VIOXX Continues to Be Risky

December 13, 2010: Heart risks of Vioxx persist long after drug is stopped

People who thought they were in the clear after they stopped taking the now banned painkiller rofecoxib (Vioxx) might have to think again. The risks of the drug, which was pulled off the market in 2004 after it was linked to heart attacks and strokes, persist even after people stop taking it, according to a study released Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The findings also serve as a reminder to use caution with related painkillers that are still available, notably celecoxib (Celebrex). Some studies suggest it might pose similar, though less severe, risks to the heart. Other related drugs, such as ibuprofen (Advil and generic) and naproxen (Aleve and generic), might as well. And all of those drugs, called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), can cause dangerous gastrointestinal bleeding and other problems, especially when taken long term. See our advice on when to take an NSAID.

The new study found that seniors with mild cognitive impairment who had taken Vioxx had a higher rate of cardiovascular problems and death up to nearly a year and a half after they stopped taking the drug compared with those who took a placebo. It's unknown whether those risks persist even longer because none of the people in the study were followed past 500 days after they stopped taking Vioxx.
—Steve Mitchell, associate editor, Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs

Selections from Natural Health News

Vioxx maker Merck drew up hit list

Sep 27, 2009
Dr Fries said in the letter that Merck had been systematically playing down the side effects of Vioxx and said the company's behaviour "seriously impinges on academic freedom". The court was also told a rheumatologist on Merck's ...
Natural Health News: Pfizer hedging its bets? UPDATE
Oct 17, 2008
The Vioxx withdrawal, which triggered an avalanche of lawsuits against Merck, also raised concerns about the safety of other medicines in the same class, called Cox-2 inhibitors. They were heavily touted by their makers as superior to ...
Natural Health News: Drugs Contribute to Dementia, Delirium
Apr 01, 2009
For example, Public Citizen warned consumers about the dangers of Vioxx, ephedra, Baycol and Propulsid years before they were pulled from the market. A partial list of drugs is below. I chose Antihistamines because it is the time of ...
WE TOLD YOU SO
Aug 16, 2006
(Merck, the manufacturer of Fosamax, is currently involved in thousands of lawsuits involving its drug Vioxx which is no longer on the market. Vioxx was pulled after a study revealed that people taking the drug had an increased risk of ...

Vaccine Contamination Information

Viruses and Virus Nucleic Acid Contaminate Many Vaccines


Risks of cancer and creation of new pathogens should not be underplayed by regulators Prof. Joe Cummins

Please read this important information BEFORE getting any vaccine, especially the new flu vaccine.

Health Insurance Reform Bill Struck Down

By LARRY O'DELL, Associated Press Larry O'dell, Associated Press – 

RICHMOND, Va. – A federal judge declared the foundation of President Barack Obama's health care law unconstitutional Monday, ruling that the government cannot require Americans to purchase insurance. The case is expected to end up at the Supreme Court.

In his order, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson said he will allow the law to remain in effect while appeals are heard, meaning there is unlikely to be any immediate impact on other provisions that have already taken effect. The insurance coverage mandate is not scheduled to begin until 2014.

Related article: Terrain Shifts in Challenges to the Health Care Law

Healing Psoriasis

Low Skin Carotenoid Levels Observed in Subjects with Psoriasis
In a cross-sectional study involving 44 subjects with psoriasis and 72 controls, results indicate that patients with psoriasis have significantly lower skin carotenoid levels, compared with controls. Additionally, after adjusting for confounders, significant association was observed between presence of psoriasis and lower levels of skin carotenoid levels. Thus, the authors of this study conclude, "Patients with psoriasis appear to have lower skin carotenoid counts than patients without psoriasis."
"Skin carotenoid levels in adult patients with psoriasis," Lima X, Kimball A, J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol, 2010, Nov 4; [Epub ahead of print]. (Address: Clinical Unit for Research Trials and Outcomes in Skin (CURTIS), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA).

Not unlike Howie Mandel and his OCD that can very well be treated with orthomolecular medicine, psoriasis can also be helped in a major way with natural approaches.
Unfortunately, mainstream media and mainstream medicine will want you to believe that the only help is no cure and the use of genetically engineered drugs. Often not disclosed about the recombinant-GMO drugs is their link to cancer and the fact that for the most part they suppress your immune system.
For a good two decades I have helped many people with psoriasis with natural treatment. Those who do want to be well always seem to achieve their goal. I do not offer a cookie-cutter treatment model, but I do adapt treatment with natural care to each client individually following a complete and in-depth case taking process.
There are however, certain treatments you can apply using therapeutic essential oils and a specific herbal blend I have found extremely effective with this condition.
Other lifestyle changes also need to be made.

Comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member Jon Lovitz is known for making audiences laugh, but the discovery that he had psoriasis was no laughing matter. Read complete article

Selections from Natural Health News

Natural Health and Psoriasis

Sep 14, 2009

I'm listening to NPR and their story about psoriasis. Of course it is only medical, with the standard comment "there is no cure". Because so little is known in medicine about this situation, there isn't any approach other than drugs and

Arthritis drugs pose cancer risk

Aug 04, 2009

The FDA said it had "identified new safety information related to the occurrence of leukemia and new-onset psoriasis" that would also be included on the drugs' labeling. The FDA said it had reviewed 147 reports of leukemia in adults and ...

Overlooked Health Consequences

Jan 20, 2009

I'd say there were some other factors because my father had psoriasis. It isn't something I have but I have helped many people who lived with this condition, from mild to severe, to resolve their case. ...

Another FDA approved drug linked to hazards and death

Feb 20, 2009

The last sentence tell you that the government wants you to believe that psoriasis is not curable, but they want you to take a drug that does little to help yet may even cause death. I wonder why it is that some very simple testing for

EPA Laxity Puts Bees at Risk

Leaked Memo Sheds Light on Mysterious Bee Die-Offs and Who's to Blame

The culprit may be a pesticide that the EPA has allowed on the market despite the fact that the company which makes the pesticide has failed to prove it is safe.

December 10, 2010  |  

 

A new leaked memo from the EPA has the beekeeping world buzzing. Bad puns aside, the failure of the EPA to protect the environment -- in this case, bees -- jeopardizes beekeepers' ability to continue in their work. Beekeeper Tom Theobald, who exposed the leaked memo, says that beekeepers now lose 30 to 40 percent or more of their hives each year, and it takes two years to recover each one. Theobald has been a beekeeper in Boulder County, Colorado for 35 years, but now he says he's not sure he can continue. "I can't afford to subsidize this as a hobby. I'll fold the tent," he says. "Commercial beekeepers will work themselves to death," he continues, noting that it's only the passion and commitment of beekeepers that has staved off a complete collapse of the entire beekeeping industry this long.     Complete article

from Natural Health News
Bees and People 
May 03, 2010

The world may be on the brink of biological disaster after news that a third of US bee colonies did not survive the winter. Reasons given for this are exposure to 121 pesticides found in bees, honey and pollen and virus and bacterial

HFCS Toxic to Bees, Toxic to You

Aug 27, 2009

Formation of Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in Domestic High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and Its Toxicity to the Honey Bee. If you heat High Fructose Corn Syrup if becomes toxic hydroxymethylfurfural which can break down into other more ...

