Scientists urge unis to axe alternative medicine courses

http://www.smh.com.au/national/tertiary-education/scientists-urge-unis-to-axe-alternative-medicine-courses-20120125-1qhtm.html#ixzz1kfhkv29t

University reputations at stake ... a new lobby group for doctors and scientists claims undeserved credibility is given to disciplines "better described as quackery". [U1] MORE than 400 doctors, medical researchers and scientists have formed a powerful lobby group to pressure universities to close down alternative medicine degrees.--Almost one in three Australian universities now offer courses in some form of alternative therapy or complementary medicine, including traditional Chinese herbal medicine, chiropractics, homeopathy, naturopathy, reflexology and aromatherapy.--But the new group, Friends of Science in Medicine, [U2] wrote to vice-chancellors this week, warning that by giving "undeserved credibility to what in many cases would be better described as quackery" and by "failing to champion evidence-based science and medicine"[U3] , the universities are trashing their reputation as bastions of scientific rigour.--The group, which names world-renowned biologist Sir Gustav Nossal and the creator of the cervical cancer vaccine Professor Ian Frazer among its members, is also campaigning for private health insurance providers to stop providing rebates for alternative medical treatments.[U4] ---A co-founder of the group, Emeritus Professor John Dwyer, of the University of NSW, who is also a government adviser on consumer health fraud, said it was distressing that 19 universities were now offering "degrees in pseudo science".[U5] ---"It's deplorable, but we didn't realise how much concern there was out there for universities' reputations until we tapped into it," Professor Dwyer said. "We're saying enough is enough. Taxpayers' money should not be wasted on funding [these courses] … nor should government health insurance rebates be wasted on this nonsense."--Professor Dwyer said it was particularly galling that such courses were growing in popularity while, at the same time, the federal government was looking at ways to get the Therapeutic Goods Administration to enforce tougher proof-of-efficacy criteria for complementary medicines, following the release of a highly critical review by the Australian National Audit Office last September.--Of particular concern to the group is the increase in chiropractic courses, following the recent announcement of a new chiropractic science degree by Central Queensland University. More than 30 scientists, doctors and community advocates wrote to the vice-chancellor and health science deans at the university voicing their concern, which laid the foundations for Friends of Science in Medicine. --The groundswell of protest from medical professionals comes after a decision in Britain that means from this year it will no longer be possible to receive a degree from a publicly-funded university in areas of alternative medicine, including homeopathy and naturopathy.--German and British medical insurance providers are also in the process of removing alternative therapies from the list of treatments they will cover.--[U6] Australia's vice-chancellors will meet in March and Professor Dwyer said his group was aiming to get a commitment from them to endorse health courses only with evidence-based science.[U7] ---The spokesman for Universities Australia said tertiary institutions were self-accrediting. "[They have] the autonomy … to ensure the quality and relevance of the courses they offer," he said.--The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, a government body set up to regulate higher education, refused to comment.--Most health funds pay rebates for alternative therapies under top cover polices. Private Healthcare Australia did not return the Herald's calls.--
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/tertiary-education/scientists-urge-unis-to-axe-alternative-medicine-courses-20120125-1qhtm.html#ixzz1kfi9muA0

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Morgellons-- Unexplained Skin Condition Is Non-Infectious, Not Linked to Environmental Cause

ScienceDaily (Jan. 25, 2012) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has completed a comprehensive study of an unexplained skin condition commonly referred to as Morgellons and found no infectious agent and no evidence to suggest an environmental link.[U8] ---The full results are reported in the Jan. 25 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE.---In this study, investigators took an in-depth look at a skin condition characterized by unexplained lesions that contain fibers, threads, or other foreign material, accompanied by sensations of crawling, biting, or stinging. The condition is not currently recognized as a distinct clinical disorder with established diagnostic criteria. However, increasing inquiries to the CDC in 2006-2009 regarding the condition prompted the study in Northern California, where many of the persons who reported these symptoms lived.---The researchers found and enrolled 109 persons with symptoms of this condition by searching through the electronic medical record database of a large HMO. They conducted extensive testing to rule out infectious causes, and found no indication that the condition was attributed an infection.[U9] The researchers also determined that the fibers associated with the lesions were apparently fragments of cloth or other debris.[U10] The investigators showed that the condition is uncommon, estimating that it results in fewer than four out of 100,000 people seeking medical attention. About half of the study participants had evidence of other medical, most commonly psychiatric, illnesses.--The CDC suggests that people suffering with symptoms similar to those reported in the study should see their health care provider for a complete physical to ensure proper diagnosis of all illnesses, including psychiatric, and follow the recommended treatments.---"We found no evidence that this condition is contagious, or that suggests the need for additional testing for an infectious disease[U11] as a potential cause," says Dr. Mark Eberhard, Director of CDC's Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria and a lead study investigator. "This alleviates concerns about the condition being contagious between family members and others."---Journal Reference-Michele L. Pearson, Joseph V. Selby, Kenneth A. Katz, Virginia Cantrell, Christopher R. Braden, Monica E. Parise, Christopher D. Paddock, Michael R. Lewin-Smith, Victor F. Kalasinsky, Felicia C. Goldstein, Allen W. Hightower, Arthur Papier, Brian Lewis, Sarita Motipara, Mark L. Eberhard. Clinical, Epidemiologic, Histopathologic and Molecular Features of an Unexplained Dermopathy. PLoS ONE, 2012; 7 (1): e29908 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029908

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Protect public access to research in the U.S.

Protect public access to research in the U.S There’s a bill before Congress called the Research Works Act that if passed could reverse the popular and successful NIH open access policy and block similar developments at other federal agencies. In a recent New York Times Opinion Piece, PLoS co-founder Mike Eisen argued that rather than “rolling back public access, Congress should move to enshrine a simple principle in United States law: if taxpayers paid for it, they own it”. We urge you to contact your representative and let them know that you oppose this retrograde step – simple guidelines (template letters, contact information) are available from the Alliance for Taxpayer Access.

http://www.plos.org/protect-public-access-to-research-in-the-u-s/

Public Access Being Denied To CAM and Alternative Health

^[1]Congress wants to limit your access to research—even though your tax dollars paid for it. If this bill passes, you’ll learn only what mainstream medicine wishes you to know. Action Alert! ^[2]--In 2008, the National Institutes of Health required that all federally funded research publications be made openly available. PubMedCentral ^[3] (PMC) is a free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine.---The publishers of the journals weren’t so happy with this new arrangement—they were afraid no one would pay for their publications if the research results were immediately accessible. So the government agreed to give them a full year of journal sales before their research papers had to be posted on PMC, which lets them keep their subscriber base. Journal subscriptions to educational and medical institutions are expensive—and they’re big business.---But even this generous arrangement isn’t good enough for the Association of American Publishers (AAP). The trade group liked the old rules, where they could sell the tax-funded research back to the taxpayers. So the AAP got two members of Congress, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), to introduce HR 3699 ^[4], the Research Works Act, just before the end of 2011.---This bill would prevent the NIH or any other agency from causing or even allowing private-sector research work to be disseminated online without prior consent of both the publisher and the study authors—even if the funding came from our tax dollars.--The AAP weren’t the only publishers involved. Elsevier—the Reed Elsevier Publishing Group, a multinational company that publishes around 2,000 journals and close to 20,000 books and major reference works—happens to be in Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s district, and Elsevier employees made campaign contributions to both Issa and Maloney ^[5]. (Apparently, it only takes $10,500 to buy two members of Congress.)--Said contributors all work for Tom Reller, vice president for global corporate relations at Elsevier. Interestingly, an email about the bill from Rep. Maloney to one of her critics contained language that was nearly identical ^[^6] to language used by Reller when he was defending the same bill! Are members of Congress employing lobbyists as ghostwriters now?---This is about access to peer-reviewed scientific information—research that we pay for with our tax money. If this bill passes, Americans who want to read the results of federally funded research will have to buy access to each journal article individually—at a cost of $15 or $30 apiece. In other words, as the New York Times recently noted ^[7], taxpayers who already paid for the research would have to pay again to read the results.---Access to peer-reviewed scientific research is essential if you are to make informed choices regarding your family’s health—especially if you choose complementary and alternative medicine. Good research will let us choose wisely when it comes to questions of treatment modalities, vaccines, diet, nutrition, and medicine. Right now, supplement companies aren’t even allowed to tell you about the science behind their products ^[8], so we must get the scientific information directly from the source.--But that’s just the problem: consumers, integrative doctors, and small businesses might not have the funds to access all these scientific journals—which means your access to the science behind natural products will be limited to what mainstream medicine may wish you to know.---PMC compiles entire studies and has 2.3 million articles going back to 1965. It allows patients, physicians, students, teachers, and advocacy organization like ANH-USA to read about and cite the discoveries that our tax dollars paid for—to keep you informed in these pages, we may review as many as a hundred studies every year. If we needed to pay a publishing company every time we viewed a study which taxpayers have already paid for, we’d be giving thousands of dollars to a publishing company every year instead of protecting your access to natural health.

So what can you do? Two things will make a huge difference!

First, help us gain co-sponsors for the Free Speech about Science Act (FSAS) ^[9]. This landmark legislation enables the natural health products community to share peer-reviewed scientific findings about natural health products with the public. The problem, of course, is that if it becomes more difficult for supplement companies and consumers to access the scientific studies themselves, the entire point of FSAS is effectively undermined.

The second step is to ask Congress to defeat this new Research Works Act. Please send your message today and explain why limiting access to the results of important studies—which your tax dollars have already paid for—is such a terrible idea. Take action immediately! ^[

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Man Eats Food Only Advertised on TV, Becomes Hormonal

Written by Colleen Vanderlinden

Sit through any prime-time television show, televised sporting event, or even cartoon and you’re sure to see plenty of commercials for food. And you’ve undoubtedly noticed that this food runs the gamut from fast food pizza and burgers, to snack foods, to sugary breakfast fare. They are really “edible food-like substances,” as Michael Pollan would say.---What would a month of living solely on these TV commercial foods look like? And how would you feel at the end of it?---Tom Lamont, a writer for The Observer, decided to give it a try. For one month, he could only purchase and eat those foods he’d seen advertised on television. As we all well know, this means processed, sugary, salty, fatty food. They don’t advertise Brussels sprouts on television. No bulk whole grains. No pastured meat. Only those products that have a large advertising budget behind them.---Here are a few quotes from Lamont’s article, in which he details the experiment:---The pizza was a tactical move. Some 60 hours in I’d noted first signs of slowing down mentally – afternoons harder to work through, getting out of bed more of an undertaking. I’d decided the greasy stuff-in-a-bun was to blame, and that pizzas would be better. After all, weren’t those pureed tomatoes atop each slice? Real mushrooms and greens?---Upon which, he learns that pizza was possibly the worst choice he could have made.--By the time I got to Octomom I was starting to wonder what Aptamil “follow-on milk” might taste like.---At the end of a particularly bleak day my girlfriend saw fit to stage an intervention, ambushing me with a rule-breaking plate of salmon and beans for dinner. Was I imagining it, in the aftermath of the meal, when I immediately started to feel better? “No, no,” Briffa assured me, “these things can be incredibly immediate. It’s a bit like stopping smacking yourself in the face with a polo mallet. Immediately there’s relief.”---Basically, by the time the month was up, Lamont felt like a sluggish, cranky mess. Surprisingly, he didn’t gain any weight, but that could be at least partially because he got so tired of processed foods that he just didn’t eat as much after a while.--This is why those of us who are trying to eat better are often advised to shop the “perimeter” of the grocery store. The dairy, produce, meat, and bulk grain bins are often in the outer aisles. The inner aisles, and those attention-grabbing end caps, are the domain of processed food.--Moral of the story: shop the perimeter, grow a garden, and if something is advertised on TV, it’s probably not all that good for you!---Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/man-eats-food-only-advertised-on-tv-becomes-hormonal.html#ixzz1kcyExqYc

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Canada a World Leader in Genetically Modified Animal Biotechnology

The development of the “Enviropig” pig and the “Aqua advantage” salmon gives Canada the dubious distinction of being a world leader in the creation of genetically modified animals for human consumption.

The “Enviropig” has been cleared by Environment Canada and is currently waiting approval from Health Canada for human consumption. The University of Guelph, creator of the “Enviropig” released this information. Canadian government departments are not required to release information regarding approval applications, and don’t. To date, we don’t know if the approval of the “Aqua Advantage” for human consumption in Canada has been made or not. That has prompted Fin Donnelly, NDP critic of fisheries and oceans to table a motion in March of this year that the government make approval applications for the human consumption of genetically modified salmon and other aquatic life be transparent, and that the GM salmon specifically not be approved until studies are completed on the effects to human health, ecosystems, habitats and marine species.---The “Enviropig” was developed at the University of Guelph, which holds patents on the technology in the United States and Canada. Ontario Pork has the exclusive license to distribute the pig to swine breeders and producers worldwide. The Ontario and Canadian governments supported the research through research agreements and grants.--The “Enviropig” is a Yorkshire pig that has been genetically engineered with an E-coli bacteria phytase gene[U12] and a mouse promoter gene sequence. This change allows the pig to digest more phosphorus, with the result that there can be up to 70% reduction in phosphorus in the pig feces. Phosphorus in the feces is an environmental concern for factory farms because their runoff ends up in the water systems and promotes algae growth. This reduces oxygen in the water, and can kill a lot of the marine life. The algae can poison the water, and kill animals that drink from it. There are other cost effective ways to reduce phosphorus content in pig feces. These include adding a phytase supplement, [U13] and changing the feed composition. As well as waiting for human consumption approval in Canada, applications have been made to the FDA in the United States, and for licensing agreements in China.---AquaBounty is a company based in Massachusetts with its research facility in Prince Edward Island. The technology for the “Aqua Advantage” genetically modified Atlantic salmon was developed by the Memorial University of Newfoundland. This salmon contains a Chinook salmon growth hormone driven by the ocean pout antifreeze promoter. This alteration creates fish that are fully grown for market in 18 months instead of three years. The plan is for the eggs to be shipped from PEI to Panama to be grown, and then shipped to the States to be eaten. The fish are supposed to be completely infertile, and never escape. However, if some happened to be fertile, and happened to escape, it is thought that by escaping in Panama the fish would not survive, or be able to migrate to other salmon populations and contaminate them. The FDA has held hearings as to whether these fish are safe for human consumption, and the decision is pending. The FDA is also to produce an environmental impact study. There are two bills in Congress on this issue. One calls for the ban of GM salmon. The other requires the fish to be labelled transgenic in the event that the FDA approves them.----The effect on human health from eating genetically modified animals isn’t known. Some scientists think they may affect the immune system and cause more allergies. The GM salmon has the added concern of possible effects on ecosystems where they are grown, and on wild salmon populations if they escape. Experiments have shown that genetically modified males are more successful mating, but produce fewer offspring. This is called the Trojan Gene Effect, and could lead to the extinction of the wild populations.---Although there is a debate as to whether GM animals are safe to eat or not, there should be no question that Canadians are entitled to know when applications are made for the human consumption of these animals, and the results of these applications. In the event they are approved, the food products should be labelled as transgenic, so people are aware of what they are eating.More info can be found at the Canadian Biotechnology Action network, Council of Canadians, and the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform websites.

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[U1]It is beginning Again this time it is starting in Australia and now it will be heading throughout the Commonwealth—Canada-New Zealand-USA-UK—And any other territory of the Queen---seems to me the Global undermining is beginning and Supplements and Herbs have always been undr the attack of opportunist who want to control what is growing in the planet this is why Monsanto started to patent seeds so they can eventually patent all plant life---Not sure how much longer the Human Race will tolerate the Undermining of Life

[U2]Friends OF Science and MEDICINE!! Wow can you actually believe they call this a Science—Medicine equates to disarming the Human Being—so I guess this is a dark science which this FDA/CODEX/AGENDA 21 Group is using Australia to Undermine

[U3]Be prepared they are now going to limit access online to the studies and eventually will see them all but disappear---and this is the preliminary effect to take away the teaching –there are some many scientific Sites everywhere that to say there is no science based information on it ais at best wishful thinking

[U4]Now why would they beso concerened about rebate moneys??? Do you think the money then would go into the pocket of the campaigners?

[U5]Is this not interesting a Professor in a University—I wonder if this fellow is a Jesuit—or an agent of alien influence---I can see it now indigenious cultures being exterminated for this Earthy Knowledge

[U6]You think maybe there is a Global Agenda to Debilitate people further

[U7]Evidence Based—him Google Scholar—Quertle.Pub Med NIH—wonder if these are Evidenced Based!?

