To say at this point that I am fed up with Big Pharma's ludicrous control over innocent people's lives leading them to a certain early death and robbed of a decent lifestyle and happiness that we all hold on to dearly (as the very rights that were endowed to us by our creator) would be the understatement of the century. The way I see it, at worst its murder and at best it is involuntary manslaughter!
Why and from what spirit does this carefully programmed evil system continue with the most deadly of drugs and chemical agents?
When you break it all down they are literally saying, "You can not consider any form of natural element as a serious medicine. You must take the poison we prescribe or we will find a way to take anything natural that would improve your health away from you. We are the drug lords of this world and you will do it our way or go to prison".
Does this not become actual tyranny when we have a government in the form of the FDA (http://plantcures.com/FDA.html) that backs this evil?
As a Clinical TCM Herbalist I can assure you that the majority of health problems that are presented to me from patients are those that were caused from 100% legal FDA approved (and blatantly pushed on TV) Pharmaceutical drugs.
When do we say enough is enough or more importantly, how do we say it and to whom do we say it to? Well, I don't have all the answers but I present this question to all of you readers in hopes that as a small part of this movement I can start a few wheels turning in the right direction.
Here is something else to think about:
One of the biggest control factors this evil system uses to its greedy advantage is simply the word "Medical" itself. Ever thought about that? The very phrase, "This is a "medical" emergency or "medical" problem or "medical" situation" immediately takes it out of the common people's hands and forces us to surrender our will and even our common sense over to the pharmaceutical drug lords. Think about it! The very word "Medical" as it has been allowed to be presented is like pure witchcraft in complete control, or like an evil sorcerer just snapping his fingers to make it happen -- and we don't even stop to notice it!
When you consider that all the TV commercial spot time on the networks are more than half pharmaceutical based a simple truth comes into effect which says the drug lords are in control of everything that reaches most people's daily concept of "what is and what isn't" in this world! Yes, I know it is their own fault for being sucked into this frame of mind... Or is it?
I have a confession to make. Awhile back I ashamedly must admit for a short time I got so fed up that I said, "I can no longer feel sorry anymore for people that say to their doctors, "You're the doc, just tell me what I need" and then wind up in a world of ill health and problems because of this deadly mistake". I was wrong to say that! These uneducated (In natural health) people are as lambs to the slaughter. We all (including myself) need to have compassion for these innocent victims.
It is time to realize we are being duped like never before. As a mater of fact, no crime in the history of the world has ever been pulled off in such magnitude. It is a known fact that the use of "properly prescribed drugs" and "medical" procedures (http://plantcures.com/deathbymedicine.html) kill more than 20 times the people that street drugs like heroin and cocaine do. In fact, the largest single cause of death turns out to be the medical system itself!
The Pharma-Pigs (Owners of all the FDA approved drug patents) are allowed to walk free in their vile riches and in the blood of their victims being fully aware of these statistics while we spend billions on "the war on drugs" which is nothing more than a smokescreen for the most deadly killers of all time.
So I must say to all you readers once again, when do we say enough is enough?
About the author
Christopher Gussa, Is a TCM practitioner and Certified Master / Clinical Herbalist for 25 years. He is certified in both Western Herbal Therapy and Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine with over 25 years experience. Chris founded Plant Cures Inc. which handcrafts over 150 Serious Herbal Medicine Products for Specific Disorders all created through clinical application. Their products are for Serious Disease and also Powerful Tonic Health. Please visit Plant Cures at WWW.PLANTCURES.COM or call them at 1-800 979 2027
9 May 2008
How the American Medical Association Got Rich
History reveals that the AMA was dictatorially led for the first half of the twentieth century by George H. Simmons, MD (1852-1937) and his protégé, Morris Fishbein, MD (1889-1976). Simmons and Fishbein both served as general manager of the organization and as editor of its journal, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). While these two leaders provided substantial benefit to the organization and to medical doctors, their methods of doing so have been severely criticized, with some historians referring to them as "medical Mussolinis."
When George H. Simmons began in 1899 what became a twenty-five-year reign as head of the AMA, it was a weak organization with little money and little respect from the general public. The advertising revenue from the medical journal was a paltry $34,000 per year. Simmons came up with the idea to transform the AMA into a big business by granting the AMA's "seal of approval" to certain drug companies that placed large and frequent ads in JAMA and its various affiliate publications. By 1903, advertising revenue increased substantially, to $89,000, and by 1909, JAMA was making $150,000 per year. In 1900, the AMA had only 8,000 members, but by 1910, it had more than 70,000. This substantial increase in advertising revenue and membership was not the result of new effective medical treatments, for there were virtually no medical treatments from this era that were effective enough to be used by doctors today or even just a couple of decades later.
Some critics of the AMA have called their seal-of-approval program a form of extortion because the AMA did no testing of any products. When George Abbott, owner of a large drug company, Abbott Biologicals (known today as Abbott Laboratories), did not provide "blackmail" money to the AMA and when none of his products were granted AMA approval, Abbott went on the offensive. He arranged for an investigation of the AMA president that revealed that Simmons had no credible medical credentials, that he worked primarily as an abortion doctor for many years, and that he had had sex charges brought by some of his patients as well as charges of negligence in the deaths of others. After this meeting, the drugs made by Abbott Laboratories were regularly approved, and the company was not required to place any ads.
Simmons was shrewd enough to have the AMA establish a Council on Medical Education in 1904. This council's mission was to upgrade medical education -- a worthy goal. The formation of the council seemed a good idea to homeopaths because surveys in JAMA itself had consistently shown that the graduates of the conventional medical schools failed the medical board examinations at almost twice the rate of graduates of homeopathic colleges. However, the AMA developed guidelines to give lower ratings to homeopathic colleges. For instance, just having the word "homeopathic" in the name of a school had an effect on the rating because the AMA asserted that such schools taught "an exclusive dogma."
In 1910, the same year that the Flexner report was published, the AMA published "Essentials of an Acceptable Medical College", which echoed similar criteria for medical education and a disdain for non-conventional medical study. In fact, the AMA's head of the Council on Medical Education traveled with Abraham Flexner as they evaluated medical schools. The medical sociologist Paul Starr wrote in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book: "The AMA Council became a national accrediting agency for medical schools, as an increasing number of states adopted its judgments of unacceptable institutions." Further, he noted: "Even though no legislative body ever set up ... the AMA Council on Medical Education, their decisions came to have the force of law". With the AMA grading the various medical colleges, it became predictable that the homeopathic colleges, even the large and respected ones, would eventually be forced to stop teaching homeopathy or die.
In 1913, Simmons and the AMA went on the offensive even more strongly by their establishment of the "Propaganda Department," which was specifically dedicated to attacking any and all unconventional medical treatments and anyone (MD or not) who practiced them. In this same year, Simmons hired Morris Fishbein, MD, as a publicity man for the AMA.
