Wellness

The artificial sweetener aspartame gained FDA approval in 1981, and was perhaps the most hotly contested FDA approval in history, for good reason. The toxic additive has been silently destroying people's health ever since.

Overweight women who experience the uncomfortable flushing and sweating symptoms known as hot flashes may be able to avoid the problem by losing weight.

In a new study, researchers re-analyzed data from a study that included about 150 overweight and obese menopausal women who were experiencing urinary incontinence as well as troublesome hot flashes.

Roughly two-thirds of the women were assigned to an intensive program designed to help them lose up to 9 percent of their body weight.

According to CNN:

"Six months later, the women who participated in the weight-loss program were more than twice as likely as the women in the control group to have experienced an improvement in their hot flash symptoms.

And it wasn't enough to just get more exercise or cut calories -- only weight loss itself was linked to fewer hot flash symptoms.

For each 11 pounds that a woman lost, she was roughly one-third more likely ... to experience a decline in the severity or frequency of hot flashes."

In the fall of 1999, SmithKline Beecham secretly began a study to find out if its diabetes medicine, Avandia, was safer for the heart than a competing pill. The study's results were disastrous. Not only was Avandia no better than Actos, but the study also provided clear signs that it was riskier to the heart.

Instead of publishing the results, the company spent the next 11 years trying to cover them up. The company did not submit the results to federal drug regulators, as is required by law.

The New York Times reports:

"The heart risks from Avandia first became public in May 2007 ... But the latest documents demonstrate that the company had data hinting at Avandia's extensive heart problems almost as soon as the drug was introduced in 1999, and sought intensively to keep those risks from becoming public."

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Here’s a video about a man with no arms? or legs, but the largest heart you've ever seen.

This collection of videos offers a disturbing picture of what might be going on 'behind the scenes' in the Gulf of Mexico, and raises a number of questions:

• Why is the press being restricted from seeing and reporting the news?
• Is BP covering up the extent of the damage?
• Why is the public not being warned of the toxic dangers?

Worse yet, ominous reports are indicating that the oil spill unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico may lead to results much, much worse than you might have imagined.

Some scientists believe that 251 million years ago, an undersea methane bubble caused massive explosions, poisoned the atmosphere and destroyed more than 96 percent of all life on Earth. Their theory is fifty-five million years later, another methane bubble ruptured, causing more mass extinctions.

Now, some scientists are increasingly concerned the same series of catastrophic events may be happening again -- with no way to stop it. Some claim BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling operation may have triggered a chain of events that will culminate with the first mass extinction of life on Earth in many millions of years.

The drilling might just have set the stage for the eventual premature release of a methane mega-bubble.

According to Helium.com:

"The warning signs of an impending planetary catastrophe -- of such great magnitude that the human mind has difficulty grasping it -- would be the appearance of large fissures or rifts splitting open the ocean floor, a rise in the elevation of the seabed, and the massive venting of methane and other gases into the surrounding water ...

All three warning signs are documented to be occurring in the Gulf."

Helium.com, incidentally, is not some crackpot site. It is a well-respected information hub that bills itself as a "knowledge co-operative where our writers are also our editors who read and rate every article on the site."

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(NaturalNews) Two radio shows have partnered with NaturalNews today, offering expanded reach opportunities for sponsors interested in reaching a natural health audience. The two radio shows are Real Health with Dr. Steve, and the Robert Scott Bell Show.

Audio segments from both shows will appear regularly on NaturalNews.TV and will be featured on NaturalNews.com. In addition, NaturalNews editor Mike Adams will continue to be a regular guest on both programs.

You can learn more about Real Health with Dr. Steve at: http://www.naturalnews.tv/RealHealthShow.asp

Learn about the Robert Scott Bell show at: http://www.naturalnews.tv/RSBShow.asp

Sponsorship opportunities are available now, and advertising is both affordable and convenient for sponsors to get started. Contact us at sponsors@naturalnews.TV to learn more about becoming a sponsor of one of both of these shows.

Reaching the natural health community in five ways
With the addition of these radio programs, the NaturalNews network now offers sponsors opportunities to reach members of the natural health community through these channels:

• Web banners on NaturalNews.com • Email newsletters • Video pre-rolls on NaturalNews.TV • Web banners on NaturalNews.TV • Radio spots

As always, NaturalNews rejects advertising from drug companies, junk food companies or other providers of unhealthy products. All sponsors are screened to make sure they are aligned with the philosophy of the NaturalNews network, which rests on a foundation of holistic health, self healing, green living and health freedom.

