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Alternative Medicine in the News
August 2010 edition 84
published weekly
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Chemical in antibacterial soaps produces toxic dioxins
[Didi's comment: In Kenya there's a particular brand of soap whose TV and poster ads only ready "100% proven: ...reduces... disease". First of all what a twist of words that is- 100% proven doesn't mean 100% effective, it just means "its been tested fully 100% but we don't tell the results". After all every soap reduces infection, that's why we use it! Now with this news item, we find that while soap may reduce infectious germs, it'll increase toxic cancer-causing dioxins.... so how to choose??]
Dioxins are a group of highly toxic compounds that are persistent
environmental pollutants. People are exposed to dioxins through the
environment and the food chain -- the highest levels of these compounds
are found in soils, sediments and food such as dairy products, meat,
fish and shellfish. And, according to the World Health Organization
(WHO), this exposure can cause reproductive and developmental problems,
damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause
cancer.
So you would never flush dioxins into your water
supply, right? If you use antibacterial soaps and other antibacterial
products, you could be doing the equivalent of just that.
In
2003 and 2009, University of Minnesota civil engineering professor
William Arnold and his colleague Kristopher McNeill published their
discovery that the antibacterial agent triclosan, when exposed to
sunlight, generates a specific group of four dioxins. Now, in a new
study, a team of scientists from the University of Minnesota's
Institute of Technology, Pace Analytical (Minneapolis), the Science
Museum of Minnesota and Virginia Tech, have documented how triclosan is
transformed into dioxins that are accumulating in the environment. This
research, just published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology,
concludes dioxins originating from triclosan (found in many hand soaps,
deodorants and dishwashing liquids) account for a huge increase in
total dioxins now polluting Mississippi River sediments.
Efforts
to cut down on dioxin contamination resulting from industrial pollution
have been underway for several decades. However, the issue of triclosan
in antibacterial consumer products has been virtually ignored. And the
research team has found that over the last 30 years, while levels of
all the other dioxins have dropped by 73 to 90 percent, the levels of dioxins derived from the antibacterial soap ingredient triclosan have risen by 200 to 300 percent.
For
the new study, which was headed by Jeff Buth, a recent University of
Minnesota Ph.D. graduate in chemistry, the researchers examined
sediment samples from Lake Pepin, an enlargement of the Mississippi
River located 120 miles downstream from the Minneapolis-St. Paul
metropolitan area. They analyzed sediment cores (which contain a record
of accumulated pollutants in the lake over the past 50 years) and
checked for amounts of triclosan, the four dioxins derived from
triclosan, and the entire family of dioxin chemicals.
The
results? In the most current sediments, triclosan-derived dioxins
account for about 30 percent of the total dioxin mass. "These four
dioxins only come from triclosan. They didn't exist in Lake Pepin
before triclosan was introduced," Dr. Arnold said in a statement to the
media.
Triclosan was first added to commercial liquid hand soap
in 1987. Four years later, nearly 80 percent of commercial liquid hand
soaps contained it, the researchers noted. And what happens to this
chemical when people use triclosan-containing products to wash their
hands and dishes? About 96 percent of it ends up in residential drains,
leading to large loads of triclosan-contaminated water that enters
treatment plants.
Unfortunately, triclosan can not be completely
removed during the wastewater treatment process. So when treated
wastewater is released back into the environment, there's triclosan
still in it and sunlight converts some of the triclosan (and related
compounds) into dioxins.
That's how the triclosan and dioxins
ended up in Lake Pepin sediments, the researchers explained. The
chemicals stuck to organic particles in the river and then sank into
sediment when they reached the calmer waters of the lake.
In
addition to the environmental danger that arises from triclosan's
ability to morph into dioxin, the chemical has also been linked to
disruptions of hormonal function and may play a role in the evolution
of bacterial resistance to antibiotics -- yet the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has done little to address these concerns. In
April, the FDA announced it would finally at least study the triclosan
situation.
For more information:
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021...
http://www.naturalnews.com/022178_t...