In 1924, Simmons was forced out of the AMA due to the many scandals around him, and he took home all his personal files and burned them, though Simmons was again wise enough to have trained his replacement, Morris Fishbein. Fishbein's specialty was publicity and the media, and he used the media to attack anyone who provided a real or perceived threat to conventional medicine. Besides severe attacks against anyone who practiced unconventional medical treatments, Fishbein and the AMA were also initially extremely antagonistic to those conventional medical doctors who supported pre-paid health insurance.
Fishbein was a medical doctor who never practiced medicine. He was, however, an effective advocate for conventional medicine and a vocal critic of unconventional treatments. Shortly after he became head of the AMA, he wrote several books sharply critical of "medical quackery." He called chiropractic a "malignant tumor," and he considered osteopathy and homeopathy "cults." While Fishbein certainly provided benefit to the general public by warning them about some of the medical chicanery that existed at the time, he lumped together everything that was not taught in conventional medical schools and considered all such modalities quackery. When one considers that the vast majority of medicine practiced in that era was inadequately tested and dangerous to varying degrees, Fishbein's obsessive fight against certain treatments provided direct benefits to the physicians he was representing.
Fishbein's frequent and strident attacks on "health fraud" were broadcast far and wide, in part through his own newspaper column, syndicated to more than 200 newspapers, as well as a weekly radio program heard by millions of Americans. His influence on medicine and medical education was significant, and it is surprising how few medical history books mention his influence or his questionable tactics. Time magazine referred to him as "the nation's most ubiquitous, the most widely maligned, and perhaps most influential medico."
There are also numerous stories about Fishbein's efforts to purchase the rights to various healing treatments, and whenever the owner refused to sell such rights, Fishbein would label the treatment as quackery. If the owner of the treatment or device was a doctor, this doctor would be attacked by Fishbein in his writings and placed on the AMA's quackery list. And if the owner of the treatment or device was not a doctor, it was common for him to be arrested for practicing medicine without a license or have the product confiscated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Although Fishbein denied these allegations, he and the AMA were tried and convicted of anti-trust violations for conspiracy and restraint of trade in 1937. Further, Fishbein wrote numerous consumer health guides, and his choice of inclusion for what works or what doesn't work was not based on scientific evidence.
Fishbein extended Simmons's idea for the AMA seal of approval to foods, and by including a significant amount of advertising from food and tobacco companies, he was able to make the AMA and himself exceedingly rich. In fact, under his reign, the tobacco companies became the largest advertiser in JAMA and in various local medical society publications. In fact, Fishbein was instrumental in helping the tobacco companies conduct acceptable "scientific" testing to substantiate their claims. Some of the ad claims that Fishbein approved for inclusion in JAMA were: "Not a cough in a carload" (for Old Gold cigarettes), "Not one single case of throat irritation due to smoking Camels," "More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette," "Just what the doctor ordered" (L&M cigarettes), and "For digestion's sake, smoke Camels" (because the magical Camel cigarettes would "stimulate the flow of digestive fluids").
By 1950, the AMA's advertising revenue exceeded $9 million, thanks in great part to the tobacco companies.
Coincidentally, shortly after Fishbein was forced out of his position in the AMA in 1950, JAMA published research results for the first time about the harmfulness of tobacco. Medical student Ernst Wynder and surgeon Evarts Graham of Washington University in St. Louis found that 96.5 percent of lung cancer patients in their hospitals had been smokers. Very shortly after the AMA withdrew its seal of approval for Morris Fishbein, he became a high-paid consultant to one of the large tobacco companies.
This article is based on an excerpt from the book "The Homeopathic Revolution: Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy" (Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2007) by Dana Ullman, MPH
When George H. Simmons began in 1899 what became a twenty-five-year reign as head of the AMA, it was a weak organization with little money and little respect from the general public. The advertising revenue from the medical journal was a paltry $34,000 per year. Simmons came up with the idea to transform the AMA into a big business by granting the AMA's "seal of approval" to certain drug companies that placed large and frequent ads in JAMA and its various affiliate publications. By 1903, advertising revenue increased substantially, to $89,000, and by 1909, JAMA was making $150,000 per year. In 1900, the AMA had only 8,000 members, but by 1910, it had more than 70,000. This substantial increase in advertising revenue and membership was not the result of new effective medical treatments, for there were virtually no medical treatments from this era that were effective enough to be used by doctors today or even just a couple of decades later.
Some critics of the AMA have called their seal-of-approval program a form of extortion because the AMA did no testing of any products. When George Abbott, owner of a large drug company, Abbott Biologicals (known today as Abbott Laboratories), did not provide "blackmail" money to the AMA and when none of his products were granted AMA approval, Abbott went on the offensive. He arranged for an investigation of the AMA president that revealed that Simmons had no credible medical credentials, that he worked primarily as an abortion doctor for many years, and that he had had sex charges brought by some of his patients as well as charges of negligence in the deaths of others. After this meeting, the drugs made by Abbott Laboratories were regularly approved, and the company was not required to place any ads.
Simmons was shrewd enough to have the AMA establish a Council on Medical Education in 1904. This council's mission was to upgrade medical education -- a worthy goal. The formation of the council seemed a good idea to homeopaths because surveys in JAMA itself had consistently shown that the graduates of the conventional medical schools failed the medical board examinations at almost twice the rate of graduates of homeopathic colleges. However, the AMA developed guidelines to give lower ratings to homeopathic colleges. For instance, just having the word "homeopathic" in the name of a school had an effect on the rating because the AMA asserted that such schools taught "an exclusive dogma."
In 1910, the same year that the Flexner report was published, the AMA published "Essentials of an Acceptable Medical College", which echoed similar criteria for medical education and a disdain for non-conventional medical study. In fact, the AMA's head of the Council on Medical Education traveled with Abraham Flexner as they evaluated medical schools. The medical sociologist Paul Starr wrote in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book: "The AMA Council became a national accrediting agency for medical schools, as an increasing number of states adopted its judgments of unacceptable institutions." Further, he noted: "Even though no legislative body ever set up ... the AMA Council on Medical Education, their decisions came to have the force of law". With the AMA grading the various medical colleges, it became predictable that the homeopathic colleges, even the large and respected ones, would eventually be forced to stop teaching homeopathy or die.
In 1913, Simmons and the AMA went on the offensive even more strongly by their establishment of the "Propaganda Department," which was specifically dedicated to attacking any and all unconventional medical treatments and anyone (MD or not) who practiced them. In this same year, Simmons hired Morris Fishbein, MD, as a publicity man for the AMA.
In 1924, Simmons was forced out of the AMA due to the many scandals around him, and he took home all his personal files and burned them, though Simmons was again wise enough to have trained his replacement, Morris Fishbein. Fishbein's specialty was publicity and the media, and he used the media to attack anyone who provided a real or perceived threat to conventional medicine. Besides severe attacks against anyone who practiced unconventional medical treatments, Fishbein and the AMA were also initially extremely antagonistic to those conventional medical doctors who supported pre-paid health insurance.
