A Natural Environmental Health Facts Ezine

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"A NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH FACTS Ezine" Here to Inform and Help You Become Healthier and Happier while Achieving Quality Longevity!

http://www.antibiotic-alternatives.com
Email Lena
928-636-9425
Sunday October 23, 2005
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Watch for Monday's "Ask Lena Health Q & A edition.
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=> IN THIS ISSUE!
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==> Editors' Ranting & or Warnings
==> Something To Think About
==> Health Thought for the day!
==> Showcase Health Spotlight
==> Monthly Spotlight Ads
==> Today's Health Tip
==> Food of The Week
==> Health Today
==> Environmental Report
==> Life Changing Information

As the weekend zips along and we are back to rather normal weather for our part of the world I am hearing more and more sneezing, coughing and sniffling as I am out and about... My immune system is revved up to take it, is yours? I certainly hope so as next week will really kick colds and flu season into high gear as the ghosts and goblins come out with their treat bags in their hands filling them to the top... This begins the biggest immune killer feast of the year and will now continue through the New Year so make sure your immune system is ready to handle each little darling that you come in contact with... Our family always has Ionic Silver Water around just in case someone comes into our path with those sniffles. It really works to kick them in a hurry...

I will be in Las Vegas this week where I will be working an alternative health conference... Hopefully the ezines distribution will not be affected, but that is something that hasn't gone right in the last two away trips, so it's toss up with this one... You will know everything went wrong if you don't receive the ezines for the next few days... I will be available by cell phone off and on during the days so don't hesitate to call if necessary... 928-713-3624 Orders will go out from the warehouse the rest of this week so they will take 3 or 4 days longer than usual to receive. Please be patient...

After the disasters that have and are sweeping through the world give as much as you can as often as you can to help in time of great need... $1 is better than nothing! *Red Cross Click Here *Whole host of other organizations helping out Click Here

If you have a question or comment (good or bad) send it to me... Click Here
Remember ANEH Facts archives Click Here
Ask Lena Health Q & A Archives Click Here
Take charge of you and your family's health before it takes charge of you!
Lena

==> Find An Alternative Health Professional
==>Latest Product Recalls - I'm appalled at the number of things, particularly medications, recalled weekly/daily neither your doctor nor your news stations are telling you about, so how are you going to know? Look here for DAILY Product Recall Site
===> Help The World Without Spending!
http://www.unicefusa.org/emergencies/
===>Help Feed The Hungry Doesn't Cost You A Penny
http://www.thehungersite.com Share your LOVE here!

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Something To Think About
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New Diabetes Pill Deemed Dangerous
Oct 20, 2005
By LINDSEY TANNER

CHICAGO (AP) - A new diabetes pill that appeared headed for federal approval can double the risk for deaths, heart attacks and strokes, according to an independent analysis rushed online Thursday because of public safety concerns.

The drug muraglitazar, developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck & Co. (MRK) to be sold under the name Pargluva, was endorsed by a Food and Drug Administration panel last month. It is a treatment for Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the condition that occurs most often in adults who are overweight.

Researchers with the Cleveland Clinic analyzed the data the FDA made public before the panel vote and found that patients taking Pargluva faced double the risk of death, heart attack or stroke, compared with those on dummy pills or a similar drug.

If the analysis is correct, the drug could have meant a "public health catastrophe," said one of the researchers, Dr. Steven Nissen, a prominent heart specialist with Cleveland Clinic.

The analysis was published Thursday morning on the Journal of the American Medical Association's Web site.

The drug's makers said earlier this week that they had received an "approvable" letter from the FDA that also asked for more safety data on the drug's cardiovascular effects.

"It is beyond me why individuals who are supposed to be overseeing the safety of the public would take a chance when it's not necessary," said Dr. Catherine DeAngelis, JAMA's editor in chief. "It's not like there are not other drugs that can be used" for diabetes.

An FDA spokeswoman said agency officials do not comment on pending drug applications. Calls seeking comment from Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb were not immediately returned.

The non-insulin drug is designed to lower blood sugar levels and increase levels of "good" cholesterol in patients with Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, which affects about 18 million Americans.

The analyzed data involved 3,725 patients who were given Pargluva, a similar drug called pioglitazone, or dummy pills in a variety of studies lasting from 24 weeks to 104 weeks.

