August 2025

Gardiner Harris was the public health and pharmaceutical writer for the New York Times, and before that he wrote for The Wall Street Journal. He is now a freelance journalist. Harris is also the author of a novel called "Hazard", which centers around the toxic effects of exposure to coal dust. I first became aware of the author through a documentary called "Painkiller: The Tylenol Murders", and he was a contributor to that project. "No More Tears" was published in 2025.

This book is a comprehensive examination of the history of Johnson & Johnson. For all of its breakthroughs and positive contributions as a healthcare conglomerate, J&J also has a very dark history that it would rather you not know about. The company was founded in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1887 by three brothers: Robert Wood Johnson, Edward Mead Johnson, and James Wood Johnson. J&J initially focused on mass producing cotton and gauze bandages, and mostly concentrated on selling to doctors and hospitals. The company's first big money-making product was introduced in 1894 - Johnson's Baby Powder - which contained Italian talc (in blocks it is known as soapstone, and is also used to make sinks, stoves, and electric switchboards). By 1967 there was concern about the safety of talc, and an internal memo acknowledged that it contained trace quantities of two kinds of asbestos, which is known to cause cancer. Rather than publicly acknowledge and solve the problem, company executives devised a plan to discredit the studies that confirmed the dangers. By 1989, most other companies had switched to using corn starch in their baby powder; J&J continued to use talc because it created higher profit margins. A class action lawsuit ensued, and the plaintiffs were awarded a total of $550 million dollars in compensatory damages. Punitive damages totaled $2.5 billion dollars. Years later, it would be acknowledged by a J&J representative that false statements were made under oath about the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder.

Tylenol is probably the most well-known over the counter pain reliever on the planet. It was developed by McNeil Laboratories and became part of the J&J line of consumer products when J&J acquired McNeil in 1959. Most people who were alive in the 1980s are aware of the Tylenol Murders case of 1982, where several people died after ingesting Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide. This was the impetus for the tamper-resistant packaging that is so ubiquitous today. Unfortunately, these are not the only deaths connected to Tylenol. The active ingredient in Tylenol is acetaminophen; according to the author, "More than a century after its discovery, scientists still don't know how acetaminophen works." Anthony Benedi, a former staffer for president George H.W. Bush slipped into a coma and sustained brain swelling and liver failure following a bout with the flu in which he consumed the recommended dosage of Extra Strength Tylenol. On average, Benedi drank between two and three glasses of wine per night, which is the average alcohol consumption for American men. Following a liver and kidney transplant, Benedi sued J&J and was awarded $9 million dollars in damages. Harris goes on to say, "Documents revealed in Benedi's case showed that Johnson & Johnson had known for years that moderate drinkers - a description that applies to most Americans - could suffer catastrophic liver damage from ordinary doses of Tylenol." Finally, the author says, "Acetaminophen has for decades been the nation's leading cause of acute liver failure."

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a synthetic form of a protein that increases the body's production of red blood cells. It is a banned substance in competitive athletics; many of us remember that Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France titles in part due to his secret use of the drug, and he was subsequently stripped of those titles. The reason it is a banned substance is because the stimulation of red blood cell production thickens the blood, leading to an increased risk for heart attacks, strokes, and embolisms. Even worse, according to the author, "A researcher named Athanasius Anagnostou from Brown University added EPO to a petri dish filled with cancer cells and found that the drug supercharged the cells' growth - the opposite of what anyone wanted to happen." Johnson & Johnson developed their own version of EPO - called Procrit - and by 1998 it had become the company's most profitable product. The problem was the increased risk for cancer in patients that took the drug. In the words of Dr. Otis Brawley, the longtime chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, "What data do you have to assure me that this is not Miracle-Gro for cancer?" J&J started an EPO study in cervical cancer patients in 2001, with 109 patients participating. Within two years that study was stopped because patients given EPO were dying at a much more rapid rate than in the control group. J&J knew this, yet the results of the study were never published.

Johnson and Johnson entered the medical implant business in 1998 when it purchased DePuy Orthopaedics. Hip implants were first invented in the 1950s, and the linings between the steel cups and balls were made of Teflon, which worked well for a while but eventually wore away and required revision surgeries. Eventually the linings were made of heavier plastics, but in the 1960s two surgeons came up with the idea of using metal instead of plastic so that the implant would last a lifetime. Unfortunately, friction between the ball and the cup could result in tiny metal shavings that "killed surrounding tissue, loosened the joints, and released toxic ions that poisoned patients' hearts, brains, and eyes." J&J's metal-on-metal hip implant was called the ASR XL; they stopped selling it in 2013 after the FDA strengthened hip implant regulations. According to the author, "Johnson & Johnson settled the many lawsuits involving problems with ASR XL implantations for $2.5 billion."

These are not the only examples of unethical behavior. In the early 1970s J&J hired Dr. Albert M. Kligman to conduct a study as to what would happen to humans and rabbits if they were injected with talc and asbestos. As the author explains, "Kligman was a problematic researcher, to say the least. For many years, he had conducted tests of Johnson's Baby Powder, as well as Band-Aids, shampoos, and other drugs, on African American prisoners and mentally disabled children. These experiments were often exquisitely painful for his vulnerable subjects." Finally in 2021, J&J expressed remorse for allowing such experimentation to be conducted. Too little, too late.

