Drug injection delays puberty

(NaturalNews) Children with supposed “Gender Identity Disorder” (GID), a rare condition involving sexual confusion, that are having a hard time deciding whether they want to be male or female can now choose to artificially delay puberty while they figure it out. A recent report in The Telegraph explains that a monthly drug injection will prevent sexual development in children to give them more time to make up their minds about having a sex change — and kids as young as 12 are eligible to receive it. Puberty-blocking drugs for young children have been available in the US for several years, but they are just now emerging in the UK for childrenSupporters say the drugs prevent the maturation of sexual organs so that, if a child chooses to undergo a sex change, the surgery will be less involved. But critics say the practice is a horrific to natural childhood development, and that sexual manipulation is an abuse against humanity. Previously, British doctors were prohibited from prescribing the drug to children under age 16. But the UK National Research Ethics Service (NRES), a group that “protects the rights, safety, dignity and well-being of research participants,” has decided to give exclusive approval to one London hospital to perform the procedure on 12-year-olds. The long-term effects of the drug are uncertain. While proponents say the hormone manipulators stop interfering once treatment ends, others worry that deliberately altering hormone levels during the crucial developmental years can cause permanent damage. “Do we know what the impact of such heavy hormonal interference will be on the health of these young people?” asked bioethicist Wesley Smith a few years ago when an international medical organization began pushing the treatment on young children. “If not, doesn’t this border on unethical human experimentation?” Sources for this story include: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8454002/Puberty-blocker-for-children-considering-sex-change.html http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2009/jan/09010509

GSK study suggests its antidepressant drugs cause suicidal tendencies

(NaturalNews) A new study released by drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) suggests that its very own antidepressant drug Paxil (paroxetine) is linked to an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and tendencies among adult patients. The findings appear to confirm those of previous studies and cases that have linked selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) like Paxil to suicides, suicide attempts, and even murders (http://www.naturalnews.com/019342.html). Published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry , the GSK study reveals a nearly sevenfold increase in suicide attempts among those taking Paxil versus those taking a placebo. In clinical trials, 0.34 percent of participants taking Paxil attempted suicide, while only 0.05 percent of those taking a placebo did. Besides increasing the risk of suicidal tendencies, a GSK study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in early 2010 showed that Paxil does not even appear to work as intended in patients with varying levels depression (http://www.naturalnews.com/027962_Paxil_antidepressants.html). Combine this with the fact that Paxil technically makes depression symptoms worse by causing more suicides and suicide attempts, and you are left asking how or why this drug ended up on the market in the first place. GSK has known since at least 2006 that Paxil is linked to increased suicide risk, and yet the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to allow the ineffective, harmful drug to remain on the market. Sure, the agency has upped its warning labels over the years, but based on the drug’s safety and performance record, is there any legitimate reason for it to even be on the market in the first place? The FDA first modified warning labels for Paxil in 2004 after suicide rates among children taking the drug was found to be twice as high as it was among those not taking Paxil. In 2006, the FDA extended the warning to include adults up to age 25. Today, the drug carries a “black box” warning for everyone that says it may increase risk of suicide. A 2009 study published in the online journal PLoS One revealed that among 832 different drugs, which represent 99 percent of the total suicide-related events reported in the Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS), Paxil was the worst of all. Among the 27,012 adverse events reported for suicide attempts between 2004 and 2008, 1,323, or 4.9 percent, were linked to Paxil (http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0007312). Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/31/us-suicidal-thoughts-antidepressants-idUSTRE72U4EW20110331

Join the CFS Virtual Rally for the Right to Know and demand that Congress label GMOs