The NaturalNews network of websites continues to expand its reach and attract a new, expanded audience each month. The recently launched NaturalNews.TV website has attracted over 6,000 new members in just a few days, and it is on track to deliver millions of video views per month. The NaturalNews.com website attracts millions of readers each month, delivering independent, health-oriented news and commentary to readers around the world.

The NaturalNews network of websites now consists of:

www.NaturalNews.com - natural health articles www.NaturalNews.TV - natural health videos www.CounterThink.com - hilarious and thoughtful cartoons www.NaturalPedia.com - millions of quotes from natural health books and authors www.HerbReference.com - reference information about healing herbs www.HealingFoodReference.com - reference information about healing foods www.SupplementReference.com - reference information about nutritional supplements www.NutrientReference.com - references information about nutrients

Additional expansion plans are underway and will be announcements throughout 2010.

(NaturalNews) The NaturalNews Talk Hour presents "American Heroes - Cancer Experts Speak Out" - a 5-week series of shows that expose the untold truth about cancer, the cancer industry, and highly-successful (natural) cancer treatment options.

Our first show highlights "The Art of Living and Healing" with our special guest, Dr. Bernie Siegel, world-famous cancer surgeon and best selling author of Love, Medicine and Miracles; Peace, Love and Healing; and How to Live Between Office Visits.

Jonathan, you are such a great host, I really enjoy the NaturalNews Talk Hour! - Dr. Edward Group, Founder of Global Healing Center

Our show begins this Thursday evening at 6pm Pacific / 9pm Eastern, and registration is FREE. Simply enter your email address in the registration form on the right column of this page and you'll receive call-in details for the show.

Self-Induced Healing

Bernie Siegel, MD says, "If you view illness as an opportunity, then when you get sick, you can ask yourself, "Okay, what can I learn from this disease. What do I need to look at first?"

"Physicians call the most dramatic healings "spontaneous remissions." Once we have labeled them, we learn nothing from the people in whom those remissions take place. We cannot afford to ignore these remarkable successes. We need to learn from people who recover and people who stay healthy."

Are you afraid of Cancer? Click here for an exclusive (video) presentation with Jonathan Landsman and Dr. Bernie Siegel as they talk about cancer, fear and the symbol of self-induced healing.

Jonathan Landsman, Host of the Talk Hour says, "Bernie helps us get rid of self-imposed limitations and our negative belief patterns that create disease. He reminds us that healing begins from within. If you or someone you know is suffering with cancer - don't miss this show."

This week's guest: Bernie Siegel, MD
Bernie Siegel, MD - "The Art of Living and Healing" Thu. July 29th

Dr. Siegel, who prefers to be called Bernie, not Dr. Siegel, was born in Brooklyn, NY. He attended Colgate University and Cornell University Medical College. His surgical training took place at Yale New Haven Hospital, West Haven Veteran's Hospital and the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. In 1989, he retired from medical practice to speak to patients and their caregivers.

In 1978 he originated Exceptional Cancer Patients, a specific form of individual and group therapy utilizing patients' drawings, dreams, images and feelings. ECaP is based on "carefrontation," a safe, loving therapeutic confrontation, which facilitates personal lifestyle changes, personal empowerment and healing of the individual's life. Bernie realized exceptional behavior is what we are all capable of.

Click here for an exclusive (video) presentation with Jonathan Landsman and Dr. Bernie Siegel as they talk about cancer, fear and the symbol of self-induced healing.

An Unforgettable Night! Join us for an amazing discussion about cancer, healing and human potential. This is a great opportunity to meet Dr. Bernie Siegel, connect with NaturalNews readers, and have fun with us. Register now using the email form in the right column, and you will be emailed show details. Space is limited - Register Now!

(NaturalNews) Researchers have discovered that vitamin D plays a crucial role in activating the immune system's ability to recognize and fight pathogens.

While scientists have long known that vitamin D plays a critical role in bone health, recent research has begun to suggest that it also serves to regulate the immune system, helping prevent infection, cancer and autoimmune disorders. Until now, the mechanism by which the vitamin acts on the immune system has been unknown.

In a study published in the journal Nature Immunology, researchers from the University of Copenhagen found that when a variety of white blood cells known as a T-cell comes across a pathogen in the bloodstream, it extends a receptor in search of vitamin D. If it encounters the vitamin, the T cell becomes "activated." If there is not enough vitamin D in the blood, the cell remains passive and no immune response occurs.

