A staggering 1.37 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in calendar 2005. That statistic was taken straight from the American Cancer Society's own reports. Given the crushing impact of cancer on public health, coupled with the ineffectiveness of measures like chemotherapy and radiation, you'd think that agencies like the American Cancer Society (ACS) would clamor for the chance to investigate new methods for preventing and combating the disease. Unfortunately, you might be wrong.
In this article, we'll explore how agencies like the ACS have an eye for their own financial interests. Why does the ACS reportedly put far greater financial emphasis on chemotherapy and radiation research than on life-saving prevention techniques? Why does the ACS appear to discredit physicians researching and practicing effective alternative cancer-fighting techniques? A closer look at the American Cancer Society reveals the agency's ties to the cancer industry.
Conflicts of Interest: Why the ACS stresses treatment and screening over prevention
So what are the American Cancer Society's strategies for fighting cancer? Innocent Casualties author Elaine Feuer comments that the ACS is more intent on developing cancer treatments than preventing the disease. Feuer argues, "Instead of allotting money towards the prevention of cancer, the medical establishment prescribes chemotherapy and radiation (which can be very expensive and even toxic)."
Also contentious is the agency's emphasis on screening. Samuel S. Epstein, author of The Politics of Cancer, argues that the society's "priorities remain fixated on damage control -- screening, diagnosis, and treatment." Sure enough, the ACS' 2005 Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Facts and Figures report focuses primarily on screening. While screenings are valuable in helping people fight cancer, they do not prevent the disease. If decreasing the number of cancer fatalities is the first priority, why not prevent the disease before it starts?
Many critics of the American Cancer Society are quick to suggest its "vested interest" in the cancer industry, especially in chemotherapy and pharmaceutical treatments. Dr. Samuel Epstein, former head of a Congressional committee on cancer, has accused the ACS of foul play for years. Epstein claims that the ACS' "longstanding conflicts of interest with a wide range of industries, coupled with a systematic discrediting of evidence of avoidable causes of cancer" preclude many powerful life-saving initiatives.
In a debate this year, Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society did not deny the agency's connection to corporate interests. "The American Cancer Society views relationships with corporations as a source of revenue for cancer prevention," said Dr. Thun. "That can be construed as an inherent conflict of interest, or it can be construed as a pragmatic way to get funding to support cancer control."
So it is in fact true that the ACS' 22-member board was created in 1990 to solicit corporate contributions. It's also true that board members include Gordon Binder, who is the CEO of Amgen, a biotechnology company that sells chemotherapy products. Another board member, David R. Bethune, is president of Lederle Laboratories, a multinational pharmaceutical company and a division of American Cyanamid Company. In fact, many board members seemingly stand to make more money by treating cancer than preventing it.
But as Thun said, these relationships are "pragmatic" ways to garner funding. Money, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, is the name of the ACS' game. The Chronicle of Philanthropy is a watchdog organization that monitors major charities. After analyzing the ACS' budgets and programs, they concluded the agency is "more interested in accumulating wealth than saving lives."
Epstein argues that the ACS's financial ties with industry also skew its policies pertaining to environmental causes of cancer. In his new book, Cancer-Gate: How to Win the Losing War Against Cancer, Epstein claims the agency is willfully suppressing information about the environmental causes of cancer. Carcinogens can be found in pesticides, industrial pollution, materials used in plastic or reconstructive surgery, the water supply and many other everyday materials.
Corporations - some of which contribute to the American Cancer Society - profit handsomely while they pollute the air, water, and food with a wide range of carcinogens, endangering the lives of millions of people. Why is the ACS silent? Epstein says they are more interested in inflating their budget than waging war against industrial pollution.
See the video: We've made available a short segment (3 minutes) from a must-see DVD called The Corporation, in which Dr. Epstein explains much more about the American Cancer Society and the cancer establishment in general. It's a large download (37MB), and it's a Windows .avi file format, compressed in a .zip archive. To download it, right-click here, then save the file to your computer. Once the download is complete, double-click the file on your computer to view it.
Full credit for this video belongs to The Corporation film, which is strongly recommended. This short segment from the supplementary interviews is used under Fair Use as a commentary on the film and the cancer industry. Special thanks to Dr. Epstein for his courage and dedication in standing up to the cancer industry.
Preventing Smoking: The ACS' unidirectional attack
After heavy criticism in the 1980s, the American Cancer Society did step up some of its preventative measures. To date, the ACS' anti-smoking campaign is the most effective action ever taken by the agency. With states like New York prohibiting smoking in all businesses - bars and restaurants included - and a decrease in adult and adolescent smoking, the fight against Big Tobacco appears to be paying off. Even in this case, however, the American Cancer Society nevertheless stands to gain in some fashion from its unidirectional preventative action against smoking.
In the past few years the ACS has taken corporate "sponsorship" money. Here's how it works: Sponsors pay the ACS to have the society's logo donned on certain products. SmithKline Beecham, producer of NicoDerm CQ and Nicorette anti-smoking aids, paid the ACS $1 million for the right to use the American Cancer Society name.
But does taking money from these companies decrease the number of cancer fatalities caused by smoking? Given the already exorbitant price of anti-smoking aids in addition to the amount Beecham pays for the rights to the ACS logo, few smokers (who are statically lower-income) are enticed to quit smoking. These sponsorships also create an even more startling question: Does the ACS endorse these products? The American Cancer Society says no, claiming that the use of their logo represents a "partnership," although representatives of the ACS seem slow to articulate just what a partnership is. No extra ACS money goes into research for these products, nor are Beecham's products part of a long-term anti-smoking initiative.
Conservative Medicine: The ACS' Committee on Unproven Methods of Cancer Management
Many alternative health doctors and providers charge the American Cancer Society with blackballing effective, albeit non-traditional, treatments. Critics claim the ACS attacks non-patentable, natural treatments in an effort to protect the interests of pharmaceutical companies. The main target of criticism: The ACS' controversial "Committee on Unproven Methods of Cancer Management." This Committee reviews unorthodox or alternative therapies, putting many of these treatments on the "Unproven Methods" list. Appearing on this list can mean literal ruin to any health practitioner. Dr. Stanislaw R. Burzynski, M.D., Ph.D., felt the full weight of just such an appearance. He was refused research money and raided by the FDA, which seized 200,000 documents from his clinic. But Dr. Burzynski stands by his method of treating cancer with antineoplastons, treating hundreds of patients a year with a relatively high success rate.
In Alternative Medicine, Burton Goldberg claims many of the treatments on the "Unproven Methods" list have never been demonstrated ineffective or dangerous. In fact, Goldberg states, "[These treatments] may not have been subjected to any tests at all -- neither by the American Cancer Society nor by any other agency, public or private. They merely seem ineffective in the light of prevailing theories of cancer etiology and therapy." Unfortunately, any practitioner assigned to this list is automatically considered a dangerous quack. Funding usually vanishes and the treatment fails before it has even undergone rigorous testing.
In fact, more than 100 promising alternative non-patented and nontoxic therapies have already been identified and discredited by the American Cancer Society in this way. Included among these are Tumor Necrosis Factor (originally called Coleys' Toxin), hydrazine sulfate, laetrile, Gersons therapy and Burzynski's antineoplastons. Practitioners, activists and cancer survivors are likening the "Unproven Methods" tactic to witch hunts that unfairly target natural therapies over toxic chemical therapies. Many have even called for a boycott of the ACS.
The American Cancer Society's mission statement says it is "dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service." Unfortunately, the ACS' corporate entanglements, slippery priorities, and lack of vision may constrict this public agency from making any meaningful strides in the war against cancer.
The experts speak on The American Cancer Society
The American Medical Association (AMA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and American Cancer Society (ACS), as well as certain large corporations profit from the cancer industry. It is important to emphasize that this confederation of interests known as organized medicine consists principally of medical politicians and business interests, not practicing doctors. Physicians themselves have often objected to the unscientific rejection of alternative therapies and to restrictions on their own freedom to research or administer them.
When Healing Becomes A Crime by Kenny Ausubel, page 445
Having made his decision, Burzynski proceeded to experience, as his Baylor department chairman had predicted he would, the full-scale legal and regulatory terror of county, state, and national authorities. He was investigated by the Board of Ethics of the Harris County Medical Society on the charge of using unapproved medications; he was refused research money by mainstream funders who had previously funded him. Subsequently, he was to have his offices raided by the FDA, which seized 200,000 medical files and documents, and he was placed on the American Cancer Society's "unproven methods" list. He was sued by an insurance company and investigated by a Federal grand jury.
Choices In Healing by Michael Lerner, page 614
Corporate sponsors currently have formed "partnerships" with a number of leading nonprofit organizations, which allows them to pay for the right to use the organizations' names and logos in advertisements. The American Cancer Society reeled in $1 million from SmithKline Beecham for the right to use its logo in ads for Beecham's NicoDerm CQ and Nicorette anti-smoking aids.
Ephedra Fact And Fiction by Mike Fillon, page 149
In spite of the almost universal experience of physicians to the contrary, the American Cancer Society still prattles to the public that their statistics show a higher recovery rate for treated patients as compared to untreated patients. After all, if this were not the case, why would anyone spend the money or accept the pain and disfigurement associated with these orthodox treatments? But how can they get away with such outright lies?
World Without Cancer by G Edward Griffin, page 146
Corporate sponsors have formed "partnerships" with a number of leading nonprofit organizations in which they pay for the right to use the organizations' names and logos in advertisements. Bristol-Myers Squibb, for example, paid $600,000 to the American Heart Association for the right to display the AHA's name and logo in ads for its cholesterol-lowering drug Pravachol. The American Cancer Society reeled in $ 1 million from SmithKline Beecham for the right to use its logo in ads for Beecham's NicoDerm CQ and Nicorette anti-smoking aids. Although the nonprofit organizations involved in these deals deny that the use of their names and logos constitutes an endorsement, the corporate sponsors have no such illusions. "PR pros view those third-party endorsements as invaluable ways to build goodwill among consumers for a client's product line," notes O'Dwyer's PR Services Report. For propriety's sake, however, a bit of discretion is necessary. "Don't use the word 'endorse' when speaking to executives from non-profits about their relationships with the private sector," O'Dwyer's advised. "The preferred non-profit vernacular is: recommended, sponsorship, approved, or partnership."
Trust Us We Are Experts by Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber, page 16
It is natural for the careerist to gravitate into such apparently humanitarian organizations as the American Cancer Society. Not only does this provide him with the aura of status among his approving friends, but it also provides some pretty nice employment in a low-pressure field devoid of competition or of the economic necessity to show either a profit or even tangible results. In fact, it is the very lack of results that adds stature to his position and importance to his work.
World Without Cancer by G Edward Griffin, page 331
These are the best examples the American Cancer Society spokesman can come up with as proof that there is no suppression of innovation by the medical establishment! Nothing in the history of these innovations, nor of any of the other examples cited in this book, contradicts the view that new ideas often have a difficult time getting established and must face the indifference-and even the hostility-of vested interests.
The Cancer Industry by Ralph W Moss, page 438
…a 60 percent five-year survival rate, but Hodgkin's disease represents only about 1 percent of all cancers. Table 1.4 reflects the best available data on historical trends in cancer patient survival from the NCI Cancer Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program.8 (Results are much less encouraging than those claimed by the American Cancer Society on the basis of the same NCI Data.) This is the case despite the vast sums of money spent over the last 30 years, despite the high priorities for cancer research set by Congress, despite devotion of an entire federal agency (the National Cancer Institute) to the cancer problem, and in the face of continuing misleading and optimistic reassurances by the American Cancer Society.
The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 15
Each year, thousands of Americans travel to Mexico and Germany to receive Laetrile therapy. They do this because it has been suppressed in the United States. Most of these patients have been told that their cancer is terminal and they have but a few months to live. Yet, an incredible percentage of them have recovered and are living normal lives. However, the FDA, the AMA, the American Cancer Society, and the cancer research centers continue to pronounce that Laetrile is quackery. The recovered patients, they say, either had "spontaneous remissions" or never had cancer in the first place.
World Without Cancer by G Edward Griffin, page 22
It is clear that the American Cancer Society-or at least someone very high within it-is trying to give the American people a good old-fashioned snow job. The truth of the matter is-ACS statistics notwithstanding-orthodox medicine does not have "proven cancer cures," and what it does have is pitifully inadequate considering the prestige it enjoys, the money it collects, and the snobbish scorn it heaps upon those who do not wish to subscribe to its treatments.
World Without Cancer by G Edward Griffin, page 152
"The ordinary observer might assume that the treatments on this list have been demonstrated to be ineffective," continues Dr. Coulter. "That is not the case: they have not been subjected to any testing at all-neither by the American Cancer Society nor by any other agency, public or private. They merely seem ineffective in the light of prevailing theories of cancer etiology and therapy." Dr. Coulter doubts that any procedure on the "Unproven Methods" list will ever obtain the financing or bureaucratic approval needed to establish its therapeutic value. "Hence," he says, "characterizing a cancer therapy as 'unproven' is a self-fulfilling prophecy in the truest sense of the word. Competition by maverick researchers is effectively suppressed."
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 51
Predictably, spokesmen for the cancer establishment deny that the suppression of new ideas even takes place. "As a result of the medical profession's insistence upon reliable standards of proof of cure," according to the American Cancer Society's book Unproven Methods, "the proponents of unproven remedies are prone to charge that they are being persecuted by the 'medical trust' or 'organized medicine' " (ACS, I97ib:i8).
The Cancer Industry by Ralph W Moss, page 435
Another propaganda film with a similar approach was produced by the American Cancer Society and is called Journey Into Darkness. Featuring guest star Robert Ryan as the host, the film is a masterpiece of scripting and acting. Weaving several stories into one, it portrays the mental torture experienced by several cancer victims as they grapple with having to decide whether they should take the advice of their wise and kindly doctor and pursue proven orthodox treatments, or allow their fears and doubts to overcome their judgment and seek the unproven treatments of a medically untrained quack who promises miracle cures but whose only real interest is in how much money the patient can afford to pay. In the end, some make the "right" choice and resolve to follow the guidance of their doctor. Others make the "wrong" choice and begin their long and tragic journey into darkness.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
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A cute, animated ball bounces around very sadly until he takes a magic potion; suddenly, it becomes happier than ever. No, that isn't the plot of a new children's movie. On the contrary, it's the storyline of a Zoloft commercial – yes, Zoloft, a powerful antidepressant drug. In the 1990s, direct-to-consumer advertising like this increased at a compounded-annually rate of 30 percent, according to Ian Morrison's book, Health Care in the New Millennium. In fact, by 1995, drug companies had tripled the amount of money they formerly allotted to consumer-directed advertising, writes to Gary Null in Death by Medicine. Since then, pharmaceutical advertising has grown to an entirely new, pop culture-savvy level.
These days, it's hard to tell the difference between pharmaceutical commercials and car commercials. Both are almost always intended to look "cool." Car and pharmaceutical commercials use the same hooks -- popular music, good acting and lofty promises -- to hook consumers and reel them in. Falling prey to car commercials results in little more than hefty car payments; however, becoming seduced by pharmaceutical companies can result in the consumer willingly taking powerful drugs, at the risk of serious illness and even death. In spite of this tremendous risk, pharmaceutical advertisements are becoming increasingly common and, unfortunately, increasingly effective.
In 2000, pharmaceutical companies spent $2.5 billion on mass media pharmaceutical advertisements, according to Mike Fillon in Ephedra: Fact or Fiction. This number increased to over $3 billion in 2003, according to Dr. John Abramson's book Overdosed America. In his book, Death by Prescription, Ray D. Strand looks at these high figures and poses the question: "Why?" Why do pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars on direct-to-consumer advertising, when consumers can only obtain prescriptions for these drugs through a doctor? Wouldn't it seem that consumers have no influence whatsoever on the success of a prescription drug, so advertising should be directed entirely toward doctors?
That makes sense, but it's not the way things work. Pharmaceutical companies wouldn't spend billions of dollars on direct-to-consumer advertising if it didn't work. In fact, the advertisements are working … too well. Fillon writes, "The average number of prescriptions per person in the United States increased from 7.3 in 1992 to 10.4 in 2000. Along with this increase in demand, there has been a shift towards the use of more expensive medications. It's more than a coincidence that many of the most expensive medications happen to be those medications that are most heavily advertised." In fact, between 1999 and 2000, prescriptions for the 50 most heavily advertised drugs rose six times faster than prescriptions for all other drugs, according to Katharine Greider's book, The Big Fix. So, how is direct-to-consumer advertising so effective in a system in which doctors write out the prescriptions?
Telling clever stories with misleading ads
Well, first, let's explore direct-to-consumer advertising, namely the television commercial. Most prescription drug commercials follow the same script progression: First, the commercial shows how bleak life was for a person or character before taking whatever prescription medicine the commercial is advertising. Then, the protagonist demonstrates or tells how wonderful life is while on the drug. Finally, a voiceover obligingly lists the side effects, often speaking as quickly and inaudibly as possible.
Take, for example, a Paxil commercial that was recently popular. At the beginning of the commercial, the typical 30-something-year-old woman is standing outside a house, looking through the window at the happy party going on inside. She looks so lonely and depressed that it must break nearly every consumer's heart. "What's wrong with her?" we compassionate humans gasp in unison. The voiceover answers our question as we think it: The woman has social anxiety disorder, a condition that can be treated with the prescription drug Paxil.
Suddenly, the now-medicated woman rings the doorbell and, with a huge smile on her face, joins the party. We see how much fun she is having and we are so happy for her! Of course, the voiceover quickly goes through the list of Paxil's potential side effects, but how can we concentrate on that, when we're so busy rejoicing at the woman's new happiness? Whoever wrote that commercial should write Hallmark movies. After seeing it a few times, I was convinced that most of my non-immediate family had social anxiety disorder and I even called one relative up to suggest that she take Paxil. I'm not even a gullible person, yet I was persuaded by pharmaceutical company advertising.
Doctors prescribe whatever the patient names
We are what Strand calls a "self-medicated" society. Consumers do not actually write their own prescriptions, but they practically do, based on whatever drugs they see advertised on television. Strand writes, "Surveys reported in our medical literature reveal that when a patient comes into a doctor's office and requests a specific drug that he has seen advertised in the media, the doctor writes the exact prescription the patient requested more than 70 percent of the time!"
