Acetaminophen and Liver Failure, Vaccine Overload, Teen Depression, Why To Avoid Soy

Acetaminophen - is now the leading cause of liver failure in the United States

The FDA has finally come out and said it. Prescription drugs with more than 325 mg of acetaminophen "are no longer considered safe." And it wants pharmacists to be on the lookout to take them off the shelf and ship them back to the drug companies.

Acetaminophen Is now the leading cause of liver failure in the United States. So why is it that you and I can still easily buy the same types of drugs in amounts now being called dangerous?

Unlike the prescription version, no one is watching out for us when we buy these meds over the counter. And that can make them deadly. Because with these drugs, the difference between a "safe" dose and a dangerous one is razor thin.

You're taking Extra Strength Tylenol for a headache, but also caught a bug at work. And you need a good night's sleep. So you take a couple NyQuil.

That's it. That's how easily a simple headache and cold could land you in the hospital....or worse.

Believe it or not, over 78,000 people STILL end up in the ER every year because of acetaminophen (and that's just in the U.S.!)  And, far worse, hundreds of them die. Every year.

In January, the FDA finally admitted that taking more than 325 mg of acetaminophen just isn't worth the risk to your liver.

And just last month it finally came forward and warned that any prescription drugs above that strength "are no longer considered safe by FDA." Drug companies have been voluntarily taking them off the pharmacy shelf. But there still may be some out there.

So it has also asked pharmacists to be on the alert for higher doses. And if they find any, to send them back. But what about those boxes you can just grab at any Walgreens or 7-11?

Who's on the "lookout" when you get Tylenol for your arthritis and another drug for your cold? And that's pretty scary when you hear this warning -- direct from a senior FDA scientist.

Giving a "Consumer Corner" talk on acetaminophen safety, the FDA's Steve Sykes starts out by saying that the drug is "generally safe" at the recommended dose. "But if you take more than that, even just a little more, it can cause serious, even fatal liver damage."

And he goes on to warn us how easy it is to overdose. Then he admits that the drug is the leading cause of liver failure in the United States, and that it "might not be clear on the label" that products contain it.

He ends by saying "...if you take acetaminophen, please be careful."

Really? So now the FDA's advice to us is "please be careful"? Fortunately, we know not to rely on the FDA for anything.

So I found an online device called "How much acetaminophen are you taking?" The results are shocking. To find out if a drug you bought contains it, just put in a brand name and it will tell you.

It will also add up the acetaminophen amounts in different products, and alert you when you are reaching a dangerous -- or even deadly dose. Which, believe it or not, is just a little, tiny bit over what they call a "generally safe" one.

You can find it here.

 

Study finds Vaccine-induced immune overload affects majority of US children
(Reported by NaturalNews)

Immunity is crucial. But the artificial kind brought about by vaccines can be extremely damaging, especially when the body's immune response is too strong. A groundbreaking new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Molecular and Genetic Medicine highlights the consequences of this vaccine-induced immune overload, stating that the majority of American children now suffer from the often debilitating condition.

Dr. J. Bart Classen, M.D., an immunologist with extensive knowledge about vaccine adverse events, recently investigated the current epidemic of inflammatory diseases among children. Cases of type-1 diabetes, type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, autoimmune disorders, asthma and food allergies have been steadily increasing over the years, corresponding directly with an increase in the number of vaccines on the official vaccination schedule for children.

This is not a coincidence, according to Dr. Classen's research, as the immune responses generated by vaccines are known to cause inflammation in many people. When too many vaccines are given at once, or within a very short period of time, the body may experience an immune overload resulting in an inflammatory response.

"We have been publishing for years that vaccines are causing an epidemic of inflammatory diseases including diabetes, obesity and autism," says Dr. Classen. "However, the number of vaccines given to children has continued to rise to a point where we have reached a state of immune overload in roughly the majority of young U.S. children."

One-size-fits-all vaccines harm many children

Like with adding a standard amount of fluoride chemicals to public water supplies, the one-size-fits-all vaccine approach is problematic for many children. Each child is inherently unique, which means his or her immune system is also unique. But set vaccine schedules and doses based on age fail to take any of this into account, which ends up overwhelming many children's immune systems.

In order for vaccines to work as intended, explains Dr. Classen, each vaccine dose given at a certain age must generate the appropriate protective immune response in those with the weakest immune systems, and in at least 90 percent of children. But in the process of doing this, a great number of children end up having their immune systems over-stimulated.

"The process of over stimulating the immune system time and time again increases the risk of inflammatory diseases like autoimmune diseases, and allergies which cause even more inflammation," writes Dr. Classen in his paper. "Inflammation causes the release of cytokines which can trigger autoimmune diseases but also stimulate cortisol production, the major negative feedback loop of the immune system."

