MRSA - Rapid Blood Test

On January 28, 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its approval to begin marketing the first rapid blood test for the drug-resistant staph bacterium known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). MRSA is a dangerous mutant strain of bacterium resistant to methicillin, an antibiotic that has previously been used successfully to treat Staphylococcus aureus infections. MRSA can cause potentially life-threatening infections to your blood stream... surgical site infections... even pneumonia, and has an even higher fatality rate! MRSA has long been a problem in the health care setting, but it is increasingly a community problem as well.

The test, known as the BD GeneOhm StaphSR Assay, can differentiate the methicillin-resistant variant from the methicillin-susceptible variant in two hours, rather than the 24 to 48 hours or longer that currently available technology takes. Distinguishing between the two sources of infection is critical to successful treatment. Studies leading to the test's approval found that it could identify 100% of MRSA samples and 98% of the susceptible types. According to an FDA statement, this test should be used in patients already suspected of having a staph infection but not to monitor treatment or initially detect it.

"This test is good news for the public health community," said Daniel G. Schultz, MD, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. This test previously was given FDA approval to identify colonized patients. The product's manufacturer, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Co.), is pursuing U.S. approvals for it to be used for nasal swabbing and the detection of MRSA in wounds.

Doctors still might have to conduct follow-up testing to pin down precisely what will kill particular bacteria, but physicians say the information provided by this product will be enough to narrow down treatment choices early on. According to Ed Septimus, MD, an infectious disease physician in Houston and a board member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, "Compared to what we have now, this is terrific. We will be able to get appropriate treatment to the patient much faster, and we will be able to intervene at a much earlier time so transmission does not occur." Initially, this test most likely will be used on the sickest, hospitalized patients.

Although there is a lot of hope for the test's potential, there are also concerns. Experts, for instance, expect there may be a lag between this test becoming available and doctors becoming comfortable enough with it to use it for decision-making. "Having more tools is good, but there's going to be a certain learning curve," said Thomas Fekete, MD, professor of medicine and an infectious disease specialist at Temple University in Philadelphia. "And I don't know if laboratories will be financially prepared to take on this new technology. I'm not saying it's not worth it, but there's a price to pay."

Experts say getting a better handle on MRSA is key, because evidence is accumulating that it may be far more common than previously thought. A study in the December 2007 American Journal of Infection Control found that nationally, 46.3 per 1,000 in-patients carried the bacteria. Of these, at least 34 were infected and 12 were colonized. The remainder of cases were unclassified. Approximately 70% of cases appear to have been contracted in the health care setting. The authors suspect that the true numbers may be much higher. Only 29% of institutions surveyed actively hunted for these bacteria, and most did not use highly sensitive means to do it.

"This is the minimum estimate, because the majority are not doing screening and [are] testing by less sensitive methods. It's a much bigger problem than anyone had predicted," said William Jarvis, MD, lead author on that paper and a consultant with Jason & Jarvis Associates, a private firm that provides expertise on public health, infection control and patient safety. Other papers have documented MRSA's impact. One of the most recent, in the Oct. 17 2007, Journal of the American Medical Association, estimated that there were 94,360 cases of invasive MRSA infections and 18,650 deaths in 2005. Patients older than 65 were particularly vulnerable.

For those not wanting to take chances on uncertain, delayed treatment, it's good to know that there is a completely 100% natural product that can not only KILL MRSA, but may also prevent the potentially life-threatening infection from harming you. Prevention of infectious diseases is far more preferable than any treatment, even a successful one.


Natural MRSA Fighter

Saccharin may lead to weight gain

By Denise Gellene,
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

February 11, 2008
Casting doubt on the benefit of low-calorie sweeteners, research released Sunday reported that rats on diets containing saccharin gained more weight than rats given sugary food.

The study in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience found that the calorie-free artificial sweetener appeared to break the physiological connection between sweet tastes and calories, driving the rats to overeat.

Lyn M. Steffen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota, who was not involved in the latest report, said the study offered a possible explanation for the unexpected association between obesity and diet soda found in recent human studies.

Researchers have puzzled over whether diet soda is a marker for poor eating habits or diet soda ingredients cause people to put on pounds, she said. "This rat study suggests a component of the artificial sweetener may be responsible for the weight gain."

Steffen's own recent research has shown that people who drink diet soda have a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome -- a cluster of symptoms including obesity -- than do people who drink regular soda. Her research was published last month in the American Heart Assn.'s journal Circulation.

