Cures Vs. Profits: Successes In Translational Research Reprint Edition

James Lyons prefaces his book with 'This is not a book about alternative medicine.' He states that ' it is a book about successes in translational biomedical research in the face of what I call profit pressures.'In a world where independent research has been steadily suppressed and ridiculed in the last 50 years, and where corporate funds and personnel have infested most of our regulatory bodies, this book is a refreshing antidote.Dr. Lyons is a persistent research who has kept up with what his training has called him to do, regardless of the intimidation by other professionals who have become captive to corporate designed research models and the edicts of regulatory bodies overwhelmingly funded and staffed by corporations.As a pertinent example, he praises Dr. LeFever Watson for her ethical persistence on the issue of ADHD epidemic of male children. This book may be a tough read for many readers without an interest in research and politics, but it is a timely book that presents a sound ethical and research based analysis of 'Why we can't trust Corporate sponsored research, and need to re-establish our public financial support for our universities to be in charge of cutting edge research that is not influenced by any for-profit of political undue influence. Our survival as a civilization may depend on it.Dr. Bernadine Healy, former Director of the US National Institutes of Health was interviewed in 2008 by CBS News correspondent Sharyl Atkinson: I think the government or certain public health officals in trhe government have been too quick to dismiss the concerns of these families......' P. 140

One of the major aspects of this book that stood out to me is how well the author breaks medical down terminology and concepts, expressing them in a way that is easy to understand for the average reader. I didn’t have too much prior medical background knowledge when I first picked up this book, so admittedly I started reading “Cures vs. Profits” expecting a slightly daunting read muddled by confusing jargon. Fortunately, I realized within the very first few chapters that the read is far from this, and is in fact not only concise and insightful, but also even enjoyable to read due to the relaxed, almost conversational-like tone to the author’s writing style. That being said, I wouldn’t consider this read to be ‘dumbed-down’ at all for the sake of readability, and the author truly does tackle some very difficult and even sometimes controversial topics; in an attempt to put it briefly, this is the type of book that will leave readers thinking seriously about the subject matter long after finishing the read.As well as this, I was glad to find that the author offers readers a very objective and neutral approach without any strong bias fueling the concepts discussed and the points being made – the author allows readers to formulate their own opinions based on the facts provided, which I personally think is near-essential when it comes to books such as these.In summary, I consider author James Lyons-Weiler’s “Cures vs. Profits” to have been a more than worthwhile read. The book has given me a great first impression of the author’s raw writing ability, so much so that I plan on keeping an eye out for future releases. I highly recommend this read for anyone with even the slightest interest in medicine, cures, and biomedical research who is also looking for a book that doesn’t feel like a chore to read.

It wasn't for me it was I gift; so, I assume they liked it, they said they did

An innovative and creative look at how the biomedical research/treatment system works, and how it could be improved. Lyons-Weiler is extremely well-read on the science and policies, and as a researcher himself has seen success and failure first-hand.The book is extremely helpful for anyone working on specific issues: cancer treatment, IBS/Crohn's/gut issues, and ADD/ADHD.For cancer, there is information on evaluating different chemotherapy protocols for effectiveness, understanding and using genetic markers of the cancer, the synergy and potency of using multiple concurrent drugs versus single substances, and the possibility of turning on your immune system to clear cancer as illustrated by Coley’s toxins. For cancer, I’d also suggest  Cancer as a Metabolic Disease: On the Origin, Management, and Prevention of Cancer .Fecal transplants have been shown to be extremely effective for numerous gut/inflammatory condition, excellent section.For ADHD, a compelling discussion of how this is over-diagnosed, and the dangers of using prescription medications to treat. I’d also suggest  Dyslogic Syndrome: Why Millions of Kids are 'Hyper', Attention-Disordered, Learning Disabled, Depressed, Aggressive, Defiant, or Violent--and What We Can Do About It .For vaccination decisions, his blog is more current than the book, definitely read his online posts (google "James Lyons-Weiler blog vaccines”). For vaccine decisions, I’d also suggest  Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and The Forgotten History .A major take-away for me is the weaknesses of randomized control trials, as required by the FDA. Because RCTs don't use information about before/after results for each participant, they lose power, which can result in effective protocols appearing to be no better than placebo. His suggestions for improving the evaluation process are important, and need to be heard.

The medical establishment is losing direction as need for profit steers them further away from "do no harm." James Lyons-Weiler points out ways to get them back on track and truly help their patients.