Month: June 2012

Scientists say this new hospital-borne superbug has not spread thus far, but anyone who follows such developments knows that can't be far away. In fact, doctors aware of the new superbug say "the risk that MRSA could eventually overwhelm even our last-line drugs is a very serious one," Britain's Daily Mail reported, adding that it's a "dangerous organism in hospitals."

Since 2002, U.S. researchers have known of the existence of the drug-resistant superbug CC5. So far, a dozen cases have been found.

The superbug has become very good at picking up resistance genes, which includes the one that makes it resistant to the antibiotic vancomycin, the last-line drug used to fight off MRSA infections acquired in hospitals.

"MRSA strains are leading causes of hospital-acquired infections in the United States, and clonal cluster 5 (CC5) is the predominant lineage responsible for these infections," researcher Jim Sliwa said. "Since 2002, there have been 12 cases of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) infection in the United States – all CC5 strains. Vancomycin is a key last-line bactericidal drug for treating these infections."

Adaptive qualities mean strains could become more powerful
In the study which identified the new superbug strain of resistant MRSA, researchers sequenced genomes of all available MRSA strains found to be resistant to vancomycin, in a bid to learn what makes them different from other strains. In particular, they wanted to know why CC5 is more able than other strains to resist vancomycin.

"Vancomycin-resistant MRSA strains and other CC5 lineages have some important differences from other types of MRSA, including adaptations that allow them to co-exist with other types of bacteria and may help them take up foreign DNA," the paper said, summarizing the research results.

One reason why, researchers found, was because such strains lacked a set of genes which encode an antibiotic protein made by bacteria to kill other bacteria.

"This is important because it enables CC5 to get along well with other bacteria in mixed infections," Sliwa said.

"Instead of killing off competing organisms, CC5 aims to co-exist. This enables it to pick up genes – like the one that encodes vancomycin resistance – from unexpected places," he continued. "Mixed infections are breeding grounds for antibiotic resistance because they encourage the exchange of genes among very different kinds of organisms. In roughly the place where these bacteriocin genes are missing is a unique cluster of genes that encode enterotoxins – proteins that attack the human host and, again, could make it easier for mixed populations of bacteria to grow at infection sites."

Researchers have also learned that CC5 has a mutated gene that influences the ability to assimilate foreign DNA. That adaptive ability alone makes these strains nothing more than ticking time bombs, for they could, at any time, mutate into something that is both impossible to kill and impossible to keep from spreading, some fear.

"This makes CC5 a dangerous organism in hospitals" especially, Sliwa said.

Flesh-eating bacteria cases on the rise, too
"In hospitals, pathogens are under continuous pressure from antibiotics to survive and evolve, and CC5 isolates appear to be very well adapted to succeed by acquiring new resistances. Frequent use of antibiotics in hospital patients could select for strains like CC5 that have an enhanced ability to co-exist with bacteria that provide genes for antibiotic resistance," he added.

News of the vancomycin-resistant MRSA strains comes on the heels of earlier reports involving an outbreak of flesh-eating bacteria that are also very difficult to kill.

The condition, known as necrotizing fasciitis – a serious infection of the skin and soft tissues – has manifested itself in a number of people recently, with cases in South Carolina and Georgia, according to reports.

Natural health experts have warned for years that over-prescribing, or mis-prescribing, antibiotic medications for inappropriate health conditions would lead to this kind of problem.

Sometimes it's no fun being right.

by: David Gutierrez

(NaturalNews) Infections cause approximately 2 million cases of cancer per year and are responsible for about 1.5 million of the 7.5 million cancer deaths worldwide, according to a study published in the journal Lancet Oncology.

"Infections with certain viruses, bacteria, and parasites are one of the biggest and preventable causes of cancer worldwide," the researchers wrote

The researchers examined a wide variety of cancer records, including a database on incidence of 27 types of cancer in 184 countries. They found that in 2008, approximately 16 percent of all cancers diagnosed could be attributed to infection. The rate of infection-related cancers was, on average, three times higher in developing countries than in richer ones, but the specifics varied widely. For example, only 3.3 percent of cancers in Australia and New Zealand could be attributed to infection, compared with a whopping 32.7 percent of all cancers in sub-Saharan Africa.