An industry group rejected Sunday's report.

"The causes of obesity are multifactorial," said a statement by Beth Hubrich, a dietitian with the Calorie Control Council, which represents low- and reduced-calorie food and beverage marketers. "Although surveys have shown that there has been an increase in the use of 'sugar-free' foods over the years, portion sizes of foods have also increased, physical activity has decreased and overall calorie intake has increased."

The number of Americans who consume soda, yogurt and other products containing sugar-free sweeteners more than doubled to 160 million in 2000 from fewer than 70 million in 1987, according to the report. Over the same period, the incidence of obesity among U.S. adults rose to 30% from 15%.

One interpretation of the trends is that people have been turning to lower-calorie foods to control an increasing problem with weight gain.

An alternative interpretation is that artificial sweeteners lead to biological or behavioral changes that cause people to eat more. This possibility is easier to test in rats than in people because scientists can control the animals' diets and measure exactly what they eat, said the study's lead author, Susan E. Swithers, an associate professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University in Indiana.

In the experiment, funded by the National Institutes of Health and by Purdue, nine rats received yogurt sweetened with saccharin and eight rats received yogurt sweetened with glucose, which is close in composition to table sugar. After receiving their yogurt snack, the animals were given their usual chow.

At the end of five weeks, rats that had been fed sugar-free yogurt gained an average of 88 grams, compared with 72 grams for rats that dined on glucose-sweetened yogurt, a difference of about 20%. Rats fed sugar-free yogurt were consuming more calories and had 5% more body fat.

In a related experiment, scientists gave the two groups of rats a sugary drink and measured changes in the animals' body temperatures. Body temperatures typically rise after a meal because it takes energy to digest food.

The rats in the saccharin group experienced a smaller average temperature increase, scientists said -- a sign that regular consumption of artificial sweeteners had blunted their body's response to sweet foods, making it harder for the animals to burn off their extra calories.

Swithers said that normally, sweet tastes signal that the body is about to receive a lot of calories, and the digestive system prepares to react. When sweet tastes aren't followed by lots of calories, as in the case of artificial sweeteners, the body becomes conditioned against a strong response.

Although the experiment looked only at saccharin, other artificial sweeteners may have the same effect, Swithers said.

A controlled study is needed to determine whether sweeteners have the same effect in people as in rats, she said, but some epidemiological studies have been consistent with her findings.

Swithers' next step, she said, will be to determine whether dietary changes could reverse the rats' physiological responses.

Adam Drewnowski, director of the nutrition sciences program at the University of Washington, cautioned against interpreting the results broadly.

"It is unreasonable to claim that results obtained studying saccharin in rats translate to every sweetener in humans," said Drewnowski, who has received research funding from the beverage industry in the past.

He added: "We now have studies showing that sugar calories are associated with obesity and the absence of sugar is associated with obesity. Pity those people trying to do something about obesity."

denise.gellene@latimes.com

Lactose Intake May Increase Ovarian Cancer Risk in Postmenopausal Women

Lyle Loughry, February 2008


One of the very best ways to get plenty of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and bovine growth hormones in your diet is to drink pasteurized and homogenized commercial milk every day. Postmenopausal women may be getting all that, and a whole lot more: A higher risk of developing a serious form of ovarian cancer!

Previous studies have established the link between Lactose, a milk sugar that contains galactose; a sugar component, with ovarian cancer. Now, a major study done by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Medicine in Stockholm, Sweden, have confirmed the earlier studies.

The Stockholm team used data collected from the Swedish Mammography Cohort to review dietary and medical records of more than 61,000 women, aged 38 to 76 years who were cancer-free at the outset of the study. Over a follow up period of about 13 years, more than 260 subjects were diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer, and 125 of those cases were considered "serious." This type of cancer originates in the surface cells of the ovaries and frequently spreads to other organs in the abdomen.

After analyzing their data, the Stockholm researchers came to these conclusions:

* Lactose intake was associated with serious ovarian cancer risk.

* Women who consumed approximately four daily servings of dairy products had twice the risk of developing serious ovarian cancer compared to women who consumed less than two daily servings of dairy.

* The dairy product most strongly associated with serious ovarian cancer was milk.

Dr. Jonathan Wright, noted physician and researcher, has said it before and a new study from the University of Liverpool warrants him saying it again: "Milk is for baby cows, not for baby humans" -- or adult humans, for that matter. Dr. Jonathan Wright operates the Tahoma Clinic, one of the finest nutritional medical clinics in the world. Milk has already been linked to numerous other health concerns including prostate problems and (ironically) bone fractures. Now, this recent research adds yet another item to the growing list of reasons to stay away from dairy: It may contain bacteria that can cause Crohn's disease.

