Digestion and Malabsorption

Health Empowerment News with Croft Woodruff – Episode 5

“Digestion and Malabsorption”

This week on Health Empowerment News, Croft and Andrew talk a little more about “Drug Induced Nutrient Depletion” and this weeks topic is Digestion and Malabsorption.

Ever suffer from acid reflux? The problem may not be what you think! Learn about digestion and malabsorption and how you can take control of your health through nutrition and dietary supplements.

Click here to listen to this weeks Health Empowerment News episode!

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Swine Flu H1N1

Dr. Frank Lipman

Integrative Physician

Posted: September 25, 2009 08:40 AM

Swine Flu: What To Do?

Summer is over and the question I am being asked most frequently in my practice is, "what do I do about Swine flu?" My patients are wondering whether or not they should get vaccinated and the simple answer I give most of the time is ..NO!

From what you may have read, you might think that the swine flu vaccine is the answer to swine flu. Unfortunately this is not true and until we know that the vaccine is safe, I cannot in good conscience recommend it to most of my patients.

From the outset, let me say, I am not anti all vaccinations, rather I am pro vaccine safety and freedom of choice.

This is why am I not recommending the swine flu vaccine

1) At this stage, for the most part the swine flu seems benign.

Over a million people in the US have already come down with swine flu, many of them without even knowing that they had it. The vast majority of people who get the swine flu recover after a week or so of high fever, aches, and respiratory distress. It's not pleasant, but except in rare circumstances, it is not fatal. Most people who've been infected by swine flu think so little of it, they believe they just had a really bad cold or a regular flu. So unless the swine flu evolves to a much more virulent form, there's no need for mass vaccination.

2) We don't know if the vaccine will be effective.

Vaccines are only useful against the specific viral strain that was available at the time of their manufacture. But influenza viruses mutate quickly, and as the WHO has already said, the real concern with H1N1 swine flu is that it will combine with seasonal flu in the Fall, creating a new strain that will of course be immune to all available vaccines.

3) We don't know if the vaccine is safe.

The FDA has authorized an expedited approval process for the swine flu vaccine but we don't know yet if it is safe. Even GlaxoSmithKline, one of the vaccine manufacturers has said, "The total population studied in clinical trials will be limited, due to the need to provide the vaccine to governments as quickly as possible. Additional studies will therefore be required and conducted after the vaccine is made available."

In other words, the only thing that is safe, is to say that no one knows. Since it's never been used before and they have not had time to conduct any sufficient human testing, by getting vaccinated you are being a human guinea pig.

4) Vaccine manufacturers have been insulated from liability by the government.

The Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius has granted legal immunity not only to the makers of the 2 drugs being used to treat swine flu, Tamiflu and Relenza, but also to the swine flu vaccine makers, for damages due to their use against swine flu. By effectively manipulating the legal system, the Pharmaceutical Industry through their powerful lobbyists have acquired almost complete and total insulation from any liability for their vaccines and adjuvants, which are additives added to generate a stronger immune response. It is believed that it is these adjuvants which often cause the problems. The last time the government embarked on a major vaccine campaign against a new swine flu was in 1976. Thousands filed claims for side effects such as paralysis caused by the vaccine and a number of people died. I am sure that the researchers know more now than they did last time and no one can say for certain that bad things will happen again or that you will suffer dire consequences if you get vaccinated. But this time you have no legal recourse even though this vaccine involves new factors, which makes it therefore experimental and unpredictable.

By shielding the manufacturers from any responsibility for any harm caused, the pharmaceutical firms have no financial incentive to make the safest product. In fact, they have a negative incentive to test it for safety, because if they are aware of problems, then they could potentially be held liable for willful misconduct.

Instead I advise my patients to build up and strengthen their immune systems to prevent viral infections.

Here are my top 10 recommendations:

1) Optimize your vit D level

Adequate levels of Vitamin D are essential for our immune systems to function optimally. Unfortunately there are no significant dietary sources of Vitamin D, most of our intake comes from exposure to sunlight. If you live far from the equator, you simply don't get enough sun through Fall and Winter to make all the vitamin D you need. So unless you supplement during this period, your innate immunity will be compromised. Vitamin D plays such a crucial role in so many aspects of your body's functioning, that supplementing with it makes sense whether you decide to get the flu shot or not.

We know that influenza always gets worse during the winter months. Now there is good evidence to suggest that this is because as sunlight hours lessen during the winter, the people living in the northern hemisphere become vitamin D deficient and are susceptible to influenza infections of all kinds. Here's a great article available at NIH pertaining to this topic.

There is also some evidence that supplementation with a sufficient amount of vitamin D can help to prevent the onset of a flu or cold.

The current recommendations from the Food and Nutrition Board of the U.S. Institute of Medicine: from 200 to 600 IU/day depending on one's age, are way too low. These values were originally chosen because they were found to prevent osteomalacia (bone softening) and rickets. It is now recognized that vitamin D has many additional physiological functions, for which these levels are totally inadequate. A number of scientists are therefore calling for the Food and Nutrition Board in the U.S. and its counterparts abroad to reassess their current recommendations.

To optimize your vit D levels, you will need to

• Take at least 2,000 IU of a Vitamin D3 supplement daily.
• Get your 25 hydroxy Vitamin D level checked by your doctor (if that is not an option, you can self test your level with ZRT labs)

Although the current normal range is between 20 and 50ng/ml, this is much too low for optimal health. You want your level to be between 50 and 70ng/ml. This is the most important step you can take to prevent the flu!! It may require a number of months taking 5,000 to 10,000 IU of Vit D3 daily (especially during winter) under a doctor's supervision, to optimize your blood level. Monitor your 25 hydroxy vitamin D status every 3 months until you are in the optimal range, then cut back to a maintenance dose of at least 2,000 IU a day.

2) Get adequate sleep, this is an indispensable requirement for a strong immune system.

3) Get adequate exercise, this keeps you robust.

4) Take actions to lower your stress levels

Do breathing exercises, meditate, practice yoga, spend time doing something that makes you happy. Feeling spent, overwhelmed, and/or mentally run down has a causal relationship to your physical health.

5) Wash your hands frequently but not excessively

It decreases your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap because of the risk of creating resistant bacteria. Rather use a simple chemical-free soap.

6) Avoid sugar and processed foods as they decrease your immune function dramatically.

7) Eat phytonutrient rich meals (lots of colorful salads and dark greens)

8) Eat lots of garlic, it works as a broad spectrum antibiotic.

9) Take a probiotic daily (look for one with 10-20 billion organisms).