 

More Problems with Wind Power

Oct 17, 2010

Certainly we have seen devastation to bats, bees, and birds as these constructs multiply. Have we yet to hear from the like of Google and others in the wind power controversy anything about sustainability to agriculture and aqua culture ...

Real EMF Danger: Your Brain on a Cell Phone

Jun 05, 2010

A very good interview to read that addresses serious concerns about EMF, your brain and health. Effects on Honey Bees. This information is provided by Creating Health Institute through our Health Matters(c) project.

Sugary Cereals May Become a Thing of the Past

I certainly think it is a good move by General Mills to act to remove all the heavy sugar that has been in cereals for the past many years.  To me they have been so super sweet I don't know how anyone could eat them, or give them to children.  I guess only the marketing department at General Mills has the answer to that.

What I don't see General Mills doing is to let you know the source of their now "whole grain" Cheerios, and I think this is as important or even more important than reducing sugar.

Reading the ingredient list I found several things I would question.

I do not see anything that tells you if the source grains are from genetically modified sources.  My bet is that all the grains used in mass market cold cereal is from GMO sources, unless it is a truly organic product (many of which are sugar heavy in case you don't know).  In addition to the GMO issue, my concern would also be amounts of pesticide residue in the product.

I liked the use of rice bran oil but am totally opposed to the use of canola oil.  canola oil is almost totally GMO and it is a trans fat, with a potential to harm your liver.  

The second, third, and fourth ingredients are sugars, and one is from corn, another highly GMO grain.  Salt follows.

I am also not quite sure why one needs 'modified corn startch' in cereal.

But also consider that many natural flavors are yeast based, and cold cereals in themselves can contribute to obesity and diabetes.  Ask for the glycemic load on these products to be sure they still don't turn quickly to sugar.

You can read the ingredient list for Honey Nut Cheerios here

By Martinne Geller – Thu Dec 9, 2010

NEW YORK (Reuters) – General Mills Inc is lowering the amount of sugar in its children's breakfast cereals to no more than 10 grams per serving from 11 grams a year ago, the latest move from a U.S. foodmaker to address childhood obesity.
The growing problem of obesity is leading to more children having adult health problems, such as diabetes or high cholesterol.
The step-down in sugar by General Mills, the maker of Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs and Trix cereals, is a move closer to its year-old goal to reduce to single-digit levels the number of grams of sugar per serving in all of its cereals advertised to children under 12.
General Mills, which also sells Progresso soup and Yoplait yogurt, said it must reduce sugar in tiny, incremental steps, lest consumers notice the difference and stop buying.

"Consumers have a very keen idea of what these cereals ought to taste like and if you change the taste dramatically or suddenly, they'll walk away from the brand," said Jeff Harmening, president of General Mills' Big G cereal division, in an interview.
"We will not make changes if it reduces the taste of the product," he said.
As of December 31, all shipments of the company's 11 cereals advertised to children will have 10 grams or less, General Mills said.
Too much sugar not only contributes to obesity, but also is a key culprit in diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association, which recommends that women eat no more than 25 grams of added processed sugar a day, and men no more than 37.5 grams.
Packaged food and beverage companies face mounting pressure to make their products healthier as recently passed U.S. health reform legislation shifts the nation's focus to ways to prevent disease, instead of simply treating it. Many companies have responded by cutting levels of sugar, sodium and fat in their products.
In 2007, General Mills committed to a ceiling of 12 grams of sugar per serving for cereals advertised to children under 12, which also include Honey Nut Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It said that for products with more sugar than that, such as Count Chocula, it would no longer advertise them to that audience.
Harmening declined to say where in the single-digit range the cereals would eventually end up, though he said he would feel victorious once they all reach 9 grams or lower.
General Mills' brands targeted to adults often have less sugar. For example, Fiber One has zero grams, Cheerios have 1 gram and Corn Chex has 3 grams of sugar per serving.

Varmus at National Cancer Institute: Harmful to Health

CHICAGO, IL, December 6, 2010 --/WORLD-WIRE/-- On October 22, 2010, Senator Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to Dr. Harold Varmus, who was appointed director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) by President Obama three months previously. The senator raised questions on the amount of "sponsored travel," sometimes a dozen or more trips a year and almost exclusively to international conferences paid for by outside organizations or companies, taken in recent years by "numerous NCI employees, notably senior leadership."

According to ScienceInsider, many of the 16 scientists involved took at least 10 trips a year in 2008, 2009, and 2010. However, a subsequent letter from Dr. Varmus and the National Institutes of Health director, Dr. Francis Collins, attempted to claim that this travel was part of their scientific work!

"Varmus, the current director of the NCI, has a distinguished track record on basic research on cancer treatment. However, this is paralleled by frank and dangerous unawareness of longstanding, well-documented scientific evidence on the causes and prevention of cancer," warns Samuel S. Epstein, M.D., Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition.

As long ago as 1998, in Natalie Angier's Natural Obsessions book, Varmus claimed, "You can't do experiments to see what causes cancer - it's not an accessible problem, and not the sort of thing scientists can afford to do - everything you do can't be risky."

"The claim by Varmus that 'you can't do research to see what causes cancer' is bizarre. At best, it reflects unbelievable ignorance," asserts Dr. Epstein.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has published annual reports on carcinogens, largely based on carcinogenicity tests on rodents, since 1964. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) has also published systematic and comprehensive reviews on carcinogens, again largely based on carcinogenicity tests, since 1980. Both the IARC and NTP reports reflect decades-old unarguable scientific evidence on "what causes cancer."

"The ignorance or indifference of Varmus to cancer prevention is reinforced by his unrecognized personal conflicts of interest," Dr. Epstein declares. "In 1995, Varmus, then director of the National Institutes of Health, struck the "reasonable pricing clause," as detailed in my 2002 publication in the International Journal of Health Services. This clause protected against exorbitant industry profiteering from the sale of drugs developed with taxpayer money."

"Varmus also gave senior NCI staff free license to consult with the cancer drug industry, a flagrant institutional conflict of interest," reveals Dr. Epstein. In this connection, he explains, the 2008 edition of Charity Rating Guide & Watchdog Report listed Varmus with a compensation package of about $2.7 million. According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, this is the highest compensation of directors in over 500 major non-profit organizations ever monitored.

"As disturbing," Dr. Epstein warns, "is the longstanding abdication of responsibility by the NCI, the primary federal institute explicitly charged by President Richard Nixon in 1971 to fight the war against cancer. This charge clearly prioritized the allocation of adequate resources to investigate and eliminate known avoidable causes of cancer."

