Month: April 2012

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Vaccines Have Been Based On Medical Fraud For Over 100 Years

by: PF Louis

(NaturalNews) The concept of vaccinating to immunize began in 1796, when British apothecary (pharmacist) Edward Jenner inserted cowpox pus under the skin of an eight year old boy. Jenner based his experiment on an unsubstantiated rumor that anyone who had experienced cowpox would be immune to smallpox.

Vaccine and Detoxification Healing Protocol

Over the next couple of years, Jenner vaccinated others with cowpox to immunize them against smallpox. Without any actual proof of efficacy and safety, Jenner impressed King George III enough with a bogus immunization guarantee that he was awarded the equivalent of today's $500,000.

Thus, Jenner was the first medical professional to administer diseased matter as medication to a healthy person and receive a substantial financial award. He was also the first to constantly denounce vaccination detractors successfully. He was protecting both his ego and large public purse.

Many health professionals throughout the 19th Century knew that there had been several cases of smallpox among those with cowpox histories. Jenner's premise was flawed.

This was actually the beginning of a tradition that is carried on by today's vaccinators. Come up with a bogus solution to prevent a disease, make a bundle of cash, and shut down reasonable arguments from those who know immunization by vaccination doesn't work safely or effectively.

England's incidents of smallpox after vaccination rose steadily from five percent in the beginning to 95% by 1895. There was even a serious epidemic around 1872, one year after smallpox vaccinations were decreed mandatory in the UK. The mortality rate among smallpox victims also shot up five fold around that time.

Despite intelligent protests with obvious facts and figures disproving efficacy, and proving harm from toxic materials and viruses contained in vaccines that endanger natural immunity, the inoculation for immunization premise has been maintained.

Protecting the industry against truth by attacking reasonable dissenters viciously has resulted in vaccine industry revenue of $17 billion annually today. This doesn't include revenue from doctors' visits for vaccinations and resulting ill health from them.

The vaccinators' tactics of suppressing scientific data from concerned professionals has become more mafia like. Sincere medical professionals who register health concerns over vaccines are severely punished and slandered by the medical mafia owned mainstream media.

The truth about vaccines and disease outbreaks -allhidden from public view
A 2012 study led by Dr. David Witt, an infectious disease specialist at the San Rafael, California Kaiser Permanente Medical Center concluded that whooping cough occurs more among vaccinated children than children not vaccinated.

In 2010, a mumps outbreak occurred among 1000 children in upper New Jersey and lower New York. Almost 80% of them had been vaccinated with the MMR (measles, mumps & rubella) vaccine.

Throughout the 1980s, official agencies reported several outbreaks of measles occurring among children who had been vaccinated in various locations including an Illinois junior high and high school, a Massachusetts high school, a region in France, and a rural area near Helisinki, Finland.

Both USA schools had well over 90% vaccinated against measles. The vaccinators claim a 90% vaccination rate among any specific population guarantees herd immunity for that population. This bogus claim serves to create more revenue while blaming non-vaccinators for endangering humanity.

Meanwhile, despite the fact that only five percent of vaccine adverse events get reported to the "voluntary" FDA's vaccine adverse event reporting system (VAERS), there are many serious adverse events recorded and many more that seep through the cracks to vaccine concerned internet sites.

Thank goodness for the few MDs and others who dare speak out despite the danger it potentially puts them in. It's up to us to learn from them and just say no to vaccinations.

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Health & Freedom

North Carolina Board Violated US Constitution In Threatening Nutrition Blogger

by: Ethan A. Huff

(NaturalNews) The power-tripping medical establishment in North Carolina has threatened to sue the owner of an online diabetes blog based in the Tar Heel State if he refuses to capitulate to their tyrannous, unconstitutional demands. The North Carolina Board of Dietetics / Nutrition (NCBDN) says Steve Cooksey is violating state law by freely sharing dietary and nutrition information on his blog, simply because he is not a licensed dietitian.

Instead of confirming the lies and misinformation of the state-sanctioned nutrition guidelines for diabetes, which frown on things like saturated fats and encourage consumption of grain-based carbohydrates, Cooksey spoke up about the importance of consuming saturated fats as part of a healthy diet, and warned about how eating too many carbohydrates is detrimental to health. He also passed out business cards to event attendees that directed them to his blog.

A mere three days later, Cooksey was reportedly contacted by Charla Mae Burill, Director of NCBDN (http://www.avvo.com/attorneys/27560-nc-charla-burill-1918146.html), and told that he "could not give out nutritional advice without a license," according to the Carolina Journal. Burill also threatened to file an injunction against Cooksey unless he completely revamps his site, or takes it offline.

You can view Cooksey's blog here:
http://www.diabetes-warrior.net/

NCBDN threats against Cooksey violate the U.S. Constitution
In its defense, NCBDN says Cooksey is specifically violating state law by "counseling" readers about nutrition, rather than just providing general information about diet plans. But any rational, unbiased assessment of the situation, and of Cooksey's blog specifically, will reveal that NCBDN's accusations are petty at best — and in all truth, they are completely unwarranted and ridiculous.

