The Cure Con: how you're being deceived by charities

[Guest guest]

http://www.newstarget.com/009587.html

 

 

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

 

The Cure Con:

 

how you're being deceived by charities that claim to be racing for the

cure for cancer and other chronic diseases

Everywhere you go, someone asks you for money to help find the cure

for some disease. It's the race for the cure! It's the telethon for

the cure! It's the walk or run for a cure! At grocery stores, cashiers

ask if you want to donate a dollar to help find the cure. Other

retailers want to sell you fashion-minded colored bracelets that raise

money to find the cure. There's always someone who wants your money in

exchange for the hope that your dollar will somehow help them " find a

cure " for some awful disease.

 

I have a very big question to ask about all of this. This has

literally been going on for decades. Researchers have been searching

for a cure for cancer since the late 1960s, and for other diseases

since at least the 1970s. At that time, they said cures were right

around the corner; it was just a matter of a few more dollars; then

they would have the cures available. Well, here we are, 30 or 40 years

later, with still no cures. We've been running this race for decades,

funding it with literally billions of dollars. If all this money has

gone to the race to find cures for these diseases, then where are the

cures?

 

You've been lied to

I have shocking news for all those who have been running in circles to

help find a cure: you've been conned. For most chronic diseases, there

are no cures. Why? Because the diseases themselves are fictitious.

Cancer is not a disease. I'll be covering this in more detail in my

book " The Illusion of Disease, " which will be published later this

year, but in brief, cancer is just a name given to a pattern of

symptoms appearing as a natural result of certain metabolic functions

caused by lifestyle decisions. It is not a disease any more than skid

marks are a disease in the Town of Allopath. Cancer can't be cured

with chemicals. It's no germ.

 

Similarly, diabetes is just a name given to a metabolic result caused

by certain lifestyle choices. There are no pathogens that cause

diabetes. You can't put something under a microscope and say, " Aha!

This is what caused diabetes, " because type-2 diabetes is actually

just a cause-and-effect result that follows a lifetime of consumption

of refined sugars, coupled with lack of exercise. That's no disease,

that's just a result.

 

Think of it this way: if I told you to go run up a hill, you'd get to

the top of that hill and you'd be breathing hard. Your face might be

flushed. Your respiration would be rapid. Your heart rate would be

high. It wouldn't be too difficult for me to find a doctor that might

diagnose these symptoms as a " disease. " We could even give it a name:

Hyper-Respiratory Illness or HRI. And then we could easily get a drug

company to come up with a drug to mask the symptoms of HRI -- a

chemical that would forcibly slow your heart and slow your breathing.

 

That drug company could claim to be doing " research " for HRI, and they

could even sponsor a fundraising run to " find the cure for

Hyper-Respiratory Illness. " But none of this makes HRI a real disease.

It isn't a disease, it's a result. It's the result of running up a hill.

 

Diabetes is much the same. It's just a metabolic result. There's no

disease, no infection, no virus or bacteria. There's just a result,

caused by years of incorrect food choice and lack of physical

exercise. So, you see, any race to find a " cure " for diabetes is about

as silly as trying to find a cure for breathing hard after running up

a hill.

 

No wonder we haven't found cures for these diseases, even after 30 or

40 years of research and billions of dollars from people giving up

their money to fund these research efforts. These diseases aren't

technically diseases at all.

 

And yet the con continues. The researchers say, " All we need is a

little more money. We're close now! We'll find the cure now! " When you

look at the finances of some of these organizations, it's no wonder

they're not finding a cure: very little of the money they raise goes

to funding research programs in the first place.

 

Some charities spend very little money actually helping people

Take the National Cancer Center. For every dollar this foundation

raises, only 29 cents goes to fund actual programs. (Source:

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/4946.htm)

 

Similarly, the Childhood Leukemia Foundation spends only 13.5% of its

budget on programs used to help children with leukemia. The rest of

the money goes to administration (salaries and other costs) and

fundraising (marketing and promotion). (Source:

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/5459.htm)

 

Here's another health-related foundation that spends very little of

its money on real programs to help real people: the Wishing Well

Foundation USA. Accounting the Charity Navigator, this foundation

spends a mere 10% of its budget on programs that directly help people.

The other 90%? Marketing, promotion and administration.

 

You can find similarly disappointing numbers at other disease

organizations, such as:

 

the American Institute for Cancer Research

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/3264.htm

 

the Defeat Diabetes Foundation

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/7234.htm

 

the Cancer Fund of America Support Services (gives only 7% of its

funds to actual programs)

http://www.scsos.com/PR/release.asp?prid=27

 

the Childhood Leukemia Foundation, Inc. (gives only 9.5% of its funds

to actual programs)

http://www.scsos.com/PR/release.asp?prid=27

 

the Kid Foundation (spends only 4% of its budget on actual programs)

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/8282.htm

 

Where is all the money going?

