Feds urge churches to peddle flu shots to members, partner with drug stores to sponsor flu clinics

(NaturalNews) Every year, the federal government and its pawns in state and local governments get a little bit more aggressive in their push for full compliance with the flu vaccine agenda. And this year, they are targeting faith-based groups and the leaders of such groups, which include pastors, priests, rabbis, and imams — to promote flu vaccines to their members during religious services, and even to partner with local drug stores to hold flu vaccine clinics. In a recent issue of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Partnership Center Newsletter , the agency wrote about its new Seasonal Flu Guide for Community and Faith-based Organizations and Leaders . The aim of initiative is to use religious leaders and institutions to increase flu vaccine compliance. And in order to ensure success, HHS held a private conference call recently — no press allowed — to discuss strategies. “[F]aith and community leaders play an integral role in helping to keep their communities and congregations healthy, especially during flu season,” says the HHS announcement. “As trusted messengers, (religious leaders) are able to spread important information about health practices and the need for vaccination.” You can view the full HHS announcement here: http://www.hhs.gov/partnerships/resources/newsletter/111411.html In other words, government authorities, apparently unsatisfied with the current vaccination rate, are now looking to trusted religious leaders to become “messengers” for delivering Big Pharma’s flu vaccine propaganda to their congregations. The end goal of all this, of course, is to convince those who have rejected the flu vaccine that it is safe and effective (which it is not), and to persuade them to take it. The whole initiative is a product of the White House’s Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, which is really just a benign-sounding name for the federal government’s “Trojan Horse” promotion of its own agendas via religion. And it already appears to be working quite well to promote flu vaccines as, during the conference call, officials allegedly spoke of a Catholic priest who stopped during the middle of his sermon to receive a flu shot — needless to say, many inspired clergy and parishioners immediately followed suit. As part of this push to turn religion into a catalyst for promoting flu vaccines, federal officials hope churches and religious institutions will also actively partner with local drug stores like Walgreens to hold flu shot clinics. The endless barrage of flu shot advertisements, promotions, and incentives that drug stores already utilize on their own is apparently still not enough to convince many members of the public to willingly accept the useless vaccine (http://www.naturalnews.com/033998_influenza_vaccines_effectiveness.html).

The truth about Gardasil, and why Rick Perry’s endorsement threatened the health of millions

(NaturalNews) Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s failed plot to force Merck and Co.’s Gardasil vaccine on millions of young girls in the Lone Star State has sparked renewed interest among Americans, as to what all the controversy is about concerning the vaccine (http://www.naturalnews.com/033571_Rick_Perry_HPV_vaccines.html). The mainstream media’s response to the incident has included a lot of whitewashing, as well as a full-scale damage control operation to reaffirm the supposed safety of Gardasil, which is alleged by Merck to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) and some forms of cervical cancer. But the cat is out of the bag as thousands of curious Americans, many for the first time, are learning about the very real dangers associated with the Gardasil vaccine. Not long after the vaccine was approved back in 2006, Gardasil’s deadly side effects quickly began to emerge. Reports came in about young girls experiencing seizures and developing chronic neurological problems, as well as other conditions, immediately after receiving one or more of the three-part Gardasil vaccination schedule. And according to Dr. Sherri Tenpenny from NewsWithView.com , there were already more than 1,200 adverse events from the vaccine logged in the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) less than a year after its release (http://www.newswithviews.com/Tenpenny/sherri14.htm). And because as little as one percent of adverse events are even reported in VAERS, Dr. Tenpenny says that as many as 126,000 instances of “acute health problems” may have resulted from young girls getting their Gardasil shots. A report was put together by a group of mothers whose daughters died or became seriously injured after receiving either Gardasil or Cervarix. Cervarix is another, but less popular, HPV vaccine produced by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Major adverse events caused by the shots include the development of autoimmune disorders, paralysis, Guillain Barre Syndrome, seizures, migraine headaches, blindness, hearing loss, memory loss, and death (http://truthaboutgardasil.org/wp-content/themes/city-thunder/ppt/030610FDApresentation.pdf). So far in 2011 alone, there have been nearly 1,500 adverse events reported in association with Gardasil or Cervarix — and in 2010, there were more than 2,500 adverse events reported in association with the two vaccines (http://vaers.hhs.gov/data/data). To date, there have been more than 21,000 reported cases of girls being adversely injured by Gardasil or Cervarix, more than 3,100 serious injury reports, and more than 100 reported deaths (http://www.naturalnews.com/031502_Gardasil_documentary.html). Based on this information, you can clearly see why Gov. Perry’s 2007 executive order, and his continued defense of it, represents a significant threat to public health. If Gov. Perry’s executive order would have been preserved and upheld by the Texas state legislature, thousands of additional girls in Texas may have been seriously injured or killed as a result. To learn more about HPV and other vaccines, SANE VAX, Inc., a science-based group devoted to “Safe, Affordable, Necessary and Effective” (SANE) vaccines and vaccination practices, is a great resource: http://sanevax.org You can also learn more about injuries and deaths caused by HPV vaccines by visiting: http://truthaboutgardasil.org

