NEARLY $$$1 BILLION FOR WHAT?

When, in 1980, Susan G. Komen died, it was already eight years after we were told there would be a cure for breast cancer.

Now in 2007 the statistics really aren't all that much better, and the Race for the Cure is just that, a race.

There is no cure, although there really is a cure.

The problem is that mainstream medicine and Big Pharma doesn't really want you to know. I wonder if the 200 employees at Komen Foundation want you to know either.

Gee, aren't they proud of their statistics that at least 74 percent of women over 40 get mammograms annually.

Ever hear, as you would in the Women's Health programs I've been teaching for many years more than a decade, that mammograms are a major cause of cancer?

And did you know that you don't have to lose your hair from chemo or that it is about 2% effective; that tamoxifen raises your risk of the more deadly ovarian cancer or that radiation causes thyroid dysfunction and heart failure.

Not from the Komen Foundation that's for sure.

General Mills won't support Creating Health Institute's Women's Health programs (especially those we provide to people with limited income) through the pink lids program. Komen never responds when we submit a proposal.

We've got much more to tell you. We could do this and a lot more with a small fraction of a billion.

PS - did you know that soy is a promoter of cancer and yeast infection? you would if you visit www.leaflady.org and our BLOG natural health news.

Aspartame and Statins may now share the same toxicity issues

STATINS: The 'safe' drug that may cause Parkinson's disease

Everyone seems to be popping a cholesterol- lowering statin drug these days. They have become part of the daily health regime for millions of people, and they are considered to be so safe that one statin - simvastatin - is available over-the-counter in the UK without a prescription.

They're not safe, of course, and a new study that links statins to Parkinson's, the disease of the central nervous system, underlines the point.

Statins reduce levels of the 'bad' LDL cholesterol - and the new study, from the University of North Carolina, believes these lowered levels may trigger Parkinson's. Sufferers can have levels of LDL cholesterol that are three times below the average.

Researchers are so concerned by their discovery that they are initiating an immediate and major study involving 16,000 participants.

This is not exactly the first piece of bad news about the 'safe' statins. One statin, Baycol, was withdrawn from the market in 2001 after 31 people died from rhabdomyolysis, a muscle-weakening disease caused by the drug. At the time, 601 further cases of rhadomyolysis and 38 deaths among statin users had been reported to America's drug regulator, the Food and Drug Administration.

Other reported side effects include heart failure,liver and kidney damage, myalgia, insomnia and sinusitis.

None of this will stop the statin rollercoaster. They are among the most popular drugs in the world, topping annual sales of $20bn, thanks in part to the creative prescribing flair of doctors, who are also dishing them out to patients with osteoporosis and Alzheimer's.

Source: Movement Disorders, published on-line on December 18, 2006.

Fake Foods: Oprah, Bob and General Mills

Maybe you remember when the Texas cattle ranchers sued Oprah after she discussed beef raising and cattle processing on her show some years back.

simply4health supplements - our complete line of vitamins, minerals, herbs, supplements...

Maybe you don't remember, but in either case now it looks like Oprah better round up Dr. Phil and her attorneys and go at it again.

First I guess she should go after the 'Dr. Phil' food bar. You know, the one loaded with not only high fructose corn syrup, but neurotoxic artificial sweeteners.

Then with both pistols loaded and a quick draw motion Oprah can blast the General Mills approach to health.

Sorry Bob Greene, you fail the test too.

Now before you all run out and get the ingredients for Oprah's smoothie and Bob Greene's diet, maybe you'd want to read what is in just two of the products being hawked by General Mills for this promotion.

8th Continent Soy Milk contains: Soymilk (Water, Soy Protein, Soybean Oil, Calcium

Phosphate), Sugar, Fructose, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Polyphosphate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Carrageenan, Xanthan Gum, Sucralose, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin A (Palmitate), Vitamin D2, Vitamin B12.

Yoplait contains: nonfat milk, high fructose corn syrup, (blackberries in this, the blackberry version), modified corn starch, whey protein concentrate, kosher gelatin, citric acid, tricalcium phosphate, natural flavor, aspartame, potassium sorbate, RED # 40, vitamin A acetate, Blue #1, Vitamin D3.

Cheerios always have been a bit too high in sodium for my taste, but choosing the cold cereal routine can always help you keep up your quick-sugar fix.

And then there is the salad spray that has Oprah 'ready to die for'. It's that one in the cute little plastic spritzer bottle. Read the label and there it is - that liver-toxic canola oil. It's the one that in processing is exposed to cancer-causing benzene to keep the machines running and becomes a trans-fat at the end of the process.

Canola and soy are two of the most genetically modified and allergenic foods we have thanks to ADM.

Soy is known to suppress thyroid function, just another one of those scientific facts that promote hormone imbalance. However, I suppose you think you need it to overcome the bone health risks from phosphates.

But then you have to bet that General Mills is operating from the perspective that shopper's won't ever read the labels and look up what all the chemicals are and the health risks involved through ingesting them.

Read about Carrageenan here, that natural seaweed made toxic by processing to use in food as a thickener.

Get a book about vitamins and learn that D2 is the kind that doesn't absorb well and can be toxic. D3 is the one that works.

Get a nutrition book not written by a dietitian of funded by USDA and learn that you need fat to absorb calcium, so you need 2% milk at the very minimum.

High fructose corn syrup you say? Yup! the one that passes directly into your blood stream and is connected with developing diabetes. And corn again, one of those high pesticide and allergy causing foods. You've got added sugar from fructose too; Oh, my...

And I suppose Oprah and Bob don't have an expert neurosurgeon on their team either to tell you that mixing sucralose (the DDT-like substance marketed as Splenda) and aspartame (or acesulfameK) is highly risky. Try this for more on this combo.

I do hope this will make you think, and if you can't find out more about food, skip the Red #40 and shoot us an email with your question. Or get great nutrition with a Vita-Mix

See also -

this

or

this

Intravenous vitamin C as a cancer treatment: Proof of Effectiveness is Already In.

Boy this makes me angry when I read such inaccurate reporting. Intravenous vitamin C therapy for cancer has been around for a very long time. If you know how to do research you'd find the science behind the treatment and know it has been tested and approved as effective. The down site is that the money machines behind the FDA want everyone to think this treatment is quackery.

It does a great job for Hepatitis C too.

