Wednesday, December 26, 2007

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TV is losing advertising market share to the Internet, why not join the future and grab your's? This opportunity is time limited to the first come first serve crowd. People are on the Internet 4 times longer than they spend watching television! With the advent of DVRs and other recording technologies that have the ability to skip commercials, TV ad time is becoming worth less and less.

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Sunday, December 23, 2007

The Cause Of Heart Disease: High Cholesterol or Excess Calcium?

By: Bill SardiSource: http://www.newstarget.com

The cholesterol controversy has been waged now for over five decades. Volumes of books, articles, and journals have been written on the subject of the role cholesterol and diet plays in the arterial disease process.

Since the 1950’s the “Lipid Hypothesis,” also known as the “Diet-Heart Idea", states that saturated fat and high cholesterol play a major role in the causation of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, and gained increasing support from the majority of the medical and scientific communities.

But over the last two decades, with marked advances in science and technology, the most recent research into lipid chemistry and coronary pathology are revealing that the “lipid theory” or “diet-heart” hypothesis might not be as definitive as once thought as being the major cause of coronary heart disease.

In fact, much of the latest research that has been done on cholesterol shows just how vital a role this group of fats, called sterols, really are to every cell, nerve, and major organ of the body.

Is Excess Calcium The Real Culprit?

In the past decade, and into the 21st Century, many well known doctors from across the globe have broken ranks with the conventional “Lipid Theorists” in espousing what they believe to be a more likely cause of arterial disease, and that is the accumulation of excess calcium plaque in coronary arteries.

One of these renowned doctors, Arthur Agatston, a Florida cardiologist who is better known as the author of a diet book “The South Beach Diet”, became well known for his studies into the excess calcification that was consistently found in his patients with arteriosclerosis and coronary artery disease. He developed the severity scoring sheet for calcification of the arteries, now known as the Agatston Score.

The Agatston Score

The amount of calcium in coronary arteries can be measured. The Agatston Score refers to the amount of calcium based upon the size and the density of the calcified plaques.

Absolute Agatston scores of less than 10, 11-99, 100-400, and above 400 have been proposed to categorize individuals into groups having minimal, moderate, increased, or extensive amounts of calcification, respectively. The amount of calcification can give, to some extent, an indication of the overall amount of atherosclerosis (arterial disease).

It is well established that individuals with Agatston Scores above 400 have an increased occurrence of coronary artery procedure (bypass, stent placement, and angioplasty) and events (heart attack and cardiac death) within the 2 to 5 years after undergoing a coronary artery calcification assessment. Individuals with very high Agatston scores over 1000 have a 20% chance of suffering a heart attack or cardiac death within a year (1).

In a study of 156 patients who had experienced a first-time heart attack, coronary artery calcifications were present in 148 patients with a mean ‘Agatston Score’ of 589.2. The ‘Agatston Score’ was greater than 400 in 44% of the patients. The average total cholesterol in these 156 patients was 213, their LDL cholesterol at 154 and HDL cholesterol at 40. Coronary calcifications were detected in 95% of patients with a first-time heart attack compared to 53% of adults who have not yet experienced a heart attack or other symptoms like angina (2).

Another study was conducted in Germany among 192 relatively young patients (19-59 years of age, 88% male) who had experienced a sudden acute heart attack with no prior history of heart or artery disease. Coronary artery calcification was assessed by the Agatston score 1-14 days after their heart attack. Calcifications were present in 95% of patients with acute heart attack and 59% of subjects without known coronary artery disease. The mean Agatston Score was 529 in the patients who had experienced a heart attack and 119 in the healthy group (3).

It was cardiologist Dr. Stephen Seely who published a treatise in the International Journal of Cardiology in 1991, entitled “Is Calcium Excess in the Western Diet a Major Cause of Arterial Disease?”. In this article, Dr.Seely states that he believes excess calcium intake is a major cause of atherosclerosis in Western countries.

He contended that young adults need only 300-400 mg of calcium daily, and older adults need even less. In countries where the daily calcium intake is 200-400 mg, arterial diseases are non-existent and blood pressure does not increase with age.

Dr. Seely also stated that in other countries where the calcium intake is 800mg and above (USA, New Zealand, Scandinavian countries, Ireland), arterial disease is the leading cause of mortality. Dr. Seely points out that cholesterol only represents 3% of arterial plaque, while calcium makes up 50% (4).

It seems now the American Heart Association (AHA) is paying more attention to the excess calcium theory of arterial disease.

