Ergopharm Mass Meal

Here’s a quickie on the Banana Cream flavor of Ergopharm Mass Meal. Ergopharm Mass Meal is a weight gainer that is formulated to maximize lean musce mass growth and minimize body fat gain.

Taste: 10/10 - When I was opening the container, I smelled something similar to banana nut bread. I love banana nut bread and banana nut muffins! I used my finger to get a sample taste and it tasted pretty good. I think that Mass Meal tasted a lot better than Muscle Milk, and Muscle Milk is some pretty good stuff. It’s not as sweet as Muscle Milk though. Needless to say, I’ll be adding it to my favorites list.

Mixability: 9.5/10 - I used a spoon to stir it up, and it didn’t too long. Maybe 15-20 seconds… with a spoon!

Cost: 8/10 – Around $25 for 2.6lbs. It’s priced just about the same as Muscle Milk. You’re paying for quality and taste, which in my opinion is worth it.

TY Pennington - We love you and love what you do but please Wake Up and Get Some Facts

There is effective, non-drug help available for children and adults labelled with this diagnosis.
FMI contact us.

ADHD Fraud

"The ADHD Fraud is vital reading for everyone. The information is factual, easy to read and debunks every lie that psychiatrists have spun about childhood 'mental disorders' and the drugs used to 'treat' them. It cannot be emphasized enough the urgency with which this book needs to be broadly distributed if we are truly going to safeguard our future generation."

Dr. Baughman's long-awaited book is acclaimed for providing much needed, detailed and practical advice on how to prevent children from being labeled as victims of "ADHD" and other "mental disorders."

"Read the book and weep—for the children, and for the intellectual dishonesty that now inhabits the core of American psychiatry."

Robert Whitaker, author of Mad in America

"This book documents (how) the charlatan (quack) psychiatric profession abuses normal, healthy children with brain-destructive drugs for the unconscionable purpose of creating so-called 'mental illnesses' such as ADHD, for financial gain."

Congressman Ron Paul (M.D.)(Texas)

Drug Gets New Warnings

First they tell you you have cancer, you accept the drugs, and wonder of wonders, look at your risk.

Oh, did they explain the risk of the drug before you signed?

If you are interested in more information about healthier options

By MATTHEW PERRONE Business Writer
Sept. 25, 2006 © 2006 The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Federal health officials have changed the labeling of a Genentech cancer drug to include warnings of a rare brain-bleeding condition and deterioration of nasal tissue.

The Food and Drug Administration notes today on its Web site that the company's drug Avastin can possibly cause a rare brain-capillary leak syndrome that leads to headache, seizure, blindness and other visual and neurological problems. According to Genentech, less than 0.1 percent of the 60,000 patients treated with Avastin have reported the condition, which is reversible.

Genentech began reviewing safety data for Avastin after the brain-bleeding condition was described in two letters-to-the-editor published in the March issue of the "New England Journal of Medicine."

In a letter posted to the FDA's Web site today, Genentech updated physicians on the labeling changes, which also include a warning of possible nasal septum perforation.

The condition, reported in seven patients, results in a small hole between the cartilage separating the two nostrils. Side effects include bleeding and nasal discharge.

Avastin, which accounted for $1.1 billion in Genentech's revenue in fiscal 2005, is currently used with chemotherapy to treat colorectal cancer. Genentech has applied for FDA approval to use the drug in breast cancer and advanced lung cancer. Avastin works by inhibiting a protein that causes tumor growth. The company said that the negative side effects are a rare reaction to this inhibiting action.

So yo believe tort reform is necessary to keep health costs affordable?

Since 2000, health insurance premiums have gone up 87 percent; wages 20 percent.The 7.7 percent increase in 2006 was still more than twice the rate of inflation.

Maybe you need to read this book: Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class -- And What We Can Do About It by Mark Crispin Miller and Thom Hartmann

Tort reform is always the battle cry of those who want to put profits above health and human need. At no time have I ever received a reply when I asked hospital administrators (I used to be one) and government officials about the impact of the insurance industry (layer upon layer)and Big Pharma on obscene increases in health care costs.

and as the song goes, "no one's gettin' fat" except you guessed it!

Health insurance is twice inflation rate
By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press Writer

Workers won't find much comfort in the smallest increase in health insurance premiums since 1999. The 7.7 percent increase this year was still more than twice the rate of inflation.

"To working people and business owners, a reduction in an already very high rate of increase just means you're still paying more," said Dr. Drew Altman, president and chief executive officer of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health care research organization that annually tracks the cost of health insurance.

Altman said the rising gap between premium growth and wages is particularly startling when one takes a longer look back. Since 2000, health insurance premiums have gone up 87 percent; wages 20 percent.

"Yes, the rate of increase is down, but I don't think anybody is celebrating," Altman said of this year's numbers.

The Kaiser Family Foundation's findings are based on a telephone survey of 3,159 randomly selected private and public employers. More that 155 million Americans get their health insurance through their jobs.

Employers on average pick up 84 percent of the cost for individuals and 73 percent for families.

The rising cost of health insurance is one reason that employers are finding it an increasingly difficult benefit to give their workers. Since 2000, the percentage of firms offering health benefits has fallen to 61 percent from 69 percent. This year, however, the deterioration appeared to stop, particularly among small businesses.

Yet, Altman said the slight improvement noted by the Kaiser study was statistically insignificant.

"It's worth observing that this survey comes out on the heels of the Census report showing that we added 1.3 million people to the ranks of the uninsured in 2005," he said. "The long-term trend is very clear, and it's the slow unraveling of coverage in the employment-based system, especially among smaller employers."

Overall, the total cost of health insurance for individuals now averages $4,242 a year. For families, the costs average a whopping $11,480.

In this year's survey, Kaiser also looked at how many firms offer high-deductible insurance plans and health savings accounts. Such plans are being pushed aggressively by the Bush administration. They have lower monthly premiums, but that's because they require consumers to pay more of the initial cost of their health care.

Kaiser estimates about 2.7 million workers are enrolled in high-deductible plans with a savings account. Employers or employees get a tax break when they put money in the accounts.

Altman said what struck him about that number is that the intensity of the debate in Washington over health savings accounts is completely out of sync with the reality of the marketplace.

"Just a modest number of employers tell us they plan to move to these arrangements next year. It's a trickle, not a tidal wave," he said. "Secondly, employers don't have a great deal of confidence that any of the weapons at their disposal to control health care costs will produce big results."

Cary Shealy said the law firm for which he works, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd of Charleston, S.C., pays all the insurance costs for its 330 employees but nothing for their dependents. The firm has seen premiums increase between 8 and 12 percent each of the past four years, which effects other employee benefits.

"The pie is only so big. If you're taking a larger portion of that pie to pay for benefits, there won't be as much remaining for salary increases," Shealy said.

The law firm began offering high-deductible insurance plans along with health savings accounts just this year. About 20 percent of the firm's employees participated in such plans this year. He anticipates the number will rise to about 30 percent next year. The firm's insurer has experienced fewer claims as a result of the switch, which should generate savings down the road.

"For 2007, we're expecting a 2 percent increase in premiums," Shealy said. "I attribute 95 percent of that to the implementation of the high-deductible health plan. I'm a big fan of those."

However, most employers and their workers probably won't find much relief next year, according to another survey of 167 large corporations that was conducted by Towers Perrin, a consulting firm. The companies expect their health care costs to rise by about 6 percent next year, which is well above the anticipated rate of overall inflation.

"The issue of affordability for both businesses and employees could become considerably more challenging in the years ahead as baby boomers age and chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity proliferate," the consulting firm said.

ZINC

ZINC - Common use: Supports the immune system; maintains healthy vision; supports prostate health; essential mineral for proper insulin activity and wound healing.

Zinc Improves Mental Performance in 7th Graders

The results of a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed seventh graders given 20mg Zinc, five days per week for 10-12 weeks, demonstrated improvement in mental performance, responded more quickly and accurately on memory tasks and with more sustained attention, than their classmates who received no additional Zinc.

A risk of Zinc deficiency is particularly high in adolescents because they're undergoing rapid growth and often have poor eating habits.

Previous studies have show that Zinc is needed for growth and immune function, and may be important for eye-hand coordination and reasoning in young children.

Zinc is also necessary for memory, muscle strength and endurance in adults.

Here You Have It in a Nutshell

If you do not understand why health care in the US is so expensive and so poor, please read this quote taken from Ms Arnst's article which follows.

--As a share of total health expenditures, insurance administrative costs in the U.S. were more than three times the rate in countries with integrated payment systems.

I work with very sick people ever day. Most of the reason they are sick is because of many of the issues cited below. From my perspective it is the lack of
qualified people in medicine who can really determine what is wrong with you.

I don't know if medical education today is missing some of the key elements of diagnostics that I learned 30 plus years ago. I don't know either if it is lacking
the in-depth diagnostic skills taught at the time my father was a student at Tulane Medical School, but most of this is what I learned by osmosis and example, as I followed him around on house calls and on rounds.

Seems like we need to return to those days.

U.S. Health-Care System Gets a "D"

By Catherine ArnstThu Sep 21, 3:08 AM ET

The U.S. health-care system is doing poorly by virtually every measure. That's the conclusion of a national report card on the U.S. health-care system, released Sept. 20. Although there are pockets of excellence, the report, commissioned by the non-profit and non-partisan Commonwealth Fund, gave the U.S. system low grades on outcomes, quality of care, access to care, and efficiency, compared to other industrialized nations or generally accepted standards of care. Bottom line: U.S. health care barely passes with an overall grade of 66 out of 100.

The survey was carried out by 18 academic and private-sector health-care leaders, who rate the system on 37 different measures. The poor grade is particularly discomfiting, the researchers note, because the U.S. spends more on medicine, by far, than any other country. Approximately 16% of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) is devoted to health care, compared with 10% or less in other industrialized nations.