A strong immune system relies heavily on having a strong foundation in the gut.

10) Keep a supply of antiviral herbal supplements on hand.

As opposed to antiviral drugs, antiviral herbs do not cause resistant strains because they are multifaceted and contain literally thousands of different medicinal compounds. Thus they are able to attack viruses with a full spectrum of synergistic substances. Andrographis, Olive leaf extract, Grapefruit seed extract and Elderberry extract, all have antiviral properties. Use one or a combination of some of them as a prophylactic measure, for ex.whenever you travel (airports) or enter a potentially compromised environment such as a large office, auditorium, stadium, theater etc.

And if you really want to go all out, here are 4 more tips:

11) Take 1-2 grams of fish oils daily, its beneficial for immune function.

12) Take 2 grams of Vitamin C daily, yes it does help.

13) Stock your home pharmacy with an immune building formula.

Look for one that contains Cordyceps and Astragulus. Take it throughout the flu season.

14) Keep homeopathic Oscillococcinum on hand

Take it at the earliest sign of a cold or flu. Early intervention is essential. If you are exposed to someone with the flu directly, you can take one dose twice a day for two days. You can also take one vial once a week throughout the winter, and two or three times a week during flu season, as a preventative measure.

Frank Lipman MD, is the founder and director of the Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in NYC a center whose emphasis is on preventive health care and patient education. His personal blend of Western and Eastern Medicine combined with the many other complimentary modalities he has studied, has helped thousands of people recover their energy and zest for life. He is the author of the recent SPENT: End Exhaustion and Feel Great Again (2009) and Total Renewal; 7 key steps to Resilience, Vitality and Long-Term Health (2003).

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-frank-lipman/swine-flu-what-to-do_b_286245.html?view=print

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5 Harvard researchers accept the Vitamin D theory of autism

The Vitamin D Newsletter

New Harvard Paper on Autism

September 23, 2009

 

Five Harvard researchers accept the Vitamin D theory of autism.

 

Last month, Dr. Dennis Kinney and four of his colleagues at Harvard University accepted the Vitamin D theory of autism and then expanded it by adding five usual suspects. While I was thrilled to see the Vitamin D theory accepted, appreciate them crediting the theory to me, and loved seeing their paper in the same journal that published the original theory, Medical Hypotheses, their five additions are all toxins, the usual suspects. The authors imply these toxins are delivered to our genome by air or water pollution, such as mercury contaminated seafood, where these toxins selectively damage the genome of those silly enough to be Vitamin D deficient.

 

My problem with the paper is the same problem I have with any of the air and water pollution autism theories, why now? Certainly, if a toxin was causing autism, evidence exists that exposure to that toxin has increased part and parcel with the epidemic of autism.

 

For awhile, that was one of the strongest arguments for the mercury in vaccines theory; administration of more and more mercury-containing vaccines paralleled the increase in autism. The problem with the vaccine theory is that when they took the mercury out of vaccines, the incidence of autism went up, not down.

 

What about air and water pollution? Any self-respecting environmentalist will tell you pollution in the USA is at record levels today; that is, American air and water has never been dirtier. However, I am older than sixty, so that nonsense won’t work on me. I remember acid lakes, burning eyes and blazing rivers.

 

As a child, I remember thinking God wanted me to see the air I breathed. That is, I remember the USA before the clean air and clean water acts of the 1960s. If air and water pollution caused the autism epidemic, then that epidemic began in the late 1940s, climbed dramatically in the 1950s, peaked in the 1960s and then decreased in the late 1970s. Just did not happen.

 

One could accurately say that cleaner American air and water is associated with increasing rates of autism, but with a significant lag time. Perhaps air pollution from Eastern Europe, India and China, which has been increasing in the last 20 years, has engendered the current crop of autism, the “foreigners did it” theory of autism. However, why would foreign coal-burning air pollution of today do what good old American coal-burning air pollution of the 50s and 60s could not?

 

Take mercury in seafood, terrible right? As mercury is one of the autism-causing toxins he listed, I assume Dr. Kinney predicts mercury-containing seafood consumption during pregnancy would increase risk of autism. However, I predict the opposite, that is, consumption of mercury-containing seafood during pregnancy would improve the offspring’s mentation, the benefits of Vitamin D in fish overwhelming any detriments of mercury.

 

Consistent with that prediction, the three largest studies found higher maternal consumption of mercury-containing fish was associated with better, not worse, infant cognition with the greatest benefit for infants whose mothers consumed the most mercury-containing fish. Do not misunderstand me; the three studies below show mercury is bad, Vitamin D-rich fish and mercury is better, and Vitamin D-rich fish without mercury is the best.

 

Oken E, et al. Maternal fish consumption, hair mercury, and infant cognition in a U.S. Cohort. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Oct;113(10):1376-80.

 

If you think the beneficial effect was from omega-3 fats, you’d be wrong. In another Harvard study, the benefits for the child of mother’s fish consumption again overwhelmed the harm from mercury. Omega-3 fats consumption could not explain the beneficial effects of mercury-containing seafood, that is, neither total maternal intake of omega-3, nor omega-3 content of mother’s red blood cells, was associated with the child’s cognition.

 

Oken E, et al. Maternal fish intake during pregnancy, blood mercury levels, and child cognition at age 3 years in a US cohort. Am J Epidemiol. 2008 May 15;167(10):1171-81.

 

In yet a third study, NIH researchers found benefits for mothers who ate mercury-containing seafood during pregnancy. Benefits of fish consumption again overwhelmed the harm of toxins in fish. More importantly, low maternal seafood consumption (and thus low seafood mercury consumption) resulted in children with lower verbal IQs and suboptimal outcomes for pro-social behaviors, fine motor, communication, and social development, that is, autistic symptoms.

 

Hibbeln JR, Maternal seafood consumption in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood (ALSPAC study): an observational cohort study. Lancet. 2007 Feb 17;369(9561):578-85.

 

So I heartily recommend seafood to expectant mothers and give my highest endorsement to vitamin D-rich, mercury-poor fish like small salmon. (By the way, the omega-3 literature is hopelessly confounded by Vitamin D.) However, the essence of Dr. Kinney and colleagues’ addition to the Vitamin D theory is that at least some of the autism generating toxic genetic damage is done to the father’s sperm, not the mother’s egg.

 

That is, toxins ingested by Vitamin D deficient men causes oxidative damage leading to genetic mutations in sperm. The authors’ suggestion is to give Vitamin D to men, before they go around impregnating women, to prevent genetic damage by toxins and thus prevent autism. While I certainly agree men should take Vitamin D before they impregnate anyone (and I suspect they will be more successful in their mission if they do), I doubt healthy men will take Vitamin D any time soon.