Fishbein was a medical doctor who never practiced medicine. He was, however, an effective advocate for conventional medicine and a vocal critic of unconventional treatments. Shortly after he became head of the AMA, he wrote several books sharply critical of "medical quackery." He called chiropractic a "malignant tumor," and he considered osteopathy and homeopathy "cults." While Fishbein certainly provided benefit to the general public by warning them about some of the medical chicanery that existed at the time, he lumped together everything that was not taught in conventional medical schools and considered all such modalities quackery. When one considers that the vast majority of medicine practiced in that era was inadequately tested and dangerous to varying degrees, Fishbein's obsessive fight against certain treatments provided direct benefits to the physicians he was representing.
Fishbein's frequent and strident attacks on "health fraud" were broadcast far and wide, in part through his own newspaper column, syndicated to more than 200 newspapers, as well as a weekly radio program heard by millions of Americans. His influence on medicine and medical education was significant, and it is surprising how few medical history books mention his influence or his questionable tactics. Time magazine referred to him as "the nation's most ubiquitous, the most widely maligned, and perhaps most influential medico."
There are also numerous stories about Fishbein's efforts to purchase the rights to various healing treatments, and whenever the owner refused to sell such rights, Fishbein would label the treatment as quackery. If the owner of the treatment or device was a doctor, this doctor would be attacked by Fishbein in his writings and placed on the AMA's quackery list. And if the owner of the treatment or device was not a doctor, it was common for him to be arrested for practicing medicine without a license or have the product confiscated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Although Fishbein denied these allegations, he and the AMA were tried and convicted of anti-trust violations for conspiracy and restraint of trade in 1937. Further, Fishbein wrote numerous consumer health guides, and his choice of inclusion for what works or what doesn't work was not based on scientific evidence.
Fishbein extended Simmons's idea for the AMA seal of approval to foods, and by including a significant amount of advertising from food and tobacco companies, he was able to make the AMA and himself exceedingly rich. In fact, under his reign, the tobacco companies became the largest advertiser in JAMA and in various local medical society publications. In fact, Fishbein was instrumental in helping the tobacco companies conduct acceptable "scientific" testing to substantiate their claims. Some of the ad claims that Fishbein approved for inclusion in JAMA were: "Not a cough in a carload" (for Old Gold cigarettes), "Not one single case of throat irritation due to smoking Camels," "More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette," "Just what the doctor ordered" (L&M cigarettes), and "For digestion's sake, smoke Camels" (because the magical Camel cigarettes would "stimulate the flow of digestive fluids").
By 1950, the AMA's advertising revenue exceeded $9 million, thanks in great part to the tobacco companies.
Coincidentally, shortly after Fishbein was forced out of his position in the AMA in 1950, JAMA published research results for the first time about the harmfulness of tobacco. Medical student Ernst Wynder and surgeon Evarts Graham of Washington University in St. Louis found that 96.5 percent of lung cancer patients in their hospitals had been smokers. Very shortly after the AMA withdrew its seal of approval for Morris Fishbein, he became a high-paid consultant to one of the large tobacco companies.
This article is based on an excerpt from the book "The Homeopathic Revolution: Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy" (Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2007) by Dana Ullman, MPH
8 May 2008
Vaccine-Autism Question Divides Parents, Scientists
13-year old Michelle Cedillo is at the center of a court case pitting thousands of families of children with autism against the medical establishment. While a number of prestigious medical institutions say there is no link between vaccines and autism, the families believe vaccines caused their children's autism, and have taken their case to court.
Theresa and Mike Cedillo, Michelle's parents, believe the MMR vaccine, which at the time contained a mercury-based preservative, drastically altered the course of their daughter's development. Within days of receiving the injection, Michelle suffered from a high fever, persistent vomiting and problems with her digestion -- and also stopped speaking and no longer responded to her name.
Dr. Paul Offit, chief of infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, claims the apparent connection between vaccines and autism is “nothing more than a sad coincidence.”
But families who believe vaccines can trigger autism point to the case of 9-year-old Hannah Poling; the U.S. government conceded that vaccines "significantly aggravated" her underlying illness, predisposing her to symptoms of autism.
The court heard testimony in the Cedillo claim in June of 2007. Testimony in other test cases is scheduled for 2008.
Sources:
* CNN.com April 2, 2008
Theresa and Mike Cedillo, Michelle's parents, believe the MMR vaccine, which at the time contained a mercury-based preservative, drastically altered the course of their daughter's development. Within days of receiving the injection, Michelle suffered from a high fever, persistent vomiting and problems with her digestion -- and also stopped speaking and no longer responded to her name.
Dr. Paul Offit, chief of infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, claims the apparent connection between vaccines and autism is “nothing more than a sad coincidence.”
But families who believe vaccines can trigger autism point to the case of 9-year-old Hannah Poling; the U.S. government conceded that vaccines "significantly aggravated" her underlying illness, predisposing her to symptoms of autism.
The court heard testimony in the Cedillo claim in June of 2007. Testimony in other test cases is scheduled for 2008.
Sources:
* CNN.com April 2, 2008
The reason fat people find it hard to lose weight is found
Scientists have discovered why fat people find it so hard to lose weight, which will lead to many new approaches to weight loss.
# Scientists find fatness gene
# Blood pressure drug could help weight loss
# Sleep can help obese children lose weight
The difference in the number of fat cells between lean and obese people is established in childhood and, although fat people replenish fat cells at the same rate as thin ones, they have around twice as many.
This remarkable glimpse of what gives us beer guts, love handle and muffin tops could also lead to new approaches to fight the flab, by cutting the overall number of fat cells in the body, as well as providing an insight into why fat people find it so hard to lose weight, because the number of fat cells in a person remains the same, even after a successful diet.
The details of how humans regulate their fat mass is reported today in the journal Nature by a team led by scientists at the Karlolinksa Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, as a second team, led by Imperial College London, reports in the journal Nature Genetics the discovery of a gene sequence present in half the population linked to three quarters of an inch bigger waistline, four lb gain in weight, and a tendency to become resistant to insulin, which can lead to type 2 diabetes.
The fundamental new insight into the cause of obesity comes from an international team lead by Dr Kirsty Spalding, Prof Jonas Frisén and Prof Peter Arner who found the body constantly produces new fat cells to replace equally rapid break down of the already existing fat cells due to cell death.
They also show, that overweight people generate and replace more fat cells than do lean - and that the total number of fat cells stays equal after a diet program.
Until now, it was not clear that adults could make new fat cells. Some had assumed that they increase their fat mass by incorporating more fats into already existing fat cells in order to maintain their body weight (lean, overweight, obese). However now it seems we constantly produce new fat cells irrespective of our body weight status, sex or age.