NCBDN's accusations are also unconstitutional, as Cooksey has every legal right under the U.S. Constitution to share health information online, and even to assist his readers in curing their own diseases by sharing how certain dietary protocols have helped him. So no matter how NCBDN tries to spin the issue, Cooksey has complete, sovereign authority over his own person to share his health experiences online without having to deal with duress from government bureaucrats.

"The First Amendment says state and federal governments 'shall make no law' abridging freedom of speech," says Declan McCullagh, a CBS News correspondent and expert in free speech issues, who believes the case is nonsense. "It doesn't say 'except for what annoys the North Carolina Board of Dietetics and Nutrition.'"

"If that language appeared in a book or a magazine article, do you think the board would complain? How about if someone said that to a friend over dinner at a restaurant? Of course not. But because it's on the Web, they seem to think that the First Amendment no longer applies."

NCBDN concerned with maintaining its own health monopoly, not with improving public health
If NCBDN was really concerned about improving the health and eating habits of North Carolinians, it would not be wasting precious time and resources pursuing a man whose experience and expertise in the matter has actually been proven to reverse and cure disease. But it is precisely because Cooksey's expertise is effective and runs contrary to NCBDN's outmoded dietary doctrine that the organization is seeking to squelch him.

It is a classic case of a centralized power institution seeking to maintain complete control over an entire industry, which in this case is health and nutrition. Any information or advice that runs contrary to its own antiquated dogma, which includes Cooksey's blog, cannot be tolerated if the institution is to survive.

But the free people of the United States, and specifically of North Carolina, cannot tolerate NCBDN's extreme abuse of its own perceived authority, either, which it technically and legally does not even possess in the first place. And it is time to put this board in its place by demanding that it leave Cooksey, and all other sovereign individuals, alone.

Regardless of whether or not you live in North Carolina, you can contact NCBDN to express your thoughts, and to urge the group to back off, by writing, calling, faxing or emailing:

North Carolina Board of Dietetics / Nutrition
1000 Centre Green Way
Suite 200
Cary, NC 27513

Phone: (919) 228-6391
Toll Free: (800) 849-2936
Fax: (919) 882-1776

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Diabetes Is Big Business, But For Whom?

by Dr. Rivkah Roth

(GreenMedInfo) We all know that diabetes is big business. The trillion dollar question is: "big business for whom?"

This week (April 2012), 1st Quarter net profit financial statements were released in business publications worldwide. Among the company net profit earnings reported were some of the biggest manufacturers of diabetes and diabetes-related medications.

Chromium Video

This blog is written by a health professional and not a business savvy individual. It, therefore, does not claim accuracy nor is this list anywhere close to complete. But, it should get us thinking. Here are the reports from just five of the major couple of dozen or so pharmaceutical companies:

  • Merck reported $11.7 billion[1] net earnings from January to March 2012, largely boosted by higher sales of their Januvia and Janumet diabetes drugs.
  • The Sanofi report exceeds expectations with a 13% increase to $3,2 billion[2] and includes diabetes drugs such as Lantus.
  • Novartis announced an 18%[3] net profit drop to $2.33 billion (still a hefty 3 month profit!) among a sales drop to $13.74 billions.[4] – Any of these "losses" can’t be that devastating considering that Novartis, early this week, announced their plans for a new $550 million production site in its native Switzerland.
  • Nova Nordisk reports an 18% increase to a hefty $822 million net profit[5] and plans on expanding its US-based diabetes sales force by 15% in 2012.[6]

On the other hand, we have a consumer advocacy group calling on the FDA to ban their diabetes drug Victoza[7] over suspicion that it might contribute to thyroid cancer, pancreatitis, and possibly other safety issues not eliminated or excluded by human studies.

  • All the while, Ampio has been awarded US and Canadian patents for commercializing diabetes-related drugs.[8]

The magnitude of the accumulated, largely diabetes-related drug income becomes clear when we consider that we need to quadruple the above numbers in order to arrive at ballpark estimates for yearly earnings.

Against these giant numbers, our 7 billion world population count appears minor. But the per capita consumer burden is huge. The discrepancy becomes even more striking when we consider that of those seven billion people…

  • at this point, only every 2nd individual worldwide is at risk of developing diabetes and related conditions and complications later in life, and that
  • the fastest diabetes growth rates are in countries such as India, China, Malaysia, Philippines, etc. without widespread access to or use of prescription drugs.

When we read these numbers we got to further keep in mind that advertising budgets typically are in the billions for each and every pharmaceutical company, and that for most pharmaceutical companies that advertising budget is greater than their allotted research budget.

It takes but an hour or so in front of a television set or an internet screen to realize that the majority of advertisements deal with promoting processed foods and pharmaceutical drugs. Not surprisingly, many pharmaceutical giants have a stake in food production companies.

