Vitamin D Important for Parkinson's

Low vitamin D levels 'linked to Parkinson's disease'

Vitamin D test Kit and High Quality D3 supplements can be ordered through CHI

Having low vitamin D levels may increase a person's risk of developing Parkinson's disease later in life, say Finnish researchers.

Their study of 3,000 people, published in Archives of Neurology, found people with the lowest levels of the sunshine vitamin had a three-fold higher risk.

Vitamin D could be helping to protect the nerve cells gradually lost by people with the disease, experts say.

The charity Parkinson's UK said further research was required.

Parkinson's disease affects several parts of the brain, leading to symptoms like tremor and slow movements.

30-year study

Having low vitamin D levels may increase a person's risk of developing Parkinson's disease later in life, say Finnish researchers.

Their study of 3,000 people, published in Archives of Neurology, found people with the lowest levels of the sunshine vitamin had a three-fold higher risk.

Vitamin D could be helping to protect the nerve cells gradually lost by people with the disease, experts say.

The charity Parkinson's UK said further research was required.

Parkinson's disease affects several parts of the brain, leading to symptoms like tremor and slow movements.

30-year study

The researchers from Finland's National Institute for Health and Welfare measured vitamin D levels from the study group between 1978 and 1980, using blood samples.

They then followed these people over 30 years to see whether they developed Parkinson's disease.

They found that people with the lowest levels of vitamin D were three times more likely to develop Parkinson's, compared with the group with the highest levels of vitamin D.

Most vitamin D is made by the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight, although some comes from foods like oily fish, milk or cereals.

As people age, however, their skin becomes less able to produce vitamin D.

Doctors have known for many years that vitamin D helps calcium uptake and bone formation.

But research is now showing that it also plays a role in regulating the immune system, as well as in the development of the nervous system.

Vitamin target

Writing in an editorial in the US journal Archives of Neurology, Marian Evatt, assistant professor of neurology at Emory University School of Medicine, says that health authorities should consider raising the target vitamin D level.

"At this point, 30 nanograms per millilitre of blood or more appears optimal for bone health in humans.

"However, researchers don't yet know what level is optimal for brain health or at what point vitamin D becomes toxic for humans, and this is a topic that deserves close examination."

Dr Kieran Breen, director of research at Parkinson's UK, said: "The study provides further clues about the potential environmental factors that may influence or protect against the progression of Parkinson's.

"A balanced healthy diet should provide the recommended levels of vitamin D.

"Further research is required to find out whether taking a dietary supplement, or increased exposure to sunlight, may have an effect on Parkinson's, and at what stage these would be most beneficial."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/10601091.stm

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/06/parkinsons-and-drug-pesticides.html

More GMO Risk to Consumers May Impact EU

UPDATE: EU  

EU officials plan to give the 27 member states the freedom to grow, restrict or ban genetically modified (GM) crops.

The European Commission says different local conditions mean EU countries need more flexibility to decide where, if at all, GM crops are grown.
But the EU will continue to study the health impact of GM crops under its current authorisation system.

GM crop ban may be lifted in EU

Leigh Phillips, guardian.co.uk, 12 July, 2020
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/12/gm-crop-ban-eu-proposal

Oil seed rape is one of the gm crops that may be cultivated if the European commission's proposal is accepted. Photograph: Guardian The European Union will take a huge stride tomorrow towards freeing up the production of GM crops when the European commission proposes allowing national governments to make up their own minds on whether to permit their cultivation.

In a move which aims to resolve a 12-year deadlock that has resulted in a virtual freeze on the approval of GM farming, the commission will propose allowing pro-GM states such as Spain and the Netherlands to increase production, while also allowing others such as Germany and Austria to maintain restrictions.

The rare instance of Brussels handing back power to individual nations will likely present Britain's government with a delicate decision; caught between a robust GM industry lobby and a vocal protest movement.

While making it easier for states to ban GM crops, giving them the option of citing non-scientific grounds such as socio-economic or cultural reasons, Brussels is expecting a quid pro quo from opponents, that they will end what is seen as a strategy of stalling health and environmental approval by the EU.

"While it's up to member states to decide, we expect them to be more flexible from where they are now in terms of authorisation at the EU level," said one commission official.

GM cultivation in Europe has been in limbo since 1998, when a GM corn product developed by US giant Monsanto was approved, because of a deadlock between states that are for and against the biotechnology. The EU proposals are designed to appeal to both camps. On the one hand, they give anti-states broader rights to restrict GM crop cultivation on their own soil, in exchange for them softening their opposition to approval elsewhere. Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, and Luxembourg have banned cultivation; Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Britain are in favour.

"The momentous thing the commission is doing is a very simple addition to the [GM] legislation – one single article," said Carel du Marchie Sarvaas, of EuropaBio, the biotechnology lobbyists, "to allow an opt-out for political reasons".

"We hope this will break the deadlock over GM, but it's missing a defence of fundamental principles [of choice]. In some countries there might be more cultivation, but in many it will mean the end of the right of farmers to grow them at all."

Green groups are also opposed, but because they feel that the change "isn't worth the paper it's written on," according to Mute Schimps of Friends of the Earth Europe.

"It's going in two directions at the same time: ostensibly allowing more banning, but also easier authorisation at the EU level," she said.

"While the commission is seemingly offering countries the right to implement national bans, in reality the proposal does the opposite, opening Europe's fields to GM crops. Governments that try to ban GM crops in their countries will find the bans overturned in court by biotech lawyers due to the weak legal basis of this short-term proposal," she added.

In a mirror image of the pro-GM lobby, the anti-GM lobby says: "All European farmers have the right to be protected from GM contamination, not just some."

The expanded ability to ban crops, on the grounds of prevention of contamination, will go into effect immediately from tomorrow, while the long-term overhaul of existing regulations, allowing member states to prohibit cultivation on non-scientific grounds, could take up to two years following the usual legislative process in the European capital.