Nearly all infection-related cancers (1.9 million) were caused by one of four infectious agents: Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium of the gastrointestinal tract; the human papillomavirus (HPV); and the viruses hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

These microbes are mostly responsible for gastric, cervical and liver cancers, respectively. Approximately 50 percent of women's infection-related cancers occur in the cervix, while approximately 80 percent of men's occur in the liver, stomach and colon.

Mere infection with one of the cancer-related microbes does not guarantee the development of cancer, however.

"One thing that infection-associated cancers have in common is that a chronic infection is required," researcher Martyn Plummer said. "It takes decades for an infection to progress to cancer."

Many commentators noted that the findings give hope for dramatically reducing global cancer rates.

"Application of existing public-health methods for infection prevention, such as vaccination, safer injection practice, or antimicrobial treatments, could have a substantial effect on future burden of cancer worldwide," the researchers wrote

"The findings show the potential for preventive and therapeutic programs in less developed countries to significantly reduce the global burden of cancer and the vast disparities across regions and countries," said Harvard's Goodarz Danaei, who was not involved in the study.

"Since effective and relatively low-cost vaccines for HPV and HBV are available, increasing coverage should be a priority for health systems in high-burden countries."

A New HPV Vaccine Push?
Danaei was not alone in responding to the study with a call for increased use of the controversial and potentially dangerous HPV vaccine. Referring to the HPV shot, Otis Brawley of the American Cancer Society (ACS) said, "The more people you vaccinate, male and female, the more likely you are to get a population that doesn't have the disease."

Many countries now recommend the HPV vaccine for all girls aged 11 or 12, or for unvaccinated women under the age of 27. More and more agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are now recommending it for boys, as well. But a 2011 study in the Annals of Medicine warned that this pro-vaccination push may be driven by financial concerns and bad science.

In particular, the authors warned that clinical trials of Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil used two different placebos as a way to conceal the true rates of serious side effects, and that the vaccines have never been proven effective at lowering cervical cancer rates or mortality.

"The medical profession has presented partial information to the public, namely, in a way that generates fear, thus promoting vaccine uptake," researchers Lucija Tomljenovic and Christopher Shaw of the University of British Columbia-Vancouver wrote.

"Medical and regulatory entities worldwide continue to provide inaccurate information regarding cervical cancer risk and the usefulness of HPV vaccines, thereby making informed consent regarding vaccination impossible to achieve."

Immune Protocol
Pygeum

PSA, also known as prostate specific antigen, is a biological marker that doctors and healthcare practitioners often use to detect the presence of a potential prostate tumor. Since PSA levels in the blood are known to climb in response to prostate tumors, it is commonly thought that early detection can help in mitigating the cancer.

But there are numerous reasons why PSA blood levels can increase, including prostatitis (inflammation or infection in the prostate gland), benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and even rigorous physical activity. Many prostate tumors that produce elevated PSA levels in the blood are also benign, and would never even cause any serious health problems.

According to ten years' worth of comprehensive data on the subject, PSTF determined that only one in 1,000 men screened with a PSA test will derive any potential benefit, while at least 100 will receive false positives. Many of those with false positives will end up receiving unnecessary biopsies, which can lead to further complications and needless bodily damage.

The same data found that a shocking 90 percent of men will be treated with surgery or radiation for cancers that are not even life-threatening. But five out of every 1,000 who undergo these treatments will die within a month of initiating them. In other words, more than ten percent of all men screened for prostate cancer will generate false positives that could result in death from treatment, while a mere .001 percent or less will derive any sort of benefit.

"There is a small potential benefit and a significant known harm," said Dr. Virginia A. Moyer, a professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and chair of the task force. She and her team are recommending that the PSA test for prostate cancer be abandoned altogether, and that patients avoid the test as part of their normal checkups.

How healthy diet and lifestyle can prevent prostate cancer
Preventing prostate cancer is a whole lot better than just occasionally screening for it or treating it conventionally after it has developed. Eating foods rich in natural zinc and selenium, or supplementing with whole food-based zinc and selenium supplements like those made by MegaFood, are two great ways to avoid developing prostate problems down the road.

