Food Facts and Risks

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

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

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

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

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

Check out the organic consumers organization on line too.

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

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

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

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

Docs still can't get it

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

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

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

December 26, 2006 Science Daily —

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

Safer Sources

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

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

Try some of our natural suggestions at Leaflady.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Something to think about

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

We wonder what took the FDA this long too!

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

Remember Kenny Easley?

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

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

So what isn't your doctor telling you?

Looking at the Lipitor Lies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Organic Consumers Fight Hijacked Seats on NOSB

More doing No-Gooding -

USDA ATTEMPTS TO PACK ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARD WITH CORPORATE AGRIBUSINESS REPS

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

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

USDA’s new appointees are:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"A SECRET KILLER"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Back to the drawing board for Pfizer, et al

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wise? Perhaps Not!

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

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

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

Some other thoughts may not have been considered.

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

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

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

Both of these common side effects lead to electrolype loss.

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

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

Liver and renal impariment are known to occur.

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

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

What other health problems arise as a result?

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

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

Why aren't other methods or natural treatments considered?

Deaths lead to end of drug trial

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

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

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

Think about it, it might mean your life.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tamiflu dangers reported

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

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

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

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

In the same breath

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

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

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

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

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

Fluoride destroys salmon too.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New Fluoride Warning for Infants

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By DIEDTRA HENDERSON, THE BOSTON GLOBE

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oprah needs to do better, Round II

I am amazed at the number of self-agrandizing 'health' pundits who gloat over what they believe to be the wonder food of the ages - soy.

Soy is not your friend, except in certain fermented foods such as tempeh and miso.

Soy is highly allergenic and very toxic to health. Most soy products are blended with toxic additives (SILK for instance). Soy has been connected with health problems in boys and men. For women it is risky too. And babies should not be given soy based formula.

Soy does suppress the function of your thyroid. And the carton, oddly enough, has plastic film linings containing fluoride, another thyroid suppressing element.

So Oprah, just because a guest has MD after their name might not mean they know the science.

On Dr. Roizen's diet shake recipe, leave out the soy milk.

And make sure to pass on any aspartame, neotame, acesulfame K and Splenda (this is a chlorinated hydrocarbon first developed as a pesticide). These are harmful synthetic chemicals that promote poor health.

(We have noted in the past that RealAge gives medical information that is not factual on many topics. They also do not respond well to criticism when better science is presented.)

"DIABETES: EPIDEMIC BY PRESCRIPTION"

For years we have warned against the over use of antibiotics, especially those containing aspartame (children's amoxicillin for example) and fluoride. Other concerns we have raised is the over use of SSRI anti-depressants and their association with the development of diabetes.

I guess we are not far removed from medical experimentation akin to that used at Tuskeegee Institute or in the Nazi regime.

Dr. Lisa Landymore-Lim, a PhD chemist specialising in immuniology, believes that a cause of insulin dependent childhood diabetes may be certain prescribed medical drugs. She's author of "Poisonous Prescriptions" in 1994. She was at first banned from entering Australia because of her research.
Two of the best known chemicals capable of damaging pancreatic beta cells - which produce insulin - are the antibiotics streptozocin & allaxan.
She was the first to notice that mothers who were prescribed more than 3 antibiotics during pregnancy were more likely to have asthmatic children. The Wellington Asthma
Research Group over a decade later finally reported that the earlier a child is exposed to antibiotics the more likely he is to develop asthma.
Some medical drugs displace zinc in the pancreas & attack the insulin-making cells. Such changes might activate the body's immune-defence system, resulting in antibodies directed against the beneficial beta cells, seeing them as a foreign body. She noticed big differences in diabetes rates in different UK areas & looked into doctors prescribing practices. East Anglia with the highest diabetes also has the highest
antibiotic prescribing rate compared with North West Thames area with the lowest diabetes & the lowest prescribing rate. Fourteen regions are listed in descending
order in the article.
Among the drugs suspected of being linked to diabetes are antibiotics such as amoxycillin & erythromycin; tranquillizers such as benzodiazopines & some blood pressure-lowering pills containing nifedipine.

Stretching Limits and a comment on those '0' second visitors

In this day of canned news it makes it hard to figure out what is meaningul information. Years ago something called "equal time: was available from media outlets. Not so true anymore.

Maybe this concept of "equal time" has something to do with the BLOG.

That's what we hope here.

We try to provide both sides of the story. We hope it gives you something to ponder, especially when it is on something as important as your health. The media and the government agenda are not always what you need to know.

Any most of all we hope you can benefit from our encouraging you to think.

Drivin' a Fast Car, Going Greater Distance

Check this out too - Acetone In Fuel Said to Increase Mileage
______________________________

300 MPG of Gas ? - HATE CRIMES
Energy Information

The Washington Post, Washington Times, Richmond Times Dispatch, Potomac News, Manassas Journal Messenger and many other print, radio/TV media outlets will not inform you of this information. After you read the following information, do you wonder why they won't inform you?

If you can, please help to distribute this information.

Please send suggestions and comments to: byronw@erols.com

So you think we have an energy problem? No, we have a political problem.

I want to relate to you some facts concerning various suppressed energy devices and the difficulty in informing the public of these devices. I hope that you can add some additional information.

On October 1, 1990, I began to keep a list of people contacted concerning energy devices. The list is now 51 pages long. The list includes the President and vice-president; 121 Members of Congress and other politicians; 21 government and state agencies; 215 members of the print and electronic media; 62 environmental groups; The President of United Auto Workers and 14 other UAW officials; The President of The American Automobile Association; many members of the clergy, including Mr. Pat Robertson, Christian Science Monitor; and numerous other "public interest" groups. Most of the people contacted do not respond to communications.

My own Congressman, Representative Frank Wolf, will not respond to a letter and 182 pages of documentation that I put in his hand on August 25, 1993. I wonder just who he does respond to? Could it be that money talks?

Note: In several of the following references information is followed by a (?) symbol, or a statement that the original material was stolen from me in 1986. This is because in those cases I am working from very poor copies of the original material. In 1986, I was visited by an intern reporter for the Washington Times who wanted to take my material back to the paper to make copies. What he did was steal my material and take it back to college with him. Had it not been for an Editor at the Washington Times, and the Dean at this intern's school, I would have lost a lot of my collection of energy material.

Here are the facts. Please verify this information for yourself. My comments are identified as [Comment: ].