"The total number of fat cells in the body is stable over time, because the making of new fat cells is counterbalanced by an equally rapid break down of the already existing fat cells due to cell death", says Prof Arner.
The study was made possible by a method to use radioactive isotopes in fat cells from people who had lived through the brief period of Cold War nuclear bomb testing from 1955 to 1963 to determine the age of the fat cells in the body.
This was combined with methods to carefully measure the size of the fat cells in relation to the total amount of adipose tissue in 687 people with a large individual variation in body weight who had undergone liposuction and abdominal reconstruction surgery.
Fat cells are replaced at the same rate that they die - roughly 10 per cent every year. The level of obesity is determined by a combination of the number and size of fat cells, which can grow or shrink as fat from food is deposited in them.
Even if obese subjects go on a diet they keep the total number of fat cells in the body constant, but the size of individual fat cells is decreased markedly.
The findings therefore provide a new target for treatment of obesity, namely by attacking the signals and genes in fat cells that control the formation of new such cells.
"The results may, at least in part, explain why it is so difficult to maintain the weight after slimming", adds Prof Arner.
"Until now it was not clear whether there was fat cell turnover in adults," adds Dr Spalding. "Now we have established this does occur, we can target the process.
"Various groups are looking at compounds that might regulate the formation of fat cells but this work is at too early a stage to say when anti obesitiy drugs based on this understanding will be tested on patients, if at all."
Other new insights into how to treat obesity could come from the gene sequence linked to an expanding waist line, weight gain and a tendency to develop type 2 diabetes in the Imperial led study.
Professor Jaspal Kooner, the paper's senior author from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, says: "Finding such a close association between a genetic sequence and significant physical effects is very important, especially when the sequence is found in half the population."
The study shows that the sequence is a third more common in those with Indian Asian than in those with European ancestry. This could provide a possible genetic explanation for the particularly high levels of obesity and insulin resistance in Indian Asians, who make up 25 per cent of the world's population, but who are expected to account for 40 per cent of global heart disease by 2020.
The new gene sequence sits close to a gene called MC4R, which regulates energy levels in the body by influencing how much we eat and how much energy we expend or conserve. The researchers believe the sequence is involved in controlling the MC4R gene, which has also been implicated in rare forms of extreme childhood obesity.
Previous research on finding the genetic causes of obesity has identified other energy-conserving genes. Combining knowledge about the effects of all these genes could pave the way for transforming how obesity is managed.
This research, backed by the British Heart Foundation, was carried out with scientists from the University of Michigan and the Pasteur Institute, France.
Last year a British led team found that if people carry one copy of a variant in a gene called FTO, as does half of the general population, it will lead to a gain in weight of 2.6lb or put just over half an inch on their waists and raise their risk of being obese by one third.
If people have two copies of this variant in the FTO gene, which is the case in one in six of the population, then they will gain almost 7lb more than those who lack the variation and are at a 70 per cent higher risk of obesity.
According to the 2001 Health Survey for England, more than a fifth of males and a similar proportion of females aged 16 and over were classified as obese.
Half of men and a third of women were classified as overweight.
# Scientists find fatness gene
# Blood pressure drug could help weight loss
# Sleep can help obese children lose weight
The difference in the number of fat cells between lean and obese people is established in childhood and, although fat people replenish fat cells at the same rate as thin ones, they have around twice as many.
This remarkable glimpse of what gives us beer guts, love handle and muffin tops could also lead to new approaches to fight the flab, by cutting the overall number of fat cells in the body, as well as providing an insight into why fat people find it so hard to lose weight, because the number of fat cells in a person remains the same, even after a successful diet.
The details of how humans regulate their fat mass is reported today in the journal Nature by a team led by scientists at the Karlolinksa Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, as a second team, led by Imperial College London, reports in the journal Nature Genetics the discovery of a gene sequence present in half the population linked to three quarters of an inch bigger waistline, four lb gain in weight, and a tendency to become resistant to insulin, which can lead to type 2 diabetes.
The fundamental new insight into the cause of obesity comes from an international team lead by Dr Kirsty Spalding, Prof Jonas Frisén and Prof Peter Arner who found the body constantly produces new fat cells to replace equally rapid break down of the already existing fat cells due to cell death.
They also show, that overweight people generate and replace more fat cells than do lean - and that the total number of fat cells stays equal after a diet program.
Until now, it was not clear that adults could make new fat cells. Some had assumed that they increase their fat mass by incorporating more fats into already existing fat cells in order to maintain their body weight (lean, overweight, obese). However now it seems we constantly produce new fat cells irrespective of our body weight status, sex or age.
"The total number of fat cells in the body is stable over time, because the making of new fat cells is counterbalanced by an equally rapid break down of the already existing fat cells due to cell death", says Prof Arner.
The study was made possible by a method to use radioactive isotopes in fat cells from people who had lived through the brief period of Cold War nuclear bomb testing from 1955 to 1963 to determine the age of the fat cells in the body.
This was combined with methods to carefully measure the size of the fat cells in relation to the total amount of adipose tissue in 687 people with a large individual variation in body weight who had undergone liposuction and abdominal reconstruction surgery.
Fat cells are replaced at the same rate that they die - roughly 10 per cent every year. The level of obesity is determined by a combination of the number and size of fat cells, which can grow or shrink as fat from food is deposited in them.
Even if obese subjects go on a diet they keep the total number of fat cells in the body constant, but the size of individual fat cells is decreased markedly.
The findings therefore provide a new target for treatment of obesity, namely by attacking the signals and genes in fat cells that control the formation of new such cells.
"The results may, at least in part, explain why it is so difficult to maintain the weight after slimming", adds Prof Arner.
"Until now it was not clear whether there was fat cell turnover in adults," adds Dr Spalding. "Now we have established this does occur, we can target the process.
"Various groups are looking at compounds that might regulate the formation of fat cells but this work is at too early a stage to say when anti obesitiy drugs based on this understanding will be tested on patients, if at all."
Other new insights into how to treat obesity could come from the gene sequence linked to an expanding waist line, weight gain and a tendency to develop type 2 diabetes in the Imperial led study.
Professor Jaspal Kooner, the paper's senior author from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, says: "Finding such a close association between a genetic sequence and significant physical effects is very important, especially when the sequence is found in half the population."
The study shows that the sequence is a third more common in those with Indian Asian than in those with European ancestry. This could provide a possible genetic explanation for the particularly high levels of obesity and insulin resistance in Indian Asians, who make up 25 per cent of the world's population, but who are expected to account for 40 per cent of global heart disease by 2020.
The new gene sequence sits close to a gene called MC4R, which regulates energy levels in the body by influencing how much we eat and how much energy we expend or conserve. The researchers believe the sequence is involved in controlling the MC4R gene, which has also been implicated in rare forms of extreme childhood obesity.
