Dear President Obama

DROPPED A LINE TO OUR PRESIDENT TODAY. .

Below is a small communication I put in the snail mail to our president today.  I had received a request from him on behalf of the DSCC to contribute (for obvious reasons), which of course, I am happy to do.  But then I thought,  why not drop a line back?   I hear that he gets a ton of letters from ordinary citizens which he does try to address.      

What if no one else is taking the time to tell him in his ear that we don’t like our kids getting Autism at the rate of 1 in 50 – expected to be 1 in four kids within  a decade.  Or that we are opposed to Vaccinations?   And that we have a right to choose what we will and will NOT eat, but can’t without labeling laws ON THE BOOKS,  in every state.  It should be a federal issue to protect the health of our citizens. . .and while we are at it – – citizenship connotes certain rights!  

Obviously, I couldn’t go into all this competently in one short letter, nor could one expect he will even be interested enough to read it in the first place. . .   .   .   which is why I sent some cards to show how to access the blog  in the event it wouldn’t cross his mind to enter “smokinchoices” straight into Google or some other browser.  One can hope.    we’ll see      Jan

Jan Turner
Smokinchoices and other musings

Dear President Obama,

This is to acknowledge your recent communication to me for support for the DSCC. I will contribute what I can, but recognize that at 83 and living on Social Security alone – – it ain’t easy!

As a registered voter, I have been thrilled beyond words to support you. While I still appreciate so much of what you have done and praise your efforts and honor you, I am greatly disappointed by lack of “fight” and willingness to do whatever to honor your promises and spirit of what you ran on. Your lack of a tuff fight has done more to weaken the Democratic party than the Republican machine so filled with vitriol and  narrow, limited vision.

I am sending my card to you of my blog which is dedicated to HEALTH ISSUES and all things natural and non-toxic. My small blog is rather inconsequential, but does have an interested and seemingly, steady and growing following (thru my six years).

I was crest-fallen when you walked away from the single-payer concept. I am not a fan of your ‘Obama-care’ because I don’t trust the medical establishment and have been betrayed and injured by them over my whole life time. Pharmaceuticals are toxic and  are not my choice – spending my legal tender instead on organic food and natural treatments which your insurance does not honor.

The corporate stranglehold on Washington and almost all those in it allow big business to dictate the way life is lived in our country which should be illegal for a free society. Vaccines should never be mandatory!   Kids are being robbed of their chance at a healthy normal life. Add to this the genetically modified foods which the government allows to keep happening over spreading opposition.   We can’t have labeling laws?    Crazy!    Criminal!

Our voices must be heard.

__________________________________
Jan Turner                    –   June 13, 2013

Less is More

How Many supplements do you ‘really’ need?

Over the last few days new articles have come along with information detailing  completed studies which conclude that the taking of vitamins and supplements contribute to risk rather than help and even shorten lives. (one follows my comments)  In order to accept or believe these claims,  it would be prudent to learn the details of these studies;  the class of people – health, etc.,  whether there were control groups, and how the data were collected i.e. by careful daily records or periodic memory accounting and so on.

Can’t just take someone’s word on conclusions such as this as we have learned how some panels or MDs, paid enough money, will attest to anything.

Conclusions such as this send up a red flag for me because for at least 50 years, there has been an effort to gradually take away our freedom to buy or acquire vitamin, mineral and supplements of choice in order to help ourselves to correct our own problems as have been done over the centuries and handed down through folk lore and native practitioners.  Our freedoms are being usurped by the pharmaceutical companies and enforced through the AMA and FDA and others.  Its a touchy subject to me as I am 100% opposed to this loss to Big Brother etal.  Don’t believe me?  Heck, it’s going on right now in the halls of politics. Several bills floating around.

Another article covered the MDs railing because another study had determined that the PSA test done on men for prostate problems has been found to be of little help, costly and offering incorrect data, causing unnecessary treatment.

For people who have heeded the concepts of the plant-based diet as taught by Dr McDougall, there is little stress as he teaches that PSA can be  dangerous and advises against it and has done so for years.

Dr McDougall also says that taking vitamin supplements is generally not necessary on a plant based diet as that is where your vitamins and minerals come from – plants.

From David Wolfe, we learn more and  (reinforce what Dr McD says)  the reasons behind the need for proper mineralization and the importance of calcification.

