Better to Use Vitamin E My Dear

All over the TV ads in the Spokane market is an ad from Spokane Internal Medicine attempting to lure you into a Big PhRMA study allegedly for diabetic neuropathy relief using Lyrica.

Yes, you get paid, just as in most of these studies. But is this worth the risk?

Lyrica is a very controversial drug and comes with a high price in dollars and negative risks for your health.

I think it would be a great service to patients with pain, FMS, and neuropathy if SIM started a study to show you just how effective natural vitamin E can be to prevent and reverse neuropathy. 

Contact us FMI, and be sure to check out all the Lyrica related articles on Natural Health News.

Avandia: Is it time to pull it off the market?

UPDATE: 15 July - FDA reviewer David Graham told the panel Avandia's risks were real enough "to put you in a hospital or a cemetery."

Graham, who wants the pill banned, recently published an analysis estimating that as many as 100,000 heart-related problems may have been caused by Avandia among seniors on Medicare.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I remember back in 2004 coming across a report on the cardiovascular risk from Avandia. It caught my eye because I knew someone taking the drug and I took the opportunity to advise him of the issue.

Over the almost seven years since I first had reports of problems, it seems as if the controversy hasn't stopped.

Since the problems in the US were reported recently, Avandia now seems to be having problems in Europe.

Diabetes Drug Maker Hid Test Data on Risks, Files Indicate - Dates to 1999

By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today Published: July 11, 2010

WASHINGTON -- FDA staff reviewers blasted rosiglitazone (Avandia) in briefing documents released Friday, recommending that the diabetes drug be yanked from the market because of the "serious" cardiovascular risks it poses.
Rosiglitazone is no more effective at improving glycemic control in type 2 diabetes than pioglitazone (Actos) and provides no known unique health benefits, FDA reviewers wrote. While both drugs increase the risk of congestive heart failure, the effects of rosiglitazone are "substantially greater," the briefing documents concluded.
It remains to be seen whether a joint panel of outside medical experts will agree with this assessment. The panel meets July 13 and 14 to make recommendations about rosiglitazone -- including whether to pull the drug from the market.
Next week's meeting will be the second time an advisory panel has been asked to guide the FDA on what to do about rosiglitazone.
In 2007, a panel voted 20 to 3 that rosiglitazone increased cardiovascular risks, but then decided 22 to 1 that the benefits outweighed the risks.
In their current review, the FDA faulted the logic of the 2007 advisory decision, saying the panel failed to document the specific benefits of rosiglitazone. Since then, the benefits of the drug remain unclear, the agency said.
Next week's panel will review a number of different studies, including a post-marketing study the FDA reviewers branded as unethical.
A spokeswoman for GlaxoSmithKline said the company stands behind the safety and efficacy of rosiglitazone.

To me this falls into that category of covering up the facts as we have seen with so many other drugs throughout the last decade. And its an adjunct to this smirky comment about looking at the health protection agencies of the planet; they put forth propaganda with the purpose of causing fear....and to sell drugs.

The focus too long has been the profit motive and not public health!

GlaxoSmithKline's Diabetes Drug Avandia Draws More Scrutiny in Europe
By MELLY ALAZRAKI, Daily Finance, 07/09/10

Problems for GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) diabetes drug Avandia seem to be getting worse. The European Medicines Agency said Friday it's launching a new review of Avandia's benefit-risk profile following new data on the possibility of cardiovascular problems.

Avandia has been in the crosshairs of scientists, regulatory agencies and even U.S. senators in the past year. The EMA decision only adds to the already existing pressure. GSK shares tumbled 2.5% in premarket trading.

Last month, two new studies linked rosiglitazone, or Avandia, to heart attacks and other cardiovascular complications. The authors of the studies said the results should prompt regulators to pull the drug from the market. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel is indeed going to study the data next week.

A New Reevaluation

Now, the EMA will also be considering Avandia following the recent studies. Already, the product has been reviewed several times by the agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, which has updated the product information to include warnings on the use of these medicines in patients with heart problems. In 2008, the committee concluded that "rosiglitazone retained a small, if diminishing, place in diabetes type 2 therapy." Then again, it looked at the drug earlier this year.

The committee is now assessing the new data and will be discussing the issue at its next plenary meeting, July 19-22.

"Once all relevant data on the benefits and the risks of rosiglitazone have been looked at, the CHMP will issue an opinion on whether or not the marketing authorisations for these medicines should be revoked, suspended or changed," the EMA said in a statement.

The EU has authorized rosiglitazone on its own is as Avandia, in combination with metformin as Avandamet, and with glimepiride as Avaglim.

"Insufficient Data"?

GSK has defended Avandia, saying two heart associations have found that "Insufficient data exist to support the choice of" one treatment over the other. Still, sales of Avandia, which topped $2.6 billion in 2006, fell to $1.2 billion in 2009 after the FDA added a label warning regarding the elevated cardiac risk.

Judging from investors' reaction, the pressure on this drug is likely to keep mounting.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/investing/glaxosmithkline-avandia-europe/19547971/#

from Natural Health News - 4 of 14 articles referring to Avandia
FDA and Avandia: Ethics Lacking
Jun 05, 2010
FDA-Sanctioned International Diabetes Drug Trial Is Unethical and Dangerous “Surely no patient would willingly participate in a trial in which they have a substantial likelihood of taking a drug that, in the opinion of a large group of ...

Risks Potentially Outweigh Benefits with Avandia®
Jan 14, 2009
Avandia®, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), was first approved by the FDA in 1999 for marketing on the basis of its ability to lower blood glucose and reduce insulin resistance. By 2006 the drug had become the top selling oral ...

Avandia Increases Bone Risk for Women
Dec 10, 2008
GlaxoSmithKline, which markets rosiglitazone as Avandia, said the safety and effectiveness of the drug was backed by one of the largest clinical trial programmes ever undertaken for any medicine, with 52000 patients studied. ...

