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CTM
Eclub digest version April17th 2002
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PARENTS WIN RIGHT TO STOP CHILD'S CHEMO The parents of a five-year-old cancer patient yesterday won a landmark bid to withdraw her from a proposed chemotherapy regime. The Royal Children's Hospital in Brisbane had made an application to the Supreme Court of Queensland which would have compelled Aaron and Deborah Boomsma to comply with the treatment on their daughter, Laura, who had been diagnosed with a rare Wilms tumour in her right kidney in November 2001. She underwent pre-operative chemotherapy in December and surgery in January to remove the tumour. Doctors began post-operative chemotherapy but the Boomsmas objected and said they wanted to seek alternative treatment overseas. The hospital took them to court. The Campaign for Truth in Medicine was contacted by the Boomsmas and a dossier of evidence on the harmful effects of chemotherapy was compiled for the Boomsma legal defence team. Mr Boomsma stated, "I had attended a Phillip Day cancer seminar very soon after Laura's diagnosis and at that meeting, I learned that there were considerable dangers to human health with some of these treatments. Yet the information we were given by the hospital at the commencement of Laura's chemotherapy was very, very limited in its information, especially on its side-effects. As far as hospital treatment goes, there was just one option given to us. It was chemotherapy or chemotherapy. But that can kill cells in your body, both good and bad." Original affidavits presented to the courts on behalf
of the hospital also made scant mention of the side-effects of Vincristin
and Actinomycin-D, the cancer drugs being prescribed to Laura. Admitted
side-effects of Vincristin include hair loss, constipation, loss of feeling,
hearing or taste, muscle wasting, nausea or vomiting, inflamed gums or
mouth ulcers. It is believed to be the first time parents have been successful in avoiding a hospital's enforcement of chemotherapy treatment. The Boomsmas are flying to the UK, where Laura will
begin alternative treatment at the Dove Clinic. It will include high-dosage
intravenous Vitamin C combined with methods for stimulating white blood
cells and destroying cancer cells. Australian and UK doctors hailed the
case as landmark and accused Australian oncologists of refusing to recognise
international moves supported by scientific evidence to combine chemotherapy
with alternative therapies.
A BEAUTIFUL MIND The movie A Beautiful Mind, nominated for eight Academy
Awards, has brought welcome attention to the fact that people can and
do recover from schizophrenia, a severely disabling disorder that affects
about one in 100 Americans. Unfortunately, the film fabricates a critical
detail of John Nash's recovery and in so doing, obscures a question that
should concern us all: Do the medications we use to treat schizophrenia
promote long-term recovery -- or hinder it? Click here for full article
from USA Today... Phillip Day Comment: Schizophrenia, the classical interpretation of 'crazy is as crazy does' insanity, has long been the juicy target for many drug projects. But nutrition has a magnificent arsenal to bring to bear on eradicating this physical problem. In my forthcoming book, The Mind Game, we examine the myth of mental disease, and pinpoint the very common physical causes of mental impairment of all kinds, from the fraudulent 'ADD/ADHD' mental illness fraud through to dyslexia, anorexia/bulimia and depression.
AMAZING FACTS! Guess what? Read on for more amazing facts! Annual per capita income in Shanghai - $350 (1) Annual per capital income in New York City - $20,500 (1) Money spent on medical care in Shanghai annually - $38 per person (1) Money spent on medical care in New York City annually - $3,000 per person (1) Number of infants born in Shanghai who die before their first birthday - 10.9 per 1,000 births (1) Number of infants born in New York City who die before their first birthday - 13.3 per 1,000 births (1) Life expectancy at birth in Shanghai - 75.5 years (1) Life expectancy at birth in New York City for people of color - 70 years (1) Life expectancy at birth in New York City for whites - 73 years (1) Average amount of time U.S. patients are allowed to speak before being interrupted by their doctors - 18 seconds (2) Percentage of U.S. patients who, once interrupted, go on to finish their statement or question - 2% (2)
U.S. rank among world nations in infant mortality - 25th (3) Percentage of nations in Western Europe whose infant mortality rates are superior to US - 100% (3) Percentage of births attended by midwives in Western Europe - 75% (4) Percentage of births attended by midwives in U.S. - 4% (4) Average cost of midwife-attended birth in the U.S. - $1,200 (5) Average cost of physician-attended birth in the U.S. - $4,200 (6) Healthcare savings obtainable annually by utilizing midwifery care for 75% of pregnancies in the U.S. - $8.5 billion a year (7) U.S. caesarean rate in early 1960s - 3% (8) U.S. caesarean rate in 1996 - 22.9% (9) Average cost of a caesarean birth in a U.S. hospital - $8,000 (10) U.S. caesarean rate in for-profit hospitals compared to non-profit hospitals - nearly double (11) Year the AMA elected its first woman board member - 1989 Number of women presidents in AMA's 148 year history - 0 (12) Percentage of medical school deans in U.S. today who are women - 3% (12) Percentage of today's gynecologists and obstetricians who are male - 80% (13) Percentage of their patients who are male - 0% Percentage of American women who will have a hysterectomy in their lifetimes - 50% (14) Most common reason for hysterectomy in the U.S. - fibroids (15) Number of women with fibroids who are relieved of the pain and heavy bleeding within three months of adopting a low-fat high-fiber vegetarian diet - the vast majority (16) Second most common reason for hysterectomy in the U.S. - endometriosis (15) Number of women with endometriosis whose symptoms disappear or lessen dramatically on a low-fat high-fiber vegetarian diet - the vast majority (17) Percentage of American physicians who recommend dietary changes for fibroids and endometriosis - less than 1% (18) Menopause, Naturally Primary reasons prescribed - Hot flashes, osteoporosis, and heart disease Percentage of menopausal women who obtained complete relief from hot flashes by taking 200 mg of vitamin C and 200 mg of bioflavonoids 6 times a day - 67% (20) Percentage of menopausal women who obtained relief from hot flashes by taking two herbal capsules three times a day (licorice root, burdock root, wild yam root, dong quai root, and motherwort) for three months in a double-blind placebo-controlled study - 100% (21) Percentage of women in same study who obtained relief from placebo - 6% (21) Percentage of U.S. physicians who discuss natural approaches with their menopausal patients - 2% (22) Percentage of U.S. physicians who routinely prescribe estrogen - 84% (22) Years a woman must take estrogen to obtain benefits for osteoporosis - 20 or more (23) Health drawbacks to estrogen - substantially increased breast cancer risk, increased risk for liver and gallbladder disease, prolonged incidence of fibroids and endometriosis, greatly increased uterine cancer risk (if taken without progestins), increased side effects (if taken with progestins) (24) Years a woman must take natural progesterone to obtain benefits for osteoporosis - 1 (25) Health drawbacks to natural progesterone - rare (25) Percentage of post-menopausal women who showed substantial new bone formation on natural progesterone cream - 97% (25) Percentage of U.S. physicians familiar with natural progesterone - less than 1% (18) Evidence that heart disease can be prevented and reversed with low-fat vegetarian diets - conclusive (26) Average bone loss of 65-year-old meat-eating American woman - 35% (27) Average bone loss of 65-year-old vegetarian American woman - 18% (27) Percentage of U.S. physicians who recommend low-fat vegetarian diets to prevent heart disease and osteoporosis - less than 1% (18) Kids, Drugs, and Nutrition Percentage of U.S. schoolchildren on Ritalin - 5% (28) Potential side effects from Ritalin - Anxiety, hair loss, convulsions, nausea, insomnia, headaches, weight loss, slowing of growth, compulsive nervous behaviors (29) Number of well-designed studies in which Ritalin has been shown to enhance long-term learning - 0 (30) Percentage of hyperactive children who improved when artificial colorings, flavorings and sugar were eliminated from their diet - 79% (31) Change in problem behavior (theft, insubordination, hyperactivity, suicide attempts, etc.) in juvenile delinquents when artificial colorings, flavorings and sugar were eliminated from their diet - Dropped 47% (32)