To finally make my point;  I’ve done a couple of posts this week and last telling you of my own mishap, “I’m still around” on the 6th, ending with “Battered Jan” on the 12th showing the ugly condition of my left leg.  In effort to cheer me up, my son had told me I was in good shape and that we are all lucky I didn’t break any bones with all that. .  .  then some comment about my being a true warrior.   Sweet.  But I’m not in great shape!.  I’m fair, or good, but not great. And I’m certainly no warrior.  What I am is half way bright, in that I respond when I think I’ve heard the truth on something.  I believed Dr. McDougall.  So as I aged, I resisted all medical advice to take one form of calcium or another.  Took none.  Still don’t.  Gotta be a reason. . . and no dairy, especially, no dairy.

Today my MD told me that all the terrible bruising on the hurt leg is from the blood thinner and he advised stopping – flat-out STOPPING!   I have nothing broken – not even the tail bone. This is a good day.  You know, I’m not going to miss that rat-poison at all.                             Jan

.

LIKELIHOOD OF PROSTATE CANCER

Another study ties risk to vitamin supplements

By Tara Parker-Pope THE NEW YORK TIMES

Another new study — the second in two days — is adding to the growing body of evidence that taking extra doses of vitamins can do more harm than good.    A study of vitamin E and selenium use among 35,000 men found that the vitamin users had a slightly higher risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a report published yesterday in The Journal of the American Medical Association.   

A separate study, released a day earlier in the Archives of Internal Medicine, followed 38,000 women in Iowa. It found a higher risk of dying during a 19-year period among older women who used multivitamins and other supplements compared with women who did not.   

“You go back 15 or 20 years, and there were thoughts that antioxidants of all sorts might be useful,” said Dr. Eric Klein, a Cleveland Clinic physician and national study coordinator for the prostate-cancer and vitamin E study. “There really is not any compelling evidence that taking these dietary supplements above and beyond a normal dietary intake is helpful in any way, and this is evidence that it could be harmful.”

The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, known as the Select trial, examined whether selenium and vitamin E, alone or in combination, could lower the risk of prostate cancer. It was stopped early in 2008 after a review showed no benefit.

Walk own path, M.S.I.A.

M.S.I.A.

—————
LOVING EACH DAY
—————–

Let everyone enlighten themselves.

The freedom and responsibility that are yours also belong to your spouse, your boss, your employees, your family — everyone.

If you truly love someone, let them breathe their own air, digest their own food, and walk by themselves. You can steady them, point the way, love and bless them, but you cannot walk their path for them.

Let them gain their own experiences.

– John-Roger
(From: Fulfilling Your Spiritual Promise, p. 1239)

HPV, trouble in FDAville

American Association for Health Freedom

Protecting the right of the Consumer to choose,  and the Practioner to practice.       October 2009

Adverse reactions to the HPV vaccine (one death; one left brain damaged) spark demand for Inquiry!

The Alliance for Natural Health-UK has called for an urgent scientific inquiry into the HPV (human papilloma vaccine) being used in the United States. Pulse of Health Freedom recently wrote of the British teenager denied U.S. citizenship after she refused the Gardasil vaccine, which is required of all female immigrants applying for citizenship.

British health authorities are now investigating the death of a 14-year old British schoolgirl a few hours after she received Cervarix vaccine at her school. Just days after another 17-year-old British teen received the vaccine, she suffered seizures and damage to her left brain. As reported in the September 29, 2009 issue of this newsletter, the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail revealed in August 2009 that 23 million doses of the HPV vaccine have been administered to young women in the United States, resulting in 32 deaths and 12,424 adverse reactions, including 772 severe reactions (blood clots, pancreatic failure, motor neuron disease and anaphylaxis).

ANH-UK points out that  “until the known risks are properly communicated to the public, informed choice does not exist. We call on recipients of this eBlast to communicate with your parliamentary representative, whether in the UK, other European countries, the US, Canada, Australia or elsewhere, and put pressure on your government to release all the known facts over the risk of this controversial vaccine or initiate a scientific inquiry.
According to a new Associated Press-GfK poll, only 52 percent of Americans are willing to be given the H1N1 vaccine. It seems that people are getting the message that vaccines, while worthwhile, are neither 100 percent safe nor 100 percent effective. Consumers want to make important healthcare choices for themselves, rather than be coerced by government mandates.

As for the British teen, who lives with her grandmother in the United States and seeks U.S. citizenship, there is hope. According to vaccine lawyer Patricia Finn, there is a provision in immigration law that allows rejection of vaccination on all kinds of moral or religious grounds  Attorneys like Finn help to defend the rights of those who choose to opt out of vaccinations, such as Gardasil and its British version, Cervarix, with its imperfect record of safety.