If only 5%, 10% or 20% of donated dollars are going to actually help

real people, then where is the rest of the money going? Here's one

example that may help answer that question:

 

In 2001, the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, a struggling hospital

system in Philadelphia, awarded CEO Martin H. Goldsmith with a $2.5

million payment, in addition to his $768,000 salary, months before 200

employees were laid off, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

(Source: http://www.charitywatch.org/articles/asleep.html)

 

Gee, did you have any idea that some of these CEOs were being paid

$768,000 in annual salaries? Plus this one got a $2.5 million bonus

payment. The next time some health charity approaches you for a

donation, think twice about parting with your hard-earned dollars: you

may just be funding the multi-million dollar bonus of some fat cat CEO.

 

Questionable ethics at the American Cancer Society

In a scandal that sounds eerily similar to the one carried out by the

American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society accepted $1

million dollars from SmithKline Beecham in exchange for permission to

use the American Cancer Society's name and logo to promote the sale of

nicotine patches and gum. The problem is that the ACS did not conduct

any clinical research demonstrating SKB's nicotine patch was better

than any other patch. In addition, SKB then marketed these ACS-branded

products in a way that state Attorneys General said, " ...had the

tendency and capacity to mislead, deceive and confuse consumers. "

 

States sued, and 12 Attorneys General reached a settlement with the

American Cancer Society for $12.5 million.

 

Source: http://www.charitywatch.org/articles/decmktg.html

 

Favoring drug-company interests that do nothing to prevent breast cancer

One of the best-known " race for the cure " organizations in the world

(at least when it comes to breast cancer) is the Susan G. Komen

Foundation. Even though it claims to help breast cancer patients, the

foundation reportedly helped block the Patients' Bill of Rights

legislation in 1999, 2000 and 2001.

 

The founder of this foundation, Nancy Brinker, even served on the

board of directors of a company called Caremark Rx -- a firm that was

selected by the Bush Administration to help run (and profit from) the

Medicare discount drug program. The ties to the Bush Administration

run deep, where Brinker has donated $256,000 to Bush and other

Republicans. Her foundation also owns stock in several pharmaceutical

companies.

 

Part of the foundation's involvement in pharmaceutical companies

includes accepting money from AstraZeneca, the makers of tamoxifen (a

drug linked to uterine cancer) and major players in the Race For the

Cure events. Brinker also reportedly owns half a million dollars in

stock in a cancer treatment company called US Oncology.

 

Are you getting the picture yet?

 

You can get the rest of the story at:

http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/2003-10-01/news_cover.html

 

Not all health charities are bad

Of course, there are many positive, proactive health charities that

are actually helping patients in significant ways. In this article,

we're highlighting some of the worst ones, but it doesn't mean there

aren't honest, ethical operations that put your money to good use.

 

One organization in San Francisco, Breast Cancer Action, disavows

donations from companies that profit from cancer. That includes drug

companies, tobacco companies, pesticide manufacturers and cancer

treatment centers. Its mission statement is:

 

Breast Cancer Action carries the voices of people affected by breast

cancer to inspire and compel the changes necessary to end the breast

cancer epidemic.

 

Here are the beliefs of the organization, as stated on its website:

 

1. We are a membership organization.

2. We honor each person's commitment and energy to our mission.

3. We are not afraid to examine all sides of all issues.

4. We cannot be bought.

5. We tell the truth about what we discover.

6. We serve individuals while reaching the broader population.

7. We value the involvement of grassroots activists throughout the

country and around the world to further our mission.

8. We encourage people to participate fully in decisions relating

to breast cancer.

9. We believe access to information is vital.

10. We recognize that structural changes in society are needed to

accomplish our mission.

 

 

Their mission, as you can see, seems very different from the mission

of some cancer charities, which seems to be the endless promotion of

cancer treatments while ignoring prevention. The profits are in

treatment, of course, where drug companies make billions and then turn

around and offer grant money and sponsorships to the charities that

" raised awareness " as a recruiting method to con yet more patients

into expensive treatment facilities.

 

In contrast, it's nice to see the Breast Cancer Action group taking an

honest approach.

 

Some charities work against their stated mission

Here's an interesting case that demonstrates the level of corruption

present in many health-related charities and foundations. As reported

on the Merrow Report (PBS), the foundation Children with Attention

Deficit Disorder accepted $818,000 from a drug company to help produce

a video that promoted Ritalin. This video was circulated widely in the

U.S. public school system. It reportedly featured interviews of

parents who spoke fondly of their experience with Ritalin, while the

video spent only 20 seconds discussing Ritalin's negative side

effects. Those Ritalin-happy parents, by the way, were all board

members of Children with Attention Deficit Disorder.