Too bad for so many people who have been denied this treatment by ignorant medical professionals these past few decades. Too bad also that the brave physicians who have carried on this therapy have risked losing their licenses so they could prescribe the best therapy for their patients.

There is an entire medical association that focuses on these treatments, the Oxidative Medical Association. ACAM member doctors also offer this treatment.

We can even tell you how to do a home version, at about half the strength of the IV therapy.

The PetSmart fellows (see next article) would have been helped early on with IV vitamin C, but no one told them!

FDA OKs trial on vitamin C for cancer Cancer Treatment Centers runs research
Bruce Japsen, Published January 11, 2007

Adding more credibility to its research into alternative methods for oncologic medical care, Cancer Treatment Centers of America said it has won federal approval to begin a clinical trial studying the potential of intravenous vitamin C as a cancer
treatment.

While winning U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to begin clinical trials is a regular occurrence for traditional cancer researchers such as the nation's elite comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute, Zion-based Cancer Treatment Centers is not known for conducting federally approved research--making the FDA-approved vitamin C trial a bit of a coup for the firm.

"Our vitamin C research protocol is the first investigator-initiated protocol approved by the FDA in the history of CTCA," said Christopher Lis, the firm's vice president of research and development. "We are now taking our research here to the next level."

Lis said there will be a limited number of patients who will actually receive the therapy. "Only patients who have exhausted all other conventional treatment options are eligible to receive the therapy," Lis added.

The first phase of the trial is to examine the "optimal therapeutic dose in a series of 18 patients" and largely see whether the treatment is safe and tolerable to patients. Additional studies will be needed that could take several years to show whether it is effective and could lead to FDA-approved treatment.

The FDA confirmed Cancer Treatment Centers' "investigational" new drug application but would not comment further.

Potential medical uses of vitamin C gained notoriety in the 1970s because of the efforts of researchers such as Nobel laureate Linus Pauling. But such research was not known to reveal successes or was not pursued long enough to result in standardized effective cancer treatments, say researchers such as Jeffrey Blumberg, professor of nutrition at Tufts University in Boston. In older studies the vitamin was taken orally.

Although early studies, conducted with orally dosed supplements, failed to demonstrate clinical benefit to cancer patients, hope still persists that vitamin C
may be useful if administered correctly.

"I am not aware of anybody else now that is doing IV studies in patients with vitamin C to look at cancer effects," Blumberg said.

While cautioning that the research is early, Blumberg said vitamin C therapy could result in reducing side effects of chemotherapy or as a potential booster to
existing treatments. He cautioned that it is too early to know.

"If this works, we would have a useful adjunct to chemotherapy treatment that could lower the dose," Blumberg said.

Cancer Treatment Centers' facilities differ from most cancer care centers in that they provide traditional inpatient and outpatient chemotherapy and surgical care as well as non-traditional services such as acupuncture, massage and nutrition therapies.

The privately held for-profit company has hospitals in Zion, Philadelphia and Tulsa, Okla.
----------
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

Sorry you missed this help

Michael Manson and Jim Dougherty from PetSmart missed out on ten years of pain free life because they did not enter our trials held in Everett WA in the early 1990s. The program developed by Creating Health Institute was medically monitored by an Everett area MD. To his amazement many of the patients were discharged from the CFS diagnosis.

Our program uses only natural treatment and no risk of unknonw factors assocaited with anti-viral pharmaceuticals and lack of long-term studies.

Nature heals!

Small trial stirs hope for chronic fatigue patients By Toni Clarke
Sun Jan 14, 6:30 PM ET

Shortly after hiking the Grand Canyon with his wife in 1988, Michael Manson, the co-founder of PetSmart Inc., came down with what felt like the flu. So did business partner Jim Dougherty. The illness changed their lives.

In both men, the flu-like symptoms triggered a more debilitating condition known as chronic fatigue syndrome for which there is no known cure, and no known cause. Its symptoms range from fatigue and vertigo to nausea, pain and cognitive confusion.

Many in the medical community don't believe chronic fatigue syndrome is a real disease. There is no diagnostic test for it. Patients are often referred to psychiatrists on the assumption that their symptoms are psychosomatic.

But for those who suffer its symptoms, including Manson and Dougherty, a former marine who served twice in Vietnam, the condition is all too devastatingly real.

"We've been fighting this for 18 years, and we've tried every possible treatment, from wing of bat to eye of newt," said Manson, who has spent months at a time too weak to walk more than a block or even get out of bed.

Nothing worked - until now.

Last June, Manson went to see Dr. Jose Montoya, associate professor of medicine at Stanford University and a specialist in infectious diseases who believes the disorder may be caused -- at least in some cases, by one or more viruses.

Montoya had presented anecdotal data earlier that year at a conference in Barcelona, Spain, which suggested an antiviral drug called Valcyte, made by Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG, could be helpful in treating certain CFS patients.

Montoya now has data on 25 CFS patients, nearly all of whom had high levels in their blood plasma of antibodies to the human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) and the Epstein-Barr virus.

The data -- presented recently at a conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida -- were remarkably consistent. Nearly every patient responded to the drug, Montoya said, and most of the responses were dramatic.

"Scientists have suspected viruses for years but have never been able to prove it," said Kristin Loomis, executive director of the HHV-6 Foundation, a non-profit group which funds research into HHV-6.

Last year Manson began a six-month course of Valcyte, which is approved to treat transplant patients to prevent viral infection. At first he felt worse. Then, after a few weeks, he began to improve. He started walking, every day a little more.

Now, nearly seven months later, he is walking two or three miles a day and working out with light weights. And he is working on new business ideas.

"Not only is my physical ability returning but my cognitive ability has come back too," Manson said.

Even so, Montoya stresses that the study is extremely small and the results may not be replicated in bigger trials, the first of which he hopes to start within the next few months.

"In a field that has been so stigmatized, and so full of false hopes, I think the patients and the field deserve the best kind of trial, keeping an open mind to the possibility that it won't work," he said.

Roche has agreed to put up $1.5 million to fund the next, 30-patient study

"Whether we put serious money behind this will all depend on the outcome of this next study," said Nigel Pluck, Roche's clinical science leader for Valcyte. "This is a somewhat contentious area for the medical profession in that CFS is not a disease that you can test for. It's a diagnosis that you come to by excluding everything else."

Even if results of further studies are positive they will probably apply only to those patients with active HHV-6 and Epstein-Barr viruses, as indirectly measured by the number of antibodies produced to fight them, Montoya said.

