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Friday, April 30, 2010

HERBDAY - Celebrate on a new day

2010 HERB DAY - SATURDAY 1 MAY
HerbDay Moves to Spring Date = Requests from herb lovers all over the country, HerbDay will officially be celebrated on the first Saturday in May going forward, starting with Saturday, May 1, 2010. More people in more parts of the country have a larger variety of herbs growing at this time of year than do in fall. Since HerbDay is a grass roots movement and belongs to the people, the coalition that got the event started wanted to support the populace in taking ownership of HerbDay by moving it to a date more conducive to a greater number of celebrations across the country. If you already have an event slated for October 2009, please go ahead and have it. Let's keep the momentum going to make the celebration of herbs and their uses an ongoing movement.
In fact, everyone is encouraged to celebrate HerbDay any time they want. If you prefer to continue hosting your HerbDay event in autumn or if summer works better for you, please feel free to do so and continue to list your event in the Organize an Event section of this site. Visitors ask year round for information on events in their area. We will continue to add new useful information as time goes on.

Let's make HerbDay each and every day of the year!
POSTED ORIGINALLY 9/21/08
Celebrate Herbs and Herbalism
HerbDay is a coordinated series of independently produced public educational events celebrating the importance of herbs and herbalism. HerbDay was conceived of by five nonprofit organizations with interests in herbs and herbalism (the HerbDay Coalition), to raise public awareness about the significance of herbs in our lives and the many ways herbs can be used safely and creatively for health, beauty care, and culinary enjoyment. Greater familiarity with herbs will increase informed use of herbal products and build public support for maintaining personal choice in the use of botanicals.

The date for HerbDay 2008 is set: Saturday, October 11

The first HerbDay was held on Saturday, October 14, 2006. The second annual HerbDay was Saturday, October 13. And in 2008, it will officially be on October 11. Some folks celebrate before, during and after that day. Participants in HerbDay 2006 brought together individuals, businesses, and organizations that share a love and passion for herbs and herbal medicine. These include herbalists and health care providers using herbs in their practice; authors, teachers and lecturers with expertise in herbs; herbal product manufacturers and marketers; retailers and distributors of herbal goods; botanical gardens, parks, and schools — and most importantly, the people and families who love to use herbs! HerbDay 2008 will be just as much fun!

The entire herbal community is invited to participate actively in HerbDay 2008, either by hosting an event or providing sponsorship in the form of financial support. Now is the time to start developing ideas for local HerbDay activities to ensure that every community celebrates the wonders of herbs. Visit www.herbday.org to review the initial menu of ideas that the HerbDay Coalition has developed, and to register to tell others what you are planning to do to join the herbal celebration. The website will be the primary location to organize and disseminate information about HerbDay activities and resources.

HerbDay is a coordinated series of public educational events celebrating the importance of herbs and herbalism through harmonized, independently planned activities that will occur on October 11, 2008, and/or during the days leading up to and following that date. Activities will occur at retail stores, botanical gardens, and parks throughout North America. HerbDay activities will be designed by each hosting venue, which will have broad latitude in selecting its own events, such as lectures and workshops by well-known herbalists; herb walks; in-store cooking demonstrations featuring herbs and spices; seasonal herbal handcrafts; in-store herbal beauty product demonstrations; presentations by herb company representatives; activities with herbal themes for children; etc.

Five national nonprofit organizations— American Botanical Council (ABC); American Herbalists Guild (AHG); American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP); American Herbal Products Association (AHPA); and United Plant Savers (UpS) — are working together as the HerbDay Coalition to launch this event.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Bill Gates Needs a Few Lessons

ORIGINALLY POSTED: 1/29/10

Ten Billion dollars will go a very long way to improve health if only it were used to provide super nutrition and supplements that are known to be superior sources of health.

Vaccines just do not prove effective over time and the science proves it.  The Rotavirus vaccine was proven very problematic as has been the pneumonia vaccine.  The AIDS vaccine development was a flop!

Focusing on vaccines really provides welfare to the pharmaceutical industry, little for human beings in need of good food and supplements to help them rebuild their nutritional status.  A few armed guards are needed as well to insure that these life saving items reach the people.

Malaria can be both prevented and treated with supplements and netting.

Drug resistant TB is cured with garlic.  Four vitamins prevent HIV from becoming AIDS.

Bill and Melinda must still be in their wonderland of ignorance, fueled by WHO and Big PhRMA propaganda..
Bill and Melinda Gates announced plans Friday to invest $10 billion in the fight against a number of illnesses including AIDS and said the record donation could save nearly nine million lives.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, they said the 10-year program will focus on vaccines for AIDS, tuberculosis, rota virus and pneumonia.

"We must make this the decade of vaccines," said Bill Gates.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/01/29/davos.bill.gates.donates/index.html
Profitable Depopulation Plot Links JP Morgan-Chase/Goldman Sachs To Vaccination Contamination and BigPharma Corruption
By Dr. Leonard Horowitz, 4-29-10
COURTESY: RENSE.COM

A medical investigation into suspicious outbreaks and propaganda used to sell drugs and vaccines has exposed investment bankers at JP Morgan-Chase (JPMC) and Goldman Sachs (GS) for plotting to shock/stress, frighten, poison, and kill billions of people most profitably--pharmaceutically--according to the Editor-in-Chief of Medical Veritas journal.

While researching a powerful Partnership for New York City (PFNYC), uniting Wall Street's wealthiest industrialists, Harvard-trained public health expert, Dr. Leonard Horowitz, and investigative journalist, Sherri Kane, discovered shocking evidence of a conspiracy to commit global genocide by generating diseases and death to advance profitable pharmaceutical depopulation.

Population planners at the highest levels of government and industry conspired to spread diseases, vaccines, drugs, and death most profitably, according to research published in the latest issue of Medical Veritas.

In a related Special Report posted on YouTube, Dr. Horowitz urged humanitarian organizations and activist groups worldwide to issue investigations, alerts, civil complaints, and criminal charges to stop the pharmaceutical depopulation plot because it risks genetic inheritance, new pandemics, and the possible extinction of the human race.

"Corruption in the drug industry is rampant and transparent," Dr. Horowitz explains. "Investment bankers at JPMC and GS, who acquired controlling interests in the largest drug firms during mergers and acquisitions, have placed 'depopulation' near the top of their list of geopolitical priorities. Their depopulation agents are now in top positions of government, finance, and industry.

The depopulation plan is supported by the world's wealthiest people, including Bill Gates, who admittedly funds vaccinations to reduce global populations by 10-15%. Leading population planners and economic developers advance identical plans to cull the world's population to 1 billion.

"Killing 6-out-of-7 people globally, most profitably, requires planning and an unprecedented conspiracy to commit genocide by applying advances in genetic biotechnologies exclusively available and affordable to drug companies controlled by the investment bankers," Dr. Horowitz adds.

The doctor points to the fact that US Treasury Department officials previously operated JPMC and GS on behalf of majority stock holders and their partners in pharmaceutical companies heavily represented in the PFNYC and the trade organizations that negotiate multi-billion dollar government purchases of drugs and vaccines.

Researchers, including vaccination contamination expert Dr. Viera Scheibner, reports in the current issue of Medical Veritas that polio virus vaccines are produced in African green monkey kidney cell cultures routinely contaminated with transmissible cancer viruses.

By reviewing drug company patents, Dr. Horowitz learned that the makers of H1N1 swine flu and rotavirus vaccines use the same cultures risking recombinations, genetic mutations, and unstoppable transmissions of deadly agents threatening new pandemics.

"This best explains why public health officials are preparing for vaccine-transmitted H1N1s cloned in monkey cells to recombine with bird H5N1s currently circulating. This threatening and most deadly recombination of flu viruses, officials herald may happen in the Fall," Dr. Horowitz warned.

Besides the inadequacies of safety testing new vaccines without using placebo controls, it is this issue of reliability of information that concerns more than half of the medical physicians polled since they became aware that the entire medical industry has been hijacked by Wall Street's pharmaceutical profiteers. Now they are learning from famous people, like Gates, that the world's wealthiest people are administering vaccinations for depopulation.

"I love vaccines," Gates stated at a TED conference in February, 2010, while lecturing on ways to reduce global populations to stem environmental pollution.

The links between the directors of major drug companies, mainstream media moguls, and investment bankers at JPMC and GS are so obvious and incriminating, and the dispersion of unsafe vaccines so common and disturbing, only profitable depopulation as a planned outcome of pharmaceutical investments can explain the current situation.

"Complete censorship was the only option officials have had to prevent a meltdown in public opinion about medicine and the pharmaceutical industry," said Ingri Cassel, a leading vaccine risk awareness activist. "This explains why news of this vaccination depopulation plan has been neglected by the special-interest-influenced media."