[U8]Interesting---how can you not see and environmental connection---chemtrails-GMO= Outgrowth of a deadly pathogen inflicting the Globe

[U9]Well what do you know So far they have it right ---it is contributed to chemtails and GMO’s---so the infection would not be by the normal means

[U10]From Clothes???other DEBRIS!!”” Read Between the lines here –they are telling you it is a fibred material they are not saying where it is really coming from

[U11]In other words you are not going to be treated--

[U12]A Fecal Gene ( S$%^)

[U13]Phytase removes minerals from the body

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Show of the Week February 6 2012

Floater Solution

Grape Seed Extract Kills Head and Neck Cancer Cells, Leaves Healthy Cells Unharmed

Grape-Seed Extract Kills Laboratory Leukemia Cells, Proving Value Of Natural Compounds

Grape Extracts May Be Effective Against Harmful Gut Bacteria

How to Make Grapeseed Extract

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Floater Solution

Take 8 oz of water add 1 tsp of sea salt and add 1 tsp of Colloidal silver –preferably around 70ppm + ( I am using about 120-130 ppm) add to the water—and salt—shake well and make sure it is all dissolved---pour into a container that you can place eye into or a shot glass and allow the eye to be washed with this---open and close eyes and roll the eyes left to right and right to left—

This will sting the eyes somewhat-but nothing dramatic—and you may see the floaters pop out of the eyes—

The salt allows the eyes to clean and clear out what is in the cells and the silver allows the eyes to be free of the pathogens that may attack and increase a bio film in the eyes

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Grape Seed Extract Kills Head and Neck Cancer Cells, Leaves Healthy Cells Unharmed

ScienceDaily (Jan. 27, 2012) — Nearly 12,000 people will die of head and neck cancer in the United States this year and worldwide cases will exceed half a million.--A study published this week in the journal Carcinogenesis shows that in both cell lines and mouse models, grape seed extract (GSE) kills head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed.--"It's a rather dramatic effect," says Rajesh Agarwal, PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor at the Skaggs School of Pharmaceutical Sciences.--It depends in large part, says Agarwal, on a healthy cell's ability to wait out damage.--"Cancer cells are fast-growing cells," Agarwal says. "Not only that, but they are necessarily fast growing. When conditions exist in which they can't grow, they die."--Grape seed extract creates these conditions that are unfavorable to growth. Specifically, the paper shows that grape seed extract both damages cancer cells' DNA (via increased reactive oxygen species) and stops the pathways that allow repair (as seen by decreased levels of the DNA repair molecules Brca1 and Rad51 and DNA repair foci).--"Yet we saw absolutely no toxicity to the mice, themselves," Agarwal says.--Again, the grape seed extract killed the cancer cells but not the healthy cells.--"I think the whole point is that cancer cells have a lot of defective pathways and they are very vulnerable if you target those pathways. The same is not true of healthy cells," Agarwal says.--The Agarwal Lab hopes to move in the direction of clinical trials of grape seed extract, potentially as an addition to second-line therapies that target head and neck squamous cell carcinoma that has failed a first treatment. --This work was supported by the R01 grants AT003623 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and CA91883 from the National Cancer Institute, NIH.--Story Source-The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Colorado Denver. --Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.---Journal Reference--S. Shrotriya, G. Deep, M. Gu, M. Kaur, A. K. Jain, S. Inturi, R. Agarwal, C. Agarwal. Generation of reactive oxygen species by grape seed extract causes irreparable DNA damage leading to G2/M arrest and apoptosis selectively in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells. Carcinogenesis, 2012; DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgs019

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Grape-Seed Extract Kills Laboratory Leukemia Cells, Proving Value Of Natural Compounds

ScienceDaily (Dec. 31, 2008) — An extract from grape seeds forces laboratory leukemia cells to commit cell suicide, according to researchers from the University of Kentucky. They found that within 24 hours, 76 percent of leukemia cells had died after being exposed to the extract.-The investigators, who report their findings in the January 1, 2009, issue of Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, also teased apart the cell signaling pathway associated with use of grape seed extract that led to cell death, or apoptosis. They found that the extract activates JNK, a protein that regulates the apoptotic pathway. While grape seed extract has shown activity in a number of laboratory cancer cell lines, including skin, breast, colon, lung, stomach and prostate cancers, no one had tested the extract in hematological cancers nor had the precise mechanism for activity been revealed.--"These results could have implications for the incorporation of agents such as grape seed extract into prevention or treatment of hematological malignancies and possibly other cancers," said the study's lead author, Xianglin Shi, Ph.D., professor in the Graduate Center for Toxicology at the University of Kentucky.--"What everyone seeks is an agent that has an effect on cancer cells but leaves normal cells alone, and this shows that grape seed extract fits into this category," he said.--Shi adds, however, that the research is not far enough along to suggest that people should eat grapes, grape seeds, or grape skin in excess to stave off cancer ( Look At Foot Note the only thing to really consume is the seed ). [U1] "This is very promising research, but it is too early to say this is chemo-protective."---Hematological cancers – leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma –Given that epidemiological evidence shows that eating vegetables and fruits helps prevent cancer development, Shi and his colleagues have been studying chemicals known as proanthocyanidins in fruits that contribute to this effect. Shi has found that apple peel extract contains these flavonoids, ( which you may want to consume if you know the tree is free and clear of unwanted chemicals) which have antioxidant activity, and which cause apoptosis in several cancer cell lines but not in normal cells. Based on those studies, and findings from other researchers that grape seed extract reduces breast tumors in rats and skin tumors in mice, they looked at the effect of the compound in leukemia cells.--Using a commercially available grape seed extract, Shi exposed leukemia cells to the extract in different doses and found the marked effect in causing apoptosis in these cells at one of the higher doses.---They also discovered that the extract does not affect normal cells, although they don't know why.---The researchers then used pharmacologic and genetic approaches to determine how the extract induced apoptosis. They found that the extract strongly activated the JNK pathway, which then led to up-regulation of Cip/p21, which controls the cell cycle.--They checked this finding by using an agent that inhibited JNK, and found that the extract was ineffective. Using a genetic approach – silencing the JNK gene – also disarmed grape seed extract's lethal attack in leukemia cells.--"This is a natural compound that appears to have relatively important properties," Shi said.--Story Source-The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Association for Cancer Research.

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Grape Extracts May Be Effective Against Harmful Gut Bacteria

ScienceDaily (Mar. 4, 2009) — In a new study researchers from Clemson University found various grape extracts and their compounds to be effective at inhibiting Helicobacter pylori, one of the leading causes of gastritis in humans. --H. pylori is the bacterial agent most commonly associated with peptic ulcers, gastritis, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, and gastric cancer. Antibiotic therapy has proven effective at providing initial relief, however resistance can develop over time and relapse can occur. Previous studies have examined other natural plant extracts with anti-H. pylori activity such as garlic, broccoli, cranberries and green tea, however, grapes have yet to be evaluated despite being well known for their high levels of antioxidants and polyphenols.--The antibacterial effects of extracts from red, white, black and muscadine grapes as well as the pure compounds resveratrol, ellagic acid, and myricetin were tested for anti-H. pylori activity using agar dilution, laser scanning microscopy and cell proliferation. Following 24 hour treatment, results showed that muscadine grape skin extract had the highest anti-H. pylori effect, followed by muscadine grape synergy and seed extract. Additionally, two of the three compounds, resveratrol and ellagic acid, also inhibited H. pylori.--"In this study, grape extracts and their compounds were effective at inhibiting H. pylori in vitro, with highest efficacy by muscadine grape skin extract," say the researchers.---Story Source-The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Society for Microbiology. -Journal Reference-Brown et al. Antibacterial Effects of Grape Extracts on Helicobacter pylori. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2008; 75 (3): 848 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01595-08

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How to Make Grapeseed Extract

A hundred years ago, seeds were pressed in a manual wedge press to extract the precious oil from grape seeds. Today, pharmaceutical-grade extracts often are made by combining high heat and solvents to the method. Small wineries and and other companies apply steam distillation or cold pressing to extract oils from grape seeds before grinding. The process is organic and requires minimal heat and no chemicals. You also can make organic grape seed extract for your personal use. You can benefit from the grape seed oil by-product if you have a lot of grapes or a small vineyard, a cold press and a grinder.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

Grape seeds

Cold press machine

Oil bottles

Grinder

Empty gel capsules

Supplement bottles

1.

Remove the seeds and skin of the grapes while making your grape juice or other grape product. If you are doing this by hand, use a strainer.

2 Wash the filtered grape extracts thoroughly.

3 Set aside the extracted grape seeds and skin to dry for approximately 24 hours. During this time you can cook the seeds at a very low temperature, if desired. Cold pressing is an extraction process using minimal heat to extract oil out of seeds, so it is not an essential step to heat seeds, but it was a method used to extract more oil out of grape seeds when folks manually cold pressed at home. Heating the seeds slowly will also quicken the drying process.

4 Remove the excess oil and juices from the grape seeds and skin by adding the grape extracts to your cold press. Press the extracts until the oil shows a visible separation from the solids. Set aside, and in time the oil will separate from the extracts even further.

5 Skim the remaining oil from the solids.

6 Save the pressed oil and preserve it in bottles for both therapeutic and culinary uses.

7   Separate the grape seeds from the remaining skin solids.

8 Dry the separated extracts to make them ready for grinding.

9 Start grinding. Grind both the dried seeds and skins separately in a grinding appliance. Grind extracts until they form a fine powder. Combine the powdered seed extract with the powdered skin extract unless you prefer separate supplements of both seed and skin extract.

10 Fill individual empty gelatin capsules with your powdered mixture. Large-size capsules in size 00 are a good size to start with.

11 Preserve the capsules in a bottle and store in a cool location out of direct sunlight. Store powder in airtight bottles if you do not have gel caps.

Tips & Warnings

If you do not have access to plenty of grapes but wish to make your own organic extract, consider purchasing bulk grape seeds from wholesale suppliers. The dried grape seeds will be ready for cold pressing and grinding.

Although the skins of fruits, vegetables and berries are valued for their nutrient dense concentration, it is not essential to use grape skins when making grape seed extract.

Gelatin capsules are easy to use, come in varying sizes and can be found at many online health stores at affordable prices.

Gelatin capsule ingredients consist of beef gelatin, glycerite and water. Suppliers often sell vegetable gel caps as well. Make sure you know which type you are buying if you are vegetarian.

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[U1]Only if you grow your own grapeseed and do not spray---this is one of those re hashed articles and when you read this kind of stuff this implies there researcher does not know enough to understand the nature of GMO or Sprays that don’t wash off and can actually activate by the sugar one consumes from these skins

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Show of the Week February 10 2012

Politics, Corporate Profits, Power & People - Health Canada & other FDA Abuses

Urban farming gets a boost

Tax 'toxic' sugar, doctors urge--Age restriction for sugary drinks proposed

Poles protest ACTA online and on the streets

Borax- Near Miracle Medicine Unknown

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Politics, Corporate Profits, Power & People - Health Canada & other FDA Abuses

When an insider breaks ranks with pharmaceutical orthodoxy, it is time to take notice. A concerned talks about what goes on behind the scenes, but the article that follows might be well worth readers' consideration before standing in line for their next prescription refill. - Andrew W. Saul, OMNS Editor---I'm a registered pharmacist. I am having a difficult time with my job. I sell people drugs that are supposed to correct their various health complaints. Some medicines work like they're supposed to, but many don't. Some categories of drugs work better than others. My concern is that the outcomes of treatment I observe are so unpredictable that I would often call the entire treatment a failure in too many situations.

How It Started

In 1993, I graduated with a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences from University of New Mexico. I became pharmacy manager for a small independent neighborhood drug store. Starting in the year 2000, nutrition became an integral part of our business. The anecdotal feedback from the customers who started vitamin regimens was phenomenal. That same year, my PharmD clinical rotations began with my propensity for nutritional alternatives firmly in place in my mind. On the second day of my adult medicine rotation, my preceptor at a nearby hospital informed me that he had every intention of beating this vitamin stuff out of me. I informed him that probably wouldn't happen. Three weeks later I was terminated from my rotations. The preceptor told my supervisor at UNM that there were acute intellectual differences that couldn't be accommodated in their program. What had I done? I was pressuring my preceptor to read an article written by an MD at a hospital in Washington state that showed if a person comes into the emergency room with a yet to be diagnosed problem and is given a 3,000-4,000 mg bolus of vitamin C, that person's chance of dying over the next ten days in ICU dropped by 57%! [1]---One would think that someone who is an active part of the emergency room staff might find that an interesting statistic. His solution to my attempting to force him to read that article was having me removed from the program.

Pecking Order--The traditional role of the pharmacist in mainstream medicine is subordinate to the doctor. The doctor is responsible for most of the information that is received from and given to the patient. The pharmacist's responsibility is to reinforce the doctor's directions. The doctor and the pharmacist both want to have a positive treatment outcome, but there is a legally defined 'standard of care' looking over their shoulder.---The training that I received to become a PharmD motivated me to become more interested in these treatment outcomes. After refilling a patient's prescriptions a few times, it becomes obvious that the expected positive outcomes often simply don't happen. It's easy to take the low road and blame it on "poor compliance by the patient." I'm sure this can explain some treatment failure outcomes, but not all. Many (indeed most) drugs such as blood pressure regulators can require several adjustments of dose alternative medicines before a positive outcome is obtained. or combination with

Wrong Drug; Wrong Disease---One drug misadventure is turning drugs that were originally designed for a rare (0.3% of the population) condition called Zollinger-Ellison syndrome into big pharma's treatment for occasional indigestion. These drugs are called proton-pump inhibitors (PPI). [2] After prolonged exposure to PPIs, the body's true issues of achlorhydria start to surface. [3]--These drugs are likely to cause magnesium deficiency, among other problems. Even the FDA thinks their long-term use is unwise. [4]---The original instructions for these drugs were for a maximum use of six weeks . . . until somebody in marketing figured out people could be on the drugs for years. Drug usage gets even more complicated when you understand excessive use of antibiotics could be the cause of the initial indigestion complaints. What you get from inserting proton pump inhibitors into this situation is a gastrointestinal nightmare. A better course of medicine in this type of case might well be a bottle of probiotic supplements (or yogurt) and a few quarts of aloe-vera juice.---Many doctors are recognizing there are problems with overusing PPI's, but many still don't get it. An example of this is my school in NM had a lot of students going onto a nearby-impoverished area for rotations. They have blue laws in this area with no alcohol sales on Sunday. The students saw the pattern of the patients going into the clinics on Monday after abusing solvents, even gasoline vapors, and having the doctors put them on omeprazole (eg. Prilosec), long term, because their stomachs are upset. This is medicine in the real world.

Reliability or Bias?-----Mainstream medicine and pharmacy instill into their practitioners from the beginning to be careful about where you get your information. Medical journals boast of their peer review process. When you discuss with other health professionals, invariably they will ask from which medical journal did you get your information. I actually took an elective course in pharmacy on how to evaluate a particular article for its truthfulness. The class was structured on a backbone of caution about making sure, as one read an article, that we understand that real truthfulness only comes from a few approved sources.--I was never comfortable with this concept. Once you realized that many of these "truthfulness bastions" actually have a hidden agenda, the whole premise of this course became suspect. One of my preceptors for my doctoral program insisted that I become familiar with a particular medical journal. If I did, she said, I would be on my way to understanding the "big picture." When I expressed being a little skeptical of this journal, the teacher told me I could trust it as the journal was non-profit, and there were no editorial strings attached.

Weirdly enough, what had started our exchange over credibility was a warm can of a diet soft drink on the teacher's desk. She drank the stuff all day. I was kidding around with her, and asked her if she had seen some controversial articles about the dangers of consuming quantities of aspartame. She scoffed at my conspiracy-theory laden point of view and I thought the subject was closed. The beginning of the next day, the teacher gave me an assignment: to hustle over to the medical library and make sure I read a paper she assured me would set me straight about my aspartame suspicions, while simultaneously demonstrating the value of getting my information from a nonprofit medical journal. It turned out that the article she wanted me to read, in the "nonprofit medical journal," was funded in its entirety by the Drug Manufacturers Association.

Flashy Pharma Ads--As I read the literature, I discovered that there is very decided barrier between two blocks of information: substances that can be patented vs. those substances that can't be. The can-be-patented group gets a professional discussion in eye-pleasing, four-color-print, art-like magazines. This attention to aesthetics tricks some people into interpreting, from the flashy presentation method, that the information is intrinsically truthful.[U1] ---The world's drug manufacturers do an incredibly good job using all kinds of media penetration to get the word out about their products. The drug industry's audience used to be confined to readers of medical journals and trade publications. Then, in 1997, direct-to-consumer marketing was made legal. [5]---Personally, I don't think this kind of presentation should be allowed. I have doctor friends that say they frequently have patients that self-diagnose from TV commercials and demand the doctor write them a prescription for the advertised product. The patients then threaten the doctor, if s/he refuses their request, that they will change doctors to get the medication. One of my doctor friends says he feels like a trained seal.[U2]

Negative Reporting on Vitamins---A vitamin article usually doesn't get the same glossy presentation. Frequently, questionable vitamin research will be published and get blown out of proportion. A prime example of this was the clamor in the press in 2008 that vitamin E somehow caused lung cancer. [6]

I studied this 2008 experiment [7] and found glaring errors in its execution. These errors were so obvious that the experiment shouldn't have gotten any attention, yet this article ended up virtually everywhere. Anti-vitamin spin requires this kind of research to be widely disseminated to show how "ineffectual" and even "dangerous" vitamins are. I tracked down one of the article's original authors and questioned him about the failure to define what kind of vitamin E had been studied. A simple literature hunt shows considerable difference between natural and synthetic vitamin E. This is an important distinction because most of the negative articles and subsequent treatment failures have used the synthetic form for the experiment, often because it is cheap. Natural vitamin E with mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols costs two or three times more than the synthetic form.--Before I even got the question out of my mouth, the researcher started up, "I know, I know what you're going to say." He ended up admitting that they hadn't even considered the vitamin E type when they did the experiment. This failure to define the vitamin E type made it impossible to draw a meaningful conclusion. I asked the researcher if he realized how much damage this highly quoted article had done to vitamin credibility. If there has been anything like a retraction, I have yet to see it.

