High fiber foods reduce disease

According to a health review put together at the Rain Forest Research Institute in India, and recently published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health, increased dietary fiber consumption can reduce the risk of developing a number of…

Powerful activism to demand labeling of GMOs – watch ‘Labels Matter’ and sign the petition now!

The Alliance for Natural Health USA (ANH-USA), Breastcancer.org, the Center for Food Safety (CFS), Stonyfield Farm, the Non-GMO Project, and more than 450 other consumer groups, health food companies, and farming organizations have signed on with a new GMO labeling campaign…

FDA revokes voting rights from key advisory panel member who publicly opposes Bayer birth control drugs

(NaturalNews)A prominent expert in health-related issues and pharmaceutical drugs, Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe, Director of the Public Citizen Health Research Group (HRG) and member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee, was recently…

Exposing the hidden epidemic of crippling, painful neurological adverse effects of antibiotics

(NaturalNews) The adverse reactions from a certain specific class of antibiotics resemble the crippling adverse reactions of the vaccine injured. But there is much less notoriety among these agonized and debilitated victims of the Medical Mafia, except for one PBS Nightly News special from June 16th, 2011. (PBS, source below) Most antibiotic victims are adults with no one to look after them. Unlike unfortunate autistic or paralyzed vaccine injured kids who have parents dedicated to taking care of them. Thanks to social networking and internet forums, these victims have some support. Unfortunately, most of them are locked into the Medical Mafia system of harmful drugs and brain washed medicine. Their complaints are often disregarded as delusional, or they’re misdiagnosed for rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, or MS. And that’s because their symptoms are similar, and worse. They often suffer from the constant pain of extreme neuropathy. Very few adverse event reports make it to the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS). It’s estimated by even the FDA that less than ten percent of actual adverse events make it into this system. It’s not advertised to patients as the complaint department of choice, and doctors tend be averse to reporting adverse events from drugs they’ve prescribed. So the forums and social network systems such as a facebook “wall of pain” containing personal stories and photos of current victims are their sole recourse and support. Most of them are motivated with the desire to warn others and curse the FDA. They don’t have ambulance chasing attorneys – yet. The most troublesome antibiotics Fluoroquinolone antibiotics appear to be the most pernicious class of antibiotics causing the worst adverse effects. They are prescribed and sold as Ciprofloxacin (Cipro), Levaquin, Avelox, and Tequin . Apparently enough adverse event reports have gotten through, causing the FDA to issue a black box warning for Levaquin specifically and fluoroquinolones in general. The black box is the FDA’s most severe warning, but it goes only to whoever is prescribing the drug. It’s up to physicians and pharmacists to sound the alarm for their patients and customers. But usually those alarms don’t get sounded, even, according to many victims, when queried about their safety. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics seem to be popular. They are dispensed for minor infections when they should be used only for extremely serious infections, though there could be problems there too. At least the ratio of benefit to risk would be closer then. A professor of pharmacology at Indiana University was quoted as saying “you don’t use big guns to kill mosquitoes.” Fluoroquinolone adverse effect symptoms An unusual side effect, exclusive to this type of antibiotic, is tearing tendons. They may literally fall apart within days of using a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. The others are crippling losses of motor abilities, difficulty thinking, tinnitus, chronic insomnia, depression and anxiety among others. The constant pain is the most difficult to bear. Neuropathy can be restricted to tingling, twitching, and numbness. But the level of neuropathy for many of the fluoroquinolone victims causes constant extreme pain throughout the joints and body. Oddly enough, these symptoms are similar to Lyme disease victims who clamor for life-long antibiotic use. Adverse effects may show up after only one pill or not begin until a year or more after taking a series of fluoroquinolone antibiotics. If not treated, the adverse effects last long enough to ruin lives completely. Perhaps alpha lipoic acid, especially combined with extra potent B vitamins, could do wonders for their comfort and recovery. Skilled homeopathic doctors could help them also. Unfortunately, most of these victims are stuck in a system that makes huge profits from selling solutions to problems they’ve created. Sources for this article include PBS report and individuals’ videos here: http://healthmaven.blogspot.com/2011/12/must-viewthese-antibiotics-cause-severe.html “Wall of pain” – click photos for their stories http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=pu.209182505773463&type=1

Exposed: Food manufacturers, not the FDA, have self-approved thousands of food chemicals in widespread use today