Increase in diabetes and pre-diabetes caused by immune overstimulation

It is this steady production of cortisol in response to inflammation that is so problematic. Individuals who suffer from this often tend to develop inflammation-related diseases like type-2 diabetes. They also tend to be obese and suffer from various symptoms of metabolic syndrome, demonstrating how a vaccine-induced immune response can ultimately trigger these and other diseases.

"The best data indicates that vaccine induced chronic disease is now of a magnitude that dwarfs almost all prior poisoning of humans including poisoning from agents like asbestos, low dose radiation, lead and even cigarettes," adds Dr. Classen.

"Most patients don't even realize that they are suffering from the adverse effects of vaccines. Even more concerning is that patients and/or their parents are being harassed and accused of practicing poor dieting and exercise habits, leading to the development of obesity and diabetes, when in fact they suffer from vaccine induced obesity and diabetes."

You can access a full PDF of Dr. Classen's peer-reviewed paper here:
http://www.vaccines.net/vaccine-induced-immune-overload.pdf

Depression and teens

Some had been battling the blues for years. Some left without so much as a note or a good-bye. And an awful lot of them were taking prescription antidepressants.

A new Harvard study is the latest to prove that the moment some pill-happy doctor writes your child or grandchild a prescription for antidepressants, he might be handing him a death sentence. In fact, antidepressants may more than DOUBLE the chance your child is going to harm himself -- and it can happen awfully fast.

Researchers analyzed a database of 162,000 patients, looking at teens who were taking three of the most popular antidepressants on the market -- Celexa, Zoloft and Prozac. Kids who were started on high doses of any one of this troublesome trio were twice as likely to harm or kill themselves, and the greatest risk was in the first 90 days.

Antidepressants have been linked to suicidal thoughts in our kids and grandkids for years, and if you ask me these children weren't just let down by the medical mainstream, the doctors are responsible for their deaths.

After all, the way the mainstream treats depression ought to be a crime. How many kids are on antidepressants RIGHT NOW who have never had a blood test in their lives?

Did your doctor EVER tell you that something as simple as a vitamin D deficiency may be causing your teen's depression? Did he even discuss psychiatric counseling (yes, even pyschobabble is better than pills) before he handed your kid a Prozac prescription?

I'll bet he didn't, even though the risks of antidepressants have been known since they hit the market. And docs aren't just handing out antidepressants like Halloween candy -- nearly one-in-five teens in the Harvard study were prescribed antidepressant doses that exceeded the levels recommended for their age groups.

Every 14 minutes, someone in America takes his own life. And a lot of these folks have a gun in one hand, and a bottle of antidepressants in the other.

 

My Two Cents on Soy

An excerpt from Doctor David Williams’ newsletter called Alternatives

I was recently at a large health fair and was amazed at the number of soy-based products being promoted. For some reason, soy seems to have gotten a free pass among health nuts, particu­larly vegetarians. Although every year the health-promoting myths associated with soy seem to grow, the research often paints a differ­ent story.

I wrote about some of the potential benefits of soy a couple of decades ago. At that time, soy was practically unheard of in this country. It was initially used as a way to increase nitrogen in the soil. Planted between other crops, it acted as a natural fertilizer. Then, once it started being grown successfully, the demand for soy in the Far East provided farmers in this country the potential for a new export cash crop. In the beginning, soybeans were primar­ily an export product. Government subsidies helped fuel their produc­tion. Soybean subsidies in 1995 totaled $135 million, and by 2012 they rose to nearly $1.5 billion.

In just the last few decades, not only has the US become the top soybean producer in the world, it is now one of the largest consumers of soybean products. This is partly due to the food industry's "ingenu­ity" in creating more ways to incor­porate it into our food supply.

Fermented Vs. Processed Soy

Many in the health food industry say that soy consumption is safe because it has been a large part of the Asian culture for thousands of years. But in reality, Asians have primarily eaten fermented soy foods—not the unfermented/processed soy products that flood our store shelves today.

Fermented soy products in­clude natto, tamari, tempeh, soy sauce, pickled tofu, and miso. Fermenting neutralizes the toxins in soybeans and, in many cases, the entire soybean is used in the product. On the other hand, most of the processing techniques used today not only denature the pro­teins but also increase toxins.

The USDA reported in 2011 that 93 percent of the US soybean crop is genetically modified to be herbi­cide tolerant. This allows farmers to utilize specific herbicides for weed control that would have normally destroyed the crop. This just adds to the list of herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides avail­able and used in their production.

Although the EPA has "accept­able limits" for the amount of residual chemicals the final crops can contain, being genetically modified only makes the herbicide use more prevalent.

Soy also naturally contains tryp-sin inhibitors that interfere with amino acid digestion and have been linked in some studies to pancreatic problems. In addition, soy is deficient in the amino acids cystine and methionine, two of the sulfur-containing proteins that are important for glutathione produc­tion. Also, the amino acid lysine in soy is somewhat fragile and is easily denatured during the high temperatures used in the process­ing of soy.

Like some other legumes, soy contains natural toxins as part of its defense system. Genetically modified soy tends to be higher than non-genetically modified soy.