Investigating conflicting pharmaceutical interests influencing news coverage, Sherri Kane, previously a writer for FOX News in Los Angeles, learned that the majority shareholders in FOX, TimeWarner, News Corp., and the Wall Street Journal, are heavily invested in GlaxoSmithKlein and Merck's CSL Laboratories, both makers of risky drugs and vaccines.

Lloyd Blankfein, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, became a major shareholder in AstraZeneca following his direction of the company's acquisition of the H1N1 FluMist maker, MedImmune. Blankfein has also leveraged ABC-Disney following their merger with money he raised through GS investors. This resulted in Dr. Oz's heavy promotion of H1N1 vaccines on ABC last year, when officials learned that the vast majority of Americans were unwilling to risk the exposure.

Rupert Murdoch and Lloyd Blankfein co-chair the PFNYC, founded by CHASE principal, World Bank ambassador, and America's leading energy industrialist and medical monopolist, David Rockefeller. The PFNYC was chartered by the Royal Family of England--a majority share holder in General Electric--the world's largest company--that controls NBC/Universal/Comcast, and MSNBC with Bill Gates.

The PFNYC was pledged to play a central role in reconstructing Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks, according to Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO of the Partnership and current Director of The Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The organization compiled the economic report on the damage done, advanced financial plans for reconstructing the World Trade Center, and advised leading financiers regarding reconstruction investments.

According to 911-Truth movement directors, Wylde and other members of the PFNYC are implicated in the treasonous attacks that scientific evidence says involved thermitic explosives used in controlled demolitions.

These allegations and PFNYC connections to 9/11 events implicating investment bankers at Goldman Sachs are additionally scrutinized in a new feature-length film produced by Dr. Horowitz. PHARMAWHORES: The SHOWTIME Sting of Penn & Teller premieres in theaters across North America this summer. (Quicktime and MP-4 downloadable versions are available through PharmaWhores.com.)

The PFNYC is co-directed by Jeffrey B. Kindler, the Chairman and CEO of Pfizer--the world's largest drug company. Kindler stewards Pfizer through multi-billion dollar acquisitions also involving JPMC and GS financing.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the drug industry's main trade organization, is also directed by Kindler. PhRMA officials engage White House and Pentagon officials in private negotiations determining pricing for stockpiles of drugs and vaccines.

Dr. Horowitz views this covert administration of multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical contracts as symptomatic of the industry's corruption. The "corporate shell game" is played using mergers and acquisitions directed by the same people. Their creation of the PhRMA trade organization provides the illusion of their legitimacy and fair competition. Price fixing occurs behind closed doors, explaining why prices vary so widely internationally.

Another gross example of corrupt government pharmawhores sucking Wall Street's slime, is Congressman Henry Waxman's (D-CA) treason against the American people for sneaking dietary supplement regulation language into 'The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009,' (H.R. 4173).

For years, Waxman has attempted to pass legislation restricting consumer access to nutritional supplements on behalf of BigPharma. The FDA, largely controlled by BigPharma, contends regulating vitamins, minerals, herbs, homeopathics, oils, colloidal silvers, and more natural products protects consumers.

During health care reform negotiations with PhRMA, Waxman feigned concern that drug companies were driving too hard a "bargain" on pharmaceutical prices, but still voted in favor of the cartel's freedom to set their own limits.

Most telling and ironic, PhRMA's official negotiator to whom Waxman complained, "PhRMA should contribute more than PhRMA wants to contribute," was Billy Tauzin, the former congressman who held Waxman's job as chair of the Energy and Commerce committee.

Natural Health News is proud to be a contributing correspondent with the Rense News Network

Saving Billions without Electronic Health Records

The issue of one single set of rules for insurance billing was promulgated in the 1970s. It is now almost 40 years since this was proposed and someone is actually showing what many, including me, have been saying.

Note that is was always Big Insurances that created more layers, more paper, separate paper, and higher cost during this time.
Simpler medical billing saves $7 billion
BOSTON, April 29 (UPI) -- Simplifying and standardizing administrative procedures for medical bills could save about $7 billion a year, U.S. researchers estimate.

Bonnie B. Blanchfield of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and colleagues have created a hypothetical model for medical billing that involves a single set of payment rules for multiple payers, a single claim form and standard rules of submission.

If doctors' offices used the streamlined medical billing system they would save 4 hours a week of physician time and 5 hours a week of staff time, Blanchfield said.

The researchers analyzed the billing system of a physician's group affiliated with a large, urban, academic teaching hospital. The researchers found 12.6 percent of submitted claims are initially rejected, but 81 percent are eventually paid -- after using considerable staff time.

"The savings from reducing administrative complexity could be translated into decreased costs in general," the study authors said in a statement. "Mandating a single set of rules, a single claim form, standard rules of submission, and transparent payment adjudication-with corresponding savings to both providers and payers-could provide system wide savings that could translate into better care for Americans."

The findings are published in the journal Health Affairs at http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.2009.0075v1.

Fructose Worsens Liver Disease

32 + articles about liver health concerns can be found in Natural Health News

Our Liver cleansing and Liver care products have provided excellent results to hundreds of clients over the years...contact us for more information.

This is one indication of the need for detoxification. Colon cleansing IS NOT detoxification. Our decades of experience with detoxification products and programs offers much more to our clients than found elsewhere.

Cigarette smoking, fructose consumption exacerbates liver disease, study finds

ScienceDaily (2010-04-27) -- Recent studies suggest that modifiable risk factors such as cigarette smoking and fructose consumption can worsen nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). With NAFLD, fat accumulates in the liver of overweight individuals despite drinking little alcohol, causing in some cases liver scarring that can lead to liver failure. Identifying modifiable factors that contribute to disease severity and progression is essential in improving patient outcomes. ... > read full article

Garlic Gives You That Sulfur

UPDATE: 20 August, 2010 -  Garlic to lower blood pressure
Garlic was once used to combat the Black Death, but doctors now claim it can tackle a modern-day epidemic of heart disease.
Just 12 weeks' treatment with garlic tablets led to a 'significant' cut in blood pressure, slashing the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Researchers claim people with hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure, could control their condition better by adding garlic to conventional medication. Read complete article
My comment to this article is that it is good information except for the misunderstanding that the researchers focus on standardized supplements rather than food based products.  We recommend you consider using the garlic you'll find in the right column, or Immortal Garlic or our specific unique garlic. 

UPDATE: 29 April, 2010 - More on the health benefits of sulfur bearing foods and compounds -
Lower levels of 'rotten egg' gas (hydrogen sulfide) in blood linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes and poorer circulation

ScienceDaily (2010-04-28) -- Researchers have for the first time identified a link between blood levels of the gas hydrogen sulfide (a gas more commonly associated with the smell of rotten eggs), obesity and type 2 diabetes. ... > read full article
Originally posted in 2008
For several decades I've offered clients a garlic supplement that is known for reducing blood pressure. Now it seems that we need to wait for some new recombinant drug because of another medical study that overlooks the natural and known natural remedies.

Sulfur is one of the most important healing molecules we have known of and used in natural therapies for eons. It is mentioned in this 'special form' in my book, "Blood Pressure Care Naturally".

Oh, for the day when these folks get to recall all of the pharmacopoeia that first came from Mother Nature.
'Fart gas' link to blood pressure
The gas best known for being used in many stink bombs may also control blood pressure, say US researchers.

Small amounts of hydrogen sulphide - a toxic gas generated by bacteria living in the human gut - are responsible for the foul odour of flatulence.

But it seems the gas is also produced by an enzyme in blood vessels where it relaxes them and lowers blood pressure.

The findings in mice may lead to new treatments for high blood pressure, the Science journal reported.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, in Maryland, found that the gas is produced in the cells lining blood vessels by an enzyme called CSE.

We know hydrogen sulphide is not good for us at high levels but it seems that at the lower levels in the body it is essential
Professor Amrita Ahluwalia


In mice engineered to be deficient in this enzyme, levels of hydrogen sulphide were almost depleted compared with levels in normal mice.

The CSE-deficient mice also had blood pressure measurements about 20% higher than the normal mice, comparable to serious hypertension in humans.

When the engineered mice were given a drug which relaxes normal blood vessels - methacholine - there was no difference, indicating the gas is responsible for the relaxation.

Treatments

Another gas, nitric oxide, is already known to be involved in control of blood pressure.

Researcher Dr Solomon Snyder said: "Now we know hydrogen sulphide's role in regulating blood pressure, it may be possible to design drug therapies that enhance its formation as an alternative to the current methods of treatment for hypertension."