Here is another well thought out idea
Sep 15, 2006
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. ...

Brown Rice: More than Low GL or High Fiber

Brown Rice has been a mainstay of organic, whole food nutrition and food plans for a very long time.  It has also been a mainstay of more macrobiotic food plans for as long or longer.  Both choices have suffered the ridicule of mainstream medicine and dietitians for as long or longer than I have been involved as a health care professional which has been more than 40 years.  I have studied nutrition for far longer and it amazes me how slow mainstream is to learn about the benefits of such whole foods as brown rice, and then how they get the credit as if they are the first to discover it.

I have for decades now been recommending a special brown rice meal to people with diabetes or those at risk.  I've also been recommending it as a special meal for deep cellular detoxification.  And if you knew the nutritional benefits you would understand why.

White rice 'raises diabetes risk', say US experts

White rice has a higher glycemic load than brown rice.

Replacing white rice with brown rice and wholemeal bread could cut the risk of diabetes by a third, US experts say.

White rice poses a diabetes threat because it causes steep rises in blood sugar, say Harvard researchers in Archives of Internal Medicine.
Brown rice and other wholegrain foods are a healthier option as they release glucose more gradually, they say. Complete article

What I think is more important and not addressed in this report is the basic nutritional profile of this whole food and that connection to health or dis-ease.

Brown rice is high in the mineral manganese. Manganese is important for many functions. It can

• Help your body utilize several key nutrients such as biotin, thiamine, ascorbic acid, and choline
• Keep your bones strong and healthy
• Help your body synthesize fatty acids and cholestorol
• Maintain normal blood sugar levels
• Promote optimal function of your thyroid gland
• Maintain the health of your nerves
• Protect your cells from free-radical damage 

Biotin and Thiamine are part of the vitamin B complex.  B vitamins are especially important for people with diabetes.  It is also important to support healthy thyroid function because it has a direct link to diabetes.

Brown rice is also high in selenium which helps support your thyroid and iodine metabolism, and it is high in magnesium which is also very important for people with this health problem.  This unhulled rice also is known to be high in phytonutrients that may be equal to or higher than fruits and vegetables.

Brown rice is helpful as well for lowering cholesterol, preventing cardiovascular disease, weight management, protecting against breast and colon cancer (other cancers too), preventing gallstones, and aiding childhood asthma.

Purchase organic brown rice when possible to reduce risk of arsenic exposure and store it in the refrigerator to prevent it from becoming rancid as it contains rice bran oils.  The oil is a source of vitamin E and tocotrienols. It also contains trytophan.

I always suggest soaking this rice overnight before cooking to reduce the phytic acid load.

More about Brown Rice nutrition

Combining brown rice with sesame seed in my special recipe adds more preventive nutrition for diabetes. This combination raises the level of IP6 availability.  IP6 (inositol) boosts your  immune system, helps lower cholesterol, prevents kidney stones, helps prevent osteoporosis, prevents or reduces the complications of diabetes and sickle cell anemia, reduces risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack and stroke.

IP-6 + Inositol Against Diabetes - Experiments with isolated murine pancreatic beta cells have shown that IP-6 stimulates these cells to secrete insulin" [Hoy et al, Journal of Biological Chemistry Vol: 278 #37 pages 35168-35171, September 12, 2003]. And Dilworth and colleagues report that IP-6 supplementation when administered in diet lowered blood glucose levels in rats. That diabetics could be benefited from IP-6 + Inositol is further supported by data from Nascimento and colleagues who report in the January 3, 2006 issue of the PNAS that in their experimental model, inositol itself may work as an antioxidant and not only prevents but also reverses many of the complications of diabetes. Thus, on one hand, IP-6 causes direct stimulation of insulin from pancreatic beta cells and inositol on the other hand helps in the prevention of complications of diabetes; combination of IP-6 + Inositol gives dual benefits. Read more here

We published an entire issue of herbalYODA Says! about diabetes some time ago,  This informative issue is available with a donation to keep our work alive and well.

Our bioSupplemente has IP6 (now RKBioBlend) and ADVENTURx, with a magnesium base, both help support health for people with diabetes.

Resources: whole health foods, Natural Healing through Natural Health
Archives of Internal Medicine 

NB:  I appreciate this comment regarding this and many other articles I write at Natural Health News.  It is from a member of a medical list to which I subscribe -

Is this really new information! We know and have known for years that whole grain (with the germ and husk) is healthier for you than one stripped of it's outer shell and germ. there is more fiber in whole grain which slows down the absorption of sugars. It blows my mind that information we have known for years gets money for research. It would be similar to studying" does putting your hand on a hot stove burn you" of course it does do we need to prove it?

Brown Rice Recipe for Heavy Metals - Soak 3 cups of organic brown rice ovenight.  Pour off water and place in pot with tight closing lid.  Add 7 cups of pure water and one sliced medium red onion and 1 tabespoon dulse.  Cook and eat several servings daily until gone, maintain a regulr healthy food plan.  This is not a fast.

One brown rice recipe I enjoy - Asian Brown Rice
Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice, rinsed and drained  2-1/2 cups water  2 tsp. fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped  1/2 tsp. Oriental sesame oil  1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. soy sauce
Cooking Instructions:
Combine all ingredients, except soy sauce, in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil 5 minutes. Lower heat as low as possible. Cover pan tightly and let rice simmer 45 minutes without lifting lid. After 45 minutes, turn off the heat, and  let stand covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Serve drizzled with soy sauce.

Another OPRAH marketing monster

I am not opposed to not taking a seriously looking at the serious problems with diabetes we face in the US today.  It is a serious problem and it deserves a serious discussion and serious action.

There are many factors in the diabetes 1 and 2 equations that were not discussed on the program today and these deserve as much attention as do exercise, nutrition, and proper testing of your blood sugar.

