"...someone might be skeptical and say, well, normally you tell us 36,000 people died in an average flu season and we've only had 12,000 deaths. So this sounds like a pretty good year."
Read the complete story:
http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04051002/CDC_Death_Problem.html
31 Ocak 2011 Pazartesi
Two New Drug Risk Warnings from FDA
Estradiol Spray May Pose Risk for Kids and Pets - Menopausal women who use a spray form of topical estradiol (Evamist) to control hot flushes should avoid touching children and pets with treated areas of the skin, the FDA warned.
The agency said it had received eight reports of children ages 3 to 5 who showed breast enlargement and other signs of estrogen exposure after contact with women using the product.
Directions for use of the product -- approved in 2007 -- call for it to be sprayed onto the inside of the forearm.
"Patients should make sure that children are not exposed to Evamist and that children do not come into contact with any skin area where the drug was applied. Women who cannot avoid contact with children should wear a garment with long sleeves to cover the application site," the FDA recommended.
Continue reading: Product Alert, Rx from MedPage Today: http://bit.ly/cgDlVj
In 2007, the daptomycin label was amended to include pulmonary eosinophilia as a potential adverse reaction.
Continue reading: Product Alert, Prescriptions from MedPage Today: http://bit.ly/a7JXoc
Learn more about these drugs at RxList
The agency said it had received eight reports of children ages 3 to 5 who showed breast enlargement and other signs of estrogen exposure after contact with women using the product.
Directions for use of the product -- approved in 2007 -- call for it to be sprayed onto the inside of the forearm.
"Patients should make sure that children are not exposed to Evamist and that children do not come into contact with any skin area where the drug was applied. Women who cannot avoid contact with children should wear a garment with long sleeves to cover the application site," the FDA recommended.
Continue reading: Product Alert, Rx from MedPage Today: http://bit.ly/cgDlVj
FDA Finds Pneumonia Risk with Daptomycin - The FDA said that the intravenous antibiotic daptomycin (Cubicin) may be linked to an increased risk of eosinophilic pneumonia -- a rare but serious potential side effect -- and requested that a new drug label warning be added.
The agency reviewed the medical literature and adverse event reports for daptomycin and identified seven cases of eosinophilic pneumonia between 2004 and 2010 "that were most likely associated with Cubicin" on the basis of six criteria, the agency indicated in a Drug Safety Communication.
"Based on these reviews, FDA determined that eosinophilic pneumonia can be associated with Cubicin use and requested that the manufacturer of Cubicin include this information in the Warnings and Precautions and Adverse Reactions, Post-Marketing Experience sections of the drug label," according to the statement.In 2007, the daptomycin label was amended to include pulmonary eosinophilia as a potential adverse reaction.
Continue reading: Product Alert, Prescriptions from MedPage Today: http://bit.ly/a7JXoc
Learn more about these drugs at RxList
29 Ocak 2011 Cumartesi
Phytoplankton Population Drops
The decline - about 1% per year - could be ecologically significant as plankton sit at the base of marine food chains. Algal blooms can be imaged from space
Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950
Researchers find trouble among phytoplankton, the base of the food chain, which has implications for the marine food web and the world's carbon cycle.
The amount of phytoplankton - tiny marine plants - in the top layers of the oceans has declined markedly over the last century, research suggests.
They made their finding by looking at records of the transparency of sea water, which is affected by the plants.
Ayurveda: 93% of wild medicinal plants in endangered
NEW DELHI: Ninety three per cent of wild medicinal plants used for making ayurvedic medicines in the country are endangered and the government is trying to relocate them from their usual habitat to protect them.
The threat to the plants came to the fore in an assessment exercise in different states carried out by the Botanical Survey of India.
The assessments were done for a total of 359 prioritized wild medicinal plant species. Out of this, 335 have been assigned Red List status ranging from critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable to near-threatened.
In addition, a total of 15 such species recorded in trade have been found threatened, officials in the health ministry's Ayush department said.
Some of the rare plants reported to be threatened, have been relocated during the last decade, including Utleria Salicifolia and Hydnocarpus Pentandra in Western Ghats, Gymnocladus Assamicus and Begonia Tessaricarpa from Arunachal Pradesh and Agapetes Smithiana in Sikkim.
The assessments have involved conducting Conservation Assessment and Management Prioritisation using International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List Categories.
The officials said the medicinal plant resources in the country are threatened by over exploitation to meet the demand of herbal industries.
As per the information received from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, about 95 per cent of such plants are harvested from the wild, primarily from forests.
The National Medicinal Plants Board constituted in November 2000, has been implementing a Central sector scheme for development and cultivation of medicinal plants since 2000-01.
This scheme was revised and renamed as "Central Sector Scheme for Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants" during 2008-09.
States forest departments have been given assistance for protection and propagation of such endangered species, especially used by the herbal industries.
Projects for setting up of 29 Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas (MPCAs) have also been implemented in the states covering mainly the medicinal plants viz Asoka, Guggal and Dashmool varieties.
The scheme is being implemented with an outlay of Rs 321.30 crore during the 11th Plan.
In addition, a new "Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Mission on Medicinal Plants" with a total outlay of Rs 630 crore is being implemented since 2008-09 by National Medicinal Plants Board. A total of 24 states have been covered under the scheme.
The threat to the plants came to the fore in an assessment exercise in different states carried out by the Botanical Survey of India.
The assessments were done for a total of 359 prioritized wild medicinal plant species. Out of this, 335 have been assigned Red List status ranging from critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable to near-threatened.
In addition, a total of 15 such species recorded in trade have been found threatened, officials in the health ministry's Ayush department said.
Some of the rare plants reported to be threatened, have been relocated during the last decade, including Utleria Salicifolia and Hydnocarpus Pentandra in Western Ghats, Gymnocladus Assamicus and Begonia Tessaricarpa from Arunachal Pradesh and Agapetes Smithiana in Sikkim.
The assessments have involved conducting Conservation Assessment and Management Prioritisation using International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List Categories.
The officials said the medicinal plant resources in the country are threatened by over exploitation to meet the demand of herbal industries.
As per the information received from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, about 95 per cent of such plants are harvested from the wild, primarily from forests.
The National Medicinal Plants Board constituted in November 2000, has been implementing a Central sector scheme for development and cultivation of medicinal plants since 2000-01.
This scheme was revised and renamed as "Central Sector Scheme for Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants" during 2008-09.
States forest departments have been given assistance for protection and propagation of such endangered species, especially used by the herbal industries.
Projects for setting up of 29 Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas (MPCAs) have also been implemented in the states covering mainly the medicinal plants viz Asoka, Guggal and Dashmool varieties.
The scheme is being implemented with an outlay of Rs 321.30 crore during the 11th Plan.
In addition, a new "Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Mission on Medicinal Plants" with a total outlay of Rs 630 crore is being implemented since 2008-09 by National Medicinal Plants Board. A total of 24 states have been covered under the scheme.
Flying High on SSRIs
Now that the FAA has lifted the ban on pilots using SSRI antidepressants, perhaps you'd like to read this commentary excerpt from another natural health advocate -
"Dr. Peter Breggin, a court certified psychiatric expert and author of numerous books on psychiatric drugs, reveals how GSK not only concealed negative studies, but also manipulated data about Paxil-induced suicidality so that actual suicide attempts in clinical trials were underreported, while attempts by subjects taking a placebo were inflated. According to Dr. Breggin, drug companies settle almost all lawsuits out of court in order to seal incriminating scientific data. “This deprives the FDA, medical profession and public of critical information on drug safety and efficacy,” he says.
There were 39,000 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA’s Medwatch, according to award-winning investigative reporter, Robert Whitaker. And that number is said to represent only about 1% of the actual number of adverse events. “So, if we get 39,000 adverse event reports about Prozac,” Mr. Whitaker said in an interview for Street Spirit in August 2005, “the number of people who have actually suffered such problems is estimated to be 100 times as many, or roughly four million people.” Complete article
28 Ocak 2011 Cuma
The patient is the best historian
Medical education is a form of brainwashing, not too different than educating future lawyers. Most higher education is not far removed, because it is the major way, just as in the days of the Guilds, that a trade or profession was continued. Keeping the education process in a narrow perspective fosters the culture in that field, and perpetuates the lack of growth and change, new ideas, or new approaches.