Health care is also responsible for most new job creation, according to BusinessWeek's Sept. 25 cover story (see BusinessWeek.com, 9/25/06, "What's Really Propping Up The Economy"). Yet the U.S. ranks 15th out of 19 countries in terms of the number of deaths that could have been prevented. The study estimates that each year 115 out of 100,000 U.S. deaths could have been avoided with timely and appropriate medical attention. Only Ireland, Britain, and Portugal scored worse in this category, while France scored the best, with 75 preventable deaths per 100,000.

Below Potential. The U.S. ranks at the bottom among industrialized countries for life expectancy both at birth and at age 60. It is also last on infant mortality, with 7 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared with 2.7 in the top three countries. There are dramatic gaps within the U.S. as well, according to the study. The average disability rate for all Americans is 25% worse than the rate for the best five states alone, as is the rate of children missing 11 or more days of school.

The report found that quality of care and access to care varied widely across the country, and it noted substantial gaps between national averages and pockets of excellence. The authors concluded that, if the U.S. improved and standardized health-care performance and access, approximately 100,000 to 150,000 lives could be saved annually, along with $50 billion to $100 billion a year.

The Commonwealth Fund, which studies health-care issues, commissioned the report last year as part of an effort to come up with solutions to the nation's troubled health-care system. The report "tells us that overall we are performing far below our national potential," says Dr. James J. Mongan, chairman of the team that pulled together the study and chief executive officer of Partners Healthcare in Boston. "We can do much better and we need to do much better," he says.

Among the reports' findings:

--Only 49% of U.S. adults receive the recommended preventive and screening tests for their age and sex.

--Only half of patients with congestive heart failure receive written discharge instructions regarding care following hospitalization.

--Nationwide, preventable hospital admissions for patients with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and asthma were twice as high as the level achieved by the best performing states.

--Hospital 30-day re-admission rates for Medicare patients ranged from 14% to 22% across regions.

--One-third of all adults under 65 have problems paying their medical bills or have medical debt they are paying over time.

--Only 17% of U.S. doctors use electronic medical records, compared with 80% in the top three countries.

--On multiple measures across quality of care and access to care, there is a wide gap between low income and the uninsured, and those with higher incomes and insurance. On average, measures for low income and uninsured people in these areas would have to improve by one-third to close the gap.

--As a share of total health expenditures, insurance administrative costs in the U.S. were more than three times the rate in countries with integrated payment systems.

Dymatize Elite Whey - Green Apple

Just a heads up on the taste. First off, Dymatize Elite Whey is a pretty good quality protein at a good value ($25 for 5lbs.). Cross green apple off your list of flavors to try. It sucks. It doesn’t even really taste like green apple. It’s very sweet, but that’s it. I thought that I was drinking sweetened unflavored whey. Their other flavors are very strong, so I thought that green apple would be the same. I was highly disappointed. Don’t get me wrong though, Dymatize Elite Whey is good stuff. If you haven’t tried the café mocha flavor yet, you need to.

PRAY PEACE

Time to Declare Peace!
Nationwide Events September 21-28:

It is now the eve of the International Day of Peace, and Congress has failed to legislate a plan to bring troops home and support peace in Iraq -- it is time to take action to demand this plan!

More than 500 national and local groups have endorsed The Declaration of Peace campaign. There are more than 360 events taking place this week and next in cities and towns across the United States and in Washington, DC!



National Call-In Campaign to Congress:
Thank you to everyone who made those calls to Congress! It really makes the difference. Mark your calendars for next week's call-in on Tuesday, September 26. In collaboration with the day of action in DC, we will again be calling Congress urging them to sign the Congressional Declaration of Peace Pledge.

Studies Reveal Violent Side Effects of Psychiatric Drugs

One of the KEY components of SSRI drugs is that most of them are based in a fluoride compound of some type. Fluoride has been used for decades as a 'mind control' drug. Taken in areas with fluoridated water supplies the chance of problems is increased. The city that is home to the Columbine shootings and the Oregon town that witnessed a similar high school shooting both added fluoride to the water supply.

Environmental impact of these drugs, unable to be removed at your sewage treatment plant, does much to alter the skeletons of fish and many show increased numbers of bone tumours.

The connection grows when you think of all the other flouride based pharmaceuticals.

Might this have played a part in the death of Anna Nicole Smith's young son?

And what question are you asking?

It is becoming more and more apparent that psychiatric drugs drive people to not only perform violent acts on others, but also to take their own lives as well. A recent article written by Steve Mitchell, United Press International’s Senior Medical Correspondent, states that "Two studies released Monday may bring further scrutiny upon the beleaguered selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor [SSRI] class of anti-depressants. One study suggests the drugs may increase the risk of severe violence, and the other indicates the drugs can have damaging effects on the environment." The report goes on by explaining that a team of researchers from Cardiff University’s North Wales Department of Psychological Medicine has been conducting studies into the link between SSRIs and violent behavior. GlaxoSmithKline's Paxil was the focus of the study. The team leader, David Healy, is quoted in the article as saying, "We've got good evidence that the drugs can make people violent and you'd have to reason from that that there may be more episodes of violence."

It is of importance to note that results of the studies also showed that the rate of violence was higher in healthy volunteers who were given the drug Paxil. This startling result suggests that SSRIs create violent criminals out of healthy individuals. "You have to wonder what they could be doing if they're really being handed out to people who just don't really need them," he said.

Healy points out the responsibility that the pharmaceutical companies need to start taking. "What the companies have done for years and years is put up this message that there is no risk to these drugs, so the onus is more on the companies to let people know that there is this risk," he said.

Results of what psychiatric drugs are doing to the youth of our country are manifest in recent years. In the past seven years, over half of those involved in school shootings were on prescribed psychiatric medications. For example, 18-year-old Eric Harris, the ring leader in the April 20,1999 Columbine school shooting that left 12 classmates and a teacher dead, was taking the prescribed SSRI Luvox. On March 22, 2001, in El Cajon, California, 18-year-old Jason Hoffman was on two antidepressants, Effexor and Celexa, when he opened fire at his high school, wounding five. In March 2005, 16-year-old Jeff Weise from Minnesota shot dead his grandfather and his grandfather's girlfriend, then went to his school on the Red Lake Indian Reservation where he shot dead nine fellow students and a teacher before killing himself. He was taking Prozac.

Finally, They are Starting to Catch On.

For many of the past years mainstream medicine has wanted you to believe that herbs are just a waste of time and do nothing for your health. With autumn and winter looming this might just help you stay well.

As a practicing medical herbalist for many decades now, my best suggestion is full spectrum and properly made herbal extracts. Standardized herbs do not offer the complete array of what nature intended to help your health.

And you could consider avoiding any type of flu vaccine, but this might help the side effects if you are duped into getting one.

Lots of vitamin C and garlic will come to your rescue along with good, wholesome nutrition.

Echinacea cuts cold incidence
By Martha Kerr

Use of echinacea, or extract of the purple coneflower,
before the onset of full-blown symptoms of the common cold reduces the
incidence by more than a half and the duration by almost two full days,
researchers reported here at the annual meeting of the American College
of Clinical Pharmacology.

There are approximately one billion colds reported annually, Dr. Sachin A. Shah told meeting attendees. He commented that 20 percent of patients report using nutraceuticals for symptom management. Of these, echinacea is the most commonly used.

Shah of the University of Connecticut, Storrs and colleagues conducted a search and ultimately a pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials on the subject.

The investigators found 14 studies that contained information on incidence in 1,356 patients and duration in 1,630 patients.

The team found that echinacea use cut incidence by 58 percent. Duration was shortened by 1.9 days compared with the colds of nonusers.

Fluoride - Even Worse Than We Thought

By Andreas Schuld
9-19-6

In 1999 the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) released a glowing report on the fluoridation of public water supplies, citing the procedure as one of the century's great public health successes.1

Ironically, the same report hints that the alleged benefit from fluorides may not be due to ingestion: "Fluoride's caries-preventive properties initially were attributed to changes in enamel during tooth development because of the association between fluoride and cosmetic changes in enamel and a belief that fluoride incorporated into enamel during tooth development would result in a more acid-resistant mineral."

The CDC report then acknowledges new studies which indicate that the effects are "topical" rather than "systemic." "However, laboratory and epidemiologic research suggests that fluoride prevents dental caries predominately after eruption of the tooth into the mouth, and its actions primarily are topical for both adults and children."

The obvious question is this: How can the CDC consider the addition of fluoride to public water supplies to be a public health success while admitting at the same time that fluoride's benefits are not "systemic," in other words, are not obtained from drinking it?

The truth, now becoming increasingly evident, is that fluoridation and the proclaimed benefit of fluoride as a way of preventing dental decay is perhaps the greatest "scientific" fraud ever perpetrated upon an unsuspecting public.

Even worse, the relentless promotion of fluoride as a "dental benefit" is responsible for the huge neglect in proper assessment of its toxicity, an issue that has become a major concern for many nations. As there is no substance as biochemically active in the human organism as fluoride, excessive total intake of fluoride compounds might well be contributing to many diseases currently afflicting mankind, particularly those involving thyroid dysfunction. In the United States, most citizens are kept entirely ignorant of any adverse effect that might occur from exposure to fluorides. Dental fluorosis, the first visible sign that fluoride poisoning has occurred, is declared a mere "cosmetic effect" by the dental profession, although the "biochemical events which result in dental fluorosis are still unknown."2,3,4 The quantity of fluoride needed to prevent caries but avoid dental fluorosis is also unknown.5

What is Fluoride?

Fluoride is any combination of elements containing the fluoride ion. In its elemental form, fluorine is a pale yellow, highly toxic and corrosive gas. In nature, fluorine is found combined with minerals as fluorides. It is the most chemically active nonmetallic element of all the elements and also has the most reactive electro-negative ion. Because of this extreme reactivity, fluorine is never found in nature as an uncombined element.

Fluorine is a member of group VIIa of the periodic table. It readily displaces other halogens--such as chlorine, bromine and iodine--from their mineral salts. With hydrogen it forms hydrogen fluoride gas which, in a water solution, becomes hydrofluoric acid.