October 2009

Put “Health” back into Healthcare

We all know that our politicians are busy in Washington with the huge problem of trying to wrangle out a “plan” which they can all agree on.  Many issues must still be debated with one committee after another trying desperately to find sound structure and reason which will best serve our needs.  That’s what we pay them for.   If they could all get the point that we are interested in the  HEALTH part of Healthcare – not the insurance part.   If they knew that and kept it uppermost in their minds, this would not have been the Mountain that it has become.  Corporate interests do not belong at this table! Only one thing – the best interests of the PEOPLE pure and simple.   That includes “freedom of choice” – not what someone else tells me I must do to protect my life and limb,  but what I think the direction of my care must go.  If I choose “natural” and herbal instead of chemical – that should be for me to choose!…not the AMA or Big PhRMA using the force of law to demand what I do for me or mine.

I have posted on a Doctor using baking soda, for God’s sake to CURE Cancer.  He is not allowed to offer his service here in good ole USA.  Our system deems it quackery.  Give me that doctor any day rather than the grotesquely expensive and painful  alternative of chemicals and surgery which ruins what life you have left with limited survival value.   This same system has chosen to remove from availability the trusted, century old remedy of natural porcine glandular used by 1000’s if not millions world wide as the only remedy which has EVER addressed the totality of symptoms experienced by these afflicted fellow-sufferers.  Their solution is the chemical pharmaceutical which is incapable of doing what “nature” does in it’s wisdom – but that is what the “standard” of treatment demands.  One by one our choices have been restricted, watered down and removed.   WITHOUT  CHOICE, THERE IS NO SYSTEM, WHATEVER IT IS CALLED! We are left naked and helpless.  This is NOT the American way.                                    Jan

American Association for Health Freedom

It’s Time to Put “Health” Back into Healthcare!

Tell Your Senator to Support True Healthcare Reform

How can we, as a country, reduce exploding healthcare costs?  By changing the way we do medicine.  Too often we rely on treating symptoms and addressing health problems after they have reached the crisis state. Under the old way of thinking, this usually means hospital stays, vastly expensive surgery, expensive drugs with undesirable side effects, and other procedures common to conventional chronic care.

Preventive medicine should be, by definition, the prevention of disease before it takes hold. Diagnostic tests may be useful for early detection, but they often involve little understood risks such as radiation. Moreover, the screen may be used to redefine normal conditions as pre-diseases requiring expensive and often dangerous lifelong drug treatment. And whether the screen is used to diagnose a pre-disease condition or a disease, the opportunity for true prevention has already passed.

Although both the Senate HELP and Finance Committee healthcare bills incorporate prevention, they do not define what it means in key provisions.  Without a clear definition of which preventive measures will be covered by insurance, for example, we could end up with nothing more than a long list of approved screening measures and drugs to be used on all ages, including the very young.

We are concerned that the current healthcare discussion doesn’t go far enough and would actually further constrain your access to a truly integrative and preventive medical model. Equally alarming are the following provisions in the Senate healthcare bills:

A one-size-fits-all health insurance mandate would impede your right to choose and receive the healthcare that works best for you. It’s not exactly clear which services would be provided by a mandate, but it is apparent that we would have only one option!  Those who currently pay out of pocket for healthcare services and opt to work outside of the insurance system or choose to purchase minimal coverage for catastrophic events will have the burden of additional insurance expenses without receiving additional benefits.  We may ultimately be unable to afford our healthcare options of choice.  Even if we can afford them, the natural healthcare option may be simply regulated away in a one-size-fits-all medical world.

Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts will be capped at $2,500. They may also  be subject to taxes applied to high-end plans. These types of accounts are frequently used to pay for integrative medicine options, including preventive services.  The net impact could be less access to healthy options!  Since the house bill is more restrictive of deductibles and thus more destructive of HSA’s, a combined bill could yet eliminate HSA’s entirely.  There is no conceivable justification for doing this.
The Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) program is structured to reinforce and strengthen the current medical paradigm, which is stacked against integrative medicine. A newly created commission will be charged with identifying and recommending the most effective and appropriate healthcare services and procedures.  That commission is required (required!) to include representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, but no one is included from the integrative health community. It’s crucial that less invasive, less expensive and more natural integrative medical treatments be examined and compared in head-to-head studies.

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) are an invasion of privacy and, in the worst case, may be used to target practitioners who are using alternative therapies. The government and potentially many others will have access to all of your EMRs.  Do you trust them to keep your records secure?  It is also likely that state medical boards, attorneys general and the FDA will access and use these data to target practitioners who offer integrative approaches.  Any EMR system should have an option for individuals to opt out!