After six years of debate, the AHA has finally approved CT scanning for arterial calcifications for high-risk individuals. Only a few years ago the AHA dismissed the use of CT scanning for any reason, so this is a big change.

Dr. Seely recommended that the best remedy for this problem would be prevention, by reducing calcium consumption only to the level needed by the body. “This could be achieved only by drastically making cuts in consumption of milk. Failing that, we could utilize nature’s own calcium antagonist, IP6 phytate (rice bran extract),” he says.

IP6 phytate is available as a dietary supplement extracted from rice bran by Tsuno Foods & Rice Co. in Wakayama, Japan, and sold under various brand names such as Source Naturals, Jarrow Formulas, and Purity Products.

Natural Antidotes To Arterial Calcifications

There are a number of natural antidotes to arterial calcifications, but we will take a look at the four most effective at inhibiting the calcification process in the arterial wall.

Vitamin D: Numerous studies have shown the correlation between adequate levels of Vitamin D in the body and the absence of extensive arterial calcification.

There has been much controversy on just how much Vitamin D can be tolerated by the body without being toxic. Most physicians and dietitians will warn the public away from so-called high dose Vitamin D supplements because of the notion that Vitamin D actually induces calcifications. But it seems this effect has only been demonstrated in animals at lethal doses - 2.1 million units of Vitamin D (5).

Dr. Reinhold Vieth, PhD, at the University of Toronto, says the toxicity of Vitamin D doesn’t begin until 40,000 units are consumed (6). Dr. Vieth also noted that an hour of total-body exposure to unfiltered sunlight in the summer at southern latitudes would produce about 10,000 units of vitamin D without any known side effects.

Vitamin D is a vitamin/hormone produced in the skin upon sun exposure. It is widely known that more heart attacks occur in winter months when Vitamin D levels are low.

Dr. Joe Prendergast, a practicing endocrinologist in Redwood City, California, now treats his patients with 5000 units of Vitamin D to successfully reverse hardening of the arteries.

Magnesium: Magnesium has been found to be another natural calcium blocker and is another natural antidote to arterial calcification (7).

It is interesting to note that Magnesium addresses the same biological target as the statin drugs - the enzyme that controls cholesterol production in the liver. Both statin drugs and magnesium inhibit the enzymatic pathway. Magnesium lowers cholesterol and triglycerides and raises HDL cholesterol. It turns out that magnesium is a natural statin (8).

Another important factor afforded to magnesium is, in addition to preventing calcifications, it also inhibits the formation of coronary-artery-blocking blood clots that eventually occur as a result of calcifications within these arteries. The American diet, due to changes in fertilizers and higher intake of processed foods and lower intake of whole grains, provides less and less magnesium on a daily basis. A rich supply of magnesium can be found in spinach, various nuts, and pumpkin seeds.

Vitamin K: Vitamin K has been shown to reduce coronary heart disease mortality and aortic calcium scores by more than 50% in groups who consume high amounts from direct dietary sources. Vitamin K is naturally found in spinach, broccoli, and turnip greens.

Vitamin C: Still another way to inhibit calcifications on the inside of arterial walls is Vitamin C. Smooth cells called endothelial cells line the inside of arteries. When these cells are disrupted, in disrepair and cannot be regenerated fast enough, blood vessel disease can begin. Without proper maintenance of endothelial cells, cholesterol can be deposited underneath them, and calcification and blood clots can form.

Among young men, ages 18-30 years, low circulating levels of Vitamin C more than doubles the deposition of calcium inside coronary walls (9).

Low Vitamin C intake will likely result in a problematic artery scan. It is suggested that approximately 2000 mg – 4000 mg of Vitamin C should be supplemented daily for effective maintenance of arterial walls.

The Most Convincing Evidence Of The Calcium Theory

The most convincing evidence for the calcium theory of heart disease is found in the European Heart Journal (10). In the study, a group of adults over the age of 55 years had their coronary artery calcifications ranked by the Agatston scoring method. Blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, and blood sugar, all common risk factors of cardiovascular disease were measured over a seven year period, along with the calcium artery scores.

Here are the disturbing numbers: 29% of the men and 15% of the women who had no cardiovascular symptoms and exhibited no other common risk factors (no elevated cholesterol, hypertension, etc.), had extensive coronary artery calcification.

These patients had a low-to normal cholesterol number and mistakenly thought they were at low risk for a heart attack.