Professor Amrita Ahluwalia, an expert in vascular pharmacology at Barts and The London Medical School, said: "This study shows that smelly hydrogen sulphide is also likely to have a role in regulating blood pressure and it will be a bit of an impetus for scientists to develop more specific tools to work out what's going on.

"We know hydrogen sulphide is not good for us at high levels but it seems that at the lower levels in the body it is essential."

Dr Allan MacDonald, a reader in pharmacology at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: "Treatments based on hydrogen sulphide could become important in a variety of cardiovascular diseases," he said.

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7686911.stm
Published: 2008/10/24 © BBC MMVIII

Find 30+ posts regarding blood pressure on Natural Health News Read more

Health Risk and Cadillac Insurance

Its always been will known in the health industry - and for decades - that the better your insurance, the better your care.

A new study shows consistent outcomes - especially if you require critical care.

Critical care outcomes tied to insurance status, systematic review finds

ScienceDaily (2010-04-28) -- Among the general US population, people who are uninsured are about half as likely to receive critical care services as those with insurance, according to systematic review of the literature by the American Thoracic Society's Health Disparities Group. They also found that once admitted to the hospital intensive care unit, uninsured patients are less likely to have invasive procedures or pulmonary artery catheterizations and more likely to have life support withdrawn. ... > read full article

Vitamin D and Fatigue

It never ceases to amaze me when these multiple reports about the benfits of Vitamin D always seem to overlook the issue of deficiency directly related to faulty information promulgated since the late 70s and early 80s to cut all fat out of your diet.

If you do not have healthy saturated in your diet your diet you CANNOT absorb Vitamin D, nor can you use calcium or have good support for healthy cholesterol levels and hormone production.   


Please eat unsalted-organic butter (you can make "spread" by blending one stick of butter with 1/2 cup olive oil), and any dairy products MUST contain at least 2% butter fat.

Vitamin D deficiency associated with chronic fatigue in brain injured patients

ScienceDaily (2010-04-28) -- New evidence has shown that vitamin D deficiency is closely associated with the chronic fatigue that often follows post traumatic brain injury (TBI). ... > read full article
Vitamin D testing and supplements are available from our organization. Profits and donations help us help your health through education.

Death Effects and Schizophrenia Drugs

MEDLINE Abstract

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11-year follow-up of mortality in patients with schizophrenia: a population-based cohort study (FIN11 study).
Lancet. 2009; 374(9690):620-7 (ISSN: 1474-547X)
Tiihonen J ; Lönnqvist J ; Wahlbeck K ; Klaukka T ; Niskanen L ; Tanskanen A ; Haukka J
Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Kuopio and Niuvanniemi Hospital, Department of Clinical Physiology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland. jari.tiihonen@niuva.fi

BACKGROUND: The introduction of second-generation antipsychotic drugs during the 1990s is widely believed to have adversely affected mortality of patients with schizophrenia. Our aim was to establish the long-term contribution of antipsychotic drugs to mortality in such patients. METHODS: Nationwide registers in Finland were used to compare the cause-specific mortality in 66 881 patients versus the total population (5.2 million) between 1996, and 2006, and to link these data with the use of antipsychotic drugs. We measured the all-cause mortality of patients with schizophrenia in outpatient care during current and cumulative exposure to any antipsychotic drug versus no use of these drugs, and exposure to the six most frequently used antipsychotic drugs compared with perphenazine use. FINDINGS: Although the proportional use of second-generation antipsychotic drugs rose from 13% to 64% during follow-up, the gap in life expectancy between patients with schizophrenia and the general population did not widen between 1996 (25 years), and 2006 (22.5 years). Compared with current use of perphenazine, the highest risk for overall mortality was recorded for quetiapine (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.41, 95% CI 1.09-1.82), and the lowest risk for clozapine (0.74, 0.60-0.91; p=0.0045 for the difference between clozapine vs perphenazine, and p<0.0001 for all other antipsychotic drugs). Long-term cumulative exposure (7-11 years) to any antipsychotic treatment was associated with lower mortality than was no drug use (0.81, 0.77-0.84). In patients with one or more filled prescription for an antipsychotic drug, an inverse relation between mortality and duration of cumulative use was noted (HR for trend per exposure year 0.991; 0.985-0.997). INTERPRETATION: Long-term treatment with antipsychotic drugs is associated with lower mortality compared with no antipsychotic use. Second-generation drugs are a highly heterogeneous group, and clozapine seems to be associated with a substantially lower mortality than any other antipsychotics. Restrictions on the use of clozapine should be reassessed. FUNDING: Annual EVO Financing (Special government subsidies from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Finland).

PreMedline Identifier:19595447

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Longterm Steroid Use Causes Problems

UPDATE: 29 April 2010

Long-term anabolic steroid use may weaken heart more than previously thought

ScienceDaily (2010-04-28) -- Long-term anabolic steroid use may weaken the heart more than previously thought, a new study finds. Steroid-related heart impairment is severe enough to potentially increase the risk of heart failure. The left ventricle, the heart muscle primarily responsible for pumping blood throughout the body, was significantly weaker among steroid users. ... > read full article

ORIGINAL POST DATE: 12/8/07 Recently I have met several people who have been taking steroids for many years without the awareness that this class of drugs can cause serious health problems.

Along with the understanding I have because of my many years of pharmacology in college, grad school and continuing education, I continue to wonder why today's physicians and other prescribers fail so frequently to inform patients about the side effects and risks of drugs.

This alert is from Johns Hopkins. I do not agree with all of their recommendations because they offer no natural or nutritional options, however, it is worth reading.
The higher the steroid dose, the more likely that side effects -- cataracts, osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, muscle weakness, hair loss -- may occur.

As a growing number of people with lung disease are living longer, more people are taking long-term oral steroids for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other chronic lung conditions.

Long-term use of oral steroids can cause serious side effects, ranging from osteoporosis to cataracts to high blood pressure and diabetes. If you’re taking an oral steroid, it’s critical to talk with your doctor about how to minimize these steroid side effects.

Corticosteroids can prevent or reverse inflammation in the airways, making them less sensitive to triggers. If you have severe asthma and you have tried high doses of inhaled steroids without success, your doctor may recommend oral steroids. Some people take oral steroids because they have COPD that other medications can’t relieve.

If you take daily oral steroids for months or years, particularly in moderate to high doses, you are at increased risk for developing any of a variety of side effects: cataracts, osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, muscle weakness, easily bruised skin, hair loss, facial hair growth in women, weight gain, and puffy cheeks. Other possible side effects include hyperexcitability, insomnia, and (in a small number of patients) aggressive behavior or even psychosis.

Steps you can take to avoid osteoporosis and other side effects:

* Ask your doctor about getting regular bone scans to detect osteoporosis.
* Get about 1,500 mg of calcium daily through nutrition or supplements. Because vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, it may help to take 800 international units (IU) daily of vitamin D.
* If you are diagnosed with osteoporosis, your doctor will recommend medication.
* If you take moderate to high doses of corticosteroids, have regular eye exams to check for glaucoma.
* Ask your doctor whether you can reduce your oral steroid dose by adding other medications.
* Have your blood pressure checked regularly.
* Also have your blood sugar checked frequently. Use of high dose steroids has been associated with the development diabetes.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Health Risks and Industrial Wind Turbines

UPDATE: 28 April, 2010 - Wind farm off Cape Cod approved
Perhaps Barry is ignorant of the risks of wind turbines.

SAVE OUR SOUND announces law suits to be filed

ORIGINAL POST 1/24/09
Dr. Magda Havas Ph.D., Associate Professor of Environmental and Resource Studies at Peterborough’s Trent University and one of the world’s leading research experts in the areas of electromagnetic pollution, radio frequency radiation, ground current and dirty electricity delivered alarming warnings about the dangers to human and animal health, posed by Industrial Wind Turbines.

full article

Wind Farm raising issues on Nantucket Sound

UPDATE: 3 March, 09
Wind Turbine Syndrome

EWG publishes new food list

Just out from the Environmental Working Group

"FOOD SAFETY: CLEANSING OPTIONS


CLEAN 15
Onions, Avocado, Sweet Corn, Pineapple, Mango, Sweet Peas, Asparagus, Kiwi, Cabbage, Eggplant, Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Grapefruit, Sweet Potato, Honeydew Melon

DIRTY DOZEN (BUY ORGANIC)
Celery, Peaches, Strawberries, Apples, Blueberries, Nectarines, Bell Peppers, Spinach, Kale, Cherries, Potatoes, Grapes (Imported)

Why Should You Care About Pesticides?
The growing consensus among scientists is that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can cause lasting damage to human health, especially during fetal development and early childhood.
Scientists now know enough about the long-term consequences of ingesting these powerful chemicals to advise that we minimize our consumption of pesticides.

