18 Crazy Facts Which Show That No Nation On Earth Is More Doped Up On Prescription Drugs Than America Is

EndoftheAmericanDream, Dec. 2, 2011

Anyone that comes to visit America may notice that most of us walk around like a bunch of zombies. Well, the truth is that this is because about half of us are completely doped up on prescription drugs. In America, we don't just take pills if we are sick. In this day and age, the pharmaceutical companies have come up with a pill for just about everything. If we are feeling a little sad, we are told to just pop a pill. If we are feeling a little bit of pain, we are told to just pop a pill. If our children like to run around and play, we are told that giving them the right pills will settle them down.

Every single year, prescription drug use in America increases, and there are dozens of different pharmaceutical companies that are making billions of dollars off of our "legal" addiction to drugs. The funny thing is that many of these "legal" drugs are only just the slightest bit different from many of the "illegal" drugs that are being sold out on the streets. But because they have "government approval", the big pharmaceutical companies can relentlessly peddle them to the American public. Many of these drugs are very damaging to our health, many of them are very damaging to our ability to think and many of them are extremely addictive.

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Change Your Diet & Help Save Animals From a Life of Suffering

New Dawn, Dec. 8, 2011

In May of this year Australians were outraged by the news that Australian cattle exported to Indonesia for slaughter had been brutally tortured in Indonesian abattoirs. But while the scandal was attributed to the poor training of Indonesian workers, a close inspection of slaughterhouse methods reveals that cruelty is an inescapable byproduct of animal slaughter no matter where it takes place and regardless of how well-trained animal handlers are.

In slaughterhouses in the United States, for example, where animal welfare standards are enforced by no less than the United States Department of Agriculture, cruelty still dominates the industry.

If we want to put a stop to that suffering only two choices are available. Either we eliminate the suffering in the slaughter process or we eliminate animal products from our diet.

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Maine utility admits smart meters cause interference

EMF Safety Network, Nov. 19, 2011

Utility meters are breaking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule not to interfere with other radio frequency devices.

The Portland Press Herald reports the Maine Public Advocate’s office released a statement this week saying:

“Smart Meters are interfering with a wide range of household electronic devices, from garage door openers and WiFi devices to security systems."

On Central Maine Power’s FAQ, in answer to the question: “Will the smart meter interfere with my other household appliances such as computer routers, television signal, cordless phones, etc.?” they respond: “Separating interfering devices usually reduces interference, so make sure the wireless device is located as far from the smart meter as possible. Also, adjust the position of the antenna on the device, if possible, and move the wireless device away from any walls that may absorb the signal.” Full story

H.R. 3432: And now they come for the cows

PPJ Gazette, Nov. 19, 2011

We know from history that when a country loses its ability to feed its own population, its demise is soon to follow. As a nation we are being systematically, incrementally and intentionally driven to the point where we cannot feed our own people. The quickest way to collapse the economic viability of a nation is to destroy its agricultural sector. It isn’t gold or silver, global investments and markets, or multi-national corporations and illegal agreements that sustain economies. What does sustain and support a vibrant economy is a strong independent agricultural sector.

The underlying backbone to every economic model is agriculture. And that model is not predicated upon anything other than local, hands on, food production in all its forms. Key to undermining and destroying that model is the intentional destruction of the right to engage in agricultural activity using arbitrary regulations, laws, rules and agency police state enforcement actions perpetrated against independent and/or family owned agricultural operations. Creating barriers to entry into agriculture is key to collapsing an independent agricultural sector which is what got us the fake food safety bill passed by “Dirty Harry” Reid, and his merry band of corporate hiney-hugging, US senators.

While these operations may be small financially, in comparison to big Ag industrialized activities, the independent sector comprises the bulk of our food supply. It is this supply that our own government is determined to eradicate in favor of global corporate stakeholders.

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Brussels bureaucrats were ridiculed yesterday after banning drink manufacturers from claiming that water can prevent dehydration

Telegraph, Nov. 20, 2011

EU officials concluded that, following a three-year investigation, there was no evidence to prove the previously undisputed fact.

Producers of bottled water are now forbidden by law from making the claim and will face a two-year jail sentence if they defy the edict, which comes into force in the UK next month.

Last night, critics claimed the EU was at odds with both science and common sense. Conservative MEP Roger Helmer said: “This is stupidity writ large.

“The euro is burning, the EU is falling apart and yet here they are: highly-paid, highly-pensioned officials worrying about the obvious qualities of water and trying to deny us the right to say what is patently true.

“If ever there were an episode which demonstrates the folly of the great European project then this is it.”

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EU bans 'naked' airport security scanners after cancer fears

Metro, Nov. 16, 2011

The devices, widely criticised because they make passengers who go through them appear naked, emit low doses of radiation.

The EU has now told member states not to install them until a scientific assessment of the risks has been carried out.

However, no new machines will be allowed to ‘protect citizens’ health and safety’.

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Air pollution in Britain: state-sanctioned mass poisoning

The Guardian, Nov. 16, 2011

Successive governments have found that the simplest way to end urban poverty is to encourage poor people to live near congested roads. Apart from war and fags, nothing is more certain to shorten human life than to make people breathe a daily dose of poisons, especially sooty particles known as PM10s and nitrogen oxides that largely come from traffic and factories. The minute particles of partially burned diesel fuel and tyres travel deep into lungs and the gases trigger respiratory diseases. If you already have heart disease or asthma, then just living near a main road can be a death sentence.

