Three Approved GMOs Linked to Organ Damage

dissidentvoice.org | Jan 3, 2010

by Rady Ananda

In what is being described as the first ever and most comprehensive study of the effects of genetically modified foods on mammalian health, researchers have linked organ damage with consumption of Monsanto’s GM maize.

All three varieties of GM corn, Mon 810, Mon 863 and NK 603, were approved for consumption by US, European and several other national food safety authorities. Made public by European authorities in 2005, Monsanto’s confidential raw data of its 2002 feeding trials on rats that these researchers analyzed is the same data, ironically, that was used to approve them in different parts of the world.

The Committee of Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIIGEN) and Universities of Caen and Rouen studied Monsanto’s 90-day feeding trials data of insecticide producing Mon 810, Mon 863 and Roundup® herbicide absorbing NK 603 varieties of GM maize.

The data “clearly underlines adverse impacts on kidneys and liver, the dietary detoxifying organs, as well as different levels of damages to heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system,” reported Gilles-Eric Séralini, a molecular biologist at the University of Caen.

Although different levels of adverse impact on vital organs were noticed between the three GMOs, the 2009 research shows specific effects associated with consumption of each GMO, differentiated by sex and dose.

Full Story

Results far higher than previous estimates

Autism higher among boys, whites

Reuters | Dec 18, 2009

By JoAnne Allen

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters) – Autism, a brain disorder that interferes with communication and social skills, affected an estimated one in 110 American 8-year-olds in 2006, according to a federal study released on Friday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at the medical diagnoses of 307,790 children who were age 8 in 2006. They found 2,757, or 0.9 percent, had been diagnosed with autism.

The CDC team found that autism cases were four to five times higher among boys than girls, with 1 in 70 boys and 1 in 315 girls identified.

The overall ratio is far higher than previous estimates that the incurable family of conditions affected 1 in 150 U.S. children. A few decades ago autism was thought to be rare.

The average increase since 2002 for boys was 60 percent while the average increase for girls was 48 percent, the study said.

The CDC also found autism was far more common among non-Hispanic white children, but found increases in autism among all racial groups included in the review.

Researchers reported a 55 percent increase in autism for white children, 41 for black children and 90 percent among Hispanic children. Estimates of increases for Asian/Pacific Islander children ranged from 1.0 percent to 16.2 percent, the CDC said.

The CDC’s Catherine Rice, who led the study, said there was no single factor behind the rising numbers of the brain disease.

“Some of the increases are due to better detection, particularly among children who may not have come to attention in the past — including girls, Hispanic children and children without cognitive impairment,” Rice told reporters.

But she said something may be happening to make autism more common as well.

The researchers said most children with autism showed symptoms before age three, but identification is often not made until later. The CDC study found the average age of diagnosis was 4-1/2 years.

The study analyzed data collected from 11 Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network sites — in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

There is no cure for autism, a spectrum of diseases ranging from severe and profound inability to communicate and mental retardation to relatively mild symptoms. But experts believe intensive, early treatment can help many children with the disorder.

“Before the 1980s, the term ‘autism’ was used primarily to refer to autistic disorder and was thought to be rare, affecting approximately one in every 2,000 children,” the researchers wrote.

Parents and advocates have been alarmed by the rise in numbers since then, although some of the increase could be attributed to changes in diagnosis and classification.

The advocacy group Autism Speaks called on the U.S. government to step up its efforts to develop treatments.

“We need meaningful action now that acknowledges the scope of this problem and allocates the resources necessary to take the fight against autism to a new level,” co-founder Bob Wright said in a statement.

Autism research is due for a large infusion of money from President Barack Obama’s $5 billion plan to boost U.S. medical and scientific research.

“There’s a multi-pronged approach going on because we know that there is no single cause for autism. We’re not going to find the one answer,” the CDC’s Rice said.

Autism researchers are looking at a broad range of potential environmental factors, including household products, medical treatments, diet, food supplements and infections. Some recent studies have found strong evidence of several genetic causes for autism.

Pfizer Inc (PFE.N), the world’s largest drugmaker, announced in July that it has begun developing treatments for autism.

Palm Beach Post  | Dec 18, 2009

By Stacey Singer

One in every 100 children in the United States may have some form of autism spectrum disorder, far more than previously believed, and the rate appears to be worsening quickly, especially among boys, new figures from the CDC show.

Researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at the 2006 medical and school records of 308,000 children in 11 communities, including Miami. They found rates of autism much higher than a similar study done in 2002, said Catherine Rice, of the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.

The 2000 data had suggested one in 150 children were affected.

It was a stunning run-up of 59 percent in four years, and the increase could not be explained just by better awareness or an expanded diagnosis, researchers found. The findings were published Friday in the CDC journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The findings should be treated as a national emergency, autism activists said.

“We are at a crossroads here,” said Palm Beach resident Bob Wright, founder of the nonprofit foundation Autism Speaks. “We need an integrated governmental approach to deal with the environment and genetics and treatment and diagnosis and ongoing life needs of these children.”

The former vice chairman of General Electric and longtime CEO of TV network NBC and NBC Universal, Wright and his wife, Suzanne, started the nonprofit after their grandson Christian regressed into profound autism.

“Our grandson spoke beautifully at age 2, and then over 120 days he lost it all,” Suzanne Wright said. “My little guy was speaking up a storm, and then little by little he lost everything.”

Autism spectrum disorders are really a group of developmental problems that affect the brain. They leave children unable to learn, think, communicate and interact like their peers. While some function relatively well, like those with Asperger’s syndrome, others, like the Wrights’ grandson, sink into profound disability, unable to speak, and trapped in repetitive movements.

The Wrights have spent long hours wondering what could have sent their grandson into the darkness. Was it a vaccine? His strep throat infection? Something he was eating or breathing?

The study released Friday addressed only the prevalence of autism, not its possible causes, Rice said. But a major research effort is under way to find the causes, and better treatments. The National Institutes of Health put $60 million in economic stimulus money toward the effort in April.

At The Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, neuroscientist Dr. Claes Wahlestedt is studying the genetics of Fragile X syndrome, which is often accompanied by autism.

“The dilemma with autism is that they are probably a bunch of different disorders. As we understand more, we will be able to subdivide the disease, and that will lead to better treatments down the line,” Wahlestedt said. “What it is in the environment that is changing so dramatically I cannot understand. But the genetics are arguably little changed.”

Autism is seen more often in the offspring of older parents, whose sperm and eggs accrue more genetic damage. It also tends to run in twins, giving weight to the argument that genetics are the main culprit. But evidence also argues for an environmental trigger.

Research has ruled out vaccinations, said Dr. Jeff Brosco, a professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of Miami . Further research is focusing on pollution, diet, food additives, vitamin D deficiency, nutritional supplements, household chemicals, cosmetics and more.

“We really still don’t understand why some children get autism and some don’t,” Brosco said. “There are something like 80,000 chemicals in our environment and we have good information on 400 or 500.”

The study found a large variation in rates of the disorder. The highest rates were in Arizona and Missouri, where 12 children per 1,000 were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The lowest were in Miami-Dade County, where 4.2 children per 1,000 were diagnosed.

Rice said that researchers had to go by medical records alone in Florida and some other communities. “We think the sites on the lower end are an underestimate,” Rice said.

In Palm Beach County, 1,405 people are known to have an autism diagnosis, and all but 200 of those are under age 21, said Pam Minelli, the parent of a 12-year-old autistic son. She’s involved with the Autism Project of Palm Beach County, which is raising money for a charter school campus for autistic children.

Minelli and her husband helped build up two charter schools for autistic children, the Renaissance Learning Center, which educates 64 children ages 3 to 14, and a new high school, the Renaissance Learning Academy, which serves 22 kids ages 14 to 21. Both are on Corporate Drive in West Palm Beach.

“We have 47 kids on the waiting list,” Minelli said. She’s now hoping to raise enough money to build an expanded campus able to support 300 autistic kids.

“With the CDC numbers, I am afraid we are going to have no problem filling those slots,” Minelli said.

NY Times | Dec 8, 2009

By CHARLES DUHIGG

More than 20 percent of the nation’s water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act over the last five years, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data.

That law requires communities to deliver safe tap water to local residents. But since 2004, the water provided to more than 49 million people has contained illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic or radioactive substances like uranium, as well as dangerous bacteria often found in sewage.