Vaccines are implicated in the rising number of children developing Type 1 diabetes.

The poor quality of food today is a factor in the development of Type 2 diabetes as is the use of artificial sweeteners, over processed food, and high fructose corn syrup.

Other problems are the nutritional deficiencies caused by the diabetes drugs and problems with insulin (the cancer / Lantus connection for example).

A major concern I've had for years is the lack of information provided to people with diabetes about the need to have proper and thorough thyroid and adrenal testing, as well as being provided with information on how Vitamin E prevents neuropathy and how vitamin C prevents retinopathy.  Dr. Oz made not comment on this important information.

Bob Green is again promoting his chemically filled, soy oil artificial spread.  How about half a cup of high quality olive oil sold in glass bottls and 1 stick of unsalted butter.  Butter just isn't as bad as they'd like you to believe.

Greene also is giving out advice on blood sugar testing that isn't even close to what should be done.  Once a day testing isn't adequate!

He's still pushing SOY in the form of Silk  for meals, but take a look at some of the concerns I raised about his endorsments -

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2009/01/best-life-whoa-oprah-didnt-bob-tell-you.html

 http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2007/01/fake-foods-oprah-bob-and-general-mills.html

There isn't inclusion of the natural things that you can do to prevent and reverse diabetes, and no discussion about why some people just cannot follow a vegan diet to get healthy.

So, yes, do exercise, use a better selection of food, watch how much you eat, but get more facts before following this Oprah-hyped plan.  It probably is a good as Heidi Klum and the Diet Coke approach to increasing the risk of heart disease.

And if you'd like to start a food buying club if you are in a poor area with little access to healthy whole food let me know and I'll tell you how.

And please, the next time you have a program on diabetes make sure you note that the highest proportion of people who have diabetes are those who are Native American or of Native American descent.

NOTE: Our parent organization, CHI, offers two nutritional programs, one is informational which you can receive with a donation.  The second is $40 which includes a lengthy questionaire you complete at home which will tell you your metabolic type (1 of 12) based on your autonomic nervous system function.  We also offer nutritional counseling and health coaching.

The Lethal Science of Splenda

UPDATE: 1/20/10  Truvia complaints  

UPDATE: 1/13/10
Not only is Splenda a risk to the health of people who use it, it seems as if it is a health risk to everyone because it is not cleared by water treatment systems. Note, however, that *the science proves that sucralose is broken down in the human body* and this is not reported by the writer in the article that follows.

That Splenda you're drinking will be in our water supply for awhile
By Laura Vanderkam

WASHINGTON, D.C.—People like sucralose—the artificial sweetener marketed as Splenda—because the human body *can’t break it down* and use it. That means the substance has almost no calories and makes it a popular ingredient in everything from cookies to diet sodas. Unfortunately, it turns out that modern wastewater treatment methods don’t break down Splenda either.

That, according to Smitha Ramakrishna, 17, one of 40 finalists in the 2009 Intel Science Talent Search who’ve gathered in Washington, DC, for the final judging rounds this week, means that the sweetener can accumulate in the water supply after people excrete it, potentially harming fish and other living things.

Ramakrishna, a senior at Corona del Sol High School in Chandler, Arizona, first became interested in water issues on a trip to India when she was 12. Her parents took her to an orphanage. She was appalled by the poverty—the lack of tables and chairs for eating, for instance—but what struck her most is that these children didn’t even have access to clean water. In Arizona, despite an ongoing drought, “you turn on the tap and it’s there,” she says. “You take it for granted.”

She came home and, despite her tender years, started an organization called AWAKE, dedicated to water conservation and education. Over the years, AWAKE has helped 3,000 kids in India gain access to clean water through reverse osmosis projects and rainwater harvesting systems.

By high school, however, Ramakrishna decided she wanted to focus more on the science of clean water, and less on the policy. She tried to start doing research at Arizona State University, though since she was the first high schooler her lab had ever had—and she was under age 16—this caused much controversy. “It’s almost child labor,” she says, laughing, explaining the problem. The case went all the way up to the university president’s office. But eventually she was allowed to subject sucralose to various treatments, like bacterial digestion, typically used in wastewater treatment plants. She found that sucralose resisted most of these treatments, and was only broken down into biodegradable molecules with extensive time and concentration of titanium oxide and ultraviolet light. Since few plants use these methods, that means almost all the sucralose people eat or drink winds up in the ecosystem.

It’s too soon yet to say what that will cause. Preliminary studies, Ramakrishna says, suggests that sucralose might poison fish in large enough concentrations. She plans to study this question more in college, potentially at A.S.U., where she continues to work—as do more than 10 high school students, now that she’s broken the barrier. “It’s opened a whole new door,” she says.

Originally posted 12/16/09 (2/52,000 in AOL search): Studies have shown that sucralose can:

* Cause the thymus to shrink by as much as 40% (the thymus is your immune powerhouse - it produces T cells)

* Cause enlargement of the liver and kidneys

* Reduce growth rate as much as 20%

* Cause enlargement of the large bowel area

* Reduce the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50%

* Increase the pH level in the intestines (a risk factor for colon cancer)

* Contribute to weight gain

* Cause aborted pregnancy low fetal body weight

* Reduce red blood cell count

Particular warning to diabetics: Researchers found that diabetic patients using sucralose showed a statistically significant increase in glycosylated hemoglobin, a marker that is used to assess glycemic control in diabetic patients. According to the FDA, sucralose "increases in glycosolation in hemoglobin imply lessening of control of diabetes."

Here's a quote from another article - Among the results in the study by Drs. Mohamed B. Abou-Donia, Eman M. El-Masry, Ali A. Abdel-Rahman, Roger E. McLendon and Susan S. Schiffman is evidence that, in the animals studied, Splenda reduces the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50%, increases the pH level in the intestines, contributes to increases in body weight and affects the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the body in such a way that crucial health-related drugs could be rejected. Turner noted that the P-gp effect "could result in crucial medications used in chemotherapy for cancer patients, AIDS treatment and drugs for heart conditions being shunted back into the intestines rather than being absorbed by the body as intended."

