Dr. Hightower operates outside of the medical mainstream and has admittedly circumvented the normal process of submitting research for consideration in peer-reviewed journals, rather taking her anecdotal beliefs directly to the media. In her book she admits that "medical and scientific journal editors explicitly ask authors not to release data to the press before scientific publication" but goes on to insist that because she found elevated mercury levels in a "set of patients" she had an "obligation to notify the public of a potential hazard." Established researchers and physicians follow recognized medical and academic protocols.