Now there is proof

I write a new column on health and politics for Sinclair News.  I am pleased to have this venue because it allows me more freedom to write about things that need to be uncensored and where the fear factor is not an issue.

While Larry Sinclair is, and has been, controversial, I have often found myself in that same class for decades.

In my article about Big PhRMA published on 28 January, I mentioned a new drug, Bydureon (exenatide extended release), manufactured by Amylin Pharmaceuticals.  This is their new version of Byetta.

"This long-acting form is a version of their diabetes drug Byetta, that can be used weekly. Byetta is a synthetic exenatide formulation with risk for severe allergic reactions affecting the skin and respiratory system as well as pancreatitis and kidney disease.
Now approved by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) this newer drug comes with a label warning that the drug caused certain thyroid tumors in rats.
There has been no information provided by the manufacturer whether the drug causes these tumors in people. The warning does state that the drug should not be used by people with history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (cancer). And to think, it was the early pioneers in endocrinology that believed strongly that diabetes was a thyroid disorder.
In 2010 the FDA denied approval of Bydureon and requested additional studies and clinical data.
There is much to be seen from yet another synthetic and potentially risky drug. All drugs in this class have potential interaction issues with other prescriptions you may be taking. Make sure your prescriber and/or your pharmacist provides you with this information, and you clearly understand it." SOURCE

Byetta costs about $250 each month.  Bydureon costs about $600 each month.

A site I follow is Health News Review. This effort tries to educate you about news reports on health topics and how to judge their value.  It also promotes good journalism practices.  Some things they do not like are the press release and advertising reports often relied on in media and by TV news outlets.

Today I was slapped with a real pie in the face example of just this; the Medscape Special Report – February 3, 2012, from Medscape Diabetes.

Bydureon From Medscape Diabetes

Expert Commentary Bydureon: An Easy, Effective New Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes Anne Peters, MD on Diabetes Bydureon vs Victoza: It's On! Matthew Mintz, MD: The Diabetes Beat Latest News Once-Weekly Exenatide Okayed by FDA for T2DM Medscape Medical News 2012 Diabetes Drug Bydureon Gets EU Approval Medscape Medical News 2011 From the Literature Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists on Weight Loss BMJ January 2012 Short-term Exenatide Treatment Leads to Significant Weight Loss Diabetes Care January 2012

With all this media glitz what is someone with diabetes to do to try an determine if this is really the best drug for them, especially with unknown cancer risks?

Doctors 'too reliant on prescribing drugs'

UPDATE: 2 July 2011

E-Prescribing Far from Error-Free By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today
More than 10% of electronic prescriptions contain an error, according to a new study that determined that prescriptions sent electronically are just as likely to contain mistakes as handwritten ones.

E-prescribing has been heralded by health reform experts and policymakers as a way to reduce medication errors, and the federal government is devoting billions to foster it.

Although most evidence suggests enthusiasm for a more paperless medical system is well-founded, new technology can also introduce new potential for medication errors, Karen Nanji, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, wrote in a paper published in the Journal of American Medical Information Association. SOURCE

Posted 3/17/09
While doctors are medicalizing patients at a rapid rate, especially the elderly, new moves to force E-Prescribing may promote a downturn in the quality of health care as it moves more to rationed and tick box care (knee-jerk, cause/effect, lineal thinking).

Is this yet another call to you, my readers, to make stong efforts now to be more active in your own health care?

GPs are medicalising healthy elderly people, professor warns. Elderly people are being turned into patients by GPs blindly following guidelines to hand out pills for high blood pressure and cholesterol, a professor has said.

by Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor, 03 Mar 2009
The ‘paternalistic society’ and medicine by ‘tick box’ has overtaken personal advice, Michael Oliver, emeritus professor of cardiology at Edinburgh University wrote in the British Medical Journal online.

He said many of the drugs including those for high blood pressure and statins for raised cholesterol have side effects which many elderly people find debilitating.

Prof Oilver wrote: “Nowadays few elderly people are allowed to enjoy being healthy. A bureaucratic demand for documentation can lead to overdiagnosis, overtreatment, and unnecessary anxiety. Preventive action may be irrelevant and even harmful in elderly people. More than 30 years ago, in his book Medical Nemesis, Ivan Illich called this trend “the medicalisation of health.”

He said the GP incentives to diagnose and treat patients, known as the Quality and Outcomes Framework, which means a proportion of the practice income is dependent upon hitting target, has meant many elderly people who considered themselves healthy are being put on pills.

Prof Oliver said: “Many older people, often retired, are summoned by their general practitioner for an annual health check. They may feel reasonably well, but the NHS does not always permit such euphoria. They may be told that they have hypertension or diabetes or high cholesterol concentrations; that they are obese; that they take too little exercise, eat unhealthily, and drink too much.”

He warned that the practice of medicalising the elderly can be harmful and many of the guidelines for treating high blood pressure and cholesterol are based on much younger people or on evidence that the drugs reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke, but only by a small amount.

He added: “Are those people who have now been turned into patients warned sufficiently about side effects? Are minor side effects, which can be debilitating in this age group, reported to health authorities? More importantly, are doctors willing to discontinue treatment and permit these patients to return to their previously unencumbered and reasonably fit lives?”

