A proposed California bill, AB 659, would require public college students under 26 to receive the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine in order to attend college.¹ The bill originally proposed mandating the shot for middle schoolers, as a requirement to enter eighth grade.

This was amended and it now proposes a requirement for schools to notify parents that their children "are expected" to get the HPV vaccine before entering 8th grade at any public or private school in the state.² While HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S.,³ there is much fearmongering about its role in cancer and the HPV vaccine causes more harm than good in many who take it.

Mandating an HPV vaccine to attend college threatens health freedom, and the idea that it's necessary to protect public health is far more propaganda than science.

The Truth About HPV It's Usually Not Harmful

There are more than 200 types of HPV, and most of them are harmless. Most people who are sexually active contract HPV during their lifetime. In more than 90% of cases, the HPV infection resolves on its own within two years.⁴ What's more, HPV antibodies are left behind that may prevent against reinfection.

About 40 HPV types may cause anogenital infections, while 15 are considered high-risk types associated with cervical cancer. "In the general female U.S. population, the prevalence of HPV 16 and 18 infections, considered the most frequent and most aggressive, is only 2.3%," researchers explained in the Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination.⁵

In the cases when HPV doesn't clear up on its own, infection can become chronic. Over the course of years, precancerous cervical lesions may develop. It's estimated that only 5% of high-risk HPV infections persist beyond three years and progress into cancer precursors. From there, if left untreated, 20% may turn into invasive cancer after five years, while 40% may turn into invasive cancer after 30 years.⁶

However, this is why it's recommended that women get regular Pap tests, also known as Pap smears, which collect cervical cells and check them for signs of changes caused by HPV. If the test comes back abnormal, treatment is available to remove the abnormal cervical cells.

According to the National Cancer Institute, "Very few people wh...

The historical record of the enterovirus poliovirus traces as far back as 1580 B.C.¹ The modern record began in 1879 when the clinical effects of the poliovirus were first described by British physician Dr. Michael Underwood. By 1840, Dr. Jacob von Heine had developed the theory that the disease may be contagious. More than 50 years later in 1894, the first outbreak of infantile paralysis was documented in the U.S.

In 1938, the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis was established and later became the March of Dimes. It would be nearly 20 more years before Dr. Jonas Salk developed the first injectable, inactivated polio vaccine in 1955. In 1961 Dr. Albert Sabin developed the live oral polio vaccine (OPV) and it rapidly became the vaccine of choice and has remained the vaccine of choice in developing countries.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative² marks 1991 as the last case of wild polio infection in the Americas, 1997 as the last case of wild polio in the Western Pacific region, and 1998 as the last case of a child paralyzed by the wild poliovirus in the European region.

Yet, while the polio vaccine program appears to have significantly reduced wild poliovirus, outbreaks continue to occur, suggesting it may be time to rethink the polio vaccine program.

Vaccine-Derived Polio Challenges Old Protocols

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative³ was launched in 1988 following the World Health Assemblys resolution to eradicate the disease. They have public and private partners including the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the U.S. CDC, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and GAVI.⁴

Yet, after more than 30 years, polio continues to infect and paralyze people but it isn't the wild virus doing all the damage. The vaccine program has been an unsuccessful multibillion-dollar fight. Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, says eradication may never happen because the viruses are smarter than we are.⁵

In 1994, the Americas were declared polio-free, but a young man in New York contracted the virus and was paralyzed in 2022.⁶ The challenge is the vaccine-derived poliovirus. The CDC⁷ describes how the weakened virus from an OPV can replicate in an immunodeficient individual and revert to a form that causes illness and paralysis. Health officials...

Editors Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published September 13, 2018.

By definition, a placebo is an inert substance that has no effect on your body. In medical research, placebos (such as sugar pills) are used as controls against which the effects of drugs are measured.

However, the placebo effect, in which a patient believes he or she is getting an actual drug and subsequently improves despite receiving no active substance at all, has become a well-recognized phenomenon.¹ Some studies into the placebo effect have even concluded that many conventional treatments "work" because of the placebo effect and little else.

