Ron Paul wants to kill indefinite detention provision of the NDAA

You may not agree with him on every foreign and domestic policy point, but you can’t deny the fact that Congressman Ron Paul from Texas is the most consistent, literal interpreter of the U.S. Constitution in the current race for the Republican presidential nomination…

Critical update to scientific literature: No evidence for effectiveness of anti-depressants in treating mild depression

In what is being called a critical update of the current literature, Ulrich Hegerl, MD, of the University of Leipzig in Germany summarizes what current scientific studies have revealed regarding the efficacy of anti-depressant medication in treating mild depression…

New study: nicotine dramatically improves and normalizes failing memory in elders

Tobacco is some kind of “devil weed,” only good for making chemical-laden products like cigarettes, known to promote cancer. At least, that’s the current take on this plant. But that’s certainly not the whole truth about tobacco, which has been used historically by many…

Massive wildfires threaten to ignite 30000 barrels of plutonium waste at New Mexico nuclear weapons facility, EPA on radiation alert

(NaturalNews) Threats of radioactive disaster from what is shaping up to be the largest wildfire in the state’s history are escalating, as heavy winds and plenty of dry brush have fueled flames to within 50 feet of New Mexico’s Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), home of the first atomic bomb. Crews claim there are currently no fires burning on the lab’s 36 square mile property, but the entire town of Los Alamos, population 11,000, has been evacuated, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now on radiation alert in the area. As of Sunday, the massive wildfire had already burned up nearly 145 square miles of land across New Mexico, or 92,735 acres, which is just a few hundred acres short of the massive Dry Lakes fire that swept Gila National Forest in 2003. But the current wildfire’s proximity to the nuclear facility is particularly troubling because there are about 30,000 55-gallon drums of radioactive plutonium waste on the site that, according to some reports, are not particularly well-protected. “The concern is that these drums will get so hot that they’ll burst,” said Joni Arends, executive director of Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety. “That would put this toxic material into the plume. It’s a concern for everybody.” EPA is now monitoring for radiation the giant smoke plume that has been building and spreading across the area as a result of the fire. Because the nuclear facility itself has conducted countless nuclear experiments, some experts say that nuclear-contaminated soil, in addition to the waste drums, could also be disrupted by the fire, releasing old, but deadly, radioactive waste into the plume. LANL officials claim that everything is under control, and that the nuclear waste drums are at a low risk of catching fire or exploding from high heat because several canyons allegedly separate them from the current location of the fire. Fire officials have also been burning out dead zone areas in between the fire and the plant in the hopes that doing so will eliminate the brush fuel needed by the fire to spread any closer. Sources for this story include: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/los-alamos-nuclear-lab-under-siege-from-wildfire-115591&cp http://www.lanl.gov/news/releases/fire_updates.html