1. Some folks at Shell Oil Co. wrote "Fuel Economy of the Gasoline Engine" (ISBN 0-470-99132-1); it was published by John Wiley & Sons, New York, in 1977. On page 42 Shell Oil quotes the President of General Motors, he, in 1929, predicted 80 MPG by 1939. Between pages 221 and 223 Shell writes of their achievements: 49.73 MPG around 1939; 149.95 MPG with a 1947 Studebaker in 1949; 244.35 MPG with a 1959 Fiat 600 in 1968; 376.59 MPG with a 1959 Opel in 1973. [Comment: The Library of Congress (LOC), in September 1990, did not have a copy of this book. It was missing from the files. I bought my copy from Maryland Book Exchange around 1980 after a professor informed me that it was used as an engineering text at the University of West Virginia.]

2. The book "Secrets of the 200 MPG Carburetor" is by Allan Wallace and was available, about 198(?), from Premier Distributing, 1775 Broadway, NY, NY, 10019. Page 18 has photocopies of three 1936 tests by the Ford Motor Co. (Canada) of the Pogue carburetor (U.S. Patent # 2,026,798). The worst case test achieved about 171 MP(US)G. [Comment: I can not provide any other publishing information because the book is among the material stolen from me in 1986. My copy of page 18 is very poor.] (click for U. S. Patent Office search engine)

3. Argosy Magazine, August 1977, has a five page article about Tom Ogle and the media witnessed test of the "Oglemobile". Tom Ogle, on that test run, achieved more than 100 MPG in a 4,600 pound 1970 Ford Galaxie. [Comment: When I attempted to find a copy of that Argosy Magazine, it was missing from LOC files in 1980. Argosy ceased publication, I was informed, a short time after the Ogle article was published. I could not find a copy of that Argosy issue at any library within 200 miles of my home. An Editor at the company that purchased Argosy, found and mailed a copy to me. While attempting to verify statements in the article, I spoke with Doug Lenzini(SP?) with the EL Paso Times. Mr.Lenzini informed me that he knew Tom Ogle, and the Oglemobile achieved more than 200 MPG. When I contacted the El Paso NBC affiliate that filmed the test run described in the Argosy article, I was informed that the person who had filmed the test had left the station and taken all the records with him.]

A. The Ogle U.S. Patent, #4,177,779, has this statement "I have been able to obtain extremely high gas mileages with the system of the present invention installed on a V-8 engine of a conventional 1971 American made automobile. In fact, mileage rates in excess of one hundred miles per gallon have been achieved with the present invention." According to the Argosy article, a Shell Oil Co. representative asked Ogle what he would do if someone offered him $25 Million for the system. Ogle responded "I would not be interested" He later said, "I've always wanted to be rich, and I suspect I will be when this system gets into distribution. But I'm not going to have my system bought up and put on the shelf. I'm going to see this thing through--that I promise." According to an article in The Washington Post Parade Magazine, March 4, 1984, Tom Ogle died of a drug and alcohol overdose in 1981. Other articles concerning Tom Ogle can be found in the El Paso Journal, January 16, 1980, and also, The Hamilton Spectator, June 24, 1978.

B. The Oglemobile, in simplification, ran on fumes extracted from a heated tank in the trunk (See the Ogle patent.) A very simple method of extracting gasoline fumes is described in a book, published in 1900, "Gas Engine Construction". This book was reprinted by Lindsay in 1986, ISBN 0-917914-46-5.

4. There are many U.S. Patents granted for vaporizing gasoline. NASA Patent 3,640,256; General Electric Co. Patent 3,926,150; Robinson Patent 4,003,969; Harpman Patent 4,023,538; ButlerPatent 4,068,636; Totten Patent 4,106,457. [Comment: Pete, "The Tree Man", was researching the Fish carburetor while staying in my home during the early 80's. He later sent me a 6 page list with more than 240 U.S. Patent numbers for vaporizing gasoline, other fuels and water.]

5. During the mid 70's, physicist Don Novak traveled all over the U.S. lecturing and teaching in his seminars how to achieve 100 MPG. He also testified, October 15, 1979, before a Wichita, KS, Congressional Committee on "Reinventing the Automobile". [Comment: I have known Don for many years. Once he brought to my home, in the late 70's, two carburetors; one got more than 200 MPG and the other more than 100 MPG. I contacted a local politician, who lives in my town, and was on the Virginia Energy Subcommittee. I tried to have this politician meet Don and see the carburetors. The politician was not interested.

6. In the London, England, Daily Telegraph, 10/20/83, on page 9, there is an advertisement for a production Pugeot Diesel that gets 52.3 MPG in urban driving. In the Washington Post, 9/19/83, page 37(?) is the 1983 U.S. EPA fuel economy list of various vehicles. The U.S. model Pugeot Diesel gets between 22 and 27 MPG. The Washington Times, 8/9/91, published an article, "Gas saving engines hit streets in fall". This article is about two engines, the Mitsubishi MVV engine, and the Honda VTEC-E. According to the company spokesmen, the Mitsubishi will get up to 50 MPG; the Honda, up to 88 MPG. [Comment: I visited a local Honda dealer and got a brochure on the production automobile with the VTEC-E engine, the specified MPG, as I recall, was 53 MPG. I know of no produced Honda that gets 88 MPG. I have no information on the production Mitsubishi MVV engine. I wonder if there is something that happens to fuel economy when an automobile is transported to the USA. Is it possible that these engines "un-tweak" themselves during transit?]

7. The U.S. Government supported (Grant No. DTNH22-91-Z-06014) a study of automobile fuel economy by the National Academy of Sciences. This study, "Automotive Fuel Economy--How Far Should We Go?" (ISBN 0-309-04530-4), was used by the staff of my then Congressman George Allen, to refute documentation proving that an automobile had exceeded 376 MPG. Nowhere in this "fuel economy study" is there any reference to the work of Shell Oil Co. or any other reference that could refute the conclusion of this report. The report concluded, Page 4, that a subcompact car might achieve between 39 and 44 MPG by model year 2006. Many committee meetings were held from May 15, 1991 to December 14, 1991, prior to the April 1992 publication of this report. Prior to publication of this report, I previously sent documentation to several participants of these meetings. The documentation proved that automobile fuel economies of between 49 and 376 MPG were achieved. None of the participants responded to my letters. Documentation was sent to: Jerry R. Curry, Administrator, National Highway Safety Administration, on 3/16/91; Senator Richard H. Bryan, on 3/7/91; Congressman Philip R. Sharp, on 2/18/91; Steve Plotkin, Office of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress, on 4/4/91; Charles Mendler, Energy Conservation Collation, on 11/2/90; Fred Smith, Competitive Enterprise Institute, on 4/16/91; Brian O'Neal, Center for Auto Safety, on 3/16/91; Clarence Ditlow, Executive Director, Center for Auto Safety, on 1/6/92. Previous documentation was also sent to members of organizations participating in these meetings, they are: John Koenig, Product planning Manager, Toyota Motor Co., on 3/18/91; Peter Clausen, Union of Concerned Scientist, on 10/28/90; John Morrill, American Council for Energy Efficiency, on 10/4/90. None of these people responded to my letters. [Comment: I know that at least one of my letters was received. The Union of Concerned Scientist keeps trying to get me to support their organization.]

