Here we go again - learning that the FDA didn't really check the facts before they said yes to big pharm. This time it's Vytorin in the news.
The news post (link below) and the comments that follow it are pretty interesting, and also pretty scary. Just think how many people are on cholesterol lowering drugs - and then think about the natural health practitioners who say that no one should be taking those drugs - at all. The better solution is a healthy diet.
Are Americans so brainwashed by big pharm that they'll just pop any pill that promises health while eating junk food and never moving from the couch? That mindset scares me almost more than the FDA failing to do its job.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/03/30/cholesterol.drug.ap/index.html
In case you missed it, The Readers Digest recently ran a very informative article about the corruption in the FDA - how researchers were told to "shut up" about negative and even deadly findings when the big guys wanted to approve a drug. (Gee, I wonder why?)
Anyway, if you're taking Vytorin, you might want to read the article and consider your options. After I heard about it this morning I tried the newspaper and found not a word (?) but a friend sent me this link to the CNN site.
Wishing you health - pharm-free health, if possible!
Marte
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Nature's Blood Pressure Reducer: Garlic
Friends have told me many times that garlic was good for reducing blood pressure, but I hadn't seen that news in print until this week.
According to a Reader's Digest article, studies really do show that it's true. Garlic helps to lower blood pressure and thin blood - preventing heart attacks.
The interesting part was that they found that the garlic doesn't have to be raw. It can be baked or boiled for up to 3 minutes and still retain the same healing properties. AND if you crush it, it can cook for up to 6 minutes.
Combine that with a recipe tip I read recently saying "For best flavor, add garlic during the final few minutes of cooking," and it's all good news.
But there is one caution: The same article said that if you cook the garlic in a microwave, it loses all of it's health-giving properties. So... no microwaves if you're using garlic for heart health.
According to a Reader's Digest article, studies really do show that it's true. Garlic helps to lower blood pressure and thin blood - preventing heart attacks.
The interesting part was that they found that the garlic doesn't have to be raw. It can be baked or boiled for up to 3 minutes and still retain the same healing properties. AND if you crush it, it can cook for up to 6 minutes.
Combine that with a recipe tip I read recently saying "For best flavor, add garlic during the final few minutes of cooking," and it's all good news.
But there is one caution: The same article said that if you cook the garlic in a microwave, it loses all of it's health-giving properties. So... no microwaves if you're using garlic for heart health.
Friday, March 21, 2008
When should you go see a doctor?
This is a tough question for me, because I'm terrified of pharmaceuticals, but even I have to admit that there can come a time when a doctor is the only solution.
You see I have two friends who contracted pneumonia. Or I should say I had two friends. Maybe if they had taken better care of themselves, used the right supplements, made better food choices, drank more water, etc. they would not have gotten it - I don't know. I just know that both of them just thought they had the flu.
One friend was a young mother - one of those people who can only lay around for so many hours a day before they have to go get the kids, cook dinner, and all the rest. She wasn't anti-pharm, and in fact was taking some kind of over the counter drugs to keep herself moving. When she finally went to the hospital, it was too late. She entered the hospital on Tuesday and died on Thursday.
My other friend will get well, although it may take a while. After a couple of weeks of feeling miserable, he actually thought he was feeling better, so made a trip to the store, where he collapsed.
When his wife talked with the doctor she learned that if he had stayed home and gone to bed that night, he probably would not be with us today. His body had started to shut down - with many organs ceasing to function. His blood pressure was so low that he was on the very edge of cardiac arrest.
The one thing that stood out when she told me all the things the doctor said was the fact that he was dehydrated. The lack of fluids in his body caused a myriad of other problems, which soon began to snowball. Did you know that dehydration can bring on a heart attack? I didn't know that until today.
So, what's the point? To say "Pay attention to your body." Use your own common sense to decide if the situation warrants a visit to the doctor. And don't stop drinking water just because you feel rotten. Drink more.
And meanwhile, take care of yourself so that you don't get sick in the first place.
Be well.
You see I have two friends who contracted pneumonia. Or I should say I had two friends. Maybe if they had taken better care of themselves, used the right supplements, made better food choices, drank more water, etc. they would not have gotten it - I don't know. I just know that both of them just thought they had the flu.
One friend was a young mother - one of those people who can only lay around for so many hours a day before they have to go get the kids, cook dinner, and all the rest. She wasn't anti-pharm, and in fact was taking some kind of over the counter drugs to keep herself moving. When she finally went to the hospital, it was too late. She entered the hospital on Tuesday and died on Thursday.
My other friend will get well, although it may take a while. After a couple of weeks of feeling miserable, he actually thought he was feeling better, so made a trip to the store, where he collapsed.
