H1N1, Fructose & HBP, Cinnamin for Cholesterol, Alzheimers and Vit. D, BPA Banned

A 700% Increase in Miscarriages May Be Due to H1N1 Vaccine

Recent data presented to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Children's Vaccines has revealed some shocking information about the effects of the H1N1 / swine flu vaccine on pregnant women. According to the report, the rate of miscarriage among pregnant women during the 2009 H1N1 / swine flu pandemic soared by over 700 percent compared to previous years, pointing directly to the vaccine as the culprit -- but the CDC denies the truth and continues to insist nobody has been harmed.

According to the CDC, nearly 50 percent of all pregnant women were vaccinated with the H1N1 vaccine during the 2009 / 2010 influenza season. Those whose physicians instructed them to get a seasonal flu shot were three times more likely to get it, while those instructed specifically to get the H1N1 shot were ten times more likely to get it. And the numbers clearly show that along with the rise in vaccinations due to the H1N1 scare came the sharp increase in miscarriages, including a slew of actual reported adverse events.

But the CDC does not seem to care about the facts, as numerous reports indicate the agency has failed to report any of this vital information to vaccine suppliers. In fact, when presented with the data for the third time, Dr. Marie McCormick, chair of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Vaccine Risk and Assessment Working Group, actually had the audacity to claim that there were no vaccine-related adverse events in pregnant women caused by the vaccine.

"This baseless and fallacious assessment by the CDC assessment group has given the green light to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to continue their recommendation to give the 2010/11 flu shot to all people, including pregnant women," explained Eileen Dannemann, director of the National Coalition of Organized Women, presenter of the information.

"This upcoming 2010/11 flu vaccine contains the same elements that are implicated in the killing of these fetuses, the H1N1 viral component and the neurotoxin mercury (Thimerosal). Additionally, it contains two other viral strains -- a three-in-one shot for all people."

Overall, the number of vaccine-related "fetal demise" reports increased by 2,440 percent in 2009 compared to previous years, which is even more shocking than the miscarriage statistic. Meanwhile, the CDC continues to lie to the public about the vaccine, urging everyone, including pregnant women, to get it.

Personal Comment:
More negative information comes out every day concerning the H1N1 vaccine. A friend of mine (Greta) who is in her seventies became critically ill immediately after receiving the enhanced H1N1 vaccine made for seniors last August. She developed a brain infection that almost killed her and left her mentally and physically impaired for weeks. This happened after her doctor had declared her totally fit and healthy only one day before her shot. The H1N1 vaccine is dangerous enough, I cannot understand why they are recommending a stronger dose for the elderly. But then a double dose is twice the price and profit I guess.


The Hidden Cause of High Blood Pressure

People who eat a diet high in fructose are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension. The results of a study suggest that cutting back on foods and beverages containing a lot of fructose might decrease your risk of developing hypertension.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart and kidney diseases. An increase in the general consumption of fructose, which is used to sweeten a wide variety of processed foods, has occurred at the same time as a rise in the prevalence of hypertension.

According to Newswise:
"The study involved 4,528 US adults 18 years of age or older with no prior history of hypertension. Study participants answered questions related to their consumption of foods and beverages such as fruit juices, soft drinks, bakery products, and candy."

Today nearly one in three adults suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension), a serious health concern that can cause heart disease and increase your risk of having a stroke. But this was not always the case -- not even close.

Hypertension was rare prior to the 20th century. In 1900, only 5 percent of the population had blood pressure of 140/90 or higher. By 1939, that had risen to 10 percent, and today 31 percent of adults are hypertensive.

What has happened in the last several decades to explain this staggering rise? Fructose became a mainstay of our diets.

Fructose Causes Blood Pressure to Skyrocket

Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup in the 1970s when they discovered that High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) was far cheaper to use in their products.

This switch drastically altered the average American diet. HFCS is now found in every type of processed, pre-packaged food you can think of. In fact, the use of HFCS in the U.S. diet increased 10,673 percent between 1970 and 2005, according to the USDA. It now makes up the number one source of calories in America.