8. An article "Automakers Move Toward New Generation Of Greener Vehicles" was published in "Chemical & Engineering News", August 1, 1994. This article is about "The Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles", a partnership between the U.S. Government and the auto industry that has a goal of an 80 MPG automobile by 2002. [Comment: In 1992 a government funded study concluded that a subcompact car might get between 39 and 44 MPG by model year 2006 (See #7 above). In 1994 the goal is 80 MPG by 2002. Is it possible that someone read the Shell Oil book? Or could someone have actually read my February 13, 1992 letter, and 95 pages of documentation, sent to then Candidate Clinton?] I wrote, September 8, 1994, to Deborah L. Illman, the author of the article, and to the editor, Michael Heylin of Chemical & Engineering News, on September 11, 1994 . No response was received from them. On September 11, 1994, I also wrote to Mary L. Good, Under Secretary for Technology, (USA) Department of Commerce. I received a response from Ms. Good. It was an undated, unaddressed, form letter. [Comment: I guess the fact that a vehicle could get 376 MPG or burn water for fuel would not be a politically correct finding. How could someone explain to the American people that it was necessary to send more than 600,000 of our citizens to the Mideast to defend oil wells if these facts were public information?]

9. Hybrid Diesel/Electric automobiles (A Diesel/Electric locomotive uses the same principle.) The Manassas Journal Messenger, April 4, 1981, has an article about a MG sports car converted by San Diego State University. The car gets 110 MPG. The Steven R. Reed Automobile Manufacturing Corp., Newport Beach, CA, issued a press release dated February 14, 1983. This release announces the February 23, 1983 showing of the 200 MPG, two passenger, II Millennium Cruiser at the Ambassador Hotel. The press release also states that the company will file "...a major class-action lawsuit involving a considerable number of giant American corporations within the automotive and petroleum industries, plus numerous branches and agencies of the U.S. Government responsible for regulating these companies." [Comment: Don Novak informed me that when none of the major news media attended the Millennium show, the company drove the car to CBS Television, Los Angeles, and parked it on the lawn. No one came out of the building to inspect the car. Don also stated that the president of the Steven R. Reed Corp. has been in hiding for some years.]

10. Mother Earth News, November/December 1977, has an article "Can This Transmission Really Double Your Car's Mileage?". This article is about a Ford Granada modified by Vincent Carman of Portland, Oregon. In simplification, Mr. Carman removed the transmission and drive shaft from the car and bolted a hydraulic motor to the differential. He then bolted a hydraulic pump to the engine to pressurize a storage tank. The storage tank is also pressurized when the car brakes or slows down. The article states that the U.S. Post Office is interested in a whole fleet of vehicles using this principle. In 1990, after reading an article in "Federal Times", I contacted Mr. Robert St.Francis, U.S. Postal Service, who was searching for alternative fuels for use by the Post Office. Mr. St.Francis said that he had never heard of Mr. Carman. I wrote two letters, October 18 & 21, 1990, to Mr. St.Francis concerning Mr. Carman's vehicle. I received no response. Another article in Mother Earth News, March/April 1976,8(?), titled "This Car Travels 75 Miles on a Single Gallon Of Gas", is about a project by the Minneapolis Minnesota's Hennepin Vocational Technical Center that converted a Volkswagen to a system similar to that of Mr. Carman. The idea for the conversion came from a 1920 magazine article. The car, with a Bradley GT body and a 16 horsepower Tecumseh engine (The original VW engine was too powerful), achieved more than 75 MPG at 70 MPH. [Comment: Could we combine the technology of Tom Ogle, 200 MPG, and the hydraulic drive cars and have a 400 MPG 4,600 pound car ?]

11. The St. Paul Pioneer News, August 22, 1990, has an article about a group that 11 years previously modified a Dodge half-ton pickup furnished by a local dealer. This modified truck got more than 35 MPG. Test stopped on this modification when a member of the group was told that he would receive a pair of cement boots if testing continued.

12. Hydrogen fuel. There are many U.S. and foreign patents for extracting hydrogen and oxygen gasses from water for use as a fuel. Some Patents are: July 2, 1935, Garrett, # 2,006, 675; April 3, 1945, Klein, # 2,373,032; February 25, 1975, Chambrin, French Patent Request # 75 06619; July 6, 1976, owner unknown by me, # 3,967,589 (This is a patent for an electrical power generator that burns water); 1976, Horvath, # 3,980,053. This statement is on the Horvath patent, "This invention relates to internal combustion engines. More particularly it is concerned with a fuel supply apparatus by means of which an internal combustion engine can be run on a fuel comprised of hydrogen and oxygen gasses generated on demand by electrolysis of water".; June 28, 1983, Meyer, # 4,398,981. Mr. Meyer has at least eight other patents relating to hydrogen and oxygen gasses extracted from water for fuel.

A. Popular Science, about 1978,9(?), published an article "Hydrogen bus- could also heat its own garage". This article is about the work of Dr. Helmut Buchner of Mercedes-Benz. He is quoted "We are ready now. We could save our city of Stuttgart over one million gallons of petroleum fuel a year by converting its fleet of 300 urban busses to run on hydrogen. Heating--and air conditioning--would be free spin-offs, consuming no extra energy.".

B. Popular Science, March 1978(?), published an article "Hydrogen-demonstrates fuel of the future". This article is about the work of Dr. Billings, Billings Energy Corp., Provo, Utah. and others. The article states that a home, all the appliances, and vehicles, can be run on hydrogen. Dr. Billings converted a Cadillac Seville for duel fuel use. This Cadillac, burning hydrogen, was in President Carter's inaugural parade.

[Comment: I had a photograph of Dr. Billings drinking the exhaust, water, from one of his engines.]