Illness is Not Caused by Drug Deficiency---If you've made it this far in reading this article you have discerned that I'm sympathetic to vitamin arguments. I think most diseases are some form of malnutrition. Taking the position that nutrition is the foundation to disease doesn't make medicine any simpler. You still have to figure out who has what and why. There are many disease states that are difficult to pin down using the "pharmaceutical solution to disease." A drug solution is a nice idea, in theory. It makes the assumption that the cause of a disease is so well understood that a man-made chemical commonly called 'medicine' is administered, very efficiently solving the health problem. The reality though, is medicine doesn't understand most health problems very well. A person with a heart rhythm disturbance is not low on digoxin. A child who is diagnosed with ADHD does not act that way because the child is low on Ritalin. By the same logic, a person with type II diabetes doesn't have a deficit of metformin. The flaw of medicine is the concept of managing (but not curing) a particular disease state. I'm hard pressed to name any disease state that mainstream medicine is in control of.---Voltaire allegedly said, "Doctors are men who pour drugs of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, into human beings of whom they know nothing."

References:

1. Free full text paper at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1422648/pdf/20021200s00014p814.pdf

Also: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1422648/?tool=pubmed

2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2777040 and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1697548

3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21509344 and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21731913

4. http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/
SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm245275.htm

5. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa070502#t=articleResults

6. Media example:
http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Nutrition-Vitamins/2008/8-02-29-VitaminEMay.htm .

OMNS' discussion at: http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v04n18.shtml

7. Original article at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2258445/?tool=pubmed or http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2258445/pdf/AJRCCM1775524.pdf

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Urban farming gets a boost

The San Diego City Council has opted to whip out the Miracle-Gro for urban farms, voting this week on myriad changes that allow residents to raise goats and chickens on their property, while enabling groups to grow crops on vacant lots in commercial zones without having to cut through a thicket of red tape.--The changes came on a unanimous vote that Councilwoman Lorie Zapf called regulatory relief and Councilman Todd Gloria called common sense. “It’s going to add to the quality of life in our city,” Gloria said. “As we become denser and more vertical in our communities, were going to need more opportunities to expand urban agriculture and grow our own food where we can.” Under the new rules, residents in most houses can keep up to five chickens. If a coop is kept at least 15 feet from property lines, a resident can keep up to 15 chickens. If the coop is at least 50 feet from any residential structure, a resident can keep up to 50 chickens. Coops have to be predator proof, ventilated and clean, while providing at least 6 square feet per bird.---Roosters are still off limits.-Under the old rules, residents could keep up to 25 chickens, but they had to be kept at least 50 feet from residential structures. That effectively banned them.---Goats are now allowed at single family homes, though males must be neutered and the animals must be of the miniature variety. Goat products, such as milk and cheese, must be for personal consumption only.---Finally, beekeeping will now be allowed in single-family areas, though no more than two hives are allowed and they must be at least 15 feet from a neighbor’s home and 20 feet from a street, alley or sidewalk. Hives must be in a protected area and screens are required in most circumstances.---The move to streamline the bureaucratic problems that accompanied efforts to establish community farms evolved several years ago when a group of refugees wanted to till the soil at a vacant lot in the mid-city area. The New Roots Community Farm finally opened after repeated delays, but only after organizers paid about $40,000 in fees. Its success, however, has been marked by a 2010 visit from First Lady Michelle Obama and extensive media coverage, including a recent feature in The New York Times. The co-op now has more than 80 growers from a dozen countries.---The challenges faced in opening the farm led Gloria to start seeking changes in the city’s ordinances related to urban agriculture. “It put the issue of urban agriculture on the radar,” he said. After New Roots was planted, Gloria began hearing from others frustrated with San Diego’s rules. At a community coffee in 2009, he got an earful from a couple of North Park neighbors who were told they couldn’t keep a small number of chickens on their property. “They thought it was unfair. I agreed. I thought it was silly for our code compliance officers to have to spend all this time on chickens. It just didn’t seem appropriate to me.”--The city secured a $50,000 SANDAG grant last March that was to pay for staffers to research and craft a new urban agriculture ordinance. That ordinance came to the City Council on Tuesday.

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Tax 'toxic' sugar, doctors urge--Age restriction for sugary drinks proposed

Sugar is so toxic that it should be taxed and slapped with regulations like alcohol, some U.S. researchers argue. In a commentary published in Wednesday's issue of the journal Nature, doctors from the University of California, San Francisco, say that rising global rates of major killers such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes aren’t caused by obesity as commonly thought. Instead, obesity is a marker for those health problems, and sugar is the true culprit, Dr. Robert Lustig, Laura Schmidt and Claire Brindis said. "We recognize that societal intervention to reduce the supply and demand for sugar faces an uphill political battle against a powerful sugar lobby," they wrote. Measures such as smoking bans in public places, the use of designated drivers and the addition of condom dispensers in public washrooms were also battlegrounds that are now taken for granted for public health, the authors said in calling for sugar regulations.--They suggested:

Taxing "added sugar" — any sweetener containing fructose that is added to food in processing, including sugar-sweetened beverages and sugared cereal.

Controlling the location and density of fast-food outlets and convenience stores around schools and offering incentives to open grocery stores and farmers' markets.

Limiting sales during the school day or designating an age limit to buy drinks with added sugar.[U1]

The researchers said sugar meets four criteria for regulation that are largely accepted by public health experts and that were first applied to alcohol. Those criteria are pervasiveness in society, toxicity, potential for abuse and negative impact on society.--It has been suggested that sales of sugary foods and drinks be limited during the school day. ---The American Beverage Association responded to the article by saying there's a drink and portion size for every occasion and lifestyle.-"We believe providing more options — not taking them away — is a better solution to help parents and individuals choose beverages that are right for them and their families," the beverage group said on its website. Dietitians generally encourage people to eat a healthy diet without focusing on a single nutrient.--There are several toxic substances, such as salt and trans fat, that affect health if you eat too much of them, said Dr. Arya Sharma, scientific director of the Canadian Obesity Network.--"I don't think we can bring the whole question about obesity down to a simple substance like people eating too much sugar," Sharma said in an interview from Lethbridge, Alta.-The discussion is valuable, but no one knows what the unintended consequences of regulating sugar might be, Sharma said.--"Changing lifestyle is more about changing your life than your style," Sharma said. "We have to ask ourselves, are we prepared to change our lives? Which means spend less time on the road, perhaps less hours working, perhaps start cooking again, perhaps bring home economics back into school."

[U1]These things are such a waste of time—this is to pacify the sugar Companies and retailers who use the white powder to further addict people—total waste of time Sugar needs to be stopped it is one of the most lethal poisons we have ever been addicted to and as a result causes a high rate of heart failure do to insulin overload and mineral depletion---and feeds a host of diseases that would otherwise not exist—Cancer –fungi—yeast—mild—microbial—organ failure –brain damage—liver damage—over worked immune system

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Poles protest ACTA online and on the streets

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Hundreds of people waged a street protest in Warsaw on Tuesday to protest the government's plan to sign an international copyright treaty, while several popular websites also shut down for an hour over the issue.---Poland's support for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, has sparked days of protest, including attacks on government sites, by groups who fear it could lead to online censorship.---Prime Minister Donald Tusk insisted Tuesday that his government will not give in to the protesters. He vowed that Poland will sign the international agreement, which is aimed at protecting intellectual property — like music and books — and products including pharmaceuticals and designer items. ACTA enjoys widespread support from the producers of music, movies and a range of goods enjoying copyright protections.---"There will be no concessions to brutal blackmail,"[U1] Tusk said at a news conference.---Several popular websites replaced their normal content with a statement about ACTA, including several that are popular with young people and carry a mix of celebrity news, jokes, funny photographs and other entertaining material.---One site, www.wykop.pl, said that "under the banner of fighting piracy and concerns about intellectual property, ACTA will limit the rights of each of us."---At the street protest, held in front of a European Union office, people carried banners that said "Stop ACTA," while some put tape over their mouths to signify their fears that ACTA will infringe on freedom of expression online.---An extremist right-wing group is planning a separate protest Wednesday to oppose ACTA.---However, an influential group representing authors and composers — known by its Polish acronym ZAiKS — has thrown its support behind ACTA. ZAiKS argued that ACTA will not hurt Internet freedom but protect the rights of creators. It said that Internet piracy is now robbing artists and the state treasury of hundreds of millions of zlotys (many millions of dollars) in income[U2] .---ACTA shares some similarities with the hotly debated Stop Online Piracy Act in the U.S., which was shelved by lawmakers last week after Wikipedia and Google blacked out or partially obscured their websites for a day in protest.---In recent days, a group calling itself Anonymous attacked Polish government websites, leaving several paralyzed on Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday, most appeared to be working again, though the prime minister's site was unreachable.--Still, Polish leaders are vowing to stick to plans to sign ACTA in Tokyo on Thursday.---ACTA has been negotiated by a number of industrialized countries that have been struggling for ways to fight counterfeiting and intellectual property theft — crimes that cause huge losses to the movie and music industries and many other sectors.---The far-reaching agreement would cover everything from counterfeit pharmaceuticals to fake designer handbags to online piracy. The United States signed ACTA in October in Tokyo along with seven other countries: Australia, Canada, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Morocco and Singapore.--Critics of ACTA accuse the negotiating countries of hammering out the agreement in secret and failing to consult with the broader societies along the way.---(This version CORRECTS Updates with the websites going dark; corrects style on spelling of group ZAiKS. This story is part of AP's general news and financial services

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Borax- Near Miracle Medicine Unknown

CHEMICAL NAME: Sodium borate decahydrate (borax)

Would you believe a common box of laundry soap could treat thousands of patients, relieving them of fluoride toxicity, removing fungus from their body, taking out joint pains, while cleaning their receptor sites for better insulin and thyroxine utilization ? Could this be the missing link for syndrome X, diabetes and hypothyroidism types II ?

The same could be said true for many common, household and laboratory chemicals, but our profit crazed society prefers otherwise. However, we should become prepared for an imminent financial collapse, and we doctors should know these chemistries as a duty to uphold the Hippocratic Oath. Further, it could save our patients sufferings NOW.

Read more...

WARNING!!!
DO NOT CONFUSE BORAX WITH BORIC ACID!
DO NOT TAKE BORIC ACID IN PLACE OF BORAX!

There is a lot of evidence why borax is effective against nearly all forms of fungal disease, whether they be mycoplasma found in lupus, rosacea, dog mange, interstitial cystitis, plasmodium parasites, Morgellon’s disease, or even pneumonia. I think borax medicine is one of the medicines most ignored, misinformed or even suppressed in our present society. The so-called medical authorities have done its propaganda so well that very few know that the toxicity of borax is about equal to that of simple table salt.

I have seen patients suffering from sore throat and laryngitis. The cure is relatively simple: gargle with borax in water. Take note of our revered Dr. Boericke:

A piece of borax, the size of a pea, dissolved in the mouth, acts magically in restoring the voice, in cases of sudden hoarseness brought on by cold, and frequently for an hour or so, it renders the voice silvery and clear. HOMŒOPATHIC MATERIA MEDICA by William BOERICKE, M.D.

Below is one of the many interesting points concerning borax, which mentions the use of borax against fungus, a well known fact amongst microbiologists but totally unknown to the public.

There is another facet about Borax, and that is the mineral element Boron which is able to clean the receptor sites of cell membranes. This is particularly important for diabetes type II and hypothyroidism type II.

Boron administered during fluoride intoxication or after its interruption, reduces fluoremia and increases urinary fluoride excretion. So Twenty Mule Team Borax is our answer to de-intoxicate the body from poisoning by municipal water sources of which affects millions of people.

Osteoarthritis. Developing research suggests that boron might be useful for decreasing symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Improving thinking and coordination in older people. There is some evidence that taking boron by mouth might improve cognitive function and the ability to coordinate small muscle movements (fine motor skills) in older people.

Increasing testosterone.

Boron seems to affect the way the body handles other minerals such as magnesium and phosphorus. It also seems to increase estrogen levels in older (post-menopausal) women and healthy men. Estrogen is thought to be helpful in maintaining healthy bones and mental function.

Boron supplementation can lower the amount of magnesium that is flushed out in the urine. This can lead to blood levels of magnesium that are higher than usual. Among older women, this seems to happen more often in women who do not get much magnesium in their diet. Among younger women, the effect appears to be greater in women who exercise less. No one knows how important this finding is to health, or whether it happens in men.

ARTHRITIS; OSTEOPOROSIS; ANTI-AGING

Try 1/8 teaspoon of borax in one liter of water/day. You just drink this water throughout the day. If it runs out then drink just normal water, with some magnesium added if possible. Magnesium found in the chloride form (see) is pre-digested. They seem to be synergistic with the vitamin D as vitamin D promotes calcium and the body needs to balance both magnesium and calcium to an ideal amount. So get some sunshine daily.

NANO-BUGS: SKIN PROBLEMS; ATHLETE’S FOOT; BALDING; SCABIES

Consider taking borax for mites, lice, scabies, etc. Some people believed the demodex mites are responsible for rosacea. They may be right. But, there are others too that are not yet identified. I prefer to lump all these insect issues to just one category: nanoinsects. These insects have several weakness that you can kill them, or at least weaken them. One obvious ones is borax. The treatment can be broken down to two things;

1. Taken internally: Try 1/8 teaspoon (~250 MG.) of borax in one liter of water/day. You just drink or sip this water throughout the day. You can do this once or twice a week as a tonic. This will clean your cellular receptor sites for insulin and thyroxine.

2. Used externally: Dog mange is confirmed demodex mites and the only treatment that effectively cured of dog mange is 1% hydrogen peroxide and borax saturated solution applied topically. Many people believe the demodex mites is the cause of rosacea. What I am sure about is it is an insect issue. The method of killing them is external application of 1% hydrogen peroxide with borax saturated solution to the face, unrinsed. It tends to cause drying. So you can apply appropriate lotions to prevent drying, such as jojoba oil, aloe vera or another oil or cream.

3. Borax -- The ultimate fungal killer. Take 1/8 teaspoon in a litre of water every day. Normally taken for 4 days, then 3 days off every week. 20 Mule Team Borax is fine for this. Borax also removes fluorine from the body.

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[U1]Meaning the deal is done and we do not care what you think—and you really have NO RIGHTS OF FREEDOM

[U2]Always the same BS –we are losing Money---what everyone should do is what w=hat was done too the rockstars that went after napster –boycott and not buy or support anything these @$$ holes are trying to do –infringe on expression

[U1]This same Kind of Ad campaigning goes on in the Nutraceutical end as well with the imagery of the container looking like something coming out of a lab or doctors office—and a lot of times these same substances being sold in the health food industry are just fluff or prohibitively expensive and Do either very little or nothing at all other then bleed your wallet

[U2]So here is where the Doctors should be banning to remove this kind of ad campaigning to get people off the idea of illegal drug use-via ad commercial and then write them a drug

[U3]Only if you grow your own grapesd and do not spray---this is one of those re hashed articles and when you read this kind of stuff this implies there researcher does not know enough to understand the nature of GMO or Sprays that don’t wash off and can actually activate by the sugar one consumes from these skins

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Show of the Week February 13 2012

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The Effects of Taraxacum Officinale Extracts (TOE) Supplementation on Physical Fatigue in Mice

Anti-influenza virus effect of aqueous extracts from dandelion.

Recipe For Dandelion

U.S. Law Allows Testing of Chemicals and Biological Agents on "Civilian Population"

Glyphosate in Monsanto’s Roundup Impacting Global Health

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The Effects of Taraxacum Officinale Extracts (TOE) Supplementation on Physical Fatigue in Mice.

Jinchun Z, Jie C.

Source--Department of Physical Education, Huangshi Institute of Technology, Huangshi, Hubei Province, 435003, PRC.

Abstract---The study is to investigate the effect of Taraxacum officinale extracts (TOE) supplementation on physical fatigue based on the forced swimming capacity in mice. Forty Kunming male mice were randomly divided into 4 groups, i.e., normal control (NC) and three doses of TOE treated group (High-dose, Middle-dose and Low-dose). Three TOE treated groups were treated by oral TOE with 10, 30 and 100mg/kg b.w respectively for a period of 42 days. The normal control group was given a corresponding volume of sterile distilled water. After 6 weeks, the forced swimming capacity and blood biochemical parameters in mice were measured, and the result showed that TOE had an anti- physical fatigue effect. It enhanced the maximum swimming capacity of mice, effectively delayed the lowering of glucose in the blood, and prevented the increase in lactate and triglyceride concentrations.

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Anti-influenza virus effect of aqueous extracts from dandelion.

He W, Han H, Wang W, Gao B.

Source--CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology (CASPMI), Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Beijing 100101, PR China. bgao2004@gmail.com.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND--Human influenza is a seasonal disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Anti-flu Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has played a significant role in fighting the virus pandemic. In TCM, dandelion is a commonly used ingredient in many therapeutic remedies, either alone or in conjunction with other natural substances. Evidence suggests that dandelion is associated with a variety of pharmacological activities. In this study, we evaluated anti-influenza virus activity of an aqueous extract from dandelion, which was tested for in vitro antiviral activity against influenza virus type A, human A/PR/8/34 and WSN (H1N1).--RESULTS---Results obstained using antiviral assays, minigenome assay and real-time reverse transcription-PCR analysis showed that 0.625-5 mg/ml of dandelion extracts inhibited infections in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells or Human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549) of PR8 or WSN viruses, as well as inhibited polymerase activity and reduced virus nucleoprotein (NP) RNA level. The plant extract did not exhibit any apparent negative effects on cell viability, metabolism or proliferation at the effective dose. This result is consistent with the added advantage of lacking any reported complications of the plant's utility in traditional medicine over several centuries.---CONCLUSION-The antiviral activity of dandelion extracts indicates that a component or components of these extracts possess anti-influenza virus properties. Mechanisms of reduction of viral growth in MDCK or A549 cells by dandelion involve inhibition on virus replication.