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Yoga & Meditation at Abha Light House
YOGA
Mondays - Wednesdays
5:30 - 6:30
Cost: Ksh 300
4 classes for Ksh 1000
MEDITATION
Tuesdays
6:30 - 7:30
Cost: free!
Welcome!
Call for information: 0710-620323 / 0733-895466
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Sunflower lecithin, the new alternative to soy lecithin
Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted GRAS
(Generally Recognized as Safe) status to sunflower lecithin, opening up
the market to an option other than soy lecithin. This year, sunflower
lecithin is showing up in all sorts of health foods including food
bars, breads, green powders and crackers.
Lecithin is used as an
emulsifying agent in many foods to keep them at the proper consistency
and texture. Since the only source of lecithin available in the U.S. up
until this point has been from soy, it has been difficult to determine
whether or not the lecithin contained in many foods has been
genetically engineered (GE).
The problem with deriving lecithin
from soy is that more than 90 percent of the U.S. soy crop is GE. Back
when the USDA first drafted its organic standards for food, it made an
exception for soy lecithin which, at the time, was not readily
available from non-GE sources. As a result, many organic foods, unless
specifically labeled as containing non-GMO (genetically modified
organism) soy lecithin, can legally contain GMO soy lecithin and still
be labeled organic.
Some manufacturers have made a point of
obtaining non-GMO soy lecithin for their products, but many do not
specify one way or the other. For several years, the Cornucopia
Institute has attempted to put pressure on the USDA to update its
organic guidelines to mandate that only non-GMO soy lecithin be used in
organic products. Since non-GMO soy lecithin became commercially
available in 2004, there is no reason for any organic producers to
continue using GMO soy lecithin in their products.
Following a
petition given to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), the
board agreed to remove liquid soy lecithin from its list but voted
against removing the dry version. Because dry lecithin is derived using
an acetone solvent, and nobody has found a non-chemical alternative,
the board caved to corporate pressures to keep dry GMO lecithin on the
organic exemption list.
Besides the GMO element, soy is an
ingredient that increasing numbers of people are trying to avoid
anyway. Whether to address people's allergy concerns or simply to
attract consumers that wish to avoid soy's phytoestrogen
characteristics, "soy free" is becoming a popular label on many natural
and organic products. With the introduction of sunflower lecithin,
manufacturers now have a viable emulsification alternative.
The
amazing thing about sunflower lecithin is that, unlike soy lecithin, it
can be extracted without harsh chemical solvents like hexane and
acetone. Using a cold pressing system similar to what is used to obtain
things like olive oil, sunflower lecithin is the only kind of lecithin
that can be obtained raw and chemical-free. It is rich in
phosphatidylcholine (choline) and essential fatty acids like
phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylethanolamine.
Some health
brands that have begun using sunflower lecithin include Greens Plus,
Betty Lou's, Source Naturals, Happy Baby, Divine Chocolate, Panda, Ciao
Bella, and Natural Factors.
Some companies continue to use
non-GMO soy lecithin and they indicate it on their ingredient lists.
Particularly in the case of companies that produce green powders, some
actually highlight the fact that their products contain no lecithin
"fillers". Whatever the case, it is important to be informed about the
various types of lecithin in use and to encourage your favorite brands
to use the best forms if they choose to use it in their products.
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Mercury Dental Fillings: What the FDA (USA) and the ADA (USA) are not Telling You
Many in the natural health and wellness community were elated when, in
2008, the FDA reluctantly declared mercury-based fillings (usually
called "amalgams" or "silver") to have neurotoxic effects on children.1 Then the Food and Drug Administration reversed itself a year later, when it declared that mercury fillings were A-OK.2
The FDA`s opinion doesn't change the science behind mercury fillings
and their link to debilitating diseases like autism and Alzheimer`s.
In
2009, several petitioners asked the FDA to reconsider their stance on
mercury fillings, reversing their stance back to their original
assessment of toxicity.3 Signing petitioners included Moms
Against Mercury and several individuals holding various positions in
the medical and health care industry as well as private citizens, all
through the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology
(IAOMT).