Direct Marketing Fuels Increase in Consumer Complaints

March 23, 2010, NBJ: Consumer Supplement Complaints up 360% in 2009 -

Consumer complaints about dietary supplement companies were up 360% in 2009, according to the U.S. Better Business Bureau (BBB). More than 3,500 consumer complaints were filed regarding �vitamins and food supplements� in 2009, compared to just 766 in 2008. Supplements rank as the 55th most-complained about product category, out of approximately 3,900 categories tracked by the U.S. BBB. In 2008, supplements ranked as the 198th most-complained about category. The rise in complaints is primarily due to a handful of online marketers who sell acai supplements, according to U.S. BBB Spokesperson Alison Southwick. The majority of complaints about the acai marketers have centered on consumers being billed incorrectly. Perhaps even more alarming, more than 10,000 complaints were reported for the �herbs� category�up 404% over 2008 totals�making it the 14th most-complained about product category. The �vitamins and food supplements� and �herbs� combined categories saw complaints spike by 393% with nearly 14,000 complaints filed in 2009.  Complaints were up nearly 30% in 2009 in Utah, which is a hotbed for dietary supplement manufacturers, with an estimated 120 companies producing more than $4.5 billion in annual revenues, based on United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) estimates. The top complaints filed by consumers in Utah included ineffective supplements or unexpected charges appearing after enrolling in a trial or continuity program, Jane Griggs, president and CEO of the Utah BBB, told the Associated Press. Supplement complaints filed by Utah consumers nearly doubled from 2008 to 2009, with an estimated 1,596 complaints filed with the BBB in 2009. That led all industries in Utah, as complaints about alarm systems registered the second-most, with almost 1,200. In addition to company misconduct, the bad economy could also account for a rise in complaints. �Consumers were more willing to absorb it if they lost $25 before. They're not willing to absorb it now,� said Griggs. NBJ Bottom Line: There is no doubt that a handful of unscrupulous manufacturers and marketers can sully the reputation of the entire industry. In 2009 the industry saw a rise in �free-trial� programs that ultimately left consumers footing the bill for supplements they didn�t want. The trend is alarming, but the silver lining for supplement companies is that the problem appears to be one that is primarily tied to commerce and is not necessarily an issue of supplement quality�which could potentially be more harmful. The U.S. BBB did not disclose the names of companies tied to the complaints, though Southwick believes the majority were tied to acai supplement marketers. Southwick also noted that the large number of supplement complaints filed under the �herbs� product category could make supplements one of the top 10 most-complained about categories. Nutrition Business Journal will investigate the pitfalls of continuity programs in further detail in the May issue that will be focused on direct-to-consumer sales in the nutrition industry. To receive a free sample issue or subscribe, please visit the NBJ subscriber page. Related NBJ Links: Direct-Selling Supplement Marketer Vows to Stop Using Deceptive Claims and Practices Direct Sales: A Breeding Ground for Bad Claims? Mannatech to Pay $6 Million Penalty for Deceptive Marketing Practices Related Functional Ingredients magazine links: Deceptive Hoodia Claims Rile FTC

Find this article at: http://www.nutritionbusinessjournal.com/supplements/news/BBB-Consumer-Supplement-Complaints-up-360-in-2009/index.html

Common Sense Needed, not new risky weight loss drug

Obesity Concerns Not Cured by A Risky Drug: FDA Plans to Review First of 3 New Diet Drugs

Remember Phen-Fen, an older alleged weight loss drug that harmed the hearts of many and often caused pulmonary hypertension among its other gifts?

It may be reappearing in a different form, a new concoction of phentermine and topiramate, ready to be reviewed by our trusting folks at the FDA.

Phen-Fen: The once-popular diet-drug combination of fenfluramine and phentermine that, amidst much media attention, was taken off the market because of concern for heart valve damage.

Fenfluramine hydrochloride is an anorectic drug for oral administration. Immediate release tablets containing 20 mg fenfluramine hydrochloride are orange, scored, compressed tablets engraved AHR and 6447.
Inactive Ingredients: Corn Starch, FD&C Yellow 6, Magnesium Stearate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.

Fenfluramine HCl - one of many fluoride based drugs - has the following chemical name: N-ethyl-alpha-methyl-3-(trifluoromethyl) benzeneethanamine hydrochloride.

The most common adverse reactions of fenfluramine are drowsiness, diarrhea, and dry mouth. Less frequent adverse reactions reported in association with fenfluramine are:

Central nervous system: Dizziness; confusion; incoordination; headache; elevated mood; depression; anxiety, nervousness, or tension; insomnia; weakness or fatigue; increased or decreased libido; agitation, dysarthria. Gastrointestinal: Constipation; abdominal pain; nausea. Autonomic: Sweating; chills; blurred vision. Genitourinary: Dysuria; urinary frequency. Cardiovascular: Palpitation; hypotension; hypertension; fainting; pulmonary hypertension. Skin: Rash; urticaria; burning sensation. Miscellaneous: Eye irritation; myalgia; fever; chest pain; bad taste.

Drug Abuse and Dependence

Fenfluramine hydrochloride is a controlled substance in Schedule IV. Fenfluramine is related chemically to the amphetamines, although it differs somewhat pharmacologically.

Topiramate is a white crystalline powder with a bitter taste. Topiramate is most soluble in alkaline solutions containing sodium hydroxide or sodium phosphate and having a pH of 9 to 10. It is freely soluble in acetone, chloroform, dimethyl sulfoxide, and ethanol. The solubility in water is 9.8 mg/mL. Its saturated solu tion has a pH of 6.3. Topiramate has the molecular formula C₁₂H₂₁NO₈S and a molecular weight of 339.36. Topiramate is designated chemically as 2,3:4,5-Di-O-isopropylidene-β-D-fructopyranose sulfamate and has the following structural formula: used for Seizure and Migraine

14 July, 2010  NEW YORK (AP) – Vivus Inc.'s potential weight loss drug Qnexa will likely draw scrutiny over nervous system and psychiatric side effects from a panel of Food and Drug Administration experts this week.
But shares jumped in morning trading as the FDA acknowledged the potential blockbuster drug's effectiveness in cutting weight. The stock rose $1.75, or 16 percent, to $12.40 in morning trading, more than doubling from a low of $5.57 last July.
The FDA raised some concerns in briefing documents posted online on Tuesday about a range of side effects. It said reviewers should take into account rates of depression, memory and concentration lapses, and heart-related issues, among others. The concerns were not a surprise to Wall Street, which has been following development of the drug over the last several years. Complete article

Side effects include but may not be limited to

Cardiovascular: Primary pulmonary hypertension and/or regurgitant cardiac valvular disease (see WARNINGS), palpitation, tachycardia, elevation of blood pressure.

Central Nervous System: Overstimulation, restlessness, dizziness, insomnia, euphoria, dysphoria, tremor, headache; rarely psychotic episodes at recommended doses.
Gastrointestinal: Dryness of the mouth, unpleasant taste, diarrhea, constipation, other gastrointestinal disturbances.
Allergic: Urticaria.
Endocrine: Impotence, changes in libido.

http://www.diet.com/g/fenphen

Sensible responses to weight issues are welcome.

Our main organization, CHI, offers nutritional and spiritual counseling 

 

If the 'Phen' proportion isn't bad enough consider the anti-seizure drug's problems. Just check out page three of this drug information database and evaluate for yourself.

http://www.rxlist.com/topamax-drug.htm

http://www.vivus.com/pipeline/qnexa-obesity

http://www.merck.com/mmpe/lexicomp/topiramate.html

http://www.aolhealth.com/2010/07/12/fda-plans-to-review-first-of-3-new-diet-drugs/

http://www.thatsfit.com/2010/07/12/obesity-was-no-laughing-matter-for-comedian-sonya-d/

Limits on Supplements

I found it interesting that another blog just recently reported on the issue of imposed limits to be placed on supplements.  It is interesting to me because as a long time health freedom educator I have been engaged in this issue for most of my career, as well as intensely during the past two decades.

There are two international groups that spearheaded this fight to stop the CODEX effort through food directives in the EU, also WHO, and USDA, etc.  In the USDA effort it was widely known that panel members were industry supported.

One group is International Advocates for Health Freedom, NHF, and the UK based Alliance for Natural Health.

