10.27.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:30 am by Pit
UK Soil Association: We must grow our own food
Monty Don is the new president of the Soil Association. In a recent lecture in London, he said he was appointed because of his passionate belief that everyone can reconnect to nature through gardening and growing. The skills, knowledge and resources of British gardeners can transform, rebuild and stabilize our food systems and our society, he insisted. It’s about food security, an entire cultural approach to food that can harness horticultural skills as a serious part of our national food supply and integrate into our whole approach to life. In that way we can feed ourselves healthier food in the face of social and economic crisis, and if we do not, we will suffer as a nation.
Organic farming 'could feed Africa'
Organic farming offers Africa the best chance of breaking the cycle of poverty and malnutrition it has been locked in for decades, according to a major study from the United Nations to be presented today.
New evidence suggests that organic practices – derided by some as a Western lifestyle fad – are delivering sharp increases in yields, improvements in the soil and a boost in the income of Africa's small farmers who remain among the poorest people on earth. The head of the UN's Environment Programme, Achim Steiner, said the report "indicates that the potential contribution of organic farming to feeding the world maybe far higher than many had supposed".
Mutant Seeds for Mesopotamia
Order 81. Under this mandate, Iraq's commercial farmers must now buy "registered seeds." These are normally imported by Monsanto, Cargill and the World Wide Wheat Company. Unfortunately, these registered seeds are "terminator" seeds, meaning "sterile." Terminator seeds have no agricultural value other than creating corporate monopolies.
Order 81 comes with the Orwellian title of "Plant Variety Protection." Any self-respecting scientist knows, however, that imposing biological standardization accomplishes the exact opposite: It reduces biodiversity and threatens species.
Vitamins Present GMO Challenges for Organic Industry
Genetically modified microorganisms are increasingly used to manufacture vitamins, enzymes, flavors, and other food additives. These products present challenges to organic processors who want to avoid using GM ingredients and to organic certifiers who must interpret vague GMO prohibition rules to prohibit their use.
GM microorganisms are used to make vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin C (ascorbic acid), xanthan (a thickener), citric acid, and enzymes used in cheeses, breads and baked goods, alcoholic beverages, and juice.
The increasing use of genetic engineering to make vitamins presents challenges for organic processors who have to use non-GMO ingredients. "What happens when you want to use a substance that is on the national list of approved substances, and the only things available are from GMOs?" Wyard asks.
France set to liberate herbal products
France has taken a step to liberalise its highly restrictive herbal regulations by issuing two national decrees that should allow for greater access to botanical supplements.
One of the decrees will provide a distribution benefit by allowing a broad range of botanicals to be sold in non-pharmacy outlets such as supermarkets and health food stores for the first time.
Ireland: MEP says additive in our water is a menace
Many now are asking how an industrial-waste substance such as hexafluorosilicic acid can be added to drinking water, especially since it is listed as hazardous waste under the EU’s 1991 Waste Directive. Although Irish and British campaigners have appealed over the years to the European Commission to stop fluoridation, the commission has declined to become involved, possibly because fluoridation was rejected by continental Europe many years ago and is confined to Ireland and a few water companies in England.
Nebraska Voters to Decide on Fluoride in Water
Voters in at least 61 Nebraska communities will decide Nov. 4 whether they want fluoride added to their water supplies, the result of a new state law that requires cities to opt out if they don't want the chemical.
"It is controversial,'' said Sen. Don Preister of Bellevue, who led the opposition to the bill. "It is an industrial, hazardous waste chemical. For those people who understand what it really is, they would certainly be wanting to have the benefit to vote it down.''
Industry at root of BPA study
A government report claiming that bisphenol A is safe was written largely by the plastic s industry and others with a financial stake in the controversial chemical. Although the Food and Drug Administration will not reveal who prepared its draft, the agency's own documents show that the work was done primarily by those with the most to gain by downplaying concerns about the safety of the chemical.
Dutch Authorities Raid Sanofi And Glaxo Offices
There are reports from the Netherlands that the Health Inspectorate raided the drugmakers’ offices late last week as part of an investigation into the Health Council, an independent body that advises the Dutch government and parliament on public health issues, and recently recommended that girls should be vaccinated against HPV.
The reports say that Health Council members were receiving research funding from the drugmakers at the same time the organization issued its recommendation to Health Minister Ab Klink.
US: Kansas Sues 13 Drugmakers Over Medicaid Fraud
According to the lawsuit, the Medicaid program spent more $160 million on meds last year. And the suit alleges the price for a drug paid by the state, based on a fraudulently-reported Average Wholesale Price and other price indicators, often bears no relationship to the true price and can exceed 100 percent to 200 percent above the actual price.
One example cited - Dey reported an AWP of $44.10 for Ipratropium Bromide, yet the AG claims the drugmaker sold the same drug to retail pharmacists for $8.35 - a 355 percent difference. And Glaxo reported an AWP of $128.24 for Zofran, but charged $22.61- a 450 difference.
US: Serious Side Effect and Death Reports at Record High
The number of serious problems and deaths linked to medications reported to the FDA set a record in the first three months of this year, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices reports. The FDA received nearly 21,000 reports of serious drug reactions, including over 4,800 deaths, according to ISMP’s an analysis of federal data dating to 2004.
Two drugs accounted for a disproportionately large share of the latest reports. One was heparin, the tainted blood thinner from China that caused an international safety scandal. The other was Chantix, a new kind of anti-smoking drug from Pfizer, which refuted the findings. Earlier this year, the FDA warned that Chantix may be linked to psychiatric problems, including suicidal behavior and vivid dreams, and the government banned it for pilots.
Chantix Is Tops At Causing Problems
Chantix, Pfizer's stop smoking drug, topped the list of drugs causing problems that led to adverse events reports being filed with the FDA in the first quarter of 2008. The stop smoking drug, which sure unglues people like a bad old SSRI, racked up a total of 1,001 adverse events reports and reports of another 50 deaths linked to the use of the drug, according to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices.
Statin Drugs - Are They Worth the Money?
In 2006 and 2007, the bestsellers were statin drugs, at an annual US sales figure of $15.5 billion. Statins are used to lower cholesterol levels in people with or at risk of cardiovascular disease. Heart disease remains the number one killer in America.
In addressing heart disease, much of the conventional medical focus has been on a patient's total cholesterol numbers, regardless of evidence of heart disease. In fact, Harvard researchers in 2007 noted that just 8% of those taking statin drugs actually had a heart condition.
The latest Italian research now reveals that in over 4500 patients with chronic heart disease, statin drugs did nothing to extend life or prevent hospital care. And Dr. Beatrice Golomb has found that there is little evidence to recommend statin drugs - they may help the heart but they do not help the patient.
Anti-obesity drug use suspended in Europe
The European drugs watchdog is recommending doctors do not prescribe the anti-obesity drug rimonabant, also known as Acomplia. The European Medicines Agency has said the risk of serious psychiatric problems and even suicide are too high.
Sanofi-Aventis Suspends Acomplia Sales In Europe
The drugmaker will “immediately” start talks with countries outside the European Union where Acomplia is sold to suspend sales there as well, according to a statement. The pill has been sold in 18 EU countries for two years. (Listen to the conference call).