The body produces vitamin D upon exposure to sunlight. It can also be found in eggs, fatty fish, fortified milk and in supplement form.

Once activated, a T-cell transforms into one of two kinds of cells. One type seeks out and destroys all traces of the infectious agent, while the other records information about the pathogen and transmits it to other parts of the immune system. These latter ("helper") cells help the immune system respond quickly should infection with a similar pathogen occur at a later date.

In addition to providing new information about the importance of vitamin D, the study provides hope for better understanding -- and perhaps prevention -- of the unhelpful immune responses that result in autoimmune disorders like allergies or Type 1 diabetes, as well as those that cause the body to reject transplanted organs. The researchers were able to determine what chemical steps occur to transform a T-cell from active to inactive, suggesting the possibility that doctors may eventually be able to initiate or block this process, depending on the patient's need.

Sources for this story include: http://news.ku.dk/all_news/2010/2010.3/d_vitamin/; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1256149/Sunshine-play-vital-role-in.html.

(NaturalNews) About 20 percent of babies and toddlers have the condition known as eczema which causes red, swollen and intensely itchy skin. It usually develops on the forehead, cheeks, and scalp, but it can spread to the arms, legs, chest and other parts of the body. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 65 percent of eczema cases develop in the first year of life and 90 percent develop symptoms before the age of five.

While many babies with eczema get better before they are two, others have cases of eczema that persist into adulthood. Evidence has accumulated over the past decade that this common skin problem is connected to something going on in the gut -- and that probiotics, beneficial microorganisms similar to the "friendly" bacteria found naturally in the body's digestive system, can help.

For example, a review of 21 studies, published last year in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, concluded probiotics were most useful in preventing atopic dermatitis, the most common type of eczema, from developing in the first place. And a groundbreaking new study, just published in the British Journal of Dermatology, found that when moms drank a probiotic supplement during their pregnancy and after their babies were born, the rate of eczema in their offspring was slashed by about half. This research, conducted by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), is especially convincing because it was a randomized, double-blind study comparing mothers who drank one glass of probiotic milk daily to women who drank milk containing a placebo. The research subjects drank the probiotic or placebo-laced milk beginning at week 36 in their pregnancy and continued consuming the drinks for three months after giving birth. The results were dramatic: the women who received the probiotic drink reduced the incidence of eczema by 40 percent in their offspring.

"The taste of both products was similar, and the milk was delivered in unmarked milk cartons. This means that neither the participants in the study nor the researchers knew who had received probiotic milk or placebo milk," NTNU scientist Torbjorn Oien said in a statement to the press. "We can therefore say with great certainty that it was the probiotic bacteria alone that caused the difference in the incidence of eczema between the two groups."

In fact, although earlier studies have provided evidence that ingestion of some probiotics by children may prevent eczema, this is the first study to show that probiotics given to mothers during pregnancy and breast-feeding prevents eczema. As NaturalNews has previously reported, probiotics in dietary supplements or in food such as yogurt, have also been found to be useful and safe in treating antibiotic-associated diarrhea children (http://www.naturalnews.com/026037_Chi_alternative_therapies_health.html).

For more information: http://www.ntnu.edu/probiotic-use-in-pregnancy http://www.naturalnews.com/probiotics.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/762045-overview

(NaturalNews) The President's Cancer Panel (PCP) recently released its yearly report to the President outlining the status of cancer in America. This year's report focuses primarily on environmental factors that contribute to cancer risk. According to the report, pharmaceutical drugs are a serious environmental pollutant, particularly in the way they continue to contaminate waterways across the country (and the world).

Many reports have recently appeared about pharmaceutical contamination of water supplies, rivers, lakes and other waterways, but spokespersons from the drug and chemical industries have denied that this pollution poses any risk whatsoever to the environment. But this report, issued directly from PCP, provides a stunning indictment of the dangers associated with pharmaceutical pollution.

The executive summary of the PCP report includes the following statements:

"[P]harmaceuticals have become a considerable source of environmental contamination. Drugs of all types enter the water supply when they are excreted or improperly disposed of; the health impact of long-term exposure to varying mixtures of these compounds is unknown."

It's important to note that PCP is required by law to assess the National Cancer Program and offer a truthful evaluation of the various things it finds to be responsible for causing cancer. The panel is a division of the National Cancer Institute itself, so its findings hold fairly considerable weight in the scientific world (or they should, if the reaction wasn't so politicized).