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RECIPE For Dandelion---take dried dandelion root or leaf and add 1-2 tablespoon in a percalotor—add 1 tsp of elderberry- add distilled water—and percolate this combo for 5 minutes –pour in a glass and drink several times a day—you can re add water to the percolator till the mix comes out clear or more transparent

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U.S. Law Allows Testing of Chemicals and Biological Agents on "Civilian Population

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Glyphosate in Monsanto’s Roundup Impacting Global Health

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Show of the Week February 17 2012

Hip fracture risk rises with acid reflux drug use

Cholesterol and mortality - specific studies

Coffee Consumption Reduces Fibrosis Risk in Those With Fatty Liver Disease

How To Make A PVC Crisis Bow

Antibacterial activity of essential oils from Eucalyptus and of selected components against multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens

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Hip fracture risk rises with acid reflux drug use

Some older women are more likely to suffer debilitating hip fractures if they take certain indigestion drugs, U.S. researchers say.--The risk of hip fracture was 1.35 times higher among post-menopausal women who regularly took drugs used to treat heartburn and acid reflux for two years compared with those who did not take the medication.---The study published in Wednesday's issue of the British Medical Journal followed nearly 80,000 postmenopausal women participating in the U.S. Nurses Health Study from 2000 to 2008. Since that project started in 1976, analysis of the nurses' medical records and questionnaires every two years have provided insight into health and lifestyle risks for women ranging from breast cancer to alcohol use. The findings suggested that women who took the heartburn drugs, known as proton pump inhibitors, and smoked could face more than 1.50 times higher risk of fracture.--In May 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned of hip fractures among those taking PPIs but concluded that more data was needed for a full analysis.---While several other studies have raised concerns about the long-term use of proton pump inhibitors and risk of hip fractures, the results were conflicting and many lacked information on important diet and lifestyle factors that could make a difference.--Proton pump inhibitors are among the most commonly used drugs worldwide, the researchers said.--Use of the drugs increased in the U.S. after they became available without a prescription.--In the latest study, Hamed Khalili of Massachusetts General Hospital and his co-authors took menopausal status, body weight, physical activity levels, smoking, alcohol consumption and use of calcium supplements into account in their analysis.--Hip fractures from low and moderate traumas such as falling on ice or off a chair were included. High traumas such as skiing accidents or falling down the stairs were not.

Hip fracture risk fell after drugs stopped--Over the eight-year study period, there were 893 hip fractures among the participants.--Compared with use of proton pump inhibitors, regular use of a milder antacid called H2 blockers was tied to a "more modest" risk of fracture of 1.23 times higher, the researchers said.--Given that use of proton pump inhibitors is on the rise, the estimates suggest the drugs could be contributing to a "high burden of fractures," they concluded.---The risk of hip fracture returned to normal two years after women stopped taking proton pump inhibitors, the researchers said.---The study's authors acknowledged drawbacks of the study, such as not having specific information on the type or brand of proton pump inhibitors used. They didn't confirm hip fractures against medical records, but said the nurses are extremely reliable at reporting the injuries.--The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

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Cholesterol and mortality - specific studies

The Honolulu Study(1) was a 20 year study of cholesterol levels and mortality in 3,572 Japanese American men. The study concluded that "Only the group with low cholesterol concentration at both examinations had a significant association with mortality". The authors went on "We have been unable to explain our results". (I.e. we were expecting lower cholesterol to equal lower mortality, not the other way round). --All credit to the team for their honest reporting of these unexpected results and their final statement in the abstract: "These data cast doubt on the scientific justification for lowering cholesterol to very low concentrations (<4·65 mmol/L) in elderly people."--Framingham similarly concluded that "There is a direct association between falling cholesterollevels over the first 14 years and mortality over the following18 years (11% overall and 14% CVD death rate increase per 1mg/dL per year drop in cholesterol levels)."(2) Kendrick does a clever calculation on this quotation and translates this into - a reduction in cholesterol from 5 to 4 mmol/L would increase your risk of dying by 400%.---------------Elaine Meilahn reported in Circulation (2005) "In 1990, an NIH (National Institutes of Health) conference concluded from a meta-analysis of 19 studies that men and, to a lesser extent, women with a total serum cholesterol level below 4.2 mmol/L exhibited about a 10% to 20% excess total mortality compared with those with a cholesterol level between 4.2 and 5.2 mmol/L. Specifically, excess causes of death included cancer (primarily lung and hematopoietic), respiratory and digestive disease, violent death (suicide and trauma), and hemorrhagic stroke."(3)------------------- In The Great Cholesterol Con, Dr Malcolm Kendrick analysed some World Health Organisation (WHO) data. The WHO has extensive data from almost 200 countries on more health measures than you could imagine - definitely worth a look one rainy afternoon. This is where Kendrick presented the world with two different Seven Country Studies. Kendrick took the seven countries with the lowest saturated fat intake and then the seven countries with the highest saturated fat intake. ------Cholesterol-lowering-enthusiasts may need to read this twice - but he found: "Every single one of the seven countries with the lowest saturated fat consumption has significantly higher rates of heart disease than every single one of the countries with the highest saturated fat consumption."---As Kendrick's two unbiased seven country studies showed - there is not even an association between saturated fat and heart disease - let alone causation. However, Keys published his Seven Country Study and the rest, as they say, is history.--The next chapter in The Great Cholesterol Con goes on to look at cholesterol and heart disease (and overall death rates) and quoted many great studies where it is shown that lower cholesterol is associated with higher mortality. However, it did leave me thinking - having run the data on saturated fat and heart disease, let's just run all the data on the cholesterol and heart disease and get to the bottom of this hypothesis from all parts of the allegations.

Cholesterol & Mortality
It actually didn't take that long - not even a couple of hours one Saturday afternoon. You go to the WHO statisitics area of their web site ( https://apps.who.int/infobase/Comparisons.aspx ) and then pick data for cholesterol from risk factors (how judgemental to start with) and then look under: Global burden of disease (mortality); All causes; Non communicable diseases and then G Cardiovascular disease (shortened to CVD). CVD deaths include ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease - that means fatal heart attacks and fatal strokes to lay people. You find the most recent year where you can get both sets of data to compare like with like. This turns out to be 2002. You download their very user friendly spreadsheet data (CSV) - cut and paste it into a spreadsheet application and then try to remember how the heck to do scatter diagrams!--The WHO data is split into men and women. I first did the scatter diagrams for average (mean) cholesterol levels and CVD deaths. Then I ran the Pearson correlation coefficient on these numbers. This gives us the term called "r". "r" tells us if there is some kind of a relationship: an r score of 0 would indicate no relationship; an r score of 1 would indicate a perfect relationship. A negative r score is called an inverse relationship e.g. the price of concert tickets is likely to be inversely related to the number of concert tickets bought - fewer tickets being bought at higher prices.

The "r" score for men revealed that there was a small relationship of 0.13 - however this relationship was inverse. The diagram and correlation shows that higher cholesterol levels are associated with lower CVD deaths and lower cholesterol levels are associated with higher CVD deaths. In women, the relationship is stronger - to the point of being meaningful. The r score was 0.52 - but, again, inverse. For women, higher cholesterol levels are quite significantly associated with lower CVD deaths and lower cholesterol levels are quite significantly associated with higher CVD deaths. Please note that I have added r squared on the graphs below (the spreadsheet application can do this for us) and it can confirm that you've got your r numbers right and r squared tells us the strength of any relationship we have observed.---All you need to do is to look at the lines going down to the right and wonder how on earth we ever got away with telling people that cholesterol causes heart disease. High cholesterol is associated with lower heart disease and vice versa - for all the data available in the world. High cholesterol is not even associated with high heart disease, let alone does it cause it.

It gets worse. I then kept the cholesterol information and changed the death rates to total deaths - all deaths from any cause - cancer, heart disease, diabetes, strokes - all deaths. You can see the diagrams for men and women again below. This time there is a significant relationship for both men and women: 0.66 for men and 0.74 for women - again inverse. There is a significant association between higher cholesterol levels and lower deaths and lower cholesterol levels and higher deaths for men and an even more significant relationship for women.

I removed the outliers (obvious ‘off-the-line' data points) and reran the data and it made not one iota of difference. With 192 data points showing such a strong trend, a couple, or a handful, of countries really makes NO difference. ---
This is serious. I've shown it to a couple of academics (Professor sort of things) with whom I've been having great debates, as I want to see what the view is from people who wholly believe the fat/cholesterol/heart/death hypothesis. (Kendrick talks in his book about what happened when he showed an intelligent colleague his two seven countries studies and the evidence was just dismissed instantly). It is most useful to know what the resistance arguments will be before starting to invite the resistance. The two arguments I got back were:

1) "Ah yes - but this is only an association."

Ah yes - but a) we changed global dietary advice back in 1977-1983 on the back of an association in Seven (carefully hand picked) Countries that miraculously became a causation even when the association was far from established and b) it is an association that's the opposite to the one that the world currently holds true and c) that's what epidemiology is supposed to be about - establish an association and then investigate if there could be any causation or useful learnings. So, let us go out with a new paradox - that high cholesterol is associated with low deaths and then see what dietary advice emerges.

2) "But that's total cholesterol - the key thing is the ratio of good to bad cholesterol."-- The chemical formula for cholesterol is C27H46O. There is no good version or bad version. HDL and LDL are not even cholesterol, let alone good cholesterol or bad cholesterol. They are lipoproteins and they carry cholesterol, triglyceride, phospholipids and protein. [U1] --- This also says to me - even though saturated fat has nothing to do with cholesterol, it doesn't actually matter. Even if it did - cholesterol is only associated with CVD deaths in an inverse way. If fat did raise cholesterol - as public health officials like to claim - it could save lives! (Their words, not mine.)

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Coffee Consumption Reduces Fibrosis Risk in Those With Fatty Liver Disease

ScienceDaily (Feb. 2, 2012) — Caffeine consumption has long been associated with decreased risk of liver disease and reduced fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. Now, newly published research confirms that coffee caffeine consumption reduces the risk of advanced fibrosis in those with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Findings published in the February issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, show that increased coffee intake, specifically among patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), decreases risk of hepatic fibrosis.---The steady increase in rates of diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome over the past 20 years has given rise to greater prevalence of NAFLD. In fact, experts now believe NAFLD is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in the U.S., surpassing both hepatitis B and C. The majority of patients will have isolated fatty liver which has a very low likelihood of developing progressive liver disease. However, a subset of patients will have NASH, which is characterized by inflammation of the liver, destruction of liver cells, and possibly scarring of the liver. Progression to cirrhosis (advanced scarring of the liver) may occur in about 10-11% of NASH patients over a 15 year period, although this is highly variable.---To enhance understanding of the correlation between coffee consumption and the prevalence and severity of NAFLD, a team led by Dr. Stephen Harrison, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army at Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas surveyed participants from a previous NAFLD study as well as NASH patients treated at the center's hepatology clinic. The 306 participants were asked about caffeine coffee consumption and categorized into four groups: patients with no sign of fibrosis on ultrasound (control), steatosis, NASH stage 0-1, and NASH stage 2-4.--Researchers found that the average milligrams in total caffeine consumption per day in the control, steatosis, Nash 0-1, and Nash 2-4 groups was 307, 229, 351 and 252; average milligrams of coffee intake per day was 228, 160, 255, and 152, respectively. There was a significant difference in caffeine consumption between patients in the steatosis group compared to those with NASH stage 0-1. Coffee consumption was significantly greater for patients with NASH stage 0-1, with 58% of caffeine intake from regular coffee, than with NASH stage 2-4 patients at only 36% of caffeine consumption from regular coffee.----Multiple analyses showed a negative correlation between coffee consumption and risk of hepatic fibrosis. "Our study is the first to demonstrate a histopatholgic relationship between fatty liver disease and estimated coffee intake," concludes Dr. Harrison. "Patients with NASH may benefit from moderate coffee consumption that decreases risk of advanced fibrosis. Further prospective research should examine the amount of coffee intake on clinical outcomes."--Story Source---The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wiley-Blackwell, via AlphaGalileo..---Journal Reference-Jeffrey W. Molloy, Christopher J. Calcagno, Christopher D. Williams, Frances J. Jones, Dawn M. Torres, Stephen A. Harrison. Association of coffee and caffeine consumption with fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and degree of hepatic fibrosis. Hepatology, 2012; 55 (2): 429 DOI: 10.1002/hep.24731

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How To Make A PVC Crisis Bow

The young people of today spend less time learning to hunt and trap wild game or catch fish than generations of the past. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a survey about outdoor recreation that showed that between 2001 and 2006, 12 percent fewer people spent time fishing, and 4 percent fewer people spent time hunting. This is good news for trout and deer, but not such great news for society. Urbanization and electronic hobbies like video games and cable television shows are slowly taking the place of rural communities and outdoor recreation. Children involved in sports and other extracurricular activities have less time to spend learning about hunting and fishing – and parents shuffling them between events have less time to teach them.

Another reason people are hunting less is because the equipment is not readily available or is too expensive. Too often, sporting goods stores cater more to team sports and outdoor activities like hiking or bicycling than they do hunting and fishing. High price tags attached to the quality products found on their shelves discourage some customers from even trying those types of sports in the first place. And some other stores only carry products related to hunting and fishing during certain times of the year, making it impossible to buy the supplies necessary for practicing those sports during the off-season.

It’s the Hunt, Not the Kill

For many hunters, including the ones in my own and my husband’s families, the sport is not about killing animals. It’s about hunting, and it’s about parents passing down the traditions they learned from their parents and grandparents. Responsive Management, an outdoor research group in Harrisonburg, Virginia, says that about 90 percent of kids who hunt do so because they grew up around adults who are hunting enthusiasts. My husband is a traditional archer, and one way that he inspired our sons to try the hobby was by helping them make their own bow hunting equipment. They recently found a YouTube video that showed how to turn a PVC pipe into an archery bow, and of course had to try it out for themselves.

You might wonder why anyone would want to turn a piece of PVC pipe into a bow. First of all, it’s very economical. Prices for archery bows for a beginner or a child can start out as much as one hundred dollars or more. Higher quality equipment for serious hunters can run well over one thousand dollars. A PVC archery bow costs less than twenty dollars to make. It is a great bow for a beginner or a child because it is lightweight and easy to handle. And because the PVC construction is waterproof, it also makes a great tool for bow fishing.

Building your own PVC archery bow will require trips to both hardware and farm supply stores for supplies. This product list and the following instructions are the ones my teenage sons followed. Instructions for a few different versions of a PVC archery bow exist online, but the ones on “The Mans Cave” website were extremely easy to follow. They even have a video that shows each step from start to finish. In addition to the instructions below, they also show how to make an arrow rest from PVC pipe. My sons had so much fun on this project that they’re now making them for friends and a few of their cousins.

Materials Needed

One 5′ section of schedule 40 PVC pipe, 3/4″ thick

One 5′ section of schedule 40 PVC pipe, 1/2″ thick

One 4′ 5″ section of fiberglass rod, 3/8″ thick

Duct tape and electrical wrap

Pipe insulation (for handle)

One 55″ bowstring

WD-40

Spray paint (optional)

Safety glasses

Need to put meat on the table fast?

Instructions

Before starting any part of this project that involves cutting, filing, or sanding, please put on a pair of safety glasses. PVC shavings and dust flying about the air can easily cause damage to the eyes.

Using a saw, cut a line down the one side of your 1/2″ thick PVC pipe. Try to keep the line as straight as possible.

Spray the inside of both ends of your 3/4″-thick PVC pipe with WD-40.

Spray the outside of your 1/2″-thick PVC pipe with WD-40.

Force the 1/2″ thick PVC pipe into the 3/4″ thick section. You may have to push the pipe against the ground to force it all the way in. If you do this, please be careful because you do not want to snap your pipe in half. Keep pushing until the 1/2″-thick pipe is fully inserted into the 3/4″-thick one.

Mark off 3/4″ from either side of the pipe.

Using a 1/8″ drill bit, drill a hole on either side of the pipe right on the mark. Be sure the holes line up and are even on both sides at each end.

Using a hacksaw, cut through the end of the pipe, stopping at the holes you drilled in the last step.

Repeat this on the other end of the bow.

Using a metal file, smooth down the inside of the cut to clean up any rough edges. You are going for a clean look during this step.

Using rough grit sandpaper, smooth down the areas you just filed for a polished finish.

Wipe your bow clean of any dust from the cutting and filing and use spray paint to decorate it however you want.

Attach a piece of pipe insulation for a handle and, if you prefer to make it more permanent, duct tape it in place.

Wrap the fiberglass rod with duct tape and then wrap it in a layer of electrical tape.

Stick the fiberglass rod into the PVC pipes. This will help add pounds to your bow when you are shooting it.

String it as you would a normal longbow, and you are ready to begin shooting. As I said before, quite a few variations of instructions for making a PVC archery bow exist online, both for longbow and recurve types. The instructions in this article are easy to follow, especially for a beginner or someone who cannot invest a lot of money into the project.

Archery Accessories

Some bow hunting accessories are optional, while hunters from all walks agree that others are mandatory for going out to spend a day in their favorite hunting area. What you take hunting is up to you, but here are some suggestions:

Arm guard – A good arm guard costs less than twenty dollars, and not only do they protect your arm, but they also help you focus more on how accurate your arrow flies towards its intended target. If you’re handy with leather or just feeling brave, you can find instructions online for making your own.

Bow socks – Made of soft cloth like fleece or flannel, a bow sock (or sometimes called a bow bag) prevents equipment from becoming scratched while in storage or being transported between your house and your favorite hunting spot. If either you or your significant other is at all handy with a sewing machine, try making one with fleece purchased at your local fabric store. Some sell fleece that is 68″ wide, which is the perfect size when making a bow sock for a 60″ PVC archery bow.

