A woman who was identified as a teacher in Anne Arundel County, Maryland made a TikTok video expressing her incredulity that her school district provided a protocol to deal with an alien invasion during a teachers’ meeting for safety. Anne Arundel County contains the state capital of Annapolis and Fort Meade, which is home not only to the National Security Agency, but also to the US Cyber Command and other defense agencies at the US Army post there.
It’s back-to-school season, and teachers and students everywhere are gearing up for an exciting school year. But alongside the purchase of school supplies and the preparation of classrooms, teachers have mandatory safety meetings to attend. These meetings are important ways for schools to communicate with the staff about allergies, fights, fires, natural disasters, and outside threats to the school from anyone who may wish to do the teachers or students any harm.
And apparently in this Maryland school district, that possibility includes extraterrestrials.
This video was posted by a teacher in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, who says that during their safety meeting for teachers, one of the topics was the correct procedure for dealing with alien invasions.
“Honestly, I did not process anything that was said during that part of the presentation,” she claims, “because I couldn’t believe what I was looking at.”
She goes on to ask if anyone else had a similar experience during their opening activities.
Of note: this Maryland County is home to the state capital of Annapolis, as well as Fort Meade, which is home not only to the National Security Agency, but also to the U.S. Cyber Command as well as other defense agencies at the U.S. Army post there.
In other words, all places that would very likely be targeted as part of an invasion or attack of any kind—alien or earthling.
If C40 Cities’ climate aims are carried out, people will die.
EVITA DUFFY-ALFONSO
Fourteen major American cities are part of a globalist climate organization known as the “C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group,” which has an “ambitious target” by the year 2030 of “0 kg [of] meat consumption,” “0 kg [of] dairy consumption,” “3 new clothing items per person per year,” “0 private vehicles” owned, and “1 short-haul return flight (less than 1500 km) every 3 years per person.”
C40’s dystopian goals can be found in its “The Future of Urban Consumption in a 1.5°C World” report, which was published in 2019 and reportedly reemphasized in 2023. The organization is headed and largely funded by Democrat billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Nearly 100 cities across the world make up the organization, and its American members include Austin, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Seattle.
Media coverage of C40 Cities’ goals has been relatively sparse. The few media personalities and news outlets who have discussed it have been heavily attacked by the corporate “fact-checkers.” In a “fact check” aimed at conservative commentator Glenn Beck, AFP Fact Check claimed that the banning of meat and dairy and limits on air travel and clothing consumption were actually “not policy recommendations.”
AFP quotes a paragraph from the original “The Future of Urban Consumption in a 1.5°C World” report, which reads, “This report does not advocate for the wholesale adoption of these more ambitious targets in C40 cities; rather, they are included to provide a set of reference points that cities, and other actors, can reflect on when considering different emission-reduction alternatives and long-term urban visions.”
But this paragraph, likely included in the report as a liability in the case of pushback, seems to directly contradict the meaning of “target,” which in this context can be defined as a “desired goal.” The target of eliminating meat, dairy, and private vehicles by 2030 is “based on a future vision of resource-efficient production and extensive changes in consumer choices,” the report notes — something its authors clearly hope to bring about. If these were not their goals, they would not have labeled them “ambitious targets.”
The “fact-checker’s” insistence that C40 Cities’ explicitly stated climate goals are somehow insincere is even more unconvincing, given that we are watching them start to unfold right now. This year, in lockstep with C40 Cities’ 2030 aims, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city will place caps on the amount of meat and dairy served by city institutions, such as schools and prisons. Meanwhile, the U.K. has banned the sale of new gas-powered vehicles after 2030, and France has banned short-haul flights “to cut carbon emissions.”
In 2020, the World Economic Forum (which promotes C40 Cities on its website) introduced “The Great Reset,” which seeks to use the Covid-19 pandemic as a point from which to launch a global reset of society to supposedly combat climate change. This reset, however, has far more to do with social control than it does with the climate. If globalist leaders truly cared about the environment, they wouldn’t be chartering private jets or owning massive, energy-consuming mansions on the coast in California, which, by climate fanatics’ own calculation, will soon be underwater.
As the WEF plainly stated in a 2016 promotional video, by 2030 “You’ll own nothing, and you’ll be happy.”
Right now, hedge funds and private billionaires are buying up residential homes and farmland all over the world. At the same time, unrealistic zero-emissions policies are impoverishing Westerners and annihilating the middle class, which is fueling reliance on centralized government. Such intentional steps backward also, ironically, harm the earth because wealthier nations are proven to have cleaner environments and put less strain on natural resources.
Climate activists are also advocating for “climate lockdowns,” in the same way there were Covid lockdowns. Ideas floated for a climate lockdown have ranged from shuttering people in their homes and restricting air travel to providing a Universal Basic Income and introducing a maximum income level.gene
Climate dystopianism doesn’t end there. WEF-linked “bioethicist” Dr. Matthew Liao has proposed the idea of scientists genetically modify humans to be allergic to meat. Liao has also discussed shrinking the physical size of humans via eugenics or hormone injections so they consume fewer resources.