What’s the Difference?
EWG research has found that people who eat five fruits and vegetables a day from the Dirty Dozen list consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. Those who eat from the 15 least contaminated conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables ingest fewer than 2 pesticides daily. The Guide helps consumers make informed choices to lower their dietary pesticide load.

Will Washing and Peeling Help?
The data used to create these lists is based on produce tested as it is typically eaten (meaning washed, rinsed or peeled, depending on the type of produce). Rinsing reduces but does not eliminate pesticides. Peeling helps, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the skin. The best approach: eat a varied diet, rinse all produce and buy organic when possible.

How Was This Guide Developed?

EWG analysts have developed the Guide based on data from nearly 96,000 tests for pesticide residues in produce conducted between 2000 and 2008 and collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. You can find a detailed description of the criteria EWG used to develop these rankings and
the complete list of fruits and vegetables tested at our dedicated website.

THE POWER OF INFORMATION
Headquarters 1436 U St. N.W., Suite 100 Washington, DC 20009
(202) 667-6982
Learn More at FoodNews.org

Another Health Reform Bill Conundrum

As I understand it, hidden deep inside the 2700 or more pages of the recently passed health bill is a small detail I think my readers should know.

As you may know the issue of pre-existing conditions was a major PR focus in the efforts to ram this bill through Congress, and get the citizenry to think they were really getting something.

What's missing is this tiny detail I fell upon in the past day or so about exactly what happens to one of the Big Insurance carriers that will be allowed in the "pool" to sell you something that will continue to give their CEO at least $13 million a year in salary without perks.

And you might end up not getting your claims paid if you happen to have one of these items, obscure and otherwise, deemed "pre-existing" by insurance profiteers.

It just so happens that whomever has been writing this bill, and of late it always seems that industry is writing the legislation, they sure seem to favor industry over Joe or Jane Citizen.

The slap on the hand for denying coverage for "pre-existing" is a paltry $100 a day. To Big Insurance the $100 a day fine doesn't even measure up to pocket change.

In the interim, you or a loved one could die.

Don't you think it might be a good idea to start taking back responsibility for your health?

See also "health care problem is far from solved"

Selecting Fruits and Vegetables for Your Best Health

From the BBC comes a good report on the ins and outs of the whys and wherefores of eating a varied diet, especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables. Get more information here and here.
'Pick the right veg' for health
Obvious choices of fruit and vegetables are not necessarily the healthiest, say researchers.

According to US experts, making simple swaps like eating sweet potatoes instead of carrots and papaya rather than oranges could make a difference.

Foods, like raspberries, watercress and kale, are richer in phytonutrients which may help prevent disease, they told a US meeting.

UK nutritionists said a balanced diet is essential to good health.

The British Nutrition Foundation warned that relying on eating a few select food types to boost health was ill-advised and said there was no such thing as a "superfood".
No one food can give you everything you need
Dr Emma Williams of the British Nutrition Foundation
Experts recommend five portions a day of fruit and veg in a healthy diet.

Plant foods are known to contain "phytonutrient" chemicals that can protect the heart and arteries and prevent cancers.

But the most popular varieties may not be the best, according to US researchers.

They analysed data from US health surveys of people's dietary habits to look at the most common sources of phytonutrients.

They found that for 10 of the 14 phytonutrients studied, a single food type accounted for two-thirds or more of an individual's consumption, regardless of how much fruit and veg they ate overall.

Carrots were the most common source of beta-carotene, oranges and orange juice the most common source of beta-cryptoxanthin, spinach the most common source of lutein/zeaxanthin, strawberries the most common source of ellagic acid and mustard the biggest provider of isothiocyanates.

However, for each of these phytonutrients there was a richer food source available.

Richer foods

Switching from carrots to sweet potatoes would nearly double beta-carotene intake, say the researchers.

Similarly papaya contains 15 times more beta-cryptoxanthin than oranges, while kale has three times more lutein/zeaxanthin than spinach.

Raspberries have three times more ellagic acid than strawberries and one cup of watercress contains as much isothiocyanate as four teaspoonfuls of mustard.

Study leader Keith Randolph, who is a technology strategist for the supplement company Nutrilite, said: "These data highlight the importance of not only the quantity but also the significant impact the quality and variety of the fruits and vegetables you eat can have on your health."

Dr Emma Williams of the British Nutrition Foundation said: "They are right that some foods are richer sources of phytonutrients.

"But at the end of the day, to be healthy you need to make sure you have a varied and balanced diet.

"No one food can give you everything you need."

The findings were presented at the 2010 Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, California.

Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/8645104.stm
Published: 2010/04/27 02:43:11 GMT © BBC MMX

Chili Counters Pain

Natural Health News has about nine articles that include cayenne. You'll find more here on our original domain, on line since 1991.

Learn more

To me it is interesting that news of the well known - for a very long time - benefits of cayenne as a pain remedy reports as if no one has ever heard of this benefit.

But in case you've been in the dark on this wonderful substance for pain, here's the newest -
Studying chilli peppers is helping scientists create a new type of painkiller which could stop pain at its source.
And if you'd like to get some of our great cayenne ointment, just send us an email for more information and ordering.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

House and Senate Ramming Through Secret Bill Add-Ons to Block Supplements

5/5/10: Here's Another Legislative Effort to Help You Retain Your Right of Access to Natural Health and Supplements

ACT NOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TO STOP THIS
TAKE ACTION

Natural Health News has been covering CODEX now for more than a decade. For KEY information on this issue check our posts here from 2005 and the main resources on this concern, Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) and IAHF
LEF is monitoring the legislation and they sent this comment 29 April: The threat of a regulatory stranglehold over dietary supplements has intensified.

Earlier this year, Sen. John McCain introduced a bill that would have given the FDA draconian new powers. A citizen’s revolt ensued that caused that bill to be sidelined. We are being watchful that Sen. McCain does not try to slip some of his oppressive original proposals into another Senate bill. SEE UPDATE ON THIS BILL

The urgent issue we face today is language Rep. Henry Waxman snuck into the already passed Wall Street Reform Bill (H.R. 4173) that he hopes to get into the Senate bill. This language would give unelected FTC bureaucrats arbitrary authority to impose crippling requirements that will drive up the costs of supplements or remove them from the market entirely.
More from LEF, 3 April - Here is a link to the exact text of HR 4173, along with a link discussing of the implications of Waxman's proposal. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4173  If you have any additional questions, please e-mail us or call the advisor helpline at (800) 226-2370.
Make sure Case:[197196] is in the subject line of all correspondence.
For Longer Life,
Life Extension
Related article: Lovaza Shuffle
Similar issues surround the biologically active form of pyridoxine (vitamin B6 or P5P) and B9 (folic acid). Make sure you are connecting the dots.
Congressman Waxman Slips Obscure Anti-Supplement Measure into Wall St. “Reform” Bill Passed by the House; Please Take Action to Prevent Same Thing Happening in the Senate!

Posted By ANH-USA On April 27, 2010 @ 6:34 pm In Attacks on Integrative Medicine, Food Safety, The Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA)

[1]The American public is becoming fed up with “sneak” provisions tacked onto largely unrelated bills that are likely to pass. A glaring recent example was tacking onto the Healthcare bill a complete change to student loans. Often the “sneak” provision is so buried that hardly anyone is aware of it.

The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009 (H.R. 4173), recently passed in the House of Representatives, includes language going far beyond finance inserted by Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA). This language could be used for an end run around the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), the legislation that governs dietary supplement regulation by the FDA.

The Senate is expected to vote on its finance “reform” bill as early as this weekend. We need your help to ensure that it is not amended to include a similar provision going far beyond finance that could be used against supplements. Please take action now.

Congressman Waxman is well known as an opponent of the dietary supplement industry. This is somewhat ironic: his district includes Hollywood and presumably many of his closest supporters are health store shoppers and supplement users. Most of these people simply don’t know what Waxman is doing in this area.

This powerful Congressman, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee (which includes health as a subcommittee), would appear to want supplements regulated like drugs, a step that would effectively eliminate them. He is determined and has stated: “One enduring truth about Washington is that no issue is ever settled for good.”

ANH-USA has been on alert to see how Waxman would use his committee chairmanship to strike at DSHEA. He is very clever and we knew a covert attack was a possibility.

A direct attack on supplements would take the form of an amendment to DSHEA, since that legislation governs FDA regulation of supplements. In this case, Waxman has left DSHEA alone, and has instead inserted language in the Wall St. “reform” bill that gives the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) important new powers that could be used to circumvent key supplement protections in DSHEA.