There was no US commercial production of fluorine before World War II. A requirement for fluorine in the processing of uranium ores, needed for the atomic bomb, prompted its manufacture.6

Fluorine compounds or fluorides are listed by the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) as among the top 20 of 275 substances that pose the most significant threat to human health.7 In Australia, the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) recently considered 400 substances for inclusion on the NPI reporting list. A risk ranking was given based on health and environmental hazard identification and human and environmental exposure to the substance. Some substances were grouped together at the same rank to give a total of 208 ranks. Fluoride compounds were ranked 27th out of the 208 ranks.8

Fluorides, hydrogen fluoride and fluorine have been found in at least 130, 19, and 28 sites, respectively, of 1,334 National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).9 Consequently, under the provisions of the Superfund Act (CRECLA, 1986), a compilation of information about fluorides, hydrogen fluoride and fluorine and their effects on health was required. This publication appeared in 1993.9

Fluorides are cumulative toxins. The fact that fluorides accumulate in the body is the reason that US law requires the Surgeon General to set a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for fluoride content in public water supplies as determined by the EPA. This requirement is specifically aimed at avoiding a condition known as Crippling Skeletal Fluorosis (CSF), a disease thought to progress through three stages. The MCL, designed to prevent only the third and crippling stage of this disease, is set at 4ppm or 4mg per liter. It is assumed that people will retain half of this amount (2mg), and therefore 4mg per liter is deemed "safe." Yet a daily dose of 2-8mg is known to cause the third crippling stage of CSF.10,11

In 1998 EPA scientists, whose job and legal duty it is to set the Maximum Contaminant Level, declared that this 4ppm level was set fraudulently by outside forces in a decision that omitted 90 percent of the data showing the mutagenic properties of fluoride.12

The Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products, 5th Edition (1984) gives lead a toxicity rating of 3 to 4 (3 = moderately toxic, 4 = very toxic) and the EPA has set 0.015 ppm as the MCL for lead in drinking water--with a goal of 0.0ppm. The toxicity rating for fluoride is 4, yet the MCL for fluoride is currently set at 4.0ppm, over 250 times the permissable level for lead.

Water Fluoridation

In 1939 a dentist named H. Trendley Dean, working for the U.S. Public Health Service, examined water from 345 communities inTexas. Dean determined that high concentrations of fluoride in the water in these areas corresponded to a high incidence of mottled teeth. This explained why dentists in the area found mottled teeth in so many of their patients. Dean also claimed that there was a lower incidence of dental cavities in communities having about 1 ppm fluoride in the water supply. Among the native residents of these areas about 10 percent developed the very mildest forms of mottled enamel ("dental fluorosis"), which Dean and others described as "beautiful white teeth."

Dean's report led to the initiation of artificial fluoridation of drinking water at 1part-per-million (ppm) in order to supply the "optimal dose" of 1mg fluoride per day--assuming that drinking four glasses of water every day would duplicate Dean's "optimal" intake for most people. Now, according to the American Dental Association, all people, rich or poor, could have "beautiful white teeth" and be free of caries at the same time. After all, the benefits of water fluoridation had been documented "beyond any doubt."13

When other scientists investigated Dean's data, they did not reach the same conclusions. In fact, Dean had engaged in "selective use of data," using findings from 21 cities that supported his case while completely disregarding data from 272 other locations that did not show a correlation.14 In court cases Dean was forced to admit under oath that his data were invalid.15 In 1957 he had to admit at AMA hearings that even waters containing a mere 0.1ppm (0.1 mg/l) could cause dental fluorosis, the first visible sign of fluoride overdose.16 Moreover, there is not one single double-blind study to indicate that fluoridation is effective in reducing cavities.17

So What's the Truth About Tooth Decay?

The truth is that more and more evidence shows that fluorides and dental fluorosis are actually associated with increased tooth decay. The most comprehensive US review was carried out by the National Institute of Dental Research on 39,000 school children aged 5-17 years.18 It showed no significant differences in terms of DMF (decayed, missing and filled teeth). What it did show was that high decay cities (66.5-87.5 percent) have 9.34 percent more decay in the children who drink fluoridated water. Furthermore, a 5.4 percent increase in students with decay was observed when 1 ppm fluoride was added to the water supply. Nine fluoridated cities with high decay had 10 percent more decay than nine equivalent non-fluoridated cities.

The world's largest study on dental caries, which looked at 400,000 students, revealed that decay increased 27 percent with a 1ppm fluoride increase in drinking water.19 In Japan, fluoridation caused decay increases of 7 percent in 22,000 students,20 while in the US a decay increase of 43 percent occured in 29,000 students when 1ppm fluoride was added to drinking water.21

Dental Fluorosis: A "Cosmetic" Defect?

Dental fluorosis is a condition caused by an excessive intake of fluorides, characterized mainly by mottling of the enamel (which starts as "white spots"), although the bones and virtually every organ might also be affected due to fluoride's known anti-thyroid characteristics. Dental fluorosis can only occur during the stage of enamel formation and is therefore a sign that an overdose of fluoride has occurred in a child during that period.

Dental fluorosis has been described as a subsurface enamel hypomineralization, with porosity of the tooth positively correlated with the degree of fluorosis.22 It is characterized by diffuse opacities and under-mineralized enamel. Although identical enamel defects occur in cases of thyroid dysfunction, the dental profession describes the defect as merely "cosmetic" when it is caused by exposure to fluoride.

What is now becoming apparent is that this "cosmetic" defect actually predisposes to tooth decay. In 1988 Duncan23 stated that hypoplastic defects have a strong potential to become carious. In 1989, Silberman,24 evaluating the same data on Head Start children, wrote that "preliminary data indicate that the presence of primary canine hypoplasia [enamel defects] may result in an increased potential for the tooth becoming carious." In 1996 Li 25 wrote that children with enamel hypoplasia demonstrated a significantly higher caries experience than those who did not have such defects and, further, that the "presence of enamel hypoplasia may be a predisposing factor for initiation and progression of dental caries, and a predictor of high caries susceptibility in a community." In 1996 Ellwood & O'Mullane26 stated that "developmental enamel defects may be useful markers of caries susceptibility, which should be considered in the risk-benefit assessment for use of fluoride."

Currently up to 80 percent of US children suffer from some degree of dental fluorosis, while in Canada the figure is up to 71 percent. A prevalence of 80.9 percent was reported in children 12-14 years old in Augusta, Georgia, the highest prevalence yet reported in an "optimally" fluoridated community in the United States. Moderate-to-severe fluorosis was found in 14 percent of the children.27

Before the push for fluoridation began, the dental profession recognized that fluorides were not beneficial but detrimental to dental health. In 1944, the Journal of the American Dental Association reported: "With 1.6 to 4 ppm fluoride in the water, 50 percent or more past age 24 have false teeth because of fluoride damage to their own."28

The Wonder Nutrient?

On countless internet sites, fluoride is proclaimed as the "wonder nutrient," the "deficiency" symptom being increased dental caries.29 It boggles the mind that a cumulative toxin and toxic waste product can be described a "nutrient." Nevertheless, such claims are repeatedly made by pro-fluoridationists.30

On March 16, 1979, the FDA deleted paragraphs 105.3(c) and 105.85(d)(4) of Federal Register documents which had classified fluorine, among other substances, as "essential" or "probably essential." Since that time, nowhere in the Federal Regulations is fluoride classified as "essential" or "probably essential." These deletions were the immediate result of 1978 Court deliberations.31 No essential function for fluoride has ever been proven in humans.32,33,34,35,36

"Nature Thought of It First"

A popular slogan employed by the ADA and other pro-fluoridation organizations is, "Nature thought of it first!" The slogan creates the impression that the fluoridation compounds used in water fluoridation are the same as those discovered many years ago in the water in some areas of the US.37 The fluoride compound in "naturally" fluoridated waters is calcium fluoride. Sodium fluoride, a common fluoridation agent, dissolves easily in water, but calcium fluoride does not.9

Animal studies performed by Kick and others in 1935 revealed that sodium fluoride was much more toxic than calcium fluoride.38 Even worse, toxicity was recorded for hydrofluorosilicic acid, the compound now used in over 90 percent of fluoridation programs, Hydrofluorosilicic acid is a direct byproduct of pollution scrubbers used in the phosphate fertilizer and aluminum industries. Our government adds it to water supplies even though it is also involved in getting rid of its own stockpile of fluoride compounds left over from years and years of stockpiling fluorides for use in the process of refining uranium for nuclear power and weapons.39

In the Kick study, less than 2 percent of calcium fluoride was absorbed and this was excreted quantitatively in the urine. But even calcium fluoride is not benign. As the animals given calcium fluoride also developed mottled teeth, it was clear that such compounds could produce changes on the teeth merely by passing through the body, and not by being "stored in a tooth" or anywhere else. No calcium fluoride was retained.

In 1946 Samuel Chase, one of the authors of the Kick study, became president of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR). This organization promoted the idea that only the fluoride ion in the various fluoridation compounds was of importance. Yet he well knew that sodium fluoride did not behave like calcium fluoride. Unlike calcium fluoride, sodium fluoride was retained in great amounts in the body and was very toxic. Rock phosphate and hydro-fluorosilicic acid experiments yielded the same information.

New areas with "natural" fluoride are appearing all over the world, as now all areas not "artificially" fluoridated are considered "natural." The problem is that this "natural" fluoride is the result of direct water and soil contamination from petrochemical land treatment, uncontrolled fertilizer use, pesticide applications, ground water contamination from industrial waste sites, rocket fuel "burial grounds," and so forth. Suddenly we have "natural" fluorides showing up in areas previously deemed "fluoride deficient"!

Total Intake

It is well established that it is TOTAL fluoride intake from ALL sources which must be considered for any adverse health effect evaluation.40,41,42 This includes intake by ingestion, inhalation and absorption through the skin. In 1971, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated: "In the assessment of the safety of a water supply with respect to the fluoride concentration, the total daily fluoride intake by the individual must be considered."41 Exposure to airborne fluorides from many diverse manufacturing processes--pesticide applications, phosphate fertilizer production, aluminum smelting, uranium enrichment facilities, coal-burning and nuclear power plants, incinerators, glass etching, petroleum refining and vehicle emissions--can be considerable.