Quiver – This is by far the best item for carrying your spare arrows. A quiver prevents accidental stabbings and helps to keep the feathers at the end of the arrow from getting ruffled. Websites like Etsy have custom-made quivers of materials like leather studded with medieval-looking steel plating, raccoon fur that harkens to the days of native America, oriental bamboo, and more. Even if you don’t plan to buy a quiver from the Internet, websites like Etsy are a great source of inspiration when looking for ideas for how to make your own items.

Stringers – These pull the limbs of the bow evenly to allow the bowstring to loop over the tips of the bow. Using a bow stringer means the limbs are less likely to twist and thus cause damage to the bow.

Targets – There’s nothing like practicing, whether during bow season or in the off months. You can find various types of printable bull’s-eye targets online for free. My husband and sons love sticking these on the side of a cardboard box, an old hay bale, or anything else that allows the arrow to safely enter without passing completely through.

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Antibacterial activity of essential oils from Eucalyptus and of selected components against multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens.

Pharm Biol. 2011 Sep;49(9):893-9

Authors: Mulyaningsih S, Sporer F, Reichling J, Wink M

Abstract
CONTEXT: Eucalyptus globulus Labill (Myrtaceae) is the principal source of eucalyptus oil in the world and has been used as an antiseptic and for relieving symptoms of cough, cold, sore throat, and other infections. The oil, well known as 'eucalyptus oil' commercially, has been produced from the leaves. Biological properties of the essential oil of fruits from E. globulus have not been investigated much.
OBJECTIVE: The present study was performed to examine the antimicrobial activity of the fruit oil of E. globulus (EGF) and the leaf oils of E. globulus (EGL), E. radiata Sieber ex DC (ERL) and E. citriodora Hook (ECL) against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Furthermore, this study was attempted to characterize the oils as well as to establish a relationship between the chemical composition and the corresponding antimicrobial properties.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The chemical composition of the oils was analyzed by GLC-MS. The oils and isolated major components of the oils were tested against MDR bacteria using the broth microdilution method.
RESULTS: EGF exerted the most pronounced activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MIC ~ 250 µg/ml). EGF mainly consisted of aromadendrene (31.17%), whereas ECL had citronellal (90.07%) and citronellol (4.32%) as the major compounds. 1,8-cineole was most abundant in EGL (86.51%) and ERL (82.66%).--DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The activity of the oils can be ranked as EGF > ECL > ERL ~ EGL. However, all the oils and the components were hardly active against MDR Gram-negative bacteria. Aromadendrene was found to be the most active, followed by citronellol, citronellal and 1,8-cineole.--PMID: 21591991 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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[U1]The Bamboozling and BS of the Populace---We were taken off things that were and are healthy to something un balanced and unnecessary to further shorten the life span of a human being

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Show of the Week February 20 2012

Scientists Sound Alarm Over Threat of Untreatable Gonorrhea in United States

Hidden Agent Orange Chemical

The Power of Estrogen-- Male Snakes Attract Other Males

Walmart Selling GMO or GE Foods

Bye, bye, privacy. Canada introduces online-spying bill

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Scientists Sound Alarm Over Threat of Untreatable Gonorrhea in United States

ScienceDaily (Feb. 9, 2012) — Researchers are continuing to sound the alarm on the growing threat of multi-drug resistant gonorrhea in the United States, according to a perspective in the Feb. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.---In July of 2011, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released "Cephalosporin Susceptibility Among Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates -- United States, 2000-2010," which signaled the potential for resistance to the cephalosporins, the last line of defense for treating gonorrhea.----The New England Journal of Medicine piece, "The Emerging Threat of Untreatable Gonococcal Infection," byGail A. Bolan, director of the Division of STD Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, P. Frederick Sparling, professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Judith N. Wasserheit, professor and vice chair of the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington in Seattle, issues an urgent call to action to halt the continued increases in drug-resistant gonorrhea.---"It is time to sound the alarm," said co-author Wasserheit. "Though there is no evidence yet of treatment failures in the United States, trends in decreased susceptibility coupled with a history of emerging resistance and reported treatment failures in other countries point to a likelihood of failures on the horizon and a need for urgent action."[U1] ---According to the article, gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported communicable disease in the United States, with an estimated incidence of more than 600,000 cases annually. It disproportionately affects some populations such as minorities who are marginalized because of race, ethnic group or sexual orientation.---Scientists note that Neisseria gonorrhoeae has always readily developed resistance to antimicrobial agents: it became resistant to sulfanilamide in the 1940s, penicillins and tetracyclines in the 1980s, and fluoroquinolones by 2007. The treatment options recommended by the CDC are now limited to third-generation cephalosporins.--[U2] --But the effectiveness ofcephalosporins for treating gonorrhea has been decreasing rapidly. Through CDC's Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project , researchers are seeing a 17-fold increase in elevated minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) -- a measure of drug susceptibility. MICs for oral cefixime went from 0.1 percent in 2006 to 1.7 percent in the first six months of 2011.---In the past, when the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in the Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project exceeded 5 percent, national treatment recommendations were changed to focus on other effective drugs. But currently, there are no other drugs.----The most prominent increases in drug susceptibility to gonorrhea continue to be among men who have sex with men, and in the West, according to the authors.[U3] They wrote that these geographic and demographic patterns are worrisome because they mirror those observed during the emergence of fluoroquinolone-resistant N. gonorrhoeae.---Scientists are calling on a collective effort from physicians, drug companies, and health care providers to help stop the emergence and spread of resistant gonorrhea.--"Investing in rebuilding our defenses against gonococcal infections now, with involvement of the health care, public health, and research communities, is paramount if we are to control the spread and reduce the consequences of cephalosporin-resistant strains," the scientists wrote.--Story Source-The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Washington.

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Hidden Agent Orange Chemical

    Dow AgroSciences (a subsidiary of Dow Chemicals) has developed a new generation of genetically modified (GM) crops -- soybeans, corn and cotton -- that are engineered to resist an herbicide called 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), which was a major ingredient in Agent Orange

    Once the 2,4-D resistant seeds are released, it will mean farmers will be spraying massive amounts of the herbicide onto U.S. farmland; health effects linked to 2,4-D include birth defects, blood, liver and kidney toxicity

    The 2,4-D-resistant crops are being touted as a solution to Monsanto’s Roundup Ready crops, which have triggered the creation of super weeds; however, the new crops will likely only add to the problem of herbicide resistance, while even greater amounts of herbicides are sprayed onto U.S. farmland, exposing millions to their harmful effects.

    You have until February 27, 2012 to comment on Dow’s application for “non-regulated status” of its 2,4-D-resistant corn. This is a rare opportunity to let your opinion be heard that you do not support products that will increase the use of this toxic chemical once used in Agent Orange.

Agent Orange, produced by both Monsanto and Dow Chemicals, was used to defoliate jungles during the Vietnam War.--    During that time, millions of gallons of the toxic chemical mixture were sprayed on trees and vegetation, and the aftermath left hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese sick, with countless numbers of their children suffering birth defects, and a still growing group of U.S. veterans with related diseases ranging from cancer to Parkinson's disease.---- Agent Orange is no longer produced – Butttttttt!!!!    Because Dow AgroSciences (a subsidiary of Dow Chemicals), who was one of the original manufacturers of Agent Orange (AO), has developed a new generation of genetically modified (GM) crops -- soybeans, corn and cotton -- that are designed to resist a major ingredient in AO: the herbicide called 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D).[U4] ---    The use of 2,4-D, however, is not new, as it is actually one of the most widely used herbicides in the world.--- What is new – and disturbingly so – is that now that staple crops like soy and corn have been engineered to be resistant to 2,4-D, it may soon be applied to U.S. arable land on an unprecedented scale The whole point of engineering resistance to an herbicide within a GMO plant, of course, is so that you can "carpet bomb" an entire field, leaving only your "Frankenfoods" standing, without having to exert even a fraction of the effort required raise crops organically and sustainably.--- In fact, if 2,4-D resistant crops receive approval and eventually come to replace Monsanto's failing Roundup-resistant crops as Dow intends, it is likely that billions of pounds will be needed, on top of the already insane levels of Roundup now being used (1.6 billion lbs were used in 2007 in the US alone!).---Agent Orange Ingredient to be Used in GMO Crops---    Dow's new GM product, dubbed "Enlist," is a three-gene, herbicide-tolerant soybean that has been engineered to be resistant to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's popular Roundup herbicide, along with glufosinate and 2,4-D.[U5] The company expects to earn $1.5 billion in additional profit in 2013 by selling these triple herbicide-resistant seeds. As noted by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs:-   "The two active ingredients in the Agent Orange herbicide combination were equal amounts of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), which contained traces of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)."---    Ironically, while Dow's new crops would seriously escalate the use of 2,4-D, Monsanto is currently facing a class-action lawsuit involving the other Agent Orange ingredient, 2,4,5-T. The suit alleges that homes and schools near one of its 2,4,5-T chemical plants are now contaminated with cancer-causing dioxin, a byproduct of the manufacturing process. This should be a wake-up call to those considering widespread application of any toxic Agent Orange ingredient.-- Dow, however, is touting the new product as a solution to Monsanto's Roundup Ready GM crops, which currently dominate the GM seed market but are now being overshadowed by problems with weed resistance (not to mention that glyphosate itself is also incredibly toxic, and has been linked to infertility, among other serious health problems).--- Where Monsanto has failed, Dow and other chemical rivals like DuPont, Syngenta, and Bayer (which are also working on their own herbicide-resistant GM seeds) see opportunity.[U6] So Dow has trotted in on their white horse to offer a new variety of GM crop, which they say will not pose the "superweed" problem that Roundup Ready crops have created.-    This is not so, according to an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, in which researchers state that suggesting 2,4-D will not lead to widespread weed resistance "misrepresented the potential for 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)–resistant weeds in 2,4-D–resistant cropping systems and exaggerated the sustainability of their approach to addressing glyphosate-resistant weed problems in agriculture." They, in fact, note 28 species across 16 plant families that have already evolved resistance to similar herbicides to 2,4-D. Further, as stated on GreenMedInfo, the new Enlist crops are setting the stage for even greater and simultaneous herbicide use, the health ramifications of which are completely unknown-     "Instead of learning from Monsanto's colossal mistakes (which happens when you play geneticist-as-God and use a broad spectrum poison to kill all but your "chosen" plants) Dow AgroScience's solution is to multiply the problem by a factor of three, creating the "first-ever, three-gene," herbicide-tolerant staple crops.---    What this means is that instead of using only one highly toxic herbicide (Roundup), three will be used simultaneously, further increasing the risk of serious exposures, and setting up the conditions for synergistic toxicities – something that toxicological risk assessments on singular herbicide ingredients, which establish "an acceptable level of harm," never account for."-Studies Show Increases in Cancer, Birth Defects With Use of 2,4-D-- What is known about 2,4-D so far is not reassuring, considering the devastation caused by Agent Orange. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding 2,4-D specifically:

“Health effects of chronic or acute 2,4-D exposure reported for adults included blood, liver, and kidney toxicity. Specific effects included a reduction in hemoglobin and red blood cell numbers, decreased liver enzyme activity, and increased kidney weight. Acute exposure can result in skin and eye irritation. Acute exposure to very high concentrations of 2,4-D can cause the following clinical symptoms: stupor, coma, coughing, burning sensations in lungs, loss of muscular coordination, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness.---Experimental animal studies of chronic oral exposure have reported adverse effects on the eye, thyroid, kidney, adrenals, and ovaries/testes. In addition, some experimental animal studies have reported teratogenic effects (birth defects) at high doses, including increased fetal death, urinary tract malformation, and extra ribs.--When adult female experimental animals were exposed to 2,4-D during their pregnancy and lactation periods, their exposed offspring exhibited neurological effects, including delayed neurobehavioral development and changes in several neurotransmitter levels or binding activities and ganglioside levels in the brain. Delayed neurobehavioral development was manifested as delays in acquisition of certain motor skills such as the righting reflex "The concern is that, just like Monsanto's genetically engineered corn that is resistant to RoundUp™ (glyphosate) herbicide, the approval of a cultivar resistant to 2,4-D will cause an exponential increase in the use of this toxic agrichemical," says Mark A. Kastel, senior farm policy analyst with The Cornucopia Institute.-- And again, as the EPA acknowledges, this is far from a benign chemical. The Cornucopia Institute continues-   "2,4-D is a chlorophenoxy herbicide, and scientists around the world have reported increased cancer risks in association with its use, especially for soft tissue sarcoma and malignant lymphoma. Four separate studies in the United States reported an association with chlorophenoxy herbicide use and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. … Research by the EPA found that babies born in counties with high rates of 2,4-D application to farm fields were significantly more likely to be born with birth defects of the respiratory and circulatory systems, as well as defects of the musculoskeletal system like clubfoot, fused digits and extra digits. These birth defects were 60% to 90% more likely in counties with higher 2,4-D application rates. The results also showed a higher likelihood of birth defects in babies conceived in the spring, when herbicide application rates peak." In the same way that Dow is now certain that its new three-gene, herbicide-tolerant soybean will not spur the creation of more herbicide-resistant "super weeds," Monsanto was also historically adamant that Roundup Ready crops would not cause weed resistance either.-- Of course, now that the die has been cast, the United States is reaping the consequences with 13 resistant weed species covering more than 11 million acres, mostly those planted with Monsanto's GM soy, corn and cotton crops. Around the world, 21 weed species are now resistant to glyphosate, up from zero in 1996.- The weeds are making Monsanto's promises that their GM crops would reduce pesticide use completely laughable -- since farmers are being forced to use multiple, and more, pesticides to keep weeds in their GM crops under control -- and are turning out to be a very big thorn in Monsanto's proverbial side.-    Monsanto's solution is similar to Dow's … add more herbicide-resistant genes to the plants so even more potent herbicide cocktails can be poured over U.S. farmland! According to Monsanto Chief Executive Officer Hugh Grant, who was interviewed in Business Week, the company plans to add resistance to Dicamba, another weedkiller, to Roundup Ready crops by 2015, noting that-"The cavalry is coming."--- The cavalry is coming indeed … unfortunately they are working for the wrong side, with their "war on weeds" causing massive collateral damage to environmental and human health alike. William G. Johnson, a weed scientist at Purdue University, told Business Week, these new technologies may control Roundup-resistant weeds and leave us in "wedded bliss for 10 or 15 years" but "they do select for their own failure:" Adding further insult to injury, Johnson explains that "Dicamba and 2,4-D both tend to volatilize, turning the chemicals into vapor that can drift onto neighboring land … " accidentally killing nearby crops and exposing greater expanses to its toxic effects.---    Let us also not forget that all the "weeds" these herbicides were designed to kill represent biodiversity, without which we would be left with only a handful of staple crops -- upon which our entire subsistence now precariously depends. Only because we do not find obvious value in a plant, does not mean it is not there.

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The Power of Estrogen-- Male Snakes Attract Other Males

ScienceDaily (Feb. 10, 2012) — A new study has shown that boosting the estrogen levels of male garter snakes causes them to secrete the same pheromones that females use to attract suitors, and turned the males into just about the sexiest snake in the neighborhood -- attracting dozens of other males eager to mate.--This experiment in the famed garter snake caverns of Manitoba, Canada, was one of the first in a field setting to ever quantify the effects of estrogen as a stimulant of pheromones, scientists said, in research just published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. This estrogen, they said, is the same exact chemical found in many animal species, ranging from snakes to amphibians, fish, mammals and humans. The research confirms once again the unusually powerful role that estrogen can play in biology, and is also relevant to widespread concern about the environmental impact of compounds that mimic the effect of estrogen, found in some chemicals and pesticides.---In this study, male snakes were implanted with a small capsule that raised their estrogen level to about that of female snakes. After one year of this estrogen supplementation, the male snakes exuded a pheromone that caused other males to swarm to them and form the writhing "mating balls" that this species of garter snake is known for.---And just as the pheromone production could be stimulated, it could be taken away, the scientists found. When the supplementation was removed for a year, the males reverted to normal function and behavior.-- "The amount of estrogen the male snakes received was nothing unusual, just about what a normal female would produce.---"And this was not just some laboratory test," he said. "These snakes were trying to mate in a natural outdoor environment, in which the males were absolutely sure they had identified a female snake."---The red-sided garter snake studied in this research depends totally upon pheromones for males to be attracted to and identify female snakes, by actually licking the female with a quick flick of their tongue. But the chemical cues are so extraordinary that in an instant, from one lick, the male can determine the species, sex, population, season, reproductive condition, size and age of its possible partner.--Pheromones are chemical cues that can provide a range of information, and often play a critical role in sexual attraction and reproduction. Snakes are a good model for studying them, Mason said, because they are totally dependent upon them for reproduction.---In garter snakes, the experiments showed just how powerful the mechanism is. Large and older females, preferred by male snakes because they can produce more babies, also have a slightly different chemical signature in their pheromone. Young, small, females can still attract suitors, but not as readily.When male snakes had their estrogen levels elevated, their pheromone production was so strong that other male snakes actually preferred them to small female snakes.--Snakes use a "vomeronasal" organ in the upper palate of their mouth that plays a key role in this sensing process. Other animals, such as dogs, also have keen vomeronasal sensing abilities. Humans still have this organ, but it's unclear what role, if any, it plays in human sensory ability, Mason said.-The area where this research was done is a natural wonder, many scientists say, attracting hordes of tourists. Each spring, tens of thousands of snakes emerge from limestone caves north of Manitoba, Canada, in an intense competition to mate. Female snakes are swarmed as they emerge from the caves by multiple males that form large, twisting balls, attempting to be the first to mate with the female.----After that, a different pheromone is emitted which confirms the mating has been accomplished, and the other males lose interest and leave.--This work was supported by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.-----Story Source The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Oregon State University. Journal Reference--M. R. Parker, R. T. Mason. How to make a sexy snake: estrogen activation of female sex pheromone in male red-sided garter snakes. Journal of Experimental Biology, 2012; 215 (5): 723 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.064923

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Walmart Selling GMO or GE Foods

Do you or anyone you know buy food at Wal-Mart? If you do, you could soon be eating Monsanto GMO corn — unmarked, unlabeled, and untested on humans — with toxins built right into the plant’s DNA.--Monsanto has released their first direct-to-consumer product, a genetically-modified (GM) sweet corn containing Bt toxin, designed to protect the plant by rupturing the stomach of any insect that feeds on it. Monsanto claims the toxin will break down before the corn makes it to your dinner table, but rats fed with the GM corn showed organ failure, and the toxin has been detected in the bodies of pregnant women.--Want to avoid this toxic product?  Too bad – it will arrive on shelves unlabeled and untested on humans, starting with this years’ corn crop.Consumers are fighting back. Thanks to consumer pressure, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and General Mills have all agreed to not use Monsanto’s GM sweet corn in any of their products. But Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest organic retailer, is holding out.