Regulators were informed of each of those violations as they occurred. But regulatory records show that fewer than 6 percent of the water systems that broke the law were ever fined or punished by state or federal officials, including those at the Environmental Protection Agency, which has ultimate responsibility for enforcing standards.

Studies indicate that drinking water contaminants are linked to millions of instances of illness within the United States each year.

In some instances, drinking water violations were one-time events, and probably posed little risk. But for hundreds of other systems, illegal contamination persisted for years, records show.

On Tuesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works committee will question a high-ranking E.P.A. official about the agency’s enforcement of drinking-water safety laws. The E.P.A. is expected to announce a new policy for how it polices the nation’s 54,700 water systems.

“This administration has made it clear that clean water is a top priority,” said an E.P.A. spokeswoman, Adora Andy, in response to questions regarding the agency’s drinking water enforcement. The E.P.A. administrator, Lisa P. Jackson, this year announced a wide-ranging overhaul of enforcement of the Clean Water Act, which regulates pollution into waterways.

“The previous eight years provide a perfect example of what happens when political leadership fails to act to protect our health and the environment,” Ms. Andy added.

Water pollution has become a growing concern for some lawmakers as government oversight of polluters has waned. Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, in 2007 asked the E.P.A. for data on Americans’ exposure to some contaminants in drinking water.

The New York Times has compiled and analyzed millions of records from water systems and regulators around the nation, as part of a series of articles about worsening pollution in American waters, and regulators’ response.

An analysis of E.P.A. data shows that Safe Drinking Water Act violations have occurred in parts of every state. In the prosperous town of Ramsey, N.J., for instance, drinking water tests since 2004 have detected illegal concentrations of arsenic, a carcinogen, and the dry cleaning solvent tetrachloroethylene, which has also been linked to cancer.

In New York state, 205 water systems have broken the law by delivering tap water that contained illegal amounts of bacteria since 2004.

However, almost none of those systems were ever punished. Ramsey was not fined for its water violations, for example, though a Ramsey official said that filtration systems have been installed since then. In New York, only three water systems were penalized for bacteria violations, according to federal data.

The problem, say current and former government officials, is that enforcing the Safe Drinking Water Act has not been a federal priority.

“There is significant reluctance within the E.P.A. and Justice Department to bring actions against municipalities, because there’s a view that they are often cash-strapped, and fines would ultimately be paid by local taxpayers,” said David Uhlmann, who headed the environmental crimes division at the Justice Department until 2007.

“But some systems won’t come into compliance unless they are forced to,” added Mr. Uhlmann, who now teaches at the University of Michigan law school. “And sometimes a court order is the only way to get local governments to spend what is needed.”

A half-dozen current and former E.P.A. officials said in interviews that they tried to prod the agency to enforce the drinking-water law, but found little support.

“I proposed drinking water cases, but they got shut down so fast that I’ve pretty much stopped even looking at the violations,” said one longtime E.P.A. enforcement official who, like others, requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. “The top people want big headlines and million-dollar settlements. That’s not drinking-water cases.”

The majority of drinking water violations since 2004 have occurred at water systems serving fewer than 20,000 residents, where resources and managerial expertise are often in short supply.

It is unclear precisely how many American illnesses are linked to contaminated drinking water. Many of the most dangerous contaminants regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act have been tied to diseases like cancer that can take years to develop.

But scientific research indicates that as many as 19 million Americans may become ill each year due to just the parasites, viruses and bacteria in drinking water. Certain types of cancer — such as breast and prostate cancer — have risen over the past 30 years, and research indicates they are likely tied to pollutants like those found in drinking water.

The violations counted by the Times analysis include only situations where residents were exposed to dangerous contaminants, and exclude violations that involved paperwork or other minor problems.

In response to inquiries submitted by Senator Boxer, the E.P.A. has reported that more than three million Americans have been exposed since 2005 to drinking water with illegal concentrations of arsenic and radioactive elements, both of which have been linked to cancer at small doses.

In some areas, the amount of radium detected in drinking water was 2,000 percent higher than the legal limit, according to E.P.A. data.

But federal regulators fined or punished fewer than 8 percent of water systems that violated the arsenic and radioactive standards. The E.P.A., in a statement, said that in a majority of situations, state regulators used informal methods — like providing technical assistance — to help systems that had violated the rules.