Are we looking at a marketing paradigm of a "promote processed foods = raise pharmaceutical earnings" attitude? Truly, this sends shivers down the spine.  

On the other hand, research has amply documented that no disease complex is easier changed and avoided by adhering to proper food and lifestyle habits than metabolic diseases including diabetes.

Clearly, the food-pharma connection is working a tighter and tighter net. The only one who can break out of this vicious circle is the consumer – You:

  1. by avoiding processed and unhealthy foods
  2. by leading an overall healthier, more active lifestyle
  3. by looking for alternatives of causal healing instead of symptom-based pharmaceutical suppression therapies.

The bottom line, we as the taxpayers and consumers can no longer afford spending these dollar amounts first on unhealthy foods and subsequently on equally unhealthy drug fixes. 

What are YOU going to do about this?

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Six Natural Remedies For Acid Reflux

by: PF Louis

(NaturalNews) Acid reflux, commonly called heartburn, is caused when digestive acids flow up from the stomach and into the esophagus. The esophagus, located in the heart region of the chest, becomes irritated with a burning sensation.

Enzymes
Vitamin D
Membrane Complex

There are lesser known symptoms other than heartburn for acid reflux as well: gas, bloating, flatulence and even apparently unrelated symptoms such as chronic dry coughing, sour or bitter mouth between meals, trouble swallowing, hoarseness, and wheezing.

Acid reflux usually occurs from a failure of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to contract after swallowing food, thus allowing stomach acids to come up toward and into the esophagus.

This muscular failure to contract can be from several situations, including obesity, lying down after meals, eating just before bedtime, eating disagreeable processed fried foods, and over eating. Excess caffeine or alcohol can weaken the LES and induce occasional or reoccurring acid reflux.

Hiatel hernia, where the diaphragm muscle protrudes over the top of the stomach, is another contributing factor to acid reflux. If acid reflux occurs often on a regular basis, the condition becomes gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which can develop into cancer of the esophagus if ignored.

Over the counter (OTC) or prescribed medications lead to other problems, of course. So here are a few suggestions for natural remedies.

Long term solutions from Dr. Edward Group
In addition to the usual lifestyle changes in order to lose stomach fat — eating right, cutting back on sugar, alcohol, and caffeine, moderate exercise, and relaxation — Dr. Group recommends increasing intake of digestive enzymes.

This can be done by juicing frequently, and by eating more organic raw foods, or supplementing. Cooking or processing food destroys enzymes, considered by many to be more vital than vitamins and minerals because it takes enzymes to metabolize them.

Increasing probiotics is always a good idea. Homemade milk or water kefirs, and foods such as miso and homemade sauerkraut are potent and economical probiotic foods. Less economical but conveniently accessible probiotic supplements are also available.

He also recommends high vitamin D intake and using real sea salt. Before undertaking drastic dietary changes, Dr. Group recommends doing colon cleansing enemas then graduating to coffee enemas for the liver. All this may seem to be too much for handling mere heartburn.

However, in addition to eliminating or avoiding acid reflux, all of these recommendations are essential for overall health.

Immunity, as well as good physiological and mental health depends more on a healthy gut than even many health professionals realize.

Suggestions for quick relief from acute heartburn
Dr. Group recommends organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar, a tablespoon in a little bit of water, to eliminate heartburn. This seems counterintuitive in that apple cider vinegar increases stomach acid to aid digestion before meals. But there are many testimonials claiming it works.

He also likes to use baking soda (bicarbonate of soda, not baking powder), which actually shoots alkalinity way up. A tablespoon in a half cup of water can give immediate relief from heartburn. An ounce or two of unprocessed Aloe Vera juice is good for heartburn and stomach ulcers.

Dr. Andrew Weil advises using DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) in chewable tablets or powder. He recommends chewing a couple of tablets or taking a half-teaspoon of the powder in water as often as it takes to get relief. He also likes slippery elm for soothing the esophagus.

Another counterintuitive remedy is a half or full teaspoon of 40,000 heat unit (minimum) cayenne powder in water. Many claim it works. Master Herbalist John Christopher cured his stomach ulcer this way. Cayenne is also an inexpensive heart tonic.

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Why Is Birth Defect-Linked Vitamin A Used In Prenatals?

Unknown to the public at large, many vitamins today are produced through total chemical synthesis – a process whereby a complex organic molecule is synthesized from simpler, petrochemical-derived precursors, usually without the aid of a biological process.

Detoxification Healing Protocol

What this means is that many vitamins are essentially being produced from oil. Despite sharing certain chemical resemblances with the nutrients they were designed to be technical facsimiles of, these pseudo-vitamins are being consumed at the rate of millions of lbs annually – and often sold to the consumer as "all natural." .

One of the more disturbing permutations of oil-derived "vitamins" is retinyl palmitate (also known as vitamin A palmitate), a synthetic vitamin form of vitamin A. It has been linked to birth defects in a wide range of animal studies. Some of this research you can view first hand on GreenMedInfo.com. For additional verification the Environmental Working Groups’ website Skin Deep lists a wide range of scientific references and has determined that it has a high risk for developmental and reproductive toxicity.