In addition, many people consume fluorine-based medications such as Prozac, which greatly adds to fluoride's anti-thyroid effects. ALL fluoride compounds--organic and inorganic--have been shown to exert anti-thyroid effects, often potentiating fluoride effects many fold.43

Household exposures to fluorides can occur with the use of Teflon pans, fluorine-based products, insecticides sprays and even residual airborne fluorides from fluoridated drinking water. Decision-makers at 3M Corporation recently announced a phase-out of Scotchgard products after discovering that the product's primary ingredient--a fluorinated compound called perfluorooctanyl sulfonate (PFOS)--was found in all tested blood bank examinations.44 3M's research showed that the substance had strong tendencies to persist and bioaccumulate in animal and human tissue.

In 1991 the US Public Health Service issued a report stating that the range in total daily fluoride intake from water, dental products, beverages and food items exceeded 6.5 milligrams daily.42 Thus, the total intake from those sources alone already greatly exceeds the levels known to cause the third stage of skeletal fluorosis.

Besides fluoridated water and toothpaste, many foods contain high levels of flouride compounds due to pesticide applications. One of the worse offenders is grapes.45 Grape juice was found to contain more than 6.8 ppm fluoride. The EPA estimates total fluoride intake from pesticide residues on food and fluoridated drinking water alone to be 0.095 mg/kg/day, meaning a person weighing 70 kg takes in more than 6.65 mg per day.45b Soy infant formula is high in both fluoride and aluminum, far surpassing the "optimal" dose46,47 and has been shown to be a risk factor in dental fluorosis.48

Tea

In their drive to fluoridate the public water supplies, dental health officials continue to pretend that no other sources of fluoride exist. This notion becomes absurd when one looks at the fluoride content in tea. Tea is very high in fluoride because tea leaves accumulate more fluoride (from pollution of soil and air) than any other edible plant.49,50,51 It is well established that fluoride in tea gets absorbed by the body in a manner similar to the fluoride in drinking water.49,52

Fluoride content in tea has risen dramatically over the last 20 years due to industry contamination. Recent analyses have revealed a fluoride content of 17.25 mg per teabag or cup in black tea, and a whopping 22 mg of soluble fluoride ions per teabag or cup in green tea. Aluminum content was also high--over 8 mg. Normal steeping time is five minutes. The longer a tea bag steeped, the more fluoride and aluminum were released. After ten minutes, the measurable amounts of fluoride and aluminum almost doubled.53

A website by a pro-fluoridation infant medical group states that a cup of black tea contains 7.8 mgs of fluoride54 which is the equivalent amount of fluoride from 7.8 litres of water in an area fluoridated at 1ppm. Some British and African studies from the 1990s showed a daily fluoride intake of between 5.8 mgs and 9 mgs a day from tea alone.55, 56, 57 Tea has been found to be a primary cause of dental fluorosis in many international studies.58-70

In Britain, over three-quarters of the population over the age of ten years consumes three cups of tea per day.71Yet the UK government and the British Dental Association are currently contemplating fluoridation of public water supplies! In Ireland, average tea consumption is four cups per day and the drinking water is heavily fluoridated.

Next to water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. Tea can be found in almost 80 percent of all US households and on any given day, nearly 127 million people--half of all Americans--drink tea.71

The high content of both aluminum and fluoride in tea is cause for great concern as aluminum greatly potentiates fluoride's effects on G protein activation,72 the on/off switches involved in cell communication and of absolute necessity in thyroid hormone function and regulation.

Fluoride and the Thyroid

The recent re-discovery of hundreds of papers dealing with the use of fluorides in effective anti-thyroid medication poses many questions demanding answers.73,74 The enamel defects observed in hypothyroidism are identical to "dental fluorosis." Endemic fluorosis areas have been shown to be the same as those affected with iodine deficiency, considered to be the world's single most important and preventable cause of mental retardation,75 affecting 740 million people a year. Iodine deficiency causes brain disorders, cretinism, miscarriages and goiter, among many other diseases. Synthroid, the drug most commonly prescribed for hypothyroidism, became the top selling drug in the US in 1999, according to Scott-Levin's Source Prescription Audit, clearly indicating that hypothyroidism is a major health problem. Many more millions are thought to have undiagnosed thyroid problems.

Environment

Every year hundreds and thousands of tons of fluorides are emitted by industry. Industrial emissions of fluoride compounds produce elevated concentrations in the atmosphere. Hydrogen fluoride can exist as a particle, dissolving in clouds, fog, rain, dew, or snow. In clouds and moist air it will travel along the air currents until it is deposited as wet acid deposition (acid rain, acid fog, etc.) In waterways it readily mixes with water.

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), emitted by the electric power industry, is now among six greenhouse gases specifically targeted by the international community, through the Kyoto protocol, for emission reductions to control global warming. The others are carbon dioxide, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), methane and nitrous oxide (N2O).

SF6 is about 23,900 times more destructive, pound for pound, than carbon dioxide over the course of 100 years. EPA estimates that some seven-million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MMTCE) escaped from electric power systems in 1996 alone. The concentration of SF6 in the atmosphere has reportedly increased by two orders of magnitude since 1970. Atmospheric models have indicated that the lifetime of an SF6 molecule in the atmosphere may be over 3000 years.76

The ever-increasing fluoride levels in food, water and air pose a great threat to human health and to the environment as evidenced by the endemic of fluorosis worldwide. It is of utmost urgency that public health officials cease promoting fluoride as beneficial to our health and address instead the issue of its toxicity.

About the Author

Andreas Schuld is head of Parents of Fluoride Poisoned Children (PFPC), an organization of parents whose children have been poisoned by excessive fluoride intake. The group includes educators, artists, scientists, journalists and authors, lawyers, researchers and nutritionists. It is active in worldwide efforts to have the toxicity of fluoride properly assessed. For further information, visit their website at www.bruha.com/fluoride.

REFERENCES

(All web addresses were visited before Fall, 2000)

1. CDC: "Achievements in Public Health, 1900-1999 - Fluoridation of Drinking Water to Prevent Dental Caries" MMWR 48(41);933-940 (1999), http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4841a1.htm

2. Gerlach RF, de Souza AP, Cury JA, Line SR - "Fluoride effect on the activity of enamel matrix proteinases in vitro" Eur J Oral Sci 108(1):48-53 (2000)

3. Limeback H - "Enamel formation and the effects of fluoride" Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 22(3):144-7

4. Wright JT, Chen SC, Hall KI, Yamauchi M, Bawden JW - "Protein characterization of fluorosed human enamel." Dent Res 75(12):1936-41 (1996)

5. Shulman JD, Lalumandier JA, Grabenstein JD -"The average daily dose of fluoride: a model based on fluid consumption" Pediatr Dent 17(1):13-8 (1995)

6. The Columbia Encyclopedia: Sixth Edition (2000), http://www.bartleby.com/65/fl/fluorine.html

7. Phosphoric Acid Waste Dialogue,Report on Phosphoric Wastes Dialogue Committee, Activities and Recommendations, September 1995; Southeast Negotiation Network, Prepared by Gregory Borne for EPA stakeholders review

8. Government of Australia, National Pollutant Inventory, http://www.environment.gov.au/epg/npi/contextual_info/context/fluoride.html

9. ATSDR/USPHS - "Toxicological Profile for Fluorides, Hydrogen Fluoride and Fluorine (F)" CAS# 16984-48-8, 7664-39-3, 7782-41-4 (1993), http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts11.html

10. Health Effects of Ingested Fluoride, Subcommittee on Health Effects of Ingested Fluoride, Committee on Toxicology, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council, August 1993, p.59

11. World Health Organization - Fluorides and Human Health, p. 239 (1970)

12. Carton RJ, Hirzy JW - "Applying the NAEP code of ethics to the Environmental Protection Agency and the fluoride in drinking water standard" Proceedings of the 23rd Ann. Conf. of the National Association of Environmental Professionals. 20-24 June, 1998. GEN 51-61, http://rvi.net/fluoride/naep.htm

13. American Dental Association, http://www.ada.org/consumer/fluoride/facts/benefits.html#2

14. J.Colquhoun, Chief Dental Officer, NZ, International Symposium on Fluoridation, Porte Alegre, Brazil, September 1988

15. Proceedings, City of Orville Vs. Public Utilities Commission of the State of Carlifornia, Orville, CA, October 20-21 (1955)

16. AMA Council Hearing, Chicago, August 7, 1957

17. NTEU - "Why EPA's Headquarters Union of Scientists Opposes Fluoridation, " Prepared on behalf of the National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 280 by Chapter Senior Vice-President J. William Hirzy, Ph.D. , http://www.bruha.com/fluoride/html/nteu_paper.htm, http://www.cadvision.com/fluoride/epa2.htm

18. Yiamouyannis, J - "Water fluoridation and tooth decay: Results from the 1986-1987 national survey of U.S. school children" Fluoride 23:55-67 (1990). Data also analyzed by Gerard Judd, Ph.D., in:Judd G - "Good Teeth Birth To Death", Research Publications, Glendale Arizona (1997), EPA Research #2 (1994)

19. Teotia SPS, Teotia M -"Dental Caries: A Disorder of High Fluoride And Low Dietary Calcium Interactions (30 years of Personal Research), Fluoride, 1994 27:59-66 (1994)

20. Imai Y - "Study of the relationship between fluorine ions in drinking water and dental caries in Japan". Koku Eisei Gakkai Zasshi 22(2):144-96 (1972)

21. Steelink, Cornelius, PhD, U of AZ Chem Department, in: Chem and Eng News, Jan 27, 1992, p.2; Sci News March 5, 1994, p.159

22. Giambro NJ, Prostak K, Denbesten PK - "Characterization Of Fluorosed Human Enamel By Color Reflectance, Ultrastructure, And Elemental Composition" Fluoride 28:4, 216 (1995) also Caries Research 29 (4) 251-257 (1995)

23. Duncan WK, Silberman SL, Trubman A - "Labial hypoplasia of primary canines in black Head Start children" ASDC J Dent Child 55(6):423-6 (1988)