David Stout, director of the Primary Care Trust Network at the NHS Confederation, said: “It is important to have procedures in place to ensure a high standard of healthcare for all patients, irrespective of their age. However there is no such thing as ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to healthcare. All GPs treat elderly patients on an individual basis and this should remain the case. Guidelines are exactly that and should not be taken as a binding instruction.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/4932032/GPs-are-medicalising-healthy-elderly-people-professor-warns.html

E-prescribing to soar with new spending By Will Dunham, Mon Mar 16, 2009

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – As many as 75 percent of U.S. doctors will be writing electronic prescriptions within five years, thanks to new federal spending to encourage e-prescribing, according to a forecast released on Monday.

The economic stimulus bill signed by President Barack Obama last month included about $19 billion to promote the use of healthcare information technology, including e-prescribing.

"Broader health IT (information technology) adoption will create a safety revolution in American healthcare," Pharmaceutical Care Management Association President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Merritt said in a telephone interview.

An estimated 13 percent of U.S. doctors prescribe drugs electronically, leaving the vast majority writing paper prescriptions, according to Surescripts, which operates the largest U.S. electronic prescribing network.

The report projected the figure would increase to 75 percent in five years and to about 90 percent by 2018.

The report, prepared by the healthcare research firm Visante for PCMA, projected that e-prescribing would save the U.S. government $22 billion over the next decade, more than covering the $19 billion in spending in the stimulus bill.

Among other things, the savings would come from increased use of cheaper generic drugs and the prevention of medical errors such as patients getting the wrong drug because a pharmacy misreads a doctor's handwriting, the report said.

Greater use of e-prescribing also will prevent 3.5 million medication errors and 585,000 hospitalizations by 2018, the report projected.

Seventy-six percent of U.S. retail pharmacies can handle prescriptions electronically.

The advantages of e-prescribing -- sending a prescription electronically to a pharmacy -- are widely recognized, but the costs of adopting it have dissuaded many doctors.

The drive toward greater use of e-prescribing and electronic medical records is part of Obama's plans for a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system.

In addition, Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly and disabled, in January began to offer financial bonuses to doctors who use e-prescribing.

(Editing by Maggie Fox and Eric Walsh)
Copyright © 2009 Reuters Limited

Doctors are too reliant on prescribing drugs for heart disease at the expense of helping their patients to lead healthier lives, a new study suggests.

by Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent, The Telegraph, UK, 12 Mar 2009

Some patients are receiving too little advice about cutting down on smoking or reducing their weight as doctors increasingly reach for pills to treat them, according to the study, published in the Lancet medical journal.

The report comes just a week after a leading expert warned that millions of elderly patients were being prescribed drugs that they did not need, for conditions ranging from high blood pressure to high cholesterol or diabetes.

Professor Michael Oliver warned that a "tick-box culture" was leading to overtreatment and unnecessary anxiety for many older people.

The latest study looked at the treatment of heart disease across 22 European countries.

It found that one in five people diagnosed with the condition continued to smoke, in spite of the well-known problems that smoking can cause for the heart.

Researchers also found that sufferers were twice as likely to have diabetes as 12 years ago, partly because of the growing problem of obesity.

Only around one in three patients surveyed were referred to programmes designed to prevent heart attacks by focusing on lifestyle changes.

At the same time researchers found that doctors were prescribing greater numbers of drugs.

"The results of the study should be a cause for concern for all health policy makers, physicians and other healthcare professionals," according to its authors, led by Professor David Wood from Imperial College London.

Heart disease is Britain's biggest killer and every six minutes someone dies from a heart attack in this country.

Overmedicated Society Needs Natural Health

This is quite an interesting interview.  When you know that drug pushing is the end result, like my friend who was prescribed Levaquin without being told of the risk of tendon rupture, you might wonder what you need to do to change the way you look at your health.

In an in-depth interview on CNN this morning, John Abramson, MD, board member of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, explained why it is that 74% of Americans who visit a doctor, leave with a prescription for a drug (or several drugs), and why taking drugs is NOT the best way to good health.
Dr. Abramson succinctly explains how American medicine's reliance and over use of drugs--primarily new, expensive drugs--is driven by the drug industry. And how that industry controls most of the channels of communication by which medical information is transmitted to physicians and the public.

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2011/05/31/exp.am.overmedicated.abramson.cnn.html


And in another story that tells you how how hospitals are seriously low in their supply of prescription drugs, you should have your contingency plan.  Natural Health is here to help you.  

Hospitals hunt substitutes as drug shortages rise

I have to say I see this as inevitable and I am not surprised.  Of course I do not use any drugs and rely only on herbal, homeopathic,  orthomolecular and nutritional medicine.

You can too, and you can learn how to be more responsible for your health.

Related Stories
Heart scans tied to "evidence-free" treatment: study

The more medical students are exposed to pharma marketing, the more they like it and deny its influence

Our Health Forensics service may be of help to you, or the many of our acclaimed educational programs from The Oake Centre for natural health education.

BMJ Fails to Disclose Money Link to Vaccine Manufacturers

Considering we are experiencing another wave of pertussis in places where the vaccine was greatly utilized, just as we face more flu cases in vaccinated people, one rally has to see beyond the dogma of a failed paradigm.

The money wasted on vaccine programs can be better spent on improving access to health promoting foods that support your immune system and help you stay free from disease.  This is a well known public health dictate: host health status as a barrier to disease.