One thing that used to be a Golden Rule in health care was the importance of listening to your patient. Today, this is not always possible because of the tight control of the bottom line over health care practices by administrators and insurers, as well as the pharmaceutical companies.
I listen to my clients and often hear them tell me of their frustration with doctors who look at a computer, not at them, and type while talking. Others just say that the doctor just doesn't listen. I another case the person has told me that the doctor forces her beliefs against natural treatment and makes this person feel demeaned. The complaints and horror stories fill a book.
This recent UPI article points to this concern, so perhaps you'll see some effort to begin listening to patients come around once again.
One thing that used to be a Golden Rule in health care was the importance of listening to your patient. Today, this is not always possible because of the tight control of the bottom line over health care practices by administrators and insurers, as well as the pharmaceutical companies.
I listen to my clients and often hear them tell me of their frustration with doctors who look at a computer, not at them, and type while talking. Others just say that the doctor just doesn't listen. I another case the person has told me that the doctor forces her beliefs against natural treatment and makes this person feel demeaned. The complaints and horror stories fill a book.
This recent UPI article points to this concern, so perhaps you'll see some effort to begin listening to patients come around once again.
Physicians often misjudge patient beliefs
HERSHEY, Pa., July 28 (UPI) -- Doctors often guess wrong about their patients' health beliefs, U.S. researchers found.
Dr. Richard Street from Texas A&M University in College Station and Dr. Paul Haidet of Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey found patients' health beliefs differ from their physicians' perception of these beliefs, and suggest doctors pay more attention to what their patients have to say.
The study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, found physicians generally do not have a good understanding of patient's health beliefs, but their understanding is significantly better when patients more actively participate.
"If physicians had a better understanding of their patients' beliefs about health, they could address any misconceptions or differences of opinion they had with the patient regarding the nature, severity, and treatment of their illnesses as well as make treatment recommendations better suited to the patient's life circumstances," Street said in a statement. "Encouraging the patient to be more involved in the consultation by expressing their beliefs and concerns is one way physicians can gain this understanding."
Street, Haidet and colleagues analyzed 207 audio-recorded physician-patient consultations as well as surveys about the cause, treatment and other aspects of the patients health condition conducted by both physicians and patients after the consultation. Physicians were also asked about how they thought the patients responded.
© 2010 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Dental Health Comes from Good Nutrition
Good dental health really does come from good nutrition, not from fluoride in water, pills or toothpaste.
Other things that make good additions to your dental health program are brushing with plain soap (which isn't bad tasting after you try it) and using calcium lactate powder added to your healthy, additive free toothpaste.
More information can be found here and here
Other things that make good additions to your dental health program are brushing with plain soap (which isn't bad tasting after you try it) and using calcium lactate powder added to your healthy, additive free toothpaste.
More information can be found here and here
Dental gel could end dental drill use
Published: July 27, 2010 at 11:04 PMPARIS, July 27 (UPI) -- The dentist's drill may be thing of the past for smaller cavities thanks to a new dental gel that promotes regeneration of teeth, French researchers say.
The gel, containing melanocyte-stimulating hormone, works by encouraging cells in the tooth to multiply. The cells replace the cells in the decayed tissue and the tooth is restored to a healthy tooth.
Researchers at the National Institute for Health and Medical Research in Paris investigated the regenerative properties of the hormone and found it effective in producing new cells.
In addition to replacing traditional fillings, the gel may end the need for the dentist's drill in certain circumstances, but the treatment is not suitable for severe decay.
The findings are published in the American Chemical Society journal.
© 2010 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
27 Ocak 2011 Perşembe
Things Go Differently in Bulgaria
In the US we have given another boost to PhRMA profits in the bug buy of flu vaccine last year. Unfortunately our health pundits avoid wrath and punishment.
More than half the government's massive stockpile of H1N1 vaccines remain unused and are set to expire, six months after health officials scrambled to prepare and distribute adequate quantities of the antidote. The H1N1 vaccine program cost the government $1.6 billion. More than half the doses are likely to get thrown away.
Health official charged in flu vaccine buy
Bulgaria, April 2 (UPI) -- Bulgarian Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev resigned after being charged with corruption in the purchase of unnecessary H1N1 flu vaccine doses.
Nanev, 57, was charged with overspending on 200,000 doses of vaccine from the highest bidder weeks after a flu epidemic had ended, The Sofia Echo reported.
Prosecutors allege Nanev signed a deal with Swiss drug maker Roche in December that cost more than $1.6 million more than a lower bid received 20 days earlier from Britain's National Health Service.
Nanev denied the charge and was free on bail, the EU Observer said.
The vaccine is in storage and has a 2014 expiration date, the Echo said.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2010/04/02/Health-official-charged-in-flu-vaccine-buy/UPI-36861270211712/
Bulgaria, April 2 (UPI) -- Bulgarian Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev resigned after being charged with corruption in the purchase of unnecessary H1N1 flu vaccine doses.
Nanev, 57, was charged with overspending on 200,000 doses of vaccine from the highest bidder weeks after a flu epidemic had ended, The Sofia Echo reported.
Prosecutors allege Nanev signed a deal with Swiss drug maker Roche in December that cost more than $1.6 million more than a lower bid received 20 days earlier from Britain's National Health Service.
Nanev denied the charge and was free on bail, the EU Observer said.
The vaccine is in storage and has a 2014 expiration date, the Echo said.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2010/04/02/Health-official-charged-in-flu-vaccine-buy/UPI-36861270211712/
26 Ocak 2011 Çarşamba
Another No Suprise News Piece: Doctors too lazy to properly diagnose
HealthierTalk is a website that publishes some of the articles I write that are not posted on Natural Health News. This note is from their editor and it is certainly worth sharing with NHN readers.
To me, it is certainly no surprise because I hear this from so many people and see it with my clients. It is one of the key reasons when over a decade ago we created our sleuthing service.
Read related article
As we are moving into unchartered territory under health insurance reform, it is best to be well advised, and aware!
To me, it is certainly no surprise because I hear this from so many people and see it with my clients. It is one of the key reasons when over a decade ago we created our sleuthing service.
Read related article
As we are moving into unchartered territory under health insurance reform, it is best to be well advised, and aware!
What would you say if I told you that your doctor was going to put you on heavy-duty anti-depressants...but not because you are depressed...simple because he was just too lazy to read? It sounds crazy right? Unfortunately--as a new study about to be published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry reveals--it's quite common.
Turns out that an astounding 75% of general practice docs...and an additional 25% of psychiatrists...are choosing to ignore their own guidelines when diagnosing major depressive disorder (MDD).
Those guidelines, set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), exist to give doctors the guidance they need and to protect us from being misdiagnosed and improperly treated. But, of course, they only can work if doctors follow them.
When a group of doctors were asked how often they are using the DSM-IV when diagnosing depression, the majority of them answered the multiple-choice question with "less than half of the time."
The author of the study, psychiatrist Dr. Mark Zimmerman, offered up the whiz-bang theory that doctors may not be using the DSM-IV criteria because it's very long and some may not be able to recall all of it.
Umm...excuse me?! He's got to be kidding. The results of the study would have been ridiculous enough on their own. But Dr. Zimmerman's observations send this one right past ridiculous straight to shocking.
Let's see if I can break this one down:
- The criteria for diagnosing a person with a serious illness are just too long for doctors to recall.
- And apparently it is too much trouble for them to actually pull them out and read through them when they can't remember them.
- So, instead, my doctor embracing his laziness, chooses to throw caution to the wind, ignore the guidelines, and pronounces me "seriously depressed."
- Out comes the prescription pad and, next thing I know, I am doped up on some serious medication(s) to treat my illness. Only problem is, I wasn't even depressed to begin with.
Zimmerman went on to helpfully suggest that perhaps we should shorten up the definition of MDD to assist the docs...who are blatantly ignoring the guidelines...to get their diagnoses right.
I suppose just expecting doctors to do their job would be too much to ask?