In Britain, the environment audit committee has just produced a shocking report showing that 200,000 people can expect to have their lives shortened by as much as two years and everyone else have theirs curtailed by seven months for just breathing. In London alone, air pollution has been linked to nearly one in five deaths a year. This is in line with the rest of the US and Europe where last week the European Environment Agency [EEA] reported that air pollutants already lead to 500,000 premature deaths a year and are now a bigger killer than passive smoking, road traffic accidents and obesity together.

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Genetically Modified Salmon Approval Pushed by USDA with Nearly $500,000 Funding

WarOnYou.com, Nov. 16, 2011

In September of 2010, a new genetically modified animal hybrid sparked mass concern as well as nationwide controversy.

The possibility of having genetically modified salmon for dinner did not sit well with many independent scientists, consumer groups, environmental organizations, and especially the healthy consumer.

Although the genetically modified salmon, commonly referred to as “frankenfish”, has not yet been approved for consumption, it seems that certain US organizations are determined to place the fish on your plate.

One can only wonder why an organization like the USDA would fund research to help the frankenfish’s approval while one part of the legislative branch of government shoots it down. The question is, what could possibly cause the USDA to fund Aquabounty while there is so much controversy surrounding the salmon on a government level? Why would the USDA, an organization which stamps organic products with their seal to indicate no use of genetic modification, give money to a company to research and ultimately sell genetically modified salmon? The answers are unclear, but the actions exhibited by the USDA could very well reflect the personal goals of the members. Perhaps USDA members could have vested interest in the approval of genetically modified fish.

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Antibiotics Promote Obesity, Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome

Activist Post, Nov. 13, 2011

Antibiotics, recently linked to skyrocketing mental illness rates, are now being identified as a player in the soaring obesity rates around the globe.

Previously, it was revealed that excessive antibiotic usage may also be responsible for spawning drug-resistant superbugs that continue to emerge worldwide.

The reason that antibiotics are potentially making you fat, mentally unhealthy, and suffer from gut problems has to do with the way it affects bacteria within your gut. While antibiotics do kill harmful ‘bad’ bacteria as intended, they also destroy ‘good’ bacteria in the gut which help to regulate more than just gut health. In fact, studies are finding that gut bacteria may be responsible for regulating overall health, including mental health and stability.

Dr. Blaser summarized his findings on the subject, revealing how antibiotics actually have a number of long-term side effects that the medial establishment has previously failed to recognize – or at least report:

"They’ve changed health and medicine over the last 70 years. But when doctors prescribe antibiotics, it is based on the belief that there are no long-term effects. We’ve seen evidence that suggests antibiotics may permanently change the beneficial bacteria that we’re carrying."

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Stem Cell Based Lab-Grown Meat Coming Soon to Your Dinner Plate

sott.net, Nov. 13, 2011

Labeled as 'cultured meat' by scientists, new meat grown in laboratory Petri dishes utilizing animal stem cells may soon be coming to a grocery store near you - and perhaps even your dinner plate.

The meat is created using harvested stem cells from leftover animal material found in slaughterhouses. Fed a concoction of sugars, amino acids, lipids, minerals and all other nutrients necessary for the stem cells to grow, the cells begin the transformation into full-fledged Petri dish meat.
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At the moment, the meat is also quite unpleasing to the taste buds. As Post continues to tweak the lab-grown meat, he plans to utilize lab-grown fat to enhance flavor.

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Related: The Cultured Meat Blog

Aspartame has been Renamed and is Now Being Marketed as a Natural Sweetener

Health Freedom Alliance, Nov. 13, 2011

Artificial sweeteners especially aspartame has gotten a bad rap over the years, most likely due to studies showing they cause cancer. But not to worry Ajinomoto the company that makes Aspartame has changed the name to AminoSweet. It has the same toxic ingredients but a nice new sounding name.

And if you or your child happens to be allergic to Aspartame, well don’t take it personally it’s just business.

Despite the evidence gained over the years showing that aspartame is a dangerous toxin, it has remained on the global market . In continues to gain approval for use in new types of food despite evidence showing that it causes neurological brain damage, cancerous tumors, and endocrine disruption, among other things.

Most consumers are oblivious to the fact that Aspartame was invented as a drug but upon discovery of its’ sweet taste was magically transformed from a drug to a food additive. HFA wants to warn our readers to beware of a wolf dressed up in sheep’s clothing or in this case Aspartame dressed up as Aminosweet.

Over 25 years ago, aspartame was first introduced into the European food supply. Today, it is an everyday component of most diet beverages, sugar-free desserts, and chewing gums in countries worldwide. But the tides have been turning as the general public is waking up to the truth about artificial sweeteners like aspartame and the harm they cause to health. The latest aspartame marketing scheme is a desperate effort to indoctrinate the public into accepting the chemical sweetener as natural and safe, despite evidence to the contrary.

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Children may be vaccinated with anthrax to test if they can survive bioterrorism attack

Daily Mail, Oct. 25, 2011

The Obama administration is considering whether scientists should inject healthy children with the anthrax vaccine to see if it would protect them from a bioterrorism attack.

But critics have called the plans unethical, unnecessary and dangerous and children should only be vaccinated in the face of an actual threat.

