- Major medical journals don’t want women to know of effective natural treatments for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
It’s happened again! Another major American medical journal has refused to inform physicians—and of course without publication, the physicians won’t know to inform their patients—that there’s a safe, effective, and rapidly active (within three days!) cure for the large majority (sixty-four of seventy, 91%) of women with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, varying from mild to severe.
Just last month, my October 25th 2010 letter to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on this same topic was published in this newsletter as part of the article, “Research and Clinical Information You Can Safely Use on Your Own.” That letter was in response to NEJM’s review article about nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, which concluded there was no reliably effective remedy. Also published was the response letter from a NEJM editor saying that my letter would not be published “for lack of space.”
This October (2016), the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published its own review of treatments for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Predictably, the conclusion was—once again—that there’s no really effective treatment, although vitamin B6 might help sometimes.
Hoping that JAMA would have enough compassion for women with nausea and vomiting during pregnancy to publish this information—so that doctors reading it might advise their patients to try this safe remedy—the first letter below (updated from 2010) was sent to the editors of JAMA. The citation to the very respectable medical journal, which originally published the article, was put in the headline of the letter, so that it (hopefully) wouldn’t be considered as “just more of that quack natural medicine.”
Unfortunately for women who experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, the JAMA editors refused to publish it, writing that “Your letter did not receive a high enough priority rating.” Even though JAMA’s own review of the subject had concluded there was no effective remedy, the possibility of a safe, rapidly effective cure wasn’t considered important enough.
Perhaps if either of the editors who signed the refusal letter should become pregnant and develop pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting, the letter might be assigned greater priority.
Effective Treatment for Nausea and Vomiting during Pregnancy
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (1952;64:416-418)
October 28, 2016
Editor, Journal of the American Medical Association:
Thank you for the comprehensive review of treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy published in JAMA, October 4 2016. Perhaps the following information would be of additional interest.
In 1952, Richard L. Merkel, MD, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (1952;64:416-418) concerning a safe, effective treatment for the large majority of women with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.
In 70 such women, Merkel used 5 milligrams of vitamin K3 (menadione) and 25 milligrams vitamin C (as ascorbic acid) given simultaneously orally, reporting that 64 of 70 had complete remission within 72 hours. Of the remaining six, three were relieved of vomiting, but nausea persisted, and three did not respond to this treatment. Merkel emphasized that simultaneous administration is necessary for this treatment to be successful.
From the 1970s until vitamin K3 (menadione) became generally unavailable, I found this treatment to be safe and effective in the very large majority of pregnant women experiencing nausea and vomiting.
As Vitamin K3 (menadione) and 25 milligram tablets of ascorbic acid have not been available for years, I have since then recommended 500 milligrams of ascorbic acid along with a combination of phytonadione (Vitamin K1) 3 milligrams, menaquinone-4 (MK4 isomer of vitamin K2) 2 milligrams, and menaquinone-7 (MK7 isomer of vitamin K2) 400 micrograms with the same degree of success.
I have also observed that the occasional treatment failure can frequently be reversed with simultaneous injections (instead of continued oral administration) of the vitamin K and vitamin C.
Jonathan V. Wright, MD
Tahoma Clinic
6839 Fort Dent Way
Tukwila, WA 98188
Reply from JAMA: “This Letter Doesn’t Have High Enough Priority”
November 7, 2016
Dr. Jonathan V. Wright
Tahoma Clinic
6839 Fort Dent Way
Suite 134
Tukwila, WA 98188
Dear Dr. Wright:
Thank you for your recent letter to the editor. Unfortunately, because of the many submissions we receive and our space limitations in the Letters section, we are unable to publish your letter in JAMA.
After considering the opinions of our editorial staff, we determined your letter did not receive a high enough priority rating for publication in JAMA. We are able to publish only a small fraction of the letters submitted to us each year, which means that published letters must have an extremely high rating.
You are welcome to contact the corresponding author of the article, although we cannot guarantee a response. We do appreciate you taking time to write to us and thank you for the opportunity to look at your letter.
Sincerely yours,
Jody W. Zylke, MD Lisa Hardin
Deputy Editor, JAMA Editorial Assistant
Letters Section Editor Email: [email protected]
Phone: 312-464-2405
Fax: 866-422-6845
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As you probably know, the title of this article (“When Will They Ever Learn”) was taken from a Pete Seeger song. With apologies to the late Mr. Seeger, his lyrics have been altered somewhat to describe and explain the situation described above, as well as to describe what’s happened to healthcare since it became the “healthcare industry.”
Song of the Healthcare Industry
Where has all the compassion gone, long time passing?
Where has all the compassion gone, long time ago?
Where has all the compassion gone?
Maximizing dollars, every one.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
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