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Big food and big pharma killing for profit?

dbr10 said:
It's usually all health stories - often false - or house prices or Diana IIRC.
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could have been the weather instead.

This is my takeway from it, when talking strawberries
Strawberries are rich in fibre and water, so you’ll feel fuller for longer after eating them.

No Chance......
 
Oldvatr said:
could have been the weather instead.

This is my takeway from it, when talking strawberries
Strawberries are rich in fibre and water, so you’ll feel fuller for longer after eating them.

No Chance......
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Unless they're as big as a football of course.
 
Indy51 said:
Just how cynical are we about the immorality of big business? Not nearly enough, I reckon:

“Is curing patients a sustainable business model?” Goldman Sachs analysts ask:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...le-business-model-goldman-sachs-analysts-say/
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This made me think of a line in a song.

"I am the one in ten, a number on a list.
I am the one in ten even though I don't exist".

It is a damning indictment of us as a species that profit comes before care.
 
Indy51 said:
Just how cynical are we about the immorality of big business? Not nearly enough, I reckon:

“Is curing patients a sustainable business model?” Goldman Sachs analysts ask:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...le-business-model-goldman-sachs-analysts-say/
Click to expand...
I remember that the NHS built a brand new hospital. and staffed it for a year before it went live. All the media reports coming out showed it was a model of perfection, running smoothly and very efficient. Then they made the mistake of admitting actual patients, and everything crashed. They could not cope. It was fine with admin staff chasing bits of paper around, and pushing their pens to their hearts content, but give them a real life scenario and they lost it. So they closed the hospital,

Our local county hospital also brand new was the flagship hospital for the County, but now its A&E closes at 6pm. and only runs 5 days a week. Otherwise, patients face a 69 mile journey to the nearest A&E that is open, and that is in a different county, so the ambulances have to get special clearance to use a different Health Authority. Our local community hospital was built recently at a cost of several £,million 5 years ago, and only opens 10 to 4 for non emergency only, by appointments only, and no beds in the whole place. They do have a small minor injuries dept that is walk in. The extension they built to house those facilities has been sold off to a private contractor who turned it into a very expensive private care home. The local council also withdrew funding of the bus services to this out of town facility as part of the recent cutbacks, and so the only bus that calls there is a long distance service that runs twice a day. Last time I went there by taxi it cost me £30. The local patients transport service has also been closed due to same cuts, but a private charity has stepped in that helps out if they can. Our PALS facility went several years ago when they disbanded the old NHS structure and bought in the CCG's instead. Our 111 service has been closed down as not fit for purpose and the provider had its franchise taken away, They are seeking a new franchisee, but none selected yet, Our 999 service is run from a different county and will not respond if you cannot give a satnav postcode. The ambulance service has also had bad reviews.

Welcome to the Big Society, where we have to do it all ourselves, and s*d 'em if they can't.
 
Oldvatr said:
I remember that the NHS built a brand new hospital. and staffed it for a year before it went live. All the media reports coming out showed it was a model of perfection, running smoothly and very efficient. Then they made the mistake of admitting actual patients, and everything crashed. They could not cope. It was fine with admin staff chasing bits of paper around, and pushing their pens to their hearts content, but give them a real life scenario and they lost it. So they closed the hospital,
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Which hospital was that? Sounds like an urban myth to me. My local NHS hospitals are very busy, but when my wife had to go to A&E and on another occasion had to have surgery it was all very quick and efficient. My daughter had a suspected fractured wrist, she was X-rayed and in plaster 2 hours later at a drop in centre that was converted from an office block and that was on a Sunday. So not all doom and gloom!
 
Mr_Pot said:
Which hospital was that? Sounds like an urban myth to me. My local NHS hospitals are very busy, but when my wife had to go to A&E and on another occasion had to have surgery it was all very quick and efficient. My daughter had a suspected fractured wrist, she was X-rayed and in plaster 2 hours later at a drop in centre that was converted from an office block and that was on a Sunday. So not all doom and gloom!
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It may well be urban myth but it was extensively reported in the press and on TV at the time.

The nearest I can find is:
It may have been an april Fool prank by the press.