But for those who appear to fit the profile, like Manson, the benefits could be enormous.

"We are very excited and holding our breath," he said.

Crazy Food May Lead to Health Woes

The latest news for all you people that think the supermarket is filled with safe and healthy things to eat, think about this:

Kraft is the parent company for Breyer's ice cream. Breyer's is originally an old Philadelphia company that once made clean ice cream. The Breyer family was in the small circle of friends that I grew up in and my the owners of the icce cream plant where my brother had his first summer job, thanks to my father's phone call.

Now what Kraft has in the works for this food can be considered amazing!

The new 'double-churned' (to make it supposedly taste better to make you think it is healthy and low calorie) will be hiding some facts from the label.

You'll be getting genetically modified (GM) fish protein in your treat and won't know it.

I also wonder why GM fish additives needs to be in ice cream.

Now, what do you think about them apples?

Food Fortification

Ladies, perhaps you aren't aware that using birth control pills contributes to this problem.

ATLANTA, Jan. 5 -- Despite fortification of the food supply with folic acid, serum folate levels have dropped en masse among women in recent years, researchers said.

Median serum folate concentrations among women of childbearing age decreased 16% from 1999 -- the year after fortification started -- to 2004, said Sheree L. Boulet, Dr.P.H., of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, and colleagues.

Red blood cell folate concentrations also decreased 8% in the same period, they wrote in the Jan. 5 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a CDC publication.

Folic acid, the synthetic form of folate, is added to enriched cereal-grain products to help prevent neural tube birth defects (NTD) such as spinal bifida or anencephaly.

In an accompanying note, MMWR's editors suggested that the results do not reflect that folic acid fortification does not work. A previous study found that serum folate levels increased from a mean of 4.8 ng/mL before fortification during 1988 to 1994 to about 13.0 ng/mL in 1999 to 2000 after it started, with similar increases in red blood cell folate concentrations.

The editors suggested that the finding reflects other changes that have occurred in the American population.

"More likely explanations include 1) changes over time in the proportion of women taking supplements containing folic acid, 2) decreased consumption of foods rich in natural folates or foods fortified with folic acid (i.e., enriched cereal-grain products), 3) variations in the amounts of folic acid added to enriched grain products since fortification was mandated, and 4) increases in risk factors associated with lower folate concentrations such as obesity."

The researchers compared National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data for the periods 1999 to 2000, 2001 to 2002, and 2003 to 2004. Each included a nationally representative sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population. Members of these groups were individually interviewed and underwent a physical examination including blood sample collection.

They found that the median serum folate concentration among women ages 15 to 44 were:

* 12.6 ng/mL (95% confidence interval 11.7 to 13.5) in 1999 to 2000,
* 11.4 ng/mL (95% CI 11.1 to 12.0) in 2001 to 2002, and
* 10.6 ng/mL (95% CI 10.2 to 11.2) in 2003 to 2004.

Overall, this represented a significant decline (P<0.001).

The red blood cell folate concentrations likewise fell significantly (P=0.028). The findings were:

* 255 ng/mL (95% CI 240 to 270) in 1999 to 2000,
* 260 ng/mL (95% CI 250 to 272) in 2001 to 2002, and
* 235 ng/mL (95% CI 226 to 246) in 2003 to 2004.

While these levels are not below the 220 ng/mL recommended in the national health objective for the year 2010, the trend is heading that direction.

"Although non-Hispanic whites and Mexican Americans have met the Healthy People 2010 objective for median [red blood cell] folate concentration since 1999 to 2000," the editors wrote. "If folate intake continues to decrease overall, median concentrations might decrease to less than 220 ng/mL."

The researchers found that the serum folate trend was significantly downward for all three ethnic populations considered (P=0.008 for non-Hispanic whites, P=0.023 for non-Hispanic blacks, and P<0.001 for Mexican Americans).

Interestingly, the editors noted that the largest decreases were among non-Hispanic white women, a population with historically higher levels of folate intake who now accounted for most of the decreases in the overall study population.

Future studies should link these findings to data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Network to see if the declines in folate levels have affected neural tube birth defect prevalence, they added.

The CDC recommends that all women of childbearing age capable of becoming pregnant should consume 400 μg of folic acid daily. Since fortification is not expected to provide the full daily requirement, women should consume a diet containing folate-rich or -fortified foods as well as dietary supplements, according to the CDC.

No financial disclosure information was reported.
Primary source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Source reference:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "Folate Status in Women of Childbearing Age, by Race/Ethnicity -- United States, 1999-2000, 2001-2002, and 2003-2004" MMWR 2006;55:1377-1380.

Food Facts and Risks

Today we are faced every day with real fake food(s). Advertising is so extreme that you don't have much of a chance to escape the blitz. And we are paying a very high price for corporate control of the food chain.

This trend goes from cradle to grave an no one is calling out to stop the madness. At the same time the illutrious USDA and FDA are now allowing you to eat cloned meat, milk and probably other foods not included in the media fray to senstize you to it being ok for health.

Well we just don't really know do we? No labels on your food identifying cloned ingredients...

And how much $$$ has crossed palms in DC from Big Agra for this one?

You have the next month or so to contact the FDA and tell them NO to cloned food, NO GMO food and NO Big Agra over-processed and over-refined health destroying 'foods'.

Check out the organic consumers organization on line too.

Overweight toddlers are at risk of growing up to be overweight, with the attendant constellation of health woes, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

It is a health crisis, specialists say, fueled by eating too much calorie-laden processed food and drinking too many sweetened beverages while also spending more hours plopped in front of television and computer screens than earlier generations.

Toddler weight problems are also a legacy of the obesity epidemic among adults: Overweight mothers tend to give birth to bigger babies who are exposed to insulin imbalances while in the womb that can predispose them to obesity.

"The whole country is struggling with this," said Virginia Chomitz , senior scientist at the Institute for Community Health at the Cambridge Health Alliance. "There's a lot of factors in our environment and our lifestyle that are pushing us toward being fatter. It's an uphill battle to push against that tide."

Docs still can't get it

Doctors just don't want you to use any natural treatments for your health and they seem to concoct every imaginable study to convince you that herbs or vitamins aren't beneficial.

So here is a study that shows that Black Cohosh in deed is beneficial for menopausal symptoms.

We suggest that hot flashes are more directly related to adrenal stress but for hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of years Black Cohosh has proven itself many times over. Read on...