13. Completely sealed reciprocating engines. I visited the patent office years ago, when they still had the open stacks of "shoe boxes". While there, I read the application files for the Papp patent, #3,6(?)70,4944. Papp applied for a patent on his engine, and the patent office, after consultation with the old Atomic Energy Commission, refused to give him a patent because his device could not possibly work. Papp responded with test results, photographs and depositions from, I think, 16 people. Papp said that maybe the patent office didn't know how his device worked, and that theyalso didn't know how the atomic bomb worked, but used it anyway. This statement is on his patent "...2. To provide a two cycle reciprocating engine which does not use fuel intake valves or exhaust valves, does not require an air supply and does not emit gasses. 3. To provide a precharged engine of the character stated in item 2 capable of generating power for a period of from 2,000 to over 10,000 hours continuously or until mechanical breakdown without the addition of fuel injection of airor discharge of gasses...".

A. Papp has a similar patent granted in 1984. Unfortunately, the patent # is missing form the only sheet that I have.

B. Britt, August 31, 1976, has a patent, # 3,977,191, for a similar sealed engine. In the patent application file, Britt accuses the Patent Office of deliberately delaying his application to give a major manufacturer time to file on top of him.

14. Permanent Magnet Motor. Howard Johnson was granted U.S. Patent # 4,151,431, for a motor that is powered only by permanent magnets. An interesting thing about the first page of this patent is the chart of a magnetic field VS electromechanical coupling. The chart is from U.S. Patent # 4,151,432 which has nothing to do with the Johnson patent. Science and Mechanics, Spring 1980, published an article " Amazing Magnet-Powered Motor" about the Johnson patent. The article tells of his difficulties in having the device patented. The patent problem was solved when Johnson took working models of his device to the patent office. The magazine Science 83, May, published anarticle ridiculing perpetual motion machines, one of them was the Johnson motor. The Science article purports to quote from the prior Science and Mechanics article about Johnson. Because had both articles, I compared them, then called the author of the Science 83 article. When I stated that the information that he quoted was not in the prior article, he hung up saying "I will not be interrogated by you." . The editor of Science 83 also declined to speak with me. [Comment: Others have informed me that there are three other permanent magnet motor patents.]

15. The Moray device. Tom Moray, in the late 20s, had a device that could sit on a kitchen table and produce 50,000 Watts of power from a field that surrounds the earth. The operation of thisdevice was endorsed by many people. Moray's son, John, after the only copy of his father's book was stolen, wrote a book "The Sea of Energy in which the Earth Floats". The book is about his father's work. During the early 80s, I visited many congressional offices in an unsuccessful attempt to have any Member of Congress do something about the technology hidden from the American people. When I visited Congressman Ron Paul's office, a staffer said to me "I have something that you should read, come to my residence on Saturday." This staffer gave me a letter to Congressman Paul from Tom Bearden, and the 40 page document attached to the letter. The document is a book that Mr. Bearden has written. In this book, Mr. Bearden states that the Moray device could produce 1.5 megawatts of power. Also that the Russians had adapted the Moray device to power a weapon. The weapon statement is supported by a drawing from "Aviation Week and Space Technology", July 28, 1980. [Comment: Do you think that the local power company could justify a price increase if the power came from a field around the earth? This book was also missing from the LOC in 1990.]

16. The Energy Machine of Joe Newman. I have spoken with Joe many times over several years. He has recently published the seventh edition of "The Energy Machine of Joseph Newman" (ISBN 0-9613855-7-7) The book is available from: Joseph Westly Newman, Route 1, Box 52, Lucedale, Mississippi, 39452, Phone # (601)-947-7174. [Comment: I have no doubts that his machine works as he describes it. To learn of the problems that this man has had with "The Establishment" read his book. Joe filed suit against the U.S. Patent office because they would not grant him a patent. According to Joe's book, pages 274 to 279, the Court appointed a Special Master, Mr. William E. Schuyler, a former Commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office , to advise the Court. The findings of the Special Master were that Mr. Newman had invented a machine that had more output than input. The Court refused to accept the findings. I urge you to read this 471 page book. This machine is not "bogus" as stated by others. On February 5, 1996, I was one of several hundred people, in Mobile, AL, to see the Newman Energy Machine in operation. The machine was pumping water while running a power meter, similar to the one on your house, backwards.]

17. Cold Fusion. Despite the rejection of some in the USA, cold fusion is a going operation in other places. The monthly magazine "New Energy News", P.O. Box 58639, Salt Lake City, UT 84158-8639, has information on many successful results in cold fusion. The magazine also has information on "free energy devices".

18. "The Energy Non-Crisis", published in 1980 by Worth Publishing Co., P.O. Box, 1243,Wheatridge, CO 80033, is written by Chaplain Lindsey Williams. Chaplain Williams was on the Alaska Pipeline during the construction and got so fed-up with the deliberate lies of the media, he came back to tour the "lower 48", and tell the truth. According to Chaplain Williams, (Chapter 16) Gull Island, has a pool of oil as big as, and maybe bigger, than Purdhoe Bay. Our Government ordered ARCO "...to seal the documents, withdraw the rig, cap the well, and not release the information about the Gull Island find." A video tape of a speech that Chaplain Williams gave to a group at Salt Lake City, about 1980, is possibly available from: The National Center For Constitutional Studies, 1-800-388-4512. [Comment: I sent the Williams tape and a lot of other information to our current Secretary of Energy. The response that I received, after a second letter, was, essentially, no response.]

I hope that this information will raise questions as to why we are dependent on foreign oil. All our government has to do, to take more money from our pockets, is to have an energy crisis or raise the cost of energy. The only financial interest that I have in any of above devices is that of a concerned consumer who is tired of the deliberate lies and cover-ups.

Byron Wine, May 24, 1996 byronw@erols.com
2006 - from e-mail, page now at: http://byronw.www1host.com/

We Ask You To Say No, To Prove You Really Care

ANOTHER FLU VACCINE PUSH COMING SOON

Dear Friends -

When connecting with family and friends it would be a good time to discuss the flu vaccine. CDC is gearing up for a new event -- National Influenza Vaccination Week -- slated for November 27 - Dec. 3.

Writing letters to the editor or simply sharing with those you love the following is a good way to show you truly CARE.

We are continually receiving stories of people dying or being hospitalized shortly after receiving this year's flu vaccine....

FMI - VACLIB

Following are some flu vaccine facts -- most people have no idea!