Busted! Big Pharma epilepsy study rigged to push drug gabapentin

(NaturalNews) If you think being concerned over natural health issues means you automatically dismiss everything that mainstream medicine has to say – think again. Not only are many mainstream researchers coming up with evidence that nutrition and other natural therapies really are effective but now comes a report published in none other than Archives of Internal Medicine , a Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), that blows the lid off an unethical Big Pharma practice. Specifically, the article shows how drug pushing – not science – appears to have been the motivation behind a study that supposedly was testing the drug Neurontin (gabapentin), currently widely used to treat nerve pain. The test was allegedly designed to document how various doses could treat epilepsy. But it turns out the trial was set up to “seed” the results in order to sell the drug, much like a card shark might stack a deck of cards in order to cheat at a game of poker. According to the just published article, when researchers are involved in so-called seeding research, they are conducting clinical trials primarily as marketing tools so the drug can be promoted and sales pushed by doctors. Bottom line: these are promotional trials used for selling drugs and research subjects and physicians may not be told the true purpose of the studies. Surely, promoting a study as true scientific research when it is really a ploy used to market drugs must be illegal, right? According to the new report, Big Pharma is allowed to get away with seeding studies under the current law. However, the authors (Samuel D. Krumholz, B.A., David S. Egilman, M.D., M.P.H., and Joseph S. Ross, M.D., M.H.S., who are consultants at the request of plaintiffs currently suing Pfizer Inc. over the gabapentin seeding study in the U.S.), report the practice is clearly unethical. To prepare their report, entitled “Study of Neurontin: Titrate to Effect, Profile of Safety (STEPS)”, the researchers investigated whether the study was a seeding trial by looking into documents related to the marketing, sales practices, and product liability litigation of Neurontin (gabapentin), prescribed for epilepsy. Because the authors were consultants to the plaintiffs in a lawsuit involving the drug, they had access to depositions and the document database. And that meant they were able to get their hands on damning correspondence, clinical research reports and market research analyses for a look inside the workings of Big Pharma’s pushing of the drug. What did they discover? Although the trial’s supposed purpose was to study dose-titration of gabapentin among 2,759 patients enrolled by 772 investigators, the study was uncontrolled and unblended. In other words, it didn’t meet the basic criteria for a sound drug study. However, articles based on the results of this anything-but-gold-standard-science study managed to be published in two journals – even though the sloppy study design was questioned by two outside sources and that “data quality during the study was often compromised.” But here’s even more compelling evidence something was not on the up and up: the authors cite documents that strongly suggest drug company marketing personnel were involved in collecting the trial data. What’s more, the Big Pharma marketing heads viewed the trial (and not only its results) as a way to push sales of gabapentin. This involvement of the marketing team and the failure to disclose the study’s real purpose from both research subjects and collaborators are the “smoking guns” that mark the STEPS study as a seeding trial, according to the authors. They are calling for institutional review boards (IRBs) to finally take a strong stance in discouraging these types of marketing-over-science trials. “Reform of the current IRB system,” they wrote, “as well as promoting better clinical trial practice in the human subjects research community, are necessary to prevent continued conduct of seeding trials by the pharmaceutical industry.” In an accompanying commentary to the study, G. Caleb Alexander, M.D., of the University of Chicago, noted that seeding trials negatively affect scientific knowledge and clinical care. “The biomedical enterprise depends on good science for its foundation, and good science requires transparency of methods and integrity of purpose,” he wrote. He pointed out the evidence presented by Krumholz and colleagues “strongly supports the conclusion that STEPS meets key criteria of seeding trials.” Dr. Alexander also stated that these unethical seeding trials can detract from the legitimate value of well-designed and well-conducted phase 4 studies of pharmaceutical drugs. “Although the road is long and the hill steep, these and other changes offer the promise of incrementally improving and safeguarding the integrity of the biomedical enterprise. One can only hope that the report by Krumholz et al will contribute to this evolution,” he concluded. Let’s be blunt here: the new report in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that Big Pharma’s research results cannot always be trusted and may place more importance of skewing data to promote and push drugs on the public than in coming up with true scientifically sound data. For more information: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/current.dtl

Deep penetrating X-ray body scanners to be installed at airports

(NaturalNews) If you think the current backscatter and millimeter-wave naked body scanners found at airports are bad, wait until you see what authorities have in store for phase two of their privacy molestation agenda. A new generation of full-body scanners that use full-strength radiation to look deep inside the body may soon pop up at airports, according to reports, and the negative health effects caused by such machines are even worse than those caused by the current machines. The new machines use ultra-strength radiation to penetrate deep within the body, allowing security personnel to view bones and organs. The system uses the same internal X-ray technology that doctors and hospitals use on patients, which is extremely hazardous to health. The emitted radiation is so excessive, in fact, that only licensed professionals are permitted to operate the machinery. In case you are unaware, the X-radiation can cause a host of serious problems, including but not limited to coronary heart disease, cell and DNA damage, and cancer. This is why dental patients, for instance, wear lead vests during their dental X-rays — if they didn’t, their vital organs would be exposed to a heavy dose of ionizing radiation (http://www.naturalnews.com/025767_Radiation_Ct_Scans.html). Even the full-body scanners in current use are a significant health threat. Many doctors and scientists have come out saying that the naked body scanners expose the skin to very concentrated levels of radiation, which alters DNA, raises the risk of cancer, and even causes sperm mutations in males (http://www.naturalnews.com/030607_naked_body_scanners_radiation.html). Reports indicate that the deep penetrating scanners could show up soon at Australian airports, should the Federal Parliament approve them for use. And they may eventually end up not only in US airports, but also in mobile fleet vehicles deployed by the US Department of Homeland Security to scan citizens at public events, train stations, sport gatherings, and even at random checkpoints. Sources for this story include: http://www.prisonplanet.com/security-theatre-creep-full-strength-x-ray-body-scanners-touted-for-airports.html http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2011/03/02/docs-reveal-tsa-plan-to-body-scan-pedestrians-train-passengers/

The most evil corporation of the year? Vote now on NaturalNews

(NaturalNews) Which corporation deserves to win the “Most Evil Corporation of the Year” award for 2010? NaturalNews readers can voice their views on this question by voting in our online survey (below). The candidates for the “Most Evil Corporation of the Year” award include Monsanto, Pfizer, the Federal Reserve, British Petroleum and more (see below). Only one vote is allowed per user. After you vote, you will immediately see the current survey results in real time. Here’s the survey: We will announce the winner here on NaturalNews. Thank you for your participation!