24. Silberman SL, Duncan WK, Trubman A, Meydrech EF - "Primary canine hypoplasia in Head Start children" J Public Health Dent 49(1):15-8 (1989)

25. Li Y, Navia JM, Bian JY -""Caries experience in deciduous dentition of rural Chinese children 3-5 years old in relation to the presence or absence of enamel hypoplasia" Caries Res 30(1):8-15 (1996)

26. Ellwood RP, O'Mullane D - "The association between developmental enamel defects and caries in populations with and without fluoride in their drinking water" J Public Health Dent 56(2):76-80(1996)

27. Health Effects of Ingested Fluoride, Subcommittee on Health Effects of Ingested Fluoride, Committee on Toxicology, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, Commission on LifeSciences, National Research Council, August 1993 p 47-48

28. "The Effect of Fluorine On Dental Caries" Journal American Dental Association 31:1360 (1944)

29. Examples: http://ificinfo.health.org/insight/septoct97/flouride.htm; http://www.wvda.org/nutrient/fluoride.html

30. Barrett S, Rovin S (Eds) -"The Tooth Robbers: a Pro-Fluoridation Handbook" George F Stickley Co, Philadelphia pp 44-65 (1980)

31. Federal Register, 3/16/79, page 16006

32. Federal Register: December 28, 1995 (Volume 60, Number 249)] Rules and Regulations , Page 67163-67175 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration, 21 CFR Part 101 Docket No. 90N-0134, RIN 0910-AA19

33. The Report of the Department of Health and Social Subjects, No. 41, Dietary Reference Values, Chapter 36 on fluoride (HMSO 1996). "No essential function for fluoride has been proven in humans."

34. "Is Fluoride an Essential Element?" Fluorides, Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences, 66-68 (1971)

35. Richard Maurer and Harry Day, "The Non-Essentiality of Fluorine in Nutrition," Journal of Nutrition, 62: 61-57(1957)

36. "Applied Chemistry", Second Edition, by Prof. William R. Stine, Chapter 19 (see pp. 413 & 416) Allyn and Bacon, Inc, publishers. "Fluoride has not been shown to be required for normal growth or reproduction in animals or humans consuming an otherwise adequate diet, nor for any specific biological function or mechanism."

37. National Center for Fluoridation Policy & Research (NCFPR) http://fluoride.oralhealth.org/

38. Kick CH, Bethke RM, Edgington BH, Wilder OHM, Record PR, Wilder W, Hill TJ, Chase SW - "Fluorine in Animal Nutrition" Bulletin 558, US Agricultural Experiment Station, Wooster, Ohio (1935)

39. US MINERALS/COMMODITIES DATABASE http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/fluorspar/280396.txt

40. "The problem of providing optimum fluoride intake for prevention of dental caries" - Food and Nutrition Board, Division of Biology and Agriculture, National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Pub.#294, (1953) ".. a person drinking fluoridated water may be assumed to ingest only about 1 milligram per day from this source ... the development of mottled enamel is, however, a potential hazard of adding fluorides to food. The total daily intake of fluoride is the critical quantity."

41. World Health Organization, International Drinking Water Standards, 1971."In the assessment of the safety of a water supply with respect to the fluoride concentration, the total daily fluoride intake by the individual must be considered. Apart from variations in climatic conditions, it is well known that in certain areas, fluoride containing foods form an important part of the diet. The facts should be borne in mind in deciding the concentration of fluoride to be permitted in drinking water."

42. Review of Fluoride Benefits and Risks, Department of Health and Human Services, p.45 (1991)

43. 200 papers to be posted at: http://www.bruha.com/fluoride

44. Washington Post - "3M to pare Scotchgard products," May 16, 2000 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15648-2000May16.html

45. (a) FLUORIDE IN FOOD http://www.bruha.com/fluoride/html/f-_in_food.htm; (b) Federal Register: August 7, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 152), Notices, Page 42546-42551

46. Silva M, Reynolds EC - "Fluoride content of infant formulae in Australia" Aust Dent J 41(1):37-42 (1996)

47. Dabeka RW, McKenzie AD -"Lead, cadmium, and fluoride levels in market milk and infant formulas in Canada." J Assoc Off Anal Chem 70(4):754-7 (1987)

48. Pendrys DG, Katz RV, Morse DE - "Risk factors for enamel fluorosis in a fluoridated population" Am J Epidemiol 140(5):461-71(1994)

49. Meiers, P. - "Zur Toxizität von Fluorverbindungen, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Onkogenese", Verlag für Medizin Dr. Ewald Fischer, Heidelberg (1984)

50. Waldbott, GL; Burgstahler, AW; McKinney, HL - "Fluoridation:The Great Dilemma" Coronado Press (1978)

51. Srebnik-Friszman, S; Van der Miynsbrugge, F.-"Teneur en Fluor de quelques thØs prØlevØs sur le MarchØ et de leurs Infusions" Arch Belg Med Soc Hyg Med Trav Med Leg 33:551-556 (1976)

52. Rüh K - "Resorbierbarkeit und Retention von in Mineralwässern und Erfrischungsgetränken enthaltenem Fluorid bei Mensch und Laboratoriumsratte" Diss. Würzburg (1968)

53. Analyses conducted by Parents of Fluoride Poisoned Children (PFPC) at Gov't -approved labs. Contact: pfpc@istar.ca

54. BabyCenter Editorial Team w/ Medical Advisory Board (http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/674.html#3)

55. Jenkins GN - "Fluoride intake and its safety among heavy tea drinkers in a British fluoridated city" Proc Finn Dent Soc 87(4):571-9 (1991) Department of Oral Biology, Dental School, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.

56. Opinya GN, Bwibo N, Valderhaug J, Birkeland JM, Lokken P - "Intake of fluoride and excretion in mothers' milk in a high fluoride (9ppm) area in Kenya" Eur J Clin Nutr 45(1):37-41 (1991) Department of Dental Surgery, University of Nairobi, Kenya

57. Diouf A, Sy FO, Niane B, Ba D, Ciss M - "Dietary intake of fluorine through of tea prepared by the traditional method in Senegal" Dakar Med 39(2):227-30 (1994)

58. Cao J, Zhao Y, Liu J - "Brick tea consumption as the cause of dental fluorosis among children from Mongol, Kazak and Yugu populations in China" Food Chem Toxicol 35(8):827-33 (1997)

59. Cao J, Bai X, Zhao Y, Liu J, Zhou D, Fang S, Jia M, Wu J - "The relationship of fluorosis and brick tea drinking in Chinese Tibetans" Environ Health Perspect 1996 Dec;104(12):1340-3 (1996)

60. Sergio Gomez S, Weber A, Torres C - "Fluoride content of tea and amount ingested by children" Odontol Chil 37(2):251-5 (1989)

61. Cao J, Zhao Y, Liu JW - "Safety evaluation and fluorine concentration of Pu'er brick tea and Bianxiao brick tea" Food Chem Toxicol 36(12):1061-3(1998)

62. Wang LF, Huang JZ- "Outline of control practice of endemic fluorosis in China."Soc Sci Med 41(8):1191-5 (1995)

63. Olsson B -"Dental caries and fluorosis in Arussi province, Ethiopia" Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 6(6):338-43 (1978)

64. Diouf A, Sy FO, Niane B, Ba D, Ciss M - "Dietary intake of fluorine through use of tea prepared by the traditional method in Senegal" DakarMed 39(2):227-30 (1994)

65. Fraysse C, Bilbeissi MW, Mitre D, Kerebel B - "The role of tea consumption in dental fluorosis in Jordan" Bull Group Int Rech Sci Stomatol Odontol 32(1):39-46 (1989)

66. Fraysse C, Bilbeissi W, Benamghar L, Kerebel B- "Comparison of the dental health status of 8 to 14-year-old children in France and in Jordan, a country of endemic fluorosis."Bull Group Int Rech Sci Stomatol Odontol 32(3):169-75 (1989)

67. Villa AE, Guerrero S - "Caries experience and fluorosis prevalence in Chilean children from different socio-economic status."Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 24(3):225-7 (1996)

68. Chan J.T.; Yip, T.T.; Jeske, A.H. - "The role of caffeinated beverages in dental fluorosis" Med Hypotheses 33(1):21-2 (1990)

69. Mann J, Sgan-Cohen HD, Dakuar A, Gedalia I - "Tea drinking, caries prevalence, and fluorosis among northern Israeli Arab youth."Clin Prev Dent

7(6):23-6 (1985)

70. Schmidt, C.W.; Leuschke, W. - "Fluoride content of deciduous teeth after regular intake of black tea" Dtsch Stomatol 40(10):441 (1990)

71. Press Releases/Market Figures - Tea Council http://www.stashtea.com/tt060595.htm

72. Struneckß, A; Patocka, J - "Aluminofluoride complexes: new phosphate analogues for laboratory investigations and potential danger for living organisms" Charles University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Physiology and Developmental Physiology, Prague/Department of Toxicology, Purkynì Military Medical Academy, Hradec KrßlovØ, Czech Republic http://www.cadvision.com/fluoride/brain3.htm

73. History: Fluoride - Iodine Antagonism http://bruha.com/pfpc/html/thyroid_history.html

74. Fluorides - Anti-thyroid Medication http://bruha.com/pfpc/html/thyroid_page.html

75. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION PRESS RELEASE, May 25,1999 Iodine Deficiency

76. Miller AE, Miller TM, Viggiano AA, Morris RA, Vazn Doren JM - "Negative Ion Chemistry of SF sub 4" Journal of Chemical Physics 102(22):8865-8873 (1995)

Symptoms of Fluoride Poisoning
· Black tarry stools
· Bloody vomit
· Faintness
· Nausea and vomiting
· Shallow breathing
· Stomach cramps or pain
· Tremors
· Unusual excitement
· Unusual increase in saliva
· Watery eyes
· Weakness
· Constipation
· Loss of appetite
· Pain and aching of bones
· Skin rash
· Sores in the mouth and on the lips
· Stiffness
· Weight loss
· White, brown or black discoloration of teeth

Long Term Effects of Fluoride
· Accelerated aging
· Immune system dysfunction
· Compromised collagen synthesis
· Cartilage problems
· Bony outgrowths in the spine
· Joint "lock-up"

G Proteins

Signals or communications from one cell to another, and from the outside of the cell to the inside, are made possible by the action of special proteins called "G" proteins, which are found in all animal life, including yeasts. G proteins are so called because they bind to guanine nucleotides, a major component of DNA and RNA. G proteins mediate the actions of neurotransmitters, peptide hormones, odorants and light. In other words, G proteins make it possible for our nervous systems to function properly and, in particular, allow for night vision and the sense of smell. All thyroid function is mediated by G-protein activity. Both aluminum and fluoride interfere with the activation of G proteins. Thyrotropin, the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), is considered the natural G-protein activator. Its action is mimicked by fluoride and vastly potentiated by the presence of aluminum. Pharmacologists estimate that up to 60 percent of all medicines used today exert their effects through G-protein signaling pathways. Vitamin A from cod liver oil has been used successfully to bypass blocked G-protein pathways due to vaccination damage. (See Autism and Vaccinations.) Myristic acid, a saturated fatty acid having 14 carbons, plays an important roll in G-protein function as these signaling proteins require myristic acid added to one end of the protein. (See Kidney Fats.) Thus, diets deficient in vitamin A and saturated fats can be expected to contribute to nervous disorders and vision problems.