(NaturalNews) On Saturday, March 26, 2011, the Center for Food Safety (CFS), a human and environmental health advocacy group, held its “Virtual Rally for the Right to Know” campaign. Tens of thousands of Americans rallied together both online and at events nationwide, and sent letters to Congress demanding that it pass legislation to require the labeling of foods containing genetically-modified organisms (GMO). More than 78,000 individuals have sent petition letters so far, and CFS still has an online form letter available that you can use to send a petition of your own right now. As most NaturalNews readers already know, the US is one of the only major countries not to have some sort of law that requires GMOs to be labeled. And the corrupt US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is supposed to be looking out for the interests of the people rather than the drug and biotechnology companies, has blocked every effort at mandating GMO labeling. The agency has even gone so far as to make the insane claim that labeling GMOs would be “false, misleading [and] deceptive” (http://www.naturalnews.com/029168_GMO_foods_labeling.html). Not only has the FDA decided that GMO labeling is out of the question, but it has even stated that food producers are actually the ones responsible for assuring the safety of GMOs, not the agency. Besides representing the utter insanity of the way the FDA thinks, such a statement is clearly nothing more than a lame excuse for the agency to bypass actually having to do its job in regulating the biotechnology companies that produce GMOs. By letting these companies regulate themselves, the FDA can instead spend its time harassing natural vitamin and supplement producers, which conveniently do not receive the same hands-off regulatory treatment that the drug and GMO industries do (http://www.naturalnews.com/the_FDA.html). So it is time to sidestep the FDA and instead put immense pressure on Congress to do the right thing and pass a GMO labeling law. It would represent a first and significant step towards ultimately eliminating GMOs from the marketplace, as informed consumers are more than likely going to choose natural and organic varieties over GMOs if given the choice. Producers will then phase out GMOs because nobody will be buying them. To submit your own petition letter to your Congressmen urging them to support and co-sponsor GMO labeling legislation, visit: https://secure3.convio.net/cfs/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=262 Sources for this story include: http://truefoodnow.org/2011/03/26/join-the-rally-for-the-right-to-know/

Epilepsy, migraine drug linked to 2000 percent increase in birth defects

(NaturalNews) New data released by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shows that mothers taking Johnson and Johnson’s (J&J) Topamax, as well as its generic version topiramate, during pregnancy are 2000 percent more likely to bear children with oral defects like cleft lips or cleft palate than women who do not take the drug. While intended to be prescribed for epilepsy, Topamax is also prescribed for migraine headaches, which many pregnant women experience. According to data collected from the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry, roughly 1.4 percent of babies whose mothers took Topamax or a generic version of the same drug were born with birth defects, compared to a 0.07 percent rate in babies whose mothers did not take any such medication. Between 0.38 and 0.55 percent of babies born to mothers taking other types of epilepsy drugs developed birth defects. Russell Katz, director of the FDA’s Division of Neurology Products, made a statement warning doctors to be highly cautious when prescribing Topamax or its generic varieties, and instead pursue “alternative medications that have a lower risk of birth defects.” The agency says stronger warning labels are needed to deter flagrant use of the drug. J&J insists, however, that Topamax’s warning label already contains adequate information about the “recommended cautious use (of the drug) in pregnant patients.” The company raked in more than half a billion dollars in 2010 from Topamax sales alone. Last summer, J&J settled a lawsuit involving the illegal marketing and branding of Topamax for uses other than that for which it was approved. The company hired doctors to work alongside drug sales representatives in convincing other doctors to prescribe Topamax for off-label uses (http://www.naturalnews.com/029301_Big_Pharma_Topamax.html). Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/04/us-migraine-birthdefects-idUSTRE7233RR20110304

Congressman Wu’s bizarre behavior due to psychiatric drugs?