Alliance for Human Research Protection

A Catalyst for Debate

www.ahrp.org

The editor in chief of the BMJ acknowledges that AHRP was right to criticize the BMJ and its editor for failing to disclose to its readership, the BMJ financial ties to Merck--manufacturer of 13 vaccines. She also acknowledges income from GSK--manufacturer of several vaccines as well. 

http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d1335/reply#bmj_el_251470 

"Thank you for giving me an opportunity to respond to Vera Hassner Sharav's comment, [1] which for those of you who haven't seen it is reproduced below.

http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/766/9/  

Although Vera's claims may seem far-fetched on this occasion, she is right that we should have declared the BMJ Group's income from Merck as a competing interest to the editorial (and the two editor's choice articles) that accompanied Brian Deer's series on the Secrets of the MMR scare.[2] [3] [4] We should also, as you say, have declared the group's income from GSK as a competing interest in relation to these articles. We will publish clarifications." 

However, her statement, "We didn't declare these competing interests because it didn't occur to us to do so " is startling. How seriously are we to take her strongly articulated stance against researchers who fail to disclose their financial conflicts of interest--if she doesn't recognize her journal's blatant conflict of interest?

Either she is being disingenuous or downright cynical about the BMJs declared stand against financial conflicts of interest that are undermining the integrity of medical research reports, and its own clandestine partnerships with industry.

Let's be clear: financial conflicts of interest ALWAYS influence the position one defends-- human nature is no different between politicians whose campaign chests are filled by vested interests, government officials, or academics who have grown dependent on financial support from special interests. Each delivers the service for which he /she is paid.

Electromagnetic Radiation Kills Thyroid Cells

Several years ago I was invited to speak to a group of breast cancer patients and survivors.  Many in this group had their pink cell phone, and everyone owned a cell phone.

When it came to speak about the risks of EMF, thyroid, and cell phone use all of these women look at me as if they had walked into a fog.

The sad part of this is that as soon as I was leaving I noticed they all started making some kind of use of their cellphone.

While it is hard to change, it seems that if you have good information you might just want to think about it.

In some case though you rely on glitzy web sites that muddle the facts, just like the Pied Piper and his flute.

Int J Radiat Biol. 2010 Dec;86(12):1106-16. Epub 2010 Sep 1.

Pulse modulated 900 MHz radiation induces hypothyroidism and apoptosis in thyroid cells: a light, electron microscopy and immunohistochemical study.

Eşmekaya MA, Seyhan N, Ömeroğlu S. Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine & Gazi Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (GNRP) Center, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey. mericarda@yahoo.com http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20807179

PURPOSE: In the present study we investigated the possible histopathological effects of pulse modulated Radiofrequency (RF) fields on the thyroid gland using light microscopy, electron microscopy and immunohistochemical methods.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two months old male Wistar rats were exposed to a 900 MHz pulse-modulated RF radiation at a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 1.35 Watt/kg for 20 min/day for three weeks. The RF signals were pulse modulated by rectangular pulses with a repetition frequency of 217 Hz and a duty cycle of 1:8 (pulse width 0.576 ms). To assess thyroid endocrine disruption and estimate the degree of the pathology of the gland, we analysed structural alterations in follicular and colloidal diameters and areas, colloid content of the follicles, and height of the follicular epithelium. Apoptosis was confirmed by Transmission Electron Microscopy and assessing the activites of an initiator (caspase-9) and an effector (caspase-3) caspases that are important markers of cells undergoing apoptosis.

RESULTS: Morphological analyses revealed hypothyrophy of the gland in the 900 MHz RF exposure group. The results indicated that thyroid hormone secretion was inhibited by the RF radiation. In addition, we also observed formation of apoptotic bodies and increased caspase-3 and caspase-9 activities in thyroid cells of the rats that were exposed to modulated RF fields.

CONCLUSION: The overall findings indicated that whole body exposure to pulse-modulated RF radiation that is similar to that emitted by global system for mobile communications (GSM) mobile phones can cause pathological changes in the thyroid gland by altering the gland structure and enhancing caspase-dependent pathways of apoptosis.

As an aside, Diagnoses of cancer in this gland in the neck are increasing about 6% a year, faster than cancers found anywhere else, according to one National Cancer Institute analysis. Data on increase in thyroid and neck cancer from http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/painter/2009-08-16-yourhealth17_N.htm .

Selections from 30+ posts found on Natural Health News

Cell phone-cancer link found

Feb 16, 2008

Sadetzki, a physician, epidemiologist and lecturer at Tel Aviv University, published the results of a study recently in the American Journal of Epidemiology, in which she and her colleagues found that heavy cell phone users were subject ...

The Rising Incidence of Cell Phone Tumours

Jan 30, 2010

In this instance nothing in her campaign addresses the increased risk of breast cancer associated with cell phone use as well as the damage it can do to your thyroid gland, your heart, adrenal glands, kidneys, and your bones. ...

Natural Health News: Health Risk: Cell Phone Danger Exposed At Last

Oct 11, 2010

Several years ago I was working with a fellow who had been in the construction industry and was an early-on cell phone user. He developed a parotid tumour on the side of his face that was exposed to his cell phone. ...

Cordless Phones, like WIFI, Boost Heart Risk

Dec 27, 2010

The report highlights a study that found significantly increased risk of brain tumors from 10 or more years of cell phone or cordless phone use. Also, the BioInitiative Working Group, an international group of scientists, . ...

Natural Health News: Allergy Season: What Makes It Worse

Feb 25, 2011

Remember too that cell phone and other wireless devices that are so popular contribute to this problem by creating electrolytically charged pollen and pollutant particles which makes it easier for these to stick to the mucous membrane ...