In the arena of health freedom, natural health advocacy, and related areas, please rely on the real and accurate sources that have historically been involved.  Shy from those who try to make panic-ridden headlines as if they are the first to report.

Know your sources!

Missing Vitamins and Bacterial Resistance

One of the services offered by CHI is a review of the drugs you are taking and what nutrient depletion they cause.

This has been a specific interest of mine since the early 1980s.
Today I was gladdened by a report on a study that looked at how a form of vitamin B3 might be helpful in reducing your risk of contracting a secondary infection as a result of being prescribed antibiotics.

Prior to this news report today. back in 2001 it was a concern in Public Health

THE RISE OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE: DEPLETING A PUBLIC RESOURCE
January 10, 2001 RFF's 1st Floor Conference Room : 1616 P Street NW Washington D.C. 20036-1400 U.S.A.
In recent years bacteria have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics, leading to a decline in the effectiveness of antibiotics in treating infectious disease. The particular approaches that individuals and physicians use in selecting an antibiotic have been identified as a primary cause of this decline. Laxminarayan will suggest that bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics can be considered a public good (or common property resource). As such, it lends itself nicely to analysis, and he will address key economic issues and tradeoffs related to drug resistance. Researcher: Margaret A Walls.

Antibiotics: Besides destroying beneficial gut bacteria that aid digestion, protect against infection, and synthesize certain nutrients, tetracyclines (achromycin, sumycin, tetracap, panmycin), penicillins, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, and sulfonamides, deplete the body of B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, biotin, inositol, vitamin K, iron, and magnesium. The complete reference can be found at http://www.leaflady.org/drugsdeplete.htm

Today, UPI reports that B3 may combat fungal infection, but B3 might not be enough.

MONTREAL, July 12 (UPI) -- Canadian researchers say vitamin B3 may be effective in fighting infections
Researchers at the University of Montreal say studies in mice indicate C. albicans enzyme, known as Hst3 -- essential to the growth and survival of the yeast infection Candida albicans -- can be inhibited with nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3.
"There is an urgent need to develop new therapies to kill C. albicans because it is one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired infections and is associated with high mortality rates," researcher Martine Raymond said in a statement. "Although many issues remain to be investigated, the results of our study are very exciting and they constitute an important first step in the development of new therapeutic agents to treat fungal infections without major side effects for patients."
The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, concluded both normal and drug-resistant strains of C. albicans were susceptible to nicotinamide.

In the early 1970s when I started working in ICU the issue of secondary infection from overuse of antibiotics was constantly in discussion.

And here we are now...

Prevention and Colon Cancer

Recently a study pointed to the usefulness of Omega 3 to help in the prevention of colon cancer.  Other studies looked at the preventive benefits of B complex vitamins like B9 and B6, and also the protective benefit of magnesium.

What hasn't been restudied of late is the well documented preventive effect against colon cancer from vitamin E.

This protective benefit was well covered in the 1990s and also in many studies from decades earlier.

Vitamin E (choose non-SOY) natural tocopherol and tocotrienol sources, as well as good foods. If you'd like vitamin consultation just get in touch with us for this service.

What foods provide vitamin E?

Walnuts are well established to provide a good source of vitamin E; raw and organic is the best choice, about 1/4 cup daily.  But do remember that walnuts are in the group of foods, like mustard greens and others in the brassica family, that effect the thyroid gland.

Excellent sources of vitamin E include mustard greens, turnip greens, chard, and sunflower seeds.

Very good sources of vitamin E include almonds and spinach.

Good sources of vitamin E include collard greens, parsley, kale, papaya, olives, bell pepper, brussels sprouts, kiwifruit, tomato, blueberries, and broccoli.  SOURCE

Newsletter Post Script: Food

If you're a current subscriber to our every-other-month newsletter, herbalYODA Says! you would have received the July issue this morning.  Later today our subscribers will get this update.

Food issues must be on most everyone's agenda of concern as several news items directly related to the most recent issue of hYS arrived this morning.

Just four companies control 84% of the nation's beef and 70% of its pork, one company controls 40% of our milk supply, another holds patents on 80% of our corn, and just five chains sell 50% of the nation's groceries — and this recent report goes on to suggest this concentration is at the root of problems in the rural economy.

Corporate ownership in the natural food market place has grown exponentially over the last decade
http://www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/rcbtoa/services/corporate-ownership.html

You can read more about 'plant sterol' hype in food and drugs, much from GMO sources
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2010/07/please-explain-this-to-cargill.html

And how GMO corn just might alter sea life -

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2010/07/corn-and-dead-zones-in-gulf.html

"Another Look at Livestock's Contributions to Global Climate Change

The Organic Center reports on a paper issued by the World Watch Institute (Livestock and Climate Change: What if the key actors in climate change are cows, pigs, and chickens? by Robert Goodland, and Jeff Anhang) that estimates livestock accounts for over 51% of worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions — a share more than four-times larger than the recent, official estimate (11.8%) of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Although the report's findings are far outside the current mainstream projections, it's written by two experienced analysts working for the World Bank, and they identify eight key differences they have with the FAO projections.

The most significant, which accounts for over one-third of the difference, is something they term "overlooked respiration by livestock." Other factors they identify include overlooked land use changes, undercounting animal numbers, and misclassification of certain emission sources.

The report reinforces the growing consensus that much more work is needed to develop accurate estimates of agricultural sources of GHG emissions, a necessary first step in crafting policies to cost-effectively reduce emissions."
(source: Frontier Natural Products)

Important to consider also is the development of a new campaign against GMO food

NON-GMO CAMPAIGN
Coming in October 2010, the first NON-GMO Month
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2010/07/non-gmo-campaign.html

In Europe, all products containing more than 0.9% GMO are labeled by the government. In the U.S. and Canada, on the other hand, government has done nothing to inform consumers about which food and products contain GMOs.

It is estimated that GMOs are now present in more than 75% of the processed foods in the average grocery store.

Many people are concerned about the potential health risks of products made using the relatively new technology of genetic modification.  The Non-GMO Project respects your right to know what’s in the food you’re eating and the products you’re buying.

Where consumers can learn more http://www.nongmoproject.org/consumers/

But some good news is that later this summer I'll be able to offer organic Chia seed in bulk for about $18/pound plus shipping in addition to all the other good organic, bulk items offered in our Natural Store.  CHI Members receive a discount on all their orders.

Stay tuned!

Does this really close the doughnut hole?

AARP was really pulling for this crazy health insurance bill to pass because they have a vested interest in United Health Care's Medicare supplement insurance.  And in case you were not aware, United is in part owned by one of the Big PhRMA firm poised to make big bucks on the recently passed bill,

What the real facts are that the doughnut hole is not closed, it is only reduced in diameter.

Prescription Drugs:

Proponents of the health care bill have been touting how it aims to close the "doughnut hole" in prescription drug coverage. What that means is that older Americans who hit the cap on their Medicare prescription drug benefits will be given a rebate, starting this year. Once they spend $2,830, older Americans will receive a $250 rebate. Starting in 2011, older Americans who go past the allotted amount will be given a 50 percent discount on prescription drugs. The bill aims to close the "doughnut hole" completely by 2020, but older Americans will still have to pay for 25 percent of their drugs.

