Part three — see Part 1 (Myths about Fat) and Part 2 (Bad Fats) in this series.
For those of you who don’t believe in conspiracies, you should stop reading this post — seriously, like right now! This post is FULL of them. And please understand the definition of conspiracy theory: It is a theory (based upon subtle clues, but not necessarily conclusive proof). Some might call it paranoia, but we prefer to say that we are keeping our eyes WIDE OPEN! We are taking a little detour from the real “fat” discussion to address concerns over why we might be lied to about the fats that are good for us!
It’s okay if you don’t believe what we believe. Totally fine. But we hope that you will read with an open mind and apply some critical thinking. We are not interested in being SHEEP. Huh? (Sheep follow blindly.) Clearly what we have been doing in this country IS NOT WORKING! WE ARE NOT GETTING HEALTHIER, Baaaaaah BUT SICKER! Kids are developing adult diseases, adults are contracting Alzheimer’s at earlier ages, new cancers are being found all the time and in larger numbers. Why is this happening? Brace for it . . .
Because sickness is BIG BUSINESS! There, we’ve said it. And we’re also sickened by it.
Conflicts of Interest
Medical directors and medical associations are profiting from health claims provided to Big Pharma through profit sharing, stocks, “donations”, advisory boards that pay, 
etc. But thank God for the internet that now gives us a means for verifying data. For example, there is a new website called Really Eat Right which is a play on the (eatright.com) website of the ADA (American Dietetic Association). It outlines the outrageous connections between the ADA and several JUNK FOOD COMPANIES (Coca-cola, Hershey, etc . . . ) and BIG AG. How can a government medical association with a licensing board have such corrupt ties to the very thing that is making people SICK?
Let me be clear . . . it’s not necessarily the doctors that I am referring to. There are fantastic doctors out there who “get it” (real food relating to health). There are fantastic doctors out there who don’t “get it” (and are steered by peers and other medical professionals with agendas). But there are a small minority who know the lies that are being propagated and profit off knowledge of inaccurate health data. These so-called medical professionals and associations are paid in some form by the drug companies, Big Ag, and junk food companies to make broad medical statements regarding health claims that are designed to keep people sick. It is disgusting! And, equally as disgusting, all medical professionals that must be licensed under these organizations have no choice but to work within the system which dangles their licenses over their heads. Appalling!
One example of this perpetrated fraud and conflict of interest is illustrated in an article written by Dr. John Briffa for Health Impact News regarding cholesterol studies and recommendations:
“One explanation has to do with the fact that those who set guidelines may have conflicts of interest. If you’re sitting on the panel that sets cholesterol policy, and you are paid consultancy fees or have research funded by a company that makes cholesterol-reducing drugs or perhaps own shares (stock) in such a company, you might imagine that there will be some human tendency to sway in the direction of stricter cholesterol guidelines, no?
The issue of conflicts of interests was a subject of a recent piece of research published in the British Medical Journal [1]. Researchers in the US looked at the potential conflicts of interest in panel members setting guidelines regarding the management of diabetes or cholesterol.
They analysed the conflicts of interests relating to 14 sets of guidelines. Five had no declaration of conflicts of interest at all. Taken as a whole, about half (48 per cent) of the 288 panel members reported conflicts of interest at the time the guidelines were published. 73 panel members reported no conflicts of interest, but it turns out this was not true for 8 (11 per cent) of them. Overall, more than half (52 per cent) of panel members had conflicts of interest.”
Medical Industry Lobbying
The political pundits and politicians are the same no matter the party. Healthcare is now more than 17% of our GDP. 17 flipping percent!!!!!! Are you serious? Some say that if we get well, our economy could fail. Although we believe that Americans are smart enough to spend money elsewhere, building up another economy in some other arena (hey — maybe local and sustainable, perhaps?). But there are those who are afraid of this and are trying hard to prevent it from happening. The two organizations that stand to lose the most? Insurance companies and Big Pharma.