American Academy of Pediatrics position on medication and drug treatment for children with ADHD - endorsement (34) Number of words in American Academy of Pediatrics position paper on ADHD about nutrition - 0 (34) Funders for American Academy of Pediatrics 1995 nutrition video for children - The Sugar Association and the Meat Board (35) Title of fact sheet promoted by the American Dietetic Association that focuses on ADHD - "Questions Most Frequently Asked About Hyperactivity" (36) Answer given to questions, "Is there a dietary relationship to hyperactivity? Should I restrict certain foods from my child's diet?" - "No." (37) Statement given regarding sugar - "Sugar has a mildly quieting effect on some children." (40) Source of fact sheet promoted by American Dietetic Association - The Sugar Association (36) Number of accredited medical schools in the United States - 127 (41) Number with no required courses in nutrition - 95 (41) Average U.S. physician's course work in nutrition during four years of medical school - 2.5 hours (42) Percentage of first year medical school students who consider nutrition to be important to their future careers - 74% (43) Percentage who, after two years of medical school, still consider nutrition important - 13% (43) Percentage of U.S. physicians who are overweight - 55% (44) Percentage of U.S. physicians who eat the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables - 20% (44) Antibiotics Tomorrow Staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1987 - 91% (45) What's happening to all our antibiotics today - becoming increasingly ineffective due to microbes developing resistance (46) Primary cause - overuse of antibiotics (46) Effect of antibiotics on viruses - none Number of antibiotic prescriptions written by U.S. doctors for cold viruses annually - 4 million (47) Total purchases of antibiotics by U.S. hospitals in 1962 - $94 million (47) Total purchases of antibiotics by U.S. hospitals in 1995 - $8.7 billion (47) Breeding ground of many antibiotic resistant bacteria today - U.S. hospitals (48) Number of Americans who die each year from infections they pick up in a hospital - more than four times the number who die in automobile accidents (47) Alternative Medicine and the AMA AMA's historical relationship to midwifery - vehement opposition AMA's historical relationship to virtually all alternative forms of medicine - vehement opposition Characterization of holistic medicine found in Alternative Health Methods - "A melange of banalities, truisms, exaggerations, falsehoods, overlaid with disparagement. . . of logical reasoning itself." (49) Tobacco and the AMA Number of American deaths caused by second-hand smoke annually - 50,000 (more than are killed by AIDS, illegal drugs and teenage drinking combined) (51) Percentage of U.S. smokers who have never been advised by their doctors to quit, despite averaging over four doctors' visits a year - 56% (52) Year it was learned that 96.5% of patients with lung cancer had been smokers - 1950 (53) Year the U.S. Surgeon General announced that smoking not only caused lung cancer, but also heart disease and emphysema, and was costing the country tens of billions of dollars a year in healthcare costs - 1964 Public statement by AMA president Edward R. Annis in 1964 regarding Surgeon General's report - "The AMA is not opposed to smoking and tobacco." (54) Title of the AMA's primary study of the health consequences of tobacco (1964-1978) - the AMA-ERF study Amount of funding for AMA-ERF study provided by AMA - $500,000 (55) Amount of funding for AMA-ERF study provided by tobacco industry - $16,000,000 (55) Position of AMA when the American Cancer Society, the Public Health Service and the Federal Trade Commission supported health warnings on cigarette packages - opposition (56) Year that AMA's Member Retirement Fund was discovered to have millions invested in tobacco securities - 1981 (57) Year the AMA wrote a special supplement published by Newsweek on personal health to "help readers avoid self-induced illnesses" - 1983 (58) Consequence of U.S. tobacco export promotion - Tremendous rise in tobacco use in many countries, particularly among young people. Smoking among teenage girls in Korea rose more than 300%. (59) Average tax per pack of cigarettes in England - $3.09 (60) Average tax per pack of cigarettes in Canada - $3.25 (60) Average tax per pack of cigarettes in Norway - $3.93 (60) Average tax per pack of cigarettes in U.S. - $0.51 (60) What happened in New Zealand between 1980 and 1991 due to a tax increase of $1.97 per pack - Cigarette consumption dropped more than 60% (60) Number of nations who have raised cigarette taxes substantially who have not experienced dramatic reductions in cigarette consumption - None (60) Healthcare savings obtainable annually in U.S. with a 60% drop in cigarette consumption - $60 billion (18) Do You Trust These People To Make Your Healthcare Decisions
For You? Director, Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Board of Overseers and Managers - John S. Reed John S. Reed's other job - Director, Philip Morris Health insurance companies heavily invested in tobacco stocks - Travelers, Prudential, Cigna, MetLife, Aetna (61) Prudential Insurance Company's 1995 investment in tobacco stocks - $248 million (61) How much health insurance companies typically pay for a heart patient's bypass surgery - $30,000 (62) How much for a heart patient's balloon angioplasty - $7,500 (62) How much for a heart patient's nutrition and stress
management education - $150 (62) The Cancer Industry Evidence for the majority of cancers that chemotherapy exerts a significant positive influence on survival or quality of life - none (63) Percentage of oncologists who said that if they developed cancer they would not participate in chemotherapy trials due to "the ineffectiveness of chemotherapy and its unacceptable degree of toxicity" - 75% (64) Percentage of people with cancer in the United States who receive chemotherapy - 75% (65) Company that accounts for nearly half of the chemotherapy sales in the world - Bristol-Meyers Squibb Chairman of the Board, Bristol-Meyers Squibb - Richard L. Gelb Richard L. Gelb's other job - Vice-Chairman, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Director, Bristol-Meyers Squibb - James D. Robinson III James D. Robinson III's other job - Chairman of the Board, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Director, Ivax, Inc. (a prominent chemotherapy company) - Samuel Broder Samuel Broder's other job (until 1995) - Executive Director, the National Cancer Institute
Medical costs attributable to smoking and meat consumption combined- greater than the costs of providing health coverage for all currently uninsured Americans (66) Annual costs, according to the World Health Organization, required to provide every human being on Earth with access to primary education, healthcare, family planning services, safe drinking water, and adequate nutrition - $20 billion (67) Annual healthcare savings obtainable in the U.S. alone by providing universal prenatal care, utilizing midwifery, encouraging breastfeeding, raising tobacco taxes to Canadian level, and eliminating government subsidies for tobacco and meat production - $120 billion (18) As provocative as these facts are, their significance
can best be grasped in context. In Reclaiming Our Health, John Robbins
brings these and many other stunning realities into a perspective that
shows a way to true healing for us as individuals, for our society, and
for the whole earth community. Endnotes (2) H.B. Beckman, et al., "The Effect of Physician Behavior on the Collection of Data," Annals of Internal Medicine, Nov. 1984, pp. 692-96 (3) The State of the World's Children, 1996, UNICEF (4) The Alan Guttmacher Institute, "Facts in Brief,"
March 1993 (6) Health Insurance Associates of America, 1993, reported in "Perinatal..."as per note 5 (7) - "Perinatal..." as per note 5 (8) Esther Zorn, "Profile of the Cesarean Epidemic." Francis C. Notzen, "International Differences in the Use of Obstetric Interventions," Journal of the American Medical Association, June 27, 1990, vol 263, no. 25, pg 3286-91. Richard Johnson, "Cesarean Section Rates An American Disgrace", International Journal of Issues in Medicine, April, 1996 (9) R. Johnson, as per Esther Zorn, "Profile of the Cesarean Epidemic". Francis C. Notzen, "International Differences in the Use of Obstetric Interventions," Journal of the American Medical Association, June 27, 1990, vol 263, no. 25, pg 3286-91. Richard Johnson, " Cesarean Section Rates An American Disgrace," International Journal of Issues in Medicine, April, 1996 (10) M. G. Rosen and J. C. Dickinson, "Vaginal Birth After Cesarean: A Meta-Analysis of Indicators for Success," Obstetrics and Gynecology vol 76, 1990, pp. 865-69 (11) Marsden Wagner, "An Epidemic of Unnecessary Cesareans", Mothering, Fall 1993, p. 72. Lynn Silver and Sidney Wolfe, "Unnecessary Sections - How To Cure a National Epidemic" Public Citizen Health Research Group, Washington, DC. (12) Leslie Laurence and Beth Weinhouse, Outrageous Practices (New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1994), p. 42 (13) John M. Smith, Women and Doctors (New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1992), p. 2 (14) Celso-Ramon Garcia, et al., "Preservation of the Ovary: A Re-evaluation", Fertility and Sterility, 42(4), Oct, 1984, pg 510-14. J. Smith, as per John M. Smith, Women and Doctors (New York: Atlantic Monthly, Press, 1992), p. 2. Christiane Northrup, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom (New York: Bantam, 1994), p. 152 (15) Stanley West, The Hysterectomy Hoax (New York: Doubleday, 1994), p. 1, 23 (16) - C. Northrup, as per note 14, p. 172 (17) - Ibid, p. 166 (18) - Figure based on author's research and calculations (19) L. L. Piana Simonsen, "Top 200 Drugs of 1992: What Are Pharmacists Dispensing Most Often?" Pharmacy Times, April 1993, pp. 29-44 (20) Carolyn DeMarco, Take Charge Of Your Body (Winlaw, B.C. Well Women Press, 1994), p. 220 (21) Tori Hudson, et al --"A Pilot Study Using Botanical Medicines in the Treatment of Menopause Symptoms," Townsend Letter for Doctors, Dec. 1994, pg 1372 (22)"Women's Information About Menopause is Limited", North American Menopause Society, Sept 4, 1993. Results of a Gallup survey of 833 menopausal women (23) Editorial, New England Journal of Medicine; Aug 27, 1992 (24) Sadja Greenwood, Menopause, Naturally (Volcano, Calif.: Volcano Press, 1992), pp. 111-15. (25) John Lee, "Osteoporosis Reversal with Transdermal Progesterone," Lancet, 336, 1990, p. 1327. John Lee, "Osteoporosis Reversal: The Role of Progesterone," Clinical Nutritional Review, 10, 1990, pp. 384-91. John Lee, "Is Natural Progesterone the Missing Link in Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment?"Medical Hypotheses, 35, 1991, pp. 316-8. (26) Dean Ornish, "Can Lifestyle Changes Reverse Coronary Heart Disease?" Lifestyle Heart Trial, Lancet, vol 336, July 21, 1990, pp. 129-33. Dean Ornish, Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease (New York: Random House, 1990). Caldwell Esselstyn, Journal of Family Practice 1995; 41(6), pp. 560-68. (27) American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 1983. (28) Associated Press, "Ritalin Maker Opens Drive to EndAbuse," New York Times, Mar. 28, 1966, p. A-13. "U.C. Professor Critical of Ritalin Dependency," San Jose Mercury News, Mar. 3, 1996, p. 5-B. (29) - Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) (30) Alfie Kohn, "Suffer The Restless Children," Atlantic Monthly, Nov 1989, pg 98 (31) J Egger, et al., "Controlled Trial of Oligoantigenic Treatment in the Hyperkinetic Syndrome," Lancet, 1985, pg 540 (32) Stephen Schoenthaler, "Institutional Nutritional Policies and Criminal Behavior," Nutrition Today, 20(3), 1985, pg 16. See also: Stephen Schoenthaler, "Diet and Crime: An Empirical Examination of the Value of Nutrition in the Control and Treatment of Incarcerated Juvenile Offenders," International Journal of Biosocial Research, 4(1), 1983, pg 25-39. Stephen Schoenthaler, "Types of Offenses Which can be Reduced in an Institutional Setting Using Nutritional Intervention: A Preliminary Empirical Evaluation," International Journal of Biosocial Research, 4(2), 1983, pg 74-84. Stephen Schoenthaler, "The Los Angeles Probation Department Diet Behavior Program: An Empirical Evaluation of Six Institutions," International Journal of Biosocial Research, 5(2), 1983, 88-98 (33) Stephen Schoenthaler, et al., "The Impact of a Low Food Additive and Sucrose Diet on Academic Performance in 803 New York City Public Schools," International Journal of Biosocial Research, 8 (2), 1986, pg 185-195 (34) "Medication For Children With An Attenton
Deficit Disorder (RE 7103)," American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee
on Children With Disabilities, Committee on Drugs; Pediatrics, 80(5),
Nov 1987 (36)Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Sept 1994, pg 975 (37) "Questions Most Frequently Asked About Hyperactivity," Produced by the Sugar Association, Inc., Washington, D.C. (40) "Consumer Fact Sheet: Diet and Behavior," The Sugar Association, Washington, D.C. (41) Association of American Medical Colleges. Cited in Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin, "Physician, Know Thy Nutrition," Vegetarian Times, Feb 1993, p. 48 (42) U.S. Senate Investigation, cited in John McDougall, The McDougall Plan (Clinton, NJ: New Win, 1983), p. 7 (43) According to a study by Roland Weinsier, Chairman of the Department of Nutrition Sciences at the Univ. of Alabama in Birmingham, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1988 (44) Wall Street Journal, "Odds and Ends," June 9, 1993, p. B-1 (45) Irvin Molotsky, "Animal Antibiotics Tied to Illnesses in Humans," New York Times, Feb 22, 1987 (46) Stuart B. Levy, The Antibiotic Paradox: How Miracle Drugs are Destroying the Miracle (New York: Plenum Press, 1992) (47) Jeffrey Fisher, The Plague Makers (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994), p. 31 (48) Laurie Garrett, The Coming Plague (New York: Penguin, 1994), p. 437 (49) "Holistic Medicine," in Alternative Health Methods (Chicago: American Medical Association, 1993), p. 81 (50) Introduction, Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A Report of the Surgeon General; U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health, 1994. U.S. Dept of Commerce, Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1993; Tables 126, 131, 135; U.S. Govt Printing Office, Washington, 1993 (51) Geoffrey Cowley, "Poisons at Home and Work," Newsweek; June 29, 1992. Michael Jacobson and Laurie Ann Mazur, Marketing Madness (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1995), p. 149. C. Northrup, as per note 36, p. 612 (52) R. F. Anda, et al., "Are Physicians Advising Smokers to Quit? The Patient's Perspective," Journal of the American Medical Association, April 10, 1987, pp. 1916-19 (53) Ernest Wynder, et al., "Tobacco Smoking as a Possible Etiologic Factor in Bronchogenic Carcinoma," Journal of the American Medical Association, May, 1950, pg 329-38 (54) Richard Harris, A Sacred Trust (New York: New American Library, 1966), p. 159 (55) "Smoking Study Funds Donated," and "Research Group Named," AMA News, Feb 17, 1964, pg 1. Howard Wolinsky and Tom Brune, The Serpent on the Staff (New York: Tarcher/Putnam, 1994), p. 152 (56) H. Wolinsky, as per note 76, p. 153 (57) "Doctor's Dilemma," Wall Street Journal, March 12, 1981, Sec 2, p. 29 (58) M. Jacobson, as per note 72, pg 159 (59) "Philip Morris: Death, Disease, and Duplicity," Multi-National Monitor, Dec. 1994, pg 14 (60) Hal Kane, "Putting Out Cigarettes," WorldWatch, Sept-Oct 1992, p. 9 (61) "The Tobacco-Health Insurance Connection," Lancet, July 8, 1995. "Health Care Giants Invest Their Juicy Profits in Tobacco Stock," Public Citizen Health Letter, Aug. 1995, pg 12 (62) Dean Ornish, Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease (New York: Random House, 1990), p. 28 (63) John Cairns, "The Treatment of Diseases and the War Against Cancer," Scientific American, 253(5), Nov. 1985, pp. 51-59. John Bailar and Elaine Smith, "Progress Against Cancer?," New England Journal of Medicine, 314, May 8, 1986, pp. 1226-33. Ulrich Abel, Chemotherapy of Advanced Epithelial Cancer (Stuttgart: Hippokrates Verlag, 1990) (64)Ralph Moss, Questioning Chemotherapy (Brooklyn: Equinox, 1995), p. 40 Ibid, pp. 73-4 Neal Barnard, et al., "The Medical Costs Attributable to Meat Consumption," Preventive Medicine (24), 1995, pp. 646-55 "Citings," World Watch, May/June 1993, p. 8 Abridged from http://www.foodrevolution.org/roh_facts_print.htm
Antibiotics Found in 48 Percent of Streams Studied
The study, simultaneously published in the scientific journal, Environmental Science and Technology, and posted to the USGS website http://toxics.usgs.gov/), looked for approximately 100 different contaminants in 139 streams in 30 states, including 62 downstream from agricultural operations. Included in the this list of contaminants are 22 human and veterinary antibiotics. The USGS findings showed that 14 antibiotics used in human medicine and animal agriculture end up in our waterways. "The USGS study shows that many antibiotics are moving through our environment in ways that weren't widely appreciated before," stated Mardi Mellon, Ph.D., senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that up to 70 percent of all antibiotics in the U.S. are given to healthy farm animals to promote growth and compensate for unsanitary growing conditions. Many of these antibiotics are the same as, or closely related to, medically important antibiotics. A significant proportion of antibiotics given to farm animals are excreted in faeces or urine, and this waste is stored in open lagoons and/or spread as fertilizer onto agricultural fields. Runoff, leakage or overflow can allow antibiotics to reach surface and ground water and, potentially, drinking water sources. The USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Programme - which produced the study - is the only national monitoring programme of its kind in the U.S. The Bush Administration's proposed 2003 figures budget eliminates all funding for this project. "Continuing this USGS programme is critical for public health, but the President's proposed budget would eliminate it," said Rebecca Goldburg, Ph.D. senior scientist at Environmental Defense. "The USGS now has a combination of expertise and experience conducting these kinds of studies found nowhere else. If funding is abolished, the USGS' unique ability to perform these important studies will be lost." In conjunction with the release of the USGS data, a
letter, signed by close to 40 organisations, has been sent to each of
the House and Senate sub committees on Interior Appropriations requesting
that full funding be restored to the USGS programme. Environmental Defense,
the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Center for Science in the Public
Interest are members of "Keep Antibiotics Working (KAW): The Campaign
to End Antibiotic Overuse." KAW is a coalition of health, consumer,
agricultural, environmental and other advocacy groups with more than 9
million members dedicated to eliminating a major cause of antibiotic resistance
- the inappropriate use of antibiotics in farm animals.