If you'd like to see what's in the DSM-IV you can take a look at it here. Better yet, you might want to be sure your doctor has the link.
A Question Regarding Lithium
During the past 24 hours a Natural Health News reader was searching for information about the use of lithium and any connection it may have with Alzheimer's Disease.
Lithium is often used in mental health for people with the alleged diagnosis of Bipolar dis-order or also referred to as manic-depressive illness.
Using lithium has some serious side effects to consider, the major one leading to severe thyroid problems. Regular blood testing is required. Lithium toxicity is a risk as is retention with diuretic use or kidney function issues.
Proper function of the thyroid is important in aging and memory issues. I have mentioned many times that in the past those physicians who were well educated about aging and dementia routinely prescribed vitamin B12 shots and natural thyroid. Dementia was very infrequent during this time, about 40-60 years ago. Some more informed physicians today are returning to this protocol.
Acute Lithium Intoxification
Lithium is often used in mental health for people with the alleged diagnosis of Bipolar dis-order or also referred to as manic-depressive illness.
Using lithium has some serious side effects to consider, the major one leading to severe thyroid problems. Regular blood testing is required. Lithium toxicity is a risk as is retention with diuretic use or kidney function issues.
Proper function of the thyroid is important in aging and memory issues. I have mentioned many times that in the past those physicians who were well educated about aging and dementia routinely prescribed vitamin B12 shots and natural thyroid. Dementia was very infrequent during this time, about 40-60 years ago. Some more informed physicians today are returning to this protocol.
Acute Lithium Intoxification
Natural Health News: Health Concerns for Gulf Coast Residents
UPDATE: 25 August
UPDATE: 21 August
A new study has found a higher incidence of respiratory problems and chromosomal changes to white blood cells among fishermen who helped clean up a 2002 oil spill off the Spanish coast, providing a guide to potential flashpoints that may arise as federal scientists begin studying the long-term health of responders to this summer's Gulf of Mexico gusher.The exposed workers were examined two years after their contact with spilled oil, when "a greater proportion" of that group was found to still experience respiratory symptoms such as wheezing and nighttime shortness of breath, the study's authors wrote. Chromosomal abnormalities in white blood cells, considered a potential marker for heightened cancer risk, was also detected at higher rates in fishermen who regularly came in contact with oil during cleanup work.
UPDATE: 21 August
Oil Enters Food Chain: The recent discovery of trace amounts of oil in blue crab larvae has left experts forecasting dire news for the Gulf ecosystem. It’s evidence that the oil from the spill loosed from the Deepwater Horizon explosion has already begun working its way up the food chain — where it could be fatal to animals who ingest it. Read more...
Newly Discovered Oil-Eating Microbe Flourishing in Gulf -
WASHINGTON (Aug. 24) -- A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe is suddenly flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Scientists discovered the new microbe while studying the underwater dispersion of millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf following the explosion of BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.And the microbe works without significantly depleting oxygen in the water, researchers led by Terry Hazen at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., reported Tuesday in the online journal Sciencexpress.Science / AAAS / APIn this image provide by the journal Science, microbes degrade oil, indicated by the circle of dashes, in the deepwater plume from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, as documented in a study by Berkeley Lab researchers.
UPDATE: 3 August
Public Health - Many of you have written to us asking about the health effects of oil and dispersants to cleanup workers and communities. You can read about potential health hazards here: www.sciencecorps.org/crudeoilhazards.htm If you suspect you are ill from chemical exposure, you may contact detox specialists at The Environmental Health Center - Dallas. For other health resources, click here.
UPDATE FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS! - Dr. Michael Harbut has provided up-to-date information for physicians. Michael R. Harbut, M.D., M.P.H. is a Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine at Wayne State University, Director of the Karmanos Cancer Institute's Environmental Cancer Program & Past Chair of the Occupational & Environmental Medicine section of the American College of Chest Physicians. He is Chief at the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, P.C. and has treated many patients with solvents and petroleum exposures. Click here to read Dr. Harbut's recommendations.
What Are the Potential Physical Health Effects From the Gulf Oil Spill?
An Expert Interview With Vikas Kapil, DO, MPH, From the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
25 Ocak 2011 Salı
New Health Bill and Tax Provisions
Tax Provisions in the Health Care Act
MARCH 22, 2010
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), passed by Congress on Sunday, contains numerous tax provisions.
The Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872), which also passed the House on Sunday, contains many other tax items, including extending the general exclusion for reimbursements for medical care expenses under an employer-provided accident or health plan to any child of an employee who has not attained age 27 as of the end of the tax year and codifying the economic substance doctrine. The reconciliation bill has not yet passed the Senate.
Among the many tax provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are the following:
More to consider re: Health Reform
A time to consider taking responsibility for your health. You can do it!
Seniors wary of health overhaul impact on Medicare
N.Y. Times columnist: Death panels will save 'a lot of money'
Health Care Battle Ends; War on Social Security Begins
Refer to this article for more information.
Seniors wary of health overhaul impact on Medicare
N.Y. Times columnist: Death panels will save 'a lot of money'
Health Care Battle Ends; War on Social Security Begins
Refer to this article for more information.
Soaring cancer rates in Fallujah; DU suspected
Simply4Health: Veteran's Resources - DU
WAR:
Cancer rate in Fallujah worse than Hiroshima
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jul2010/fall-j23.shtml
Fallujah
http://www.ufppc.org/us-a-world-news-mainmenu-35/9836-news-scientific-study-shows-soaring-cancer-rates-in-fallujah-du-suspected.html
Cancer, Infant Mortality and Birth Sex-Ratio in Fallujah, Iraq 2005–2009
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/7/7/2828/pdf
The Independent 24.7.10
TOXIC LEGACY OF U.S ASSAULT ON FALLUJAH 'WORSE THAN HIROSHIMA'
Investigations by Dr. Chris Busby and others into the high levels of birth defects and cancers in Fallujah after the Iraq war, show a 12-fold increase in childhood cancers, increased leukaemia, lymphoma, a 10-fold increase in female breast cancer, & found a cocktail of possible causes including toxic agents from explosives, radiation etc. Published in 'International Journal of Environmental Studies & Public Health.' From the report "Cancer, Infant Mortality & Birth-Sex Ratios in Fallujah, Iraq, 2005-2009." It says the actual cause remains unknown.
(Edward's comments: Toxicology reports on those affected should show high levels of the causative agents, so it would no longer be 'cause unknown'.)
Cancer rate in Fallujah worse than Hiroshima
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jul2010/fall-j23.shtml
Fallujah
http://www.ufppc.org/us-a-world-news-mainmenu-35/9836-news-scientific-study-shows-soaring-cancer-rates-in-fallujah-du-suspected.html
Cancer, Infant Mortality and Birth Sex-Ratio in Fallujah, Iraq 2005–2009
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/7/7/2828/pdf
The Independent 24.7.10
TOXIC LEGACY OF U.S ASSAULT ON FALLUJAH 'WORSE THAN HIROSHIMA'
Investigations by Dr. Chris Busby and others into the high levels of birth defects and cancers in Fallujah after the Iraq war, show a 12-fold increase in childhood cancers, increased leukaemia, lymphoma, a 10-fold increase in female breast cancer, & found a cocktail of possible causes including toxic agents from explosives, radiation etc. Published in 'International Journal of Environmental Studies & Public Health.' From the report "Cancer, Infant Mortality & Birth-Sex Ratios in Fallujah, Iraq, 2005-2009." It says the actual cause remains unknown.
(Edward's comments: Toxicology reports on those affected should show high levels of the causative agents, so it would no longer be 'cause unknown'.)
24 Ocak 2011 Pazartesi
Crackdown on pesticide use
I have had experience with EPA, most specifically in Region X that covers most of the Pacific Northwest. My experience comes from the fact that I volunteer for the Silver Valley Community Resource Center. I know about the bureaucracy in Washington state too because for more than 30 years I have lived there.
I frequently offer this information when I present one of the Green Living programs I began teaching in the mid-late 80s.