SOURCE

More from Kiplinger -

Health Care Reform: What It Means for Retirees

Changes to Medicare and to the individual insurance market will affect retirees. Here are key details that you need to know.
By Susan B. Garland, March 24, 2010

President Obama has signed the landmark health-care overhaul legislation into law, and the Senate is taking up a bill with proposed changes. Here are key provisions that could affect you.
Medicare. The Part D prescription-drug doughnut hole will be gradually reduced by 2020. Seniors who reach the doughnut hole in 2010 will receive a $250 rebate. Starting in 2011, drug companies will be required to provide a 50% discount on brand-name drugs bought in the coverage gap. The federal subsidy for Part D premiums will be reduced for higher-income beneficiaries. Cost sharing for preventive-care services is eliminated.
A new advisory board would submit recommendations to Congress to reduce the rate of growth in Medicare spending. The board is not allowed to submit proposals that would ration care or change benefits.
More Medicare beneficiaries could be snared by the Part B premium surcharge for high-income seniors. The law freezes the income thresholds for income-related Part B premiums from 2011 to 2019.
Medicare Advantage plans. Studies have found that Advantage plans cost the government 14% more on average than traditional Medicare. To get costs more in line with traditional Medicare, the new law freezes federal payments to private Medicare Advantage plans at 2010 levels. These plans will be required to spend at least 85% of their revenues on patient care. Plans that prove they provide high-quality efficient care will get rebates from the government.
New taxes. The law would raise the Medicare payroll tax by an additional 0.9% (to 2.35%, from the current 1.45%) on earned income above $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for joint filers. It would also impose a Medicare tax of 3.8% on investment income, such as dividends and interest, for individuals with adjusted gross income above $200,000 and joint filers with AGI above $250,000. These taxes will go into effect in 2013. Distributions from pensions, IRAs, 401(k)s and other qualified retirement plans will be exempt. Self-employed people will have to pay the additional tax.
Medical tax deductions. Beginning in the 2013 tax year, the threshold for the itemized medical deduction rises to 10% of AGI, from the current 7.5%. Individuals age 65 and older, and their spouses, would be exempt for the tax years 2013 through 2016.
Early retirees and self-employed. For most workers who receive employer-sponsored coverage, the new law is not likely to have much impact. But the law provides a number of protections for those who need to buy insurance in the individual market. Six months after enactment, health insurers cannot place lifetime limits on the value of coverage or revoke existing coverage. Starting in 2014, insurers must accept all applicants, including anyone with preexisting medical conditions.
Until then, individuals with preexisting conditions who have been uninsured for more than six months will be eligible to enroll in a national high-risk pool and receive subsidized premiums. Cost sharing will be capped at $5,950 for individuals and $11,900 for families. This could be especially helpful to early retirees in Arizona and Nevada, which do not have state high-risk pools. It could also help Floridians, because Florida's is not open to new enrollees.
Exchanges and coverage subsidies. Nearly everyone would be required to buy coverage, or pay a penalty. Early retirees, the self-employed and others without insurance would be able to purchase coverage through state-based exchanges. Tax credits would be available to individuals and families with income between 133% and 400% of the poverty level (that's $19,378 to $58,280 for a couple).
Private insurance companies could sell policies through the exchanges. Buyers would choose among four benefit categories.
Retiree health plans. If you are 55 or older and receive retiree health benefits from your employer, you could benefit from a government reinsurance program. The program will reimburse employers or insurers for 80% of retiree claims between $15,000 and $90,000. Payments from the reinsurance program will be used to lower the costs for enrollees in the employer plan. The program will end on January 1, 2014. It will not reimburse costs for retirees who are eligible for Medicare.
Long-term care. In 2011, workers can enroll in a national insurance program to cover non-medical services in case of disability. After a five-year vesting period, the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports program will provide individuals who become disabled with a benefit of about $50 a day. The program will be financed with voluntary payroll deductions.
For more authoritative guidance on retirement investing, slashing taxes and getting the best health care, click here for a FREE sample issue of Kiplinger’s Retirement Report.

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http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/krr-health-care-reform-what-it-means-for-retirees.html

The Medicare donut hole: Now you're covered, now you're not

ScienceDaily (2010-03-25) -- If you're older, a woman, and suffering from either dementia or diabetes, you are the most likely to be exposed to unsubsidized medication costs in the US. This is known as the coverage gap for enrollees of Medicare Part D. According to a new study, these clinically vulnerable groups should be counseled on how to best manage costs through either drug substitution or discontinuation of specific, non-essential medications. ... > read full article

Topic of the Month: Food Issues - Infant formula

Which Infant Formulas Contain Secret Toxic Chemicals?

And just how guilty should I feel about not breastfeeding exclusively, anyway?

By Laura McClure | Mon Jul. 12, 2010 2:30 AM PDT

---

I stared again at the breast milk-increasing tinctures [1] and fenugreek capsules [2] under the dainty "For Moms"sign at my local natural food store, too embarrassed to ask where the corresponding "So You've Failed As a Mother" aisle might be. Eventually I discovered a short shelf of cans across from pet food. Even in San Francisco's most stroller-endemic neighborhood [4] store, you can buy a dozen herbal options to increase breast milk supply, but only two brands of infant formula—and one label actively encourages you [5]not [5] to buy it for actual infants [5] under the age of one. I finally left with a guilty conscience and a tin of Earth's Best Organic Infant Formula With Iron [6] to try out on my six-month-old son. But what was I feeding him, exactly?

Infant formula has come a long way since chemist Justus von Liebig first patented a commercial cocktail [7] of cow's milk, wheat flour, malt flour, and potassium bicarbonate in 1865. Today, Similac, Enfamil, Earth's Best, and other brands are fortified with everything from iron to the omega-3 fatty acid DHA [8], and most brands attempt to chemically match human milk as closely as possible. But even though artificial human milk is regulated by the FDA [9], researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found last year [10] that a thyroid-affecting chemical used in rocket fuel contaminates 15 brands of powdered infant formula, including two that accounted for 87 percent of market share in 2000. The CDC study omits the names of the top offenders, but a little sleuthing reveals (PDF [11]) that they are referring to Similac [12] and Enfamil [13], produced by Ross (now Abbott Nutrition) [14] and Mead Johnson Nutrition [15] respectively. (The Environmental Working Group handily includes phone numbers here [16] for those and other infant formula companies if you're interested in questioning the makers of your child's brand.)
Not surprisingly, the International Formula Council blames [17] any perchlorate in their formulas on the water used to make them. Unfortunately, pre-mixed liquid formulas come with their own potential toxins, as the chemical BPA [18] can leach out of plastic bottles or cans into the formula they contain. But at least we're not in China, where 76 tons of melamine-tainted milk products were seized on Friday [19], just two years after melamine-adulterated formula killed 6 infants [20] and hospitalized thousands more in 2008. The FDA assures that levels of melamine in US infant formulas are "extremely low" (PDF [21]). Feel better yet?
For all these reasons the American Academy of Pediatrics [22] remains less than sanguine about infant formula, recommending exclusive breastfeeding for six months [23] and continued nursing "until at least the baby's first birthday." [24] Indeed, they credit mother's milk with everything from breast cancer risk reduction [25] to obesity prevention—though not, as attachment parenting guru Dr. Sears does [26], with higher IQ. [Read Hanna Rosin's excellent Atlantic article here [27] for an overview of the conflicting studies around breast milk's unicorn-like magical properties.]
Frankly, if I'd done this research a month ago, I doubt I would ever have handed my (until then) exclusively breastfed six-month-old son a bottle of this [28] to scarf down one night before bed. (He loved it, by the way. It tastes exactly like Ensure, which is made by the same company.)
Now that it's too late to undo that choice, will I continue to use powdered formula to supplement my dwindling breastmilk supply—largely so I can get more sleep? Or double down on the fenugreek and commit to re-lactation [29] if need be? I still haven't decided.

