Health & Wellness Issues

Dying to Have Known: a film about a cure for cancer

Last week I sent a message to several people I care about.   My youngest son, Toby is particularly well read about wellness issues and researched the links further.  

Yesterday, he sent me another link to a fascinating film which has been uploaded in its entirety to YouTube.  It makes for compelling viewing.

I can't imagine most people will be at all interested, although they should be.  One day they may discover that they know someone they love to be  diagnosed with cancer.  Indeed it might be them.  

In the meantime, if you know of or hear of anyone with cancer, breast cancer or MS I would encourage you to have them view this video in it's entirety. 

If you have ever forwarded any article about 'fighting cancer' or' buying pink', have the courage to forward a link to this blog, if only to address the balance and because there are people out there who are Dying to Know about it.

Thanks Toby.

Love from Dad xx

America now, Europe Next? Alarming report if you have Children

Big Pharma is pushing hard for mandatory screening of depression in adolescents. 

Watch this must-see video on the growing threat of psych drugs:

7 Conditions That Don’t Need Pills

In the April 2008 issue of the Harvard Health Letter, researchers explained how in many cases, the non-pharmacological approach can accomplish as much, or more, than pills.

In more recent years, a growing body of studies are showing that simple lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise are effective remedies for many ills.

These seven common conditions can be managed without medication:

Arthritis
Cholesterol
Cognitive decline
Depression
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Osteoporosis

Sources: Live Science March 25, 2008

According to Dr Mercola, The seven common health conditions mentioned here can indeed be managed without resorting to pharmaceutical drugs, which oftentimes cause serious side effects and deteriorate your health even further.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Antidepressants Are No Better Than Placebos

Antidepressant drugs, including the best-selling Prozac, simply do not work as advertised, according to a comprehensive review by U.S. and Canadian researchers.

After examining all data available for the drugs -- including clinical trials that manufacturers did not publish at the time -- it was found that patients taking the drugs improved just as much as those taking placebo pills. The only exception was among severely depressed patients, who improved slightly more on the drugs than the placebos.

This study is unique in that it is the first time a study has been done using a full set of data for the antidepressants Prozac, Seroxat, Effexor, and Serzone.

"Using complete data sets (including unpublished data) and a substantially larger data set of this type than has been previously reported, we find the overall effect of new-generation antidepressant medication is below recommended criteria for clinical significance," the authors wrote.

Sources: The Guardian February 26, 2008
PLoS (Public Library of Science) Medicine February 26, 2008 (Free Full-Text Article)

Antidepressant drugs don't work – official study

Antidepressant drugs don't work – official study By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor
Tuesday, 26 February 2008

They are among the biggest-selling drugs of all time, the "happiness pills" that supposedly lift the moods of those who suffer depression and are taken by millions of people in the UK every year.

But one of the largest studies of modern antidepressant drugs has found that they have no clinically significant effect. In other words, they don't work.

The finding will send shock waves through the medical profession and patients and raises serious questions about the regulation of the multinational pharmaceutical industry, which was accused yesterday of withholding data on the drugs.

CLICK HERE to read the full story courtesy of the Independent

The top five foods for beating depression

Drug advertisements and conventional doctors tell the public that depression is caused by an imbalance of a neurotransmitter in the brain called serotonin. This idea makes it seem that drugs that flood the brain with serotonin are the answer to depression, but there is no scientific evidence that drug therapy really works. In studies in which scientists lowered serotonin levels to induce depression, the experiment failed. Other studies found that dramatically increasing serotonin levels in the brain failed to relieve depression. So why do doctors persist in prescribing medications with side effects ranging from mood swings to suicidal or homicidal behaviors when those drugs may not even work?

There are treatment options that can relieve depression without swallowing pills. Many of the symptoms of depression can be directly linked to vitamin and mineral deficiencies in the standard American diet, which is largely comprised of empty carbs, caffeine and sugar. Depression, mood swings and fatigue often have a common cause: poor nutrition. Avoiding depression or recovering from a depressive episode is often as easy as changing your diet and boosting your consumption of key foods that deliver brain-boosting nutrients and help regulate brain chemistry.

CLICK HERE to discover the five key foods which include Fish oils: Contain omega-3 fatty acids, Brown Rice: Contains vitamins B1 and B3, and folic acid. Brewer's Yeast: Contains vitamins B1, B2 and B3, Whole-grain oats: Contain folic acid, pantothenic acid and vitamins B6 and B1, Cabbage: Contains vitamin C and folic acid.

Things to avoid
If you feel you are depressed or at risk for depression, you also need to avoid certain foods and substances. Some commonly prescribed drugs -- such as antibiotics, barbiturates, amphetamines, pain killers, ulcer drugs, anticonvulsants, beta-blockers, anti-Parkinson's drugs, birth control pills, high blood pressure drugs, heart medications and psychotropic drugs -- contribute to depression. If you are taking any of these, don't quit them without talking to your doctor; but be aware that they may be contributing to your condition by depleting your body of depression-fighting vitamins and minerals.

You should also avoid caffeine, smoking and foods high in fat and sugar. Keeping your blood sugar stable and getting B vitamins is important for stabilizing your mood. Cacao can be good for mood because it releases endorphins in the brain, but watch out for milk chocolate and candy varieties high in sugar.

CLICK HERE to request information about a scientifically validated nutritional supplement with levels of essential micronutrients formulated to support longevity and wellness. LifePak® provides a comprehensive array of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals typically lacking in the average adult diet.

Download lifepak.pdf

People who feel depressed all the time don't need drugs in order to balance their brain chemistry.