When his wife talked with the doctor she learned that if he had stayed home and gone to bed that night, he probably would not be with us today. His body had started to shut down - with many organs ceasing to function. His blood pressure was so low that he was on the very edge of cardiac arrest.
The one thing that stood out when she told me all the things the doctor said was the fact that he was dehydrated. The lack of fluids in his body caused a myriad of other problems, which soon began to snowball. Did you know that dehydration can bring on a heart attack? I didn't know that until today.
So, what's the point? To say "Pay attention to your body." Use your own common sense to decide if the situation warrants a visit to the doctor. And don't stop drinking water just because you feel rotten. Drink more.
And meanwhile, take care of yourself so that you don't get sick in the first place.
Be well.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Will toxins turn your daughter into a pregnant teen?
Or will they give you or her breast cancer?
Recent research is showing that all sorts of toxins mimic estrogen - and when young children are exposed to them they mature way before their time.
It can mean reaching puberty as young as 7 to 9 years old. The short term effects can mean early pregnancy - because children of this age have not yet developed the social skills to over-ride their raging hormones. But who knows what the long term effects may be? New studies are pointing to a higher incidence of breast cancer in women who are exposed to these toxins. And if you start exposing your children from birth - what then?
The Society of Toxicology will address this issue this week, but will anything change?
From what I'm reading, some of the worst offenders are found in non-stick cookware, and in plastics. So please, get some glass containers to store food in the refrigerator. And when you re-heat things, do it in glass. Replace that handy non-stick stuff with some stainless steel, or a good old iron frying pan. You know, if you season an iron frying pan properly, it's almost as non-stick as Teflon.
But... it's also in our food supply and in the household chemicals and cosmetics we use. You can go back to natural things for cleaning, but you can't control the hormones that are pumped into the meat you eat and the toxins sprayed on the fruits and vegetables. The only thing you can do is try to find organic food. Not always easy, but always more expensive.
Here's the report from one health newsletter I receive:
In a major study of 17,000 American girls, seven percent of
Caucasians girls and a shocking 27 percent of African-American
girls were either growing breasts or pubic hair by age seven.
Even more upsetting, precocious puberty was seen in three
percent of African-Americans and one percent of Caucasians by
age three!
What are the consequences of this bizarre phenomenon? Studies
have shown that girls who go through puberty too soon also:
a.. Have sex earlier
b.. Run greater risk of pregnancy
c.. Suffer from behavioral problems
d.. Have a lower IQ
e.. Are more likely to drink, smoke and
f.. Are more likely to commit suicide
They're also more likely to develop breast and ovarian cancer
later in life, and to become infertile.
But big pharm has the answer: Yet another dangerous drug.
Lupron, their drug to treat precocious puberty, blocks production of
your own natural sex hormones and has 265 known side effects,
including convulsions and cancer.
So first the FDA will allow you to be attacked by toxins in your food and household supplies, and then they'll allow big pharm to attack you yet again - in the guise of a "cure." Somehow, I think this agency is not protecting us, but the big companies that pay them off.
So... stay away from toxins all you can, and look for natural ways to good health.
One more thing you can do - fill your home with green living things - because they can filter toxins coming into the air from your carpeting, curtains, etc. For instance, Boston ferns can detoxify 1,000 micrograms of formaldehyde from the air in one hour.
Be safe...
Recent research is showing that all sorts of toxins mimic estrogen - and when young children are exposed to them they mature way before their time.
It can mean reaching puberty as young as 7 to 9 years old. The short term effects can mean early pregnancy - because children of this age have not yet developed the social skills to over-ride their raging hormones. But who knows what the long term effects may be? New studies are pointing to a higher incidence of breast cancer in women who are exposed to these toxins. And if you start exposing your children from birth - what then?
The Society of Toxicology will address this issue this week, but will anything change?
From what I'm reading, some of the worst offenders are found in non-stick cookware, and in plastics. So please, get some glass containers to store food in the refrigerator. And when you re-heat things, do it in glass. Replace that handy non-stick stuff with some stainless steel, or a good old iron frying pan. You know, if you season an iron frying pan properly, it's almost as non-stick as Teflon.
But... it's also in our food supply and in the household chemicals and cosmetics we use. You can go back to natural things for cleaning, but you can't control the hormones that are pumped into the meat you eat and the toxins sprayed on the fruits and vegetables. The only thing you can do is try to find organic food. Not always easy, but always more expensive.
Here's the report from one health newsletter I receive:
In a major study of 17,000 American girls, seven percent of
Caucasians girls and a shocking 27 percent of African-American
girls were either growing breasts or pubic hair by age seven.