They cite the FDA`s use of an "ill-defined and
unsubstantiated estimate of absorbed mercury exposure from dental
amalgam of 1 to 5 [micrograms]/day that supposedly relates to the
presence of between 7 and 10 amalgam fillings." The petition shows that
the FDA's conclusions from that report were wrong and that further
conclusions taken from another World Health Organization (WHO) report
were also mis-represented in the FDA`s findings.
It is
well-documented that amalgam fillings give off mercury vapors, even
after decades of service as a cavity filling. A video of mercury vapor
being given off of an extracted tooth when it is submitted to water at
about the same heat level of a cup of coffee or tea shows that mercury
fillings are toxic for a very long time.4
In fact,
many dentists, while they understand the dangers of an amalgam spill in
their office, are unaware that they and their staff are exposed to
mercury vapors and potential poisoning every time they handle both the
fillings they're putting into teeth and the mouths of patients who
already have them. The extraction and disposal of existing mercury
fillings has been linked to at least one patient who developed
Parkinson's Disease and became wheelchair bound.3
Another
study involving 9 velvet monkeys was conducted in Denmark. In that
study, three of the monkeys were given amalgam fillings, three were
given amalgam bone implants, and three were left untouched as controls.
A year later, tissues in the monkeys showed that the fillings deposited
mercury in several organs, including the spinal ganglia, adrenal,
liver, pituitary, kidneys, and more. The monkeys in the control group
had only trace amounts of mercury in their bodies.3
Mercury
has been linked to several neurological disorders including
Alzheimer`s, autism, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson`s Disease, and
others. Other studies have been done into the links between mercury and
other heavy metals and their reactive properties with one another.
In
future articles here on NaturalNews, this citizen journalist will be
exploring those other mercury-metal links and sources such as
Thimerosal, fish, dentistry, and more.
Resources:
1 - FDA Reluctantly Admits Mercury Fillings Have Neurotoxic Effects on Children by David Gutierrez, NaturalNews
2 - FDA Declares Mercury Amalgam Fillings Safe for All by Mike Adams, NaturalNews
3 - Petition for Reconsideration Moms Against Mercury, et al.
Special thanks to Natural News reader Robert Reeves for sending the petition to us.
4 - Mercury Vapor From Dental Fillings Captured on Camera (video) by Mike Adams, NaturalNews
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Millions of patients should never be prescribed antidepressants, scientists say
Roughly half the population should never be prescribed antidepressant
drugs because they are only likely to become more depressed, according
to a new study conducted by researchers from Columbia University and
the New York State Psychiatric Institute and published in the journal Neuron.
Scientists
have known for some time that antidepressant drugs only work in about
half of patients. Research has discovered that although the drugs are
designed to raise circulating levels of the neurotransmitter chemical
serotonin in the brain, they actually produce the opposite effect in
large numbers of people.
"The more antidepressants try to
increase serotonin production, the less serotonin [they] actually
produce," researcher Rene Hen said.
An estimated 11 percent of
U.S. women and 5 percent of men in non-institutionalized settings are
currently taking antidepressants.
Genetic and brain imaging
studies have led some scientists to believe that the explanation for
this effect lies in the actual make up of the brain, specifically in
the numbers of 1A serotonin receptors found in the raphe neurons deep
in the brain's center. Although higher numbers of these receptors on
raphe neurons are correlated with decreased responsiveness to
antidepressants, scientists have had trouble testing the hypothesis
directly.
In the new study, scientists genetically engineered
mice to contain either high or low numbers of 1A receptors in their
raphe neurons. They found that in mice with higher levels of receptors,
antidepressants actually lowered serotonin levels rather than lowering
them -- consistent with the effect seen in people whose bodies resist
the drugs.
The researchers then lowered the number of
receptors in these mice and re-tested them. The mice then became
responsive to the drugs.
"By simply tweaking the number of receptors down, we were able to transform a non-responder into a responder," Hen said.
Rather
than suggesting that antidepressant use be scaled back, however, Hen
and colleagues expressed eagerness to find ways to suppress the
activity of some of the 1A neurons in the raphe receptors of people who
are resistant to the drugs, so that everyone can be treated with them
equally.