So, let's say that a consumer who has been feeling a little sad lately sees a commercial for the antidepressant drug Zoloft. The commercial demonstrates the symptoms for depression and the consumer identifies with them. Suddenly, he or she thinks, "I'm not just sad. I'm depressed, which is a 'medical condition that can be treated by the prescription drug Zoloft.'" With this in mind, the consumer goes to a medical doctor and says, "I've been really depressed a lot lately. I've been [the consumer recites the depression symptoms listed in the Zoloft commercial]. I think I need Zoloft." So, according to Strand, there's a 70 percent chance the doctor will prescribe Zoloft, the exact prescription the consumer requested. That's how pharmaceutical commercials really work. They directly influence consumer behavior, yet drug companies claim they only "educate" patients, but don't persuade them to do anything.
Doctors are easy to manipulate, drug companies discover
You may be wondering why doctors base their prescriptions on the requests of their patients, who usually have no medical training whatsoever. That's a good question with a simple answer. The pharmaceutical-advertising machine seduces doctors, too.
According to Burton Goldberg's book, Alternative Medicine, paid pharmaceutical advertisements are the main source of the Journal of the American Medical Association's revenues. The American Psychological Association is equally under the pharmaceutical companies' spell, as 15 to 20 percent of the American Psychological Association's (APA) income comes from pharmaceutical advertisements in its journals.
In Innocent Casualties, Elaine Feuer calls these advertisements "intentionally misleading" because they promote the pharmaceutical by "exaggerating a drug's benefits while downplaying its hazards in small print in the addendum." This is very similar to the obligatory "side effects" voiceover recited at the end of a pharmaceutical television commercial; neither consumers nor doctors pay much notice to the "final voiceover" or "fine print."
Just in case advertisements in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) haven't properly seduced doctors, pharmaceutical companies take an extra promotional step by aggressively "detailing" doctors, which involves promoting drugs through door-to-door giveaways of free information and samples, according to Health Care in the New Millennium. Morrison writes that "Pfizer alone has 4,500 people in its sales force," but these employees' salaries are small change compared to the increased revenue they encourage.
The next time you watch television or read a magazine, pay special attention to pharmaceutical advertisements. Notice their promotional hooks and be grateful that you, unlike most consumers, are no longer susceptible to their influence. That's what knowledge, unlike naiveté, brings you.
The experts speak on pharmaceutical advertising:
In the pharmaceutical area, DTC advertising has been increasing in the late 1990s at a rate of around 30 percent compounded annually. Once prevented by regulation from advertising aggressively, pharmaceutical companies now see DTC advertising as a major source of stimulating demand for their product; they spent $1.3 billion on DTC advertising in 1998 alone. This has had two key effects: (1) it has built brand awareness and product awareness in the minds of end users (consumers), who are increasingly taking medications for chronic conditions in increasingly crowded and competitive therapeutic categories—cholesterol management, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, allergy, and other forms of respiratory ailments; and (2) more directly, it has encouraged users to visit their doctors and ask for the product by name.
Health Care in the New Millennium by Ian Morrison, page 44
In order to reach the widest audience possible, drug companies are no longer just targeting medical doctors with their message about antidepressants. By 1995 drug companies had tripled the amount of money allotted to direct advertising of prescription drugs to consumers. The majority of the money is spent on seductive television ads.
Death By Medicine by Gary Null PhD, page 13
In 2000, pharmaceutical companies spent $2.5 billion on mass media ads for prescription drugs. Admittedly, this is a small portion of the $101.6 billion spent on advertising of mainstream consumer products in the United States.
Ephedra Fact And Fiction by Mike Fillon, page 75
The stage could not have been set more perfectly for prescription drug advertising to become a major force in American medicine. And so it did. In 1991 the drug companies spent a paltry $55 million on advertising drugs directly to consumers. Over the next 11 years, this increased more than 50-fold to over $3 billion in 2003. The ads appeal to viewers as independent decision makers—capable of forming their own opinions about which drugs they need—and resonate with the growing concern that HMOs and managed care plans tend to withhold the best care to save money.
Overdosed America by John Abramson MD, page 81
While $3 billion in advertising may seem like an awful lot, rest assured that the drug companies aren't worried. Why? Americans are expected to spend over $500 billion on drugs this year—not including the extra $100 billion estimated for the Medicare drug benefit program. Spending on prescription drugs is now the fastest growing portion of healthcare spending in the United States.
Ephedra Fact And Fiction by Mike Fillon, page 176
Many of us don't find the amount of money spent on marketing prescription drugs to physicians surprising, but when considering the billions of dollars spent on marketing prescription drugs to the public, don't you wonder why? After all, you can obtain prescriptions only through a doctor. Pharmaceutical companies are willing to spend this kind of advertising money on only their most recently approved medication.
Death By prescription by Ray D Strand, page 48
The average number of prescriptions per person in the United States increased from 7.3 in 1992 to 10.4 in 2000. Along with this increase in demand, there has been a shift toward the use of more expensive medications. It's more than a coincidence that many of the most expensive medications happen to be those medications that are most heavily advertised.
Ephedra Fact And Fiction by Mike Fillon, page 77
According to a report prepared by the National Institute for Health Care Management, a nonprofit research foundation created by the Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance plans, the fifty most-advertised prescription medicines contributed significantly last year to the increase in the nation's spending on drugs. The increases in the sales of the fifty drugs that were most heavily advertised to consumers accounted for almost half the $20.8 billion increase in drug spending last year, according to the study. The remainder of the spending increase came from 9,850 prescription medicines that companies did not advertise, or advertised very little. The study attributed the spending increase to a boost in the number of prescriptions for the fifty drugs, and not from a rise in their price.
Ephedra Fact And Fiction by Mike Fillon, page 77
Pharmaceutical companies are in business to make money; with the exception of over-the-counter medications that will be sold in great numbers, the only way a pharmaceutical company can make lots of money is by developing medications that can be patented. Natural herbs and foods as well as medications that can no longer be patented won't be "pushed" in advertising because there's no real money to be made on them.
Attaining Medical Self Efficiency An Informed Citizens Guide by Duncan Long, page 11
Not surprisingly the "super aspirin" have received lots of favorable press on the TV since there's money to be made. With the dollars pharmaceutical companies make, translating into greater advertising revenues for broadcasters and publishers, the rush is push the super aspirin and play up the "dangers" of common aspirin.
Attaining Medical Self Efficiency An Informed Citizens Guide by Duncan Long, page 13
The cheap-but-effective medications that can't be patented are also kept out of the limelight by the big companies paying for advertising and the mass media intent on making money through advertising.
Attaining Medical Self Efficiency An Informed Citizens Guide by Duncan Long, page 19
When you go into a pharmacy to get a prescription filled, you can often pay considerably less by choosing a "generic" drug over a brand name. The generic drugs are often made by the same manufacturer as the name-brand medication — the extra price is in the packaging and advertising. Even when a different company makes the generic medication, it is every bit as good as the brand name because it is required to meet certain standards before it can be sold in the US.
Attaining Medical Self Efficiency An Informed Citizens Guide by Duncan Long, page 183
In contrast, most physicians are unaware of the considerable risks and limited benefits of commonly used prescription cholesterol-lowering agents. In addition, since niacin is a widely available "generic" agent, no pharmaceutical company stands to generate the huge profits that the other lipid-lowering agents have enjoyed. As a result, niacin does not enjoy the intensive advertising that the HMG CoA reductase inhibitors and gemfibrozil enjoy. Despite the advantages of niacin over other lipid-lowering drugs, niacin accounts for only 7.9 percent of all lipid-lowering prescriptions.
These days, it's hard to tell the difference between pharmaceutical commercials and car commercials. Both are almost always intended to look "cool." Car and pharmaceutical commercials use the same hooks -- popular music, good acting and lofty promises -- to hook consumers and reel them in. Falling prey to car commercials results in little more than hefty car payments; however, becoming seduced by pharmaceutical companies can result in the consumer willingly taking powerful drugs, at the risk of serious illness and even death. In spite of this tremendous risk, pharmaceutical advertisements are becoming increasingly common and, unfortunately, increasingly effective.
In 2000, pharmaceutical companies spent $2.5 billion on mass media pharmaceutical advertisements, according to Mike Fillon in Ephedra: Fact or Fiction. This number increased to over $3 billion in 2003, according to Dr. John Abramson's book Overdosed America. In his book, Death by Prescription, Ray D. Strand looks at these high figures and poses the question: "Why?" Why do pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars on direct-to-consumer advertising, when consumers can only obtain prescriptions for these drugs through a doctor? Wouldn't it seem that consumers have no influence whatsoever on the success of a prescription drug, so advertising should be directed entirely toward doctors?
That makes sense, but it's not the way things work. Pharmaceutical companies wouldn't spend billions of dollars on direct-to-consumer advertising if it didn't work. In fact, the advertisements are working … too well. Fillon writes, "The average number of prescriptions per person in the United States increased from 7.3 in 1992 to 10.4 in 2000. Along with this increase in demand, there has been a shift towards the use of more expensive medications. It's more than a coincidence that many of the most expensive medications happen to be those medications that are most heavily advertised." In fact, between 1999 and 2000, prescriptions for the 50 most heavily advertised drugs rose six times faster than prescriptions for all other drugs, according to Katharine Greider's book, The Big Fix. So, how is direct-to-consumer advertising so effective in a system in which doctors write out the prescriptions?
Telling clever stories with misleading ads
Well, first, let's explore direct-to-consumer advertising, namely the television commercial. Most prescription drug commercials follow the same script progression: First, the commercial shows how bleak life was for a person or character before taking whatever prescription medicine the commercial is advertising. Then, the protagonist demonstrates or tells how wonderful life is while on the drug. Finally, a voiceover obligingly lists the side effects, often speaking as quickly and inaudibly as possible.
Take, for example, a Paxil commercial that was recently popular. At the beginning of the commercial, the typical 30-something-year-old woman is standing outside a house, looking through the window at the happy party going on inside. She looks so lonely and depressed that it must break nearly every consumer's heart. "What's wrong with her?" we compassionate humans gasp in unison. The voiceover answers our question as we think it: The woman has social anxiety disorder, a condition that can be treated with the prescription drug Paxil.
Suddenly, the now-medicated woman rings the doorbell and, with a huge smile on her face, joins the party. We see how much fun she is having and we are so happy for her! Of course, the voiceover quickly goes through the list of Paxil's potential side effects, but how can we concentrate on that, when we're so busy rejoicing at the woman's new happiness? Whoever wrote that commercial should write Hallmark movies. After seeing it a few times, I was convinced that most of my non-immediate family had social anxiety disorder and I even called one relative up to suggest that she take Paxil. I'm not even a gullible person, yet I was persuaded by pharmaceutical company advertising.
Doctors prescribe whatever the patient names
We are what Strand calls a "self-medicated" society. Consumers do not actually write their own prescriptions, but they practically do, based on whatever drugs they see advertised on television. Strand writes, "Surveys reported in our medical literature reveal that when a patient comes into a doctor's office and requests a specific drug that he has seen advertised in the media, the doctor writes the exact prescription the patient requested more than 70 percent of the time!"
So, let's say that a consumer who has been feeling a little sad lately sees a commercial for the antidepressant drug Zoloft. The commercial demonstrates the symptoms for depression and the consumer identifies with them. Suddenly, he or she thinks, "I'm not just sad. I'm depressed, which is a 'medical condition that can be treated by the prescription drug Zoloft.'" With this in mind, the consumer goes to a medical doctor and says, "I've been really depressed a lot lately. I've been [the consumer recites the depression symptoms listed in the Zoloft commercial]. I think I need Zoloft." So, according to Strand, there's a 70 percent chance the doctor will prescribe Zoloft, the exact prescription the consumer requested. That's how pharmaceutical commercials really work. They directly influence consumer behavior, yet drug companies claim they only "educate" patients, but don't persuade them to do anything.
Doctors are easy to manipulate, drug companies discover
You may be wondering why doctors base their prescriptions on the requests of their patients, who usually have no medical training whatsoever. That's a good question with a simple answer. The pharmaceutical-advertising machine seduces doctors, too.
According to Burton Goldberg's book, Alternative Medicine, paid pharmaceutical advertisements are the main source of the Journal of the American Medical Association's revenues. The American Psychological Association is equally under the pharmaceutical companies' spell, as 15 to 20 percent of the American Psychological Association's (APA) income comes from pharmaceutical advertisements in its journals.
In Innocent Casualties, Elaine Feuer calls these advertisements "intentionally misleading" because they promote the pharmaceutical by "exaggerating a drug's benefits while downplaying its hazards in small print in the addendum." This is very similar to the obligatory "side effects" voiceover recited at the end of a pharmaceutical television commercial; neither consumers nor doctors pay much notice to the "final voiceover" or "fine print."
Just in case advertisements in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) haven't properly seduced doctors, pharmaceutical companies take an extra promotional step by aggressively "detailing" doctors, which involves promoting drugs through door-to-door giveaways of free information and samples, according to Health Care in the New Millennium. Morrison writes that "Pfizer alone has 4,500 people in its sales force," but these employees' salaries are small change compared to the increased revenue they encourage.
The next time you watch television or read a magazine, pay special attention to pharmaceutical advertisements. Notice their promotional hooks and be grateful that you, unlike most consumers, are no longer susceptible to their influence. That's what knowledge, unlike naiveté, brings you.
The experts speak on pharmaceutical advertising:
In the pharmaceutical area, DTC advertising has been increasing in the late 1990s at a rate of around 30 percent compounded annually. Once prevented by regulation from advertising aggressively, pharmaceutical companies now see DTC advertising as a major source of stimulating demand for their product; they spent $1.3 billion on DTC advertising in 1998 alone. This has had two key effects: (1) it has built brand awareness and product awareness in the minds of end users (consumers), who are increasingly taking medications for chronic conditions in increasingly crowded and competitive therapeutic categories—cholesterol management, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, allergy, and other forms of respiratory ailments; and (2) more directly, it has encouraged users to visit their doctors and ask for the product by name.
Health Care in the New Millennium by Ian Morrison, page 44
In order to reach the widest audience possible, drug companies are no longer just targeting medical doctors with their message about antidepressants. By 1995 drug companies had tripled the amount of money allotted to direct advertising of prescription drugs to consumers. The majority of the money is spent on seductive television ads.
Death By Medicine by Gary Null PhD, page 13
In 2000, pharmaceutical companies spent $2.5 billion on mass media ads for prescription drugs. Admittedly, this is a small portion of the $101.6 billion spent on advertising of mainstream consumer products in the United States.
Ephedra Fact And Fiction by Mike Fillon, page 75
The stage could not have been set more perfectly for prescription drug advertising to become a major force in American medicine. And so it did. In 1991 the drug companies spent a paltry $55 million on advertising drugs directly to consumers. Over the next 11 years, this increased more than 50-fold to over $3 billion in 2003. The ads appeal to viewers as independent decision makers—capable of forming their own opinions about which drugs they need—and resonate with the growing concern that HMOs and managed care plans tend to withhold the best care to save money.
Overdosed America by John Abramson MD, page 81
While $3 billion in advertising may seem like an awful lot, rest assured that the drug companies aren't worried. Why? Americans are expected to spend over $500 billion on drugs this year—not including the extra $100 billion estimated for the Medicare drug benefit program. Spending on prescription drugs is now the fastest growing portion of healthcare spending in the United States.
Ephedra Fact And Fiction by Mike Fillon, page 176
Many of us don't find the amount of money spent on marketing prescription drugs to physicians surprising, but when considering the billions of dollars spent on marketing prescription drugs to the public, don't you wonder why? After all, you can obtain prescriptions only through a doctor. Pharmaceutical companies are willing to spend this kind of advertising money on only their most recently approved medication.
Death By prescription by Ray D Strand, page 48
The average number of prescriptions per person in the United States increased from 7.3 in 1992 to 10.4 in 2000. Along with this increase in demand, there has been a shift toward the use of more expensive medications. It's more than a coincidence that many of the most expensive medications happen to be those medications that are most heavily advertised.
Ephedra Fact And Fiction by Mike Fillon, page 77
According to a report prepared by the National Institute for Health Care Management, a nonprofit research foundation created by the Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance plans, the fifty most-advertised prescription medicines contributed significantly last year to the increase in the nation's spending on drugs. The increases in the sales of the fifty drugs that were most heavily advertised to consumers accounted for almost half the $20.8 billion increase in drug spending last year, according to the study. The remainder of the spending increase came from 9,850 prescription medicines that companies did not advertise, or advertised very little. The study attributed the spending increase to a boost in the number of prescriptions for the fifty drugs, and not from a rise in their price.
Ephedra Fact And Fiction by Mike Fillon, page 77
Pharmaceutical companies are in business to make money; with the exception of over-the-counter medications that will be sold in great numbers, the only way a pharmaceutical company can make lots of money is by developing medications that can be patented. Natural herbs and foods as well as medications that can no longer be patented won't be "pushed" in advertising because there's no real money to be made on them.
Attaining Medical Self Efficiency An Informed Citizens Guide by Duncan Long, page 11
Not surprisingly the "super aspirin" have received lots of favorable press on the TV since there's money to be made. With the dollars pharmaceutical companies make, translating into greater advertising revenues for broadcasters and publishers, the rush is push the super aspirin and play up the "dangers" of common aspirin.
Attaining Medical Self Efficiency An Informed Citizens Guide by Duncan Long, page 13
The cheap-but-effective medications that can't be patented are also kept out of the limelight by the big companies paying for advertising and the mass media intent on making money through advertising.
Attaining Medical Self Efficiency An Informed Citizens Guide by Duncan Long, page 19
When you go into a pharmacy to get a prescription filled, you can often pay considerably less by choosing a "generic" drug over a brand name. The generic drugs are often made by the same manufacturer as the name-brand medication — the extra price is in the packaging and advertising. Even when a different company makes the generic medication, it is every bit as good as the brand name because it is required to meet certain standards before it can be sold in the US.