But many systems remained out of compliance, even after aid was offered, according to E.P.A. data. And for over a quarter of systems that violated the arsenic or radioactivity standards, there is no record that they were ever contacted by a regulator, even after they sent in paperwork revealing their violations.

Those figures are particularly worrisome, say researchers, because the Safe Drinking Water Act’s limits on arsenic are so weak to begin with. A system could deliver tap water that puts residents at a 1-in-600 risk of developing bladder cancer from arsenic, and still comply with the law.

Despite the expected announcement of reforms, some mid-level E.P.A. regulators say they are skeptical that any change will occur.

“The same people who told us to ignore Safe Drinking Water Act violations are still running the divisions,” said one mid-level E.P.A. official. “There’s no accountability, and so nothing’s going to change.”

HIV virus particles Photo: GETTY IMAGES

One in five HIV sufferers in Africa was infected by medical staff using dirty needles and clinical equipment, new research has found.

Telegraph | Nov 30, 2009

By William Payne and Mike Pflanz

Nearly five million new cases annually are caused by erratic health practices, according to the authors of a series of papers in a publication backed by the Royal Society of Medicine.

The findings raise questions the international effort to combat HIV and Aids, which focuses largely on trying to stop virus transmission through unsafe sex or from mothers to their unborn children.

Researchers accused governments of ignoring up the problem so as not undermine existing health schemes.

John Potterat, an epidemiologist and one of the editors of the International Journal of STD and HIV, said: “Governments and international health agencies have deliberately chosen to ignore the evidence.

“The studies now show directly that many Africans are at risk from a wide range of common skin puncturing practices that may involve contaminated instruments and materials.

“By uncritically accepting the orthodox view that HIV is almost exclusively transmitted by sex, public health workers and researchers are complicit in prolonging avoidable suffering.”

He and 11 other scientists will publish a series of papers in the journal on Tuesday, to coincide with World Aids Day.

More than 22 million people living in Africa have the HIV virus, which leads to Aids. An estimated 2 million died in 2008.

In one of the studies, patients at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital in south eastern Nigeria who contracted HIV were significantly more likely to have had blood tests, vaccinations, blood transfusions or surgical procedures. Half of the patients who received tetanus vaccinations reported seeing needles being reused.

Another study in the journal, published by the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV, an affiliate organisation of the Royal Society of Medicine, looked at rates of HIV infection among children in Swaziland.

HIV infections there are the highest in the world at 26 per cent of the adult population, reducing the country’s average life expectancy to 32 years.

Using data from the Swaziland Demographic and Health Survey, the authors found that one in five Swazi children aged two to 12 who are infected with the virus have HIV-negative mothers.

These children had experienced many more medical injections and vaccinations than their uninfected brothers or sisters. Most of these related to anti-malaria health programmes.

Africans are subject to a much higher proportion of injections and blood tests than patients in the West, according to a 1999 study for the World Health Organisation.

That research found that a wide range of common symptoms such as colds, ear infections, fatigue and tonsillitis were treated with injections rather than oral medication.

The study concluded that at least 50 per cent of these were unsafe, with needles being used repeatedly on one patient after another, without sterilisation.

“HIV priorities have been and continue to be misplaced,” said Stuart Brody, a professor at the University of the West of Scotland, in Paisley, who has researched the spread of HIV in Kenya through tetanus vaccinations.

“The mindset is to pretend this is not an issue, perhaps because of the received wisdom or because you don’t get funding if you question it, but this does not save lives.” But Dr Anna Thomas, head of economic and social development at ActionAid Kenya, said: “The use of unsterilised needles is one of the many issues affecting HIV/Aids in Africa.

“But the vast majority of the spread of HIV/Aids is down to unsafe sex between men and women and that is where we need to continue to focus our efforts.”

GPs ’should offer climate change advice to patients’

Doctors should give patients advice on climate change, a leading body of medical experts has claimed.

Telegraph | Nov 29, 2009

by Nick Britten

The Climate and Health Council, a collaboration of worldwide health organisations including the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal Society of Medicine, believes there is a direct link between climate change and better health.

Their controversial plan would see GPs and nurses give out advice to their patients on how to lower their carbon footprint.

The Council believes that climate change “threatens to radically undermine the health of all peoples”.

It believes health professionals are ideally placed to promote change because “we have ethical responsibility…..as well as the capacity to influence people and our political representatives to take the necessary action”.