The Senate Finance Committee voted to pass America’s Healthy Future Act out of committee on Tuesday October 13 and the Senate will now merge the HELP and Finance bills together.  Without further amendments, the resulting bill will commit us to one-size-fits-all options, stifling creative innovation, and giving special interests free rein to reinforce the status quo — pushing integrative medicine and true prevention further outside of the medical system.

We need your help!  Let’s put “health” back in the healthcare bill!  Please write your senators to let them know that you want to see true healthcare reform.  If you are a practitioner, please identify your area of practice and highlight the need to ensure equal footing for natural and integrative medicine.

..*WeWe

Flu Vaccine, sure about that?

Do NOT Let Your Child Get Flu Vaccine —                           9 Reasons Why

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
October 06 2009 | 59,934 views

This year it is more important that you protect your children and loved ones from the flu vaccines than influenza itself. This article on Lew Rockwell discusses how:

The swine flu is simply another flu. It is not unusually deadly.

This is the first time both seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines will be administered. Both seasonal flu and swine flu vaccines will require two inoculations. This is because single inoculations have failed to produce sufficient antibodies. This is an admission that prior flu vaccines were virtually useless. Can you trust them this time?

Adjuvants are added to vaccines to boost production of antibodies but may trigger autoimmune reactions. Some adjuvants are mercury (thimerosal), aluminum and squalene. Why would you sign a consent form for your children to be injected with mercury, which is even more brain-toxic than lead?

This is the first year mock vaccines have been used to gain FDA approval. The vaccines that have been tested are not the same vaccines your children will be given.

Over-vaccination is a common practice now in America. American children are subjected to 29 vaccines by the age of two. Meanwhile, veterinarians have backed off of repeat vaccination in dogs because of observed side effects.

Modern medicine has no explanation for autism, despite its continued rise in prevalence. Yet autism is not reported among Amish children who go unvaccinated.

Researchers are warning that over-use of the flu vaccine and anti-flu drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza can apply genetic pressure on flu viruses and then they are more likely to mutate into a more deadly strain.

Most seasonal influenza A (H1N1) virus strains tested from the United States and other countries are now resistant to Tamiflu (oseltamivir). Tamiflu has become a nearly worthless drug against seasonal flu.

Public health officials are irresponsible in their omission of any ways to strengthen immunity against the flu. No options outside of problematic vaccines and anti-flu drugs are offered, despite the fact there is strong evidence that vitamins C and D activate the immune system and the trace mineral selenium prevents the worst form of the disease.

For even more reasons, please review the full article on LewRockwell.com.

Sources:

LewRockwell.com September 16, 2009

Living Wisdom E-Newsletter, September 2009

New York Times September 18, 2009

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

According to a recent New York Times article, more than three million doses of swine flu vaccine will be available in the U.S. by this week.  I just returned from the 4th International Vaccine Conference with NVIC in Washington D.C. this past weekend and many people there told me that they were already administering the vaccine in their state. I hope to provide important updates from that conference in the upcoming weeks, as there were some outstanding speakers.

Rest assured that there’s plenty of confusion and misdirection when it comes to flu vaccinations this year. And, as you can tell from the list above, you have every reason to question the validity of the information you’re given by government health authorities about the swine flu vaccine.

Fortunately, even conventional doctors and infectious disease experts are starting to speak out and take a stand against the current recommendations. In the video above, infectious disease expert Dr. Kent Holtorf goes on the record stating that neither he nor his children will take the swine flu shot, because the health risks are simply too high.

Confusion and Irrational Conclusions Reign

First of all, nearly all of the swine flu vaccines that will be made available in October will be a nasal spray type that contains live virus’, which is not recommended for pregnant women, people over 50, or those with asthma, heart disease or several other health problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The nasal spray causes a much greater immune reaction, and since it contains live virus’ they may multiply too quickly if your immune system is already compromised.

The injectable vaccine will supposedly contain only killed and fragmented virus components, but in order to “make it more effective” it also contains adjuvants; ingredients designed to cause a greater immune reaction by lowering your immune function.

Some of these adjuvants, such as thimerosal and squalene, have already been shown to carry considerable health risks.

While I’m glad the CDC offers some warning about the FluMist vaccine, what about the fact that none of the coming vaccines have undergone any form of safety testing? Some media reports have stated vaccines will be approved following a five-day safety review. What safety data could possibly be gleaned in a matter of five days?

And what about the possibility that people who have received seasonal flu vaccines may be twice as susceptible to contracting the swine flu?