Even limited use of diet soda is known to damage kidney function

"Two or more servings per day of artificially sweetened soda and faster kidney function decline; no relation between sugar-sweetened beverages and kidney function decline was noted.” Moreover, this association persisted even when the researchers accounted for age, obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, physical activity, calorie intake, diabetes and cigarette smoking. Clearly, artificially sweetened sodas are detrimental to kidney health."

Other studies have shown it is linked to cancer and has led to kidney calcification.

There are 35 articles with important information about sucralose and aspartame as well as toxicity of new so-called "natural" sweeteners you can read in Natural Health News.

We suggest using safe sweeteners like "Just Like Sugar".  For more information look for their logo in the right hand column of our BLOG.  Pure extract of stevia is also safe, and can be ordered from us.  You must make sure that any stevia product you purchase is pure, not combined with other harmful ingredients.

And from 2006 -

KOMO TV - Seattle, Herb Weisbaum, Published April 9, 2006

SEATTLE - An investigation by the Environmental Working Group, a well-respected consumer organization, finds high levels of benzene contamination in diet soda.

Benzene is a known cancer causer, something you do not want in your food.

The EWG based its report on data collected by the Food and Drug Administration from 1995 through 2001. It showed that 79 percent of the diet soda samples tested during this six-year period "were contaminated with benzene at levels above the federal limit for benzene in tap water."

The average benzene level found in the diet soda was 19 parts per billion, nearly 4 times higher than the tap water standard which is 5 parts per billion. No brands were identified by the FDA, so I can't tell you which pop they tested.

The Environmental Working Group is not suggesting people stop drinking soft drinks. It does want the FDA to make its test reports public and to take action when manufacturers violate the established safety standards.

The EWG did criticize the FDA for making statements that the benzene levels it found were "insignificant" and "do not suggest a safety concern."

The consumer group says benzene is more likely to be formed when soda pop is stored at warm temperatures for long periods of time.

Read more...

Prevent Amputation

Recent reports indicate that the risk of amputation for people with diabetes is increasing.

Rise in diabetes limb amputations
By Emma Wilkinson, BBC News health reporter

The number of people in England having a limb amputated because of type-two diabetes has risen dramatically, a study has shown.

Between 1996 and 2005, below-ankle amputations doubled to more than 2,000, and major amputations increased by 43%.  Read complete article

Certainly there are many factors in this equation regarding food quality, food quantity, newer medications, lack of exercise, lack of access to clean water, and lack of prevention efforts.

The circulatory problems in diabetes can be prevented and along with this, reduction and/or elimination of the risk of amputation.

For decades those of us in natural health have known that several nutrients taken in therapeutic dose will forestall this problem.

Natural vitamin E, vitamin C, RK BioBlend, B vitamins, EFAs, and herbs like non-irradiated cayenne (35,000 HU), good garlic, as well as other approaches can help you extremely well.  Using a health promoting food plan can be important too.

A Massage Technique for ulcers.

Zerose, Zevia or what ever you wish to call it, it's toxic by any name

UPDATE 2/3/10 

Sorbitol and erythritol are both sugar alcohols and should be limited by people with diabetes - or anyone interested in health. 

frequent google search = does zevia cause gas and flatulence?

Sorbitol and Diabetes

Sorbitol, a sugar alcohol, is a sugar substitute used in many foods labeled as “sugar free” or “dietetic.” It can be found in chewing gum, jellies, baked products, fruit cookies and even in some medications. It is used as a sweetener, to improve stability and/or to help retard moisture. Sorbitol is thought to be appropriate for use by people who have Diabetes Mellitus because sorbitol is converted to fructose in the liver, which is not dependent on insulin for metabolism. However, single doses of 10 to 50 grams of sorbitol may produce osmotic diarrhea, along with abdominal cramps and flatulence.

Many food products containing sorbitol are actually higher in calories than products made with sucrose because of the fat that must be added to make sorbitol soluble. Sorbitol and sucrose have the same number of calories, although sorbitol is half as sweet as sucrose.

The American Dietetic Association recommends that foods containing sorbitol be limited to portions containing 20 calories or less.

Post date 12/29/09

A few days ago, a visitor to Natural Health News wanted to know if the new sugar alcohol based sweeteners might be a cause of diarrhea.

The answer to this is that the sugar alcohol based sweeteners do cause gastrointestinal disturbances and this is one reason why we do not recommend nay products containing a blend of chemically altered stevia.

Problems with new sweetener, including ZSweet, Zevia or Zerose

Stay with the natural forms of stevia, those with no additives or those that have been chemically altered.

Get pure stevia extract from us (see right column) or look for Just Like Sugar.

Inflammation and Chronic Disease: An old idea and diabetes

The issue of inflammation is one reason why vitamin C is so helpful to people with diabetes.  The suggested dose is approximatwely 10, 000 mg in divided doses each day.

Does Inflammation Trigger Insulin Resistance and Diabetes?

Nearly 21 million Americans suffer from type 2 diabetes, and every year 800,000 more are diagnosed. Considering the growing numbers, scientists are trying to fit together the disease’s disparate puzzle pieces. People who acquire it are typically obese, suffer from chronic inflammation and are resistant to insulin, the hormone that removes sugar from the blood and stores it as energy. For years no one has known exactly how the three characteristics are related, if at all. But a handful of recent studies suggest that they are inextricably linked through the actions of specific inflammatory immune cells and a master genetic switch—and the hope is that an understanding of the relations could open the door to new therapeutic opportunities.