However, he points out, while the NCI budget has escalated 25-fold, from $200,000 in 1971, to over $5 billion currently, this has been paralleled by an escalation in the incidence of a wide range of cancers. These include liver, 165%; thyroid, 145%; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 82%; childhood, 24%; and breast, 19%.

"These increases also reflect the NCI's longstanding and reckless indifference to prevention, matched by exclusionary emphasis on treatment and related research," states Dr. Epstein.

Reflecting these disturbing concerns, a July 29, 2003 report by the National Academy of Sciences, requested by Congress, charged that:

• The leadership of NCI is marred by pervasive conflicts of interest, and a revolving door with industry, particularly the cancer drug industry.
• Contrary to NCI's exaggerated claims and misleading public assurances, overall cancer incidence rates, including those of childhood and non-smoking adults, have sharply escalated over recent decades.
• NCI policies and priorities remain fixated on damage control - screening, diagnosis, and treatment and related research--with minimal priorities for prevention.
• Contrary to the requirements of the 1971 Act, the NCI has still failed to inform the public of a wide range of avoidable causes of cancer. This denial of the public's right to know has even been extended to the withholding of readily available scientific information.

"These criticisms of the NCI are as germane and timely today as they were seven years ago. However, and disturbingly so," Dr. Epstein warns, "they remain unrecognized by Congress, let alone the public."

As President Obama has stated in September 2008, "It is critical to understand the relationship between environmental factors and risk or onset of disease, particularly cancer."

CONTACT:
Samuel S. Epstein, M.D.
Chairman, Cancer Prevention Coalition
Professor emeritus Environmental & Occupational Medicine
University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health
Chicago, Illinois
Email: epstein@uic.edu
www.preventcancer.com

Quentin D. Young, M.D.
Chairman
Health & Medicine Policy Research Group
Past President, American Public Health Association
email: quentin@pnhp.org
www.hmprg.org

Rosalie Bertell, PhD
Regent of the International Physicians for Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
Past President of International Institute of Concern for Public Health
Email: rosaliebertell@greynun.org
www.iicph.org

Ronnie Cummins
Executive Director
Organic Consumers Association
email: ronnie@organicconsumers.org
www.organicconsumers.org

Samuel S. Epstein, M.D. is professor emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health; Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition; Recipient of the 1998 Right Livelihood Award ("Alternative Nobel Prize") and the 2005 Albert Schweitzer Golden Grand Medal for International Contributions to Cancer Prevention; Author of over 270 scientific articles and 20 books on the causes and prevention of cancer, including the award-winning The Politics of Cancer (Sierra Club Books, 1978) and Cancer-Gate: How To Win The Losing Cancer War (Baywood Publishing, 2005).

Please join the CPC on Facebook

No to Factory Farming

It's a great pleasure to introduce you to a Compassionate World, where they explore how we can move together beyond factory farming to make all the difference to everything we care about: animals, people and the planet. Your thoughts are important. Please feel free to comment.

New Drive for Thousands to Get Diabetic Eye Exam

6 December 2010

Here is a good and informative page with more about Omega 3 benefits for your eyes, especially with diabetes

http://www.thediabetesclub.com/the-omega-3-benefits-for-the-diabetic-eye/

30 October 2009

While this is an extremely worthwhile project, it should be noted that one of the very best natural ways to prevent diabetic retinopathy is to supplement with vitamin E and vitamin C.  Other approaches have been included in articles I have written on eye care, and especially one written for the A. R. E. (Edgar Cayce).

American Academy of Ophthalmology
Posted on : 2009-10-30

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- 10/30/09 -- Diabetes causes more new cases of legal blindness among working-age Americans than any other disease. If diabetics are monitored regularly by their ophthalmologist, this vision loss is almost always avoidable. Yet, tragically, more than half of all people living with diabetes do not get the recommended annual dilated eye exam. As the number of people with Type 2 diabetes rises in the U.S., the CDC projects that the number of adults with diabetic retinopathy will double by the year 2050. Yet 90 percent of diabetic eye disease can be prevented simply by proper regular examinations and treatment and by controlling blood sugar.

This November, during Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) through its EyeSmart(TM) campaign, is reminding the public that an annual dilated eye exam can help prevent vision loss in people with diabetes. To promote awareness of the need for an annual eye exam, the Academy, along with its partners the American Society of Retina Specialists, the Macula Society and the Retina Society, have launched EyeSmart: EyeCommitted, a social media campaign to encourage people with diabetes to pledge to get an annual eye exam.

"Diabetes can have a devastating impact on vision, but the good news is that regular dilated eye exams by an ophthalmologist and timely treatment, if needed, can save vision for the vast majority of diabetics," said David W. Parke II, MD, executive vice president and CEO of the Academy. "That is why we are urging people with diabetes to get EyeCommitted. By taking charge of their eye health, Americans can greatly reduce their risk of losing their sight from diabetes."

The EyeCommitted campaign, which will be promoted through the power of social media channels, will include an interactive pledge application that:

-- Encourages visitors to take the EyeCommitted pledge to have an annual diabetic eye exam;

-- Allows users to share the pledge and campaign information with friends and family;

-- Features important diabetic eye disease information and a new video that tells the compelling stories of two patients with diabetic retinopathy; and,

-- Allows users to post the application onto their preferred social media sites.

For each pledge, the Academy will commit another $1 to its diabetic eye health education efforts.

Detailed information about diabetic eye disease is also available on the EyeSmart Web site.

The EyeCommitted campaign comes at a time when there is a documented rise in Type 2 diabetes rates among Americans, particularly among the young. An estimated 23.6 million Americans have Type 2 diabetes, but nearly one quarter are unaware of it. African-Americans and people of Hispanic heritage are more likely to have diabetes.

"As ophthalmologists, we are concerned that the trend toward younger age at diagnosis will mean that people will have to manage their eye health closely for decades, including through their peak work years," said Dr. Parke. "That's why it is critical for people with Type 2 diabetes to get an eye exam as soon after their diagnosis as possible and then annually thereafter." For people with Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, the Academy recommends that the first dilated eye exam should take place within three to five years of initial diagnosis and then annually thereafter.

To find an Eye M.D. in your area, please visit www.GetEyeSmart.org. Consumers can submit questions about eye health to an ophthalmologist at Ask an Eye M.D.

About the American Academy of Ophthalmology - AAO is the world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons -- Eye M.D.s -- with more than 27,000 members worldwide. Eye health care is provided by the three "O's" -- opticians, optometrists and ophthalmologists. It is the ophthalmologist, or Eye M.D., who can treat it all: eye diseases and injuries, and perform eye surgery. For more information, visit the Academy's Web site at http://www.aao.org/.

Contact: Media Relations, (415) 561-8534, media@aao.org

Thank You

Natural Health News Acknowledged Again

Smoking and Your Brain

Like many of us who grew up in the 50s, like me, you may have had parents who smoked.  For years I was submerged in second hand smoke from Phillip Morris and Kent cigarettes.  When my older brother began smoking he added Pall Mall to the mix.