A human study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1995 showed that women who consumed 10,000 IU of preformed vitamin A from supplements per day had 4.8 times the rate of birth defects than those who consumed 5,000 IU per day while pregnant. The increased frequency of defects was concentrated among babies born to women who consumed high levels of vitamin A before the seventh week of gestation.2

Despite this research, consumers, however, are mostly kept in the dark.  Even more disturbing is the fact that many mass market and prescribed prenatal vitamins contain the preformed, birth-defect associated forms of vitamin A.

Ultimately, pregnant women need to get their vitamin A through vegetables. A 100 gram (a little over 3 ounces) serving of kale, for instance, has a whopping 10302 IUs of vitamin A from beta-carotene,1 a form not associated with birth defects, and which can be consumed in plenty in food form without overloading the system.

Also, consumers and health practitioners alike should seriously reconsider the risks associated with the use of mass market prenatal vitamins that commonly contain synthetic vitamins such as dl-alpha tocopherol ("vitamin E"), another petrochemical derivative, as well as highly toxic chemicals such as sodium selenite/selenate, and cupric sulfate, a known pesticide.

For other nutrition tips for pregnant women to prevent problems in pregnancy and to support the health of their offspring visit the relevant sections on GreenMedInfo.com.

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FDA Refuses To Ban Antibiotics In Livestock Industry

by: Jonathan Benson

(NaturalNews) In a desperate attempt to avoid implementing an actual ban on the non-therapeutic use of antibiotic drugs in factory animal feed, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has once again made it abundantly clear that it favors corporate interests over public health. In a recent announcement, the FDA publicly petitioned the factory food industry to voluntarily stop using antibiotics, claiming that this hands-off, non-regulatory approach will somehow be more effective at curbing antibiotic overuse than a mandatory ban would be.

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Probiotics

The announcement comes just weeks after a federal judge took the FDA to task for its blatant disregard for public health, and ordered the agency to begin withdrawing approval for the non-therapeutic use of certain antibiotics in animal feed (http://www.ucsusa.org). But instead of stepping up to the plate to fulfill these federally-mandated legal duties, the FDA has instead chosen to stage a meaningless publicity stunt that will do absolutely nothing to fix the problem.

Meanwhile, the drug companies that produce penicillin and tetracycline, the two antibiotics ordered by the federal judge to be banned, have the opportunity to challenge the ruling. But if they fail at an evidentiary hearing to prove the drugs' safe and effective use in animal feed, which they likely will be unable to do, then the FDA will not get away with simply requesting that the food industry withdraw the drugs' use — on the contrary, the FDA will be required to ban their use in accordance with the law.

"For the past 35 years, while advocates and citizens alike have been urging FDA to take action, the problem has steadily worsened and FDA has sat on its hands, which begs the question of whose interests the agency is protecting," said Margaret Mellon, senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists' (UCS) Food & Environment Program, in a statement. "The FDA has known since the 1970s that the routine use of powerful antibiotics in livestock leads to the evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which cause infections that are more difficult to treat in both people and animals."

FDA plays word games to conceal itsselling out tothe factory food industry

The FDA really has no valid excuse as to why it has deliberately failed for more than 35 years to address the problem of non-therapeutic antibiotic use in factory animal feed. And now that the public is finally catching on to the FDA's cozy coalescence with the factory food industry, the agency is being forced to at least acknowledge the issue.

But rather than acknowledge it in a sound and reasonable way, the FDA has resorted to playing word games that completely dodge the issue. Despite the fact that a federal judge has already ordered the two most common antibiotic culprits to be banned, for instance, the FDA is now claiming that this voluntary approach will perform the same function without the need for litigation.

"The new strategy will ensure farmers and veterinarians can care for animals while ensuring the medicines people need remain safe and effective," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg is quoted as saying in a recent Reuters report.

Huh? Farmers and veterinarians will still have the ability to "care for animals" following a ban on non-therapeutic antibiotic use, hence the "non-therapeutic" designation. And yet Hamburg would have us all believe that simply asking the industry to regulate itself will somehow better address the problem than actually regulating it. Do not be fooled by such nonsense.

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Alternative Treatments Dissolve Cataracts and Prevent Their Return

by: JB Bardot

(NaturalNews) Surgery is usually the only option offered by conventional medicine to people with cataracts; however, there are alternative treatments that may dissolve cataracts preventing their return. Cataracts occur when the eye's natural lens becomes cloudy, causing vision loss. They are most common in people over 40 and are the main cause of blindness worldwide, according to All About Vision. More than 22 million Americans suffer from cataracts with that number expected to rise to over 30 million by 2020.

Bentonite Clay
IntraMax

Symptoms include blurring of the vision, reduction in night vision, "glare" when looking at artificial light or sunlight, and eventually blindness.