Indeed, the placebo effect may even be at work in some surgical procedures, as evidenced in studies showing sham knee surgery is as effective as the real thing.^2,3 This, despite the fact that the physical problem is in no way addressed.

Placebo Effect Works by Affecting Brain Chemistry, Circuitry

While we know the placebo effect is real, questions abound as to the mechanisms that makes it work. Writing in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology⁴ in 2011, the researchers highlighted the following observations:

"1. First, as the placebo effect is basically a psychosocial context effect, these data indicate that different social stimuli, such as words and rituals of the therapeutic act, may change the chemistry and circuitry of the patient's brain.

2. Second, the mechanisms that are activated by placebos are the same as those activated by drugs, which suggests a cognitive/affective interference with drug action.

3. Third, if prefrontal functioning is impaired, placebo responses are reduced or totally lacking, as occurs in dementia of the Alzheimer's type."

As noted by The Washington Post and published studies,^5,6 researchers have also discovered a "hierarchy of effectiveness," with certain types of placebos appearing to have stronger effects than others. For example, injections or creams have stronger placebo effects than pills, and sham injections and sham acupuncture (which also uses needles) being more effective than placebo pills.

Price also matters,⁷ w...

Editors Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published October 6, 2018.

Its easy to forget that at one point, not so long ago, all food was organically grown in a way that supported the ecosystem and environment. This abruptly changed in the 1940s when the Green Revolution took hold and industrial, chemical-dependent farming techniques quickly spread to become the norm.

Organic farming sustained mankind for millennia. Industrial farming, on the other hand, has created a series of unsustainable situations in less than 70 years, and evidence suggests we may not make it until the end of the century if we continue along this path.

The good news is that there are answers, and that a growing section of our farming communities are starting to heed the warning signs. Consumers are also becoming increasingly aware of the problems associated with industrial farming and are demanding higher quality, more nutritious foods grown in a way that supports rather than strips the environment of its resources.

The featured documentary, Dirt Rich, looks at these issues from the ground up, focusing on how we can improve soil quality specifically by adding more carbon back into the soil and preventing carbon losses. Its now become clear that by doing that, we can turn many of todays most pressing problems around.

Industrial Farming Has Led Us Down a Dangerous Path

Topsoil destruction, erosion and desertification are all exacerbated by industrial practices such as tilling, chemical use, monocropping and not using cover crops. Maria-Helena Semedo of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has warned that at the current rate of topsoil degradation, all the worlds topsoil will be gone in less than 60 years.¹

At that point, itll be game over because without topsoil you cannot grow food no matter how many chemicals you add. Closely related problems are the loss of soil fertility and biodiversity, which is directly related to the loss of natural carbon in the soil.

An estimated 80% of soil carbon in heavily farmed areas has already been lost² due to destructive plowing, overgrazing and the use of carbon-depleting chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These practices, along with poor water management approaches, also contribute to climate change.³

Overall, the importance of carbon sequestration simply cannot be overstated. Not only will it reduce the carbon dioxide (CO2) load in the atmosphere, but once sequestered in the soil, the carbon actively nourishes...

Glycine, a nonessential amino acid, meaning your body can make it, but most of us as we age are simply unable to make enough of it, especially if our dietary intake is low because we are not eating enough connective tissue and collagen in our diet.

New research is emerging showing glycine is a powerful longevity enhancer, one that's not only inexpensive but also has a pleasant, slightly sweet flavor. In fact, glycine is sometimes used as a sugar substitute, and I personally take 1 teaspoon with each of my two meals and before bedtime for its health-enhancing qualities.

Research shows glycine extends lifespan in worms, mice and rats while improving health in models of age-related disease.¹ If there were any doubt about its importance, consider that collagen the most abundant protein in your body² is made mostly of glycine. It's also a precursor to glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that declines with age.