Attaining Medical Self Efficiency An Informed Citizens Guide by Duncan Long, page 183
In contrast, most physicians are unaware of the considerable risks and limited benefits of commonly used prescription cholesterol-lowering agents. In addition, since niacin is a widely available "generic" agent, no pharmaceutical company stands to generate the huge profits that the other lipid-lowering agents have enjoyed. As a result, niacin does not enjoy the intensive advertising that the HMG CoA reductase inhibitors and gemfibrozil enjoy. Despite the advantages of niacin over other lipid-lowering drugs, niacin accounts for only 7.9 percent of all lipid-lowering prescriptions.
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Pregnant women plagued by cravings for pickles and ice cream must remember to include plenty of folic acid in their diets. Shown to reduce the risk of miscarriage and birth defects, folic acid – found primarily in leafy green vegetables – is an absolute necessity for any woman who is pregnant or is considering becoming pregnant. In fact, "health officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommend that all women of childbearing age take folic acid (0.4 mg daily) to protect their future newborns from developing a neural tube defect, an anomaly of the spinal cord," writes Burton Goldberg in Alternative Medicine.
However, it's not just expectant moms who could stand to add more leafy greens to their plates. Because it is useful in combating everything from acne and canker sores to osteoporosis and cancer, we could all benefit from adding more folic acid to our diets. Along with pregnant women, elderly individuals and people suffering from depression or nervous system disorders especially stand to gain from the addition of this B vitamin.
Folic acid, the synthetic form of the B vitamin folate, works primarily in the brain and nervous system and is necessary for the synthesis of DNA, the production of red and white blood cells and of norepinephrine and serotonin in the nervous system. Folic acid also aids in the elimination of the amino acid homocysteine from the blood, a breakdown product of animal protein (methionine, actually) that contributes to heart attacks. A lack of folic acid can lead to anemia, insomnia, irritability and far more serious health problems.
Despite its range of health benefits, many Americans are deficient in the vitamin, coming nowhere near the government's recommended daily allowance of 200 micrograms daily. "The average American gets only 61 percent of the old Recommended Dietary Allowance, which is too low anyway," says James Duke, PhD in Anti-Aging Prescriptions. Part of the reason for the shortfall is that more Americans are choosing to eat more animal foods – which are a poor source of folic acid – rather than folic-acid rich plant foods, like dark green vegetables, legumes, root vegetables and whole grains.
Dr. Andrew Weil, in Ask Dr. Weil, recommends the use of supplements to make up for the deficiency. "As many as 90 percent of Americans don't get that protective 400 micrograms in their diet – for example, you'd have to eat two cups of steamed spinach, a cup of boiled lentils, or eight oranges every day. So it's important to take a supplement, especially if you're a woman and considering having children someday." As Dr. Weil suggests, for women who are deficient in this essential vitamin, the health costs can be especially high.
Folic acid is essential for pregnant women. Not only does it protect against cervical cancer, it also aids in healthy prenatal development and can significantly reduce the risk of serious neural tube birth defects and abnormalities that occur in very early fetal development, such as spina bifida. However, experts say most women aren't getting adequate levels of folic acid early enough to offer the best protection against birth defects.
"Very few women of child bearing years are taking folic acid… If a person waits until pregnant, the fetal abnormality is already established. All women of child-bearing age who might become pregnant should be taking 400 mg of folic acid," advises Dr. James Howenstine in A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work. To make matters even more difficult, women who take birth control pills are especially prone to deficiency in the B vitamin since birth control pills actually produce folic acid deficiency.
Men planning to become fathers need to monitor their folic acid intake as well, as low folic acid levels in males has been linked to low sperm count, and some studies suggest deficiency can also damage DNA carried by the sperm. Such damaged DNA could lead to chromosomal damage in a fetus, according to Bottom Line Yearbook 2004. In other words, both men and women who plan to have children should increase their folic acid intake for the sake of their baby-to-be.
Folic acid promotes good health for the mind and body, from the earliest stages of life to the latest. Men and women over 60 who feel fatigued and depressed may simply be suffering from a folic acid deficiency. In fact, folic acid deficiency has been linked to depression in patients of all ages, and according to Gary Null'sComplete Guide of Natural Healing, "the lower the level of folic acid in the blood, the higher the degree of depression."
Folic acid can also help ward off dementia, according to Patrick Quillin in Beating Cancer With Nutrition, who wrote that experts estimate up to 20 percent of senility in older adults is simply the result of a long-term deficiency of folic acid and vitamin B-12, which can be aided by taking supplements. However, when taking folic acid supplements, it is important to remember that folic acid and vitamin B-12 work most effectively together, so you should make sure you are getting enough vitamin B-12, as well. Vegans often struggle with this balance since their diets are very rich in folic acid but not in B-12.
The meager representation of folic acid in the American diet can be increased if we all just take a little more care in planning our meals. One way to up folic acid consumption is to make sure your diet includes raw foods, since heat from cooking easily destroys folic acid. And remember, sources of folic acid are plentiful – soybeans, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, peanuts, asparagus, citrus fruits, brussels sprouts, avocado, sunflower seeds, orange juice and don't forget those leafy greens – we just have to be willing to integrate these foods into our diets.
And who wouldn't be willing? After all, some added folic acid could go a long way in helping keep your nervous and circulatory systems in check, while also protecting your body from cancer and heart problems, as well as promoting healthy fetal development in babies. Folic acid is something we need at all stage of life, so we owe it to ourselves to get enough.
The experts speak on folic acid
General information on folic acid
A study is available from the Washington Council for Responsible Nutrition that reports women taking Vitamin E over age 50 and folic acid and Zinc during childbearing years would save Medicare 11 billion dollars, and overall reduce birth defects and coronary heart disease hospital expenses of 20 billion dollars per year.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 100
WHAT IS IT? Even though your body needs only comparatively minuscule amounts of folic acid, it is a vital nutrient. Folic acid—along with all the other nutrients, of course—is your guarantee of optimum physical and mental health. Your levels of folic acid are dependent on outside sources; your body does not make it on its own. Furthermore, it needs vitamin C to work properly. It works in partnership with B12 and B6, as well as the other B vitamins. Folic acid is essential to the production of norepinephrine and serotonin, chemical go-betweens of the nervous system.
Complete Guide Health Nutrition by Gary Null, page 284
Folic acid is one of the B vitamins that is crucial for the synthesis of DNA (genetic material) as well as for many other important cell functions. It was discovered in spinach leaves in 1941 and was named "folate," after the Latin word for leaf (folium). The terms folate and folic acid are roughly synonymous. For the sake of simplicity, I will generally use the latter term. Not surprisingly, this vitamin is mainly found in green leafy vegetables. Although folic acid is not an antioxidant, it boosts the antioxidant network and thus has a place in our story.
Antioxidants Against Cancer by Ralph Moss PhD, page 92
WHO NEEDS folic acid? If you are pregnant, elderly, or suffer from any sort of nervous disorder, you may benefit from additional amounts of folic acid in your diet. Pregnant women, for instance, must be wary of folic acid deficiency. Folic acid supplementation has been helpful in preventing abortion and miscarriage. The elderly need additional folic acid, too. If you are over sixty and depressed, withdrawn, and chronically tired, you may be deficient in this vital element. Let's look at the results of a study in which folic acid was added to the diets of elderly individuals: three groups of patients were used, all with varying degrees of circulation problems. The first group, those with the least degree of difficulty, experienced improved vision less than an hour after receiving folic acid. (Among those with circulatory problems, vision is often impaired because of poor circulation to the optical tissues.)
Complete Guide Health Nutrition by Gary Null, page 284
Folic acid: a water-soluble vitamin of the B complex essential for the synthesis of nucleic acids and necessary for making red blood cells (hematopoiesis), so a deficiency of folic acid results in anemia. After absorption, it is successively reduced to dihydro-folic acid and then tetrahydrofolic acid, the parent compound of the derivatives that act as coenzyme carriers of one-carbon groups in various metabolic reactions.
Building Wellness with DMG by Roger V Kendall PhD, page 216
Red blood cells are built with Vitamins B-12, folic acid, and B6.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 100
And remember, folic acid can be destroyed by exposure to heat and strong light.
Complete Guide Health Nutrition by Gary Null, page 286
Recommendations on folic acid
Doctors routinely advise women who are pregnant, or thinking of becoming pregnant, to supplement folic acid (a B vitamin also known as folate) as a means of safeguarding against birth defects such as spinal malformations.
Anti-Aging Prescriptions by James Duke PhD, page 219
It is becoming increasingly obvious that food supplementation is necessary to prevent cancer and other diseases. The prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences in 1998 called for supplementation with folic acid and vitamin B12.
Antioxidants Against Cancer by Ralph Moss PhD, page 10
If you're concerned that your diet might not provide enough vitamin B6 and folic acid to prevent stroke, Dr. Lieberman suggests taking supplements of both nutrients. Aim for 300 milligrams of B6 and 800 micrograms of folic acid a day Vitamin B6 doses this high, however, should only be taken under medical supervision. Add E for extra protection.
Blended Medicine by Michael Castleman, page 10
Vegetarians owe it to themselves to be extra careful about their diets. As Richard W. Vilter, M.D., of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, warns, "Persons who eat absolutely no animal protein (called vegans) or extreme vegetarians have no source of vitamin B12, but much folic acid in their diets." Frequently in such subjects, neurologic abnormalities develop of the posterolateral column degeneration type. This is a situation analogous to a patient with pernicious anemia who is treated inadequately with a mixed vitamin capsule containing folic acid." There is another danger for those who abstain from animal foods, including dairy products: dietary deficiencies don't show up for five to ten years because the body is able to hold some B12 in reserve. Nerve damage may exist without signs of deficiency until it is too late. The result of degeneration of the nervous system and the spinal cord is so irreparable that death may be the result.
Complete Guide Health Nutrition by Gary Null, page 283
Benefits and uses of folic acid
Folic acid is important during the aging process because it provides nourishment for the brain. Folic acid supports the production of energy and the production of blood cells. Supplementing with folic acid may help in the treatment of depression.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 321
Three to four hundred milligrams of vitamin B5 and 150 mg of B6 should be consumed on a daily basis, while prescriptions of folic acid can serve as natural hormone replacements. Adequate quantities of essential fatty acids should also be consumed because they act as natural hormone supplements, prevent cancer, and can alleviate the symptoms of aging.
Complete Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 258
Folic acid, the synthetic form of the B vitamin folate, is incredibly important. For one thing, folate is a key regulator of an amino acid called homocysteine, a breakdown product of animal protein. A number of studies have connected high levels of homocysteine in the blood to arterial disease and heart attacks. Folate helps the body eliminate homocysteine from the blood. Recently, Dr. Howard Morrison, an epidemiologist in Ottawa, was able to make a direct connection between folate and heart disease. He looked at folate levels in the blood of 5,056 men who had participated in a nutrition study in the 1970s, and he found that those with low levels of the vitamin were 69 percent more likely to have died from heart problems in the years since. Folate also has been found to prevent neural tube defects (such as spina bifida and anencephaly) in babies, which are caused when this structure fails to form properly. The neural tube is the embryonic tissue that later becomes the brain and spinal cord. Apparently folic acid is essential to its proper development. Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration ordered pasta, rice, and flour makers to add folic acid to their foods as protection against birth defects.
Ask Dr Weil by Andrew Weil MD, page 98
Proper nutritional supplementation can significantly improve cardiovascular conditions, as well as prevent them from occurring in the first place. Useful nutrients include beta carotene; vitamins B3 (niacin), Be, B12, C, and E; folic acid; the minerals calcium, chromium, magnesium, potassium, and selenium; the amino acids L-arginine, L-taurine, and L-carnitine; coenzyme Q10; and pycnogenol.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 771
According to some studies, folic acid has been helpful in relieving depression, even when used in dosages as low as 400 meg. It can also enhance cerebral circulation. One study showed that people with low levels of folic acid were twice as likely as people with adequate levels to have narrowed arteries in their necks. Psychiatric symptoms also appear to be much higher in people, particularly elderly people, who have low folic acid levels. In one study, low folic acid levels increased likelihood of dementia by 300 percent. folic acid is especially effective at breaking down the common chemical homocysteine, which is a neurotoxin. An appropriate daily dosage would be 400 meg, the amount found in many multiple vitamins.
Brain Longevity by Dharma Singh Khalsa M.D. with Cameron Stauth, page 247
Folic acid: This is another member of the vitamin B family, found in abundance in liver, kidney, mushrooms, spinach, yeast and green leafy vegetables. It has been used for decades to prevent and treat certain forms of anemia. But folic acid also increases the production of white blood cells crucial in the defense against cancer. In the late 1980s, scientists at the University of Alabama Medical Center found that the folic acid in dark leafy vegetables, oranges and liver could act together with vitamin B to prevent injuries to lung tissue and retard the development of cancer among cigarette smokers. These researchers found that smokers whose lung cells were injured had low levels of both folic acid and vitamin B12. Since these nutrients are necessary to synthesize DNA, a deficiency of one or both of these vitamins could make cells more susceptible to the effects of carcinogens. These vitamins also offered protection against birth defects and cancerous changes in cervical cells.
Cancer Therapy by Ralph W Moss PhD, page 42
Floss one to two times daily and then rinse mouth (for one minute) with several mouthfuls of liquid folic acid (0.1% solution) and then swallow. In one study, 60 individuals with gingivitis rinsed for one minute two times daily and had beneficial results. If you cannot find liquid folic acid, buy folic acid crystals in 800 meg capsules, empty two capsules in water and use this to gargle.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 1055
Lipotropic factors are compounds that promote the transportation and utilization of fats, and help prevent the accumulation of fat in the liver. They include methionine, choline, folic acid, and vitamin B12.
Cancer And Natural Medicine by John Boik, page 140
Folic acid helps against uric acid.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 560
The four B vitamins that are most important for your brain are B12, B6, B3, and folic acid.
Brain Longevity by Dharma Singh Khalsa M.D. with Cameron Stauth, page 246
The body uses 75-99% of its Calcium, with Phosphorus, Boron, Manganese, Silica, Magnesium, Copper, Zinc, Strontium; Protein; the Vitamins A, B-Complex, B6, folic acid, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K to form bone tissue and teeth.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 800
The primary nutritional building blocks of both neurotransmitters are the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine. To potentiate the action of these amino acids, folic acid, magnesium, and vitamins C and B can be taken.
Brain Longevity by Dharma Singh Khalsa M.D. with Cameron Stauth, page 213
Part of the vitamin B complex, folic acid is necessary for synthesis of nucleic acids and formation of the heme component of hemoglobin in red blood cells.
Britannica Encyclopedia Volume One, page 674
[Folic acid] is especially helpful for patients with a history of breast cancer, cervical dysplasia, and smoking. For smokers, it cuts down on the adverse effects of nicotine on the lungs.
Complete Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 84
Treatments using folic acid
Folic acid is also used in the treatment of cervical dysplasia, a pre-cancerous condition of the uterus, and for this reason is also given to women who take birth control pills or who are pregnant.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 410
Nerves on edge? Folic acid can help. The Lancet, Britain's prestigious medical journal, reports, "In the past decade [however] there has been increasing interest in the role of folate [folic acid] in neuronal metabolism, in neuropsychiatric illness, and in antiepileptic and convulsant mechanisms." When a folic acid deficiency occurs, your nervous system suffers, because there is normally such a high folate concentration in your cerebrospinal fluid. In many psychiatric and geriatric patients with mental dysfunctions, deficiency is common. "This is a promising area for future research," The Lancet adds.
Complete Guide Health Nutrition by Gary Null, page 285
Dr. Aesoph adds that chromium aids in stabilizing the erratic blood sugar seen in alcoholic hypoglycemia, while choline and folic acid are also commonly cited as important supplements to assist in the body's recovery from addiction.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 480
Homocysteinemia: Persons with elevated levels of homocysteine are at risk for arteriosclerosis. This can and should be corrected with adequate amounts of folic acid, B 12, pyridoxine, and trimethylglycine. The only way you can be sure you are getting adequate amount of therapy is to regularly monitor blood levels of homocysteine. Current estimates are that 30 to 40% of arterial disease is related to high levels of homocysteine.
A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James Howenstine MD, page 220
Vitamin B may help for premenstrual or mid-menstrual cycle acne. Coexisting gum problems suggest the need for folic acid.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 988
[For] pins and needles in the legs, take folic acid and B-12.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 1100
Take 5 grams Vitamin C, 1 gram Calcium. 1/2 gram Magnesium, 100 mg. B-Complex, extra B6, B-12. and folic acid (for severe depression, requires Vitamin C for absorption).
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 800
Find relief in folic acid. One study found that women who experienced problems with constipation had low levels of the B vitamin folic acid in their blood. When the women began taking folic acid supplements, all of their symptoms subsided. Try taking up to 5,000 micrograms a day until the condition subsides, advises clinical nutritionist Shari Lieberman, Ph.D. But check with your doctor first, since dosages of folic acid over 1,000 micrograms should only be taken under medical supervision.
Blended Medicine by Michael Castleman, page 11
Herpes may be helped overnight by chewing folic acid with 500 mg. L-Lysine twice daily, and Zinc tablets.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 455
If agitation or hyperactivity is seen, it is recommended that folic acid should be given in the amount of two 800 microgram tablets for each 125 mg of DMG taken.
Building Wellness with DMG by Roger V Kendall PhD, page 116
Disease prevention with folic acid
Folic acid, a B vitamin, is now known to prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida, a serious abnormality of early fetal development. Unfortunately, by the time most women learn they are pregnant, the critical period has already passed. A major source of folic acid is the cooked greens recommended in the program (another is orange juice). If you are contemplating pregnancy or think there is any possibility that you could get pregnant, for insurance take a daily B-complex vitamin supplement providing 400 micrograms of folic acid.
8 Weeks To Optimum Health By Andrew Weil MD, page 222
Women taking 400 mg of folic acid also have a decreased risk of heart attack and protection against Alzheimer's Disease and stroke. After 15 years of 400 mg of folic acid there is a 75% reduction in the number of women who get colon cancer.
A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James Howenstine MD, page 19
According to University of Washington researchers, 13,500 to 50,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease could be prevented every year if everyone took folic acid (the supplement form of folate) every day. All you need is 200 micrograms a day.
