In EcoHearth.com Editorial, Former Pharmaceutical Industry Chemist Examines the American Medical Association's Longstanding Opposition to Alternative Medicine

BROOKLYN, NY, March 16, 2011 (Press-News.org) Award-winning organic chemist Shane Ellison, M.S., who used to work for the pharmaceutical industry, reviews the AMA's 165-year-long opposition to natural healing and alternative medicine, which continues to this day. He cites court cases and writings in the AMA's own "Journal of the American Medical Association." He believes the AMA's medical monopoly has led to the current U.S. crisis in health, where:
• The vast majority of Americans are dependent on pharmaceuticals
• Direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug ads have made prescription drugs "more popular than McDonald's hamburgers"
• Legally prescribed pharmaceuticals kill more than 100,000 people a year, compared to the 17,000 who die from illegal drugs
• Another two million people are victims of prescription-drug-induced illnesses
• Pharmaceuticals have been found in the water supplies of more than 40 million Americans
• More than 12,000 people die every year from unnecessary surgeries

Ellison also questions the use of Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes—the result of an agreement between the AMA and the U.S. government's Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA)—that don't allow for payment toward preventive, complementary or alternative medicine. A U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in 1997 that their use "gave the AMA a substantial and unfair advantage over its competitors" and "constituted a misuse of the copyright by the AMA."

The meticulously documented, hard-hitting piece appears on environmental website EcoHearth.com at http://ecohearth.com/eco-op-ed/1621-american-medical-association-drug-dangers-environment.html (shortened URL: http://bit.ly/gWqTx8)


Interview opportunity:
Shane Ellison can be reached for interviews through March 19 at support@thepeopleschemist.com or 505-349-5904.

About Shane Ellison:
Shane Ellison, M.S., is an award-winning organic chemist and a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant as an undergraduate for Dr. Les Sommerville and Dr. Sherri Byrd for his studies in biochemistry and physiology. Known as "The People's Chemist," Ellison abandoned his career as a drug-design chemist and founded Thepeopleschemist.com, a science-based natural-health information website. He has a master's degree in organic chemistry from Northern Arizona University and is the author of Over the Counter Natural Cures.

About EcoHearth.com:
EcoHearth.com is among the largest creators of independent environmental content on the Web. Headquartered in New York City and 100% wind powered, it offers original ecology articles, blogs and commentaries, plus ecology videos and information on eco-friendly products, green jobs and environmental activism. With a shared concern for both ecology and healthy living, EcoHearth's international writing staff provides a unique, authoritative voice and robust angle on all things environmental to inform and inspire our readers to be eco-smart and live sustainable lives. More about EcoHearth.com can be found at http://ecohearth.com/about-us.html .