All of these policy proposals appear even more unreasonable and illogical when we actually evaluate the data. According to the International Disaster Database, deaths related to extreme heat, floods, storms, and droughts have plummeted as C02 emissions have risen. The fossil fuel economy has provided billions of people with heating, air conditioning, weather warning systems, mass irrigation, and durable buildings.
This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t try to limit carbon emissions. Environmentally friendly nuclear energy, which is safe and more reliable than wind and solar energy, is a great way to wean our society off of our reliance on fossil fuels. The globalist climate activists, however, oppose nuclear energy, further undermining their supposedly good intentions.
Ultimately, the climate coalition’s goals are inherently anti-human. People generally need meat and the protein it provides to flourish. Banning meat and dairy, restricting calories, genetically altering the human body, and impoverishing the masses will hurt the planet and people. More likely than not, it will do more than hurt people — it will kill many of them.
Evita Duffy-Alfonso is a staff writer to The Federalist and the co-founder of the Chicago Thinker. She loves the Midwest, lumberjack sports, writing, and her family. Follow her on Twitter at @evitaduffy_1 or contact her at evita@thefederalist.com.
China cloned three ‘Super Cows’Image credits- Unsplash
China achieves a cloning breakthrough with the creation of three ‘super cows.’
Animal cloning is mainly used to improve the quality and productivity of livestock, as well as for conducting research in the field of biotechnology.
Earlier, China cloned various species, including cattle, sheep, pigs, horses and even pets.
Chinese scientists have successfully cloned three cows that can produce an unusually high amount of milk, state media reported. According to researchers, these cloned cows are capable of producing 50% more milk than the average American cow.
Scientists sampled tissues from cows across China and used what’s called the somatic cell nuclear transfer method, which involves taking the nucleus from a body cell of the animal to be cloned and transferring it into a donated egg cell. Then embryos were placed inside surrogate cows.
The cloning experiment began last year at the Northwest University of Agricultural and Forestry Science and Technology in Shaanxi, China. The three calves, bred by scientists, were born in the Ningxia region in the weeks leading up to the Lunar New Year on January 23. These calves were cloned from highly productive cows from the Holstein Friesian breed, which originated in the Netherlands. According to Chinese state media, the chosen animals are capable of producing 18 tons of milk per year, which is nearly 1.7 times the amount of milk an average cow in the United States produces.
Jin Yaping, the lead scientist called this a birth of ‘super cows.’ Furthermore, he said, this breakthrough has great significance for China to concentrate and preserve in an economically feasible way the very best cows in the country, and ‘super cows’ are efforts to revitalize its agricultural sector with breeder animals.
For dairy cows, China is 70% reliant on overseas purchases. According to Global Times, China has roughly 6.6 million cows, however, only about 5 in 10,000 such cattle in China are highly productive.
According to Jin Yaping, this new cloning method means, that people can preserve the genes of these super cows in a timely manner and these cows can provide an excellent resource for future breeding.
Further, he said, “Using cloning technology alone won’t have any economic meaning, and the combination of tapping reproductive technology and using low-productive cows as surrogates allowed us to reproduce 20 more offspring compared with just using cloning for a given time period.”
Cloning in China — a game-changer for the agriculture industry?
China has made remarkable progress in the field of animal cloning in recent years, using advanced techniques to clone various species, including cattle, sheep, pigs, and even pets. The purpose of animal cloning in China is multifaceted and ranges from improving the quality and productivity of livestock to conducting scientific research in the field of biotechnology.
In terms of improving livestock, animal cloning has the potential to increase the efficiency of food production, as well as enhance the quality and taste of meat and dairy products. This has led to increased investment in the field of animal cloning in China, as the country seeks to meet the growing demand for food from its rapidly expanding population.
However, the use of animal cloning in China is not without its challenges and controversies. There are concerns about the health and welfare of cloned animals, as well as the potential impact of technology on the environment. Additionally, there are ongoing debates about the ethical considerations surrounding the use of cloning, including the long-term consequences and potential risks.
Despite these challenges, China continues to make significant strides in the field of animal cloning, investing in research and development to advance the technology. The future of animal cloning in China remains uncertain, but it is clear that the country is at the forefront of this rapidly evolving field and is poised to play a significant role in shaping its future.
Why is the IRS Buying .40-Caliber Submachine Guns?
The weaponization and militarization of the federal government continues unabated as Congress and the states sit back and do nothing
When the corporate media asked the IRS why it needed automatic weapons, millions of rounds of ammunition and heavily armed staffers trained in the “use of deadly force,” they said it was for “administrative reasons.”
But we now know that the globalists are not just arming the IRS, along with just about every other federal agency. They are militarizing these agencies to the hilt with military-grade weapons not available to American citizens.