As noted by Siim Land, author of "Metabolic Autophagy," in the video above,³ however, there are two glycine benefits that appear key to its actions as a veritable fountain of youth inducing autophagy and mimicking the longevity benefits of methionine restriction.⁴

How Glycine May Influence Aging

Glycine is a receptor for the enzyme glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT), which plays a role in methionine clearance, according to a review published in Ageing Research Reviews.⁵ Glycine is the acceptor for GNMT, an enzyme responsible for methionine clearance. GNMT converts glycine to sarcosine, "an autophagy-inducing metabolite."⁶

Further, in mice deficient in GNMT, levels of free methionine may be seven-fold higher, while S-adenosyl-L-methionine may increase by 35-fold.⁷ This matters, as methionine is involved in cancer cell growth and metabolism, while methionine restriction inhibits cancer cell growth.⁸

Methionine restriction has been shown to improve longevity, extending lifespan in mice while lowering levels of insulin, glucose and insulin-like growth factor 1. Lim...

If you're like most people, you're consuming an unhealthy amount of sugar on a regular basis. Even if you don't consistently eat junk food, candy or sweetened beverages, most processed foods contain an excessive amount of added sugar.

The BBC documentary¹ The Truth About Sugar, revealed one serving of Pad Thai noodles has nearly 9.5 teaspoons of sugar; a package of sweet and sour chicken with rice has 12.5 teaspoons; and a serving of dry bran flakes, a breakfast that many think is a healthier choice, has 3 teaspoons.

It is crucial to understand that it's not just cakes, candies, cookies and sweets that get people into trouble with sugar. Unfortunately, even many baby foods² and formulas³ contain a shocking amount of sugar that can set your child along a lifelong path of sugar addiction and health problems.

One 2020 study⁴ examined samples of infant formula available in 11 countries and found most were higher in carbohydrates, sugar and lactose than breast milk and many contain more sugar than a glass of soda. In an article in The Conversation, one of the researchers wrote:⁵

Some formula milks have double the sugar per serving than a glass of soda. But perhaps more shocking is the fact that there are so few regulations in place to control sugar content and to make sure consumers are well informed.

As you consider the data from studies in the past decade, it's easy to understand why child health advocates are strong promoters of breastfeeding and are fighting to provide healthier infant nutritional alternatives to mothers who do not breastfeed.

High-Fat, High-Sugar Junk Food Changes Your Brain

The featured study⁶ published in Cell Metabolism was performed by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne, Germany, in collaboration with a team of scientists from Yale University.⁷ The researchers sought to understand the underlying mechanism between eating foods high in fat and sugar and the associated risk of obesity and altered brain dopamine function.⁸

The researchers questioned whether the brain alterations were preexisting, and thus increased a person's susceptibility to weight gain because they were more apt to eat foods that were high in fat and sugar, or if the bra...

In this upside-down, inside-out and backwards world we now live in, it shouldn't be a major shock when the Antidefamation League (ADL) turns coattails and starts defaming people and spewing hate speech. Still, it does make one's head spin a bit.

The ADL was founded in 1913, with the mission of stopping "the defamation of Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all." As stated on its website, "ADL is founded with the clear understanding that the fight against one form of prejudice cannot succeed without battling prejudice in all forms,"¹ and to this day, the ADL "continues to fight all forms of bias."²

Really? Fast-forward 110 years, and the ADL is now attacking a Christian deacon for standing by his religious beliefs in two genders and the sanctity of male-female marriage, and his rejection of unfettered liberalism and pedophilia.

They're attacking doctors like me and Dr. Robert Malone for discussing things that are well within our wheelhouse, and even come down on high-profile Jews like Steve Kirsch,³ Chaya Raichik, an orthodox Jew who runs Libs of TikTok, and Jim Stewartson, whose grandparents were Ashkenazi Jews just because they don't agree with what they're saying.

ADL Is Now a Professional Defamation League

As recently as 2021, the ADL, in its "Antisemitism Uncovered"⁴ report, warned that "it is our collective responsibility to recognize the patterns of hate-based prejudice, how this mindset takes root and even more so how it operates," yet it now appears completely blind to the fact that it is fueling the very same kind of hatred that it spent over a century condemning.

"While antisemitism has sometimes escalated to violent or genocidal levels, it more often appears in subtler ways, such as insensitive remarks that are brushed off, or negative stereotypes that go unchallenged.