(NaturalNews) In a tale that many mainstream media outlets are attempting to use as a political smear campaign, the story of US Rep. David Wu’s severe negative reaction to a common psychiatric drug speaks more about the dangers of pharmaceutical drugs than it does partisan politics. According to reports, Wu was hospitalized in 2008 for severe reactions to an unnamed psychiatric drug which caused him to display erratic and strange behavior, including the sending of personal photos of himself in a tiger costume to his staffers. Though Wu denies that the photo incident — which took place two years after his hospitalization in 2008 — is directly connected to the psychiatric drug, such behavior suggests at least a possible connection. Other odd behavioral events include excessive bouts of severe anger, demonstrations of impatience for no apparent reason, and even episodes where Wu disappeared and nobody was able to find him. Wu has refused to identify the drug that led to his hospitalization, and insists that extreme campaign stress, his divorce, and having to raise his children alone, are among the reasons why his behavior began to spiral out of control. Wu’s spokesman Erik Dorey, however, has stated that Wu is “clearly acknowledging” that he has a medical issue, but did not provide any further details. In a recent interview with KGW NewsChannel 8 in Portland, Wu repeatedly apologized for his behavior, and reiterated that he has no plans to resign, despite the controversy. He says he is now in a “good place,” having since recovered from a “rough patch during an election.” But what has not been adequately explained is what Wu took that triggered his severe mental reaction. Some reports speculate that the drug given to Wu by his campaign donor was Oxycodone, but Wu insists that he was unaware of what drug he took. Interestingly, oxycodone is among the top prescription drugs responsible for emergency room visits (http://www.naturalnews.com/030252_painkillers_addiction.html). Sources for this story include: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/02/wu_sayshe_was_hospitalized_for.html

Mike Adams to deliver keynote address at Health Freedom Expo, March 25 – 27, Long Beach CA

(NaturalNews) The Health Ranger (Mike Adams) will be delivering a keynote address via video at the upcoming Health Freedom Expo on March 25 – 27 in Long Beach, California. Due to security concerns, the Health Ranger can no longer appear at pre-announced public events, but he will deliver a unique and powerful video address to the Health Freedom Expo attendees that unveils the truth about the attempts of governments and drug companies to silence health freedom advocates through any means necessary (including the threat of violence). More importantly, the Health Ranger’s address lays out the natural law foundations for the innate freedoms that rightfully belong to all human beings and yet have been stolen or suppressed by freedom-hating bureaucrats and a corrupt, criminally-operated corporate medical complex. Watch the event with a live audience, followed by a LIVE Q&A session with the Health Ranger by telephone, by attending the Health Freedom Expo . Tickets and details are available at www.HealthFreedomExpo.com The Health Freedom Expo is held in Long Beach, California and will also feature many other top-notch natural health and health freedom speakers and industry leaders such as Robert Scott Bell, Jeffrey Smith, Jonathan Emord, Dr. Leonard Coldwell, John Robbins, and even famous radio personalities such as George Noory. Also at the show, you’ll find exhibitor booths on the show floor, featuring innovative health products, information publishers and much more. The Health Freedom Expo is the place to be for health freedom networking, education, products and a whole lot more. Tickets are very affordably priced and are open to the public: www.HealthFreedomExpo.com Why isn’t the Health Ranger there in person? Adams will address this in more detail in his video keynote address, but the disturbing truth about health freedom today is that the drug companies, vaccine pushers and conventional doctors have turned this issue into a war . With the help of freedom-hating government bureaucrats, armed raids are now being conducted on local shops selling raw milk. Children are being kidnapped by Child Protective Services for refusing to vaccinate them. Judges are sentencing teenagers to death by chemotherapy , essentially at gunpoint, even against the wishes of their parents. What we now know is that the drug companies hire both online trolls and real-world thugs to hack websites, intimidate thought leaders, discredit those who question vaccines (Wakefield) and threaten people with violence. That the drug industry is now so desperate that it must reach to these new lows in order to prevent honest and open discussion of the future of medicine is only a sign of how close the entire system is to total collapse. The pharma / vaccine / chemical approach to health care is a complete and utter failure, and it is now only being propped up through intimidation, monopolistic market practices and gunpoint enforcement . That system will not survive much longer. Those who dwell in it have realized that. They know that conventional health care will bankrupt the nations of the world , and they are desperately trying everything they can think of to avoid their own economic extinction. But they will fail. The Health Ranger reveals why they will fail — and what comes next for the future of health and healing — in his exclusive video presentation to be broadcast only at the Health Freedom Expo on March 26. Be there. Hear the words that Big Pharma and Big Government doesn’t want you to hear. Feel the revolution happening around you. History is being made, and you can be part of it at the Health Freedom Expo, March 25 – 27, Long Beach, CA. See it all at www.HealthFreedomExpo.com

DEA to legalize marijuana chemical for Big Pharma but keep it a crime for everyone else