Why, for instance, would the IRS need armored vehicles, flash-bang grenades loaded with tear gas, and .40-caliber submachine guns?
The IRS has been arming up for at least ten years. At the end of 2017, the IRS had 4,487 firearms and 5,062,006 rounds of ammunition in its weapons cache, according to an August 8, 2022, Forbes article, “Inflation Reduction Act Unleashes A Tougher IRS.” You can bet they’ve got a lot more than that stored up six years later in 2023.
The video below by Mark Gifford, a pastor from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, who runs the God Family and Guns YouTube channel, explains why this militarization is taking place.
The IRS has been steppng up its purchases of guns and ammunition even more over the last two years, gobbling up nearly $700,000 in ammo in early 2022. That bulk purchase prompted Representatives Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Jeff Duncan (R-SC) to introduce the “Disarm the IRS Act,” to prohibit the IRS from buying ammunition. Of course, this bill was dead on arrival because the Uniparty in Washington, which includes all Democrats and a solid majority of Republicans, are all for a militarized federal government. They hate Americans and do not represent Americans. They are globalists whose allegiance is to the military-industrial-biosecurity complex.
The Small Business Administration has also made bulk purchases of guns and ammo. Health and Human Services has done the same. (Emphasis added)
Is the federal government preparing for all-out war against Americans who push back against the government-media-approved messaging on pandemics, our involvement in perpetual foreign wars and other globalist policies?
You get the sense that maybe, just maybe, enough of us are waking up that the globalists are preparing to silence us once and for all, and the only way to complete that task is by force? All it would take is to make an example out of a few dozen, maybe a few hundred outspoken conservatives. The goal going forward would be to criminalize all speech that contradicts the messaging coming out of the government and its corporate partners. At that point, the globalists’ hope would be for conservatives to start turning on each other out of fear that they could be next. Cut a deal to turn in a fellow conservative, thereby saving your own skin from the reign of terror. This is how life goes down under fascist regimes like the one now in power, so don’t be surprised if they move in this direction. It would probably happen after they steal yet another election in November 2024. They monitor everyone’s online speech so it would be easy to pull off. They make some high-profile arrests and incentivize people to turn on each other. This would be especially effective in a time of economic hardship when people have hungry family members. Turn in a neighbor on false charges and get a month’s worth of food delivered to your door.
The indictments of Trump supporters in Georgia and Michigan have already sent a chilling message. But the deep state is moving on more than that one front. They’ve also been arresting pro-life protesters and throwing the book at them, prosecuting them under the corrupt FACE Act. Protesting abortion has been a mainstay of American life since the early 1970s. Now the government is cracking down and sending messages that things are different. Such protests will no longer be tolerated.
A jury on Tuesday found five pro-life activists guilty of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and conspiracy against rights. They were immediately incarcerated following the verdict and could face more than a decade in prison for their efforts to prevent women from killing their preborn babies.
Did you catch that? You can now get 10 years or more for peacefully praying with and counseling women outside of an abortion clinic. The article goes on to explain that these pro-life Americans were considered by the judge to have committed a “crime of violence” simply for holding pro-life views and being willing to share them publicly in proximity to a baby-butchering clinic. The irony is hard to miss.
In the month of August alone, four Americans had their homes broken into and invaded in pre-dawn raids by the FBI, which in each case executed the suspect in cold blood. One case involved a 100 percent disabled U.S. military veteran in Henderson, Tennessee, who was unarmed at the time he was shot on August 16. Another case involved a 74-year-old man in Provo, Utah, who was obese and unable to walk without a cane but he was shot dead by the FBI on August 9.
From what I can tell, none of these poor souls posed any sort of imminent threat to their families or communities. The Utah man posted threats against Biden on his Facebook page, but clearly lacked the ability to carry them out. The feds could have arrested the guy peacefully while he was pulling out of his driveway. But no, they needed to make a statement.
After enough Americans are executed in this fashion, and fear of speaking out becomes ingrained in society, I can see a day, perhaps sooner than we think, when political dissidents will simply disappear. No one will know what happened to them as they vanish into the gulag.
The situation is growing more serious with each new episode. The best way to stop this troubling trend from expanding is for more people to speak out even more boldly than ever. Stay peaceful but do not hold back your verbal opinions. They cannot kill or arrest us all. There is strength in numbers. Pray for peace and for more time before the inevitable societal collapse goes down. I sense that people aren’t ready for what’s coming. Even if they are waking up, they aren’t ready for a reality in which they are declared criminals simply for something they said or wrote.
LeoHohmann.com runs on donations from you, my readers. Unlike the corporate media, I receive no advertisements from Big Pharma or any other corporation, nor do I receive any government grants or anything from nonprofit benefactors. If you appreciate my work, I could really use your support. You may send a contribution of any size c/o Leo Hohmann, P.O. Box 291, Newnan, GA 30264, or via credit card below. Thanks so much.
