News

Parental Consent Act – H.R. 2769

Michael Ostrolenk — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:51:58 +0000

School districts across America are labeling children as having mental disorders on the basis of subjective screening questions which frequently produce false-positive results. This testing is being done often without parents giving consent and isn’t necessarily done for the child’s interest; schools receive more funding for students diagnosed with a disorder and the child might unnecessarily be put on dangerous psychiatric drugs. In this podcast, advocates for the Parental Consent Act of 2011, John Spagnola and Arlene Tessitore, join Michael Ostrolenk to discuss this proposed law which would mandate informed parental consent for school-based screenings. Click here to read a coalition letter in support of H.R. 2769 to learn more about this issue. Please ask your Representative and Senators to support this legislation. Rep. Ron Paul, Sen. Rand Paul, and Rep. Marsha Blackburn are already supporting this bill. To add your name and organization to the coalition letter contact Mr. Spagnola at spag@gte.net.

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The FDA has it dead wrong By Michelle Minton, fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute

Michael Ostrolenk — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:58:11 +0000

Great article by Michelle on the continued FDA assualt on dietary supplements... AAPS and many other health freedom promoting organziations have been fighting for years for consumers to have access to natural medicine and dietary supplements.

"When policy makers responsible for writing a bill send a letter telling an enforcement agency that it is out of line, one would hope the agency would sit up and listen. This week, Senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) wrote to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claiming that the agency's recently released guidelines on dietary supplements undermines the statutory framework for regulating such supplements, as outlined in a bill crafted by the two Senators. If the outcry in the supplement industry and consumer advocates hasn't got the attention of FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, perhaps the Senators' letter will.

Full Article

FDA staffers sue agency over surveillance of personal e-mail By Ellen Nakashima and Lisa Rein

Michael Ostrolenk — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:57:34 +0000

(This is why it is vital to provide federal employees with extensive whistle-blower protections)

The Food and Drug Administration secretly monitored the personal e-mail of a group of its own scientists and doctors after they warned Congress that the agency was approving medical devices that they believed posed unacceptable risks to patients, government documents show.

Full article-

background documents from our friends at National Whistleblower Center

Should people be allowed to leave Medicare? This is a real question, not a rhetorical one

Michael Ostrolenk — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:47:49 +0000

Yes, according to Dr. Jane Orient, Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons in her recent Op-Ed in the Washington Times.

Colorado wants mandatory flu shots for most hospital and nursing home workers

Michael Ostrolenk — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:39:32 +0000

State health officials want to mandate flu vaccinations for nearly all hospital and nursing-home employees, with no religious or other personal exemptions, saying patient protections outweigh individual choice.

Of course Dr. Jane Orient , Executive Director of the Association of American Physians and Surgenos said in the article above-

"The right of Americans to make their own medical decisions should be respected," and she of course is correct. No American should be coerced into taking a drug or chemical againt their will especially one's that might cause harm.

Democrat Maloney and Republican Issa Ally to Hurt Science and Help Business

Michael Ostrolenk — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:28:37 +0000

Adrienne Burk's article in Forbes does an excellent job providing a brief overview of the conflicts between tax payer funded science and corporate interests. The best quote from the article is

“publishers have turned to the approach that uncompetitive corporations have always used in America: lobbying for legislation to protect their unsustainable model.”

LEARN MORE about the battle against transparency and innovation in science -

Practice Guidelines: sound science or marketing hype? An Interview with Dr. Amerling

Michael Ostrolenk — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 23:20:19 +0000

In this podcast with Michael Ostrolenk, Richard Amerling, MD summarizes how these top-down, one-size-fits-all, “cookbook” protocols hurt patients. Dr. Amerling is Associate Professor of clinical medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, and the Director of Outpatient Dialysis at the Beth Israel Medical Center.

Berwicks Resignation Signals a Dramatic Shift in National Healthcare Policy

aaps — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 07:03:19 +0000

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dr. Wayne Iverson, San Diego physician and candidate for the US House of Representatives in the California 52nd Congressional District, today commented on the surprise announcement from Washington, D.C. "The abrupt resignation of Don Berwick as the head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) signals a dramatic shift in this nation's healthcare policy." The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was signed into law in March of last year as the Obama Administration's efforts combined with a highly partisan 111th Congress attempted to gain full US government control over private health and medical care in this country. Donald Berwick was handed the top spot in the Medicare Administration during a Congressional recess because of his interest and expertise in government-controlled single-payer healthcare systems. This appointment circumvented Congress, which could have blocked the appointment because of the controversial provisions contained in PPACA. According to Dr. Iverson, "as Berwick vacates this post so goes the Administration's plans for government-mandated universal healthcare coverage."

Obamacare has been unraveling in recent months as the nation does a reality check on the practical aspects of what such massive changes in healthcare will cost and what it will do to the traditional patient-doctor relationship. Already, key provisions in the new healthcare law have been declared unconstitutional in both a lower court and appeals court. The US Supreme Court last week consented to review whether Obamacare is constitutional and should be allowed to go forward as written or be canceled out in its entirety. Dr. Iverson said, "the changes at the highest level of the Medicare Administration indicates to me that a solid case for repealing PPACA by the US Supreme Court appears to be inevitable."

Dr. Iverson went on to say, "Congress needs to continue making progress to get American healthcare back on track. The legislature needs to quickly pass a bill that provides for the immediate and complete removal of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) provision in Section 1848 of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. On January 1, 2012, SGR automatically forces an additional 27.4% cut in healthcare benefits to seniors by reducing payments to physicians." The cut Dr Iverson mentioned is in addition to the automatic 2% cut which is a result of the failed efforts of the controversial Super Committee formed in August when the US debt ceiling was increased under massive protests across the country. According to Dr Iverson, "Congress can continue to do the important work of the legislative branch of the US government by preserving our seniors' access to their physicians and medical care. The people's Representatives need to do the work they were voted into office to do. Protecting our nation's seniors and their healthcare with repealing SGR is in line with that duty and obligation."

Photo of Dr. Wayne Iverson:
http://www.ereleases.com/pic/2011-Wayne-Iverson-MD.jpg

CONTACT: Dr. Wayne Iverson, WayneIverson2012@gmail.com, 858-674-4542

RELATED LINK: http://www.WayneIverson2012.com

PAID FOR BY: Wayne Iverson for Congress

APPROVED BY: Dr. Wayne Iverson

“One-size-fits-all” USDA dietary guidelines don’t work

Michael Ostrolenk — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:28:22 +0000

Adele Hite is the Policy Chair and founder of the Healthy Nation Coalition. The coalition works to expose the aws and misuse of science in the formation of our nation’s dietary guidelines. Promulgated by USDA, these guidelines are not based in current science and have resulted in a 30 year decline in our population’s health. Individuals should be empowered to become informed about what works best for their individual nutritional needs.

Defunding Government Database of Private Medical Records

aaps — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:32:43 +0000

Congressmen Huelskamp and Graves wrote a letter to the the House Appropriations Committee asking that attempts by HHS to create a national governement database of patients' private medical records be defunded. CLICK HERE to read the letter.