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Source URL: http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/07/infant-formula-similac-enfamil-melamine-bpa

Links:
[1] http://www.motherlove.com/category/00006.html
[2] http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/fenugreek.html
[4] http://www.noevalley.com/
[5] http://www.naturesone.com/dairy/
[6] http://www.earthsbest.com/products/product/2392310040
[7] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684040/
[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docosahexaenoic_acid
[9] http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/InfantFormula/ConsumerInformationAboutInfantFormula/ucm108101.htm
[10] http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2009/04/rocket-fuel-found-infant-formula
[11] http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/efan02001/efan02001d.pdf
[12] http://similac.com/baby-formula/?wt=products1
[13] https://www.enfamil.com/app/iwp/enfamil/enfHome.do?dm=enf&ls=0&csred=1&r=3456147262
[14] http://similac.com/baby-formula/about-similac-infant-formula
[15] http://www.mjn.com/app/iwp/MJN/guestHome.do?dm=mj&ls=0&csred=1&r=3456146979
[16] http://www.ewg.org/book/export/html/27772
[17] http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Industry/Water-is-to-blame-for-perchlorate-in-infant-formula-says-industry
[18] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A
[19] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/world/asia/10china.html?_r=1
[20] http://www.infantformula.org/news-room/press-releases-and-statements/infant-formula-and-melamine
[21] http://www.fns.usda.gov/cga/PressReleases/2008/Johner_120308.pdf
[22] http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/breastfeeding/Pages/default.aspx
[23] http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/04/breastfeeding-non-compliance-costs-us-13-billion-year
[24] http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/breastfeeding/Pages/Where-We-Stand-Breastfeeding.aspx
[25] http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/breastfeeding/pages/Breastfeeding-Benefits-Your-Baby's-Immune-System.aspx
[26] http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/t020200.asp
[27] http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/04/the-case-against-breast-feeding/7311/
[28] http://similac.com/baby-formula/ready-to-feed-formula
[29] http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/breastfeeding/pages/Relactation.aspx

The HALO Breast Test

More than 200,000 are diagnosed annually with breast cancer and nearly 40,000 die. While most attention has been focused on the incidence of breast cancer in post-menopausal women, statistically, 23 percent of all breast cancers occur in women under 49 years of age. In fact, one in every 229 women between the ages of 30 and 39 will be diagnosed with breast cancer within the next 10 years.

The HALO Test is a simple,  5-minute, non-invasive breast screening and risk assessment exam recommended for women 25 years of age and older. The test can detect early cellular changes within the breast ducts, the area where more than 90% of breast cancer begins.

Complete article 

Consider Thermography and please read this as well (one of about 30+ related articles found at Natural Health News)

NON-GMO CAMPAIGN

from OCA - 4 Simple Ways to Avoid GMOs

1. Buy organic - organic producers are not allowed to use GMOs
2. Look for "Non-GMO" labels
3. Avoid risky ingredients: corn, soy, vegetable oil (canola, cottonseed, and soybean), sugarbeet sugar
4. Buy products listed in the Non-GMO Shopping Guide

Coming in October 2010, the first NON-GMO Month

In Europe, all products containing more than 0.9% GMO are labeled by the government. In the U.S. and Canada, on the other hand, government has done nothing to inform consumers about which food and products contain GMOs.

It is estimated that GMOs are now present in more than 75% of the processed foods in the average grocery store.

Many people are concerned about the potential health risks of products made using the relatively new technology of genetic modification.  The Non-GMO Project respects your right to know what’s in the food you’re eating and the products you’re buying.

Where consumers can learn more

Marketing push targets bioengineered food

Freezing Cancer to Death

"ICE-COLD GAS 'KILLS' CANCER"
D. Express 17.3.10
Breast & prostate cancer can be killed by being frozen with streams of super-cold gas. In a major breakthrough the 'ice-ball' created around a tumour by the injections with very fine needles, kills the tumour & ensures it does not return. In a trial, all the people were still free of cancer after 5 years. It is called cryotherapy & the patient does not need invasive surgery & suffers no major discomfort or scarring. Study led by Dr. Peter Littrup, interventional radiologist at Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit. He said findings suggest freezing tumours is safe & effective. Study presented at Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Florida on 16.3.10. Cryotherapy as been used for years to treat warts, moles & skin cancer. It has been shown to work on the lung, liver & cervix.

Turning People into Patients

This quote from an article written by Dr. Gilbert Welch of the Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy & Clinical Practice.

Medicalization is the process of turning more people into patients. It encourages more of us to be anxious about our health and undermines our confidence in our own bodies. It leads people to have too much treatment -- and some of them are harmed by it.

And it's big part of the reason why medical care costs so much.

I have to stand in support of this comment and Dr. Welch's complete article, as it is one of the reasons why I devote time to Natural Health News.

It is refreshing to see that not all doctors are suffering from the herd mentality created by PhRMA and Big Insurance.

I guess we'll see how the health insurance bill turns out if we can wait the many years it will take for implementing it. In this several years just how many will be harmed or lost?

A New Site to Help You Navigate Health Insurance - Kiplinger

A New Site to Help You Navigate Health Insurance - Kiplinger

Hangovers: CNN Has It All Wrong

It always amazes me when mainstream media interviews only selected health care people on topics they cover for their limited perspective on news.

Hangover is just one such topic that covered around St. Patrick's Day, and told you, according to the doctor's interviewed, that there is no real cure for hangover.
Complete article
To make it worse, the title of the article is just as misleading as the writing by Elizabeth Landau and Madison Park, both of CNN.

Sorry to disappoint you but at CHI, our hangover natural remedy has worked really well for thousands of people for many decades.

We even give a copy of our morning after drink with donations to our non profit organization.

And if you're so inclined, check out the several other articles here at Natural Health News on this subject.
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/02/alcohol-abuse-continues-to-be-in-news.html

Aspartame: Still Harming Pregnant Women

D. Mail 10.7.10 "DIET DRINK SWEETENERS LINKED TO EARLY BIRTHS"
EU-funded research has found that pregnant women who drink just one can of fizzy drinks containing artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, have a 37% higher risk of having a premature birth. Routinely drinking 4 or more cans a day of this could increase the risk by up to 78%.