A few flu vaccine facts
* Approximately 115 million doses of flu vaccine will be available during the 2006-2007 flu season from 4 different vaccine manufacturers
* Studies show that flu vaccines do not prevent the flu in both children and the elderly. To determine the value of flu vaccines to children, Tom Jefferson, MD, and colleagues at the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research, looked at over a thousand studies. They selected 14 high-quality clinical trials in which vaccinated children had been compared with unvaccinated children. The combined results of these 14 trials were reported in the British journal The Lancet (2/26/05). Their conclusion: “We recorded no convincing evidence that vaccines can reduce mortality, [hospital] admissions, serious complications, and community transmission of influenza.”
* The CDC now recommends flu vaccines for babies 6-23 months because they tend to suffer more complications once they get the flu, however no evidence supports the recommendation. The Cochrane reviewers found that vaccines had little effect on bronchitis, ear infections, and hospitalizations, compared with the babies given placebo vaccines. In short, the CDC recommendations are irresponsible given the fact that the only two studies that involved babies found no benefit and little is known about adverse effects of these vaccines for babies.
* The review follows on the heels of a study that looked at three decades' worth of data and found that vaccines for the elderly are not as effective as previously thought. And contrary to conventional medical wisdom, vaccines do not reduce flu-related deaths in elderly people.
* More than 90% of this year's flu vaccine supply will contain 25 micrograms of mercury, which means there is not enough mercury-free flu vaccine available for children under the age of 3 and pregnant women (8 million being made versus a 15-20 million estimated need)
* A Sanofi-Pasteur spokesman, the only vaccine manufacturer making thimerosal-free flu vaccines, confirmed that enough vaccine to supply all children could be made, and he was quoted as saying "he had no idea why health officials were not ordering more mercury-free vaccine."
* The CDC's cost for a mercury-containing vial of flu vaccine is $9.71. A comparable mercury-free package (each with 10 doses) costs $12.02
* Thimerosal (49.6% ethyl mercury) has never been tested for safety and no proof exists that it is safe. On the contrary, there are thousands of documents in the literature that discuss its extreme toxicity, starting with Thimerosal's own Material Safety Data Sheet that, amongst other things, states:
"Exposure Guidelines: Thimerosal - no known occupational limits established... Exposure to mercury in utero and in children can cause mild to severe mental retardation and mild to severe motor coordination impairment... Target Organ Effects: Mercury - Nervous system effects (insomnia, tremor, anorexia, weakness, headache), liver effects (jaundice, digestive effects (hypermotility, diarrhea)."
* A single mercury-containing flu vaccine given to a 6-month old child will exceed the EPA's safe daily limit for mercury by 33-fold
* The Centers for Disease Control released a study in Pediatrics that cited a correlation between Thimerosal-containing vaccines and both "tics" and "language delay" in children
* On Friday, October 27, 2006, the Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs (CoMeD) filed an amended complaint in U.S. Federal Court, disputing the FDA response it received on September 26, 2006, defending the use of mercury in medicine. CoMeD is asking the court to compel the FDA to: comply with the law, follow existing regulations, and provide proof of the safety and efficacy of mercury in drugs. The lawsuit was originally filed in August 2006 because the FDA had failed to answer the issues raised in a CoMeD citizen petition (FDA Docket: 2004P-0349), filed on Wednesday, August 4, 2004, by representatives from CoMeD. Of concern is that mercury, which is second only to plutonium in toxicity, remains in at least 45 different prescribed and
over-the-counter drugs (according to the FDA), including various eye ointments, ear solutions, nasal sprays, vaccines, biologics, and perhaps most importantly, in flu vaccines currently being administered to millions of pregnant women, children, and the elderly.
* The record 115 million flu vaccines available for this year’s flu season has CDC officials worried they will have more vaccines than people willing to receive them. The previous record of 95 million vaccines produced for the 2002-2003 flu season left 12 million unused vaccines at the end of the season that had to be disposed
of [in a hazardous waste dump??] CDC officials said they want to prevent a repeat of that experience and are promoting Nov. 27 – Dec. 3 as “National Influenza Vaccination Week.”

Facts: from PutChildrenFirst.org and VacLib.org

Flu Shots -

Necessity, Luxury or Detriment?

Do you know that over 90 percent of this years' 115 million flu shots contain mercury? Only eight million mercury free shots were manufactured which are about half of what is “recommended” for the nations' children under 2 years plus pregnant women.

Health officials are afraid several million shots of flu vaccine will “go to waste” this year and are pushing to sell this “excess” but is there any scientific evidence that a flu shot is beneficial?

From 1900 to 1979, deaths associated with flu and pneumonia declined by about 90 percent. Because flu vaccine was little used in that era, it is obvious that natural immunity to influenza exists and the primary way we protect natural immunity and thus decrease death from flu and pneumonia is through a combination of sanitation and nutrition.

Does vaccination boost natural immunity to the flu? Or do we need more improvements in sanitation and especially nutrition? From 1980 to 2000, several related events occurred: The number of all US seniors over age 65 increased about 40 percent. Yet deaths from flu and pneumonia in the over 65 almost doubled. And flu vaccine usage in this time more than tripled.

Obviously, the flu vaccine is ineffective in the older age group, but what about the other end of the age spectrum? An international organization that evaluates medical research found two studies involving 1000 toddlers that indicated that the flu vaccine is no more effective in this age group at preventing the flu than does a placebo.

Research flu vaccine issues at: www.vaclib.org/fluindex.htm.
Paid for by: DRD, MT

Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, DO
November 20, 2006
NewsWithViews.com

Just as busy shoppers start scrambling to put together their Christmas lists, the government will be urging them to add one more thing to their packed "to do" list: Get a flu shot.

CDC officials are planning a massive media blitz during the week of November 27 to December 3, 2006 to promote "National Influenza Vaccination Week." The flu shot campaign, which usually begins in August, has once again been derailed by delivery delays. Shots are normally given in September ostensibly to allow time for people to develop the antibody that is to protect them throughout the flu season. But the CDC has apparently rationalized that any time to get the shot is better than not getting it at all.

The director of the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Julie Gerberding has gone on record saying, "We are concerned that we're going to have more doses of flu (vaccine) than we might use."[1] With all the hype that occurred earlier this year over the potential of a bird flu pandemic, manufacturers anticipated an unprecedented demand for the shot. In preparation, a record 110 million doses were produced for the 2006-07 season. Fearing that millions of those vials will be tossed in the trash-literally money down the drain-the CDC is pulling rank and pushing for a massive vaccination campaign to inject us will begin right after Thanksgiving.