According to the EMEA, “new data from post-marketing experience and ongoing clinical trials indicated that serious psychiatric disorders may be more common than in the clinical trials used in the initial assessment of the medicine,” and that “these psychiatric side effects could not be adequately addressed by further risk minimisation measures…In addition, the effectiveness of Acomplia in clinical practice is more limited than was expected on the basis of the clinical trials, because available data indicate that patients generally take Acomplia only for a short period.”
US: How The Plan To Force Vaccination Gave Birth To The National ID, A Government Health Records Database, and the End of Medical Privacy
Between 12,000 and 14,000 reports of hospitalizations, injuries and deaths following vaccination are made to the government's Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) every year, yet it is estimated that fewer than one percent of all doctors report serious health problems which occur following drug or vaccine administration.
The government push for a national ID and national electronic medical records database originated with the desire by government and industry to find an institutional mechanism to enforce mandatory vaccination. The linking of state vaccine tracking registries to a national medical records database operated by government can be used not just to enforce vaccination but also to limit health care choices and impose economic and other sanctions on those who do not conform to any government health policy.
US Government's Drug War Test Kits Give False Positives on Organic and Natural Products
In August and September of this year, Canadians Ron Obadia and Nadine Artemis, founders of Living Libations who make raw organic chocolate and natural personal care products, were arrested while trying to cross the US border, after a false-positive drug test on their chocolate products.
Similar false positives have resulted in arrests over other natural products. In 2007, a false-positive for the date rape drug GHB occurred when Newport Beach (CA) police tested Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap.
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More information out there...
There is much I cannot cover but other sources for this kind of information exist and are active.
You can subscribe to the Zeus Newsletterhere. Appears twice monthly. If you would like to see some samples of Louise's collection of informative links, here are the archives.
Dr Mercola's health blog and Mike Adams' Natural News have great health information.
The Alternative Medicine Yahoo Group is a place where you can discuss and exchange information on what is happening in the world of natural health.
For the influence of electromagnetic waves from radio, mobile phones and other radio emitting devices, check out the emfrefugee group on Yahoo.
If you are interested in a different take on the news that isn't health centered but is certainly fun, check out Robin Good TV News.
A few sites to keep up to date with the other side of world affairs, the stuff you won't necessarily find on your tv or in the papers:
http://therealnews.com/
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com
http://www.commondreams.org
http://www.globalresearch.ca/
http://rawstory.com/
http://www.truthout.org/
... and remember,
The individual is supreme and finds its way through intuition
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10.21.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:27 am by Pit
Janne Larsson, an investigator and reporter in Sweden, has obtained information about adverse event reports on Eli Lilly's ADHD drug Strattera, using the Swedish freedom of information laws. The data, coming from both the FDA's adverse reaction database and from reports to the UK's Medicines agency, shows numerous adverse effects and scores of deaths by suicide.
Yet the agency, even after repeated prodding by Larsson to initiate action, has refused to budge or even acknowledge that there is a problem. MHRA apparently accepts the drug's producer Eli Lilly's data rather than its own and the FDA's adverse event reports.
Image credit: Monheit Law - Contact a Lawyer familiar with Strattera lawsuits
Larsson says: An investigation of MHRA’s handling of the harmful effects of the ADHD drug Strattera has proven the following:
MHRA has ignored data about instances of death among children in connection with Strattera treatment. At least 41 children have died. The agency has not investigated the reported cases and does not even have a compiled summary of cases with fatal outcome. Further the agency has allowed the manufacturer Eli Lilly to give false information about the number of fatal cases and has taken no action against the company once the false information was revealed.
MHRA has for almost three years been in possession of data proving that Strattera can cause agitation, mania and psychotic reactions with hallucinations among children. Yet no warning has been issued to doctors and parents. The agency has withheld these disastrous consequences despite clear evidence. Due to bureaucratic procedures no warnings have been issued even if Eli Lilly reluctanly conceded to include these harmful reactions in its information to the public almost a year ago.
MHRA has for almost three years been in possession of data showing that Strattera in many cases actually can cause or worsen the “condition” it is claimed to alleviate. More than 700 reports were submitted to the manufacturer, Eli Lilly, about Strattera inducing “psychomotor hyperactivity”. Lilly called this an exacerbation of the “underlying ADHD”. If we would apply this to the area of real medicine and to diabetes we could say that the patient got a diabetes medication with resulting heavy increase in blood sugar level. Such a medication would probably be withdrawn very fast from the market. But the MHRA has not yet, after three years, succeeded to get even a bad quality review of these cases done – not even from the manufacturer.
The background data for these conclusions can be found in the following text and in the linked documents. When reading the data below please remember the promise from the MHRA: “…we take any necessary action to protect the public promptly if there is a problem.”MHRA, About us [1]
Note that the linked documents (within letters described below) in most cases could not be obtained in UK where the issuance of them would be deemed as prejudicing “the ability of the Assessory body to offer impartial advice” and where the MHRA wants “to allow marketing authorisation holders the chance to respond to regulatory action and make commercial decisions before data are in the public domain.” (MHRA, e-mail about FOIA-request, 29th September, 2006). However the documents could be obtained in Sweden, even if the MHRA has tried to stop the issuance of them by implying that publication could threaten the relations between Sweden and UK.
Deaths among children in connection with Strattera treatment
In May I submitted detailed data about cases of Strattera death to the MHRA. 1st October I finally got an answer from the Scientific Assessor of the Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines (VRMM). 7th October I got an answer from Professor Kent Woods, CEO of the MHRA, referring to the letter sent by the Scientific Assessor.
My data about Strattera deaths can be found in the letter Strattera: Eli Lilly gave false information about deaths from Strattera treatment – a request for full investigation from 15th May. [2]
The answer from the Scientific Assessor shows that MHRA is continuing to ignore data about instances of death among children and adults in connection with Strattera treatment. Despite limited resources and having to rely on data released by reluctant medical agencies I had been able to produce a summary of reported cases of Strattera death. That’s much more than the MHRA, with its immense resources, had been able to do.
The agency was provided with specific data about instances of death forming an excellent starting point for a full investigation. But instead of using the data the MHRA used its energy to explain why it is impossible to investigate these cases further, and in doing so presents some remarkable comments.
The Scientific Assessor states in the letter 1st October [3]:
“… in order to calculate the total number of reports with a fatal outcome it is not simply a case of adding up reports with a fatal outcome mentioned in our assessment reports of the PSURs [Periodic Safety Update Reports] and those available on the FDA website as these different sources may contain duplicate information.” [Emphasis added.]
I fully agree and it takes only a casual reading of my letter from 15th May to find out that much care has been taken to exclude possible duplicates. It is quite easy to see that the data presented about fatal cases in my letter is NOT “simply a case of adding up reports with a fatal outcome”. The only way to come to another conclusion would be not to look in the first place and it is a condemnation of the effectiveness of the agency to state the following in the letter:
“We have looked at the data you have sent us to see if they can add insight to the statutory sources of data we have received and do not think that they are of benefit as we cannot verify their source or accuracy.” (p. 3) [Emphasis added.]
