British Medical Journal Exposes Lies About Cholesterol Drugs

To hear pharmaceutical companies tell it, statin drugs are "miracle" medicines that have prevented millions of heart attacks and strokes. But a recent study published in the British Medical Journal tells a completely different story: For every heart attack prevented by the drug, 2 or > people suffered liver damage, kidney failure, cataracts or extreme muscle weakness as a result of taking the drug. Statin drugs, in other words, harm far more people than they help. Highly deceptive advertising implies that statin drugs help everyone who takes them. However, statin drugs only "work" on about 2.7% of those who take them. Yet they cause serious damage in about 4.4% of those who take them. From the point of view of pharmaceutical companies, they have the added benefit of causing other diseases that often result in yet more drugs or medical procedures being prescribed. Kidney dialysis is a multi-billion-dollar business all by itself.

Reduce Your Diabetes Risk by 20% with Vitamin K Foods

People who get vitamin K from food may have a lower risk of developing type 2 Diabetes. Both vitamins K1 and K2 were related to a lower Diabetes risk, but the relationship was stronger with vitamin K2, which people get mainly from meat, cheese and eggs. Vitamin K is well known for the important role it plays in blood clotting but it also helps fight cancer, improve bone density, prevent heart disease, stave off varicose veins and lower your risk of Diabetes. K1 is found in dark green leafy vegetables and makes up about 90% of the vitamin K in a typical Western diet, eg. collard greens, spinach, salad greens, kale, broccoli and Brussel sprouts. The best natural source of vitamin K2 is derived from an ancient Japanese food called Natto which is made from fermented soybeans.
Sources: Reuters May 27, 2010; Diabetes Care April 27, 2010.

Heartburn Drugs Can Increase Your Fracture Risk

The Food & Drug Administration in the USA has mandated that proton pump inhibitor heartburn medications must carry a label warning of increased fracture risk of the hip, wrist and spine. This group of drugs include Prevacid, Prilosec and Nexium. The FDA suggests those taking these drugs should consult with their doctors & those using such drugs over-the-counter, limit their use to no more that three 14-day periods a year.
Alternatives include: restore your gastric balance and function with probiotics (good bacteria); test for Helicobacter pylori infection; modify your diet to eliminate hot spices & curries, carbonated drinks, caffeine, alcohol, all nicotine products, processed foods & sugars; slow your eating down, chew your food more, relax and reduce your stress, seek help with herbal medicines.
Source: FDA May 25, 2010.

Low Iodine Puts Baby Brains at Risk

Health experts are urging pregnant women in Tasmania to take iodine supplements to lessen the chances of their children developing low IQ's because of poor brain and nervous system development. The Director of Public Health, Dr Roscoe Taylor, says most Tasmanians are iodine deficient because of low levels in soil and water. He has written to all health practitioners around the state asking them to encourage expectant mothers to take an iodine supplement of 150mcg every day. This is also important for all women wanting to conceive or suring pregnancy in Australia as well so ensure your pregnancy multivitamin is adequate.
Source: ABC News 15/06/2010.

Mandatory Radiation Warnings for Mobiles in San Fransisco

San Fransisco is set to require mobile phone makers to warn customers that mobiles are bathing them in radiation. The law requires makers of mobile phones to display in stores details of the levels of radiation emitted by different handsets in the same way that restaurants show the number of calories in food and drinks. Failure to comply will incur a $US300 ($347) fine. In particular, shoppers must be shown estimates of how much of the radio wave radiation from each mobile phone model is absorbed into the body of the person using it.
Source: SMH Wednesday, 16 June, 2010.

Being Fat Illegal in Japan

Fat in Japan? You're not just unhealthy, you're breaking the law. In Japan, already the slimmest industrialised nation, people are fighting fat to ward off dreaded metabolic syndrome and comply with a government-imposed waist-line standard. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of health risks, including stomach flab, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, that can lead to cardiovascular (heart) disease and diabetes. Concerned about rising rates of both in a greying nation, Japanese legislators last year set a maximum waistline size for anyone age 40 and older: 85 cms for men and 90 cms for women.
Source: SMH Friday, June 18, 2010.

Harvard Research Links Pesticides & ADHD

The Harvard-based research published recently in the Journal of Paediatrics demonstrates a link between Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and organophosphate pesticides. Those children with more pesticide exposure measured in their urine were more likely to have ADHD. "These findings support the hypothesis that organophosphate exposure, at levels common among US children, may contribute to ADHD prevalence. Prospective studies are needed to establish whether this association is causal." Organophosphate pesticides act by interfering with the transmission of signals in the nervous system, hence the effects on brain development, cognition & mood. Obviously the importance of eating organic fruits and vegetables cannot be underestimated.

Omega-3 Improves Chronic Heart Failure Prognosis

A recent randomised, placebo-controlled study investigated the effects of omega-3 oils (n-3 PUFA) in patients with diagnosed chronic heart failure. Results showed Omega 3 oils provide protection for patients with CHF by reducing inflammatory responses.
Source: Zhao YT, et al. Effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid therapy on plasma inflammatory markers and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in elderly patients with chronic heart failure. J Int Med Res 2009 Nov-Dec;37(6):1831-1841.