Deaths, heart attacks or strokes occurred in 35 of the 2,374 Pargluva patients versus nine of 1,351 patients in a combined group on the other drug or dummy pills, the analysis found. Slightly higher risks for mini-strokes and heart failure also were found among Pargluva patients.

DeAngelis said the Cleveland Clinic analysis shows much more study is needed, and she likened the situation to what occurred with Merck's Vioxx. Merck removed the painkiller from the market last year because of evidence linking it with cardiac problems. Critics contend the FDA did not adequately address safety concerns raised about Vioxx.

Co-author Nissen also called for more studies.

"If our analysis is correct, then this could be a public health catastrophe of the magnitude of what we saw with Vioxx," Nissen said. "We had an opportunity in this particular case to stop this from happening before it was ever approved."

Nissen has done consulting work for a number of drug companies, including Merck and makers of other diabetes treatments, but said he does not accept fees for that work.

DeAngelis said JAMA fast-tracks research studies for online publication only once or twice yearly.

"We worked like heck to get this one out," she said.

The advocacy group Public Citizen also has voiced concerns about approving Pargluva because of safety concerns.

JAMA

Bone Building

Here's some advice for women on which forms of exercise are the most helpful in the prevention of osteoporosis (soft bones). The European Journal of Radiology says the best sports seem to be those that call for lots of exertion for a short period of time, like tennis, sprinting or fencing. Some forms of exercise that keep you active for a long time, but at a relatively low level of exertion -- such as walking, swimming or cycling -- are good for your muscles and heart, but won't really help develop bone mass. As for the heavy-duty stuff, like running a marathon, you should only consider that if you really enjoy it. The journal warns that endurance sports are more likely to cause problems than to correct them.

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Dementia Drugs Can Increase Death Risks
Oct 18, 2005
By LINDSEY TANNER

CHICAGO (AP) - Drugs often used to treat elderly patients with dementia-related aggression and delusions can raise their risk of death, according to a study that reinforces new warning labels required on the medications.

The researchers pooled results of 15 previous studies on drugs known as atypical anti-psychotics and sold under the brand names Zyprexa, Risperdal, Seroquel and Abilify.

Among more than 5,000 elderly dementia patients, those taking any of the drugs faced a 54 percent increased risk of dying within 12 weeks of starting the medication, compared with patients taking dummy pills.

There were 118 deaths among the 3,353 drug users versus 40 in the 1,757-patient placebo group, or 3.5 percent compared with 2.3 percent. The risks were similar for each of the drugs.

The drugs are approved for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disease, not elderly dementia. But because schizophrenia-like symptoms are common in elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease or other dementia, doctors frequently prescribe the drugs to these patients, too. Such "off-label" uses are legal.

The study gave no information on the causes of death, but the Food and Drug Administration warned in April that the drugs have been linked to deaths from heart failure and pneumonia in elderly dementia patients. At the FDA's request, manufacturers recently revised their drug labels to include strong warnings of the increased risk of death.

Dr. Lon Schneider, a University of Southern California psychiatrist and the study's lead author, said the results should instill caution "but not a great sense of fear."

"These drugs are clinically needed and there are actually few alternatives" for elderly dementia patients, Schneider said.

Withholding the drugs from patients who need them could also prove dangerous, by increasing the chances they might harm themselves and others, he said.

The study appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Ronald Landbloom of Zyprexa maker Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) said the drugs "can be very helpful with aggressive psychotic patients who are beating up caregivers and nursing home staff, and hurting themselves," but doctors need to be aware of the risks.

William Thies, scientific director of the Alzheimer's Association, said up to about half of all Alzheimer's patients develop problems the drugs can treat.

"The trade-off is clearly going to be this small risk," and for some patients, the risk is worth taking, Thies said.

JAMA

LENA'S COMMENT: A small risk my foot! If it was your parent or you would it be a small risk. I've watched herbal/mineral supplementing change lives, reverse dementia and other mental problems and nobody has died from them!!!!

The Sweet and Healthy Holiday Fare That Should Be ALL Year Long!

The food that so many people eat only on Thanksgiving, and that's a shame, since they're among one of the most nutritious of vegetables.

If you don't eat sweet potatoes very often, or only at holiday time when they're smothered in melted marshmallow goop and baked until they're unrecognizable, you're missing out on one of nature's truly perfect foods. Low in calories, high in fiber, great for diabetics people who are carbohydrate sensitive, and packed with minerals - rich in Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese and Selenium while rich with vitamins C, B-6, B-12, A, DFE, E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic acid and tastes great!

