Wednesday, March 23, 2011

IV Vitamin C: Help for Cancer, Learn More

IV Vitamin C and Cancer Seminar Scheduled for October -
Dear Friends and Co-Learners,
We would like to invite you to our "Second Annual Riordan IVC and Cancer Symposium", Oct 8-9, 2010.
This year's Riordan Intravenous Vitamin C (IVC) and Cancer Symposium offers something unique. Beyond focusing on IVC therapy itself, we will take a collective look at how Intravenous Vitamin C has inspired our cancer patients to live a better life.
Quality of life is the ultimate goal of any medical treatment worth its salt. Modern degenerative illnesses often have their genesis in decades of poor lifestyle choices, toxic exposures, high stress and non-whole food diets. The universal underlying mechanism for the resultant diseases is simply uncontrolled systemic inflammation. Cancer is no exception.
In order to turn cancer around and restore our patient's quality of life, they will need to choose a better way of life. Intravenous Vitamin C is a beginning point, not an end of itself. It is a fire hose to put out the raging fire, but it is no substitute for the lifestyle changes our cancer patients will need to adopt in order to sustain their health improvements.
The choice for an anticancer lifestyle is initiated and facilitated by the hope that is spawned from the radical benefits that an intensive IVC/ nutritional intervention can offer. Our 2nd Annual Riordan IVC Symposium will focus on this renewed quality of life that IVC therapy patients experience...an experience that often leads them to refocus their life choices on a new and better way of living.
It is a journey from despair to hope...from neglect to better self care...from disease to health. Please join us as we explore this crucial (but too often neglected) phase of the recovery from cancer.
For more information about the Symposium or to register, please call1-800-447-7276 or visit: http://www.riordanclinic.org/symposium.shtml
Sincerely,
Ron Hunninghake, MD 
Chief Medical Officer
Riordan Clinic
33100 N. Hillside Ave. - Wichita, KS 67219 - (316) 682-3100


Some of the 30+ vitamin C posts on Natural Health News
Jul 20, 2010
In a study designed to assess the use and safety of high-dose intravenous (IV) vitamin C administration by complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners, the authors found that a) high-dose IV vitamin C is widely used by ...
Jul 01, 2010
Vitamin A - Through its concentration of beta-carotene, Watermelon supplies a rich source of Vitamin A, another cancer fighting anti-oxidant along with Lycopene and Vitamin C. A cup of Watermelon supplies your body with over 10% of its ...
Jul 24, 2009
I recently cured myself and my wife using that "miracle drug" vitamin C, and I posted an article "What Doctors Don't Know". This article is scheduled to appear in the Holistic Health Magazine in September. It is reprinted below. ...
Aug 08, 2009
Patrick Holford notes that in his June 2005 newsletter he interviewed Dr Thomas Levy, who has provided the definitive proof in his book ' Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases and Toxins: Curing the Incurable'. ...

Better Function with Vitamin D

More good news about the benefits from vitamin D.
Vitamin D improves elderly mobility

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., April 27 (UPI) -- Elderly study participants with the highest levels of vitamin D had better physical function and mobility than others, U.S. researchers found.

Dr. Denise Houston of the Sticht Center on Aging at Wake Forest University and colleagues studied vitamin D status and physical function in a group of relatively healthy seniors, mean age 75, in Memphis and Pittsburgh.

The study tracked 2,788 seniors for four years and assessed vitamin D status by analyzing each person's blood for 25-hydroxyvitamin D -- a precursor activated vitamin D.

The researchers looked at how quickly each participant could walk a short distance about, six yards, and rise from a chair five times, as well as balance tests.

The study found physical function declined during the study period, but it remained significantly higher among those with the highest vitamin D levels at the beginning of the study.

However, Houston said it is possible those with better physical function had higher vitamin D because they were able to go outside more often and get the vitamin through exposure to sunshine.

The findings were presented at the American Society for Nutrition at the Experimental Biology meeting in Anaheim, Calif.
And it is certainly better for osteoporosis, that also can impact physical function and mobility -
Causes of osteoporosis include a decrease in osteoblast function, a change in parathyroid activity as a compensatory factor for decreased calcium absorption, and usually a combination of either less sun exposure and/or a decreased ability to synthesize Vitamin D, or insufficient dietary intake of Vitamin D.
Additional causes include sedentary lifestyles, which play a significant part, there are genetic factors, which are less-common, while insufficient sex hormones and body weight (anorexia), various stimulants and drugs (caffeine, alcohol, glucocorticoids [cortisone, prednisone, dexamethasone] , Lupron [GnRHagonist to lower hormones], Depo-Provera [a form of progesterone]...), hyperthyroidism, and kidney
disease are also contributing factors.