Experts don't know what causes cataracts, only that the protein in the lens of the eye begins to clump causing small areas of cloudiness. Some studies suggest that cataracts may develop after the eyes are repeatedly exposed to ultraviolet light and radiation, such as that emitted by computers. Certain risk factors are diabetes, taking steroids, tranquilizers or diuretics, using HRT, smoking and heavy metal toxicity.

Although there is no hard scientific research, anecdotal evidence indicates the efficacy of several natural substances in preventing and reducing the severity of cataracts.

Pascalite, bentonite clay
Pascalite is a creamy white-colored form of bentonite clay found only in the Big Horn mountains of Wyoming. It's classified as a calcium bentonite/montmorillonite and was considered a sacred healing substance to the Indians. Pascalite is alleged to have a very high energy level, and its mineral content has been found to heal a wide variety of ailments ranging from brown recluse spider bites, to skin necroses and digestive tract ulcers. Although it may seem far-fetched to some, cataract patients have reported that applying the clay paste to their eyelids and making eye drops from water filtered through the clay has helped to dissolve their cataracts.

Cineraria Maritima
Cineraria maratima, or dusty miller, is a common herb whose juice is known to dissolve cataracts. India's Central Council for Research in Homeopathy, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has noted that Cineraria tincture can prevent cataracts from developing. Additionally, homeopathic doctor William Boericke, M.D. notes in his Materia Medica with Repertory that Cineraria tincture may reverse existing cataracts. To obtain the full effects of this herb, the mother tincture must be used diluted in saline water. Commercial products are not effective.

Homeopathy
Homeopathic opthamologist, doctor Ed Kondrot, M.D. discusses the first article written about using homeopathy for cataracts. It was published in 1891 by A. B. Norton. The study examined 295 cataract patients, of which 100 were treated with homeopathic medicine for more than a three-month period. Improvement was found in in 58 percent of the participants. Kondrot briefly describes the three homeopathic remedies used in the study.

Calcarea phosphoricum is indicated when there are headaches and eye pains especially in and around the right eye. Patients may also feel a sensation of stiffness around the eyes.

Sepia may be indicated if the patient complains of the sensation of weakness in the eyes and the symptoms worsen as evening approaches. The eyelids may twitch and there may be sharp pains. People needing Sepia may feel better during daytime hours and when eating.

Causticum may be indicated for patients experiencing a feeling of grittiness or sand in the eyes. The eyelids may feel heavy and the eyes feel better when closed. Patients may report feeling pressure in the eyes, burning and itching, as well as having light sensitivity and seeing flashes of light.

For best results in treating cataracts with homeopathy, see a knowledgeable homeopath who will take your case and treat you holistically, not just your cataracts.

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Rice, Potato, & Tomato May Be As Inflammatory As Wheat

by Sayer Ji

(GreenMedInfo) In this article a key question is brought to the forefront, namely, is eating wheat and gluten free enough to obtain optimal health?  The mass market has done quite a good job of accommodating the gluten & wheat free movement by providing an increasingly wide number of good tasting and seeming nutritious "whole grain" products.  But are whole grains like rice, or other common wheat substitute flours like potato, really as good for us as we think?

Enzyme Healing and Chelation Protocol

The question can be answered in a number of ways, and it is important to keep things in perspective. As idealists, we might ask ourselves: "What is the perfect diet?" But as realists there is always a sliding scale of lesser evils that we exchange for the experience of enjoying our foods and obtaining the comfort they readily provide. Take a grain of sea salt as you read this exposé, as it is intended to illuminate how in some cases eliminating wheat and gluten will not be enough to overcome nagging inflammatory problems like osteoarthritis, or maybe more serious treatment refractory and idiopathic health conditions.

Lectins: Invisible Thorns

In a previous article this author discussed the "invisible thorn" found within all wheat products, including sprouted wheat bread and wheat grass, known as wheat lectin (technical name: Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA)).  This intrinsically inflammatory and endocrine disruptive substance was thoroughly reviewed  (via MEDLINE) and identified to have a broad range of potentially health disruptive effects:

1) WGA may be Pro-inflammatory

2) WGA may be Immunotoxic

3) WGA may be Neurotoxic

4) WGA may be Cytotoxic

5) WGA may interfere with Gene Expression

6) WGA may disrupt Endocrine Function

7) WGA may be Cardiotoxic

8) WGA may adversely effect Gastrointestinal Function

9) WGA exhibits similarities with certain Viruses

[View a more elaborate analysis of WGA's modes of toxicity, including citations]

Lectin Toxicity May Evade Antibody-Based Blood Tests

While it is clear that wheat lectin has potential to do harm, it must be emphasized that the type of harm it does is harder to diagnose than in classically defined wheat/gluten allergies and celiac disease.  In other words, confirmation of intolerance will not be found in antibody, allergy or intestinal biopsy testing because the damage it does is direct, and not necessarily immune-mediated, or only secondarily so.