Here, I am going to let the number speak for themselves. In 2010, 5 of the top 10 lobbyists were from the medical industry:
- #5 American Medical Association $22 M +
- #6 AARP $22M +
- #7 Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America $21 M +
- #8 Blue Cross/Blue Shield $20M +
- #10 American Hospital Association $19M +
The top two contributing industries in 2010 (drum roll, please . . . . . .)
- Pharmaceuticals/Health Products $2 B +
- Insurance $1.5 B +
And just a couple of spots down the list, a few other medical-related organizations come in at around an additional $800-900 M + each!
If you add these sectors together it is almost $6 billion dollars of lobbying dollars spent. Much more than any other industry or sector. Now who do you think has the politicians’ ears? The people and our free will choices to feed and educate our families with our version of healthy food or the industrial medical complex that stands to profit on peoples’ poor health? Hmmmm…
Bed Fellows
It always seems to make the news when politicians rally against insurance or pharmaceutical companies. But they certainly don’t refuse their CASH. The industrial medical complex needs to make money and politicians need to keep their jobs. They use each other and it becomes a symbiotic relationship.
It’s smoke and mirrors. Politicians use their power to threaten the insurance companies and pharmaceuticals, and those same companies turn around and buy their votes or help write legislation that secure their profits. The more that politicians appear to be doing in the name of public interest, the less they actually are. When is the last time a bill was written with the help of concerned citizens without corporate interest and purse-strings attached?? I’m thinking Colonial Times, myself.
By the way, who stands to profit more from the new healthcare law? INSURANCE COMPANIES — the very industry that politicians were demonizing! Ha! This is a joke, right?
Personal Example
One of us at RFF is actually married to a medical professional. This spouse can attest to some of the atrocities that he sees in the medical field everyday. One very well-known example is of kickbacks that doctors and other medical professionals get for prescribing certain medicines. These come in the form of fancy “educational” dinners, “educational” trips, research incentives, etc. *Wonder if your doctor is a beneficiary of “educational” kickbacks? Check here.
*VERY IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: Real Food Freaks does not judge the doctors for utilizing kickbacks in a system that has created it to be one of the only ways to really make a profit. We question the practice for what it has done to sway doctors into prescribing meds that ordinarily he/she may not have prescribed. We realize that there are serious problems with a system designed to profit the insurance companies (by reducing doctor fees) and increasing a doctor’s ability to stay in business (because of the threat of lawsuits). So the problem lies within the system that has the deck stacked in favor of the insurance companies and a very litigious-happy culture.
Additionally, did you know that there are MULTIPLE drugs on the market that are named differently yet have the EXACT same formulation? The only difference is that the FDA has stated that “this drug” is for “this disease” and “that named drug” (same formulation) is for “that named disease” (different disease). And then, did you know that these SAME FORMULATIONS under different names and under different companies can charge different prices for the same drug formulation? But medical professionals ARE NOT ALLOWED to PRESCRIBE the same cheaper formulation for the differing disease. It’s true. It’s about money. It’s about power. It’s about control. IT’S NOT ABOUT HEALTHCARE!
So… as you can see… there are A LOT of people with A LOT to lose if the American Sheeple People, wake up and take control over their health. What are you doing to take control over your’s? Pt 4 will address using the good fats to start your real food transformation.
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great post, I love conspiracy theories and I think yours is exactly correct and something that I’ve gradually come to understand too, after having some bad experiences with GPs and then seeing a naturopath. I’ll be sticking to natural therapies from now if I can.
Having been hit with two different kinds of cancer, I can attest that “Cancer Cures” are big business. No organization connected with cancer works to prevent it; it would literally kill a golden goose. Nor do they want to consider a potentially simple cure for cancer, because no one can make money off it. They want people to develop cancer, then spend outrageous amounts of money to get rid of it; either cut, burn, and poison (all of which I have undergone). Okay, this has worked for me so far, but to prevent another invasion by the evil “C” I have taken to eating right (according to Nourishing Traditions) and balancing my essential fatty acids. If i go down, it won’t be for lack of trying.
Your comment made me smile! I LOVE your spirit! But you are right about finally eating real . . . it’s like the light came on. It may not fix all my health problems, but I know that I did my best and didn’t hand over my health to someone who may or may not have my best interest.
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