Given the rising rates of both fructose consumption and high blood pressure, researchers jumped in to find out if there's a link, and low and behold they found one.

In the latest study, which was conducted in part by Dr. Richard Johnson, chief of the division of kidney disease and hypertension at the University of Colorado and one of the leading researchers in this field, it was found that those who consumed 74 grams or more per day of fructose (the amount in 2.5 sugary drinks) had a 77 percent greater risk of having blood pressure levels of 160/100 mmHg.

For comparison, a normal blood pressure reading is below 120/80 mmHg. Consuming 74 grams or more of fructose daily also increased the risk of a 135/85 blood pressure reading by 26 percent, and 140/90 by 30 percent.

This is significant because the average American now consumes 70 grams of fructose EVERY day. This is in contrast to 100 years ago when the average intake was about 15 grams and that was mostly in the form of healthy fruits. So we are consuming 500% more than we did a century back.

Fructose Drives up Uric Acid Levels AND Blood Pressure Readings

You might consider having your uric acid level checked to find out how sensitive you are to fructose. Let me explain why.

Thanks to Dr. Johnson's research, we now know that fructose generates uric acid within minutes of ingestion. High levels of uric acid are normally associated with gout, but it has been long known that people with high blood pressure and kidney disease, and people who are overweight, often have elevated uric acid levels.

It was thought this increased uric acid resulted from the disease, but it appears now that it may have been CAUSING it!

Glucose and fructose are different types of simple sugars. After they are separated apart and broken down in your body they are metabolized using completely separate pathways. Glucose is utilized by every cell in your body -- in fact; your body was designed to use it for energy.

But fructose breaks down into a variety of waste products that are bad for your body, one of which is uric acid.

Uric acid drives up your blood pressure by inhibiting the nitric oxide in your blood vessels. Nitric oxide helps your vessels maintain their elasticity, so nitric oxide suppression leads to increases in blood pressure.

In fact, 17 out of 17 studies demonstrate that elevated uric acid levels lead to hypertension.

According to the latest research in this area, the safest range of uric acid is between 3 and 5.5 milligrams per deciliter. Dr. Johnson suggests that the ideal uric acid level is probably around 4 mg/dl for men and 3.5 mg/dl for women.

When your uric acid level exceeds about 5.5 mg per dl, you have an increased risk for a host of diseases, including not only hypertension but also:
• Kidney disease
• Insulin resistance, obesity, and diabetes
• Fatty liver
• Elevated triglycerides, elevated LDL, and cardiovascular disease
• For pregnant women, preeclampsia
Dr. Johnson has developed a program to help people optimize their uric acid levels, and the key step in this program is complete elimination of fructose.


Cinnamon for cholesterol

The U.S. government isn't what you'd call a big fan of alternative medicine.

But researchers over at the USDA don't seem to have a problem with natural therapies. New research from the USDA focuses on using cinnamon extract for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.

More than 20 subjects with metabolic syndrome (a key risk factor for developing diabetes) were given a cinnamon extract or placebo for 12 weeks. Those in the cinnamon group ended up with significantly lower levels of fasting blood sugar compared to placebo.

Here's an added bonus: Subjects in the cinnamon group also increased lean muscle mass, while losing body fat and lowering blood pressure.

Of course, the news about cinnamon and diabetes isn't news to us. But it turns out it isn't news to the USDA either. Another cinnamon study from 2003 was also conducted by...the USDA!

In that study, one gram of cinnamon extract, taken for 40 days, improved blood sugar, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels.

Maybe the FDA should get on the USDA's mailing list.


Low vitamin D linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease

One new study out of England's University of Exeter found that seniors with the lowest levels of D had a dramatically higher risk of dementia warning signs.

Researchers followed 858 seniors for six years, and found that those with less than 25 nanomoles of D per liter of blood were 60 percent more likely to experience general cognitive decline, and 31 percent more likely to start losing their abilities to plan, organize and prioritize.