Daniel B. Fagbuyiof, of the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, told the Washington Post: 'At the end of the day, do we want to wait for an attack and give it to millions and millions of children and collect data at that time? 'Or do we want to say "how do we best protect our children?"

If the NBSB approves the testing, the FDA, National Institutes of Health and other agencies will meet to work out how many children would be studied, at what age and with what dose.

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Related: Vaccine to Protect Children from Anthrax: Public Engagement Workshop

Meat Glue: Transglutaminase and Franken Vittles (Video)

Activist Post, Nov. 12, 2011

Welcome to Meat Glue, a covert and common additive to meat products. Meat Glue is an interesting – if not repulsive – creature. While not a registered product of Mary Shelley, royalties may be due. You might have never thought of resurrecting a hamburger back into steak, but somebody else has, and Activa (transglutaminase) is the enzymatic force of galvanism behind the ritual. Forming covalent bonds between scraps of food, they are so effectively fused together that even professional chefs and gastronomes are typically unable to distinguish veritable sausage from filet mignon once reanimated by this strange product.

The implied reasoning behind the corrosions of our quality of life is almost all equally ludicrous and unnecessary. They reason that we need GMOs and Meat Glue because we don’t have enough food, but burn their own surpluses behind our backs and destroy those who would happily eliminate the shortages they covet. From FAST to fast and furious, from Monsanto to mutant healthcare bills, a cacophony of corruption simply enforces what it cannot justify or deceive people into accepting. Children feed upon McWaste under duress, while organic farmers are terrorized by government and their corporate pillars. The sources of hassle might as well wear neon badges, as they are perceptibly merging into a single unified disease. Can’t we see?

Activa is but one of many legitimate concerns regarding the integrity of our food; and there are doubtlessly more serious issues to confront as well. The imperative matter is that of transparency and choice, and our current government has proven a treacherous and pitiful ally in this bizarre struggle. We have a right to know what we eat, and no one has the right to intentionally deceive us. With help from the FDA, deception has been made the divine right of corporations.

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300,000 Flu Vaccines Recalled Over Serious Adverse Reactions

Natural Society, Nov. 10, 2011

Baxter Healthcare Corp. has announced it is recalling around 300,000 doses of its Preflucel flu vaccine due to an ‘excessive’ amount of adverse reactions. Recalled from thousands of pharmacies and surgeries across Europe, the 300,000 units are to be immediately withdrawn. With seasonal flu vaccines already linked to nerve disease Guillain-Barre Syndrome and narcolepsy and still being given out liberally to citizens worldwide, the adverse reactions must be quite serious in order to prompt a recall.

Even more concerning is the fact that vaccine makers actually have been given legal immunity thanks to a law signed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

Of course Baxter representatives are urging the public to stay calm, while also downplaying the risks associated with the shot. In the past NaturalSociety has revealed how Merck uses similar tactics to downplay the true side effects of the Gardasil vaccine, listing only minor side effects and ignoring the death link completely.

“The vaccine is being recalled because these side effects have been reported more frequently with this specific batch,” said a Baxter spokesmen. This spokesman also attempted to reassure the public that those who have already been vaccinated with Preflucel “should not be concerned (for their safety).”

Only time will tell what serious reactions are associated with this batch of Preflucel. In response to why the vaccine was recalled, Baxter states that “most of the side-effects are those usually associated with flu vaccines – they have started shortly after the vaccination and have been mild and short-lived.”

The problem with this statement is the fact that the seasonal flu shot has been repeatedly tied with serious adverse reactions. Therefore, it is not very reassuring that ‘most of the side-effects’ occur in the regular seasonal flu shot as well. Furthermore, it seems unlikely that Baxter would not recall flu vaccines, or at least investigate them further, after it was found that they are virtually ineffective and linked to nerve disease if they truly cared about your health. Therefore, it seems reasonable that despite the reassuring language of the Baxter spokesmen, this batch of Preflucel must be linked to something quite nasty.

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Related: Immune System Protects Against Flu, Not Vaccines

Monsanto is secretly poisoning the population with Roundup

DrLeonardColdwell.com, Oct. 4, 2011

Dr. Andreas Carrasco remained in the locked car and watched with fear as the crowd beat the vehicle and shouted at him — for two hours. His friends who didn’t make it into the vehicle were not so lucky. One ended up paralyzed. Another unconscious. The angry crowd of about 100 were likely organized by a local rice grower who was furious at Carrasco for what he was trying to do that day. Carrasco’s crime? Telling people that Roundup herbicide from Monsanto causes birth defects in animals, and probably humans.

Carrasco is a leading embryologist at the University of Buenos Aires Medical School and the Argentinean national research council. He had heard the horrific stories of peasant farmers working near the vast fields of Roundup Ready soybeans — plants genetically engineered to withstand generous doses of Monsanto’s poisonous weed killer. The short-term impact of getting sprayed was obvious: skin rashes, headaches, loss of appetite, and for one 11 year old Paraguayan boy named Silvino Talavera, who biked through a fog of herbicides in 2003, death. But Carrasco also heard about the rise of birth defects, cancer, and other disorders that now plagued the peasants who were sprayed by plane. He decided to conduct a study.