I must add to all the data provided in my letter 15th May that the “source” of the information about fatal cases is FDA’s Medwatch system and the PSURs (submitted directly to the MHRA). I must make it clear that is very easy for a lay person to find out that almost all reports about fatal outcome from Strattera treatment submitted to the FDA came from Eli Lilly!
Thus the “source” of the information about fatal cases was in most of the cases the manufacturer itself – Eli Lilly. And yet the MHRA has not been able to verify the “source or accuracy” of the information. The MHRA Scientific Assessor states in the letter: “The sources of data that regulators use such as company data, spontaneous adverse reaction reports and literature are set out in European and national law.” That’s very good and now we know that the data I submitted to the MHRA about all fatal cases from Strattera treatment – in the absolute majority of cases – were known by and reported via the manufacturer Eli Lilly.
My FOIA request earlier this year to get a compilation of fatal cases in connection with Strattera treatment was answered 12th August:
“The MHRA holds no data other than that previously released to you [the misleading data from Eli Lilly in November 2007, see my letter from 15th May for more data] which was the data provided by the company. If you have any questions about FDA data or the data provided by the company, you should contact those organisations.”
In other words the MHRA didn’t have a compiled summary of cases with fatal outcome in August – and the agency has not to this point been able to compile such a summary.
As the agency has not been capable of getting the data – or not even been capable of using the specific data submitted for its use in a full investigation – NO action is taken despite the many verified deaths among children in connection with Strattera treatment. This disregard for the safety of children is a scandal which should lead to a full formal investigation by the Department of Health.
Drug induced agitation, mania and psychosis with hallucinations
I’ve been contacted by parents asking if Strattera can induce mania and psychosis with hallucinations. Their children have had such symptoms. The parents have not found any warnings about it and their children’s doctors don’t think that the symptoms are caused by the drug. The parents were desperate.
However the MHRA has known for almost three years that Strattera can cause agitation, mania and psychotic reactions with hallucinations among children, but has refused to issue warnings about it.
The Scientific Assessor from the MHRA in the letter of 1st October [3] now confirms my earlier arguments that the agency had knowledge about these effects a long time ago:
“… following an initial request in the assessment report for the Periodic Safety Update for the period (dates 27-05-2005 to 26-11-2005) we asked Eli Lilly for more information to enable us to review this issue in more detail.” (p. 2)
This means that in the period ending 26th November, 2005 – at the time when Strattera was approved only in UK and four other European countries, but not in the 22 additional European countries where it is now approved – Eli Lilly and the MHRA had knowledge about these disastrous effects in children taking Strattera. But neither the MHRA nor Eli Lilly told anything about it and Strattera was approved in 20 additional European countries in April 2006.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
Professor Kent Woods, CEO of the MHRA seems to be very misinformed by his staff when answering about Strattera in a recent letter of 7th October, 2008. In the letter Professor Woods states [4]:
“The MHRA is committed to ensuring that all safety concerns are subject to robust scientific assessment and the best possible regulatory action is taken in a timely manner. We strive to maintain the highest standards of work and review our practices to ensure these standards are maintained or improved upon where necessary.” (p. 1)
In their 3rd March, 2006 report Psychiatric Adverse Events Associated with Drug Treatment of ADHD: Review of Postmarketing Safety Data [5], the FDA stated that there was “compelling evidence for a likely causal association between … [Strattera/amphetamine drugs] and treatment emergent onset of signs and/or symptoms of psychosis or mania, notably hallucinations, in some patients.” (p. 17) 360 reports about the drug inducing these effects had been received up to June 2005.
From this FDA report the MHRA had knowledge about the “compelling evidence” for Strattera causing these effects on or about 3rd March, 2006 – but did nothing.
In August the same year (2006) the MHRA requested the same data set from Eli Lilly that was submitted to the FDA and which formed the basis of the FDA report for Strattera. The data was sent to the MHRA some days later. But the agency then decided not to do anything with the information. Instead it was decided that Eli Lilly – the manufacturer – should do an analysis of the data and submit its conclusions to the agency.
Professor Kent Woods says in his letter: “An important aspect to this [‘robust scientific assessment’, ‘highest standards’] is ensuring that data from all available sources have been considered…”
This may be true in some other area but it is definitely not true for the safety work around Strattera. A very good example of this is the complete rejection of the “robust scientific assessment” of Strattera in the FDA report. Answering the question why the agency did not use the “compelling evidence” for harm in the FDA report an official at the MHRA declared in a letter [6]:
“Changes to European product information are based on assessment by EU regulators, agreement between member states and in line with legal requirements about product information, not on conclusions of FDA assessors.” (25th May, 2007) [Emphasis added.]
Responsible officials at the MHRA had instead decided to rely completely on the analysis of the manufacturer of the drug – Eli Lilly. (In an article in the Daily Mail this summer, Andrew Herxheimer, editor of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin, and emeritus fellow of the Cochrane Centre commented: “Asking a drug company to review its own product is crazy, but it goes on quite a lot.”) [7]
At the end of 2007/beginning 2008 Eli Lilly submitted its review of Strattera induced agitation, mania and psychosis with hallucinations to the MHRA. It was a complete whitewash.
In summary: FDA was very clear about the psychosis-inducing effects of Strattera; the MHRA did not listen. Instead the MHRA turned to the manufacturer. Eli Lilly tried to explain away all the bad results found in its review. For the full history about MHRA’s failure in this area and for a comparison of the FDA report with the Lilly report, please see the following letter: The ADHD drug Strattera – actions needed now [8] from January 2008, and the letter The ADHD drug Strattera – an analysis of reports of drug induced mania, psychosis and hallucinations [9] from March 2008.
In the letter from March [9] Eli Lilly’s whitewash report for the period up to November 2007 is presented. At the end of that report Lilly says [10]: “Nevertheless, Lilly will consider adding language regarding psychotic symptoms including hallucinations” to its product information sheet. (p. 1279)
Larsson - Suicides & Psychiatric Drugs
And so we come to October 2008 and the letters from Professor Kent Woods and from the Scientific Assessor for Strattera. We are “reassured that the MHRA is acting … to ensure that Strattera is used … as safely as possible”, that “all safety concerns are subject to robust scientific assessment and the best possible regulatory action”, that “any new safety signals are evaluated in an independent, scientifically robust manner” (Woods); we are told that “discussions between European Member States and Eli Lilly are ongoing to agree on the most appropriate information to be included in the product information for patients and prescribers”; we are told to be patient, to understand that it takes time from the point where “updates have been agreed for inclusion in the product information” to the point where these will “appear in the packs in the market place due to movement of stock in the supply chain”, and that the appearances are estimated to be “within the next 6 months” (Scientific Assessor).
It is probably hard to find a more obvious violation of the promise “… we take any necessary action to protect the public promptly if there is a problem” than the case described above. The worried parents still have no answers if Strattera can induce the symptoms they find in their children. And the MHRA knew about it three years ago – but withheld the data. This should be included in the investigation of the agency by the Department of Health.
Strattera causing “hyperactivity” – the condition it was supposed to alleviate
In my earlier letter to the Department of Health (29th August) I took up the data about the “700 forgotten cases of hyperactivity”. I referred to my letter 2nd January to the MHRA [8] and gave data about the fact that Eli Lilly had withheld sensitive information and classified harmful effects as an “exacerbation of the underlying ADHD”.