Glucosamine's Anti-Inflammatory Actions Benefit Lungs

Glucosamine is an anti-inflammatory glucose derivative known for its benefits in arthritis. In this study, researchers investigated whether its anti-inflammatory action could be of use in the treatment of harmful inflammation in the pulmonary system (lungs). They found it does have a therapeutic role in respiratory inflammatory disorders.
Source: Wu YL, et al. Glucosamine regulation of LPS-mediated inflammation in human bronchial epithelial cells. Eur J Pharmacol 2010 Jun 10;635(1-3):219-226.

Broad Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Chondroitin Sulfate

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is known to have a beneficial effect on cartilage, synovial membrane and subchondral bone. However, new research is proving it to have a broader therapeutic range, with favourable results observed in other diseases where inflammation is an essential marker, such as psoriasis and atherosclerosis.
Source: du Souich P, et al. Immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of chondroitin sulphate. J Cell Mol Med 2009 Aug;13(8A):1451-1463

WHO Scandal Exposed: Advisors Received Kickbacks from H1N1 Vaccine Manufacturers

A stunning new report published in the British Medical Journal, reveals that top scientists who convinced the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare H1N1 a global pandemic, held close financial ties to the drug companies that profited from the sale of those vaccines. It exposes the hidden ties that drove WHO to declare a pandemic, resulting in billions of dollars in profits for vaccine manufacturers.
During all of this, WHO refused to disclose any conflicts of interests between its top advisors and the drug companies who would financially benefit from its decisions. All the kickbacks were swept under the table and kept silent.

The BMJ isn't the only medical publication criticising WHO for its poor handling of conflicts of interest. Another report from the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly also criticised WHO, saying: "Parliamentary Assembly is alarmed about the way in which the H1N1 influenza pandemic has been handled, not only by the World Health Organisation (WHO), but also by the competent health authorities at the level of the European Union and at national level." It went on to explain that WHO's actions led to "a waste of large sums of public money, and also unjustified scares and fears about health risks faced by the European public at large."

Vitamin D has been scientifically proven to be 5 x times more effective than vaccines at preventing influenza infections, but WHO never recommended vitamin D to anyone. The entire focus was pushing more high-profit vaccines. And yet there has never been a single scientific study ever published showing that H1N1 vaccines worked.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/SwineFlu/swine-flu-pandemic-world-health-organization-scientists-linked/story?id=10829940
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/04/AR2010060403034.html

GM Crops Make Minor Pests a Major Problem

Cotton that has been genetically modified "Bt cotton" to poison an insect pest, boilworm, is causing a massive increase in the number of other insects. More than 4 million hectares of Bt cotton are now grown in China & the numbers of of mirid bugs have increased 12-fold since its introduction.

Roundup Creating Superweeds for Farmers

As reported in the New York Times, farmers' widespread use of Roundup weedkiller is creating Roundup-resistant superweeds, like the overuse of antibiotics. There are now 10 different species of superweeds resistant to Roundup, spread over 22 states in USA & millions of acres of crops.

Paediatrics: Most Babies Need More Vitamin D

Most babies should take a daily vitamin D supplement, available in inexpensive drops, a new study shows. That will be a big change for most parents -- and even many pediatricians. Those drops are needed, the study published online in Paediatrics says, because only 5% to 37% of American infants met the standard for vitamin D set by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2008: 400 international units a day.

Air Pollution Harming IVF Success

Scientists have revealed that air pollutants, particularly those emitted by power stations, are causing IVF treatments to fail. A study led by doctors from the Penn State College of Medicine in Pennsylvania showed fertility treatment success rates were slashed in contaminated areas. The most damaging pollutants are emitted by power stations burning fossil fuel & diesel exhaust.

Vaginal Births Best for Bubs

According to a recent story in the Sydney Morning Herald May 30, natural births are better for babies. Babies born by caesarean section are more vulnerable to asthma, allergies & infection as they miss out on receiving their mothers' good bacteria during birth, says Professor Patricia Conway from University of NSW. However, emergency caesareans performed after labour had begun & if the waters had broken, meant babies did receive a small amount of the beneficial bacteria. Elective caesareans were "sterile" & did not receive this but babies had other chances to receive their mother's bacteria with skin-to-skin contact directly after birth & if they were breastfed.

Aussies Don't Rug Up Enough During Winter

According to a Sydney Morning Herald article May 26, researchers at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have warned that Australians fail to dress appropriately or properly insulate their homes during the colder months which places extra strain on the body, sometimes fatal! When the temperature falls below 19C in Australia, the death rate from heart & circulatory problems goes up & at a higher rate than compared with the effects of frigid winters on people in countries like Finland & Sweden. Heart-erlated deaths & complications could be prevented by simple solutions like wearing thermals, hats, gloves, slippers, not by turning up indoor heaters as people tend to heat just one room & then get cold when they move to other non-heated rooms.