NEJM's Data Deceivers

 

NEJM states: "Our mission is to publish the best research and information at the intersection of biomedical science and clinical practice and to present this information in understandable, clinically useful formats that inform health care practice and improve patient outcomes."

Effective mission statements are supposed to be succinct, I presume NEJM chose to omit the other relevant sentence readers would want to understand, which is: "We don't care where the data comes from as long as it supports our chosen narratives."

de·ceiver

a person who causes someone to believe something that is not true, typically in order to gain some personal advantage.

New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)

Eric Rubin, NEJM editor-in-chief

There have been nine editors-in-chief from 1921 to the present at the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The current editor-in-chief is Eric Rubin, the former chair of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health's Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. (Immunology is the study of the immune system.) Before Rubin, NEJM's editors-in-chief was Jeffrey M. Drazen, an asthma and lung disease expert. Aside from Rubin, no NEJM editor-in-chief has had a background in Immunology and Infectious Diseases. 

The Boston Tea Party (Outsiders rarely invited)

Rubin was selected after a NEJM "international" committee conducted a global search. The committee was chaired by Dr. Lynda Young, past president of the Massachusetts Medical Society. Dr. Beverly Woo, of the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, served as vice-chair. Other committee members were:

Dr. Alain Chaoui, FAAFP, President, Massachusetts Medical Society;

Dr. Karen Antman, Dean, Boston University School of Medicine;

Dr. Harris Berman, Dean, Tufts University School of Medicine;

Dr. Edward W. Campion, Executive Editor, the New England Journal of Medicine;

Dr. Lois Dehls Cornell, Executive Vice President, Massachusetts Medical Society;

Dr. George Q. Daley, Dean, Harvard Medical School;

Dr. Jack Evjy, Past-President, Massachusetts Medical Society;

Dr. Terence Flotte, Dean, School of Medicine, UMass Medical School;

Dr. Danny Jacobs, President, Oregon Health and Science University;

Dr. Thomas Lee, Chief Medical Officer, Press Ganey, and NEJM Catalyst Leadership Board Founder;

Dr. Joseph Loscalzo, Chairman of the Department of Medicine, and Physician-in-Chief, Brigham and Women's Hospital;

Dr. Graham McMahon, President and Chief Executive Officer, Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education;

Dr. Erika von Mutius, Professor of Pediatric Allergology, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital of the University of Munich, Institute for Asthma and Allergy Prevention, Germany;

Dr. John Noseworthy, Chief Executive Officer, Mayo Clinic;

Dr. Chana Sacks, Images Editor, the New England Journal of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, and;

Dr. David Spriggs, Associate Editor, the New England Journal of Medicine, Director of the Gynecologic Oncology Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.

The vast majority of this "international" search committee works in the Boston area.

For historical reference, the first quarterly edition of the New England Journal of Medicine and Surgery and the Collateral Branches of Medical Science (Boston) was published in January 1812. It was a result of a collaboration between John Collins Warren, a Boston physician, and his colleague James Jackson. In 1921, their journal merged with the Boston Medical Intelligencer to become the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal; it also began weekly publication that year and was purchased by the Massachusetts Medical Society.

Rubin became NEJM's editor-in-chief in September 2019, approximately three months before the World Health Organization (WHO) was informed of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan City, China. On January 7, 2020, Chinese authorities identified coronavirus as the cause, and it was temporarily named "2019-nCoV." Rubin's September 2019 appointment as editor-in-chief at the NEJM was quite timely.

Not Long Before Controversy

Dressen is a preschool teacher from Saratoga Springs, Utah, who received the Astra Zeneca Covid vaccine during a clinical trial in November 2020. She has since experienced extensive adverse effects from the vaccine

On November 2, 2021, Bri Dressen participated in a US Senate meeting at which issues were raised about coronavirus vaccine harms and related mandates. Dressen was a clinical trial participant for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. 

After having just one dose, Dressen experienced adverse effects. The effects were so severe and long-lasting that she had to quit her job as a preschool teacher and hire a nanny to care for her two young children. Here's her testimony.

Dressen followed up her testimony by writing to the NEJM. She felt compelled to do so after reading an article the journal published in September 2021, entitled 'Phase 3 Safety and Efficacy of AZD1222 (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) Covid-19 Vaccine'

In her initial email, Dressen pointed out the article's inaccuracies. Surprisingly, her email was directly answered by NEJM editor-in-chief Eric Rubin. Rubin told Dressen the NEJM would not publish her letter. He claimed, "The space available for correspondence is very limited, and we must use our judgment to present a representative selection of the material received."