Their bright color is key to their high beta-carotene content, and containing the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. A sweet potato really isn't a potato; it is part of the sprawling vine called morning glory. The sausage-shaped tubers are a bit potato-like, but taper to pointed ends unlike potatoes. Skin is smooth and can be white, red, golden or purple/black. Having sweet purple, white, yellow or deep orange flesh.

In 1932, when the sweet potato was considered a poor man's food, Americans consumed 30 pounds each per year. Now, it's closer to 4 pounds, though the tuber has become more appealing and growing because it's a favorite of Oprah Winfrey and television chef Emeril Lagasse. It is also a hormone smoothing veggie for women in menopause, post-menopause or perimenopausal years. Rich in beta-carotene!!!

A study conducted by the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland gave 21 HIV-positive people 180 mg (300,000 IU) of beta-carotene every day for four weeks, resulting in several indicators of their "helper" T cell activity increasing significantly over the people who were given a look-alike-but-inactive placebo, whose indicators dropped. "Helper" T cells are the primary target of the HIV virus, and the body's ability to fight infections diminishes as their levels drop. A study conducted by John Hopkins University researchers linked high levels of beta-carotene with a lower incidence of lung cancer, which kills approximately 145,000 Americans every year. A great reason to eat sweet potato.

At least 70 research studies have found an increased risk of cancer in people who don't eat enough produce rich in carotenoids. Since the sweet potato is very rich in beta carotene how better to get a health benefit?

There are two basic types of sweet potatoes:

Moist: (orange fleshed) tends to be plumper and its skin a little redder. The sweeter orange-fleshed sweet potato varieties dominate the U.S. market. often called "yams," but this is a misnomer: The true yam aka "botanical family Dioscoreaceae" is a large - as much as 100 pounds - root vegetable grown in Africa and Asia and rarely seen in the western world. However, over time common usage has made the term "yams" acceptable when referring to sweet potatoes.

Dry: (yellow or purple-fleshed). Some people prefer the starchier yellow-fleshed types, a little narrower with a tan skin, when they aren't side by side, it's pretty difficult to judge the difference. In most instances, you can assume you're getting orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. If you are actively seeking the yellow-fleshed, you should ask the produce manager. The Okinawan sweet potato, grown year round in Hawaii has light skin and lavender flesh and is of Chinese and Japanese origin. The potato is not well known or easy to get on the mainland, except in specialty or ethnic markets on the West Coast. Something I experienced this spring when I was in Hawaii and loved them?

A bit of history;

In 1514, Peter Martyr named nine varieties that grew in Honduras. It was taken to Spain about 1500 and several kinds were cultivated there by the middle of the 16th century, including red, purple, and pale or "white" varieties.

Cultivation of sweet potatoes was tried unsuccessfully in Belgium in 1576. John Gerarde of London, claimed that in 1597 he grew the plant in England (probably without much success) and that it was known in India, Barbary, and other hot regions.

Early Spanish explorers are believed to have taken the sweet potato to the Philippines and East Indies, from which it was soon carried to India, China, and Malaya by Portuguese voyagers. The original introductions from America into the Pacific and Far East were so unobtrusive that the origin of the plant was long overlooked, many believing it native to southern and southeastern Asia.

Sweet potatoes are sold throughout the year, but are most abundant in their harvest season of fall and early winter, found on sale in the U.S. around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Sweet potatoes are also sold canned or frozen. The canned potatoes are usually packed in heavy syrup--"candied"--although some processors also pack them in water. Canned sweet potatoes are significantly lower in beta-carotene, vitamin C, and B vitamins than fresh ones.

Selecting sweet potatoes;

Choose heavy, similar-sized potatoes if you plan to cook them whole, so that the cooking time will be uniform. Choose potatoes that are smooth, hard, and free of bruises or decay, even if cut away, a decayed, shriveled brown/black spot may have already imparted an unpleasant flavor to the entire potato.

My family's favorite ways of eating sweet potatoes are;

Sliced about 1/8" thick and round like silver dollars, Saut?d in butter until tender, with just a smidgeon of brown sugar.