This diagnostic "invisibility" is why lectin consumption is rarely linked to the ailments that afflict those who consume them.  While lectins are not the sole or primary cause of a wide range of disorders, they are a major factor in sustaining or reinforcing injuries or diseases once they are initiated and/or established in the body.  In the case of wheat lectin (WGA) this is due to the fact that it binds to, interacts and disrupts a basic component found within all neural, connective and epithelial tissue, namely, n-acetyl-glucosamine.  Once WGA makes it through a compromised mucosa and/or digestive lining, for instance, it can exert systemic effects which easily become overlooked as being caused by consuming wheat.

So Why Do Plants Like Wheat Produce Lectins?

Nature engineers, within all species, a set of defenses against predation, though not all are as obvious as the thorns on a rose or the horns on a rhinoceros. Plants do not have the cell-mediated immunity of higher life forms, like ants, nor do they have the antibody driven, secondary immune systems of vertebrates with jaws. They must rely on a much simpler, innate immunity. It is for this reason that seeds of the grass family, e.g. rice, wheat, spelt, rye, have exceptionally high levels of defensive glycoproteins known as lectins. In a previous article we explored this in greater depth:

Wheat lectin is Nature's ingenious solution for protecting the wheat plant from the entire gamut of its natural enemies. Fungi have cell walls composed of a polymer of N-Acetylglucosamine. The cellular walls of bacteria are made from a layered structure called the peptidoglycan, a biopolymer of N-Acetyl-glucosamine. N-Acetylglucosamine is the basic unit of the biopolymer chitin, which forms the outer coverings of insects and crustaceans (shrimp, crab, etc.). All animals, including worms, fish, birds and humans, use N-Acetyglucosamine as a foundational substance for building the various tissues in their bodies, including the bones. The production of cartilage, tendons, and joints depend on the structural integrity of N-Acetylglucosamine. The mucous known as the glycocalyx, or literally, "sugar coat" is secreted in humans by the epithelial cells which line all the mucous membranes, from nasal cavities to the top to the bottom of the alimentary tube, as well as the protective and slippery lining of our blood vessels. The glycocalyx is composed largely of N-Acetylglucosamine and N-Acetylneuraminic acid (also known as sialic acid), with carbohydrate end of N-Acetylneuraminic acid of this protective glycoprotein forming the terminal sugar that is exposed to the contents of both the gut and the arterial lumen (opening). WGA's unique binding specificity to these exact two glycoproteins is not accidental. Nature has designed WGA perfectly to attach to, disrupt, and gain entry through these mucosal surfaces. ~ Opening Pandora's Bread Box

 

The Omnipresence of Chitin-Binding Lectin in the Western Diet

While eliminating wheat from the diet is an excellent and necessary step for improving health, it may not be alone sufficient, especially in those with serious health challenges. There are other lectins in the Western diet that have properties similar to wheat lectin (WGA), namely, "chitin-binding lectins."  Remember, "chitins" are long polymers of n-acetyl-glucosamine, the primary binding target of wheat lectin. Wheat lectin and "chitin-binding lectin" therefore share functional similarities. These chitin-binding lectin containing foods are:

1) Potato [view abstract]

2) Tomato [view abstract]

3) Barley [view abstrac]

4) Rye [view abstract]

5) Rice [view abstract]

Yes, you are seeing correctly: potato and rice, which are two of the most commonly used ingredients in "gluten and wheat free" products, are on the list of foods which contain a lectin structurally and functionally similar to wheat lectin. 

While the "nightshade" (potato and tomato) connection with inflammation has been known about for quite some time anecdotally, rice has rarely been considered problematic and has become something of a poster child for the wheat/gluten free industry which often substitutes it for gluten-containing ingredients.

The discovery that chitin-binding lectin is broadly distributed throughout cereal grasses sheds light on how the grain-free diet produces health results superior to that of eliminating wheat and gluten containing grains alone.  

How These Lectins Explain Our Dependence on NSAIDs and Glucosamine

Because many tissues within humans are comprised of n-acetyl-glucosame (a chitin-like substance) the consumption of seemingly innocuous foods such as listed above could result in a wide range of adverse effects (see WGA Research).   The fact that so many Americans consume at least two or three of the above foods (plus wheat) daily may explain, for one, why degenerative joint disease (i.e. osteoarthritis) is the rule and not the exception in Western societies.  This should explain the connection further:

One way to gauge just how pervasive the adverse effects of these foods are among Western populations is the popularity of the dietary supplement glucosamine. In the USA, a quarter billion dollars’ worth of glucosamine is sold annually.The main source of glucosamine on the market is from the N-Acetylglucosamine rich chitin exoskelotons of crustaceans, like shrimp and crab. Glucosamine is used for reducing pain and inflammation. We do not have a dietary deficiency of the pulverized shells of dead sea critters, just as our use of NSAIDs is not caused by a deficiency of these synthetic chemicals in our diet. When we consume glucosamine supplements, the chitin-binding lectins in our foods, instead of binding to our tissues, bind to the pulverized chitin in the glucosamine supplements, sparing us from their full impact. Many millions of Americans who have greatly reduced their pain and suffering by ingesting glucosamine and NSAIDs may be better served by removing chitin-binding lectin containing foods (the underlying cause of their malaise) from their diets. This would result in even greater relief from pain and inflammation along with far less dependency on palliative supplements and medicines alike. ~ Opening Pandora's Bread Box