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How Plastic Food Containers Could Be Making You Fat, Infertile and Sick

sott.net, Oct. 27, 2011

In previous articles here, here and here, I wrote about the dangers of an environmental toxin called bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA is a chemical that is found in several plastics and plastic additives. It's in the water bottles some folks carry to gyms, the canned tomatoes and coconut milk they cook with, and in the baby bottles moms use to feed their infants.

We've known for decades that BPA has estrogenic activity. In vivo animal studies and in vitro cell-culture research has linked low-level estrogenic activity associated with BPA exposure to all kinds of fun stuff, like diabetes, ADHD, heart disease, infertility and cancer.

There is now significant evidence suggesting that even low levels of BPA-exposure can cause harm, and this is particularly true in vulnerable populations like pregnant women, infants and the chronically ill. (1)

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Study says pesticides in food chain causes ADHD in children

Times-Standard, Nov. 8, 2011

Pesticides threaten our health, yet we still use them in America today. In the Vietnam War, herbicides (a subclass of pesticides) and their deadly effects created a dark legacy that still lingers.

Many Americans have heard about Agent Orange and are aware that the Veterans Administration has recognized numerous ill effects it had on people who were exposed to it. Not so well known is that nine of the 12 most dangerous and persistent organic chemicals are pesticides, according to the 2001 Stockholm Convention findings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Convention) on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).

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Smart and Diligent Consumerism | Knowing Deceptive Advertising and Marketing Tactics

Natural Society, Nov. 8, 2011

In today’s world, smart and diligent consumerism will take you a long way. There are scores of products that all hold fast to claims of quality and integrity. The truth about purchasing most products however is that you must be privy to the meaning of health subtitles.

In the realm of health foods and supplements, products are pushed in many different ways. Advertising techniques can range from pointing out unique vitamins or minerals to branding the product as ‘all natural’ or ‘certified organic.’ The Food and Drug Administration’s regulations make the guidelines for authenticity rather lenient, and so companies capitalize on the lack of awareness in the average buyer often by using deceptive advertising and marketing tactics.

The average person on a base level acknowledges that there are dangerous additives like aspartame and high fructose corn syrup in many products. In an attempt to avoid these harmful ingredients, a product with an ‘all natural’ label will be picked up instead. Many products that are labeled as such, however, often don’t contain all natural ingredients and are simply the result of deceptive advertising and marketing tactics.

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EPA Declares Hay a ‘Pollutant’ To Intimidate Ranchers

Federal Jack, Nov. 6, 2011

During his presentation on the status of the nation’s new country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law, and on behalf of the R-CALF USA COOL Committee, R-CALF USA member and Kansas cattle feeder Mike Callicrate was asked a non-COOL question that set convention goers on their heels during the 12th Annual R-CALF USA Convention held August 26-27 in Rapid City, S.D.

“Has the Environmental Protection Agency declared hay a pollutant?” an audience member asked. Callicrate responded affirmatively and explained that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently initiated a formal enforcement action against his Kansas feedlot for, among other things, failure to store his hay in a pollution containment zone. “Now that EPA has declared hay a pollutant, every farmer and rancher that stores hay, or that leaves a broken hay bale in the field is potentially violating EPA rules and subject to an EPA enforcement action,” Callicrate said. “How far are we going to let this agency go before we stand up and do something about it?”
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Callicrate said the EPA does not appear to be going after the corporate feedlots. “EPA is turning a blind eye toward the mega-feedlots that are a real risk for pollution and, instead, is antagonizing small to mid-sized family operations in an effort to help their packer-partners capture the entire live cattle supply chain away from family farm and ranch operations.”

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Consumers Losing Faith in Big Food

sott.net, Nov. 3, 2011

Four years ago, a coalition of agribusiness companies and industry groups, including Monsanto, the American Farm Bureau, the Midwest Dairy Council, and the National Pork Producers Council, got together to start the Center for Food Integrity (CFI), a nonprofit organization whose mission is "to build consumer trust and confidence in today's food system."

CFI fulfills its mission by performing market research and then concocting spinmeister Frank Luntz-style message testing to come up with ways Big Food can convince Americans to stop worrying and love industrial agriculture.

But perhaps it's Big Food that has reason to worry: There's new evidence that eaters are rapidly losing confidence in the food industry.

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BARDA's $60M plan to protect against radiation poisoning

DOTmed, Oct. 30, 2011

Federal officials announced they were funding the development of five drugs designed to protect people from the horrors of radiation poisoning. The government's also financing studies to develop an improved version of another drug to treat people exposed to radioactive particles that could be released during a so-called dirty bomb attack.

Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, announced the roughly $60 million in funding in a series of releases Wednesday and Thursday.

About $56.3 million will go toward five contracts for a variety of drug companies and scientists working on countermeasures for acute radiation syndrome, or radiation sickness. When exposed to high doses of ionizing radiation -- such as from a nuclear bomb blast -- fast-reproducing cells in the gut, bone marrow, and lungs can be destroyed, which can in turn lead to internal bleeding, a depressed immune system and death over the following days or even weeks.

Winners of contracts include Neumedicines Inc., which got a $17 million award to study recombinant human interleukin-12 (rhuIL-12). Also called HemaMax, a 2008 BARDA-funded study showed it might be able to protect bone marrow from radiation.

