This is a reply to
comments made by one of our new BB members, WorldFocused (Blog entry titled: Singapore's First H1N1 (Swine) Flu Victim). A warm welcome to you WorldFocused! (This is a non-competitive blog entry.)
Thank you again, FocusedWorld. I will reply your comments (your comments in bolded and in quotes " "):
" http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=aL9sA5kFVEpM
If you don't trust Bloomberg, then you don't know Bloomberg "
My source of info for contaminated vaccine distributed by Baxter was from Bloomberg which I had mentioned earlier how they are suspected of starting the spread of the H1N1 virus (in the form of contaminated vaccine batches sent to 18 countries in mid February 2009). I do trust this source of info.
It was taken on, off the internet and now on again. The editors of major news sites decide what to censor and when, and depending on which advertisers' money they are accepting. Bloomberg (in all its fickleness) finally decided that the info online will do the public good.
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"Sanofi for example is donating 100 million doses of vaccine to the WHO. Thats a lot of doses and it will help protect 50 million people (The H1N1 vaccine must be given twice)
How about a big vitamin company donate the same amount of vitamin bottles. This will also help a lot to improve health and boost immune systems.
I cannot find one alternative medical company that donates medication. Its always the pahmaceutical companies. I hope I am wrong."
You mentioned pharmaceutical companies like Sanofi doing good by donating. Sanofi is a big corp, operates in more than 100 countries across Europe, in USA, Asia and Africa (headquartered in Paris and employs about 100,000 people).
I agree that Alternative practitioners may not operate like the way big corporations do - they also rarely ask for donations (like big corps do). They even print and distribute reading materials with their own money (unlike big corps who either rely on fundraising campaigns ie. other people's monies, or from profits from sale of their own prescription drugs).
** Sanofi's contaminated Lovenox was recalled. Dupont was in a lawsuit because they contaminated waters. RIGHT after the contamination they tried to do good by donating (by then many have suffered/died). Ref: http://www.uswaternews.com/archives/arcrights/6lawsalle4.html
DONATIONS by pharmaceutical companies mean little to me because there are many pharmaceutical companies who "do good" after doing bad.
Donated synthetic vitamins (which you have brought up as "distribution of free vitamins") do nothing but harm although I have a lot of praise for organic vitamins and minerals. (If I were to donate you something contaminated, I am sure you will not want it.)
Donations aren't everything and sometimes act as shades so people look at things through "tainted glasses" and are misled. It's a little like topping fat-free strawberries on a very unhealthy food. Those toppings won't make the food healthy.
It remains to be seen how effective and safe the H1N1 shots will be, but I won't be forced to take the double shots.
Differences between Pharmaceutical's donations, etc and Efforts by people in the Alternative Medicines
From my own observations, licensed alternative practitioners (and their supporters) also donate blood and monies to hospitals, but they don't go around bragging (like big corps do). [Big corps do have the upper-hand when journalists report on their 'philanthropic' efforts.]
Alternative practitioners are often invited to speak at colleges etc and they are not paid to do so but only agree to do so on the basis of sound scientific findings (unlike big corps who may charge by the hour).
Many alternative practitioners are also Patient Rights advocates like Dr Susan E. Kolb - something that MONEY cannot buy (unlike the big corps - anything that is done must be justified in terms of dollars and cents).
Alternative doctors (unlike some big corps) DO NOT hide pertinent Cancer facts necessary for Cancer patients to fight and survive. Because big corps will not earn $$$ when people turn to alternative foods to improve their immunity and don't fall sick.
Alternative doctors do not promote products with chemicals (unlike some big corps) and unlikely to use misleading Google ads and offline ads and misleading packaging/labels. Ref: http://industry.bnet.com/advertising/10001524/14-drug-companies-cited-for-misleading-google-ads
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"Pharmaceutical companies are always in the firing line, I worked for one of the biggest ones and it was amazing to see how everybody tried to get money from them, slammed them etc. They spend a lot on social responsibility work, sponsorships, education and job creation."
Read the above real life examples** and see why they were "slammed". Consumers, not alternative doctors, did most of the slamming but rival pharmaceutical companies have the money to "take them all the way" and like you said "settle out of court". Alternative doctors reflect on consumers'/patients' slam and understand why.
I would not want to work in a company that has questionable ethics although I do understand the need for people to work in such companies and respect that. Biotechnology is lucrative.
