Nature's Folates Best for Baby - NewsGrabs Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Researchers confirm nature's folates best for baby
Recent work by a team from the Universities of Manchester and Lancaster in the UK, and published in the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology showed that a combination of folates dramatically reduced the rates of hydrocephalus, a common birth defect, in which fluids build up in the brain’s chamber.Whilst its encouraging to see research showing that folates (the way nature intended) may have the answer to tackle hydrocephalus in babies—its unfortunate that big Pharma holds the patents on both synthetic AND natural folates!
Isn’t it interesting that the most important formyl form, folinic acid, is already reserved for medicinal use (the generic name for it is Leucovorin), and it is widely used as an adjunct to chemotherapy both because it reduces the toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents and has tumour protective effects in its own right. At the same time, the most important methyl form of folate, the calcium salt of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) has been tied up by the dominant pharmaceutical company in the game of manufacturing synthetic forms of vitamins and minerals, namely the German giant Merck.
Merck has several patents out on 5-MTHF and it is almost impossible for any company to use this product in a food supplement, unless the patented version of the product is supplied by Merck. We have heard of several companies being refused supply of 5-MTHF by Merck!
It seems to have become a common, recurring theme: pharmaceutical producers are jostling to reserve for themselves the rights to produce and sell various forms of nutrients ... Classifying nutrients as medicines is not quite in the spirit of open competition for better health but rather reminds of an old style monopoly for better profit. Change needed here!
Vitamin D, Not C, May Fight Colds, Flu
Vitamin D levels tend to drop in the winter, because sunlight helps the body produce it. Winter is also a common time for respiratory infections such as a cold or the flu. But the study found that the results were true regardless of season.Researchers said the knowledge that vitamin D fights the cold and flu could be especially important for those with other breathing problems such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, known as COPD.
See also a contrary view highlighted in a comment that links this paper:
Vitamin D: the alternative hypothesis
GM crops in the EU—the Canadian experience
To anyone who studies the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms into the European Union, the period in which we now find ourselves might in retrospect appear to be one of the most significant in the history of that process. The closing months of 2008 and the start of 2009 bring news on almost a daily basis. Sadly, the general import of that news is that the wish of the vast majority of the population of the 27 Member States of the EU to be free from exposure to GM products in their foodstuffs and in their environment, will not be put into effect by the administration in Brussels. Poll after poll has confirmed the general antipathy of the majority of the citizens of Europe towards GMOs. For their employees in the European Commission in Brussels this antipathy is, however, an unjustifiable impediment to the enactment of the commercial interests of the companies who develop and market GM technology.
Africans don't want GM forced down their throats
When many in the west would argue that the days of colonialism are over, we would contest this. We have simply moved from physical colonialism to economic and technological colonialism. And those of us in the industrialised world who are able to recognise the damage this can cause to livelihoods, culture, health and the environment need to do everything within our power to stop this new colonialism from establishing itself any further.
Mayo Clinic study suggests those who have chronic pain may need to assess vitamin D status
This study found that patients who required narcotic pain medication, and who also had inadequate levels of vitamin D, were taking much higher doses of pain medication — nearly twice as much — as those who had adequate levels. Similarly, these patients self-reported worse physical functioning and worse overall health perception.
Can Social Networking Change the Face of Public Health?
DIYcity’s new app SickCity is on Daily Kos today, under the question “can social networking change the face of public health?” My answer to that is it can, it must, and it will.So, in order to grow, become better, and not break the government bank, public health will need to start considering smart, cost-effective alternatives for services, and they will eventually look to using openly accessible data, data of all sorts - including social network data.
Pharmaceutical medicine can only survive by controlling the media. Suppress any bad news and any views questioning the rationality of pharma's approach to health, promote the pharma products even though they are highly dangerous to our health. Once that factor is eliminated (and social media tend to eliminate the influence of a controlled media) things are bound to get better...
Are Antidepressants, Bone Drugs, And Statins Causing Heart Failure?
Researchers have documented an alarming link between the use of antidepressants and the development of serious heart disease. The link was discovered by following 63,449 women as part of the Nurses’ Health Study. The results show a “specific relationship between antidepressant use and sudden cardiac death.”To make matters even worse, going on bone drugs also increases a person’s risk for atrial fibrillation, which can also cause sudden cardiac death...
FDA's Lexapro For Teens Approval Creates Doubt About FDA Approval Process
the FDA has once again gone and approved a drug for use in kids with only one positive clinical trial, a trial that remains unpublished, despite the FDA's longstanding policy of requiring two positive clinical trials of a drug for approval. Both the FDA and Forest might claim there were two positive studies, but only the first study referred to on the drug's package insert was of Lexapro. The second was of Celexa. Yes, the FDA is now letting pharma companies obtain approval of drug's using data from other, similar drugs.Even worse, Lexapro had at least two failed clinical trials in adolescents.