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Related stories: Protectan is a pill to cure radiation sickness

Manufacturers react cautiously to flu vaccine efficacy analysis

CIDRAP, Oct. 31, 2011

Companies that market influenza vaccines in the United States are reacting cautiously to last week's meta-analysis that highlighted gaps in the evidence for the efficacy of the vaccines, with officials stressing that vaccines are still the best preventive tool and that the firms are working to improve them.

The meta-analysis, published last week in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, showed that evidence from the best randomized controlled trials (RCTs) indicates that flu vaccines have an efficacy of about 59% in adults aged 18 to 65. The authors emphasized that vaccines remain the best defense against flu, but that better vaccines are needed.

"The authors have written a good and rigorous paper that does support the use of current influenza vaccines while new vaccines are developed," said Darryl Maher, MD, vice president, medical and research [of CSL Biotherapies]. "It would be disappointing if those most at risk from influenza complications were to lose confidence in influenza vaccination on the basis of the paper."

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Related stories: Misconceptions Surrounding the HPV Vaccine Could Undermine Disease Prevention

Physicians Received 760 Million From Pharmaceuticals in Past Two Years

The Intercept, Oct. 24, 2011

A dozen pharmaceutical companies have given doctors and other healthcare providers more than $760 million over the past two years - and those companies' sales comprise 40 percent of the U.S. market.

The numbers come from the non-profit journalism organization Pro Publica, which assembled and continues to update a database on the payments. The payments, says Pro Publica, are for consulting, speaking, research and expenses on the part of the providers.

Drug companies have traditionally been very tight-lipped about those payments, Pro Publica notes, but, "Over the past two years, companies have begun posting this information on their websites, some as the result of legal settlements with the federal government."

With bucks that big flying around, is the quality of care offered by providers accepting them compromised? "Absolutely," said Dr. John Santa, head of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center.

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CDC: Antidepressant use skyrockets 400% in past 20 years

USA Today, Oct. 21, 2011

Use of antidepressant drugs has soared nearly 400% since 1988, making the medication the most frequently used by people ages 18-44, a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.

Eleven percent of Americans ages 12 years and older took antidepressants during the 2005-08 study period, the authors write. They add that though the majority of antidepressants were taken to treat depression, the drugs also can be used for anxiety disorders and other conditions.

"Unfortunately, some families are looking for a quick fix, but a pill is never going to get to the root of the problem," says David Palmiter, a psychologist and author of Working Parents, Thriving Families: 10 Strategies That Make a Difference.

Ducharme agrees. "That is the thing that bothers me the most," she says. "These drugs can be dangerous, and there needs to be follow-up care."

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More than 1 in 10 Americans on Suicide-Linked Antidepressants

Activist Post, Oct. 20, 2011

Despite evidence linking popular antidepressants like Prozac to suicide more than 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 12 are now taking antidepressants prescribed by their doctors. In fact, antidepressants are now the most common drug among people aged 18 to 44, according to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

Even more notable is the fact that once prescribed, individuals generally keep taking antidepressants for years. Over 60 percent of patients prescribed antidepressants report taking them for more than 2 years, and 14 percent for 10 years or more. This is unfortunate when the drugs meant to help depression actually cause further depression.

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Roundup and birth defects researcher presents findings to German government

EU Reporter, Oct. 3, 2011

On 28 September 2011, the scientist at the centre of the global row over glyphosate/Roundup herbicide and birth defects met with representatives of the German government to present his scientific findings that Roundup herbicide and the chemical on which it is based, glyphosate, cause birth defects in laboratory animals.

Prof Andres Carrasco, MD, is head of the Molecular Embryology Laboratory at University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and chief scientist at the National Council for Science and Technology (CONICET), Argentina. Carrasco’s findings gave scientific credibility to reports of people in Argentina who claimed escalating rates of birth defects and cancers after the introduction of genetically modified soy, which is engineered to tolerate being sprayed with huge amounts of glyphosate.

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The Deathly Icing on the Cake: Revealing the Cancerous Truth About Aspartame

Natural Society, Oct. 17, 2011

Aspartame, the artificial sweetener found in many diet sodas and used as an ‘alternative’ sweetener, has been found recently to possess detrimental cancerous effects.

Though it may seem as news to some readers, aspartame has been a known carcinogen for quite some time.

Aspartame researcher Dr. Soffritti did a similar pair of studies to Innes-Brown’s. The first study found that consumption of the equivalent of 4 to 5 bottles of diet soda per day yielded high rates of cancerous growths among many of his subjects; the highest dose producing 25 percent of females with cancerous cell growth, compared to 8.7 percent of the control group females. With this study, Soffritti concluded that aspartame at a ratio as low as 400 parts per million (ppm) was considered carcinogenic.

Initially these findings caused quite some controversy and sparked mass denial and nay saying worldwide. Now, after over 900 published studies on the health hazards of the sweetener are released, the nay saying has been curbed substantially.

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Governor Brown Takes Away Parents Rights in New California Vaccine Law | Health Impact News

The Progressive Mind, Oct. 12, 2011

The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) today criticized California Governor Jerry Brown for bowing to pressure from the pharmaceutical and medical trade lobby and signing a controversial bill (AB499) into law that allows 12 year old children to be vaccinated without the knowledge or consent of their parents. The new California law allows minor children as young as 12 years old to be given Gardasil and hepatitis B vaccine, as well as future vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases, without the informed consent of their parents.