The connection between these chitin-binding lectins and NSAID/Glucosamine dependency has now been explained, but this is only the tip of the "lectin" iceberg. I believe that an in-depth investigation into wheat lectin/chitin-binding lectin will reveal that these "invisible thorns" are a rather dominant contributing factor to morbidity and mortality in Westernized societies, and largely go unnoticed because they do not require immune mediation (and therefore may not be diagnosable through antibody testing) in order to inflict damage.

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Sugarcane Extract Superior To Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs?

by Sayer Ji

(GreenMedInfo) There is a little known natural extract of plant waxes known as policosanol, extractable from sugar cane, yams, and beeswax, which has been giving some of the more profitable drugs on the market a biomedical beating since it was first investigated in clinical trials by the Cubans in the 1990’s.

Enzyme Healing and Chelation Protocol

Not only has it been shown superior to aspirin for treating conditions linked with peripheral artery disease (intermittent claudication), but it has put the $29 billion dollar a year statin drug category to shame.  At $5 for a month supply, you can understand why you haven’t heard it advertised on television or promoted through a conventional physician’s increasingly drug dispensary-like office.  

And here is the kicker: while aspirin has been linked to 50 serious, if not life-threatening side effects,[i] and statin drugs to well over 300,[ii] policosanol was evaluated for safety in animal toxicity studies and was found to have no negative effects on carcinogenesis, reproduction, growth, and development at 1500 times normal human doses (on the basis of body weight).[iii] With such a low cost, and high margin of safety, it is unconscionable that more are not being made aware of it as an alternative to pharmaceuticals for lipid modulation.

It should be said before we continue, that while we do not subscribe to the intellectually bankrupt and vastly over-simplified "cholesterol hypothesis" of heart disease, if a patient feels compelled to lower cholesterol, or is pressured to do it for financial reasons (e.g. medical insurance premium hikes), they should at least have the option of doing so without poisoning themselves into disability, even death, which sadly, is increasingly the case.

In comparison studies policosanol has been shown either to be superior, or to compare favorably, to the following statin drugs:

Pravachol (Pravastatin) – 10 mg of policosanol given during evening meals for 8 weeks was capable of lowering LDL-cholesterol, (19.3%), total cholesterol (13.9%) and the ratios of LDL-cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (28.3%) and total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio (24.4%).

In comparison, pravastatin, also administered at 10 mg during evening meals for 8 weeks, resulted in lowering LDL-cholesterol, (15.6%), total cholesterol (11.8%) without affecting the ratios of LDL-cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratios — clearly demonstrating the superiority of policosanol to pravastatin.

Moreover, policosanol and not pravastatin, significantly increased levels of HDL-cholesterol (18.4%) and reduced (p < 0.01) triglycerides (14.1%).  Also, policosanol was more effective at inhibiting platelet aggregation induced by chemical agonists and arachadonic acid (a by-product of omega-6 metabolism).

Simvastatin/Lovastatin – Patients with a LDL cholesterol over 160 mg/dl were studied. They received either policosanol 10 mg/day (55 patients), lovastatin 20 mg/day (26 patients) or simvastatin 10 mg/day (25 patients). Serum cholesterol was measured again after 8 weeks of therapy. A 24% LDL cholesterol reduction was obtained with policosanol, compared with a 22% reduction with lovastatin and a 15% reduction with simvastatin. HDL cholesterol significantly increased in patients on policosanol and did not change in the other treatment groups.[iv]
 

Lipitor (Atorvastatin) – 10 mg of policosanol was compared to 10 mg of atorvastatin. After 8 weeks of therapy, policosanol lowered LDL-cholesterol  25.7% versus 41.9% for the drug. While atorvastatin was capable of suppressing LDL-cholesterol more dramatically,  policosanol was shown superior in raising the HDL-cholesterol, as well inhibiting platelet aggregation.[v]

Also, LDL-cholesterol may have significant protective effects against cancer, infections and even heart attack itself. In fact, our research project has identified up to 30 conditions that may benefit from higher LDL cholesterol levels, illustrating just how misguided dramatic, drug-mediated suppression of cholesterol may actually be.