The Council has been recently formed to study the health benefits of tackling climate change and promotes a range of ideas from reducing your carbon footprint by driving less and walking more to eating local, less processed food.

It wants to raise ‘health’ on the agenda of December’s UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen.

They believe that offering patients advice on how to lower their carbon footprint can be just as easy and achievable as helping them to stop smoking or eat a healthier diet.

Other proposals include for all developed nations to pay an extra five dollars a barrel on oil and a tax on airline tickets. This would go into a special fund to develop low-carbon alternatives to existing technologies, they say.

Prof Mike Gill, from the University of Surrey, who co-chairs the Climate and Health Council, outlined the plans for the medical journal The Lancet last week.

He said: “Climate change already affects human health, creating problems that will increase if no action is taken.

“Overall, what is good for tackling climate change is good for health. Who better to spell out this message than health professionals? “We have the evidence, a good story to tell that dramatically shifts the lens through which climate change is perceived, and we have public trust.”

He said the health service was often “muted” on the subject of climate change and needed to make its voice heard more.

He added: “To maximise our influence, we must be much clearer than we have been to the public, to patients, and to politicians about the risks of doing nothing and the benefits to individual and global health of effective action.”

Vivienne Nathanson, British Medical Association director of professional activities said the report “clearly shows that taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can have positive impacts for health.”

She said the BMA was disappointed health had not so far figured significantly on the agenda for the Copenhagen summit and called on world leaders to seek solutions that benefit the environment and individuals.

Andy Burnham, the Health minister, in support of the Lancet report said: “Climate change can seem a distant, impersonal threat [however] the associated costs to health are a very real and present danger. Health ministers across the globe must act now to highlight the risk global warning poses to the health of our communities.”

70 Heartbreaking Stories From People Who Have Had Their Lives Destroyed By H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Side Effects

organichealthadviser.com | Nov 27, 2009

While a few stories about adverse reactions to the H1N1 swine flu vaccine have gotten into the mainstream media, the reality is that most mainstream media outlets are extremely hesitant to publish such stories.  The general belief in the media seems to be that if they publish a story about a “rare” adverse reaction to the H1N1 vaccine, then the general public may be discouraged from taking the vaccine and more people will get sick.  However, this is a totally false assumption by the media.  The truth is that reports of serious adverse reactions to the H1N1 swine flu vaccine are constantly pouring in.  In addition, the pharmaceutical companies who produced these vaccines spend millions of dollars to advertise on mainstream media outlets.  Do you think that the owners of those mainstream media outlets are going to do anything that will jeopardize that source of income?  The truth is that the mainstream media is not going to tell you the stories of those people who have had their lives destroyed by H1N1 swine flu vaccine side effects.  Since the mainstream media will not give these victims a voice, we will.

These are stories that you will not hear in the mainstream media.  The reality is that a significant number of people are being hurt by the H1N1 swine flu vaccine and people need to know.

What follows are unedited stories from victims of the H1N1 swine flu vaccine in which they share what has happened to them in their own words…..

#1) Margaret Densmore:

I GOT THE SHOT AND ALMOST DIED! I went into anaphlylatic shock, almost died and then (after getting out of ICU) proceeded to have two more extreme reactions over the course of 1 week. I went hystonic the second time and had excessive vomitting for two days as a third reaction, requiring hospitalization. I AM NOT ALLERGIC TO EGGS AND HAVE NEVER REACTED TO A VACCINE BEFORE. There were several reactions in my area within one day(one lady seizing within 5 minutes of me, one while I was waiting in line, another call while I was in the ambulance, but apparently NONE according to Health Canada. PLEASE USE MY EXPERIENCE AS AN EXAMPLE. GlaxoKlineSmith has immunity against prosecution. WHAT THE HELL DO THEY CARE IF THE VACCINE IS DEADLY? It has been 8 days and I am still suffering.

#2) Maureen Burke:

My family has a long history of vaccine injuries that are not reported as vaccine injuries. The list includes three cases of GBS in same family. My mom got her H1N1 shot on Monday of last week. She is high risk health care worker..I begged her not to get shot. But she did anyway to protect her residents. She thought she may be getting a cold on Wed. She went into resp and cardiac arrest on Sat. They say double pnumonia. septic. She has been on life support for the last five days. She is not breathing on her own, she is in medically induced heavy sedation/coma. One has something to do with the other..what does it take to get medically advised not to take these damn shots???