Health officials everywhere are now recommending each man, woman and child get as many as four flu shots this season; two doses for the swine flu, and one or two doses for the seasonal flu, depending on whether you’ve ever had a flu shot before.

Is it really prudent to mass-administer an untested swine flu vaccine along with a seasonal flu vaccine that may increase your chances of contracting the swine flu?

And, last but certainly not least, while the number of swine flu cases is increasing, the severity of the flu is decreasing, with many doctors and health experts stating it’s actually turning out to be a much MILDER version than your average seasonal flu.

So where is the logic in this season’s vaccine campaign?

Evidence-Based Science Swept Under the Rug

The fact of the matter is that there are mountains of peer-reviewed papers demonstrating that the very basis of vaccine theory is wrong — and provably so.

Evidence-based science shows, again and again, that when it comes to preventing infectious diseases, antibodies on their own cannot, and do not, equal immunity.

For example, years of scientific research, assembled by researcher Judy Wilyman, have demonstrated how ineffective the whooping cough vaccination really is, and why it is nothing short of madness to continue to claim that whooping cough vaccination will lead to a decline in this disease.

Another example is the PhD thesis of a researcher from Tasmania named Arlette Mercae. Her thesis is an in-depth look at the way in which assumptions made about vaccine-induced immunity have led to a vaccination policy that is not based in science, ignores research that disagrees with the accepted premise that vaccines induce immunity, and, by pushing ahead with more and more vaccines, may be doing untold damage to the human race.

In a world where science-based evidence supposedly rules the roost, the vaccine industry has managed to turn scientific evidence on its ear and indoctrinated the entire health care system, and the general public, into believing a lie based on flawed assumptions.

It’s time to wake up from our advertisement-induced collective slumber and begin to review the folklore of conventional vaccine recommendations with a more critical eye.

And, we need to do it fast, because even though the swine flu vaccine is still optional, there are disturbing indications that a mandatory vaccination policy is brewing.

As reported in the Living Wisdom newsletter, some of the recent events that point toward the possibility of mandated vaccinations include:

1. The State of Massachusetts had passed legislation that would fine citizens $1,000 a day, or up to 30 days in jail for each day they refuse to take the swine flu vaccine if the swine flu is deemed a public health emergency. (However, that law changed when they allowed a philosophical exemption – so now all they have to do is say they don’t want it.)
2. France may be introducing compulsory vaccination against swine flu after the 28th of September, and secure vaccination facilities are being set up in every region to be used as vaccination centers with no exemptions available.
3. Greece has announced that it is considering the introduction of compulsory vaccination for the swine flu vaccine.

Why Did Baxter Patent Hybrid Flu Vaccine a Year Ahead of Outbreak?

Interestingly, despite the fact that health authorities around the world were “shocked” at the emergence of this never-before-seen hybrid flu strain, Baxter had patented a flu vaccine covering these now infamous strains on August 28, 2008.

Baxter’s patent # US20090060950A1 includes “more than one antigen… such as influenza A and influenza B in particular selected from of one or more of the human H1N1, H2N2, H3N2, H5N1, H7N7, H1N2, H9N2, H7N2, H7N3, H10N7 subtypes, of the pig flu H1N1, H1N2, H3N1 and H3N2 subtypes, of the dog or horse flu H7N7, H3N8 subtypes, or of the avian H5N1, H7N2, H1N7, H7N3, H13N6, H5N9, H11N6, H3N8, H9N2, H5N2, H4N8, H10N7, H2N2, H8N4, H14N5, H6N5, H12N5 subtypes.”

As you may recall, the first swine flu case in Mexico didn’t emerge until mid-March, 2009, and the mixture of human-avian-swine viruses was considered to be quite an anomaly and not likely to occur through natural mutation…

Three months later, Austrian investigative journalist Jane Burgermeister filed criminal charges against Baxter AG and Avir Green Hills Biotechnology of Austria for producing and releasing live bird flu virus’, alleging it was a deliberate act to cause and profit from a pandemic.

She also filed criminal charges with the FBI against the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations (UN), and several of the highest ranking government and corporate officials, charging them with bioterrorism and attempts to commit genocide.

For the latest updates on her legal action, you can read her personal blog or look at her most recent video.

Reminder: How to Protect Yourself without Dangerous Drugs and Vaccinations

There will always be threats of flu pandemics, real or created, and potentially toxic vaccines will continue to be peddled as the solution until enough people realize there’s a better, safer, saner way.