December 26, 2006 Science Daily —

The natural herb black cohosh is commonly used by women to treat menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its action have eluded scientists -- until now.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the National Institutes of Health Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research have discovered that black cohosh may act on human opiate receptors, which play a role in regulating a body's temperature.
Z. Jim Wang, assistant professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutics, led the study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry; the paper is currently available on the journal's web site.
Opiate receptors are chemical sensors that respond to opiates like morphine and endorphins, Wang said. Chemical substances with opiate activity bind to the receptors and produce the appropriate response, including the regulation of pain, temperature and appetite.
"We used several extracts of black cohosh and found that elements of the herb could bind to the human 'mu' opiate receptor," Wang said. "The opiate receptor system affects several aspects of female reproductive neuroendocrinology, such as the levels of sex hormones and neurotransmitters that are important for temperature regulation."
Black cohosh (known as both Actaea racemosa and Cimicifuga racemosa) is a member of
the buttercup family. A perennial plant, it is native to North America. It has been used by Native Americans to treat malaise, gynecological disorders, kidney ailments, malaria, rheumatism and sore throat, as well as colds, cough, constipation, hives and backaches, and to induce lactation.
Women experience a variety of symptoms of menopause, but the hot flash is the most
common. Although the exact mechanism of the hot flash is unclear, estrogen withdrawal
during menopause clearly plays an important role, Wang said. It is assumed that declining estrogen concentrations may change the levels of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.
As a result, the thermoregulatory center located in the hypothalamus functions irregularly, which leads to inappropriate peripheral vasodilatation that causes hot flashes.
"The hypothalamic thermostat setting can be controlled directly or indirectly by the opiate system," Wang said.
Wang said this is the first time black cohosh has been linked to the activity of the opiate receptors. The ethanol extract used in this study, he said, is currently being used in a phase II clinical trial conducted by researchers from the UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research.

Safer Sources

Carla Johnson write for the Spokane Spokesman-Review. Several years ago when I qeustioned this class of drugs and submitted healthier options she ignored my comments. Looks like she might be opeing her thinking a bit. It would be nice to hear an apology.

Be that as it may - and most likely not forth coming - these drugs are really risky because they block the P450 detox pathway, block protein digestion, reduce your immune response and as you see now, raise your risk of hip fracture.

Try some of our natural suggestions at Leaflady.org

Study links heartburn drugs, broken hip By CARLA K. JOHNSON

Taking such popular heartburn drugs as Nexium, Prevacid or Prilosec for a year or more can raise the risk of a broken hip markedly in people over 50, a large study in Britain found.

The study raises questions about the safety of some of the most widely used and heavily promoted prescription drugs on the market, taken by millions of people.

The researchers speculated that when the drugs reduce acid in the stomach, they also make it more difficult for the body to absorb bone-building calcium. That can lead to weaker bones and fractures.

Hip fractures in the elderly often lead to life-threatening complications. As a result, doctors should make sure patients have good reason to stay on heartburn drugs long term, said study co-author Dr. Yu-Xiao Yang of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

"The general perception is they are relatively harmless," Yang said. "They often are used without a clear or justified indication for the treatment."

Some people find relief from heartburn with over-the-counter antacids such as Tums, Rolaids and Maalox. But for others, those medicines do not work well. Moreover, heartburn can be more than a source of discomfort. People with chronic heartburn can develop painful ulcers in the esophagus, and in rare cases, some can end up with damage that can lead to esophageal cancer.

Dr. Sandra Dial of McGill University in Montreal, who was not involved in the study but has done similar research, said patients should discuss the risks and benefits with their doctors and taper off their use of these medicines if they can.

Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec are members of a class of drugs known as proton pump inhibitors. The study found a similar but smaller risk of hip fractures for another class of acid-fighting drugs called H2 blockers. Those drugs include Tagamet and Pepcid.

The study, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at medical records of more than 145,000 patients in England, where a large electronic database of records is available for research. The average age of the patients was 77.

The patients who used proton pump inhibitors for more than a year had a 44 percent higher risk of hip fracture than nonusers. The longer the patients took the drugs, the higher their risk.

The biggest risk was seen in people who took high doses of the drugs for more than a year. That group had a 2 1/2 times greater risk of hip fractures than nonusers.

Yang said that for every 1,262 elderly patients treated with the drugs for more than a year, there would be one additional hip fracture a year attributable to the drugs. For every 336 elderly patients treated for more than a year with high doses, there would be one extra hip fracture a year attributable to the drugs.

Dr. Doug Levine of AstraZeneca PLC, which makes Nexium and Prilosec, said the study does not prove that proton pump inhibitors cause hip fractures. It merely suggests a potential association, he said. Doctors need to monitor their patients for proper dosage and watch how long they take the drugs, Levine said.

Julia Ellwanger, a spokeswoman for TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc., which markets Prevacid, said proton pump inhibitors' safety has been well-established by rigorous studies, and the new study does not prove or disprove a connection to hip fractures.

Dr. Alan Buchman of Northwestern University, who was not involved in the research, said the study should not change medical practice, since doctors already should be monitoring the bone density of elderly people taking the drugs and recommending calcium-rich diets to all patients.

"Most people are not taking enough calcium to start with," he said. He also wondered if a similar result would have been found in a sunny climate, because vitamin D from sunshine helps with calcium absorption.

Also, Buchman said it not known whether the acid-fighting drugs prevent esophageal cancer. He said the risk of esophageal cancer has been exaggerated in the marketing of these drugs.

"I think the risk has been overplayed and scared the community," Buchman said.

Heartburn medicines are heavily are advertised in "Ask your doctor about ..." commercials in this country, particularly during the evening news.

Nexium is the third biggest selling drug in the world, behind the cholesterol medicine Lipitor and blood thinner Plavix, with global sales totaling $5.7 billion last year, according to IMS Health, which tracks drug sales.

Yang and his co-authors disclosed in the paper that they have worked as consultants and received speaking fees from companies making acid-fighting drugs. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Gastroenterological Association/GlaxoSmithKline Glaxo Institute for Digestive Health.

Men in the study had a higher drug-associated risk of hip fracture than women, possibly because women may be more aware of osteoporosis and may get more calcium in their diets, Yang said. He plans more research on whether calcium-rich diets or calcium supplements can prevent the problem.