It should also be noted that an x-ray/dye photo of coronary arteries, commonly used by cardiologists, cannot detect calcifications. Ultra fast computed tomography (CT scanning) and intravascular ultrasound can measure arterial calcification. Better than 90% of patients that experience a heart attack have coronary calcifications. It is also of interest to note that some 45% of patients that experience a heart attack and are admitted to a hospital have a “normal level” of cholesterol (11).

References:

1) Circulation 108:e50, 2003

2) International Journal Cardiology (2); 231-6, 2006

3) Heart 89; 625-28, 2003

4) International Journal Cardiology 1991, Nov; 33 (2): 191-8

5) Current Opinion Lipidology (1):41-6, 2007

6) American Journal Clinical Nutrition 1999 May, 69 (5): 842-56

7) The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2004 Oct; 23(5): 501S-5055

8) Journal American College Nutrition - 23:501, 05S, 2004

9) American Journal Epidemiology 159: 581-88, 2004

10) European Heart Journal 25: 48-55, 2004

11) Atherosclerosis 149: 189-190, 2000; Medical Hypotheses 59: 751-56, 2002



About the author
Bill Sardi is a prolific natural health author and founder of Knowledge of Health (http://www.knowledgeofhealth.com). He has written numerous books and articles on cancer, nutrition and disease prevention.


Vital Wellness Natural Alternatives

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Gardasil Vaccine Reactions

Gardasil, the cervical cancer vaccine recommended for girls as young as 12 years old, is causing side effects ranging from seizures and numbness to dizzy spells, fainting and paralysis.

More than 17 girls a week in Australia have experienced such reactions after receiving the vaccination, but the country’s Department of Health and Aging refuses to release their details.

Further, as of November 30, 2007, 496 adverse reaction reports were filed with Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA). Of them, 468 had the cervical cancer vaccine as the sole suspected cause.

In the United States, up to 1,700 women have reported adverse reactions from Gardasil, including at least seven deaths.

To date, more than 10 million doses of Gardasil have been distributed worldwide.

TGA noted that the safety of Gardasil was being monitored by officials in Australia and overseas, and that the adverse reactions are consistent with those expected from any vaccine.
Sources:
News.com.au December 3, 2007

Natural alternatives to drugs and vacines

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Cut your risk of kidney stones down to (almost) nothing—no prescription required

By Dr. Jonathan Wright

I’m no longer amazed by the advice given today by “mainstream” medical doctors on preventing the most common type of kidney stones (the calcium oxalate variety)––but I am still disappointed. Some doctors say to cut back on dietary and supplemental calcium, even more counsel their patients to reduce calcium and salt and to drink lots more water. A few even give prescriptions for diuretics. None of this is necessary (or helpful for that matter). Yet the mainstream seems to be turning a blind eye to methods clearly proven to help.

In 1974, two Harvard researchers found that magnesium oxide (300 milligrams daily) and vitamin B6 (10 milligrams daily) could reduce the risk of recurrent calcium oxalate stones by 92.3 percent. Their research was published in the Journal of Urology.

Harvard? Journal of Urology? What more could a urologist ask for when it comes to research? I gave copies of the article to individuals I worked with to give to their urologists, but nothing changed. The recommendations for low calcium diets just kept on coming.

In 1991, the British Journal of Urology published another prevention study. During a five-year investigation, researchers determined that the use of 10 grams (less than 1 tablespoon) of rice bran twice daily after meals reduced new calcium oxalate kidney stone formation by 83.4 percent.2 To this day, not one person I’ve asked has been told by his or her urologist about this harmless treatment.

As I said earlier, this just doesn’t surprise me anymore. After all, it took the physicians at the British Admiralty over 150 years to implement one of the earliest successful scientific experiments concerning the beneficial effects of nutrition on illness—the prevention of scurvy with citrus fruit. And it took 19th century medicine more than 50 years to eliminate “childbirth fever” by simply having physicians wash their hands. Modern medicine still hasn’t learned that good nutrition can prevent nearly 100 percent of toxemia of pregnancy. I could go on, but you get the idea.

But back to kidney stones: The same amounts of magnesium and vitamin B6 found effective in preventing calcium oxalate kidney stones back in 1974 can be found in many high-quality multiple vitamin-mineral formulations today. To get enough magnesium and vitamin B6 from a “muliple,” be sure to take the four to six capsules daily that are usually called for by the labels of these products. Add 2 or 3 teaspoons of rice bran twice daily, and your chances of a calcium oxalate kidney stone recurrence are close to zero.

