Month: June 2010

(SilverBulletin) Previously in this series we looked at the cozy relationship between the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the chemical industry, including how that industry had been the source of both board members and major donations. A stark example of the influence chemical makers wielded with the ACS came in the spring of 1993 when the ACS helped attack an upcoming documentary about pesticide dangers.

Porter-Novelli first crafted a rebuttal to help the manufacturers quell public fears about pesticide-contaminated food. Next, Porter-Novelli called up another client, the ACS, for whom Porter-Novelli had done pro bono work for years. The rebuttal that Porter-Novelli had just sent off to its industry clients was faxed to ACS Atlanta headquarters. Then it was circulated internationally by e-mail so that the 3,000 regional ACS offices could use it to help field calls from the public after the show aired.

The ACS memo stated: "The program makes unfounded suggestions . . . that pesticide residue in food may be at hazardous levels. Its use of a 'cancer cluster' leukemia case reports and non-specific community illnesses as alleged evidence of pesticide effects in people is unfortunate. We know of no community cancer clusters which have been shown to be anything other than chance grouping of cases and none in which pesticide use was confirmed as the cause."

Later, accuracy in Media's newsletter trumpeted quotes from the ACS memo in an article whose banner headline read "Junk Science on PBS." The article began "Can we afford the Public Broadcasting Service?" and went on to disparage the PBS documentary. "In Our Children's Food . . . exemplified what the media have done to produce these 'popular panics' and the enormously costly waste (at PBS) cited by the New York Times."

When public television producer Marty Koughman saw the article he was outraged and initially believed the ACS had somehow been duped. Later, however, Koughan figured out what was really going on after several failed attempts to get an ACS rebuttal. "When I realized Porter-Novelli represented five agrichemical companies, and that the ACS had been a client for years, it became obvious that the ACS had not been fooled at all," said Koughan. "They were willing partners in the deception, and were in fact doing a favor for a friend _ by flakking for the agrichemical industry."

Koughan's investigation had relied heavily on a ground-breaking report issued by the National Academy of Sciences in June of 1993 entitled "Pesticides in the Diet of Children." The report declared the nation's food supply was "inadequately protected" from cancer-causing pesticides and a significant threat to the health of children. An earlier report issued by the Natural Resources Defense Council in 1989, "Intolerable Risk: Pesticides in our Children's Food," had also castigated pesticide manufacturers.

Former director of the National Academy of Sciences Board of Agriculture Charles Benbrook had worked on the pesticide report by the Academy of Sciences. He charged that the role of the ACS as a source of information for the pesticide and product industry was "unconscionable." Investigative reporter Sheila Kaplan went a step further in a 1993 Legal Times article: "What they did was clearly and unequivocally over the line, and constitutes a major conflict of interest."

In the next installment in this series we will examine the close relationships the American Cancer Society has with the mammogram and other cancer industries.

All VOCs are highly toxic to humans and physical reactions from exposure to these gases include:

*Drowsiness
*Irritation of eyes, nose or throat
*Coughing or difficulty breathing
*Dizziness
*Nausea or vomiting
*Rapid or irregular heartbeat
*Headaches
*Tremors
*Confusion
*Memory damage
*Ocular damage
*Neurological damage
*Convulsions
*Unconsciousness
*Death (at very high levels)

Scores of residents and clean up workers have already been reported as suffering from spill-related symptoms. Louisiana's Health Secretary Alan Levine told CBS News there have been 75 people so far reporting spill-related symptoms in Louisiana. CNN has reported that an additional 15 cases have been reported in Alabama.

The good news is that common indoor plants may offer considerable improvement for the air in homes and offices. In the late 1980s, NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) spent two years testing common house plants for their ability to remove the volatile organic compounds benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde from the air. The study found that all of the plants were useful, with some houseplants capable of removing as much as 87 percent of indoor air pollutants within 24 hours. The plants the study found effective were:

*Bamboo or Reed Palm
*Elephant Ear Philodendron
*Chinese Evergreen
*Chrysanthemum
*Cornstalk Dracaena
*English Ivy
*Gerbera Daisy
*Golden Pothos
*Heartleaf Philodendron
*Janet Craig Dracaena
*Peace Lily
*Red-edged Dracaena
*Selloum Philodendron
*Snake Plant
*Spider Plant
*Warneck Dracaena
*Weeping Fig

Though the study was limited to only three common VOC pollutants, it is believed that the same indoor plants should also be effective against other VOCs, including sulphur dioxide. The plants which were found to be most effective for benzene removal were: English Ivy, Dracaena marginata, Janet Craig, Warneckei, Chrysanthemum, Gerbera Daisy and Peace lily.