Yup, the similarity is too close, so I agree - MYTH,
 
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Jbicheno said:
I too wish Dr Malhotra every success with his argument. Taking on the food and pharma industries needs to be done. I find it shocking how figures are always being messed with so more drugs can be prescribed.
As a type 2 diabetic, I am also dismayed at the amount of ‘healthy’ foods are not at all. The one that springs to mind is the amount of sugar in a fruit yoghurt. I have only noticed this as I have become more careful about what I eat.
The myths that we have been told over the years need to be laid bare to tackle current health problems.
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I totally agree regarding the fruit yogurts. I used to consume vast amounts of them along with skimmed milk, beastly low fat spreads and I cut them all out 5 years ago to lose weight, when diagnosed with high blood pressure. I also cut out cereals for breakfast and the weight I lost has stayed off ever since. However the nanny health service bangs on about 'Your 5 a day' and I have consumed lots of fruit as per their guidelines only to find my HbA1c levels have shot up. I never realised how full of carbs fruit is.
 
Jbicheno said:
I too wish Dr Malhotra every success with his argument. Taking on the food and pharma industries needs to be done. I find it shocking how figures are always being messed with so more drugs can be prescribed.
As a type 2 diabetic, I am also dismayed at the amount of ‘healthy’ foods are not at all. The one that springs to mind is the amount of sugar in a fruit yoghurt. I have only noticed this as I have become more careful about what I eat.
The myths that we have been told over the years need to be laid bare to tackle current health problems.
Click to expand...
How right you are about the amount of sugar in FRUIT yogurts, I also was not aware until I started searches and enquires re sugars in foods, look at the saying an APPLE a day keeps the doc away......another area of concern, the fructose in fruit, the first test I had finger test out of the blew by a chemist, I had for previous three days as usual eating habits being from a sub tropical country where there are abundance of tropical fruits, I was dieting, and having smoothies for breakie and lunch, i.e. mango, pawpaw pineapple, kiwi, banana, orange, passionfruit in a blender, how naïve I was to think I was drinking a cocktail of sugars, on the morning of testing, also, no wonder the reading although high, it was thankfully normal high, but it could have been worse, now I have not eaten fruit for one year and two months, not easy, there is insufficient material out there due to marketing needs, to say and inform, fruit has fibre, apples can cleanse and digestive system, beware, fruits have fructose be cautious for anyone with insulin issues, until informed Pre diabetic, did I establish how unhealthy fresh tropical fruits in a blender could be, I would never have imagined that.....a lessen to be learnt and not forgotten.
 
Daibell said:
The big problem is that the majority of University research is funded by big pharma, the food lobby or other commercial interests. One good example is the Eat Well Guide driven by PHE but based on university research funded by the food lobby.. With so many (too many?) university professors looking for 'research' to do to support PhDs etc they end up in the hands of commercial interests. I don't know how you overcome that but it invalidates so much of what we are told. The USA has recently reduced the level at which BP tablets are indicated from 140/n to 130/n. I had to argue with my cardiologist who wanted to follow this new 'standard' which I refused. It just goes on...
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Exactly, how to overcome not easy task by any means, other than read it all, absorb and then trust ones own inner feelings and good old common sense. I can truly relate to arguing with your Cardiologist, I also had to do the same with my Doc here in Spain, for the fact, I pointed out that the numbers set are Arbitrary with no medical or clinical support, as acknowledged by ADA and WHO, who confirm are arbitrary chosen at whim random choice, to a degree I pointed out to my Doctor, my A1C was sitting on the CUT OFF chosen level here in spain, thus informed Pre diabetes. I raised to attention, that in New Zealand, and Canada I would be classified as non diabetic normal v. spain pre diabetic. Stated the diabetes associations worldwide should be ashamed of itself for having such an unhealthy situations of variations of cut offs allowed, due to difference of cut off numbers world wide. to think I am pre diabetic and even worse could be labelled diabetic for example, yet, if I jumped on the plane back home to New Zealand, and or to Canada, it was a case the same lab result would be viewed differently, how frightening is that, and it all boils down at the end of the day due to this appalling situation in place, it seems it all depends where you are residing in the world time of diagnosis, whether you are labelled normal, pre or diabetic. I used common sense, inner feelings, and refused as yourself to my doc deciding rather to choose a country that uses pragmatic cut off levels and diagnosing formats. I am not saying Spain is wrong in their cut offs and or NZ or Canada after all they are following the criterias of their respective countries, that does not say Spain is correct either in stating one is Pre diabetic, when in their own country would be viewed normal....this has to change, if not, perhaps its the pharmas who are diagnosing us and not the doctors is my thinking???
 
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