Walnuts, tomatoes, watermelon, grapefruit, garlic, turmeric, pumpkin seeds, green tea, and pomegranate are just a few examples of some highly-beneficial, prostate health-promoting foods that can help ease inflammation and prevent the formation of tumors. The natural herbs astragalus, bloodroot, burdock root, chaparral, devil's claw, hydrangea root, isatis, licorice root, Pau d' Arco, pygeum, red clover, saw palmetto, and suma can also help promote prostate health and prevent prostate cancer.

Regularly engaging in rigorous exercise routines, sports, or other athletic activities has been shown to go a long way in preventing prostate cancer, as have kegel exercises, which specifically exercises the muscles around the prostate and improves blood flow to that area (http://urology.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=524).

Tested and true
The main method of staunching these problems lies in the anti-inflammatory powers of omega-3s. The oils are abundant in certain types of oily fish, like cod and sardines, hence the long-standing folk remedy of cod liver oil, used both as a treatment for almost any illness, and as a daily preventative maintenance, much to the displeasure of children.

Studies from the 1980s started taking a hard look at culture-specific illnesses, and examining what other cultures were doing differently that prevented them from having the same illnesses. The study of the dietary practices of Alaskan Inuit indicated that their diet, which was uniquely free of what the western diet considers "health foods," and largely consisted of animal products, which were consumed in their raw form.

More than one way to get it right
More contemporary research shows that a shift away from the traditional Inuit diet and adoption of more processed, prepackaged western foods corresponded to an increase in disease morbidity, despite the fact that the traditional diet is already high in animal fats. Where the traditional diet relies on fish oils for fat content, the new replacement uses sources such as beef or pork, which has repeatedly been shown to increase inflammation instead of reducing it.

Previous studies purported that the fish portion of the Inuit diet protected them from cardiovascular disease, but the gradual integration of western foods shows otherwise. Their superior heart health was due to what they were excluding from their diets as much as what they were including. The gradual shift included an increase in triglycerides, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol.

The chemistry of the domino effect
The new study, which examines the impact at a cellular level, has found that omega-3 fatty acids behave in much the same way as over-the-counter painkillers, stopping the cyclooxygenase enzyme from triggering the release of prostaglandin hormones, some of which are known for irritating inflammatory conditions. Omega-6 fatty acids are found in large amounts in both meats and vegetable derived cooking oils. By contrast, plants like hemp and flax are exceptionally high in omega-3s.

The numbers don't lie

When the body performs any explosive movement at a high intensity it releases growth hormone in the days to follow, to aid in recovery. One study showed that a 30 second all-out sprint increased HGH 530 percent over baseline levels. High growth hormone levels are ideal for keeping body fat low and building lean muscle.

Sprinting increases size of the mitochondria, the part of the cell which stores energy. This makes the body more efficient at releasing energy and thus it has less propensity to store body fat for energy. This means that sprinting not only oxidizes fat, it also prevents the body from storing new fat.

When compared to low intensity exercise, sprinting and other high intensity training burns far more fat and calories. A 20-minute workout session doing high-intensity sprints is roughly comparable to an hour-long cardio workout at a lower intensity.

Start with caution

When starting out with sprints you need to be very cautious because the body needs time to adjust to this type of intensity. To avoid injuring yourself, start out by stretching and doing a little jogging and then work up to moderate intensity sprints. After completing moderate intensity sprints for your first few sessions you can start doing full intensity sprints.

The only thing more effective than sprints

To get the very most out of your sprinting sessions find a hill to sprint up. The only thing more effective for fat loss than sprinting is sprinting uphill. Many professional athletes use this technique to reach peak physical form.

If you looking to get your body-fat percentage down into the single digits, sprinting is the answer. Combined with the proper diet you can achieve the very lean and sculpted look so many strive for. Sprinting in general is far more effective and efficient for burning calories, increasing athletic performance and burning fat than low intensity exercise. Not only that, but you can enjoy much shorter workout sessions!

Oxy-Gen

In addition to being the third most abundant element found in the sun and making up 20% of the earth's atmosphere, oxygen plays a critical role in the carbon-nitrogen cycle, which is said to give the sun and stars their energy, and it comprises 65% of our body.