I like to tell about Gary Locke, now at the Commerce Department in D.C., who while a state legislator proposed legislation to block fertilizer from coming into or being used in Washington if it contained heavy metals or other toxic substances. This hasn't had great outcomes. The protected EPA and Washington state bureaucrats get away without too many proven successes too.
Then there are the fish folks around Puget Sound who were and may still be concerned about farm and garden chemicals and fluoride in the water supply, and the effect it has on marine life.
Well, as a shrink I know at Harvard used to say when an undergrad at Princeton, here we are!
I guess I just have to say - what has taken you all so damn long to act? And where the hell are the outcomes that should have shown up 30 years ago?
You might wonder too...
More on EPA irregularities
I frequently offer this information when I present one of the Green Living programs I began teaching in the mid-late 80s.
I like to tell about Gary Locke, now at the Commerce Department in D.C., who while a state legislator proposed legislation to block fertilizer from coming into or being used in Washington if it contained heavy metals or other toxic substances. This hasn't had great outcomes. The protected EPA and Washington state bureaucrats get away without too many proven successes too.
Then there are the fish folks around Puget Sound who were and may still be concerned about farm and garden chemicals and fluoride in the water supply, and the effect it has on marine life.
Well, as a shrink I know at Harvard used to say when an undergrad at Princeton, here we are!
I guess I just have to say - what has taken you all so damn long to act? And where the hell are the outcomes that should have shown up 30 years ago?
You might wonder too...
by Les Blumenthal - Jul. 25, 2010, McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON - The nation's farmers could face severe restrictions on the use of pesticides as environmentalists want the courts to force federal regulators to protect endangered species from the ill effects of agricultural chemicals.A ruling eight years ago by a federal judge in Seattle required the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Environmental Protection Agency to review whether 54 pesticides, herbicides and fungicides were jeopardizing troubled West Coast salmon runs.
The agencies moved recently to restrict the use of three of the chemicals, including a widely used one with the trade name Sevin, near bodies of water that flow into salmon-bearing streams, and they're considering restrictions on 12 additional chemicals. The Washington State Department of Agriculture says such restrictions would prevent pesticide use on 75 percent of the state's farmland. Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/07/25/20100725env-pesticides0725.html#ixzz0uiQ9h92Q
More on EPA irregularities
23 Ocak 2011 Pazar
News BUZZ not worth the words: Vitamins & Breast Cancer
I just heard Wolf Blitzer report on this story, and I heard it on the noon news today, as well as in an email sent to me yesterday.
Knowing this infinitesimal bit of BUZZ, I am sure this will be all over the evening network news, and regular news for days. Sanjay Gupta is just about to reply on this "headliner". Gupta says it is an association that something in a multi-vitamin may lead to this 19% reported increased risk. He also gives that tired and biased caveat about being able to get all you nutrition from your diet. Not a chance if you eat like those people Jaime Oliver is trying to educate.
If you are a thinking person, please to not fall prey to this BUZZ glut.
And please take the time to review the following commentary I developed at the request of a major news director who is interested in reporting fact, not BUZZ. It is a well known fact that the more times you hear sound bites, the faster you tend to believe them.
Don't become a sheeple...and please read this excerpt from my comments - it is your best insurance against propaganda spread via mainstream media, talking heads, and Big PhRMA. (for the complete article, request it by contacting me)
A Word to the Wise By Gayle Eversole, DHom, PhD, MH, NP, ND
In an article recently published on the web site eFitnessNow. a group of people provide you with what they believe to be useful health oriented information.I looked over this entire website and no where could I find any information about the staff and their qualifications as editors, or any information about their backgrounds in health or related health professions.
This may appear cynical on the surface, but it is important to understand today’s way of providing “news” and the way in which it can affect your beliefs.
Recently I listened to an interview on NPR addressing MRSA.I have an interest in this topic as it is something I have been working on with natural and creative approaches since 1993.
I realized that all the journalist-author really did in her book was to compile an amount of data that had already been reported in the news. She also spoke with “researchers” about whom these news articles had been written. There are a lot of reports of findings, yet no constructive outcome or effective treatment has been discovered.
The author and interviewer also avoided looking at other options that the accepted standard mainstream models.
This brings me to an article I posted on my blog, Natural Health News, in February 2009, titled ‘How Mainstream Media Distorts Health Information”.
We know that there is, and has been, a directed effort to limit you access to vitamins and supplements, and an effort also to try to sway your opinion to the ideas that you can get all the needed nutrients from food and supplements do not help prevent or heal disease.
These concepts have been proven, over and over again, to be false.
But, you must consider that this article reports only a ‘meta-anlysis’.
A meta-analysis is a statistical method attributed to Gene Glass, as defined in the following synopsis -
http://www.bii.a-star.edu.sg/docs/mig/MetaAnalysis.pdf
•In 1976, Glass coined the term meta-analysis
http://glass.ed.asu.edu/gene/papers/meta25.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_V._Glass
statistical analysis of a large collection of analysis results from individual studies for the purpose of integrating the findings.(Glass, 1976, p3)
•Meta-analysis techniques are needed because only summary statistics are typically available in the literature.
•Often used in medical and psychological studies.
Now that you have the background information, let’s move on to the article in question, as reported by eFitnessNow.
If you analyze this statement, “Women who took daily vitamins were 19 percent more likely to develop breast cancer. 9,000 women in the study were vitamin users with 293 developing the often fatal disease.” , you find that the statistical impact is 0.03%.
And if you analyze this statement, “Only 681 of the remaining 26,000 women developed breast cancer.” , you find that the statistical impact is 0.02%.
And in conclusion, the report says, “A relatively small number of women who took the daily vitamins were diagnosed with breast cancer, which lends to the suggestion that if there is a risk, it is very modest.”
The moral of this story is don’t be fooled by headlines, and yes, digest what you read.
If you do a search for Dr. Susanna C. Larrson you can locate over one hundred articles based on meta-analysis of existing research. She has yet to respond to the inquiry I sent. Also note that there is no definition of exactly what multi-vitamins were used in the studies.
This is a critical concern, as most vitamin studies done in the mainstream use low quality, synthetic or too low dose products.
Complete article posted here
Knowing this infinitesimal bit of BUZZ, I am sure this will be all over the evening network news, and regular news for days. Sanjay Gupta is just about to reply on this "headliner". Gupta says it is an association that something in a multi-vitamin may lead to this 19% reported increased risk. He also gives that tired and biased caveat about being able to get all you nutrition from your diet. Not a chance if you eat like those people Jaime Oliver is trying to educate.
If you are a thinking person, please to not fall prey to this BUZZ glut.
And please take the time to review the following commentary I developed at the request of a major news director who is interested in reporting fact, not BUZZ. It is a well known fact that the more times you hear sound bites, the faster you tend to believe them.
Don't become a sheeple...and please read this excerpt from my comments - it is your best insurance against propaganda spread via mainstream media, talking heads, and Big PhRMA. (for the complete article, request it by contacting me)
A Word to the Wise By Gayle Eversole, DHom, PhD, MH, NP, ND
In an article recently published on the web site eFitnessNow. a group of people provide you with what they believe to be useful health oriented information.I looked over this entire website and no where could I find any information about the staff and their qualifications as editors, or any information about their backgrounds in health or related health professions.
This may appear cynical on the surface, but it is important to understand today’s way of providing “news” and the way in which it can affect your beliefs.
Recently I listened to an interview on NPR addressing MRSA.I have an interest in this topic as it is something I have been working on with natural and creative approaches since 1993.
I realized that all the journalist-author really did in her book was to compile an amount of data that had already been reported in the news. She also spoke with “researchers” about whom these news articles had been written. There are a lot of reports of findings, yet no constructive outcome or effective treatment has been discovered.
The author and interviewer also avoided looking at other options that the accepted standard mainstream models.
This brings me to an article I posted on my blog, Natural Health News, in February 2009, titled ‘How Mainstream Media Distorts Health Information”.
We know that there is, and has been, a directed effort to limit you access to vitamins and supplements, and an effort also to try to sway your opinion to the ideas that you can get all the needed nutrients from food and supplements do not help prevent or heal disease.
These concepts have been proven, over and over again, to be false.