Dressen contacted NEJM because they published inaccurate information that the journal should correct. She did not contact NEJM to request that her letter be published. However, the email exchange between Dressen and Rubin shows Rubin would not address these inaccuracies. Their email exchange can be read here.

Dr. Fernando Polack  is a Specialist in Pediatric Infectious Diseases. His work is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Dr. Fernando Pedro Polack ~ Mira Vos! Argentina

Polack was the lead author in another NEJM article entitled, 'Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine', the conclusion of which was "A two-dose regimen of BNT162b2 conferred 95% protection against Covid-19 in persons 16 years of age or older. Safety over a median of 2 months was similar to that of other viral vaccines." BioNTech and Pfizer funded the trial.

As Covid hit Argentina, Polack became involved in a trial of immune plasma taken from patients who had recovered from Covid. This plasma was then given to patients who had recently contracted Covid. In May 2020, Polack speculated that this would make Covid like an ordinary cold.

The trial's conclusions boasted a positive outcome, and the results were published  in a February 2021 peer-reviewed article in--you've guessed it--the NEJM. NEJM reviewers concluded, "Early administration of high-titer convalescent plasma against SARS-CoV-2 to mildly ill infected older adults reduced the progression of Covid-19."

BioNTech or Pfizer didn't fund this trial; The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded it.

A subsequent systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) didn't agree with Polack and the NEJM reviewers. They cited, "Treatment with convalescent plasma compared with placebo or standard of care was not significantly associated with a decrease in all-cause mortality or any benefit for other clinical outcomes. The certainty of the evidence was low to moderate for all-cause mortality and low for other outcomes."

Who is Dr. Fernando Pedro Polack?

Take a step into the unknown and read Fishy Business in the Rio de la Plata, an article by Prof.David Healy, Psychopharmacologist, Scientist and Author.

Who are NEJM's Reviewers?

This is a list of people who served as NEJM's reviewers between January and June 2021. Readers of medical journals should be aware that these reviewers, like most--if not all--reviewers, are reviewing ghostwritten material and have never seen the raw data from clinical trials. Many reviewers are probably still unaware that the material they review is written by pharmaceutical companies or PR companies hired by pharmaceutical companies. Further, if some reviewers are aware, or made aware, of these data sources, it's likely they do not care.

Are these NEJM reviewers data deceivers who refuse to reveal the truth about the source of the "data" they review? Are they disinterested in reviewing raw data? Are they dispassionate about ensuring the validity of the data they promote? Regardless of the reasons, I contend NEJM reviewers are likely data deceivers because they've been seduced by the financial and professional benefits that come from serving as "prestigious" NEJM reviewers.

If you want to go down the rabbit hole of ghostwriting, I recommend the following introductions, 1, 2, 3

Bob Fiddaman

GUEST POST: P-450 Test and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

 

I've heard many stories over the years regarding the troubles people have experienced whilst taking brain pellets marketed as 'antidepressants.' Kerri's guest post (below) is yet another example of how patients are pushed from pillar to post, often having to find their own way to resolve matters relating to brain pellet adverse events because of a severe lack of knowledge from prescribing physicians.

The three pellets featured in Kerri's story were, at a point in time, blockbuster products raking in billions of dollars for the drug companies who marketed and manufactured them, namely Lilly (Prozac) and GlaxoSmithKline (Paxil) and Pfizer (Zoloft). Three apparent drugs that are supposed to help but, as is my experience, cause more problems than the original 'illness' they are prescribed for. They all, allegedly, work in pretty much the same way. Drug company reps will tell you that A is better than B and C because, well, because that's what they are paid to do. They have no scientific evidence that one is more tolerable and causes less side-effects than the other.

I find it difficult to believe that neither Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline or Pfizer  knew nothing about the problems caused by the three products mentioned below, moreover, the journeys many millions face when taking them.

This is just a small part of Kerri's journey. She writes to warn others and to create an awareness that all is not lost if you, or someone you know, suffers the same fate as she.

Bob Fiddaman

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I was taught to trust the doctors. I was taught to trust the prescriptions.  I was taught to trust the assessments I received from hospitals. And I did…but, this trust of these medical recommendations nearly killed me.

My name is Kerri Lynn and I was born in Long Beach CA, but was raised in the upper Midwest. I grew up in a dysfunctional home and early on, I gravitated towards addictive tendencies.  I strived to make good choices at this time, however, my best efforts to live life on life’s terms were mostly self-destructive.

"I was restless, irritable and discounted all the time being newly sober and I needed help facing life, or so I thought." 

At 13, I discovered drinking.  I partied all the time until my addiction stopped working for me.  I chased other self-destructive behaviors and relationships.  My out-of-control nature led to an ultimatum from loved ones: I had to find a solution how not to be self-destructive.