We know, that through fasting, we can live a few days without water and a few weeks without food, but only a few minutes without oxygen.

Because all the functions in our body are regulated by oxygen it must be replaced endlessly because 90% of our life energy depends upon it.

Our cells are energized by oxygen for regeneration and oxygen is required for food motabilization and the elimination of toxins and waste through the process of oxidation.

The computers in our heads, called a brain, need oxygen continually to process information and for our organs to function efficiently they need tons of oxygen. Basically, what we take for granted like thinking, moving, eating, sleeping, feeling and talking are entirely dependant on oxygen for the energy to facilitate those processes.

In fact, oxygen is the only element that is capable of combining with just about every other element to basically build and maintain our bodies. For example, to form proteins we combine oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen. To form carbohydrates we combine oxygen, carbon and hydrogen and to form water we combine oxygen and hydrogen.

To put it another way, without oxygen there would be no life.

Because of the industrial revolution, technological advancements and modern transportation, oxygen in most parts of the world is steadily decreasing. We are obsessed with carbon-based fuels to power engines and generators and this uses huge amounts of oxygen on a daily basis. Add to that our rapid deforestation to produce wood and paper well beyond our production capacity and it's oxygen that takes the hit.

What has been found is that the oxygen content in our atmosphere is being reduced by about 0.8% every 15 years. Because our bodies are not designed for low-level oxygen consumption, we open the door for our bodies to take on more and more toxins that accumulate in our cells, bloodstreams, tissues and organs.

With global warming so prominent and on everyone's mind about the oxygen content in our atmosphere being reduced, it would be well to know that if our oxygen level reaches 6%, we die.

Oxygen, being one of five elements to sustain life, has been used in a myriad of ways to heal. It is used to treat the sick and injured, it treats bone infections, wounds, carbon-monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness and now the sports field has opened its eyes to increasing oxygen levels to treat athletes.

If we adhere to eating poorly or abuse our bodies by excess drinking or smoking or doing drugs, both recreational and medicinal, and fail to recognize the importance of exercise, this has a ripple effect to our immune system, which becomes weakened and causes us to be prone to sickness and disease.

Adding insult to injury, low oxygen levels are not good because they affect our cell's metabolism, which brings about more adverse health problems like lack of vitality and stamina, resulting in endless fatigue and a generally weak disposition.

Other factors can reduce our oxygen levels as well. There's toxic stress as a result of toxic chemicals and air pollution becoming more prevalent and our increased use of antibiotics. Emotional stress produces adrenaline and adrenal-related hormones, which in turn use more oxygen. Physical traumas reduce circulation and oxygen supply to the cells and tissues of the body. And then, infections deplete our store of oxygen to fight bacteria and viruses and then we turn to frequent drug use to solve the problem, but the drugs wind up using our cellular oxygen levels as well.

Problems like Candida and fungal infections are easily reversed through increasing oxygen levels in the cells. So, reversing the shortage of oxygen in the body is your starting point to rebuilding and strengthening your immune system.

Oxygen deficiency presents itself in many ways – cancer, leukemia, AIDS, seizures and nerve deterioration to name a few. Bear in mind that cancer cells cannot live in an aerobic or oxygenated environment and it is your increased oxygen levels that keep illness at bay.

If you feel weak, are easily fatigued, have poor circulation and digestion, muscle aches or dizziness, are moody, have a poor memory, behave irrationally, are easily irritable, have an acid stomach or bronchial problems, you most likely suffer from depleted oxygen levels.

When your immune system is compromised by a lack of oxygen, you are more susceptible to bacterial, viral, other infections, colds and flu. As previously stated, oxygen-deficient blood presents itself with a variety of metabolic disorders, most recognizable by excess uric acid, putting your body in an acidic rather than an alkaline environment. Oh yeah, oxygen will protect you against unfriendly bacteria and toxins and will carry them out of your system.

There are a variety of forms of oxygen therapy. Some expensive, some reasonable.

Bottled oxygen, which is usually an inhalation therapy geared to serious bronchial and other respiratory problems, is costly and inconvenient.