Complete article: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=inflammatory-clues

Diabetes and Pollution

A recent study published in Diabetes Care found a strong relationship between Type II diabetes and six pollutants:

• a PCB: hexachlorobiphenyl

• 2 dioxins: heptadioxin and OCDdioxin

• 2 pesticides: oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor, and

• a pesticide metabolite: DDE, a metabolite of DDT*

The contaminants were detectable in more than 80 percent of the study participants. The study found that participants who were in the highest-exposure category were almost 38 times more likely to have diabetes than those in the lowest-exposure category.

An obvious way to reduce the amount of pollutants ingested (some estimates have the average American taking in nearly a gallon of the chemicals each year) is to eat organically grown foods* instead of those grown conventionally with pesticides and herbicides.

*DDT is to be noted because sucralose (Splenda) is a chlorinated hydrocarbon, with some similarities to DDT in chemical structure.

* To reduce contaminants in conventional foods, order “FOOD SAFETY: CLEANSING OPTIONS”.
The second and expanded edition of this Healthy Handout© is full of tried and true, helpful information based on our more than 50 years of “natural healing through natural health”.
Order your copy today for just $3.95
With all orders placed through 31 December, 2009 ‘TOC’ will include a complimentary copy of our Healthy Food Guide. Once payment is received you’ll receive your electronic copy by email.
© 2009 TOC. All Rights Reserved.

Finally, science agrees with herbalYODA on fructose

Food sweetener could be 'fuelling' childhood diabetes, study finds


The sweetener fructose, a cheap sugar substitute found in thousands of processed foods and soft drinks, may be increasing childhood diabetes and the obesity crisis, new findings suggest.

Fructose


By Amy Willis, Daily Telegraph, 13 Dec 2009

In a study by researchers at the University of California, 16 volunteers were put on a controlled diet with high-levels of fructose – a sweetener derived from corn.

After 10 weeks, the volunteers had developed more fat cells around the heart, liver and other major organs as well as showing signs of food processing abnormalities linked to diabetes and heart disease.

Another group of volunteers, who were also on a controlled diet but without the fructose, did not show the fat cell increase or the food processing abnormalities.

Both groups put on the same amount of weight.

Children are said to be in a higher risk group as they are more likely to eat products with high-levels of sweeteners over longer periods of time.

"This is the first evidence we have that fructose increases diabetes and heart disease independently from causing simple weight gain," Kimber Stanhope, a molecular biologist who led the study, told a Sunday newspaper.

Diabetes Drugs and Health Risks

One reason for these problems is the nutrient depletion they cause. 

To keep up with facts join our Diabetes E List with your $5 donation to Creating Health Institute on PayPal.

THURSDAY, Dec. 3 (HealthDay News) — A class of drugs still taken by millions of people with type 2 diabetes is associated with a higher risk of dying and heart failure than the newer treatment metformin, researchers say.

Sulfonylureas, long a mainstay of diabetes treatment, performed less well than metformin in a study of oral anti-diabetes drugs, but doctors said the findings aren’t necessarily a reason to discontinue taking them. Glyburide, glipizide and glimepiride are examples of sulfonylureas.

Metformin, which is sold as Glucophage and other brand names, is already the first-choice therapy for type 2 diabetes, and the findings are in line with new American Diabetes Association recommendations, meaning the results won’t change the way patients are already treated.

“This raises some interesting points for other, more specific research, but it won’t affect the way we practice medicine tomorrow,” said Dr. Robert Scott III, assistant professor of internal medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and senior staff cardiologist with Scott & White, Temple, Texas. “Certain diabetes medications may be a little bit more heart friendly than some of the older diabetes medications, but the bottom line is, we can’t draw firm conclusions from this.”  Read more

Gluten allergy boosts death risk

This is a timely report in terms of the article below about current cancer therapies, and the fact we have known for decades that cancer is most often a nutritional disease.

Not too long ago I wrote to a physician who is doing gastrointestinal work and with people who have rheumatoid arthritis. I asked him if he was screening his patients for gluten and gliaden allergy and allergy to other foods.

You guessed it, the answer was 'NO'.

I think this article represents a start, but the movement has to continue. It may be up to you, instead of asking for reflux drugs, to demand proper food allergy testing. The system I use tests for 250 different foods.

Don't overlook the impact of vaccines in this equation either.

Tue Sep 15
CHICAGO (AFP) – The risks of gluten allergies have been underestimated, according to a study published Tuesday which found increased mortality rates among people with celiac disease.

Celiac disease is triggered by exposure to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.

Found in about one percent of the Western population, it damages the small intestines and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food.

People with celiac disease often also have other diseases which attack the immune system such as diabetes or arthritis.

However, celiac disease often goes undiagnosed until substantial damage has been done to the digestive system.

Using data taken from biopsies taken between July 1969 and February 2008 in Sweden, researchers were able to examine the overall risk of death in individuals with celiac disease and digestive inflammation and compare it to the general population.

They found the risk of death was "modestly increased."

Patients with inflammation had a 72 percent increased risk of death; patients with celiac disease had a 39 percent increased risk; and patients with latent celiac disease had a 35 percent increased risk of death.

Lead author Jonas Ludvigsson of the Orebro University Hospital concluded that there could be several explanations for the increased mortality risks.

"Malnutrition of energy and vitamins and chronic inflammation may increase the risk of death," he wrote, noting that even patients who maintain gluten-free diets have persisting lesions.

Those with inflammation who had not been diagnosed with celiac disease may have an overall worse prognosis because institution of a gluten-free diet often leads to normalization, the authors concluded.

"Until recently, gluten sensitivity has received little attention in the traditional medical literature, although there is increasing evidence for its presence in patients with various neurological disorders and psychiatric problems," Peter Green of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons wrote in an accompanying editorial.

"The study by Ludvigsson and colleagues reinforces the importance of celiac disease as a diagnosis that should be sought by physicians. It also suggests that more attention should be given to the lesser degrees of intestinal inflammation and gluten sensitivity."