The logical solution would have been for the MHRA to request all data about this security risk, followed by an independent review of the data. But this was not done – and as expected nothing is still done. MHRA asked Lilly for an explanation about this “signal” stemming from Periodic Safety Update Report 5 (dates 27-05-2005 to 26-11-2005) but got no answer. Three years later the Scientific Assessor from the MHRA writes in the letter from 1st October:
“The information submitted by the MAH [Market Authorization Holder] has been evaluated and the MAH will be requested to provide further detailed information within the next 2 months to ensure the issue has been investigated in a thorough and scientific manner.” (p. 2) [3]
The MHRA got this “safety signal” almost three years ago – and is still in the process of getting some sensible answers from Eli Lilly.
------------
I again request the Department of Health to take action. This does not concern “only” the children in UK; it concerns the children in the whole of Europe, indeed it concerns all the children of the world.
The failure of the agency will also mean that psychiatrists within The Guideline Development Group in NICE can push through more “treatment” with Strattera and other ADHD drugs. The MHRA is withholding the clear evidence for harmful effects and the psychiatrists with close relations to the manufacturers of the drugs can unimpeded recommend these “medicines” to unsuspecting doctors and parents.
The answers given by Professor Kent Woods and the Scientific Assessor did not in any way handle my concerns. On the contrary, they finally proved that a full formal investigation of the matters raised above is needed.
Yours sincerely,
Janne Larsson
Reporter - investigating psychiatry
Snöbollsgränd 22
129 45 Hägersten
Sweden
janne.olov.larsson@telia.com
[1] MHRA, About us, http://www.mhra.gov.uk
[2] Larsson, Strattera: Eli Lilly gave false information about deaths from Strattera treatment – a request for full investigation, May 15, 2008, http://jannel.se/Strattera.death2.pdf
[3] MHRA, Re: letter of 9th September 2008 to “Assessor responsible for Strattera”, October 1, 2008, http://jannel.se/Reply.from%20MHRA.Assessor.October.pdf
[4] MHRA, Re: Open letter to Pr. Kent Woods (10th August 2008), October 7, 2008
http://jannel.se/answer.kent.woods.pdf
[5] FDA, Psychiatric Adverse Events Associated with Drug Treatment of ADHD: Review of Postmarketing Safety Data, released March 3, 2006.
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets
[6] MHRA, answer FOI request, May 25, 2007, http://jannel.se/mhraanswer.pdf
[7] Daily Mail, Heart attacks and suicides... yet the dangers were all kept so quiet. So how CAN you trust your medicine? July 7, 2008,
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
[8] Larsson, The ADHD drug Strattera – actions needed now, January 2, 2008,
http://jannel.se/letter.mhra.strattera.jan08.pdf
[9] Larsson, The ADHD drug Strattera – an analysis of reports of drug induced mania, psychosis and hallucinations, March 9, 2008, http://jannel.se/strattera.mhra.March.08.pdf
[10] Eli Lilly, Cumulative review of Spontaneous Case Reports of Mania, Psychotic Disorders, Hallucinations, and Agitation, Appendix 16 to Periodic Safety Report 9 for Strattera, 2008, http://jannel.se/Lilly_psychosis_strattera.pdf
See also:
Doctors told to curb use of Ritalin in hyperactive children
Children's suicide attempts raise concerns about ADHD medication
The ADHD drug Strattera: Lilly to issue warnings about psychosis, hallucinations, mania and agitation
Strattera side effects
Strattera - 10,988 adverse "psychiatric reactions" reported in less than three years
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? No, they're just naughty, say experts
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10.19.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:26 am by Pit
IMF economic conditions worsen health in developing nations
In their article The IMF and Tuberculosis David Stuckler and Sanjay Basu cite evidence that the IMF's anti-inflation conditions attached to loans actually routinely worsen the health of populations in countries that receive the IMF's financial help. The study examined statistics of tuberculosis deaths in countries that received IMF loans and compared them to the same statistics that received similar loans but without the IMF conditions.
How did the IMF respond to these findings?
"We were surprised that the IMF's first response was to call our study 'phony science' even though our study used the same scientific methods as those of the IMF's staff and was reviewed by five anonymous and independent experts in tuberculosis, statistics, and economics prior to publication at one of the world's premier medical journals," say the authors.
Consumers ask EU Heads of State Accept Irish Referendum
La Leva di Archimede is in favour of a Europe for the people where the voice of citizens counts. Naturally, this means that the voice of the Irish people, expressed in a referendum, should be listened to. "Had other nations held a similar referendum," says Sepp Hasslberger, La Leva's president, "I am sure the Irish would not be alone in having said 'no' to the treaty. The Dutch and the French and several others would have joined them in a 'no' vote. Will Heads of State deepen the democratic deficit of Europe, or will we finally see a new democratic trend?"
Pediatricians say double vitamin D dose
"We are doubling the recommended amount of vitamin D children need each day because evidence has shown this could have life-long health benefits," said Dr. Frank Greer, of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which released the new guideline recommendations at a meeting in Boston.
"Supplementation is important because most children will not get enough vitamin D through diet alone," Greer said in a statement.
Parkinson's linked to vitamin D
A US team found 55% of Parkinson's patients had insufficient levels of vitamin D, compared to 36% of healthy elderly people.
Previous studies have shown that the part of the brain affected most by Parkinson's, the substantia nigra, has high levels of the vitamin D receptor, which suggests vitamin D may be important for normal functions of these cells.
Scientists develop new cancer-killing compound from salad plant
Researchers at the University of Washington have updated a traditional Chinese medicine to create a compound that is more than 1,200 times more specific in killing certain kinds of cancer cells than currently available drugs, heralding the possibility of a more effective chemotherapy drug with minimal side effects. The new compound puts a novel twist on the common anti-malarial drug artemisinin, which is derived from the sweet wormwood plant.
The artemisinin compound takes advantage of cancer cell’s high iron levels. Artemisinin is highly toxic in the presence of iron, but harmless otherwise. Cancer cells need a lot of iron to maintain the rapid division necessary for tumor growth.
Turmeric for cancer?
Synthetic molecules derived from curcumin, main ingredient of Indian spice turmeric, can help kill cancer cells and stop them from spreading, say researchers at Ohio State University.
Curcumin has long been known for its multiple disease-fighting features, including anti-tumour properties. “Newer evidence describes how curcumin interacts with certain proteins to generate anti-cancer activity inside the body.
Bipolar Kids Need Nutrition, Not Junk Food and More Drugs
The NY Times Magazine's cover story, "The Bipolar Kid" (September 14, 2008), is a very bleak article. While emphasizing the miseries of living with such a child, Jennifer Egan's article offers little hope except for ever-increasing doses of lithium. Long on discussions of definitions and diagnoses, it is remarkably short on treatment alternatives. Not a word about diet. Not a word about vitamins. Indeed, in this 9,500 word feature, describing the daily life of an out-of-control, beyond-ADHD boy, the word "nutrition" is not mentioned at all. Neither are the words "sugar" or "caffeine."
