Progressive Commentary Hour - Dr. Bart Billings & Vera Sharav - 04/28/14

Dr. Bart Billings is a retired Army Colonel, a former military psychologist and founder and director of both the military-wide Human Assistance Rapid Response Team Program to deal with combat stress and the International Military and Civilian Combat Stress Conference, which has been in existence for 21 years. He initiated the Congressional Hearing in February 2010 to tackle the growing relationship between psychiatric medication and the rise in military suicides. In 2014, Dr. Billings was awarded the Human Rights Award from the Citizen’s Commission on Human Rights for his diligent efforts to bring greater public attention and awareness of the failures of modern drug-based psychiatry. Dr Billings has appeared on numerous television and radio programs including ABC’s Night Line and US News and World Report. He is currently completing a book on health and nutrition, The Psychology of Eating, and continues his advocacy for an integrative, wellness approach to combat stress and mental disorders to replace the current military psychiatric paradigm.

Vera Sharav is the Founder and President of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, a national human rights and public interest information organization that exposes unethical research practices biomedical field, which undermine the dignity and rights and safety of people. Vera is particularly expert in the hidden dangers of psychotropic drugs and corporate and federal malfeasance in downplaying and/or ignoring their hazards. Her efforts in the past have resulted in the suspension of the EPA's pesticide experiments on children, exposing experimental AIDS drugs and vaccines in foster homes and standing up against Eli Lilly in federal court over the association of Zyprexa and diabetes. Her advocacy has been featured in the Boston Globe and has resulted in the cessation of 29 clinical trials at the NIH. Her articles and investigations can be found on the Alliance's website at AHRP.org.