Previous research on finding the genetic causes of obesity has identified other energy-conserving genes. Combining knowledge about the effects of all these genes could pave the way for transforming how obesity is managed.
This research, backed by the British Heart Foundation, was carried out with scientists from the University of Michigan and the Pasteur Institute, France.
Last year a British led team found that if people carry one copy of a variant in a gene called FTO, as does half of the general population, it will lead to a gain in weight of 2.6lb or put just over half an inch on their waists and raise their risk of being obese by one third.
If people have two copies of this variant in the FTO gene, which is the case in one in six of the population, then they will gain almost 7lb more than those who lack the variation and are at a 70 per cent higher risk of obesity.
According to the 2001 Health Survey for England, more than a fifth of males and a similar proportion of females aged 16 and over were classified as obese.
Half of men and a third of women were classified as overweight.
Vitamin D Cuts Risk of Colon Cancer Death by 72 Percent
People with higher levels of vitamin D in their bodies are 72 percent less likely to die from colorectal cancer, according to a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Colorectal cancer kills approximately 50,000 people in the United States per year.
Researchers tracked the health status of 16,818 people in a nationwide government health survey. Participants joined between the years of 1988 and 1994 and were followed until the year 2000. Their blood was measured regularly to determine their bodies' levels of vitamin D. Those with higher levels of vitamin D at the beginning of the study were 72 percent less likely to die from colorectal cancer than those who began the study with the lowest levels of the nutrient.
Vitamin D is produced by the body when ultraviolet radiation from the sun strikes the skin. This means that deficiency can be a serious health problem in northern latitudes, particularly during the winter. For this reason, many milk products and non-dairy milk substitutes are fortified with the vitamin. Certain fatty fishes, such as salmon, are naturally high in vitamin D.
Deficiency in vitamin D can lead to rickets, a condition characterized by soft, weak bones, particularly in children.
Prior research has indicated that in addition to acting as an essential nutrient, vitamin D may inhibit the growth of tumors or even kill cancerous cells.
In an accompanying editorial, National Institutes of Health experts Cindy Davis and Johanna Dwyer warned that vitamin D supplementation is not the end-all of cancer prevention.
"While vitamin D may well have multiple benefits beyond bone, health professionals and the public should not, in a rush to judgment, assume that vitamin D is a magic bullet and consume high amounts of vitamin D," they wrote. "More definitive data on both benefits and potential adverse effects of high doses are urgently needed."
Vitamin D can be toxic in high concentrations, but toxicity cannot result from sunlight exposure, because the body ceases production when the needed bodily levels have been reached.
Researchers tracked the health status of 16,818 people in a nationwide government health survey. Participants joined between the years of 1988 and 1994 and were followed until the year 2000. Their blood was measured regularly to determine their bodies' levels of vitamin D. Those with higher levels of vitamin D at the beginning of the study were 72 percent less likely to die from colorectal cancer than those who began the study with the lowest levels of the nutrient.
Vitamin D is produced by the body when ultraviolet radiation from the sun strikes the skin. This means that deficiency can be a serious health problem in northern latitudes, particularly during the winter. For this reason, many milk products and non-dairy milk substitutes are fortified with the vitamin. Certain fatty fishes, such as salmon, are naturally high in vitamin D.
Deficiency in vitamin D can lead to rickets, a condition characterized by soft, weak bones, particularly in children.
Prior research has indicated that in addition to acting as an essential nutrient, vitamin D may inhibit the growth of tumors or even kill cancerous cells.
In an accompanying editorial, National Institutes of Health experts Cindy Davis and Johanna Dwyer warned that vitamin D supplementation is not the end-all of cancer prevention.
"While vitamin D may well have multiple benefits beyond bone, health professionals and the public should not, in a rush to judgment, assume that vitamin D is a magic bullet and consume high amounts of vitamin D," they wrote. "More definitive data on both benefits and potential adverse effects of high doses are urgently needed."
Vitamin D can be toxic in high concentrations, but toxicity cannot result from sunlight exposure, because the body ceases production when the needed bodily levels have been reached.
New Studies Find Calcium and Vitamin D May Prevent Colon Cancer
Specific vitamins and minerals in the diet appear to prevent the development of colon cancer. However, too much iron may cause malignancies to grow. Emory University scientists recently announced these findings, based on biological markers that influence colon cancer risk, at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting in San Diego.
Earlier studies have suggested that calcium and vitamin D reduce colon cancer risk and the new Emory data may explain why. In a clinical study of 92 patients, the researchers found that diets supplemented with calcium and vitamin D increase the levels of a protein called Bax which "turns on" the programmed death of pre-cancerous cells in the colon, according to Emory researcher Veronika Fedirko.
"We were pleased that the effects of calcium and vitamin D were visible enough in this small study to be significant and reportable. We will have to fully evaluate each marker's strength as we accumulate more data," Fedirko stated.
In other related Emory research, a 200 patient case-control study found high levels of calcium and vitamin D together are associated with increased levels of E-cadherin, the main adhesion molecule of epithelial cells (cells that line internal and external body surfaces, including the inside of blood vessels and small cavities). Loss of E-cadherin mediated adhesion is known to contribute to the change from benign lesions to invasive, metastatic cancer, so an increase of the molecule could protect from colon cancer.
The studies, which used colorectal biopsy samples, are part of a larger effort to identify a host of measurements that together can estimate a person's risk of developing colon cancer. "We want to have the equivalent of measuring cholesterol or high blood pressure, but for colon cancer instead of heart disease," said Roberd Bostick, MD, MPH, professor of epidemiology at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health. "These measurements will describe the climate of risk in the colon rather than spotting individual tumors or cells that may become tumors."
Another Emory study shows that one mineral, iron, in excess might up the risk of colon cancer. High levels of dietary iron were linked to low levels of APC, a protein whose absence in colon cancer cells leads to their runaway growth. Although iron is a necessary nutrient, it is needed only in small amounts. Previous research has shown that when too much iron is absorbed, it is associated with an increased risk for heart disease as well as cancer.
Bostick and his research team are participating in a ten-year multi-center study of the effects of increased vitamin D and calcium and biomarker-guided treatment of colon cancer recurrence. The study involves close to 2,500 people throughout the U.S. who have regular colonoscopies.
Bostick is currently working on the development of non-invasive blood and urine tests for colon cancer risk ((http://whsc.emory.edu/_pubs/hsc/winter0...) .
Most cases of colon cancer begin as small, benign clumps of cells called adenomatous polyps that, over time, transform into colon cancers. About 112,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer annually according to the American Cancer Society.
About the author
Sherry Baker is a widely published writer whose work has appeared in Newsweek, Health, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Yoga Journal, Optometry, Atlanta, Arthritis Today, Natural Healing Newsletter, OMNI, UCLA's "Healthy Years" newsletter, Mount Sinai School of Medicine's "Focus on Health Aging" newsletter, the Cleveland Clinic's "Men's Health Advisor" newsletter and many others.