What astounding omissions. Pediatrician Lendon H. Smith, M.D., nationally famous as "The Children's Doctor," was very plain in stating that sugar causes profound mood disorders. He specifically advised parents to give their children a "sugarless diet without processed foods."
Antibiotics Put 142,000 Into Emergency Rooms Each Year
U.S. Centers for Disease Control Waits 60 Years to Study the Problem
Common antibiotics, the ones most frequently prescribed and regarded as safest, cause for nearly half of emergencies due to antibiotics. And, incredibly enough, people in the prime of life - not babies - are especially at risk. The study authors reported that "Persons aged 15-44 years accounted for an estimated 41.2 percent of emergency department visits. Infants accounted for only an estimated 6.3 percent of ED visits." They also found that nearly 80% of antibiotic-caused "adverse events" were allergic reactions.
Aspirin does not prevent heart attacks in patients with diabetes
Patients with diabetes are two to five times more likely to suffer from heart disease than the general population and heart disease is a major cause of death in patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes. Although there is considerable evidence showing no protective benefit of aspirin in high risk patients without heart disease, guidelines are inconsistent and aspirin is commonly prescribed for the primary prevention of heart disease in patients with diabetes and with peripheral arterial disease.
But aspirin is one of the top 10 causes of adverse drug events reported to the Commission on Human Medicines. It causes gastrointestinal bleeding and the risk of bleeding increases with age and prolonged use.
Most health workers skip flu shot
"I rarely get sick. The only thing I could narrow it down to is that I had gotten this shot," said Taylor, who works at University Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. "I know that it's not a live virus. It just seemed pretty coincidental."
Of course relying on personal experience is called "faulty logic" and the authority on vaccinations says ... getting vaccinated for the flu should be standard for doctors and nurses, just like washing their hands. Our health system has lost the power of observation!
Texas State Medical Board targets doctor for 'Environmental Medicine'
Dr. William Rea says he has treated more than 30,000 people, from all over the world, who believe the world around them has made them sick. Very sick.
"Lots of times they know what's wrong with them, but they haven't been able to get any help," Rea said. "And they're looking for solutions to their problems."
... and so the medical board moves to close a clinic - one of the very few in the world - where people who are especially sensitive to pollution can find help. Great work Texas officials, the chemical companies will be pleased.
Coroner Blames Celexa For Man's Suicide
"A postal driver who was prescribed an anti-depressant 'wonder drug killed himself four weeks later, an inquest heard. Hampstead-born Ian Fox, 65, died in July after throwing himself in front of a train at Finchley Road Tube station."
"He had been prescribed the anti-depressant Citalopram [Celexa] for just one month before taking his life and he had expressed a wish to come off it, complaining of confusion and anxiety."
Nigeria: Can This Man Cure Aids?
AIDS is said to be the terminal state of people who are infected with HIV. Health authorities, both in the country and elsewhere fear that it has no known cure, except by the use of anti-retrovirals which helps people living with HIV manage their condition. But Ojeih scoffs at this. "HIV is a western policy, aimed at thinning out Africa," he says.
"Ask Robert Gallo, the man who they said discovered HIV virus if he has ever seen the virus with his own eyes. The truth is that nobody has ever seen it. In the last 10 years I have put a N10 million reward for anybody who can show and prove to me what HIV looks like, but nobody has come forward to claim it. The money is still there for anybody who wants to claim it. All you need to do is isolate and show me the virus," adds Ojeih.
The Agrofuels Hoax: The Perils of the Coming Sugar Economy
Advocates of converging technologies promise a greener, cleaner post-petroleum future, where the production of economically important compounds depends not on fossil fuels but on biological manufacturing platforms fueled by plant sugars. It may sound sweet and clean. But the "sugar economy" will be the catalyst for a corporate grab on all plant matter as well as the destruction of biodiversity on a massive scale.
How Environmental Groups Sometimes Do Corporations' Dirty Work
In her recently released book Green Inc., Christine MacDonald tells the story of how the biggest perpetrators of public relations "greenwash" are often the greens themselves. For example, MacDonald shows us Conservation International cosying up to soya barons in Brazil, and environmental groups providing green cover as big-name retailers like Wal-Mart buy up the products of illegal logging.
The environmental organisations say this is all in a good cause, that these are necessary compromises in the wider quest to encourage green global capitalism.
The madness of current Copyright legislation
A mother sees her 13-month old son dancing, films it, and puts the video on YouTube. Today she’s a criminal, and Universal wants her to pay up to $150,000 in copyright damages.
This case study by Lawrence Lessig is described in the Wall Street Journal.
“Universal’s lawyers insist to this day that sharing this home movie is willful copyright infringement under the laws of the United States. On their view of the law, she is liable to a fine of up to $150,000 for sharing 29 seconds of Holden dancing. Universal declined to comment.
How is it that sensible people, people no doubt educated at some of the best universities and law schools in the country, would come to think it a sane use of corporate resources to threaten the mother of a dancing 13-month-old? What is it that allows these lawyers and executives to take a case like this seriously, to believe there’s some important social or corporate reason to deploy the federal scheme of regulation called copyright to stop the spread of these images and music? “Let’s Go Crazy” indeed!
Intellectual Property: Lessig In Defense of Piracy
We can’t stop our kids from using these tools to create, or make them passive. We can only drive it underground, or make them “pirates.” And the question we as a society must focus on is whether this is any good. Our kids live in an age of prohibition, where more and more of what seems to them to be ordinary behavior is against the law. They recognize it as against the law. They see themselves as “criminals.” They begin to get used to the idea.
That recognition is corrosive. It is corrupting of the very idea of the rule of law. And when we reckon the cost of this corruption, any losses of the content industry pale in comparison.
- - -
More information out there...
There is much I cannot cover but other sources for this kind of information exist and are active.
You can subscribe to the Zeus Newsletterhere. Appears twice monthly. If you would like to see some samples of Louise's collection of informative links, here are the archives.
Dr Mercola's health blog and Mike Adams' Natural News have great health information.
The Alternative Medicine Yahoo Group is a place where you can discuss and exchange information on what is happening in the world of natural health.
For the influence of electromagnetic waves from radio, mobile phones and other radio emitting devices, check out the emfrefugee group on Yahoo.
If you are interested in a different take on the news that isn't health centered but is certainly fun, check out Robin Good TV News.
A few sites to keep up to date with the other side of world affairs, the stuff you won't necessarily find on your tv or in the papers:
http://therealnews.com/
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com
http://www.commondreams.org
http://www.globalresearch.ca/
http://rawstory.com/
http://www.truthout.org/
... and remember,
The individual is supreme and finds its way through intuition
Permalink
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10.13.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:23 am by Pit
Is Oxygen depletion more worrying than global warming?
Although the advocates of global warming continue to say that temperature is increasing, in the last ten years that has not been the case. We also have an extreme low of solar activity with little or no sun spots showing this year.
What we need is to get climate change out of the political arena. Too many interests are bad for scientific inquiry and debate.
And for sure we should look at the possibility that our production of CO2, even though it may not bring about global warming, could be the driving force for a different and possibly much worse problem: threatening death by insufficient oxygen, in other words, slow suffocation.