Ozone (O3) therapy is generally given up the butt (ugh!) or intravenously (ouch!) is primarily used to increase blood oxygenation, circulation, immunity, and to kill bacteria, viruses and fungi. The problem? It's a hassle, inconvenient, unstable and can be toxic if not administered properly

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) therapy is somewhat controversial because it might cause an adverse reaction in the digestive tract due to the fact that excess hydrogen causes an unbalanced pH and can bring about unwanted free radicals.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing oxygen in a pressurized chamber, saturating the cells and tissues with oxygen. It's great if you're a diver and have to overcome decompression sickness.

Breathing exercises will increase lung capacity. Regular exercise, hatha yoga classes and martial arts are great for deep diaphragmatic and controlled breathing.

Organic sulfur crystals are the easiest, least inconvenient, and work the best. Bear in mind that all commercial MSM products do not work. They start as a crystal, are turned into powder, losing 85% of their effectiveness, and when the synthetic binding and anti-caking agents are added, it becomes useless.

One final word: during the day the body loses approximately three quarts of water through breathing, sweating and elimination. If you work out heavily on a hot day, you can lose three quarts of water in an hour. If you do not replace the water lost, hello muscle cramps, dehydration or heat stroke.

The rule of thumb: one half of your body weight in fluid ounces – you weigh 150 pounds X ? = 75 ounces or at least ? gallon a day.

Oh yeah, one more thing – liquid means good unfluoridated water, not coffee, tea, alcohol, fruit juices or sport drinks loaded with sugar.

It is the water and the water only that keeps your skin moist and supple and acts as a natural lubricant for your joints and internal organs.

The report, available as a FREE downloadable PDF, is available at:
www.NaturalNews.com/HiddenHistory

The report reveals a well-documented series of startling revelations about the origins of modern medicine, including:

• The truth about how blood-thinning medications are made from a combination of rat poison and pig intestines.

• How modern-day crop pesticides are formulated with Zyklon B, the chemical used by Hitler to gas Jews to death.

• The true history of the USDA and how it sold out the American people and colluded with agricultural and food interests to legalize poison in the food supply.

• How even the FDA now admits prescription drugs kill one million Americans every decade.

• How the former chairman of Bayer was found guilty of Nazi war crimes during the Nuremberg trials.

• The truth about a prominent psychiatric doctor who would remove patients' teeth and other organs in order to "cure" them of mental disorders.

• Shocking details about the former head of the American Medical Association and how he acted as a monopolistic criminal thug who sought to destroy all knowledge of natural cures and plant-based remedies.

• Why the medical establishment has spent 100 years trying to suppress information about nutritional therapies, mineral cures and natural cures.

Not so with bisphosphonates, drugs that are supposed to improve bone strength in patients at risk of or saddled with osteoporosis. They, instead, seem to worsen it.

According to new clinical research by Raphael P.H. Meier, MD, from University Hospitals of Geneva, and colleagues, of some 477 patients hospitalized at one center, 39 had atypical fracture of the femur (the long leg bones that attach to your hips) and 438 had common fractures. Among those with atypical fractures, a staggering 82.1 percent of them were undergoing bisphosphonate therapy compared with just 6.4 percent of those with common fractures.

The team, which published their findings online in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, also found that the atypical fractures group had been treated longer with bisphosphonates, including alendronate (Fosamax), risedronate (Actonel), pamidronate (Aredia), and ibandronate (Boniva), than the classic-fracture group, at a mean of 5.1 years versus 3.3 years.

That said, the group still attempted to defend bisphosphonate therapy, saying that when compared with a 200-patient fracture-free control group, use of the medications was "associated" with a 47-percent reduction in the risk of common fractures, "making the absolute risk:benefit ratio of bisphosphonates a positive one," MedPage Today, an online medical journal, reported.

The risk is there, no matter how they try to spin it
Moreover, the publication said, the current body of evidence surrounding the use of bisphosphonates is "conflicting" because a recent meta-analysis of randomized trials found no association. "But a registry-based study suggested that the risk of atypical fracture was more than doubled when bisphosphonates were taken for longer than 5 years," said MedPage Today, adding that study was published in JAMA – the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association.