#3) Ebonee Jones:

I was released from the hospital this morning after delivering my stillborn 26 week old son last night. I am a firm believer that the swine flu vaccine I received a few weeks ago contributed to my son’s demise. My baby was very active and then I received the vaccine. After that, I noticed a change in his activity and then I noticed no movement over the weekend. When I went into the doctor’s office yesterday, there was no heartbeat and I was induced. I would not wish this pain on my worse enemy. To carry a child for 6 1/2 months and then lose him is worse than anything imaginable.

#4) Maja:

hi everyone, im 21 years old and I got the H1N1 shot on friday morning. Ive been on the fence about this shot for a few weeks but finally decided that I did not want to be a carrier and just to go for it.

About 5-10 minutes after the shot I fainted, but they let me go half an hour later when my blood pressure was back to normal. immediately i started to worry i was having severe allergic reactions or signs of GBS. About 2 hours later at work I started to get tingling sensations in my right leg (I got the shot in my left arm), and I started to worry. It is now about 30 hours post shot and i just came home from work because i had a panick attack that i was getting GBS. My right arm started to tingle a while ago, and i have what seems like a big lump in my throat (ive been crying so maybe its from crying). Currently my legs are tingling and i am a giant stressball.

#5) Katharine Theodosiou Loucaidou:

I got vaccinated 17 days ago. At first, had the sore arm and swollen lymph nodes which went away after 3 days… then day 4 woke up with weak legs… weakness progressed making it difficult to stand for more than 10 min. at a time. Was able to walk but felt very shaky. Day 11 woke up with arm in the same weakened state… as my legs. Weakness progressed to the point that I had to go to emerge on Day 14…did a battery of tests, which show nothing….. now Day 17 weakness in arm gone, but still in the legs…. has anyone had anything like this? I haven’t come across anyone with a similar reaction….I’m really concerned about when it’s going to go… GBS has been 100% ruled out…

#6) sm:

I live in Toronto, Canada and got the h1n1 non-adjuvanted vaccine for pregnant women on Tues Nov 10th. I was 4 1/2 wks along. I started spotting next day but tried not to worry because i thought it may have been implantation spotting, next day I started bleeding heavily. I have miscarried the baby. Like you i will never know if it was the vaccine or not however it is heartwrenching to go through something like this. I have had 2 healthy full term pregnancies, no history of miscarriages, am healthy so I know in my heart the vaccine had to do with my loss.

#7) Noell A.Teasley:

I had the H1N1 vaccination about 6 weeks ago and the needle became jammed (the medicine had to be transferred to a second needle) and hurt immensely; the second shot felt normal. The nurses at the health department said that they had had alot of trouble with the needles that the state had provided (they were bigger, lo…nger and less likely to work as well as the normal needles they use do). The injection was in my left arm and I still can not move it without severe pain. I have notified my doctor and the health department and they are quite concerned, but have no idea of what is the matter or what to do. I am posting this information in the hopes that it will be helpful in the research/tracking of the vaccine and would love to hear from anyone who has had similar reaction of suggestions for relief and/or a remedy!

#8) Ann:

My friend was diagnosed w/GBS today. She had the H1N1 vaccine on Tuesday. She woke up friday morn. with one side of her face paralized, now almost her whole face is paralized. She is starting blood and plasma transfusions tonight. She will be transferred to Barnes hospital soon for more extensive testing. To those who laugh at the severity of this strange, unknown sickness and vaccine I hope you stay informed and not ignorant.

#9) H. Gordon:

I am a 39 year old healthy female with no underlying health conditions and was feeling fine. I received the adjuvanted H1N1 shot on the afternoon of October 25/09 in Ottawa. I have had a reaction to the regular flu shot in the past so I do not get them; so I expected a reaction to this one as well. The reaction was much worse than I expected. By 9pm that evening I could barely move my arm it was so sore; I also felt a bit anxious and shaky. By 12:30 at night, I was sweaty and shaky and had a fever of 38.8 and lay awake unable to sleep till about 3:30 am. By the morning, I couldn’t lift my arm and my hand/wrist was swollen and I still had a fever…I took Tylenol and spent the day at home resting. I had wicked chills and my skin was crawling and I still had a fever. By the next morning, my fever had dropped to 37.5 and I started to feel better. It took a week to feel mostly back to normal. I then developed a really bad cold and sinus infection with a cough too so went to the doctor. Asked about the reaction to the shot and was told that likely I am allergic to one of the preservatives in the shot. Not a happy camper at all as I sat on the fence for awhile and tried to educate myself as best as I could before getting the shot.

