Consumers urge Irish to vote NO to EU Lisbon treaty - NewsGrabs 8 June 2008

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European consumer organizations urge Irish voters to say "No" to Lisbon Treaty
Consumer organizations and NGOs in Europe warn of a growing democratic deficit in Europe and urge Irish voters to say NO to the treaty of Lisbon. No other country of Europe's 27 is permitting their people to vote on the issue, even though the people of France and the Netherlands resoundingly rejected a similar proposal two years ago.

Copenhagen Consensus 2008 The world’s best investment: Vitamins for undernourished children
Over two years, more than 50 economists have worked to find the best solutions to ten of the world’s biggest challenges. During the last week of May, an expert panel of 8 top-economists, including 5 Nobel Laureates, sat down to assess the research.

The result: A prioritized list highlighting the potential of 30 specific solutions to combat some of the biggest challenges facing the world.

Combating malnutrition in the 140 million children who are undernourished reached the number one spot, after economist Sue Horton of Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada made her case to the expert panel.

Providing micronutrients for 80% of the 140 million children who lack essential vitamins in the form of vitamin A capsules and a course of zinc supplements would cost just $60 million per year, according to the analysis. More importantly, this action holds yearly benefits of more than $1 billion.

Study links vitamin D, type 1 diabetes
In this new study, the researchers found that populations living at or near the equator, where there is abundant sunshine (and ultraviolet B irradiance) have low incidence rates of type 1 diabetes. Conversely, populations at higher latitudes, where available sunlight is scarcer, have higher incidence rates. These findings add new support to the concept of a role of vitamin D in reducing risk of this disease.

Pomegranate extract good for joint health
"The results of these translational studies and studies reported previously together provide strong and compelling evidence to support further clinical testing of pomegranate extract for the prevention of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis," wrote lead author Meenakshi Shukla from Case Western Reserve University and the University Hospitals of Cleveland.

Pomegranate, a rich source of antioxidants, has been linked to improved heart health, but a growing body of science indicates the fruit protect against prostate cancer and slowing cartilage loss in arthritis.

HDL Cholesterol May Not Help The Heart After All
The good cholesterol that scientists have thought helped unclog arteries had no effect on heart disease in a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, casting doubt on a theory drugmakers have spent more than $1 billion pursuing...

Drinking or even showering in tap water can double the risk of having deformed children, says study
A study of almost 400,000 babies found a clear link between chemicals formed during chlorination and the occurrence of a trio of birth defects.

It is thought the chemicals may harm the unborn baby directly. Alternatively they may damage the woman's eggs. Although the study did not prove that the chemicals caused the birth defects, it is not the first to make the link.

FDA Must Classify Mercury Fillings
On Monday, June 2, we settled our lawsuit, Moms Against Mercury et al. v. Von Eschenbach, Commissioner, et al. FDA will finish classifying within one year of the close of the public comment period on its amalgam policy, that is, by July 28, 2009.

There’s more good news. During a several hour negotiation session, FDA agreed to change its website on amalgam -- dramatically. Gone, gone, gone are all of FDA’s claims that no science exists that amalgam is unsafe, or that other countries have acted for environmental reasons only, or that the 2006 Scientific Panel vote affirmed amalgam’s safety.

PDF of full story

Mercury teeth fillings may harm some: U.S. FDA
"Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses," the FDA said in a notice on its Web site.

"Pregnant women and persons who may have a health condition that makes them more sensitive to mercury exposure, including individuals with existing high levels of mercury bioburden, should not avoid seeking dental care, but should discuss options with their health practitioner," the agency said.

Cancer Research: More Profit Than Progress
Taxpayers have spent tens of billions of dollars on Cancer research, AIDS research and mental illness research. Yet, there is little evidence demonstrating that this largely commercial enterprise has borne clinically beneficial fruits. The consensus of the world's biggest gathering of cancer specialists, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, concedes that "when looking at the overall picture there has been shockingly little progress."

Psychiatrists Fail to Reveal Drug Pay
New York Times - (may require you to register)
A world-renowned Harvard child psychiatrist whose work has helped fuel an explosion in the use of powerful antipsychotic medicines in children earned at least $1.6 million in consulting fees from drug makers from 2000 to 2007 but for years did not report much of this income to university officials, according to information given Congressional investigators.

Like Dr. Biederman, Dr. Wilens belatedly reported earning at least $1.6 million from 2000 to 2007, and another Harvard colleague, Dr. Thomas Spencer, reported earning at least $1 million after being pressed by Mr. Grassley’s investigators.

Drug companies pay famous psychiatrists to grease the wheels and here we go - drugging a whole generation of children.

We need a hundred Grassleys all over the world...

New Mexico: Pro Aspartame Legislators fail in reelection bid
Two New Mexico senators who opposed a bill that would have put the artificial sweetener aspartame out of business in the state, Shannon Robinson and Dan Foley, failed to get re-elected according to Stephen Fox, who campaigned for the bill's passage.

Kidney Patients Should be Notified of Potential Risk from Fluorides and Fluoridated Drinking Water
A new position paper from the National Kidney Foundation concludes that individuals with chronic kidney disease should be notified of the potential risk from exposure to fluorides. The document acknowledges gaping holes in research concerning kidney impacts from fluorides, lending new ammunition to the growing numbers of cities, health professionals, water agencies, and citizens who question industry and government assertions that water fluoridation has been proven safe.

Mental Illness or Social Sickness?
While medical diagnoses are based on science, psychiatric “diagnoses” are not at all scientific. They do not reveal what is wrong, what is the preferred treatment, and what is the likely outcome. Nor are they reliable. Different psychiatrists who examine the same patient typically offer different “diagnoses.” Moreover, psychiatric “diagnoses” move in and out of favor, depending on a variety of social factors.

Paxil Babies: The Dangers of Antidepressants

We have all heard about "crack babies" (newborns addicted to crack cocaine because their mothers were using it during pregnancy). What about "Paxil babies"?

Two major studies comparing the health of newborns from depressed mothers who took antidepressants versus newborns of depressed mothers who did not take antidepressants show that newborns are better off with mothers not taking antidepressants.

Bipolar Disorder: Epidemic Without a Disease
"The disease is hard to pin down." "Its unclear how they (the drugs) work." This is not medical science, it is the "medical-speak" of "biological," psychiatry that is deceptive, fraudulent, and intent on peddling drugs. When, the patient is known to be normal but is called "diseased" and is "medicated," is that not poisoning? Is it not assault and battery? If the same patient dies, what is that called?

Atlanta: State mental hospital's problems caused preventable deaths
Federal investigators, the letter said, found that medical and nursing care "substantially depart from generally accepted professional standards." They also determined that the hospital provides inadequate psychiatric treatment; uses seclusion and restraint, including sedatives, inappropriately; and fails to "adequately protect its patients from harm."

AIDS: FOLLOW