Tuesday, March 22, 2011

CLUCK FOR THE CURE PART 1, AND NOW PART 2

Regular readers of Natural Health News are aware of the concerns we have raised over "cause marketing".

I am very pleased that Dr. Moss has also recognized this serious issue and I will add Part II when it is published.

My advice for now is not to engage in the 'Race for the Cure', eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and skip the pink bucket from KFC.
Cluck for the Cure PART 1
By Ralph Moss, PhD Sunday, 25 April 2010

Last week we were told that fruit and vegetable consumption allegedly has no beneficial effect on cancer incidence. This week we learn that in order to fight cancer we should buy a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The sprawling chicken purveyor and Susan G. Komen for the Cure® have teamed up "to raise funds and spread breast cancer awareness and educational messaging" via a campaign at 5,000 KFC restaurants.

Participating franchises will sell "specially designed pink buckets of grilled and Original Recipe chicken" and KFC will then give 50 cents to Komen for every pink bucket that is ordered during the promotion period. In addition, the lids of these special pink buckets "will have a call to action to get involved." The names of "breast cancer survivors and those who have lost their battle with breast cancer will be listed on the sides of the bucket." The campaign is called "Buckets for the Cure."

Coincidentally, KFC has been in the news recently for a great innovation in dining: the Doubledown. This is an all-meat sandwich, consisting of two pieces of bacon, two slices of cheese and the famous Colonel's Sauce, which contains soybean oil, sugar, chicken fat, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and other goodies. All of this cholesterol is packed between two boneless fried chicken fillets! This "breadless wonder" (as the Toronto Sun called it) first made its appearance at a few locations last summer and was so successful that it was launched across the entire US in April 2010. The original recipe version contains 540 calories, 1380 mg of salt and 32 grams of fat. The company's Web site boasts: "This product is so meaty, there's no room for a bun!" Apologists for the fast food industry have pointed out that Burger King's Triple Whopper has 76 grams of fat. The Doubledown is dietetic by comparison.

Then there's the acrylamide issue. In 2000 Swedish scientists discovered a chemical called acrylamide in such foods as potato chips, French fried potatoes, etc. (Tareke 2000). The Food and Drug Administration then conducted an analysis of the American food supply for acrylamide content and found between 117 and 313 parts per billion (ppb) in KFC French fries, depending on the location sampled. Relatively speaking, this is a very high amount.

Acrylamide is considered a "probable human carcinogen" (Hogervorst 2010). In rat studies, it increased the incidence of mammary gland (breast) cancer as well as thyroid tumors and scrotal mesothelioma. In humans, there is an increased risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers, renal cell cancer and oral cavity cancer, even in non-smoking women (ibid.).

A 2009 Dutch epidemiological study showed "some indications of a positive association between dietary acrylamide intake and receptor-positive breast cancer risk in postmenopausal never-smoking women (Pedersen 2009). Comparing the highest consumers of acrylamide to women in the lowest group there was a 43 percent increase in breast cancer in women with ER and PR positive cancers. (A Harvard study found no such association.).
Cluck for the Cure - Part II
Sunday, 02 May 2010

Last week we began a discussion of the alliance between Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). We conclude, with references, this week.

Pinkwashing

Barbara Brenner of Breast Cancer Action (BCA) calls the alliance between Komen and KFC an egregious example of "pinkwashing." This occurs "when a company purports to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribboned product, but manufactures products that are linked to the disease. Make no mistake," Brenner adds, "every pink bucket purchase will do more to benefit KFC's bottom line than it will to cure breast cancer."

She also points out that KFC, like most fast food chains, is overwhelmingly present in communities that have poor health outcomes. These social inequities can affect breast cancer mortality rates. "Given this disconnect, we are especially disturbed by this partnership," Brenner says. BCA has launched a campaign to break up the Komen-KFC liaison.

I am a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Breast Cancer Action. In the past I have also been an advisor to Susan G. Komen. Frankly, I think Komen has made a misstep here. Although they will raise money for cancer research by this gambit, they have also providing cover to KFC by doing so. At a time when healthy eating is under broad attack, Komen has chosen to associate itself with products that may, ironically, be linked to an increased incidence of breast cancer, especially in poor and minority communities.

To quote Barbara Brenner: "What the cluck?"

WIC should include more organic

WIC should include more organic, says Senate; House disagrees

If the House of Representatives gets its way, low-income mothers and their children will not have access to a wide range of certified organic foods. The Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act is up for renewal on Sept. 30, 2010 and mandates specific foods that must be included as part of the Women, Infants, Children Program. To date, the Senate version of the Act insists on the inclusion of a variety of organic foods for WIC recipients, while the House version includes only organic produce.

WIC is a federally funded, state-controlled initiative that provides nutritional assistance to low income pregnant and post-partum women and children up to age five who are nutritionally at risk. Each state decides which foods it will include on the list, though the federal government can mandate that certain food categories be on the list.