Auction! You can buy these goods stolen from Nordstrom! They’re flash-mob certified classics!
by Jon Rappoport
August 31, 2023
They’re iconic cultural items! And they can be yours!
Why not? Let’s get real.
Recently, in a continuation of the ongoing LA crime wave, a flash mob of 50 independent reparations scholars liberated items worth 100K from the Topanga Mall Nordstrom.
Even dyed in the wool California liberals are piling on their former darling, LA County DA George Gascon, who’s never met a thief he didn’t love. As in: “We decline to file charges, you’re free to go, and best of luck in your future endeavors, young man.”
But in order to help these thieves further, why put them through the annoying details of fencing their loot?
Let’s go right to an auction. And who better to stand at the podium and handle the bidding than DA George Gascon himself?
The CA liberals can buy the high-end merch…with cultural enhancement attached.
Gascon: “I assure you, my office has verified these products as flash-mob yanked. Buyers will be provided with certificates I personally sign.”
Hell, we’ve got to put the auction on television. MSNBC desperately needs a hit.
Gascon on a studio set of an auction room: “I have here a Judith Leiber Cake Gala Crystal Clutch purse. Golden leather interior. The bid begins at nine thousand. Do I hear ten? Some day you can tell your grandchildren it was a reparation item!”
Which brings us to realize the auction house can simply cement ongoing partnerships with mobs of thieves.
To read the rest of this article and comment on it, click here.
‘Reduce Population’: Kamala Harris Verbal Slip-Up Corrected By White House
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the conclusion of the Investing in America tour at Coppin State University in Baltimore, Md., on July 14, 2023. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris mistakenly (?) suggested that one of the goals of investing in clean energy is population reduction.
“When President [Joe] Biden and I took office, we set an ambitious goal … to cut our greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and to reach net-zero emissions by 2050,” Harris told an audience at Coppin State University in Baltimore on Friday.
“When we invest in clean energy and electric vehicles and reduce population, more of our children can breathe clean air and drink clean water,” she continued.
According to the official transcript, the 58-year-old Vice President meant to say ‘pollution,’ not ‘population.’
Ms. Harris spoke at the event to address the Environmental Protection Agency’s $20 billion investment program across two grant competitions under the Biden administration’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that aims to spark clean energy investments across the country.
After clips of Ms. Harris’s verbal miscue emerged online, social media users and a number of Republican figures seized on the error to suggest the Biden administration was publicly calling to reduce the population in the United States.
Responding to Ms. Harris’ verbal slip-up in a Twitter post, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) asked the vice president what exactly she meant by reducing the population.
“Abortion? Assisted suicide? Or what means are you suggesting to reduce population in order to help public health?” Ms. Greene wrote.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), meanwhile, warned his followers on Twitter, asking: “Are you the population she wants to reduce?”
“Kamala Harris admits she wants to reduce the population for environmental reasons,” Ohio state Sen. Michael Rull said in a post on Twitter. “That’s not just anti-American. That’s anti-human.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk also commented on the vice president’s mix-up of the phrase, tweeting: “We need to increase population.”
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was paying OB-GYN doctors millions of dollars to lie to mothers that COVID mRNA injections are safe. Naomi Wolf said that if the doctors tell the truth about the dangers of COVID injections, they will have to repay the money that they received. She said that they are criminals. She said that Pfizer is aware that babies died after their mothers received COVID jabs. She asserted that babies and unborn babies have been murdered.
Naomi Wolf, a researcher and the CEO of Daily Clout, said that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was paying OB-GYN doctors millions of dollars to ‘stick to the script’ and to lie to mothers that COVID mRNA injections are safe. She said that if the doctors tell the truth about the dangers of COVID injections, they will have to repay the money that they received. Wolf called these doctors criminals.
She said that the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a large lobbying group, had a portal where OB-GYN doctors could register to receive money directly fro HHS in 2020 if they attested that their patients had COVID as a primary diagnosis, or, if they were pregnant, COVID could be used as a secondary diagnosis. OB-GYN doctors were incentivized in 2020 to inflate COVID diagnosis numbers.
Wolf reported that maternal deaths are up 40% after COVID injections. She said that a doctor and midwives have told her that babies are being born prematurely, they are being born with fetal malformations, chromosomal malformations and breathing problems.
She said that babies and unborn have been murdered.
Wolf said that Pfizer documents reveal that they knew that two babies died in-utero and the vaccine manufacturer stated that the deaths were due to “trans-placental exposure” to the vaccine and then they sent that report to the CDC in April 10, 2021. Three days later, CDC head Rochelle Walensky gave a press conference from the White House stating that pregnant women should take the mRNA vaccines and that it was safe and effective at any time, before, during, or after pregnancy. Wolf said that Walensky knew that two babies had died from trans-placental exposure and another baby died from poisoned breast milk when she advised the women to take the COVID shots.