Something to think about

Can anything be more ridiculous than that a man would have the right to kill me because he lives on the other side of the water, and because his ruler has a quarrel with mine,
though I have none with him?
-- Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), Pensees

We wonder what took the FDA this long too!

This issue of problems with the kidneys and liver when using NSAIDS goes back to the 70s for sure. We debated it in the days when I worked in ICU.

Remember Kenny Easley?

Liver AND kidney failure is the real risk, as well as aberrations of clotting, silent bleeding, some indication of bone loss and nutritional deficincy. Ginger, willow bark, MSM, turmeric or other are better choices.

There is the same or more risk with aspirin since, like the blood thinners (coumadin or heparin et al), it too will eventually cause disintegration of the cell wall membrane and extremely hazardous bleeding.

So what isn't your doctor telling you?

Looking at the Lipitor Lies

The Price of Freedom is Responsibility - It is every American's inherent right to freely choose for themselves whatever type and source of healthcare he or she deems appropriate. However, it must be emphasized that practicing such medical freedom
requires the responsibility of acquiring valid health information and skills, having the wisdom to recognize when professional healthcare is needed, and to choose that healthcare wisely.

"Informed consent can be effectively exercised only if the patient possesses enough information to enable an intelligent choice (AMA, 1999)."

I have been a champion of informed consent for decades. I find it missing in today's health care arena, yet it is a cornerstone of healthcare, and required by law.

The 'Don't tell if the patient doesn't ask' mentality is just too common these days, and this is one reason why this BLOG was implemented.

Do you wish to risk your life for 1.9 per cent improvement when better and safer treatment is available? And think of the high price you pay...Lipitor averages a 4700% profit.

HIGH-DOSE LIPITOR FOR STROKES: HOW EFFECTIVE, HOW SAFE?
A new study of high-dose Lipitor reveals minimal benefit and unanswered questions about safety. Yet doctors are prescribing high-dose Lipitor to more patients.

In August 2006, a large study was published involving the maximum 80-mg dose of Lipitor (atorvastatin) in patients with a recent stroke.1 Lipitor is the top-selling drug in America and one of several statin drugs (e.g. Zocor, Crestor, Pravachol) widely prescribed for reducing cholesterol. The study, which was funded by Pfizer and authored by 8 Pfizer employees and consultants, showed that high-dose Lipitor reduced the occurrence of subsequent strokes slightly better than placebo. The authors concluded: "These results support the initiation of atorvastatin [Lipitor] treatment soon after a stroke or transient ischemic attack.1" But does the study really support the medicating of all stroke patients with the most powerful, side-effect prone dosage of Lipitor? No, the study does not. Here is why.

Minimal Efficacy, Serious Toxicity
In the study, 11.2 percent of patients receiving high-dose Lipitor experienced another stroke, whereas 13.1 percent of patients receiving placebo had another stroke.1 The difference was only 1.9 percent, a tiny improvement. This result is certainly not enough to warrant the widespread medicating of stroke patients with an expensive, highly potent form of Lipitor.

While Lipitor reduced the occurrence of blockage (ischemic) strokes, the occurrence of bleeding (hemorrhagic) strokes actually increased with Lipitor. Subsequent hemorrhagic strokes occurred in 55 patients receiving Lipitor vs. 33 patients receiving placebo. This means that hemorrhagic strokes increased 67% with Lipitor in comparison with placebo. Therefore, high-dose Lipitor is certainly not warranted in people with hemorrhagic strokes.

No Reduction of Deaths
Another reason for caution with high-dose Lipitor was the failure of the study to show any improvement in overall mortality with high-dose Lipitor. The drug decreased the number of fatal strokes, but this was offset by an increased number of deaths from other causes. The result was that among 2365 Lipitor patients, 216 (9.1 percent) died, while among 2366 placebo patients, 211 (8.9 percent) died. In short, the number of deaths increased slightly with high-dose Lipitor in comparison with placebo.

This is a very important finding, especially since a similar trend was seen in another major study of high-dose Lipitor published in 2005. The 2005 study compared the effect of maximum-dose (80 mg) and low-dose (10 mg) Lipitor on heart attacks and other cardiovascular events. Deaths from cardiovascular disease decreased considerably with high-dose Lipitor in comparison to the lower dose.2 However, the overall number of deaths was slightly greater with high-dose Lipitor than with the lower dose. In an expert editorial that accompanied the 2005 study, Dr. Bertram Pitt deemed the increased mortality with high-dose Lipitor "a matter of concern." Dr. Pitt added, "we need further reassurance as to the safety of this approach."3 For cases requiring aggressive LDL lowering, Dr. Pitt recommended a combination approach that included dietary modifications, moderate-dose statins, and other lipid-lowering therapies.3 I agree with Dr. Pitt's concerns and recommendations.

Hepatic Injuries with Lipitor
In the 2006 stroke study, 51 (2.2%) of high-dose Lipitor patients vs. 11 (0.5%) placebo patients developed elevations in liver enzymes (over 3 times the upper limit of normal), which indicated liver injry.1 In other words, liver injuries occurred nearly 5 times more frequently with high-dose Lipitor than with placebo. This is a serious finding. The 2005 study revealed a similar trend: liver enzyme elevations occurred nearly 7 times more frequently with high-dose than with low-dose Lipitor.2 These findings tell us that high-dose Lipitor is far more likely to cause liver injuries than low-dose Lipitor or placebo.

Is liver injury a serious side effect? A few years ago, a friend of mine was placed on 10 mg of Lipitor by his doctor. My friend's liver enzymes rose to three times above normal. Although the elevation was modest, it indicated the destruction of liver cells. My friend, who is a doctor, discontinued the Lipitor. He knew that statins such as Lipitor can be liver toxic. If the lowest dose of Lipitor caused this liver injury, how much more serious an injury would high-dose 80-mg Lipitor have caused?

You should be very cautious with drugs that cause liver injuries. Several years ago, when the drug Rezulin (troglitazone) was introduced, we were told that the drug caused modest liver injuries in only 2.2% of patients (vs 0.5% with placebo). Soon, reports of liver failure and death with Rezulin flooded the FDA. Belatedly, we learned that the manufacturer had omitted vital information: patients receiving Rezulin in the clinical trails had actually developed dangerous liver enzyme elevations and serious liver damage.4,5 These and other findings indicated that Rezulin was a serious liver toxin, but this information was withheld by the manufacturer for years. By the time Rezulin was withdrawn in 2000, nearly 100 people had died.