You can break free of the drug-solution trap right now by following these natural health principles. I have not caught a flu in over two decades, and you can avoid it too, without getting vaccinated, by following these simple guidelines, which will keep your immune system in optimal working order so that you’re far less likely to acquire the infection to begin with.

• Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I’ve previously reported, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency is likely the TRUE culprit behind the seasonality of the flu — not the flu virus itself.This is probably the single most important and least expensive action you can take.I would STRONGLY urge you to have your vitamin D level monitored to confirm your levels are at a therapeutic level, which is between 50-65 ng/ml. I also recommend using a reliable vitamin D lab like Lab Corp, if you’re in the U.S. Sometime this fall, we hope to launch a vitamin D testing service through Lab Corp that will allow you to have your vitamin D levels checked at your local blood drawing facility, and relatively inexpensively.If you are coming down with flu like symptoms and have not been on vitamin D you can take doses of 50,000 units a day for three days to treat the acute infection. Some researchers like Dr. Cannell, believe the dose could even be as high as 1,000 units per pound of body weight for three days.However, most of Dr. Cannell’s work was with seasonal and not pandemic flu. If your body has never been exposed to the antigens there is chance that the vitamin D might not work. However the best bet is to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D around 60 ng/ml.
• Avoid sugar and processed foods. Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately, and as you likely know, a strong immune system is key to fighting off viruses and other illness. Be aware that sugar is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice.
• Get enough rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you’re tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article Guide to a Good Night’s Sleep for some great tips to help you get quality rest.
• Have effective tools to address your stress. We all face some stress every day, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness.If you feel that stress is taking a toll on your health, consider using an energy psychology tool such as Meridian Tapping Techniques, which is remarkably effective in relieving stress associated with all kinds of events, from work to family to trauma.
• Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. You can review my exercise guidelines for some great tips on how to get started.
• Take a good source of animal based omega-3 fats like krill oil. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil, which is crucial for maintaining health. It is also vitally important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils like trans fats found in most processed foods, as it will seriously damage your immune response.
• Wash your hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don’t use antibacterial soap for this — antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to.
• Eat garlic regularly. Garlic works like a broad-spectrum antibiotic against bacteria, virus, and protozoa in the body. And unlike with antibiotics, no resistance can be built up so it is an absolutely safe product to use. However, if you are allergic or don’t enjoy garlic it would be best to avoid as it will likely cause more harm than good.
• Avoid hospitals and vaccines. In this particular case, I’d also recommend you stay away from hospitals unless you’re having an emergency, as hospitals are prime breeding grounds for infections of all kinds, and could be one of the likeliest places you could be exposed to flu bugs of all kinds.As a side note, please beware that 21 different pediatric Tylenol products have been recently recalled due to the possibility of bacterial contamination. So, if your child comes down with cold or flu symptoms, make sure you do not give him or her a potentially contaminated product.Better yet, help your child recover using more traditional cold and flu remedies, such as, hydrogen peroxide solution in the ear, zinc lozenges, high quality raw honey, or a homemade cough syrup. For more information and instructions, please see this previous article: Is Honey More Effective Than Cough Medicine?

Last but not least, if you do end up being coerced to take the swine flu shot, I strongly recommend you review Dr. Blaylock’s recommendations, which may alleviate some of the associated health risks.

Related Links:

What to do If You Are Forced to Take Swine Flu Shot

Warning: Swine Flu Shot Linked to Killer Nerve Disease

Many Health Workers Won’t Take Swine Flu Vaccine

FDA vs the People

Who can stop these people?   These “natural,”  so- called  bioidentical thyroid products have been used for more than a century – successfully!   This is longer than the history of the FDA which, when it was formed, grandfathered in certain products which were successfully in use and obviously “safe.”   I am heartsick for the millions who depend on these products.  This is way too far!  Washington MUST step in and stop these strong-arm tactics.  FDA will not obey the law!

American Assoc. for Health Freedom

FDA Attacks Natural Thyroid Millions Rely On

We have learned that Time-Cap Labs, producer of a generic version of the brand name drug Armour, a natural and bioidentical thyroid replacement, has been ordered by the FDA to stop production. The FDA has decided to classify the company’s product, available for over a century, as an unapproved new drug.  Since the new drug approval process is prohibitively expensive for a non-patentable substance, the FDA is in effect banning the natural product.  The purpose?  Presumably to protect the profits of other, inferior drugs that have been FDA approved.

According to statistics by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and other medical organizations, approximately twenty-seven million Americans have a thyroid disorder.  Thyroid consumer advocate Mary Shomon projects that 2 million of these patients take either Armour Thyroid or a generic equivalent.

