Does READER'S DIGEST Shill for the Pharmaceutical Industry?

[Guest guest]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, March 31, 2010

 

 

Does READER'S DIGEST Shill for the Pharmaceutical Industry?

Or is it Only a Really Bad April Fool's Joke?

 

 

Comment by Andrew W. Saul

Editor-In-Chief, Orthomolecular Medicine News Service

 

 

(OMNS, Mar 31, 2010) Reader's Digest's editors cannot possibly be as

ignorant as their April 2010 article " 5 Vitamin Truths and Lies " seems to

indicate.

 

Or can they?

 

Surely their silly attempt at vitamin-bashing is merely an April Fool's

joke.

 

Isn't it?

 

Read over " 5 Vitamin Truths and Lies " and decide for yourself. It is

online at

_http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/5-vitamin-truths-and-lies/article175625.html_

(http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/5-vitamin-truths-and-lies/article175625.html)

Be sure to note readers' comments following the article. You

may wish to leave a comment or two of your own.

 

 

Reader's Digest's circulation, by the way, is dropping rapidly. Once, it

had a circulation of 18 million. (1) Just a few years ago, it had a

circulation of 8 million. It is now 5.5 million. (2) The magazine is also no

longer

published every month, but is down to 10 issues a year.

 

Furthermore, Reader's Digest posted a loss of $653 million in only nine

months of last year, and the company is in debt for a whopping $2.1 billion.

(2)

 

Perhaps they are getting desperate for cash. At least that might explain

the 15 pages of pharmaceutical advertising in their April 2010 issue.

 

Peer-reviewed research shows that pharmaceutical advertising does in fact

bias periodicals against vitamin therapy. (3)

 

A laughably-biased article such as " 5 Vitamin Truths and Lies " confirms

it.

 

 

To send your thoughts directly to the Reader's Digest editors:

_RDEditorial_RDW_ (RDEditorial_RDW)

 

 

When you've done so, please feel free to send us a copy of your

correspondence with RD: _omns_

(omns) . A

sampling of your letters will be selected for the next OMNS.

 

 

To learn more about how vitamins safely and effectively fight disease:

_http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml_

(http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml)

 

 

References:

 

(1) US History Encyclopedia, accessed at

_http://www.answers.com/topic/reader-s-digest_

(http://www.answers.com/topic/reader-s-digest)

 

(2) Flamm M. Reader's Digest cuts circulation, expands digital options.

June 19, 2009. _http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20090619/FREE/906199993_

(http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20090619/FREE/906199993)

 

(3) Pharmaceutical advertising biases journals against vitamin

supplements. Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, Feb 5, 2009.

_http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v05n02.shtml_

(http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v05n02.shtml)

 

 

Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine

 

Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight

illness. For more information: _http://www.orthomolecular.org_

(http://www.orthomolecular.org)

 

The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and

non-commercial informational resource.

 

 

Editorial Review Board:

 

Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. (Canada)

Damien Downing, M.D. (United Kingdom)

Michael Gonzalez, D.Sc., Ph.D. (Puerto Rico)

Steve Hickey, Ph.D. (United Kingdom)

James A. Jackson, PhD (USA)

Bo H. Jonsson, MD, Ph.D (Sweden)

Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. (USA)

Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D. (Puerto Rico)

Erik Paterson, M.D. (Canada)

Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D. (Netherlands)

 

Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D. (USA), Editor and contact person. Email:

_omns_ (omns)

 

 

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(http://www.orthomolecular.org/.html)

 

 

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