On this website we discuss the ignorance of western medical doctors and medical institutions with such frequency that it hardly seems unusual to find another case of health ignorance worth mentioning, but every once in a while, another article or news item is released by a so-called "credible" institution that is so outlandish, that is so steeped in ignorance of health, nutrition, and the human body, and that is so obviously propaganda designed to attack the nutritional supplements industry, that it merits special mention.
Today we're talking about an article published by the University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter, also found at http://www.wellnessletter.com. This article attacks blue-green algae, spirulina, and chlorella with a series of outlandish statements that can only be called utterly dim-witted. Like many doctors and authors who defend the practices of western medicine, the person who authored this story is unaware of the research that has been conducted on microalgae, and yet claims to know everything there is to know about the subject.
Let's take a closer look at this article, and analyze where the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter strays from reality in reporting on microalgae. One of the first things mentioned in their article is that chlorella, spirulina, and blue-green algae are "basically pond scum." This is, of course, not a scientific statement, it's more of an insult.
It is not just an insult to the intelligence of readers everywhere, but it is also an insult to mother nature, because who's to assume that pond scum doesn't have some important benefit, and that whatever microalgae are present in pond scum might not be found to contain powerful, healing phytonutrients someday? To say these microalgae are basically pond scum is to really divert attention from the bigger question, which is -- regardless of what they look like, or what texture they display -- do they have an important nutritional benefit to human beings? Do they have curative powers when it comes to chronic disease?
The answer to both of these questions is, of course, affirmative. These microalgae offer outstanding nutrition and extraordinary curative powers for chronic disease such as cancer. Yet, the author of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter seems to have no knowledge whatsoever of the tremendous body of scientific evidence supporting that.
The next substantive statement in their article is "Whenever it's claimed that a food or supplement has such a wide range of curative powers, you should be skeptical -- and keep an eye on your wallet." I find it curious that such a statement would be made from a person defending western medicine, which so frequently makes highly exaggerated and wide-ranging curative claims for its pharmaceuticals that a reasonable person can only find such claims to be ridiculous. For example, today statin drugs are being called miracle drugs that can cure practically anything that ails you. If you're diabetic, you're supposed to be taking them, according to the pharmaceutical industry propaganda. If you have heart disease, you should be taking them too. In fact, you're supposed to be taking statins even if there's nothing wrong with you whatsoever. Doctors are lining up around the country and all over the world to raise their hands and proudly say, "I'm taking statins for my entire life, just in case." If that's not a miracle-class claim, nothing is.
So there's clearly a double standard in organized medicine, where authors and doctors frequently tell people to beware of health claims on everything other than pharmaceuticals -- where all health claims, no matter how ridiculous, should be immediately believed and followed. The really strange thing about all this is that the health claims made for pharmaceutical agents such as chemotherapy have no scientific merit in the first place. The studies are almost universally distorted to show exaggerated, positive results that favor the drug manufacturer.
For example, chemotherapy offers no benefit to patients in terms of lifespan or improved quality of life. In fact, it is better known for destroying the quality of life of patients than anything else. It destroys the patients' immune systems and makes it impossible for them to be able to overcome cancer on their own, yet numerous claims are made about chemotherapy and how it's going to save people's lives, even though there's no scientific evidence to back this up whatsoever. You don't find the authors of the Wellness Letter questioning chemotherapy. Rather, they turn their attention to question something about which they have little or no knowledge -- microalgae.
Let's continue on with our tour of the ignorance of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter authors. Another statement in their article is absolutely astounding to anyone who even has a basic education on nutrition and human physiology. Such a statement could only come from a person who is either an outright liar or who hasn't had a single hour of training in nutrition in their entire professional career. Here it is: "Like green plants, they are rich in chlorophyll, a pigment that enables them to turn sunlight into energy, but is of no use to the human body." When I first read this statement, I was astonished that the University of California would allow such an obviously ignorant statement to be published in its name.
Chlorophyll is of course, present in all green plants, and it is quite similar to hemoglobin, the molecule in the human body that transports oxygen around the body. To say that chlorophyll is of no use to the human body is almost like saying eating plants is of no use to the human body. And of course, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that from the Wellness Letter, given their obvious disdain for anything from the world of nature.
But getting back to the point here, chlorophyll is well-known throughout the naturopathic community, holistic nutritionists, and practitioners of wellness and healing to be a powerful cleansing molecule for the human body. Chlorophyll helps remove toxins from the blood, the liver, the spleen, and other internal organs. Chlorophyll helps the body remove toxins and heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic. I can't imagine living without chlorophyll. I think a human being would be unable to achieve a high state of health if they didn't have some amount of chlorophyll in their diets.
I'm rather curious if the author of the Wellness Letter has attained this remarkable state of nutritional ignorance from perhaps avoiding chlorophyll in his or her own diet. I'm sure that avoiding plant-based foods and chlorophyll would have some negative impact on the human brain, but I'm not sure it could account for the level of outright idiocy we are witnessing here.
One of the next statements in the Wellness Letter Article says: "Given the high price of algae supplements, there are far cheaper and better ways to get nutrients." Once again, I find this statement astonishing from an author who is clearly defending organized medicine, which is steeped in the promotion and sale of prescription drugs that often cost hundreds of dollars per dose. Some people's drugs cost them six figures a year, and yet still fail to cure them of any disease whatsoever.