(NaturalNews) There are currently more than 10,000 chemical food additives permitted for use in foods today. But at least 3,000 of these have never undergone proper US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety reviews, and have instead essentially been “approved” for use by the chemical companies and food manufacturers that make and use them. Before the mid-1990s, the FDA members of the public, as well as academic scientists and public interest groups, provided input on chemicals as part of the FDA review process — and the FDA actually took this input into consideration when conducting safety analyses and establishing regulatory guidelines. But a lot changed when the FDA converted to an “expedited” approval process for food chemicals that effectively bypassed having to deal with any outsiders. Instead, the FDA now deals directly with food chemical companies and food manufacturers, who typically just provide their own “safety data” — and the FDA just takes their word on it and grants approval, in most cases. “Congress established our food additive regulatory program more than 50 years ago, and it does not stand up well to scrutiny based on today’s standards of science and public transparency,” said Tom Nelter, Director of the Pew Health Group’s Food Additives Project, which uncovered the findings and published them in the journal Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety . “While the shift to a new regulatory process — one in which companies make safety decisions and ask FDA to confirm them — has sped up agency review, it has also bypassed the public … there is virtually no meaningful opportunity for participation in decisions about large classes of substances added to the food supply.” The Sacramento Bee reports that the FDA’s regulatory prowess has been stunted since as far back as the 1950s. The Food Additives Amendment of 1958 essentially made it legal for food chemical manufacturers to self-determine the safety of their own products and to begin using them without having to even notify the FDA. Since food chemical manufacturers are also not required to let the FDA know when new published science exposes one of their already-in-use chemicals as unsafe, the agency must do this itself. But the agency routinely fails to do this, of course, and has a reputation for ignoring or discounting new science that contradicts its drug and chemical lobbyists anyway. Sources for this article include: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/26/4008438/food-chemical-regulations-rely.html

TSA refuses to fulfill promise to conduct independent safety investigation of naked body scanners

(NaturalNews) Not even a month after promising to conduct a legitimate, independent study on the safety of the illegal naked body scanners used in airports across the US, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator John Pistole is now saying that such a measure is unnecessary, and that it may not happen after all. ProPublica reports that, despite myriad evidence that the privacy-invading machines can emit high levels of deadly ionizing radiation, Pistole has presented more rehashed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data as “evidence” that the machines are safe — and he is actually purporting that this biased data is sufficient to verify the machines’ safety. “My strong belief is those types of machines are still completely safe,” said Pistole at a recent hearing of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. “If the determination is that this IG (inspector general) study is not sufficient, then I will look at still yet another additional study.” Unfortunately for Pistole and his cronies at DHS and TSA, having a “strong belief” about something does not make it true. And Pistole’s repeated avoidance of allowing a real investigation into the safety of naked body scanners clearly shows that he and his corrupt agency have something to hide from the public. Pistole’s use of the words “still yet another additional study” basically insinuates that existing studies have already verified the safety of backscatter naked body scanners — but they definitely have not. In fact, the supposed “safety data” that the TSA has been relying on to assert the safety of the machines was exposed as fraudulent earlier this year (http://www.naturalnews.com/032425_airport_scanners_radiation.html). Not only was the data flawed, but the study was conducted in secret by unnamed scientists, and by the company that makes the machines, Rapiscan Systems. The safety tests also did not even involve the actual machines used at airports — they involved phony “mock-up” machines made of random spare parts at the company’s manufacturing unit. That Pistole would even suggest that existing “safety” studies conducted in this manner are legitimate is an insult to the intelligence of every American. And yet millions of Americans continue to comply with TSA’s unconstitutional use of these deadly machines, and willfully subject their bodies to blasts of carcinogenic ionizing radiation every day. Sources for this article include: http://www.propublica.org/article/tsa-puts-off-safety-study-of-x-ray-body-scanners

CDC admits not a single person has died from consuming raw milk products in 11 years