To see how this would work, let’s see how the FTC operates today. Its chief mission is to combat commercial fraud. It has full authority to pursue companies making fraudulent claims. But the FTC can’t go beyond that, can’t set other regulatory requirements, without advance approval of Congress. The FTC once had this regulatory “rule-making” authority. It lost it in the 1980’s because Congress thought the Agency was abusing it.

At the present time, if the FTC moves against a dietary supplement company for false or misleading advertising, the FTC typically requires the company, as part of a consent decree agreed to by both parties, to back up its claims by undertaking at least two random controlled human trials. This is done on a case-by-case basis and is legal because the targeted company has agreed to it.

If the FTC had general rulemaking authority, which Waxman’s language reinstates, the Agency would be expected to create a new legal requirement for all supplement companies. Such companies would have to perform at least two of these human studies before making any claims for their products.

Why should we care whether supplement companies are required to perform two random controlled human trials for each product? Because such trials take a long time and would be beyond the financial means of most supplement companies. Even if the companies could find the money, the FTC could require more and more costly versions of these studies, or more of these studies. At each stage, fewer supplements would be available, and those available would cost more and more, until they became as costly as drugs.

Supplements are not drugs. In most cases, drugs are non-natural and therefore patentable substances. Why patentable? Because no company will spend a billion dollars on studies and FDA approval trials without the monopoly provided by the patent. To insist that supplements be treated like drugs is really to sound the death knell for the supplement industry, something that drug companies would be delighted to see, because they know that supplements are their chief potential competition, are often more effective than drugs, are often less toxic, and are always much less expensive.

Supplements are already regulated by the FDA under DSHEA. If the Waxman provision is included in the final Wall St “reform” bill, the FTC will gain the power to override the limited protections for supplements that already exist under DSHEA. The FDA would still have to respect DSHEA, but the FTC would not be so constrained.

Five unelected FTC commissioners would issue binding regulations in a wide range of areas, including the regulation of dietary supplements. And companies that did not comply with the new FTC rules could effectively be put out of business.

According to renowned constitutional attorney Jonathan Emord, “The provision removing the ban on FTC rulemaking without Congressional preapproval contained in H.R. 4173 invites the very same irresponsible over-regulation of the commercial marketplace that led Congress to enact the ban in the 1980s. FTC has no shortage of power to regulate deceptive advertising; this bill gives it far more discretionary power than it needs, inviting greater abuse and mischief from an agency that suffers virtually no check on its discretion.”

The bottom line is that FTC would be given power to regulate areas they don’t understand, and their first order of business would likely be to regulate supplements, an area far outside their area of expertise.

The Senate Wall St “reform” bill, the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010 (S. 3217), doesn’t contain the Waxman provision yet. But we know that Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) may offer an amendment including Waxman’s language. Please help us stop this. Please take action now to help us maintain access to low cost, high quality supplements. Tell your senators not to support any amendments that give FTC unchecked power to over-regulate areas they don’t understand, including dietary supplements.

URL: http://www.anh-usa.org/congressman-waxman-slips-obscure-anti-supplement-measure-into-wall-st-%e2%80%9creform%e2%80%9d-bill-passed-by-the-house-please-take-action-to-prevent-same-thing-happening-in-the-senate/

Copyright © 2010 Alliance for Natural Health - US. All rights reserved.
And now from Orthomolecular Medicine -Multivitamins Dangerous?
Latest News from the World Headquarters Of Pharmaceutical Politicians, Educators and Reporters
(OMNS, Apr 29, 2010) The following purports to be a transcript of a recent meeting at the World Headquarters Of Pharmaceutical Politicians, Educators and Reporters [WHOPPER]:

"All right, all right! Please come to order, ladies and gentlemen. We know how excited you all are over the recent flood of anti-vitamin news coverage. But please have a seat! Thank you.

"First of all, congratulations on a job well done. We now have the public totally flummoxed about vitamins. We have persuaded the media that high doses of supplements are dangerous, and that low doses are also dangerous. We have scared the people away from taking any nutrients at all. Why, we have even sold the idea to the press that a once-daily multivitamin is dangerous. Nice work, everyone!

"Funny thing about multivitamin supplements: if you look at each individual nutrient in a multivitamin, it is of course good for you. Thousands upon thousands of research studies confirm the body's absolute need for each and every vitamin. So, we urge people to eat a "balanced diet" to get all their various vitamins from food . . . while simultaneously convincing them that a balanced multivitamin supplement is bad! Essential vitamins from foods are good; essential vitamins from pills are not. Then, truly a stroke of marketing genius, we push processed foods devoid of vitamins, advertising day and night.

"We hardly have to spell it out, now do we? The fewer nutrients people consume, the more sick they will become. The more illness, the more drugs the public will have to take. After all, if vitamin therapy is "dangerous," what's left? Us, that's who. Our pharmaceutical plants running 24/7 can produce millions of pills a day, for pennies apiece, to retail at ten dollars per tablet. Ching-ching!

"Even better, the government will pay for it all. "National health care," as you already know is really "national pharmaceutical insurance." The Feds will pay all right. After all, we sold them on the flu vaccine, didn't we? Even when it was shown that the vaccine was worthless at best? (1)

"You can see other ways that the Feds listen to us. We have set it up so that Food Stamps cannot be used to buy vitamins. (2) A bag of cookies or a box of donuts, yes. But not vitamins. The ban includes supplemental vitamin D, which is widely known to prevent bone diseases in children and the elderly, and to prevent lung cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and a dozen other cancers. (3)

"Is it just me, or have you noticed how hot it is in here? Well, at any rate, you have all done one Hell of a nice job. Our Boss is proud of you."
From CP -
The FDA is once again considering banning a safe, affordable nutritional supplement. Last year, a pharmaceutical company convinced the FDA to outlaw supplements of pyridoxamine—a form of vitamin B6 known to stop the damaging process called glycation—so that the company could sell them as a prescription drug. Now another pharmaceutical company has petitioned the FDA asking that pyridoxal-5-phosphate (P5P), another form of vitamin B6, be banned so that the company can turn this supplement into an expensive drug.
I urge you to contact your senators and representatives to ask them to stop this theft of P5P from the public domain.
After all, what’s next? The FDA banning the sale of safe, natural foods like walnuts?
As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what’s next as the FDA recently sent a warning letter to Diamond Foods, Inc. proclaiming that walnuts sold by the company cannot be legally marketed because the walnuts “are not generally recognized as safe and effective” for the medical conditions mentioned on Diamond Foods’ website. The FDA warned the company that these walnuts are now classified as “drugs” and could be subject to government “seizure or injunction.”
The good news? Within weeks, Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) are expected to introduce the Dietary Supplement Full Implementation and Enforcement Act of 2010. The bill will ensure that the FDA will fully fund and implement the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), the legislation that regulates dietary supplements. The new bill is intended to fund all DSHEA regulatory provisions, serving as a rebuttal to the argument by supplement opponents that the industry isn’t really regulated due to a lack of funding.
Although there is a chance the legislation will backfire and that the FDA will misuse the funds to persecute supplements, the more hopeful option is that for the first time some FDA employees will consider their jobs as being funded by supplements. If supplements disappear, their jobs would disappear.
I will keep you updated on this bill when it is introduced.

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.



Monday, April 26, 2010

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?"

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.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Where's the rest of the story?

An interesting study reports fluoride based serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs kill cancer cells in the lab.

This article includes no reference to how long the study lasted, nor did it say how long the drug continued to kill cells, or what dose was used.

What one has to wonder is which filing cabinet drawer or round file this will got to once replication occurs, and a review of the horrendous side effects associated with fluoride are.

Additionally there is no mention that fluoride based drugs suppress your thyroid and nothing is said about the known damaging side effects, including homicide and suicide.

Maybe the latter two refer to a new way to kill cancer...

Now what happens to this class of drugs and the Black Box warnings?
"This, combined with many years of experience in treating patients with these drugs, means that doctors can be confident that the treatment will not cause significant effects on normal tissues and is safe for virtually all patients."
New study claims Prozac can help in the battle with cancer
Prozac and other well established antidepressants could be the latest weapon in the fight against cancer, claim scientists who found they stop tumours from growing.

By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent, 23 Apr 2010

Researchers in Britain have found that the commonly used drug suppresses tumour growth by as much as 90 per cent and could be used to boost the effectiveness of other cancer fighting treatments.

And because it has already been tested, it should mean that it could be available for use far more quickly than new drugs that have to go through numerous safety trials.

