Russell Blaylock

Russell L. Blaylock is an American retired neurosurgeon and author. He is a former clinical assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and is currently a visiting professor in the biology department at Belhaven College. He is the author of a number of books and papers, including Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills (1994), Health and Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life (2002), and Natural Strategies for Cancer Patients (2003), and writes a monthly newsletter, the Blaylock Wellness Report.

Blaylock has endorsed views inconsistent with the scientific consensus, including that food additives such as aspartame and monosodium glutamate (MSG) are excitotoxic in normal doses and that the H1N1 influenza (swine flu) vaccine carries more risk than swine flu itself.

Education and career
According to his website, Blaylock completed his general surgical internship and neurosurgical residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. He was licensed to practice Neurological Surgery in North Carolina between May 6, 1977 and December 15, 2006. Along with Ludwig G. Kempe, Blaylock published a novel transcallosal approach to excising intraventricular meningiomas of the trigone. He is retired as a clinical assistant professor of neurosurgery from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and is currently a visiting professor in the biology department at Belhaven University, a Christian university in Mississippi. He is associated with the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and was on the editorial board of their journal.

Allegations of health dangers
Blaylock opposes the use of vaccines. He has urged avoidance of the swine flu (H1N1) vaccination, which he claims is more dangerous than the infection itself. In various alternative media outlets, Blaylock has given advice on what he feels an individual should do if faced with mandatory vaccination. Current research indicates that an effective vaccine is a vital tool in protecting the public and that the new H1N1 vaccine is both safe and effective. Blaylock suggests that Vitamin D, fish oil and antioxidants are effective against catching the flu. According to McGill University's Joe Schwarcz, there is no evidence for these claims.

Blaylock also claims the supposed toxicity of numerous substances that according to scientific studies are safe at customary exposure levels. He has been quoted several times in media outlets regarding his position that MSG is toxic to the brain. He also states that the widely used artificial sweetener aspartame is toxic and may be the cause of multiple sclerosis. He has additionally cautioned against heavy use of the artificial sweetener Splenda (sucralose). These positions are not supported by scientific consensus or regulatory bodies, as extensive studies support the safety of aspartame, sucralose, and MSG. Advertisements selling the 'Blaylock Wellness Report' at newsmax.com contain claims of additional health dangers, including fluoridated drinking water, fluoridated toothpaste, vaccines, dental amalgam, cholesterol drugs, pesticides, and aluminum cookware.

Views on politics
Blaylock has called the American medical system 'collectivist' and has suggested that health-care reform efforts under President Obama are masterminded by extragovernmental groups that wish to impose euthanasia. He blamed the purported collectivism of American medicine for the retirement of his friend Miguel Faria. According to Blaylock, the former Soviet Union tried to spread collectivism by covertly introducing illegal drugs and various sexually transmitted diseases into the United States. These positions have been characterized as "conspiracy theories".

Regarding his political and philosophical influences, Blaylock wrote that he began "exploring for the first time some of the classics of liberty" while doing his internship at the Medical University of South Carolina, which he said was "deeply embroiled in a leftist-initiated war on Western Culture". Among these works, Blaylock mentioned Frédéric Bastiat's The Law, Friedrich Hayek's The Road to Serfdom and The Constitution of Liberty, and works by Ludwig von Mises, and Murray Rothbard.

Television and radio
Blaylock has appeared on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), including on the network's The 700 Club, a talk show started by televangelist Pat Robertson. Blaylock states that he has also been a guest on over fifty syndicated radio programs, and is a frequent guest on Alex Jones Infowars.com

Books

 * Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills Health Press, 1994. ISBN 0-929173-14-7
 * Health and Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life Health Press, 2002. ISBN 0-929173-42-2
 * Natural Strategies for The Cancer Patient New York : Twin Streams, 2003. ISBN 0-7582-0221-0

Articles
Blaylock is the author or co-author of two case reports in the Journal of Neurosurgery, and a 32-page report entitled Multiple Sclerosis (Pritchett & Hull, 1988).

He has written for, and been on the editorial board of the journal of the politically conservative non-profit organization Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. This journal was entitled Medical Sentinel until 2003, when it became the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (JPandS). He also authors The Blaylock Wellness Report for the conservative website NewsMax.