Suspicious SOY

For quite a number of years I have been trying to educate people, mainly women, about the hazards of soy.

This is not always a popular position, especially because so many people are hawking that soy is the wonder food. Problem is that back as far as the 1950s folks in the know warned about soy.
So today, reading a fitness magazine for women I about fell off my office chair when I read this new report from the Journal of Nutrition.

(I guess someone is either reading my books and articles or has attended one of my classes.)

SOY PROTEIN SLOWS CALCIUM UPTAKE

Calcium is essential for good bone health, muscle strength and normal cell function. Calcium helps build bone mass when you are young and helps maintain it as you age. It's important in the prevention of osteoporosis and fractures. Calcium alone won't prevent bone thinning but it's a critical part of a healthy bone program. High protein intake can either increase or decrease calcium absorption. Taking the proper form of calcium for your physiology along with balanced protein based on your body weight will help increase calcium absorption.**

University of Connecticut researchers found that the type of protein you eat affects calcium absorption.

Substituting soy protein for meat protein decreased calcium absorption.

Soy contains estrogen-like compounds called isoflavones that can slow calcium absorption. Many women consume soy in an effort to compensate for declining estrogen levels.

This may be a mistake.

I'll be hosting an upcoming seminar on Women's Health in about a month. I think the timing works well because it follows on Rally for the Cure. This program will be an opportunity to learn about why mammogram promotes breast cancer, how to create an anti-cancer food plan, how to eliminate cancer promoting hazards from your environment, and other helpful information. This will be along with a discussion on proven natural health approaches to support your health and improve elimination of toxic substances from your body and environment.

A follow-up CD and / or booklet will be made available.

Contact us for more information.

International Day of Peace - 21 September

Lakota Spiritual Leader On Wisconsin White Buffalo Calf
By Stephanie M. Schwartz
Freelance Writer - Member, Native American Journalists Association
© 2006 Stephanie M. Schwartz

To nearly all the American Indian Nations and Canadian First Nations, white buffalo calves are considered highly sacred. To the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Siouxan Nations, they play a primary role in their traditional beliefs and prophecies.

Since the rare birth of the white buffalo calf, Miracle, on the Heider Family farm in Janesville, Wisconsin in 1994, numerous white buffalo calves have been born across the country. Interestingly, like Miracle, most of these calves have been born on farms owned by non-Native American people. Additionally, as a symbol of hope for peace, people from many cultures have come to know about and honor these creatures.

Miracle died unexpectedly in 2004 of natural causes at only ten years of age; an event which created shock across the indigenous nations and around the world.

Now, another sacred white buffalo, named Miracle's Second Chance by Valerie Heider, has been born on the same farm in Wisconsin during a lightning storm on August 25, 2006.

David Swallow, Teton Oglala Lakota traditional spiritual leader from the Pine Ridge Reservation, spoke today on the significance and message he sees in this calf's birth.

He clearly believes that the name for this calf was actually part of the message. He said, "The name is right, it is no accident, the birth of Miracle's Second Chance is yes, a second chance for all humanity." And since, to his people, lightning represents the destruction of evil, Swallow feels the message is the strongest yet.

Swallow went on to explain that, "It is not the normal average person or even the normal government people who bring such danger and destruction to the world. It is those who walk in greed and envy who feed the prophesied many-headed serpent who is foretold to consume its supporters."

Swallow explained that the traditional stories of his people tell that the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman came at a time of great need and great strife and war to bring the people back to peace, to living in a good way. She initially appeared to two men. In this first encounter, one of the men was honored, the one who showed respect and right spiritual action. The other was consumed and turned to dust because of his evil intentions.

Swallow believes so it will happen in our world again today, "The birth of this calf symbolizes this, that evil will be destroyed," he said.

His words spoke that, "It is time that the white nations and all mainstream cultures return to living in a good way, in peace and harmony with each other and with Grandmother Earth. Only by doing so, will life continue in our world."

But Swallow was clear that there was also a message for the indigenous nations as well. He pointed out that the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman had brought the sacred c'anunpa, the sacred pipe, to his people that they might use it to pray in a good way so that their sincere prayers might be heard by the Divine.

Swallow issued a call to all those who carry a c'anunpa. He said, "The Sacred Pipe carriers, whether they are Native American or not, need to get their sacred c'anunpas out and use them every day to pray for peace and harmony to return to our world in a good way. Pray that the "money" people will wake up and stop destroying Grandmother Earth for profit and that her health will return. You can make a difference, a very real difference. The c'anunpas need to be used for this purpose by all who carry them. They need to do this every day and to walk with these prayers in their hearts"

Swallow continued, "My English is not good. I have to be careful because sometimes I use the wrong words and am misunderstood. But everyone needs to understand this clearly: We all need to pray, whether you have a c'anunpa or not, whether you are American Indian or not. We need to pray because it will only be by prayer that the world will be saved. It will only be by prayer that the hearts of those who are destroying the world can be changed."

Swallow ended by saying, "I have said this is our second chance for humanity. I pray that people will wake up and hear the message. Our lives and our world depend on it." "Ho hecetu yelo, I have spoken."

To see pictures of Miracle's Second Chance on the internet, visit http://www.whitebuffalomiracle2.homestead.com/

This article may be re-published free of charge as long as the author gives permission, retains the copyrights, and the article stays unaltered with proper attribution given. Stephanie M. Schwartz, Freelance Writer, may be reached at SilvrDrach@gmail.com
9-19-6

NO-Xplode Lemon Lime

I've always been a fan of NO-Xplode. I'll get a NO-Xplode review up here shortly. I just tried the Lemon Lime flavor though, and I had to post a comment on it. The Lemon Lime flavor is terrible compared to Orange and Fruit Punch. I wouldn't recommend it. I've also heard that the new Blue Raspberry is pretty nasty, but I cannot comment on it.

More Info: BSN NO-Xplode, 1.81 Lbs.

Muscle Milk Reviews

Here's what looks like a new supplement blog. If you're looking for any reviews on Cytosport Muscle Milk, you can check out this Blog: http://muscle-milk.blogspot.com.

Syntrax Nectar Naturals Whey Protein

Syntrax makes some of the greatest tasting whey protein available today. Their protein is a little expensive but well worth it. This review is about the Nectar Naturals whey protein product line from Syntrax. This stuff is 100% natural and offers some of the highest quality whey protein isolate ever developed.

I contacted a Syntrax rep on the bodybuilding.com forums, username si03, and told him that I wanted to try the Nectars Naturals, but didn't want to spend $30 per flavor to do so. He was kind enough to send me 2 servings of each to try out. I was leery of fruit flavored proteins since the Optimum Natural Strawberry was so bad. I am glad that I got these samples though! Nectar is some amazing stuff.

Sucralose is one of the most common artificial sweeteners that vendors use, and though it tastes okay, I have yet to see any long term studies on its health impacts. As such, I wanted to try a 100% natural protein. Syntrax got my attention, because the reviews of the other Nectar products have been so good, because they are the only natural WPI with low cholesterol per serving, and because it contains no carbs.

Nectar Naturals have no artificial ingredients and are sweetened with Stevia. Furthermore, they are a very high quality WPI (from reading the label of the jug it looks to be a cold filtered protein) that's not denatured. The amino, vitamin, and mineral profile is also excellent.

Tealicious was good, but I didn’t like it nearly as much as Natural Peach. My bias is that I am a big time tea drinker and insist on fresh brewed tea. I don’t like bottled teas or instant teas. Tealicious, while great for a premade tea, simply wasn't my bag. I gave the second sample to my brother and he loved it. If you like bottled tea or instant tea, then you will definitely like Tealicious.

Natural Peach is some awesome stuff! It's not like drinking a protein shake, but rather like sipping on a sweet and sour peach flavored candy. I don't feel like it's good for me because it's so easy to sip down, but it is! It mixes easily and still tastes great in water. I like it so much that I bought 5 jugs of it. Obviously, I recommend the Natural Peach flavor to everyone.

In both cases, the powder is very strongly flavored and you might need to add a little more water to it than with other powders. 10 oz. per scoop works well for me. 8 oz. seemed too strong, and 12 oz. was too weak.

This is a pretty unique product and one that is well worth the cost if you want something 100% natural that tastes great with:

Nutrition Facts: Cals: 90, Fat: 0, Cholesteral: <5g, Carbs: 0, Protein: 23g
Ingredients: whey protein isolate, citric acid, natural flavors, stevia leaf extract, lo han fruit extract, lecithin, lycopene

More Info: Syntrax Nectar Naturals, 2.13 Lbs.

I Don't Know About You, but...