Bread blamed for short sight Short-sightedness could be linked to childhood over-consumption of bread, rather than holding books too close, researchers suggest. Scientists say diets high in refined starches, such as breads and cereals increase insulin levels in children. This, they say, may then affect the development of the eyeball. The theory put forward by the researchers from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and the University of Sydney is that the excess hormone makes the eyeball abnormally long and causes short-sightedness. They say that could help explain the dramatic increase in myopia in developed countries over the past 200 years. The condition now affects an estimated 30% of people of European descent.
Jennie Brand Miller, a nutrition scientist at the University of Sydney, said the rate of starch digestion was quicker in modern processed breads and cereals. The body reacts to the rapid digestion by the pancreas pumping out more insulin. The researchers said high insulin leads to a fall in levels of insulin-like binding protein-3, which they suggest could disturb the development of the eye, and the co-ordination of eyeball lengthening and lens growth. If the eyeball grows too long, the lens can no longer flatten itself enough to focus a sharp image on the retina, they suggest. It has also been observed that people are more likely to develop myopia if they are overweight or have adult-onset diabetes, both of which involve elevated insulin levels. Short-sightedness has been shown to progress more slowly in children whose protein consumption is increased. But they point to trends seen in Inuit and Pacific Island populations. Under 1% had myopia, or short-sightedness early in the last century. Rates are now as high as 50%. The increase has been linked to literacy and compulsory schooling leading to an increase in reading.
But the researchers putting forward the starch theory say focussing on reading does not explain why the levels of short-sightedness are low in societies that have adopted Western lifestyles but not Western diets. Studies in animals are now planned by the team. Loren Cordain. an evolutionary biologist at Colorado State University, said: "In the islands of Vanuatu they have eight hours of compulsory schooling a day. Yet the rate of myopia in these children is only 2%." He said the difference was that Vanuatuans ate fish, yam and coconut rather than white bread and cereals. Experts reaction to the theory was mixed. Nick Astbury, vice-president of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, told BBC News Online said: "It's an interesting theory, but it needs more evidence to support it." He said the reasons for short-sightedness were "multi-factorial" so diets high in refined starches could play a part. Bill Stell of the University of Calgary in Canada said: "It wouldn't surprise me at all. Those of us who work with local growth factors within the eye would have no problem with that - in fact we would expect it." But James Mertz, a biochemist at the New England College of Optometry in Boston, said: "It's a very surprising idea." The research is published in New Scientist and Acta
Ophthalmologica Scandinavica. CTM Comment: The problems with bread, especially in its refined form, become evident when consumption is increased hugely over past years. Auto-immune and food allergy problems are extremely common. We shall be reporting on this subject over the course of the coming few EClubs. Stay tuned.
BSE: 'THOUSANDS OF CALVES Tens of thousands of calves have been sent to slaughter by the Government in the false belief that they had been infected with BSE by their mothers. Findings announced yesterday ruled out the possibility of maternal transmission of the deadly brain disorder. This means that calves now developing BSE are likely to have caught the infection from contaminated feed imports. It raises serious questions about policing of feed imports into Britain and the EU - and why it has taken so long to rule out the possibility of maternal transmission of cows. A total of 23,600 calves born to cattle with BSE after 1996 have been traced, then slaughtered with compensation to farmers - at an estimated £16million. But the number sent for slaughter due to a feared link with their mothers could have been much higher. It now appears to have been pointless, following a study at the Government's Veterinary Laboratories Agency. The research was headed by Dr John Wilesmith, who sits on SEAC, the government's key advisory committee on BSE and its human form. Prof Wilesmith said he was convinced animals could only contract BSE by eating feed contaminated with meat and bone meal (MBM), created from rendered down bodies of animals. MBM is supposed to be banned in the EU because scientists believe it is the main agent spreading the virus. But there are fears that MBM is still coming into Britain and the rest of Europe from countries such as Brazil, Argentina and China. Prof Wilesmith told BBC Radio: 'There is still a possibility one could get cross-contamination in the holds of ships and so on because meat and bone meal has been traded around the world and we know that a certain number of countries have it (BSE)." In the research, embryos produced by BSE-infected cattle
were put in the wombs of surrogate mothers. None of them nor their calves
contracted BSE. STEVEN RANSOM COMMENT: Once again, how deeply do
our government 'experts' scratch only the surface of the issue? No mention
is made of the fact that the 'BSE' illnesses in cattle are very probably
linked to the high level of ICI-manufactured Phosmet - a highly toxic,
phosphorus-based chemical which was applied to the cattle in a bid to
rid them of the harmless warble fly. UK farmer Mark Purdey spent many
years investigating this whole area. His research into BSE also implicates
multitudinous organophosphates ploughed into British soil. These chemicals
are produced by very large pharmaceutical companies and therefore, this
news does not make the headlines of those papers in which drug companies
spend copious amounts on advertising. A full report on the truth behind
foot and mouth, BSE and a whole host of fraudulently reported human epidemics
can be found in my Credence title, "Plague, Pestilence and the Pursuit
of Power". "Vested interests, crooked politics and vast, out-of-control corporations, this book explains why the current establishment, not Foot and Mouth, is fatal for the countryside, and indeed the country as a whole. A truly gripping read." Zac Goldsmith, Editor, The Ecologist "Had I read a book as straightforward and understandable as Plague, Pestilence and the Pursuit of Power years ago, I would have realised just how evil some elements of politics are. No government would dare to make this educational book a part of the syllabus, as it tells too much of the truth. Steven has written an expose which could well lead to it being a banned text in the near future." Greg Lance-Watkins, Chairman, National Foot & Mouth Group
Cyanide Targets Cancer They have tested a two-stage drug that harnesses the power of the dangerous chemical to kill bowel cancer cells in the lab. The researchers, at Imperial College, London, now hope to refine the technology and test it on patients. The technique takes a lead from some plants that release cyanide to protect themselves from insect attack. The cassava plant, almond tree and hydrangea, all have an enzyme that will produce cyanide when it comes into contact with a particular sugar molecule. The enzyme and the sugar are normally kept apart and are only brought together when a pest bites into the plant tissue. The Imperial College scientists have engineered the enzyme and attached it to an antibody that will target specific tumours, when injected into the body. A second drug, containing the sugar, would then be introduced which would react with the enzyme to release cyanide and kill the cancer cells. No resistance Dr Mahendra Deonarain said the system would be so specific that only the target tumour would be exposed to the cyanide. "The enzyme will circulate around the body and accumulate in the tumour only, and then it will clear from everywhere else. Then the second step is to inject the sugar drug and that itself will circulate around the body but only where the tumour is, where the enzyme is, will you get the cyanide. It will be enough to kill the cancer cells and you will be able to repeat it over and over again until the tumour has gone." Dr Deonarain said the cancer cells would not be able
to develop resistance to the cyanide in the way they can with some of
current cancer therapies.