For those of you who may not be familiar with it, Crohn's disease involves chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract that typically leads to frequent bouts of pain and diarrhea. It has typically been regarded as an autoimmune disease, but this new study suggests there may be another factor at work.

The researchers found that a type of bacteria called Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, which causes a wasting disease in cattle called Johne's disease, can make its way into humans via milk and dairy products. Once inside the body, the Mycobacteria release a molecule that prevents white blood cells from killing E. coli bacteria. Previous research has shown that people suffering from Crohn's disease have higher-than-normal levels of E.coli in their bodies.

Cows' milk is one of the European Union's 'big eight' allergy-inducing foods alongside gluten, eggs, fish, peanuts, soya, treenuts and shellfish. More serious than lactose intolerance, a true milk allergy presents in one or more of three organ systems:

- Gastrointestinal (vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, bloating) affecting 50-60% of those with Cow's milk allergy (CMA)
- Skin (rashes, including eczema and atopic dermatitis) 50-70%
- Respiratory (wheeze, cough, runny nose) 20-30%

Dr Martin Brueton, an Act Against Allergy Advisory Board Member and Emeritus Paediatric Gastroenterologist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK, commented: "Cows' milk is the most common cause of food allergy in infants and children," The average baby with Cows' milk allergy (CMA) may suffer from an array of symptoms; from skin rashes to gastric problems, wheezing, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, excessive crying, and often shows problems with weight gain.

Having a child with Cows' milk allergy can be very stressful for parents. In addition to coping with the disturbing physical effects of the condition on the child, 70% of parents of children with CMA said that it makes them feel guilty and distressed, and 82% said that it has caused them to lose sleep. Until the child is properly diagnosed and put onto a suitable milk substitute, the impact on the parents and the family as a whole is considerable."

A new book, What's In Your Milk?, by Dr. Samuel Epstein, M.D., one of the world's leading scientific authorities on genetically engineered rBGH milk, offers readers an air-tight case against the use of Monsanto's synthetic hormone. Epstein's previous works have played a major role in influencing other nations to ban rBGH milk, including all of Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Is it time for the U.S. to finally acknowledge the dangers of this product?

Some misinformed moms are even feeding their vulnerable babies soy instant formula, which exposes their child to the equivalent of five birth control pills’ worth of estrogen every day, at least partly responsible for almost half of African Americans and 15 percent of whites to begin breast development by age 8. For this same reason, it’s also important for pregnant women to avoid eating soy, as a high estrogenic environment in utero may increase their child’s subsequent breast cancer risk.

In this book, Epstein offers significant evidence of interlocking conflicts of interest between Monsanto and the White House, regulatory agencies, and the American Medical Association and American Cancer Society. He also details evidence of Monsanto's white collar crime; the suppression and manipulation of information on the veterinary and public health dangers of rBGH milk.

Recommendation: Women who feel they need to drink milk or use milk in other ways would be better served to switch to rice or almond milk, and the same would be true for men, children and infants. Soy milk is no longer recommended, because soy has its own set of problems.

For years, soy milk was recommended by some as a natural, healthy alternative to cow's milk. Recently, more information has appeared regarding the environmental impact of soybean farming (the Amazon rainforest is being devastated by clear cutting to create soybean agricultural lands) as well as the frightening fact that most soybeans grown today are genetically modified (GMO) varieties. Additionally, most popular soy milk brands have been bought out by big, profit-seeking food and beverage corporations, and as a result, they've been sugared up and made nutritionally inferior. Check the ingredients on "plain" soy milk the next time you're at the store: It's loaded with sugar!

According to Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, who has done extensive research on a number of digestive-related topics, and is author of IBS for Dummies (Wiley), "The wide varieties of soy-based foods require extensive processing to get them to the state in which they can be used as the foods now on our shelves -- they are far from 'natural.' The beans are cooked, crushed and heated to high temperatures and then put through a solvent extraction process to remove the oil.

The now defatted meal is mixed with sugars and an alkaline solution to remove the fiber and the resulting curds are spray dried at high temperatures, which does two things -- produces high-protein powder... and peroxides the oils making them pro-inflammatory. The end result is food that is bereft of vitamins and likely minerals," she says, "and far removed from being a natural wholesome food." And there are other problems.