Sources for this story include: www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthne... ; www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/....
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There's a better test than mammograms, say scientists
Every woman over the age of 50 years is urged to have a mammogram to
detect signs of early breast cancer - but scientists this week say
there is a better and more sensitive test that should be used instead.
Mammograms use x-ray technology, so women are exposed to radiation
while their breast is being pressed between special plates. As well as
being dangerous and invasive, the tests are also notoriously
unreliable, often producing false positives and negatives.
In other
words, they detect cancers that aren't there, so causing unnecessary
worry, or they fail to pick up cancers that are there.
Instead, hospitals should be using microwave tomography, which is
cheaper, less risky and more accurate, say researchers.
(Source: SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics, 2010; 70: 2509-33).
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Acid gel could replace dentists' drills
A painless alternative to dental drills is already on the market in
some parts of Europe, suggesting that drills may become altogether
obsolete within the next few years.
Dentists currently use
drills to grind away at sections of a tooth where decay-promoting
bacteria have taken hold, then patch up these holes with a dental
filling. Yet drills can cause mental distress to patients, and also
have to remove significant portions of healthy tooth to get at the
diseased portion.
Enter the new Icon dental syringe, produced by
DMG Dental Products, in conjunction with the University of Kiel,
Germany and the Charite Medical University in Berlin. To use the
syringe, dentists first place a rubber collar around the diseased tooth
to prevent nearby teeth from acid damage. The syringe then applies an
acid gel to just the diseased portion of the tooth. Within minutes, the
acid has eaten away all the infesting bacteria and is washed off. The
tooth is dried with ethanol, and the small hole is patched with a
dental resin. A high-energy blue light is then applied to make the
resin dry quickly.
According to the manufacturers, the Icon
syringe is especially good at treating small caries before they develop
into more serious dental problems.
Icon is already on sale in several parts of Europe, and will soon be available in the United Kingdom.
Another
technique, currently under development, has been forecast to make
dental drills obsolete within three years. In this procedure, dentists
use a small, blowtorch-like machine to spray decaying sections of teeth
with a high-powered beam of purple plasma (a gas so hot that its
electrons have been removed). The plasma is not hot enough to damage
the mouth, but effectively disinfects dental caries for filling.
Like Icon, the plasma beam could be used on small cavities and would cause less damage to the structure of the tooth.
Sources for this story include: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12... ; www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35237534/ns/he....
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Why statins can make you depressed and anxious
People who take statin drugs to lower their cholesterol often become
depressed, and anxious, and they start suffering from memory loss - and
now scientists have worked out why this happens.
The brain needs serotonin, an enzyme, in order to control mood and
behaviour - but taking a statin for a long time changes the structure
of the cells that are sensitive to the enzyme.
They tested the theory
with the statin drug mevastatin. They noted significant changes to the
structure and function of serotonin cell receptors - and they resumed
normal functioning only when cholesterol levels were restored to
normal.
In other words, we need cholesterol in order to maintain a healthy and
well-functioning brain, and the cost to our lifestyle of the statin may
be a price too high to pay.
(Source: Biochemistry, 2010; 49: 5426).
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Statin drug: Cancer alert
11 September 2008
A new drugs alert has gone out this week, warning heart patients that a statin drug for lowering cholesterol may cause cancer.
America's
drug regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), issued the
warning yesterday (September 10) after reviewing the findings of a
study into Vytorin, a combination of the two statin drugs simvastatin
and ezetimibe.
The researchers have found that many more
Vytorin patients developed different cancers, including skin cancer,
than those given a placebo, during the five years of the trial.
The
FDA points out that the cancer risk has been discovered only in a trial
known as SEAS (Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis), while
other trials into Vytorin haven't found any risk.
(Source: FDA website).
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Medical Disclaimer:
The information contained within does not take the place of medical diagnosis or
prescription. See your health care provider in case of sickness.
Editorial Disclaimer: Publication of these articles are to promote food for thought. The opinions expressed in these articles may not be the opinion of editors.
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