But, you must consider that this article reports only a ‘meta-anlysis’.
A meta-analysis is a statistical method attributed to Gene Glass, as defined in the following synopsis -
http://www.bii.a-star.edu.sg/docs/mig/MetaAnalysis.pdf
•In 1976, Glass coined the term meta-analysis
http://glass.ed.asu.edu/gene/papers/meta25.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_V._Glass
statistical analysis of a large collection of analysis results from individual studies for the purpose of integrating the findings.(Glass, 1976, p3)
•Meta-analysis techniques are needed because only summary statistics are typically available in the literature.
•Often used in medical and psychological studies.
Now that you have the background information, let’s move on to the article in question, as reported by eFitnessNow.
A startling connection between multi-vitamins and breast cancer occurrence has prompted doctors to caution older women against a daily multi-vitamin, unless absolutely needed. According to the results of a Swedish study, the vitamins may be linked to breast cancer.When you analyze this statement, “The study followed 35,000 Swedish women between the ages of 49 and 83 over a ten year period. All the women were cancer free at the onset, with 974 developing breast cancer throughout the course of the study.”, you find that the statistical impact is 0.02%.
The authors of the study cannot outright confirm the correlation between the two but suggest the matter needs further research. The study was led by Dr. Susanna C. Larsson of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. The study followed 35,000 Swedish women between the ages of 49 and 83 over a ten year period. All the women were cancer free at the onset, with 974 developing breast cancer throughout the course of the study.
Women who took daily vitamins were 19 percent more likely to develop breast cancer. 9,000 women in the study were vitamin users with 293 developing the often fatal disease. Only 681 of the remaining 26,000 women developed breast cancer. A relatively small number of women who took the daily vitamins were diagnosed with breast cancer, which lends to the suggestion that if there is a risk, it is very modest.
Larsson advises that women who are eating a well-balanced diet do not need a multi-vitamin.
The study has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
If you analyze this statement, “Women who took daily vitamins were 19 percent more likely to develop breast cancer. 9,000 women in the study were vitamin users with 293 developing the often fatal disease.” , you find that the statistical impact is 0.03%.
And if you analyze this statement, “Only 681 of the remaining 26,000 women developed breast cancer.” , you find that the statistical impact is 0.02%.
And in conclusion, the report says, “A relatively small number of women who took the daily vitamins were diagnosed with breast cancer, which lends to the suggestion that if there is a risk, it is very modest.”
The moral of this story is don’t be fooled by headlines, and yes, digest what you read.
If you do a search for Dr. Susanna C. Larrson you can locate over one hundred articles based on meta-analysis of existing research. She has yet to respond to the inquiry I sent. Also note that there is no definition of exactly what multi-vitamins were used in the studies.
This is a critical concern, as most vitamin studies done in the mainstream use low quality, synthetic or too low dose products.
Complete article posted here
WalMart to Tag Clothing that Tracks YOU
UPDATE: 24 July - Privacy concerns raised as Wal-Mart puts smart tags on men’s clothing http://www.boston.com/business/markets/articles/2010/07/24/privacy_concerns_raised_as_wal_mart_puts_smart_tags_on_mens_clothing/
NOTE: If you have an "enhanced Driver's License" the RFID tag containing your personal data may be at risk of 'skimming' from WalMart's tag readers. Another risk as WM and others move to this technology is that it willplace you in a veritable mine filed of EMF pulsing. This could harm your health and certainly increase the risk to anyone working in such an environment for hours each day.
URGENT ALERT: WAL-MART TO BEGIN ITEM-LEVEL TAGGING CLOTHING WITH RFID
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED! PLEASE JOIN US IN OPPOSING WAL-MART'S RFID PLANS
Today the Wall Street Journal broke an enormous story: Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, has declared war on our privacy. The giant retailer has announced it will begin placing item-level RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tracking tags on clothing sold in its stores.
THIS IS HUGE NEWS. It is the first step to the planned roll-out of the Internet of Things, where global corporations like IBM, Procter & Gamble, and Wal-Mart's technology partner NCR plan to equip every product with a tracking device and use a network of RFID readers to monitor and observe YOU everywhere you go. It is the frightening world detailed in our book "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID," and it is finally coming to pass.
Unless we stop it, Wal-Mart's roll-out is scheduled to begin next month.
Here is the Wall Street Journal article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704421304575383213061198090.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories
As you know, RFID is a powerful tracking technology that raises unprecedented privacy concerns. Wal-Mart's plan does more than just threaten our privacy -- it is poised to become a direct threat to our freedom and civil liberties, as I will describe in future emails.
It is imperative that we immediately act to oppose Wal-Mart's RFID rollout. I have placed calls and given Wal-Mart an opportunity to respond, but as of this afternoon, Wal-Mart corporate executives and media representatives have not returned my calls.
In the meantime, we are formulating a response to Wal-Mart's plans that will protect consumers. I will keep you posted on this breaking story.
In freedom,
Katherine Albrecht, Ed.D.
Founder and Director of CASPIAN Consumer Privacy
Co-Author of Spychips
www.KatherineAlbrecht.com // www.spychips.com // www.antichips.com
=====================================================================
ABOUT CASPIAN
CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) is a grass-roots consumer group fighting retail surveillance schemes since 1999 and irresponsible RFID use since 2002. With thousands of members in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries worldwide, CASPIAN seeks to educate consumers about marketing strategies that invade their
privacy and encourage privacy-conscious shopping habits across the retail spectrum.
http://www.spychips.com/
http://www.antichips.com/
http://www.nocards.org/
You're welcome to duplicate and distribute this message to others who may find it of interest.
NOTE: If you have an "enhanced Driver's License" the RFID tag containing your personal data may be at risk of 'skimming' from WalMart's tag readers. Another risk as WM and others move to this technology is that it willplace you in a veritable mine filed of EMF pulsing. This could harm your health and certainly increase the risk to anyone working in such an environment for hours each day.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
URGENT ALERT: WAL-MART TO BEGIN ITEM-LEVEL TAGGING CLOTHING WITH RFID
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED! PLEASE JOIN US IN OPPOSING WAL-MART'S RFID PLANS
Today the Wall Street Journal broke an enormous story: Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, has declared war on our privacy. The giant retailer has announced it will begin placing item-level RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tracking tags on clothing sold in its stores.
THIS IS HUGE NEWS. It is the first step to the planned roll-out of the Internet of Things, where global corporations like IBM, Procter & Gamble, and Wal-Mart's technology partner NCR plan to equip every product with a tracking device and use a network of RFID readers to monitor and observe YOU everywhere you go. It is the frightening world detailed in our book "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID," and it is finally coming to pass.
Unless we stop it, Wal-Mart's roll-out is scheduled to begin next month.
Here is the Wall Street Journal article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704421304575383213061198090.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories
As you know, RFID is a powerful tracking technology that raises unprecedented privacy concerns. Wal-Mart's plan does more than just threaten our privacy -- it is poised to become a direct threat to our freedom and civil liberties, as I will describe in future emails.
It is imperative that we immediately act to oppose Wal-Mart's RFID rollout. I have placed calls and given Wal-Mart an opportunity to respond, but as of this afternoon, Wal-Mart corporate executives and media representatives have not returned my calls.
In the meantime, we are formulating a response to Wal-Mart's plans that will protect consumers. I will keep you posted on this breaking story.
In freedom,
Katherine Albrecht, Ed.D.
Founder and Director of CASPIAN Consumer Privacy
Co-Author of Spychips
www.KatherineAlbrecht.com // www.spychips.com // www.antichips.com
=====================================================================
ABOUT CASPIAN
CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) is a grass-roots consumer group fighting retail surveillance schemes since 1999 and irresponsible RFID use since 2002. With thousands of members in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries worldwide, CASPIAN seeks to educate consumers about marketing strategies that invade their
privacy and encourage privacy-conscious shopping habits across the retail spectrum.
http://www.spychips.com/
http://www.antichips.com/
http://www.nocards.org/
You're welcome to duplicate and distribute this message to others who may find it of interest.