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Bye, bye, privacy. Canada introduces online-spying bill

Move over, SOPA and say your prayers, PIPA. There’s a new bill in the works that, if passed, will pull the plug on how the Internet is used in Canada. ---Lawmakers in the Great White North are debating a bill that will pulverize what’s left of online privacy for Canucks. ---The Investigative Powers for the 21st Century Act (Bill C-51) is legislation that isn’t new to Canadian Parliament, but after a series of additions and other changes, lawmakers there are expected to begin discussion on it this week. If passed, law enforcement there will be able to monitor all Internet and telephone activity from anyone, anywhere in the country, without having to obtain a warrant.---According to the Calgary Herald out of the province of Alberta, a Conservative-majority government is likely to pass the bill.---Vic Toews, Canada’s minister of public safety, thinks the bill is necessary for the welfare of the nation. "We are proposing to bring to measure, to bring laws into the twenty-first century and provide police with the lawful tools that they need," he pleads. -Opponents of Toews, however, say that the bill will do far more harm than good. --"I know the criminal justice system is constantly looking for information about criminals, child pornographers etc, but at the same time it seems like an invasion of everyone's personal information," University student Jared Exner tells CTV. He’s used the Internet his whole life and is aware of legislation already in place to thwart such things as child pornography. If Bill C-51 is passed, however, anyone operating on the Web or on a mobile device in Canada will be subject to instantaneous, no-questions-asked surveillance. --Towes insists that it’s an issue that’s either black or white. Canadians, says the minister, "can either stand with us or with the child pornographers."--In an earlier form, the bill died in Parliament along with a provision that allowed “warrantless access” for authorities. A campaign managed to help kill that addendum, but it is back once again. If passed, authorities will be able to view anything, anytime, and some fear that it was install Big Brother over all too broad of a medium.--"It could include anything from email addresses to IP addresses and cellphone-identified numbers," University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist tells the Winnipeg Free Press. "The ability to use that kind of information in a highly sensitive way without any real oversight is very real."---By forcing Internet and cell providers to handle IP addresses, profiles can be constructed of any Canuck that details practically every move they make online. Geist thinks of that as way too encompassing of a regulation and questions why it is even needed.---"One thing (the government) has never provided is the evidence to show how the current set of laws has stymied investigations or created a significant barrier to ensure that we're safe in Canada,” he adds.--Others fear that if Canadian officials have the power to monitor in real-time without warrants, the all-watching eye will seemingly cease civil liberties.--"How can we trust them not to use private information to intimidate law abiding Canadians to protest a pipeline, or protest pension cut?" asks Francis Scarpaleggia, a Liberal MP for Lac-Saint-Loius. Like Exner, Scarpaleggia is opposed to the bill. New Democratic Party member and digital critic Charlie Angus also is against it, and warns Parliament that, if passed, it will turn each Canadian’s cell-phone into “an electronic prisoner’s bracelet.”---"I say to Vic Toews, 'Stop hiding behind the boogey man. Stop using the boogey man to attack the basic rights of Canadian citizens,’” adds Angus. “Is Vic Toews saying that every privacy commissioner in this country who has raised concerns about this government's attempt to erase the basic obligation to get a judicial warrant, is he saying that they're for child pornography?"---Nearly 100,000 Canadians have so far signed a "stop online spying” petition started by openmedia.ca, a net neutrality lobby group.

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[U1]A GOOD ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE WOULD KILL THIS OFF ---THIS IS A SCARE MONGERING ARTICL ON AN std THAT HAVE BEEN GENETICALLY ALTERED TO BECOME A BETTER KILLING MACHINE WHILE ENGAGING IN A NORMAL ACTIVITY

[U2]Genetic engineering Tampering--

[U3]I find this amusing that this just so happens to Target Men –and in a particular sexual activity---tt would appear this is a designer type infection targeting a specific activity with a specific gender—in ths case Men

[U4]AO= Agent Orange

[U5]Does this Sound Like Bio WarFare?? –look at what is going on one is polluting and poisoning and now a Second pollutant that offsets some of the first wave of pollutants abut requires more to further damage an already broken eco system

[U6]This is absurdity where Monsanto failed---they have had a resounding success in not only introducing this form of debilitation to the human race but while everyone was focused on Monsanto the other companies have been working in collusion to come up with even more ways to debilitate those of us who are not

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HOME

Show of the Week February 24 2012

Monsanto guilty of chemical poisoning in France

Free speech become too expensive!

Systematic review- the diagnosis and staging of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

EFSA sets recommended EU protein intakes at 0.8g/kg per day

Home Made Protein Shakes

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Monsanto guilty of chemical poisoning in France

Mon, Feb 13 2012--By Marion Douet

PARIS (Reuters) - A French court on Monday declared U.S. biotech giant Monsanto(MON.N: Quote, Profile, Research) guilty of chemical poisoning of a French farmer, a judgment that could lend weight to other health claims against pesticides.--In the first such case heard in court in France, grain grower Paul Francois says he suffered neurological problems including memory loss, headaches and stammering after inhaling Monsanto's (MON.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Lasso weedkiller in 2004.---He blames the agri-business giant for not providing adequate warnings on the product label.--The ruling was given by a court in Lyon, southeast France, which ordered an expert opinion of Francois's losses to establish the sum of damages.--Lawyers for Monsanto could not immediately be reached for comment.--Previous health claims from farmers have foundered because of the difficulty of establishing clear links between illnesses and exposure to pesticides.--"I am alive today, but part of the farming population is going to be sacrificed and is going to die because of this," Francois, 47, told Reuters.--He and other farmers suffering from illness set up an association last year to make a case that their health problems should be linked to their use of crop protection products.---The agricultural branch of the French social security system says that since 1996, it has gathered farmers' reports of sickness potentially related to pesticides, with about 200 alerts a year.---But only about 47 cases have been recognised as due to pesticides in the past 10 years. Francois, who suffers from neurological problems, obtained work invalidity status only after a court appeal.

LESS INTENSIVE NOW---The Francois case goes back to a period of intensive use of crop-protection chemicals in the European Union. The EU and its member countries have since banned a large number of substances considered dangerous.--Monsanto's Lasso was banned in France in 2007 following an EU directive after the product had already been withdrawn in some other countries.-France, the EU's largest agricultural producer, is now targetting a 50 percent reduction in pesticide use between 2008 and 2018, with initial results showing a 4 percent cut in farm and non-farm use in 2008-2010.---The Francois claim may be easier to argue than others because he can pinpoint a specific incident - inhaling the Lasso when cleaning the tank of his crop sprayer - whereas fellow farmers are trying to show accumulated effects from various products."It's like lying on a bed of thorns and trying to say which one cut you," said a farmer, who has recovered from prostate cancer and asked not to be named.--The French association of crop protection companies, UIPP, says pesticides are all subject to testing and that any evidence of a cancer risk in humans leads to withdrawal of products from the market.[U1] --"I think if we had a major health problem with pesticides, we would have already known about it," Jean-Charles Bocquet, UIPP's managing director, said.--The social security's farming branch this year is due to add Parkinson's disease to its list of conditions related to pesticide use after already recognising some cases of blood cancers and bladder and respiratory problems.--France's health and environment safety agency (ANSES), meanwhile, is conducting a study on farmers' health, with results expected next year.(Writing by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Muriel Boselli, Sybille de La Hamaide and Jane Baird)

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Free speech become too expensive!

http://alexandramorton.typepad.com /

Tomorrow, a judge in a BC court will be asked to make an instantaneous decision on day 20 of a 20-day trial whether to grant an injunction against Don Staniford speaking about the fish farm industry.-- Similarly, the proceedings in courtroom #52, Vancouver Law Courts would have little significance if you could not see the roles of Norway, China, Premier Christy Clark and shareholders. The defamation hearing Staniford vs. Mainstream is a test – can the corporate world tolerate democracy. --Big tobacco and Norwegian salmon feedlots hired the same strategist - Hill and Knowlton. The Tobacco Industry knew their product was suspect in killing people, and so it took skilled professionals to get people to keep buying cigarettes. Hill and Knowlton are top-flight, known for managing public relations for the Gulf War, the Exxon oil spill in Alaska, the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster and the massacre at Tiananmen Square. The salmon farmers have spent millions advertising just in the last two years.

But truth is more powerful.---Staniford used cigarette pack imagery (http://salmonfarmingkills.com) to make the point that farm salmon contain cancer-causing chemicals, that they are spreading like a cancer, choking off wild salmon migration routes and otherwise harming oceans worldwide. Staniford never named Mainstream in these graphics, but BC salmon farming is 92% Norwegian owned and Norway is the biggest shareholder in Mainstream’s parent company, Cermaq. So through Mainstream, Norway is attempting to protect its industry, calling for an immediate gag order on Staniford and $1 million in damages. ---Why such a big response to a guy with big mouth and no money?--Under the watchful eye of Justice Adair, we saw evidence that the salmon farming industry knew cancer-causing chemicals are in their product, even as they targeted pregnant women to eat more farm salmon---In 2011, a multi-million dollar ad campaign put fish farm propaganda in our mailboxes saying-“Farmed salmon is natural, nutritious and free of contaminants[U2] ”--They know there are contaminants in farm salmon, but they paid huge bucks to tell British Columbians there are none.--While the salmon farming industry has the resources to hire Hill and Knowlton, Staniford’s tools are biting satire, superheroes, three websites, a Captain Condom suit and edgy, British humor. He knows people won’t read dry exposés on the industry. So he pushed the limits and Norway is pushing back hard. Mr. Wotherspoon, commercial litigation lawyer for Fasken Martineau, with 9 offices around the world, is asking Justice Adair for an immediate gag order on Mr. Staniford to shut him up for the few remaining weeks he is in British Columbia, before he is deported.--Norwegians should be concerned about this. In 2010, the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Chinese free speech dissident, Lui Xiaobo. When Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann accepted the award on Xiaobo’s behalf she said-“To strangle freedom of speech is to trample on human rights, stifle humanity, and suppress truth.” --China took offence and imposed new rules concerning import of Norwegian farm salmon causing a 68% decline in shipments of Norwegian farm salmon to China. Massive stores of farm salmon rotted in warehouses. --While they are vulnerable to the trade winds they create, society’s rapacious corporate giants can save themselves from the spin of the vortex merely by leaning on another leg in another country. What Norway’s salmon feedlot operators lost in Norway, they gained in BC. BC farm salmon export to China skyrocketed from $249,000 in 2010 to more than $3.8 million in 2011 (Vancouver Sun, Feb 2012). --Now, however, free speech is threatening the profitable BC / China farm salmon connection. Staniford keeps saying salmon farming spreads disease. Indeed the ISA virus, the most lethal virus known to salmon and a form of influenza spread from Norway to Chile in 2007 causing 2 $billion dollars of damage. When my colleagues and I reported European strain ISA virus positive tests here in BC, what did the provincial Minister of Agriculture, Don McRae do? He made a statement that Premier Christy Clark would personally tell China we do not have ISA virus in BC. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency testified at the Cohen Inquiry in December that if ISA virus is in BC, trade in farm salmon could cease. --Recent industry trade paper headlines make it clear the farm salmon market is collapsing, because there is too much uneaten farm salmon on the market driving prices down below cost. Two weeks ago the US lifted a 20-year 24% duty on Norwegian farm salmon. This will allow Norwegian companies to sell more farm salmon to the U.S. and might save the motherships, but it puts their BC companies at greater risk.[U3] Farm salmon companies in BC report firing people and downsizing, they cannot survive without the Chinese market.---And so gale force winds spawned on the other side of the planet, when Norway having awarded one man for free speech, have slammed into a small courtroom in Vancouver where Norway seeks to take free speech away from another man. The structure of the courts and democracy are creaking, rivets popping, paint peeling.---Norway, I want to say to you - ISA virus is in BC, cancer-causing chemicals are in your fish, you do use BC as a dump as your companies never shovel their manure and wild fish are being killed in your pens. ---You can silence Staniford, but at what cost? You won’t hide these truths, because they are lying around in evidence everywhere. ---Corporations are like addicts, they can’t stop themselves. They are blind to everything, but the next quarter. What does it mean when you hand out the Nobel Peace prize in one part of the world and then work to erode democracy where it has become inconvenient to business? --

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Systematic review- the diagnosis and staging of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

J K Dowman,^*† J W Tomlinson,^‡ and P N Newsome^*†

^*Centre for Liver Research, 5th floor, Institute of Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK

^†The Liver Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK

^‡Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK

Dr J. K. Dowman, Centre for Liver Research, 5th floor, Institute of Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. E-mail: j.k.dowman@bham.ac.uk

This uncommissioned systematic review was subject to full peer-review.

Re-use of this article is permitted in accordance with the Terms and Conditions set out at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/onlineopen#OnlineOpen_Terms

Received September 7, 2010; Revised September 27, 2010; Revised December 2, 2010; Accepted December 6, 2010.

Re-use of this article is permitted in accordance with the Creative Commons Deed, Attribution 2.5, which does not permit commercial exploitation.

This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

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Abstract

Background

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most prevalent cause of liver disease in Western countries. The development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis identifies an at-risk group with increased risk of cardiovascular and liver-related deaths. The identification and management of this at-risk group remains a clinical challenge.

Aim

To perform a systematic review of the established and emerging strategies for the diagnosis and staging of NAFLD.

Methods

Relevant research and review articles were identified by searching PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE.

Results---There has been a substantial development of non-invasive risk scores, biomarker panels and radiological modalities to identify at-risk patients with NAFLD without recourse to liver biopsy on a routine basis. These modalities and algorithms have improved significantly in their diagnosis and staging of fibrosis and NASH in patients with NAFLD, and will likely impact on the number of patients undergoing liver biopsy.

Conclusions

Staging for NAFLD can now be performed by a combination of radiological and laboratory techniques, greatly reducing the requirement for invasive liver biopsy.

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Introduction

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a spectrum of disease ranging from simple steatosis, to inflammatory steatohepatitis (NASH) with increasing levels of fibrosis and ultimately cirrhosis. NAFLD is closely associated with obesity and insulin resistance, and is now recognised to represent the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome. Since the term NASH was first coined by Ludwig et al. in 1980,¹ the prevalence of NAFLD has risen rapidly in parallel with the dramatic rise in population levels of obesity and diabetes,² resulting in NAFLD now representing the most common cause of liver disease in the Western world.^3---Despite recent advances in elucidating the complex metabolic and inflammatory pathways involved in NAFLD, the pathogenesis of steatosis and progression to steatohepatitis and fibrosis/cirrhosis is not yet fully understood.^{4,

5} While steatosis alone appears to be associated with a relatively benign prognosis,⁶ factors known to be involved in progression to more advanced and clinically relevant disease include inflammatory cytokines/adipokines, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress.⁷ Insulin resistance causes impaired suppression of adipose tissue lipolysis, leading to increased efflux of free fatty acids (FFA) from adipose tissue to the liver.Ø⁸ Hyperinsulinaemia also promotes hepatic de novo lipogenesis, which is markedly increased in NAFLD patients compared with normal individuals.⁹ It is now recognised that FFA promote insulin resistance, inflammation and oxidative stress,^{10,
11} and thus rather than being harmful, hepatic triglyceride accumulation may actually be protective by preventing the harmful effects of FFA.¹² The important role of oxidative stress mechanisms, pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNFalpha and interleukin 6, and adipokines such as leptin (proinflammatory and pro-fibrotic), and adiponectin (anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitising), in promoting NASH are also becoming increasingly delineated.⁵ However, evidence that only a minority of patients with NAFLD progress to more advanced stages of NASH suggests that disease progression is likely to depend on a complex interplay between such factors and underlying genetic predisposition.^{4,
7---}The causes, epidemiology and natural history of NAFLD will be covered briefly, before discussing the established and emerging means of assessing and staging patients with NAFLD.