CTM COMMENT: Phillip Day's book 'Cancer: Why We're Still Dying to Know the Truth' examines the use of food to selectively destroy cancer, as reported by some of the top cancer researchers in the business. DO NOT BE WITHOUT THIS EXCELLENT INFORMATION. www.credence.org
The Danger That Hides in Make-Up They may be reluctant to leave home without it, but make-up is putting women at risk of deadly diseases, say experts. According to a new book, cosmetics and beauty products often contain toxic ingredients that can cause cancer and other fatal illnesses. Loopholes in Government regulations are being exploited by manufacturers to allow banned chemicals into over-the-counter products, it claims. Authors Kim Erickson and Samuel Epstein say many ingredients in make-up have been shown to cause cancer in animals and should never be used as part of a beauty routine. Coal tar colours, phenylenediamine, benzene and even formaldehyde are some of the toxins commonly found in shampoos, skin creams and blushers, they say. Hormone disrupting chemicals, which could lower immunity to disease and cause neurological and reproductive damage, may also lurk in everyday cosmetics. In their book, 'Drop Dead Gorgeous: Protecting Yourself from the Hidden Dangers of Cosmetics', to be published next month, they claim the adverse effects of cosmetics build up over years of use. Miss Erickson said: "Modern cosmetics contain a host of dubious ingredients which would be more at home in a test tube than on our faces. These synthetic ingredients are inexpensive, stable and have a long shelf life. Manufacturers love them, but the results from long-term use could be deadly." She said the same poisons that pollute the environment, from dioxins to petrochemicals, can be found in the average bathroom cabinet. "Many of the same ingredients have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals," she added. The UK cosmetics industry is worth £4.5 billion a year and employs more than 20,000 people. It is controlled by the Department of Trade and Industry's 1996 Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations. The regulations approve about 3,000 ingredients for cosmetic use, but many more find their way into the finished products. One loophole in the regulations allows cosmetics to contain banned substances if they cannot 'reasonably' be removed. The authors say chemicals get into the bloodstream in a number of ways. Hair sprays, perfumes and powders are inhaled; lipstick is swallowed; eye make-up absorbed by sensitive mucous membranes and others taken in through the skin. Allergy specialist Dr Jean Munro, medical director of the Breakspear Hospital in Hertfordshire, supports the claims. In the last 20 years she has treated 8,000 women, nearly all of whom were found to have a sensitivity to beauty products. Dr Munro said: "There is no question that people
are being damaged by their cosmetics. So many things are put into cosmetics
now that are carcinogenic, and it is allowed because cosmetics are not
considered to be as serious as drugs or food. One of the most extreme
cases I have seen was a woman whose bone marrow was affected by chemicals
used in hair dye. The situation as it is is plainly dangerous - unacceptably
so." CTM Comment: We are delighted that Dr Epstein has made another vital foray into the public market with his message on the dangers of toxins in personal care products. We also heartily congratulate those companies who produce products for the public free of those harmful and dangerous chemical components CTM and Phillip Day have been consistently warning about. The personal care and make-up issue is so important in view of the staggering amounts of money spent on make-up and perfume every year. For more information on this, readers can obtain Dr Epstein's new book. Phillip Day also covers this subject in 'Health Wars' - www.credence.org.
£50,000 FOR PUPIL WHOSE DYSLEXIA TEACHERS MISSED
Robin Johnston claimed he did not reach his full academic potential because he was let down during his early school days. Mr Johnson, 25, was described at school as 'slow' and fell victim to playground bullies. Despite showing clear symptoms of dyslexia, it was not until he moved to secondary school that he was diagnosed. The IT technician from Bramhall, Cheshire, successfully sued Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council for negligence. "The money helps but it can't really make up for what has happened," he said. "It can't change the past but it will help me in the future. I will be able to pay for a computer course which will enable me to further my career." His mother Jennifer first noticed something was wrong when he was a toddler and was slower learning how to talk than his elder brother Simon. When he attended St John's Church of England School in Offerton, Cheshire, Mrs Johnson voiced her concerns to teachers. They suggested a sight and hearing test in case he could not see the blackboard or hear the teacher, but no problems were found. His difficulties became severe at six and an educational psychologist was called in to conduct an assessment - but no diagnosis was made. His family the moved to Bramhall and Robin attended Neville Road Primary School, where the teachers said he was not dyslexic. "I always knew I was different to the other kids but I never knew why," said Mr Johnson. "I never missed school and was so stubborn I never gave up but I got bullied because I was different and that was hard. I became very depressed." It was not until Mr Johnson started secondary education at Bramhall High School at 11 that his condition was identified. But it took a further two years before he was given the educational support he needed. Mrs Johnson said: "We were contacted by his form tutor who said that they had never seen anyone as unhappy and stressed out as Robin and suggested in a very diplomatic fashion that he might be dyslexic. His tutor went on to say Robin was the worst dyslexic they had ever had and asked why it wasn't picked up at Neville Road Primary School?" He was assessed by an educational psychologist at the Dyslexia Institute in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and was diagnosed as 'severely dyslexic'. After those reports Stockport Council began providing extra teaching resources. His literacy skills improved almost immediately and he went on to attend North Area College, where he completed his NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Vocational Education. He also gained NVQ qualifications in computing but was unable to gain employment in the field because of his dyslexia and took menial jobs such as tomato picker, kitchen assistant and aircraft cleaner. Further training in information technology helped him secure his present job. Mr Johnson was awarded £52,500 plus costs at Stockport County Court. Stockport Council said provision for pupils with dyslexia
had since improved across the authority. PHILLIP DAY COMMENT: In my forthcoming book 'The Mind Game', due out in July, we discuss dyslexia and learning disabilities in some depth. Much work has been carried out in the realm of nutrition, food allergies and chemical toxin problems in relation to childhood behavioural disorders. Psychiatry's oft-preferred drug solution for hyperactivity, learning disorders and other childhood behavioural conditions has proven a qualified failure in addressing the underlying causes. So often drugs are used as a chemical strait-jacket to assist parents or teachers in controlling the child, which is why they have been so popular. These medications do mask symptoms of the condition, but in the process, introduce symptoms or side-effects of their own. As Dr Aelred Fonder remarks: "[They] do not address, nor correct the underlying metabolic or toxin-related problems, which may continue to fester and develop, if causation is not eliminated." Now, as for the compensation angle mentioned
in the above article, how much money and misery do you think we can save
if we get the great news about nutrition and detoxification out to the
general public?
Fake drugs pose health danger Urgent action is needed to stem the growing tide of
bogus medications that are either useless or actually cause harm, say
doctors. BBC News, Friday 5th April 2002
THE HEALING POWER OF WATER 'Drink at least two litres a day and you will soon see the difference - glowing skin, weight loss, less cellulite, better immunity and a huge boost to your energy levels' Water is one of the most basic things on Earth and essential to good health, yet we thoughtlessly throw away gallons every day. Used properly, water can revolutionise our lives. We need the liquid for day-to-day survival, yet we often ignore our body's cries for more water, at a grave cost to health and well-being. It is estimated that 90 per cent of us are chronically dehydrated. Drink just five glasses of water per day and you will cut your risk of developing breast cancer by 79 per cent. The same amount of water will make you 45 per cent less likely to develop cancer of the colon. Many of the common complaints which plague most people's lives, such as tiredness, headaches, dry skin, low immunity, cellulite, indigestion and weight gain, are caused by day-to-day dehydration. If you suffer from one or more of these conditions, you may change the quality of your life immeasurably simply by ensuring you drink two litres of water a day. Being properly hydrated will help to keep you in peak health. Our bodies are 75 per cent water, but if this level drops by just 2 per cent then we become dehydrated. As soon as this happens, our bodies slow down and begin to operate less efficiently. A detox give the body a chance to rest so it can cleanse itself. In just 18 days on the Water Detox programme, your body can effectively start again with a clean slate, feeling fabulous. The Water Detox will help you to tackle health problems - from niggling persistent tiredness or wrinkled skin to more long-term concerns such as weight gain and high blood pressure. The secret of the detox is simply in the quantity of water you consume. As well as drinking two litres a day, you get an additional litre from food on a nutritional plan which contains at least 50 per cent water. Once you begin to drink the correct amount of water, you will soon notice improved levels of energy, glowing skin, weight loss, reduction in cellulite and an improved immune system. It does not matter whether you drink bottle or tap water, but bottle flavoured waters are not permitted on the Water Detox because they almost certainly will be full of sugar and artificial flavours. It should take you only two or three days to get used to drinking the correct amount of water. To get the best results, you will need to follow a few simple rules: · Drink at least two litres of water a day. The 18-day Water Detox Programme It is vital to drink enough water and to eat the right foods to get the most benefit from the detox. Certain food types contain up to 50 per cent water, and in some cases up to 95 per cent. Concentrating on these foods will lead to the best nutrition and hydration, though you still need to drink at least two litres of water a day. You should not eat anything that is not on the programme because this may slow the process or even reverse it. You should particularly avoid diuretics, as they could cause you to lose the same volume of water and more. These include alcohol and drinks containing caffeine, such as colas, coffee and tea. Exercise is important because it speeds up the cleansing process - but drink throughout your workout and consume at least an extra litre of water per hour of exercise. When we sleep, we lose water through sweating and the normal metabolic processes. So start the day with a large glass of water, followed by a breakfast which is high in water content. Yoghurt and fruit are excellent. Make the first meal of the day 'high hydration'. It is also advisable to exclude certain herbs, such as juniper, dandelions and nettle teas, which encourage the body to expel fluids. Also avoid foods such as curries and spices which increase body heat and use more fluids than normal. During the 18-day water detox, you can eat oily fish, oils, yoghurts, potatoes, beans and pulses, vegetables, fruits, rice and salads. For each of the 18 days, you should drink at least two litres of plain water and eat at least three full meals or five small meals a day. You must eat at least five portions of fruit, five portions of fish, beans or pulses, one portion of rice, and one portion of oil or cheese per day. You can eat as much as you like of any food which is permitted, but this is the minimum that you should consume. The cheeses and oils do not always have a 50 per cent water content, but I have included them to ensure that you get a balanced diet. I recommend sheep's and goat's products rather than those made from cow's milk because they are much more easily digested by the human body and much easier to tolerate. Eating raw foods will maintain fluid levels and help to preserve the nutrients. Aim to eat half of your foods each day raw. To keep food succulent and with the right level of water, you must use the right cooking methods. Always try to use any of the juices, essences or fluids that come out of the foods for dressings, sauces or gravy to pour back over them. Steaming will also leave your food moist and juicy. The best way to ensure you don't lose fluids during cooking is to add them. Choose stews, soups, smoothes and long drinks. Select the foods which you like best and find easier to prepare. Eat your main meal during the day and not late in the evening. It is better to have four or five light meals a day than to have a huge plate of food three times a day, which can cause big surges and drops in energy and blood sugar. If you are tempted to snack, remember that 75 per cent
of hunger pangs are requests from our bodies for water. Each time you
feel hungry, have a glass of water. If, after 20 minutes, you are still
peckish, then eat something, as long as your snack is one of the food
allowed. Yoghurt, hummus and crudités are a good idea.