The risk of death was highest in the first year of follow-up but decreased with age at diagnosis, with risk being higher for those diagnosed before age 20.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Diabetes E List

Every so often I send out helpful information on a opt-in e-list I have for people with diabetes. Not too long ago I sent out information about how vitamin C helps diabetes, and today here is another report. If you are a member of this list (a small, one-time fee is required to join) you would have received this important information. The recent issue of our every-other-month publication, herbalYODA Says!, focused on diabetes, providing 10 pages of helpful information. You can subscribe to this newsletter by signing up on either of our web sites (links in right column).

And to those "journalists" reporting that vitamins don't work, perhaps too you can learn something.

Stopping Diabetes Damage With Vitamin C

ScienceDaily (2009-06-10) -- Researchers have found a way to stop the damage caused by type 1 diabetes with the combination of insulin and a common vitamin found in most medicine cabinets. ... > read full article

Vitamin C will also help reverse Type 2 and perhaps can do the same for Type 1.

Diabetes Featured

In my newsletter, herbalYODA Says!, the featured topic in the forthcoming issue is Diabetes.

Publishing tomorrow morning at 9 AM, you'll find 10 information packed pages with a great amount of nutritional information about how to improve and prevent diabetes, as well as develop a plan to recover.

To receive this issue of herbalYODA Says! you'll need to subscribe today. Sign up at the bottom of the page, here.

And our next segment on BlogTalkRadio focuses on Food Allergy. Listen Live tomorrow morning at 9 AM.

You can listen LIVE or visit the program archives anytime.

Today's Drug Promoting Insanity

As I've been saying lately, what we have in the US is medical care, not health care. And the medical care we have ranks very low in comparison to many other countries.

There are many reasons for this poor state of affairs, and here are a few reasons why things are as they are -

1. Older people should take anti hypertensive drugs even if they do not have hypertension.

This idea seems to be the brainchild of some medical researchers in the UK. They believe a "polypill" made up of the standard drugs used currently as the cookie cutter treatment for blood pressure will prevent heart disease and stroke.

My choice would be vitamin E and magnesium, plus a more customized individual plan for anyone concerned about these issues.

2. The anti-cholesterol drug fenofibrate (Tricor or Triglide)appears to reduce risks of amputation for diabetics by as much as 36 percent, a study has found. This drug runs about $75 for 90 pills. And it has some great side effects I know everyone wants to experience, especially when hit with their impact by surprise because the prescriber overlooked explaining them, as required by law.

The study was published in a special edition on diabetes by The Lancet, which included another study on how rigorous monitoring and control of blood sugar reduces heart attacks.

Well, just for starters, how is amputation directly related to controlling blood sugar and reducing heart attacks?

Perhaps these medical whiz kids need to go back to the drawing board to read the research that says anti-cholesterol drugs do not reduce risk of heart attack, and they don't really do much for LDL or blood sugar lowering either.

However, if a person with diabetes takes adequate amounts of vitamin E daily, they will find that they can prevent neuropathy and the reduce the risk of losing toes, feet, or limbs.

And because vitamin E is an oxygenator it can act to lower blood pressure as doing is increased over time.

A little Alli-C thrown in the mix easily increases the benefits, and garlic has some blood sugar lowering effect as well.

Then there is Kufner's Powder, heavily laden with B vitamins and trace minerals, shown in the very first hospital based study to reverse gangrene in a limb of an older man with diabetes. And consider enzymes, especially lipase, it might be beneficial.

Seems to be another indication we need more open minds and more creative thinking in medicine now days...

3. "A study by Cancer Research UK found that pancreatic cancer can spread quickly to a tumor, despite a healthy blood supply, and gave evidence why conventional cancer treatments such as Eli Lilly and Co's Gemzar were often ineffective.

The study found that combining cancer treatment Gemzar with Infinity Pharmaceutical's experimental drug IPI-926 made the treatment work better in mice with pancreatic cancer."

Yes, the treatment works better in mice!

And the statistics are not good: "Pancreatic cancer is diagnosed in 230,000 people across the world each year, with 7,600 new cases in Britain and 37,000 new cases in the United States, according to Cancer Research UK."

So what might you do?

Well, there is a natural treatment that has been proven in an FDA funded study that seems to get up to an 83% cure rate.

It has lots of vitamins and enzymes, plus a different nutritional approach.

And after you've looked over just these three items consider that in 1999, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued an alarming report titled "To Err is Human," detailing the toll of preventable medical errors in the U.S; it estimated that up to 98,000 Americans die annually from them.

Comments on this study show that now a decade later as more than 100,000 people are dying from the same cause, as the CDC reports, why aren't the "right" questions being asked.

Are we really hoping for reform in medical care?

How To Get The Best Diet To Reduce Blood Sugar

Figuring out the best diet that reduces blood sugar can at
first seem to be a bit overwhelming and confusing. There
are so many different diets and books that claim they are
the most effective diet when it comes to lowering blood
sugar. Some diets say to eat high protein and low carbs
while others tell you to do the complete opposite.

Although there are variations in these low blood sugar
diets, one thing is common among most of them. Most of
these diets tell you to eliminate certain foods such as
white flour, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco. In
addition, they probably speak about the portions of your
meals, to consume 6 small meals rather than the traditional
three.

However, the secret to a successful diet for a hypoglycemic
is personalization, which happens to work in any type of
diet program. Each person is different and has unique
nutritional needs so the diet must be customized to meet
those specific needs.

One of the most important parts of a diet book or doctor
advised diet plan is the section where they tell you what
foods to cut out. Although it is unrealistic for you to not
eat anything on that list, it is a great resource for you to
use when changing your lifestyle to fit your health needs.

In addition, listen to your body because it will give you
signs should you take in food that lower blood sugar that it
cannot tolerate.

Having a food diary is another part of your diet you may
want to implement. Recording what you eat for about 7-10
days can give you vital information about how your body
reacts to certain food which can help you decide what best
to eat in the future.

