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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Doctors Denying Vaccine Risks: An American Tragedy

Vaccine Awakening, Aug. 25, 2011

On April 13, the President of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) sent a letter to CBS containing misinformation about National Vaccine Information Center in an attempt to strong arm the network into taking the vaccine education message down before it is scheduled to end on April 28. The AAP letter was provided to bloggers, who orchestrated an online smear campaign against NVIC and created a petition drive to increase pressure on CBS. Mainstream media outlets like The Guardian in Great Britain republished the AAP’s attack and added more disinformation.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is a trade association with 60,000 pediatrician members that publishes guidelines for giving vaccines to children. In recent years, the public has learned that the AAP has been taking lots of money from vaccine manufacturers and refusing to disclose to the media just how much money it gets from Big Pharma.

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Alternative Healing: Self-Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

Payvand Iran News, Sept. 7, 2011

I have spent many years of my life working with Multiple Sclerosis in various ways. As explained fully in the previous article: Meeting of Western & Eastern medicine, a probable alternative therapy for Multiple Sclerosis, this life-long research has shown that people suffering from MS have a leak in their vital energy system. In this article I am disclosing how one can seal and stop this leak. But before that, you first of all need to break through the solid belief instilled by prevalent western medical knowledge that MS is still ‘incurable.'

Based on the old Chinese proverb: Tell me what you eat, and I tell you who you are, after a few years of deep clinical observation and experience, another version of this proverb was formed in my mind: Tell me what is your physical illness, and I tell you who you are.

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Vaccine Wake Up Call for Parents: Your Children Are Being Taken

Vaccine Awakening, Sept. 6, 2011

The debate about vaccination in the 21^st century is not just about the science and whether vaccines and vaccine policies are a safe and effective way to keep individuals and populations truly healthy. It is also part of an historic power struggle between parents and doctors about whether doctors or anyone else in society should have the legal right to give children a pharmaceutical product or medical treatment that carries a risk of injury or death without the parent’s voluntary, informed consent.

Today, there is a bill on the desk of California Governor Jerry Brown (Assembly Bill 499) that has been quietly and quickly rammed through the state legislature by the medical-pharma lobby.

If Governor Brown signs that bill into law, then children as young as 12 years old will be vaccinated with Gardasil, hepatitis B and future vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases without the knowledge or consent of their parents.

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Skin Cancer Patient Says Oil From Medical Marijuana Is A Cure

CBSDetroit, Aug. 29, 2011

A Ferndale man claims he’s found a cure for his cancer and it’s now legal in Michigan.

Michael McShane claims he’s been using a topical oil made from medical marijuana on the skin cancer on his forehead and in just over two months it’s nearly gone.

His dermatologist did not recommend the oil and denies that McShane is completely cured, but said the cancer cells have decreased by up to 60 percent.

Moiin said the results so far definitely warrant further scientific study for the use of cannabis for treating skin cancer.

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Radioactive Produce: National Government Told Fukushima Farmers to Farm As Usual

Ex-SKF.blogspot.com, Sept. 5, 2011

A resident of Fukushima City, responding to one of the tweets about why the farmers in Fukushima farmed at all this year and continue to sell produce even when they are aware that the land is heavily contaminated with radioactive fallout from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, says the following:

Everyone was saying "We can't farm this year". Then the national government said to them, "Farm as usual".

She also says in an earlier tweet:

I live in Fukushima City. None of the people around me eat [Fukushima produce]. Even the farmers say "We can't eat this year['s produce]". I personally believe it's "we can't eat from now on".

Vegetables, meat, rice that even some people in Fukushima don't eat are being promoted and sold all over Japan.

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Related stories: Kunihiko Takeda: "A Girl Doesn't Talk"

CDC Unsubtypable For Week 33 Raises trH3N2 Pandemic Concerns

Here we go again...Ed.
Recombinomics, Sept. 5, 2011

The above figure was published by the CDC in its week 34 which shows a low level of influenza detection. The underlying data for this figure is released on each Friday, but is updated as new data is generated. This weekend the data was updated to report an unsubtypable (unable to sub-type) for week 33 (see fifth column below which lists the data for the past 5 weeks).

This chart also shows an increase in detection of H3N2 (three cases in each of the past three weeks), which was the dominant serotype for each of the last three weeks.

The increase in H3N2 cases, as well as the unable to sub-type (unsubtypable) case in week 33, may represent a low level of detection of trH3N2, which has a human H3 and N2 from the 1990’s...The last reported unsubtypable by the CDC was pandemic H1N1, reported in the 2009/2010 season.

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Man Dies Of Toothache

Think Progress, Sept. 3, 2011

A 24-year-old Cincinnati father died from a tooth infection this week because he couldn’t afford his medication, offering a sobering reminder of the importance of oral health and the number of people without access to dental or health care.

When his face started swelling and his head began to ache, Willis went to the emergency room, where he received prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medications. Willis couldn’t afford both, so he chose the pain medications.

The tooth infection spread, causing his brain to swell. He died Tuesday.

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Vaccine Propaganda Continues Despite Evidence of Harm

Activist Post, Sept. 2, 2011

A comprehensive evaluation of eight common childhood vaccines has found that any adverse effects from vaccines are very rare or very minor. The report, issued last week by a panel of experts assembled by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), said there is no evidence that childhood vaccines cause autism, diabetes, facial palsy or episodes of asthma. They are lying because scientifically it’s impossible to conclude this. Several of the chemicals or heavy metals that are in vaccines are independently known to cause severe disease.

Mercury contamination causes autism, diabetes and many other chronic diseases and is even known under certain circumstances to cause sudden death. The aluminum that is in many vaccines is not a piece of cake either and the two together are 100 times more toxic than either alone.

The IOM says that these conclusions are based on the analysis of more than 1,000 research studies in peer-reviewed journals, but they forget to mention that these research studies are heavily biased.

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