During fermentation, however, many of the undesirable prop­erties of soy are neutralized or negated. Fermentation deacti­vates trypsin inhibitors and other "anti-nutrients." (Cooking report­edly also reduces trypsin inhibi­tors by as much as 90 percent.) Fermentation doesn't automatical­ly turn soy into the perfect food, but it greatly minimizes many of the problems associated with it.

Even so, fermented soy products shouldn't be used as a main dietary component. Asians primarily use soy as a condiment, averaging a total of about 8 or 9 grams (less than two teaspoons) of soy protein a day—not as a replacement for ani­mal protein as many Americans do.

Our own FDA continues to claim that 25 grams of soy protein a day is heart healthy. With all the foods that now contain soy, it accounts for up to 1/5 of the calories in the American diet. (Fed Regist 99;64(206):57700-57733~)

Processed Soy Galore

Soybean oil is now the most widely used edible oil in the world. You'll find it in mayonnaise, salad' dressings, shortenings, sauces, whipped toppings, crackers, potato chips, breads, frozen foods, imita­tion milk, cheese, yogurt, frozen desserts, coffee whiteners, meat products, and commercially baked goods. It has almost no odor so it is popular for frying and even used to dilute other oils like olive oil. US Department of Agriculture figures show that it makes up 61 percent of all edible vegetable oils consumed in this country.

You'll find soy protein products labeled as soy protein isolate, textured vegetable protein, hydro-lyzed plant protein, or hydrolyzed vegetable protein. Soy protein is included in breads, cookies, donuts, cakes, pancakes, rolls, crackers, hot cereal mixes, soups, gravies, chili, as well as breakfast, energy, and other "health" bars. It is used to "fortify" pasta and meat. Soy protein is also the key ingredi­ent in simulated meat products, including the famous vegetarian turkey replacement Tofurky.

And we can't forget about soy-milk, which has about $1 billion in US sales each year.

What the Studies Say

Numerous soy isoflavone prod­ucts and supplements are sold as a natural replacement for estrogen. Soymilk is often prescribed for the same reason—including reducing the incidence of hot flashes and other symptoms associated with menopause. Studies have shown that soy products help about 20-25 percent of women with these symptoms. If used for management of menopause, I would recom­mend sticking with fermented soy products. And if used on a regular, long-term basis, it's a good idea to be monitored for development of endometrial hyperplasia, which can occur in some women.

It's not just estrogen levels that decrease during menopause. The ovaries also produce progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and testosterone. Balancing these hormones and supporting the other glands that may need help, like the adrenals and thyroid, achieves better and more consistent results than just upping estrogen levels.

Other studies show that isolated soy isoflavones tend to activate estro­gen receptors and trigger many of the same functions as excess estrogen would.

In young girls, higher estrogen levels bring about early puberty and heighten the risk of breast can­cer later in life.

It has been well established that isolated soy compounds that mimic estrogen (particularly genistein) stimulate the growth of estrogen-dependent breast cancer in women. However, when the same amount of genis­tein is given as a complete soy food, it seems to have a protec­tive effect against excess estro­gens. (Inflammopharmacology 08;16(5):219-226)

This perfectly illustrates how a whole food is more than the sum of its parts, and how the complex mixtures of bioactive compounds in whole foods interact with each other. (Carcinogenesis 04 Sep;25(9):l 649-1657)

Avoid Soy for Infants

And one of the more dangerous (and downright scary) practices is the use of soy-based infant for­mula. Phytoestrogens can be very powerful, especially in infants, where even the smallest doses can influence tissues that are rapidly dividing and growing.

One study concluded that in­fants fed soy formula had blood levels of estrogen 13,000-20,000 times higher than infants fed either breast milk or formula made with cow's milk. At these levels, based on body weight, the infants on soy formula were getting between six and 11 times the equivalent amount of estrogen that has been shown to have hormonal effects in adults. (Lancet 97 Jul 5;350(9070):23-27)

Moreover, the isoflavones in soy inhibit the activity of the enzyme thyroid peroxidase, which is re­sponsible for the production of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4. This can make things particularly diffi­cult for those with hypothyroidism or who no longer have a thyroid. In fact, regular soy consumption may bring about hypothyroidism. I am of the firm belief that a very large segment of the population suffers from an underactive thyroid. Soy consumption is probably one con­tributing factor that we overlook.

Soybeans also happen to be very high in phytic acid, which tends to block absorption of certain miner­als like calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc. (The good news is that fermenting soy reduces phytic acid.)

Dr. William’s Recommendations

In the past, I've always felt that fermented soy products were fine in the diet and, in many cases, could actually improve health significantly. That has been proven explicitly with a fermented soy product like natto. It can be a godsend in the prevention and/ or recurrence of cardiovascular problems. I still think that “fermented” soy products are excellent and I continue to use them, just in moderation.

 

Until next time, stay healthy and happy

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).