Health & WellnessS


Attention

Anthrax sickens dozens in Umzingwane, Zimbabwe

Robert Herriman
Outbreak News Today
Sun, 20 Dec 2015 16:52 UTC
Cutaneous anthrax lesion
© CDCCutaneous anthrax lesion
At least 36 people in Zimbabwe's Umzingwane district have sought treatment in local clinics for anthrax, according to Zimbabwe media last week. Nearly all the cases were classified as cutaneous anthrax. There are no reports of fatalities.

In addition, some 25 cattle have died from the bacterial disease, prompting fears of tainted meat being sold to butchers in Bulawayo, the country's second most populous city.

According to Provincial veterinary officer Enat Mdlongwa, "We've received reports of 25 cattle that have died of anthrax in Umzingwane district and we've since put the area under quarantine. No cattle movement is allowed in and out of the area."

Anthrax vaccines for the rest of the animals have been requested.

Anthrax is a bacterial pathogen in livestock and wild animals. Some of the more common herbivores are cattle, sheep,goats, horses, camels and deers. Anthrax is a very serious disease of livestock because it can potentially cause the rapid loss of a large number of animals in a very short time. Affected animals are often found dead with no illness detected.
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Heart

High cholesterol reduces risk of Alzheimer's & Dementia

Deane Alban
Better Brain Fit
Sun, 20 Dec 2015 16:03 UTC
Heart health
If you've been diagnosed with high cholesterol, it's very likely your doctor prescribed a type of cholesterol-lowering drug called statins.

Statin drugs are the most commonly prescribed drugs in the world — and among the most profitable. (1)

One in two senior men and one in three senior women are taking these drugs. (2)

We are currently experiencing an epidemic of dementia with Alzheimer's now being the sixth leading cause of death in the US. (3)

Is there a connection between taking statins and memory loss, or statins and dementia?

And will taking statins really protect you from heart disease?

Let's examine the evidence.

Comment: 'Don't let your brain be a victim of an unnecessary medication.'
Read more about the evils of Statin drugs:
Statin drugs concretize and institutionalize a certain myth about cardiovascular disease that the masses are only now beginning to awaken from, namely, that cardiovascular disease is caused by cholesterol and that cholesterol-suppression "therapy" reduces cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

The 25 billion dollar-a-year commercial apotheosis of Statin drug therapy, purportedly intended to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease, represents a very real post- post-modern form of human sacrifice, implicit in the very etymolgical origin of the word "pharmaceutical"


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Pills

Acid reflux drugs increase risk of intestinal infections

Kathryn Doyle
Reuters
Fri, 18 Dec 2015 19:17 UTC
gut infections, acid reflux, gut microbiota
Common drugs to reduce stomach acid and treat acid reflux also change the populations of microbes living in the intestines, which may help explain why they increase the risk of certain infections, according to a new study.

So-called proton pump inhibitors (PPI) like omeprazole (Prilosec) and esomeprazole (Nexium) can be available by prescription or over the counter and are among the top 10 most widely used drugs in the world. They may cause side effects like diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and some studies have linked them with an increased risk of the Clostridium difficile infection.

Clostridium difficile, or "C. diff," attacks the intestinal lining and causes severe diarrhea and pain.

"I think mostly general practitioners and medical doctors should be aware of these side effects," said lead author Floris Imhann of the University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands.

Comment: Acid reflux drugs merely mask the symptoms while doing nothing to address the underlying causes. In many cases the risks of these drugs outweigh the benefits as they also increase the risks for osteoporosis and vitamin and mineral deficiencies. There are numerous alternative treatments for heartburn, but changing the diet to eliminate the foods that are triggers is the first place to start.

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Syringe

5 mothers are triumphant against the New York City flu vaccine mandate

Missy Fluegge
Vactruth
Sun, 20 Dec 2015 18:28 UTC
Mothers against vaccines
In a trailblazing victory for families with young children, and a triumph for liberty-minded citizens across the country, the New York State Supreme Court has just overturned a municipal ruling which would have mandated flu vaccines for young children attending day care programs and preschools in New York City. This mandate had worrisome implications for families everywhere.

The most amazing part of this historic decision? Five inspired mothers joined together, hired a lawyer, and sought the help of the state court. Their steadfast efforts will bring health and hope to families in New York City, and throughout the nation, in the widespread war against vaccine mandates. Informed parents know they deserve a choice about what chemicals, if any, should be injected into their child.

Comment: See more: New York court overturns vaccination requirements for pre-schoolers: 'Board of health has no authority to create laws'

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Attention

Schools close in Iranian capital, Tehran due to air pollution


Press TV
Sat, 19 Dec 2015 16:50 UTC
Tehran air pollution
Air pollution shuts down schools in Tehran
Air pollution in the Iranian capital, Tehran, has reached an alarming level, prompting authorities to shut down schools.

Hassan Karimi, a deputy of the governor general of Tehran, said on Saturday that all schools will be closed on Sunday in the capital. He added that further decisions will be made on whether to close schools on Monday if the pollution continues in next days.