“Under federal law, parents are supposed to get vaccine information before their children are vaccinated to help minimize risks and this new California law raises, rather than reduces, vaccine risks for children.”

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Children to be banned from blowing up balloons, under EU safety rules

The Telegraph, Oct. 12, 2011

The EU toy safety directive, agreed and implemented by Government, states that balloons must not be blown up by unsupervised children under the age of eight, in case they accidentally swallow them and choke.

Apparently harmless toys that children have enjoyed for decades are now regarded by EU regulators as posing an unacceptable safety risk.

Official guidance notes: "For latex balloons there must be a warning that children under eight years must be supervised and broken balloons should be discarded." Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Kent, warned that toy safety bans were part of a trend to micro-manage children's lives at the expense of allowing them to explore, learn and have fun through play.

Another EU official admitted that the new regulations could be difficult to understand but insisted that safety experts knew best. "You might say that small children have been blowing up balloons for generations, but not anymore and they will be safer for it," said an official.

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VRM: Gardasil/Cervarix – A Legacy Of Shame

VaccineResistanceMovement.org, Aug. 10, 2011

According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), Cervical Cancer is “the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths among women around the world. In the United States, about 10,000 women get cervical cancer every year and about 4,000 are expected to die from it.”. What the CDC doesn’t tell you is the fact that “70 percent of all HPV infections resolve themselves without treatment within a year. Within two years, the number climbs to 90 percent. Of the remaining 10 percent of HPV infections, only half will develop into cervical cancer, which leaves little need for the vaccine” – the viewpoint of Dr. Diane Harper, lead researcher in the development of two human papilloma virus vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, and one seemingly in direct contradiction to the scientific literature being ‘foisted’ on the public by Vaccine Manufacturers Merck (Gardasil) & GlaxoSmithKline (Cervarix); vigorously backed by Government directed Health Departments around the world.

In fact, Merck clearly admits, on its official package insert, to the limited effectiveness of its product - ‘GARDASIL has not been demonstrated to protect against diseases due to HPV types not contained in the vaccine. Not all vulvar, vaginal, and anal cancers are caused by HPV, and GARDASIL protects only against those vulvar, vaginal, and anal cancers caused by HPV (Human Papillomavirus).’

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Cell phone: A blessing or a curse? (Part 1)

Arab News, Sept. 28, 2011

According to experts, being frequently in the way of radio wave radiation can disrupt the electrical field of the human body and brain cells or neurons. The brain suffers the most hits and damage. Due to such exposure, the electrical fields of human cells get negatively influenced, resulting in symptoms and diseases without showing immediate apparent harm. Such interference affects cell growth, resulting in DNA damage. Casual symptoms start appearing as disturbed sleep, anxiety, irritability and then depressive disorders. Confusion, inability to concentrate and memory decline are other mental disorders. Suppressed immunity lead to child and adult leukemia and cancers (eye, malignant brain tumors), which take years to surface. Physical dysfunctions like infertility begin to show.
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Unfortunately, most research on wireless radiofrequency radiation and safety issues is financed by the wireless industry, which can be inaccurate and lopsided.
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Radiation and microwave detectors can be used for measuring the amount of “harmful radiation” at home and workplace. Dr. Ben Kim suggests “Silver mesh curtains and copper flat paint can block significant amounts of radio frequency radiation.”

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Cancer Feeds on Fructose, America’s Number One Source of Calories

Activist Post, Sept. 30, 2011

High-fructose corn syrup is the primary source of calories in the United States. In addition to containing mercury, a known carcinogen, cancer cells actually feed on high-fructose corn syrup after it is metabolized by the liver. A new study, published in the Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets, examined the link between refined sugar and cancer. The results add further evidence to the reports of many health experts and scientific studies that have drawn the connection between excess sugar consumption and the development of cancer.

Similar research published in the journal Cancer Research found that the way in which sugar is metabolized stimulates cancer growth. The researchers reported: "Importantly, fructose and glucose metabolism are quite different … These findings show that cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose to increase proliferation."

What is even more concerning is that the scientists conducting the research used pancreatic cancer cells, widely considered to be the most deadly form of cancer. The discovery was monumental because not only did the researchers prove that tumor cells feed on sugar (glucose), but the tumor cells used fructose for cell division in order to speed up the growth and spread of the cancer. Fructose consumption actually led to a massive increase in tumor cell growth and proliferation way beyond that of glucose.

This cancer-feeding fructose is what the majority of Americans are consuming on a daily basis, to the point where high-fructose corn syrup is their number one source of calories. Even children are consuming excessive amounts of sugar in juice boxes, candy, and even ‘healthy’ sports beverages. The amount is so extreme that the average American consumes around 150 grams of sugar each day; whereas, many experts believe that the number should be around 15 grams per day or lower to prevent cancer.

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The Wal-Marts of Quasi-Organic Food

Farm Wars, Sept. 29, 2011

Widespread Glyphosate Pollution

Food tasting a little on the “chemical” side lately? Water smelling and tasting a little off?

“Glyphosate, one of the most heavily used weed-killers in the world, has been found in air, rain and rivers in two states examined by government scientists.” (EWG)

And as the second “green revolution” of Monsanto’s GMO crops and subsequent sales of Roundup pesticides for use with those crops increases exponentially, so does the water pollution. The main ingredient in Roundup is glyphosate. But what most don’t know is that for its proprietary pesticide mixes, surfactants are used. Surfactants ride in on the glyphosate as inerts, with the glyphosate acting as a sort of Trojan Horse. No one has to know they are there, and they can be deadly.