Ninety per cent of Olympic athletes use dietary supplements
Ninety per cent of the 11,000 athletes in attendance at the Games of the 29th Olympiad in Beijing used dietary supplements of some kind, according to the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA). There was not a single supplement contamination case.
So perhaps Beijing marks a turning point for the industry. Just as the Chinese capital’s hosting of the event boosted China’s public image, so too has the supplements industry been given a lift by its clean Games performance.
Vitamin D a key player in overall health of several body organs, says UC Riverside biochemist
In a paper published in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Norman identifies vitamin D's potential for contributions to good health in the adaptive and innate immune systems, the secretion and regulation of insulin by the pancreas, the heart and blood pressure regulation, muscle strength and brain activity. In addition, access to adequate amounts of vitamin D is believed to be beneficial towards reducing the risk of cancer.
Norman also lists 36 organ tissues in the body whose cells respond biologically to vitamin D. The list includes bone marrow, breast, colon, intestine, kidney, lung, prostate, retina, skin, stomach and the uterus.
FDA Claims "Food Supplement" Deaths; Hides Details from the Public
USA Today conceded that "An adverse event can be anything from a concern that a supplement isn't working to a serious illness that follows consumption." And, FDA spokesman Michael Herndon admitted that of the five deaths and 85 hospitalizations reported, "Some of these deaths were likely due to underlying medical conditions."
FDA's method of gaining data is suspect at best and biased at worst. Their "Dietary Supplement Adverse Event Reporting" webpage states: "FDA would like to know when a product causes a problem even if you are unsure the product caused the problem or even if you do not visit a doctor or clinic." The measure of uncertainty involved in publicly soliciting adverse reports "even if you are unsure that the product caused the problem" is noteworthy.
In my view, there is nothing wrong with the FDA collecting data on adverse events, but if numbers are going to be communicated to the press, there better have been some checking of the facts and some details to put the data in context.
From rose hips for joints to blackberries for lung cancer - wild plants are being harnessed for new wonder drugs
They're bursting with health benefits, require no prescription and cost nothing. Research shows that Britain's hedgerow plants are full of vitamins and antioxidants. Furthermore, scientists are investigating their uses as medicines for a host of conditions, including cancer and high blood pressure.
Yes, it's time we started going back to making use of some of nature's treasures. The article is a good start, pointing to what's commonly growing in the 'hedgerow'. Thanks to Louise of
Zeus for sharing.
Chemotherapy Doesn't Work, So Blame Vitamin C
The Sloan-Kettering study team seems to have missed the essential point that vitamin C is not just an antioxidant. Inside cancer tumors, it also acts as a prooxidant, killing malignant cells. Comments Dr. Steve Hickey, of Manchester, UK: "Essentially, the paper seems to be rather misguided and shows a lack of understanding of the dual nature of vitamin C in tumors. Chemotherapy has been shown by over 40 years of clinical trials not to work in the majority of tumors, and its use is counterproductive."
Chemotherapy drugs have come and gone; the five year survival rate for cancer treated with chemo has remained virtually unchanged for decades. Unfortunately, just over 2% of all cancers respond to chemotherapy. Specifically, one scientific review concluded, "The overall contribution of curative and adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adults was estimated to be 2.3% in Australia and 2.1% in the USA . . . chemotherapy only makes a minor contribution to cancer survival.
GM is Dangerous and Futile
To their surprise, researchers found that the human genome might not be a “tidy collection of independent genes” after all…Instead, genes appear to operate in a complex network, and interact and overlap with one another and with other components in ways not yet fully understood.”
The Human Genome Research Institute said that these findings will challenge scientists “to rethink some long-held views about what genes are and what they do.”
Prince Charles Targets GM Crop Giants in Fiercest Attack Yet
"The reason I keep sticking my 60-year-old head above an increasingly dangerous parapet is not because it is good for my health," he said " but precisely because I believe fundamentally that unless we work with nature, we will fail to restore the equilibrium we need in order to survive on this planet."
Mercury toxicity: Biblical Text-Writing May Have Poisoned Monks
Medieval bones from six different Danish cemeteries reveal that monks who wrote Biblical texts and other religious materials may have been exposed to toxic mercury, which was used to formulate just one of their ink colors: red.
Kaare Lund Rasmussen, a University of Southern Denmark scientist at the Institute of Physics and Chemistry, suspects that ink used in the abbey's scriptorium was the culprit. Even today "one should really not touch, or much less rub, the parchment pages of an incunabulum," Lund Rasmussen said, adding that mercury "was used in the first place because cinnabar (a type of mercury) has this bright red, beautiful color."
Ignored: the mentally ill killed by drugs that are meant to help them
People with mental health problems and learning disabilities die on average 10 years younger than the rest of the population, according to the Disability Rights Commission. Obesity, diabetes, certain cancers and heart disease are far more common among people taking psychiatric drugs.
Physical health problems are often dismissed as part of a person's mental illness, something known as "diagnostic overshadowing". It can lead to life-threatening conditions being dismissed as "all in the mind".
Pfizer Manipulated Neurontin Studies: Experts
Pfizer manipulated the publication of clinical trials to increase use of its Neurontin epilepsy pill for other illnesses, while suppressing studies that did not validate those uses, according to several experts who reviewed Pfizer documents for plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the drugmaker.
Pfizer’s tactics included delaying publication of studies that had found no evidence the drug worked for some other disorders, “spinning” negative data to place it in a more positive light, and bundling negative findings with positive studies to neutralize the results, according to written reports by the experts, who analyzed the documents.
Strong Medicine: What’s Ailing the FDA?
A chilling new report commissioned by the FDA’s own advisory Science Board describes an organization nearly out of control. “We were shocked at the appalling state of science at the FDA,” says Garret FitzGerald, MD, chairman of the pharmacology department at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and an advisor on the report. “The analogy is Katrina. But we have to fix this before the hurricane hits.”
Drug safety is perhaps the greatest concern. The respected Institute of Medicine, created in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, recently labeled the FDA’s drug branch “dysfunctional,” saying it muzzles scientific dissent, inadequately monitors drug safety and relies too heavily on drug company dollars.
NOBEL PRIZES for HIV and HPV
Prediction: This will be among the Nobel Prizes that the Nobel Committee will regret having awarded: for discovering a virus that has yet to be isolated, and for another that is claimed to cause a small percentage of cases of cervical cancer but is a boon for vaccine hawkers.
US controls bird flu vaccines over bioweapon fears
When Indonesia's health minister stopped sending bird flu viruses to a research laboratory in the U.S. for fear Washington could use them to make biological weapons, Defense Secretary Robert Gates laughed and called it "the nuttiest thing" he'd ever heard.
Yet deep inside an 86-page supplement to United States export regulations is a single sentence that bars U.S. exports of vaccines for avian bird flu and dozens of other viruses to five countries designated "state sponsors of terrorism." The reason: Fear that they will be used for biological warfare.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Calls for Urgent Review of Biofuel Subsidies
Biofuel policies and subsidies should be urgently reviewed in order to preserve the goal of world food security, protect poor farmers, promote broad-based rural development and ensure environmental sustainability, FAO said today in a new edition of its annual flagship publication The State of Food and Agriculture.