Earlier studies have suggested that calcium and vitamin D reduce colon cancer risk and the new Emory data may explain why. In a clinical study of 92 patients, the researchers found that diets supplemented with calcium and vitamin D increase the levels of a protein called Bax which "turns on" the programmed death of pre-cancerous cells in the colon, according to Emory researcher Veronika Fedirko.
"We were pleased that the effects of calcium and vitamin D were visible enough in this small study to be significant and reportable. We will have to fully evaluate each marker's strength as we accumulate more data," Fedirko stated.
In other related Emory research, a 200 patient case-control study found high levels of calcium and vitamin D together are associated with increased levels of E-cadherin, the main adhesion molecule of epithelial cells (cells that line internal and external body surfaces, including the inside of blood vessels and small cavities). Loss of E-cadherin mediated adhesion is known to contribute to the change from benign lesions to invasive, metastatic cancer, so an increase of the molecule could protect from colon cancer.
The studies, which used colorectal biopsy samples, are part of a larger effort to identify a host of measurements that together can estimate a person's risk of developing colon cancer. "We want to have the equivalent of measuring cholesterol or high blood pressure, but for colon cancer instead of heart disease," said Roberd Bostick, MD, MPH, professor of epidemiology at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health. "These measurements will describe the climate of risk in the colon rather than spotting individual tumors or cells that may become tumors."
Another Emory study shows that one mineral, iron, in excess might up the risk of colon cancer. High levels of dietary iron were linked to low levels of APC, a protein whose absence in colon cancer cells leads to their runaway growth. Although iron is a necessary nutrient, it is needed only in small amounts. Previous research has shown that when too much iron is absorbed, it is associated with an increased risk for heart disease as well as cancer.
Bostick and his research team are participating in a ten-year multi-center study of the effects of increased vitamin D and calcium and biomarker-guided treatment of colon cancer recurrence. The study involves close to 2,500 people throughout the U.S. who have regular colonoscopies.
Bostick is currently working on the development of non-invasive blood and urine tests for colon cancer risk ((http://whsc.emory.edu/_pubs/hsc/winter0...) .
Most cases of colon cancer begin as small, benign clumps of cells called adenomatous polyps that, over time, transform into colon cancers. About 112,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer annually according to the American Cancer Society.
About the author
Sherry Baker is a widely published writer whose work has appeared in Newsweek, Health, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Yoga Journal, Optometry, Atlanta, Arthritis Today, Natural Healing Newsletter, OMNI, UCLA's "Healthy Years" newsletter, Mount Sinai School of Medicine's "Focus on Health Aging" newsletter, the Cleveland Clinic's "Men's Health Advisor" newsletter and many others.
7 May 2008
Question: Saurkraut
Hi Dr. Kevin,
I've tried fermenting the vegs last saturday...and here's the outcome .
The vegetables still look fresh on the 3rd day, however, it taste like it's been soaked in vinegar...is it correct ? Both Dayna and I tried yesterday evening , taste good but just wonder if the taste should be such.
Anyway, I am going to try out tonite again, this time round in the glass container without the layer of cabbage leave right at the top...1 question, after filling up the space with filtered water, should I also leave some space for the vegetables to expand...what happen during the 1st attempt was that, the water overflows out from the container the next morning....so, I actually opened up the lid (meaning allowing some air to come in/go out)..is this ok to open out the lid during the 3 days fermenting ?
Dr Kevin:
Sounds like you did a great job... the veges should look the same ie preserved in that state... if it browns or rots then something is wrong. I mean, if it looks bad, tastes bad then it probably will be bad.
Try not to let the air in during the fermentation, the carbon dioxide produced will prevent the oxygen coming into the jar and keeps the veges from rotting. Thats why it need to be air tight. You can leave a bit of space at the top to allow for the expansion, but a couple of leaves to push the veges down and keep it under water. Get rid of the leaves when done.
Merely store it after 3-4 days (like wine it ages and becomes more sour as you leave it out longer).
To health,
Dr Kevin Lau
I've tried fermenting the vegs last saturday...and here's the outcome .
The vegetables still look fresh on the 3rd day, however, it taste like it's been soaked in vinegar...is it correct ? Both Dayna and I tried yesterday evening , taste good but just wonder if the taste should be such.
Anyway, I am going to try out tonite again, this time round in the glass container without the layer of cabbage leave right at the top...1 question, after filling up the space with filtered water, should I also leave some space for the vegetables to expand...what happen during the 1st attempt was that, the water overflows out from the container the next morning....so, I actually opened up the lid (meaning allowing some air to come in/go out)..is this ok to open out the lid during the 3 days fermenting ?
Dr Kevin:
Sounds like you did a great job... the veges should look the same ie preserved in that state... if it browns or rots then something is wrong. I mean, if it looks bad, tastes bad then it probably will be bad.
Try not to let the air in during the fermentation, the carbon dioxide produced will prevent the oxygen coming into the jar and keeps the veges from rotting. Thats why it need to be air tight. You can leave a bit of space at the top to allow for the expansion, but a couple of leaves to push the veges down and keep it under water. Get rid of the leaves when done.
Merely store it after 3-4 days (like wine it ages and becomes more sour as you leave it out longer).
To health,
Dr Kevin Lau
Better-Educated Women Have a Healthier Weight
A new comparison of multi-national data reveals that highly educated women have a healthier average weight than less educated women. In countries where malnutrition is prevalent, better-educated women weigh more, while in wealthier countries with rapidly growing rates of obesity, better-educated women weigh less.
More than half of the adult population is underweight in Bangladesh. In that country, average female body mass increased with every additional year of schooling. In the U.S., where only 1 percent of people are underweight, better-educated women had a lower average body mass index the more education they’d received.
The United States was the only nation surveyed in which better-educated men also had a lower average BMI than less-educated men. In every other country, the average male body mass increased with every additional year of schooling.
Sources:
* Eurekalert April 30, 2008
More than half of the adult population is underweight in Bangladesh. In that country, average female body mass increased with every additional year of schooling. In the U.S., where only 1 percent of people are underweight, better-educated women had a lower average body mass index the more education they’d received.
The United States was the only nation surveyed in which better-educated men also had a lower average BMI than less-educated men. In every other country, the average male body mass increased with every additional year of schooling.
Sources:
* Eurekalert April 30, 2008
Smokers Have a 41 Percent Higher Risk of Depression
ScienceDaily (Apr. 25, 2008) — The risk of suffering depression increases 41% in smokers, in comparison with non-smokers. This was the conclusion of a study undertaken with 8,556 participants by scientists of the University of Navarra, in collaboration with the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the Harvard School of Public Health (USA), and which demonstrates in a pioneering way the direct relationship between tobacco use and this disease.