The most widely used type of surfactants in glyphosate formulations are known as ethylated amines. POEA (polyoxy-ethyleneamine) has been frequently mentioned as a surfactant, but in fact it refers to a group of ethylated amine products used in glyphosate formulations. Members of this group of surfactants are significantly more toxic than glyphosate. They are serious irritants of eyes, the respiratory tract and skin, and have been found to contain dioxane (not dioxin) contaminants which are suspected of being carcinogenic.(Pan-UK)

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Red wine ingredient resveratrol stops breast cancer growth

Science Blog, Sept. 29, 2011

A new research report appearing in the October 2011 issue of The FASEB Journal (https://www.fasebj.org) shows that resveratrol, the “healthy” ingredient in red wine, stops breast cancer cells from growing by blocking the growth effects of estrogen. This discovery, made by a team of American and Italian scientists, suggests for the first time that resveratrol is able to counteract the malignant progression since it inhibits the proliferation of hormone resistant breast cancer cells. This has important implications for the treatment of women with breast cancer whose tumors eventually develop resistance to hormonal therapy.

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Medicine and Politics

Huffington Post, Sept. 25, 2011

There is no way of knowing what the long-term effects of administering HPV vaccines are in young children. Historically, data about other vaccines is not reassuring. The Salk polio vaccine was grown in monkey kidney cells, which later were found to be contaminated with another virus not identified before the vaccine had been administered to millions of children. Sixty years later, there are still debates about what the potential effects of that occult virus might be.

There is still a great deal of work that needs be done to evaluate this new HPV vaccine. We don't know if it results in lifelong immunity for those vaccinated. We don't know if there is significant variability in the development of effective immunity to the vaccine. The unknown risks of the HPV vaccine deserve a thorough discussion -- especially since it is a very costly intervention, which does not eliminate the need for customary follow-up surveillance of the disease it is being administered to prevent.

While a valid argument can be made that the use of the HPV vaccine is justified in third world countries where Pap smear screening and elimination of the premalignant lesions is not readily available, I believe that other strategies may be more appropriate for young girls and boys in the U.S., which will not expose them to potentially significant health risks.

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Report links farm subsidies, obesity

The Sacramento Bee, Sept. 26, 2011

Are farm subsidies making us fat?

Billions in taxpayer dollars are going to support high fructose corn syrup and three other common food additives used in junk food according to a report released this week by the California Public Interest Research Group and the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, both consumer advocacy groups.

The report, "Apples to Twinkies: Comparing Federal Subsidies of Fresh Produce and Junk Food " makes the case that federal farm subsidies are helping feed the nation's obesity epidemic. The research shows that from 1995 to 2010, $16.9 billion in federal subsidies went to producers and others in the business of corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch and soy oils.

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Related: Report: U.S. spending billions of dollars to subsidize junk food

Billions Spent On A Cure For Cancer And Yet Cancer Rates Continue To Explode?

WarOnYou, Sept. 21, 2011

Why hasn’t a cure for cancer been found? We have poured billions upon billions of dollars into cancer research, and yet cancer rates continue to explode. Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide, and according to the World Health Organization the number of cancer deaths globally is expected to nearly double over the next 20 years. So why is this such a problem? We have spent gigantic piles of money and have had hordes of scientists working on this for decades. Every year there are countless walks, runs and fundraisers for cancer research. The U.S. government absolutely showers cancer researchers with cash. We are supposed to be the most “advanced” civilization that the world has ever seen. So where is the cure for cancer? And why does cancer keep getting worse?

A vast amount of resources from all over the globe is poured into cancer research, yet according to the WHO about seven and a half million people will die from cancer this year alone….

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Controversial Author Anna Kavanaugh Shocks Readers: Opens Fire On On FDA, USDA and GMO Companies in New Trilogy

PRWeb, Sept. 14, 2011

Author Anna Kavanaugh had retired from her career as a novelist in 2008, but has this week made a shocking announcement of her return. Her resurfacing comes as a welcome surprise to dedicated fans who held out hope this day would come, and it has come in with a roar. In line with the author's previous reputation in tackling the controversial, she is holding back no punches.

Altering DNA. Genetically modified human food sources. These are disturbing topics, one that few consumers fully understand and have stirred controversy since the USDA approved the growing of genetically modified foods and likewise, the FDA stamped approval on the sale of meat and dairy products from cloned animals and their offspring in 2008. Of no small matter either; the administration further ruled that no labels were necessary on such products sold to the public. The same controversy has similarly troubled consumers in Europe. These accepted practices, yet still suspiciously lacking in public disclosure regulation or consideration, span concerns across the board. Serious ethical, moral, spiritual, humane, and human health questions all arise, yet go unanswered.

Author Anna Kavanaugh is outraged and fearful of where our organic food supply is heading, and to what end. In her upcoming trilogy series, “The Cord of Callows” being three installment novels “Provenance”, “Creed” and “Covenant” the author opens fire on these practices and minces no words in describing her fears of the nightmare we may be imposing on future generations.

“It is incomprehensible to me that in this day and age we as people are stripped of our right to choose what we put into our bodies, and the bodies of our children.” Kavanaugh explains.