Start eliminating the hazard food that lower blood sugar. Be
careful in doing this and seek the guidance of a health
professional before proceeding. You can choose a slow but
steady pace.

Another little tidbit is to keep your blood sugar stable at
all times. Keep foods readily available whether you are at
home or on the go.

Using these tips as well as others from diet plans and your
doctor can help you maintain a stable blood sugar with no
need for confusion or frustration. Create the best diet
plan for your specific needs.

Some Of The Main Signs Of Diabetes

There are two types of diabetes but the symptoms for both of
these can be very similar. Having diabetes means that you
have a high amount of glucose in your blood and not enough
cells. It is critical to detect symptoms early so you can be
sure to take measures so your condition does not get worse.

First, you may notice that you need to urinate frequently,
in comparison to usual. When there is too much glucose in
the blood, humans need to urinate very frequently. Also, if
the insulin is not present, or is not working the right way,
your kidneys are not able to take the glucose to the blood.
This will cause your body to have to urinate more often.

Second, there is a high chance that you will notice you are
very thirsty, and cannot get rid of the feeling. You drink
and drink more water, yet you are still thirsty. This may
indeed be a sign of diabetes, especially if you have to
urinate more than often.

Third, you may notice that you are losing weight without
even attempting to. This is normally seen more often in
people with Type 1 diabetes. The body does not make insulin
anymore, so the body needs to find more energy for the
cells. To do so, it will use muscle tissue and fat for
energy, thus you will lose weight. It is less common in Type
2, but all the same, still be aware.

Fourth,if you feel that you are very tired, no matter how much you
sleep, you may suffer from diabetes. If your body does not
have insulin, or the cells do not respond to it, the cells
do not receive the glucose they need. At that point, you
will start to feel very fatigued.

These are some very common signs of people suffering from
diabetes. If you even notice a few of these symptoms, visit
a doctor. It is better to be safe than sorry!

Senator Ortiz y Pino Continues Fight to Ban Aspartame

Please support this important FDA action. And hopefully, this time around, Ajinmoto will not send big checks - like the 10K Bill Richardson accepted - to interfere with fact and the people's will.

New Mexico Senate
Santa Fe, New Mexico
February 12, 2009

The Honorable Frank Torti, M.D.
Acting Commissioner, United States Food and Drug Administration
5400 Fishers Lane
Rockville, Maryland

Dear Dr. Torti:

I am the New Mexico sponsor of the enclosed Senate Memorial 9, 2009, asking the Food and Drug Administration to rescind its approval for the artificial sweetener, aspartame.

You may know that the FDA, to its credit, turned down G.D. Searles application for aspartame's approval from 1966 to 1981, at which point, approval was forced through the FDA at the insistence fo Searles CEO, Donald Rumsfeld.

Numerous physicians petitions as well as many private petitions have been filed with FDA since 1981 asking for the rescinding of aspartames approval. These have all been routinely ignored and responded to with industry assurance about how many industry financed "tests" aspartame has been through, all of which showed "aspartame to be safe."

FDA used to keep records on consumer complaints on aspartame, accruing a minimum of 92 alleged symptoms from ingesting aspartame, ranging from headaches, blurred vision, skin rashes, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis to that ultimate symptom, DEATH.

Dr. Torti, this chemical has produced a massive mountain of medical and neurodengenerative evidence, which I believe would lead you to order it removed from the market. While it is too late to do this now as a "precaution"; it is even more imperative to do this as a means of preventing further medical harm to future victims.

This Memorial is advancing in the New Mexico Senate, after being cosponsored by ten of my colleagues. A similar version of the Memorial has also been introduced by Hawaii Senator Chun Oakland, and is cosponsored by ten members of the Hawaii Senate. That resolution will create an evidentiary repository for Hawaii victims, especially those with diabetes and epileptic seizures, now statistically epidemic in Hawaii, with links to aspartame.

In January 2009, Hawaii Senator Kalani English introduced SB576 in that state. It would ban aspartame entirely in Hawaii. This bill is cosponsored by an astonishing 14 members of the 25 member Hawaii Senate. At the same time, Representative Mele Carroll has introduced HB669, also banning aspartames sale and use in Hawaii.

I realize a permanent FDA Commissioner has not yet been selected by the Obama Administration, but when one is appointed, I will send a similar letter to him/her to again request this action in order to protect the American public from further harm from a chemical that the FDA has known for 43 years is metabolized as methanol, formaldehyde, aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and the proven carcinogen, diketopiperazine.

This regulatory failure of epic proportions entirely resulted from the actions of Donald Rumsfeld when he was with the original patent holder for aspartame. There is sufficient evidence to warrant such a rescinding, a situation not unlike that in 1969 when President Richard Nixon similarly ordered the FDA to take away the approval for another group of carcinogens, cyclamates, which occurred very quickly.

Our concern must be the overarching concerns of preventing further neurodengenerative and carcinogenic damage to hundreds of millions of Americans, who have no other government entity to trust and depend on than the United State Food and Drug Administration!

I believe that President Obama, Congressman Bart Stupak, and Congresswoman Rosa Delauro all want to see the rebuilding of an FDA that merits the restored trust of the American people. I certainly want to see this come about, and I hope you do as well.

Rescinding aspartames FDA approval would be a major credible first step in the right direction.

Sincerely yours,
Gerald Ortiz y Pino
New Mexico State Senator
District 12
Albuquerque

Beyond Your Type 2 Diabetes Symptom

Just because you don't have the symptoms doesn't mean you
don't have. This may not always be true though and
understanding the true nature of a type 2 diabetes symptom
may help save your life.

The Figures

Having the condition means that the cells in your body are
not reacting properly to the work of insulin which is
supposed to open up the cells to glucose. Without glucose in
your cells you will have no clear source of energy.