Second favorite is baked either whole or sliced;

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Peel and cut into thick round slices or quarter potato.
In a baggie put ½ teaspoon Stevia or 1 teaspoon brown sugar, pinch of ground allspice, pinch of cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ? teaspoon Turmeric, shake until well mixed. Spray slices with virgin olive oil then put into bag with spices and shake until covered with mixture. Layer one layer on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with olive oil. Put into oven and bake about 20 minutes then turn potatoes over and bake another 20 to 25 minutes until done and slightly browned.

There are as many ways of eating sweet potatoes as there are people so use your imagination and eat for health?

Enjoy your newfound mineral and vitamin rich food!
Lena

CONGRESS SET TO PASS LAW ELIMINATING LIABILITY FOR VACCINE INJURIES

Washington, D.C. - The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is calling the "Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2005"(S. 1873), which passed out of the U.S. Senate HELP Committee one day after it was introduced "a drug company stockholder's dream and a consumer's worst nightmare." The proposed legislation will strip Americans of the right to a trial by jury if harmed by an experimental or licensed drug or vaccine that they are forced by government to take, whenever federal health officials declare a public health emergency.

The legislation's architect, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Chairman of the HELP Subcommittee on Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness, told the full HELP Committee yesterday that the legislation" creates a true partnership" between the federal government, the pharmaceutical industry and academia to walk the drug companies "through the Valley of Death" in bringing a new vaccine or drug to market. Burr said it will give the Department of Health and Human Services "additional authority and resources to partner with the private sector to rapidly develop drugs and vaccines." The Burr bill gives the Secretary of DHHS the sole authority to decide whether a manufacturer violated laws mandating drug safety and bans citizens from challenging his decision in the civil court system.

The bill establishes the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency (BARDA), as the single point of authority within the government for the advanced research and development of drugs and vaccines in response to bioterrorism and natural disease outbreaks such as the flu. BARDA will operate in secret, exempt from the Freedom of Information Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, insuring that no evidence of injuries or deaths caused by drugs and vaccines labeled as "countermeasures" will become public.

Nicknamed "Bioshield Two," the legislation is being pushed rapidly through Congress without time for voters to make their voices heard by their elected representatives. Co-sponsored by Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY), and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg (R-NH), the legislation will eliminate both regulatory and legal safeguards applied to vaccines as well as take away the right of children and adults harmed by vaccines and drugs to present their case in front of a jury in a civil court of law.

"It is a sad day for this nation when Congress is frightened and bullied into allowing one profit making industry to destroy the seventh Amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing citizens their day in court in front of a jury of their peers," said Barbara Loe Fisher, president of NVIC. "This proposed legislation, like the power and money grab by federal health officials and industry in the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and the Project Bioshield Act of 2004, is an unconstitutional attempt by some in Congress to give a taxpayer-funded handout to pharmaceutical companies for drugs and vaccines the government can force all citizens to use while absolving everyone connected from any responsibility for injuries and deaths which occur. It means that, if an American is injured by an experimental flu or anthrax vaccine he or she is mandated to take, that citizen will be banned from exercising the Constitutional right to a jury trial even if it is revealed that the vaccine maker engaged in criminal fraud and negligence in the manufacture of the vaccine."

The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is legally responsible for regulating the pharmaceutical industry and ensuring that drugs and vaccines released to the public are safe and effective. Drug companies marketing painkillers, like Vioxx, and anti-depressants, which have resulted in the deaths and injuries of thousands of children and adults, are being held accountable in civil court while the FDA has come under intense criticism for withholding information about the drugs' dangers from the public. Since 1986, vaccine makers have been protected from most liability in civil court through the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act in which Congress created a federal vaccine injury compensation program (VICP) that offers vaccine victims an alternative to the court system. Even though the the program has awarded nearly $2 billion to victims of mandated vaccines, two out of three plaintiffs are turned away.

"The drug companies and doctors got all the liability protection they needed in 1986 but they are greedy and want more," said Fisher. "And the federal health agencies want more power to force citizens to use vaccines without having to worry about properly regulating them. If the Burr bill passes, all economic incentives to insure mandated vaccines are safe will be removed and the American people are facing a future where government can force them to take poorly regulated experimental drugs and vaccines labeled as "countermeasures" or go to jail. The only recourse for citizens will be to strike down mandatory vaccination laws so vaccines will be subject to the law of supply and demand in the marketplace. The health care consumer's cry will be: No liability? No mandates."

The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) was founded by parents of vaccine injured children in 1982 and co-founders worked with Congress on the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.

National Vaccine Information Center