Published Jul. 25, 2023, 4:55 p.m. ET | Updated Jul. 26, 2023
Chase bank cancellation letter to Natural Health Partners.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to include a response from Chase.
Lydia Nusbaum co-authored this report.
CAPE CORAL, Fla. (FLV) – Employees of a Florida-based retail health company said JP Morgan Chase Bank suddenly terminated their personal and company bank accounts without an explanation.
One of the employees believes the account shutdowns were politically motivated and due to their employer’s controversial stance on COVID-19.
Another Mercola Market employee said the sudden decision to close her account is creating additional hurdles to help send money to her husband who is bedridden with dementia in the Philippines.
The owner of Mercola Market, Dr. Joseph Mercola, has criticized of COVID-19 vaccines and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Responding to the report, Chase told Florida’s Voice Wednesday that the accounts weren’t closed for political “affiliations.”
“For privacy reasons, we can’t discuss customer relationships, but we don’t close accounts because of political affiliations, and we didn’t do so in this case,” they said.
Mercola Marketsells specialty beverages, food, supplements and other health items. A store is located in Cape Coral.
On July 13, Mercola Market, along with the CEO, CFO and some of their family members, all received similar letters from Chase Bank saying “[they] have decided to close” their individual personal and business accounts.
The letters obtained by Florida’s Voice did not provide a reason why the accounts were suddenly closed. Florida’s Voice reached out to Chase Bank for a response.
A voicemail from a Chase representative to CEO Steven Rye said the reason for closing his personal and wife’s accounts can’t be disclosed “for legal reasons.”
However, Rye believes his the accounts were suddenly shut down because of Dr. Joseph Mercola’s opinions on COVID-19.
“I believe they cancelled all of the accounts because of Dr. Mercola’s (our employer) opinions,” Rye told Florida’s Voice. “He has carried a contradictory view throughout the COVID narrative and co-authored the best selling book The Truth About COVID-19 which exposed the likelihood that this virus was engineered in a laboratory funded by the NIH.”
Rye said he was told his children would not be able to carry accounts with Chase Bank in the future.
“It’s just hard to believe that your family, your wife, your kids can’t have a bank account because of the opinions of your employer and they’ve never done anything wrong,” Rye said. “We all have completely clear records.”
A voicemail from a Chase Bank representative urged Rye to submit paperwork for their accounts to be reconsidered.
“We are going to try because you’re a good client of our institution,” the Chase representative said in a voicemail.
In an email from Chase to Rye Monday, a representative said he is “still trying to figure out what is going on.”
Amalia Legaspi, the CFO of Mercola Market, said both her personal and her son’s personal accounts were canceled. Her son is using the accounts to pay for college expenses.
“I received the letter during weekend and I was surprised that we received the same letters for business accounts with exact wordings,” Legaspi said.
Legaspi’s joint checking account with her husband, who has dementia and is bedridden in the Philippines, was also closed. She uses the account to send money for his medical needs and said she is not allowed to open another bank account in his name.
“I have to provide all the legal documentations including notarized physicians affidavit from the Philippines to prove that my husband is incapable of handling his finances and request the Federal to directly deposit the pension to my own personal account,” Legaspi said.
With regards to the company’s accounts, she said Chase will not give them a reason for the closure to protect the privacy of their clients.
Dr. Mercola said he published articles about the benefits of vitamin D, zinc and quercetin to boost the immune system. He also published testimony from a nurse who claimed patients were being “intentionally killed on ventilators.”
The FDA also sent a letter to Dr. Mercola telling him to take “immediate action” to address “violations” in the letter regarding supplement products the doctor said would aid in COVID-19, calling them “unapproved new drugs” that are “misbranded.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation in May to prohibit financial institutions from denying or canceling services based on political or religious beliefs.
Elon Musk announced over a year ago that he planned to turn Twitter into an everything app that would include online banking and finance. Elon is not an independent businessman, but is a front man for the cabal, according to this video. He lied about growing up poor. His grandfather Joshua Haldeman was part of the Canadian Technocracy Movement in the 1930s. He is not the successful and brilliant businessman he purports to be. He did not co-found PayPal and he only contributed money to Tesla.
Billionaire Stands to Make Millions From Addiction Treatment
July 18, 2023
VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cJ_lyeH7Os&t=143s
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
An estimated 202,600 Americans died from opioid overdoses between 2002 and 2015; 74% of farmers report being addicted to opioids, or know someone who is
Addiction to narcotic pain relievers places an enormous economic burden on society, costing the U.S. an estimated $504 billion each year (2.8% of gross domestic product)
The massive increase in opioid sales and subsequent addiction rates have been traced back to an orchestrated marketing plan aimed at misinforming doctors about the drug’s addictive potential
Sackler family members who own Purdue Pharma were intimately involved in the false advertising of OxyContin. An investigation revealed the Sacklers also own Rhodes Pharma — one of the largest producers of generic opioids
Dr. Richard Sackler — who was deeply involved in the marketing of OxyContin — was awarded a patent for a new, faster-dissolving form of buprenorphine, used in the treatment of opioid addiction, thus making money both on the promulgation of addiction and its treatment
Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published September 26, 2018.