 

Even if the new Food and Nutrition Board recommends 5,000 IU/day for healthy adults – and they won’t – healthy men will ignore any new FNB recommendation because most men will not take supplements, unless they think it prevents hair loss, increases sexual abilities or improves athletic performance (Vitamin D has no effect on the first two but certainly improves the third).

 

However, unlike men, pregnant women will take a supplement, and almost always do so, a prenatal vitamin. Currently, that prenatal contains a meaningless 10 micrograms of Vitamin D (400 IU). Say it contained a physiological amount, say 125 micrograms (5,000 IU). If it did, I predict the incidence of congenital autism (obvious in the first few months of life) would dramatically reduce almost immediately and the overall incidence would begin decreasing in several years. However, it would not affect the autism caused by the severe childhood Vitamin D deficiency that occurs when toddlers are weaned from Vitamin D rich formula to my favorite toxin, natural organic fruit juice.

 

All in all, I liked Dr. Kinney and colleagues’ paper; I hope Dr. Kinney can wake someone up at Autism Speaks, which funds Dr. Kinney. (If Autism Speaks doesn’t hurry and help fund the Vitamin D Council, they won’t be able to get any credit at all for helping discover the cause of autism.) The authors also listed evidence that strengthens the Vitamin D theory of autism, evidence I discussed in the original paper.

 

That evidence is: 1) autism is more common in cloudy and rainy areas; 2) dark-skinned immigrants have much higher rates of autism; 3) there are more cases in the northern US than in the South, and 4) autism is more common in urban than rural areas, just like rickets. The authors forgot to add a fifth fact, the NIH found widespread bony abnormalities in autistic kids, abnormalities that look like the effects of chronic low-grade rickets to me.

 

Also, if Dr. Kinney and colleagues are correct in their revision of my theory, then Vitamin D should not have a treatment effect in children with autism, unless Vitamin D can repair genetic defects. I predict the opposite: Vitamin D will be found to have a treatment effect in autism, as Vitamin D acts quickly to prevent further oxidative brain damage and increases brain glutathione, which promptly dispatches the usual suspects.

 

John Cannell, MD

 

This newsletter is now copyrighted but may be reproduced for non-economic reasons as long as proper attribution to its source is clearly stated in the reproduction. Please reproduce it, post it on Internet sites, and forward it to your friends. 

 

Remember, we are a non-profit and rely on your donations to publish our newsletter, maintain our website, and pursue our objectives. Send your tax-deductible contributions to:

 

The Vitamin D Council

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San Luis Obispo, CA 93422

Best Regards,

Andrew McGivern
604.816.0356

Contact Me

Health Empowerment News Podcast

004 Health Empowerment News – Drug Induced Nutrient Depletion

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Conservative Think Tank recommends abolishing Natural Health Product Regulations

http://www.pr-inside.com/print1474107.htm

The Fraser Institute: Time to Abolish Costly Regulation of Natural Health Products and Professional Licensing

2009-09-10 12:14:04 -

CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwire) -- 09/10/09 -- The government agency that monitors natural health products has been an expensive flop, producing no discernable benefits for Canadians, and should be abolished recommends a new study from the Fraser Institute, Canada's leading economic think tank.

The peer-reviewed study, Unnatural Regulation: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy in Canada : www.fraserinstitute.org/researchandpublications/publications/690 .. , also criticizes provincial licensing regimes for health care practitioners. It found licensing does little to safeguard consumers and instead creates protected monopolies and drives up prices. It recommends the current licensing system for all health care providers-including physicians-be replaced with a competitive certification process overseen by non-governmental agencies.

"With more people using natural health products and complementary and alternative medicines, governments claim they need to increase regulations covering these products and therapies. However, the data do not support a public safety argument for government regulation of either natural health products or complementary and alternative medicines," says Cynthia Ramsay, a Vancouver-based consultant specializing in health economics, and author of the report.

Government regulation of natural health products and complementary and alternative medicine practitioners will also be examined and discussed during a conference : www.fraserinstitute.org/newsandevents/events/6751.aspx on Saturday September 26 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver.

According to Health Canada, Canadian sales of natural health products were estimated to amount to about $4.3 billion and to number around 40,000 to 50,000 products in 2004. A 2006 survey on the use of complementary and alternative medicine found that more than one-half of Canadians had used at least one alternative therapy in the year prior to the survey, a four percentage-point increase over the rate of use in 1997. Yet reports of adverse events are rare, and legislation already exists to protect Canadians from malicious or unsafe providers.

Regulating Natural Health Products

The federal government implemented natural health product regulations, overseen by the Natural Health Products Directorate at Health Canada, in 2004 but has yet to offer any evidence showing how its regulations have improved safety or provided Canadians with access to safe, effective, and high quality natural health products, Ramsay said.

"Since the launch of the Natural Health Products Directorate, thousands of natural health products are now off the market and more than $90 million dollars has been spent creating the directorate, drafting regulations, and beginning the regulatory process," Ramsay said.

"Money that could have gone towards other much-needed health care or public services has instead been used to create another cumbersome and ineffective bureaucracy that has thus far only managed to reduce choice for consumers."

Licensing Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practitioners

The study found myriad differing regulatory environments for health practitioners across the country that not only impose barriers on the ability of a practitioner trained in one province to work in another, but that also result in higher costs for health care consumers. The study also notes a growing trend across Canada of licensing complementary and alternative practitioners, which means that practitioners work with defined scopes of practice and have the exclusive use of a specific title-midwife or acupuncturist, for example-if they have met certain standards. Licensure also makes it illegal for someone else to perform the tasks within a licensed group's scope of practice, no matter how skilled they might be.

"Dozens of complementary and alternative medicine provider groups have become licensed in the past 20 years, and still many others are fighting for it on the basis that more education translates into greater quality. Yet there is no evidence of a discernible improvement in patient care outcomes," Ramsay said.

"The increased number of licensed health professions has likely only secured health providers higher wages and reduced the availability of health care to Canadians."

Ramsay examined the argument that public safety is better protected by government licensure and found that stricter licensing of a profession is most often used to limit entry to others and drive up wages while providing little or no safety or quality benefit to consumers. The stricter requirements created by licensure, relative to voluntary certification or registration with competing governing bodies, also reduce the number of entrants into a profession, increase prices, and reduce access to care.

