Statin Drugs and Muscle Problems

Statin drugs have been known for some time to cause depletion of CoQ10 in the body, but research has discovered it also depletes selenium. This may cause irreperable muscle deterioration, sore aching muscles, tiredness and other symptoms common to seleniun deficiency. Atricle

H1N1 Flu pandemic - What Ya Gonna Do?

Try Vitamin D. A wimpy 400 IU/day gives little or no protection. 2000 IU/day or higher is recommended.
It is a well-known medical fact, of course, that influenza always gets worse during the winter months North of the equator and the summer months South of the equator (which are really called their "winter" months). This is because as sunlight hours lessen during the winter, the people living there become vitamin D deficient and are susceptible to influenza infections of all kinds.

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H1N1 - Sorry, You Lose - or - your government at work

Legal Immunity Set for Swine Flu Vaccine Makers

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius has not only given immunity to the makers of Tamiflu and Relenza for injuries stemming from their use against swine flu, she has granted immunity to future swine flu vaccines and “any associated adjuvants”.
The last time the government embarked on a major vaccine campaign against a new swine flu, thousands filed claims contending they suffered side effects from the shots. This time around, they will have no recourse.

The 2006 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (the PREP Act) allows the DHHS Secretary to invoke almost complete immunity from liability for manufacturers of vaccines and drugs used to combat a declared public health emergency.

The PREP Act removes the right to a trial jury unless a plaintiff can provide clear evidence of willful misconduct that resulted in death or serious physical injury -- and gets permission to sue from the DHHS Secretary.

But once the PREP Act is invoked to shield manufacturers from liability, the pharmaceutical firms have no financial incentive to make the safest product, and have a negative incentive to test it for safety. As long as they do not deliberately harm consumers of the product, they will not be liable for damages.

Meanwhile, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hoping to have 120 million doses of H1N1 swine flu virus vaccine ready before flu season this fall, some are raising concerns over what they see as an effort to rush the drug through safety trials.

The source of many of these concerns is the probability that the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal will be an ingredient in some of the doses of the new vaccine.

Groups opposed to current vaccination practices condemn thimerosal as a toxin responsible for the development of autism and related ailments in children. Additionally, the possibility that the swine flu vaccine could also contain an adjuvant, an ingredient that would allow more doses to be created from existing supplies of the vaccine, has also worried these groups.


Sources:

Anthrax Vaccine July 27, 2009
ABC News July 30, 2009
Prisonplanet.com July 30, 2009

Heart Health - Viscosity Test

Has your doctor ever mentioned this test? Does he know the significance of it? Probably not, as it is one of the tests one would like done BEFORE having a heart attack or stroke and as one of the indicators of cardiovascular health.

In the U.S. we deal largely in Sick-Care (don't do anything until there is a problem) rather than Health-Care (optimize health and prevent problems/illness). That is why putting a few trillion more bucks in our $ick-care system just isn't going to help! . . that's the commercial, now on with it.

From Wikipedia: "elevation of plasma viscosity correlates to the progression of coronary and peripheral vascular diseases. Anemia can lead to decrease blood viscosity, which may lead to heart failure."

From Vilastic Scientific: "Variations in blood viscoelasticity are seen in such conditions as cardiovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, stroke and other conditions." (Note: rather technical site - probably more than you want to know)

The double whammy of 'thick blood' and high iron levels leads to trouble! Experts say your ferritin (iron) level should be around 100 ug/ml or lower. Your blood viscosity and elasticity is a rather complicated test, best understood by a qualified cardiologist. At this point I'm not sure how you determine who is qualified - I would start with one that is F.A.C.C. trained.

So what if you have high iron and high viscosity. Best remedy is to give blood - it will lower both of them! And if you don't take a lot of meds, haven't been to certain countries, it should be free.
If you can't qualify as a donor, most blood banks (Red Cross, etc.) will take a pint and throw it away, but it will cost you..... "It makes sense for everyone over age fifty (or men over 30) to give blood one to four times per year." This doesn't apply to those who are anemic or iron deficient.

Heartburn? If you want it, take a PPI med

(NaturalNews) Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid, Aciphex. These and a dozen more drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have quickly become superstars of Big Pharma. As recently reported by US News and World Report, last year people worldwide shelled out some $ 25.6 billion for these drugs that are supposed to alleviate heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Although hailed by most doctors as safe, reports have started cropping up that side effects may include everything from dizziness to osteoporosis, increased risk of heart attacks, pneumonia and more. Article

Now comes research that shows the drugs actually cause the symptoms they are supposed to treat. A new study just published in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, found that taking a PPI drug for eight weeks induced acid-related symptoms including heartburn, acid regurgitation and dyspepsia in healthy individuals soon after they stopped taking the pills.