We must never normalize even seemingly harmless forms of hate-based prejudice; this is what strengthens dangerous social attitudes, which can erode the values of even the most just society," the ADL wrote in "Antisemitism Uncovered."

Then, April 4, 2023, the ADL published an article⁵ condemning a long list of Substack authors in which the anonymous ADL writer breaks every one of those level-headed rules.

The article is riddled with "insensitive remarks," "negative stereotypes" and "hate-based prejudice" that risks strengthening "dangerous social attitudes." Many of the 19 authors targeted are...

Editors Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published August 29, 2018.

The marijuana plant contains more than 60 different cannabinoids; chemical compounds the human body is uniquely equipped to respond to. The two primary ones are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the latter of which is the psychoactive component.

Cannabinoids interact with your body by way of naturally occurring cannabinoid receptors embedded in cell membranes throughout your body. There are cannabinoid receptors in your brain, lungs, liver, kidneys, immune system and more.¹

The therapeutic (and psychoactive) properties of marijuana occur when a cannabinoid activates a cannabinoid receptor. Your body also has naturally occurring endocannabinoids similar to THC that stimulate your cannabinoid receptors and produce a variety of important physiologic processes.

So, your body is actually hard-wired to respond to cannabinoids through this unique cannabinoid receptor system, and research has proven cannabinoid receptors play an important role in many physiological processes, including metabolic regulation, pain, anxiety, bone growth and immune function.²

The earliest references to cannabis for medicinal purposes are found in the Chinese Materia Medica, which dates back to 2800 B.C. Indeed, cannabis was one of the 50 essential plants used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. It was only removed from widespread use in recent times due to its controversial legal status.

Medical Cannabis Shown to Treat Gut Problems

Considering the wide distribution of cannabinoid receptors, it's no surprise that cannabis can help alleviate common gut problems. For years, marijuana users have reported improvements in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Now, a study^3,4,5 by researchers at the University of Massachusetts and the University of Bath said to be the first of its kind confirms there's a scientific basis for such experiences. They were able to identify the actual mechanism through which cannabis affects these gut conditions. According to Popular Science:⁶

"Although numerous IBD patients use cannabis products to help treat their illness, and the phenomena has been subject to some medical research, nobody knew exactly how the medically active parts of marijuana (known as cannabinoids) had a...

When you think about state-affiliated media, propaganda-driven outlets in Russia and China may come to mind not familiar news outlets right here in the U.S. However, if you view National Public Radio (NPR) on Twitter, youll see its now labeled government-funded media.¹

Initially, Twitter had labeled NPR state-affiliated media, categorizing it similarly to Russias state-run RT and Chinas Xinhua News Agency.² However, backlash ensued, prompting Twitter to downgrade the label to the slightly less jarring government-funded media, alongside BBC, PBS and Voice of America.³

Why NPR Was Labeled State-Affiliated

Upon the initial state-affiliated label, Twitter executive Elon Musk tweeted, Seems accurate,⁴ along with Twitters definition for state-affiliated media accounts:⁵

State-affiliated media is defined as outlets where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution. Accounts belonging to state-affiliated media entities, their editors-in-chief, and/or their prominent staff may be labeled. We will also add labels to Tweets that share links to state-affiliated media websites.

NPR quickly took issue with the label, with John Lansing, NPRs president, tweeting April 5, 2023:⁶

NPR stands for freedom of speech & holding the powerful accountable. A vigorous, vibrant free press is essential to the health of our democracy We are disturbed to see last night that Twitter has labeled NPR as state-affiliated media, a description that, per Twitters own guidelines, does not apply to NPR

Bill Chappell, NPR reporter and producer, also responded, stating, NPR operates independently of the U.S. government. And while federal money is important to the overall public media system, NPR gets less than 1% of its annual budget, on average, from federal sources.⁷ After NPR correspondent Bobby Allyn informed Musk of this, Musk responded, we should fix it.⁸ By April 9, NPRs state-affiliated label had been quietly changed to government-funded.⁹

NPR Absolutel...