(NaturalNews) The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) refuses to acknowledge that, based on all available statistics, raw milk produced on clean, small-scale farms is actually far safer than pasteurized milk from factory farms. But the agency did admit earlier this year, after being pressed and warned of a potential Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request if it failed to comply, that not a single person has died from raw milk consumption in over a decade. This may come as a shock to some who, because of all the propaganda about the alleged dangers of raw milk, are convinced otherwise, but it is true — one of the two deaths often cited by the CDC as evidence that raw milk is dangerous was actually linked to the consumption of raw queso fresco cheese, which is currently outlawed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And the other is likely linked to an adulterated raw milk product as well, rather than to raw milk. After repeatedly petitioning the CDC for clarification about its questionable raw milk statistics and getting nowhere, Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pastures Dairy Company (OPDC) in California, finally threatened to file a FOIA request to get to the truth. Shortly thereafter, he received a response from an unidentified official at the CDC’s information office explaining that the one “raw milk” death that occurred between 1998 and 2008 was actually linked to illegal raw queso fresco cheese. The agency has not yet provided details about the other death, but it is likely that it, too, was linked to some adulterated raw milk product rather than to raw milk itself. If and when the agency finally fesses up to the truth about that case, it will also be inadvertently admitting that it has lied to the public for many years about the nature of raw milk. The CDC’s continual avoidance of talking about the much worse dangers associated with pasteurized milk further illustrates its raw milk bias. In 2006 alone, there were at least 1,300 people who got sick from pasteurized milk just in California — and yet the CDC only talks about the roughly 39 reported illnesses every year in the Golden State that are alleged, but not necessarily proven to be, linked to raw milk. To learn more about the safety of raw milk versus pasteurized milk, check out this FREE chapter from Dr. Ron Schmid’s book The Untold Story of Milk: Green Pastures, Contented Cows and Raw Dairy Products : http://newtrendspublishing.com/PDFS/15MilkFinal.pdf Sources for this article include: http://www.thecompletepatient.com/journal/2011/2/18/the-power-of-numbers-in-the-war-over-raw-dairy-how-the-cdc-c.html

Baxter, same company that unleashed tainted avian flu vaccines, recalls 300,000 flu vaccines for serious adverse reactions

(NaturalNews) Baxter Healthcare Corp. has announced it is recalling roughly 300,000 doses of its Preflucel influenza vaccine due to what it says is an excessive number of adverse events. Baxter is the same drug company that was caught inserting Avian Flu Virus into flu vaccines back in 2009 (http://www.naturalnews.com/025760.html). The UK’s Daily Mail reports that a high number of individuals injected with an apparently tainted batch of Preflucel have been reporting side effects like fatigue, muscle pain, and headaches. The vaccine, which was crafted specifically for those with egg allergies, has only been in use since March when it was first approved for use in the UK. “The vaccine is being recalled because these side effects have been reported more frequently with this specific batch,” said a Baxter spokesmen. This spokesman also attempted to reassure the public that those who have already been vaccinated with Preflucel “should not be concerned (for their safety).” At the same time, however, Baxter has instructed healthcare providers not to administer any more Preflucel, no matter what batch it came from, to patients. And since this announcement, many European countries where the vaccine was distributed have ceased using it, and have instead switched to various alternatives. “[Preflucel] should no longer be used and any remaining stock [of the recalled batches] should be returned to the original supplier for credit,” announced the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. “No further Preflucel of any batch should be administered at this time.” Conveniently for Baxter, no further information has been provided to the public as to what might be the cause of the uptick in adverse reactions. And if the vaccine is so harmful that the company has decided to recall several hundred thousand doses of it and cease all further administration of it, how can officials say that those who have already been injected with it are safe? The 2009 scandal involving the US division of Baxter essentially exposed the company as a purveyor of biological terrorism. After all, the company’s Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) facility where the tainted vaccine was produced would have prevented unintentional contamination, which implies an intentional conspiracy (http://www.naturalnews.com/025760.html). So what dirty little secret might Baxter be trying to hide with its current recall? Sources for this article include: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2054160/300-000-doses-flu-vaccine-Preflucel-withdrawn-alert-effects.html

Shock finding: More than 75 percent of all ‘honey’ sold in grocery stores contains no honey at all