The report itself is quite extensive, evaluating everything from the environmental and health impacts of drug and pesticide pollution to cell phone radiation and nuclear testing residue. But the section on pharmaceutical drugs is especially interesting when considering the fact that numerous reports have shown that drugs and drug residue that ends up in water supplies typically isn't filtered out by municipal treatment plants.

No laws exist to protect the public from pharmaceuticals
Many chemicals are highly regulated because they are known to negatively affect human and environmental health. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is tasked with regulating exposure to these chemicals, but pharmaceuticals are not included in its regulatory scheme. Despite years of prodding by environmental scientists, the EPA has given very little attention to the dangers posed by widespread pharmaceutical contamination.

According to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study conducted back in 2002, antidepressants, blood pressure and diabetes medications, anticonvulsants, oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy drugs, chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, heart medications and even codeine are all showing up in the water supplies of American cities. This study was the first national-scale evaluation of pharmaceutical drug contamination in streams, and roughly 80 percent of the streams tested were found to be contaminated as well.

In 2008, an AP investigation found that at least 46 million Americans are drinking water contaminated with trace amounts of pharmaceuticals. Even though every city tested has its water treated and "purified" prior to being delivered to the public, trace amounts of pharmaceutical drugs are making their way through to the tap. (Since not all major metropolitan areas were tested, the number of people affected is likely far higher than what was reported by AP.)

In spite of all this, water quality reports don't disclose the levels of pharmaceuticals found in tap water. Since the EPA and FDA have failed to establish any proper guidelines for drug contamination in water, most people have no idea that their water contains a dangerous cocktail of prescription medications.

Hospitals, consumers and drug companies are all responsible
None of this is surprising if you consider that unused and expired drugs cannot be legally returned to the pharmacies where they were purchased. Many people just flush them down the toilet because the drug labels actually encourage patients to dispose of them this way (and they probably don't know what else to do with them).

People who take prescription and over-the-counter drugs will excrete them as well, contributing to the drug overload being found at wastewater treatment plants. (Drugs are not necessarily "broken down" by your digestive system.)

It is also regular protocol for hospitals to flush millions of pounds of unused medications every year, a practice that contributes significantly to water contamination.

And let's not forget the drug companies that dump large amounts of their own pharmaceuticals into water supplies. The same AP investigation found that more than 270 million pounds of pharmaceutical compound residue is dumped every year into waterways nationwide, many of which serve as drinking water for millions of people.

The U.S. isn't the only place where Big Pharma is dumping its waste, either. In 2009, researchers found that India's rivers are full of dangerous pharmaceuticals, too.

One Indian river where 90 different pharmaceutical companies dump their waste tested positive for over 21 active drug ingredients. In one river alone, there was enough ciprofloxacin (a strong antibiotic) being dumped every day by drug companies to treat 90,000 people! (And scientists detected this in water that was supposedly purified by the drug companies before being released into the environment).

The drug contamination levels found in India's rivers were 150 times the detected levels found in the U.S. These findings prove that drug companies couldn't care less how much drug residue they dump in water as long as they can get away with it. They don't even believe that pharmaceutical contamination is a threat to the environment.

"Based on what we now know, I would say we find there's little or no risk from pharmaceuticals in the environment to human health," explained microbiologist Thomas White, a consultant for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, in a Dallas Morning News article about the AP investigation. This is similar to BP's CEO saying, after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, that the amount of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico was "tiny" compared to how big the ocean is.

Studies show drug residue cocktails actually do cause harm
Though the chemical and drug industries deny any danger from exposure to drug residue in the water, science (and common sense) says otherwise.

A 2006 study conducted by researchers from the University of Insubria in Italy simulated drug-tainted water by creating a low-level mixture of various drug residues and testing it on embryonic cells. They discovered that, even at low doses, the drug residues actually stopped cells from reproducing.

Even though current water contamination levels are measured in parts per million or parts per billion, there is no way to know just how much exposure people are actually experiencing. People drink contaminated water, shower in contaminated water and cook with contaminated water, so it's illogical to suggest that there's no harm being caused by widespread exposure, even at "low" doses, especially when the exposure is a combination of dozens of different drugs that have never been tested in combination.

People are not the only beings that are affected by pharmaceutical contamination, either. The world's aquatic ecosystems (and the plants and animals that belong to them) are all being negatively impacted.

Drugs are being found in fish
According to an MSNBC report back in 2009, all kinds of drugs are being found in the bodies of fish near major U.S. cities. Researchers found drugs for high cholesterol, allergies, high blood pressure, bipolar disorder and depression in the livers and tissue of fish.