The studies of high-dose Lipitor did not provide specifics about the degrees of liver injury sustained by individual patients. Until this information is released, we must assume that high-dose Lipitor has the potential to cause major liver injury. Statin drugs have been linked to liver failure.

Should You Use High-Dose Lipitor?
Statin medications benefit millions of people. However, like all drugs, statins can cause serious side effects. Studies by drug companies tell us that side effects are few, but the experience of practitioners and patients reveal that side effects such as muscle pain, muscle weakness, joint pain, abdominal pain, memory problems, psychological changes, and liver injury are common. These side effects are dose-related: the higher the statin dose, the greater the risk.

So far, the studies of high-dose Lipitor are not extremely impressive. Although high-dose Lipitor does reduce the risk of heart attacks, so do lower, safer doses of Lipitor. So do other statins such as Mevacor (lovastatin) and Zocor (simvastatin), which are available as generics and much cheaper. For preventing strokes, high-dose Lipitor was not impressive. Equally important, in both the 2005 and 2006 studies, high-dose Lipitor did not reduce overall mortality. In addition, high-dose Lipitor clearly increases the risk of liver injury, and the degree of this risk has not been defined. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that there is no basis for administering high-dose Lipitor indiscriminately to broad groups of patients.

For some people with severe cardiovascular disease, there may be a basis for using high doses of Lipitor or other statins. Yet, even among these patients, there will be many who are unable to tolerate high-dose therapy. As studies have shown, some people are highly sensitive to statin drugs, and they obtain excellent responses with modest doses. If doctors begin prescribing high-dose Lipitor to all heart attack and stroke patients, they will overmedicate a lot of people. If you require vigorous lowering of your LEL cholesterol, it is safer to use a combination approach: a heart-healthy diet, a low or moderate dose statin, and other cholesterol-lowering agents. A heart-healthy diet itself can lower cholesterol as much as a moderate-dose statin drug.

References
1. Stroke prevention by aggressive reduction in cholesterol levels investigators. High-dose atorvastatin after stroke or transient ischemic hepatic. New England Journal of Medicine 2006;355:549-559.
2. LaRosa JC, Grundy SM, Waters DD, et al. Intensive lipid lowering with atorvastatin in patients with stable coronary disease. New England Journal of Medicine 2005;352:1425-35.
3. Pitt B. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with stable coronary heart disease -- is it time to shift our goals? New England Journal of Medicine 2005;352(14):1483-1484.
4. Physicians' Desk Reference, 52nd and 54th Editions. Montvale, N.J.: Medical Economics Company, 1998 and 2000.
5. Watkins PB, Whitcomb RW. Hepatic dysfunction associated with troglitazone. New England Journal of Medicine 1998;338:916-917.

Copyright 2006, Jay S. Cohen, M.D. All rights reserved.

Organic Consumers Fight Hijacked Seats on NOSB

More doing No-Gooding -

USDA ATTEMPTS TO PACK ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARD WITH CORPORATE AGRIBUSINESS REPS

WASHINGTON, DC - On December 5, 2006, the USDA announced its new appointments to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The NOSB essentially advises the USDA on how to interpret and implement federal organic laws that regulate industry. The NOSB also reviews and approves substances for placement on the National List of Approved and Prohibited Substances. In other words, the NOSB has the ability to significantly weaken or strengthen the effectiveness of the national organic standards.

According to federal law, the NOSB is to be made up of a diverse group of experts in the organic field, including a public interest group representative, an environmentalist, a scientist, and a handler. Despite this clear mandate of diversity, the USDA's new appointments are all industry representatives.

USDA’s new appointees are:

Scientist: Katrina Heinze (General Mills)
Consumer and Public Interest Group Representative: Tracy Miedema (Stahlbush Island Farms, a primarily non-organic operation)
Environmentalist: Tina Ellor (Phillips Mushroom Farms)
Handler: Steve DeMuri (Campbell Soup)

Historically, there has only been one other instance where the USDA has attempted to stack non-industry seats on the NOSB with industry representatives, and the results were an embarrassment for the USDA. One year ago, the agency attempted to put a General Mills’ company representative, Katrina Heinz in the NOSB Public Interest Group Representative seat, which was closely followed by a massive consumer backlash spearheaded by the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and the Consumers Union. The protests caused Heinz to decline the appointment.

“Never before has the Bush administration’s USDA made such a blatant attempt to pack the National Organic Standards Board with people who represent corporate agribusiness and industrial farming practices,” says OCA National Director Ronnie Cummins. “Stahlbush Farms, which admits on its website to using pesticides, fungicides, and insecticides on its crops (except for its canned pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and frozen green beans) is not, by any stretch of the imagination, an organic consumer or public interest group. Likewise, General Mills is not an academic institution, qualified to submit an impartial "scientist" to serve on the NOSB.” -more on next page-

Less than a year ago the organic community was forced to mobilize against a sneak attack on organic standards inserted into the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill, supported by General Mill’s and Campbell Soup and other corporate agribusiness players that have apparently decided they want to take over the $16 billion organic industry.

OCA is mobilizing its national grassroots action network of 500,000 organic consumers to stop this attempted hijacking of organic standards.. OCA strongly believes that Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns should intervene to ensure that the NOSB is composed of organic specialists, bona fide scientists, and representatives of consumer and public interest groups, as mandated by the Organic Foods Production Act. “We will be asking our members to call General Mills, Campbell Soup, and Stahlbush Farms and request that the appointees from their company decline appointment, in the best interest of the organic sector,” added Cummins.

OCA will also target members of Congress and ask for a Congressional hearing on the USDA's management of the National Organic Program and their numerous attempts to ignore OFPA and undermine the will of Congress.

According to Cummins, "A major part of the problem is the arrogance and lack of transparency on the part of the Bush USDA. The entire organic community has a basic right to know well ahead of time who all the nominees are for the NOSB, so we can examine their record and credentials. Then the USDA needs to listen carefully to all of the stakeholders in the community and base its decision on NOSB appointments accordingly."

Take Action Here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/rd/nosb.cfm

"A SECRET KILLER"

Letter by Gregory Sams. (shortened)
from the London Daily Mail 8 December 06

Polonium-210 is described as a rare isotope. Sadly, it isn't rare.

In 1990 American Surgeon General C. Everett Koop decared that radioactivity, not tar, accounts for 90% of smoking-related lung cancers.