Research by Dr. Thorhallur Ingl Halldorsson who studied 60,000 women, found there is no increased risk from sugar sweetened drinks.

They suggest exposure to methanol, which is in some artificial sweeeteners, may play a part in bringing forward the births. Methanol is said by critics to be a nerve toxin, which can form formic acid in the body. It can also lead to formaldhyde, the chemical used to preserve dead bodies. Historically, saccharine has also been identified as accumulating in the placenta.

Prof. Erik Millstone of Sussex Uni said "I would think it is prudent for pregnant women to diminish consumption of these drinks & possibly those foods containing artificial sweeteners."

Published in "American Society for Clinical Nutrition".
Some British public health experts are now advising pregnant mothers to avoid food and drink containing aspartame.

How a Public Relations Campaign Deceives the Public About Formaldehyde Poisoning From Aspartame

Natural Health News does not encourage or recommend Truvia, Zevia, Purvia or any sweetener containing erythritol or modified stevia (rebiana).  Note: Sugar alcohols may raise your blood sugar level too.

Aspartame's threat to the unborn

Safe sweeteners are Just Like Sugar and Stevia (see right hand column)

Avandia: Is it time to pull it off the market?

UPDATE: 15 July - FDA reviewer David Graham told the panel Avandia's risks were real enough "to put you in a hospital or a cemetery."

Graham, who wants the pill banned, recently published an analysis estimating that as many as 100,000 heart-related problems may have been caused by Avandia among seniors on Medicare.
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I remember back in 2004 coming across a report on the cardiovascular risk from Avandia. It caught my eye because I knew someone taking the drug and I took the opportunity to advise him of the issue.

Over the almost seven years since I first had reports of problems, it seems as if the controversy hasn't stopped.

Since the problems in the US were reported recently, Avandia now seems to be having problems in Europe.

Diabetes Drug Maker Hid Test Data on Risks, Files Indicate - Dates to 1999

By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today Published: July 11, 2010

WASHINGTON -- FDA staff reviewers blasted rosiglitazone (Avandia) in briefing documents released Friday, recommending that the diabetes drug be yanked from the market because of the "serious" cardiovascular risks it poses.
Rosiglitazone is no more effective at improving glycemic control in type 2 diabetes than pioglitazone (Actos) and provides no known unique health benefits, FDA reviewers wrote. While both drugs increase the risk of congestive heart failure, the effects of rosiglitazone are "substantially greater," the briefing documents concluded.
It remains to be seen whether a joint panel of outside medical experts will agree with this assessment. The panel meets July 13 and 14 to make recommendations about rosiglitazone -- including whether to pull the drug from the market.
Next week's meeting will be the second time an advisory panel has been asked to guide the FDA on what to do about rosiglitazone.
In 2007, a panel voted 20 to 3 that rosiglitazone increased cardiovascular risks, but then decided 22 to 1 that the benefits outweighed the risks.
In their current review, the FDA faulted the logic of the 2007 advisory decision, saying the panel failed to document the specific benefits of rosiglitazone. Since then, the benefits of the drug remain unclear, the agency said.
Next week's panel will review a number of different studies, including a post-marketing study the FDA reviewers branded as unethical.
A spokeswoman for GlaxoSmithKline said the company stands behind the safety and efficacy of rosiglitazone.

To me this falls into that category of covering up the facts as we have seen with so many other drugs throughout the last decade. And its an adjunct to this smirky comment about looking at the health protection agencies of the planet; they put forth propaganda with the purpose of causing fear....and to sell drugs.

The focus too long has been the profit motive and not public health!

GlaxoSmithKline's Diabetes Drug Avandia Draws More Scrutiny in Europe
By MELLY ALAZRAKI, Daily Finance, 07/09/10

Problems for GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) diabetes drug Avandia seem to be getting worse. The European Medicines Agency said Friday it's launching a new review of Avandia's benefit-risk profile following new data on the possibility of cardiovascular problems.

Avandia has been in the crosshairs of scientists, regulatory agencies and even U.S. senators in the past year. The EMA decision only adds to the already existing pressure. GSK shares tumbled 2.5% in premarket trading.

Last month, two new studies linked rosiglitazone, or Avandia, to heart attacks and other cardiovascular complications. The authors of the studies said the results should prompt regulators to pull the drug from the market. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel is indeed going to study the data next week.

A New Reevaluation

Now, the EMA will also be considering Avandia following the recent studies. Already, the product has been reviewed several times by the agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, which has updated the product information to include warnings on the use of these medicines in patients with heart problems. In 2008, the committee concluded that "rosiglitazone retained a small, if diminishing, place in diabetes type 2 therapy." Then again, it looked at the drug earlier this year.

The committee is now assessing the new data and will be discussing the issue at its next plenary meeting, July 19-22.

"Once all relevant data on the benefits and the risks of rosiglitazone have been looked at, the CHMP will issue an opinion on whether or not the marketing authorisations for these medicines should be revoked, suspended or changed," the EMA said in a statement.

The EU has authorized rosiglitazone on its own is as Avandia, in combination with metformin as Avandamet, and with glimepiride as Avaglim.

"Insufficient Data"?

GSK has defended Avandia, saying two heart associations have found that "Insufficient data exist to support the choice of" one treatment over the other. Still, sales of Avandia, which topped $2.6 billion in 2006, fell to $1.2 billion in 2009 after the FDA added a label warning regarding the elevated cardiac risk.

Judging from investors' reaction, the pressure on this drug is likely to keep mounting.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/investing/glaxosmithkline-avandia-europe/19547971/#

from Natural Health News - 4 of 14 articles referring to Avandia
FDA and Avandia: Ethics Lacking
Jun 05, 2010
FDA-Sanctioned International Diabetes Drug Trial Is Unethical and Dangerous “Surely no patient would willingly participate in a trial in which they have a substantial likelihood of taking a drug that, in the opinion of a large group of ...

Risks Potentially Outweigh Benefits with Avandia®
Jan 14, 2009
Avandia®, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), was first approved by the FDA in 1999 for marketing on the basis of its ability to lower blood glucose and reduce insulin resistance. By 2006 the drug had become the top selling oral ...

Avandia Increases Bone Risk for Women
Dec 10, 2008
GlaxoSmithKline, which markets rosiglitazone as Avandia, said the safety and effectiveness of the drug was backed by one of the largest clinical trial programmes ever undertaken for any medicine, with 52000 patients studied. ...

Here is another well thought out idea
Sep 15, 2006
Now for women you'll get more drug because Avandia is not as effective for you. However if you already have liver or kidney dis-ease you should not take this drug! And it will increase your LDL level so - hey - more drugs. ...

Rejuvenation Three Day Cleanse Updated

In 1986 I began using a good detoxification and nourishing protocol with many of NorthCreek Herbal's clients. This protocol is one I developed over many years of trial and error, and found it had some good anti-aging benefits.

Now that plan has been updated as part of our publication service through CHI's Oake Centre for natural health education.