Natural Health News: Your Eyes and Cell Phone Damage

Jun 26, 2010

VADODARA/ANAND: While scientists across the globe are still debating whether usage of cell phones results in heart diseases, a new study carried out by scientists at Charotar University of Science and Technology (CHARUSAT) has revealed ...

Childhood Obesity Campaign: Issues in Health

UPDATE: 4 August, Sugar Cut in Cereals

Remember that most of the big name cereals have been loaded with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) for years.  And also consider that it is the organic brands of cold, boxed cereal that is also loaded with sugar, only they use the organic kind.  Either way you look at it the sugar has to go, the HFCS has to go, and all of the cereals with any GMO grain or other ingredient - like beet sugar that now is about 100% of the market -) nneds to come out of these and any other product containing them.

15% cut in sugar coming in 2011 to Coco Pops

3 February, 2010  Michelle Obama Kicks Off Childhood Obesity Drive
Mrs. Obama is taking on her first substantive policy role in overseeing the Obama administration programs and partnerships dealing with what is considered a national epidemic of childhood obesity.

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/02/01/michelle-obama-kicking-off-childhood-obesity-drive-feb-9/

My hope is that Michelle addresses the role of vaccines, fluoride, environment, lack of physical education in schools, the USDA food pyramid that promotes obesity, unhealthy school lunches, artificial sweeteners proven to cause obesity, HFCS, soy formula, microwave cooking, GMO soy and canola oil disguised as " plant sterols" and not healthy saturated fat, TV ads and cold cereals, and some of Tom Vilsack's GMO buddies, and more to be concerned with.  We are just a nation of starving children who are malnourished because of the focus of today's government guidelines.


Some 30+ related articles on obesity can be found here at Natural Health News

Originally posted  3/6/09

Somehow I think the lineal thinking process, or lack of any kind of meaningful thinking, is a very real issue as we address the needs for health care change and reform in the US, and of course in the world.

I also think that as long as we have this mind set those who see themselves as power brokers just might not be hitting the target, so to speak.

Try to put a few puzzle pieces together here as I give you food for thought.

First of all, look at the USDA. This is the place where dietitians get their basic education. Since most of this is funded by Big AG is it no wonder RDs end up on the short end when it comes to how this translates to a role in health care delivery. Remembering too that the ADA (American Dietetics Association) wants to control ALL nutrition education, and they support aspartame, sucralose (both known obesity promoters) and the faulty food pyramid.

Luise Light, PhD, the originator of the first food pyramid with real food, might give you more to think about. Her opinion of grains is certainly not the same as ADA or USDA or for that matter, Big AG.

Today, you can read about a culture of bias in ADA education. If it is found in students of dietetics (dietetics is not nutrition) then you can be sure it is in the faculty and the field as well.

Bias Against Obesity Is Found Among Future DietitiansBy Carolyn Colwell Healthday Reporter
Mar 5, 2009

THURSDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- Just 2 percent of those training to be dietitians have positive or neutral attitudes toward people who are obese, and the rest are moderately biased against their prospective patients, a new study has found.

"Essentially, this shows that future dieticians are not immune to weight bias, and there are negative attitudes toward obese patients that may have a negative impact on the quality of care," said Rebecca Puhl, the study's lead author and the director of research and stigma initiatives at Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

Most of the almost 200 dietetic students who participated in the study had pejorative views about the attractiveness, self-control, overeating, insecurity and self-esteem of people who are obese. They also rated obese patients as being less likely than non-obese patients to comply with treatment recommendations. The findings were published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

But the students aren't alone in their beliefs and share the biases with other health-care providers, Puhl said, adding that other studies have shown that many health professionals have negative perceptions about very overweight patients. Patients have reported "very many examples of providers who really make very stereotypical comments that suggest that they are making assumptions about a patient's character, intelligence or abilities because of their weight," she said.

Other signs of professional insensitivity, Puhl said, include weighing obese patients on freight scales because scales in a doctor's office don't accommodate their weight and not having blood pressure cuffs big enough for a heavy patient.

She said that the attitudes expressed by the dietetic students in the study show a lack of appreciation for how difficult it is to lose weight and for the biological factors involved. Also, the message that obesity results from a lack of self control ignores mounting scientific evidence that it's difficult to lose weight and keep it off for a sustained period of time, she said.

"Most people, when they walk into an office, have already tried to lose weight and, more likely, they've lost weight and regained the weight," Puhl said. "I think a better understanding and appreciation of the complexities and difficulties of weight loss are needed to reduce the stigma."

The 182 students who completed the study were from 14 universities and had been enrolled in an undergraduate dietetics program for about two years. With an average age of 23, 92 percent were women, and 85 percent were white.

The researchers asked the students to respond to questions about a normal-weight male and female and an obese male and female. The people they were asked about shared the same health characteristics except for weight.

Dr. Nicholas H.E. Mezitis, an assistant professor of clinical medicine and nutrition at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, said that the findings might be misleading because of the small number of minority students and the predominance of white females among the participants. "If you get into ethnic communities, such as a black population, they all have different views," he said. In some groups, he explained, being thin might not be seen as desirable.

"We also have to bear in mind that a lot of what these students are reading in magazines and such are taking them to the other extreme," Mezitis said. "What's desirable is very thin, and … these [obese] patients are way on the other extreme."