If the Senate version passes, low-income consumers would have access to foods that could ultimately provide lifelong benefits. “Final passage of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act provides Congress a chance to address both unfinished business and new opportunities to promote healthy development,” said Charles Benbrook, PhD, chief scientist at the Organic Center, based in Boulder, Colo. “Providing easier access for moms, families and children to fresh, nutrient dense organic and locally grown fruits and vegetables is a key piece of unfinished business. Expanding access to organic dairy products will promote healthy brain and nervous system development because of the far healthier balance in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in organic dairy products,” he said.

One of the perceived barriers to placing more organic foods on the WIC list is cost, even though retailers say they are willing to work within the cost constraints. “Many co-ops and natural food stores across the country want to meet the needs of their communities, including families that rely on WIC,” said Robynn Shrader, chief executive officer for the National Cooperative Grocers Association, which represents 114 natural food co-ops nationwide. “By allowing states to prohibit nutritious and organic purchases, WIC limits the benefit it can provide people who need WIC’s assistance most.”

The Organic Trade Association is asking you to call your member of Congress (not Senate) to include organic foods in the WIC program.

http://naturalfoodsmerchandiser.com/tabId/119/itemId/4898/WIC-should-include-more-organic-says-Senate-Cong.aspx

http://www.ota.com/pp/legislation/stimulus.html

Monday, March 21, 2011

Fast Food Info

I found this menu of 41 fast foods to be totally outrageous! The information, especially the sodium content in these menu items is a real eye opener.

Can you imaging that eating bacon with melted cheese between two slices of fried chicken? Not only is this a gut buster, it's a real health buster too!

And then there is the mac & cheese served up in a bowl of bread. I can only wonder who is dreaming up these combos.

EGG RECALL

UPDATE: August 2010 - 
Salmonella in Feed

Food and Drug Administration officials said Thursday their investigators had homed in on chicken feed as a likely major contributor to the salmonella contamination that triggered a nationwide egg recall and potentially caused nearly 1,500 cases of illness.
Feed found at Wright County Egg in Iowa tested positive for salmonella, FDA officials said at a joint news conference with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Salmonella also was found in walkways and manure at Wright County Egg, as well as in ingredients used in the feed. The samples of the salmonella were a genetic match to the salmonella that has made many people sick, officials said.
The feed also was given to young hens, called pullets, that were supplied to Hillandale Farms, also in Iowa. Complete article

Contaminated eggs sold to pasteurization companies for other uses
As the effort to control food moves along in Congress with S510, Rep DeLauro from Connecticut, whose husband is a Monsanto shill, decides we should pasteurize all eggs. Of course you did not hear her propose any effort to clean up factory farming and down size the mega corps rolling out over 5 million eggs a day. 


You might find this of interest, especially in light of the recent toxic dumping at Cataldo Mission (BP of the NW), the Gulf oil debacle, and this food safety concern. 
WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (UPI) --Tainted eggs sold to pasteurization plants
Shell eggs subject to a huge recall are reaching U.S. consumers via facilities that pasteurize the eggs to get rid of any possible salmonella, officials said.


U.S. Agriculture Department officials said the eggs are sold to so-called "breaking plants" that crack the shells, pasteurize the eggs and transform them into another form used in a number of products, CNN reported Thursday.


A half-billion eggs were recalled by Iowa's Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms during the salmonella scare. The pasteurization at the USDA-approved breaking plants kills the salmonella bacteria, officials said.


The roughly 50 breaking plants aren't new, but federal monitoring of the facilities has been "stepped up" since the outbreak tied to reports of hundreds of illnesses, Agriculture Department spokesman Caleb Weaver said.



Every batch of eggs suspected of being contaminated will be tested and won't be shipped out until negative test results are returned, Weaver said.


Small-scale egg producers may be benefiting from the massive recall as they try to distance themselves from the large-scale facilities that had to pull their shell eggs because of threat of contamination, Food Safety News reported.


Gary Balducci, owner of Wishing Well Acres and president of the Maine Poultry Growers Association, sells his eggs -- about 50 dozen a week -- at his farm stand and raises replacement hens for small-scale egg producers. 


"More people will decide to buy their eggs from local farmers," he said. "A lot of people will start going to farmers markets and local farm stands to get their eggs." 


The recall also is a wake-up call for consumers to realize that not everything in a grocery store is safe, he added.


"People need to take responsibility for knowing where their food comes from," he said. 
© 2010 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
UPDATE:  And now another food recall, this time meat, found mostly at Wal-Mart

Nationwide meat recall announced



By the CNN Wire Staff


NEW: Wal-Mart says products immediately were pulled from shelves
The recalled meat products were sold at Wal-Marts nationwide

The meat products were produced from mid-June through early July

Listeriosis is an uncommon, but potentially fatal disease


(CNN) -- Zemco Industries in Buffalo, New York, has recalled approximately 380,000 pounds of deli meat that may be contaminated with bacteria that can cause a potentially fatal disease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday.
More symptoms of factory farming!