Besides the benefits of eliminating toxins from the air, plants are a source of oxygen. They have been found to elevate mood as well as productivity and they reduce fatigue, coughs, sore throats and other cold-related illnesses by more than 30 percent, partially by increasing humidity levels and decreasing dust.

In addition to houseplants, carbon air filters in combination with HEPA filters are very good for removing VOCs and other pollutants from indoor air. Activated carbon filters in particular are effective at eliminating sulphur dioxide in both air and water. Sulphur dioxide is commonly referred to as "rotten egg gas" due to its distinctive odor.

Note: organic nurseries are preferred sources of all plants since commercial nurseries frequently use malathion and other pesticides.

(SilverBulletin) It is estimated that over 5 million people in the US have Alzheimer's disease and many experts believe that number may triple by 2050. Though there is presently no known cure, many recent year studies and anecdotal evidence indicates that proper diet, lifestyle and supplementation can prevent, slow and even reverse the Alzheimer's.

Supplements of oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) improved memory in animals with age-related cognitive decline in a recent study from Japan and Korea. Proanthocyanidins are found in many plants including apples, pine bark, cinnamon, cocoa, grape seed, grape skin, red wines, bilberry, cranberry, black currant, green tea, black tea, and other plants. The berries of black chokeberry have the highest OPC concentrations found to date.

Other research has shown that a compound in curry not only prevents changes in the brain that lead to Alzheimer's disease, but it also actually reverses some of the existing damage. People over 65 in certain rural areas of India, where curry consumption is high, have a less than 1 percent (0.84%) chance of developing the disease. In the larger cities and other areas of India, the risk is just 2.4 percent. By comparison the chances of getting Alzheimer's for people over 65 in the United States range from just under 5 percent to an astonishing 17 percent.

Holy Basil (a close relative of the herb basil) has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine to rejuvenate mental and physical health. Now, researchers in India have found that holy basil extract protects against free radical damage by actively seeking out and eliminating harmful molecules.

Many studies support the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids. According to epidemiological data in the Framingham Heart Study, people who eat an average of 180 mg or more a day of DHA, found in fish oils, have a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego provided ground-breaking proof that a natural protein called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) can prevent and even reverse Alzheimer's.

In other studies:

*Compounds in black currants have been found to slow the progression of Alzheimer's and are currently being studied in multiple Scottish studies.
*A compound in extra virgin olive oil could deter proteins from disrupting nerve cell function that causes the debilitating effects of Alzheimer's disease.
*Exposure to sunlight in the morning followed by melatonin supplementation at night helps restore healthy sleeping patterns.
*Blueberries are especially helpful for optimum cognitive function.

Other natural items which may help:

*The antioxidants Vitamin E and lipoic acid could help reduce the severity of Alzheimer's.

*Antioxidants such as Acetyl-L-carnitine protect against amyloid-beta neurotoxicity.

*Vegetable and fruit juices have plentiful antioxidants.

*B vitamins, such as B6, folic acid, and B12 lower homocysteine levels. It is believed that high brain levels of homocysteine cause neuronal damage leading to progression of Alzheimer's.

*Curcumin, the yellow compound found in turmeric, is getting increasing attention and may be a good preventive.

*Natural supplementation with huperzine may help by blocking the breakdown of acetylcholine into cholinesterase. Acetylcholine precursors such as choline may also help, as may blue green algae which inhibit cholinesterase.

*Herbal teas can provide important nutrients and enhance mood.

*Silica appears to protect against Alzheimer's disease.

In addition to the above items, taking steps to keep a sharp and active mind can be essential.