What happens when a prominant cancer researcher starts talking about the safe anti-cancer effects of herbs and spices, such as curcumin? And not just any researcher, but one of the most acclaimed and cited cancer researchers since 2001. Anonymous accusations of fraud start flying, of course. Accusations which are not being brought forward by other prominent researchers, but by anonymous academic whistle-blower websites.

When I read a study last week about the benefits of curcumin, a common household spice, I wondered how the pharmaceutical companies would take this news, as it involved Bharat Aggarwal and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. M.D. Anderson is the Harvard of cancer research centers where many pharmaceutical companies send their drugs for clinical trials. Aggarwal is their most cited researcher. How would Pharma companies take it when their star team and star player start promoting the safe anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects of a common household herb, curcumin?

As someone who spends a lot of time analyzing the research that comes out in the field of healthcare, I am familiar with Aggarwal, as he has stated before on several occasions that curcumin can heal many conditions. One study concerning curcumin's anti-cancer properties has been cited by academic researchers in 700 subsequent journal articles. The message that he frequently conveys is that, with curcumin's strong healing properties, we would be crazy not to use it in foods every day.

Aggarwal, is a prominent University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center researcher, a senior professor with an endowed chair, is the inventor or coinventor on more than 33 patents and has been listed as one of the Institute for Scientific Information's most highly cited scientists since 2001. His 1985 paper in Science on a protein that causes tumor cells to self-destruct has been cited 1,700 times. Aggarwal, is also the  author of Healing Spices: How to Use 50 Everyday and Exotic Spices to Boost Health and Beat Disease. In his career, Aggarwal has published more than 500 papers in peer-reviewed academic journals.

So why ANONYMOUS claims against him? I've seen a trend lately of this type of response whenever good research about herbs, whole foods, supplements, and anti-vaccine opinions are being voiced by MDs and researchers here and there. Anonymous attacks occur. When I look at the quality of the anonymous attacks, it's apparent that these are not your common consumers ranting and raving. These are professionals who are cleverly creating spin against good research. By creating anonymous claims, they don't have to reveal who they are, their professional affiliations or who pays them for spending hours doing this.

Another good example was a recent post by Dr. Bob Sears, MD, in the Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-bob-sears.
His most recent anti-vaccine post drew 449 comments, when he usually only draws "0". Reading the quality of the comments gives a good illustration of general public vs. hired assassin. He was publicly commenting on a pro-vaccine bill that was soon to be voted on, not by the citizens of California, but by a small committee headed by an MD with pharmaceutical affiliations.

The pharmaceutical industry has 1 lobbyist for every Senator and Congressman, with extras to go around; direct-to-consumer marketing; doctor and insurance reimbursement for prescribing drugs; FDA influence on policies for drugs and supplements; school reimbursements for every child vaccinated; and enough influence to walk into the White House and force President O'Bama to reverse his campaign promises. In recent health care reform debates, the pharmaceutical industry spent more than $1.4 million dollars a day on lobbying to influence members of Congress on health care reform. Their most recent foray has been to support social media attacks on anyone who opposes them or demonstrates the value of natural healthcare choices, as Aggarwal has done.

Now, more than ever, it is important to have an open mind and a critical eye when reading anything. It'll be interesting to see how Aggarwal responds. With his impressive credentials, I hope that he continues to promote the healing properties of natural products. M.D. Anderson will choose to keep the lucrative clinical trial contracts coming and offer to keep him on as long as he remains quiet. His choice will reveal his integrity.