I grew up as an allergic child and now I know enough to be sure that all the smoke exposure substantially contributed to my respiratory problems.  Today I do not have much tolerance for smoke of all kinds, even just smelling tobacco smoke on someone's clothes.

Brain allergy is another consideration and surely the systemic effect complicated my life until I moved from that environment.

Smoking May Thin the Brain by Catherine Donaldson-Evans, Dec 3rd 2010

As if there aren't already enough reasons not to light up, a new study has found that smoking cigarettes can thin your brain.

Researchers compared the thickness of the cerebral cortex in volunteers who smoked and in those who never smoked. None of the participants had a history of mental or psychiatric illness.

The findings, published this week in the journal Biological Psychiatry, showed that smokers had thinning in the left medial orbitofrontal cortex, while the nonsmokers did not.

Furthermore, the cortex was thinner in heavier smokers: those who smoked more cigarettes a day and had had more exposure to tobacco smoke during their lives. Subjects who smoked fewer cigarettes with less overall exposure to smoke had thicker cortexes.

The cortex controls memory, language and the ability to process information. A diminished cortical thickness has been linked not only to aging but to an impairment of cognitive functions.

"All of this makes sense because smoking constricts blood vessels, and that means low blood flow," Lenox Hill Hospital pulmonologist Dr. Len Horovitz told AOL Health. "It follows perfectly that something that is a chronic producer of low blood flow, cigarette smoking, would not allow adequate thickening or development of the tissues that the vessels are supposed to be supplying with blood."

He said the nicotine and chemicals in cigarette smoke are what cause capillaries and other blood vessels to tighten, slowing or even stopping blood from passing through them altogether.

"This is another example of why smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your health overall," Horovitz said.

Researchers said their findings also may point to the reasons behind nicotine addiction.

The orbitofrontal cortex has already been associated with drug addiction. The study authors say that their findings suggest cortical thinning due to smoking could raise the risk of addiction, including one to nicotine.

"Since the brain region in which we found the smoking-associated thinning has been related to impulse control, reward processing and decision making, this might explain how nicotine addiction comes about," lead author Dr. Simone Kühn said in a statement. "In a follow-up study, we plan to explore the rehabilitative effects of quitting smoking on the brain."

But Horovitz said making that inference might be a stretch because the opposite argument could also be made: a thinner cortex could mean less of a chance of developing an addiction.

"That conclusion is difficult to make," he said.

Other studies using brain imaging scans have found that smoking tobacco is linked to a variety of serious structural brain disorders and abnormalities.

But previous research hadn't looked at the impact of cigarettes on the thickness or thinness of the cortex.

"The current findings suggest that smoking may have a cumulative effect on the brain," Dr. John Krystal, the editor of Biological Psychiatry and professor and chair of psychiatry at Yale University, said in a statement. "This concerning finding highlights the importance of targeting young smokers for antismoking interventions."

from AOL Originals

The Fluoride Glut: Sources of Fluoride Exposure

Yes, your so called Himalayan health salt is full of fluoride

You may learn more here, and be prepared to be surprised!

Graphic by DEES 


The American Dental Association has a budget of $100 million (with over $1.4 million spent on lobbying congressional representatives in 2010 and nearly $2 million in 2008 - see OpenSecrets).  The CDC Oral Health Division has the bottomless pit of the federal government to pay for its fluoridation propaganda.

Saving Lives and Saving Money

The following is a quote excerpted from a Public Citizen report that looked at the US health crisis.  As we move to the unfolding of health insurance reform in 2011 it is well worth everyone's attention to the issues addressed in this post.

"...the country is in a patient safety crisis, and that medical professionals, lawmakers and regulators must do significantly more to avert it.
The 1999 landmark report, “To Err is Human,” dropped the first bombshell, reporting that between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die in hospitals each year from medical mistakes, costing an estimated $17 billion to $29 billion annually. HHS’ new finding that medical mistakes kill 15,000 Medicare patients a month equates to 180,000 Medicare deaths per year - more than the IOM’s estimate, which attempted to cover all patients in the United States. That means that the annual death toll in this country caused by mistakes in hospitals is well over 250,000 deaths a year! But perhaps the most startling finding by HHS is that a significant number of patients suffered injuries or died needlessly, as 44 percent of the medical errors were preventable."

One of my clients recently saw the writing on the wall when he went for his regular lab work, as he is an organ transplant recipient. transplant.  The lab removed many of the tests on his doctor's order, and he will not be able to get them routinely because of program changes.

As this moves further along we see that the "advance care planning" portion is in a rule from US Department of
Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) here:
http://www.ofr.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2010-27969_PI.pdf
[NOTE: link went inactive following 11/29. As of 12/1 the document is available at http://tinyurl.com/3akk88e

SOURCE: Just when you thought the American people had dodged the death panel bullet (Section 1233 of the House bill), think again. Last Monday, November 29, 2010, /The Federal Register/ (page 73406) published a new funding rule for "voluntary" advance care planning consultations that changes US Department of Health and Human Services regulation pertaining to Medicare and Medicaid patients.

The new regulation states that advanced care planning consultations will now be offered (and funded) as part of the initial wellness visit for medicare patients and during all subsequent annual visits.

The Federal Register provides a uniform system for making available to the public regulations and legal notices issued by Federal agencies. Agency proclamations having general and legal effect are required to be published by act of Congress.

Has there been any media attention to this important change in health care coverage for all those receiving medicare and medicaid services" You will recall the uproar about death panels, but this week funding for these consultation sessions became part of general government regulations without fanfare.

Ione Whitlock is Chief of Research at LifeTree. On our current homepage she discusses these new Federal Regulations. Also posted there is her new essay titled "Heads up: Section 1233 again."

Ione discusses Congressman Earl Blumenauer's bill -- HR 5795 -- which was introduced this summer after passage of the health care bill, and two matching bills which were introduced in 2009 by Senator Rockefeller and Congressman Blumenauer. All these bills seek grants for programs to expand or enhance existing state programs for orders regarding life sustaining treatment (POLST).

One of the main goals of this legislation is to fully implement the POLST form into our health care system. POLST stands for Physician's Orders for Life Sustaining Treatement. It comes in many flavors including MOST, MOLST, POST and TPOPP, depending on the location.

Government funds will be used to educate "providers" who will work with the patients, their families and surrogates in filling out the POLST forms. They will learn the so-called "best practices" for discussing end-of-life care with dying patients and their loved ones. These funds will ensure that the POLST forms are recorded electronically.

Note: For more information on the history and implications of POLST, see "POLST: 'Self-Determination' or Imposed Death" http://www.lifetree.org/resources/polstInfo.html in LifeTree's Resources section.