I am not so sure about the "school of what's happnin' now" other than it's a really crazy atmosphere these days.

I grew up in the 1960s and I think it was a truly great time! I think a lot of what we fought for then are things we need to fight for now, especially PEACE.

Things happen everyday that absolutely amaze me. I cannot believe that people are doing the things they are doing, and that their follys are "newsworthy".

What really prompted my thinking on this was the 9-11 memorial fundraising effort. Here we are with thousands of people who are sick and ailing because they survived or they were involved in the clean-up effort. Little is being done to address this major health problem, yet building a memorial takes the top spot.

I have some natural approaches I think will help but as you know, being outside mainstream medicine doesn't put your ideas in the spotlight.

So if you know any NYPD or NYFD folks, medical providers, survivors or others who suffered in this terrible tragedy, please pass the word. I'll be happy to try and give what help I can.

I'll be back to add to this, but for now, I'll call on the well worn words of Baba Ram Dass, "Well, here we are."

Disney and Verizon need to read this

Mobile phones dangerous for children, Austrian doctors warn

Doctors in Austria warned of the dangers of mobile phones to children and called for them to carry labels showing their radiation levels.

"When drugs are launched into the market the research on their effects is made public. With mobile telephony on the other hand, new technology is being distributed when its effects are still not known," warned Erik Huber, a doctor specialising in environmental issues, on the Austrian doctors' association website.

He said Friday children should be specially protected against radiation emitted by mobile telephones.

"Our children should not be used as guinea pigs," warned Huber, adding that "mobile telephones are about as dangerous for children as sunbathing".

The group advised that phones should be used as infrequently and as briefly as possible, and not in cars as this increased radiation levels.

Its recommendations, which also include avoiding playing games on mobile phones, have been taken up by Austria's health ministry.

Antibiotic Warnings

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics are FLUORIDE compounds that can cause many other problems beside tendon rupture. Several of my physician and pharmacist colleagues have discussed the issue of less than effective antibiotics contributing to overall lack of effectiveness when containing fluoride compounds.

My CIPRO warning can be found here: http://www.leaflady.org/fluoride_feedback.htm

You be the judge.

Public Citizen Urges Antibiotic Warnings

Public Citizen Tuesday urged U.S. Food and Drug Administration to place a black box warning of tendon rupture on fluoroquinolones.

The consumer advocacy group also urged the FDA in a petition to require pharmacists to issued patient medication guides that carry the warning.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan joined Public Citizen in calling for the black box warning.

Tendon ruptures associated with these drugs continue to occur at a disturbing rate but could be prevented if doctors and patients were more aware of early warning signals, such as the onset of tendon pain, and switched to other antibiotics, said Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group. The FDA must act and require black box warnings and patient information guides.

Fluoroquinolones include Bayer's Cipro, Aventis'Penetrex, Bristol-Myers Squibb's Tequin,Ortho-McNeil's Levaquin and Merck's Noroxin.

Public Citizen said its review of the FDA's adverse-event database showed 262 cases of tendon ruptures associated with fluoroquinolones from 1997 to 2005. Approximately 61 percent of the ruptures were associated with Levaquin, and 23 percent were
associated with Cipro.

Here is another well thought out idea

No where do you read who paid for this study, but if you ask my opinion someone here forgot to let the cat out.

You know they use this 'logic' when medical folks tell you that you need to take those liver destroying cholesterol lowering drugs to prevent all kinds of other diseases. Yes, they lowered the normal cholesterol levels to push these drugs on more people.

And at the same time it was decided that normal blood pressure levels had to be lowered so you fell in a category called "pre-hypertention". Now why is that you ask, oh, so the docs can sign you up for a calcium channel blocker that can kill you on the spot from sudden cardiac failure, while trying to lower your blood pressure.

And don't forget than new drug they are pushing on TV these days that blends the calcium channel blocker and the cholesterol lowering drug in one easy pill!

Now, they have lowered the proven normal blood sugar levels to make you a "pre-diabetic" so they can push more drugs. Wonder who paid for this study? A drug company by any name, one might suppose.

And what about this drug, Avandia, or in generic terms - rosiglitazone maleate?
Sure it is classed as a drug to "increase insulin sensitivity" for people who are referred to as those with NIDDM (non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus).

And if you are "pre-diabetic", the theroy is that you should take this drug so you won't get diabetes.

Now for women you'll get more drug because Avandia is not as effective for you. However if you already have liver or kidney dis-ease you should not take this drug! And it will increase your LDL level so - hey - more drugs...

As for side effects, the most reproted were: Headache, Influenza, Upper Respiratory Tract Infection, Cough, and Hyperglycemia. Just think about the drugs the can prescribe for these problems (see my upcoming thoughts on CIPRO since it was in the news again today).

Now for the Golden Calf Award of the day, or maybe as Keith Olbermann might call it, The Worst ... Ok so let's call it the worst example of lack of consideration of the scientific method reported lately.

And don't let me forget thes adverse effects -

Cardiovascular Deaths

CHF Worsening (CHF is congestive heart failure)

New or Worsening Edema (swelling)

New or Worsening Dyspnea (shortness of breath, or SOB as it were)

Increases in CHF Medication

Cardiovascular Hospitalization*

Ischemic Adverse Events

·Myocardial Infarction (heart attack, now mind you don't think about the woman who died in the ER from a heart attack because the nurse did not properly evaluate her symptoms, as they are different then in men which is what we all learn about)
·Angina (chest pain because of lack of oxygen to the cells)

This has to sound like a lot of fun and exactly what this doctor wouldn't order.

Did you hear the word 'potassium' anywhere? It will help take insulin into the cell and it is found in green vegetables. And there is an herbal capsule that can provide this safely and inexpensively.

Don't forget too that those veggies are high in fiber.

Eureka! - fiber lowers your blood sugar level.

But to get past my questioning smugness you might want to make sure you read this article closely. Note that people in the study did develop diabetes anyway and some died.

See more...

Study: Diabetes drug may be preventative

By MARIA CHENG and MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Medical WritersFri Sep 15, 3:54 PM ET

The largest diabetes prevention study ever done has found that a drug already used to treat the disease also can help keep "pre-diabetics" from developing it. But many experts say that losing weight and exercising remain a safer, cheaper approach.

The drug, rosiglitazone, or Avandia, appeared to cut the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by more than half, doctors reported Friday. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes and a public health menace that afflicts more than 200 million people worldwide.

Avandia also helped restore normal blood-sugar function in many of those who took it.

A second part of the study found that a different drug, a blood pressure medication called ramipril, or Altace, made no difference in the risk of developing diabetes but helped normalize blood sugar for some.

The research was long-awaited, and the Avandia results at first glance seem impressive. However, experts say it is difficult to determine how much of the improvement was due to the drug, because study volunteers also were regularly counseled about healthy diets and lifestyles.

"We know that lifestyle changes alone can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by up to 58 percent," said Dr. Martin Abrahamson, medical director of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, who had no ties to the study.

Those benefits come without the $90-to-$170-a-month cost and side effects of Avandia, said Dr. Alvin Powers, director of diabetes research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center who also had no role in the research.

"Fluid retention, congestive heart failure, and weight gain are known side effects of Avandia" when it's used to treat diabetes, Powers noted.

Results of the study were reported Friday at a diabetes meeting in Denmark. The Avandia findings were published online by the British medical journal The Lancet; the Altace results were posted online by the New England Journal of Medicine. Both will appear in print editions later.

The study was paid for by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and companies that make the drugs. (GlaxoSmithKline PLC makes Avandia; Sanofi-Aventis SA and King Pharmaceuticals market Altace.) Some study leaders consult for the companies.

The aim was preventing Type 2 diabetes, the form that is linked to obesity and sometimes leads to kidney failure, amputations and death. It occurs when the body does not make enough insulin or cannot effectively use what it manages to produce.

About 18 million Americans have Type 2 diabetes, and another 40 million have blood-sugar abnormalities called pre-diabetes. Research suggests that as many as half of pre-diabetics develop diabetes within three years.

Doctors at McMaster University in Canada and in 20 other countries assigned 5,000 pre-diabetics to get either Avandia, Altace, both drugs or no drug.

In the Lancet study, 306 of the 2,365 people given Avandia for an average of three years developed diabetes or died, compared with 686 of the 2,634 who did not receive that drug.

Fourteen of those given Avandia developed heart failure, while only two cases of heart failure occurred in people who didn't take the drug. Some doctors believe the heart risk is manageable as long as physicians carefully check patients taking the drug for heart abnormalities.

However, Powers said a drug to prevent one disease — diabetes — must not bring a substantial risk of another. Otherwise, doctors will be unwilling to prescribe it, especially when lifestyle changes and other drugs such as metformin can prevent diabetes, too, although sometimes to a lesser extent.

"Diet and exercise are still our best way to prevent this," said Dr. Julie Ingelfinger, who wrote an editorial in the New England Journal on the study results.

Still, some doctors were encouraged by Avandia's potential.

"This underscores the fact that diabetes is preventable, and that we might have another means to do that with," said Dr. Peter Sheehan, director of diabetes at the Cabrini Medical Center in New York, who had no ties to the study.

The study's leader, Dr. Hertzel Gerstein of McMaster University, acknowledged a "synergistic effect" between Avandia and exercise, because both sensitize the body to the effects of insulin.

Dr. Jeffrey Probstfield, a University of Washington professor who led the U.S. portion of the study, said he would advise pre-diabetics to try the drug.

"I'm a strict adherent to the lifestyle approach," but the drug adds one more tool people can use to avoid a deadly and disabling disease, he said.

Maria Cheng reported from London and Marilynn Marchione reported from Milwaukee.