22 Ocak 2011 Cumartesi
Taking Too Many Pills
There is a recent TV commercial for Crestor that has a woman explaining about how her doctor put her on the drug to help her reduce LDL, or what is marketed as " bad cholesterol".
When I hear this commercial I want to have equal time to explain something very important to doctors and to women. Since I don't have the gazillions of disposable income that the PhRMA companies have, I don't have a snowflake's chance in hell of this, so I'll address it here.
One of the most problematic health issues today is thyroid function. Part of the problem is that it is not only overlooked as important in today's Big Insurance+Big PhRMA controlled medical care, but it is also porrly diagnosed.
Yes, folks, the TSH test won't tell you " squat" !
What also is missing is that thyroid dysfunction cause your cholesterol level to rise.
Since this concept is basic physiology why is your doctor pushing a drug on you to lower cholesterol when properly evaluating thyroid function is a much better place to start?
This is also very much related to gall bladder function which can be resolved without "cutting it out" !
Another generally overlooked is the vital part sound nutrition plays in the prevention and treatment of disease, yet mainstream media continues to ignore this vital concept.
Recently, the New York Times also looked at the issue of pushing pills, especially as the vultures from PhRMA and the buzzards from Big Insurance begin their efforts to round you up for the kill, following the passing of the so-called "health" bill. (Just recall that HillaryCare wanted everyone to be taking Prozac, and we know what a disaster the SSRI drugs have become.)
And so did the London Daily Mail
http://leaflady.org/detect.html
When I hear this commercial I want to have equal time to explain something very important to doctors and to women. Since I don't have the gazillions of disposable income that the PhRMA companies have, I don't have a snowflake's chance in hell of this, so I'll address it here.
One of the most problematic health issues today is thyroid function. Part of the problem is that it is not only overlooked as important in today's Big Insurance+Big PhRMA controlled medical care, but it is also porrly diagnosed.
Yes, folks, the TSH test won't tell you " squat" !
What also is missing is that thyroid dysfunction cause your cholesterol level to rise.
Since this concept is basic physiology why is your doctor pushing a drug on you to lower cholesterol when properly evaluating thyroid function is a much better place to start?
This is also very much related to gall bladder function which can be resolved without "cutting it out" !
Another generally overlooked is the vital part sound nutrition plays in the prevention and treatment of disease, yet mainstream media continues to ignore this vital concept.
Recently, the New York Times also looked at the issue of pushing pills, especially as the vultures from PhRMA and the buzzards from Big Insurance begin their efforts to round you up for the kill, following the passing of the so-called "health" bill. (Just recall that HillaryCare wanted everyone to be taking Prozac, and we know what a disaster the SSRI drugs have become.)
Risks Seen in Cholesterol Drug Use - "With the government’s blessing, a drug giant is about to expand the market for its blockbuster cholesterol medication Crestor to a new category of customers: as a preventive measure for millions of people who do not have cholesterol problems."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/business/31statins.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
And so did the London Daily Mail
D. Mail 29.3.10 "A NATION OF PILL-POPPERS"Please note that our organization offers an excellent thyroid testing kit, and health and nutrition counseling,
Dept of Health data reveals we each pick up more than 16 prescriptions a year on average, twice as many as 20 years ago. The boom is partly put down to a profit-hungry pharma industry inventing & exaggerating ailments & then blitzing doctors to boost sales. The NHS spent £22million a DAY on prescription drugs in England in 06 - a 60% rise in real terms on 10 years earlier.
-
(A colleague's comment: Prof. Michael Oliver, emeritus professor of Cardiology at Edinburgh University, wrote in the British Medical Journal in March last year that healthy older people are being turned into patients by GPs who are too quick to prescribe pills for high blood pressure, cholesterol & mild diabetes. The standard for these is based on much younger people's needs. The professor stated that few older people are allowed to enjoy being healthy as a bureaucractic demand for documentation can lead to over-diagnosis, over-treatment & unnecessary anxiety - known as "the medication of health." GPs are pressurised by the government to hit targets & this has overtaken personal advice from GPs. Incentives known as "Quality & Outcomes Framework" mean a proportion of GP practice-income is dependent on hitting targets. He questions whether patients are warned about medications' side-effects & whether older people could be allowed to return to their previous unencumbered & reasonably fit lives.
http://leaflady.org/detect.html
MTV's Sponsors of RACISM- PLEASE BOYCOTT The Following Advertising Corporations
The fact that I am an activist, outspoken for the most part, and of Choctaw, Chickasaw, and E. Cherokee heritage, I find that corporate sponsoship of programs that discriminate against any person to be offensive.
MTV's Sponsors of RACISM- BOYCOTT The Following Advertising Corporations on Betty Tuininga's TwitWall
SCHICK RAZORS
DENTYNE AND TRIDENT GUM, AND ALL OTHER CADBURY CANDY PRODUCTS (Cadbury is now owned by KRAFT)
PEPSI (Owns Pizza Hut and KFC)
SNICKERS, SKITTLES, AND ALL OTHER MARS CANDY PRODUCTS
DOMINO'S PIZZA
BURGER KING
TOSTITOS AND OTHER FRITO-LAY PRODUCTS
STARBUCKS
DR. PEPPER, MOUNTAIN DEW AND SNAPPLE
PROACTIV SKIN PRODUCTS
COLGATE TOOTHPASTE, TOOTHBRUSHES, AND ALL OTHER COLGATE AND PALMOLIVE PRODUCTS (Clogate owns Burt's Bees and Tom's of Maine)
AT&T WIRELESS AND MOTOROLA PHONES AND PRODUCTS
SHREK: THE FINAL CHAPTER
(DREAMWORKS ANIMATION)
*DO NOT RENT/BUY/WATCH SHREK MOVIES OR PRODUCTS OR OTHER DREAMWORKS MOVIES*
And last but not least: MTV and VIACOM
Call your cable or satellite provider and cancel your subscription to all VIACOM and MTV channels. Tell them why you are boycotting these channels and services:
Film production and distribution: Viacom International, Paramount Pictures, Republic Pictures, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies, Go Fish Pictures
MTV's Sponsors of RACISM- BOYCOTT The Following Advertising Corporations on Betty Tuininga's TwitWall
SCHICK RAZORS
DENTYNE AND TRIDENT GUM, AND ALL OTHER CADBURY CANDY PRODUCTS (Cadbury is now owned by KRAFT)
PEPSI (Owns Pizza Hut and KFC)
SNICKERS, SKITTLES, AND ALL OTHER MARS CANDY PRODUCTS
DOMINO'S PIZZA
BURGER KING
TOSTITOS AND OTHER FRITO-LAY PRODUCTS
STARBUCKS
DR. PEPPER, MOUNTAIN DEW AND SNAPPLE
PROACTIV SKIN PRODUCTS
COLGATE TOOTHPASTE, TOOTHBRUSHES, AND ALL OTHER COLGATE AND PALMOLIVE PRODUCTS (Clogate owns Burt's Bees and Tom's of Maine)
AT&T WIRELESS AND MOTOROLA PHONES AND PRODUCTS
SHREK: THE FINAL CHAPTER
(DREAMWORKS ANIMATION)
*DO NOT RENT/BUY/WATCH SHREK MOVIES OR PRODUCTS OR OTHER DREAMWORKS MOVIES*
And last but not least: MTV and VIACOM
Call your cable or satellite provider and cancel your subscription to all VIACOM and MTV channels. Tell them why you are boycotting these channels and services:
Film production and distribution: Viacom International, Paramount Pictures, Republic Pictures, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies, Go Fish Pictures
21 Ocak 2011 Cuma
Action Against Atrazine
Atrazine is a highly toxic chemical herbicide used in corn agriculture; corn is in almost everything!
Nation’s Largest Private Water Utility Joins Lawsuit Against Herbicide Maker
by Danielle Ivory
The nation's largest private water utility company has joined a federal lawsuit [1] that aims to force the manufacturer of atrazine, a widely-used herbicide, to pay for its removal from drinking water.
[The communities in the lawsuit are alleging that Swiss corporation Syngenta AG and its Delaware counterpart Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. made billions of dollars selling atrazine while local taxpayers were left "the ever-growing bill for filtering the toxic product from the public's drinking water."