The team at the University of Birmingham found that the active ingredients from Prozac, medical name fluoxetine, could bring on apoptosis (a kind of natural death) in cancer cells cultivated in the laboratory.

Further trials on actual live tissue – blood with leukaemia – showed that it dramatically reduced tumour growth by up to 90 per cent.

Now they believe clinical trials on humans will see the results replicated in real cancer patients.

"We were thrilled to see these results," said Professor Barnes. "It shows a real opportunity to maintain the pressure on tumours in between chemotherapy cycles."

The findings, published in the journal Leukaemia Research, showed that both Prozac (Fluoxetine) and another antidepressant Chlomipramine were effective against cancer cells in leukaemia and lymphoma patients.

Professor Nick Barnes, one of the study leaders, believes that by using the drug along with traditional chemotherapy survival rates could be dramatically improved.

One of the big problems with chemotherapy is that it is so powerful that treatments have to be done in cycles as the drugs are so damaging to healthy cells as well as cancer cells.

That means cancer cells have the ability to regroup and spread in-between treatments. Prozac could be used to "keep a lid" on cancer growth between cycles.

Ken Campbell, a spokesman for the charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, said: "This research holds the promise of safe, less toxic treatments for the most common group of blood cancers.

"This, combined with many years of experience in treating patients with these drugs, means that doctors can be confident that the treatment will not cause significant effects on normal tissues and is safe for virtually all patients." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7624419/Prozac-can-help-in-the-battle-with-cancer.html

Fungus Fears and worthwhile options for considertation

The appearance of a virulent fungus has been reported in the Pacific Northwest. Reports say that people have been treated with antiobiotics and I haven't seen much reference to antifungal drugs. While I'm scratching my head on that one, since both classes of drugs can have deleterious side effects, I'm certain my approach hasn't been calculated in mainstream medicine.

Many years ago now, when the SARS virus was circulating, I suggested some different antiviral and antifungal therapies.

Currently we have a new garlic formula available in the form of Alli-C Garlic is an outstanding antibiotic and antifungal. This new form is the equivalent of 35 cloves of garlic in one capsule.

Colloidal Silver is a very good product to consider,and when used only to treat infection or other issues it can be very helpful. I am not one to encourage the everyday prophylactic use of colloidal silver. I'll have a new article coming soon with more information on the history and use of CS.

I suggest vitamin A in a combination form that allows for the conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A. This helps protect the lining of your lungs and respiratory system as well as assisting should you develop pneumonia.

And for heavy hitting I am all for pure therapeutic essential oils.

Get a high quality professional nebulizer and a supply of one or more of these excellent choices - organic is best -
  • Oregano
  • Lemon
  • Melaleuca (can also be helpful with malaria and tuberculosis)

    Chest congestion may be helped with old fashioned mustard plasters, staying adequately hydrated (two cups of sage tea daily unless you have seizure disorder, or peppermint tea). Lemonade is also very good as it adds flavor, helps cleanse your liver, adds vitamin C, and you can eat the peel if it is organic.

    Up your intake of vitamin C to tolerance levels and make sure you taking adequate amounts of vitamin D3 and E.

    Hydrotherapy may also assist you in relaxing and removing toxins from your body. Drinking a cup of yarrow tea while soaking encourages detoxification and fever reducing. If you'd like more information please let us know.

    You may order any of these supplies from our organization; all profits help keep us on-line.

    See also:
    http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04231001/US_PI_Spike.html

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36722426

    http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0%2C8599%2C1984337%2C00.html?xid=rss-topstories
  • Yes, just as I thought

    September and November 2009 posts
    http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2009/09/swine-flu-and-vaccine-information.html
    http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2009/11/no-guillain-barre-they-say.html
    H1N1 vaccine study investigating hints of complications from vaccine
    By Rob Stein, Washington Post Staff Writer, Saturday, April 24, 2010

    Federal health officials are investigating the first hints of any possible significant complications from the H1N1 vaccine, but stressed that the concerns will probably turn out to be a false alarm.

    The latest analysis of data has detected what could be a somewhat elevated rate of Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can cause paralysis and death; Bell's palsy, a temporary facial paralysis; and thrombocytopenia, which is a low level of blood platelets, officials reported Friday. The data is being collected through five of the networks the government is using to monitor people who were inoculated against the swine flu.
    READ COMPLETE ARTICLE

    Try Prevention for a Change of Pace

     It amazes me that with all these campaigns raising money for "cures" that so far so little is focused on prevention.  Its my guess that if we focused on prevention - in the true sense of public health - we'd gain major health improvements.

    from SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN  60-Second Science -  April 23, 2010

    Public Health: Try the Prevent Defense

    Prevention of infectious diseases in specific regions may be a better strategy than trying to develop a cure. Karen Hopkin reports

    An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That’s more than a folksy aphorism when it comes to infectious diseases. Because according to a report in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, it’s more cost effective to reduce the cases of a disease in hard-hit areas than to struggle to find a cure. [Robert Dunn et al., http://bit.ly/90xLbM]

    The trick, say the scientists, is identifying the populations most at risk. To figure out where disease-prevention dollars would be best spent, the scientists crunched the numbers. They looked at the diversity of disease-causing organisms and at the number of victims in regions all around the world. And they examined a variety of variables, from climate conditions to the money spent on health care.

    Their finding, perhaps not surprisingly, is that the places where infections are most rampant are those with the largest populations and the worst disease-control measures. The good news is: the data show that efforts to control these scourges do work. So where eradication has failed, prevention can help.

    The scientists note that reducing illness in heavily populated, poor areas also lowers the chance of a disease spreading to uninfected regions. Just as it’s in your best interest to keep your neighbor’s house from going up in flames.

    Thursday, April 22, 2010

    May: ELECTROMAGNETIC SENSITIVITY AWARENESS MONTH

    A Better Way to Celebrate Earth Day
    Coming in May 2010 - More on Electrosensitivity Month

    Help Stop a Cell Tower Today

    UPDATE July 2009: Additional information can be found here
    6 May 2009

    A report I received this morning in one of the many resources I review included this article.

    See Also: http://mcs-america.org/June2009pg12345.pdf

    Because Charlie Crist, Florida's governor, proclaimed May as Electromagnetic Sensitivity Month I felt it important to include a reference to the following article. Along with a concern about rising rates of thyroid cancer I think it is worthwhile to consider the implications of fluoride in the water supply, fluoride in many drugs and in pink salt or found in other places along with increasing cell phone use and increasing rates of exposure to ionizing radiation or depleted uranium as vectors for this serious health concern.
    Thyroid Cancer Increasing, Scientists Don't Know Why

    ScienceDaily (2009-05-05) -- It's a medical mystery that has been developing for at least a decade: thyroid cancer --- not breast, prostate, lung, or colon cancer --- is the fastest increasing cancer among women and men in the United States. ...  Read full article
    Saturday, March 28, 2009
    ELECTROMAGNETIC SENSITIVITY AWARENESS MONTH

    Make a Note of This - MAY 2009
    The Mayor of Broward County (Fort Lauderdale and area), Florida, The Honorable Stacy Ritter has proclaimed May 2009 as ELECTROMAGNETIC SENSITIVITY AWARENESS MONTH.

    EHS is a serious and growing illness that most politicians and doctors in North America are not willing to even talk about. Thanks to the brave and sensible stance of Mayor Ritter and her council, EHS will now get the recognition that it deserves.

    What is Electrohypersensitivity from Martin Weatherall

    More Foods for Health

    I've got baby spinach left over from last year coming up in my raised bed garden, and I'm now picking a bunch of leaves every day.  I eat tomatoes, berries, and every food on this list, except for pineapple to which I am allergic.

