New Study Questions Aspartame Safety - NewsGrabs 6 April 2008
Health Supreme's NewsGrabs - a selection of contrary and underprivileged news in health and a wide range of (mostly) related sectors. Find what trends you may have missed - watch out for the weekly News Grabs.
Here is this week's selection for you:
Review raises questions over aspartame and brain health
Excessive intake of aspartame may inhibit the ability of enzymes in the brain to function normally, suggests a new review that could fan the flames of controversy over the sweetener.The review, by scientists from the University of Pretoria and the University of Limpopo and published recently in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, indicated that high consumption of the sweetener may lead to neurodegeneration.
The researchers found a number of direct and indirect changes that occur in the brain as a result of high consumption levels of aspartame, leading to neurodegeneration. They found aspartame can disturb the metabolism of amino acids, protein structure and metabolism, the integrity of nucleic acids, neuronal function and endocrine balances. It also may change the brain concentrations of catecholamines, which include norepinephrine, epinephrine and domapine.
Additionally, they said the breakdown of aspartame causes nerves to fire excessively, which can indirectly lead to a high rate of neuron depolarisation.
The researchers added: "The energy systems for certain required enzyme reactions become compromised, thus indirectly leading to the inability of enzymes to function optimally.
"The ATP stores [adenosine triphosphate] in the cells are depleted, indicating that low concentrations of glucose are present in the cells, and this in turn will indirectly decrease the synthesis of acetylcholine, glutamate and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)."
Furthermore, the functioning of glutamate as an excitatory neurotransmitter is inhibited as a result of the intracellular calcium uptake being altered, and mitochondria are damaged, which the researchers said could lead to apoptosis (cell death) of cells and also a decreased rate of oxidative metabolism.
Critics of aspartame have been saying as much for years, but it is nice to see an actual study published that confirms.Perhaps our government agencies could start asking themselves whether it isn't time to "review the available evidence"?
For anyone interested in the dirty details, here is a PDF of the actual study.
Micronutrients, education keys to end hunger: study
Governments could take a big step towards ending world hunger by spending just $1.2 billion a year in developing nations on dietary supplements and education about the food needs of babies, a study showed on Friday.Such targeted spending to help a billion of the poorest people in Africa and Asia could save millions of lives and bring annual economic benefits of more than $15 billion in lower health bills and longer and more productive lives, it said.
From time to time, officials realize that nutrients would be very positive for people who don't have enough of them, but then normally, nothing gets done.Now since most starving people need food, what about teaching them how to grow their own vegetables in a sustainable way? Give them a plot of land and some seeds to start with and watch them take care of their families' nutritional needs.
Video: Food Matters: 'Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine' - Hippocrates
This is a trailer of a film to be released soon...
The focus of the film is in helping us rethink the belief systems fed to us by our modern medical and health care establishments. Our teachers point out that not every problem requires costly, major medical attention and reveal many alternative therapies that can be more effective, more economical, less harmful and less invasive.
Action - Sign Petition: Help protect natural baby food and anthroposophic medicine
(From the European Alliance of Initiatives for Applied Anthroposophy / ELIANT)
"The European Parliament and bureaucracy has decided that things like Weleda and Wala medicines and Biodynamic babyfoods and such like are too small a market for special laws of protection to be made for them, and instead are demanding they fit into laws made for synthetic products to protect the population from poor quality.For example a perfectly good Biodynamic babyfood company has been put out of business by being forced to put synthetic vitamins into its packs, when the food already had more natural vitamins than the EU standards. Hence the people who want good quality babyfood stopped buying it.
This is a direct and immediate threat to freedom of choice throughout Europe and after that the rest of the world. This will affect Biodynamic and organic agriculture, perfectly good scientific alternative anthroposophic medicines, Waldorf/Steiner education and other initiatives coming specially from the ideas of Rudolf Steiner. 80 years of most fruitful work for humanity is being seriously threatened..."
(After filling out your details and sending, you will receive a confirmation email. You must respond to that email to be counted!)
Country doctor cures cancer - with baking soda & maple syrup
Mix one part baking soda with three parts maple syrup in a small saucepan.
Stir briskly.
Heat for five minutes.
Take one teaspoon daily, as needed.Note by by Healing Cancer Naturally: Make sure to use only aluminium-free baking soda
Interesting. Maple syrup gets gobbled up by cancer cells (they need sugar for their metabolism) and the baking soda that's bound with it then does its work which, according to Italian oncologist Simoncini, is to shrink tumors.
Salmonella Bacteria Fights Cancer
Neil Forbes of the University of Massachusetts Amherst has received a four-year grant of more than $1 million from the National Institutes of Health to research killing cancer tumors with Salmonella bacteria. Forbes turns the bacteria into tiny terminator robots that use their own flagella to venture deep into tumors where conventional chemotherapy can’t reach. Once in place, the bacteria manufacture drugs that trigger cancer cells to kill themselves.Perhaps an indication that we should re-think our relation with bacteria and other microbes? We have been on an all-out war on bacteria for well over a century now, and it has only got us in trouble. Think anti-biotic resistant germs and systemic candida overgrowth. We blame a mysterious virus for AIDS and fear the mighty chicken flu. It's all good business, but is it useful?