The communities in the lawsuit are alleging that Swiss corporation Syngenta AG and its Delaware counterpart Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. made billions of dollars selling atrazine while local taxpayers were left "the ever-growing bill for filtering the toxic product from the public's drinking water."
As the Investigative Fund reported two weeks ago [2], the class action lawsuit was originally filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois by 16 cities in Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and Iowa. The communities are alleging that Swiss corporation Syngenta AG and its Delaware counterpart Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. made billions of dollars selling atrazine while local taxpayers were left "the ever-growing bill for filtering the toxic product from the public's drinking water."
American Water Company joined the lawsuit in five of those states yesterday, representing 28 additional Midwestern communities.
A spokesman for American Water, Terry Mackin, said in a written statement that the company's state subsidiaries are joining the case to recover past and future "costs of treating their raw water supplies for atrazine which they all have done in meeting or exceeding the federal and state drinking water standards."
Syngenta spokesman Paul Minehart told the Investigative fund that the company had not yet been served with a federal lawsuit. He re-emphasized [2] that "the EPA re-registered atrazine in 2006, stating it would cause no harm to the general population."
We reported in a series of articles [3] last fall that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency failed to notify the public that the weed-killer had been found at levels above the federal safety limit in drinking water in at least four states. The EPA recently announced that it would be undertaking a re-evaluation of the chemical's potential to cause harm to humans and animals.
Amended Class Action Complaint Against Syngenta
Interventions in Aging
Back in about 1955 I was lucky enough to be the daughter of a physician and surgeon who had an interest in natural health. At the time he was one of the early subscribers to Organic Gardening and Prevention magazines from Robert Rodale's organization. It happened too that Rodale was just upstate in my home state of Pennsylvania.
I've written several times about how I devoured each month's issue and how it was part and parcel of turning me into a doctor of a different color. I've even been involved in more recent years in a number of Rodale's publications, including Woman's Book of Healing Herbs.
As far as anti-aging therapy goes there are many ways to look at this, and implement programs. I went for herbs and orthomolecular and nutritional approaches to health.
I was taunted, especially by my mother who live to 99. But undaunted, to this day, I stick with my beliefs and what I learn in almost daily continuing education.
My organiztion, CHI, can help you too. Currently, with your donation you can receive a copy of our Rejuvenation Cleanse.
I've written several times about how I devoured each month's issue and how it was part and parcel of turning me into a doctor of a different color. I've even been involved in more recent years in a number of Rodale's publications, including Woman's Book of Healing Herbs.
As far as anti-aging therapy goes there are many ways to look at this, and implement programs. I went for herbs and orthomolecular and nutritional approaches to health.
I was taunted, especially by my mother who live to 99. But undaunted, to this day, I stick with my beliefs and what I learn in almost daily continuing education.
My organiztion, CHI, can help you too. Currently, with your donation you can receive a copy of our Rejuvenation Cleanse.
A panel of 10 luminaries in the field of gerontology, including Aubrey de Grey, Caleb Finch and Jan Vijg, convened to urge the translation of recent findings in the field of aging into therapeutic agents that can benefit the world's growing population of older individuals. Their report was published in the July 14, 2010 issue of the American Association for the Advancement of Science journal Science Translational Medicine.In the introduction to their article, the authors note that age is the greatest risk factor for the majority of chronic diseases in the western world, and is of increasing significance in the developing world as well. Functionality decreases with age while disease incidence increases, and mortality rates double approximately every 7 to 8 years following puberty. These phenomena are attributable to the accumulation of damaging changes in the body that occur at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels due to the effects of normal metabolism as well as environmental causes and unhealthy lifestyles.In order to prevent a global aging crisis caused by a greater proportion of older individuals and the resulting increases in medical costs and social challenges, the panel advocates the collaboration of a number of countries in an international initiative to translate laboratory findings on aging into pharmaceutical agents that will improve the lives of older men and women."We propose a global biological aging research agenda focused on the detailed understanding of the following overlapping core age changes and developing therapies for decelerating, arresting, and reversing them: (i) the loss of proliferative homeostasis, (ii) neurodegeneration, (iii) somatic mutations in both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA, (iv) nonadaptive alterations in gene expression, (v) immunosenescence, (vi) nonadaptive inflammation, and (vii) alterations of the extracellular milieu," the authors write. "To ameliorate age-related changes, we identify three broad modes of intervention that should be exploited in addition to ongoing conventional, disease-centered medical innovation: (i) reduction in exposure to environmental toxins and amelioration of other risk factors through improved public health; (ii) modulation of metabolic pathways contributing to age-related changes; and (iii) a more broadly conceived regenerative medicine, to embrace the repair, removal, or replacement of existing aging damage or its decoupling from its pathological sequelae.""There is this misunderstanding that aging is something that just happens to you, like the weather, and cannot be influenced," remarked Dr Vijg, who is chair of genetics and the Lola and Saul Kramer Chair in Molecular Genetics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University. "The big surprise of the last decade is that, in many different animals, we can increase healthy life span in various ways. A program of developing and testing similar interventions in humans would make both medical and economic sense.""In the case of late-life intervention in human age-related degeneration, what we can be certain of today is that a policy of aging as usual will lead to enormous humanitarian, social and financial costs," the authors conclude. "To realize any chance of success, the drive to tackle biological aging head-on must begin now." Source:Life Extension
20 Ocak 2011 Perşembe
Fourteen Articles on Natural Health News Related to Pancreatic Cancer and...
Here is number 15, dating back to 2007, that may not have been brought to your attention. Methionine is a sulfur bearing molecule necessary to health and healing.
Methionine may ward off pancreatic cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Higher methionine intake is apparently associated with a reduction in pancreatic cancer risk, according to a report in the January issue of Gastroenterology.
Impaired methyl group metabolism may contribute to pancreatic diseases and carcinogenesis, the authors explain, suggesting that methyl group donors like methionine could influence the risk of pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Susanna C. Larsson from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, and associates examined intakes of methionine and vitamin B6 in relation to the incidence of pancreatic cancer in the Swedish Mammography Cohort and Cohort of Swedish Men. The study comprised nearly 82,000 men and women aged 45 to 83 years.
During a mean follow-up of 7.2 years, 147 incident cases of pancreatic cancer were diagnosed.
The multivariate rate ratio for pancreatic cancer was 0.44 for individuals in the highest quartile of methionine intake compared with those in the lowest quartile, the researchers found.
The inverse association between methionine intake and pancreatic cancer was more pronounced in smokers than nonsmokers, the investigators note. There was no interaction between alcohol consumption and methionine intake and pancreatic cancer risk.
There was no significant association between vitamin B6 intake and pancreatic cancer risk, the report indicates.
"The results from this prospective study suggest that higher intake of methionine may reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer," Larsson and colleagues conclude. "Foods rich in methionine include fish, poultry, meat, legumes, and dairy products," they add.
"The results could be important because pancreatic cancer, now the 4th most common cause of cancer mortality in the United States, has an extremely high mortality rate," write Dr. Albert B. Lowenfels and Dr. Patrick Maisonneuve from New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York in a related editorial.
"Even though the authors adjusted for many pancreatic cancer risk factors," the editorial goes on, "there is still the possibility that the apparent protective function of methionine is related to confounding by another dietary or nondietary protective factor."
Lowenfels and Maisonneuve conclude: "Before suggesting that our patients increase their intake of methionine, we need substantial additional data concerning efficacy and safety issues."
Gastroenterology 2007;132:113-118,441-443.
19 Ocak 2011 Çarşamba
Eating LESS Meat is the way to lose weight ? NOT!
When I saw this article circulating the airways and media venues, as well as the numerous tweets I received from the raw foodies and vegans I was laughing so hard my sides hurt.
Hard to say who paid for this room of alleged researchers to come up with the findings, but you really do have to question this.
When choosing your food plan there is quite a lot more that goes into selecting what is correct for you. Relying on mass media isn't always the best place to start.