The study recommends that all current health practitioner licenses be replaced with voluntary certification, and various organizations should be given the opportunity to become certifying agencies. Certification is similar to licensure in that an examination or other process is administered by an authority which attests a worker has achieved a certain level of skill, knowledge, and/or ability, and reserves a title for them to use. Unlike licensure however, certification permits others to perform the same type of work a certified worker does.

The voluntary certification of all health care practitioners-including physicians-would give consumers more choice when selecting a health care provider. Consumers could pay a higher fee for a practitioner with government-sanctioned skills (i.e., through a professional college) or a practitioner who is considered qualified in certain skills by an independent certifying organization or competing professional associations, or they could pay a lower fee for a practitioner without such certification.

"Competition among many providers and certifying agencies will make it difficult for any single or group of providers to achieve above-normal profits or economic rent," Ramsay said.

"Quality would likely be more actively monitored and standards more aggressively maintained because of the competition between certifying organizations and professional associations. This would encourage higher quality providers than if a monopoly licensing organization was created by the government."

Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter : www.twitter.com/FraserInstitute | Become a fan on Facebook : www.facebook.com/pages/The-Fraser-Institute/123235041462

Check out our latest videos on YouTube : www.youtube.com/user/FraserInstitute

The Fraser Institute is an independent research and educational organization with offices across North America and partnerships in more than 70 countries. Its mission is to measure, study, and communicate the impact of competitive markets and government intervention on the welfare of individuals. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org : www.fraserinstitute.org/ .

Contacts:
The Fraser Institute - Media Contact
Cynthia Ramsay
604-689-1520
cramsayfi@gmail.com : cramsayfi@gmail.com

The Fraser Institute - Media Contact
Nadeem Esmail
Director of Health System Performance Studies
403-216-7175; ext 222
nadeem.esmail@fraserinstitute.org : nadeem.esmail@fraserinstitute.org

The Fraser Institute
Dean Pelkey
Director of Communications
(604) 714-4582
dean.pelkey@fraserinstitute.org : dean.pelkey@fraserinstitute.org
www.fraserinstitute.org : www.fraserinstitute.org

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Health Empowerment News with Croft Woodruff – Episode 4

http://www.foodsarenotdrugs.com/podcasts/henews/004-health-empowerment-news-drug-induced-nutrient-depletion.php

“Drug Induced Nutrient Depletion – Are you affected?”

This week on Health Empowerment News, Croft and Andrew talk about Drug Induced Nutrient Depletion.

Ever wondered why prescription and over the counter medications often have many side effects? One of the culprits is the nutrient depleting effects of synthetic chemical drugs.

In episode 4 of Health Empowerment News, Croft talks about one of his favourite books, “The Drug Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook”, by Ross Ross Pelton. This book outlines the fact that over 1000 commonly prescribed drugs and OTC medications may be depleting one or more nutrients from the body. Is it possible that our medications are making us sicker by depleting us of essential nutrients? Could some medications be depleting nutrients which are supporting the very organ or organ system the drug is supposed to help? Listen to the show to find out…

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Two thousand schoolgirls suffer suspected ill-effects from cervical cancer vaccine

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6178045/Two-thousand-schoolgirls-suffer-suspected-ill-effects-from-cervical-cancer-vaccine.html

Thousands of schoolgirls have suffered suspected adverse reactions to a controversial cervical cancer vaccine introduced by the Government.

 

By Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent
Published: 9:00PM BST 12 Sep 2009

Doctors' reports show that girls of 12 and 13 have experienced convulsions, fever and paralysis after being given the vaccine, which is now administered in schools as part of efforts to prevent women developing cancer.

Others suffered nausea, muscle weakness, dizziness and blurred vision, according to a special report drawn up by drug safety watchdogs.

A support group says it has received dozens of calls from parents who believe their daughters have been damaged by the vaccine.

The parents of one teenage girl given the jab last autumn believe it was to blame for repeated seizures which have left her with brain damage and psychosis.

The immunisation programme for teenage girls is controversial because it protects them from the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus which causes 70 per cent of cervical tumours.

When the Government introduced the Cervarix vaccination programme last year, some campaigners dubbed it a "promiscuity jab".

Campaigners and families said the new figures showed the vaccination should not have been introduced via a mass programme.

More than one million girls have already been given the jab, which is offered to all as they enter their teens.

Until 2011 it will also be administered to older girls, so that all female teens below the age of 18 will be covered by the programme.

Ministers say that ultimately the scheme will save 700 lives a year, while drug safety experts insist the number of suspected reactions are outweighed by the benefits from the jab.

Most of the more than 2,000 suspected reactions recorded by drug safety watchdog Medicines and Health care products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) were mild, with dozens of girls recording rashes, pain in the arm, and allergies.

But the report prepared by the MHRA earlier this month also discloses cases in which teens have suffered convulsions, eye rolling, muscle spasms, seizures and hyperventilation soon after being given the jab.

The analysis by the MHRA, drawn up this month, found 2,107 patients had reported some kind of suspected adverse reaction to Cervarix. Several reported multiple reactions, with 4,602 suspected side-effects recorded in total.

Jackie Fletcher, founder of Jabs, a support group for families whose children have fallen ill after immunisation, said she had taken dozens of calls from parents who believed their daughters had been damaged by the cervical cancer vaccine.

She said: "We have spoken to parents whose daughters have had seizures, paralysis, blurred vision, severe headaches and the loss of feeling in parts of their body.

"Doctors will try to convince parents that these problems are in their child's mind, or have nothing to do with the vaccines, but we don't think there is sufficient evidence to show Cervarix is safe."

Medical safety experts insist the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.

They say many of the patients who experienced an "adverse" reaction to the jab since April 2008, including some who took part in drug trials or bought the drug privately, only suffered short-term side effects from the injection process, not as a result of the drug.

There was no evidence to suggest "isolated cases of other medical conditions" were actually caused by the vaccine, and not just a coincidence, the regulator's report said.

Cancer charities urged parents to continue allowing their daughters to have the jabs, saying the numbers were well within what would have been expected for a large-scale programme, and that most of the side effects were minor.

Robert Music, director of cervical cancer charity Jo's Trust said: "I can understand why parents would feel cautious, but this programme could reduce 70 per cent of cervical cancers.

We need to keep reviewing the evidence, but we would really urge parents to make sure their daughters have the vaccination."

Stacey Jones is one of those who believes she has suffered side effects from the vaccine. She was 17 when she had her first Cervarix injection.

Her parents Julie and Kerry, from Bilston, West Midlands, noticed her becoming increasingly emotional in the weeks following the first two jabs, but feared their "happy-go-lucky" girl had finally succumbed to adolescent moodswings.

Within four days of the third injection in March of this year, Stacey suffered an epileptic seizure, followed by 17 more in the following week.

