I received the following comments from newHoosier, who took exception to my position in my recent Sham Alert article about lobbying efforts by Merck Inc. to institute mandatory inoculations of their drug Gardasil as a preventive measure for HPV and cervical cancer.
FIRE in a crowded theater???
I think since 75% of adult women are infected with HPV at some point in their life, it is quite conceivable that many women have HPV and don’t know it. Especially since many times symptoms do not appear.
As for whether or not vaccines should be required doesn’t matter because if you misrepresent the facts of your argument, you are no longer credible to the people you’re trying to convince.
Would you be outraged if a hospital gave you a medicine that is known to cause gastrointestinal problems (stomach bleeding, heartburn, ulcers), nervous system problems (vertigo, dizziness, headaches), sweating and skin reactions?
What if I told you I was referring to aspirin, which is taken daily by thousands of people who were told it would help fight headaches, back pain, and even heart attacks. I guess since aspirin has side effects, we’ll be seeing a posting on aspirin given unknowingly to heart attack patients by a doctor.
I replied as follows:
Because 75% of *adult* women are infected with HPV at *some* point in their life, doesn’t mean that we should forcibly innoculate girls and young women with drugs that will FURTHER alter their natural body and cell physiology as though it were addressing the real problem.
75% of adult women are susceptible to the effects of HPV due to the effects of gross and chronic malnourishment. It’s not that we’re not getting enough food; we’re eating too much. The foods that we typically eat do not sufficiently deliver mineral nutrients that the body needs in order to protect itself. In addition, we ingest hormones, pesticides, and other inorganic compounds that further compromise our health, and create a fertile environment for the growth of such things as HPV.
Establishing a mandatory program that continues to FAIL to deliver said nutrients will not solve problem. Representing this approach as credible, in my opinion IS tantamount to yelling FIRE in a crowded theater, simply because it is a LIE that feeds on an apparent truth.
The public has already been duped into the aspirin habit as a preventative measure, which is also a LIE that feeds on an apparent truth. Aspirin manufacturers don’t mind. The body doesn’t need much of what aspirin contains, but does need, and respond well to magnesium, which our body is designed to use. Most people with chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes, etc., are woefully magnesium deficient. Hospitals inject magnesium into heart attack patients as an emergency procedure, when in fact, the patient needs to be intaking it every day.
We can’t count on aspirin manufacturers to inform people otherwise, as we can’t count on Merck to acknowledge that there is another factor that contributes to the adult onset of HPV that could mitigate the condition without mandatory use of their expensive drug. If the drug were THAT helpful and necessary, why are they charging over $300 for a series? Then you wonder, is that is wholesale or retail?
I’ll add a few thoughts. What makes yelling FIRE in a theater not so good is if it is not TRUE. If there is a fire, then if most people are asleep, or too engrossed in the movie to notice, then it’s a great thing to let people know. But that’s not what’s happening in the Merck case. In fact, it seems that they have succeeded in getting the state of Texas to buy the scam… or perhaps they’ve bought the officials in the state of Texas. In any case, the state has passed the law requiring Gardasil injections. This is NOT in the best interests of the children. If it were, then other firms would be invited, if not required, to supply equivalent products to keep the price low and affordable for all. None of these normal and customary practices are happening here.
What’s more troubling is that few people are questioning what’s going on, and most of those that are are concerned about the premarital sex implications. No one is holding the system that delivers inferior nutrition and addictive, inert, or toxic additives as NORMAL foods accountable. Is there any wonder that both kids and adults carry so much unprocessed “stuff” in their bodies as “fat”, and the body continues to crave what we think of as food, when in truth, it is craving the nutritional components that should be delivered in our foodstuffs, but is not.
Since nutrition is not a priority among the powers that be — who themselves are having heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and cancer at as large a pace as the rest of the population — few people really know what is truly NORMAL for human growth. Yet, for anyone who wants to do a little research, it appears that HEALTH is the normal state of human beingness, when our body is fed the nutrition that it was designed to operate with.
Gardasil will NEVER be a nutrient that the body needs. Yet, the legislatures are not requiring that nutrients be delivered by the food producers. They are only ensuring profits for anyone who lobbies hard enough.
FIRE!!!!
What you have missed in my comment wasn’t the assertion that you were wrong, but that you went about your opinions wrong. Yes “75% of adult women are infected with HPV at some point in their life, but most people aren’t catching HPV after age 40 which is why it would be senseless to try innoculating people who were already adults. Since a large percentage of people have sex before they are “adults” the vaccine against HPV would be most beneficial if given to people before they had sex–adult or not.
So, it’s still not yelling “fire” in a crowded theater because it is not a lie. 75% is 75% and I think if 75% of people in a theater were going to be affected by fire, but instead could be unharmed by warning people of the risks, it’s irresponsible to not warn those people.
Unless you have some peer-reviewed research that has proven a link between less-than-optimal nutrition and cervical cancer, you probably won’t be seeing laws regarding nutrition instead of Gardisil any time soon.
As for aspirin, it was just an example of something people commonly take that has side effects, and its effectiveness was not preported to be high or low.
What part of aspirin is not needed by the body? It’s a very simple compound. And what does aspirin or myocardial infarction have to do with magnesium? Yes we need magnesium in our diets, but magnesium deficiency has nothing to do with the topic of apirin or heart attack.
As for Texas requiring Gardisil injections, 1) I’m not here to agree or disagree with this idea and 2) Texas can’t invite other companies to make the medicine because it is patented by Merck (you do believe in patents don’t you?).
No, Gardisil is not a nutrient and is not needed. Neither are other things that keep people alive that didn’t exist until a scientist discovered or synthesized it. Penicilin has kept more people alive than possibly any other drug. I’m sure you’re against antibiotics too, because our bodies don’t make or need those. The state you live in probably also requires your children to receive vaccinations before attending school; is that an abomination too or is it okay to require some vaccinations, but only ones that have been around long enough for their patent to expire?