Disease Proof

Dr. Fuhrman’s colleague Dr. John Abramson thinks we are. Here’s a bit of his book Overdosed America:

What I found over the next two and a half years of “researching the research” is a scandal in medical science that is at least the equivalent of any of the recent corporate scandals that have shaken Americans’ confidence in the integrity of the corporate and financial worlds. Rigging medical studies, misrepresenting research results published in even the most influential medical journals, and withholding the findings of whole studies that don’t come out in a sponsor’s favor have all become the accepted norm in commercially sponsored medical research. To keep the lid sealed on this corruption of medical science—and to ensure its translation into medical practice—there is a complex web of corporate influence that includes disempowered regulatory agencies, commercially sponsored medical education, brilliant advertising, expensive public relations campaigns, and manipulations of free media coverage. And last, but not least, are the financial ties between many of the most trusted medical experts and medical industry.

Now, Julie’s Health Club is pondering the same question over some new research. Take a look:

The problem is that doctors often underestimate how long vaccines will be effective, meaning people are getting booster shots when their immunity levels most likely do not require it, according to the study by researchers with Oregon Health & Science University published in the New England Journal of Medicine.


The researchers were initially trying to figure out how long immunity could be maintained after infection or vaccination. They expected immunity would be long-lived following a viral infection and relatively short-lived immunity after vaccination, especially because this is why booster vaccinations are required.

Instead, they found that "immunity following vaccination with tetanus and diphtheria was much more long-lived than anyone realized and that antibody responses following viral infections were essentially maintained for life," explained study co-author Mark Slifka, an associate scientist at the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute.

Well, we’re certainly hypochondriacs to say the least.