She has now been diagnosed with a brain injury, caused by inflammation of the brain, and is being treated in an NHS rehabilitation unit in Birmingham, which helps her with basic tasks like making a sandwich.

Seizures are minimised by five types of medication, but her memory is badly damaged.

The family has been given no explanation for how the damage occurred. Mrs Jones, 44, said: "She was such a lovely, happy go-lucky girl, now she is just a shell.

"When we go to see her, she can't remember what she has just eaten for tea. The impact on her and all of us has been absolutely devastating. I feel she has been used as a guinea pig."

A spokesman for GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Cervarix, said the drug had to undergo rigorous testing, with over 70,000 doses used in trials before a licence was granted.

He said: "The UK medicines safety agency has reviewed all reported adverse events relevant to Cervarix and there is no evidence to suggest that the vaccine carries any long-term side effects.

"The symptoms this girl has experienced are clearly upsetting and it is understandable that the girl and her parents want to uncover the cause."

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New Podcast Episode --> Health Empowerment News – GMO Foods and Your Health!

003 Health Empowerment News – GMO Foods and Your Health!

Sep 9th, 2009 | By admin | Category: Health Empowerment News | Edit

Health Empowerment News with Croft Woodruff – Episode 3

“Genetically Modified Organisms – How GMO Foods Affect your Health!”

This week on Health Empowerment News, Croft and Andrew talk about Genetically Modified Organisms, GMO Foods and how they may affect your health. What are the solutions. Listen to find out more…

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Welcome to a New Era of Health Freedom for Canadians!

Charter of Health Freedom

On September 10, 2008, the Natural Health Community of Canada joined forces to launch the Charter of Health Freedom. The Charter of Health Freedom will bring about a new era in Health Care Freedom in Canada.

This proposed legislation will create a fair health care system that respects our ancestral legal rights. We envision this health care system to be fully sustainable, culturally diverse and encompass natural, traditional and conventional medicine. The Charter of Health Freedom has the potential to set us apart as one of the most progressive countries in the world introducing it’s visionary proposal:
The Ministry of Wellness.

Charter of Health Freedom

The Charter of Health Freedom is a bold initiative that moves us in a new direction. It protects Canadians’ rights to unhindered access to safely regulated natural health products. It protects our freedom of choice from over-regulation by the Health Canada. Since the January 2004 implementation of the Natural Health Products Regulations, Canadians have already lost 20,000 safe and effective natural health products.

This Charter will put an end to the devastating trend of unreasonable restriction in our natural health community.

This new federal legislation serves to include all natural medicines, therapies and treatments. It is built on the fundamental belief that every person has the right to choose what form of health care they and their family wish to receive.

It’s your life. It’s your body. It’s your choice.

Ministry of Wellness

The Ministry of Wellness has been put forward as an alternative, and an adjunct, to the current Ministry of Health/Health Canada. Given the track records and differences between conventional medicine and natural medicine, it is quite evident that they should be regulated separately.

The Ministry of Wellness would therefore oversee natural medicines, therapies and treatments and all natural healing arts while the Ministry of Health/Health Canada would oversee conventional medicine.

This concept is unique to Canada and would serve as a solution that would accomodate all parties and honour the multiple Supreme Court of Canada decisions which consistently reinforce the notion of sovereignty over one’s body.

With a new Charter and a new Ministry we can expect a broad-based health care system in which Canadians would be free to choose what form of health maintenance, prevention or treatment they would like to receive and could have confidence in knowing that both are being properly regulated.

Our goal is to bridge the gap between conventional medicine and natural medicine. We believe that all forms of medicine have their time and place and should be respected.

To download a copy of the Charter of Health Freedom and sign the petition please click here!

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Anybody Using NetVibes ???

http://www.netvibes.com/andrewmcgivern

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IV Vitamin C Used to Recover Terminal Swine Flu Case

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
September 08 2009

www.mercola.com

 

Dr. Thomas Levy sent me a report on a case where vitamin C was used to completely cure a case of swine flu.  He says that adequately dosed vitamin C, to his knowledge, has never failed to cure an acute viral syndrome. According to information he received from a colleague in New Zealand, John Appleton, the following occurred:

A Waikato farmer went to Fiji for holiday, and started developing flu-like symptoms, but decided to tough it out. He arrived back in New Zealand very sick with swine flu. Tauranga Hospital was not able to treat him (what was not known at the time is that he has leukemia -- he didn't know either.) They sent him to Auckland Hospital, but he continued to deteriorate, despite the use of Tamiflu and antibiotics.

His brother-in-law (who knows a bit about vitamin C) contacted Dr. Thomas Levy in the U.S., who referred him to Dr. Appleton. Dr. Appleton provided a lot of info on vitamin C and referred the family to CAM (Centre for Advanced Medicine), www.camltd.co.nz in Auckland.

The family pushed to get him some IV vitamin C, but the hospital refused. CAM doctors encouraged the hospital to try vitamin C.

The patient deteriorated further and was on life support. The family was told nothing more could be done and life support would be switched off. His lungs were not functioning. The family said NO -- not until everything has been tried.

 

The hospital was pushed hard to give him IVC and reluctantly agreed, saying if there was no improvement by Friday that's it.

The patient showed signs of improvement by Wednesday, to the hospital’s surprise. Concerns were expressed about his kidneys, and a new specialist wanted to stop the vitamin C use -- the family was told his liver was failing, “caused by vitamin C”. Dr. Appleton gave them lots of data showing the liver is more likely to be affected by antibiotics.

Patient recovery continued to the point where he could be transferred to Waikato (closer to home); he was on a ventilator and NG tube feeding. The doctors there were more receptive to vitamin C, but wouldn't agree to continue the treatment. The family got a high profile lawyer involved who wrote a letter about patient rights and called the hospital to recommend that they sort it out with the family.

The hospital continued with IVC, albeit at a much lower dose. A CAM doctor traveled to Waikato to endorse the treatment and recommend IVC at higher doses. The patient continued to recover -- he was now conscious. The hospital staff was stunned -- they had never seen anything like this

The patient was told by his brother-in-law that IVC had saved him. The patient’s wife had not lost her husband and children have their father. The patient was by this time fully 'with it' and talking normally with family and taking Lypospheric vitamin C (6 grams daily).

For those doctors wondering about doses, Dr. Levy communicated directly with the brother-in-law to find out. On the Tuesday following the initial "deadline" 25 grams were given intravenously. On Wednesday, 25 gram infusions were again repeated twice. Thursday the patient received 75 grams, and starting on Friday he received 100 grams intravenously and stayed at this dose daily for another 4 to 6 days. Then the new consultant had the vitamin C discontinued completely. One week later, the IVC was restarted at only one gram twice daily.

