Page 30 - Big Pharma and the Constant Gardener

years, his eyes were wide-open and alert. He even returned to

some comedic one-liners, which he delivered to his caregivers

with timing reminiscent of earlier days. But what harm had been
done by the pharmaceutical regimen of the preceding months

and years? His body was worn out and after finishing supper each

evening, he would be slumping in his wheelchair.

A PERSONAL TURNING

POIN T - INTO THE FUTURE

In 2003, national headlines delivered the findings of the “Women’s
Health Initiative” (WHI) study, sponsored by the US National Institutes

of Health (NIH), and the UK’s “Million Women Study” which both

arrived at similar, alarming, and unexpected conclusions: “HRT
significantly increases the risk of invasive breast cancer.” The NIH

abruptly stopped the WHI trial. Women were urged to not delay in

contacting their physicians. I remember it well, since a few days before,

in an annual visit with a Chicago gynecologist, I had been handed

a prescription for HRT. But after witnessing the negative effects of
pharmaceuticals on both parents, hearing the news headlines about

HRT findings for a full week was a definite turning point.