We offer it now to any one making a donation to CHI

More than an oil spill: Antidepressants damaging sealife

D. Telegraph 7.7.10.

Antidepressants in sea may damage food chain

Antidepressants in effluent released in coastal waters could change the behaviour of sea-life & damage the food chain, scientists say. Shrimps exposed to Fluoxetine (fluoride-containing medical drug - Prozac) were 5 x more likely to swim towards light instead of away from it. This makes them vulnerable to fish & birds. Previously crustaceons have hidden away in dark places under seaweed & rocks. It is thought the fluoxetine may be changing the serotonin levels in their brains. Dr. Alex Ford of Portsmouth University said "Shrimps are taking on the excreted drugs of whole towns." The effects of human antibiotics, blood pressure pills & statins on sea creatures are also being studied around the world.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7874781/Antidepressants-in-sea-may-damage-food-chain.html

Health Bill Vote

UPDATE: 24 March - Here is a very interesting discussion about the bill.  I wonder how this bill allows for no establishment of classes of recipients because so far there are several classes, and this is specifically a violation of equal protection.  I also wonder why we have to have the IRS involved.  How much will there new insurance police patrol of some 16,000 cost the taxpayers. Don't you think single payer is really a better option, even though Medicare now rarely goes after fraud.  They would save billions is they cleaned up the frau you know, but then the White House and Congress relied on industry hacks to write this bill for you.

The CBO stated: “A mandate requiring all individuals to purchase health insurance would be an unprecedented form of federal action. The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States. An individual mandate would have two features that, in combination, would make it unique. First, it would impose a duty on individuals as members of society. Second, it would require people to purchase a specific service that would be heavily regulated by the federal government.”  Complete article

And another Constitutional Law faculty (retired) says -

I have read the entire text of proposed House Bill 3200: The Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009.

I studied it with particular emphasis from my area of expertise, constitutional law. I was frankly concerned that parts of the proposed law that were being discussed might be unconstitutional. What I found was far worse than what I had heard or expected.  Complete article

And taking a trip back to the days of Hillary Care -

"Memorandum for Walter Zellman from Sallyanne Payton, clearly marked: Preliminary Draft for Official Use Only. Do Not Quote or Release For Any Purpose, page 4, Health Care Task Reform under Hillary Clinton. Note these sections:

"(b) may the federal government use other actors in the governmental system and the private sector as its agents and give them orders as though they were parts of a prefectorial system? The short answer is "no." State governments are independent, although subordinated, sovereignties, not subdivisions of the federal government.

"Although the federal government may regulate many of their functions directly [as well, for example, it subjects state water districts to the Clean Water Act], it may not require them to exercise their own governmental powers in a manner dictated by federal law. The states may be encouraged, bribed or threatened into entering into joint federal state programs of various sorts, from unemployment insurance to Medicaid; but they may not be commanded directly to use their own governmental apparatus in the service of federal policy. There is a modest jurisprudence of the Tenth Amendment that seems to have settled on this proposition. See the DOJ [Dept. of Justice] memorandum for a fuller elaboration."

21 March - Just remember that Nancy Pelosi referred to the people (this means anyone not a Member of Congress (MOC) or a Federal government lackey) as "them" in her talking head spot aired on NPR this morning.

Not taking too kindly to Pelosi's condescending attitude toward citizens I am just as offended by another one of Obama's deal creating more of a divide against women and the poor with his abortion deal.

I heard Barry taught Constitutional law and if so he obviously needs remediation.  It is prohibited to create classes of recipients in any bill passed by Congress and signed by POTUS. If poor women cannot get abortion help and are unable to purchase insurance to cover it like those that have Cadillac plans, then we have a platform for litigation.

While I am for universal coverage, I am not for the handouts given to PhRMA and Big Insurance so far by Obama, nor am I for MOCs getting a better treatment and access to better insurance that any other citizen of this country.   It's just a another class divide.

If elected representatives are elected how is it that they become employees and get all their perks?

Something to think about.

Another Statin Warning

UPDATE: 22 March -  "...demonstrated mitochondrial mechanisms for muscle AEs have implications to other nonmuscle AEs in patients treated with statins. In meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), muscle AEs are more frequent with statins than with placebo. A number of manifestations of muscle AEs have been reported, with rhabdomyolysis the most feared. AEs are dose dependent, and risk is amplified by drug interactions that functionally increase statin potency, often through inhibition of the cytochrome P450 3A4 system. An array of additional risk factors for statin AEs are those that amplify (or reflect) mitochondrial or metabolic vulnerability, such as metabolic syndrome factors, thyroid disease, and genetic mutations linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. Converging evidence supports a mitochondrial foundation for muscle AEs associated with statins, and both theoretical and empirical considerations suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction may also underlie many nonmuscle statin AEs. Evidence from RCTs and studies of other designs indicates existence of additional statin-associated AEs, such as cognitive loss, neuropathy, pancreatic and hepatic dysfunction, and sexual dysfunction. Physician awareness of statin AEs is reportedly low even for the AEs most widely reported by patients. Awareness and vigilance for AEs should be maintained to enable informed treatment decisions, treatment modification if appropriate, improved quality of patient care, and reduced patient morbidity." Copyright 2008 Adis Data Information BV

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For those who do not understand, the health warnings on statin drugs were well known before they were marketed.

Statins do cause risk of heart attack, statins do cause risk of kidney failure, statins do deplete several key heart and health nutrients, muscle cell wasting is a known problem related to kidney failure, many other issues have been identified.

Diagnosis should be more targeted before you take these drugs, especially a proper evaluation of thyroid function (which is much more than a TSH).

Our Health Detective program can help you if you are concerned about this drug and its many problems. We also have many options for safe and natural lowering of triglycerides and increasing HDL.

Here's a new report -

A statin taken by millions of Britons may increase risk of a condition which can lead to fatal kidney failure at high doses, a drug watchdog has warned.