Causes of NAFLD

In the great majority of cases, NAFLD arises in association with one or more features of the metabolic syndrome, namely insulin resistance, glucose intolerance or diabetes, central obesity, dyslipidaemia and hypertension.^13–15 However, after exclusion of a history of significant alcohol intake, which is conventionally <20 g/day,¹⁶ other causes of steatosis which should be considered include nutritional causes, e.g. rapid weight loss and total parenteral nutrition, rare metabolic disorders and drug-induced steatosis. Commonly implicated agents include glucocorticoids, amiodarone, synthetic oestrogens and highly active antiretroviral drugs (HAART).^16–18 Steatosis is also frequently associated with hepatitis C, particularly genotype 3, and endocrine disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS),^{19,
20} hypopituitarism²¹ and hypothyroidism.²²

Epidemiology---The prevalence of NAFLD is estimated to be between 20% and 30% in Western adults,^{23,

24} rising to 90% in the morbidly obese.²⁵ NASH, the more advanced and clinically important form of NAFLD, is less common, with an estimated prevalence of 2–3% in the general population¹⁶ and 37% in the morbidly obese.²⁵ Of concern, NAFLD now affects 3% of the general paediatric population, rising to 53% in obese children,^{26,
27} with considerable implications for future disease burden. Steatosis was present in 70% of a large unselected cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes.²⁸

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease affects all ethnic groups, although prevalence appears to be higher in Hispanic and European Americans compared with African-Americans. This difference remains after controlling for insulin resistance and obesity^{23,
29} and may be related to ethnic differences in lipid metabolism.^{23,
30---}Natural history

Patients with a diagnosis of NAFLD have been shown across several studies to have a worse outcome when compared with an age and sex-matched general population.³¹ Of note, the excess mortality in this group is attributable to both cardiovascular and liver-related causes.^{32,
33} Since the description in 1999 of the prognostic relevance of different histological types of NAFLD,³⁴ several subsequent studies have demonstrated that the presence of just simple steatosis, with no inflammation or fibrosis, is associated with a similar overall and liver-related mortality to that of an age and gender matched general population. This reinforces the need to stratify patients with NAFLD into simple steatosis or more advanced disease. More advanced disease can be defined as advancing levels of fibrosis and/or the presence/level of inflammation and hepatocyte ballooning. This distinction is pertinent as cohort studies thus far have only identified advanced fibrosis, and not inflammation, as a predictor of worse clinical outcome.³² This may be a type 2 error reflecting small sample sizes, or it may be attributed to additional factors such as PNPLA3 polymorphisms³⁵ regulating the development of fibrosis.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed to identify studies assessing methods for the diagnosis and staging of NAFLD/NASH. Relevant articles were identified by searching the PubMed database, MEDLINE and EMBASE, limited to articles published in the English language but not date-restricted. Search terms included fatty liver, NAFLD, NASH, steatosis, AND biomarkers, non-invasive, diagnosis, assessment, staging. Additional searches were also made for each of the individual methods described, e.g. NAFLD fibrosis score, transient elastography, Fibroscan, Fibrotest etc. Selected articles referenced in these publications were also examined.

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Inclusion criteria

Studies were included if:

they were meta-analyses, systematic reviews or primary studies of one or more relevant diagnostic/staging tool;

they included at least 30 subjects, to reduce the risk of including underpowered studies;

liver biopsy was used as the reference standard;

the diagnosis of NAFLD had been established with exclusion of other causes of liver disease.

Exclusion criteria

Studies were excluded if:

publications were not in English;

data on disease stage e.g. fibrosis stage, was not identifiable;

they were only presented in abstract form.

Using the search strategy described above, approximately 150 articles were considered. Following review, 68 articles met the selection criteria and were included in the analyses.

Data extraction

JD performed the data extraction, which was then checked by the remaining authors (PN and JT).

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NAFLD: making the diagnosis

The diagnosis of NAFLD should be strongly suspected in the presence of features such as obesity, diabetes and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA); however, other causes should always be considered before attributing abnormal liver function tests (LFTs) to NAFLD alone (Figure 1). Alternative diagnoses which should be excluded by history and serological testing include the viral hepatitides, excess alcohol consumption, haemochromatosis, autoimmune liver disease, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, Wilson's disease and drug-induced liver dysfunction.

Figure 1

Making the diagnosis of NAFLD.

The majority of patients with NAFLD are asymptomatic and the diagnosis suspected after finding elevated transaminases on routine testing. Hepatic steatosis is also a frequent incidental finding on ultrasound scan (US) performed for other reasons such as suspected gallstone disease. The most common symptoms are right upper quadrant discomfort and fatigue, although the latter may also be caused by OSA which is frequently observed in the typically obese population with NAFLD. Hepatomegaly is the most common clinical finding, with signs of chronic liver disease rarely present in the absence of cirrhosis. A recent study reported the novel finding that increased dorsocervical lipohypertrophy was the anthropometric parameter most strongly associated with severity of steatohepatitis.³⁶

Although NAFLD is often diagnosed after the finding of mildly abnormal LFTs, more than two thirds of patients have normal aminotransferase levels at any given time³⁷ and the entire histological spectrum of NAFLD can be observed in patients with normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) values.^{38,
39} ALT is usually greater than aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and rarely more than three times the upper limit of normal. An AST:ALT ratio greater than 1.0 suggests the presence of more advanced disease.⁴⁰ Alkaline phosphatase can be slightly elevated but is rarely the only liver function test abnormality.⁴¹ Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is frequently elevated and may also be a marker of increased mortality.^{42,

43} Low albumin and hyperbilirubinaemia indicate advanced liver disease and are not otherwise features of NAFLD.⁴⁴ Iron studies may show an elevated ferritin in up to 50% of patients and elevated transferrin saturation in approximately 10%.⁴⁰ However, such findings do not appear to correlate with elevated hepatic iron concentration, and the role of hepatic iron in the pathogenesis of NASH remains unclear.^45--The Fatty Liver Index (FLI) was developed as a simple algorithm to predict fatty liver on USS in the general population.⁴⁶ The FLI uses four variables of BMI, waist circumference, GGT and serum triglyceride levels, and achieved an accuracy of 0.84 in detecting fatty liver.⁴⁶ The FLI has since been utilised by several groups in population studies of NAFLD.^47–49 Ultrasound (USS) is a commonly used test in patients with suspected NAFLD, with steatosis typically appearing as a hyperechogenic liver. A recent study examined the accuracy of USS in 235 patients with suspected liver disease who underwent liver biopsy, and showed a sensitivity of 64% and specificity of 97%, rising to 91% and 93% respectively in patients with at least 30% steatosis.⁵⁰ However, the presence of morbid obesity considerably reduces sensitivity and specificity.⁵¹ USS is unable to quantify the amount of fat present or provide any staging of disease,⁵² and is operator-dependent with significant intra- and inter-observer variability.⁵³

Other Sections▼

Staging of NAFLD

Having made a diagnosis of NAFLD, the next step is to determine the severity, as that provides important information on prognosis. Historically this has required liver biopsy, although there have been many recent advances which allow non-invasive management for many patients. When staging patients with NAFLD, there are two aspects to consider; (i) the level of fibrosis and (ii) the level of inflammation/ballooning (Table 1).

Table 1

Methods for assessing fibrosis and NASH

The histological spectrum of NAFLD ranges from simple steatosis through steatohepatitis to fibrosis and cirrhosis. There are no pathological changes which can definitively distinguish NAFLD from alcoholic liver disease (ALD), thus an accurate alcohol history is essential to distinguish between these two common conditions.⁵⁴ The histological changes in NAFLD are mainly parenchymal and in a perivenular location, although portal and periportal lesions may occur.⁵⁴ Simple steatosis is usually macrovesicular resulting from accumulation of triglycerides within hepatocytes.⁴⁴ Features of steatohepatitis include hepatocellular injury, characterised by ballooned hepatocytes, with inflammation and fibrosis.⁵⁴ Mitochondrial abnormalities may occur in NASH, but rarely in simple steatosis,¹¹ supporting a role for mitochondrial defects in the pathogenesis of NAFLD-related liver injury.^{54,
55} The typical histological features of steatosis and inflammation often disappear in advanced disease,^{56,
57} thus many cases of ‘cryptogenic’ cirrhosis are likely caused by NASH.^56–58 Hepatocellular carcinoma is a well-recognised complication of NASH-related cirrhosis,^{59,
60} but can also be associated with precirrhotic NAFLD.^{61,
62} Several systems have been proposed for the histological assessment of NAFLD, of which the Kleiner NAFLD activity score (NAS)⁶³ is probably the most well established. The NAS provides a composite score based on the degree of steatosis (0–3), lobular inflammation (0–3) and hepatocyte ballooning (0–2), with an additional score for fibrosis. A score of ≥5 suggests probable or definite NASH, and <3 indicates that NASH is unlikely.⁶³ However, although liver biopsy currently remains the gold standard for diagnosis of NASH, limitations of this technique include intra-observer variation^{63,

64} and sampling variability,^{65,

66} with features such as fibrosis often not uniformly distributed.⁵⁴[U4]

Non-invasive assessments of NAFLD severity---Such assessments can provide information on the amount of liver fibrosis and/or the presence of NASH, features which are usually, but not always, found together. The focus on fibrosis is based on cohort studies which demonstrate that fibrosis, rather than inflammation, predicts outcome. Several non-invasive diagnostic panels and scoring systems have been developed with varying diagnostic utility. The uneven distribution of fibrosis throughout the liver in NAFLD indicates that such scoring systems may potentially represent a more accurate reflection of global liver fibrosis severity than is permitted by the current gold standard liver biopsy,⁶⁷[U5] which samples only 1/50 000th of the organ and is prone to significant sampling error.^{65,
66}

Assessment of fibrosis

(i) Demographic factors and simple blood tests: Several diagnostic panels have been developed to facilitate the non-invasive assessment of NAFLD and differentiation between different stages of disease. These are generally based on a number of laboratory measurements, often in combination with clinical parameters such as age, sex and BMI. Such scoring systems have generally demonstrated greater utility in the detection of advanced fibrosis than intermediate and early stages of fibrosis, a group potentially more likely to benefit from therapeutic interventions.^37--The BARD score is a simple scoring system designed to identify NAFLD patients with a low risk of advanced disease. It combines three variables of BMI, AST/ALT ratio (AAR) and the presence of diabetes into a weighted sum (BMI ≥28 = 1 point, AAR of ≥0.8 = 2 points, DM = 1 point), to generate a score from 0 to 4. In the original study, a score of 2–4 was shown to be associated with an odds ratio for advanced fibrosis of 17 and a negative predictive value of 96%.⁶⁸ A further study of the BARD score in 138 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD revealed an area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC) of 0.67 (95% CI, 0.56–0.77), with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 51%, 77%, 45% and 81% respectively.⁶⁹ In a recent study including 145 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD, McPherson et al. compared the diagnostic performance of five simple non-invasive tests [BARD score, NAFLD fibrosis score, FIB-4 score, AST to platelet ratio index (APRI) and ALT/AST ratio], for the identification of NASH-related advanced fibrosis. Here the BARD score demonstrated an AUROC of 0.77, with sensitivity 89%, specificity 44%, NPV 95% and PPV 25%.⁷⁰ The BARD score was also validated in a Polish NAFLD cohort, where an NPV of 97% was demonstrated,⁷¹ but appeared less useful in a Japanese cohort, where the AUROC was 0.73 with NPV 77%.⁷² The BARD score is easily calculated and thus represents a simple tool for excluding the presence of advanced fibrosis in NAFLD patients. The AST-to-platelet ratio index (APRI),⁷³ AST/ALT ratio,⁷⁴ and FIB-4 score⁷⁵ have previously demonstrated utility in the non-invasive assessment of fibrosis in a number of chronic liver diseases. Several recent studies have also examined the role of these markers in NAFLD, as will be described.--The APRI was originally developed for use in chronic hepatitis C,⁷³ but its utility in NAFLD has since been studied by a number of groups. Using this score, Cales et al. demonstrated an AUROC of 0.866 for significant fibrosis, 0.861 for severe fibrosis and 0.842 for cirrhosis in a study of 235 NAFLD subjects.⁷⁶ However, significantly lower values were obtained in other studies, where AUROCs of 0.564 for significant fibrosis, 0.568 for advanced fibrosis,⁷⁷ and 0.786 for predicting cirrhosis⁷⁸ were demonstrated. In their study of 145 NAFLD patients, McPherson et al. reported an AUROC of 0.67 for the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis.⁷⁰

The AST/ALT ratio (AAR) is calculated using two widely available laboratory liver function tests. In addition to its utility as an individual marker, the AAR is also a component of several other fibrosis scoring systems including the NAFLD Fibrosis score and BARD score. Despite its simplicity, using a cut-off of 0.8 McPherson et al. demonstrated an AUROC of 0.83, with sensitivity 74%, specificity 78% and NPV of 93% for the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis in NAFLD using the AAR.⁷⁰ The United States Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN) recently investigated the utility of readily available clinical and laboratory variables to predict histological severity of NASH in >600 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD. In this study, a combination of serum AST, ALT and the AAR performed only modestly (AUROC 0.59) for predicting steatosis, but was able to predict cirrhosis with an AUROC of 0.81. However, the addition of demographic data, comorbidities and several other routinely measured laboratory tests increased the AUROCs to 0.79 for NASH and 0.96 for cirrhosis.^79--The FIB-4 test combines age with three standard biochemical values (platelets, ALT and AST) to assess fibrosis. In NAFLD FIB-4 has demonstrated similar results to the AST/ALT ratio where, using a cut-off of 1.3, an AUROC of 0.86, sensitivity 85%, specificity 65% and NPV of 95% were demonstrated for the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis.⁷⁰ In a US-based comparison of several non-invasive markers of fibrosis in 541 NAFLD patients, FIB-4 had the highest AUROC of 0.802, with PPV and NPV of 80% and 90% respectively for diagnosis of advanced fibrosis. In this study, AUROCs for the NAFLD fibrosis score, AAR, APRI, AST:platelet ratio and BARD score were 0.768, 0.742, 0.73, 0.72 and 0.70 respectively.^80---Increased serum GGT level has also been shown to be associated with advanced fibrosis in NAFLD, with a study of 50 NAFLD patients demonstrating an AUROC of 0.74 for the prediction of advanced fibrosis. Using a cut-off serum GGT value of 96.5 U/L, GGT predicted advanced fibrosis with 83% sensitivity and 69% specificity.^81--FibroMeter is a panel of serum markers which was originally developed for staging fibrosis in chronic HCV.⁸² However, FibroMeter NAFLD has since been developed which has shown good diagnostic accuracy in staging NASH-related fibrosis. This panel combines seven variables (age, weight, fasting glucose, AST, ALT, ferritin and platelet count), and in a study of 235 NAFLD patients demonstrated AUROCs of 0.943 for significant fibrosis, 0.937 for severe fibrosis and 0.904 for cirrhosis respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of FibroMeter for diagnosing significant fibrosis were 78.5%, 95.9%, 87.9 and 92.1%.⁷⁶

The NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS) is a panel comprising six variables of age, hyperglycaemia, BMI, platelet count, albumin and AST/ALT ratio, which was constructed using a large panel of 733 biopsy-proven NAFLD patients across several centres worldwide. Two cut-off scores were generated to predict the likelihood of the presence or absence of advanced fibrosis respectively.⁶⁷ In the original study, by applying the low cut-off score (−1.455), the NFS had an NPV of 93% and 88% in the estimation and validation groups respectively for excluding the presence of advanced fibrosis. By applying the high cut-off score (0.676), PPVs of 90% and 82% in the estimation and validation groups respectively were achieved for predicting the presence of advanced fibrosis. The AUROC was 0.84, and application of this model to the

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EFSA sets recommended EU protein intakes at 0.8g/kg per day
 
The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has published population reference intakes 
(PRIs) for protein, the latest stage of its work on dietary reference values (DRVs), 
with a particular focus on levels needed during pregnancy and childhood. A PRI indicates 
the amount of an individual nutrient that the majority of people in a population need for good health 
depending on their age and sex.---The population reference intake for adults of all ages was 
estimated to be 0.83g protein/kg body weight per day [U6] and,”  said the Parma-based 
assessor. .In delivering an opinion on EU is applicable both to high quality protein and 
to protein in mixed diets protein intakes, EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and 
Allergies (NDA) also acknowledged that intakes twice the 0.83 level were, regularly 
consumed from mixed diets by some physically active and healthy adults in Europe 
[U7] The NDA said such levels  are considered safe “Data from food consumption surveys show 
that actual mean protein intakes of adults in Europe are at, or more often above, the PRI of 0.83g/kg 
body weight per day,” the NDA wrote.---But less positively for industry, the panel said dietary 
reference values (DRVs) could not be established for several health conditions due to insufficient 
data The available data on the effects of an additional dietary protein intake beyond 
the PRI on muscle mass and function, on body weight control and obesity (risk) in 
children and adults, and on insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis do not 
provide evidence that can be considered as a criterion for determining DRVs for 
protein,” it said.--likewise, the available evidence does not permit the conclusion 
that an additional protein intake might affect bone mineral density and could be 
used as a criterion for the setting of DRVs for protein.”--In this way it added that DRVs 
could not be set for amino acids because they “are not provided as individual nutrients but in the 
form of protein.”“In addition, the Panel notes that more data are needed to obtain sufficiently precise 
values for indispensable amino acid requirement. ”Demographic breakdown The panel recommended 
PRIs for population groups such as pregnant women who should consume 1, 9 and 28g of
 protein per day in the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy respectively.
Lactating women should consume 19g/d for the first six months and 13g/d afterwards.-
[U8] Children should also increase intake above the PRI depending on their age.-” Patent 
pending Magtein promises to be the next key ingredient for memory and cognitive health.  Two 
published studies indicate Magtein’s role in short–term and long–term memory improvement and 
alleviating anxiety response-Data from dietary surveys show that the average protein intakes in 
European countries vary between 67-114g/d in adult men and 59-102g/d in women – between 12-20% 
of total energy intake for both sexes. The NDA said accurate European protein intake data per/kg was scarce 
but varied between 0.8 to 1.25g/kg for adults. EFSA has raised a number of positive points about protein, 
not least the possibility that the PRV should be increased for pregnant and lactating women, claims 
Suzane Leser, nutrition manager, Volac Lifestyle Ingredients. Labelling misalignment? Leser said that 
on reading the Opinion we see a potential misalignment between EFSA recommendations 
and the new Food Information Regulation (FIR”The EFSA opinion states that when the 
aim is to indicate a product’s potential to supply amino acids, the use of the NCF specific 
to the food is more relevant. For dairy products this is x 6.38 as established in Directive 92/46/
EEC for the sale of milk and milk products. However, to aid the simplicity of the labelling process the new
 Food Information Regulation states that a standard conversion rate should be used for all protein 
sources: x 6.25. This means that protein levels based on N x 6.25 typically underestimate
 the true protein contribution from high quality protein sources and, most critically,
 significantly overestimate the contribution from protein sources of low quality.[U9] ”
 She argues it is not just a consumer labelling issue but potentially one of resource efficiency. ”In line 
with the above Directive, dairy products are commonly traded with protein NCF x 6.38. Assuming all
 customers declare protein in compliance with labelling regulations as N x 6.25, there must be
 unnecessary over-supply. This is uneconomical because protein is the most costly of the food elements 
to consumers, and from a sustainability perspective hardly in line with the European Sustainable 
Consumption and Production Policies
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Home Made Protein Shakes—will give some ideas to make a good protein shake ( meal ) take 30 grams ( or one scoop of a container for protein ) of gelaton--- and add to 2 cups of water in a pot and boil and when water is boiling add the gelaton---in the blender add 3-4 eggs ( whole eggs with no shells) 1 tsp of oil or a slice of butter—add herbs or condiments of choice to this ( garlic and onion powders—sea salt—tumeric—pepper –paprika) once the gelaton is dissolved then get the blender going with the eggs –leave the lid on top and open center of lid where you can pour into the blender while blending---once the pot is emptied then allow for blending for about 2-4 minutes---when done you will have cooked the egg in that solution and it will have blended—you have now a protein shake with the equivalency of 45 grams of protein---