Hundreds of germs in soil eat up antibiotics
Antibiotics are supposed to kill bacteria, not feed them. Yet Harvard University researchers have discovered hundreds of germs in soil that literally gobble up antibiotics, able to thrive with the potent drugs as their sole source of nutrition....the work explains why the soil does not harbor big antibiotic buildups despite use of the drugs in livestock plus human disposal and, well, excretion, too.
"Thank goodness we have those bacteria to eat at least some of the antibiotics," said bacteriologist Jo Handelsman of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was not involved in the study. "Nature's pretty effective."
Amalgams pose no risk to human health, EU report says
The report was prepared by the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) and is made up of external experts. (PDF of report here)Mercury is bad in the environment where it should be eliminated, but it's quite ok to have it in your mouth! So much for scientific committees on health."The committee behind the report consists of seven members. In this group four of them are dentists, and they have all declared, that they have connections with the dental industry."
Scientists have expressed their opposition to the report.
Autism's Simmering Controversy
As a baby, Austin Pope seemed to be developing normally -- even at an advanced pace, saying 75 words at 18 months. But a month after getting five vaccines in one day, an unusually high number at the time, Austin began regressing, said his mother, Janet Pope of Crestwood. One morning, he woke up with a stiff neck and just flopped in her arms. Ultimately, he stopped talking, stopped making eye contact and retreated into the world of autism.
Ex-drug salesman: We lured docs with gifts
“We were the beautiful people,” Shahram Ahari, a former Eli Lilly “drug detailer,” told a group of Boston University medical students last week. Ahari, who spent two years promoting drugs such as Prozac and Zyprexa, is telling the medical students what to watch out for when the sales reps come calling. He is working with The Prescription Project, a group fighting the impact of pharmaceutical marketing on physicians’ prescription decisions.
Adverse drug reactions cost NHS £2bn
"It is increasingly apparent that the lack of effective regulation is costing the taxpayer, and in some cases is causing unnecessary suffering," said Zoe Gannon, who is leading the Compass investigation.Scandals such as that over the arthritis painkiller Vioxx, which caused heart attacks, and the antidepressant Seroxat, which was found to increase the risk of suicidal thinking in young people, suggest that industry could do more, she said.
"The industry knew about these adverse drug reactions and chose not to accept the responsibility because its ultimate goal is to make a profit," she said.
GlaxoSmithKline unleashes Hounds to Intimidate British Blogger
Acting much like wounded predatory animals, pharmaceutical companies that are accused of engaging in deceptive marketing, whose defective drugs have been shown to inflict greater harm than a demonstrable benefit, use their lawyers not only to defend them, but to intimidate critics who disseminate evidence of such deception.I doubt Glaxo considered that this heavy handed action could backfire. There are quite some articles commenting on the action, listed here on the AHRP blog.
Cholesterol Guidelines Corrupted In Japan?
Some Japanese are questioning standards for cholesterol care after learning that university docs involved in drawing up guidelines received donations from some of the same drugmakers that make and sell meds for metabolic syndrome and high cholesterol, The Daily Yomiuri reports. In fact, the docs received far more cash than other docs. The issue is raising questions about whether researchers who have received corporate donations can remain impartial. Meanwhile, the paper adds that some experts are skeptical about the guidelines due to their low thresholds, which are capable of categorizing healthy people as being sick and in need of medication.
A Federally Funded Institute To Compare Drugs?
That’s what two lawmakers are set to propose. Democratic Senators Max Baucus of Montana and Kent Conrad of North Dakota would establish an independent institute to systematically compare the effectiveness of drugs and devices, Reuters reports. Interestingly, the idea comes as the controversy continues to play out over Vytorin, which was found to be no better than the older and cheaper Zocor cholesterol pill, in reducing plaque build-up in a neck artery, a proxy for the risk of heart attacks and strokes, although the drug did lower LDL.
The End of Antibiotics
Antibiotics kill all bacteria in the body, including the ones we need. An antibiotic is a substance produced by certain bacteria or fungi that kills other cells or interferes with their growth. In nature, these substances help some microbes survive by limiting the multiplication of other microbes that share the same environment.When the peaceful activities of a normal microbial population are disrupted, malevolent bacteria may take full advantage of the opportunity to strike. The intestinal infection C. difficile colitis, now rampaging through hospitals around the world, is one of the worst such complication of antibiotic use.
Normally, candida albicans lives peacefully in our intestines and elsewhere, in harmony with other flora that keep the yeast in check. Take an antibiotic and all this changes. By suppressing the normal flora, candida takes over and problems begin.