Anti-Aging Prescriptions by James Duke PhD, page 145
SPINA BIFIDA. Failure of the spinal bones to close over nerves arising from the lower end of the spinal cord. May cause paralysis of the legs and incontinence. Associated with poverty, bad housing and is more common in Celtic races and among the sikhs. Most common cause is folic acid deficiency. Prevention only. A woman of childbearing age should increase her consumption of food rich in folic acid, such as Brussels sprouts, spinach, green beans, oranges, potatoes, wholemeal bread, yeast extract. New evidence suggests health is determined before birth by a mother's condition during pregnancy. The UK Department of Health advises 400 micrograms (0.4mg) folic acid until the twelfth week of pregnancy.
Bartrams Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine by Thomas Bartram, page 25
Perhaps as much as 30 percent of all heart disease is directly caused by high homocysteine levels, he says. That's the bad news. The good news is that three B vitamins—folic acid, B6, and B12—can help convert homocysteine to methionine or cystine, thus protecting your heart. Dr. Baum recommends taking 800 to 1,000 micrograms of folic acid, 400 micrograms of vitamin B12, and 50 milligrams of vitamin B6 daily.
Alternative Cures by Bill Gottlieb, page 337
...Other nutrients may be equally critical to the prevention of osteoporosis. "Vitamin K, silicon, boron, folic acid, magnesium, and manganese all play a role in bone building and need to be consumed through diet or supplements," he says. To prevent osteoporosis, you must get sufficient levels and the proper ratio of these bone nutrients.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 840
Sources of folic acid
Folic acid, a B vitamin found in green leafy vegetables, nuts, and whole grains, can prevent neural tube defects in fetuses.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 866
Greens are high in vitamins and minerals, including iron and calcium in forms that the body can absorb and use more readily than supplements. For example, they are a major source of folic acid (folate), a B vitamin that regulates protein metabolism and offers significant protection against coronary heart disease. ("Folate" and "foliage" share the same root.)
8 Weeks To Optimum Health By Andrew Weil MD, page 141
Eat at least eight servings of fruits and vegetables each day. These high-fiber, low-fat foods are typically rich in folic acid and other B vitamins, which reduce the risk for heart disease by helping to prevent arterial blood clots.
Bottom Line Yearbook 2002 by Bottom Line Personnel, page 331
The leafy green that Popeye made famous is among the best plant sources of folate. All you need is 200 micrograms a day. You can get more than that from 1/2 cup of spinach (or lentils, pinto beans, lima beans, black-eyed peas, or sunflower seeds) or a cup or two of spinach soup. What a pleasant way to stave off stroke and heart attack! Of course, spinach and beans aren't the only great sources of folate. Others include parsley, cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, endive, okra, avocado, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and orange juice.
Anti-Aging Prescriptions by James Duke PhD, page 145
A major source of folic acid is the cooked greens recommended in the program (another is orange juice).
8 Weeks To Optimum Health By Andrew Weil MD, page 222
Beetroot is rich in potassium, folic acid, and the antioxidant glutathione.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 173
Legumes: Peas and beans, such as kidney, lima, soybean, navy, black, and lentils, are loaded with protein, folic acid, and amino acids.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 192
Diets rich in folic acid and B vitamins would turn out to have such powerful benefits for the heart that they could outweigh such "sins" as moderate red meat intake. Could the public be blamed for its confusion?
Betrayal Of Trust By Laurie Garrett, page 394
Folic acid—This substance protects against cervical cancer and is necessary for proper synthesis of RNA and DNA. It is found in beets, cabbage, dark leafy vegetables, eggs, dairy products, citrus fruits, and most fish.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 591
Dietary folate sources include leafy and dark green vegetables, citrus fruits, cereals, beans, poultry, and egg yolks, but free folic acid occurs only in supplements.
Britannica Encyclopedia Volume One, page 674
Folic acid [is] found in whole grains, chickpeas, soybeans, spinach, broccoli, and cabbage)…
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 745
Probiotics help suppress the growth of yeast, improve digestion by increasing the production of some enzymes, produce acids that fight bacteria, and manufacture nutrients such as vitamins K, Bi, B2, B3, B12, and folic acid.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 908
Foods rich in folic acid include spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, asparagus, and whole wheat.
Blended Medicine by Michael Castleman, page 10
Many women have also long esteemed certain wild mushrooms, which some thought to be special gifts from Mother Earth. As we now know, naturally grown mushrooms (as opposed to commercial mushrooms grown in the dark) contain folic acid, which helps to prevent birth defects. These delicious and abundant choices, which do not have any poisonous look-alikes, can be eaten when they are underripe.
American Indian Healing Arts by E.Barrie Kavasch and Karen Baar, page 146
Folic acid deficiencies
Folic acid may be the most common vitamin deficiency in the world, since more people are choosing animal foods (poor source of folic acid) over plant foods. The name, folic acid, comes from the Latin term "folium", meaning foliage, since dark green leafy vegetables are a rich source of folic acid. Other good sources of folic acid include brewer's yeast, legumes, asparagus, oranges, cabbage, root vegetables and whole grains. Since folic acid is essential for all new cell growth, disturbances in folic acid metabolism are far reaching, including heart disease (due to more homocysteine in the blood), birth defects, immune suppression, cancer, premature senility and a long list of other conditions. Without adequate folate in the diet, cell growth is like a drunk driver heading down the highway—more likely to do some harm than not.
Beating Cancer With Nutrition by Patrick Quillin, page 180
Birth Control Pills: These pills produce folic acid deficiency. Where there is a lack of folic acid, homocysteine blood levels rise and this is associated with osteoporosis.
A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James Howenstine MD, page 130
Men Need folic acid too. Low folic acid levels in men are associated with low sperm count. A recent study has led investigators to hypothesize that low folic acid could also damage the DNA that sperm carry—which could lead to chromosomal damage in a fetus. Self-defense: Eat plenty of folate-rich fruits and vegetables and fortified grain products.
Bottom Line Yearbook 2004 by Bottom Line Personnel, page 334
B12 anemia is often accompanied by folic acid anemia. One of the reasons folic acid is important is that it fosters healthy prenatal development: It aids in the prevention of birth defects, such as those of the neural tube, and is crucial for proper cell production in the growing fetus. Folic acid is easily consumed by heat; hence, diets that consist primarily of cooked foods, with few raw foods included, often result in this type of deficiency. In addition, young children may develop a folic acid deficiency if they are given goat's milk. (Although superior to cow's milk in many ways, goat's milk lacks folic acid.) Teenagers and adults who are vegetarians may also fall victim to this form of anemia if they do not carefully balance their diets. Finally, folic acid anemia can be induced by alcoholism, which completely drains the body of this nutrient, and by the consumption of certain prescription drugs, such as oral contraceptives and anticancer drugs.
Complete Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 32
Experts have estimated that up to 20% of all senility in older adults is merely a long term deficiency of folic acid and vitamin B-12. The RDA of folate is 200 meg for adults and 400 meg for pregnant women, although the Center for Disease Control has recommended that 800 meg of folic acid would prevent most cases of spinal bifida. Without adequate folic acid in the body, there is a buildup of homocysteine in the blood, which probably generates 10% or more of the 1 million cases of heart disease each year in the U.S.
Beating Cancer With Nutrition by Patrick Quillin, page 180
Deficiencies of folic acid and vitamin B12 may cause some cases of recurrent canker sores, says Flora Parsa Stay, D.D.S., a dentist in Oxnard, California. If you have recurrent sores, she recommends taking 400 micrograms of folic acid and 200 micrograms of vitamin B12 daily.
Alternative Cures by Bill Gottlieb, page 142
Persons with AIDS are often deficient in folic acid, selenium, zinc, and iron.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 497
Deficiencies in vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid can trigger such neurological changes as a drop in alertness and memory ability as well as numbness and tingling in the legs.
BioMarkers by Williams Evans PhD and Irwin H Rosenberg MD, page 250
Reduced levels of certain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids have been tentatively linked with Alzheimer's, including folic acid, niacin (vitamin B3), thiamin (vitamin Bi), vitamins Be, B12, C, D, and E, magnesium, selenium, zinc, and tryptophan.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 524
The elderly generally are deficient in Calories, Protein, Iron, Vitamins A and C, Calcium, the B-Complex, especially B-12 and folic acid, and that's with 70% of the elderly in institutions where the diets are carefully planned.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 315
Low levels of folic acid, vitamin B12, pyridoxine, iron, and magnesium are some of the most commonly implicated nutritional influences on depression.
Beat Depression with St John's Wort by Steven Bratman, page 103
[Folate] anemia resulting from too little folic acid, needed for red-blood-cell maturation (see erythrocyte). White-cell and platelet levels are also often low. Progressive gastrointestinal problems develop. It may result from poor diet or from malabsorption, cirrhosis of the liver, or anticonvulsant drugs; it may also occur in the last three months of pregnancy and in severe hemolytic anemia (in which red cells break down). The blood profile resembles that of pernicious anemia. Taking folic acid causes rapid improvement; an adequate diet cures cases caused by malnutrition.
Britannica Encyclopedia Volume One, page 674
However, it's not just expectant moms who could stand to add more leafy greens to their plates. Because it is useful in combating everything from acne and canker sores to osteoporosis and cancer, we could all benefit from adding more folic acid to our diets. Along with pregnant women, elderly individuals and people suffering from depression or nervous system disorders especially stand to gain from the addition of this B vitamin.
Folic acid, the synthetic form of the B vitamin folate, works primarily in the brain and nervous system and is necessary for the synthesis of DNA, the production of red and white blood cells and of norepinephrine and serotonin in the nervous system. Folic acid also aids in the elimination of the amino acid homocysteine from the blood, a breakdown product of animal protein (methionine, actually) that contributes to heart attacks. A lack of folic acid can lead to anemia, insomnia, irritability and far more serious health problems.
Despite its range of health benefits, many Americans are deficient in the vitamin, coming nowhere near the government's recommended daily allowance of 200 micrograms daily. "The average American gets only 61 percent of the old Recommended Dietary Allowance, which is too low anyway," says James Duke, PhD in Anti-Aging Prescriptions. Part of the reason for the shortfall is that more Americans are choosing to eat more animal foods – which are a poor source of folic acid – rather than folic-acid rich plant foods, like dark green vegetables, legumes, root vegetables and whole grains.
Dr. Andrew Weil, in Ask Dr. Weil, recommends the use of supplements to make up for the deficiency. "As many as 90 percent of Americans don't get that protective 400 micrograms in their diet – for example, you'd have to eat two cups of steamed spinach, a cup of boiled lentils, or eight oranges every day. So it's important to take a supplement, especially if you're a woman and considering having children someday." As Dr. Weil suggests, for women who are deficient in this essential vitamin, the health costs can be especially high.
Folic acid is essential for pregnant women. Not only does it protect against cervical cancer, it also aids in healthy prenatal development and can significantly reduce the risk of serious neural tube birth defects and abnormalities that occur in very early fetal development, such as spina bifida. However, experts say most women aren't getting adequate levels of folic acid early enough to offer the best protection against birth defects.
"Very few women of child bearing years are taking folic acid… If a person waits until pregnant, the fetal abnormality is already established. All women of child-bearing age who might become pregnant should be taking 400 mg of folic acid," advises Dr. James Howenstine in A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work. To make matters even more difficult, women who take birth control pills are especially prone to deficiency in the B vitamin since birth control pills actually produce folic acid deficiency.
Men planning to become fathers need to monitor their folic acid intake as well, as low folic acid levels in males has been linked to low sperm count, and some studies suggest deficiency can also damage DNA carried by the sperm. Such damaged DNA could lead to chromosomal damage in a fetus, according to Bottom Line Yearbook 2004. In other words, both men and women who plan to have children should increase their folic acid intake for the sake of their baby-to-be.
Folic acid promotes good health for the mind and body, from the earliest stages of life to the latest. Men and women over 60 who feel fatigued and depressed may simply be suffering from a folic acid deficiency. In fact, folic acid deficiency has been linked to depression in patients of all ages, and according to Gary Null'sComplete Guide of Natural Healing, "the lower the level of folic acid in the blood, the higher the degree of depression."
Folic acid can also help ward off dementia, according to Patrick Quillin in Beating Cancer With Nutrition, who wrote that experts estimate up to 20 percent of senility in older adults is simply the result of a long-term deficiency of folic acid and vitamin B-12, which can be aided by taking supplements. However, when taking folic acid supplements, it is important to remember that folic acid and vitamin B-12 work most effectively together, so you should make sure you are getting enough vitamin B-12, as well. Vegans often struggle with this balance since their diets are very rich in folic acid but not in B-12.
The meager representation of folic acid in the American diet can be increased if we all just take a little more care in planning our meals. One way to up folic acid consumption is to make sure your diet includes raw foods, since heat from cooking easily destroys folic acid. And remember, sources of folic acid are plentiful – soybeans, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, peanuts, asparagus, citrus fruits, brussels sprouts, avocado, sunflower seeds, orange juice and don't forget those leafy greens – we just have to be willing to integrate these foods into our diets.
And who wouldn't be willing? After all, some added folic acid could go a long way in helping keep your nervous and circulatory systems in check, while also protecting your body from cancer and heart problems, as well as promoting healthy fetal development in babies. Folic acid is something we need at all stage of life, so we owe it to ourselves to get enough.
The experts speak on folic acid
General information on folic acid
A study is available from the Washington Council for Responsible Nutrition that reports women taking Vitamin E over age 50 and folic acid and Zinc during childbearing years would save Medicare 11 billion dollars, and overall reduce birth defects and coronary heart disease hospital expenses of 20 billion dollars per year.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 100
WHAT IS IT? Even though your body needs only comparatively minuscule amounts of folic acid, it is a vital nutrient. Folic acid—along with all the other nutrients, of course—is your guarantee of optimum physical and mental health. Your levels of folic acid are dependent on outside sources; your body does not make it on its own. Furthermore, it needs vitamin C to work properly. It works in partnership with B12 and B6, as well as the other B vitamins. Folic acid is essential to the production of norepinephrine and serotonin, chemical go-betweens of the nervous system.
Complete Guide Health Nutrition by Gary Null, page 284
Folic acid is one of the B vitamins that is crucial for the synthesis of DNA (genetic material) as well as for many other important cell functions. It was discovered in spinach leaves in 1941 and was named "folate," after the Latin word for leaf (folium). The terms folate and folic acid are roughly synonymous. For the sake of simplicity, I will generally use the latter term. Not surprisingly, this vitamin is mainly found in green leafy vegetables. Although folic acid is not an antioxidant, it boosts the antioxidant network and thus has a place in our story.
Antioxidants Against Cancer by Ralph Moss PhD, page 92
WHO NEEDS folic acid? If you are pregnant, elderly, or suffer from any sort of nervous disorder, you may benefit from additional amounts of folic acid in your diet. Pregnant women, for instance, must be wary of folic acid deficiency. Folic acid supplementation has been helpful in preventing abortion and miscarriage. The elderly need additional folic acid, too. If you are over sixty and depressed, withdrawn, and chronically tired, you may be deficient in this vital element. Let's look at the results of a study in which folic acid was added to the diets of elderly individuals: three groups of patients were used, all with varying degrees of circulation problems. The first group, those with the least degree of difficulty, experienced improved vision less than an hour after receiving folic acid. (Among those with circulatory problems, vision is often impaired because of poor circulation to the optical tissues.)
Complete Guide Health Nutrition by Gary Null, page 284
Folic acid: a water-soluble vitamin of the B complex essential for the synthesis of nucleic acids and necessary for making red blood cells (hematopoiesis), so a deficiency of folic acid results in anemia. After absorption, it is successively reduced to dihydro-folic acid and then tetrahydrofolic acid, the parent compound of the derivatives that act as coenzyme carriers of one-carbon groups in various metabolic reactions.
Building Wellness with DMG by Roger V Kendall PhD, page 216
Red blood cells are built with Vitamins B-12, folic acid, and B6.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 100
And remember, folic acid can be destroyed by exposure to heat and strong light.
Complete Guide Health Nutrition by Gary Null, page 286
Recommendations on folic acid
Doctors routinely advise women who are pregnant, or thinking of becoming pregnant, to supplement folic acid (a B vitamin also known as folate) as a means of safeguarding against birth defects such as spinal malformations.
Anti-Aging Prescriptions by James Duke PhD, page 219
It is becoming increasingly obvious that food supplementation is necessary to prevent cancer and other diseases. The prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences in 1998 called for supplementation with folic acid and vitamin B12.
Antioxidants Against Cancer by Ralph Moss PhD, page 10
If you're concerned that your diet might not provide enough vitamin B6 and folic acid to prevent stroke, Dr. Lieberman suggests taking supplements of both nutrients. Aim for 300 milligrams of B6 and 800 micrograms of folic acid a day Vitamin B6 doses this high, however, should only be taken under medical supervision. Add E for extra protection.
Blended Medicine by Michael Castleman, page 10
Vegetarians owe it to themselves to be extra careful about their diets. As Richard W. Vilter, M.D., of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, warns, "Persons who eat absolutely no animal protein (called vegans) or extreme vegetarians have no source of vitamin B12, but much folic acid in their diets." Frequently in such subjects, neurologic abnormalities develop of the posterolateral column degeneration type. This is a situation analogous to a patient with pernicious anemia who is treated inadequately with a mixed vitamin capsule containing folic acid." There is another danger for those who abstain from animal foods, including dairy products: dietary deficiencies don't show up for five to ten years because the body is able to hold some B12 in reserve. Nerve damage may exist without signs of deficiency until it is too late. The result of degeneration of the nervous system and the spinal cord is so irreparable that death may be the result.
Complete Guide Health Nutrition by Gary Null, page 283
Benefits and uses of folic acid
Folic acid is important during the aging process because it provides nourishment for the brain. Folic acid supports the production of energy and the production of blood cells. Supplementing with folic acid may help in the treatment of depression.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 321
Three to four hundred milligrams of vitamin B5 and 150 mg of B6 should be consumed on a daily basis, while prescriptions of folic acid can serve as natural hormone replacements. Adequate quantities of essential fatty acids should also be consumed because they act as natural hormone supplements, prevent cancer, and can alleviate the symptoms of aging.