According to Dean, "Because soy has a high level of phytic acid, it blocks digestion of grains, which are an important source of minerals. Additionally, soy contains trypsin inhibitors and these interfere with protein digestion. Adding to these problems, the body does not absorb the B-12 in soy, which in turn creates a nutritional void for vegetarians who consume soy protein as a way of providing themselves with this important B vitamin."

The only exception to this disturbing development would be soy products that have been fermented. Dr. Dean, who also studied Chinese medicine, says that the Chinese did not eat soy until they discovered that fermenting would turn it into a useful food. In fact, fermented soy is largely the type of soy that Asians consume today. Fermenting involves treating soy with a mold for a day or so. Fermented foods include tempeh (not to be confused with tofu, which is not fermented), which has a nutty mushroom taste... miso... natto... and tamari sauce.

However, because soy exists in so many foods today as vegetable oil, binders and the like, even people who are wary of soy probably consume some of it almost daily. Consequently, Dr. Dean advises limiting fermented soy product consumption to not more than every third day.

Virtually no credible, objective research (that not paid for by the milk or soy industry) supports either product as a healthy choice for adults or children, today.

Women, do yourselves a big, healthy favor. Stop drinking and using pasteurized and homogenized milk, and unfermented soy products. Find a good source for rice or almond milk, and those soy products specifically recommended by Dr. Dean, and get used to something really good for your body, and possibly avoid a plethora of serious health issues in the future.

New and Improved CPR

"You know you're doing it right when you hear the ribs crack." Those words -- spoken by a paramedic teaching me how to do CPR -- have always stuck with me. They made sense at the time: In order for traditional CPR to work, the rescuer needs to compress the victim's sternum by at least an inch-and-a-half to two inches, over and over again -- and doing that can definitely result in a cracked rib or two.

But a new CPR technique, devised by Leslie Geddes, PhD, DSc, Showalter Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Purdue University's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, does away with both cracked ribs and mouth to mouth resuscitation (a concern due to the risk of infection), while also pumping 40% more oxygen-rich blood through the heart. Since conventional CPR has a success rate of just 5% to 10%, Dr. Geddes was looking for a better form of CPR that would improve blood flow and be easier for one person to perform. The technique, known as "Only Abdominal Compression" or OAC-CPR, works by pushing rhythmically on the abdomen (above the belly button), instead of the chest, to squeeze blood through the circulatory system. At the same time, the compression forces the diaphragm to move rhythmically so that air flows into and out of the lungs. In the preliminary tests on pigs Dr. Geddes and his colleagues have done thus far, there's no apparent increased risk of injury to internal organs using OAC-CPR or any increase in the victim's risk of vomiting.

NOT YET OFFICIAL

Dr. Geddes has great hopes that this new form of CPR will gain popularity and save lives -- though he says it will take time before it becomes official. Research is underway to learn more about risks and benefits, and a device Dr. Geddes and his team developed to make the procedure easier needs to be reviewed by the government before it can be recommended for use on people. We'll keep you posted.


Source(s):

Leslie Geddes, PhD, DSc, Showalter Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University.


Vital Wellness

Naturally Fighting a Candida Yeast Infection

A natural approach to fighting candida albicans yeast infections. Discover the how and why candida yeast infections occur, what makes it grow and how to kill it without drugs. Candida infections can overrun you entire body becoming a systemic yeast infection. Candida infections are not to be taken lightly as it can cause great harm to the body.

read more | digg story

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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

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

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.

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

Vital Wellness: Does Tamiflu cause the psychiatric problems?

Vital Wellness: Does Tamiflu cause the psychiatric problems?

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?

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

Gardasil: Worse Than We Knew

From HSI
http://hsi.sharpseo.com/?p=149

Here’s a headline you probably won’t be seeing any time soon: Gardasil Is Dangerous.

Gardasil, the so-called “cervical cancer vaccine,” seems to be much more dangerous than we’ve been led to believe. The absence of headlines (at least in the U.S.) about the problems with this vaccine, coupled with very memorable commericals (you know, the O-N-E-L-E-S-S ads) give a lot of people a false sense of security. And encourage a lot of women to vaccinate their daughters with this possibly deadly vaccine.

Yes, deadly. According to VAERS reports dragged from the FDA by Judicial Watch (a public interest group), the deaths of eight more girls have been reported to VAERS as possibly (my legal dept. made me include that qualfiier) connected to the Gardasil vaccine (click here to read the actual reports).

