FDA Ineptitude, Polio in Nigeria and the Origin of Aids - NewsGrabs 6 October 2007

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NewsGrabs

Health Supreme's NewsGrabs are a selection of alternative health and other underprivileged news. Find what you may have missed in your everyday reading - watch out for these weekly NewsGrabs .... and if some of these news seem strange, don't worry. You aren't required to believe what is being reported. Just pick what seems of interest and then make up your own mind.

On the subject of contradictory information, I have found it useful to suspend judgement and merely note the contradictions - to be later resolved as more information becomes available...

In this issue:

Plant colors and antioxidants - Natural Medicine and Europe - Appease your doctor - Texas Medical Board attacks Environmental Medicine - FDA Oversight of Clinical Trials - F.D.A. INEPTITUDE COST LIVES - Clinical Trial Registry? - FDA Officials' Conflicts of Interests - Failure of FDA reform - Pfizer employees to face trial in Nigeria? - A Library of Pharma Documents - Peer Review Mediocre - Ghost Management - The worrying wonder drug - Canada pulls osteoarthritis drug - Purdue Pharma Sued Over OxyContin - Women Not Warned About SSRI-Related Birth Defect - Polio outbreak in Nigeria sparked by vaccine - Deaths Associated with HPV Vaccine - AIDS activist to refile AIDS origin lawsuit - The Zyprexa Whitewash - The End Of Statins - Video: Bill Maher on Pharmaceuticals - Is Alzheimer's a form of Diabetes? - Petition: Recognize MCS as environmental illness! - Quantum Dynamics of Life - Being a Science Activist - Ice Age Defrosted by Warming Ocean - Silent Guardian: Weapon or instrument of torture?

More information out there...

Of course there is much I cannot cover but other sources for this kind of information exist and are active.

You can subscribe to the Zeus Newsletter here. Appears twice monthly. If you would like to see some samples of Louise's collection of informative links, here are the archives.

The Alternative Medicine Yahoo Group is another great place to get information on what is happening in the world of nutrition and other natural health options.

For the influence of electromagnetic waves from radio, mobile phones and other radio emitting devices, check out the emfrefugee group on Yahoo.

If you are interested in a different take on the news that isn't health centered but is certainly fun, check out Robin Good TV News.

Some more sites to keep up to date with the other side of world affairs, the stuff you won't find on tv:

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com
http://www.commondreams.org
http://www.stratfor.com/
http://www.globalresearch.ca/
http://rawstory.com/
http://www.truthout.org/

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New research into plant colors sheds light on antioxidants
The scientists, at the John Innes Centre and Institute of Food Research in Norwich, have pinpointed a key group of enzymes involved in the production of plant pigments. The pigments, called anthocyanins, are what give some plants the vivid colours that they use to attract insects and foraging animals. They also give plants protection against environmental stresses and disease. Hundreds of different anthocyanins exist in nature, all with slightly different chemical compositions. The international research team, supported by BBSRC, identified the genes responsible for the enzymes which chemically modify anthocyanins to alter their properties.

“What’s more, these anthocyanins that had been modified by the enzymes were more stable than those that hadn’t. This is significant because stabilised anthocyanins could be used as natural food colourants to replace many artificial colours used in various foods.

UK: The biggest danger facing Natural Medicine is called Europe
Many people are still unaware of the damaging effect the EU Food Supplement Directive and the Herbal Directive, both passed into UK law last year, will have on our natural health industry. This is beginning to affect the type of courses people can take and the schools who offer these courses. These pieces of unscientific legislation were brought in by a very underhand process and it was little publicised so that the public have largely remained oblivious to what is going on. The media have a lot to say about the ‘detrimental’ effect of supplements [they receive massive advertising revenue from the industry] but have kept a scandalous silence about what is really going on. Health and safety as usual has been touted as the reason, but this is untrue. The real reason is harmonisation with Europe.

Free Insecticide Treated Bednets Cut Childhood Malaria-Caused Deaths Up To 44%
"Children sleeping under insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are less likely to die from malaria and nets should be distributed free to all who need them, according to research from Kenya."

"Increased ITN coverage in Kenya has resulted in 44 per cent fewer deaths in children, and increases in the birth weight of babies, according to preliminary data from the Malaria Control Department of the Kenyan Ministry of Health, announced at a meeting in Nairobi last week (16 August)."

Forget the Evidence -- appease your doctor and opt for peace of mind
Most people find it difficult to believe that the primary channels for health information are controlled by pharmaceutical and medical device companies. What you hear on TV is more propaganda than news. Patients are pawns, to be herded. I hope I’m not just now making you aware of this. A lot of people don’t want to examine the evidence, they only wish to listen to authorities...

Texas Medical Board attacks Environmental Medicine
The typical pattern in these attacks is to single out physicians they do not like and file anonymous complaints against them with different state medical boards. For example, over the past 10 years the number of physicians who are willing to diagnose and treat Lyme Disease has dropped sharply, while cases of Lyme disease have skyrocketed. This is because several health insurance companies have systematically targeted the doctors who specialized in treating that illness. Many of these physicians have had complaints made against them in exactly the same manne