Only half of FDA scientists in survey had full confidence in egg safety



The study, conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists before the salmonella recall, asked FDA officials how confident they were in the agency's ability to protect consumers from food-borne illnesses.
"The number of illnesses, which can be life-threatening, especially to those with weakened immune systems, is expected to increase. The most common symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever eight to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product."

Marion Nestle comments on egg contamination

WASHINGTON – An Iowa egg producer is recalling 228 million eggs after being linked to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said eggs from Wright County Egg in Galt, Iowa, were linked to several illnesses in Colorado, California and Minnesota. The CDC said about 200 cases of the strain of salmonella linked to the eggs were reported weekly during June and July, four times the normal number of such occurrences.
State health officials say tainted eggs have sickened at least 266 Californians and seven in Minnesota.
The eggs were distributed around the country and packaged under the names Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph's, Boomsma's, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemp.
The Food and Drug Administration is investigating.
In a statement, company officials said the FDA is "on-site to review records and inspect our barns." The officials said they began the recall Aug. 13.
The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight hours to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product. It can be life-threatening, especially to those with weakened immune systems.
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2009/02/eggs-now-approved-food.html

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Putting Pain Sufferers Health at Risk

In its infinite wisdom, FDA is planning to consider Cymbalta for pain relief -
-FDA Panel to Consider Pain Indication for Antidepressant (excerpt)
Patients in the duloxetine arms were more likely to discontinue treatment because of adverse events, including nausea, sleep disturbances, dizziness, dry mouth, somnolence, constipation, and fatigue. Most of the events were dose-dependant.
Duloxetine use also appears to be associated with an increased risk of Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a skin disease that usually results from a drug reaction, as well as another form of the disease called toxic epidermal necrolysis. The FDA reviewers recommended that, if duloxetine is given the chronic pain indications, it should carry warning labels about the increased skin disease risks.
The FDA also has concerns about duloxetine's risk of serious liver toxicity, already included in the drug's labeling.
No deaths were reported during the trials.
The safety findings aren't new or unexpected and are very similar to duloxetine's current safety label, the FDA reviewers said.
The drug also carries a boxed warning for suicidality in children, adolescents, and young adults taking antidepressants for major depressive disorder and other psychiatric disorders.
"...duloxetine is not universally tolerated nor free of safety risks," wrote Eli Lilly staff in the company's briefing documents posted on the FDA's website. However, the safety profile is "well-characterized" and not any different for chronic pain patients than it is for other patients who are already using the drug.

Consider that you do encounter much higher risk with these and may other drugs used for pain relief. Lyrica for example depletes your platelets and they don't mention that in the TV ads.
You might want to learn more about natural pain relief.


from Natural Health News Search
Sep 07, 2008
The FDA also said it is evaluating reports of urinary retention with Eli Lilly's antidepressant Cymbalta, and skin melanoma with Biogen and Elan Corp's multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri. Biogen spokeswoman Shannon Altimari said two cases ...
Feb 13, 2009
When cymbalta first came out, it was the "wonder drug" that was going to end my troubles. Well, it almost ended ME altogether!!! I had horrible suicidal ideations, and I even brought home insulin and a syringe to do myself in (I'm a ...
Dec 28, 2007
In October, the FDA told Lilly to stop falsely claiming antidepressant Cymbalta produced “significantly less pain interference with overall functioning” and start mentioning its side effect of liver toxicity. ...
Nov 18, 2008
Duloxetine (Cymbalta) * Fluvoxamine (Luvox) * Mirtazapine (Remeron) * Trazodone (Desyrel) * Nefazodone (Serzone) * Venlafaxine (Effexor) The guideline also calls for physicians to modify treatment if patients fail to respond adequately 
Jun 02, 2010
Not all SSRI antidepressants were found to increase cataract risk, although this may be because not enough people in the study were taking them for the researchers to detect a risk. Risk was found for three different antidepressants:
Jul 06, 2007
In June 2001 I posted a response to the just reported Andrea Yates case, directing my comments to the negligence of the prescribing physician for the overload of SSRI and related psychiatric drugs, including Haldol. ...
Nov 26, 2008
Prozac use has shown that women who took the SSRI (and fluoride based) antidepressant during the first three months of pregnancy gave birth to four times as many babies with heart problems as women who did not. ...
Mar 16, 2009
SSRI anti-depressants are based in fluoride and are endocrine disruptors. All campus shootings have been associated with people who have been taking SSRI anti-depressants, which recently have been proven - AGAIN - to be ineffective for ...