An estimated 202,600 Americans died from opioid overdoses between 2002 and 2015,1 and drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 50.2 Chronic opioid use also accounted for 20% of the increase in male unemployment between 1999 and 20153 and, remarkably, 74% of farmers report being addicted to opioids, or know someone who is.4
Aside from the staggering death toll, addiction to narcotic pain relievers also places an enormous economic burden on society, costing the U.S. an estimated $504 billion each year (2.8% of gross domestic product), according to a November 2017 White House report.5,6
Opioid Epidemic Is No Random Fluke
Adding insult to injury, evidence suggests opioid makers are directly responsible. They knew exactly what they were doing when they claimed opioids — which are chemically very similar to heroin — have an exceptionally low addiction rate when taken for pain.
In fact, the massive increase in opioid sales and subsequent addiction rates have been traced back to an orchestrated marketing plan aimed at misinforming doctors about the drug’s addictive potential, and it is this false advertising campaign that seeded the current opioid epidemic — an epidemic so great it has even lowered the national life expectancy.
Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family, was one of the most successful in this regard, driving sales of OxyContin up from $48 million in 1996 to $1.5 billion in 2002.7
Studies now show addiction affects about 26% of those using opioids for chronic non-cancer pain, and 1 in 550 patients on opioid therapy dies from opioid-related causes within 2.5 years of their first prescription.8
Meanwhile, Purdue’s sales representatives were extensively coached on how to downplay the drug’s addictive potential, claiming addiction was occurring in less than 1% of patients being treated for pain.
Evidence also shows Sackler family members were intimately involved with the marketing machinations behind OxyContin.9,10 In fact, attorney Mike Moore — who represents Ohio, Louisiana and Mississippi in lawsuits against Purdue Pharma — claims to have evidence connecting the Sackler family “directly, and personally, to corporate misdeeds” committed in the 1990s and 2000s.11
In 2007, Purdue Pharma did plead guilty to charges of misbranding “with intent to defraud and mislead the public,” and paid $634 million in fines.12 Alas, a decade later, it’s quite clear the company has not changed its ways to any significant degree. It, and the Sackler family, is still in the business of profiting from addiction.
As reported by STAT News earlier this month, Dr. Richard Sackler — who, according to Esquire journalist Christopher Glazek,13 was deeply involved in the marketing of OxyContin as head of the company’s research and development, sales and marketing divisions — was awarded a patent for a new, faster-dissolving form of buprenorphine, a mild opioid drug used in the treatment of opioid addiction. As noted by STAT News:14
“… Sackler is listed as one of six inventors on the patent, which was issued in January [2018] … Critics told the [Financial Times] that they were disturbed that the patent could enable Sackler to benefit financially from the addiction crisis that his family’s company is accused of fueling.”
Indeed, the company is currently fighting more than 1,000 lawsuits brought by tribes, cities, counties and states across the U.S., which claim Purdue Pharma helped orchestrate the opioid addiction epidemic and should therefore help pay for the societal costs.
President Trump has also stated he would like to see a federal lawsuit be brought against opioid makers.15
Apparently, Sackler decided to pursue avenues to cash in on the epidemic instead. Salon magazine16 reported on the patent saying, “Sackler made billions off of sales of a drug that caused a massive public health crisis — and now he stands to make more billions by selling the public a solution.” But that’s not all. The Sacklers have actually been profiting from addiction in more ways than one for over a decade.
Purdue Pharma Secretly Owned Generic Oxycontin Too
As reported by Financial Times17 and the New York Post,18 the Sackler family also secretly owns Rhodes Pharma, “one of the biggest producers of generic opioids, which had never before been linked to the family.”
What’s more, this company was launched just four months after Purdue Pharma’s guilty plea back in 2007. When combined, Purdue Pharma and Rhodes Pharma account for about 6% of the total opioid market in the U.S.
So, “not only did the Sacklers fail to scale back its marketing of OxyContin after the plea, they further cashed in on the pill crisis — by launching the second firm and selling more of the drug under a different name,” the New York Post writes, adding:
“Rhodes [Pharma] was set up as a ‘landing pad’ in case the under-fire drug maker needed a clean start amid the 2007 criminal charges, a former senior manager at Purdue told the paper.
Together, both firms accounted for 14.4 million opioid prescriptions in 2016. Rhodes Pharma also makes other highly addictive opiates such as morphine, oxycodone and hydromorphone, according to the FDA.”
Purdue Pharma to Offer Free Opioid Addiction Therapy
Sackler’s new buprenorphine patent is actually held by Rhodes Pharma and, according to Bloomberg, Purdue has offered to donate an undisclosed number of treatment doses of this drug as part of any settlement that might come out of the 1,000 lawsuits currently pending. University of Kentucky law professor Richard Ausness told Bloomberg:
“I’d have to say this is a pretty clever move. Over the last 20 years, Purdue hasn’t shown any real contrition or remorse, so I see this offer of free step-down drugs as a savvy negotiating tactic to limit what they have to pay in any settlement.”
