Same. I wasn't defending Bland, but rather sharing the important perspective he makes in the YouTube video. Does anything in the QuackWatch report change that?Floramaria, I was not defending the fellow who authors Quackwatch, just expressing concern about the numerous references to Bland's legal run ins with the FDA and FTC.
We need to be asking ourselves a bigger question: Who's guarding the henhouse? The FDA is in place to protect public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human drugs and dietary supplements. The FTC is charged with protecting consumers and ensuring competition in the marketplace. Given that billions of taxpayer dollars have resulted in the handful of Alzheimer's treatments (Namenda, Aricept, etc.) that do nothing to change the trajectory of the disease process and may actually hasten cognitive decline, are they doing their job? Is the public's best interest really being served or has their focus changed to that of upholding and supporting the "best practices" of mainstream medicine despite it's lack of effectiveness and the built-in profit motivation from pharmaceutical corporations?
I think we all have to be honest and admit that we see this schism between mainstream and functional medicine through our own bias. FC has reported being in excellent health. It's very likely that mainstream medicine has never let him down. I respect that and think he's a very lucky man. Floramaria and I have had different experiences. We were facing very serious health threats and mainstream medicine had nothing to offer us; whereas a functional approach was able to reverse our disease processes. We see things differently.
As those most at risk of Alzheimer's, we need to band together for the greater good and demand that the public's best interests be put first. That's not happening now. Alzheimer's is somewhere between the 3rd and 6th leading cause of death in the US. It's progressive and fatal. There is no proven treatment. From a handful of trials and case studies we see that lifestyle (applied early enough) can make a difference. Yes, we need more evidence and it's coming, thanks to efforts like this. In the meantime, I think our members serve as shining examples of the proactive lifestyles that should be broadly endorsed (rather than attacked) by the mainstream.