The previous record, 95 million doses, was manufactured for the 2002-03 season. When 12 million flu shots went unused, one manufacturer quit making them. To prevent manufacturers from backing out of the flu shot business-the government will need them if a human form of bird flu arrives in the US-the CDC and other medical establishments, such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, will push hard to get everyone to roll up their sleeves and get in line. The organizations that claim to put public health first are showing their hands: Their role is to protect the profits of the pharmaceutical companies at the expense of the health of general public.

Guillian Barre: A real risk

A report was released on October 9, 2006 by the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) called, "Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) After Vaccination in United States." Of the 54 cases of documented GBS that occurred in 2004, 57% (31) of the patients had developed the condition after receiving an influenza vaccine.

GBS is an inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nerves (those outside the brain and spinal cord) characterized by an acute onset of weakness and paralysis. Called "ascending paralysis," it starts in the legs and moves up the body eventually attacking the muscles that aid in breathing. The result is often respiratory failure. Treatment frequently involves long term hospitalization in the intensive care unit, with most patients needing the assistance of a respirator. Residual neurological deficits can remain in up to 40% of people, and mortality ranges from 5%-10%.[2]

While officials downplay the actual risk, stating that the risk is negligible compared to the number of shots administered, if you happen to be the unfortunate one to contract this illness, the results can be horrific. An excerpt from a story reported on November 18, 2002 in The Public Health Reporter, published in Canada,[3] brings the vivid details to light:

"A 47-year old executive, Brain Claman, thought he was too busy to bother with the flu, so when his company offered the shots on site, he was one of the first in line. Two weeks later, he woke up with a severe headache and leg weakness, and by that same afternoon, he was placed in the intensive care unit and on a respirator, completely paralyzed. After eight months in the hospital, he had to relearn to walk. The report said that, in his own words, "Never in my wildest dreams -- or maybe I should say nightmares -- could I have imagined almost losing my life to the flu shot."

Like the expression "all politics is local," the reality of a vaccine reaction is personal. Vaccine research is designed to look for injury trends in large populations. One has to wonder if the epidemiological studies are specifically designed to dismiss the significance of an injury when it occurs in an individual. The VAERS database reportedly logs more than 12,000 injuries from vaccines per year. This does not prove causality; in fact, causality is difficult to prove. In my opinion, that is because the medical literature and the Vaccine Injury Compensation Table are stacked against identifying causality.

Injuries such as GBS are dramatic, and fortunately, they are uncommon overall. But knowing what comes through the needle of a flu shot should make each person pause. What is the bigger risk, the possibly getting the flu or the flu shot itself.

Flu Shot Production: What's In That Needle?
(The following information is excerpted from Chapter 9 of FOWL! Bird Flu: It's Not What You Think entitled "What's Coming Through That Needle.")

After the influenza viruses are separated from the eggs they are grown in, they are inactivated (killed) with formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. The surface antigens, (H) and (N) are then "split" by a detergent called Triton® X-100. The process spreads the surface antigens apart, increasing the probability of developing an antibody response. Traces of Triton X-100, made by Dow Chemical, can remain in the vaccine solution. Product information on this compound states the following: "Excellent detergent, dispersant and emulsifier for oil-in-water systems. Uses: Household & industrial cleaners, paints & coatings, pulp & paper, textile, agrochemical, metal working fluids, oilfield chemicals.[4]

The suspension of viruses and chemicals is further concentrated in a centrifuge using a sucrose (table sugar) solution and then suspended in sodium phosphate-buffered isotonic salt solution. In one of the final steps, a 0.05 percent concentration of gelatin is added as a stabilizer, and in many cases, thimerosal, the mercury-based preservative, is still added to the multidose vials of the flu vaccine.[5] Some types of influenza vaccines also include 500 micrograms of gentamicin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic, added during the production process to inhibit the growth of bacteria that may be in the suspension.

Two other chemicals, tri-butylphosphate and polysorbate 80, then become part of the "chemical soup" of the vaccine. Tri-butylphosphate, a detergent and polysorbate 80, also known as Tween80™, is an emulsifier. Both are used to disrupt the surface of the virus, making the (H) and (N) antigens more accessible to the immune system. Polysorbate 80 is also found in ice creams and other "fake foods." Resin is added to ostensibly eliminate "substantial portions" of these chemicals, but undoubtedly, residuals of these chemicals remain in the vaccine when injected.

By the time the flu shot is ready for packaging, the solution contains the following: various egg proteins, viral contaminants from the eggs, Triton-X100, formaldehyde, resin, gelatin, tri-butylphosphate, polysorbate 80, and in some instances gentamicin. To preserve this chemical brew, in doses of up to 25 micrograms thimerosal (a mercury derivative) is still added to some of the shots. After detailing this vivid description of the manufacture of the influenza vaccine, the thought of injecting this into your body-or the body of your baby-should be repugnant.

For those not repulsed by the idea of injecting the previously described solution into your body, perhaps knowing that the vaccine won't prevent you from getting the flu will add to your perspective.

The fact that the flu shots are ineffective in every age group hardly seems to matter to CDC and others who continually promote their use. Multiple studies published in highly reputable publications have documented that flu shots are ineffective in all ages. For example, The Cochrane Collaboration produced a series of articles in 2005-and again an additional article published in the British Medical Journal, October 28, 2006[6] -that reviewed the published literature to evaluate the effectiveness of the flu shot. Nothing substantiating its usefulness was found. (Read the full story behind the lack of flu shot effectiveness here.

People across the country are waking up and speaking out against what they are allowing to be injected into their bodies, and the bodies of their children. They are no longer accepting that injecting viruses, bits of bacteria and traces of chemicals into their infants is a way to keep them well. Too many have personal experience with adverse effects to continue to accept that high vaccination rates and low infection rates are the only measure of Public Health.

After the Thanksgiving holiday, when the news blares stories about the importance of the getting the flu shot and dutifully lists locations of local flu shot clinics, don't let it interrupt your day. Keep shopping and stay on task with your holiday chores. Both are much more productive uses of your time.