New CMS Rule Establishes "Voluntary" End-of-Life Consultations

Americans weary of "voluntary" TSA pat-downs and full-body scans will be delighted to learn that "voluntary" end-of-life consultations are in their future as well.

The US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made it official: The "advance care planning" funding that would incentivize "voluntary" end-of-life counseling will be included in Obamacare. This funding was part of what was in the controversial "Section 1233" earlier this year. See more
extensive discussion in our alert below, posted last week.

The new CMS rule as printed in the Federal Register (Vol. 75, No. 228, Book 1) online at http://tinyurl.com/2wn5vz4
Discussion on "voluntary advance care planning" begins on page 73406.

posted 12/1/10 by IW
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heads up: Section 1233 again.

Last March Nancy Pelosi told the American people that she and her colleagues "have to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it." Americans had already seen one part of the proposed healthcare legislation, and didn't like what they saw: The infamous Section 1233 of HR 3200 would have federalized "voluntary" end-of-life "consultations."
The section was eventually dropped.

It appears that Section 1233 is still alive and kicking.

The "advance care planning" portion is in a rule from US Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) here: http://www.ofr.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2010-27969_PI.pdf
[NOTE: link went inactive following 11/29. As of 12/1 the document is available at http://tinyurl.com/3akk88e

The POLST part is included in pending legislation, HR 5795 "Personalize Your Care Act of 2010." See
http://tinyurl.com/24u5q37
which is a link to all the information about this bill and the actual text as a pdf at http://tinyurl.com/2a9rudq.

CMS posted the preliminary rules on Election Day; formal rules are to be published in the Federal Register on November 29. The rules include a discussion of the definition of "voluntary," although some of the more nuanced meanings of "voluntary" may have been missed (just ask any recipient of a "voluntary" TSA pat-down). The rule also includes a discussion of signature requirements for "orders" versus "requisitions" in context of diagnostic tests. The American Bar Association's Charles Sabatino, who supported Section 1233, calls the new rules "a big step forward."

Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced HR 5795 this past July. It is a revised version of the legislation that he and Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced last year. Blumenauer introduced HR 2911, and Rockefeller introduced S. 1150 in 2009, both titled "Advance Planning and Compassionate Care Act of 2009". Both bills included:
    * Section 211 (Advance Care Planning) was almost identical to Section 1233 of HR. 3200 " the section that was dropped from the  final bill signed in March.
    * Section 112, which would have provided funding to expand POLST.

It is Section 112 of the Rockefeller and Blumenauer bills (S 1150 and HR 2911) that is now Section 3 of HR 5795. Portability of advance directives and standards for electronic health records are also addressed in HR 5795.

Blumenauer is the congressman most often associated with POLST He is, incidentally, an advocate of legalized assisted suicide, and Rockefeller has spent decades trying to push through legislation on behalf of the organizations that evolved from the Euthanasia Society of America.

Shortly before the election, Blumenauer told a radical pro-assisted suicide group that he had reintroduced what had been known as the "death panel" legislation. He complained that Section 1233 had been dropped due to "organized opposition" from "all of the Sarah-Palin-Fox-News-tin-foil-hat" people, but "it's not stopping us from moving forward." Over the summer he had reintroduced the bill with a new name: the "Personalize Your Care Act of 2010" (HR 5795).

"Personalize" leaves the impression that this bill might put medical treatment decisions back in the hands of the individual, keeping the discussion between patient and physician. It implies that the patient might as easily "choose life" as to forgo treatment. This is pretty slick marketing, considering it is coming from the same Oregon liberals
who pushed not only assisted suicide, but rationing for "equitable distribution of resources" for "the common good." The bioethicists at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) who devised the "citizen parliaments" that gave Oregon its rationing scheme are some of the same bioethicists who put the fine tuning on POLST.

Blumenauer, in his remarks to the Oregon activists, went on to say that Oregon leads the way in health reform. Well, yes. Oregon health care is infamous for two things: assisted suicide, and rationing. Blumenauer's bill would impose both on the whole country.

Note: For more information on the history and implications of POLST, see "POLST: 'Self-Determination' or Imposed Death"  www.lifetree.org/resources/polstInfo.html in LifeTree's Resources section.
posted 11/24/10 by IW, revised 12/2/10 by IW

The Six Parts of the Deficit Commission's Plan for Medicare Reform Through 2020
Part #1— Reform the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate ($26 Billion Savings)
Freezing physician pay reductions through 2013 and a one percent cut in 2014. Additionally it recommends developing a new pay formula based on care coordination and quality instead of quantity of services.
Part #2— Reform or Repeal the CLASS Act ($76 Billion Cost)
The attempt as part of the health care overhaul to address the need for residential long-term care through a voluntary insurance program is criticized as financially unsustainable under its current format.
The recommendation is for complete overhaul or repeal (the preferred option) even with a price to be paid. This is because the collection of premiums over the first five years would have provided positive cash flow.
Part #3— Medicare and Other Health Care Revisions for 2012-2020 ($316 Billion Savings)
The commission proposes the following:

• $9 billion in waste, fraud and abuse will be saved by increasing the authority and resources of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
  
• $110 billion by introducing a simple annual deductible of $550 for Part A and Part B and 20 percent Medicare co-pays, with a cap of $7,500.
  
• $38 billion through Medigap supplemental insurance reform. Eliminating coverage for the first $500 and restricting coverage to 50 percent of the next $5,000 in cost sharing. As a stretch into dangerous political territory the commission recommends the same treatment for Tricare (military version of Medicare) and federal retirees.
  
• $49 billion from treating Medicaid drug rebates in the same way as Medicare for those eligible for both programs.
  
• $60 billion by reducing excess payments to teaching hospitals to 120 percent of the national average salary for residents.
  
• $23 billion from ceasing payment for unpaid Medicare deductibles and co-pays.
  
• $9 billion by bringing forward, by two years, plans to change reimbursements for home health providers.
  
• $18 billion by introducing a change in the Federal Employee Health Benefit program and providing a fixed subsidy. The commission also recommends evaluation of the program to determine, based on the experience with FEHB reform, whether a voucher system could work for Medicare.

Part #4— Aggressive Implementation and Expansion of Payment Reform Pilots
The commission sees opportunities to expand programs aggressively where there is evidence of cost control, without need for additional Congressional approval. Note that this expansion will not be at the cost of providing quality care.
Part #5— Eliminate Provider Carve-Outs from IPAB
This recommendation allows the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) to include provider groups, such as hospitals, within its authority to recommend changes in revised payment policies.
Part #6— Establish a Long-Term Global Budget for Total Health Care Spending
This requires establishing a total federal health care budget and limiting growth to GDP plus 1 percent with a process to review spending. It additionally requires structural reforms if the spending exceeds the targets. The commission also said that if spending continues to grow, tax benefits for employer provided health insurance should be eliminated.

High-Dose HRT Still Prevalent - OB/Gyn

Remember, HRT is strongly associated with developing cancer...