· 75 per cent of our hunger pangs are signals
of thirst
Drinking water improves the efficiency of all major body organs. The liver, lungs, skin, kidneys and intestines all use water as a vehicle for cleansing. Inadequate quantities of water slow the system down and can causes you to suffer from constipation, grey skin, infections and swollen glands. Dehydration The Liver The Kidneys The Intestines The Lymph System The Lungs
Phillip Day Comment: And a great 'hear hear' to
the Daily Mail for getting this one out. Water, as has been discussed
plentifully in the past, is essential for human life. Quite how vital
it is has not, in any way, been fully appreciated by the laity. My recommendation
is for everyone to read Dr Fereydoon Batmanghelidj's book "Your Body's
Many Cries for Water", available through the Credence Bookstore at
www.credence.org. I am constantly amazed at this most vital of Nature's
healers. If you are not watering yourself today, you are missing the opportunity
to become a rose. Don't be a prune, put away the teas and coffees, the
Guinnesses and the Fosters, and let's get serious about hydration and
happiness.
Heart Disease Remains Top Killer
Heart disease is by far the number one killer in the United States, although a third of those deaths could be prevented if people followed better diets and exercised more, the American Heart Association said in an annual report. The AHA estimates that 61,800,000 Americans have cardiovascular disease, which can include high blood pressure, coronary heart disease (heart attack and chest pain), strokes, birth defects of the heart and blood vessels, and congestive heart failure. According to the report, 50 million Americans have high blood pressure, 12.6 million have coronary heart disease and 4.6 million have suffered strokes. Overall, slightly more females than males have cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease kills more Americans than the next seven causes combined - including cancer - the AHA report states. "The most surprising finding is that heart disease and stroke numbers are not going down," Dr. David Faxon, president of the AHA, told Reuters Health. "For many years, they did, but now we are seeing a levelling off, and in fact, we are seeing an increase in some groups such as African-American women." According to Faxon, reasons for the levelling off in numbers include the aging of the population and the "growing problem" of diabetes and obesity, both of which greatly increase heart disease risk. In 1999, the most recent year for which data is available, cardiovascular disease deaths totalled nearly 1 million - equivalent to 1 death every 33 seconds - and accounted for 40% of all deaths that year. The new report also states that caring for people with cardiovascular disease costs billions of dollars and will get more expensive. Cardiovascular disease-related costs for 2001 were estimated at $298.2 billion and are expected to rise to $329.2 billion in 2002. "The majority of the cost is for inpatient hospitalization so anything that prevent the disease and complications and the need for rehospitalization can reduce cost," Faxon said. "Cardiovascular disease deaths in 1999 totalled 958,755; cancer 549,838; accidents 97,860; Alzheimer's disease 44,536 and HIV/AIDS 14,802," the association said in a statement. Heart disease accounted for 40 percent of all deaths in the United States in 1999. Many studies show that a better diet and a little exercise can prevent many deaths, yet Americans ignore the most basic guidelines, the heart association said. The report says only 22.7 percent of adults ate the minimum of five servings of fruits and vegetables a day in 1996 - up from 19 percent in 1990. Americans are also failing to control a common cause of heart death - their blood pressure. Only 39 percent of adults with high blood pressure had their levels controlled to below 140/90 mm Hg, considered the highest desirable blood pressure, according to the National Centre for Quality Assurance. About a quarter of all Americans smoke cigarettes,
which cause an estimated one in five deaths from cardiovascular diseases,
the heart association said. Its report said 37,000 to 40,000 non smokers
die from heart disease every year because of exposure to second hand cigarette
smoke. Although the AHA lists strokes as the number 3 cause of death, we know that is not true as researchers at the most prestigious medical institution in the world, Johns Hopkins, published in JAMA, the largest medical periodical in the world, that doctors are the third leading cause of death in the US. If we could optimise these two factors, most of us could live to 100 and be fully functional with little or no physical or mental disability. PHILLIP DAY'S COMMENT: The issue of heart disease prevention is simply one of marketing. For the population to be brought four-square before the agony and the pain of heart disease enough to feel compelled to do something about it, the images of heart failure must be shown in its starkest hues. Several times I have been in the vicinity when a member of the public collapsed with a heart attack or stroke. In all but one of the cases the victim died after the usual efforts were made both by public close by and very soon after by paramedics. How successful can I or any one else be in convincing people to take the few simple steps necessary to prevent such a catastrophic event if the public continue to believe "Oh, it won't happen to me!" In 'Health Wars', we have two chapters that deal
with affairs of the heart. If you haven't already learned the simple steps
to protect you and your family from mankind's No. 1 killer, I urge you
to do so today. INTERNATIONAL FLUORIDE INFORMATION NETWORK Dear All, This is a great victory and a wonderful omen for the future demise of the US fluoridation program. Without any direct help from the anti-fluoridation movement the engineer responsible for fluoridating the water supply of Nowata, Oklahoma, did his homework and found out that it was a dangerous practice. He recommended to the City Council that they stop and they did - an unanimous 4-0 vote. How we wish that every engineer acted this responsibly and every council this rationally. It brings a whole new meaning to the notion of "public service". This was public service as it should be. Thank you, Sid, and thank you, Commissioners. It is also a tribute to all the science-based information
out there on the Internet that people today can quickly get up to speed
on the issue. Accurate information plus integrity plus responsible government
will ultimately kill this silly practice. This is a very Paul Connett. Nowata City Commissioners vote to remove NOWATA - On the recommendation of the water plant operator the Nowata City Council voted 4 - 0 Monday night to discontinue treating the drinking water with fluoride. Sid Hudson, water plant manager, told the commission he had been researching fluoride on the Internet and had also read articles about it and the high incidents of cancer in the Nowata area and had come to the conclusion it was not good. "Bartlesville did away with it two years ago," Hudson said. "The state doesn't demand you do it. 20-20 did a lot of research on it. It is highly toxic, found in rat poison. It costs $6,000 a year plus the cost of the four tests we have to do every day that the state requires. If the commission is in agreement I would like to put this before you for a vote." "I've read the report you gave us and I'm satisfied with what it said," Commissioner Carol Stephens said. "I'll make a motion to accept Sid's recommendation to remove fluoride from our water." The motion was seconded by Commissioner Judy Hesslen
and approved by Stephens, Hesslen, John Carroll Jr. and Mayor Phil Ogden.
Commissioner John "Bunky" Krouse was absent.