Cigarettes are lightly radioactive. Most of the radiation comes from the rock-mineral FERTILISER (APATITE) that subsidised American farmers use. This contains radon, which decays to deposit polonium-210 in the fine hairs of tobacco leaves. This collects in smokers' lungs & beams out alpha radiation for years.

Increasing use of radon-rich fertilisers accompanied an 18-fold increase in the per capita incidence of lung cancer between 1930 & 1980 in the US. In the same period smoking fell by 20%, but tobacco's polonium-210 content tripled.

Of 33,000 UK deaths a year from lung cancer, 90% equates to 30,000 caused by radiation. 575 Britons die every week from gradually ingesting the same substance that poisoned Litvinenko. The Govt. is aware of this but doesn't publicise it.

Back to the drawing board for Pfizer, et al

Drug giant Pfizer is in a panic after its new generation heart drug - designed to raise 'good' HDL cholesterol - was blamed for the deaths of 82 participants in a pre-licensing trial.

Pfizer is desperate to find a replacement for its statin drug Lipitor, which is the world's best-selling drug with annual revenues of around $10bn. The drug loses its patent protection in 2010, when it becomes open season for other manufacturers to produce 'me too' generic copies.

As with all statins, Lipitor lowers the 'bad' LDL cholesterol in the blood - but Pfizer researchers reckoned they could reduce heart deaths more dramatically if they instead raised the levels of HDL cholesterol.

The new drug, called torcetrapib, was due to be licensed for approval next year, and was undergoing $800m trials. Researchers running the trial recommended an immediate halt following the deaths of 82 participants who were taking the new drug in combination with Lipitor.

It's thought that the participants may have died from raised blood pressure, an effect that was reported early on, but one that Pfizer chose to ignore.

Interestingly, 51 participants who were taking only Lipitor also died. This may be as equally surprising to Pfizer as the torcetrapib results. According to the drug company, Lipitor causes a little bloating and gas. Many patients suffer many more serious side effects, including muscle wasting, and according to the latest Pfizer trial, death.
(Source: The Guardian, 5 December 2006).

and here is what the BMJ has to say about STATINS -

STATINS: Heart patients get them after op, but doctors don't know why

It's extraordinary just how frequently medicine works with myth rather than fact. One example is the use of cholesterol- lowering statin drugs, which have become one of medicine's holy grails for patients with coronary heart disease.

Heart specialists are convinced that statins are a vital part of patient care, especially after high-risk surgery.

But scratch the surface and you discover that this post-operative medical practice, conducted in every heart unit in the West for decades, is based on just 16 observational studies - which means they're not even properly regulated trials - and on two small studies.

Researchers from the University of Alberta made the discovery when they sifted through 2,373 references for statins. But these reduced down to just the handful of observational studies that provided any meaningful data.

The truth is, the researchers conclude, we just don't know if statins are helping heart patients after surgery.

So what to do? Well, it might be an idea to test the theory once and for all and discover if the statins are helping - or possibly harming - the patient.

(Source: British Medical Journal, 2006; 333: 1149-52).

Wise? Perhaps Not!

Recently the use of anti-diabetic drugs have been implemented as an off-list use for children taking atypical anti-psychotic drugs.

The atypical anti-psychotic drugs, such as Respirdal and Zyprexa, are often implicated in the development of diabetes. These drugs also lead to the development of obesity and have many extremely deliterious side effects.

The thought, it seems, is that by using anti-diabetes drugs, reported most often to be Metformin (glucophage), the child will be less likely to develop obesity.

Some other thoughts may not have been considered.

Metformin is approved for use only in children between the ages of 10 and 16. It should never be used for a child under 10 yers of age. The extended version, XL, is not approved for children under the age of 16.

Metformin is known to cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), or sudden drops in blood sugar levels, a serious manifestation.

In over half of the Metformin users diarrhea is a common symptom. Twenty-five percent of users experience nausea and vomiting.

Both of these common side effects lead to electrolype loss.

Decreased electrolytes can cause heart irregularities and a very serious complication called lactic acidosis.

In some instances anemia is a result of the drug, commomly related to depletion of vitamin B12.

Liver and renal impariment are known to occur.

These issues are of concern because there are no long term studies that show safety of this drug for people who are not diabetic. Nor are their long term studies on the use of this drug combination.

Since children are in a heightened growth stage, side effects are a concern, as is how this might effect growth.

What other health problems arise as a result?

Concern is over and above the issues surrounding the anti-psychotic drugs. These have black box warnings. They have serious side effects. Why are they not discontinued if obesity develops.

One has to wonder, as well, what are we doing to the children so they get the psych drugs in the first place.

Why aren't other methods or natural treatments considered?

Deaths lead to end of drug trial

Just another reminder that there is NO REAL NEED for cholesterol lowering drugs.

There are just too many proven natural and effective treatments for you if you believe the cholesterol hype.

Start first with detoxification. Then there is niacin. There are herbs like dandelion or milk thistle, or some of my favorite Ayurvedic herbs. A few dietary changes help.

Think about it, it might mean your life.

Pfizer stops clinical trials of cholestorol-controlling Torcetrapib Sun Dec 3, 9:28 AM ET

Citing the "interests of patient safety," US drug manufacturer Pfizer said it was stopping all clinical trials of the cholesterol-controlling drug Torcetrapib.

In a statement released Saturday, the company said it was in the process of notifying all clinical investigators and regulatory authorities, including the Food and Drug Administration.

The decision came after Pfizer officials were informed that the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) reviewing a morbidity and mortality study for Torcetrapib recommended terminating the trial "because of an imbalance of mortality and cardiovascular events."

The company is in the process of asking all clinical investigators involved in the program to inform patient participants to stop taking the medication immediately.

"While the DSMB information we received today was both surprising and disappointing, our focus is on the best interests of patients and making sure all this information is communicated to appropriate medical and regulatory authorities as quickly as possible," said Pfizer chief executive officer Jeffrey Kindler.

He added the drug maker understood "the challenge that this represents and we will respond quickly and aggressively to it."

Tamiflu dangers reported

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada has asked Swiss drug maker Roche AG to warn consumers of possible health risks linked to its influenza drug Tamiflu, the health department said on Wednesday.

Ottawa took the step after receiving international reports of side-effects such as hallucinations and abnormal behavior, including self-harm. The reports include cases involving children and teenagers, primarily in Japan.