Complete Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 258
Folic acid, the synthetic form of the B vitamin folate, is incredibly important. For one thing, folate is a key regulator of an amino acid called homocysteine, a breakdown product of animal protein. A number of studies have connected high levels of homocysteine in the blood to arterial disease and heart attacks. Folate helps the body eliminate homocysteine from the blood. Recently, Dr. Howard Morrison, an epidemiologist in Ottawa, was able to make a direct connection between folate and heart disease. He looked at folate levels in the blood of 5,056 men who had participated in a nutrition study in the 1970s, and he found that those with low levels of the vitamin were 69 percent more likely to have died from heart problems in the years since. Folate also has been found to prevent neural tube defects (such as spina bifida and anencephaly) in babies, which are caused when this structure fails to form properly. The neural tube is the embryonic tissue that later becomes the brain and spinal cord. Apparently folic acid is essential to its proper development. Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration ordered pasta, rice, and flour makers to add folic acid to their foods as protection against birth defects.
Ask Dr Weil by Andrew Weil MD, page 98
Proper nutritional supplementation can significantly improve cardiovascular conditions, as well as prevent them from occurring in the first place. Useful nutrients include beta carotene; vitamins B3 (niacin), Be, B12, C, and E; folic acid; the minerals calcium, chromium, magnesium, potassium, and selenium; the amino acids L-arginine, L-taurine, and L-carnitine; coenzyme Q10; and pycnogenol.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 771
According to some studies, folic acid has been helpful in relieving depression, even when used in dosages as low as 400 meg. It can also enhance cerebral circulation. One study showed that people with low levels of folic acid were twice as likely as people with adequate levels to have narrowed arteries in their necks. Psychiatric symptoms also appear to be much higher in people, particularly elderly people, who have low folic acid levels. In one study, low folic acid levels increased likelihood of dementia by 300 percent. folic acid is especially effective at breaking down the common chemical homocysteine, which is a neurotoxin. An appropriate daily dosage would be 400 meg, the amount found in many multiple vitamins.
Brain Longevity by Dharma Singh Khalsa M.D. with Cameron Stauth, page 247
Folic acid: This is another member of the vitamin B family, found in abundance in liver, kidney, mushrooms, spinach, yeast and green leafy vegetables. It has been used for decades to prevent and treat certain forms of anemia. But folic acid also increases the production of white blood cells crucial in the defense against cancer. In the late 1980s, scientists at the University of Alabama Medical Center found that the folic acid in dark leafy vegetables, oranges and liver could act together with vitamin B to prevent injuries to lung tissue and retard the development of cancer among cigarette smokers. These researchers found that smokers whose lung cells were injured had low levels of both folic acid and vitamin B12. Since these nutrients are necessary to synthesize DNA, a deficiency of one or both of these vitamins could make cells more susceptible to the effects of carcinogens. These vitamins also offered protection against birth defects and cancerous changes in cervical cells.
Cancer Therapy by Ralph W Moss PhD, page 42
Floss one to two times daily and then rinse mouth (for one minute) with several mouthfuls of liquid folic acid (0.1% solution) and then swallow. In one study, 60 individuals with gingivitis rinsed for one minute two times daily and had beneficial results. If you cannot find liquid folic acid, buy folic acid crystals in 800 meg capsules, empty two capsules in water and use this to gargle.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 1055
Lipotropic factors are compounds that promote the transportation and utilization of fats, and help prevent the accumulation of fat in the liver. They include methionine, choline, folic acid, and vitamin B12.
Cancer And Natural Medicine by John Boik, page 140
Folic acid helps against uric acid.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 560
The four B vitamins that are most important for your brain are B12, B6, B3, and folic acid.
Brain Longevity by Dharma Singh Khalsa M.D. with Cameron Stauth, page 246
The body uses 75-99% of its Calcium, with Phosphorus, Boron, Manganese, Silica, Magnesium, Copper, Zinc, Strontium; Protein; the Vitamins A, B-Complex, B6, folic acid, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K to form bone tissue and teeth.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 800
The primary nutritional building blocks of both neurotransmitters are the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine. To potentiate the action of these amino acids, folic acid, magnesium, and vitamins C and B can be taken.
Brain Longevity by Dharma Singh Khalsa M.D. with Cameron Stauth, page 213
Part of the vitamin B complex, folic acid is necessary for synthesis of nucleic acids and formation of the heme component of hemoglobin in red blood cells.
Britannica Encyclopedia Volume One, page 674
[Folic acid] is especially helpful for patients with a history of breast cancer, cervical dysplasia, and smoking. For smokers, it cuts down on the adverse effects of nicotine on the lungs.
Complete Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 84
Treatments using folic acid
Folic acid is also used in the treatment of cervical dysplasia, a pre-cancerous condition of the uterus, and for this reason is also given to women who take birth control pills or who are pregnant.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 410
Nerves on edge? Folic acid can help. The Lancet, Britain's prestigious medical journal, reports, "In the past decade [however] there has been increasing interest in the role of folate [folic acid] in neuronal metabolism, in neuropsychiatric illness, and in antiepileptic and convulsant mechanisms." When a folic acid deficiency occurs, your nervous system suffers, because there is normally such a high folate concentration in your cerebrospinal fluid. In many psychiatric and geriatric patients with mental dysfunctions, deficiency is common. "This is a promising area for future research," The Lancet adds.
Complete Guide Health Nutrition by Gary Null, page 285
Dr. Aesoph adds that chromium aids in stabilizing the erratic blood sugar seen in alcoholic hypoglycemia, while choline and folic acid are also commonly cited as important supplements to assist in the body's recovery from addiction.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 480
Homocysteinemia: Persons with elevated levels of homocysteine are at risk for arteriosclerosis. This can and should be corrected with adequate amounts of folic acid, B 12, pyridoxine, and trimethylglycine. The only way you can be sure you are getting adequate amount of therapy is to regularly monitor blood levels of homocysteine. Current estimates are that 30 to 40% of arterial disease is related to high levels of homocysteine.
A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James Howenstine MD, page 220
Vitamin B may help for premenstrual or mid-menstrual cycle acne. Coexisting gum problems suggest the need for folic acid.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 988
[For] pins and needles in the legs, take folic acid and B-12.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 1100
Take 5 grams Vitamin C, 1 gram Calcium. 1/2 gram Magnesium, 100 mg. B-Complex, extra B6, B-12. and folic acid (for severe depression, requires Vitamin C for absorption).
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 800
Find relief in folic acid. One study found that women who experienced problems with constipation had low levels of the B vitamin folic acid in their blood. When the women began taking folic acid supplements, all of their symptoms subsided. Try taking up to 5,000 micrograms a day until the condition subsides, advises clinical nutritionist Shari Lieberman, Ph.D. But check with your doctor first, since dosages of folic acid over 1,000 micrograms should only be taken under medical supervision.
Blended Medicine by Michael Castleman, page 11
Herpes may be helped overnight by chewing folic acid with 500 mg. L-Lysine twice daily, and Zinc tablets.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 455
If agitation or hyperactivity is seen, it is recommended that folic acid should be given in the amount of two 800 microgram tablets for each 125 mg of DMG taken.
Building Wellness with DMG by Roger V Kendall PhD, page 116
Disease prevention with folic acid
Folic acid, a B vitamin, is now known to prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida, a serious abnormality of early fetal development. Unfortunately, by the time most women learn they are pregnant, the critical period has already passed. A major source of folic acid is the cooked greens recommended in the program (another is orange juice). If you are contemplating pregnancy or think there is any possibility that you could get pregnant, for insurance take a daily B-complex vitamin supplement providing 400 micrograms of folic acid.
8 Weeks To Optimum Health By Andrew Weil MD, page 222
Women taking 400 mg of folic acid also have a decreased risk of heart attack and protection against Alzheimer's Disease and stroke. After 15 years of 400 mg of folic acid there is a 75% reduction in the number of women who get colon cancer.
A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James Howenstine MD, page 19
According to University of Washington researchers, 13,500 to 50,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease could be prevented every year if everyone took folic acid (the supplement form of folate) every day. All you need is 200 micrograms a day.
Anti-Aging Prescriptions by James Duke PhD, page 145
SPINA BIFIDA. Failure of the spinal bones to close over nerves arising from the lower end of the spinal cord. May cause paralysis of the legs and incontinence. Associated with poverty, bad housing and is more common in Celtic races and among the sikhs. Most common cause is folic acid deficiency. Prevention only. A woman of childbearing age should increase her consumption of food rich in folic acid, such as Brussels sprouts, spinach, green beans, oranges, potatoes, wholemeal bread, yeast extract. New evidence suggests health is determined before birth by a mother's condition during pregnancy. The UK Department of Health advises 400 micrograms (0.4mg) folic acid until the twelfth week of pregnancy.
Bartrams Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine by Thomas Bartram, page 25
Perhaps as much as 30 percent of all heart disease is directly caused by high homocysteine levels, he says. That's the bad news. The good news is that three B vitamins—folic acid, B6, and B12—can help convert homocysteine to methionine or cystine, thus protecting your heart. Dr. Baum recommends taking 800 to 1,000 micrograms of folic acid, 400 micrograms of vitamin B12, and 50 milligrams of vitamin B6 daily.
Alternative Cures by Bill Gottlieb, page 337
...Other nutrients may be equally critical to the prevention of osteoporosis. "Vitamin K, silicon, boron, folic acid, magnesium, and manganese all play a role in bone building and need to be consumed through diet or supplements," he says. To prevent osteoporosis, you must get sufficient levels and the proper ratio of these bone nutrients.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 840
Sources of folic acid
Folic acid, a B vitamin found in green leafy vegetables, nuts, and whole grains, can prevent neural tube defects in fetuses.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 866
Greens are high in vitamins and minerals, including iron and calcium in forms that the body can absorb and use more readily than supplements. For example, they are a major source of folic acid (folate), a B vitamin that regulates protein metabolism and offers significant protection against coronary heart disease. ("Folate" and "foliage" share the same root.)
8 Weeks To Optimum Health By Andrew Weil MD, page 141
Eat at least eight servings of fruits and vegetables each day. These high-fiber, low-fat foods are typically rich in folic acid and other B vitamins, which reduce the risk for heart disease by helping to prevent arterial blood clots.
Bottom Line Yearbook 2002 by Bottom Line Personnel, page 331
The leafy green that Popeye made famous is among the best plant sources of folate. All you need is 200 micrograms a day. You can get more than that from 1/2 cup of spinach (or lentils, pinto beans, lima beans, black-eyed peas, or sunflower seeds) or a cup or two of spinach soup. What a pleasant way to stave off stroke and heart attack! Of course, spinach and beans aren't the only great sources of folate. Others include parsley, cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, endive, okra, avocado, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and orange juice.
Anti-Aging Prescriptions by James Duke PhD, page 145
A major source of folic acid is the cooked greens recommended in the program (another is orange juice).
8 Weeks To Optimum Health By Andrew Weil MD, page 222
Beetroot is rich in potassium, folic acid, and the antioxidant glutathione.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 173
Legumes: Peas and beans, such as kidney, lima, soybean, navy, black, and lentils, are loaded with protein, folic acid, and amino acids.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 192
Diets rich in folic acid and B vitamins would turn out to have such powerful benefits for the heart that they could outweigh such "sins" as moderate red meat intake. Could the public be blamed for its confusion?
Betrayal Of Trust By Laurie Garrett, page 394
Folic acid—This substance protects against cervical cancer and is necessary for proper synthesis of RNA and DNA. It is found in beets, cabbage, dark leafy vegetables, eggs, dairy products, citrus fruits, and most fish.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 591
Dietary folate sources include leafy and dark green vegetables, citrus fruits, cereals, beans, poultry, and egg yolks, but free folic acid occurs only in supplements.
Britannica Encyclopedia Volume One, page 674
Folic acid [is] found in whole grains, chickpeas, soybeans, spinach, broccoli, and cabbage)…
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 745
Probiotics help suppress the growth of yeast, improve digestion by increasing the production of some enzymes, produce acids that fight bacteria, and manufacture nutrients such as vitamins K, Bi, B2, B3, B12, and folic acid.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 908
Foods rich in folic acid include spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, asparagus, and whole wheat.
Blended Medicine by Michael Castleman, page 10
Many women have also long esteemed certain wild mushrooms, which some thought to be special gifts from Mother Earth. As we now know, naturally grown mushrooms (as opposed to commercial mushrooms grown in the dark) contain folic acid, which helps to prevent birth defects. These delicious and abundant choices, which do not have any poisonous look-alikes, can be eaten when they are underripe.
American Indian Healing Arts by E.Barrie Kavasch and Karen Baar, page 146
Folic acid deficiencies
Folic acid may be the most common vitamin deficiency in the world, since more people are choosing animal foods (poor source of folic acid) over plant foods. The name, folic acid, comes from the Latin term "folium", meaning foliage, since dark green leafy vegetables are a rich source of folic acid. Other good sources of folic acid include brewer's yeast, legumes, asparagus, oranges, cabbage, root vegetables and whole grains. Since folic acid is essential for all new cell growth, disturbances in folic acid metabolism are far reaching, including heart disease (due to more homocysteine in the blood), birth defects, immune suppression, cancer, premature senility and a long list of other conditions. Without adequate folate in the diet, cell growth is like a drunk driver heading down the highway—more likely to do some harm than not.
Beating Cancer With Nutrition by Patrick Quillin, page 180
Birth Control Pills: These pills produce folic acid deficiency. Where there is a lack of folic acid, homocysteine blood levels rise and this is associated with osteoporosis.
A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James Howenstine MD, page 130
Men Need folic acid too. Low folic acid levels in men are associated with low sperm count. A recent study has led investigators to hypothesize that low folic acid could also damage the DNA that sperm carry—which could lead to chromosomal damage in a fetus. Self-defense: Eat plenty of folate-rich fruits and vegetables and fortified grain products.
Bottom Line Yearbook 2004 by Bottom Line Personnel, page 334
B12 anemia is often accompanied by folic acid anemia. One of the reasons folic acid is important is that it fosters healthy prenatal development: It aids in the prevention of birth defects, such as those of the neural tube, and is crucial for proper cell production in the growing fetus. Folic acid is easily consumed by heat; hence, diets that consist primarily of cooked foods, with few raw foods included, often result in this type of deficiency. In addition, young children may develop a folic acid deficiency if they are given goat's milk. (Although superior to cow's milk in many ways, goat's milk lacks folic acid.) Teenagers and adults who are vegetarians may also fall victim to this form of anemia if they do not carefully balance their diets. Finally, folic acid anemia can be induced by alcoholism, which completely drains the body of this nutrient, and by the consumption of certain prescription drugs, such as oral contraceptives and anticancer drugs.
Complete Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing by Gary Null PhD, page 32
Experts have estimated that up to 20% of all senility in older adults is merely a long term deficiency of folic acid and vitamin B-12. The RDA of folate is 200 meg for adults and 400 meg for pregnant women, although the Center for Disease Control has recommended that 800 meg of folic acid would prevent most cases of spinal bifida. Without adequate folic acid in the body, there is a buildup of homocysteine in the blood, which probably generates 10% or more of the 1 million cases of heart disease each year in the U.S.
Beating Cancer With Nutrition by Patrick Quillin, page 180
Deficiencies of folic acid and vitamin B12 may cause some cases of recurrent canker sores, says Flora Parsa Stay, D.D.S., a dentist in Oxnard, California. If you have recurrent sores, she recommends taking 400 micrograms of folic acid and 200 micrograms of vitamin B12 daily.
Alternative Cures by Bill Gottlieb, page 142
Persons with AIDS are often deficient in folic acid, selenium, zinc, and iron.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 497
Deficiencies in vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid can trigger such neurological changes as a drop in alertness and memory ability as well as numbness and tingling in the legs.
BioMarkers by Williams Evans PhD and Irwin H Rosenberg MD, page 250
Reduced levels of certain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids have been tentatively linked with Alzheimer's, including folic acid, niacin (vitamin B3), thiamin (vitamin Bi), vitamins Be, B12, C, D, and E, magnesium, selenium, zinc, and tryptophan.
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 524
The elderly generally are deficient in Calories, Protein, Iron, Vitamins A and C, Calcium, the B-Complex, especially B-12 and folic acid, and that's with 70% of the elderly in institutions where the diets are carefully planned.
Anti-Aging Manual by Joseph B Marion, page 315
Low levels of folic acid, vitamin B12, pyridoxine, iron, and magnesium are some of the most commonly implicated nutritional influences on depression.
Beat Depression with St John's Wort by Steven Bratman, page 103
[Folate] anemia resulting from too little folic acid, needed for red-blood-cell maturation (see erythrocyte). White-cell and platelet levels are also often low. Progressive gastrointestinal problems develop. It may result from poor diet or from malabsorption, cirrhosis of the liver, or anticonvulsant drugs; it may also occur in the last three months of pregnancy and in severe hemolytic anemia (in which red cells break down). The blood profile resembles that of pernicious anemia. Taking folic acid causes rapid improvement; an adequate diet cures cases caused by malnutrition.
Britannica Encyclopedia Volume One, page 674
article49
The CIA continues a limited number of MKULTRA plans by beginning Project MKSEARCH to develop and test ways of using biological, chemical and radioactive materials in intelligence operations, and also to develop and test drugs that are able to produce predictable changes in human behavior and physiology (Goliszek).
Dr. Henry Beecher writes, "The well-being, the health, even the actual or potential life of all human beings, born or unborn, depend upon the continuing experimentation in man. Proceed it must; proceed it will. 'The proper study of mankind is man,'" in his "exposé" on human medical experimentation Research and the Individual ("Human Experimentation: Before the Nazi Era and After").
U.S. Army scientists drop light bulbs filled with Bacillus subtilis through ventilation gates and into the New York City subway system, exposing more than one million civilians to the bacteria (Goliszek).
The National Commission for the Protection of Research Subjects issues its Policies for the Protection of Human Subjects, which eventually creates what we now know as institutional review boards (IRBs) (Sharav).
(1967)
Continuing on his Dow Chemical Company-sponsored dioxin study without the company's knowledge or consent, University of Pennsylvania Professor Albert Kligman increases the dosage of dioxin he applies to 10 prisoners' skin to 7,500 micrograms, 468 times the dosage Dow official Gerald K. Rowe had authorized him to administer. As a result, the prisoners experience acne lesions that develop into inflammatory pustules and papules (Kaye).