On top of that, thirty-three pregnant women (out of only 77 vaccinated pregnant women) suffered horrific ordeals, from fetal abnormalities to spontaneous abortion (they lost their babies). Those details come from the latest 1,824 adverse reaction reports. Add those to the 1,637 adverse events we already knew about, and the total now sits at at least 3,461 reported bad reactions to the Gardasil vaccine.

So far, reported side effects (in addition to death and pregnancy traumas) include:
· paralysis
· Bells Palsy
· Guillain-Barre syndrome
· seizures

This news is disturbing, to say the least. But equally disturbing is that the FDA only released the information when they had to, weeks after Judicial Watch requested the documentation under the Freedom of Information Act. If the agency isn’t interested in warning us about potentially lethal harm to our children, what good are they? And why didn’t these very serious adverse events show up prominently in the news? The reports were filed with VAERS between May 10 and September 7, 2007. Imagine if a vitamin caused even one problem like these – you would have seen bold-type headlines all over the place the very next day.


Posted in FDA, Vaccines, Gardasil | 1 Comment »

Dangers of Merck's Cervical Cancer Vacine Gardasil

The world's first genetically altered vacine - Want to be a guinea pig?

2207 adverse reactions as of August 2007.
5 deaths
31 life threatening conditions
1385 emergency room visits
451 have not recovered as of July 2007
51 girls are disabled

Patches Replace Needles

Technology Promises to Detect Cancer by Scanning Surface Veins

Microwave Popcorn Health Hazard

Loss of Your Freedom, Compliments of the FDA

This excerpt is from the HSI Newsletter. It addresses one of the most important issues related to your health and health freedom EVER. The FDA is attempting to control our supplements and more! Supplement availability, potency and prices all will be negatively affected. The FDA has no right and would add no value to the supplement industry.



Dear Reader,

This might be the most important e-Alert I'll ever send you.

Your healthcare freedom is constantly under attack. And as we've just discovered, that freedom has suddenly come under fire as never before.

--------------------------------------------
Always something
--------------------------------------------

Most HSI members won't be surprised to learn that the FDA has launched a plan to impose new regulations on alternative healthcare - regulations that are far more severe than existing regs.

Attempts like this aren't new, of course. Over the years we've diligently monitored such actions so that we can keep you informed through the e-Alert, the HSI Members Alert, and our web site.

Just last month I told you about a new senate bill called the Safe Drug Compounding Act that would limit the freedom of women to choose a safe alternative to synthetic hormone replacement therapy. So far, there's no further news about the progress of that completely unnecessary act, but now a much larger threat looms.

This past December, the FDA quietly put a document on its web site titled "Draft Guidance for Industry on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Products and Their Regulation by the Food and Drug Administration." This document is open to public comments until April 30, 2007 - just a few days from now.

After that, FDA officials will evaluate the comments and decide if they dare proceed with a regulation that might actually make it a crime to take vitamin C for a cold without a prescription.

Sound extreme? Absolutely! This is the most extreme attempt to control the sale and use of dietary supplements I've ever seen.

--------------------------------------------
The cards are stacked
--------------------------------------------

The FDA document is 14 pages long, but here's what it boils down to: If you use an herbal or dietary supplement to stay healthy or to help prevent an ailment, that's fine. But if any supplement is used to treat a symptom, then it's a medicine and will be regulated by the FDA, just like any prescription drug.

And there's a qualifying statement to that second part: The supplement will be exempted if it is "generally recognized, among experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of drugs, as safe and effective for use under the conditions prescribed, recommended, or suggested in the labeling."

In other words, the freedom to use a supplement to treat a condition will be at the discretion of FDA experts. And given the track record of FDA experts, this is really bad news.

With this spacious latitude, there's no telling just how far the FDA might go to restrict access to supplements. For instance, they could take a widely used supplement off the market if the label states a benefit; such as using lutein to reduce the damage from age-related macular degeneration, or using chondroitin and glucosamine to reduce joint pain, or using probiotics to address digestive problems - the list goes on and on.

As HSI Panelist Jon Barron points out on his web site (jonbarron.org), under the proposed FDA guidelines even bottled water might be considered a drug if used to alleviate severe dehydration, which is an emergency medical condition.

--------------------------------------------
Time to act!
--------------------------------------------

Just think of all the e-Alerts I've sent you with details about supplements that address health problems. All of those supplements might become so tightly regulated that you would have to get a doctor's prescription to use them.

Of all the times to raise our voices, none is more important than this time.