Get more alternative remedies in Dr. Jonathan Wright's Nutrition and Healing.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Omaha Shooter Robert Hawkins Had Been "Treated" For ADHD, Depression

Omaha Shooter Robert Hawkins Had Been "Treated" For ADHD, Depression
By: Mike AdamsSource: http://www.newstarget.com
December 9, 2007


(NewsTarget) America seems shocked that, yet again, a young male would pick up an assault rifle and murder his fellow citizens, then take his own life. This is what happened last night in Omaha, Nebraska, where the 19-year-old Hawkins killed himself and eight other people with an assault rifle. Those lacking keen observation skills are quick to blame guns for this tragedy, but others who are familiar with the history of such violent acts by young males instantly recognize a more sinister connection: A history of treatment with psychiatric drugs for depression and ADHD.

It all started in Columbine, Colorado, when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold massacred their way into the history books on April 20, 1999 by killing 12 and wounding 23 people. The mainstream media virtually glorified the event, yet utterly failed to report the connection between violence in young men and treatment with psychiatric drugs. (Both Harris and Klebold were taking antidepressant drugs.)

It's a little known fact that antidepressant drugs have never been tested on children nor approved by the FDA for use on children. It is well established in the scientific literature, however, that such drugs cause young men to think violent thoughts and commit violent acts. This is precisely why the U.K. has outright banned the prescribing of such drugs to children. Yet here in the United States -- the capitol of gun violence by kids on depression drugs -- the FDA and drug companies pretend that mind-altering drugs have no link whatsoever to behavior.


Enormous evidence linking mind-altering drugs with violent acts
In 2005, I reported on this site that Eli Lilly had full knowledge of a 1200% increase in suicide risk for takers of their Prozac drug, a popular anti-depressant SSRI medication. (See http://www.newstarget.com/003086.html )

In 2006, we reported the results of a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry showing that teens taking antidepressant drugs are more likely to commit suicide (and to be "successful" at completing the act). See http://www.newstarget.com/020643.html

On September 11, 2006, I reported on the link between antidepressant drugs and violent behavior yet again. (See http://www.newstarget.com/020394.html ) In that article, I explained, "If you're going to alter the brain chemistry of these children, you had better be prepared for the results. The result we're seeing now is mass killings. Elsewhere around the world, where children aren't doped up on all these drugs, we don't see this kind of behavior. This is what happens when you change children's brain chemistry; you get these results..."

The very next day, we published a report about the anti-depressant drug Paxil doubling the risk of violent behavior. (See http://www.newstarget.com/020406.html ) In that article, I stated, "This finding helps explain why school shootings are almost always conducted by children who are taking antidepressants. We also know that SSRIs cause children to disconnect from reality. When you combine that with a propensity for violence, you create a dangerous recipe for school shootings and other adolescent violence.

In April of this year, I also reported on the link between antidepressant drugs and the Virginia Tech shooting. See http://www.newstarget.com/021798.html

What I said in that article has urgent application right now, following the Omaha shooting:

A study published in the Public Library of Science Medicine (an open source medical journal) explored these same links in detail. (See Antidepressants and Violence: Problems at the Interface of Medicine and Law, by David Healy, Andrew Herxheimer, David B. Menkes)

The authors note that "Some regulators, such as the Canadian regulators, have also referred to risks of treatment-induced activation leading to both self-harm and harm to others" and the "United States labels for all antidepressants as of August 2004 note that 'anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness, impulsivity, akathisia (psychomotor restlessness), hypomania, and mania have been reported in adult and pediatric patients being treated with antidepressants for major depressive disorder as well as for other indications, both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric'".

In other words, the link between antidepressants and violence has been known for years by the very people manufacturing, marketing or prescribing the drugs. As the author of the study mentioned above concluded, "The new issues highlighted by these cases need urgent examination jointly by jurists and psychiatrists in all countries where antidepressants are widely used."

That was last year, well before this latest shooting. The warning signs were there, and they've been visible for a long time. Medical authorities can hardly say they are "shocked" by this violent behavior. After all, the same pattern of violence among antidepressant takers has been observed, documented and published in numerous previous cases.

Not surprised at what happened in Omaha.
The people of Omaha may be surprised at what happened there yesterday, but I'm not. Why? Because the shooter, Robert Hawkins, had a history of being "treated" for both depression and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). (Source: Associated Press)

And what is the standard American psychiatric "treatment" for these conditions? Mind-altering drugs, of course.