Footnotes:

1. CDC Urges More People to Get Flu Shots. By Mike Stobbe. November 11, 2006. Associated Press
2. Fanion, David. Guillain-Barré Syndrome
3. "Flu shot left executive paralyzed," by Andre Picard. Public Health Reporter. Monday, November 18, 2002, Page A1.
4. "Octyphenol Ethoxylate," The Dow Chemical Company. (http://www.dow.com.)
5. "Influenza Virus Vaccine Fluzone 2005-2006 Formula," package insert. Aventis Pasteur (company name has since changed to Sanofi Pasteur MSD. Update 14 February 2006).
6, Jefferson, Thomas. Influenza vaccination: policy versus evidence. BMJ 2006;333:912-915 (28 October)
© 2006 Sherri Tenpenny - All Rights Reserved
Dr. Sherri Tenpenny is respected as one of the country's most knowledgeable and outspoken physicians regarding the impact of vaccines on health. Through her education company, New Medical Awareness, LLC, she spreads her vision of retaining freedom of choice in healthcare, including the freedom to refuse vaccination. A portion of this article is an excerpt from her new book, FOWL! Bird Flu: It's Not What You Think, released in April, 2006. For daily updates on the bird flu, including the real reasons behind the hype, and a bi-weekly e-Newsletter with Dr. Tenpenny's commentary go to www.BirdFluHype.com

Know the facts and save your health.
Read our post on vitamin C in this BLOG for healthy help against the flu.

Reuters reports on nutrition for mental health

Going on seven decades or so, brave medical pioneers have stated that nutrition and supplements are a key factor in preventing and recovering from mental health problems. Now finally in mainstream news, these stories might make people question modern drugs that so quickly lead to dangerous outcomes.
This writer doesn't need to wonder why US drug makers find that more natural treatments "are not effective".
Maybe this "lack of effectiveness" is in the ability of high quality and properly prepared natural products to really do the job.

Fish oils, vitamins, herbs helpful for depression

Diet and nutrition may play a key role in helping people fight depression, Australian researchers report.

A number of nutrients, including polyunsaturated fatty acids, St. John's Wort and several B vitamins, have the potential to influence mood by increasing the absorption of chemical messengers in the brain, Dr. Dianne Volker of the University of Sydney in Chippendale and Jade Ng of Goodman Fielder Commercian in North Ryde, New South Wales note in the journal Nutrition and Dietetics.

There is a wealth of epidemiological, experimental and circumstantial evidence to suggest that fish and the oils they contain, in particular omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, are protective against depression, Volker and Ng write. They point out that the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 may also be important, given that the latter can prevent the body from absorbing the former.

Another candidate for dietary prevention of depression is the amino acid tryptophan, which is found in foods, including turkey, and is responsible for the drowsiness people feel after eating a hearty Thanksgiving dinner. The body converts tryptophan to the neurotransmitter serotonin, suggesting the amino acid may have modest effects on mood.

But studies investigating whether the B vitamin folate, vitamins B6 and B12, and S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) play a role in depression have had conflicting results, the researchers write.

And while European studies have found that St. John's Wort has antidepressant effects, US clinical trials have shown the opposite, which some think may be due to the herb's interaction with other medications.

Volker and Ng conclude: "The role of balanced nutrition in mental health should be recognized," thus allowing for the use of nutrition and relevant nutrients in the maintenance of good mental health.

SOURCE: Nutrition and Dietetics 2006.

Will the real cause of peripheral neuropathy please stand up

I was looking at socks in the store the other afternoon. A woman, also looking at socks, and I struck up a conversation. It happened that she stated she is diabetic and suffers from terrible leg pain. She told me she is taking Lyrica (that drug that causes platelet depletion) and it is not working at all. She also told me that she has been taking Lipitor for years.

I guess this is the 64 thousand dollar question - Is it Lipitor or is it Diabetes?

Neuropathy is well known to be associated with statin drug use. David Gaist was one of the first physician researchers to report this to the medical community in the journal, Neurology, in the year, 2002.

In his original paper he expressed concern for the increased susceptibility to neuropathy among diabetics placed on statin drugs.

He estimated that diabetics had as much as a sixteen fold increase in risk of neuropathy when statin drugs are used but stressed that non-diabetics also are susceptible.

The symptoms of numbness, tingling, burning and pain are now known to thousands of statin users. Any peripheral nerve can be involved.

The mechanism of action appears to relate to the ubiquinone depletion resulting from statin drugs in what might be called collateral damage from the effect of statins on the mevalonate pathway.

One of the important functions of ubiquinone, in the form of ubiquinol, is the maintenance of cell wall integrity. Every cell in our body depends on ubiquinol for cell wall turgidity and stability.

When inadequate for whatever reason, cell wall integrity is compromised and breakdown of the cell results. Neuropathy, myopathy and even liver cell inflammation all appear to be based upon ubiquinone depletion. Ubiquinone is perhaps better known as Coenzyme Q10 or just CoQ10**.

Certainly no mainstream medical practitioner would dare suggest the use of high dose natural vitamin E to treat and prevent neuropathy. Those who follow biochemistry and orthomolecular approaches to remedy health problems just might.

Afterall, these colleagues of mine, not unlike me, actually read the research.

Now consider that statin drugs are implicated in TGA (transient global amnesia). You ask is it the drug or Alzheimer's? And just how many airline pilots are taking these drugs? (a great attorney class action idea, eh?)

Thanks to SpaceDoc Duane Graveline for his energy in documenting so many problems with these drugs. He is one of the few that also recognizes Red Rice Yeast as having similar health risks as the Rx.

** It is recommended that any one taking any statin or cholesterol lowering drug also take CO Q 10, at least 100 mg daily, or more.

Oprah needs to do better

I am not one of those who feign over Oprah, but I happened to watch the re-run of her program on depression and the Crespi twins murder by their father.

I applaud the mother and her actions in this terrible tragedy. I am not so sure I can do the same for Oprah.

I work in legal and forensic nursing, and I have extensive experience with the pharmacology used in mental health, as a therapist.

With all the press on the homicidal and suicical behaviors linked to the currently used anti-depressants, I am surprised at Oprah's lack of understanding of the issues surrounding these drugs.

This is related to some of the older psychotropic drugs coming back into use. And, it includes the too quick change from one SSRI to another, along with the lack of informed consent. This is required by law, and prescribers are not educating patients on the risks v. benefits of the drugs as is their duty.

In the greater Chicago area is an organization that takes a 'different' view of mental health. With the assests of Harpo Productions it would be very easy for Oprah and her staff to invite Bill Walsh, PhD, director of that organization, to be a guest on her program to speak about depression.

The guest she did have on the program, a forensic psychiatrist, gave a very simplistic overview of the problem.

Depression is not just in your brain.

Also consider the problems with our military, giving the same drugs while they serve, and the consequences.

For more information -
Natural Mental Health
Safe Harbor Project
Veteran's Help Page

David Crespi was taken back to prison in handcuffs after a judged accepted his guilty plea and sentenced him to two consecutive life sentences for the murders of his twin daughters.