Despite the limited importance of liquid biofuels in terms of global energy supply, the demand for agricultural feedstocks (sugar, maize, oilseeds) for liquid biofuels will continue to grow over the next decade and perhaps beyond, putting upward pressure on food prices.
- - -
More information out there...
There is much I cannot cover but other sources for this kind of information exist and are active.
You can subscribe to the Zeus Newsletterhere. Appears twice monthly. If you would like to see some samples of Louise's collection of informative links, here are the archives.
Dr Mercola's health blog and Mike Adams' Natural News have great health information.
The Alternative Medicine Yahoo Group is a place where you can discuss and exchange information on what is happening in the world of natural health.
For the influence of electromagnetic waves from radio, mobile phones and other radio emitting devices, check out the emfrefugee group on Yahoo.
If you are interested in a different take on the news that isn't health centered but is certainly fun, check out Robin Good TV News.
A few sites to keep up to date with the other side of world affairs, the stuff you won't necessarily find on your tv or in the papers:
http://therealnews.com/
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com
http://www.commondreams.org
http://www.globalresearch.ca/
http://rawstory.com/
http://www.truthout.org/
... and remember,
The individual is supreme and finds its way through intuition
Permalink
Comments off
10.05.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:16 am by Pit
Vitamin C 'reduces benefits' of cancer drugs: study
"The use of vitamin C supplements could have the potential to reduce the ability of patients to respond to therapy," said Mark Heaney, an Associate Attending Physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and lead author of the study.
Past studies have suggested vitamin C could be beneficial to cancer patients because it is an antioxidant. In August, a study showed that injected high does of vitamin C reduced the size of tumors and slowed cancerous growths by about 50 percent in laboratory mice.
The new research shows that a number of chemotherapy drugs produce "oxygen free radicals." According to the study's theory, vitamin C could "sop up the radicals," keeping cancer cells alive despite chemotherapy treatment.
Heaney said that he suspects vitamin C is good for cells in normal tissue, and extends cell life by protecting the all-important mitochondra, the cell's "power plant" that keeps it running.
"But that isn't what you want when you are trying to eliminate cancer cells," said Heaney.
All cancer therapy drugs work to disrupt the mitochondria, to push for cell death.
Cancer drugs are based on the idea that you need to poison cancer cells to fight cancer. Applying the poison kills both cancer cells and normal cells, often killing the patient in the process. Vitamin C has shown, in this study, that it protects cells from poisons, and its protective effect is seen in both cancer cells and normal cells.
What the study really shows is the idiocy of conventional medicine's approach to cancer, attacking the body with what amounts to weapons of mass destruction - and the ability of vitamin C to normalize cell function. In treating cancer, I would go with the vitamin C rather than the poison.
Vitamin D Stops Cancer; Cuts Risk In Half
A new study of 3,299 persons has shown that those with higher levels of vitamin D cut their risk of dying from cancer in half. Another recent study shows that ample intake of vitamin D, about 2,000 IU per day, can cut breast cancer incidence by half. Still more research found that inadequate Vitamin D is "associated with high incidence rates of colorectal cancer" and specifically urges that "prompt public health action is needed to increase intake of Vitamin D-3 to 1000 IU/day."
Vitamin D's anticancer properties are so evident, and so important, that the Canadian Cancer Society now recommends supplementation with 1,000 IU of Vitamin D per day for all adults in winter, and year-round for persons at risk.
The American Cancer Society, however, is dragging its feet, still maintaining that "More research is needed to define the best levels of intake and blood levels of vitamin D for cancer risk reduction."
Four Out Of Five Physicians Recommend Supplements
Of the 72 percent of physicians who say they [personally] use dietary supplements 87 percent used a multivitamin, 78 percent use vitamin C, 63 percent use B vitamins, 59 per cent use vitamin D, 58 percent use vitamin E as well as calcium.
DNA of good bacteria drives intestinal response to infection
A person normally has 300 to 500 species of beneficial bacteria, known as commensals, in their intestines. These bacteria are not harmful and, in fact, help an individual maintain his or her digestive health. Typically, the immune system does not attack gut commensals, even though they are bacteria.
"Within the body of a healthy adult, microbial cells vastly outnumber human cells. Research to understand these microbial communities is an exciting scientific frontier," says Anthony S. Fauci, MD, NIAID director.
Contrast that with our over-use of
antibiotics in animal husbandry and resulting development of resistant strains of bacteria, plus the fact that antibiotics used in humans do also kill the commensals, the bacteria that are helping us stay healthy.
Conventional Medicine Ignores the Science behind Preventing Sudden Cardiac Death with Fish Oil
The U.S. has waged a five-decade war on heart disease thanks to the information gleaned from the Framingham Study and the studies that followed it. That war has been dominated by the use of prescription drugs, surgery, and procedures that include angioplasty and stents. Everyone agrees that heart disease is related to lifestyle choices. While one may have a genetic predisposition for high lipids or the genetic marker for inflammation, the evidence is clear: we turn genes on and off with the lifestyle choices we make each day. The efficacy of treating heart disease with lifestyle medicine and other techniques like chelation therapy, versus the use of prescriptions and various medical procedures, has been debated for nearly the same five decades.
Put this information together with recent news that Pfizer is reportedly
getting out of the heart disease research business and that a study on chelation therapy is
being shut down before it has gotten off the ground, and you get an idea of the desperation that has taken hold of conventional medicine over its inability to deliver on its promise of making us more healthy.
Most Cancer Patients Eating Wrong
75% of all Americans do not even eat five servings a day of fruits or vegetables. That is bad enough. It is even worse with cancer patients. A study of over 9,000 survivors of six different types of cancer showed that only 15% to 19% were meeting the "5-A-Day" recommendation. That means that 81% to 85% were not. The researchers commented that these findings indicate that even a cancer diagnosis may fail to improve fruit and vegetable consumption.
The best solution is prevention, and prevention has to start long before cancer...
The AMA Seeks to Boost Public Confidence in Vaccine Safety
The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have joined with twenty other major medical groups to say that public confidence in vaccine safety needs to be restored to avoid the risk of deadly disease outbreaks. Recent government data shows that about 77% of U.S. toddlers have received all their recommended shots—which means nearly one-fourth of toddlers do not get the mandated shots. The coalition says that public health officials need to counteract campaigns by advocacy groups who “believe vaccines can cause autism, despite scientific evidence to the contrary.”
California Passes Strong Anti-GE Law
"AB 541 provides much needed protection for farmers who typically lack the resources to fight lawsuits brought by biotech conglomerates," stated Renata Brillinger, director of the Genetic Engineering Policy Project, the coalition sponsoring AB 541. "This is a good first step towards establishing that Monsanto - not farmers - is legally responsible for the economic, environmental and health harms caused by their patented and uncontrollable products."
FDA Should Review Approval of Splenda - Potential Harmful Effect on Humans
"The report makes it clear that the artificial sweetener Splenda and its key component sucralose pose a threat to the people who consume the product. Hundreds of consumers have complained to us about side effects from using Splenda and this study, published this past week in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A, confirms that the chemicals in the little yellow package should carry a big red warning label," said James Turner, chairman of the national consumer education group Citizens for Health.