On the Net:

New England Journal: http://www.nejm.org

The Lancet: http://www.thelancet.com

Diabetes information: http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/general05.htm impaired

Essential Fatty Acids and Your Health

As you read this article, the US Senate and House are poised to block you access to health promoting supplements, vitamin and minerals. S.3546 the Dietary Supplement and Non-Prescription Drug Consumer Protection Act (the AER bill) is the latest bill impacting dietary supplements.
There is a real danger that this bill could be voted on in the Senate this week or next, and that the Senate language could be introduced in a House bill that they could already have consponsors lined up for which could cause a House bill to move rapidly.
If S. 3546 becomes law, it will amend the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to require the reporting of “serious” adverse events for both over the counter (OTC) drugs and dietary supplements to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
This dangerous bill fails to contain language whereby causality of an adverse reaction could be determined. There is far too much likelihood under it that safe dietary supplements would be unfairly blamed for adverse reactions that are actually being caused by Rx drugs.
The vitamin trade associations are all for it, but its a bad bill. They're for it because the large companies which politically dominate the trade associations can more easily handle the red tape costs of compliance than smaller companies. Consumers would be the ultimate losers as we'd have to pay for the increased costs of compliance.
See http://www.lef.org/featured-articles/consumer_alert_130906.htm where you can learn more and with one Mouse click you can send a form letter to your senators and congressman against this bad bill.

Fish oil could potentially save more lives than cardiac defibrillators, devices used to revive individuals whose hearts have stopped beating and to prevent and treat life-threatening heart arrhythmias, researchers estimate in a new report.
Past research has linked the omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish to a lower risk of fatal heart rhythm disturbances. This latest study tried to estimate the potential public health impact of raising adults' omega-3 levels with fish oil supplements.
Using a computer-simulated community of 100,000 Americans and data from past medical studies, the researchers calculated that raising omega-3 levels would save 58 lives each year.
This amounts to a 6.4-percent total death reduction -- mostly by preventing sudden cardiac death in apparently people, according to the study authors, led by Dr. Thomas E. Kottke of the Heart Center at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Conversely, the researchers estimate that far fewer lives would be saved by defibrillators, devices that deliver a "shock" to restart the heart or to resolve ventricular fibrillation, an otherwise fatal heartbeat irregularity in which the heart quivers instead of contracting normally.
For example, the study found, even if automated external defibrillators (AEDs) were available in every home and public area, the devices would lower a community's annual death rate by less than 1 percent.
AEDs are portable devices that can be used by lay people to shock someone in cardiac arrest. They are frequently available in public places such as large stores or on airplanes. Though the devices do save lives, the researchers note that AEDs would make little difference in the overall rate of sudden cardiac death.
Kottke's team estimates that implantable defibrillators would lower the cardiac death rate by 3.3 percent, still not as much as the 6.6-percent lower death rate achieved by increasing the use of fish oil supplements.
Though the implantable devices are effective, the researchers point out that about half of adults who die suddenly from cardiac arrest have no warning signs beforehand -- and would, therefore, never be candidates for an implanted defibrillator.
The study, which is published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, has its limitations, as a computer simulation. Though the researchers based their estimates of fish oil benefits on two large studies, it's not yet clear that omega-3 fatty acids prevent sudden cardiac death in apparently healthy people.
Ongoing trials in Italy and England may help answer this question, Kottke and his colleagues note.
If fish oil is as effective against fatal heart arrhythmias as evidence suggests, the researchers conclude, it would have more widespread benefits than either AEDs or implanted defibrillators.
SOURCE: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, October 2006.

VPX NO Shotgun

Mixability: 6/10 - When I opened the container of NO Shotgun, it appeared to be a very fine powder that would mix really easily. Nope! It didn't clump too much, but it still clumped. It was difficult to get completely dissolved. My solution was to leave it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. It works. Trust me, you want this to dissolve, so you can chug it down quickly. Shotgun the NO Shotgun!

Taste: 6/10 - It doesn't taste very good. It's not R4W (Ready 4 War) bad, but it's bad in comparison to the candy like substances that pass themselves off as supplements today. My advice -- mix it in a little water as possible and shoot it down. Follow with a 16 oz. glass of water. Mixing it with orange juice or any other acidic beverage will probably mask the taste also.

Effectiveness: 9/10 - This is where NO shotgun shines! You can feel it about 15 minutes after taking it. The container says take it 40 minutes before workout, but I feel it the most after 30 minutes. You'll be able to figure out the best time to take it once you take it for the first time. I take it 15 minutes before I go to the gym. Then hit the treadmill for 15 minutes, and I am amped up and ready to go. In my opinion, NO shotgun is better utilized for higher reps, rather than lower reps. The first time that I tried it I was training heavy with 4-6 reps, and while NO Shotgun definitely helped my workout, I really noticed its effects when I trained with higher reps. For the last two days, I trained in the higher rep range, and my pumps were so full that I had to stretch out a couple of times, because I could barely move my arms. Also, NO Shotgun really helps you get mentally focused in the gym and seems to improve endurance. My workouts flew by and I just felt like I was killing the weights.

I am very happy with NO SHOTGUN, and I feel that it is well worth the money. My workouts have improved while taking it. What more can you ask for in a supplement? Personally, I am not really concerned about pumps, but if someone is looking for a product to give them pumps this is the best product I have used bar none. I really enjoy NO Shotgun.

More Info: VPX NO Shotgun, 810 Grams

Chocolate Works Better

Chocolate, in its natural powder form has been known to be an herb/food or great anti-oxidant value for centuries. Of course it is the Western maintream crowd that thiks they just discovered the benfits of these wonderful natural things.
Of course you do know that it is the sugar and fat added to most chocolate that interfers with health.

We know eating Snickers just won't cut it!

But on the safe side you might want to consider the Leaflady's 'Enhance Romance' blend that has helped women and men to have a safer and healtheir sex life without the risk of death - yes, don't forget about all the deths associated with Viagra, but it still is on the market.

Oh my, darn that FDA....

Viagra may heat up one's sex drive, but chocolate can make it sizzle.

So said Dr. Dora Akunyili, the director of Nigeria's Federal Agency for Food and Medicine, in advising Nigerians on Monday to forego the little, libido-boosting blue pills in favor of a measured dose of cocoa.

To back up her claims -- made during a meeting with the vice-governor of one of Nigeria's states -- the good doctor cited a recently published study extolling the libidinal qualities of cocoa beans.

The report, produced by Nigeria's national committee for the development of cocoa, may be a bit skimpy on double-blind scientific tests, but it does refer to the marketing campaign of a British trade association making similar claims.

Baptized "Feeding Your Imagination", the campaign will soon launch a product line of six energy chocolate bars containing essential oils said to enhance one's mood, and especially one's sexual appetite.

Costing about six US dollars (5 euros) per 100 grams, the bars are fetchingly named Sexy, Beautiful, Dreamy, Fantastic, Sensual and Lovely, according to the website foodnavigator.com.

Britons already lead the European Union in chocolate consumption, eating nearly 10 kilos on average per year, and Britian is thus considered a promising market for sex candy.

For Akunyili, chocolate is the obvious lover's choice. Viagra, she said, can have unwelcome side effects, but chocolate is all good: it is the best anti-oxidant known and -- beyond its sexual virtues -- can help prevent heart attacks, hypertension and diabetes.

The vice governor, who also happens to head a committee for the promotion of chocolate, is even more enthusiastic about cocoa's curative powers, claiming it can "cure breast cancer, get rid of chronic coughs, and enhance brain power".

Akunyili did caution, however, that any new products containing chocolate will be thoroughly tested before going to market.

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse

Safety Alert: Lead in soft vinyl lunchboxes

Choosing healthy foods to pack in your kid’s lunchbox apparently isn’t all you need to consider in providing a healthy lunch. A study by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has found many popular soft vinyl lunchboxes contain high levels of lead.

Lead is known to be harmful to children, even in miniscule amounts. It can impair brain development and cause behavioral and developmental problems, including learning deficits and reduced IQ.

Lead already is banned from gasoline, paint and other products. But it still is added to soft vinyl plastic (PVC) as a stabilizing agent or pigment.

Independent lab tests commissioned by CEH found 17 lunchboxes with high lead levels — two to 25 times the legal limit for paint in children’s products.

CEH says, “In most cases, the highest lead levels were found in the lining of lunchboxes, where lead can come into direct contact with food. Children may be exposed to lead from these lunchboxes when they eat food that was been stored in them. Handling the lunchboxes just before eating also could be an exposure risk.”

In California, CEH has filed lawsuits against manufacturers and retailers of the lunchboxes containing levels of lead that exceed state law. Defendents reportedly include Toys “R” Us, DC Comics, Walgreens and Warner Brothers; the lunchboxes feature popular children’s characters such as Superman, Tweety Bird, Powerpuff Girls and Hamtaro.

Here in Washington state, the Washington Toxics Coalition has convinced the Washington State Department of Ecology (WSDOE) to prohibit the sale of soft vinyl lunchboxes with high lead contents. The Toxics Coalition reports that one lunchbox tested by the CEH has more than 560 times the legal standard for lead under state law.

No deadline for the ban in Washington is set, but the WSDOE has sent letters to manufacturers or retailers asking them to certify their products don’t contain high levels of lead.

CEH says it tested only soft plastic lunchboxes and most did not contain lead. But because it’s not possible to tell by appearance which ones do, CEH is advising parents to avoid vinyl lunchboxes altogether.

Parents also can test vinyl lunchboxes using a hand-held lead testing kit available at most hardware stores. CEH says it doesn’t know at this time whether lead may be in hard plastic or metal boxes, but its investigation is continuing.

from Trudy Bialic

Consumer resources
Several manufacturers make insulated, cloth lunchboxes without lead at a reasonable price. Visit:

* www.reusablebags.com
* www.progressivekid.com
* www.mimithesardine.com

Brands testing high for lead -
Some, but not all lunchboxes under these brand names test high for lead.
For more information, visit www.cehca.org/lunchboxes.htm.

* Generation Sports
* Frozn/Ingear
* Roundhouse/Targus
* Crayola
* American Studio
* Igloo
* Sanford
* Fast Forward
* Arizona Jean Company
* JC Penny
* Lisa Frank
* Animations/Accessory Network
* Holiday Fair/Mischief Maker
* Extreme Gear/Romar
* SubZero/Global Advantage
* Chill
* Big Dogs
* Childress baby bottle carriers
* Innovo
* East End Accessories/Worldwide Dreams