Even the federal Leviathan has taken note of the drug's fracture risk. In 2010 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which can usually be found standing in the way of health progress, confirmed that the drugs worsened the risk of a femur fracture, ordering Big Pharma to update its bisphosphonate labeling.

In Meier's study, all of the patients with complete and incomplete fractures occurred in patients taking bisphosphonates. Moreover, the atypical fractures were worse among bisphosphonate users, and the recurrent fracture rate "was also more common in the atypical-fracture group compared with the classic-fracture group," said MedPage Today.

In another attempt at justification, the study's authors wrote that "averaged over the 12 years of observation […] the incidence rate [for atypical fracture] is very low; there were 11 times more classic fractures during the same period." They added that despite a higher rate of atypical fractures in femurs, bisphosphonates were more successful in preventing vertebral and wrist fractures.

But the team's findings were based on partial information, by their own admission. Meier's group "acknowledged that they lacked sufficient information on confounding factors such as bone density, use of other medications, body mass index, smoking history, and exercise history," said MedPage Today.

Reverse or prohibit bone loss naturally
Well, the good news is, there are ways to naturally improve your bone density. Not each method is for everyone, but there is something that everyone can do.

For those of you who can, weightlifting has been known to increase bone density. Weight-bearing exercises have been proven to thicken bones. Try stairclimbing, walking/jogging, bench presses and curls, for starters. This can even reverse bone loss, researchers say.

Also, adjust your diet. Try more green, leafy vegetables, which are rich in calcium, potassium, and vitamin K – all of which improve density. In addition, foods high in protein help build collagen; you can get good protein from fish, beans, whole grain bread, chicken, and pasta.

Finally, a good Vitamin D supplement daily is not a bad idea. You'll want to take some magnesium as well, the experts say, because that element helps absorb the D.

Diabetes and celiac
The only treatment for celiac disease is following a gluten-free diet. Gluten is a protein found in most grains, including wheat, barely and rye. Adopting a gluten-free diet relieves symptoms in people with celiac and those who are sensitive to gluten, yet a study published in Diabetologia journal reports that diabetics should consider a gluten-free diet too.

The study observed people with type 2 diabetes on the Paleo diet versus the Mediterranean diet. The Paleo diet calls for no grains, no dairy, no salt. It recommends fruits, vegetables, nuts, seafood and lean meats. The diet is based on how early man ate and discourages any processed foods. The Mediterranean diet also allows fruits, vegetables, seafood and lean meats. The main difference is that the Mediterranean diet recommends unrefined grains, such as whole grain products. A little dairy is also acceptable on the diet.

The results of this study found that people on the Mediterranean diet had very little, if any, improvement in diabetes symptoms. The group who followed the Paleo diet experienced a reverse in diabetes symptoms, showing a clear correlation between a gluten-free diet and diabetes.

The Mediterranean group experienced a 7 percent lower rise in glucose in response to carbohydrate intake whereas the Paleolithic group saw a 26 percent reduction. The group who ate the gluten-free diet Paleo diet had normal glucose levels at the conclusion of the study.

Diet and diabetes
Only a decade ago the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among children aged 12 to 19 was low. Now it is growing at an alarming rate. Also, experts are finding that diabetes progresses more quickly in children than adults, plus is more difficult to treat.

Adopting a diabetes diet without grains or dairy could help many of the children and adults who are at risk for developing diabetes. It would also benefit people with celiac disease, many of whom have no idea that they have the condition. Experts estimate that around 15 percent of people in the US have some form of gluten sensitivity.

Perhaps the people who could most benefit from a gluten-free diet are people with type 1 diabetes. Experts estimate that around 10 percent of people with type 1 diabetes also have celiac disease. This does not account for how many diabetics may also have a mild to moderate gluten intolerance.

Diabetes diet
Eliminating dairy as part of a diabetes diet is fairly easy. With the exception of whey, casein and a few other ingredients that do not sound like they are dairy-derived, gluten-containing ingredients and products with hidden gluten are much harder to identify. Many salad dressings, broths, candies, condiments, sauces, soy products and mixes have gluten.

Adopting a gluten-free diet comes with the price of time to learn all the possible gluten foods and alternatives. However, a gluten-free diet may be the best thing for someone with diabetes and celiac disease.