Dr. Levy encourages everyone to resend this case history to any and all who you think could benefit, including your friends and contacts in the government. Obviously, a reasonable daily dose of vitamin C could be expected to do an even better job at preventing H1N1 while having no downside relative to the mass vaccinations getting ready to take place.

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Challenging the Statin Drug Dogma Vitality September 2009 Features sept_08_drzoltanronapicDrugs You Don’t Need – And the Best Natural Alternatives by Dr. Zoltan P. Rona, MD, PHD Cholesterol lowering statin drugs are a $26 billion a year industry in N

Challenging the Statin Drug Dogma

http://www.vitalitymagazine.com/sept09_pg32feat

Vitality

September 2009 Features

Drugs You Don’t Need – And the Best Natural Alternatives   

by Dr. Zoltan P. Rona, MD, PHD

 

Cholesterol lowering statin drugs are a $26 billion a year industry in North America. The commitment by mainstream doctors to these drugs, in fact, is so powerful that many physicians themselves take statins, even though their cholesterol levels may be normal. In the past year alone, I have seen at least two dozen patients who were prescribed statins by other physicians, even though the patient’s blood levels of cholesterol were normal. In many cases, the physicians prescribing the drugs boasted that they were taking the same prescription.

 

Few conventional MDs ever question the validity of taking statins. Ask anyone over 50 and there’s at least a 50% chance they take a statin of some kind. (That’s all provided they are not a regular reader of this magazine.) In my opinion, statins may well be the biggest scam perpetrated upon an unwary public and the medical profession. Big Pharma spends big bucks to make sure all doctors continuously prescribe these money makers, and great efforts are also made to minimize the significance of side effects.

 

The most common statins include: Lipitor (atorvastatin); Zocor (simvastatin); Pravachol (pravastatin); Lescol (fluvastatin); Mevacor (lovastatin); Crestor (rosuvastatin).

 

Side Effects of Cholesterol Lowering Drugs

 

Statins are believed to be “preventive medicine” against heart disease, but are they really? If one looks at actual statistics in the prevention of a first heart attack, statins only prevent 1% of first heart attacks over a period of 10 years. For every life saved by a statin, an equal number of deaths occur that are caused by adverse reactions to statins in the form of accidents, infections, suicide and cancer (also 1% over 10 years). As a form of first heart attack prevention, statins are an ineffectual waste of money. The evidence for reduction of mortality is, at the very least, highly debatable.

 

All statins work primarily by blocking an enzyme (HMG CoA reductase) in the liver that helps manufacture cholesterol. Unfortunately, this is the same enzyme the body uses to manufacture coenzyme Q10, the most important antioxidant for the cardiovascular system. Consequently, coenzyme Q10 tissue levels are lowered by statins and numerous side effects occur.

 

If you suffer from Fibromyalgia, statins are definitely not for you. These drugs have been proven to turn on the gene that causes muscle damage leading to atrophy (shrinkage) and wasting. It’s a given. Everyone (that’s 100% of the time) taking statins gets muscle damage – it’s just a question of the degree. You may not have muscle pain or weakness now from taking a statin, but you definitely have microscopic muscle damage.

 

The most serious form of muscle damage is called rhabdomyolysis (major muscle cell death) and is said to occur in only 1% of statin users. This damage is permanent and only partial relief is seen when the statin is stopped. At least 5 to 7% of statin users report varying degrees of muscle pain or discomfort. That percentage goes up to 10% in those who use higher doses and the percentage climbs to 25% in those engaged in regular vigorous exercise. These are facts based on research done using muscle biopsies. Let’s not forget that the heart itself is a muscle. Statin use has been shown to worsen the signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure, perhaps through this muscle wasting effect.

 

Cardiomyopathy is a known but under-reported side effect of statins, and is thought to be due to a combination of statin induced coenzyme Q10 deficiency and the gene activation of muscle damage. Unfortunately, we cannot do biopsies as readily on the heart, so heart muscle damage caused by statins can only be proven at autopsy.

 

The nerve damaging effects of statins are also well documented. Memory and cognitive loss, neuropathy, anemia, cataracts, sexual dysfunction, liver dysfunction, fatigue, immune system weaknesses and mental depression side effects have often been reported. If you suffer from cancer and use statins, it’s time to rethink that statin prescription.

 

The Many Benefits of Cholesterol

 

Cholesterol has become synonymous with evil, disease and death, yet at least 85% of the cholesterol in your blood comes from your liver’s own manufacture of it. If you consume high cholesterol foods, your cholesterol blood levels do go higher temporarily, but the liver then manufactures less and eventually the blood levels go lower. Eliminate cholesterol entirely from your diet and the liver starts manufacturing more of it.

 

Cholesterol blood levels can change significantly from one time of the day to another. In northern latitudes especially, higher levels of cholesterol are seen in the winter than summer, possibly because of the cholesterol lowering effect of vitamin D from the sun. Cholesterol goes high after an injury, such as can occur with surgery. It can also go higher as a response to mental stress, an infection, as well as during and after a heart attack.

 

Why does the body go to such lengths to maintain cholesterol levels if it’s something that is so horrible? Are there good reasons to have adequate amounts of cholesterol in the body? Overwhelmingly, the answer is yes. Cholesterol is a healing or repair agent. The body makes more of it as a response to oxidant stress from numerous sources. For example, if you smoke cigarettes, your cholesterol level is likely to be high because the body needs protection against the toxins found in tobacco smoke.

 

We are all exposed to toxins from food, water and air on a regular basis. The greater the toxin exposure, the more the body needs to protect itself. One of the mechanisms by which this occurs is the production of more cholesterol by the liver. Suppress that function with a statin and you risk developing degenerative diseases more easily.

 

Half of all heart attacks occur even though cholesterol levels are well within the normal range. This “normal” range has changed frequently over the past 30 years, going lower and lower, thus accommodating the hypothesis that just about everyone has ‘too high’ cholesterol levels.

 

Cholesterol is an integral part of the structure of every cell in the body, including the cells of all our blood vessels, so life would cease to exist without cholesterol. It is used by the body to manufacture testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, cortisol and DHEA. Low levels of cholesterol can lead to deficiencies in these hormones and subsequent acceleration of aging.

 

Cholesterol insulates nerves and is responsible for healthy nervous system function. Many diseases of the brain and nervous system (such as Parkinson’s disease, depression and suicide, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis) can be aggravated, if not caused by, low cholesterol levels.