"Health Canada has requested that the manufacturer ... update the Canadian prescribing information for Tamiflu to include this new information," the department said in a statement.

According to Health Canada, there have been 84 reports as of November 11 of Canadian patients having adverse effects when using Tamiflu. Ten of those cases involved fatalities...

In the same breath

We can see a skunk as plain as the nose on your face here. And are you going to swallow this hype before you get the facts?

No fluoride for infants, but it is ok for your toddler. And then, guess what, you can get the killer pill Celebrex for your baby because fluoride gave this child arthritis.

And if you believe you are not already over-dosed with toxic fluoride, think again.

Fluoride DOES NOT prevent cavities. In most places, Seattle for example, the cavity rate has increased every year since they added fluoride to the water. Does this sound like prevention to you?

And now that the source is fertilizer waster, containing numerous toxic heavy metals like lead and arsenic,one has to wonder what junque science report the dentists and Pfizer fed the FDA this time. It all conmes at a price.

Fluoride destroys salmon too.

And wasn't it corrupt politician Gary Locke that moved to ban these toxic metals from fertilizer over in Moses Lake before he crafted his way into the governor's mansion?

My how things change, maybe...Afterall it is Gary Locke who defends state agencies that lie to him about the facts. It is just like I was told during the time I served on the Superior Court Juvenile Diversion panel, "Don't say anything that will hurt the system".

So you see it is the system that gets protected, not citizens, and certainly not children.

Fluoride does much more damage than causing arthritis! Check out PFPC or FAN for more information on what it really is and what it does.

FDA Approves Fluoride In Bottled Water
Food Chemical News
11-28-6

FDA announced last week it will allow fluoridation of bottled water to assist in the prevention of dental caries (cavities), prompting praise from the American Dental Association and concerns from anti-fluoride groups.

Bottled water containing between 0.6 and 1.0 mg/L total fluoride will be eligible to bear the following claim: "Drinking fluoridated water may reduce the risk of [dental caries or tooth decay]." The claimis not allowed with water intended for infants, FDA said.

The American Dental Association immediately praised the agency's decision. "Whether you drink fluoridated water from the tap or buy it in a bottle, you're doing the right thing for your oral health," saidADA executive director James Bramson. "Thanks to the FDA's decision,bottlers can now claim what dentists have long known--that optimallyfluoridated water helps prevent tooth decay."

However, FDA's decision didn't please groups opposed to fluoridation, who claim that fluoride can cause negative health repercussions even in the small quantities present in water. "Modern studies also link fluoride to arthritis, allergies, kidney and thyroid dysfunction, bone damage and cancer even at the low levels dentists claim is optimal to reduce tooth decay," said Paul Beeber, president of the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. "Adding fluoride to bottled water implies to the American public that FDA studies give fluoride a clean bill of health--and that's not true," he said.
http://www.bevnet.com/news/2006/11-28-2006-FDA_bottledwater.asp

New Fluoride Warning for Infants

Does your drinking water contain added fluoride? If so, keep it away from infants under the age of one. This directive was issued recently by an unlikely source: the American Dental Association (ADA).

In a November 9th email alert sent to all of its members, the ADA noted that "Infants less than one year old may be getting more than the optimal amount of fluoride if their primary source of nutrition is powdered or liquid infant formula mixed with water containing fluoride." The ADA went on to advise: "If using a product that needs to be reconstituted, parents and caregivers should consider using water that has no or low levels of fluoride."

The ADA issued this advice because babies exposed to fluoridated water are at high risk for developing dental fluorosis—a defect of the teeth which can result in staining and even corrosion of the enamel. In addition, on October 14th, the Food and Drug Administration stated that fluoridated water marketed to infants cannot claim to reduce the risk of cavities.

Dental fluorosis is not the only risk stemming from a baby's exposure to fluoride. In the same week that ADA issued its advisory, an article in the British journal, The Lancet, reported that fluoride may damage a child's developing brain. The Lancet review described fluoride, along with the rocket fuel additive perchlorate, as an "emerging neurotoxic substance" due to evidence linking fluoride to lower IQs in children, and brain damage in animals.

"Newborn babies have undeveloped brains, and exposure to fluoride, a suspected neurotoxin, should be avoided," notes Hardy Limeback, a member of a 2006 National Research Council panel on fluoride toxicity, and former President of the Canadian Association of Dental Research.

Fluoride is linked with other health problems as well, including weakened bones, reduced thyroid activity, and possibly, bone cancer in boys, according to a recent report from a team of Harvard scientists, the US National Research Council and other recent studies.

While most of western Europe has abandoned the practice of adding fluoride to water, most US water supplies remain fluoridated. In addition, some brands of bottled water sold in the US, such as Nursery Water, specifically market fluoridated water for young babies.

A recent investigation by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that over-exposure to fluoride among infants is a widespread problem in most major American cities. EWG's study found that, on any given day, up to 60% of formula-fed babies in US cities were exceeding the Institute of Medicine's "upper tolerable" limit for fluoride.

"Water is supposed to be safe for everyone. Why add a chemical that makes it knowingly unfit for young children? The US should follow Europe's lead and end fluoridation," says Michael Connett, Project Director of the Fluoride Action Network.

For additional information, see: http://www.fluoridealert.org and http://www.ewg.org

Source:Fluoride Action Network (FAN) & Environmental Working Group (EWG)

FDA considers Celebrex for children as young as 2
Monday, November 27, 2006

By DIEDTRA HENDERSON, THE BOSTON GLOBE

WASHINGTON -- Despite Celebrex's well-documented link to higher heart risks, Pfizer Inc. wants permission to sell its painkiller to treat children as young as 2 who have arthritis.

Even as critics call for the drug to be removed from the market, Food and Drug Administration advisers will meet Wednesday to consider the company's request to expand Celebrex use.

Celebrex was the first of a class of new painkillers, called cox-2 inhibitors, approved in December 1998, and it is the last one to remain on the market. Merck & Co. pulled Vioxx from the market in 2004 after its studies showed the painkiller doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Arthur Levin, an FDA adviser who has been invited to the Wednesday meeting, has already said sales of Celebrex also should be halted.

In considering applications such as Pfizer's, the FDA balances a product's risks against its effectiveness. The drug maker is expected to present the results from clinical trials involving children to support its application.

Pfizer has already faced criticism for heavily promoting the painkiller, transforming Celebrex into a blockbuster product before all its risks were known.