Pain and circumstances drove me to seek help from 12-Step Recovery.  This was really a challenge and about 60 days into this sober journey, I sought help from my family doctor.  I was restless, irritable and discounted all the time being newly sober and I needed help facing life, or so I thought.  My first prescription was for 20 mg of Prozac. 3 Days into this first prescription, I was unable to walk or talk.  I was severely anxious and my brain was racing and telling me to do delusional things like run outside naked.  I experienced Homicidal and Suicidal Ideation (I have come to understand that these are the symptoms of Serotonin Syndrome/Akathisia). I was panicking due to my reaction to this prescription, though I had no awareness that it was the prescription that was causing these symptoms.  I had to reach out to a former counselor to sorts things out.

I met with my former counselor the following Monday. I finally revealed I was taking Prozac, and he immediately called my prescribing physician to get me off this prescription.  This was the beginning of a 13-year nightmare with prescribed medications.

40mg of Paxil was my next prescription.  A year into taking this antidepressant, I woke up one morning and could not emotionally feel anything. I was terrified.  I called my doctor again and he tried yet another substitute of Zoloft.  At that point, all hell broke loose.  My doctor tried Paxil one more time and this sent me to the hospital.  Between 2000 and 2006, I was Hospitalized on 3 separate occasions due to drug toxicity or cold turkey drug withdrawal. 

"I exhausted every potential care and specialty option locally."

During these nightmare days, I was entertained with my expanded medical vocabulary.  I learned words like suicidal ideation, disassociation, delusion, hallucination, profuse night-sweats, rapid irregular heartbeats and agoraphobia.  We must not forget the bladder loss or rectal haemorrhaging, nor the black outs that would last more than 24 hours, when they would randomly introduce new medications.  And my favorite suffering were the overwhelming panic attacks.

Sadly, my entire investment in the “healing process” to this point only led to my condition becoming more and more dire.  The medical assessments only were dealing with a random set of symptoms that were mostly caused by the prescription and I could not break the cycle, no matter what I did or took.  Almost every diagnosis made things worse and added to my growing list of “untreatable symptoms.”  I exhausted every potential care and specialty option locally.  I even spent 2 weeks at the world renown Mayo Clinic only to achieve an inaccurate diagnosis once again of Visceral Extreme Hypersensitivity.  When I return to my home, I felt defeated and my local hospital would no longer allow me to make appointments, unless first reviewed by management over the phone.  These doctors thought I was crazy.

It is always darkest before the dawn.  I was under the care of many physicians.  Many were a significant part of the problem and few were graciously a part of what would be my life-changing solution.   I was blessed to be introduced to the Cytochrome P-450 test which analyses DNA and genetic strengths and deficiencies.  From this accurate genetic assessment, it was discovered that I have both fast and slow processes in my liver and kidneys.  This finally expressed a causality between reception and rejection of various medications.  It was also determined accurately that I am missing the GSTM-1/ Glutathione Gene.   It was finally determined that my true ailment was Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and all previous diagnoses actually placed me in grave risk by triggering my symptoms. The synthetic nature of the drugs being prescribed to me were actually poisoning me and triggered my multiple chemical sensitivity.  During the course of 13 years of prescriptions, my body has been damaged so that I will most likely be significantly chemically sensitive for the remainder of my days. 

"It is my hope that my story can guide people to new strategies so that nobody ever has to suffer like I did."

My hope is that by sharing my story that we can come to a new responsibility about how we seek and receive diagnoses.  The medical profession has a mission statement of seeking to do no harm.  This is not always the case.  From my experience, a measured suspicion is the best approach.  I now take the responsibility of doing my own medical research.  I trust my instincts and I am my own advocate.  Through my difficult journey my local provider actually became the first hospital in the country to study the P-450 genetic test.  I strongly recommend this assessment be the starting point.  Don’t utilize the P-450 as a last resort.

I am now 11-years medication free and stable.  I have to live the rest of my life being critically aware of my environment and surroundings due to my chemical sensitivity. However, today I have a strategy for living that works. It is my hope that my story can guide people to new strategies so that nobody ever has to suffer like I did.

~ Kerri Lynn

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You can listen to Kerri's story in her own words here via the brilliant Akathisia Stories, a co-production of MISSD and Studio C.

You can read more about Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) tests here

Footnote:

Test limitations

Although they have potential, CYP450 tests have limitations:

Tests are available for only certain medications. Also, each test is specific to only one medication, so a change in medication may require another test.

Testing can't predict which medication will work best for you — it can only provide clues.

Not all insurance companies cover the costs of these tests.