University of Minnesota doctor scrutinized over drug research
A top University of Minnesota psychiatrist's ties to a drug maker have come under scrutiny because he reported that the company's blockbuster antipsychotic, Seroquel, was significantly superior to other drugs — despite evidence to the contrary.Two months after an internal analysis by the company, AstraZeneca, found Seroquel was no better than an older, cheaper antipsychotic, Dr. S. Charles Schulz used much of the same data to publicly report that the company's drug was "more effective."
Schulz has received $112,000 in consulting fees and university grants from 2002 through 2007 from AstraZeneca, according to state records, and nearly $450,000 from rival drug maker Eli Lilly.
Harvard Child Psychiatrist Promised Drug Maker Positive Results Before Conducting Studies Of Antipsychotic, ADHD Drug
Controversial Harvard child psychiatrist Joseph Biederman was selling J&J/Janssen on results of clinical trials in children of its antipsychotic Risperdal and its stimulant Concerta in advance of conducting the actual studies.Shootings in Germany, Alabama Underscore Violent Side Effects of Psychiatric Medications
Tim Kretschmer, "walked calmly into three classrooms and opened fire, without saying a word." Following the shooting at his school, Tim ran to a psychiatric clinic school and killed an employee there. (Did he have a link to the psychiatric staff?)These dangerous psychiatric medications drastically imbalance brain chemistry, causing teens (and adults) to feel distanced from reality, as if they were walking through a video game. In fact, this was exactly how the Columbine school shooters described their experience of carrying out the infamous shootings in Colorado.
US Food Safety Bill: Lose Your Property for Growing Food?
"We need somebody to watch over us when we're eating food that comes from thousands and thousands of miles away. We need some help there," he said. "But when food comes from our neighbors or from farmers who we know, we don't need all of those rules. If your neighbor sells you something that is bad and you get sick, you are going to get your hands on that farmer, and that will be the end of it. It regulates itself."
90% of Connecticut Bats Are GONE! - Bats in Other States Doomed
90% of Connecticut's bat population is gone. It won't be long before New York, Rhode Island, Pa, Vermont and Virginia follow suit. The Bat White Nose Syndrome is spreading rapidly to other states and I fear next Winter we will see it move into the midwest and south east.The bat is our best ally in the fight against deadly mosquitoes and other harmful insects...
After the bees (colony collapse) and the birds (avian flu), now the bat population is in trouble. When will it finally dawn on some of those scientists that perhaps our mindless filling of the airwaves with destructive resonances could have something to do with the weakening of those species - just as our polluting the oceans with shrieking waves of "sonar" may well be driving ever greater numbers of dolpins and whales to beach themselves?
Brain cancer linked to youngsters using cellphones
Dr. Lennart Hardell is among the scientists who contributed to the special edition of the journal. The oncologist from Sweden's University Hospital found that after one or more years of cellphone use, there is a 5.2-fold elevated risk of malignant brain tumour in children who begin using mobile phones before the age of 20 years; the odds for other ages was 1.4."There should be special precaution for children and young persons about the use of mobile phones," Hardell said in an interview.
HIV/AIDS as ZOMBIE SCIENCE
“Zombie science” is “walking dead”, sustained by external infusions and not by inherent scientific value.
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The only thing that remains constant in this universe, apparently, is change. Health supreme's newsgrabs are no exception - I am starting to publish more often but less regularly.Instead of every Sunday as I have been doing for some time now, I may now be posting more unpredictably ... whenever I feel I have a sufficient number of stories and news. So please do subscribe by RSS or by email (see top of right hand column) or check back more often to see the latest posts...
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More information out there...
There is much I cannot cover but other sources for this kind of information exist and are active.
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Dr Mercola's health blog, Mike Adams' Natural News and the One Click Group in the UK have good health information. The Dr Rath Foundation is also putting out a weekly collection of health related news. Here is the link to their Newsletter Archive.
The Alternative Medicine Yahoo Group and the healthfreedom ning group are places to discuss and exchange information on what is happening in the world of natural health.
For the influence of electromagnetic waves from radio, mobile phones and other radio emitting devices, check out the emr-updates group on Yahoo. Genetic modification and issues around agriculture and foods are reported on the Organic Consumers Association site.
A few sites to keep up to date with the other side of world affairs, the stuff you won't necessarily find on your tv or in the papers:
http://therealnews.com/
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com
http://www.commondreams.org
http://www.globalresearch.ca/
http://www.truthout.org/The individual is supreme and finds its way through intuition
posted by Sepp Hasslberger on Wednesday March 25 2009
updated on Wednesday August 15 2012URL of this article:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2009/03/25/natures_folates_best_for_baby_newsgrabs_wednesday_25_march_2009.htm