Lona Sandon, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, added that students' mentors need to provide positive role modeling. "If mentors reflect weight bias, then students are likely to do the same," she said. "In addition, one's own attitudes about body image may influence attitudes towards other's weight."

The study recommends adding stigma reduction to the standard curriculum for dietetics programs. The Obesity Society has more on weight-related bias.

Then we have to give some attention to this announcement of the joint venture between the heart association (AHA), Nickelodeon and Bill Clinton's organization to allegedly fight childhood obesity.

Then consider the Healthy School Lunch Program and what actually took place over a decade ago in Wisconsin, and you have to wonder about why all of this has been taking so long.

Then remember when the push started for the Hepatitis B vaccine? It was pretty clearly established that no long term studies had been done with this vaccine, and it contributed to the development of diabetes and some other scary for parents kinds of issues.

Then, if you recall history, Mr. Bill awarded the developers of the Hepatitis B vaccine the National Technology Award.

Is it guilt, is it greed, or is it that there is a real interest in change this issue for our children.

One has to ask because we haven't seen a response on aspartame even though the FDA knows it causes diabetes and obesity.

And certainly there has to be consideration of cultural concerns because in the American Indian and other ethnic and forgotten communities, nuttrition, diabetes and weight issues are major public health problems.

Now you have some real food for thought.

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

HEP C - and another effective natural treatment

UPDATE: 20 April, 2010
Having worked extensively with people who have Hep C it is always good to educate people about the natural and helpful options available to the Hep C community.

It is even more rewarding to see the results of natural care when you consider the profit motive from Big PhRMA that really doesn't correct the problem.

Of course prevention is critical but considering human health needs in a more humane way is too.

Warehoused Hepatitis C Patients May Boost Merck, J&J

ORIGINAL POST 2/2/09
I have approximately 26 posts here at Natural Health News about Hep C.

I am pleased to be able to add a new one this morning.

RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
Chinese Herbal Medicine and Interferon in the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Controlled Trials

Results. Chinese herbal medicine significantly increased seroreversion of HBsAg and was equivalent to interferon alfa in seroreversion of HBeAg and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA; Chinese herbal medicine combined with interferon alfa significantly increased seroreversion of HBsAg, HBeAg, and HBV DNA. The Chinese herbal medicine active component bufotoxin combined with interferon alfa significantly increased HBeAg and HBV DNA seroreversion. The Chinese herbal medicine active component kurorinone was equivalent to interferon alfa in seroreversion of HBeAg and HBV DNA.

October 2002, Vol 92, No. 10 | American Journal of Public Health 1619-1628
© 2002 American Public Health Association

MRSA - Alternative Cure For 'Flesh-Eating' Bacteria

UPDATE: 26 December 2009 -

A new study reports a surge in drug-resistant strains of a dangerous type of bacteria in US hospitals: Acinetobacter strikes patients in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and others and often causes severe pneumonias or bloodstream infection, some of which are now resistant to imipenem, an antibiotic that is reserved for last-line treatment. 

Read Complete Story - New Strain of Resistant Bacteria Reported

I'm not sure how many times we have to read similar articles over the 16 years I have been involved in this issue in me effort to get some repsonse from MS medicine and MS media, while thousands suffer or die.

Once again I'm posting my challenge, a repost originally from August 2006.  I'm expecting a response, as I usually do. 

"How many times...? "as the song goes.

Alternative Cure For 'Flesh-Eating' Bacteria
From Gayle Eversole, DHom, PhD, MH, CRNP, ND, Creating Health Institute
4-8-5

A CHALLENGE TO MAINSTREAM MEDICINE TO VENTURE OUTSIDE THE BOX

Reported today by Gene Emery of Reuters, flesh-eating bacteria is once again making headlines.

Emery reports, according to Loren Miller of UCLA Medical Center and Scott Fridkin of the CDC, that skin infections are now found outside hospital and include a new strain of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Emery writes that doctors need to be aware of this and "switch to different antibiotics at the first sign of trouble."

He quotes Fridkin saying that "the alarm does need to be raised to people and clinicians that if you have a staph infection and it's not getting better, you'd better go back to your doctor." Later reports on findings from Miller's team saying that "doctors must shift their attitudes toward cases of necrotizing fasciitis -- the "flesh-eating" part of such a bacterial infection -- and check to see if methicillin-resistant staph is to blame."

Almost a decade ago, when flesh-eating bacteria were beginning to be reported, I called upon my experience as an intensive care nurse and manager of a burn center. I wanted to address this serious health problem from a natural healing perspective because I knew of the decades old problem with antibiotics that were not effectively treating the condition.

Emery's article further defines the problem of antibiotic resistance.

Consulting with a colleague of mine from the herbal traditions of Korea who spent a number of years at Dana Farber Institute at Harvard, I developed a protocol using a combination of his formulas that could be used for this condition. I submitted a package to a Washington State Department of Health researcher with clinical findings on the use of the formulas.

Time has passed quickly, yet at no time did I ever receive a reply, or even a glimmer of thought from this man about the possibility of a trial.

In response to a public health problem, I believed my approach deserved consideration because people were dying.

Subsequently, during the past decade I have responded to numerous media reports of flesh-eating bacteria, asking only for consideration. The closed minds locked in the Newtonian model prevalent in mainstream medicine never once gave consideration to a different way of seeing.

In addition to the herbal protocol I developed a series of fully referenced papers using pure essential oils to attack these bacteria. One of the texts I used as a reference is a medical textbook written by two French physicians. In France physicians are educated in the use of herbs and essential oils as therapeutic modalities.