The CIA places a chemical in the drinking water supply of the FDA headquarters in Washington, D.C. to see whether it is possible to spike drinking water with LSD and other substances (Cockburn and St. Clair, eds.).
In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers inject pregnant women with radioactive cortisol to see if the radioactive material will cross the placentas and affect the fetuses (Goliszek).
The U.S. Army pays Professor Kligman to apply skin-blistering chemicals to Holmesburg Prison inmates' faces and backs, so as to, in Professor Kligman's words, "learn how the skin protects itself against chronic assault from toxic chemicals, the so-called hardening process," information which would have both offensive and defensive applications for the U.S. military (Kaye).
The CIA and Edgewood Arsenal Research Laboratories begin an extensive program for developing drugs that can influence human behavior. This program includes Project OFTEN -- which studies the toxicology, transmission and behavioral effects of drugs in animal and human subjects -- and Project CHICKWIT, which gathers European and Asian drug development information (Goliszek).
Professor Kligman develops Retin-A as an acne cream (and eventually a wrinkle cream), turning him into a multi-millionaire (Kaye).
Researchers paralyze 64 prison inmates in California with a neuromuscular compound called succinylcholine, which produces suppressed breathing that feels similar to drowning. When five prisoners refuse to participate in the medical experiment, the prison's special treatment board gives researchers permission to inject the prisoners with the drug against their will (Greger).
(1968)
Planned Parenthood of San Antonio and South Central Texas and the Southwest Foundation for Research and Education begin an oral contraceptive study on 70 poverty-stricken Mexican-American women, giving only half the oral contraceptives they think they are receiving and the other half a placebo. When the results of this study are released a few years later, it stirs tremendous controversy among Mexican-Americans (Sharav, Sauter).
(1969)
President Nixon ends the United States' offensive biowarfare program, including human experimentation done at Fort Detrick. By this time, tens of thousands of civilians and members of the U.S. armed forces have wittingly and unwittingly acted as participants in experiments involving exposure to dangerous biological agents (Goliszek).
The U.S. military conducts DTC Test 69-12, which is an open-air test of VX and sarin nerve agents at the Army's Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland, likely exposing military personnel (Goliszek, Martin).
Experimental drugs are tested on mentally disabled children in Milledgeville, Ga., without any institutional approval whatsoever (Sharav).
Dr. Donald MacArthur, the U.S. Department of Defense's Deputy Director for Research and Technology, requests $10 million from Congress to develop a synthetic biological agent that would be resistant "to the immunological and therapeutic processes upon which we depend to maintain our relative freedom from infectious disease" (Cockburn and St. Clair, eds.).
Judge Sam Steinfield's dissent in Strunk v. Strunk, 445 S.W.2d 145 marks the first time a judge has ever suggested that the Nuremberg Code be applied in American court cases (Sharav).
(1970)
A year after his request, under H.R. 15090, Dr. MacArthur receives funding to begin CIA-supervised mycoplasma research with Fort Detrick's Special Operations Division and hopefully create a synthetic immunosuppressive agent. Some experts believe that this research may have inadvertently created HIV, the virus that causes AIDS (Goliszek).
Under order from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which also sponsored the Tuskegee Experiment, the free childcare program at Johns Hopkins University collects blood samples from 7,000 African-American youth, telling their parents that they are checking for anemia but actually checking for an extra Y chromosome (XYY), believed to be a biological predisposition to crime. The program director, Digamber Borganokar, does this experiment without Johns Hopkins University's permission (Greger, Merritte, et al.).
(1971)
President Nixon converts Fort Detrick from an offensive biowarfare lab to the Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, now known as the National Cancer Institute at Frederick. In addition to cancer research, scientists study virology, immunology and retrovirology (including HIV) there. Additionally, the site is home to the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute, which researches drugs, vaccines and countermeasures for biological warfare, so the former Fort Detrick does not move far away from its biowarfare past (Goliszek).
Stanford University conducts the Stanford Prison Experiment on a group of college students in order to learn the psychology of prison life. Some students are given the role as prison guards, while the others are given the role of prisoners. After only six days, the proposed two-week study has to end because of its psychological effects on the participants. The "guards" had begun to act sadistic, while the "prisoners" started to show signs of depression and severe psychological stress (University of New Hampshire).
An article entitled "Viral Infections in Man Associated with Acquired Immunological Deficiency States" appears in Federation Proceedings. Dr. MacArthur and Fort Detrick's Special Operations Division have, at this point, been conducting mycoplasma research to create a synthetic immunosuppressive agent for about one year, again suggesting that this research may have produced HIV (Goliszek).
(1972)
In studies sponsored by the U.S. Air Force, Dr. Amedeo Marrazzi gives LSD to mental patients at the University of Missouri Institute of Psychiatry and the University of Minnesota Hospital to study "ego strength" (Barker).
(1973)
An Ad Hoc Advisory Panel issues its Final Report on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, writing, "Society can no longer afford to leave the balancing of individual rights against scientific progress to the scientific community" (Sharav).
(1974)
Congress enacts the National Research Act, creating the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research and finally setting standards for human experimentation on children (Breslow).
(1975)
The Department of Health, Education and Welfare gives the National Institutes of Health's Policies for the Protection of Human Subjects (1966) regulatory status. Title 45, known as "The Common Rule," officially creates institutional review boards (IRBs) (Sharav).
(1977)
The Kennedy Hearing initiates the process toward Executive Order 12333, prohibiting intelligence agencies from experimenting on humans without informed consent (Merritte, et al.).
The U.S. government issues an official apology and $400,000 to Jeanne Connell, the sole survivor from Col. Warren's now-infamous plutonium injections at Strong Memorial Hospital, and the families of the other human test subjects (Burton Report).
The National Urban League holds its National Conference on Human Experimentation, stating, "We don't want to kill science but we don't want science to kill, mangle and abuse us" (Sharav).
(1978)
The CDC begins experimental hepatitis B vaccine trials in New York. Its ads for research subjects specifically ask for promiscuous homosexual men. Professor Wolf Szmuness of the Columbia University School of Public Health had made the vaccine's infective serum from the pooled blood serum of hepatitis-infected homosexuals and then developed it in chimpanzees, the only animal susceptible to hepatitis B, leading to the theory that HIV originated in chimpanzees before being transferred over to humans via this vaccine. A few months after 1,083 homosexual men receive the vaccine, New York physicians begin noticing cases of Kaposi's sarcoma, Mycoplasma penetrans and a new strain of herpes virus among New York's homosexual community -- diseases not usually seen among young, American men, but that would later be known as common opportunistic diseases associated with AIDS (Goliszek).
(1979)
The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research releases the Belmont Report, which establishes the foundations for research experimentation on humans. The Belmont Report mandates that researchers follow three basic principles: 1. Respect the subjects as autonomous persons and protect those with limited ability for independence (such as children), 2. Do no harm, 3. Choose test subjects justly -- being sure not to target certain groups because of they are easily accessible or easily manipulated, rather than for reasons directly related to the tests (Berdon).
(1980)
A study reveals a high incidence of leukemia among the 18,000 military personnel who participated in 1957's Operation Plumbbob (a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plumbbob">"Operation Plumbob").
According to blood samples tested years later for HIV, 20 percent of all New York homosexual men who participated in the 1978 hepatitis B vaccine experiment are HIV-positive by this point (Goliszek).
American http://www.newstarget.com/doctors.html>doctors give experimental hormone shots to hundreds of Haitian men confined to detention camps in Miami and Puerto Rico, causing the men to develop a condition known as gynecomastia, in which men develop full-sized breasts (Cockburn and St. Clair, eds.).
The CDC continues its 1978 hepatitis B vaccine experiment in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis and Denver, recruiting over 7,000 homosexual men in San Francisco alone (Goliszek).
The FDA prohibits the use of prison inmates in pharmaceutical drug trials, leading to the advent of the experimental drug testing centers industry (Sharav).
The first AIDS case appears in San Francisco (Goliszek).
(1981)
(1981 - 1993) The Seattle-based Genetic Systems Corporation begins an ongoing medical experiment called Protocol No. 126, in which cancer patients at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle are given bone marrow transplants that contain eight experimental proteins made by Genetic Systems, rather than standard bone marrow transplants; 19 human subjects die from complications directly related to the experimental treatment (Goliszek).
A deep diving experiment at Duke University causes test subject Leonard Whitlock to suffer permanent brain damage (Sharav).
The CDC acknowledges that a disease known as AIDS exists and confirms 26 cases of the disease -- all in previously healthy homosexuals living in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles -- again supporting the speculation that AIDS originated from the hepatitis B experiments from 1978 and 1980 (Goliszek).
(1982)
Thirty percent of the test subjects used in the CDC's hepatitis B vaccine experiment are HIV-positive by this point (Goliszek).
(1984)
SFBC Phase I research clinic founded in Miami, Fla. By 2005, it would become the largest experimental drug testing center in North America with centers in Miami and Montreal, running Phase I to Phase IV clinical trials (Drug Development-Technology.com).
(1985)
A former U.S. Army sergeant tries to sue the Army for using drugs on him in without his consent or even his knowledge in United States v. Stanley, 483 U.S. 669. Justice Antonin Scalia writes the decision, clearing the U.S. military from any liability in past, present or future medical experiments without informed consent (Merritte, et al..
(1987)
Philadelphia resident Doris Jackson discovers that researchers have removed her son's brain post mortem for medical study. She later learns that the state of Pennsylvania has a doctrine of "implied consent," meaning that unless a patient signs a document stating otherwise, consent for organ removal is automatically implied (Merritte, et al.).
(1988)
The U.S. Justice Department pays nine Canadian survivors of the CIA and Dr. Cameron's "psychic driving" experiments (1957 - 1964) $750,000 in out-of-court settlements, to avoid any further investigations into MKULTRA (Goliszek).
(1988 - 2001) The New York City Administration for Children's Services begins allowing foster care children living in about two dozen children's homes to be used in National Institutes of Health-sponsored (NIH) experimental AIDS drug trials. These children -- totaling 465 by the program's end -- experience serious side effects, including inability to walk, diarrhea, vomiting, swollen joints and cramps. Children's home employees are unaware that they are giving the HIV-infected children experimental drugs, rather than standard AIDS treatments (New York City ACS, Doran).
(1990)
The United States sends 1.7 million members of the armed forces, 22 percent of whom are African-American, to the Persian Gulf for the Gulf War ("Desert Storm"). More than 400,000 of these soldiers are ordered to take an experimental nerve agent medication called pyridostigmine, which is later believed to be the cause of Gulf War Syndrome -- symptoms ranging from skin disorders, neurological disorders, incontinence, uncontrollable drooling and vision problems -- affecting Gulf War veterans (Goliszek; Merritte, et al.).
The CDC and Kaiser Pharmaceuticals of Southern California inject 1,500 six-month-old black and Hispanic babies in Los Angeles with an "experimental" measles vaccine that had never been licensed for use in the United States. Adding to the risk, children less than a year old may not have an adequate amount of myelin around their nerves, possibly resulting in impaired neural development because of the vaccine. The CDC later admits that parents were never informed that the vaccine being injected into their children was experimental (Goliszek).
The FDA allows the U.S. Department of Defense to waive the Nuremberg Code and use unapproved drugs and vaccines in Operation Desert Shield (Sharav).
(1991)
In the May 27 issue of the Los Angeles Times, former U.S. Navy radio operator Richard Jenkins writes that he suffers from leukemia, chronic fatigue and kidney and liver disease as a result of the radiation exposure he received in 1958's Operation Hardtack (Goliszek).
While participating in a UCLA study that withdraws schizophrenics off of their medications, Tony LaMadrid commits suicide (Sharav).
(1992)
Columbia University's New York State Psychiatric Institute and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine give 100 males -- mostly African-American and Hispanic, all between the ages of six and 10 and all the younger brothers of juvenile delinquents -- 10 milligrams of fenfluramine (fen-fen) per kilogram of body weight in order to test the theory that low serotonin levels are linked to violent or aggressive behavior. Parents of the participants received $125 each, including a $25 Toys 'R' Us gift certificate (Goliszek).
(1993)
Researchers at the West Haven VA in Connecticut give 27 schizophrenics -- 12 inpatients and 15 functioning volunteers -- a chemical called MCPP that significantly increases their psychotic symptoms and, as researchers note, negatively affects the test subjects on a long-term basis ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
(1994)
In a double-blind experiment at New York VA Hospital, researchers take 23 schizophrenic inpatients off of their medications for a median of 30 days. They then give 17 of them 0.5 mg/kg amphetamine and six a placebo as a control, following up with PET scans at Brookhaven Laboratories. According to the researchers, the purpose of the experiment was "to specifically evaluate metabolic effects in subjects with varying degrees of amphetamine-induced psychotic exacerbation" ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
Albuquerque Tribune reporter Eileen Welsome receives a Pulitzer Prize for her investigative reporting into Col. Warren's plutonium experiments on patients at Strong Memorial Hospital in 1945 (Burton Report).
In a federally funded experiment at New York VA Medical Center, researchers give schizophrenic veterans amphetamine, even though central nervous system stimulants worsen psychotic symptoms in 40 percent of schizophrenics ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
Researchers at Bronx VA Medical Center recruit 28 schizophrenic veterans who are functioning in society and give them L-dopa in order to deliberately induce psychotic relapse ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
President Clinton appoints the Advisory Commission on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE), which finally reveals the horrific experiments conducted during the Cold War era in its ACHRE Report.
(1995)
A 19-year-old University of Rochester student named Nicole Wan dies from participating in an MIT-sponsored experiment that tests airborne pollutant chemicals on humans. The experiment pays $150 to human test subjects (Sharav).
In the Mar. 15 President's Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE), former human subjects, including those who were used in experiments as children, give sworn testimonies stating that they were subjected to radiation experiments and/or brainwashed, hypnotized, drugged, psychologically tortured, threatened and even raped during CIA experiments. These sworn statements include:
· Christina DeNicola's statement that, in Tucson, Ariz., from 1966 to 1976, "Dr. B" performed mind control experiments using drugs, post-hypnotic injection and drama, and irradiation experiments on her neck, throat, chest and uterus. She was only four years old when the experiments started.
· Claudia Mullen's testimony that Dr. Sidney Gottlieb (of MKULTRA fame) used chemicals, radiation, hypnosis, drugs, isolation in tubs of water, sleep deprivation, electric shock, brainwashing and emotional, sexual and verbal abuse as part of mind control experiments that had the ultimate objective of turning her, who was only a child at the time, into the "perfect spy." She tells the advisory committee that researchers justified this abuse by telling her that she was serving her country "in their bold effort to fight Communism."
· Suzanne Starr's statement that "a physician, who was retired from the military, got children from the mountains of Colorado for experiments." She says she was one of those children and that she was the victim of experiments involving environmental deprivation to the point of forced psychosis, spin programming, injections, rape and frequent electroshock and mind control sessions. "I have fought self-destructive programmed messages to kill myself, and I know what a programmed message is, and I don’t act on them," she tells the advisory committee of the experiments' long-lasting effects, even in her adulthood (Goliszek).
President Clinton publicly apologizes to the thousands of people who were victims of MKULTRA and other mind-control experimental programs (Sharav).
In Dr. Daniel P. van Kammen's study, "Behavioral vs. Biochemical Prediction of Clinical Stability Following Haloperidol Withdrawal in Schizophrenia," researchers recruit 88 veterans who are stabilized by their medications enough to make them functional in society, and hospitalize them for eight to 10 weeks. During this time, the researchers stop giving the veterans the medications that are enabling them to live in society, placing them back on a two- to four-week regimen of the standard dose of Haldol. Then, the veterans are "washed-out," given lumbar punctures and put under six-week observation to see who would relapse and suffer symptomatic schizophrenia once again; 50 percent do ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
President Clinton appoints the National Bioethics Advisory Committee (Sharav).
Justice Edward Greenfield of the New York State Supreme Court rules that parents do not have the right to volunteer their mentally incapacitated children for non-therapeutic medical research studies and that no mentally incapacitated person whatsoever can be used in a medical experiment without informed consent (Sharav).
(1996)
Professor Adil E. Shamoo of the University of Maryland and the organization Citizens for Responsible Care and Research sends a written testimony on the unethical use of veterans in medical research to the U.S. Senate's Committee on Governmental Affairs, stating: "This type of research is on-going nationwide in medical centers and VA hospitals supported by tens of millions of dollars of taxpayers money. These experiments are high risk and are abusive, causing not only physical and psychic harm to the most vulnerable groups but also degrading our society’s system of basic human values. Probably tens of thousands of patients are being subjected to such experiments" ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
The Department of Defense admits that Gulf War soldiers were exposed to chemical agents; however, 33 percent of all military personnel afflicted with Gulf War Syndrome never left the United States during the war, discrediting the popular mainstream belief that these symptoms are a result of exposure to Iraqi chemical weapons (Merritte, et al.).
In a federally funded experiment at West Haven VA in Connecticut, Yale University researchers give schizophrenic veterans amphetamine, even though central nervous system stimulants worsen psychotic symptoms in 40 percent of schizophrenics ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
President Clinton issues a formal apology to the subjects of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and their families (Sharav).
(1997)
In order to expose unethical medical experiments that provoke psychotic relapse in schizophrenic patients, the Boston Globe publishes a four-part series entitled "Doing Harm: Research on the Mentally Ill" (Sharav).
Researchers give 26 veterans at a VA hospital a chemical called Yohimbine to purposely induce post-traumatic stress disorder ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
In order to create a "psychosis model," University of Cincinnati researchers give 16 schizophrenic patients at Cincinnati VA amphetamine in order to provoke repeats bouts of psychosis and eventually produce "behavioral sensitization" (Sharav).
National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) researchers give schizophrenic veterans amphetamine, even though central nervous system stimulants worsen psychotic symptoms in 40 percent of schizophrenics ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
In an experiment sponsored by the U.S. government, researchers withhold medical treatment from HIV-positive African-American pregnant women, giving them a placebo rather than AIDS medication (Sharav).
Researchers give amphetamine to 13 schizophrenic patients in a repetition of the 1994 "amphetamine challenge" at New York VA Hospital. As a result, the patients experience psychosis, delusions and hallucinations. The researchers claim to have informed consent ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
On Sept. 18, victims of unethical medical experiments at major U.S. research centers, including the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) testify before the National Bioethics Advisory Committee (Sharav).