Why is this book important? Most people don't realize just how many products fall under the J&J banner (I did not either, until I read this book). Pharmaceutical companies pay enormous fines for misdeeds and look at it simply as the cost of doing business. J&J is no different. Harris states, "Between 2010 and 2021, J&J spent $25 billion on litigation." That doesn't even include the bribes given to doctors and hospitals to get them to prescribe their drugs and other products. Another point to consider is that the FDA is not really looking out for you. There are numerous examples given where the agency looks the other way or is actively complicit in J&J's unethical behavior.

Gardiner Harris has done an outstanding job of writing and researching "No More Tears." Near the end of the book, he lists several suggestions for how the system can be dramatically improved. You deserve better than the corruption that has gone on for decades. I encourage all of you to read this book and decide for yourselves.

Diagnosis of chronic disease has skyrocketed over the last 40 years. According to the National Cancer Institute, this is defined as "a disease or condition that usually lasts for 3 months or longer and may get worse over time." We have seen many medical conditions among Total Results clients, but some of the most common chronic debilities that we have encountered are osteoarthritis, heart disease, and diabetes. These chronic conditions certainly bring with them their own set of challenges, such as obtaining medical clearance from a physician and helping the client to overcome their underlying fears related to exercising with these conditions, but we have been very successful at helping clients with chronic disease to improve their health and quality of life. As we will discuss further, there is both a genetic and lifestyle component that can increase your risk for developing a chronic disease.

Osteoarthritis is probably the most common chronic condition that Total Results clients encounter. This can be characterized by pain, stiffness, and swelling in the joints. Osteoarthritis is more common in people who have performed repetitive movements for long periods of time, or if they have suffered a previous injury to a joint (for example, if you have sustained knee cartilage or ligament damage you are more likely to experience osteoarthritis later in life). The older we get, the greater the likelihood that we will experience osteoarthritis in one or more of our joints. In your Total Results workouts, the first two repetitions of each exercise serve as a warm-up to lubricate your joints and reduce pain (it's also why we typically perform the Leg Curl exercise before the Leg Press, so that your knees are limbered up). It is our job as instructors to find the client's safe and pain-free range of motion, so that the musculature can be stimulated while minimizing joint pain.

Heart disease comes in many different forms; in fact, two of our current clients had significant heart procedures performed prior to starting at Total Results. Obviously, the heart is the most important muscle in the body; however, you cannot volitionally control the contraction of your cardiac muscle. Skeletal muscle is the only type of muscle tissue that you contract at will, and while most cardiologists require a patient to perform cardiac rehabilitation before giving them clearance to begin or resume exercise, I believe that strength training is the most effective form of cardiac rehabilitation. Helping doctors to understand the nature of our program has always been a big challenge, but it is important to build trust with the client and communicate effectively with their doctor. We will work with the cardiologist to formulate the best course of action and ease the client into the program.

Diabetes can take on two forms: Type I and Type II. Type I diabetes is typically diagnosed in childhood or young adulthood, and is characterized by the pancreas producing an insufficient amount of insulin. Type II diabetes occurs later in life, and usually involves the body being unable to produce enough insulin or an inability to use the insulin it produces. High blood sugar is a corresponding factor. Prediabetes is a precursor to Type II diabetes, and many clients have come to us after being diagnosed with the condition. The good news is that Type I diabetes can be managed (although not completely reversed), and Type II diabetes can be completely reversed with deliberate action and lifestyle changes. High intensity strength training is important from a standpoint of building muscle and changing your body composition, but also going to muscular failure will help to reduce glycogen (stored form of carbohydrate) stores in your liver and muscle cells. This will help you to improve your insulin sensitivity and level out your blood sugar.

We have also worked with clients that have autoimmune conditions. This is when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own healthy cells. A few conditions that we have encountered include Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Celiac Disease. When clients suffering from these diseases are dealing with flare-ups, it can greatly impact their workouts. Sometimes they cannot workout at all during a flare-up, while other times their strength and endurance are significantly compromised. Communication between client and instructor is paramount, and we must treat each occurrence individually. There is no one-size-fits-all plan when this happens, but we adapt the best that we can.

There is plenty that we can recommend to help you if you are battling a chronic disease. You must realize that chronic disease doesn't happen overnight, and an immediate reversal is unrealistic. It is important to recognize that a change in your daily habits is essential. This involves not just incorporating high-intensity exercise into your life, but also improving your sleep habits, managing stress, and adding in low-level movement several times per week. What you put into your body makes all the difference in the world; avoid inflammatory foods such as seed oils, processed foods, and sugar. In order to preserve your physical independence and build strength, you must lift heavy things! Stay educated about your disease and other chronic diseases; we frequently give book recommendations that you will find helpful.

Together we can reverse your chronic disease! It all starts with a single step.