FDA Complicit in Pushing Pharmaceutical Drugs
The story is about the FDA's lack of oversight on drug advertising.
"While the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) turns a blind eye, drug companies are making false, unsubstantiated, and misleading claims in their advertising, often withholding mandated disclosure of dangerous side effects. Though companies are required to submit their advertisements to the FDA, the agency does not review them before they are released to the public."
This is part of Project Censored's of Top 25 Censored Stories for 2009. See the whole
list of censored stories here.
FDA Warns Drugmakers Over ADHD Ads
Five, count ‘em, five warning letters were sent by the agency to different drugmakers for incomplete, false or misleading promotional materials for ADHD meds. Among the ads cited - a YouTube video for Shire Pharmaceutical’s Adderall XR with Ty Pennington that was featured on the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” television show.
The charges would appear serious - the FDA says the drugmakers variously omitted material facts; miminized important risks; overstated efficacy or made unsubstantiated claims.
UK: Drug firms bankroll attacks on National Health System Drug Watchdog
The rising tide of protest over the refusal by the NHS to provide expensive drugs for cancer and other conditions is being funded by the pharmaceutical industry, an investigation by The Independent has revealed.
Patient groups that have been among the most vocal in spearheading attacks on the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) over decisions to restrict access to drugs on the NHS depend for up to half of their income on drug companies, but details are often undisclosed.
Example: The National Kidney Federation accused Nice of taking a "barbaric, damaging and unacceptable" decision when it turned down four kidney cancer drugs for NHS use this year and pledged to campaign against the decision. It did not criticise the cost of the drugs, at more than £3,000 for a 30-tablet pack. Half the NKF's £300,000 budget comes from the pharmaceutical and renal industries.
US Sen. Grassley Busts Major Depression Researcher Over Pharma Money
Between 2000 and 2006, Nemeroff took in almost $1 million in consulting fees and whatnot from GlaxoSmithKline but copped to making less than $35,000 on university disclosure forms. And that's just for one company. Nemeroff was reportedly on the advisory boards of 12 pharma companies. He took in about $1.8 million between 2000 and 2007 from other companies for a total of $2.8 million. That works out to $400,000 a year.
At this point, you have to wonder when Grassley is going to call for public hearings. And you've got to wonder when NIH is going to start withholding research grants from universities in order to force them to clean up the dirty world of research.
Actually,
Nemeroff did resign after the revelations.
News media often do not report potential sources of bias in medical research
News articles represent an important source of medical information for many patients, and even some physicians. "An increasingly recognized source of commercial bias in medical research is the funding of studies by companies with a financial interest in the results," the authors write. Little is known about how frequently news articles report the funding sources of the medical research they report on, or how frequently news articles use brand medication names instead of generic names, which could create commercial bias.
"Our findings raise several concerns. For patients and physicians to evaluate new research findings, it is important that they know how the research was funded so they can assess whether commercial biases may have affected the results. Additionally, the use of generic medication names by the news media is preferable so that physicians and patients learn to refer to medications by their generic names, a practice that is likely to reduce medication errors and may decrease unnecessary health care costs," the authors write.
Scientific evidence shows that ECT is ineffective and damages patients
Electro Convulsive Therapy is no therapy at all. That is the clear conclusion from research carried out by leading figures in the field and which the Wellbeing Foundation republishes here today as a public service in the continuing debate on ECT.
Other than ineffective, ECT is also barbaric.
A doctor’s summary of the AIDS deceptions
Fiala takes special note of the stunning willingness of HIV/AIDS researchers to react vehemently against any dispassionate and factual writings about HIV/AIDS without revealing their own conflicts of interest:
“What kind of quality of scientific judgement can we expect from experts who defend a widely-held belief that guarantees their income and who are unable to see an obvious conflict of interest?”
“Now that the obvious reality has finally been admitted, we can be relieved that the AIDS epidemic is not the killer we were made believe. But how can we prevent a similar deception in the future?"
MRI and mobile phone use stimulate mercury emission from dental amalgam
According to research published in the Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, magnetic resonance imaging and mobile phone use increase the release of toxic mercury from dental amalgam tooth fillings.
Cell Phone Execs Refuse to Appear Before Congress
The wireless industry association refused to appear before Congress today on a hearing about whether there is a link between cell phones and cancer.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich of, chair of the subcommittee of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which held a hearing Thursday, said that CTIA (The Wireless Association), the industry major trade association in Washington DC, declined his request to testify with scientists and government officials about the status of the scientific research on the topic.
Are Brain Cancer Rates Rising Among Young Adults?
In many ways, last Thursday's Congressional hearing on cell phone cancer risks, called by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), brought few surprises. David Carpenter and Ronald Herberman made the case for precaution, especially for children, while National Cancer Institute's Robert Hoover countered that he is not persuaded that there's anything to worry about.
One piece of compelling news did emerge, however —though it never made it into the mainstream press: Brain cancer appears to be on the rise among young adults. Herberman testified that, on looking at government statistics, he was "struck" by the fact that the incidence of brain cancer has been increasing over the last ten years, particularly among 20-29 year-olds. If the latency for brain tumors is more than ten years and cell phone are in fact responsible for the increase, cancer rates might not peak for at least another five years, according to Herberman.
Economy: Main Street Before Wall Street
Rather than seeking to restore the health of Wall Street’s predatory private institutions, a proper plan would seek to rid Wall Street of its purely predatory elements while dismantling and reassembling its useable institutions to create a new system accountable to the needs of Main Street...
Although the bailout - now called a rescue package - has been passed, we can still learn from the discussion that has revealed some of the hidden, darker side of the world's financial system turned casino for wealthy speculators.
Debating Peer Review and its more open Alternatives
“The mistake, of course, is to have thought that peer review was any more than a crude means of discovering the acceptability — not the validity — of a new finding. Editors and scientists alike insist on the pivotal importance of peer review. We portray peer review to the public as a quasi-sacred process that helps to make science our most objective truth teller. But we know that the system of peer review is biased, unjust, unaccountable, incomplete, easily fixed, often insulting, usually ignorant, occasionally foolish, and frequently wrong.”
- - -
More information out there...
There is much I cannot cover but other sources for this kind of information exist and are active.
You can subscribe to the Zeus Newsletterhere. Appears twice monthly. If you would like to see some samples of Louise's collection of informative links, here are the archives.
Dr Mercola's health blog and Mike Adams' Natural News have great health information.
The Alternative Medicine Yahoo Group is a place where you can discuss and exchange information on what is happening in the world of natural health.
For the influence of electromagnetic waves from radio, mobile phones and other radio emitting devices, check out the emfrefugee group on Yahoo.
If you are interested in a different take on the news that isn't health centered but is certainly fun, check out Robin Good TV News.
A few sites to keep up to date with the other side of world affairs, the stuff you won't necessarily find on your tv or in the papers:
http://therealnews.com/
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com
http://www.commondreams.org
http://www.globalresearch.ca/
http://rawstory.com/
http://www.truthout.org/
... and remember,
The individual is supreme and finds its way through intuition
Permalink
Comments off