Disposable coffee cups, carryout containers filled with cancer-causing agents

(NaturalNews) Millions of people eat and drink from plastic and styrofoam cups and containers every single day, and the US government now admits that many of these consumer products contain known cancer-causing agents. The formaldehyde preservatives found in many disposable coffee cups and foam take-out containers, as well as styrene, another chemical additive used in such products, have both been added to the federal government’s list of known or suspected carcinogens. The addition of these two chemicals, as well as six others, to the carcinogen list this year was reportedly a reluctant decision made by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which has been pressured by the chemical industry for years to delay coming forward with this information. Nevertheless, both formaldehyde and a chemical known as aristolochic acid have now been categorized as “known human carcinogens,” while captafol, cobalt-tungsten carbide, certain glass wool fibers, o-nitrotoluene, riddelliine, and styrene have been dubbed “reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens.” “Reducing exposure to cancer-causing agents is something we all want, and the Report on Carcinogens provides important information on substances that pose a cancer risk,” said Dr. Linda Birnbaum, director of both the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP). “The NTP is pleased to be able to compile this report.” You can read the full report, entitled 12th Report on Carcinogens , here: http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/roc12 The chemical industry was quick to denounce the findings, of course, claiming that there is no significant danger from exposure to these chemicals. And some federal officials seem to be kowtowing to this pressure by telling the public that the main concern is the industrial use of these chemicals, rather than consumer use. Even the American Cancer Society (ACS) has urged the public not to worry about continuing to use plastic cups or foam containers, despite the fact that many are loaded with some of the chemicals in question. Sources for this story include: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2011/06/12/2011-06-12_two_main_components_of_coffee_cups_and_carry_out_containers_identified_as_cancer.html?r=lifestyle/health http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robyn-griggs-lawrence/formaldehyde-carcinogen_b_876115.html

Feds to start directly targeting drug company execs in health care fraud schemes

(NaturalNews) The days of drug companies simply settling out of court every time they break the law may soon be coming to an end. In a move that represents a significant shift toward punishing individuals for crimes rather than faceless corporations, federal officials say they will begin personally going after CEOs and other company executives whose companies fraudulently bilk Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal programs out of millions of dollars, or that falsely market dangerous drugs. When a 1996 law was passed that banned drug companies convicted of felony charges from further participating in any federal health programs, Big Pharma quickly devised creative ways to get around it. As a result, drug companies for years have been able to continually break the law without much consequence by simply settling for a few million dollars, and continuing on with shady dealings that raked in a whole lot more (http://www.naturalnews.com/001867.html). But now, company execs could face criminal charges for crimes committed by their companies, even if they claim to have had no awareness that any crimes were being committed. And drug companies will no longer be able to skirt by after breaking the law — if they cheat the government health system, they will lose any eligibility to participate in it. After all, ignorance of the law or of the illicit dealings of one’s company have never been a legitimate excuse for anyone else to evade justice — why should it be any different for drug companies? “When you look at the history of health care enforcement, we’ve seen a number of Fortune 500 companies that have been caught not once, not twice, but sometimes three times violating the trust of the American people, submitting false claims, paying kickbacks to doctors, marketing drugs which have not been tested for safety and efficacy,” said Lewis Morris, chief counsel for the inspector general of the Health and Human Services Department (HHS), to The Washington Post . “To our way of thinking, the men and women in the corporate suite aren’t getting it. If writing a check for $200 million isn’t enough to have a company change its ways, then maybe we have got to have the individuals who are responsible for this held accountable. The behavior of a company starts at the top.” Sources for this story include: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/getting-personal-feds-pursue-top-execs-in-health-care-fraud-cases-previously-settled-for-cash/2011/05/31/AGg6QHFH_story.html