Psychiatric drugs causing weight gain: doctors
"(Hillary) Clinton is campaigning to get fast food vending machines out of schools. That's all good," Caplan said in an interview. "But I'm thinking, there's this glaring omission. It's like the elephant in the living room. No one is talking about (psychiatric drugs) as a source."
Schizophrenia Candidate Genes: Are We Really Coming Up Blank?
Comment by Vince Boehm:
"The search for the "schizophrenia gene" has been going on for at least the past 100 years. Untold millions have been lavished in this quest. There have been thousands of studies and articles published over the years. Some have even earned their authors prestigious awards and lifetime jobs. Each is met with fanfare and deluges of media coverage.Yet, all have failed. Now, we have the editors of the American Psychiatric Society's journal on the verge of an awesome admission. They are coming up blanks."
Fosamax Linked to Serious Abnormal Bone Fractures
The three studies referenced show that Fosamax wipes out healthy bone function the longer it is taken, resulting in a “low energy” status within bones – producing bones so feeble that they break from normal impacts. Biopsy and analysis done on the bones showed them to be in a pathetic condition. There are now millions of unsuspecting women headed down this path. This is simply disgusting. Doctors, the FDA, and Big Pharma are to blame – as are the members of Congress and the Clinton and Bush administrations of the past 16 years...
AIDS drug nearly doubles heart attack risk
In a study published online in The Lancet medical journal, European researchers said that the anti-retroviral Abacavir, included as part of many anti-AIDS regimens worldwide, almost doubled patients' chances of heart problems. The lesser-used drug didanosine also increased the heart attack risk by about 50%.
Study: Antipsychotics Are Bad For Dementia Patients
"The researchers, from Kings College London and the Universities of Oxford and Newcastle, found that neuroleptics undermined Alzheimer’s patients’ verbal skills, and offered most patients with mild symptoms of disturbed behavior no long-term benefit. In fact, they found that a deterioration in verbal skills happened within six months of taking the medications. Neuroleptics are drugs used for treating schizophrenia as well as some other serious mental illnesses.
Report: Antipsychotics Killing Thousands Of Brits With Dementia
A report by a British MP, Paul Burstow, claims that the use of antipsychotics in patients with dementia is leading to 23,000 deaths a year in the UK, according to this account of the report in the Telegraph (London). This makes you wonder how the wide use of drugs like Zyprexa, Risperdal and Seroquel is playing out in America, or what a similar report here would find.
Top Ten Concerns About the Future of Vaccination
By Dan Schultz, DC
I recently reviewed the Institute for International Research's article, What Are the Top Ten Challenges Cited By Scientists in Vaccines Development? Wow. Oddly, there were no concerns cited whatsoever regarding the many, many safety issues that stare us in the face. So, I compiled my own top ten list -- you may call it a rebuttal or a reality check -- of the concerns for our future...
MEDICAL MISTAKES THROUGHOUT THE AGES
This post ran on March 26 on the Naked Authors blog. It parallels the vaccine/autism controvery with the history of drugs and products long removed from the market or given stark warning labels. I warn you, this post is long. It's intense. It's the work of a creative, talented mother who loves her child.And I might add, it brings out some aspects of the vaccine/autism story that have been covered up by officialdom with all that could be mustered. It's a good read.
Mobile phones 'more dangerous than smoking'
Mobile phones could kill far more people than smoking or asbestos, a study by an award-winning cancer expert has concluded. He says people should avoid using them wherever possible and that governments and the mobile phone industry must take "immediate steps" to reduce exposure to their radiation.The study, by Dr Vini Khurana, is the most devastating indictment yet published of the health risks. He admits that mobiles can save lives in emergencies, but concludes that "there is a significant and increasing body of evidence for a link between mobile phone usage and certain brain tumours". He believes this will be "definitively proven" in the next decade.
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More information out there...
There is much I cannot cover but other sources for this kind of information exist and are active.
...
Dr Mercola's health blog and Mike Adams' Natural News have great health information.
The Alternative Medicine Yahoo Group is a place where you can discuss and exchange information on what is happening in the world of natural health.
For the influence of electromagnetic waves from radio, mobile phones and other radio emitting devices, check out the emfrefugee group on Yahoo.
If you are interested in a different take on the news that isn't health centered but is certainly fun, check out Robin Good TV News.
A few sites to keep up to date with the other side of world affairs, the stuff you won't necessarily find on your tv or in the papers:
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com
http://www.commondreams.org
http://www.globalresearch.ca/
http://rawstory.com/
http://www.truthout.org/... and remember:
The individual is supreme and finds its way through intuition
posted by Sepp Hasslberger on Sunday April 6 2008
updated on Wednesday August 15 2012URL of this article:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2008/04/06/new_study_questions_aspartame_safety_newsgrabs_6_april_2008.htm