You can find the full text of the FDA document at this link:

http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/06d-0480-gld0001.pdf

And you can use this link to submit your comments:

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/oc/dockets/comments/COMMENTSMain.CFM?EC_DOCUMENT_ID=1451&SUBTYP=CONTINUE&CID=&AGENCY=FDA

In addition, we also need to let our representatives in Washington know that we strongly resist this attack on our healthcare freedom. You can find the names and e-mail addresses for your congressmen at this web site: congress.org.

And finally, I hope you'll forward this e-Alert to other people you know who value our right to make our own healthcare choices.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

****************************************************
To start receiving your own copy of the HSI e-Alert, visit:
http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealerts/freecopy.html
Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive their own copy of the HSI e-Alert.



Natural Health and Wellness

Pelosi Delivered Wrong Message to Assad, Israel Says

What does this have to do with health? Well, last I checked, the Dem's were pushing a "cut and run" defeatist attitude. If we abandon Iraq at this critical point, the war comes to the USA. I would much rather fight them over there.


By Julie StahlCNSNews.com
Jerusalem Bureau Chief
April 05, 2007

(1st Add: Includes comments from Israeli and Syrian officials.)
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) -

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered the wrong message to Syrian President Bashar Assad from Israel, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said on Wednesday evening.

Pelosi, who is heading a bi-partisan fact-finding tour of the Middle East, met with Assad on Wednesday, a move that angered the Bush administration. Earlier in the week, Pelosi -- the most senior U.S. official to visit Syria in years -- visited Israel and met with Olmert.

At a press conference following the meeting between Pelosi and Assad in Damascus, Pelosi indicated that she had delivered a message that Israel was ready to engage in peace talks.

"We were very pleased with the reassurances we received from the president [Assad] that he was ready to resume the peace process. He was ready to engage in negotiations for peace with Israel," Pelosi said.

The meeting with Assad "enabled us to communicate a message from Prime Minister Olmert that Israel was ready to engage in peace talks as well," she said.

But the prime minister's office denied that Olmert had asked her to communicate such a message in a "clarification" statement issued on Wednesday evening.

During the meeting between Pelosi and Olmert, the prime minister said that a number of members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives had visited Damascus recently and had "received the impression that despite the declarations of Bashar Assad, there is no change in the position of his country regarding a possible peace process with Israel."

Since the end of the summer war between Israel and Hizballah in Lebanon, Syria has made a number of overtures toward Israel, but Israel has rejected them, saying that Syria isn't serious about making peace. The last official peace talks between the two countries were in early 2000.

Olmert emphasized that although Israel is interested in peace with Syria, "that country continues to be part of the axis of evil and a force that encourages terror in the entire Middle East," the clarification statement said."

In order to conduct serious and genuine peace negotiations, Syria must cease its support of terror, cease its sponsoring of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad organizations, refrain from providing weapons to Hizballah and bringing about the destabilizing of Lebanon, cease its support of terror in Iraq, and relinquish the strategic ties it is building with the extremist regime in Iran," it said.

Whether or not Syria implements these measures will determine if Syria is sincere about making genuine peace with Israel, Olmert said.

The communication with Pelosi did not contain any change in Israeli policy, the statement said.

The Israeli daily Ha'aretz quoted unnamed sources in the prime minister's office as saying that Pelosi had taken "part of the things that were said in the meeting, and used what suited her."

Earlier in the week, Olmert's spokeswoman, Miri Eisen, said by telephone that Olmert had told Pelosi that he didn't think Assad deserved all the attention he was getting.

Nevertheless, when Pelosi offered to deliver a message, according to Eisen, Olmert said that the message was "don't prepare for war and renounce terrorism" and maybe there can be negotiations.

Israeli government minister Ze'ev Boim said he was skeptical about Syria's intentions toward peace. Words come cheap, he said in a radio interview. Syria must back its words up with actions, he added.

Former Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom was quoted by the radio as saying that he was concerned about the effects of Pelosi's visit to Syria. The trip might encourage European states to drop their isolation of Syria.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem called for dialogue between Syria and Washington.

Pelosi also drew fire from Washington for saying that the "the road to Damascus is a road to peace."

Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the Bush's national security advisor, said that that road unfortunately "is lined with the victims of Hamas and Hizballah, the victims of terrorists who cross from Syria into Iraq."

Johndroe called the trip "counterproductive."President Bush, whose administration is trying to isolate Syria, said that meeting with Assad delivered "mixed messages" since it is a terror-sponsoring regime.

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