 

Cholesterol deficiency can lead to numerous digestive system problems because bile salts are made in the liver from cholesterol and these salts are important for proper digestion.

 

The body also manufactures vitamin D from cholesterol, and if cholesterol levels are low a vitamin D deficiency could result. As we now know, low levels of vitamin D can increase the risk of cancer by as much as 60%. Could this be one of the mechanisms by which statin drugs increase cancer incidence? Low levels of vitamin D have been proven to weaken immunity.

 

The brain accounts for approximately a quarter of all the cholesterol in the body. The myelin sheath that covers every nerve in the body is made of at least one-fifth cholesterol. Communication between nerves and the integrity of messages between neurons is partially dependent on adequate cholesterol levels. The brain functions abnormally without adequate cholesterol because receptors for serotonin require cholesterol to work properly – so depression, violence, memory impairment and suicide are all more likely to occur.

 

It has never been conclusively shown that lowering cholesterol levels saves lives. Certainly, its efficacy in preventing a first heart attack is unproven. Lowering cholesterol can, in fact, be related to a greater death risk, especially from cancer.

 

Since the correlation between total cholesterol and heart disease is practically non-existent, a stronger correlation was sought many years ago. Hence the myth of a “good” (HDL or high density lipoprotein) and a “bad” (LDL or low density lipoprotein) cholesterol was created. The truth is that cholesterol is just cholesterol. In the blood, it combines with other things such as proteins, simply because fat and water do not mix well and proteins are good carriers of fat molecules.

 

The real cause of heart disease is inflammation – not the levels of any cholesterol sub fraction. There are many causes of inflammation triggered by environmental, dietary, emotional, and genetic influences. And there is growing evidence of an infectious disease source, amongst many other theories.

 

Natural Alternatives to Stains

 

We are now being told by Big Pharma and their puppets that statins are also anti-inflammatory, and the real reason they work in preventing heart disease is through their anti-inflammatory effect. Yet curcumin, omega-3 oils, vitamin E, vitamin C, digestive enzymes such as pancreatin and bromelain, and many other natural remedies are also anti-inflammatory – and at a significantly lower price. Further, none carry any of the outrageous side effects seen with the statins.

 

Abnormally high cholesterol levels are a response by the body to a variety of physical toxins and mental stress. Heredity also plays a part, but can be overcome naturally. The first thing to do is find out what is really going wrong in the body? Is there an infection? Is something causing inflammation? What are the toxins that could potentially be involved? Is there a low thyroid condition? Does the person smoke cigarettes? Is blood sugar control out of balance? Is there little or no physical activity? Is there obesity?

 

The next step is to understand that eating a diet rich in antioxidants and low in toxins can reduce high cholesterol levels naturally, without significant side effects. In 2003, a study by the University of Toronto showed that a vegetarian diet (Ape Man Diet) was every bit as good at lowering abnormally high cholesterol levels as any drug.

 

Also interesting is that most supplemental nutriceuticals, antioxidants and herbs shown to lower cholesterol do so by neutralizing the toxic agents that stimulate high cholesterol levels in the first place. Below is a list of strategies that can be used through diet and supplements to lower cholesterol naturally. A natural health care professional can help direct you in any changes you may want to make.

 

Cholesterol Lowering Diet

 

The so-called Ape Man Diet (primarily vegan, as demonstrated by what gorillas eat) has been shown to lower cholesterol as effectively as any statin. If you cannot fancy yourself as an ape, at least consume two or more servings of each of the following proven cholesterol lowering foods every day:

 

•  Organic fermented soy products such as tempeh and miso contain saponins, which prevent the absorption of excess cholesterol from the gastrointestinal tract.

•  High pectin fruits such as pears, apples, grapefruit and oranges also prevent cholesterol absorption. And drinking pomegranate juice lowers cholesterol because of its antioxidants and polyphenols.

•  Garlic, onions, carrots, walnuts, almonds, oat bran cereal, milled (ground) flax seed, and seaweed products such as kelp, dulse and kombu lower cholesterol via their content of fiber, antioxidants and trace minerals.

 

Cholesterol Lowering Supplements

 

Cholesterol lowering with most of these natural remedies can take three months or longer to achieve. But unlike drugs, side effects of such products are minimal.

 

Soluble fibers – such as psyllium, guar gum and pectin (15 grams or more daily).

Milled flax seed – 15 grams or more daily.

 

Curcumin – 1000 mg, 3 times daily – strongly anti-inflammatory and liver protective. It works to lower inflammation, tissue damage and ultimately high cholesterol levels.

 

Omega-3 oils – 2000 mg twice daily – prevent abnormal blood clotting and reduce the risk of heart disease. Higher doses may be required by some individuals.

 

Garlic – 1000 mg or more daily – eating real garlic cloves is preferred but social interactions may necessitate the alternative use of supplemental capsules.

 

Coenzyme Q10 – 200 mg twice daily – a strong multi-purpose antioxidant with especially good cardiovascular protective properties.

 

Niacin – 1000 – 3000 mgs daily (N.B. niacin can cause a red or flushing reaction, which is usually temporary and harmless and lessens with regular use; may cause liver irritation.)

 

Inositol hexaniacinate – 600  to 1800 mgs daily – a compound of niacin and inositol which does not produce flushing or liver toxicity but costs more than regular niacin.

 

Tocotrienols – 600 mgs or more daily – a form of vitamin E originating from rice bran oil which blocks the cholesterol synthesizing enzyme in the liver. Most vitamin E complex formulae include tocotrienols as part of the complex.

 

Vitamin C – 3000 to 6000 mgs – lowers cholesterol, regenerates and reactivates vitamin E. Vitamin C protects the body from oxidant stress, thereby lowering cholesterol.

 

Beta Sitosterol – (500 mg daily) More than 50 human and animal studies published in scientific journals since the 1960s show that beta-sitosterol has a powerful hypocholesterolemic effect in humans. It has a similar chemical structure to cholesterol. Beta-sitosterol interferes with cholesterol absorption, which prevents the rise in serum cholesterol. In one study (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition) there was a 42% decrease in cholesterol absorbed when taking beta-sitosterol before eating scrambled eggs. Beta-sitosterol is also believed to reduce serum cholesterol by inhibiting the intestinal re-absorption of circulating cholesterol, which is secreted in the bile.

 

Berberine – 1000 mg three times daily – an extract of several herbs used for their antibiotic properties, plus cholesterol- and triglyceride-lowering ability. It also has antioxidant benefits.