Opioids Still Being Widely Overprescribed
In related news, research19 published in the Annals of Internal Medicine shows nearly one-third of opioid prescriptions given in an outpatient setting are not backed by a documented medical reason for the prescription,20 suggesting the drugs are still being widely overprescribed and misused.
According to the authors, their findings “show the need for stricter rules on patients’ needs for the highly addictive drugs.”
Of the opioid prescriptions handed out during 809 million doctor’s visits across the U.S. between 2006 and 2015, only 5% were prescribed for cancer-related pain; more than 66% were given for non-cancer pain — the most common being back pain, diabetes-related pain and arthritis — while just over 28% were prescribed in cases where no pain-related condition could be ascertained in the patient’s medical record.
Curiously, the most common nonpain conditions for which an opioid was prescribed were high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Seeing how doctors are largely failing to significantly cut down on opioid prescriptions, might cutting insurance coverage do the trick? Both Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida have stopped paying for OxyContin, and as of January 2019, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee will no longer pay for it either.21
They all still pay for other brands of opioids, though, which may water down the impact of the decision. According to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, the decision to drop OxyContin was primarily based on the fact that it still has a higher street value and is easier to crush, snort or inject than other opioids.
Struggling With Opioid Addiction? Seek Help!
Regardless of the brand, it’s vitally important to realize that opioids are extremely addictive drugs that are not meant for long-term use for nonfatal conditions. Chemically, opioids are very similar to heroin, and if you wouldn’t consider shooting up heroin for that toothache or backache, you really should reconsider taking an opioid to relieve the pain as well.
The misconception that opioids are harmless pain relievers has at this point killed hundreds of thousands of people, and destroyed the lives of countless more, including the families and friends of those who have died. Don’t be so quick to be the next in line.
Some marketing materials for opioids still claim the drug will not cause addiction “except in very rare cases,” describing the adverse effects patients experience when quitting the drug as a “benign state” and not a sign of addiction. This simply isn’t true.
Panic is one psychological side effect commonly experienced when quitting these drugs, and this can easily fuel a psychological as well as physical dependence on the drug.
It’s important to recognize the signs of addiction, and to seek help. If you’ve been on an opioid for more than two months, or if you find yourself taking higher dosages, or taking the drug more often, you’re likely already addicted and are advised to seek help from someone other than your prescribing doctor. Resources where you can find help include:
With all the health risks associated with opioid painkillers, I strongly urge you to exhaust other options before resorting to these drugs. The good news is there are many natural alternatives to treating pain. Following is information about nondrug remedies, dietary changes and bodywork interventions that can help you safely manage your pain.
Medical cannabis — Medical marijuana has a long history as a natural analgesic and is now legal in 31 states. You can learn more about the laws in your state on medicalmarijuana.procon.org.23
Kratom —Kratom (Mitragyna speciose) is a plant remedy that has become a popular opioid substitute.24 In August 2016, the DEA issued a notice saying it was planning to ban kratom, listing it as Schedule 1 controlled substance. However, following massive outrage from kratom users who say opioids are their only alternative, the agency reversed its decision.25
Kratom is safer than an opioid for someone in serious and chronic pain. However, it’s important to recognize that it is a psychoactive substance and should be used with great care. There’s very little research showing how to use it safely and effectively, and it may have a very different effect from one person to the next. The other issue to address is that there are a number of different strains available with different effects.
Also, while it may be useful for weaning people off opioids, kratom is in itself addictive. So, while it appears to be a far safer alternative to opioids, it’s still a powerful and potentially addictive substance. So please, do your own research before trying it.
Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) — Naltrexone is an opiate antagonist, originally developed in the early 1960s for the treatment of opioid addiction. When taken at very low doses (LDN, available only by prescription), it triggers endorphin production, which can boost your immune function and ease pain.
Curcumin — A primary therapeutic compound identified in the spice turmeric, curcumin has been shown in more than 50 clinical studies to have potent anti-inflammatory activity. Curcumin is hard to absorb, so best results are achieved with preparations designed to improve absorption. It is very safe and you can take two to three every hour if you need to.
Astaxanthin — One of the most effective oil-soluble antioxidants known, astaxanthin has very potent anti-inflammatory properties. Higher doses are typically required for pain relief, and you may need 8 milligrams or more per day to achieve results.
Boswellia — Also known as boswellin or “Indian frankincense,” this herb contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties, which have been prized for thousands of years. This is one of my personal favorites, as it worked well for many of my former rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Bromelain — This protein-digesting enzyme, found in pineapples, is a natural anti-inflammatory. It can be taken in supplement form, but eating fresh pineapple may also be helpful. Keep in mind most of the bromelain is found within the core of the pineapple, so consider eating some of the pulpy core when you consume the fruit.