More people suffer from Type 2 diabetes than type 1 diabetes.
It is estimated that at least 90% of diabetics belong to
the type 2 category. The sad fact though is that more than
6% of diabetics are not aware that they have the condition.
The lack of awareness may be due to a dismissal of seemingly
harmless type 2 diabetes symptoms or a total lack of warning
signs.

Different Symptoms

Although type 2 diabetes is more common than type 1, the
former is much easier to deal with since it does not involve
the pancreas and insulin production. Despite the difference
in cause however, both types of diabetes share the same
symptoms. A diabetic might begin to feel frequently tired,
thirsty and may have occasionally blurry vision and wounds
that do not heal quickly.

The main difference between the two types is in the onset of
the symptoms . A type 1 diabetes symptom can develop rapidly
and worsen in the span of a few weeks. Even with the rapid
symptom development however, cell damage may already have
been occurring for some time before type 1 diabetes is
finally discovered. A type 2 diabetes symptom on the other
hand is not as obvious and as bad as a type 1 symptom.

Effects of No Symptoms

Effects of not detecting or not having a type 2 diabetes
symptom may be drastic. The key to effectively managing this
chronic disease is early detection. Once you fail to detect
a type 2 diabetes symptom however, you can suffer from
complications that are even more difficult to reverse. Some
diabetics only realize that they have type 2 diabetes
because of complications like retinopathy, heart ailments,
kidney problems and nerve deaths. A complication is
therefore their only type 2 diabetes symptom.

Uncommon Risk Factors

A family history of diabetes and one's weight should be
enough to warn you about the condition. You should however
also consider yourself at high risk of developing diabetes
if you are over 45 years old, had a baby over 9 pounds and
had a history of gestational diabetes or pre diabetes. For
undetermined reasons, individuals who are Asian, African,
Hispanic and American are at greater risk of developing
diabetes.

What Has to be Done

Naturally, you would need to consult experts in diabetes to
help you manage your condition or your type 2 diabetes
symptom. There are however basic things you should remember
on your own. You should monitor your glucose levels, take
your medication as prescribed, follow your diet and exercise
plans and watch and manage your weight.

The Importance of Vitamin B1 for People with Diabetes

UPDATE: 29 December - The BBC today reported on vitamin B 1 and their article pointed out that between 70% - 70% of all people with diabetes ( 1 and 2) and thiamine deficient. This may be related to the disease process and/or poor diet, but may also be a side effect of medications.
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The Oake Centre for natural health education offers a service to people with diabetes in the form of an educational newsletter send periodically. The focus is to send notice of research findings and natural health options related to diabetes. This is an opt in subscription requiring a one time $5 fee.

You might want to subscribe for your own health or send as a gift to some one whose health you care about. (Use the Make a Donation button and send $5 with a note for the Diabetes List subscription)

A report published online on December 5, 2008 in the journal Diabetologia revealed the finding of researchers at the University of Warwick in England that high doses of the B vitamin thiamine can reverse one of the signs of early kidney disease in diabetic patients. Diabetes greatly increases the risk of kidney disease, which is detected in its early stage by testing for albumin in the urine. A high excretion rate of albumin (microalbuminuria) is indicative of diabetic nephropathy, which progressively worsens over the years.

In earlier research conducted at the University of Warwick, it was shown that individuals with type 2 diabetes are often deficient in vitamin B1. The vitamin may be needed to prevent a range of vascular problems that occur in the disease.

Naila Rabbani and Professor Paul J Thornalley of Warwick Medical School, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Punjab in Pakistan randomized 40 type 2 diabetics with microalbuminuria to receive three 100 milligram capsules of thiamine per day or a placebo for three months, followed by a two month washout period during which no treatment was administered. Urinary albumin excretion and other markers of kidney and vascular dysfunction were evaluated at the beginning and end of the treatment period. Plasma thiamin levels were also measured.

Thiamin levels were found to be abnormally low among the participants at the beginning of the trial. Levels rose dramatically following treatment with the vitamin, and returned to baseline levels during the washout period. By the end of the three month treatment period, the researchers observed a 41 percent average decrease in albumin excretion among patients who received vitamin B1. Thirty-five percent of participants experienced a return to normal albumin excretion with thiamin treatment.

“This study once again highlights the importance of Vitamin B1 and we need to increase awareness,” Dr Rabbani stated. “Professor Thornalley and I are planning a foundation at the University of Warwick to further education and research in thiamine deficiency.”

and in a related report regarding kidney disease and the need for supportive vitamin supplementation -

Dietary supplements are often recommended by physicians and renal dietitians (National Kidney Foundation 2001e). Their recommendations are guided by the results of blood tests that you will be required to take regularly as part of monitoring your condition and treatment results. Always speak with your physician or renal dietitian before using or adding any supplements or herbal products.

Multivitamins. In addition to eating a diet that contains appropriate nutrients and levels of protein, a comprehensive multivitamin is often required to replace vitamins that are lost during dialysis treatments (National Kidney Foundation 2001e).

Vitamin B. Vitamins B6, B12, and folate (folic acid) are members of the B vitamin group. The B vitamins are known for having many beneficial qualities, including promoting growth; improving heart function; lowering homocysteine; protecting against atherosclerosis caused by excess homocysteine; helping with the formation and regeneration of red blood cells and preventing anemia; and increasing energy and endurance (McGregor et al. 2000).

Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps keep many different types of tissues healthy. Vitamin C helps wounds and bruises heal faster and may aid in preventing infection (2001e).

Vitamin E. Supplementation with vitamin E may protect the kidneys from free-radical damage, a major factor in renal health. In experiments in rats, Sadava et al. (1996) found that a dietary deficiency of vitamin E caused progressive and pronounced renal damage. Vitamin E has been shown to restore tubular flow to rats with severe kidney disease by suppressing the free radicals that cause tubulointerstitial damage (Hahn 1998).