 

Artichoke leaf extract – 1000 mg three times daily – works to enhance bile acid production by the liver from cholesterol.

 

Guggulsterones – 1000 mg daily – a resin from the Guggul tree with antioxidant properties; also able to lower cholesterol by regulating bile metabolism.

 

Ferulic acid – 1000 mg daily – lowers cholesterol by an as yet unidentified mechanism; known to be a strong antioxidant.

 

Green tea extract (Theaflavin) – 500 mg three times daily – a polyphenol derived from catechins found in green tea that has both cholesterol-lowering and antioxidant effects.

 

Red Yeast Rice – 1000 mg twice daily – if you are between 50 and 75 years old and have proven coronary artery disease or have had a heart attack you may want to take this naturally occurring statin as an anti-inflammatory preventive remedy. Side effects are minimal according to a 2005 study.

 

Dr. Zoltan P. Rona practices Complementary Medicine in Toronto and is the medical editor of The Encyclopedia of Natural Healing. He has also published several Canadian best selling books including Return to The Joy of Health. For more of his articles, see the website:www.mydoctor.ca/drzoltanrona

 

REFERENCES

 

• Krumholz HM and others. Lack of association between cholesterol and coronary heart disease mortality and morbidity and all-cause mortality in persons older than 70 years. Journal of the American Medical Association 272, 1335-1340, 1990.

•  Ravnskov U. High cholesterol may protect against infections and atherosclerosis. Quarterly Journal of Medicine 96, 927-934, 2003.

•  Rauchhaus M and others. The relationship between cholesterol and survival in patients with chronic heart failure. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 42, 1933-1940, 2003.

•  Horwich TB and others. Low serum total cholesterol is associated with marked increase in mortality in advanced heart failure. Journal of Cardiac Failure 8, 216-224, 2002.

•  Muldoon MF and others. Immune system differences in men with hypo- or hypercholesterolemia. Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology 84, 145-149, 1997.

•  Jun-ichi Hanai1, Peirang Cao1, Preeti Tanksale1, Shintaro Imamura2,3, Eriko Koshimizu3,4, Jinghui Zhao5, Shuji Kishi3, Michiaki Yamashita2, Paul S. Phillips6, Vikas P. Sukhatme1 and Stewart H. Lecker1 The muscle-specific ubiquitin ligase atrogin-1/MAFbx mediates statin-induced muscle toxicity J. Clin. Invest. 117(12): 3940-3951 (2007). doi:10.1172/JCI32741.

•  Jackson PR, Wallis EJ, Haq IU, Ramsay LE. Statins for primary prevention: at what coronary risk is safety assured? Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2001 Oct;52(4):439-46.

•  Vrecer M, Turk S, Drinovec J, Mrhar A. Use of statins in primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke. Meta-analysis of randomized trials. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2003 Dec;41(12):567-77.

•  Markus G. Mohaupt, MD, Richard H. Karas, MD PhD, Eduard B. Babiychuk, PhD, Verónica Sanchez-Freire, Katia Monastyrskaya, PhD, Lakshmanan Iyer, PhD, Hans Hoppeler, MD, Fabio Breil and Annette Draeger, MD. Association between statin-associated myopathy and skeletal muscle damage. CMAJ • July 7, 2009; 181 (1-2). http://www.ecmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/181/1-2/E11

•  Huang CF, Li TC, Lin CC, Liu CS, Shih HC, Lai M. Efficacy of Monascus purpureus Went rice on lowering lipid ratios in hypercholesterolemic patients. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil. 2007 Jun;14(3):438-40.

•  Ziajka PE, Wehmeier T.  Peripheral neuropathy and lipid-lowering therapy. South Med J 1998;91:667-68. Gaist D, Jeppesen U, Andersen M, Garcia Rodriguez

•  LA, Hallas J, Sindrup SH. Statins and risk of polyneuropathy: a case-control study. Neurology 2002;58:1333-7.

•  Lin CC, Li TC, Lai MM. Efficacy and safety of Monascus purpureus Went rice in subjects with hyperlipidemia. D Eur J Endocrinol. 2005 Nov;153(5):679-86.

•  Ragi E. Neuropathy from statins. BMJ 2001 http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/322/7293/1019#17446

•  Golomb BA, Kane T, Dimsdale JE. Severe irritability associated with statin cholesterol lowering. QJM 2004;97:229-35.

•  Edison RJ, Muenke M. Central nervous system and limb anomalies in case reports of first-trimester statin exposure. N Engl J Med 2004;350:1579-82.

n Oliver MF. Doubts about preventing coronary heart disease. Multiple interventions in middle aged men may do more harm than good. British Medical Journal 1992;304:393-394.

•  Ardiansyah, Ohsaki Y, Shirakawa H, Koseki T, Komai M. Novel effects of a single administration of ferulic acid on the regulation of blood pressure and the hepatic lipid metabolic profile in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Apr 23; 56 (8):2825-30.


•  Englisch W, Beckers C, Unkauf M, Ruepp M, Zinserling V. Efficacy of artichoke dry extract in patientswith hyperlipoproteinemia. Arzneim.-Forsch. Drug Res. 2000; 50: 260-265.

•  Maron DJ, Lu GP, Cai NS, Wu ZG, Li YH, Chen H, Zhu JQ, Jin XJ, Wouters BC and Zhao J. Cholesterol-lowering effect of a theaflavin-enriched green tea: a randomized controlled trial. 2003. Arch Intern Med; 163(12): 1448

•  Urizar NL and Moore DD. Gugulipid: a natural cholesterol lowering agent. 2003. Annu Rev Nutr; 23: 303-313.
Yin J, Xing H and Ye J. Efficacy of berberine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Metabolism. 2008; 57(5): 712-717.

•  Sinatra, Stephen, MD. Clearing Up the Cholesterol Confusion

http://www.townsendletter.com/June2009/clearingcholesterol0609.htm

•  Joseph Mecola.The Dangers of Statin Drugs (a 3-part article)
http://www.mercola.com/2004/jul/28/statin_drugs.htm

•  Sally Fallon and Mary Enig. How Statins Work http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/statin.html

•  The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics (THINCS) (links to papers)
http://www.thincs.org/

•  Cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease. Dr. Ron Rosedale.http://www.drrosedale.com/resources/pdf/Cholesterol%20is%20NOT%20the%20cause%20of%20heart%20disease.pdf

•  Can drinking pomegranate juice help lower my cholesterol?

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pomegranate-juice/AN01227

•  Curcumin's cholesterol-lowering mechanism proposed

http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Curcumin-s-cholesterol-lowering-mechanism-proposed

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