Cayenne cream — Also called capsaicin cream, this spice comes from dried hot peppers. It alleviates pain by depleting your body’s supply of substance P, a chemical component of nerve cells that transmit pain signals to your brain.
Cetyl myristoleate (CMO) — This oil, found in dairy butter and fish, acts as a joint lubricant and anti-inflammatory. I have used a topical preparation of CMO to relieve ganglion cysts and a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Evening primrose, black currant and borage oils — These oils contain the fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid, which is useful for treating arthritic pain.
Ginger — This herb is anti-inflammatory and offers pain relief and stomach-settling properties. Fresh ginger works well steeped in boiling water as a tea, or incorporated into fresh vegetable juice.
Dietary Changes to Fight Inflammation and Manage Your Pain
Unfortunately, physicians often fall short when attempting to effectively treat chronic pain, resorting to the only treatment they know: prescription drugs. While these drugs may bring some temporary relief, they will do nothing to resolve the underlying causes of your pain. If you suffer from chronic pain, making the following changes to your diet may bring you some relief.
Consume more animal-based omega-3 fats — Similar to the effects of anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical drugs, omega-3 fats from fish and fish oils work to directly or indirectly modulate a number of cellular activities associated with inflammation. While drugs have a powerful ability to inhibit your body’s pain signals, omega-3s cause a gentle shift in cell signaling to bring about a lessened reactivity to pain.
Eating healthy seafood like anchovies or sardines, which are low in environmental toxins, or taking a high-quality supplement such as krill oil are your best options for obtaining omega-3s. DHA and EPA, the omega-3 oils contained in krill oil, have been found in many animal and clinical studies to have anti-inflammatory properties, which are beneficial for pain relief.
Radically reduce your intake of processed foods — Processed foods not only contain chemical additives and excessive amounts of sugar, but also are loaded with damaging omega-6 fats. By eating these foods, especially fried foods, you upset your body’s ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, which triggers inflammation. Inflammation is a key factor in most pain.
Eliminate or radically reduce your consumption of grains and sugars — Avoiding grains and sugars, especially fructose, will lower your insulin and leptin levels. Elevated insulin and leptin levels are one of the most profound stimulators of inflammatory prostaglandin production, which contributes to pain.
While healthy individuals are advised to keep their daily fructose consumption below 25 grams from all sources, you’ll want to limit your intake to 15 grams per day until your pain is reduced. Eating sugar increases your uric acid levels, which leads to chronic, low-level inflammation.
Optimize your production of vitamin D — As much as possible, regulate your vitamin D levels by regularly exposing large amounts of your skin to sunshine. If you cannot get sufficient sun exposure, taking an oral vitamin D3 supplement, along with vitamin K2 and magnesium, is highly advisable. Get your blood level tested to be sure you’re within the therapeutic range of 60 to 80 ng/mL year-round.
Bodywork Methods That Reduce Pain
The following bodywork methods have also demonstrated effectiveness for pain relief and pain management.
•Acupuncture — An estimated 3 million American adults receive acupuncture annually,26 most often for the treatment of chronic pain. A study27 published in the Archives of Internal Medicine concluded acupuncture has a definite effect in reducing back and neck pain, chronic headache, osteoarthritis and shoulder pain, more so than standard pain treatment.
•Chiropractic adjustments — While previously used most often to treat back pain, chiropractic treatment addresses many other problems, including asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, headaches, migraines, musculoskeletal pain, neck pain and whiplash.
According to a study28 published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, patients with neck pain who used a chiropractor and/or exercise were more than twice as likely to be pain-free in 12 weeks compared to those who took medication.
•Massage therapy — Massage releases endorphins, which help induce relaxation, relieve pain and reduce levels of stress chemicals such as cortisol and noradrenaline. A systematic review and meta-analysis29 published in the journal Pain Medicine, included 60 high-quality and seven low-quality studies that looked into the use of massage for various types of pain, including bone and muscle, fibromyalgia, headache and spinal cord pain.
The study revealed massage therapy relieves pain better than getting no treatment at all. When compared to other pain treatments like acupuncture and physical therapy, massage therapy still proved beneficial and had few side effects. In addition to relieving pain, massage therapy also improved anxiety and health-related quality of life.
•Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) —EFT continues to be one of the easiest and most effective ways to deal with acute and chronic pain. The technique is simple and can be applied in mere minutes. A study30 published in Energy Psychology examined the levels of pain in a group of 50 people attending a three-day EFT workshop, and found their pain dropped by 43% during the workshop.
Six weeks later, their pain levels were reported to be 42% lower than before the workshop. As a result of applying EFT, participants felt they had an improved sense of control and ability to cope with their chronic pain. In the video below, EFT expert Julie Schiffman, teaches you how to use EFT to address chronic pain.