I use a specific test that helps you learn what type of metabolism you have, based on twelve types. These types were developed 50 years ago based on solid nutrition research that preceded this method by another 30-40 years. And at that time research had "meat". It was based on solid scientific guidelines and it wasn't usually tainted.
Another approach I use is an old and proven food program that will re-balance your biochemistry.
Then I look at your personal nutritional deficiencies, in an approach I developed over many years in this work and with many people of differing backgrounds. I have a patent application pending.
Of course I defer to organic food, but I also provide information so you can select the healthiest food even when organic isn't available or you cannot afford it.
Some people can eat meat, some cannot. The same follows for vegetarianism and veganism, raw or cooked fanciers.
I also into consideration the issues of feed lots and mass production of meat, hormones, and antibiotics, as well as the type of feeding used in this wing of the food industry.
So you get a tailored plan, and you get educated. You'll receive support and get some balanced exercise information too.
Because I charge for this service I know that not everyone will take advantage of it, or any of the parts of it.
And ultimately because my work is based on education you might like to read the opinion of a trusted colleague on this latest babble.
TIP: One serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards, or as others may say, the size of the palm of your hand.
Sorry Dr Atkins
When choosing your food plan there is quite a lot more that goes into selecting what is correct for you. Relying on mass media isn't always the best place to start.
I use a specific test that helps you learn what type of metabolism you have, based on twelve types. These types were developed 50 years ago based on solid nutrition research that preceded this method by another 30-40 years. And at that time research had "meat". It was based on solid scientific guidelines and it wasn't usually tainted.
Another approach I use is an old and proven food program that will re-balance your biochemistry.
Then I look at your personal nutritional deficiencies, in an approach I developed over many years in this work and with many people of differing backgrounds. I have a patent application pending.
Of course I defer to organic food, but I also provide information so you can select the healthiest food even when organic isn't available or you cannot afford it.
Some people can eat meat, some cannot. The same follows for vegetarianism and veganism, raw or cooked fanciers.
I also into consideration the issues of feed lots and mass production of meat, hormones, and antibiotics, as well as the type of feeding used in this wing of the food industry.
So you get a tailored plan, and you get educated. You'll receive support and get some balanced exercise information too.
Because I charge for this service I know that not everyone will take advantage of it, or any of the parts of it.
And ultimately because my work is based on education you might like to read the opinion of a trusted colleague on this latest babble.
TIP: One serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards, or as others may say, the size of the palm of your hand.
Sorry Dr Atkins
Drugs Slow Elders' Recovery
These reports are of high interest to me because they relate to a situation in my own family. It is highly important to understand that as you age your ability to metabolize drugs and other substances, as well as clear their metabolites through your liver and kidneys becomes impaired.
In my mother's situation she was - for the last six years of her life - grossly over medicated, and that list of drugs included several that the research showed definitively that they should not be administered to the elderly, and especially not to elderly women.
Regardless of the data presented, neither the care center or my brother, who had POA, made any effort to act for the best interest of my mother's health and quality of life.
In my mother's situation she was - for the last six years of her life - grossly over medicated, and that list of drugs included several that the research showed definitively that they should not be administered to the elderly, and especially not to elderly women.
Regardless of the data presented, neither the care center or my brother, who had POA, made any effort to act for the best interest of my mother's health and quality of life.
Sedating Drugs May Slow Elders' Recovery By Ed Susman, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today, January 15, 2010
Elderly patients sedated with morphine or haloperidol (Haldol) were less likely to to be discharged to their homes than patients given other sedatives, according to research presented here.
MIAMI BEACH -- Elderly patients sedated with morphine or haloperidol (Haldol) in surgical intensive care units were less likely to to be discharged to their homes and more likely to be discharged to a nursing facility than patients given other sedatives, often resulting in a poorer quality of life, researchers reported here.
Patients who received morphine were 2.57 times more likely to be discharged to a nursing home, rehabilitation center, or a skilled nursing facility (P=0.029), Carrie Miller, MS, CRNP of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, told attendees at the annual meeting of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
Patients who were given haloperidol were 12.46 times more likely to be discharged to one of those facilities rather than to their home.
Similarly, the risk of having a significantly reduced function from baseline admission was five times greater if the patient had received haloperidol (P=0.044) and 2.76 times more likely if the patient had received morphine (P=0.011), Miller said.
"While older adults frequently require medications to treat pain, anxiety, and delirium, little is know about the effects these medication have on older adults' functional ability or quality of life," Miller said.
To shed some light on the question, she and her colleagues evaluated 114 patients in three surgical ICUs. Mean age was about 75, some 60% were men, and 85% were white. Overall, 37% were undergoing general surgical procedures, while 35% had undergone vascular procedures and 16% were trauma patients.
Patients' level of consciousness and delirium status were assessed daily and information about medication use was gleaned from the ICU flow sheet and the computerized administration record.
The most frequently used narcotic in the surgical ICU was fentanyl (Duragesic), administered to 77 patients; the most frequently used sedative was midazolam (Versed); and the most frequently used antipsychotic was haloperidol.
Miller and her colleagues noted that use of propofol (Diprivan) appeared to be associated with better outcomes as far as discharge to one's home was concerned.
They noted that there was "considerable discrepancy" between medication usage and dosage recorded on the patients' flow sheet and medication administration record. "Researchers and clinicians should consider that administered prn medications may not always be recorded on the nursing flow sheet," they concluded.
The study did not control for confounding variables such as the severity of illness or comorbidities that may have affected outcomes, Miller said.
"This is an interesting study," said Suzan Streichenwein, MD, a private practice geriatric psychiatrist in West Palm Beach, Fla. "It would be valuable for future studies to include the severity of illness or more specific details about the type of surgery relative to the dosages of morphine used and its influence on the discharge functional outcomes.
"Tests diagnosing mild cognitive impairment and/or dementia preop versus postop as well as the time period under anesthesia in relation to outcomes would also be helpful," said Streichenwein, who was not involved in the study.
Streichenwein told MedPage Today that other possible confounding factors require further studies in this area.
None of the clinicians had relevant financial disclosures.
Primary source: Society of Critical Care Medicine
Source reference:
Balas M, et al "Narcotic, sedative and antipsychotic medication use in older surgical intensive care unit patients" SCCM 2010; Abstract 1000.
© 2004-2010 MedPage Today, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Psychiatric Drug Search Engine
In a related article published 15 June 2010, these drugs are again reported to have severe physical difficulties as well as the violent attributes they promote
Psychiatric drugs carry serious physical health risks
And another of the 30+ plus posts from Natural Health News says - This is a critical resource if you or anyone you know is being prescribed any of the psychiatric drugs for any cause. I emphasize "any cause" because these drugs are glad-handed for just about any reason in the current mainstream health arena.
Psychiatric drugs carry serious physical health risks
And another of the 30+ plus posts from Natural Health News says - This is a critical resource if you or anyone you know is being prescribed any of the psychiatric drugs for any cause. I emphasize "any cause" because these drugs are glad-handed for just about any reason in the current mainstream health arena.
New Psychiatric Drug Search Engine—310 International Drug Regulatory Warnings & Studies & 194,000 Adverse psychiatric drug reaction reports
Studies Reveal Violent Side Effects of Psychiatric Drugs
Sep 20, 2006
It is becoming more and more apparent that psychiatric drugs drive people to not only perform violent acts on others, but also to take their own lives as well. A recent article written by Steve Mitchell, United Press International's ...
18 Ocak 2011 Salı
A New Addition to our Natural Health Family and Upcoming Events
I've just launched a new BLOG in our Natural Notes series and you'll find some summer health related articles posted now.
We'll continue this new Natural Notes venue with a focus on desert living.
Thanks for following us with your subscription to herbalYODA Says!, on Natural Health News, our Natural Notes venue found on the Seattle PI web site, at Green Muze, HealthierTalk, and the myriad of places around the net where others post or link to our work.
You can also follow us at our original domain since 1991, www.leaflady.org, and also at www.simply4health.org, as well as in our print publications, classes, other print publications, and radio interviews.
Upcoming: At the invitation of a client I'm guesting on a fall program about homeopathy for healing (date TBA).
Kaydol:
Kayıtlar (Atom)