That's a road you don't want to go down -- because it ends in a nursing home, where you think every orderly is a long-dead relative and you can't tell noon from midnight anymore.

But what's truly bizarre about this new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine is the accompanying editorial, which is straight out of the Dark Ages. In it, Dr. Andrew Grey of the University of Auckland in New Zealand urges people NOT to take a D supplement. He also writes that most people shouldn't even bother to have their D levels measured.

I wonder if this guy even bothers reading these journals. Let me help him out here, because a second new study finds that high levels of D can help save you from Parkinson's disease.

The study in the Archives of Neurology looked at the D levels of 3,173 Finns between the ages of 50 and 79, and found that those with the most had a 65 percent lower risk of Parkinson's than those with the least.

Meanwhile, a new report in Endocrine Today says it's now clear beyond all doubt that vitamin D is needed by the immune, pancreas, cardiovascular, muscle and brain systems.

That's in addition to all the other well-established benefits of vitamin D, which can help everything from your bones to your longevity. Low levels of vitamin D have also been linked to diabetes, multiple sclerosis, autism and schizophrenia.

Even if Dr. Grey is still in the dark, our neighbors across the pond are starting to see the light when it comes to sun exposure. (see below)

Cancer organization endorses the sun

After decades of telling people to avoid sun exposure, one of Britain's leading cancer charities is getting ready to do a major about-face.

London's Independent newspaper has obtained a confidential report being drafted by Cancer Research UK along with a number of other charities, and instead of the usual nonsense about hiding inside, wearing a hat and sleeves, and slathering on sunscreen at all times, it will instead tell people that a little exposure is necessary and healthy.

"Cancer Research UK's SunSmart campaign encourages people to enjoy the sun safely and avoid exposures that lead to sunburn," the draft reads, according to the newspaper. "However, for most people, sunlight is also the most important source of vitamin D, which is essential for good bone health."

The draft even advises people to "get to know their own skin" and understand for themselves how much sun they can take, since it's different for everyone.

But at this point, I'll even take a baby step back out into the sun -- because a new report in Endocrine Today shows just how bad the situation has become: Half of North America and Western Europe are now deficient in D, and in some regions as many as two-thirds of all people are missing out on this critical hormone.

So do yourself a favor and get back outside. Just don't get burned -- by the sun or bad mainstream advice. And you might consider taking a vitamin D3 supplement. Most health focused doctors recommend at least 2,000IU per day.


BPA Plastics chemical closer to ban

The government has declared BPA a toxic chemical -- setting the stage for a complete nationwide ban on this dangerous substance.

Too bad it's not our government!

Canada, which has been leading the way on BPA restrictions for years, has taken the kind of decisive action that would cause a Washington bureaucrat to faint: They've formally listed bisphenol A as toxic to both humans and the environment.

In a nutshell, that means they can now take action against the hormone-like chemical used in plastic containers and metal can linings -- without having to wait for any new laws.

That's one way to take lobbyists out of the equation -- and, as you can imagine, it's driving the chemicals industry nuts. Good! Those scoundrels have been lying to us about BPA for years, claiming its safe while all the independent science proves otherwise.

Here's what we know so far: BPA is an endocrine-disrupting chemical that mimics estrogen. It does it so well; you get a little hormone boost every time you eat or drink something from a metal can or plastic container.

All that exposure adds up -- we're now so loaded with BPA that it's practically leaking from our ears, putting us at risk for everything from obesity and sex problems to cancer and diabetes.

But while the Canucks move to limit any northern exposure to BPA, it's business as usual here south of the border.

The FDA had an opportunity to act earlier this year, but shoved its collective head into the sand instead -- the agency said it would rather wait a few years for the completion of a yet another study. But then you aren’t really surprised by that, are you?

Until next time, stay happy and healthy,

JD Roma


The information on this blog is provided for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care, and medical advice and services are not being offered. If you have, or suspect you have, a health problem you should consult your physician (preferably a Naturopath).