The article, whose first author is Prof. Almudena Sánchez-Villegas, is based on research undertaken over the course of 6 years on university graduates with an average age of 42. "Over the course of the tracking and data collection stage, 190 smokers who initially did not present depression were diagnosed with this disease by a doctor. In addition, 65 who were not diagnosed indicated that they were taking antidepressants during this period,” indicated Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, director of the research project and Chair Professor of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health.
Among the mechanisms that shed light on this relationship, he points to “genetic and/or environmental disposition, which will increase the probability that the tobacco habit is retained and that the user will suffer depression as an independent issue.”
Lessening of Physical Activity
In addition, the article indicates that those who had given up tobacco more than a decade previously have a lesser probability of developing depression than those who have never smoked.
The researchers also noted that an increase in tobacco use was correlated with a lessening of physical activity in the smoker’s free time.
Adapted from materials provided by Basque Research.
The article, whose first author is Prof. Almudena Sánchez-Villegas, is based on research undertaken over the course of 6 years on university graduates with an average age of 42. "Over the course of the tracking and data collection stage, 190 smokers who initially did not present depression were diagnosed with this disease by a doctor. In addition, 65 who were not diagnosed indicated that they were taking antidepressants during this period,” indicated Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, director of the research project and Chair Professor of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health.
Among the mechanisms that shed light on this relationship, he points to “genetic and/or environmental disposition, which will increase the probability that the tobacco habit is retained and that the user will suffer depression as an independent issue.”
Lessening of Physical Activity
In addition, the article indicates that those who had given up tobacco more than a decade previously have a lesser probability of developing depression than those who have never smoked.
The researchers also noted that an increase in tobacco use was correlated with a lessening of physical activity in the smoker’s free time.
Adapted from materials provided by Basque Research.
Obesity Can Inflame Your Heart
Heart specialists have uncovered what is believed to be the first wide-scale evidence linking severe obesity to prolonged inflammation of heart tissue. The Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) demonstrates yet one more reason for the estimated 72 million obese American adults to be concerned about their health.
Researchers conducted tests and tracked the development of heart failure in an ethnically diverse group of nearly 7,000 men and women. On average, obese participants were found to have higher blood levels of interleukin 6, C-reactive protein and fibrinogen, which are all immune system proteins involved in inflammation.
A near doubling of average interleukin 6 levels alone accounted for an 84 percent greater risk of developing heart failure in the study population. Similarly, a near tripling of average levels of C-reactive protein in obese study participants increased the chance of heart failure by 36 percent.
Sources:
* Science Daily May 1, 2008
Researchers conducted tests and tracked the development of heart failure in an ethnically diverse group of nearly 7,000 men and women. On average, obese participants were found to have higher blood levels of interleukin 6, C-reactive protein and fibrinogen, which are all immune system proteins involved in inflammation.
A near doubling of average interleukin 6 levels alone accounted for an 84 percent greater risk of developing heart failure in the study population. Similarly, a near tripling of average levels of C-reactive protein in obese study participants increased the chance of heart failure by 36 percent.
Sources:
* Science Daily May 1, 2008
Dirty Drug Industry Secret: Their Pills are Made in China
Not long ago, the FDA warned Americans not to buy prescription drugs from Canada because they might be "contaminated by terrorists." What the FDA didn’t bother to mention, however, is that most pharmaceutical drugs purchased in the U.S. are manufactured in places like China and Puerto Rico.
Foreign drugs were dangerous, the FDA warned, because they were not subjected to rigorous quality control requirements -- the implication being, of course, that brand-name pharmaceuticals sold in the U.S. are not so contaminated.
This has been proven to be yet another lie. Heparin, a blood-thinning drug made by Baxter International, was recently discovered by consumers to be manufactured in China, where the quality controls were so low that this FDA approved, brand-name drug was apparently deliberately contaminated with an adulterated chemical. It has now resulted in the death of dozens of consumers in the United States. The very scenario dreamed up by the FDA to warn consumers away from pharmaceuticals purchased in Canada or Mexico turns out to be true -- for a brand-name drug sold at monopoly prices in the United States.
The FDA has not inspected 93% of the factories that manufacture pharmaceuticals outside the U.S., and many of the pharmaceuticals manufactured for U.S. drug companies are contaminated with metal parts from the gears of processing machines or flecks of paint from factory walls.
Sources:
* Organic Consumers Organization May 1, 2008
Foreign drugs were dangerous, the FDA warned, because they were not subjected to rigorous quality control requirements -- the implication being, of course, that brand-name pharmaceuticals sold in the U.S. are not so contaminated.
This has been proven to be yet another lie. Heparin, a blood-thinning drug made by Baxter International, was recently discovered by consumers to be manufactured in China, where the quality controls were so low that this FDA approved, brand-name drug was apparently deliberately contaminated with an adulterated chemical. It has now resulted in the death of dozens of consumers in the United States. The very scenario dreamed up by the FDA to warn consumers away from pharmaceuticals purchased in Canada or Mexico turns out to be true -- for a brand-name drug sold at monopoly prices in the United States.
The FDA has not inspected 93% of the factories that manufacture pharmaceuticals outside the U.S., and many of the pharmaceuticals manufactured for U.S. drug companies are contaminated with metal parts from the gears of processing machines or flecks of paint from factory walls.
Sources:
* Organic Consumers Organization May 1, 2008
Can Hair Dyes Give You Cancer?
Hairdressers and barbers are at increased risk of developing cancer as a result of their use of hair dyes. These risks could also extend to personal use of the dyes.
A review of the evidence found a consistent risk of bladder cancer in male hairdressers and barbers. A second review of the evidence on personal hair dye use found some studies suggesting a possible association with bladder cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia.
However, the panel found that the evidence was inadequate to classify the carcinogenicity of personal hair dye use.
Sources:
* The Independent March 26, 2008
A review of the evidence found a consistent risk of bladder cancer in male hairdressers and barbers. A second review of the evidence on personal hair dye use found some studies suggesting a possible association with bladder cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia.
However, the panel found that the evidence was inadequate to classify the carcinogenicity of personal hair dye use.
Sources:
* The Independent March 26, 2008
6 May 2008
Grainless Diet Works Better than Mediterranean Diet
A study at Lund University in Sweden asked 29 patients to follow either a Paleolithic-style diet, which includes lean meat, fish, fruts, vegetables, eggs and nuts--but no grain products, OR a Mediterranean diet which includes whole grain breads. By the end of the 12-week study, people eating a Paleo diet had an average
26 percent decrease in blood sugar, while those eating the Mediterranean diet had only a 7 percent decrease. Also, the Paleo diet eaters had an average 2.2 percent decrease in waist circumference compared with 1.1 percent in the Mediterranean group, and the Paleo eaters had lower insulin levels. Both diets avoided dairy products, refined fat, sugar and salt.