"The observation that more than 40 percent of healthy volunteers, who have never been bothered by heartburn, acid regurgitation or dyspepsia, develop such symptoms in the weeks after cessation of PPIs is remarkable and has potentially important clinical and economic implications," Christina Reimer, MD, of Copenhagen University and lead author of the study, said in a statement to the media. "This study indicates unrecognized aspects of PPI withdrawal and is a very strong indication of a clinically significant acid rebound phenomenon that needs to be investigated in proper patient populations."

In the randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial, the scientists investigated whether long-term treatment with a PPI could cause a dependency state. Specifically, they wanted to see if patients would need non-stop, continuous treatment with the drugs due to rebound acid hypersecretion when the medications were stopped. In all, 120 healthy participants were randomized to about three months of taking inactive placebo pills or 40 mg. of the PPI drug esomeprazole (brand names: Nexium, Esotrex) daily. This was followed by having all the research subjects take a placebo for another four weeks. A Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) was filled out weekly by those participating in the study.

During the first two weeks after withdrawal of the PPI, the majority of research participants began to have mild to moderate indigestion discomfort. What's more, the GSRS scores for acid-related symptoms were significantly higher in the PPI group during weeks 10, 11 and 12 of the study. In fact, 44 percent of the people taking the PPI experienced at least one worrisome acid-related symptom in weeks nine through 12 compared to only 15 percent in the control taking placebo pills. About 22 percent of people in the PPI group complained of dyspepsia, heartburn or acid regurgitation in week 10 and 11; around 21 percent of the research subjects had indigestion problems in week 12 of the study. However, those in the placebo group reported indigestion and reflux symptoms at a far lower rate. Only about seven, five and two percent of them had heartburn or other related problems during weeks 10, 11 and 12 of the study.

"We find it highly likely that the symptoms observed in this trial are caused by rebound acid hypersecretion and that this phenomenon is equally relevant in patients treated long term with PPIs. If rebound acid hypersecretion induces acid-related symptoms, this might lead to PPI dependency. Our results justify the speculation that PPI dependency could be one of the explanations for the rapidly and continuously increasing use of PPIs," Dr. Reimer stated.

In the media statement, the researchers noted previous research has have shown that about 33 percent of patients who start taking PPI drugs keep on refilling their prescriptions. So why do they need maintenance therapy if these drugs are supposed to successfully treat GERD and related conditions? Reimer's research strongly indicates it's because when people try to stop taking PPIs, they experience an increase in gastric acid secretion that soars beyond their pre-treatment levels. Within two weeks after withdrawal from treatment, they experience even worse heartburn, regurgitation and other GERD symptoms than ever -- so they have to go right back on the expensive PPI drug therapy.

Phthalates - Danger to unborns and infants

(NaturalNews) Chemicals called phthalates are frequently used in vinyl and other plastic products, including personal care products, children's toys, and medical devices -- despite the fact research has suggested these compounds can play havoc with the function of the human endocrine system and potentially cause a host of health problems, especially in children. Because phthalates are hormone disrupters they have been linked to childhood obesity and now to low birth weight - the leading cause of death in children under five years of age.

"Even careful reading of labels can be confusing because some manufacturers use various chemical names when they list phthalates. For example, DEHP, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate are forms of phthalates often used in as medical devices such as IV bags and tubing. DBP stands for di-n-butyl phthalate and is found in nail polish products while DEP, or diethyl phthalate, is often an ingredient in deodorants, hair gels and other personal care products."

You can also search online - just enter 'phthalates in baby products' in your search engine and browse what comes up.

Cancer and Grapeseed Extract

"An extract from grape seeds forces laboratory leukemia cells to commit cell suicide, according to researchers from the University of Kentucky. They found that within 24 hours, 76 percent of leukemia cells had died after being exposed to the extract." For more of this article, go to University of Kentucky. You can also read a little more at NaturalNews.

Cancer - and Bayer vitamins

Take it for what it's worth. The following from CSPI:

If you are a man over 50, you've likely seen ads for Bayer One A Day men's multivitamins that claimed the mineral selenium helps reduce risk of prostate cancer or otherwise promotes "prostate health."

There's a big problem however: It's not true.

In fact, for most men, taking too much selenium may actually promote more aggressive forms of prostate cancer. And, previous studies warned against supplementing with selenium since men taking selenium developed more cases of diabetes than men in control groups who did not.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has threatened Bayer with a lawsuit over those claims, and just last month, asked the Food and Drug Administration to seize existing stockpiles of One A Day Men's Health Formula and One A Day Men's 50+ Advantage.

As CSPI senior nutritionist David Schardt said at the time, "Bayer is exploiting men's fear of prostate cancer just to sell more pills." And, a group of some of the most prominent prostate cancer researchers in the country wrote that "Bayer Healthcare is doing a disservice to men by misleading them about a protective role for selenium in prostate cancer."