 

Says one summary of the Merrow Report: ... CHADD (CH.A.D.D.) has been

distributing misleading information to hundreds of thousands of

parents and teachers that exaggerates the benefits of drug therapy,

including Ritalin. The result: a 500% increase in the number of

children labeled and medicated since 1990.

 

Sources: http://www.add-adhd.org/ritalin_CHADD_A.D.D.html

http://ritalindeath.com/chadd.htm

 

Aside from the fact that so many health charities seem to operate in

unethical, dishonest ways, we still have to contend with the basic

fact that there's no such thing as a cure for a fictitious disease in

the first place. What do these organizations mean by a cure? Do they

think they can reverse a metabolic result with a magic synthetic chemical?

 

You can't reverse the laws of biochemistry

You can suck the fat out of a patient with liposuction, but it doesn't

make her fit. You can pump a diabetic full of insulin, but it doesn't

make his insulin metabolism any punchier. You can scrape the plaque

off the artery walls of a heart disease patient, but it doesn't make

his heart any healthier.

 

You can insert, remove, inject, irradiate and chemically assault

patients until they vomit and their hair falls out. But you're still

not treating any real disease. You see, western medicine can mask

symptoms all day long, but it doesn't alter the fundamental disease

processes taking place in a body that's engaged in a pattern of health

destruction.

 

You ever wonder why a liver transplant almost always results in the

patient destroying the new, healthy liver within two years? The answer

is because " liver disease " is fictitious. It's not the liver that's

the problem, it's the toxic lifestyle of the patient. The foods, drugs

and chemicals they are consuming would destroy ANY liver, no matter

how many new ones you surgically implant into their bodies.

 

Liver failure isn't caused by the liver. Kidney failure isn't caused

by the kidney. Pancreatic cancer isn't caused by the pancreas. These

are all systemic failures that would be much better treated with

Traditional (TCM) or some other holistic modality

that looks at the whole patient, not just isolated organs. Western

medicine consistently makes the mistake of thinking the human body is

nothing but an assembly of isolated parts.

 

Drugs are simply not the answer to system-wide health problems. Last

time I checked, cancer wasn't caused by a lack of chemotherapy.

Depression wasn't caused by a lack of antidepressant drugs. Heart

disease wasn't caused by a lack of cholesterol drugs. So why do people

think these chemicals are the solutions to these diseases?

 

Drug researchers even use the word " vaccine " to describe some of their

research efforts. They claim to be working on a vaccine for cancer,

and yet there's no microbe that causes cancer in the first place. So

what is the patient being vaccinated against?

 

The real disease out there, by the way, is the disease of distorted

language used by the medical community to convince people that

metabolic results are " diseases. " If you stabbed your leg with an ice

pick, you'd probably bleed. That's a metabolic result that follows

your actions. It's no disease, it's just a result. Same thing with

obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and many other

so-called diseases. A person who drinks a 12-pack of cola every day,

while avoiding all exercise, is going to end up obese and diabetic.

That doesn't make obesity a disease, it just makes it a result. Same

as stabbing yourself with an ice pick, only slower.

 

Let's have a race for disease prevention

There aren't " cures " for these fictitious disease, but there sure is

prevention. I say we should have a race for the prevention of

diabetes. Let's have a walkathon for the prevention of cancer. Let's

run around in circles and raise money to give nutrition to expectant

mothers, so they can give birth to children who are not predisposed to

diabetes, depression, aggressive behavior, cancer, and the other

diseases that happen when pregnant women are malnourished. I say we

have a race for the prevention of disease, but we'll probably never

see that. Prevention is not profitable.

 

When there's a race for the cure, the money raised goes into the hands

of someone who's making a tidy profit conducting laboratory research

or drug testing for various diseases. Some of that money goes to the

pharmaceutical companies. When you give money to the race for the cure

of some disease, you're really giving money to proponents of the

pharmaceutical industry, who are, in effect, looking for a

" magic-bullet " drug cure they'll gladly sell back to you at upwards of

10,000% markup.

 

Do you see why this is such a con? So you spend three hours running

your legs off, coughing up cash for " the cure, " and then these

organizations take your money and spend it on drug research. But then,

if a new drug is found that even claims to help treat the disease, do

they give you the drug for free? Of course not. You have to pay for

it, and you're usually paying monopoly prices in the U.S. thanks to

the national drug racket operating here.