Crespi did address the court. In doing so, he apologized to his family and his late daughters Tess and Sara.

He said the girls “deserved to grow up” and continued to do what they did best which is, “to give love and receive love.”

He also thanked the doctors who treated him in prison and said “for the first time in my life I have been diagnosed correctly. It made me appreciate the horror of what I have done.”

David Crespi pleaded guilty Friday morning in the January stabbing deaths of his twin daughters in a plea deal that will spare the Matthews father a death sentence.

It is a very trying and emotional time for some of the first officers who arrived on the murder scene. Those officers took the stand and described what they saw.

A 20-year veteran of the police department broke down on the witness stand and his partner said seeing the murder scene was the worst thing he has ever seen.

Officer Valerie Gordon talked to Crespi after the murders at police headquarters. She said Crespi told her that he planned to kill the girls together during a game of hide-and-seek. Crespi told Gordon he stabbed Samantha in the kitchen and that Tessara ran away from him and hid upstairs.

Crespi told Gordon that after stabbing Samantha he went and found Tessara hiding upstairs in a master bedroom closet. Gordon said Crespi pulled Tessara from the closet and stabbed her as she yelled, ‘No daddy no.’”

Crespi tells police he was suffering from severe depression when he killed Tessara and Samantha on Jan. 20. Crespi called 911 and told dispatchers he stabbed the girls multiple times.

Online - http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/stories/wcnc-071706-jmn-Crespi.201b20cc.html

He was a senior vice president of Wachovia and had been on medical leave at the time of the murders. He was home alone with the twin girls. His wife and their other three children were not home at the time.

Officer J.T. Franklin was one of the first officers on the stand Friday morning and talked about finding Samantha in the kitchen. “She had a very large knife sticking out of her chest.”

Franklin then realized she was dead.

“She looked like a little China doll lying there,” he said on the stand.

Officer Andy Motloch also took the stand Friday. He was one of the first officers to arrive at the murder scene. Motloch thought he found a faint pulse on one of the girls and took her outside in an effort to get her to paramedics faster, but she was already dead.

A blood stained knife used in the stabbings was introduced as evidence.

Crespi agreed to an interview with our news partner The Charlotte Observer. Reporter Gary Wright talked with Crespi behind bars during a recent interview at Central Prison in Raleigh.

“I asked him if he had nightmares and said he didn’t have nightmares. But that he woke in the middle of the night crying and asking himself what have I done and how could I have done this?” Wright said.

The sentencing phase in the now underway as part of the plea deal. 6NEWS reporter Mark Boone is inside the courtroom. He said they expect to hear from Crespi himself.

Crespi is expected to face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

She Survived Iraq -- Then Shot Herself at Home
By Greg Mitchell
Published: November 13, 2006 12:10 PM ET

NEW YORK Her name doesn't show on any official list of American military deaths in the Iraq war, by hostile or non-hostile fire, who died in that country or in hospitals in Europe or back home in the USA. But Iraq killed her just as certainly.

She is Jeanne "Linda" Michel, a Navy medic. She came home last month to her husband and three kids (ages 11, 5, and 4), delighted to be back in her suburban home of Clifton Park in upstate New York. Michel, 33, would be discharged from the Navy in a few weeks, finishing her five years of duty.

Two weeks after she got home, she shot and killed herself.

"She had come through a lot and she had always risen to challenges," her husband, Frantz Michel, who has also served in Iraq, lamented last week. Now he asks why the Navy didn't do more to help her.

Michel's story has now been probed by reporter Kate Gurnett in today's Albany Times-Union. It's headlined, "A casualty far from the battlefield."

And yet, in many ways, not far at all.

Why did it happen? "Like thousands of others returning from Iraq, her mental state was fractured," Gurnett explains. "And it went untreated. Within two weeks, Linda Michel would become a private casualty of war. Re-entry into the world of peace can be harder than deployment, experts say. Picking up where you left off doesn't just happen. ...

"Women experience stronger forms of post-traumatic stress disorder and have higher PTSD rates, experts say. In response, the Veterans Affairs Department launched a $6 million study of female veterans.
Seeking treatment -- seen by some as a weakness -- may be even tougher for women, who still feel the need to prove themselves to men in military service."

In fact, this past August, three veterans in New York's Adirondack region committed suicide within three weeks, according to Helena Davis, deputy director of the Mental Health Association in New York.

Michel has served under extremely stressful conditions at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq, a U.S-run prison where guards shot four inmates dead in a 2005 riot -- and an episode of female mudwrestling drew headlines. Michel was treated for depression and prescribed Paxil, but they took her off that medicine when she returned home. Her husband was not informed.

"I just wish the Navy would have done some more follow-up, instead of just letting her come home," Frantz, who is on the division staff of the Army National Guard, told the reporter. "If somebody needs Paxil in a combat zone, then that's not the place for them to be. You either send them to a hospital or you send them home and then make sure that the family members know and that they get follow-up care."

He has pressed the Navy for answers: "Why wasn't she sent to a facility to resolve the issues? Not keep her in Iraq and give her some antidepressant medication and then just send her home. So those are the answers that I don't have. Which makes me a little angry because I know what is supposed to occur."

The Times Union carried another lengthy story on Sunday, by Dennis Yusko, on post-traumatic stress syndome (PTSD) and Iraq veterans. "The number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans getting treatment for PTSD at VA hospitals and counseling centers increased 87 percent from September 2005 to June 2006 -- to 38,144, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs," Yusko revealed.

"At least 30 percent of those who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan are now diagnosed with PTSD, up from 16 percent to 18 percent in 2004, said Charlie Kennedy, PTSD program director and lead psychologist at the Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Of the 400 Capital Region vets in the program, 81 served in Iraq or Afghanistan, Kennedy said, and that number is growing. 'This kind of warfare is devastating,' Kennedy said. 'You don't know who is your friend and who is your enemy.'"
***
Related E&P columns by Greg Mitchell:
-- Revealed: U.S. Soldier Killed Herself After Objecting to Interrogation Techniques
-- A Suicide in Iraq -- Part II
Greg Mitchell (gmitchell@editorandpublisher.com) is editor of E&P.
Links referenced within this article
Revealed: U.S. Soldier Killed Herself After Objecting to Interrogation Techniques
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003345862
A Suicide in Iraq -- Part II
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003352534
gmitchell@editorandpublisher.com
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/mailto:gmitchell@editorandpublisher.com
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