(NaturalNews) Have no illusions about the true nature of the so-called “War on Drugs” and the actions of the DEA. The War on Drugs has always been about protecting the profits of the drug companies which have a long and well-documented history of copying street drugs, repackaging them as “medications” and selling them to children as FDA-approved drugs (see below). Today, yet another example emerges as the DEA moves to legalize THC in Big Pharma’s pills while simultaneously making it illegal for anyone else to grow, sell or possess THC. The DEA, you see, is working to change the classification of THC from a schedule I substance (like street heroin) to a schedule III drug (pharmaceuticals). So if Big Pharma grows its own marijuana plants, extracts the THC and puts it into a “pot pill,” those pills will be perfectly legal. They’re already FDA approved, actually, when made with the synthetic version of THC. But if a guy grows the very same chemical in his backyard, then extracts THC from those plants — even for his own personal use — suddenly he’s guilty of committing a federal crime and will likely be subjected to an armed raid by DEA agents. The DEA answers to its pharma slave masters Why would the DEA decide to legalize THC only for pharmaceutical companies? Well, because Big Pharma requested it, of course! As the DEA says on the subject: “The DEA has received four petitions from companies that have products that are currently the subject of ANDAs (abbreviated new drug applications) under review by the FDA. …While the petitioners cite that their generic products are bioequivalent to Marinol, their products do not meet schedule III current definition provided above. Therefore, these firms have requested that 21 CFR 1308.13(g)(1) be expanded to include naturally derived or synthetically produced dronabinol.” You can read it all at the DEA’s own website: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/fed_regs/rules/2010/fr1101.htm The DEA goes on to say: “This proposed action expands the schedule III listing to include formulations having naturally-derived dronabinol and products encapsulated in hard gelatin capsules. This would have the effect of transferring the FDA-approved versions of such generic Marinol[supreg] products from schedule I to schedule III.” Just so you can make total sense of this, the DEA’s loopy logic is that since Marinol (an FDA-approved synthetic THC drug) is already recognized as a pharmaceutical, the DEA is saying that other generic drugs containing natural THC from marijuana plants can also be recognized as a pharmaceutical. What they fail to recognize is that even the synthetic THC is, of course, based on natural THC grown in marijuana plants! It’s classic Big Government pseudoscientific quackery: Only “synthetic” chemicals are considered authoritative, even when those synthetics were stolen from nature in the first place. Your doctor is your new dealer So now, thanks to the DEA and its twisted position on THC, your doctor is now your dealer and Big Pharma steps in to take over the manufacturing and distribution of drugs that have traditionally been handled by street criminals and Mexican drug gangs. That’s what this was always about of course: Big Pharma taking over the drug trade , using its own private gang of armed enforcers known as DEA agents. It’s a lot like Mexico, in fact: Armed enforcers, drug profits, turf wars… except in the U.S., it’s all “legal” under the monopolistic protection of the FDA — an agency that has always sought to protect Big Pharma’s market monopolies. What’s astonishing about all this is the DEA’s insanity in saying that the very same chemical can be legal for corporations to sell you but illegal for you to grow yourself using a natural plant. THC is THC, after all, and if this chemical is so “incredibly dangerous” that the DEA must throw people in prison for daring to grow it, possess it or sell it, why is it suddenly okay for corporations to do the exact same thing? You already know the answer: The DEA’s position on marijuana and hemp has always been based on the king of warped logic you only get if you’re smoking crack. The DEA becomes armed enforcement branch of Big Pharma The real job of the DEA, you see, is not to protect people from dangerous drugs, but rather to protect the profits of Big Pharma by shooting, arresting or otherwise destroying anything that competes with Big Pharma. Namely, street dealers of marijuana. It’s not the first time the DEA has done this, of course. Drugs that used to be sold on the street as “speed” are now FDA-approved pharmaceutical medications for ADHD — and they’re being prescribed to children by the tens of millions! Every successful drug operation needs henchmen who run around with guns eliminating the competition. In a drug gang, that used to be the job of “Frankie” back in the Sicilian mob days. But today, with Big Pharma, it’s the job of the DEA. The DEA is the armed enforcement division of Big Pharma. It works hand in hand with the FDA, of course: The FDA legalizes Big Pharma drug dealing, and the DEA targets the competition for elimination. It’s a bang-up job, a real one-two punch to protect the world’s largest drug dealers of all… the drug companies themselves. I wonder when today’s DEA agents will wake up and realize they are the armed mercs working for their corporate slave masters known as the pharmaceutical companies? The real criminals, you see, are not the joint-smoking hippies getting high in their basements but rather the Big Pharma CEOs whose entire careers are dedicated to addicting people to their patented, FDA-approved pharmaceuticals… even when they’re the exact same chemicals the DEA claims are “illegal drugs” on the street. Read more about the DEA legalizing THC for Big Pharma: http://blog.norml.org/2011/02/10/daily-caller-is-the-dea-legalizing-thc/ http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/10/is-the-dea-legalizing-thc/ http://www.alternet.org/drugs/150009?page=1 http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/23/dea-to-legalize-marijuana-only-for-big-pharma-group-claims/