Free radicals good for you? Banned herbicide makes worms live longer

It sounds like science fiction — scientists tested the current “free radical theory of aging” by creating mutant worms that had increased production of free radicals, predicting they would be short-lived. But they lived even longer than regular worms! Moreover, their enhanced longevity was abolished when they were treated with antioxidants such as vitamin C.

Viagra linked to hearing loss

(NaturalNews) Erectile dysfunction drugs such as viagra appear to double the risk of long-term hearing loss, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Alabama-Birmingham and published in the journal Archives of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery . Viagra, generically known as sildenafil, is a drug in the phosphodiesterase type five inhibitor (PDE-5i) family. The FDA requires that the labels of all PDE-5is, including Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, carry a prominent “black box” warning about the risk of sudden hearing loss. In addition, prior studies have shown that PDE-5is can increase the risk of hearing loss in mice. “Before the current paper the focus has always been on sudden hearing loss,” said James E. Saunders of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., who was not involved in the study. “This study suggests that maybe there are small incremental changes that occur over time.” Researchers conducted an epidemiological study on 11,526 U.S. males over the age of 40. While only one in six men who had never taken a PDE-5i drug were deaf or hard of hearing, the rate of hearing loss was twice as high — one in three — among men who were taking an erectile dysfunction drug. “It appears from these findings that the current government warning regarding hearing loss and the use of PDE-5i medications is warranted,” researcher Gerald McGwin said. “Though there are limitations to this study, it is prudent that patients using these medications be warned about the signs and symptoms of hearing impairment and be encouraged to seek immediate medical attention to potentially forestall permanent damage.” Saunders agreed with this conclusion, advising that men already suffering from hearing loss avoid the use of PDE-5i drugs. Some researchers have suggested that the very same mechanism that makes erectile dysfunction drugs work might also damage other systems in the body. “PDE-5i medications work in erectile dysfunction patients by their ability to increase blood flow to certain tissues in the body,” McGwin said. “It has been hypothesized that they may have a similar effect on similar tissues in the ear, where an increase of blood flow could potentially cause damage leading to hearing loss.” Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64I6YA20100519; http://healthandfitnesstimes.com/possible-hearing-loss-from-viagra/774/; http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-05-21-viagra-hearing_N.htm

Urban pollution found to raise blood pressure

(NaturalNews) Exposure to urban pollution may be a cause of high blood pressure, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Dusiburg-Essen in Germany and presented at a meeting of the American Thoracic Society. “Our results show that living in areas with higher levels of particle air pollution is associated with higher blood pressure,” lead researcher Barbara Hoffman said. “This finding points out that air pollution does not only trigger life-threatening events like heart attacks and strokes, but that it may also influence the underlying processes, which lead to chronic cardiovascular diseases,” she said. “It is therefore necessary to further our attempts to prevent chronic exposure to high air pollution as much as possible.” Prior studies have shown that short-term spikes in the levels of air pollutants lead to equivalent increases in blood pressure, but little research had been done on the effects of longer-term exposure. In the current study, the researchers recorded air pollution levels over the course of a year, and compared this with blood-pressure readings among 5,000 residents of those areas over the course of four years. The researchers found that after adjusting for potential confounding factors such as age, gender, smoking and weight, increased exposure to fine particulate matter was significantly correlated with higher blood pressure. The effect was stronger in women than in men. Fine particulate matter is produced primarily by automobiles, power plants, heating and industry. Although blood pressure is known to increase the risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), the current study could not prove that exposure to air pollution would actually produce heart disease. In their next study, the researchers plan to look for that connection directly. “There is extensive ongoing research into the link between air pollution and heart disease,” said Judy O’Sullivan of the British Heart Foundation. “This will help us understand what needs to be done to minimize harm to heart health and protect people most at risk from pollution.” Sources for this story include: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8682137.stm.

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