Medicare illegally spends millions on Viagra for seniors

(NaturalNews) In what officials are now claiming was a computer error, the US government’s Medicare program illegally spent more than $3 million in 2007 and 2008 on erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs like Pfizer Inc.’s Viagra, according to a recent report issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The spending violates a 2007 ban on ED drug coverage for seniors and the disabled under Medicare Part D. According to a report issued by the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), the US government paid $3.1 million in claims for ED drugs because of a software glitch that failed to exclude such drugs under new guidelines. George Reeb, acting deputy inspector general for audit services at HHS, says Medicare “should not have covered these drugs,” and that the program need to figure out a way to recuperate some or of all of the illegal payments. OIG has also been tasked with “strengthen[ing] internal controls to help ensure that drugs covered by Medicare Part D comply with federal requirements,” and working more more closely with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to maintain accurate lists of covered drugs so that such illegal spending does not occur in the future. The Medicare system is largely fraught with wasteful spending and fraud. A 2008 Senate committee report, for instance, revealed that between 2000 and 2007, the Medicare system issued about $92 million in payment for procedures and devices allegedly ordered by doctors, but that turned out not to even be alive (http://www.naturalnews.com/028755_Medicare_doctors.html). And for years, drug companies deliberately marked up drug and procedural prices for Medicare because the government system is so bureaucratically convoluted that it was easy to slip it by (http://www.naturalnews.com/022835.html). Reports indicate that Medicare issued payments for ED drugs in 2009 and 2010 as well, but figures for those years have yet to be determined. Sources for this story include: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-14/medicare-illegally-paid-for-seniors-viagra-u-s-audit-says.html http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003543589_viagra27.html?syndication=rss

Action: Ask HHS to end US water fluoridation program

(NaturalNews) In January 2011, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended reducing the levels of fluoride added to drinking water based on national survey data showing that 41 percent of American adolescents now have dental fluorosis (a visible sign of fluoride toxicity). HHS has proposed reducing the level of fluoride added to water from 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million (ppm) to 0.7 ppm, and is now soliciting public comment due by February 14. While HHS’s decision is a baby step in the right direction, it is not good enough. Even at the new recommended level, millions of infants will continue to be regularly over-exposed to fluoride, millions of American children will continue to develop dental fluorosis, and millions of Americans – children and adults alike – will remain at risk to the health effects caused by fluoride. On Friday, the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) submitted its comments to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on its proposal to lower the level of fluoride in drinking water. Science clearly shows that even at this level fluoride remains harmful to many Americans. FAN advises HHS to stop fluoridation completely because it is unnecessary, unethical, the benefits wildly exaggerated, and the risks minimized. See FAN’s submission to HHS at http://fluoridealert.org/fan-comments.html – (pdf) It’s important that HHS receive as many comments as possible. Please sign the online message to HHS stating support for FAN’s submission – just go to: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2477/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5734 or write your own comments. You can also email your comments directly to HSS at CWFcomments@cdc.gov. b> COMMENTS ARE DUE ON OR BEFORE FEBRUARY 14.

H1N1 vaccine linked to 700 percent increase in miscarriages

(NaturalNews) Recent data presented to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Children’s Vaccines has revealed some shocking information about the effects of the H1N1 / swine flu vaccine on pregnant women. According to the report, the rate of miscarriage among pregnant women during the 2009 H1N1 / swine flu pandemic soared by over 700 percent compared to previous years, pointing directly to the vaccine as the culprit — but the CDC denies the truth and continues to insist nobody has been harmed. According to the CDC, nearly 50 percent of all pregnant women were vaccinated with the H1N1 vaccine during the 2009 / 2010 influenza season. Those whose physicians instructed them to get a seasonal flu shot were three times more likely to get it, while those instructed specifically to get the H1N1 shot were ten times more likely to get it. And the numbers clearly show that along with the rise in vaccinations due to the H1N1 scare came the sharp increase in miscarriages, including a slew of actual reported adverse events. But the CDC does not seem to care about the facts, as numerous reports indicate the agency has failed to report any of this vital information to vaccine suppliers. In fact, when presented with the data for the third time, Dr. Marie McCormick, chair of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Vaccine Risk and Assessment Working Group, actually had the audacity to claim that there were no vaccine-related adverse events in pregnant women caused by the vaccine. “This baseless and fallacious assessment by the CDC assessment group has given the green light to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to continue their recommendation to give the 2010/11 flu shot to all people, including pregnant women,” explained Eileen Dannemann, director of the National Coalition of Organized Women, presenter of the information. “This upcoming 2010/11 flu vaccine contains the same elements that are implicated in the killing of these fetuses, the H1N1 viral component and the neurotoxin mercury (Thimerosal). Additionally, it contains two other viral strains — a three-in-one shot for all people.” Overall, the number of vaccine-related “fetal demise” reports increased by 2,440 percent in 2009 compared to previous years, which is even more shocking than the miscarriage statistic. Meanwhile, the CDC continues to lie to the public about the vaccine, urging everyone, including pregnant women, to get it. To read the report for yourself, visit: http://www.progressiveconvergence.com/H1N1-RELATED%20miscarriages.htm Sources for this story include: http://www.guerillahealthreport.com/post.php?id=417 http://thepopulist.net/?p=6630