Essential oils have a very long history and several have very effective anti-bacterial and anti-fungal capacity. Herbs used throughout thousands of years have this same capacity as well.

Seriously hoping to at least have one response, I am saddened to say that not one reply has ever been received.

One would now have to ask the question: What drives these health professionals to so totally disregard non-traditional treatment possibilities?

Today, I am placing my challenge on the table.

Doctors, if you are truly interested in treating and curing this problem, my protocols await.

NB: In early 2006 I was able to connect a research physician at Georgetown Medical School who is doing invetigation 'outside the box'. He advised me that "mainstream medicine is not ready to accept this." Of course, I do understand his comment but I have to wonder about the unwillingness to change and the cost of lives!

Related posts, 2 of about 2 dozen other similar articles in Natural Health News
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2006/08/mrsa.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2007/10/it-isnt-stopping-and-you-need-to-get.html
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UPDATE: 11 January 2009 - A new product, Allicin-C, and Alli-Derm, add to your anti-MRSA arsenal. Purchase via our link in the right column.
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More than 10 years ago this issue was repeatedly reported in the press. More than 30 years ago this was an issue discussed often by medical practitioners such as me. Thirty plus years ago doctors used to test anti-biotics in a test called 'C & S' (culture and sensitivity) not utilized too much today.

Mainstream medicine refuses to take my challenge, previously possted on this BLOG. I have added it in below for ease of reference. Maybe now someone might take a chance. Nothing to lose, and maybe save some lives along the way!...

Maybe intravenous high dose vitamin c might be tried. And at least you know this would not hurt you. This treatment saved a client of mine from liver and kidney transplant. Interferon treatments did not work and she developed liver and kidney failure. UW docs were baffled, yet they wouldn't ask...

Wash any suspicious area with pure soap and water and allow to dry thoroughly. Using specific pure essential oils will be very effective in treating and resolving this problem. Above all avoid the use of anti-bacterial soaps. These contain Triclosan and will kill off naturally occurring bacteria on your skin that serves to protect you from infection.

Many non-effective anti-biotics are on the market today and some of these have very serious side effects. Avoid fluoride based products for this reason.

Make sure you ask your doctor what kind of treatment is being prescribed. It is your right to know under the law.

Staph skin infections on rise in U.S.
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Medical Writer

A once-rare drug-resistant germ now appears to cause more than half of all skin infections treated in U.S. emergency rooms, say researchers who documented the superbug's startling spread in the general population.

Many victims mistakenly thought they just had spider bites that wouldn't heal, not drug-resistant staph bacteria. Only a decade ago, these germs were hardly ever seen outside of hospitals and nursing homes.

Doctors also were caught off-guard — most of them unwittingly prescribed medicines that do not work against the bacteria.

"It is time for physicians to realize just how prevalent this is," said Dr. Gregory Moran of Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, who led the study.

Another author, Dr. Rachel Gorwitz of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said: "I think no one was aware of the extent of the problem."

Skin infections can be life-threatening if bacteria get into the bloodstream. Drug-resistant strains can also cause a vicious type of pneumonia and even "flesh-eating" wounds.

The CDC paid for the study, published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. Several authors have consulted for companies that make antibiotics.

Researchers analyzed all skin infections among adults who went to hospital emergency rooms in 11 U.S. cities in August 2004. Of the 422 cases, 249, or 59 percent, were caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. Such bacteria are impervious to the penicillin family of drugs long used for treatment.

The proportion of infections due to MRSA ranged from 15 percent to as high as 74 percent in some hospitals.

"This completely matches what our experience at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital has been," said Dr. Buddy Creech, an infectious-disease specialist whose hospital was not included in the study. "Usually what we see is a mom or dad brings their child in with what they describe as a spider bite that's not getting better or a pimple that's not getting better," and it turns out to be MRSA.

The germ typically thrives in health-care settings where people have open wounds and tubes. But in recent years, outbreaks have occurred among prisoners, children and athletes, with the germ spreading through skin contact or shared items such as towels. Dozens of people in Ohio, Kentucky and Vermont recently got MRSA skin infections from tattoos.

The good news: MRSA infections contracted outside a hospital are easier to treat. The study found that several antibiotics work against them, including some sulfa drugs that have been around for decades. A separate study in the journal reports the effectiveness of Cubicin, an antibiotic recently approved to treat bloodstream infections and heart inflammation caused by MRSA.

However, doctors need to test skin infections to see what germ is causing them, and to treat each one as if it were MRSA until test results prove otherwise, researchers said.

"We have made a fundamental shift in pediatrics in our area" and now assume that every such case is the drug-resistant type, Creech said.

And, doctors need to lance the wound to get rid of bacteria rather than relying on a drug to do the job.

"The most important treatment is actually draining the pus," Gorwitz said. Many times that is a cure all by itself, she said.

The study was done in Albuquerque, N.M.; Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Kansas City, Mo.; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; New Orleans; New York; Philadelphia; Phoenix; and Portland, Ore.

Learn more about antioxidants

UPDATE: 11/12/09
Pomegranate’s Protection Potential Grows
The anti-prostate cancer effects of pomegranate and its extracts may be related to stopping an enzyme in the liver that processes environmental carcinogens, according to a new study.