Drug companies panic as thirteen ‘blockbuster’ drugs about to lose patent protection

(NaturalNews) Reports indicate that the drug industry is in a panic over the patent losses of 13 big-money drugs, and many others, within the next few years. Everyone knows that the drug industry thrives on developing “blockbuster” drugs that reap huge profits during their initial patent period, after which generic competitors can come in and begin producing the same drugs for less. But Big Pharma is having trouble developing new blockbusters to take the places the old blockbusters, which could hit industry profits hard in the very near future. According to data compiled by EvaluatePharma, a pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry analysis group, more than $15 billion worth of drug patents are set to expire in 2011, and another $133 billion worth of drugs in the next six years. One of the biggest blockbuster drugs, Pfizer’s $11 billion heart drug Lipitor, is also set to expire late in 2011. Other patent expirations to occur in 2011 include Eli Lilly’s Zyprexa and Johnson and Johnson’s Levaquin. And in 2012, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Plavix, AstraZeneca’s Seroquel, Merck and Co.’s Singulair, Takeda’s Actos, and Amgen’s Enbrel, all face patent expirations. To put the patent losses into perspective, more than double the value of drugs are expected to lose their patents in 2012 compared to in 2011. While some sources are bemoaning these losses as a big hit to the drug industry, which they naively view as the medical saviors of mankind, the patent losses are a big win for the public. Not only do they demonopolize drug industry control over FDA-approved medical treatments, thus reducing costs for patients, but they also stop the industry from endlessly raking in billions of dollars in profits for products that cause millions of serious injuries and deaths every year (http://www.naturalnews.com/024632_drug_drugs_death.html). The drug industry is not giving up, though, as it scrambles to concoct new blockbuster drugs to keep the cash cow flowing. But sources say many drug companies are having difficulty coming up with new ones. And they face additional problems from the growing awareness that many natural remedies are superior to drugs because they provide increased benefits and real improvements, without the harmful side effects. Sources for this story include: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pharmaceutical-industry-bracing-for-record-patent-expiries-evaluatepharma-data-reveals-115099789.html