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HPV Vaccine For Boys? CDC Considers Recommending Vaccinations For All

So the propaganda begins...-Ed.
Huffington Post, Sept. 23, 2011

Now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that girls and young women be vaccinated against the disease that can lead to cervical cancer, the treatment's effectiveness with regard to the male population is beginning to come into the limelight. In fact, the CDC is now considering recommending the shot for boys as well...

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Hydrolysed vegetable proteins – Food safety & quality

Imagesfood.com, Sept. 23, 2011

The consumption of various food additives has been growing steadily around the world since the mid-20th century... Seasonings containing hydrolysed vegetable proteins (HVP) hold a very important place among widely used food additives.

Hydrolysed Vegetable Protein-HVP (sometimes referred to as Hydrolysed Plant Protein) is widely used in the food industry as a savoury flavouring agent to bring out the natural flavours in food. A chemical process called acid hydrolysis breaks down protein into amino acids from various food sources...Many foods contain HVP, including processed foods such as bouillon, soup, sauce mixes, gravy, crackers, chips, instant soups, processed meat and frankfurters. HVP is also produced via enzymatic hydrolysis.

The acid hydrolysis technology can result in the production of the so-called toxic glycerol chlorohydrins (MCPD and DCP). 3-MCPD may be formed as a result of a reaction between a source of chlorine (e.g., Chlorinated water or salt) in the food or a food contact material and a lipid source. This reaction is encouraged during the heat processing of foods. Chloropropanol is formed during those harsh hydrolysis conditions: fats present in the protein source do also hydrolyse in three fatty acid chains and glycerol.

3-MCPD has been shown to be a carcinogen in laboratory animal studies and the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) originally classified 3-MCPD as a genotoxic carcinogen with the recommendation that its presence in foodstuffs should be reduced to an undetectable level.

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PETA releases 'The Ultimate Vegan Baking Cheat Sheet'

This Dish is Veg, Sept. 19, 2011

PETA recommends diet soda with aspartame as an "egg replacer". Because nothing replaces eggs like a dangerous neurotoxin.

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A Parent’s Horrid Nightmare: Coming Soon to YOUR State?

The Intel Hub, Sept. 17, 2011

The state of California has just passed bill AB499, which will permit minor children as young as 12 years old to be vaccinated with sexually transmitted disease vaccines like Gardasil without parental knowledge or parental consent.

This means that if you live in California, school or medical personnel would be allowed to vaccinate your child against an STD without your ever knowing it.

At issue, of course, is whether 12-year-olds are mature enough to fully analyze the benefits versus risks of vaccination (or any medical treatment for that matter), or recognize the alternatives to STD prevention, such as abstinence.

Meanwhile, a child could suffer a vaccine reaction and the parent, not knowing the child had been vaccinated, could mistake it for the flu or another condition, delaying getting help until it is too late.


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The art of branding a condition

AllBusiness.com

Healthcare marketers are taking the concept of "branding a condition" to new levels of sophistication, author Vince Parry reports. Done appropriately, this type of branding helps keep both brand managers and the clinical community focused on a single story with a problem/solution structure.

Branding is about the ownership of ideas: giving customers a new way to think about things, and - in the process - transferring the values of this experience to a situation or commodity. Typically, when marketers talk about branding, they are referring to the unique identity of a product or service that enables customers to distinguish it from competitors. However, within the pharmaceutical industry, marketing professionals have increasingly taken branding to the next level by branding the disease or condition that a particular product is capable of treating.

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Cocktail of chemicals: the health impact of additives in processed foods

The Conversation, Sept. 12, 2011

A growing body of evidence is focusing attention on the dangers posed by the myriad chemicals in our food. Although certainty around the precise impact of these chemicals is some way off, what we do know indicates a chemical cocktail of colourings, preservatives, and flavour enhancers, among other things, may be having a negative impact on our minds and bodies.

The chocolate cake may well contain artificial colourings, along with the cocoa to give it that beautiful brown colour, and perhaps a preservative in the icing or cream, or even the cake itself. The vanilla latte will more than likely have a benzoate preservative in the syrup, as well as colourings, not to mention artificial flavourings.

Public interest in artificial food additives was brought to the forefront in 2007 with the release of the so-called Southampton study.

The results of this study showed the adverse effects of a mix of artificial colours and one preservative (all of which are permitted in Australia) for a group of children aged three to four and eight to nine years.

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Physicist Detects Movement of Macromolecules Engineered Into Our Food

Newswise, Sept. 12, 2011

Toxin proteins are genetically engineered into our food because they kill insects by perforating body cell walls, and Professor Rikard Blunck of the University of Montreal’s Group for the study of membrane proteins (GÉPROM) has detected the molecular mechanism involved.

The Cry1Aa toxin of B. thuringiensis that was investigated is a member of the class of proteins which are called “pore-forming toxins” because they perforate the walls, or membranes, of cells. Cry toxins kill insect larvae if ingested by them and are, therefore, genetically engineered into a number of transgenic crops, including those for human consumption, to make them resistant against these insects.

“By watching the toxin in both its active and inactive state, and by measuring the dynamic changes of the light emitted by the molecular probes, we were able to determine which parts of it were interacting with the membrane to cause the pores.” Dr. Blunck explained. “We expect the technique to be applied to a wide range of disease-causing toxins in future.”

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