Medical News: High-Dose HRT Still Prevalent - in OB/Gyn, HRT from MedPage Today

According to the latest statistics compiled by the American Heart Association, cancer surpasses heart disease as the top killer among Americans between the ages of 45 to 74. The odds are very high that you or someone you know has cancer or has died from it.Cancer rates for various types of cancer are on the rise, and environmental/lifestyle factors are increasingly being pinpointed as the culprits, such as:

• Pesticide and other chemical exposures
• Pharmaceutical drugs
• Processed and artificial foods, packaging chemicals
• Wireless technologies, EMF, dirty electricity, and medical diagnostic radiation exposure
• Obesity, stress, and poor sleeping habits
• Lack of sunshine exposure combined with use of sunscreens

This not an all-inclusive list, of course, but as the research into the health of our ancient ancestors shows, cancer is not a "natural" disease, and genetics are not a primary factor. (Some data from Mercola)

Safer Cleaning in FLU Season

With the flu season in North America ramping up the FDA wants you to know they are protecting your health by registering 500+ products for antimicrobial cleaning.  The majority are toxic, concocted with such health promoting ingredients as butyl cellusolve.

Antimicrobial Products Registered for Use Against the H1N1 Flu and Other Influenza A Viruses on Hard Surfaces

http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/influenza-disinfectants.html

There are certainly better and safer ways to clean and kill viruses.  My old standby is a combination of eucalyptus and sweet orange essential oil made into a spray solution.

See another longtime environmental favorite here

GMO Coming to your Liquid Sunshine: OJ Alert

Jan 2011 - US Targets EU over GMO Crop Sales

NOTE: This coming Tuesday, 7 December, Jeffrey Smith will be on the Dr. Oz Show discussing the health dangers of genetically modified foods. Also on the show is Dr. Michael Hansen, a scientist from Consumers Union who has been an avid critic of GMOs for two decades, and Dr. Pamela Ronald, a pro-GM scientist who has been proposing that organic foods include GMOs. 

FORT PIERCE, Florida (Reuters) - For many Americans, few things seem more wholesome than a glass of fresh-squeezed Florida orange juice, the original "natural food." As former beauty queen Anita Bryant chirped more than four decades ago, in what remains a fondly remembered tagline: "A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine."

She wasn't talking about green oranges or genetically altered ones, but that was then.

We live in a "world of nasty bacteria now," says Calvin Arnold, a scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. An insect-borne bacterial disease that is ravaging Florida's citrus crop means the juice squeezed from the Sunshine State's fruit may soon come from trees that have had their genetic makeup modified.

Read Complete Article

Gotta LUV Us Orthomolecular Types

New Resources on Nutritional Therapeutics
Orthomolecular, Online . . . and Free of Charge

(OMNS Dec 3, 2010) Many readers wanting to learn more about nutritional therapeutics have sent in email requests for additional information. While the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service cannot answer these individually, we offer in this issue a directory of links to online resources that may prove valuable.
Vitamin C and Cancer: What can we conclude?
Comments by Andrew W. Saul, Michael J. Gonzalez, Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Jorge Duconge, and Fernando Cabanillas http://prhsj.rcm.upr.edu/index.php/prhsj/article/viewFile/546/384
Details of the Intravenous Vitamin C Treatment Protocol of Hugh D. Riordan, M.D.
http://www.doctoryourself.com/RiordanIVC.pdf and or http://www.riordanclinic.org/research/vitaminc/protocol.shtml
Access to Specifics of Nutritional Treatment Protocols
http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v06n25.shtml
Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine Online Archive
http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/index.shtml
41 years of JOM are now available as full-text pdf downloads, free of charge.
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service Online Archive
http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml
Online access to nearly 100 issues.
Directories for Finding a Nutritionally-Minded Doctor
http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v06n09.shtml
Archive of Natural Health Articles, in German
[Archiv der deutschsprachigen Artikel, auf DoctorYourself.com]
http://www.doctoryourself.com/DeutschIndizieren.html
This project is being updated and expanded almost daily. Volunteer translators are welcome.
Orthomolecular Medicine for India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthomolecular_Medicine_for_India
A new Wikipedia page devoted to the benefits of nutritional medicine for emerging nations.
Dr. Frederick R. Klenner's Clinical Guide to the Use of Vitamin C is posted in its entirety at http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/198x/smith-lh-clinical_guide_1988.htm
The complete text of Irwin Stone's book The Healing Factor is posted for free reading at http://vitamincfoundation.org/stone/
A very large number of free-access, full-text papers on curing illness with vitamin C are posted http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate .
For more information on Vitamin C:
http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/
http://www.cforyourself.com
Read Linus Pauling's complete 1968 paper on vitamin therapy at http://www.orthomed.org/home/pauling2.html
A 1974 Pauling paper on the same subject is posted at http://www.orthomed.org/home/pauling.html
Linus Pauling and colleagues show how vitamin C and the amino acid lysine may prevent and cure atherosclerosis. http://www.internetwks.com/pauling/
Heart Health
http://www.health-heart.org/aFullSitePDF.pdf is a free pdf download of a full-color book on preventing and reversing heart disease nutritionally.
Dr. Abram Hoffer explains why there is so much opposition to vitamin therapy at http://www.internetwks.com/pauling/hoffer.html
Feingold Association
"Numerous studies show that certain synthetic food additives can have serious learning, behavior, and/or health effects for sensitive people." Learn what to do at http://www.feingold.org/research.php and http://www.feingold.org/newsletters.php Free email newsletter available at http://www.feingold.org/ON.html .
There are doctors supportive of vegetarianism, and here they are: The Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine http://www.pcrm.org . Free download of their "New Four Food Groups at http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/4foodgroups.pdf

Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine
Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org
The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.

Non-Ionizing Radiation Ramps Up Health Risks

Overwhelming evidence shows that RF can cause DNA damage, and DNA damage is a necessary precursor to cancer.

Of course the cell phone and WIFI proponents don't want you to know what they know, but now a critical mass of data is available, with more scientific proof coming daily, to get you to the point where - if corporations won't - you can take the precautionary position.


If you are a regular reader of Natural Health News you are aware that we have been covering this issue since 1998.  Here is a new report that might make you pay a bit more attention.  More so if you have an idea to hook your children up with a cell phone, or are using baby monitors at home.

Is Your Health on the Line?

 

Less Radiation IS Better for Your Health

UPDATE: 12/29/10
The Radiation Boom: A Pinpoint Beam Strays Invisibly, Harming Instead of Healing

By WALT BOGDANICH and KRISTINA REBELO  Published: December 28, 2010

The initial accident report offered few details, except to say that an unidentified hospital had administered radiation overdoses to three patients during identical medical procedures. Complete article

I was most fortunate to have known and worked with John Gofman.  He was early on, at the beginning of the mammogram scam, boldly outspoken against exposing breast tissue to ionizing radiation on a routine basis.