By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor, 20 Mar 2010

Simvastatin is taken by around three million people in order to lower their cholesterol and reduce the risk of having a heart attack.
However an analysis of clinical trial data in America has found that high doses can cause muscle damage and a rare condition which induces kidney problems and may be fatal.
Patients were told not to stop taking simvastatin but advised to talk to their doctor if they have concerns.
The American medicines regulator, the Food and Drug Administration, has issued a warning to patients to be alert to signs of problems when taking the 80mg daily dose of simvastatin. It has also listed drugs that should not be prescribed to those on high doses of statins.
Muscle aches and damage are a known side effect of all statins but the risks are generally considered to be outweighed by the benefit in reducing the risk of a heart attack.
The FDA found that patients on the 80mg dose were more likely to develop a severe form of muscle damage called myopathy, compared with those on the lower 20mg dose.
Over six years, 52 of the 6,031 patients taking 80 mg doses developed myopathy compared with one person out of the 6,033 taking 20mg.
And 11 patients taking the 80 mg dose developed rhabdomyolysis, the most serious form of myopathy which can lead to kidney failure and death, where as none of those on the 20mg dose developed the condition.
The majority of patients in Britain taking simvastatin are on the 20mg and 40mg dose.
The FDA said patients experiencing muscle pain, tenderness or weakness, urine that is dark or red-coloured, or unexplained tiredness, should contact their doctor.
The UK drugs regulator said the side effects are known about and included in patient information with the medication.
A spokesman for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said: "The 80 mg per day dose is only recommended in patients with severe hypercholesterolaemia and at high risk for cardiovascular complications.
"Myalgia (complaints of muscle aches) is a common side effect of statins, including simvastatin. It is recognised that very rarely statins can cause more serious muscle damage (myopathy) which in some cases may be life-threatening.
"There are comprehensive warnings in the product information for prescribers and in the Patient Information Leaflet.
"These warnings advise that the risk of muscle injury is greater: at higher doses of simvastatin; when used in combination with certain other medicines including amiodarone (a medicine used for an irregular heart beat) and other medicines that are recognised to increase the risk of myopathy; and in certain patient groups including those who are more than 70 years old, those with kidney or thyroid problems, those who consume large amounts of alcohol, and those with a history of previous muscle problems during treatment with statins or other lipid lowering drugs.
"As with all marketed medicines the safety of simvastatin is kept under continuous review by the MHRA."
Ellen Mason, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said: “Simvastatin remains a widely used and well researched drug, which has been around for many years and serious muscle damage is rare.
"It is considered a safe drug for many people in the UK to take. The benefits of statins in lowering cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of a heart attack are clear.
“Only a small number of people with very high levels of cholesterol would need to take the maximum dose of simvastatin. Any concerned patients who are taking the highest prescribed dose and experience muscle weakness or pain should speak to their GP.”

More on Herbs for Health: cancer, malaria

UW scientists report success in herb enhanced to fight cancer 

Drug now used against malaria
Last updated October 13, 2008

 
By TOM PAULSON
P-I REPORTER

Seattle scientists have developed a new technique for improving a common Chinese herb's ability to attack cancer cells that they say appears, in laboratory tests at least, to be much more precise and less likely to cause the kind of toxic side effects accompanying most standard chemotherapy drugs today.

The herb, artemisinin, or sweet wormwood, is an ancient Chinese medicinal herb already commonly used to treat malaria worldwide. Because its effect in the body is relatively brief, it is often used in a pharmaceutical combination with other routine anti-malarial drugs -- an approach known as ACT, artemisinin-based combination therapy. "It's quite effective against cancer cells as well," said Tomikazu Sasaki, a chemistry professor at the University of Washington and lead author of a report on this in the current online issue of Cancer Letters.
Sasaki said his co-authors, UW bioengineers Henry Lai and Narendra Singh, began looking into the possibility of using this herb as an anti-cancer drug in the mid-1990s. Since then, he said, others have done studies on artemisinin's ability in laboratory cell cultures to kill cancer cells. But there wasn't much understanding exactly how this happened or how to improve upon the herb's ability to target cancer and avoid healthy cells.
"The connection here is iron," explained Sasaki.
Artemisinin is good at killing malaria parasites because it reacts and becomes highly toxic in the presence of iron, he said. Malaria parasites cause illness in humans by consuming red blood cells, which contain iron in the hemoglobin protein that carries oxygen in the blood. Similarly, cancer cells use lots of iron as they proliferate in tumors.
Recognizing this connection, Lai and Singh in the 1990s began exploring the possibility of using this Chinese herb as a cancer drug. They continued to publish about it, and the UW patented the idea. Sasaki joined the team in 2000, and the scientists formed a local company, Artemisia Biomedical Inc., to explore how to turn this into a commercial drug therapy.
In the report published this month, the UW trio describe how they have created their own kind of artemisinin compound to enhance the herb's cancer-killing abilities. Basically, the scientists manipulated the herb's protein surface and boosted it with iron. When the cancer cells consume the compound, it releases toxic chemicals that kill the cells.
"The compound is like a little bomb-carrying monkey riding on the back of a Trojan horse," Lai said in a statement accompanying the report. Lai, who is perhaps best known publicly for his controversial studies linking cancer and cell phone use, is not afraid to mix humor with science, let alone metaphors.
Most chemotherapy drugs today have serious side effects, Sasaki said, because they generally kill one healthy cell for every 10 cancer cells. The UW's artemisinin compound used in cell cultures and in rats with breast cancer showed much better targeting and less collateral damage -- killing about 12,000 cancer cells for every healthy cell killed. Even regular artemisinin, without the UW alteration, only kills one good cell for every 100 cancer cells, he said.
"Normal cells don't use iron very often," Sasaki said. "When we deliver this artemisinin-iron package to cancer cells, we have much higher selectivity and much less toxic side effects."
Given that the herb is in wide use and readily available for only a few dollars a dose, why wouldn't someone with cancer just go out and take the drug?
"We see patients doing all kind of things based on findings in animal tests," said Dr. Daniel Labriola, a naturopathic physician in Ballard who is also medical director for naturopathic care at the Swedish Cancer Institute and Seattle Children's hospital. "There are a lot of people using this already."
That's risky business at this point, Labriola warned, because there is still no solid evidence this is either effective or safe. Given that cancer cells love iron, he noted, delivering an herbal package full of iron could actually cause harm and make the cancer worse. Many cancer patients used to take anti-oxidants such as vitamin C to supplement their drugs, Labriola noted, until scientific studies showed the supplements actually counteracted the chemo.
"We have to do a lot more studies on efficacy and toxicity before testing in humans," agreed Sasaki. Given artemisinin's wide use as an anti-malarial drug, he said, it is likely to be safe for most uses. Sasaki said he also was aware of local doctors prescribing artemisinin to cancer patients, some of them reporting great success in individual cases.
But more study is required to show scientifically that this approach can work and not cause harm, Sasaki said. "This is very exciting, but it will be many years before we can get this into regular medical practice," he said.

---

P-I reporter Tom Paulson can be reached at 206-448-8318 or tompaulson@seattlepi.com.
© 1998-2010 Seattle Post-Intelligencer

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/383135_cancerherb14.html

Some of the 20+ articles re Malaria from Natural Health News

Malaria: Get to something that works

Apr 19, 2010

LONDON – Health groups have spent more than a billion dollars and bought millions of bednets to fight malaria, and 20 African countries have increased their bednet coverage at least fivefold, new research says.

Malaria Resistant to Drugs

May 31, 2009

ABUJA (AFP) – A rise in insecticide resistant mosquitoes has become the latest threat to combating malaria in Nigeria, where roughly up to 300000 people die each year from the killer disease, experts have warned. ...

Supplements 'reduce malaria toll'

Feb 08, 2008

Feb 08, 2008

UPDATE: Stephen Fisher, a missionary in Zambia is very successful using iodine to treat people with malaria. He used 20 drops of Iodine in a half glass of water given 4 or 5 times during the first day and then decreased the dose to 10 ...

Mosquitoes inherit DEET resistance

May 04, 2010

He next wants to test the evolution of DEET sensitivity using wild populations of mosquitoes, including those that spread malaria. "We're not saying that repellents shouldn't be used," he says. "But we have to understand how they work ...