ADHD, for example, is treated with a drug that used to be an illegal street drug called "speed." It's an amphetamine, and recent research published in the August, 2007 issue of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reveals that Ritalin and other ADHD drugs actually stunt the growth of children, causing their brains and bodies to be physically altered. (See http://www.newstarget.com/021944.html )

Depression, of course, is treated with SSRI drugs, none of which have ever been safety approved by the FDA for use on children or teens. In other words, the use of these drugs on teenagers is a grand, mind-altering medical experiment, and what we just witnessed in Omaha is one result of that experiment.

There will be more. I hate to be accurate about this grisly prediction, because I grieve for the families of those lost to pharmaceutically-induced violence, but the truth is that until we stop drugging our children with psychotropic drugs, the shootings are not going to stop.

Big Pharma is to blame for this one, not the manufacturer of the gun. That gun has a trigger, you see, and the trigger was pulled by a finger. The finger was connected via a series of nerves to a brain, and that brain was altered by psychotropic drugs. The brain wasn't functioning like a normal, healthy, well-nourished brain; it was functioning like a zoned out "zombie" brain permanently distorted by psychiatric drugs.

Sending a teenager out into the public doped up on mind-altering drugs that we KNOW are linked to violence -- and jacked up on junk foods (he worked at McDonald's) -- is a certain recipe for disaster. Big Pharma executives, drug reps and the irresponsible psychiatrists who dish these pills out to teenagers might as well have just walked right into the mall and set off a bomb themselves. These are the people ultimately responsible for the tragedy in Omaha. Hawkins may have pulled the trigger, but modern psychiatry drugged him with violence-inducing chemicals. The fact that such drugs promote violence isn't even disputed. It's printed right on the warning labels of those drugs!

And as sad as this tragedy is for all those affected by this medication-induced violence, the truly sad part is that America still hasn't learned this lesson. If you drug the children with chemicals that cause violence, you're going to see more shootings. It's as simple as that. And if you take away the guns, you'll see bombs, knives or machetes used in these attacks. When disturbed young boys are doped up on psychotropic drugs that promote violence -- and they're drugged by the hundreds of thousands -- it's like playing a national game of Russian roulette (with apologies to Russia). Sooner or later, another kid whose mind has been altered by Ritalin, Prozac or some other drug is going to walk into yet another school or mall and start killing people. This kind of behavior is a direct product of chemical-based psychiatric "treatment."

The criminals running modern psychiatry
In fact, I predict we'll see another such shooting in the next 30 days, if not sooner. And yet, even with the increasing frequency of these events, the unholy alliance between Big Pharma and the immensely evil psychiatric industry will continue. Yet more children will be put on mind-altering drugs that stunt their growth, alter their brain chemistry, and turn them into mind-numbed massacre drones who acquire dangerous weapons and open fire in public places.

The psychiatric industry, though, thinks that yet MORE children need "treatment" with drugs for ADHD and depression. In fact, an industry press release recently claimed that only one-third of those children "suffering" from ADHD are receiving appropriate "treatment" for the condition. Of course, those are just code words for "drugging the children with high-profit pharmaceuticals." When the psychiatric authorities say "treatment," what they mean is "more drugging."

Want to learn the horrifying, yet true, history of modern psychiatry? Check out www.CCHR.org - the Citizens' Commission on Human Rights. They have a documentary so downright shocking that I couldn't even finish watching the whole thing. It's called Psychiatry: An Industry of Death.
Also be sure to check out the shocking book by Kelly Patricia O'Meara called Psyched Out: How Psychiatry Sells Mental Illness and Pushes Pills That Kill. This book explains exactly why kids like Robert Hawkins who have been treated with psychiatric drugs end up shooting innocents.

What could have healed Robert Hawkins and saved lives
So what's the solution to all this? Robert Hawkins could have been healed with a radical change in diet that supports healthy brain chemistry. His parents or caretakers should have stopped the junk food, ended the medication and put him on raw, living foods and daily superfood smoothies, fresh vegetable juices, raw nuts and seeds and other wholesome, non-processed foods. Nutrition is the single most powerful factor determining healthy moods and behavior, and virtually all young men who commit violent acts (including the vast majority of those imprisoned in the U.S. today) suffer from wild nutritional deficiencies.

Robert Hawkins could have been a healthy, stable and normal kid with the help of some real food, real nutrition and real love from a supporting family. Instead, he lived on junk food, worked at McDonald's and took medication pills as directed by his psychiatric doctor. The results speak for themselves: This recipe of processed food and mind-altering drugs created a monster, and yesterday in Omaha, that monster exploded in a rage of violence.