    I prefer seasonal food, and organic.  When I can't get organic I rely on the methods found in my updated e-publication, FOOD SAFETY: CLEANSING OPTIONS

    Hope you'll start adding these foods to your food plan too.....
    Pineapple Speeds post-surgery Promotes joint health Reduces asthma inflammation
    Blueberries Restore antioxidant levels Reverse age-related brain decline Prevent urinary tract infection
    Spinach Helps maintain mental sharpness Reduces the risk of cancers of the liver, ovaries, colon and prostate Top nutrient density
    Red Bell Pepper Reduces risk of lung, prostate, ovarian and cervical cancer Protects against sunburn Promotes heart health
    Broccoli Reduces diabetic damage Lowers risk of prostate, bladder, colon, pancreatic, gastric and breast cancer Protects the brain in event of injury
    Tomato Reduces inflammation Lowers risk of developing esophageal, stomach, colorectal, lung and pancreatic cancer Reduces cardiovascular disease risk
    Apple Supports immunity Fights lung and prostate cancer Lowers Alzheimer's risk
    Artichoke Helps blood clotting Antioxidant Superfood Lowers "bad" cholesterol
    Arugula Lowers birth defect risk Reduces fracture risk Protects eye health
    Asparagus Nourishes good gut bacteria Protects against birth defects Promotes heart health
    Avocado Limits liver damage Reduces oral cancer risk Lowers cholesterol levels
    Blackberries Build bone density Suppress appetite Enhance fat burning
    Butternut Squash Supports night vision Combats wrinkles Promotes heart health
    Cantaloupe Bolsters immunity Protects skin against sunburn Reduces inflammation
    Carrot Antioxidants defend DNA Fights cataracts Protects against some cancers
    Cauliflower Stimulates detoxification Suppresses breast cancer cell growth Defends against prostate cancer
    Cherries Alleviate arthritic pain and gout Lower "bad" cholesterol Reduce inflammation
    Cranberries Alleviate prostate pain Fight lung, colon and leukemia cancer cells Prevent urinary tract infection
    Green Cabbage Promotes healthy blood clotting Reduces risk of prostate, colon, breast and ovarian cancers Activates the body's natural detoxification systems
    Kale Counters harmful estrogens that can feed cancer Protects eyes against sun damage and cataracts Increases bone density
    Kiwi Combats wrinkles Lowers blood clot risk and reduces blood lipids Counters constipation
    Mango Supports immunity Lowers "bad" cholesterol Regulates homocysteine to protect arteries
    Mushrooms Promote natural detoxification Reduce the risk of colon and prostate cancer Lower blood pressure
    Orange Reduces levels of "bad" cholesterol Lowers risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, breast and stomach, and childhood leukemia Pectin suppresses appetite
    Papaya Enzymes aid digestion Reduces risk of lung cancer Enhances fat burning
    Plums & Prunes Counter constipation Antioxidants defend against DNA damage Protects against post-menopausal bone loss
    Pomegranate Enhances sunscreen protection Lowers "bad" cholesterol Fights prostate cancer
    Pumpkin Protects joints against polyarthritis Lowers lung and prostate cancer risk Reduces inflammation
    Raspberries Inhibit growth of oral, breast, colon and prostate cancers Antioxidant DNA defense Lower "bad" cholesterol levels
    Strawberries Protect against Alzheimer's Reduce "bad" cholesterol Suppress growth of colon, prostate and oral cancer
    Sweet Potato Reduces stroke risk Lowers cancer risk Protect against blindness
    Watermelon Supports male fertility Reduces risk of several cancers: prostate, ovarian, cervical, oral and pharyngeal Protects skin against sunburn
    Banana Increases Fat Burning Lowers risk of colorectal and kidney cancer, leukemia Reduces asthma symptoms in children
    Complete article


    Growing Healthier Food

    I would encourage everyone to make a point to see FOOD, Inc.

    It is enlightening if you are new to learning about the ways Big AG and the corporatocracy controls your food supply. And it isn't just regular foods sold in regular supermarkets, its the organic market as well.

    I look back on the food I was provided growing up and cannot imagine the way is grown and or processed today. My mother shopped at the Amish Farmer's Market, we had eggs and butter delivered from the farm, our milk wasn't homogenized, and in the summer we had lots of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, and fresh seafood.

    I think real food makes a difference in how healthy you can be. I also don't think it is a terrible thing to eat meat, basically because some people do need to eat meat to insure there metabolic needs are met. (Find out your metabolic standard with our self-test, $40)

    The key to the health of the meat you eat is based on what and how it is raised.

    Just like the oft-misunderstood insanity of pH in humans, pH in animals makes a difference too. It becomes more important because you are directly impacted by what animals are fed.

    We know about hogs that are fed sugar coated corn flakes to fatten them up; cows that are fed corn, soy, ground up cows and chickens; and chickens that are altered to get fat fast. It is that assembly line mentality applied to farming that seems to have lead us down the path to the current level of terribly poor health status.

    One thing struck me while re-viewing FOOD,Inc. This one thing is something I have never heard in news reports about E.coli problems with meat.

    Its the corn!

    First it is most likely to be GMO, and it is raised with an over abundance of toxic chemicals.

    Secondly, when ruminant animals that are - by nature - known to rely on grass as their food, feeding them corn and any other add-in you might think of changes their gut pH.

    When you change the pH, you foster E. coli.

    When you utilize crowded feed lots and faster and faster processing methods, you foster E. coli.

    When you over dose animals with antibiotics and hormones aimed at a fast fix for this problem, you haven't considered the real issues.

    Not considering the real issues leads to all the problems, and the concept that it is cheaper to pay the fine than correct the cause.

    You can make a difference. Healthy food begins with your voice. Tell your grocer you want naturally raised meats and eventually that's all that will be sold.

    In the interim, join an "own a cow-pig-poultry-sheep" group that feeds only what comes naturally.

    Wednesday, April 21, 2010

    Fertility and the Environment

    D. Mail 19.4.10
    "MOTHERS-TO-BE 'CAN HARM SON'S FERTILITY' "
    A man's fertility can depend on his mother's lifestyle. A large-scale review of factors affecting sperm production found that how a woman looks after herself in pregnancy could have a major effect on her unborn baby's ability to father a child in adulthood. Smoking & exposure to pesticides & traffic pollution do more harm in the first weeks of life than in the adult body, according to Richard Sharpe, one of UKs leading reproductive biologists. This could be because exposure to toxins in the womb cuts the number of sertoli cells, highly specialised cells needed to 'nurse' young sperm through to maturity during a man's life. With as many as 1 in 5 men having a low sperm count & UK couples spending almost £2billion a year at IVF clinics, it underlines the importance of a woman doing the best for her baby during pregnancy. A study of the after-effects of a major chemical leak from an Italian factory found males who were in the womb at the time grew up to have lower than expected sperm counts. The professor's research concluded that chemicals in food, cosmetics & cleaning products are to blame for some of the birth defects in baby boys' genitals & raise the risk of testicular cancer in later life. Dr. Allan Pacey, a Sheffied Uni expert in male fertility said this highlights the importance of women not exposing their baby to harmful chemicals during pregnancy. He said that men can damage their sperm production & would-be-fathers should limit their exposure to things that damage sperm production, such as recreation & prescription drugs.

    Mushrooms for Your Health

    It has been a very long time that I have had a love affair with mushrooms. I was very young the first time my father took me to Kennett Square on one of his mushroom buying drives.

    The mushroom houses were long, dark buildings filled with trays of soil and all kinds of amazing mushrooms sprouting from that soil.

    The mushrooms were packed in wooden baskets and we even purchased mushroom soil in bags to add to his gardens.

    Over the years I've learned more and more about amazing fungi. Most recently I've become interested in the idea of using mushrooms for toxic remediation because of a video I watched a while back. This is related to my work with the Silver Valley Community Action Center, and a longtime goal of SVCRC to find a better way to do mine clean up than repositories.

    I'll continue to be a mushroom lover, and a user of mushrooms for health. We offer very high quality medicinal mushrooms and these are the ones I have used to help many people with a variety of health concerns. Contact us FMI(see Mycelia and Beta-Glucan). We're pleased to supply your needs.

    So you can follow up on mushrooms for health here's a sampling from Natural Health News -

    Men's Health and Magic Mushrooms

    Antidepressants Might Be Right Under Our Noses

    New medical trials explore benefits of hallucinogenic drugs

    Vitamins for Alzheimer's

    Don't let flu hit you full force...