(1999)
Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D. testifies on "The Unethical Use of Human Beings in High-Risk Research Experiments" before the U.S. House of Representatives' House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, alerting the House on the use of American veterans in VA Hospitals as human guinea pigs and calling for national reforms ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
Doctors at the University of Pennsylvania inject 18-year-old Jesse Gelsinger with an experimental gene therapy as part of an FDA-approved clinical trial. He dies four days later and his father suspects that he was not fully informed of the experiment's risk (Goliszek)
During a clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of Propulsid for infant acid reflux, nine-month-old Gage Stevens dies at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh (Sharav).
(2000)
The Department of Defense begins declassifying the records of Project 112, including SHAD, and locating and assisting the veterans who were exposed to live toxins and chemical agents as part of Project 112. Many of them have already died (Goliszek).
President Clinton authorizes the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Act, which compensates the Department of Energy workers who sacrificed their health to build the United States' nuclear defenses (Sharav).
The U.S. Air Force and rocket maker Lockheed Martin sponsor a Loma Linda University study that pays 100 Californians $1,000 to eat a dose of perchlorate -- a toxic component of rocket fuel that causes cancer, damages the thyroid gland and hinders normal development in children and fetuses -- every day for six months. The dose eaten by the test subjects is 83 times the safe dose of perchlorate set by the State of California, which has perchlorate in some of its drinking water. This Loma Linda study is the first large-scale study to use human subjects to test the harmful effects of a water pollutant and is "inherently unethical," according to Environmental Working Group research director Richard Wiles (Goliszek, Envirnomental Working Group).
(2001)
Healthy 27-year-old Ellen Roche dies in a challenge study at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland (Sharav).
On its website, the FDA admits that its policy to include healthy children in human experiments "has led to an increasing number of proposals for studies of safety and pharmacokinetics, including those in children who do not have the condition for which the drug is intended" (Goliszek).
During a tobacco industry-financed Alzheimer's experiment at Case Western University in Cleveland, Elaine Holden-Able dies after she drinks a glass of orange juice containing a dissolved dietary supplement (Sharav).
Radiologist Scott Scheer of Pennsylvania dies from kidney failure, severe anemia and possibly lupus -- all caused by blood pressure drugs he was taking as part of a five-year clinical trial. After his death, his family sues the Institutional Review Board of Main Line Hospitals, the hospital that oversaw the study, and two doctors. Investigators from the federal Office for Human Research Protections, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, later conclude in a Dec. 20, 2002 letter to Scheer's oldest daughter: "Your father apparently was not told about the risk of hydralazine-induced lupus … OHRP found that certain unanticipated problems involving risks to subjects or others were not promptly reported to appropriate institutional officials" (Willen and Evans, "Doctor Who Died in Drug Test Was Betrayed by System He Trusted.")
In Higgins and Grimes v. Kennedy Krieger Institute The Maryland Court of Appeals makes a landmark decision regarding the use of children as test subjects, prohibiting non-therapeutic experimentation on children on the basis of "best interest of the individual child" (Sharav).
(2002)
President George W. Bush signs the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA), offering pharmaceutical companies six-month exclusivity in exchange for running clinical drug trials on children. This will of course increase the number of children used as human test subjects (Hammer Breslow).
(2003)
Two-year-old Michael Daddio of Delaware dies of congestive heart failure. After his death, his parents learn that doctors had performed an experimental surgery on him when he was five months old, rather than using the established surgical method of repairing his congenital heart defect that the parents had been told would be performed. The established procedure has a 90- to 95-percent success rate, whereas the inventor of the procedure performed on baby Daddio would later be fired from his hospital in 2004 (Willen and Evans, "Parents of Babies Who Died in Delaware Tests Weren't Warned").
(2004)
In his BBC documentary "Guinea Pig Kids" and BBC News article of the same name, reporter Jamie Doran reveals that children involved in the New York City foster care system were unwitting human subjects in experimental AIDS drug trials from 1988 to, in his belief, present times (Doran).
(2005)
In response to the BBC documentary and article "Guinea Pig Kids", the New York City Administration of Children's Services (ACS) sends out an Apr. 22 press release admitting that foster care children were used in experimental AIDS drug trials, but says that the last trial took place in 2001 and thus the trials are not continuing, as BBC reporter Jamie Doran claims. The ACS gives the extent and statistics of the experimental drug trials, based on its own records, and contracts the Vera Institute of Justice to conduct "an independent review of ACS policy and practice regarding the enrollment of HIV-positive children in foster care in clinical drug trials during the late 1980s and 1990s" (New York City ACS).
In exchange for receiving $2 million from the American Chemical Society, the EPA proposes the Children's Health Environmental Exposure Research Study (CHEERS) to learn how children ranging from infancy to three years old ingest, inhale and absorb chemicals by exposing children from a poor, predominantly black area of Duval County, Fla., to these toxins. Due to pressure from activist groups, negative media coverage and two Democratic senators, the EPA eventually decides to drop the study on Apr. 8, 2005 (Organic Consumers Association).
Bloomberg releases a series of reports suggesting that SFBC, the largest experimental drug testing center of its time, exploits immigrant and other low-income test subjects and runs tests with limited credibility due to violations of both the FDA's and SFBC's own testing guidelines (Bloomberg).
Works cited:
Alliance for Human Research Protection. "'Monster Experiment' Taught Orphans to Stutter.". June 11, 2001.
Barker, Allen. "The Cold War Experiments." Mind Control.
Berdon, Victoria. "Codes of Medical and Human Experimentation Ethics." The Least of My Brothers.
Brinker, Wendy. "James Marion Sims: Father Butcher." Seed Show.
Burton Report. "Human Experimentation, Plutonium and Col. Stafford Warren."
Cockburn, Alexander and Jeffrey St. Clair, eds. "Germ War: The U.S. Record." Counter Punch.
"Donald Ewan [sic] Cameron." Wikipedia.
Doran, Jamie. "Guinea Pig Kids." BBC News. 30 Nov. 2004.
Drug Development-Technology.com. "SFBC."
Elliston, Jon. "MKULTRA: CIA Mind Control." Dossier: Paranormal Government.
Environmental Working Group. "U.S.: Lockheed Martin's Tests on Humans." CorpWatch.
Global Security. Chemical Corps. 2005.
Goliszek, Andrew. In the Name of Science. New York: St. Martin's, 2003.
Greger, Michael, M.D. Heart Failure: Diary of a Third Year Medical Student.
Griffiths, Joel and Chris Bryson. "Toxic Secrets: Fluoride and the Atom Bomb." Nexus Magazine 5:3. Apr. - May 1998.
Hammer Breslow, Lauren. "The Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act of 2002: The Rise of the Voluntary Incentive Structure and Congressional Refusal to Require Pediatric Testing." Harvard Journal of Legislation Vol. 40.
"Human Experimentation: Before the Nazi Era and After." Micah Books.
Kaye, Jonathan. "Retin-A's Wrinkled Past." Mind Control. Orig. pub. Penn History Review Spring 1997.
"Manhattan Project: Oak Ridge." World Socialist Web Site. Oct. 18, 2002.
Meiklejohn, Gordon N., M.D. "Commission on Influenza." Histories of the Commissions. Ed. Theodore E. Woodward, M.D. The Armed Forced Epidemiological Board. 1994.
Merritte, LaTasha, et al.. "The Banality of Evil: Human Medical Experimentation in the United States." The Public Law Online Journal. Spring 1999.
Milgram, Stanley. "Milgram Experiment." Wikipedia. 2006.
New York City Administration of Children's Services. Press release. 22 Apr. 2005.
"Operation Plumbbob." Wikipedia. 2005.
"Operation Whitecoat." Religion and Ethics (Episode no. 708). Oct. 24, 2003.
Organic Consumers Association. "EPA and Chemical Industry to Study the Effects of Known Toxic Chemicals on Children". 12 Apr. 2005.
Pacchioli, David. Subjected to Science. Mar. 1996.
"Placebo Effect." Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. 2006.
"Project Paperclip." Wikipedia. 2005.
"Reviews and Notes: History of Medicine: Subjected to Science: Human Experimentation in America before the Second World War." Annals of Internal Medicine 123:2. July 15, 1995.
Sharav, Vera Hassner. "Human Experiments: A Chronology of Human Rsearch." Alliance for Human Research Protection.
Sauter, Daniel. Guide to MS 83 [Planned Parenthood of San Antonio and South Central Texas Records, 1931 - 1999]. University of Texas Library. Apr. 2001.
"Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D." News from the Joint Hearing on Suspension of Medical Research at West Los Angeles and Sepulveda VA Medical Facilities and Informed Consent and Patient Safety in VA Medical Research. 21 Apr. 1999.
University of New Hampshire. "Chronology of Cases Involving Unethical Treatment of Human Subjects." Responsible Conduct of Research.
University of Virginia Health System Health Sciences Library. "Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Study." 2004.
U.S. Department of Energy. "Chapter 8: Postwar TBI-Effects Experimentation: Continued Reliance on Sick Patients in Place of Healthy "Normals." Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE) Final Report.
Veterans Health Administration. Project 112/Project SHAD. May 26, 2005.
Dr. Henry Beecher writes, "The well-being, the health, even the actual or potential life of all human beings, born or unborn, depend upon the continuing experimentation in man. Proceed it must; proceed it will. 'The proper study of mankind is man,'" in his "exposé" on human medical experimentation Research and the Individual ("Human Experimentation: Before the Nazi Era and After").
U.S. Army scientists drop light bulbs filled with Bacillus subtilis through ventilation gates and into the New York City subway system, exposing more than one million civilians to the bacteria (Goliszek).
The National Commission for the Protection of Research Subjects issues its Policies for the Protection of Human Subjects, which eventually creates what we now know as institutional review boards (IRBs) (Sharav).
(1967)
Continuing on his Dow Chemical Company-sponsored dioxin study without the company's knowledge or consent, University of Pennsylvania Professor Albert Kligman increases the dosage of dioxin he applies to 10 prisoners' skin to 7,500 micrograms, 468 times the dosage Dow official Gerald K. Rowe had authorized him to administer. As a result, the prisoners experience acne lesions that develop into inflammatory pustules and papules (Kaye).
The CIA places a chemical in the drinking water supply of the FDA headquarters in Washington, D.C. to see whether it is possible to spike drinking water with LSD and other substances (Cockburn and St. Clair, eds.).
In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers inject pregnant women with radioactive cortisol to see if the radioactive material will cross the placentas and affect the fetuses (Goliszek).
The U.S. Army pays Professor Kligman to apply skin-blistering chemicals to Holmesburg Prison inmates' faces and backs, so as to, in Professor Kligman's words, "learn how the skin protects itself against chronic assault from toxic chemicals, the so-called hardening process," information which would have both offensive and defensive applications for the U.S. military (Kaye).
The CIA and Edgewood Arsenal Research Laboratories begin an extensive program for developing drugs that can influence human behavior. This program includes Project OFTEN -- which studies the toxicology, transmission and behavioral effects of drugs in animal and human subjects -- and Project CHICKWIT, which gathers European and Asian drug development information (Goliszek).
Professor Kligman develops Retin-A as an acne cream (and eventually a wrinkle cream), turning him into a multi-millionaire (Kaye).
Researchers paralyze 64 prison inmates in California with a neuromuscular compound called succinylcholine, which produces suppressed breathing that feels similar to drowning. When five prisoners refuse to participate in the medical experiment, the prison's special treatment board gives researchers permission to inject the prisoners with the drug against their will (Greger).
(1968)
Planned Parenthood of San Antonio and South Central Texas and the Southwest Foundation for Research and Education begin an oral contraceptive study on 70 poverty-stricken Mexican-American women, giving only half the oral contraceptives they think they are receiving and the other half a placebo. When the results of this study are released a few years later, it stirs tremendous controversy among Mexican-Americans (Sharav, Sauter).
(1969)
President Nixon ends the United States' offensive biowarfare program, including human experimentation done at Fort Detrick. By this time, tens of thousands of civilians and members of the U.S. armed forces have wittingly and unwittingly acted as participants in experiments involving exposure to dangerous biological agents (Goliszek).
The U.S. military conducts DTC Test 69-12, which is an open-air test of VX and sarin nerve agents at the Army's Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland, likely exposing military personnel (Goliszek, Martin).
Experimental drugs are tested on mentally disabled children in Milledgeville, Ga., without any institutional approval whatsoever (Sharav).
Dr. Donald MacArthur, the U.S. Department of Defense's Deputy Director for Research and Technology, requests $10 million from Congress to develop a synthetic biological agent that would be resistant "to the immunological and therapeutic processes upon which we depend to maintain our relative freedom from infectious disease" (Cockburn and St. Clair, eds.).
Judge Sam Steinfield's dissent in Strunk v. Strunk, 445 S.W.2d 145 marks the first time a judge has ever suggested that the Nuremberg Code be applied in American court cases (Sharav).
(1970)
A year after his request, under H.R. 15090, Dr. MacArthur receives funding to begin CIA-supervised mycoplasma research with Fort Detrick's Special Operations Division and hopefully create a synthetic immunosuppressive agent. Some experts believe that this research may have inadvertently created HIV, the virus that causes AIDS (Goliszek).
Under order from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which also sponsored the Tuskegee Experiment, the free childcare program at Johns Hopkins University collects blood samples from 7,000 African-American youth, telling their parents that they are checking for anemia but actually checking for an extra Y chromosome (XYY), believed to be a biological predisposition to crime. The program director, Digamber Borganokar, does this experiment without Johns Hopkins University's permission (Greger, Merritte, et al.).
(1971)
President Nixon converts Fort Detrick from an offensive biowarfare lab to the Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, now known as the National Cancer Institute at Frederick. In addition to cancer research, scientists study virology, immunology and retrovirology (including HIV) there. Additionally, the site is home to the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute, which researches drugs, vaccines and countermeasures for biological warfare, so the former Fort Detrick does not move far away from its biowarfare past (Goliszek).
Stanford University conducts the Stanford Prison Experiment on a group of college students in order to learn the psychology of prison life. Some students are given the role as prison guards, while the others are given the role of prisoners. After only six days, the proposed two-week study has to end because of its psychological effects on the participants. The "guards" had begun to act sadistic, while the "prisoners" started to show signs of depression and severe psychological stress (University of New Hampshire).
An article entitled "Viral Infections in Man Associated with Acquired Immunological Deficiency States" appears in Federation Proceedings. Dr. MacArthur and Fort Detrick's Special Operations Division have, at this point, been conducting mycoplasma research to create a synthetic immunosuppressive agent for about one year, again suggesting that this research may have produced HIV (Goliszek).
(1972)
In studies sponsored by the U.S. Air Force, Dr. Amedeo Marrazzi gives LSD to mental patients at the University of Missouri Institute of Psychiatry and the University of Minnesota Hospital to study "ego strength" (Barker).
(1973)
An Ad Hoc Advisory Panel issues its Final Report on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, writing, "Society can no longer afford to leave the balancing of individual rights against scientific progress to the scientific community" (Sharav).
(1974)
Congress enacts the National Research Act, creating the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research and finally setting standards for human experimentation on children (Breslow).
(1975)
The Department of Health, Education and Welfare gives the National Institutes of Health's Policies for the Protection of Human Subjects (1966) regulatory status. Title 45, known as "The Common Rule," officially creates institutional review boards (IRBs) (Sharav).
(1977)
The Kennedy Hearing initiates the process toward Executive Order 12333, prohibiting intelligence agencies from experimenting on humans without informed consent (Merritte, et al.).
The U.S. government issues an official apology and $400,000 to Jeanne Connell, the sole survivor from Col. Warren's now-infamous plutonium injections at Strong Memorial Hospital, and the families of the other human test subjects (Burton Report).
The National Urban League holds its National Conference on Human Experimentation, stating, "We don't want to kill science but we don't want science to kill, mangle and abuse us" (Sharav).
(1978)
The CDC begins experimental hepatitis B vaccine trials in New York. Its ads for research subjects specifically ask for promiscuous homosexual men. Professor Wolf Szmuness of the Columbia University School of Public Health had made the vaccine's infective serum from the pooled blood serum of hepatitis-infected homosexuals and then developed it in chimpanzees, the only animal susceptible to hepatitis B, leading to the theory that HIV originated in chimpanzees before being transferred over to humans via this vaccine. A few months after 1,083 homosexual men receive the vaccine, New York physicians begin noticing cases of Kaposi's sarcoma, Mycoplasma penetrans and a new strain of herpes virus among New York's homosexual community -- diseases not usually seen among young, American men, but that would later be known as common opportunistic diseases associated with AIDS (Goliszek).
(1979)
The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research releases the Belmont Report, which establishes the foundations for research experimentation on humans. The Belmont Report mandates that researchers follow three basic principles: 1. Respect the subjects as autonomous persons and protect those with limited ability for independence (such as children), 2. Do no harm, 3. Choose test subjects justly -- being sure not to target certain groups because of they are easily accessible or easily manipulated, rather than for reasons directly related to the tests (Berdon).
(1980)
A study reveals a high incidence of leukemia among the 18,000 military personnel who participated in 1957's Operation Plumbbob (a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plumbbob">"Operation Plumbob").
According to blood samples tested years later for HIV, 20 percent of all New York homosexual men who participated in the 1978 hepatitis B vaccine experiment are HIV-positive by this point (Goliszek).
American http://www.newstarget.com/doctors.html>doctors give experimental hormone shots to hundreds of Haitian men confined to detention camps in Miami and Puerto Rico, causing the men to develop a condition known as gynecomastia, in which men develop full-sized breasts (Cockburn and St. Clair, eds.).
The CDC continues its 1978 hepatitis B vaccine experiment in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis and Denver, recruiting over 7,000 homosexual men in San Francisco alone (Goliszek).
The FDA prohibits the use of prison inmates in pharmaceutical drug trials, leading to the advent of the experimental drug testing centers industry (Sharav).
The first AIDS case appears in San Francisco (Goliszek).