The megacity of Tehran, with an estimated population of 14 million people, is shrouded in a thick grey blanket of smog, suffering low visibility. Emergency services are on full alert and residents, especially those with cardiac and respiratory problems and pregnant women, have been highly advised to remain indoors.

Officials have ordered polluting industries around the metropolis to turn off their machines for a whole week. Traffic will be limited and smoke-belching cars will be fined or towed away as well.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) on Saturday showed a "red status" warning indicating that the air is unhealthy. According to Iran's Meteorological Organization, the air pollution will increase in Tehran in the next few days.

Eighty percent of Tehran's pollution is blamed on exhaust fumes emitted from five million cars.

Comment: Research published earlier this year indicates that air pollution kills 3.2 million people around the world every year. See also:

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Pocket Knife

Daily habits of prepared people

Daisy Luther
The Activist Post
Fri, 18 Dec 2015 16:39 UTC
Preparedness
For some people, preparedness is about the big things: the well-stocked retreat home, buying yet another firearm, or getting a super-fancy generator. While these things can certainly be classified as preparedness endeavors, it isn't the expensive and dramatic gestures that make us truly prepared people.

The way prepared people spend their time before an emergency is the real key to survival, and this is something that no amount of money can buy.

It's the small daily habits that become an innate part of our everyday lives - habits that may not even be noticeable to someone outside the lifestyle.

Real preppers, the ones you should look to for advice if you happen to be new to preparedness, are the ones who quietly conduct their daily lives with an eye towards readiness. Not only are these the qualities you should strive for yourself, but they are also the qualities that can help you to determine whether someone is the "real deal" or an armchair survivalist.

Comment: Also read: Are you prepping your diet?

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Syringe

Health Committee policy raises eyebrows with investments in drug firms

Kenneth Lovett
NY Daily News
Mon, 30 Nov 2015 17:36 UTC
Sen. Kemp Hannon
© Eric Jenkins / New York Daily NewsSen. Kemp Hannon's investments and the campaign contributions he received from the medical community have raised eyebrows as the actions of state lawmakers are under legal scrutiny.
The head of the powerful Senate Health Committee has up to $130,000 in investments in pharmaceutical and other health-related companies, state records show.

Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Nassau County) in 2014 invested in 14 companies that would fall under his committee's purview.

By comparison, Assembly Health Committee Chairman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan) did not report owning any stock in health-related companies. In addition to his investments, Hannon over the past four years also received more than $420,000 from pharmaceutical and other medical interests, records show.

Hannon's office had no comment. On the part of his 2014 state financial disclosure form dealing with investments, he wrote that sales and purchases were "at sole discretion of the broker."

While seemingly legal, the senator's investments and the campaign contributions he received from the medical community have raised eyebrows at a time when how Albany does business is under legal scrutiny.
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Syringe

Author of mandatory meningitis vaccine bill caught taking $420k from big pharma

Erin Elizabeth
Health Nut News
Fri, 18 Dec 2015 17:28 UTC
Doctors take kick-backs from big pharma
State Senator Kemp Hannon, Chair of the New York Senate Health Committee, and author of the recently passed law that will require all seventh and twelfth graders in the state to get meningitis shots, has been caught with his hand in the pot, according to the New York Daily News: specifically, the pharma pot. And to no small sum, mind you. His investments in pharmaceutical and health companies is at $100,000 while it is also being alleged that he has received more than $400,000 from the same interest groups. Hannon's investments are a direct conflict of interest and he should be charged criminally. This is an act of using your position to influence and write laws for the sole result of personal gain.
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Magnify

Pesticide used on pineapples linked to Parkinson's Disease

Maggie Fox
NBC News
Wed, 09 Dec 2015 18:55 UTC
pineapple pesticides
A pineapple pesticide that made its way into milk in Hawaii also made its way into men's brains, and those men were more likely to develop Parkinson's disease, a new study finds.

It's the latest in a very long series of studies linking various pesticides to Parkinson's, which is caused by the loss of certain brain cells.

And the study also seems to support a mystifying observation: smokers seem to be protected against Parkinson's.

For the study, Dr. Robert Abbott of the Shiga University of Medical Science in Otsu, Japan, and colleagues studied 449 Japanese-American men living in Hawaii who were taking part in a larger study of aging. They gave details of how much milk they drank as part of a larger survey, and they donated their brains for study after they died.

Comment: This news is consistent with other studies on some possible causes of Parkinson's:

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Attention

Deadly pharma drugs and organised crime: Pushing children into suicide with happy pills


Natural News
Sat, 19 Dec 2015 21:22 UTC
Big pharma
In 2001, GlaxoSmithKline published a trial in children and adolescents, study 329.

This study reported that Paxil (Seroxat) was effective with minimal side effects, and it was widely believed and cited, no less than 184 times by 2010, which is remarkable. However, the trial was fraudulent. We know this because the Attorney General of New York State sued the company in 2004 for repeated and persistent consumer fraud in relation to concealing harms of Paxil, which opened the company's archives as part of a settlement.
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