Pomegranate, a rich source of antioxidants, has been linked to improved heart health, but a growing body of evidence indicates the fruit also protects against prostate cancer. Studies have also reported a role for pomegranate in joint health by slowing cartilage loss in arthritis.

It is the antioxidants and ellagitannin compounds like punicalagins and punicalins, which account for about half of the fruit’s antioxidant ability, that are reportedly behind the proposed health benefits.

The new study, led by Daneel Farreira from the University of Mississippi, deepens our understanding of how the constituents of the fruit may boost prostate health.

"Our results indicate a previously unexplored pathway through which pomegranate juice constituents may contribute to prostate cancer chemoprevention," they wrote.

Writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Ferreira and his co-workers reported that pomegranate’s ellagitannin compounds may inhibit the activity of cytochrome P450 1B1, an enzyme known to be highly expressed in various human cancers, but not in normal tissues, an established target in the prevention of prostate cancer.

"Our study has asserted a previously unknown mechanism of action of pomegranate juice constituents, which could potentially contribute to prostate cancer chemoprevention," they wrote. "We proved that systemically available metabolites of pomegranate juice are effective inhibitors of CYP1B1 enzyme activity/expression and could lower the incidence of prostate cancer initiation and sustenance."

The researchers performed an in vitro experiment to test the ability of pomegranate ellagitannins and its microbial metabolites to inhibit CYP1B1.

They found that the microbial metabolite urolithin A showed the greatest activity for inhibiting CYP1B1, with a 2-fold selectivity over another enzyme CYP1A1, which actually has anti-cancer activity. Inhibition of CYP1A1 is therefore not desirable.

"It is also well-known that prostate cancer typically possesses long latency periods and develops in older men; therefore, cancer chemoprevention by dietary supplement-based intervention is a desirable form of chemotherapy," wrote the researchers. "Pomegranate juice consumption, thus, may be of considerable advantage in prostate cancer chemoprevention, not only in patients with a genetic predisposition toward prostate cancer but also in patients undergoing cancer therapy."

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
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Contributed by friends: Phytonutrients: the Biochemistry of how the Healthiest Foods Prevent Cancer
There are many nutraceuticals that have both cancer preventive and cancer suppressive properties. You will not hear about them if you do not go out of your way to review the scientific literature, or have access to those that do so. Pharmaceutical companies are sitting on many natural substances that they know can treat any number of diseases, but you will not hear about them unless they can tweak the molecules enough to get a patent and still retain some of the healing properties. Their job is not to let you in on what they know. Their job is to make money. Mr. Fox reviews some of these readily available natural compounds and extracts. The list is actually quiet long, but his review will give you a place to start
Stephen Fox and KP Stoller, MD President, International Hyperbaric Medical Assoc Medical Director, Hyperbaric Medical Center of New Mexico

Currently, the terms "phytonutrient" and "phytochemical" are being used interchangeably to describe those plant compounds which are thought to have health-protecting qualities. The antioxidant, immune boosting and other health promoting properties of active compounds in plants are being investigated.

However, in common usage, they have a more limited definition. They are usually used to refer to compounds found in plants that are not required for normal functioning of the body but that nonetheless have a beneficial effect on health or an active role in the amelioration of disease. Thus, they differ from what are traditionally termed nutrients in that they are not a necessity for normal metabolism, and their absence will not result in a deficiency disease. What is beyond dispute is that phytonutrients have many and various beneficial health effects. For example, they may promote the function of the immune system, act directly against bacteria and viruses, reduce inflammation, and may also be associated with the treatment and/or prevention of cancer (the focus of this article), cardiovascular disease and any other malady affecting the health or well-being of an individual.

Allyl Sulfides are found in garlic, onions, and shallots. They suppress growth of tumor cells and bring about apoptosis, or natural cell death (cancer cells find ways to stop this process); allyl sulfides also promote excretion of cancer causing chemicals. They lessen stomach and colon cancer, and help to treat colds, blood circulation, inflammations, arteriosclerosis and diabetes.

Quercetin is a flavonoid found in medicinal plants which works to prevent inflammations and inhibits the release of histamines. In a recent study in the British Journal of Cancer, quercetin and ultrasound were used to treat skin and prostate cancers, with a 90% death of the cancer cells within 48 hours, and no visible deaths of the normal cells! This phytonutrient is used to treat cancer, prostatitis, heart disease, cataracts, and respiratory diseases like bronchitis and asthma. It is found in capers, apples, tea, onions, grapes, citrus, broccoli, leafy green vegetables, cherries, turmeric, and cranberries.

Limonene is a hydrocarbon, taking its name from lemons, and is found in lemons and in noni. It helps the liver clear carcinogens from the body and promotes cell differentiation.

Lutein (from Latin “Lutea” meaning yellow) is one of 600 known carotenoids. Found in leafies like spinach and kale, it is used as an antioxidant. It is also found in mango and winter squash. Early studies have shown high intakes reduced risk of breast, colon, endometrial (uterine) and prostate cancers. It is found in concentrated areas of the macula, the small area of the retina responsible for central vision.

Catechin is found primarily in green tea and is an anti-oxidant that helps keep tumors from taking hold and growing (herbalYODA's note: organic cocoa also is good but we advise limiting green tea bacuse of its effect on the pancreas). According to Norman Hollenberg, Professor at Harvard Medical School, epicatechin, a metabolic form of catechin, can reduce the risk of all four of these major human health problems: stroke, heart failure, cancer, and diabetes. His studies were based on the Kuna people in Panama who drink up to 40 cups of cocoa a week, with only 10% being struck by the big four diseases!