(1981)
(1981 - 1993) The Seattle-based Genetic Systems Corporation begins an ongoing medical experiment called Protocol No. 126, in which cancer patients at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle are given bone marrow transplants that contain eight experimental proteins made by Genetic Systems, rather than standard bone marrow transplants; 19 human subjects die from complications directly related to the experimental treatment (Goliszek).
A deep diving experiment at Duke University causes test subject Leonard Whitlock to suffer permanent brain damage (Sharav).
The CDC acknowledges that a disease known as AIDS exists and confirms 26 cases of the disease -- all in previously healthy homosexuals living in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles -- again supporting the speculation that AIDS originated from the hepatitis B experiments from 1978 and 1980 (Goliszek).
(1982)
Thirty percent of the test subjects used in the CDC's hepatitis B vaccine experiment are HIV-positive by this point (Goliszek).
(1984)
SFBC Phase I research clinic founded in Miami, Fla. By 2005, it would become the largest experimental drug testing center in North America with centers in Miami and Montreal, running Phase I to Phase IV clinical trials (Drug Development-Technology.com).
(1985)
A former U.S. Army sergeant tries to sue the Army for using drugs on him in without his consent or even his knowledge in United States v. Stanley, 483 U.S. 669. Justice Antonin Scalia writes the decision, clearing the U.S. military from any liability in past, present or future medical experiments without informed consent (Merritte, et al..
(1987)
Philadelphia resident Doris Jackson discovers that researchers have removed her son's brain post mortem for medical study. She later learns that the state of Pennsylvania has a doctrine of "implied consent," meaning that unless a patient signs a document stating otherwise, consent for organ removal is automatically implied (Merritte, et al.).
(1988)
The U.S. Justice Department pays nine Canadian survivors of the CIA and Dr. Cameron's "psychic driving" experiments (1957 - 1964) $750,000 in out-of-court settlements, to avoid any further investigations into MKULTRA (Goliszek).
(1988 - 2001) The New York City Administration for Children's Services begins allowing foster care children living in about two dozen children's homes to be used in National Institutes of Health-sponsored (NIH) experimental AIDS drug trials. These children -- totaling 465 by the program's end -- experience serious side effects, including inability to walk, diarrhea, vomiting, swollen joints and cramps. Children's home employees are unaware that they are giving the HIV-infected children experimental drugs, rather than standard AIDS treatments (New York City ACS, Doran).
(1990)
The United States sends 1.7 million members of the armed forces, 22 percent of whom are African-American, to the Persian Gulf for the Gulf War ("Desert Storm"). More than 400,000 of these soldiers are ordered to take an experimental nerve agent medication called pyridostigmine, which is later believed to be the cause of Gulf War Syndrome -- symptoms ranging from skin disorders, neurological disorders, incontinence, uncontrollable drooling and vision problems -- affecting Gulf War veterans (Goliszek; Merritte, et al.).
The CDC and Kaiser Pharmaceuticals of Southern California inject 1,500 six-month-old black and Hispanic babies in Los Angeles with an "experimental" measles vaccine that had never been licensed for use in the United States. Adding to the risk, children less than a year old may not have an adequate amount of myelin around their nerves, possibly resulting in impaired neural development because of the vaccine. The CDC later admits that parents were never informed that the vaccine being injected into their children was experimental (Goliszek).
The FDA allows the U.S. Department of Defense to waive the Nuremberg Code and use unapproved drugs and vaccines in Operation Desert Shield (Sharav).
(1991)
In the May 27 issue of the Los Angeles Times, former U.S. Navy radio operator Richard Jenkins writes that he suffers from leukemia, chronic fatigue and kidney and liver disease as a result of the radiation exposure he received in 1958's Operation Hardtack (Goliszek).
While participating in a UCLA study that withdraws schizophrenics off of their medications, Tony LaMadrid commits suicide (Sharav).
(1992)
Columbia University's New York State Psychiatric Institute and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine give 100 males -- mostly African-American and Hispanic, all between the ages of six and 10 and all the younger brothers of juvenile delinquents -- 10 milligrams of fenfluramine (fen-fen) per kilogram of body weight in order to test the theory that low serotonin levels are linked to violent or aggressive behavior. Parents of the participants received $125 each, including a $25 Toys 'R' Us gift certificate (Goliszek).
(1993)
Researchers at the West Haven VA in Connecticut give 27 schizophrenics -- 12 inpatients and 15 functioning volunteers -- a chemical called MCPP that significantly increases their psychotic symptoms and, as researchers note, negatively affects the test subjects on a long-term basis ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
(1994)
In a double-blind experiment at New York VA Hospital, researchers take 23 schizophrenic inpatients off of their medications for a median of 30 days. They then give 17 of them 0.5 mg/kg amphetamine and six a placebo as a control, following up with PET scans at Brookhaven Laboratories. According to the researchers, the purpose of the experiment was "to specifically evaluate metabolic effects in subjects with varying degrees of amphetamine-induced psychotic exacerbation" ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
Albuquerque Tribune reporter Eileen Welsome receives a Pulitzer Prize for her investigative reporting into Col. Warren's plutonium experiments on patients at Strong Memorial Hospital in 1945 (Burton Report).
In a federally funded experiment at New York VA Medical Center, researchers give schizophrenic veterans amphetamine, even though central nervous system stimulants worsen psychotic symptoms in 40 percent of schizophrenics ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
Researchers at Bronx VA Medical Center recruit 28 schizophrenic veterans who are functioning in society and give them L-dopa in order to deliberately induce psychotic relapse ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
President Clinton appoints the Advisory Commission on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE), which finally reveals the horrific experiments conducted during the Cold War era in its ACHRE Report.
(1995)
A 19-year-old University of Rochester student named Nicole Wan dies from participating in an MIT-sponsored experiment that tests airborne pollutant chemicals on humans. The experiment pays $150 to human test subjects (Sharav).
In the Mar. 15 President's Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE), former human subjects, including those who were used in experiments as children, give sworn testimonies stating that they were subjected to radiation experiments and/or brainwashed, hypnotized, drugged, psychologically tortured, threatened and even raped during CIA experiments. These sworn statements include:
· Christina DeNicola's statement that, in Tucson, Ariz., from 1966 to 1976, "Dr. B" performed mind control experiments using drugs, post-hypnotic injection and drama, and irradiation experiments on her neck, throat, chest and uterus. She was only four years old when the experiments started.
· Claudia Mullen's testimony that Dr. Sidney Gottlieb (of MKULTRA fame) used chemicals, radiation, hypnosis, drugs, isolation in tubs of water, sleep deprivation, electric shock, brainwashing and emotional, sexual and verbal abuse as part of mind control experiments that had the ultimate objective of turning her, who was only a child at the time, into the "perfect spy." She tells the advisory committee that researchers justified this abuse by telling her that she was serving her country "in their bold effort to fight Communism."
· Suzanne Starr's statement that "a physician, who was retired from the military, got children from the mountains of Colorado for experiments." She says she was one of those children and that she was the victim of experiments involving environmental deprivation to the point of forced psychosis, spin programming, injections, rape and frequent electroshock and mind control sessions. "I have fought self-destructive programmed messages to kill myself, and I know what a programmed message is, and I don’t act on them," she tells the advisory committee of the experiments' long-lasting effects, even in her adulthood (Goliszek).
President Clinton publicly apologizes to the thousands of people who were victims of MKULTRA and other mind-control experimental programs (Sharav).
In Dr. Daniel P. van Kammen's study, "Behavioral vs. Biochemical Prediction of Clinical Stability Following Haloperidol Withdrawal in Schizophrenia," researchers recruit 88 veterans who are stabilized by their medications enough to make them functional in society, and hospitalize them for eight to 10 weeks. During this time, the researchers stop giving the veterans the medications that are enabling them to live in society, placing them back on a two- to four-week regimen of the standard dose of Haldol. Then, the veterans are "washed-out," given lumbar punctures and put under six-week observation to see who would relapse and suffer symptomatic schizophrenia once again; 50 percent do ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
President Clinton appoints the National Bioethics Advisory Committee (Sharav).
Justice Edward Greenfield of the New York State Supreme Court rules that parents do not have the right to volunteer their mentally incapacitated children for non-therapeutic medical research studies and that no mentally incapacitated person whatsoever can be used in a medical experiment without informed consent (Sharav).
(1996)
Professor Adil E. Shamoo of the University of Maryland and the organization Citizens for Responsible Care and Research sends a written testimony on the unethical use of veterans in medical research to the U.S. Senate's Committee on Governmental Affairs, stating: "This type of research is on-going nationwide in medical centers and VA hospitals supported by tens of millions of dollars of taxpayers money. These experiments are high risk and are abusive, causing not only physical and psychic harm to the most vulnerable groups but also degrading our society’s system of basic human values. Probably tens of thousands of patients are being subjected to such experiments" ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
The Department of Defense admits that Gulf War soldiers were exposed to chemical agents; however, 33 percent of all military personnel afflicted with Gulf War Syndrome never left the United States during the war, discrediting the popular mainstream belief that these symptoms are a result of exposure to Iraqi chemical weapons (Merritte, et al.).
In a federally funded experiment at West Haven VA in Connecticut, Yale University researchers give schizophrenic veterans amphetamine, even though central nervous system stimulants worsen psychotic symptoms in 40 percent of schizophrenics ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
President Clinton issues a formal apology to the subjects of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and their families (Sharav).
(1997)
In order to expose unethical medical experiments that provoke psychotic relapse in schizophrenic patients, the Boston Globe publishes a four-part series entitled "Doing Harm: Research on the Mentally Ill" (Sharav).
Researchers give 26 veterans at a VA hospital a chemical called Yohimbine to purposely induce post-traumatic stress disorder ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
In order to create a "psychosis model," University of Cincinnati researchers give 16 schizophrenic patients at Cincinnati VA amphetamine in order to provoke repeats bouts of psychosis and eventually produce "behavioral sensitization" (Sharav).
National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) researchers give schizophrenic veterans amphetamine, even though central nervous system stimulants worsen psychotic symptoms in 40 percent of schizophrenics ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
In an experiment sponsored by the U.S. government, researchers withhold medical treatment from HIV-positive African-American pregnant women, giving them a placebo rather than AIDS medication (Sharav).
Researchers give amphetamine to 13 schizophrenic patients in a repetition of the 1994 "amphetamine challenge" at New York VA Hospital. As a result, the patients experience psychosis, delusions and hallucinations. The researchers claim to have informed consent ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
On Sept. 18, victims of unethical medical experiments at major U.S. research centers, including the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) testify before the National Bioethics Advisory Committee (Sharav).
(1999)
Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D. testifies on "The Unethical Use of Human Beings in High-Risk Research Experiments" before the U.S. House of Representatives' House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, alerting the House on the use of American veterans in VA Hospitals as human guinea pigs and calling for national reforms ("Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D.").
Doctors at the University of Pennsylvania inject 18-year-old Jesse Gelsinger with an experimental gene therapy as part of an FDA-approved clinical trial. He dies four days later and his father suspects that he was not fully informed of the experiment's risk (Goliszek)
During a clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of Propulsid for infant acid reflux, nine-month-old Gage Stevens dies at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh (Sharav).
(2000)
The Department of Defense begins declassifying the records of Project 112, including SHAD, and locating and assisting the veterans who were exposed to live toxins and chemical agents as part of Project 112. Many of them have already died (Goliszek).
President Clinton authorizes the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Act, which compensates the Department of Energy workers who sacrificed their health to build the United States' nuclear defenses (Sharav).
The U.S. Air Force and rocket maker Lockheed Martin sponsor a Loma Linda University study that pays 100 Californians $1,000 to eat a dose of perchlorate -- a toxic component of rocket fuel that causes cancer, damages the thyroid gland and hinders normal development in children and fetuses -- every day for six months. The dose eaten by the test subjects is 83 times the safe dose of perchlorate set by the State of California, which has perchlorate in some of its drinking water. This Loma Linda study is the first large-scale study to use human subjects to test the harmful effects of a water pollutant and is "inherently unethical," according to Environmental Working Group research director Richard Wiles (Goliszek, Envirnomental Working Group).
(2001)
Healthy 27-year-old Ellen Roche dies in a challenge study at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland (Sharav).
On its website, the FDA admits that its policy to include healthy children in human experiments "has led to an increasing number of proposals for studies of safety and pharmacokinetics, including those in children who do not have the condition for which the drug is intended" (Goliszek).
During a tobacco industry-financed Alzheimer's experiment at Case Western University in Cleveland, Elaine Holden-Able dies after she drinks a glass of orange juice containing a dissolved dietary supplement (Sharav).
Radiologist Scott Scheer of Pennsylvania dies from kidney failure, severe anemia and possibly lupus -- all caused by blood pressure drugs he was taking as part of a five-year clinical trial. After his death, his family sues the Institutional Review Board of Main Line Hospitals, the hospital that oversaw the study, and two doctors. Investigators from the federal Office for Human Research Protections, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, later conclude in a Dec. 20, 2002 letter to Scheer's oldest daughter: "Your father apparently was not told about the risk of hydralazine-induced lupus … OHRP found that certain unanticipated problems involving risks to subjects or others were not promptly reported to appropriate institutional officials" (Willen and Evans, "Doctor Who Died in Drug Test Was Betrayed by System He Trusted.")
In Higgins and Grimes v. Kennedy Krieger Institute The Maryland Court of Appeals makes a landmark decision regarding the use of children as test subjects, prohibiting non-therapeutic experimentation on children on the basis of "best interest of the individual child" (Sharav).
(2002)
President George W. Bush signs the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA), offering pharmaceutical companies six-month exclusivity in exchange for running clinical drug trials on children. This will of course increase the number of children used as human test subjects (Hammer Breslow).
(2003)
Two-year-old Michael Daddio of Delaware dies of congestive heart failure. After his death, his parents learn that doctors had performed an experimental surgery on him when he was five months old, rather than using the established surgical method of repairing his congenital heart defect that the parents had been told would be performed. The established procedure has a 90- to 95-percent success rate, whereas the inventor of the procedure performed on baby Daddio would later be fired from his hospital in 2004 (Willen and Evans, "Parents of Babies Who Died in Delaware Tests Weren't Warned").
(2004)
In his BBC documentary "Guinea Pig Kids" and BBC News article of the same name, reporter Jamie Doran reveals that children involved in the New York City foster care system were unwitting human subjects in experimental AIDS drug trials from 1988 to, in his belief, present times (Doran).
(2005)
In response to the BBC documentary and article "Guinea Pig Kids", the New York City Administration of Children's Services (ACS) sends out an Apr. 22 press release admitting that foster care children were used in experimental AIDS drug trials, but says that the last trial took place in 2001 and thus the trials are not continuing, as BBC reporter Jamie Doran claims. The ACS gives the extent and statistics of the experimental drug trials, based on its own records, and contracts the Vera Institute of Justice to conduct "an independent review of ACS policy and practice regarding the enrollment of HIV-positive children in foster care in clinical drug trials during the late 1980s and 1990s" (New York City ACS).
In exchange for receiving $2 million from the American Chemical Society, the EPA proposes the Children's Health Environmental Exposure Research Study (CHEERS) to learn how children ranging from infancy to three years old ingest, inhale and absorb chemicals by exposing children from a poor, predominantly black area of Duval County, Fla., to these toxins. Due to pressure from activist groups, negative media coverage and two Democratic senators, the EPA eventually decides to drop the study on Apr. 8, 2005 (Organic Consumers Association).
Bloomberg releases a series of reports suggesting that SFBC, the largest experimental drug testing center of its time, exploits immigrant and other low-income test subjects and runs tests with limited credibility due to violations of both the FDA's and SFBC's own testing guidelines (Bloomberg).
Works cited:
Alliance for Human Research Protection. "'Monster Experiment' Taught Orphans to Stutter.". June 11, 2001.
Barker, Allen. "The Cold War Experiments." Mind Control.
Berdon, Victoria. "Codes of Medical and Human Experimentation Ethics." The Least of My Brothers.
Brinker, Wendy. "James Marion Sims: Father Butcher." Seed Show.
Burton Report. "Human Experimentation, Plutonium and Col. Stafford Warren."
Cockburn, Alexander and Jeffrey St. Clair, eds. "Germ War: The U.S. Record." Counter Punch.
"Donald Ewan [sic] Cameron." Wikipedia.
Doran, Jamie. "Guinea Pig Kids." BBC News. 30 Nov. 2004.
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Elliston, Jon. "MKULTRA: CIA Mind Control." Dossier: Paranormal Government.
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Goliszek, Andrew. In the Name of Science. New York: St. Martin's, 2003.
Greger, Michael, M.D. Heart Failure: Diary of a Third Year Medical Student.
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Hammer Breslow, Lauren. "The Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act of 2002: The Rise of the Voluntary Incentive Structure and Congressional Refusal to Require Pediatric Testing." Harvard Journal of Legislation Vol. 40.
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Merritte, LaTasha, et al.. "The Banality of Evil: Human Medical Experimentation in the United States." The Public Law Online Journal. Spring 1999.
Milgram, Stanley. "Milgram Experiment." Wikipedia. 2006.
New York City Administration of Children's Services. Press release. 22 Apr. 2005.
"Operation Plumbbob." Wikipedia. 2005.
"Operation Whitecoat." Religion and Ethics (Episode no. 708). Oct. 24, 2003.
Organic Consumers Association. "EPA and Chemical Industry to Study the Effects of Known Toxic Chemicals on Children". 12 Apr. 2005.
Pacchioli, David. Subjected to Science. Mar. 1996.
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Sharav, Vera Hassner. "Human Experiments: A Chronology of Human Rsearch." Alliance for Human Research Protection.
Sauter, Daniel. Guide to MS 83 [Planned Parenthood of San Antonio and South Central Texas Records, 1931 - 1999]. University of Texas Library. Apr. 2001.
"Testimony of Adil E. Shamoo, Ph.D." News from the Joint Hearing on Suspension of Medical Research at West Los Angeles and Sepulveda VA Medical Facilities and Informed Consent and Patient Safety in VA Medical Research. 21 Apr. 1999.
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University of Virginia Health System Health Sciences Library. "Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Study." 2004.
U.S. Department of Energy. "Chapter 8: Postwar TBI-Effects Experimentation: Continued Reliance on Sick Patients in Place of Healthy "Normals." Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE) Final Report.
Veterans Health Administration. Project 112/Project SHAD. May 26, 2005.
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