(NaturalNews) Just because those cute little bear-shaped bottles at the grocery store say “honey” on them does not necessarily mean that they actually contain honey. A comprehensive investigation conducted by Food Safety News (FSN) has found that the vast majority of so-called honey products sold at grocery stores, big box stores, drug stores, and restaurants do not contain any pollen, which means they are not real honey. For the investigation, Vaughn Bryant, one of the nation’s leading melissopalynologists, or experts in identifying pollen in honey, and director of the Palynology Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University, evaluated more than 60 products labeled as “honey” that had been purchased by FSN from ten states and the District of Columbia. Bryant found that 76 percent of “honey” samples purchased from major grocery store chains like Kroger and Safeway, and 77 percent of samples purchased from big box chains like Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart, did not contain any pollen. Even worse were “honey” samples taken from drug stores like Walgreens and CVS, and fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and KFC, 100 percent of which were found to contain not a trace of pollen. The full FSN report with a list of all the pollen-less “honey” brands can be accessed here: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/tests-show-most-store-honey-isnt-honey/ So what is all this phony honey made of? It is difficult to say for sure, as pollen is the key to verifying that honey is real. According to FSN, much of this imposter honey is more likely being secretly imported from China, and may even be contaminated with antibiotic drugs and other foreign materials. Most conventional honey products have been illegally ultra-filtered to hide their true nature According to FSN, the lack of pollen in most conventional “honey” products is due to these products having been ultra-filtered. This means that they have been intensely heated, forced through extremely tiny filters, and potentially even watered down or adulterated in some way prior to hitting store shelves. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) holds the position that any so-called honey products that have been ultra-filtered are not actually honey. But the agency refuses to do anything to stop this influx of illegitimate “honey” from flooding the North American market. It also continues to stonewall all petitions to establish a national regulatory standard for verifying the integrity of honey. Ultra-filtering eliminates and destroys all medicinal properties of honey Assuming that there is any real honey at all in the phony honey products tested by FSN, the removal of pollen and other delicate materials via ultra-filtering renders them medicinally dead. Raw honey is a health-promoting food that can help alleviate stomach problems, anemia, allergies, and other health conditions. Ultra-filtered honey is nothing more than a health-destroying processed sugar in the same vein as white table sugar or high fructose corn syrup. The good news is that all of the honey products FSN tested from farmers markets, food cooperatives, and “natural” stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, were found to contain pollen and a full array of antioxidants and other nutrients. Local beekeepers are another great source of obtaining raw, unprocessed, real honey. Be sure to read the entire FSN report at: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/tests-show-most-store-honey-isnt-honey/

State Department uses taxpayer money to push GMOs in other countries

(NaturalNews) It is no secret that the vast majority of subsidized corn, soy, canola, and cotton grown in the US is of genetically-modified (GM) origin. But it has now been revealed that the US government is also using millions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize the promotion of GMOs across the globe as well. The administration of so-called “change” has actually taken the previous Bush Administration’s promotion of GMOs to a whole new level. Rather than push for mandatory labeling of GMOs like he promised, Barack Obama instead padded his administration with pro-biotechnology lackeys like US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Senior Adviser to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner on Food Safety Michael Taylor (http://www.organicconsumers.org/usda_watch.cfm). So is it any surprise that the head of the State Department’s Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs (EEB), Jose W. Fernandez, is also a pro-biotechnology expert lawyer that once held a key role in facilitating mergers and acquisitions in Latin America? His expertise, of course, is now being used to manipulate other countries into accepting GMOs, and the agency he heads is using taxpayer dollars to do it. According to AlterNet , Fernandez recently spoke at an event attended by high-level government officials, agribusiness CEOs, and others from around the world concerning the supposed benefits of biotechnology. During his speech Fernandez essentially lied to the group by implying that, without GMOs, it would be impossible to produce enough food to feed the world. Numerous recent studies have shown this to be false, of course, including a comprehensive report conducted by the Rodale Institute which found that organic, small-scale farming methods actually produce higher yields for less cost (http://www.naturalnews.com/033925_organic_farming_crop_yields.html). But why should we let facts get in the way of Big Biotech’s agenda to inject its “Frankencrops” into the agricultural economies of countries around the world? And EEB’s Office of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Textile Trade Affairs (ABT) has been facilitating this agenda by promoting biotechnology for almost ten years now, which includes distributing roughly half a million in taxpayer-sourced “Biotechnology Outreach Funds” to thrust GMOs on foreign countries. AlterNet reports that in 2010, a US embassy in Ecuador petitioned ABT for $22,900 to fly five Ecuadorian journalists to the US to participate in a pro-biotech brainwashing retreat. That same year, US embassies in both Brazil and Mozambique requested $64,590 to hold a pro-biotech seminar in Maputo. Sources for this article include: http://www.alternet.org/story/152921/why_is_the_state_department_using_our_money_to_pimp_for_monsanto

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