In comparison, microalgae supplements are dirt-cheap, and are in fact one of the best investments you can make in your economic and health future, because by consuming superfood supplements in the form of spirulina, chlorella or blue-green algae, you can prevent many chronic diseases and metabolic disorders and thereby dramatically reduce the amount of dollars you'll spend on healthcare costs and lost productivity down the road. In this sense, I've always said that supergreens and superfood supplements were free of charge -- they actually pay you back, because they give you longer life, higher productivity, more energy, plus the opportunity to avoid high-priced prescription drugs, doctor visits, surgical procedures, and other useless procedures promoted by organized medicine.
Finally in this article, the author makes the standard statements we often hear from defenders of western medicine who are ignorant about natural health. The article says: "There's no scientific evidence that blue-green algae can cure or treat any illness or has any health benefit." Similarly, it says: "There's no convincing evidence that chlorella benefits humans in any way." I don't doubt that there is no evidence in the mind of the author of that article that chlorella or blue-green algae have any health benefits. That author is simply unaware of the tremendous amount of evidence that now exists in the medical literature. In fact, conducting a simple search on my own electronic library, I have over 567 sources for information on chlorella, spirulina and blue-green algae, and many of those sources are touting scientific studies demonstrating quite solidly that these microalgae have curative effects, especially when it comes to treating cancer. That search took me about twenty seconds to conduct, by the way.
As one simple example, there was a study conducted in Japan that shows the blue pigment molecule from spirulina causes the rapid destruction of breast cancer tumors when injected into those tumors in experiments in mice. Other studies have shown that human patients about to undergo chemotherapy have greatly enhanced lifespan following the chemotherapy if they take one dose of chlorella before undergoing their chemotherapy procedures. There are numerous other examples of studies that clearly demonstrate the health-enhancing effects of these superfoods.
It is not unusual for the defenders of western medicine to make statements like "there's no convincing evidence," or "no evidence exists that." This is one of their favorite tactics -- they simply dismiss all of the evidence available around the world on any subject or nutritional supplement they wish to discredit. And sadly, many people actually still believe these doctors and researchers who continue to defend the highly destructive practices of western medicine. For some reason, these people still have some degree of authority, even though what they're talking about makes no sense whatsoever.
In a sense, these people are deniers of scientific truth. They have their own version of truth -- that version is whatever they say it is. And everything is considered scientifically false unless it agrees with their version of truth. And yet their version of the truth has no roots in reality. It is based on a dogma, a fixed set of belief systems designed to protect their egos, protect their professions, and of course, protect the profits of their institutions and pharmaceutical products.
But if you get down to the real truth of it all , if you get back to the simplicity of nature and what the human body needs to thrive and survive and experience optimum health, it's quite obvious that the human body needs to consume plants. The human body needs chlorophyll, and when you can find sources of chlorophyll, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals that are available in high density packages -- as they are with chlorella, spirulina, blue-green algae, and even other superfoods such as berries or broccoli sprouts -- then you've found a fantastic source for getting nutrition into the human body.
In my view, chlorella, spirulina, and blue-green algae are three of the best sources of nutrition for every human being alive. I believe that every person should be taking some of these supplements every single day, and that if we did, we wouldn't need the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter because we wouldn't have chronic diseases at the same rate we are seeing them today. We wouldn't need prescription drugs or a pharmaceutical industry, or a disease care system that masquerades as a health care system. We could all be healthy, both mentally and physically.
Now, as a final challenge, to the author of this Wellness Letter, I offer up my own health statistics as a relevant demonstration of what level of health a human being can achieve when they base their diets on superfoods such as chlorella and spirulina. I consume these superfoods on a daily basis -- usually several times each day. I've published my health statistics on the web. I've put my photos there for everyone to see. I personally challenge any author from the Wellness Letter, but especially the author of the article in consideration here, to publicly post their own health statistics to show that they know what they're talking about. If they can offer one author who has better cardiovascular health, higher levels of fitness, who has better blood chemistry or organ function, then I will retract everything I've said in this article.
But I can tell you right now that there is no such person at the University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter. There's no person there who can honestly say they are healthier than the statistics I've already published about my own health. That's because they don't consume supergreens, they don't eat chlorella and spirulina. They probably take various prescription drugs. So based on straightforward cause and effect, it is impossible for them to be healthier than a person who avoids toxic drugs and gets superior nutrition.
See, when it come to credibility, you've got to put your money where your mouth is. And this is directed to the author at the Wellness Letter -- if you're going to run around and say that you know what you're talking about; if you're going to tell people that supergreens are pond scum, then you better have some health statistics to prove it. You better be able to demonstrate that you are in perfect health, and that you have attained that perfect health by following your own advice.
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health researcher, author and award-winning journalist with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, and he has published numerous courses on preparedness and survival, including financial preparedness, emergency food supplies, urban survival and tactical self-defense. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In mid 2010, Adams produced TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He's also the CEO of a highly successful email newsletter software company that develops software used to send permission email campaigns to subscribers. Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group, and practices nature photography, Capoeira, martial arts and organic gardening. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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Saturday, August 07, 2004
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