Armour and other “whole” natural thyroid preparations (including Westhroid and Nathroid as well as Time-Cap Lab’s Thyroid) are bio-identical, complete hormone preparations, containing “T4” “T3” “T2” and “T1” in the same proportions made by the human thyroid.

The FDA approved preparations Synthroid (T4), Cytomel (T3), and Levethyroxine (T4) include bio-identical molecules, but are not complete or totally bio-identical as they do not contain “T2” or “T1”.  It’s no wonder so many people feel much better with the balanced natural products that have been available for generations.

As famed physician Dr. Jonathan Wright observes:  “Natural thyroid has never killed or severely harmed anyone since its first use in the 1890s, prior to the FDA itself. It is a mainstay not only in the treatment of hypothyroidism but also in ‘healthy aging’ therapy. That the FDA should even be thinking of requiring a new drug approval for a safe, 100 plus year old natural treatment is outrageous.”

We will report further as soon as we confirm more of the facts, and as always, we’ll let you know how you can get involved.

September 1, 2009

The better it gets , . . .

Begin telling the story of your desire, and then add to it the details of the positive aspects that you can find that match those desires. And then embellish your positive expectation by speculating with your good-feeling Wouldn’t it be nice if . . . ? examples. You can say things like: Only good things come to me. . . I’ll figure it out as I go along. . .. Every time you tell your better-feeling story, you will feel better and the details of your life will improve. The better it gets, the better it gets. — Abraham Excerpted from the book “Money and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Health, Wealth and Happiness” Our Love, Jerry and Esther

PhRMA fakin’ it (again)

American Association for Health Freedoms

Protecting the right of the consumer to choose. . . . . . and the Practitioner to practice

The Light of Day Shines on the Practice of Ghostwriting Articles in Medical Journals

Ghostwriting, defined as the practice of using a professional writing company to draft a manuscript, entered the American lexicon when the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times reported on the actions of Sen. Charles Grassley to conduct a congressional investigation into drug companies’ influence on doctors.

Plaintiffs in 8,000 lawsuits involving the use of Prempro (the combination of Premarin and Progestin, which are synthetic hormones for hormone replacement therapy) sought to establish the link between the drug and breast cancer.  As a result, Wyeth was forced to turn over about 40 articles in medical journals and other publications alleged to have been ghostwritten. The articles had been designated confidential before the series of trials relating to Prempro began in 2006.

In these trials, the plaintiffs alleged that Wyeth, which conjured up the concept for the articles to counteract criticism of Prempro as well as to embellish its benefits, hired a professional writing company to draft the articles to convey Wyeth’s message about the drug. But Wyeth retained a doctor to sign off as the study’s author. The company then found publishers to print the articles (in some instances unwittingly). Wyeth sales representatives were given the articles to present to practicing physicians as independent proof that Prempro was safe and effective.  Sen. Grassley targeted Wyeth’s actions in the investigation.
The New York Times and PLoS  (a biomedical journal published by the Public Library of Science in Great Britain without ads from drug companies) filed a motion asking the judge in the Prempro lawsuits to set aside the confidential designation enjoyed by Wyeth on these documents.  On Friday, July 24, 2009, U.S. District Judge Bill Wilson ordered Wyeth’s papers unsealed.  While Wyeth attorney Stephen Urbanczyk acknowledged the articles are part of a marketing effort, he claiamed them to be fair, balanced and scientific. The plaintiffs’ attorney, Eric Walker, retorted with a question:  “Why don’t they want to turn loose of them?  Becuase it makes them look bad.

There has been an ongoing effort to force drug companies to provide physicians and consumers all the data involving drugs in order that decisions can be made objectively about the use of certain pharmaceuticals. Until now, prescribing decisions have been made solely on the basis of marketing information that was bought and paid for by the pharmaceutical firm seeking to sell more of its medications.  AAHF  has closely followed the issue, writing about the FDA‘s seeming to do the bidding of Wyeth in its effort to prevent bio-identical hormones, produced by a competitor of Wyeth’s, from ever hitting the market

August 4, 2009

Great Health-care reform!

American Association for Health Freedom

Protecting the right of the Consumer to choose,  and the Practitioner to Practice                                   August 4, 2009

Dr. Mark Hyman’s Nine-Point Plan for Real Healthcare Reform

What do Americans Think about Prevention

Mark Hyman, MD—author, practitioner, and educator in functional medicine—has hit the pavement in Washington, DC, to educate lawmakers and policymakers that universal healthcare coverage based on an “outdated 19th- and 20th-century model of medicine will lead us into danger.” In his Huffington Post article, “How to Fix Obama’s Health Plan Before It’s;Too Late,” Dr. Hyman suggests the following nine-point plan to “create a culture of health and wellness and transform our healthcare system”:

1.  Change reimbursement to include payment for healthcare teams focused on lifestyle treatments for chronic disease and the use of functional medicine, not just for expensive (and often unproven) procedures.

