tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post7682499092078104164..comments2024-03-28T11:29:46.845-07:00Comments on Whole Health Source: Conflict of InterestStephan Guyenethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09218114625524777250noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-77972150585643246812013-11-01T03:57:46.253-07:002013-11-01T03:57:46.253-07:00The sad thing is that there's nothing surprisi...The sad thing is that there's nothing surprising here. Business as usual.Ruth Almonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06152621096734252062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-73446754504280370352008-09-06T21:01:00.000-07:002008-09-06T21:01:00.000-07:00Excellent post, this is how government and corpora...Excellent post, this is how government and corporations are ruing the country.The Stark Raving Vikinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00741708361745934731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-10688141244976483562008-09-01T22:31:00.000-07:002008-09-01T22:31:00.000-07:00Hi Lucien,I do attack their science, all the time....Hi Lucien,<BR/><BR/>I do attack their science, all the time. The problem is deeper than financial holdings. Some of these people are paid speakers for statin manufacturers. They're one step away from appearing on TV commercials for lipitor. <BR/><BR/>I'm not against industry funding; you have to get research money from somewhere. Rigorous peer review is there to try to weed out bias. But these people are far too entangled with industry to be impartial. <BR/><BR/>Even if they were impartial, no informed person is going to listen to them because of their industry connections. If you want to be taken seriously, you can't have such gross conflicts of interest.Stephan Guyenethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09218114625524777250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-82651581557890437132008-09-01T21:04:00.000-07:002008-09-01T21:04:00.000-07:00They might have conflict of interest problems, but...They might have conflict of interest problems, but attack their science, not their financial holdings. While they might have a conflict of interest, it is in the open and it has no bearing on the validity of their science, which is much more easily assailable. <BR/><BR/>I agree that it is a fine line they walk. Is there a better source to get funding than from the government or drug companies?LucienNicholsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15835796854315802681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-8906620345466615632008-08-31T13:15:00.000-07:002008-08-31T13:15:00.000-07:00Stephanie,Thanks for taking action.Stephanie,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for taking action.Stephan Guyenethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09218114625524777250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-53939564326113992642008-08-30T14:40:00.000-07:002008-08-30T14:40:00.000-07:00Yes, I also found it curious when just following P...Yes, I also found it curious when just following Pfizer's big marketing push for Lipitor, the national standards for acceptable cholesterol levels suddenly went down - everyone who used to have an acceptable level of LDL at 130, was now at risk and was subsequently put on statin drugs for prevention. I sent a <A HREF="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B06EEDF1238F934A25752C0A9639C8B63" REL="nofollow">letter</A> to the New York Times in 2005 stating my skepticism and predicting some oversight, but I guess it never happened.Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04654323733976734078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-18212006202571631522008-08-29T22:22:00.000-07:002008-08-29T22:22:00.000-07:00Yet another institution tainted by corporate inter...Yet another institution tainted by corporate interests. Always disheartening, even if unsurprising. It's especially outrageous in cases like this where people's health and wellbeing come second to corporate ties.<BR/><BR/>David Korten's also written about this stuff.<BR/><BR/>Debs<BR/><A HREF="http://food.gofrolic.org" REL="nofollow">Food Is Love</A>Debshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09217281333751656056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-72054568738571686222008-08-29T21:14:00.000-07:002008-08-29T21:14:00.000-07:00Reid,I'll have to read that.Reid,<BR/><BR/>I'll have to read that.Stephan Guyenethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09218114625524777250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-11236299839682757812008-08-29T17:29:00.000-07:002008-08-29T17:29:00.000-07:00There definitely needs to be some sort of oversigh...There definitely needs to be some sort of oversight to prevent this from happening. It's just another aspect of a larger pattern of government appointees and commitee members having corporate ties. Conflicts of interest are also commonly found in the EPA, FDA, USDA, FCC, National Commission on Energy Policy, not to mention the oil and pharmaceutical connections of many in the current administration. <BR/>In his latest book "The Wrecking Crew" Thomas Frank describes the "revolving door" relationship of politician, lobbyists and industry.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12825726029706055238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-24648972530842792142008-08-29T09:53:00.000-07:002008-08-29T09:53:00.000-07:00Methuselah,That makes sense. Still, from an acade...Methuselah,<BR/><BR/>That makes sense. Still, from an academic standpoint, a respectable journal probably wouldn't touch a paper on LDL reduction written by those 9 authors. <BR/><BR/>I think it's a sign that the US government is packed with industry shills. It's really depressing considering the magnitude of their influence. They don't just influence the US, but all the other countries that look to us for the latest medical advice. <BR/><BR/>We could be talking about hundreds of millions of people who are unwittingly being exposed to a statin commercial, courtesy of the US government.<BR/><BR/>I actually don't have a problem with industry funding research under certain circumstances. But some of these panel members have been paid by drug companies for "educational presentations" and consulting work. That is too close for comfort.<BR/><BR/>By the way, I checked out your blog, looks interesting.Stephan Guyenethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09218114625524777250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1629175743855013102.post-29988221728382114242008-08-29T06:36:00.000-07:002008-08-29T06:36:00.000-07:00Stephan,Outrageous indeed. I think the reason they...Stephan,<BR/><BR/>Outrageous indeed. I think the reason they get away with this is that the low cholesterol mantra remains, in the minds of most people, a 'no-brainer'. People only question motives when they can see a possibility that the advice has the potential to be distorted - if they think it does not then it does not seem important that there could be a conflict of interest and they focus their attention elsewhere. I think it's up to us (by which I mean the enlightened, vocal public) to make as much noise as possible. So it's good to see you and Dr Biffa posting on this and it's something I may raise on my blog myself in due course - I am focusing on the crimes of health food retailers at the moment ;-)Methuselahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09134860337125242027noreply@blogger.com