"The FDA, well even the Americans are questioning their decisions lately. So I am not sure about them, but the CDC has done a great job in the USA and we can learn a lot from them for the next pandemic wave"
Yes, I can see how they are genetically modifying stuff in labs. That will teach us a lot.
It's good to know your FDA history. Here's some info
: What USA's FDA has done in the past (briefly)
"Aspartame (another artificial sugar) is especially dangerous to pregnant women. Still, the FDA stands behind its original approval." - Excerpt from Anti-Constitutional Activities and Abuse of Police Power by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other Federal Agencies by James DeMeo, Ph.D. Director of Research Orgone Biophysical Research Laboratory
In 2005, Health Canada suspended sales of Adderall XR after data collected by its manufacturer, Shire Pharmaceuticals, linked the drug to twelve sudden deaths by stroke in American children between the years of 1999 and 2003. This was on top of several reports of children with heart complications following Adderall use. The FDA chose to leave Adderall on the market in America, and secretly lobbied Health Canada not to take it off the market there. Health Canada has subsequently returned the drug to the marketplace, without any evidence of its safety or effectiveness." -
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.health.alternative/msg/7204a4db79de6596
FDA has even once accepted VIOXX as safe and Vioxx has so far killed more than 60,000 people worldwide. The anti cervical-cancer vaccine, Gardasil, now deem safe by MOH, has ruined lives of many teenagers in UK and USA.
After these "episodes of FDA's scams and failures", it is amazing people still trust the USA's FDA as a reliable govt agency for safe foods, drugs and vaccines. UK's FDA seem to follow suit. Are Singaporeans too, trusting government agencies blindly?
You said "We are taken care of." May be that is true, but I am not betting my whole life on some organizations to keep us safe/healthy.
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"Well , on alternative medication I can just say that I have had great success with a lot of practitioners and they are great people. But I was also scammed by a few and one almost killed me by infusing me with a mixture I felt was doing my body harm. I pulled out the needle and walked out, feeling very sick. I was tested and the substance he used is a well known chemical that is currently classified as dangerous. He was charging a fortune and practice in a very rich area"
Really? Did you make a complaint? Alternative doctors do not use anything chemical if they can help it - ie. no anything with chemicals. You should expose the name of this person and his practice. Full address, web site URL, etc so others will know and probably can avoid him/her if this person continues to scam around in the disguise of of a licensed alternative doctor.
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"GSK is also good, there are others but not all manufacture the same masks in the same countries as they do other medical stuff too that is specific to a company. GSK is doing a lot of good fighting malaria and the malaria section of the WHO supports their efforts. The WHO gets no money from them. Malaria is a big problem in Africa as there is a type of malaria that is totally drug resistant"
Many pharmaceutical companies support politicians of their countries. For example, Dubai's govt got their N95 masks directly from GSK. Politicians channel the money (some of it) donated by pharmaceutical companies BACK TO organizations like WHO. USA's WHO's payscale, as I understand it, is dictated from the politicians under Obama. To say that WHO is not in direct pay of pharmaceutical companies is correct. But to say that pharmaceutical companies have ZERO link to organizations like WHO - I doubt it.
I can understand why pharmaceutical companies are HEAVILY supported. Half of my adult life is spent on non-profits and volunteering although I am not loyal to any single charity due to my designing assignments. Not to brag here but to let you know, I was involved in a collaborative book sold for 100% donation for those in the 911 disasters. I do not take a single cent out of this.
I find that 2 out of 3 charities (that I have volunteered for) in Singapore corrupt. One had a lawsuit and the other...well, that is a private matter. I simply stopped trusting!
It has made me somewhat skeptical of blindly supporting charities and non-profit organizations so now I am just more selective of who I support. Regardless, I do keep track of WHO's news, I just do not trust some of its intentions.
By the way, I meant to ask you earlier, do you view travelling as a "complacency" now that the number of infected (H1N1) in Singapore has increased?
Best regards
kelly
Kelly blogs at MyQute.com and tweets at Twitter! Itching to talk back? Just comment below! - If you find my blog entry useful and see it can benefit someone, please forward or post to your Facebook!
- Disclaimer: This blog entry is NOT a source of medical advice and is not liable for any accidental omissions. Any and all suggestions stem from personal opinion and experience. Any and all information you deem important should be presented to your TRUSTED medical practitioner/vet for evaluation and incorporation into YOUR personal situation.
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