Republicans may elect Pfizer lobbyist to head RNC

(NaturalNews) As yet more proof that Big Pharma corruption crosses all political lines, Republicans are now considering putting a Pfizer lobbyist, Maria Cino, into the top position at the RNC. Cino was a strong supporter of Obama’s health care reform and yet is a favorite pick of former Vice President Dick Cheney. She’s also been helped by House Speaker John Boehner. GOP strategist Mary Matalin even hosted a fundraiser for her. Cino was active in the Bush Administration which, as NaturalNews regularly reported over the years, was deeply corrupted by Big Pharma’s profit interests. It was the Bush Administration, for example, that structured a deal with Big Pharma to actually remove the ability of the federal government to negotiate bulk price discounts with the drug companies. This is part of the reason why Medicare is so expensive today: The Bush Administration locked in monopoly pricing for the drug giants, including the very same drug company (Pfizer) for which Maria Cino had lobbied. Pfizer, by the way, pushed the hardest for passage of Obamacare reforms. As the Wall Street Journal reports, Pfizer CEO Jeffrey Kindler was keen to see Obamacare become law: “In 2009 Pfizer became the fourth largest federal lobbyist, spending nearly $25 million. The strategy: The industry would pledge $80 billion to reform. In return it would get greater volume and a requirement that people buy brand-name drugs. Democrats would also fight against drug reimportation and forgo price controls. No one pushed harder than Mr. Kindler. The CEO made no fewer than five trips to the White House last year. He was the man prodding Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America head Billy Tauzin every step. He wrote an op-ed with the SEIU’s Mr. Stern demanding reform. He pressed the industry’s $150 million ad campaign promoting ObamaCare, rolled out with liberal activist groups.” (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704041504575045702997683276.html) The illusion of a two-party system So how could the RNC be headed up by a political operative named Maria Cino who openly lobbied for Pfizer and pushed for Obama’s health care reform? The answer is simpler than you think: What we are witnessing here is yet more evidence of the illusion of a two-party political system in America. Regardless of whether a politician is a Democrat or Republican, they all answer to the corporations . America is no longer a democracy as much as it is an Oligarchy, where the wealthy elite control both the global corporate interests and the national political agendas. People like Maria Cino are mere pawns in this global power struggle that seeks to control the world’s economies, banking systems, health care systems and media outlets while squashing independent thought (and natural medicine, for that matter). The drug companies, as NaturalNews readers already know, not only control the national sick-care system in America; they also control med schools, medical journals, and the research funding of many universities. They openly bribe doctors, buy politicians and commit research fraud in order to get their products approved as “safe” by the FDA. Both Democrats and Republicans are, in essence, Big Pharma sellouts who continue to grant the industry a protected, monopolistic market to “treat” disease in America while the FDA criminalizes natural alternatives that are cheaper, safer and far more effective at promoting health. So if you’ve been thinking that the Republicans are all aligned against Obamacare, think again : The RNC may soon be led by a Big Pharma insider who strongly supports Obamacare. After all, the two party system is really just one giant party for the drug companies. Because when it comes down to dollars, Republicans can be bought off just as easily as the Democrats .

U.S. war veterans being killed with high-dose psychiatric drugs

(NaturalNews) Questions are being raised over whether a widely prescribed anti-psychotic drug may be contributing to the deaths of traumatized U.S. war veterans. Among those who recently died while taking AstraZeneca’s blockbuster drug Seroquel are Marine corporals Andrew White and Chad Oligschlaeger. Both were being given multiple drugs, including Seroquel, for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both died in their sleep. Before his death, White was being given more than double the maximum recommended Seroquel dose for patients suffering from schizophrenia. “He was told if he had trouble sleeping he could take another pill,” said his father, Stan White. Seroquel is the United States’ fifth-best-selling drug, and one of the top prescribed drugs by the Veteran Affairs Department. Since the start of the Afghanistan war, government spending on the drug has increased more than 770 percent to $8.6 million per year. Yet in the same time period, the number of patients being treated by the department increased by only 34 percent. The drug is approved only for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, yet it is commonly given to vets for insomnia and other PTSD symptoms. According to The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge , other side effects “may include dry mouth, blurred vision, and tardive dyskinesia, typified by involuntary movements of the lips, mouth, and tongue.” Other proven side effects include weight gain and diabetes, while new research suggests that the drug may also cause sudden heart failure. Medical examiners concluded that both White and Oligschlaeger died of “multiple drug toxicity” caused by a deadly interaction between the different drugs they were taking; such deaths are not recorded as caused by any single drug. Yet family and advocates of vets are becoming increasingly concerned that Seroquel may bear a large part of the blame for such deaths, and are calling for a reevaluation of prescribing practices for the drug. “Right now, I’m so angry, and I believe someone needs to be held accountable,” said Oligschlaeger’s mother, Julie Oligschlaeger. “The protocol absolutely has to change.” Sources for this story include: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iPPHBQ6w28w4kTXzANGm6kCzPN1gD9HTJO700.

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