 

For most diseases, the race for the cure is really just a way for drug

companies to shift R & D costs to suckers. You fund the R & D, and then

you get to pay full price for the drug they drummed up thanks to your

generous donation.

 

Want a real cure? Exercise for free

No chemical, no magic-bullet drug, can reverse your lifestyle choices

involving food and physical exercise. If you want to race for health,

then race to get the cardiovascular benefits from it. You can just

walk around for a couple of miles yourself. The benefits you receive

will be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in healthy chemicals

circulating through your bloodstream -- chemicals that your own body

created, free of charge.

 

The race itself is the cure! That's the big secret Big Pharma doesn't

want you to figure out.

 

If we took the whole country and had a " Race against Diabetes Day, " we

would all be a bit healthier, and a bit less diabetic, simply by

exercising one day. That's how powerful exercise is. But the popular

fundraising runs you see for diabetes are nothing but a con. How do I

know that? I've seen races for diabetes sponsored by soft drink

companies. That's right! The race sponsors manufacture the very

products that cause diabetes! Wow, what a racket! The race promoters,

for their part, don't seem at all concerned about the fact that

they're providing publicity to a company selling products that

actually promote the very disease they claim to be fighting against!

 

I can't wait to see the AA run sponsored by Absolut Vodka. Or the cure

for lung cancer run sponsored by tobacco companies. We should have the

run for breast cancer sponsored by makers of sunblock products (which

actually promote breast cancer by blocking production of vitamin D in

the body). And let's be sure to have the race for heart disease

sponsored by makers of margarine and vegetable shortening. Yum! It's

like having a race for obesity sponsored by a candy bar company.

 

Forget about the cure for cancer, the mystical cure for diabetes, or

the cure for heart disease. There are no such cures from organized

medicine, folks. The system is a sham. There is only prevention, only

the reversal of disease through nutrition, physical exercise,

avoidance of chronic stress, avoidance of environmental toxins, and

participation in healing therapies, such as vibrational nutrition,

healing touch, nutritional supplements, acupuncture, chiropractic

care, and superfoods. The way to " cure " these diseases is to prevent

them. And if you already have such a " disease, " the way to cure them

is to stop treating the symptoms of that disease and, instead, treat

the whole patient (you). When your whole body is healthy, and your

blood chemistry is healthy, and your immune system is operating at

peak efficiency, you simply will not express any symptoms of disease.

 

Helping people with symptoms

None of this talk, by the way, means I don't think we should be

helping people with the symptoms of these fictitious diseases. When a

person has been diagnosed with cancer, their experience of that cancer

is very real, even if the labeling of their disease isn't. I'm a

strong proponent of helping patients heal and, more importantly,

giving them back the power to heal themselves. I've spent time

volunteering in nursing homes and senior centers. I've conducted

energy healing on numerous people. I've given away thousands of

dollars in food and nutritional products to help low-income families

get some basic nutrition (see related ebook on nutrition).

 

When it comes to donating money to find " the cure " for any disease,

the great delusion is thinking that you're helping the victims of that

disease by giving money to some fundraising organization. Hogwash. You

want to help the victims? Help them directly! Give them the gift of

human touch, or even simple things like a hand massage. Help get them

away from the doom-and-gloom conventional oncologists and give them

hope by introducing them to cancer treatment alternatives. Get them

away from M.D.s and help them find N.D.s (naturopathic physicians).

 

You want to help find the cure for cancer? Find it in your grocery

shopping habits, in your food choice, and in your own body. Help those

around you gain the knowledge to prevent these fictitious diseases,

and do your part to stop poisoning your body with cancer-causing foods

(like processed meats and most manufactured foods) and substances

(like popular personal care products that contain cancer-causing

fragrance chemicals).

 

If you want to find the cure for cancer, just BE the cure for cancer.

 

Go outside and get some sunlight. That's prevention for at least three

different types of cancers right there. Drink some water. Take some

herbs, vitamins and immune-boosting nutritional supplements. Get into

natural health, and you won't have to experience these diseases in the

first place.

 

You want a cure for cancer? You don't need a billion-dollar

laboratory, packed wall to wall with biochemistry experts. The cure

for cancer is already hard-coded into your DNA. Your body knows how to

cure cancer, and with proper nutritional support, it will remember how

to do so.

 

Now, excuse me, because I'm about to go running outside, under the

desert sun, with no sunscreen. I don't need a sign-up sheet, a

corporate sponsor, or money from friends to work up a sweat. I'm just

running because that's part of being healthy. Gee, what a simple idea:

exercising without corporate sponsorship.

 

Overview:

 

* The Cure Con: how you're being deceived by charities that claim

to be racing for the cure for cancer and other chronic diseases

 

Source: http://www.newstarget.com/009587.html