MBEKI'S RESOLUTE STAND AGAINST HIV DOGMA
We will not be intimidated, terrorised, bludgeoned,
manipulated, stampeded, or in any other way forced to adopt policies and
programmes inimical to the health of our people. That we are poor and
black does not mean that we cannot think for ourselves and determine what
is good for us. Neither does it mean that we are available to be bought,
whatever the price." Full text at
Migraine is Hereditary say Doctors
Researchers claim to be close to identifying a specific gene predisposing people to the disorder. Children whose mothers suffered from headaches had double the risk of migraines when they grew up. Dr Aarno Palotie, a geneticist at the University of California, in Los Angeles, said: "For the first time we have proof 0f an isolated genetic link to migraine." He and his researchers focused on classical migraine - or migraine with aura - when the headache is preceded by visual disturbances, including flashing lights, shimmering lines and blind spots. The visual disturbance usually disappears after about 30 minutes and is followed by a piercing headache, and a sensitivity to light. Dr Palotie's team analysed genetic markers in blood samples from 50 families with three or more members from different generations who had the disorder. In a third of the 430 people studied, researchers discovered three common markers on a crucial section of 'chromosome four' - there are 23 pairs of chromosomes in every cell in our bodies made up of DNA. Dr Palotie, whose breakthrough is reported in the American Journal of Human Genetics, explained: "This finding moves us a step closer to isolating the gene that predisposes people to migraines with auras." Now that they had 'narrowed the hunting ground' they could concentrate on identifying the gene. "The findings also pave the way for clinical trials of more effective prophylactic drugs," added Dr Palotie. The discovery may help doctors treat the six million British sufferers. Migraines affect almost 20 per cent of women and 6 per cent of men. Dr Anne Turner, of the charity Migraine Action Association,
said: "It has long been suspected that there is a genetic component
to migraine, because people say it does tend to run in families."
She added that a gene had also recently been identified for a rare form
of the condition called familial hemoplegic migraine. Though this affected
only a handful of people, it had already led to more effective drug treatments.
"The hope is that discoveries about the genetics of other forms of
migraine will do the same," said Dr Turner. Phillip Day Comment: Once again, we have genetic
medicine 'coming to our rescue' - this time with the promise of more drugs
to treat migraines. The very first thing anyone with migraines should
do is cut out milk and gluten products and increase water intake to 4
pints a day, along with flax oil supplementation, for 21 days to see if
there is a food allergy problem. My new book, The Mind Game, due out in
July, will be dealing with all aspects of 'mental health' and will include
a section on treating the migraine problem naturally. Do not buy in to
the 'marketing as science' strategies of Big Pharma, no doubt also shortly
to announce it has isolated the gene that causes national bankruptcy.
TAX TO RISE
Twelve hours after Tony Blair warned of a huge tax increase in the April 17 Budget, a senior colleagues rushed to reinforce the message. Health Secretary Alan Milburn insisted: "If we want sustained investment in the NHS, we will need to pay for it. I believe the best way of doing it - the fairest and most efficient way - is through general taxation." The Tories, in a surprise break with previous policy, signalled that they agreed. Shadow Health Secretary Dr Liam Fox suggested taxes 'may have to rise', although he said later the party is still reviewing how to fund the NHS. Experts said a Labour tax rise would be targeted solidly on the middle-income earners. A rise in the upper limit of National Insurance is the most likely option - ministers repeatedly refused to rule out such a move during the general election campaign. A drastic curb in the value of personal income tax allowances may also be high on the Budge agenda. That could force another million people into the higher 40 per cent tax band. But there were warnings that, for all the stress on
the NHS, the Government needs money from somewhere to continue it's promised
spending on other public services like education and transport. And health
experts said simply throwing money at NHS problems would not be enough
without careful consideration of where and how to spend. Phillip Day Comment: I've got a better idea for
reforming the NHS behemoth. Start feeding the patients properly, give
them water to drink and not sodas, and bring a full-on nutritional regiment
to bear on all those occupiers of hospital beds. Don't hold your breath
though. A tax rise is a much better idea to expand an already morally
reprehensible and greedy health service infrastructure.
MORE THAN AN HOUR OF TV A DAY 'TURNS TEENS TO VIOLENCE'
However, by the time they become young adults, women who watch two or more hours of television a day are more prone to aggression. The survey, the first into the long-term effects of television on violence, is published today in the journal 'Science' by Prof Jeffrey Johnson, of Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and co-authors. The team tracked more than 700 children and took into account the 'chicken and egg' question: Does watching television cause aggression or do people prone to aggression watch more television? Prof Johnson concludes that, during early adolescence, responsible parents should not let their children watch more than one hour of television a day. "That's where the vast majority of the increase in risk occurs," he said. "Even youths with no history of such aggressive behaviours were much more likely to commit aggressive acts over the eight-year follow-up period if they watched one or more hours of television per day at mean age 14, compared with those who watched less than one hour per day." The unexpected difference between young men and women emerged as the study progressed. The link between aggression and television is strongest for men during adolescence and for women during early adulthood. The difference might be because adolescent girls watch less violent television programmes, catching up with men by the age of 22. However, Prof Johnson warns that this theory needs further study because television programming has changed significantly since viewing by the adolescent girls was last assessed in 1983. While the most common acts of violence for boys were assault and fighting, violent behaviour by young women also included robbery and threats to injure. "It's quite surprising," he said. "We certainly wouldn't have predicted what we found." The link between watching television and behaving violently remained intact after the researchers had accounted for other factors, such as childhood neglect, low family income or psychiatric disorder during adolescence. The youths in the study and their mothers were interviewed four times over the course of 18 years and assigned to three categories: those who watched less than one hour of television per day, between one and three hours per day, and more than three hours per day. Three to five violent acts occur in an average hour of prime-time television, while 20 to 25 violent acts occur in an average hour of children's television, according to Prof Johnson. Information on aggressive acts committed by the study subjects came from interviews, as well as state and federal records of arrests and charges for adult criminal behaviour. The researchers grouped the violent acts according to whether they occurred around age 16, age 22 or age 30. One aim of the study was to determine how much of the apparent link between television viewing and aggressive behaviour was caused by watching television. Once other factors were accounted for, 5-7 per cent of the adolescents who watched less than one hour then committed aggressive acts against other people in later years. In contrast, 22.5 per cent of adolescents who watched between one and three hours a day committed aggressive acts later, as did 28.8 per cent of the adolescents who watched more than three hours a day. The study was conducted on 707 families with a child, randomly sampled from two counties in northern New York State, over 18 years. Concerns about the effects of TV violence date back to the 1940s, soon after television began broadcasting. "Despite the consensus among experts, lay people do not seem to be getting the message from the popular press that media violence contributes to a more violent society," said Dr Craig Anderson and Dr Brad Bushman, of Iowa State University. "News reports about the effects of media violence
have shifted to weaker statements, implying that there is little evidence
for such effects. This inaccurate reporting in the popular press may account
for continuing controversy long after the debate should have been over." Phillip Day Comment: My forthcoming book 'The Mind
Game' investigates in some detail the problems associated with the constant
deluge of sex and violence on TV and how this has shaped our children
and even adults. 2003 will be the year when CTM begins assisting in the
great garbage clean-up of our societies. Who's up for helping us to accomplish
that?