If we don't learn from all this and stop drugging our nation's children, then those innocents in Omaha will have died in vain. And I ask the question: How many more innocent Americans must pay the price for medication-induced violence?

Ask yourself one question: Why does the FDA continue to allow these dangerous drugs to be prescribed to children and teens when 1) They have never been tested on children or teens, and 2) Other countries have already banned the prescribing of these drugs to children and teens?

Story Notes: The Associated Press originally reported Hawkins' age as 20 years old, but corrected it to 19 years old following a correction by local police. Hawkins was not reported to have been taking medications at the precise time of the shooting, but his caretaker, Debora Maruca-Kovac, said that "he had been treated in the past for depression and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder." We do not know exactly which drugs Hawkins had been treated with in the past, and we hope the names of those drugs will surface in future reports on this tragedy.

NewsTarget deeply regrets the loss of life witnessed in this event, and we commit to doing our part to end these medication-induced crimes that continue to be perpetrated by Big Pharma and modern psychiatry. You have permission to forward or reprint this article, with appropriate credit and a link back to this URL.

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Link to original story here.


Healthy Alternatives to Drugs

Friday, December 07, 2007

Does Tamiflu cause the psychiatric problems?

From HSI (Health Sciences Institute)

It’s been all over the news: The FDA requested that Roche Holding AG, the makers of Tamiflu, add a new warning to their labels. You see, Tamiflu seems to be linked with severe, sudden psychiatric problems, especially in children. And when I say severe, I mean it – delirium, hallucinations, and impulsive actions like “falling” (maybe jumping?) off buildings and running into traffic…which can result in death.

Most of the documented cases come from Japan, a country where they used to give Tamiflu to many children. In fact, 75% of the approximately 600 cases worldwide happened there – including 5 deaths.

Roche countered with their own study.of over 150,000 subjects. Their study finds no direct link between these problems and their drug. But they did agree to the labeling changes, as long as they could add a little language of their own, that goes something like this:


“It’s important really that the label reflects that influenza itself can trigger such events,” said Roche spokesowman Martina Rupp. She went on to say that all patients with full-blown flu should be warned that the illness itself posed a risk of psychiatric problems, not just for those taking the Roche product. (This comes from the AP.)

And that’s where I think Roche has been taking its own drugs. Because what they’re really saying when you read between the lines is this: Tamiflu isn’t working. If you have taken Tamiflu, but still have such a bad case of the flu that you’re experiencing psychiatric symptoms, the medicine didn’t work.


So which is it, Roche execs? Does Tamiflu cause the psychiatric problems? Or is it simply ineffective?

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Should I get a flu vaccine this season?

You'll have to answer that one for yourself after you've weighed the pros and cons. But if you were to ask Dr. Tom Jefferson that question, he would probably recommend you pass on the shot.

Dr. Jefferson is an epidemiologist and the coordinator of the Cochrane Vaccine Fields, an organization that promotes vaccine reviews and develops criteria for assessing vaccine effectiveness and safety. In a 2006 issue of the British Medical Journal, Dr. Jefferson reported on the quality of existing research on inactivated flu vaccine (the type that requires needle injection).

In an article titled "Influenza Vaccination: Policy Versus Evidence," Dr. Jefferson makes these four key points:

1) Most flu vaccine studies are poorly designed, giving unreliable validity to questionable results

2) Systemic reviews provide evidence that inactivated vaccines have "little or no effect" on measures such as time missed from work, hospital stays, or death (either directly from flu or flu-related complications)

3) Given the widespread use of flu vaccines, the available data concerning safety is remarkably small

4) The generally accepted confidence in the effectiveness of inactivated flu vaccines is at odds with the existing evidence

In the e-Alert "Kall the Kops!" (1/4/05), HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., discussed three natural agents he uses in lieu of a vaccine: vitamin C, grapefruit seed extract, and olive leaf extract. Dr. Spreen told me that at the fist sign of aches, sore throat, cough or any other symptoms of flu (or cold, or other infections), he starts with several grams of vitamin C, and then follows that with 1,000 mg (one gram) every hour until symptoms recede. You can read the entire e-Alert at this link:

http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealerts/ea200501/ea20050104.html

HSI members can find further information about flu fighting formulas in the article "Don't Inject Yourself with Mercury and Anti-Freeze…" in the September 2003 issue of the Members Alert, available in the archives on our web site at hsibaltimore.com.

The HSI Members Alert is an excellent resource for cutting edge information about alternative healthcare. Learn how you can be among the first to find out about the latest groundbreaking advances that the mainstream media routinely ignores.


Vital Wellness