Additionally, policosanol has even been compared to another blockbuster class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, the fenofibrates, with the following positive result:

Bezalip (Besafibrate) – 10 mg of policosanol was compared to 400 mg of besafibrate, and after a 8-week course of treatment the policosanol group’s total cholesterol diminished by an average of 15%, LDLP cholesterol fell by 18%, triglycerides by 15%, while in the drug group a respective decrease was 8, 11 and 6%.[vi]

Policosanol has also been shown superior to the statin drug lovastatin in preventing experimentally-induced carotid artery lesions associated with atherosclerosis. [vii]

Research comparing policosanol to aspirin for another cardiovascular disease related complaint, intermittent claudication, is also compelling:

Aspirin – 10 mg of policosanol was compared to 100 mg of aspirin in 39 patients with intermittent claudication, a condition characterized by muscle pain (ache, cramp, numbness or sense of fatigue), which occurs after exercise, usually in the calf muscle. Policosanol was capable of significantly increasing walking distances, whereas aspirin had no discerned effect.[viii]  Incidentally, policosanol has also shown favorable results when compared to the antiplatelet drug tricoplidine for intermittent claudication.[ix]

Another study found that 20 mg of policosanol was as effective as 100 mg of aspirin as a platelet inhibitor, but without the serious side effects associated with taking aspirin, e.g. headache, epigastralgia and nose bleeding.[x]

A final note on aspirin alternatives. A 125 mg dose of the pine bark extract known as pycnogenol has been clinically demonstrated in smokers to be as effective as 500 mg of aspirin as a platelet inhibitor, but without increasing bleeding time — a difference that can mean life or death, when it comes to risks for hemorrhagic side effects associated with the use of blood thinners. .[xi]

Until the conventional medical establishment prioritizes safety, affordability and effectiveness over profit, policosanol will have few advocates within the medical professional caste. On the other hand, if these so-called "health" professionals do not find a place for natural substances for high cholesterol such as policosanol, can they really claim to be practicing medicine, or would it not be more accurate to describe it as glorified, applied pharmacology?

Categories
Health & Freedom

CISPA Passes House; Epic Privacy Battle Moves To Senate

by: J. D. Heyes

(NaturalNews) If you're not familiar with "Washingtonspeak" – that odd, unique variance of the English language in which words don't really mean what they are supposed to mean – you might not know that the lawmakers who wrote the new Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) aren't really too concerned about the protection aspect of the legislation, at least as it applies to the general public's concern about privacy.

Yes, the word "protection" is in the title, but a closer examination of the language of the bill, as well as its intent, by those who know how things works on Capitol Hill, find that the only "protection" the bill offers is that afforded the federal government.

According to a summary of the bill by the Congressional Research Service, the legislation amends "the National Security Act of 1947 to add provisions concerning cyber threat intelligence and information sharing." In particular, cyber threat intelligence is defined "as information in the possession of an element of the intelligence community directly pertaining to a vulnerability of, or threat to, a system or network of a government or private entity […]"

What that means, essentially, is that it will be easier for the government and the private sector to share information about cyber threats, which, truthfully, is a major emerging national security problem.

Making conditions ripe for privacy violations – again

Trouble is, according to groups opposed to CISPA, once again citizens' privacy concerns are taking a back seat in this Information Age. And that could be one reason why the White House has threatened to veto it, should CISPA pass the Senate.

On the one hand, business groups say the bill is necessary to make it easier for companies in the private sector to share potential cyber threat information with government security elements such as the National Security Agency.

On the other, groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) think the law will be used as yet another tool to violate privacy rights.

The CDT, which initially backed the legislation, pulled its support after becoming "disappointed that CISPA passed the House in such flawed form and under such a flawed process." The group said its biggest concern was that the law, as it is now written, would allow information to move "from the private sector directly to the NSA." The bill also inappropriately allows information to be applied to national security issues other than just cyber security – and therein lies the problem.

"CISPA goes too far for little reason," says ACLU legislative counsel Michelle Richardson, according to the Washington Post. "Cybersecurity does not have to mean abdication of Americans' online privacy. As we've seen repeatedly, once the government gets expansive national security authorities, there's no going back. We encourage the Senate to let this horrible bill fade into obscurity."

CISPA: Bypassing privacy on weakest of excuses

The impetus of the legislation – to protect U.S. infrastructure, which is run by computer – from attack is as noble as it is necessary in these digital times. Cyber attacks on the U.S. have been mounting quickly, especially against U.S. military, industrial and corporate targets. But as usual, critics point out that the legislation isn't what it appears to be.

"I do think there is a need for companies to get more information from the government in a timely fashion. The problem that arises with CISPA is that it does so much more than that," says Rainey Reitman, activism director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

"It also opens the floodgates for companies to intercept communications of everyday Internet users and pass unredacted personal information to the governments," she added.

CISPA would let companies essentially bypass current privacy laws "and pass citizens' personal data to the government even if there's a weak excuse that the information is related to cyber security purposes," says a report by PC World.

"The government in return has said that if they get information that's unrelated to cyber security they 'may' – don't have to, but may choose to – remove some of the implications toward civil liberties. But they don't have to and there's no real guidelines on what they would have to do about it," Reitman said.

Protecting the country from cyber attacks is imperative. Some say the cyber-equivalent of a Pearl Harbor-style attack is on the horizon.

Fine – let's protect our electronic and digital infrastructure. But for once, let's not trample the constitutional rights of our citizens in the process.