A QUIET VICTORY IN CANTON Dear CTM members, I was waiting to share this story with you until the right moment. I think the right moment is now. We are no longer having to drink fluoridated water in our little village of Canton, New York State. Last summer the director of Public Water Department, Mr Bill Hamilton, who has been opposed to fluoridation for over 20 years, and has tried to educate each incoming mayor and Village Board on this issue, finally took the bull by the horns and stopped adding fluoride to the water this past summer. The move was precipitated by a shift to a different water supply which made the old delivery equipment unsafe to use. When we heard the news - Bill let the Village Board know in writing -we held our breath. We were expecting the Dental community to be up in arms. But they have done nothing publicly. We believe we know why. If they had insisted that the fluoride be put back, it would have forced a debate on the issue. They are not about to debate this issue with me, or anyone else for that matter (Dr. Hardy Limeback has also agreed to debate them if they so choose). So the months have quietly slipped by and it has been wonderful to drink water from the tap again instead of out of plastic. While, I am disappointed I didn't get to debate the dentists here, it is nice being in the "status quo" position. It is they who now have to take the initiative. If they do it will be wonderful to have the debate so close to home. Meanwhile, we are starting to make contacts in local fluoridated towns to see if we can capitalize on our quiet victory here. The thing to be learned from this is that some of our strongest allies in this struggle for common sense, are the very people who have to add this wretched poison to our water. Many of them do not want to do this. It is not what they thought this public service was about. If you haven't done so already pay a visit to your local public water engineer and discuss the issue with him or her. Make sure they have our web page address http://www.fluoridealert.org and see if they also want to receive these bulletins (confidentially of course!). Paul Connett
January 27, 2002. Dear All, 2002 is already looking a very encouraging year as far as the rejection of fluoridation is concerned. While I have been away I see there have been victories against fluoridation in Kennewick, Washington; Lanai, Hawaii and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Details on the Colorado Springs victory are given below. Details on the other two victories can be obtained from the FAN web page at http://www.fluoridealert.org I would also put into the victory column the fact that both Fort Collins, Colorado and the State legislature in New Hampshire have voted to set up committees to review the fluoridation issue. I will be discussing the New Hampshire situation in the next IFIN bulletin. Assuming that these reviews are conducted by independent scientists, we can anticipate more victories to follow. The following notes are taken from the FAN web page. Paul Connett. Fluoride Action Network Colorado Springs City Council Votes No to Fluoridation Following close upon the heels of decisions by Kennewick, Washington; Bennington, Vermont; Lanai, Hawaii; Cobalt, Ontario; and Erie, Colorado not to fluoridate water, the Colorado Springs City Council ended a year long controversy by voting against fluoridation (see below). The Colorado Springs decision also follows upon the heels of recent referendums in November 2001, where voters from Flagstaff, Arizona; Modesto, California; Sutherlin, Oregon; and Worcester, Massachusetts voted against fluoridation in their respective cities. (To see a list of other communities which have recently
rejected fluoridation, visit www.fluoridealert.org/communities.htm
) January 17, 2002 Fluoride gets the Brush Off: By Tom Ragan The Gazette Colorado Springs residents will have to rely on the old-fashioned method of getting extra fluoride: brushing with fluoride toothpaste. That's because the city, after nine months of sometimes acrimonious debate, has decided not to add fluoride to drinking water. The Colorado Springs City Council, acting as the Utilities board, voted 5-3 after another public hearing Wednesday to reject a proposal to add hydrofluosilicic acid to two-thirds of the city's water - a move that would have fluoridated the water on the northeast side of the city. Water in the remainder of the city is naturally fluoridated. Utilities board members said they still aren't certain the acid is safe. Some said they didn't think it was government's role to dabble in public health. Local dentists have been pushing for fluoridation for years. In 1999, they told the Utilities board that cavities and tooth decay were more prevalent in the northeast section of the city, where the water is not fluoridated. In mid-April, the board was ready to give the fluoridation program the green light. But that's when a group of concerned citizens showed up to protest, saying the acid was unsafe. The group, It's Not Fluoride Only, cited numerous studies, including one from Dartmouth University, that showed hydrofluosilicic acid raised the level of lead in the blood when consumed in water. The Utilities board decided to study the matter further. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta was called numerous times for its opinion. Though opponents refer to the acid as an industrial waste byproduct that comes directly from the phosphate fertilizer industry, the CDC said the acid is safe once it breaks down in water. At Wednesday's public hearing, perhaps the most emotional testimony came from 41-year-old Carol Geltemeyer, a Colorado Springs woman who was two months pregnant and approached the public hearing podium with her 2-year-old daughter in her arms. "If you do this, I'm going to have to go out and buy bottled water," Geltemeyer said. "Leave it up to the parents. Leave it up to us. If you take away our choice, you're taking away our responsibilities." Councilman Ted Eastburn, who voted in favor of fluoridation, said he found it hard to believe that some Utilities board members failed to place their trust in the CDC. "It's the same agency we're turning to for help in the threat of bioterrorism," Eastburn said, moments before he cast his vote. But Richard Skorman said he voted against the measure because conflicting studies and conflicting evidence prevented him from conscientiously voting in favor of fluoridation. "It's not that I'm convinced that it's dangerous," he said. "I'm not, but it makes me nervous." Councilwoman Margaret Radford said if there had been no other method by which Springs residents could obtain fluoride, she probably would have "caved in" and voted in favor of the measure. Mayor Mary Lou Makepeace, who voted in favor of fluoridation, scolded the anti-fluoride people for breeding hysteria when passing out petitions. "They talked about it in terms of 'poison' and 'toxic waste,'" she said. "The emotionalism got ahead of the data." The decision was made in a matter of minutes after nearly three hours of testimony by both sides. Other board members who voted against fluoridation were Charles Wingate, Sallie Clark and Judy Noyes. Lionel Rivera voted in favor of it. James Null was not present.
Ninety percent of utilities companies across the country
that fluoridate their water use the liquid or powder form of hydrofluosilicic
acid. More than 100 million U.S. citizens from San With this decision on Wednesday, Colorado Springs now becomes the 106th city in the United States since 1990 to halt or reject fluoridating its water. CTM Comment: Professor Connett is a tireless
campaigner for clean, non-toxic water in the USA and his web-site is excellent.
If you currently reside in America and live in a fluoridated area, visit
his web-site at www.fluoridealert.org to begin your regional campaign
to have the practice stamped out and those who advocate it brought to
account. Fluoridation is a human rights abuse and needs to be acted on
immediately. If you are a part of an existing campaign to scrap fluoridation
in your area, or wish to start one immediately, send your name, area and
e-mail details to CTM and we will publish a list of active anti-fluoridation
cells in the USA to which other members of CTM can add their support.
Let's fix America for clean water, and let's do it together!
Breakthrough Updates You Need to Know on Vitamin D
What is Vitamin D? Vitamin D, calciferol, is a fat-soluble vitamin. It is found in food, but also can be made in your body after exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun. Vitamin D exists in several forms, each with a different activity. Some forms are relatively inactive in the body, and have limited ability to function as a vitamin. The liver and kidney help convert vitamin D to its active hormone form. The major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong bones. It promotes bone mineralization in concert with a number of other vitamins, minerals, and hormones. Without vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, soft, or misshapen. Vitamin D prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, which are skeletal diseases that result in defects that weaken bones. What are the sources of vitamin D? Food sources Exposure to sunlight Sunscreens with a sun protection factor of 8 or greater
will block UV rays that produce vitamin D. Vitamin D and Bone Health Rickets and osteomalacia were recognized as being caused by vitamin D deficiency 75 years ago; their prevention and cure with fish liver oil constituted one of the early triumphs of nutritional science. The requirement for vitamin D has been pegged to these disorders ever since. Having normal storage levels of vitamin D in your body helps keep your bones strong and may help prevent osteoporosis in elderly, non-ambulatory individuals, in post-menopausal women, and in individuals on chronic steroid therapy. Researchers know that normal bone is constantly being remodelled (broken down and rebuilt). During menopause, the balance between these two systems is upset, resulting in more bone being broken down (resorbed) than rebuilt. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with greater incidence of hip fractures. A greater vitamin D intake from diet and supplements has been associated with less bone loss in older women. Since bone loss increases the risk of fractures, vitamin D supplementation may help prevent fractures resulting from osteoporosis. The use of vitamin D is well accepted, but the mere absence of clinical rickets can hardly be considered an adequate definition either of health or of vitamin D sufficiency. The fact that it takes 30 or more years to manifest itself makes it no less a deficiency condition than a disorder that develops in 30 days. It is easy to understand how long-period deficiency diseases could never have been recognized in the early days of nutritional science, but with modern methods and a better grasp of the relevant physiology, failing to recognize a slowly developing condition as a true deficiency state, can no longer be justified. Vitamin D nutrition probably affects major aspects of human health, as listed below, other than its classical role in mineral metabolism. The rest of the article addresses some of the newly recognized uses of vitamin D. Cancer Laboratory, animal, and epidemiologic evidence suggest
that vitamin D may be protective against some cancers. Clinical studies
now show vitamin D deficiency to be associated with four of the most common
cancers: Diabetes Heart Disease Arthritis Infertility and PMS Fatigue, Depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder Low vitamin D may contribute to chronic fatigue and depression. (9-10) Seasonal Affective Disorder has been treated successfully with vitamin D. In a recent study covering 30 days of treatment comparing Vitamin D and 2 hour daily use of 'light boxes', depression completely resolved in the D group, but not in the light box group.(11) Autoimmune Disorders Single, infrequent, intense, skin exposure to UV-B light suppresses the immune system and causes harm. However chronic low-level exposure normalizes immune function and enhances immune cell production. This reduces abnormal inflammatory responses such as found in autoimmune disorders, and reducing occurrences of infectious disease. (14-18) Obesity Additionally, obesity by itself probably further worsens vitamin D deficiency due to the decreased bioavailability of vitamin D(3) from skin and dietary sources, because of its being deposited in body fat. (36) Syndrome X Vitamin D and Steroids There is some evidence that steroids may also impair vitamin D metabolism, further contributing to the loss of bone and development of osteoporosis associated with steroid medications. For these reasons, individuals on chronic steroid therapy should consult with their physician or registered dietician about the need to increase vitamin D intake through | ||||