2.  Improve research by comparing existing drug- and procedure-based medicine to changes in lifestyle, diet, and other functional and integrative approaches.

3.  Transform medical education by including nutrition, lifestyle, and environmental factors as core components of the education of health professionals and physicians.

4.  Establish an Institute for Functional Medicine at the federal level that would develop the educational curriculum for medical schools, residencies, postgraduate education, and other health professionals.

5.  Improve food policy, agriculture policy, and school and community environments to encourage health by prohibiting food that is known to promote obesity and disease and providing whole, real, fresh foods for our children. Obese teenagers have the same risk of premature death as heavy smokers. We wouldn’t feed our dogs cola, burgers, and fries—so why do we feed them to our children

6.  Conduct projects in community health centers that demonstrate how offering inexpensive, nutritious meals (including takeout), recreational facilities, lifestyle counseling/education (like cooking classes), and healthcare based on functional medicine at one location can dramatically improve health outcomes

7.  Impose limits on pharmaceutical and unhealthful food advertising. More than $30 billion is spent on marketing junk and fast food to consumers, including $13 billion targeted at children, and more than $30 billion is spent by the pharmaceutical industry on marketing drugs to physicians (about $30,000 annually per physician). Direct-to-consumer drug advertising also drives prescribing practices based on preferences induced by commercials rather than science.
8.  Develop a system of electronic medical records that facilitates 21st-century, systems-based, functional medicine. We shouldn’t simply transfer 19th- and 20th-century medical records-keeping systems to an electronic format.

9.  Create a White House Office on Wellness, Health Promotion, and Integrative Health as a way to develop an ongoing vehicle for coordination of strategy and policy. It should focus specifically on coordinating and developing policies and programs for lifestyle-based chronic disease prevention and management, integrative healthcare practices, and health promotion.

It is critical that wellness be a part of government healthcare changes. We urge every American to insist their elected official include wellness and its principles in government healthcare reform. Click here to send your message of support of an important resolution about wellness in healthcare reform
The concept of wellness is of course closely allied with the concept of prevention. What do Americans say is their most important healthcare reform priority? Hint: it’s not getting the government to take over healthcare!

A new public opinion pollfound that Americans rank prevention as the most important healthcare reform priority. According to Senator Tom Harkin (D–IA), “This survey underscores what I have been saying from the outset: If we pass comprehensive health reform that extends coverage but does nothing to reform our broken system by emphasizing prevention and public health, then we will have failed. And we do not intend to fail. We know that prevention and wellness efforts are a key to reducing costs within a reformed healthcare system. And they will be a centerpiece of the reform effort underway on Capitol Hill.”

Other Capitol Hill leaders in the healthcare reform battle agree. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D–MT) added, “This report shows that the American people believe prevention and wellness are the cornerstones of a high-performing healthcare system. And they’re right. Today, we spend nearly $800 billion on health problems that are directly linked to lifestyle and poor health habits each year—about one third of our total healthcare spending. Simply put, that’s too much. Reforming our system to focus on prevention will drive down costs and produce better health outcomes.”

“This poll gives hard evidence that Americans know what works,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D–OR). “Prevention and wellness come first.”
But true prevention is not the early-detection screenings followed by more and more prescriptions at a younger and younger age currently being pushed by allopathic medicine. According to Dr. Abraham Verghese, “If your preventive strategy is medical, if it involves us, if it consists of screening, finding medical conditions early, shaking the bushes for high cholesterols, or abnormal EKGs, markers for prostate cancer such as PSA, then more often than not you don’t save anything and you might generate more medical costs.” He might have added that taking more and more prescriptions at a younger and younger age may leave you sicker than you would have been.

True preventive medicine, as practiced by US integrative practitioners, involves advising and counseling the patient to make lifestyle choices that can turn on and turn off genes that predispose us to chronic degenerative disease. True preventive care does not push prescriptions or procedures, and does not generate billions for conventional medicine. It is based on commonsense, science-based lifestyle, diet, and supplement choices that can prevent and even reverse heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and other chronic degenerative disease. And it is a true solution to our nation’s runaway healthcare costs.

Consumers hold the power, guided by their integrative practitioners. Find a practitioner in your area

July 14, 2009