The Medical Freedom Channel

The evils of government bureaucracy are legion, but in recent times, one of the most egregious examples of power gone mad has been exhibited by the Food and Drug Administration. Among the stronger criticisms of the agency’s conduct, particularly over the last decade, is a new book by Clinical Nutritionist Byron J. Richards. In “Fight for Your Health: Exposing the FDA’s Betrayal of America,” he takes on the triumvirate of the agency itself, Big Pharma and the allopathic medical community, pronouncing this unholy alliance as a blight on the health and well-being of every American.

The book begins with considerations of several “wonder drugs” developed by various major pharmaceutical firms, each time with both the blessing of and encouragement from FDA officials: Zyprexa, Adderall, Strattera, Concerta and Ritalin get special attention, inasmuch as each of these substances was initially developed for very narrowly defined and life-threatening ailments, but soon became widely prescribed for even the most minor maladies, despite a roster of known serious side-effects. Richards notes how the latter four drugs have become popular tools in combating alleged “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” (ADHD) in young people, in spite of their well-documented dangers.

Perhaps most important in his consideration of this subject is the author’s questioning of what “disease” actually means. Richards cites the FDA’s “official” definition of the term: “damage to an organ, part, structure or system of the body such that it does not function properly (e.g., cardiovascular disease), or a state of health leading to such dysfunction (e.g., hypertension).” This is the definition used by the agency, at very least when applied to nutritional supplements, and forbidding them from claiming any effects on such “diseases” (without first undergoing the multi-year “testing” enforced by the agency).

With respect to ADHD, he notes, “Apparently, [it] is a state of health representing a nerve dysfunction that will lead to the equally hard-to-define disease known as depression.” Richards cites statistics showing the enormous markets for Big Pharma companies in the four major ADHD “remedies,” amounting to over $3.3 billion in 2005 alone. And in each case, the prescribed drug is primarily a variation on amphetamines, which on the other side of the coin are targeted as a major crime factor – buy it by prescription and your insurance covers it; make it at home and go to jail. Meanwhile, he cites experimental data showing that ADHD drugs eventually cause brain damage in mice, along with empirical evidence of human ailments, ranging from cardiovascular problems to seizures to suicide.

All this would be enough to condemn the FDA and its minions, but Byron Richards goes further, exploring the history of the agency, as well as its steady progression from the consumer-advocacy group it was allegedly intended to be, to the Big Pharma colluder and cover-up specialist it has become. In some ways the book is perhaps mislabeled, at least in its subtitle: Richards spends nearly as much time exploring and discussing deeper societal ills and long-alleged conspiracies: the Council on Foreign Relations and Trilateral Commission; the Skull and Bones Society; the Rockefellers and the early funding of healthcare; German pharmaceutical companies Bayer and I.G. Farben, and their connections with Hitler and other globalist tyrants; and several other longtime targets of the so-called “tinfoil hat” ranks.

At first glance, these sidetrips seem to discount his points about the FDA; however, at the end it all comes together, as these sinister alliances over the generations become just a part of the overall subversion of the social order, with top FDA officials appearing again and again in their questionable company. The very processes used by the agency in evaluating test results – double-blind experiments, matching to placebos rather than existing drugs, and refusing to allow cross-remedy applications without an entire new round of testing – come under fire, as perhaps even being intentional to maintain the supremacy of the Big Pharma oligarchy.

Another section deals with issues of air and water pollution, as well as with the whole question of genetic modification of our food-supply. Richards attacks these matters with some vigor, since as he sees it the overall question of human safety and well-being has taken a backseat to the continued expansion of synthetic chemicals and corporate profits – once again, with the full backing of FDA and other government agencies charged with raising public awareness. Instead, the agency continues to turn a blind eye to what Richards considers yet another major shift in how our lives are being manipulated.

Near the end, Richards asks the question, “What Happened to Thinking Doctors?” He reminds us of something seldom discussed: the vast majority of medicines being prescribed today do not CURE ailments, but merely mask their effects and symptoms, and must be continuously administered to maintain that masking process. One rarely hears now of something that, if taken for a period of time, will actually END those symptoms, repair the body’s damage, and eventually allow discontinuing the medication itself. The purpose of medication, he notes, seems to be to continue medicating, not end the ailment.

Moreover, he points out, in most if not all cases, these “masking processes” are actually inhibiting some natural aspect of the body’s chemistry, so that it must compensate for the suppressed normal function in some other way. He notes in particular the use of “statin” drugs to prevent heart problems: Statins, he says, are “slow poisons that ‘rust’ away the body and undermine energy-production systems. It is unlikely that they are the best care [emphasis his own] for a person who has already had a heart attack.” The effect of statins, he notes is to reduce the readings, not to heal an ailing heart. “A convenience-store clerk could dispense statin medication based on numbers on paper. Whatever happened to doctors who wanted to produce real health?”

In the final analysis, Richards recommends “Taking Charge of Your Own Health.” The FDA is not your friend, he says, nor are the pharmaceutical companies seeking only to raise stockholder gains, by pushing each new panacea drug to its widest distribution. Meanwhile, he notes, the average doctor is so busy filling out forms, following accepted protocols (to avoid malpractice suits) and keeping up with the latest “breakthroughs” (and then prescribing them as such), the chances of finding one who’s open to working with dietary factors and nutritional supplements are even slimmer.

He also raises the flag on the impending adoption of the CODEX Alimentarius restrictions on natural supplements, if and when the U.S. Congress approves these measures, which are already hamstringing European health and wellness practitioners. (He reminds us of the links between those same German Nazi-collaborators and the CODEX limitations today.)

In short, Byron Richards has published a volume of thought and research, which although somewhat uneven at times does provide a chronicle of how we got where we are, along with some ideas on how to “turn the train around” and restore our society to a place where prevention, wellness programs and a focus on curing “dis-ease” becomes the priority. And for those who think the process will be aided by government agencies, he delivers a rather sharp slap in the face, with a dose of reality. All in all, “Fight for Your Health: Exposing the FDA’s Betrayal of America“is well worth a look.