacture sufficient levels of GABA. While many drugs work by increasing the effects of GABA in the brain, they may have side effects, addictive properties, or may not be suitable for long-term use, whereas natural GABA is both safe and effective–without any known side effects.

Calm and Focused

Studies with synthetic GABA have shown that it does not cross the blood-brain barrier very well, leading to the assumption that GABA found in the brain was manufactured there and that supplemental GABA would not increase levels of GABA in the brain. That appears to be the case with synthetic GABA, but not with GABA naturally manufactured from Lactobacillus hilgardii.

Research has shown that GABA increases the production of alpha brain waves (a state often achieved by meditation, characterized by being relaxed with greater mental focus and mental alertness) and reduces beta waves (associated with nervousness, scattered thoughts, and hyperactivity).

In Japan GABA is a popular ingredient in functional foods, beverages, and dietary supplements designed to produce mental and physical relaxation without drowsiness. The most popular applications of GABA are found in chocolate and coffee beverages. It is particularly helpful in counteracting the effects of caffeine.

GABA is fast acting. Generally, the effects are felt within 15 minutes and can last from four to six hours.

Link

Read about Margot Kidder's return to wellness with GABA
here and here.

We ask, why take lithium and benzodiazepines if what the brain needs is GABA?

Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive

Part One of Twelve

Part Two of Twelve. Click through on the video for the rest of the series.

Mr. Fry's website is here.

Damaged By Pharma? Call Rules Committee Members Now!

Been Damaged By Pharma? Call Rules Committee Members Now!
ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION (AHRP)
Promoting Openness, Full Disclosure, and Accountability
http://www.ahrp.org and http://ahrp.blogspot.com


Call Members Of The Rules Committee Now!

FYI

Below, the National Whistleblower's Center is asking advocates to call members of the House Rules Committee asking them to vote for a National Whistleblower's Protection Law. [text below]

Absent from the legislative language developed by the Whistleblower's Center is inclusion of protection for citizens who are victimized by hazardous medical products. Hundreds of thousands of citizens suffer serious disabling harm--many are killed--by toxic prescription drugs and defective medical devices.

Whistleblower legislation cannot be blind to the suffering caused by corrupt practices by corporations and /or government officials.

Contact: Vera Hassner Sharav
212-595-8974
veracare@ahrp.org



From: "National Whistleblowers Center"
mw@whistleblowers.org
Date: January 27, 2009 1:12:30 PM EST
To: "Stephen Sheller" sasheller@sheller.com
Subject: Call Members Of The Rules Committee Now!
Reply-To: "National Whistleblowers Center" mw@whistleblowers.org

Dear Active Member,

Contact the Congressional Rules Committee to urge them to vote for federal whistleblower protection in the stimulus bill. It is critical that you call Rules Committee members now!

Below is a list of the Rules Committee members and their office phone numbers. Please call them now and tell them to vote for oversight and accountability today!

Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY) - (202) 225-3615

James P. Mc Govern (D-MA) - (202) 225-6101

Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) (202) 225-1313

Doris O. Masui (D-CA) (202) 225-7163

Dennis Cardoza (D-CA) (202) 225-6131

Michael Arcuri (D-NY) (202) 225-1891

Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) (202) 225-2645

Chellie Pingree (D-ME) (202) 225-6116

Jared Polis (D-CO) (202) 225-2161

David Dreier (D-CA) (202) 225-2305

Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) (202) 225-4211

Pete Sessions (R-TX) (202) 225-2231

Virginia Foxx (R-NC) (202) 225-2071

Thank you!

Stephen M. Kohn
President
National Whistleblowers Center

PETITION FOR A NATIONAL WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION ACT

WHEREAS, the adequate protection of employee whistleblowers is essential to ensure that the American people know about the misconduct of their elected officials;

WHEREAS, employee whistleblowers have saved the taxpayers billions of dollars;

WHEREAS reports made by employee whistleblowers exposed numerous failures in the "war on terror";

WHEREAS, employee whistleblowers serve the public interest by disclosing violations of law, fraud against investors and threats to the environment and public health and safety;

WHEREAS, there are currently no federal protections for employees who expose drug safety violations, election fraud, medical misconduct, food safety violations, pesticide abuses, consumer fraud and violations of numerous other laws designed to protect the American public;

WHEREAS, Congress has not enacted a comprehensive national whistleblower protection law akin to the national laws enacted to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, race, age, religion or disability;

BE IT RESOLVED, that the undersigned petitioners hereby call upon the Congress of the United States to pass a National Whistleblower Protection Act designed to prevent retaliation against employees who blow the whistle on violations of law and threats to the public health and safety;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that any National Whistleblower Protection Act provide whistleblowers with a level of protection that is at least equal to the protections currently afforded all employees under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (the law which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, or national origin), and the false claims act.


Related Links:
* FDA Protection Failure - Drug Safety Crisis
Vera Hassner Sharav, AHRP/Gardiner Harris, New York Times

Death Cures Smoking

Chantix, a smoking cessation drug, now carries serious warnings by the FDA. Chantix has been implicated in suicide, has been banned for pilot use by the FAA, and is now being sold by drug dealers as a recreational drug to teens.

UPDATE from May 2008: Some 800 Canadians are getting together to take action against Chantix, called Champix in that country. Link Thanks and a tip of the Mad Hatter's chapeau to Philip Dawdy at Furious Seasons.