Medical mistakes kill 15,000 patients every month

(NaturalNews) Your local hospital just might be more of a death trap than an actual health care facility. A new report issued by the Office of Inspector General at the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) says that every month roughly 134,000 hospital patients experience some type of adverse event during their stays. And about 15,000 of them die every month due to various medical and surgical errors. According to the report, such adverse events include surgery mistakes, medication dosage errors, improper care protocols, and transmission of infection due to filthy conditions. In fact, patients are often admitted to hospitals in healthier condition than when they leave (if they even do), and much of the time their health declines are a result of avoidable medical errors. Many hospitals are also hotbeds of infectious diseases like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the infamous hospital “superbug” that kills roughly 48,000 people every year (http://www.naturalnews.com/028441_superbugs_infections.html). Nearly 50 percent of all adverse event problems are avoidable, according to the report. But since there is no tracking system in place to address the problems and work towards fixing them, many hospitals continue to make them without consequence — and the vast majority of hospital patients have no idea about the significant risks they face. “This report shows that hospital patients are being harmed by medical errors at an alarming rate,” explained Lisa McGiffert from Consumers Union, in a statement. “Unfortunately, most Americans have no way of knowing whether their hospital is doing a good job preventing medical errors.” At this time, there is no solid way to determine where hospitals rank in terms of overall safety performance because no reporting system exists for tracking this information. But the report urges both the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to work towards implementing one. Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AF5SM20101116

Feds reject complaints of FDA misconduct in medical device approvals

(NaturalNews) At least nine current and former scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) medical device unit have filed complaints against the agency for harassment and intimidation over their concerns about the safety of FDA-approved medical devices. But for the second time this year, federal officials have rejected those complaints without even conducting a legitimate investigation. According to reports, FDA scientists went public with concerns about the safety of new medical imaging devices that inflict a heavy load of harmful radiation on patients. Of particular concern are new computed tomography (CT) scanning machines being used on otherwise healthy individuals to screen for prostate cancer, which the same scientists say exposes individuals to needlessly high levels of radiation. And these are the same devices implicated in hundreds of radiation overdoses throughout this past year. The scientists say their FDA overseers pressured them to approve the devices despite the health concerns, and even threatened to retaliate against them if they failed to cooperate. These same managers actually overrode the scientists’ decisions, but without documenting a valid reason for doing so as is required by law. And according to a recent Associated Press release, three of the “whistleblowers” had their contracts terminated after finally bringing their concerns before Congress. But worst of all is the fact that the office of inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did not even perform a real investigation into the matter before outright dismissing it. According to Dr. Julian Nicholas, an Oxford-trained intestinal specialist that had his contract at the FDA annulled for filing a complaint, the office did not even interview any of the scientists to hear their side of the story. “It’s hard for me to believe this was a bona fide investigation when they haven’t even contacted the people who reported these violations,” Nicholas stated in an interview. “Such a huge amount of money is at stake and so many people are affected, that for the (office of inspector general) not to conduct a credible investigation is criminal in itself.” Meanwhile, the FDA continues to insist that the new imaging devices are safe when used according to proper guidelines. Sources for this story include: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iI0Ag_Ka_k_nHJMf6n94DCgT5nEg?docId=3a439fba19b149b189253372e70318ea

FDA proposes new line of cigarette warning graphics

(NaturalNews) After being granted the power to regulate tobacco products for the first time last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has come up with a new anti-cigarette marketing campaign that the agency hopes will help deter people from smoking. According to a recent New York Times report, the FDA has proposed 36 graphic warning labels it hopes to plaster on cigarette cartons and advertisement billboards in the near future. The graphics include a picture of corpse feet with the tag line, “Warning: Cigarettes cause fatal lung disease”. And another shows a dead body in a casket with the caption, “Warning: Smoking can kill you”. On the cartons themselves, the proposed warnings are designed to take up half the box. And on billboards, the warnings will cover 20 percent of the overall advertisement. Similar graphics already appear on cigarette cartons in Europe, where reports indicate that they have resulted in some success. And many laud the U.S. initiative as a large step towards making smoking so unattractive that increasingly fewer Americans will be willing to participate in it. By illustrating the long-term effects of smoking’s consequences, regulators say that young people especially will be less prone to smoke. According to current statistics, 1,000 new children and teenagers become regular smokers every single day, while 4,000 try it for the first time. And this occurs despite current warning labels that indicate cigarettes cause lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and pregnancy problems, leading some to question whether or not the graphics campaign will have much effect. Even so, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius praised the proposal as an “important milestone in protecting our children and the health of the American public”, and Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said it is the “most important change in cigarette health warnings in the history of the United States.” Sources for this story include: http://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/Labeling/CigaretteProductWarningLabels/default.htm http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/11/health/policy/11tobacco.html

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