Diabetologia, 2007;50:1795-1807.
26 percent decrease in blood sugar, while those eating the Mediterranean diet had only a 7 percent decrease. Also, the Paleo diet eaters had an average 2.2 percent decrease in waist circumference compared with 1.1 percent in the Mediterranean group, and the Paleo eaters had lower insulin levels. Both diets avoided dairy products, refined fat, sugar and salt.
Diabetologia, 2007;50:1795-1807.
(NaturalNews) Patients who take the cholesterol drug torcetrapid, intended to increase levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol and lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, have a 58 percent higher risk of death than similar patients who do not take the drug, according to a study led by researchers at the Heart Research Institute in Sydney and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers studied 15,067 participants, all considered to be at high risk of cardiovascular disease. All the patients were treated with the cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin, while half were also treated with torcetrapid.
Torcetrapid is marketed by Pfizer, as is atorvastatin (under the brand name Lipitor).
Patients receiving both drugs had a 58 percent higher chance of dying and a 25 percent higher chance of experiencing cardiovascular events such as heart attacks than those who were treated only with atorvastatin.
Torcetrapid is one of a new class of drugs called cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors. Unlike older cholesterol drugs, which only lower LDL levels, CETP inhibitors are intended to raise HDL levels at the same time. The drugs function by blocking the action of a protein that transfers cholesterol from HDL to LDL, thus forcing the cholesterol to remain in HDL form.
In the recent study, torcetrapid was found to raise HDL levels by an average of 72.1 percent, and lower LDL levels by an average of 24.9 percent.
Scientists are still unclear why torcetrapid appears to increase patient death rates and heart attack risk. While the drug is known to raise blood pressure, many of the patients who died in the recent study actually had blood pressure levels below normal.
Researchers have hypothesized that the drug may increase the levels of a hormone involved in regulating blood pressure, and that this may lead to stress on the cardiovascular system.
Merck and Roche Holding have placed the development of their own CETP inhibitors on hold, pending the results of further trials on torcetrapid.
Researchers studied 15,067 participants, all considered to be at high risk of cardiovascular disease. All the patients were treated with the cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin, while half were also treated with torcetrapid.
Torcetrapid is marketed by Pfizer, as is atorvastatin (under the brand name Lipitor).
Patients receiving both drugs had a 58 percent higher chance of dying and a 25 percent higher chance of experiencing cardiovascular events such as heart attacks than those who were treated only with atorvastatin.
Torcetrapid is one of a new class of drugs called cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors. Unlike older cholesterol drugs, which only lower LDL levels, CETP inhibitors are intended to raise HDL levels at the same time. The drugs function by blocking the action of a protein that transfers cholesterol from HDL to LDL, thus forcing the cholesterol to remain in HDL form.
In the recent study, torcetrapid was found to raise HDL levels by an average of 72.1 percent, and lower LDL levels by an average of 24.9 percent.
Scientists are still unclear why torcetrapid appears to increase patient death rates and heart attack risk. While the drug is known to raise blood pressure, many of the patients who died in the recent study actually had blood pressure levels below normal.
Researchers have hypothesized that the drug may increase the levels of a hormone involved in regulating blood pressure, and that this may lead to stress on the cardiovascular system.
Merck and Roche Holding have placed the development of their own CETP inhibitors on hold, pending the results of further trials on torcetrapid.
Walgreens Mistakenly Replaced Prenatal Vitamins with Chemotherapy Drugs, Lawsuit Alleges
(NaturalNews) A couple from St. Louis has filed a wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuit against Walgreen Co. after Chanda Givens had her prescription for prenatal vitamins filled instead with a chemotherapy drug that caused her to miscarry.
Givens became pregnant in February and was given a prescription for prenatal vitamins under the brand name Materna in early March. According to the lawsuit, her prescription was instead filled with Matulane, a chemotherapy drug used to treat Hodgkin's disease. The drug functions by interfering with DNA development, cell growth and cell reproduction.
Soon after beginning the drug regimen, Givens began feeling nauseous and vomiting, but she assumed that she was just suffering from morning sickness. She miscarried in April. Because she hoped to become pregnant again, Givens continued taking the drug and phoned in for a refill when she ran out. At this point, the pharmacy discovered and informed her of the error.
The Givens' lawsuit accuses Walgreens of failing to properly supervise pharmacy staff, failing to check the prescription with Givens' doctor and failure to follow proper protocol.
Walgreens has, to date, refused to admit even that the prescription error occurred.
"We're just very sorry this miscarriage occurred," company spokesperson Carol Hively said.
"I think it has really taken an emotional toll on Chanda especially," said Dawn Mefford, the Givens' attorney. "She describes it as a nightmare."
Mefford also expressed concern over the Matulane's long-term effects on not only Givens' ability to have another child in the future, but also on her own health. An oncologist warned Givens that having taken the chemotherapy drug inappropriately may increase her risk of developing solid tumors, such as lung cancer, in the future.
"If true, this demonstrates part of what's wrong with our pharmaceutical-based medical system today," said consumer health advocate Mike Adams, founder of the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center (www.ConsumerWellness.org). "The very fact that toxic poisons like chemotherapy drugs are even considered medicine is nothing short of astonishing," Adams said.
Givens became pregnant in February and was given a prescription for prenatal vitamins under the brand name Materna in early March. According to the lawsuit, her prescription was instead filled with Matulane, a chemotherapy drug used to treat Hodgkin's disease. The drug functions by interfering with DNA development, cell growth and cell reproduction.
Soon after beginning the drug regimen, Givens began feeling nauseous and vomiting, but she assumed that she was just suffering from morning sickness. She miscarried in April. Because she hoped to become pregnant again, Givens continued taking the drug and phoned in for a refill when she ran out. At this point, the pharmacy discovered and informed her of the error.
The Givens' lawsuit accuses Walgreens of failing to properly supervise pharmacy staff, failing to check the prescription with Givens' doctor and failure to follow proper protocol.
Walgreens has, to date, refused to admit even that the prescription error occurred.
"We're just very sorry this miscarriage occurred," company spokesperson Carol Hively said.
"I think it has really taken an emotional toll on Chanda especially," said Dawn Mefford, the Givens' attorney. "She describes it as a nightmare."
Mefford also expressed concern over the Matulane's long-term effects on not only Givens' ability to have another child in the future, but also on her own health. An oncologist warned Givens that having taken the chemotherapy drug inappropriately may increase her risk of developing solid tumors, such as lung cancer, in the future.
"If true, this demonstrates part of what's wrong with our pharmaceutical-based medical system today," said consumer health advocate Mike Adams, founder of the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center (www.ConsumerWellness.org). "The very fact that toxic poisons like chemotherapy drugs are even considered medicine is nothing short of astonishing," Adams said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)