Posted April 9, 2021
That year, the New York Court of Appeals established the right to informed consent to medical intervention in a case involving non-consensual surgery. Schloendorff v. Society of New York Hospital 105 N.E. 92, 93 N.Y. (1914) Justice Benjamin Cardozo articulated the court’s reasoning: “Every human being of adult years and sound mind has a right to determine what shall be done with his own body; and a surgeon who performs an operation without his patient’s consent commits an assault for which he is liable in damages.” Read more.
Get Informed on Issues Related to Drugs
Taking Bone Meds? They Increase Your Risk of this Type of Fracture
Posted April 9, 2021
Bisphosphonate drugs are a go-to treatment for osteoporosis, but they come with a significant risk of triggering an atypical femoral fracture, especially if you use them for more than five years. Their use is controversial, particularly because bone mineral density is not an accurate measure of bone strength and fracture risk. Read more.
FDA Considers Acid Blockers Warning
Posted March 26, 2021
The FDA is considering ANH’s petition to add a pneumonia warning on acid blocker medications. Let’s keep up the pressure to make sure it happens. Action Alert! Last year, ANH submitted a Citizens Petition to the FDA calling for the addition of a pneumonia warning on all proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medications. The FDA’s interim response letter can be reviewed here. It is good news that the FDA is considering the case put forth by the petition, but we must hold the agency’s feet to the fire to ensure they do the right thing. Read more.
What Really Causes Diabetes?
Posted March 26, 2021
A diabetes epidemic is ravaging our population, particularly communities of color, and we’re told it’s because of obesity and poor lifestyle choices. Here’s why that’s wrong. Action Alert! Diabetes affects more than 10 percent of the US population, while one-third of Americans are estimated to have pre-diabetes (which can lead to type 2 diabetes). The conventional wisdom is that an increase in obesity and poor diet choices are the main causes, but there is much more to the story. Current treatment options are expensive and dangerous, but federal rules prevent us from unleashing the power of natural medicine on this epidemic of diabetes. Read more.
Addiction Crisis Deepens
Posted March 19, 2021
We’re nearing a grim milestone in the drug addiction crisis. Will the feds let us use non-addictive natural medicines for pain? Action Alert! Drug overdoses could, for the first time, kill 100,000 Americans in a single year. The epidemic of drug and opioid addictions is reaching a fever pitch, but is largely overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more.
FDA Ensures Pharma Profits on COVID
Posted March 12, 2021
The agency trashes a cheap, off-patent drug for COVID-19, clearing the way for a new blockbuster drug. Action Alert! The FDA recently issued a statement warning patients not to use the drug ivermectin, an off-patent drug for river blindness, to treat COVID-19, despite substantial evidence of its efficacy. The very next day, Merck announced positive results from a clinical trial on a new drug called molnupiravir in eliminating the virus in infected patients. Read more.
Johnson & Johnson has paid $Billions in Criminal Settlements and Never Produced a Vaccine Before
Posted March 12, 2021
A review of J&J’s rap sheet over the past three decades presents a dire and contrary image that should lead us to question the company’s claims about its Covid-19 vaccine given the lucrative market the pandemic has created for the most aggressive medical corporations. Read more.
Big Pharma: Killer Profits…Dud Medicines
Posted March 6, 2021
A new Congressional report explains how Big Pharma earns billions of profits from often ineffective and unsafe and almost always super expensive drugs. Action Alert! The report, released by Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45), details the monopolistic practices of Big Pharma, finding that mergers in the industry destroy innovation and competition. The result? Few, if any, life-saving medications for diseases with few or no cures, but rather small tweaks to existing drugs to stave off generic competition to their “government-granted monopoly patents.” These are ideas ANH-USA has communicated for years. Read more.
Parkinson’s Disease
Posted March 6, 2021
L-dopa (levodopa) is a commonly prescribed treatment for Parkinson’s. The human body can and does make this substance. Vitamin C in high doses lets your body make, and use, L-dopa more efficiently, enabling your body to naturally and safely produce more of its end products, epinephrine and norepinephrine. These are what Parkinson’s patients are so low in, and why L-dopa medication is given. Increasing vitamin C can reasonably be expected to lower the necessary dose of the drug. Work closely with your doctor before making any changes in your medication. Read more.
Should Janet Woodcock lead FDA?
Posted March 4, 2021
On Jan. 20, the Biden administration named Dr. Janet Woodcock acting commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As The New York Times reported over the weekend, Woodcock is “one of two leading contenders” to lead the agency, but she faces “strong opposition.” Among those opposing Woodcock’s appointment as FDA commissioner is as a coalition of nonprofit advocacy groups who argue that Woodcock’s “inadequate” oversight of the FDA during the opioid crisis should disqualify her. Read more.