    Mushroom Nutrition

    Tuesday, April 20, 2010

    Good News Today for Natural Health Care Advocates

    UPDATE: 21 APRIL 2010 -
    YOUR CONTINUED GOOD HEALTH IS OUR GOAL

    10 Spices That Heal Cancer, Diabetes & More
    Written by Dr. Sanjeev Sood

    There's good reason to season: Doctors and dietitians agree that your spice rack can be just as essential as your medicine cabinet when it comes to preventing and treating disease. Research consistently shows that many spices and herbs have medicinal qualities and can help prevent everything from cancer to the common cold. Here are ten picks, plus easy ways to work them into your diet.
    1. Cumin: Prevents Cancer
    How it works: It's no surprise to many spice researchers that cancer rates are lower in India, where cumin is a diet staple. Studies show that the curcumin in this spice inhibits the enzymes that help cancer cells invade healthy tissue and also keeps tumours from developing the new blood vessels that help them grow.
    Try to get: 6 teaspoons of seeds or 1/2 teaspoon of powder a day.
    Use it: Toss a bowl of root veggies, such as sweet potatoes, parsnips, cauliflower, and turnips, with olive oil and 1 teaspoon cumin powder. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes or until tender, and add salt, pepper, and chopped cilantro to taste before serving.
    2. Ginger: Calms Nausea
    How it works: Chinese medical texts dating back to the fourth century BC taught ginger's anti-nausea properties, and modern clinical studies offer scientific proof that substance in ginger shuts down a nerve receptor in the body that triggers the vomiting reflex.
    Try to get: Juice from 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger or 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger four times a day.
    Use it: Add 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger and a few drops of toasted sesame oil to your usual tuna salad recipe for an Asian-style flavour.
    3. Basil: Combats Colds
    How it works: Basil is rich in antioxidants, which help boost immunity. It's also an antimicrobial, which fights the germs that can cause colds.
    Try to get: 1 to 2 tablespoons a day.
    Use it: Toss 1 tablespoon chopped basil into a shrimp stir-fry during the last 3 to 5 minutes of cooking. Or slice strawberries, toss with honey, and set aside for 15 minutes until juicy. Then top with a few tablespoons of finely chopped basil.
    4. Cinnamon: Fights Diabetes
    How it works: People with type-2 diabetes have difficulty processing insulin, the hormone that tells cells to remove excess sugar from the bloodstream. But studies show that cinnamon contains a substance that can help cells respond to insulin. The result? A reduction of blood sugar levels by an average of 18 percent to 29 percent, according to a recent Pakistani study.
    Try to get: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (or one stick) a day.
    Use it: Mix 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon into 2 tablespoons peanut butter, and spread over apple slices.
    5. Rosemary: Improves Memory
    How it works: “There's rosemary, that's for remembrance,” Ophelia said to Hamlet more than 400 years ago. Today, a variety of studies back up Ophelia's claim. The ursolic acid in rosemary inhibits the breakdown of a neurotransmitter essential for memory.
    Try to get: 1 to 2 teaspoons a day. USE IT: Make a rosemary-infused simple syrup by mixing 1 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 sprigs rosemary. Bring to a boil so sugar dissolves, and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Drizzle over a fall fruit salad of chopped apples, pears, and red grapes. Use 1 cup syrup to 4 cups fruit.
    6. Garlic: Reduces Cholesterol
    How it works: Although researchers disagree about how effective garlic really is at lowering cholesterol, a review of several studies conducted by the Linus Pauling Institute found that people who took garlic for three months had a 6 percent to 11 percent reduction in total cholesterol. Because garlic is an antioxidant, it may prevent the oxidation of cholesterol in the arteries.
    Try to get: 3 to 5 crushed cloves a day.
    Use it: Roast up to 5 garlic cloves, and add to homemade hummus before pureeing.
    7. Nutmeg: Lowers Blood Pressure
    How it works: “Warming spices” like nutmeg can bring blood from the centre of the body to the skin. This helps disperse the blood more evenly throughout the body, reducing overall pressure.
    Try to get: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon a day.
    Use it: Steam 1 head of broccoli and one potato until soft, and then puree with 1/4 cup butter and 4 to 5 gratings of fresh nutmeg or 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
    8. Cloves: Helps Arthritis Pain
    How it works: According to Chinese medicine, cloves have hot and moving properties that relieve arthritis pain caused by cold and stagnation. Cloves contain a phytochemical that interrupts the pathways of a protein complex in the body that's been linked to inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.
    Try to get: 1/2 teaspoon a day.
    Use it: Saute 1 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped), 1 clove garlic (crushed), 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1 teaspoon cloves in 1 tablespoon olive oil. After 3 minutes, add 4 cups shredded rhubarb chard, and fry until soft and tender, about 5 minutes. Serve hot with chicken or fish.
    9. Turmeric: Curbs Inflammation
    How it works: An ancient spice that gives curry its deep golden-orange color, turmeric reduces the inflammation in the body that causes pain. Curcumin, a component in turmeric, inhibits cell enzymes that contribute to inflammation. Try to get: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon a day.
    Use it: Add a dash to organic canned soups, such as tomato, lentil, or black bean varieties.
    10. Thyme: Eases Cough
    How it works: Thyme is an antispasmodic, which helps with bouts of nonstop coughing. Thyme's antiseptic properties also make it very effective against inflammation of the throat, which can cause coughing.
    Try to get: 2 to 3 teaspoons a day.
    Use it: For a simple vinaigrette, whisk together 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves with 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.

    Dr. Sanjeev Sood is Prof. & Head of Panchakarma Department, Dayanand Ayurvedic College, Jalandhar
    ORIGINAL POST DATE - 8/16/06
    Today the courts ruled in favor of Abraham Cherrix, the 16 year old young man of courage. Abraham and his family have been fighting unwarranted abuse and attempts of the state to force him to take standard cancer treatments against his will.
    Abraham was utilizing the Hoxsey Therapy that most news outlets report as not effective. The truth of the Hoxsey Therapy that you will not read in mainstream
    media, or hear from the American Cancer Society, is that it was very effective against cancer.
    However, in the 1960s, because it was so effective, the medical mafia forced Hoxsey out of business. His clinic was relocated to Mexico.
    Hoxsey Therapy, a proven combination of herbs, has been associated in the death of Steve McQueen. McQueen was appaently using a different nutritional therapy (this therapy is still in use and was proven in a clinical study at a major east coast university based medical school as 83% effective in curing cancer)and had recovered, only to be killed. His death was associated with the natural therapy, and not actual events, in an effort to discredit non-conventional cancer treatment.

    Also consider that it has been repeatedly reported outside US media about the excessively low levels of vitamin C in people receiveing chemo for various cancers, yet IV vitamin C therapy for cancer is denigrated.

    And they tell us that pregnant women can receive chemo for breast cancer. What we don't hear is the longterm effect on the fetus, and the outcomes once the baby is delivered and as the child grows....

    And in other news we learn just how effective chemotherapy is -
    Chemo harms more breast cancer patients
    By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer/Tue Aug 15

    Younger breast cancer patients seem to suffer more serious side effects from chemotherapy than previously thought. Roughly one in six of those women wind up at the emergency room or hospitalized because of such side effects as infection, low blood counts, dehydration or nausea, researchers reported Tuesday.

    Some of the side effects occurred at rates three to four times higher than earlier research had predicted.

    Tuesday's study marks the first attempt to assess the real-world risks of chemotherapy for some 35,000 breast cancer patients under age 64 who get the drugs each year.

    Most side-effect information comes from clinical trials of medications that can underestimate toxicity. Those trials are designed to prove if the drugs fight cancer and therefore should be sold, and they tend to enroll only the best candidates instead of women who might be particularly sensitive to side effects.

    Adding to that conundrum: Many breast cancer patients don't need chemotherapy in the first place; surgery, radiation and hormone treatment are enough. But doctors don't always have an easy way to tell who would benefit from chemo on top of all that.

    And for women in the to-treat-or-not gray zone, age sometimes is the deciding factor — because those under 64 are thought to tolerate chemotherapy better than older women.

    "We don't believe our study is saying that chemotherapy is not helpful," stressed Dr. Michael Hassett of Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who led the research, published in Tuesday's Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

    But, "we've been struggling as a professional community to understand which women benefit from chemotherapy," he added.

    If a woman knows how often she is likely to be admitted to the hospital, it may help her decide whether to gamble on the drugs or skip them, he explained.

    Hassett and colleagues culled a massive database of insurance claims to study how often breast cancer patients under 64 wound up at the hospital in the year after diagnosis, and how often some leading chemotherapy side effects were blamed.

    A total of 16 percent of chemo recipients received either emergency room care or hospitalization for those side effects. Most common: infection and fever, afflicting 8 percent of the patients. That's not a high number — but it is four times what previous clinical trials had predicted, the researchers reported.

    Moreover, 61 percent of the chemo recipients had an ER visit or hospitalization for some reason — not just a chemotherapy-related side effect — compared with 42 percent of breast cancer patients not on the drugs. The study couldn't explain the difference.

    "The study highlights the importance of studying how drugs affect people in everyday medical care" so they can "make informed decisions about the risks and benefits of their treatment options," said Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which funded the work.

    Better understanding of the risks is especially important for those patients who choose chemo despite a good prognosis, when it may increase their chances of survival by less than 5 percent, Dr. Joseph Lau of the Tufts-New England Medical Center wrote in an accompanying editorial.

    The extra care of course meant extra medical bills. Hassett estimated that serious chemo side effects could cost health plans up to $45 million a year.
    for more information see

    Also, consider that those people taking radiation are subjected to outcomes that can lead to congestive heart failure, total thyroid ablation, immune system failure and other cancers.