Most antidepressant drugs are fraudulently prescribed and marketed to consumers in the first place. People who have mood swings or feel depressed all the time don't need drugs in order to balance their brain chemistry. Of course, the drug makers and many psychiatrists have made a tremendous amount of money by convincing people they need drugs to balance their brain chemistry. In reality, what people need is exposure to natural sunlight -- a powerful antidepressant therapy that's available free of charge -- avoidance of foods that cause nutritional deficiencies, such as white flour and refined white sugars, and outstanding nutrition from superfoods and superfood supplements containing spirulina, chlorella, wheat grass, medicinal herbs and other sources of high-density nutrition. Physical exercise also goes a long way toward reversing and preventing the symptoms of mental depression.

The bottom line is that the drug industry preys upon the public by giving them disinformation about the true causes of depression, and then hooking them on potentially dangerous drugs that are known to increase their risk of violent behavior, including suicides and killing the people around them. But from the point of view of the drug company, it's all about profits -- they've got to come out with the next new big drug to generate more revenues, create more profits for shareholders, and put more money in the bank. It is a sad, sad, system of medicine, and this system continues to grow and expand its influence. There seems to be no limit to the number of patients who are going to be victimized by the drug companies before this whole charade comes crashing down in the years ahead.

CLICK HERE to read the full article.

St. John's Wort proven more effective than antidepressant drugs for treating depression

A new study published in Germany has found that St. John's Wort, a medicinal herb frequently blamed by conventional medicine for interfering with prescription drugs, is more effective than a popular antidepressant drug in treating depression. The study found that the herb is actually much more effective than antidepressant drugs, since more than half of those taking St. John's Wort in the trial experienced improvements in symptoms of mental depression. Conversely, only 1/3 of those taking the popular antidepressant drug showed such improvements. Not surprisingly, those taking the herb also showed significantly fewer negative side effects compared to those taking the prescription drug.

This is a case in which the herb is not only more effective, but also safer; a fact that should not be surprising, since medicinal herbs are typically more effective and significantly safer than prescription drugs. Also, St. John’s Wort is a natural medicinal herb that has been used safely and effectively by cultures throughout the world for thousands of years. So with the findings of this study, we once again see a much better alternative for treating depression than prescription drugs

We also learned recently that St. John’s Wort is only one of many natural treatments for severe depression. A diet of select foods high in omega-3 fatty acids offers good, strong nutrition normally lacking in the American diet, and also aids in treating depression much more effectively than prescription drugs.

CLICK HERE for the full article

Experts say antidepressant drugs cause suicides instead of preventing them

In June 2001, a jury in Wyoming determined that the antidepressant drug Paxil caused a man to kill his wife, daughter and granddaughter before killing himself. The jury awarded the surviving family $8 million in damages, according to American Medical Publishing's Prescription Medicines, Side Effects and Natural Alternatives.

In Portland, Ore., Jay Johnston followed his doctor's orders and took the prescribed antidepressants Zoloft and Prozac. He then attempted suicide with a shotgun, permanently disfiguring himself. In the same month as the Wyoming jury's decision, Johnston sued his doctor for not properly monitoring him. The jury found the doctor guilty of criminal negligence and awarded Johnston $5 million, reports Dr. Ann Blake Tracy in Prozac: Panacea or Pandora. Similarly, who could forget Eric Harris, who -- along with Dylan Klebold -- killed 11 people and then himself in the Columbine school shooting? At the time of the shooting, Harris was being treated with the prescription antidepressant Luvox.

These patients are among the growing statistics of people who committed suicide, or tried to commit suicide, while undergoing treatment with prescription antidepressants.

Antidepressant drugs such as Prozac, Luvox and Paxil are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, commonly known as SSRIs. Serotonin is one of your brain's most important biochemicals; it controls everything from appetite to mood swings. If you're depressed, compulsively eating or gambling, not sleeping properly or even just moody, you're probably lacking serotonin. It's important to note, however, that you can also have too much serotonin.

In Health and Nutrition Secrets, Dr. Russell L. Blaylock writes, "It is also known that these medications increase brain levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which, in high concentrations, can also act as an excitotoxin." When antidepressant drugs raise serotonin to an excitotoxin level, the brain reacts in ways similar to mental illness. According to Burton Goldberg's book, Alternative Medicine, side effects of SSRIs include uncontrollable facial and body tics, dizziness, hallucinations, nausea, sexual dysfunction, addiction, electric-shock-like sensations in the brain and, of course, homicidal or suicidal thoughts and behavior.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article

Syndicated news services lie about antidepressant drugs with blatantly misleading headlines

When a major study reveals that antidepressant drugs quadruple a person's risk of committing suicide, and when that study is backed by an analysis of three million patient records covering four SSRIs like Paxil and Prozac, a reasonable person can only draw one conclusion: these drugs tend to cause people to commit suicide. The research shows it: a 400% increase across the board.

But some journalists don't see it that way. This news story from the AFP syndicated news service headlines with, "No increased suicide risk seen with SSRIs: study." The rest of this highly-selective story goes on to explain that since all four antidepressants were equal in their increased risk of suicides, there is "no increased risk." Funny math, huh? The story wholly fails to mention the 400% increase in suicides found for all four antidepressant drugs.

The purpose of this sort of journalism is, of course, to mislead readers and make them think that SSRIs are perfectly safe. It isn't really journalism, actually: it's just an infomercial for the drug companies and a blatant attempt to spin news in a way that distorts the truth. Sadly, this is becoming standard fare in the popular press these days.

A reasonable person can only wonder who's behind this particular story. Was the journalist bought off by the drug companies? Is the wire service partially owned by a major pharmaceutical company? Are drug companies big advertisers on their content network? What's the financial relationship that could cause a journalist to concoct such a distorted story that grossly misleads readers?

I don't have the answers to these questions, but there's little doubt that if you follow the money, you'll find the answers.