Chlorophyll is the prime biochemical for all respiration and life in the plant world. It is strikingly similar in form to hemoglobin, differing primarily in that chlorophyll has magnesium in the center and hemoglobin has iron. This would explain partly why wheat grass juice is so instantly beneficial for those with “tired blood” and anemia. It is found in spirulina, chlorella, barley grass, and in leafy greens. It is a potent detoxification agent and protects genes against the biochemical damage that leads to cancer cell development.

Sulphoraphane is the phytonutrient that activates enzymes that detoxify carcinogens; it interferes with cancer cell growth and promotes cancer cell death. It is found in broccoli, and especially in broccoli sprouts.

Lycopene is best known for providing protection against prostate cancer, and may also help defend the physiochemistry of humans against lunch and stomach cancer malignancies. It is found in tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava, papaya, and in rosehips. It is the most powerful quencher of singlet oxygen, 100 times more so than Vitamin E. It is helpful for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and male infertility. Recently the United States Food and Drug Administration concluded that tomatoes reduce no risk for lung, colorectal, breast, or cervical cancer, and only limited evidence for reduced risk of prostate, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers, all derived from 145 studies after a coalition of tomato growers and tomato product producers asked to list anti cancer benefits in nutritional labels on their products. We rarely agree with the FDA, so keep eating lots of tomatoes for their carcinogenic properties, which the FDA may or may not ever get around to formally endorsing….

Ellagic acid appears to defend cells lining the digestive tract against carcinogenic substances, and has prevented colon and esophageal cancer in animals. It is found in pomegranates, grapes, raspberries, and strawberries. Apparently, it also may help the liver to break down and remove cancer causing substances from the blood. One study in Clinical Nutrition in 2004 showed clearing of plaque in the carotid artery after three years of pomegranate juice as a supplement. Italian researchers have also found ellagic acid reducing the side effects of chemotherapy in advanced prostate cancer treatment in men, and the Hollings Cancer Institute at the University of South Carolina conducted a double blind study on 500 cervical cancer patients that showed ellagic acid caused G-arrest within 48 hours and apoptosis within 72 hours, for breast, pancreas, esophageal, skin, colon, and prostate cancers. Researchers speculate that this results when ellagic acid forms adduct (from Latin, “drawn toward”) with DNA, thus masking binding sites to be occupied by the carcinogens.

Resveratrol causes apoptosis or cancer cell death. Resveratrol is a phytoalexin and is sold as a nutritional supplement. A number of beneficial health effects, such as anti-cancer, antiviral, neuroprotective, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and life-prolonging effects have been reported, although these studies used animal subjects. Resveratrol is found in the skin of red grapes and as a constituent of red wine. David Sinclair of the Harvard Medical School and cofounder of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals has found that resveratrol increases the activity of a protein called SIRT1. Resveratrol significantly increases the lifespan of yeast and mice. Resveratrol is produced by several plants, apparently due to its antifungal properties. It is found in widely varying amounts in grapes (primarily the skins), raspberries, mulberries, in peanuts, berries of Vaccinium species, including blueberries, bilberries, and cranberries. In grapes, resveratrol is found primarily in the skin and seeds. This is particularly true for Muscatine grapes, whose skin and seeds have about 100 times the concentration as the pulp. Resveratrol interferes with all three stages of carcinogenesis - initiation, promotion and progression.

Experiments in cell cultures of varied types and isolated subcellular systems in vitro imply many mechanisms in the pharmacological activity of resveratrol, and it was reported effective against neuronal cell dysfunction and cell death and in theory could help against diseases such as Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Again, has not yet been tested in humans for any disease. Research at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and Ohio State University indicates that resveratrol has direct inhibitory action on cardiac fibroblasts and may inhibit the progression of cardiac fibrosis. In some lineages of cancer cell culture, resveratrol has been shown to induce apoptosis, which means it kills cells and may kill cancer cells. Resveratrol is under extensive investigation as a cancer chemopreventive agent. The Chemoprevention Database reports six studies showing that small doses of dietary resveratrol can reduce colon carcinogenesis in rats and mice. This biochemical has also shown great promise in longevity studies and in improving athletic performance of all kinds.

Anthocyanins are antioxidants that protect DNA against cancer causing damage and promote apoptosis, as well as the ability to keep cancer cells from spreading. It is found in berries, grapes, black currants, acai, mangosteen, and goji. They also act as “sunscreens” protecting cells by absorbing blue green light, thereby protecting tissues from photoinhibition or high light stress. Some researchers maintain that the red coloration of leaves may camouflage leaves from herbivores. These properties continue even after consumption by other organisms. In December 2004 a study at Michigan State University noted that anthocyanin could boost insulin production by up to 50%, and a 2007 study at the University of Pittsburgh showed that it killed human cancer cells while not affecting healthy cells, even with leukemia and lymphoma, within 18 hours. The biochemical mechanism is that the anthocyanins caused the normal cells to release peroxides which killed the cancer cells. Dr. Xiao Ming Yin, Associate professor of pathology at University of Pittsburg School of Medicine stated that “the hope is that black raspberries and other botanicals might provide doctors with less toxic alternatives to drug and radiation therapies.”

Please note that we are able to supply you with high quality, and mostly organic antioxidant products as mentioned in this article. NHN readers receive a discount and we offer international shipping to readers outside the US