Even more upsetting, precocious puberty was seen in three
percent of African-Americans and one percent of Caucasians by
age three!
What are the consequences of this bizarre phenomenon? Studies
have shown that girls who go through puberty too soon also:
a.. Have sex earlier
b.. Run greater risk of pregnancy
c.. Suffer from behavioral problems
d.. Have a lower IQ
e.. Are more likely to drink, smoke and
f.. Are more likely to commit suicide
They're also more likely to develop breast and ovarian cancer
later in life, and to become infertile.
But big pharm has the answer: Yet another dangerous drug.
Lupron, their drug to treat precocious puberty, blocks production of
your own natural sex hormones and has 265 known side effects,
including convulsions and cancer.
So first the FDA will allow you to be attacked by toxins in your food and household supplies, and then they'll allow big pharm to attack you yet again - in the guise of a "cure." Somehow, I think this agency is not protecting us, but the big companies that pay them off.
So... stay away from toxins all you can, and look for natural ways to good health.
One more thing you can do - fill your home with green living things - because they can filter toxins coming into the air from your carpeting, curtains, etc. For instance, Boston ferns can detoxify 1,000 micrograms of formaldehyde from the air in one hour.
Be safe...
Monday, March 17, 2008
Scientists to discuss toxins in our water, food, and medicines
Tomorrow 7,000 scientists and regulators from 45 countries will gather in Seattle, WA to address the issue of toxins in our water, our food, and in the pharmaceuticals that have been pushed to the American Public for so long.
This is the annual meeting of the Society of Toxicology - and I hope that through their efforts some progress can be made.
I am fortunate to live where water comes from a spring, high in the mountains where no sewers or chemical plants spew their toxins into my drinking water. But, according to the Spokesman Review article today, at least 41 million Americans are drinking water that contains drugs that have been "pre-processed" through other people's bodies.
Makes you want to run right out and drink something in a city restaurant, doesn't it? I gag just thinking about it - and worry because my kids live in the city. I hope they're listening when I tell them to buy Spring water from somewhere safe.
This focus is apparently a reaction to an investigation documenting these drugs in the water supply - a report that discussed how little is know about whether there are long term effects from drinking recycled drugs every day.
The news article went on to say that scientists have know for years that this problem existed, and it was discussed at last year's annual meeting, but due to the new report, now they'll likely begin to study whether there's a solution.
Tomorrow I'll tell you about some of the other deadly threats they'll be discussing this year - and what you can do to stay safe from at least a couple of them.
This is the annual meeting of the Society of Toxicology - and I hope that through their efforts some progress can be made.
I am fortunate to live where water comes from a spring, high in the mountains where no sewers or chemical plants spew their toxins into my drinking water. But, according to the Spokesman Review article today, at least 41 million Americans are drinking water that contains drugs that have been "pre-processed" through other people's bodies.
Makes you want to run right out and drink something in a city restaurant, doesn't it? I gag just thinking about it - and worry because my kids live in the city. I hope they're listening when I tell them to buy Spring water from somewhere safe.
This focus is apparently a reaction to an investigation documenting these drugs in the water supply - a report that discussed how little is know about whether there are long term effects from drinking recycled drugs every day.
The news article went on to say that scientists have know for years that this problem existed, and it was discussed at last year's annual meeting, but due to the new report, now they'll likely begin to study whether there's a solution.
Tomorrow I'll tell you about some of the other deadly threats they'll be discussing this year - and what you can do to stay safe from at least a couple of them.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
More deadly pharmeceuticals
This week brought an advertisement from a law firm advertising help for people who have taken Zyprexa, Seroquel, and Avandia. The list of life-threatening side effects that people are experiencing is truly chilling.
The law firm offers to get financial compensation. But what good is that if your health is gone?
Yes, you can hand the money to your family in place of the support you could have offered if you could still work, but it's small comfort to either you or them.
If you're taking any of these drugs, please do the research. Decide if whatever good they'll do is worth giving up your overall health - or possibly suffering heart failure and death.
Then seek out a natural health practitioner and see if changes in diet and lifestyle, combined with herbs and other natural supplements might give you the cure you seek.
Big pharm wants your money - they don't care if it costs you your life.
The law firm offers to get financial compensation. But what good is that if your health is gone?
Yes, you can hand the money to your family in place of the support you could have offered if you could still work, but it's small comfort to either you or them.
If you're taking any of these drugs, please do the research. Decide if whatever good they'll do is worth giving up your overall health - or possibly suffering heart failure and death.
Then seek out a natural health practitioner and see if changes in diet and lifestyle, combined with herbs and other natural supplements might give you the cure you seek.
Big pharm wants your money - they don't care if it costs you your life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