#10) Felicia Kuo Wong:

I broke out in severe hives within 24 hours after the shot. Despite taking benadryl 50mg every 4 hours x 4 cycles, the hives just kept on getting worse to the point I was red like a lobster from my neck to my knees and it was spreading out more and more. I started Prednisone this afternoon and finally starting to get better!

Full Story

If Current Trends Continue, Research Group Warns Spending on Obesity could Hit $344 Billion

CBS | Nov 17, 2009

(CBS)   If current obesity trends continue, more than 40 percent of adults in the United states will be obese and spending on the epidemic will quadruple to $344 billion by 2018, according to a new study released Tuesday.

The study, sponsored by the United Health Foundation, Partnership for Prevention, and American Public Health Association in conjunction with their annual America’s Health Rankings, notes that the states most in danger of a ballooning obesity epidemic are: Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Only one state – Colorado – will have an obesity rate under 30 percent, according to the projections, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor.

The $344 billion projection on obesity costs would amount to 21 percent of all money spent on health care by 2018, reports Glor. That’s up from the 9 percent we spend today. An obese person would spend an average of more than $8,000 a year on medical bills – up nearly $2,500.

The results are based on research by Dr. Ken Thorpe, a health care economist at Emory University.

“At a time when Congress is looking for savings in health care, this data confirms what we already knew: obesity is where the money is,” Thorpe said in a press release. “Because obesity is related to the onset of so many other illnesses, stopping the growth of obesity in the U.S. is vital not only to our health – but also to the solvency of our health care system.”

Since 1985 obesity levels have doubled, Glor reports. Dr. Louis Arrone says this is the first time we’re seeing the size of the bills.

“We now are seeing a veritable tsunami of health care costs all driven by obesity and its complications – diabetes, heart disease, cancer and the more than 50 other illnesses,” Dr. Arrone said.

A person is considered obese if they are at least 30 pounds overweight, Glor adds.

foodconsumer.org | Nov 12, 2009

New York — November 12, 2009 — State University of New York (SUNY) researchers found more premature births in fluoridated than non-fluoridated upstate New York communities, according to a presentation made at the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting on November 9, 2009 in Philadelphia. (1)

Fluoridation is the addition of fluoride chemicals into public water supplies ostensibly to prevent tooth decay. Many groups oppose fluoridation because of its scientifically-documented health risks. (2)

Human pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks or just more than 9 months. A baby born before 37 weeks of pregnancy is considered a preterm (or premature) birth.  About 12 percent of US pregnancies are preterm and this is one of the top causes of infant death in the US, according to the US National Institutes of Health. (3)

The SUNY researchers used 1993-2002 data from the NY Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS), which collects patient characteristics, diagnoses, treatments, services and charges for every hospital discharge, ambulatory surgery patient and emergency department admission in New York State. They recorded fluoridation residence status (under or over 1 milligram fluoride per Liter of water) and adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, neighborhood poverty level, hypertension and diabetes.

“Domestic water fluoridation was associated with an increased risk of PTB [preterm birth]. This relationship was most pronounced among women in the lowest SES [socio-economic-status] groups (>10% poverty) and those of non-white racial origin,” write Rachel Hart, et al. Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, SUNY School of Public Health.

Previous published research by others has shown that fluoride can interfere with the reproductive system. (4)

“It would be wise to follow the lead of the 7,000 Environmental Protection Agency scientists and public health professionals (5) who asked Congress to place a moratorium on fluoridation until definitive studies are conducted to prove fluoridation is safe for every human consuming it,” says attorney Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. “Clearly fluoridation is not safe for everyone,” says Beeber.