He said:

"Ionizing radiation may well be the most important single cause of cancer, birth defects and genetic disorders... The stakes for human health are very, very high in radiation matters. It is essential that people take no chance that conflict-of-interest is producing radiation databases which cannot be trusted." 

For many years he had the X-Rays and Health program to campaign for reduction in all x-ray exposure and to achieve lowering dose rates used in all forms or medical x-ray.

John was also the recipient of the Right Livelihood Award. Much of his work remains on ratical.org


Of course today x-ray exposure is increased with the forced exposure tied to flying and airport screening.


Now at last we learn that Heath care providers are pledging to stop the overuse of radiation on patients during medical exams.

Well done my friend!

"The Hopi believe this is the Fourth World. There were seven worlds created at the beginning. The first three were each destroyed in turn because the humans inhabiting them had diverged too far from their original sacred path of connectedness with and respect for all life on Mother Earth. Their prophecies (see "Book of the Hopi" by Frank Waters) describe the possibility of such a destruction of the Fourth World (in the forms of uranium mining, the existence of powerlines, and the atomic bomb):

If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster.
Near the Day of Purification, there will be cobwebs
spun back and forth in the sky.
A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky,
which could burn the land and boil the oceans.


KOYAANISQATSI
ko.yan.nis.qatsi (from the Hopi Language)   n.   1. crazy life.   2. life
in turmoil.   3. life out of balance.   4. life disintegrating.
5. a state of life that calls for another way of living."

Walking Boosts Brain Benefit

The essential fatty acids are important nutrients for everything from brain function to cell function. Of course healthy fat is critical and omega 3 boosts brain health as it promotes cellular integrity.

ScienceDaily (Dec. 1, 2010) — The discovery by UCLA biochemists of a new method for preventing oxidation in the essential fatty acids of cell membranes could lead to a new class of more effective nutritional supplements and potentially help combat neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and perhaps Alzheimer's.

Exercise is proven to benefit health because it is an activity that improves oxygen levels and improves circulation.  Now it is sure that walking makes brain fitness a sure thing.

And as another medical and health writer explains: "Activity, for a start, generally boosts blood circulation. Brain function may be enhanced by enhanced blood supply to this organ through improved delivery of oxygen and key nutrients".

The health benefits of walking are so well known that a fifth-grader could probably recite them. A daily dose of 30 minutes of brisk walking is good for your heart, lungs, muscles, blood pressure and bones.

Now we find out it's also good for your brain.

A study released last month by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh shows that walking a few miles per week can stave off the progress of Alzheimer's disease. According to the BBC, the study proves that "people who walk at least [5 miles] a week have bigger brains, better memories and improved mental ability compared to those who are more sedentary."

This follows an earlier study released in August. Led by Dr. Arthur F. Kramer, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have shown that walking not only builds up your muscles, but also builds up the connectivity between brain circuits. This is important because as we age, the connectivity between those circuits diminishes and affects how well we do every day tasks, such as driving. But aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, helps revive those flagging brain circuits.

"Almost nothing in the brain gets done by one area -- it's more of a circuit," Kramer explained to ScienceDaily. "These networks can become more or less connected. In general, as we get older, they become less connected, so we were interested in the effects of fitness on connectivity of brain networks that show the most dysfunction with age."

Neuroscientists have identified several distinct brain circuits, and one of the most intriguing is the default mode network (or DMN), which dominates brain activity when a person is least engaged with the outside world -- either passively observing something or simply daydreaming. Previous studies found that a loss of coordination in the DMN is a common symptom of aging and in extreme cases can be a marker of disease.

The study: For one year, Kramer's team followed 70 adults who ranged in age from 60 to over 80 years old. All of them were sedentary before the study began. The participants were divided into two groups. One did aerobic walking, while the others served as a control group that did toning, stretching and strengthening exercises.

Brain function was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine brain networks and determine whether aerobic activity increased connectivity in the DMN or other brain networks. The researchers measured participants' brain connectivity and performance on cognitive tasks at the beginning of the study, at six months and after a year of either walking or toning and stretching. A group of young adults, ages 20 to 30, was also tested for brain function for comparison.

The results: Those who walked briskly reaped the biggest benefits -- and not just physically, Kramer writes in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. As the older people became more fit, the aerobic exercise actually improved their memory, attention and several other cognitive processes. In fact, the coherence among different regions in the brain networks increased so much, it actually mimicked that of the 20-somethings.

Specifically, at the end of the year, DMN connectivity was significantly improved in the brains of the older walkers, but not in the stretching and toning group. The walkers also had increased connectivity in parts of another brain circuit called the fronto-executive network, which aids in the performance of complex tasks, and they did significantly better on cognitive tests than did their toning and stretching peers.

Kramer says even moderate aerobic exercise will enhance the function of specific brain structures and improve the coordination of important brain networks. But it must be aerobic to work. Toning and stretching aren't enough to reap the benefits.

"The higher the connectivity, the better the performance on some of these cognitive tasks, especially the ones we call executive control tasks -- things like planning, scheduling, dealing with ambiguity, working memory and multitasking," Kramer said. These are the very skills that tend to decline with aging, he said.

The gotcha: It doesn't happen overnight. It took a full year of walking for the results to be seen. Even the six-month test results showed no significant brain changes. The group that did the stretching exercises saw no cognitive benefit.

This isn't the first study to reach this conclusion. Recent research from the Harvard School of Public Health tracked more than 18,000 women ages 70 to 81 and concluded that the more active we are, the better our cognition. Specifically, walking one-and-a-half hours a week at a pace of one mile in 16-20 minutes gives the full cognitive benefits.

Walking may just be the wonder drug of old age.

And for the benefit of your heart Lifting weights strengthens your heart

Clothes and Formaldehyde

Most people come into regular contact with 6,000 chemicals and an untold number of potentially toxic substances, one is formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde: Formaldehyde serves a number of purposes. It is frequently used in fabrics to give them a variety of "easy care properties" as well as being a common component of pressed-wood products. Formaldehyde has been shown to cause cancer in animals, and may cause cancer in humans. Other common adverse effects include fatigue, rashes and allergic reactions. Choosing all-natural materials for your clothing and furniture can help cut down on your exposure.

Wash and then wear; unwashed clothes may have formaldehyde
By Carolyn Cairns, Consumer Reports

Fri, Nov 19, 2010Buying new clothes can be exciting, and some people can’t be bothered with the seemingly wasteful practice of washing new clothes before wearing them. But one Consumer Reports staffer who recently experienced headaches and a sore throat suspects that his impatience may be the cause. He wore his recent purchase before sending it for a spin in the washer to rid it of the chemicals commonly used to keep new clothes looking, well, new.

Substances like formaldehyde and many other allergenic compounds are used in fabrics for a variety of reasons, such as to help them resist wrinkles and shrinkage. Since just one wash can eliminate or reduce levels of a number of these substances (along with any wayward bug that might have come from the person who tried the shirt on before you!), it’s a good idea to wash new clothes that will be worn against the skin before you put them on.

