In Blog

Why is TED censoring natural health content?

One of my first opportunities to share my story was through a TEDx talk I gave in Iowa City, which has gotten over 1.5 million views and counting. In the talk, I explain how eating for optimal health helped me overcome the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and how it can help others.

TED is a nonprofit that brings speakers in front of an audience to spread ideas and stories in 18 minutes. In turn, TEDx is an opportunity for individuals and organizations in a community to create a local dialogue about science, technology, entertainment, and other topics.

But now, TED has chosen to add a warning label to my talk. During my talk, a message is posted at the bottom: “Note from TED: This talk, which features health advice based on personal narrative, has been flagged as potentially outside TED’s curatorial guidelines. Viewer discretion advised.”

Having read the literature and now begun my own clinical trials, I am one of the few researchers who tests the impact of structured Paleo diets in the form of the Wahls™ diet plan on patients with secondary progressive MS. In another year, we will complete our current clinical trial, Wahls Paleo Diet and Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, and know even more about the nutrient density of these diets as well as their effect on disease progression, blood vessel health, and cellular health.

Yet despite my research and the many thousands of other scientific studies available on www.pubmed.gov that show that increased consumption of vegetables and berries and decreased consumption of processed foods are both associated with lower rates of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, autoimmune disease, and mental health problems, TED warns that “viewer discretion is advised” for my talk.

My key message is about eating 9 cups of vegetables and berries each day, along with a personal narrative of how I developed my nutrient-dense diet based on thorough research. My personal health narrative is not the first shared on TED either. TED endorsed personal stories about illness and recovery when it hosted Jill Bolte Taylor’s talk, My Stroke of Insight. Yet her story has no warning label. What could explain this hypocrisy?

Perhaps TED’s sponsors are influencing its curatorial decisions. Monsanto is a major TED funder, as are several major pharmaceutical companies. Monsanto, an agricultural, chemical, and biotech company, is also one of the biggest proponents of food alteration via genetic modification. The genetically modified organisms (GMOs) they create are being connected to various health issues and environmental damage, which makes sense–changing the DNA of our food is likely to change how our bodies react to and process that food.

These companies don’t want you to consume a healthful, nutrient-dense diet that feeds your mitochondria and is free of GMOs, such as the Wahls™ Diet. They don’t want you to heal your body at the cellular level, so that pharmaceutical drugs are no longer needed to attempt to keep the symptoms of illness and disease in check. That would be bad news for their bottom line, and I can only imagine this is why my logical, researched talk now comes with a warning label from TED.

You can read the full article on TED’s censorship here: http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/tedx-talk-selling-sponsors.html

 

Healthy Holistic Living is written by Michelle Tool, an independent health researcher. When she was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome 10 years ago, Michelle adopted a holistic way of living, improving her mind, body, spirit, and living environment to increase her health and well-being. Through Healthy Holistic Living, Michelle shares her experience and passion for holistic living.

To learn more about Dr. Wahls, sign up for her email list, and order The Wahls Protocol today.


Recommended Posts
Showing 4 comments
  • Greg Gregg

    Typical sleazeball tactics from a corporate pocket puppet by TED talk….. As if there was not enough disinformation in the world…
    TED talk is only after money… They do not deserve any respect and surely have lost mine…
    Thank you Doctor Wahls, for all of your work and mankind will be better off if they listen to you and learn to ignore the tactics of the greedy parasites….

  • Barbara

    I am so disappointed in TEDx! I worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 15 years and learned first-hand the profound lack of ethics practiced by Monsanto and so many other pharmaceutical/chemical/biotech companies. PLEASE, Dr. Wahls, keep up the most excellent work you and your team are doing! You are saving lives and increasing the health, happiness and well-being of an as yet untold number of people around the world. Thank you for forging ahead and making such radical, beautiful change in the world!!!!

pingbacks / trackbacks

Start typing and press Enter to search