At the request of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a National Research Council (NRC) panel of experts reviewed current fluoride toxicology. In  2006 they concluded  that the maximum amount of fluoride allowed in drinking water is too high to be protective of health.  At least three NRC panel members believe water fluoride levels should be as close to zero as possible.  The EPA has yet to perform a fluoride risk assessment based on the NRC’s findings leaving millions of Americans at risk of fluoride’s adverse health effects.

According to Dr. Bill Hirzy, Chair of American University’s Chemistry Department and former EPA scientist from 1981 to 2008, the EPA fears “setting a maximum contaminant level goal of zero because that would mean the EPA is going to be responsible for the end of the water fluoridation program. EPA knows that there will be enormous political flak for doing that.” (6)

Contact:  Paul Beeber, JD

President

NYS Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. 516-433-8882

nyscof@aol.com

or

Paul Connett, PhD

Executive Director

Fluoride Action Network 315-379-9200

paul@fluoridealert.org

or

Bill Hirzy, PhD

Department Chair, Chemistry

American University
Office #: 202-885-1780
Cell #: 202-285-0498
Email: whirzy@american.edu

SOURCE:  New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc (NYSCOF)

PO Box 263

Old Bethpage, NY  11804

Follow NYSCOF on Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/nyscof

References:

1) 197468 Relationship between municipal water fluoridation and preterm birth in Upstate New York Rachel Hart, BA, MPH, et al. Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York, Rensselaer, NY

http://apha.confex.com/apha/137am/webprogram/Paper197468.html

(2) Fluoride Action Network – Health Effects Database

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/sitemap.html

(3) National Institutes of Health, “Preterm Labor and Birth,”

http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Preterm_Labor_and_Birth.cfm

(4) Fluoride Action Network – HEALTH EFFECTS: Fluoride & the Reproductive System http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/repro/index.html

(5) Why EPA Headquarters Union of Scientists Opposes Fluoridation

http://nteu280.org/Issues/Fluoride/NTEU280-Fluoride.htm

(6) The Eagle, “Hirzy: EPA drags feet on fluoride.” by Howie Perlman, October 28, 2009

http://www.theeagleonline.com/news/story/hirzy-epa-drags-feet-on-flouride

Anti-psychotic drugs do not benefit many dementia patients

Dementia drug use ‘killing many’

BBC | Nov 12, 2009

By Nick Triggle

Needless use of anti-psychotic drugs is widespread in dementia care and contributes to the death of many patients, an official review suggests.

But the expert review – commissioned by ministers – said the treatment was unnecessary in nearly 150,000 cases and was linked to 1,800 deaths.

The government in England has agreed to take steps to reduce use of the drugs.

These include:

* Improving access to other types of therapy, such as counselling
* Better monitoring of prescribing practices
* Guidance for families explaining what they can do if they are worried about drug use
* Specialist training in dementia for health and social care staff
* Appointment of a new national director for dementia to oversee the measures

The review – and the government pledge to take action – comes after long-running concerns about the use of anti-psychotic drugs.

Over the past 30 years, the NHS has increasingly turned to the treatment, which was originally aimed at people with schizophrenia, as it has struggled to cope with the rise in people with dementia.

‘Different mindset’

There are currently 700,000 people in the UK with the condition, but this is expected to rise to one million in the next 10 years because of the ageing population.

The review, led by King’s College London expert Professor Sube Banerjee, accepted that for some people anti-psychotic drugs would be necessary.

But it said they should be used only for a maximum of three months and when the person represented a risk to themselves or others.

Professor Banerjee estimated that of the 180,000 people given the drugs each year, only 36,000 benefited.

He said health and social care services needed to develop a “different mindset”.

Allan Trueman’s father “became a totally different person”

He believes if the steps the government has agreed to are followed, anti-psychotic drug use could be reduced by two-thirds within three years.

Care services minister Phil Hope agreed action was needed.

“We know there are situations where anti-psychotic drug use is necessary – we’re not calling for a ban, but we do want to see a significant reduction in use.”

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, said the long-awaited review was a welcome recognition of the scale of the problem.

He added: “This goes beyond quality of care. It is a fundamental rights issue.

“Our members tell us of enormous worry and distress over what is happening to their loved ones.”

The Royal College of GPs – in most cases the drugs are prescribed by family doctors – admitted the situation was “unacceptable”.

President Dr Steve Field said: “People deserve much better.”

While the review was commissioned by the government in England, ministers elsewhere in the UK have agreed to study the recommendations.