The U.S. doesn’t regulate formaldehyde levels in clothing. But certain other countries do, and a recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office noted that levels in textile products they tested here in the U.S. met the most rigorous standards established elsewhere—about 75 parts per million for items that are in direct contact with the skin.

But that might not be enough for some people. By some estimates, about 9 percent of the U.S. population is so sensitive to formaldehyde that even low level exposures could be enough to set off an uncomfortable rash, or a severe allergic reaction. And a few items GAO tested did reach as high as 200 ppm. According to the GAO report, allergic contact dermatitis characteristic of formaldehyde exposure includes redness, swelling, blisters and flaky dry skin that can burn or itch.

Fortunately for our staffer, his symptoms were limited. Only a patch test will tell for certain if formaldehyde or other fabric treatments were the cause. Then again, it may just have been a reaction to shelling out cash for new duds.
from Consumer Reports

STOP GMO approvals at FTC

Over the past few years Natural Health News has been educating you about GMO ingredients in vitamins, margarines, and other products.

Now, The Institute for Responsibility asks that before December 10 you Tell the FTC: GMOs are not “Natural” or “Green”

Join us in telling the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that it is misleading for companies to classify genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as “Natural” or “Green.” We have until December 10th to let the FTC know, as they are revising their Green Guides. 

Genetic engineering doesn’t happen in nature. Scientists force genes from bacteria and viruses into plant DNA, which result in dangerous side effects. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine urges all doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets to everyone.

GMOs are not “Green.” GMOs use far more herbicides, damage soil and marine ecology, harm beneficial insects, and cross pollinate. Their self-propagating genetic pollution will outlast the effects of climate change and nuclear waste!

Tell Quaker, Kellogg’s and others: “Stop misleading us”

Quaker’s “Natural” Granola contains corn flakes and soy lecithin. Kellogg’s Kashi brand “All Natural” Frozen Chicken Florentine uses soy flour and canola oil. Surprise! These are derived from GM plants.

The FTC should insist that these and other companies either remove their “Natural” claim, or better yet remove their GMOs altogether. Furthermore, no company should proclaim GMOs as “Green.”

Act NOW! and thank you.

S 510 and YOU

Not bad for a list to ponder, but just where in this bill was there anything to really address the core issue of factory farming?

How the new food safety bill might affect you

Here's How You Can Contact Your Member of Congress to help stop the vote in the House of Representatives.

Don't Ya Just Love Bad Media Reporting

This is an excerpt from one of my recent newsletter issues. I'm including it because the latest mainstream medicine/media cartel would like you to be scared away from using supplements of any kind, and in this case calcium and vitamin D.

"The base level for vitamin D for both adults and children is 50 nanograms/mL If your level is below 50 then you will use it as fast as it is made, and you may be at risk for deficiency. This is more of a concern for people of color, those who do not go in the sun, those who are confined or live in climates where it is darker in winter, and those who wear clothing that covers the entire body.


Blood serum levels above 80 ng/mL allow for reserve storage. Levels above 200 ng/mL are thought to be toxic. The optimal range at all times is between 50 and 80ng/mL for adults and children."

Now that you know what your serum D3 level should be, are you willing to be frightened into believing you get all the nutrients you need from food?

If you are following the Big AG Food Safety Bill in the US Senate perhaps they will offer you more should you wish to fall into the trap that they have set for you and your health.

Think about it!

When I was growing up vitamin D was believed to be a very important nutrient. In some areas of medicine and health care it remains important today. Yet now it is a serious concern because of the 30+ years of non fat and low fat diets that keep you from absorbing nutrients in need of fat.

Calcium, by the way, requires vitamin D in adequate stores, a healthy thyroid (tough when you have fluoride in your water and drugs), a healthy parathyroid, and healthy fats in your diet (not soy and canola oil).

Vitamin D is Critical

I do think calcium is oversold. My belief is that you need about 800 mg daily, taken with food, and in the correct form.

You can order the vitamin D test and thyroid panel, or other tests, from our organization. Many states allow you to order your own. We also provide a service that includes interpretation of what lab results mean for your health. Help yourself to quality supplements, including vitamin D here

If you have concerns about "stones" try more vitamin C and drinking more pure water.  If you are getting care for kidney health issues then choose vitamin D2.

Use the Natural Health News search box to check out all out vitamin D posts, all 8 pages...

IOM is WRONG...

A new report, released 11/30/10 by the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, says that few people are vitamin D deficient. The scientific research says otherwise.
The new Institute of Medicine (IOM) report says that persons between the ages of 1 and 70 do not need more than 600 IU of vitamin D daily—and makes the outrageous claim that few people are actually vitamin D deficient. This is especially troubling considering we’re moving rapidly into the thick of flu season, when people need more vitamin D, not less.
This is the government’s first official vitamin D recommendation since 1997. Despite raising the new vitamin levels by 300% for most Americans, the IOM guidelines are still in contrast to overwhelming scientific evidence that confirms the significant medical benefits of higher vitamin D levels, and that one-third of Americans are vitamin D deficient.
Changes in US lifestyles mean that many people in the US get less exposure to the sun and often inadequate dietary levels of vitamin D. The New York Times reports that a number of prominent doctors have advised vitamin D supplementation for a wide variety of illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. Their research shows that more and more people know their vitamin D levels because they are being tested for it as part of routine physical exams.
The IOM is wrong in its findings, wrong in ignoring the bountiful scientific research that indicates the need for higher levels of vitamin D in our system, and wrong for not educating folks about the ability of vitamin D to combat the flu. Our campaign to end the silence on vitamin D is one attempt to educate the public and get the government to listen to the clear scientific findings. (Source:ANH)

and other experts disagree

World AIDS Day 2010

World AIDS Day 2010 is all about raising awareness to tackle HIV prejudice and help stop the spread of HIV.

Most read from 8 pages of posts on HIV/AIDS at Natural Health News

Natural Health News: World AIDS Day: activists and HIV-positive ...
Participants include Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Ambassador and U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric P. Goosby, and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, assistant to the president ...

Natural Health News: Scientific Foundation for Homeopathy Discovered
A NOBEL laureate who discovered the link between HIV and AIDS has suggested there could be a firm scientific foundation for homeopathy. French virologist Luc Montagnier stunned his colleagues at a prestigious international conference ...

HIV/AIDS Risk to Vets
What also concerns me is the lack of attention to natural treatment that is able to stop the transmission of HIV to AIDS, and other therapy outside the use of anti-retrovirals that have severe health risks of their own. ...

Politics, HIV/AIDS and GMO Drugs
The AIDS epidemic has been a world wide environmental and public health issue wince the concept was thrown out in the Nixon Administration by Henry Kissinger. It was Kissinger that led the Department of defense to a plan for bio warfare ...