Researchers are in agreement that aquatic species of all types are being harmed by continuous exposure to water contaminated with pharmaceuticals. Even though wastewater is treated in the U.S. before entering waterways, most treatment facilities do not have the proper filtering technology to remove dangerous drug residues from wastewater before it gets dumped.

Many fish are experiencing reproductive problems as a result of exposure, as is explained in the following report: (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23504633/)

Beyond having their sperm damaged, some fish are actually changing sexes. Males are becoming females and females are becoming males as a result of drug exposure in the water. Other water creatures are experiencing things like organ failure and the inability to grow. It makes a reasonable person ask "How long until these effects start to hit humans?"

Or have they already?

"We have no reason to think that this is a unique situation. We find pretty much anywhere we look, these compounds are ubiquitous," explained Erik Orsak, an environmental contaminants specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in response to the findings.

And it's not just near American cities where fish are turning up with all kinds of drugs in their bodies. As of 2008, more than 100 different pharmaceutical compounds have been detected around the world, affecting fish and wildlife everywhere. These are chemicals that simply do not belong in our environment. And yet they are there, dumped into our waters by the pharmaceutical industry and its hospitals, pharmacies and consumers.

Why we need more research on the toxicity of pharmaceutical contaminants
Many animal studies have been or are being conducted on pharmaceutical exposure, and they are indicating that these drugs are causing widespread harm. But very few official human trials have been conducted, prompting many to push for increased efforts.

If drug residue is building up in animals and wildlife, then of course it's building up in humans as well, posing the risk of significant harm. Reproductive failure, thyroid dysfunction, cancer, osteoporosis -- all of these diseases and more may be caused, at least in part, by prolonged exposure to low levels of all sorts of drugs in the water supply.

Many states pushing for drug waste legislation
Because the truth about drug contamination in water is no longer a secret, many states have begun enacting legislation to regulate drug disposal. Last August, Illinois passed the Safe Pharmaceuticals Disposal Act, which restricts hospitals from flushing drugs down the drain.

California has a similar law in place, and New York is working on one as well, according to a recent report: (http://www.westfaironline.com/hudson-valley-biz/article/7668-drugs-down-the-drain.html)

The same report indicates that there have been five bills introduced to regulate drugs at the federal level.

While this addresses the hospital waste problem, there's still the human and drug company waste problems. No matter how you look at it, pharmaceutical drugs are going to continue making their way into the water supplies because they will pass through the bodies of consumers first!

Drug companies must be held responsible for their wastewater
Since it's already been revealed that drug companies are failing to properly treat their wastewater before dumping it into rivers (even though they claim to be treating it), U.S. regulatory agencies need to step up and correct the problem. Regular monitoring of wastewater contaminant levels is the only way to halt the chemical contamination of waterways.

And if U.S. companies are polluting water supplies in other countries (such as India), they should be held accountable for their actions. There's no excuse for U.S. companies to pollute anywhere in the world just because they're operating outside domestic borders.

Wastewater treatment plants should be retrofitted
State and local legislators would do well to put forth their own legislation to upgrade wastewater treatment facilities so they can properly filter out pharmaceuticals (and dispose of them safely). Since there's no way to stop human elimination of pharmaceuticals (apart from slowly educating the masses to stop swallowing dangerous pharmaceuticals), municipalities need to do their part to prevent these dangerous toxins from getting into water supplies in the first place.

Together, these measures would help to drastically reduce the amount of pharmaceutical waste entering our environment.

It's the environment, stupid!
The careless disposal of toxic pharmaceuticals is proving to be highly destructive, despite reassurances by some that it's not that big of a deal. The health of the planet and all of its amazing biodiversity is now threatened by the steady poisoning of toxic chemical pharmaceuticals.

And it's not just pharmaceuticals, either. Chemical byproducts and waste from many different industries are polluting our environment at unprecedented rates. Mercury (from dental fillings), fluoride (dripped into the public water supply on purpose, if you can believe that!), and all sorts of other chemicals and heavy metals are showing up in food, water and the global environment.

Haven't we poisoned our planet enough already?

Plants, animals and even humans can only take so much of this. That's why we need to keep fighting against the corporations that are causing this harm and force them to stop destroying the world in which we hope to raise our children.

After all, if we keep poisoning the planet at this rate, there won't be much left to offer future generations except a toxic stew of patent-protected chemicals that all the corporations pretend pose no problem at all.