ØTake ¼ container of cottage cheese add to blender –add water 1 ½ cup – 2cup-add berries or fruit—add 1 tablespoon of oil of your choice—and add gelaton 15 grams—blend for 3 minutes—you have 40 grams of protein

ØTake yogurt ( Balkan Style original) and take half the container and add 1 multiple vitamin complete with B’s and other nutrients add 2 capsules—add fat ( of choice) and add water 2 cups—and add cocoa and 1 scoop of dried egg protein—blend together for 3 minutes—when done you have made a meal replacement with a complete meal 30 grams of protein

ØIn the Morning consume 3 eggs and 2 oz of yogurt and add fat to either the eggs or yogurt----have some fruit like apples or berries or citrus---have a tea---this will give you 20 grams of protein

So you can see how it is easy to get your daily requirement of protein—

ØDuring the day consume a adequate amount of protein from nut –animal –dairy sources –and always ad fat with the protein

TOP G

[U1]This is what the FDA used to do back in the 50’s til they were corrupted---so Europe still has it’s moral compass

[U2]ALL BS they have a high level of antiobiotic and genetic engineering so it is not all that safe

[U3]Only America Would Kill there own populace with poisons no one else would use

[U4]Pay attention to this—conventional diagnostics will not pick this up

[U5]Pay attention to this—conventional diagnostics will not pick this up

[U6]What you do is convert your weight to kilos ( divide by 2.2) and then divide that by .83—say your 150 lb person divide by 2.2 = 68 kilos ( approx) then divide that b 0.83—in this case 150 lb person would require minimally- 82 grams of protein a day based on this—and that would be as well contingent to physical activity

[U7]This would be accurate since they have a higher out put they would require more

[U8]Far to low this will not adequately sustain the protein requirements an in fact be deficient

[U9]This Hides Soy-Pea and hemp and the rice proteins which are way way down in the BV rating and if they set the standard to one universal measurement then they will confuse the consumer into thinking they have a good protein source when in fact what they are eating will shut down protein absorption and shut down independent suppliers of protein

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TOP H

HOME

Show of the Week February 27 2012

Fatty liver Resolutions

Food police reject preschooler's homemade lunch... in favour of chicken nuggets

Myths and Truths About Fiber

Butyrate—what it does

Betaine--- Recipe for NAFLD

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Fatty liver Resolutions

Betaine may help to prevent and reverse Fatty Liver.

Amino Acids

Cysteine may help to prevent Alcohol-induced Fatty Liver:

N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) may help to prevent Alcohol-induced Fatty Liver. references

S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe) may help to prevent and treat Fatty Liver. references

Taurine may help to prevent Alcohol-induced Fatty Liver.

Carbohydrates

Chondroitin Sulfate may counteract the ability of high consumption of Dietary Fats to cause Fatty Liver.

Lipids

Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA) may help to prevent Alcohol-induced Fatty Liver. references

Phosphatidylcholine may help to prevent and treat Fatty Liver.

Peptides

Carnitine may alleviate and prevent Fatty Liver – some evidence suggests that Carnitine deficiency within the Liver may be the underlying cause of Fatty Liver.

Polyphenols

Cynarin may inhibit the ability of Alcohol (ethanol) to cause Fatty Liver. references

Silymarin may alleviate Fatty Liver.

Vitamins

Fatty Liver may occur as a result of Choline deficiency.

Folic Acid may help to prevent (Alcohol-Related) Fatty Liver.

Inositol may help to prevent Fatty Liver. references

The Pantethine form of Vitamin B5 (600 mg per day) may cause the total disappearance of some cases of Fatty Liver.

Vitamin B12 may help to prevent Fatty Liver.

Vitamin C (when consumed prior to or during Alcohol consumption) may inhibit the ability of Alcohol to cause Fatty Liver.

Vitamin E (when consumed prior to or during Alcohol consumption) may inhibit the ability of Alcohol to cause Fatty Liver.

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Recipe for NAFLD---

Using beets and apple as a sauce—take 2 apples peeled and 1 beet chopped and add to a blender and add ¼ cup of water and blend til it is sauced –stop the blender and add to a glass container and utilized 2-3 oz 3 times a day to increase the betaine levels

Utilizing HCL supplements with pepsin taking them orally with every meal

Taurine Supplements will increase Bile salts that will break down the fatty build up in the liver

Sunflower Lecithin or Egg Yolk Lecithin—will remove the excessive fat build up

Lipase- will break down the fats in the diet will make it easier on the liver and pancreas

Using B5 daily will lower the fatty build up as well

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Food police reject preschooler's homemade lunch... in favour of chicken nuggets

By Meghan Keneally--15th February 2012

A preschool girl was told her homemade meal wasn't healthy enough - so a school cafeteria monitor made her eat chicken nuggets instead.--The rejected meal consisted of a turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread, with a side of a banana, potato chips, and apple juice.--“What got me so mad is, number one, don’t tell my kid I’m not packing her lunch box properly” , the mother from North Carolina, who wished to remain anonymous, told a local newspaper.--Homemade goodness: A 4-year-old girl was told that her turkey and cheese sandwich was unhealthy and a school monitor made her buy a lunch--Alternative: The school-made lunch included chicken nuggets instead--'I pack her lunchbox according to what she eats. It always consists of a fruit. It never consists of a vegetable. She eats vegetables at home because I have to watch her because she doesn’t really care for vegetables.'--The Department of Health and Human Services requires students to eat lunches that consist of meat, milk, grain, and two servings of fruit or vegetables.--It isn't clear what the entire meal that the cafeteria at West Hoke Elementary School consisted of, but all that the picky four-year-old girl ate were the chicken nuggets.--The mother still wonders what it was exactly that disqualified her meal, and she expects that the bag of potato chips were potentially the problem.--That said, Jani Kozlowski, the spokesperson from the DHHS children's division said that the meal sounds like it would have passed the federal guidelines test.--'With a turkey sandwich, that covers your protein, your grain, and if it had cheese on it, that’s the dairy,' Ms Kozlowski told The Carolina Journal.--'It sounds like the lunch itself would’ve met all of the standards,' she said, not having worked with the school in question herself.--On top of the wasted food that was sent home with the little girl at the end of the day was a $1.25 bill for the 'healthy' school lunch.-'I don't feel that I should pay for a cafeteria lunch when I provide lunch for her from home,' the mother wrote in a letter to her state representative.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101354/Food-police-reject-preschoolers-homemade-lunch--favour-chicken-nuggets.html#ixzz1mgu7JFmU

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Myths and Truths About Fiber

^[1]For decades, fiber has been touted as an essential component of a healthy diet. The supposed benefits of a high-fiber diet have been drilled into us through recommendations by our doctors, government, and the food industry alike, yet many of these health claims have not been proven by research.---In fact, many studies have demonstrated that excess intake of fiber may actually be harmful, particularly for gut health.--The majority of the research supporting the benefits of dietary fiber come from epidemiological studies that link the consumption of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables with a lowered risk of certain diseases such as obesity, heart disease and cancer, particularly colon cancer. (1 ^[2]) Yet when tested in the lab, controlled intervention trials that simply add fiber supplements to an otherwise consistent diet have not shown these protective effects. (2 ^[3]) (3 ^[4]) (4 ^[5])--The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily fiber intake of 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women (5 ^[6]), which may come from dietary fibers, both soluble or insoluble, or the addition of “functional fibers” to the diet. The IOM defines functional fibers as non-digestible carbohydrates that have been isolated or extracted from a natural plant or animal source, or they may be manufactured or synthesized. Examples of functional fibers are psyllium husks, chitin from crustacean shells, fructooligosaccharides, polydextrose, and resistant dextrins. (6 ^[7])---These functional fibers are often added to processed foods as a way to bulk up the fiber content for consumers looking to meet the IOM intake guidelines. A recent report by NPR commented that despite the lack of significant evidence linking fiber intake to health outcomes such as reduced heart disease or cancer, many consumers are buying foods that are fortified with synthetic fiber additives under the guise of health promotion. (7 ^[8]) Three grams of added fiber is enough to allow these food products to claim to be a good source of fiber, and the food industry has used these fiber guidelines as a way to increase their sales of grain-based products in particular. (8 ^[9])-Tan and Seow-Choen, in their 2007 editorial on fiber and colorectal disease, call insoluble fiber “the ultimate junk food”, as “it is neither digestible nor absorbable and therefore devoid of nutrition.” (9 ^[10]) Excess insoluble fiber can bind to minerals such as zinc, magnesium, calcium, and iron, preventing the absorption of these vital nutrients. (10 ^[11]) Large excesses of certain soluble fibers like pectin and guar may also inhibit pancreatic enzyme activity and protein digestion in the gut, leading to an anti-nutritive effect. (11 ^[10])-- The addition of insoluble and soluble fibers to processed foods may actually cause these foods to be even less nutritious than if they were not enriched with any fiber at all.--A high-fiber diet has also been described as a preventative strategy for the development of diverticulosis, a disease that is markedly more common in Western countries. However, when researchers tested the theory that a high-fiber diet prevented diverticulosis, they not only found that a high intake of fiber did not reduce the prevalence of diverticulosis, but that a high-fiber diet and greater number of bowel movements were independently associated with a higher prevalence of diverticula. (12 ^[12]) Interestingly, this study found no association between the presence of diverticulosis and red meat intake, fat intake, or physical activity, which are other factors commonly attributed to diverticulosis.--The researchers hypothesized that one possible effect of a high-fiber diet in the development of diverticulosis could be the quantitative and qualitative changes in gut bacteria due to the excessive fiber intake. Both insoluble and soluble fibers are shown to alter gut bacteria in as little as two weeks. (13 ^[13]) It is possible that the high levels of excess fiber and overgrowth of intestinal bacteria may have contributed to the development of diverticular pouches in the colon.-This hypothesis brings up another side to the fiber debate: the effect of dietary fiber on beneficial gut bacteria, as well as the bacterial fermentation of undigested soluble fiber into short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate. When we eat the soluble fibers found in whole plant foods, the bacteria in our gut ferment these fibers into short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, proprionate, and acetate, and greater amounts of fiber consumed will lead to greater short-chain fatty acid production. (14 ^[14]) In this case, naturally occurring soluble fibers are very important for feeding the friendly bacteria that live in our guts.[U1] --One of the risks of long term very low-carbohydrate (VLC) diets, in my view, is the potentially harmful effect they can have on beneficial gut flora. VLC diets starve both bad and good gut bacteria, which means these diets can have therapeutic effects on gut infections in the short term, but may actually contribute to insufficiency of beneficial strains of gut bacteria over the long term. Providing adequate levels of carbohydrate and soluble fiber to feed friendly bacteria is important for optimizing digestive health and maintaining the integrity of the gut lining through the production of short-chain fatty acids.--Stephan Guyenet has written an excellent blog post describing the benefits of butyrate and other short-chain fatty acids on the maintenance of healthy gut integrity. (15 ^[15]) Butyrate has anti-inflammatory effects, increases insulin sensitivity, and may delay the development of neurodegenerative diseases. It may also be helpful in the treatment of diseases of the colon such as Crohn’s, IBS or ulcerative colitis. (16 ^[16])---Stephan believes that butyrate may play a significant role in healthy metabolic function, stress resistance, and the immune response. He also asserts that the epidemiologically observed benefits of a diet high in naturally occurring fiber are likely due to the higher butyrate production from these diets. In this case, a higher fiber diet could be protective and beneficial for health, particularly if the fiber is soluble.

So what does this mean for our own consumption of fiber?

Ideally, dietary fiber should be coming from whole food plant sources. Many foods in the Paleo diet are great sources of both soluble and insoluble fiber, such as yams and sweet potatoes, green leafy vegetables, carrots and other root vegetables, fruits with an edible peel (like apples and pears), berries, seeds, and nuts. Interestingly, butyrate itself is also found in high-fat dairy products such as butter and cheese, and can also be provided by the bacteria found in fermented foods. (17 ^[17])----Although I recommend that most people get fiber from whole foods, there are some people that may benefit from soluble fiber supplementation – including those that aren’t able to eat fruit or starch due to blood sugar issues or weight regulation, and those with severely compromised gut flora or gut dysbiosis. In these cases I’ve found soluble fiber and/or prebiotic supplements to be helpful.---For healthy people, including a variety of fibrous whole plant foods, fermented foods, and high-fat dairy as tolerated should eliminate the need to supplement with extra fiber, especially those insoluble fibers that are from sources high in anti-nutrients. A Paleo diet with some level of attention paid to the quality and quantity of vegetables, fruits, and starchy tubers can provide adequate levels of soluble fiber to feed the friendly bacteria in the gut that convert these fibers into beneficial short-chain fats like butyrate.

Recommended supplements if needed:

Prebiotic: Klaire Labs Biotagen ^[18]

Soluble fiber: Organic Acacia Fiber ^[19]

Caution: it’s crucial to start with a very low dose of prebiotic or soluble fiber and build up slowly over time. This will minimize any potential adverse reaction that can occur with significant changes (even positive changes) to the gut microbiome. For Biotagen, start with 1/4 of 1/8 of a tsp (1/32 tsp.) and increase by 1/32 of a tsp every 4-5 days. For Organic Acacia Fiber, start with 1/4 of a tsp. once per day and build slowly from there.

[1] Image: http://chriskresser.com/wp-content/uploads/all-bran.jpg

[2] 1: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19335713

[3] 2: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10770980

[4] 3: http://jn.nutrition.org.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/content/133/10/3141.full

[5] 4: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12223437

[6] 5: http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Nutrition/DRIs/DRI_Macronutrients.pdf

[7] 6: http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/fiber

[8] 7: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/13/146706553/is-adding-fiber-to-food-really-good-for-your-health

[9] 8: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodSupply/FiberFactSheet.pdf

[10] 9: http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/13/4161.pdf

[11] 10: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408399109527539

[12] 12: http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(11)01509-5/abstract

[13] 13: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0271531705802167

[14] 14: http://chriskresser.comwww.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/33/4/754.pdf

[15] 15: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/12/butyric-acid-ancient-controller-of.html

[16] 16: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16633129

[17] 17: http://huntgatherlove.com/content/human-colon-evolution-part-4-secrets-butyrate

[18] Klaire Labs Biotagen: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PYXMTQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=chrikres-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001PYXMTQ

[19] Organic Acacia Fiber: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002ON8DU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=chrikres-

20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0002ON8DU

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Butyrate—what it does

Sources of Butyrate---

Butter:           3,230 Parmesan Cheese     1,510

Swiss Cheese 1,100 Cream            1,080

Cheddar Cheese        1,050 Gruyere Cheese        1,050

Edam Cheese            1,000 Gouda Cheese           1,000

Cream Cheese           1,000 Feta Cheese   775

Blue Cheese   658     Milk    75

Butyric Acid may Enhance the Function of these Substances

Microorganisms-Butyric Acid functions as a nutrient for the Beneficial Bacteria within the Digestive Tract.

Minerals-Butyric Acid may facilitate the absorption of Calcium in the Colon.

Butyric Acid may facilitate the absorption of Magnesium in the Colon.

These Substances may Enhance the Function of Butyric Acid

Carbohydrates---Dietary Carbohydrates (especially Polysaccharides) are fermented (by Beneficial Bacteria) within the Large Intestine resulting in the manufacture of Butyric Acid--Inulin may enhance the production of Butyric Acid in the Colon.

Of all Carbohydrates, Starch produces the greatest concentration of Butyric Acid:

The constituent of Starch that most contributes to the production of Butyric Acid is Amylose that escapes digestion (i.e. Resistant Starch).

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) (by nourishing Beneficial Bacteria in the Intestines which produce Butyric Acid) may facilitate the endogenous production of Butyric Acid in the digestive tract.

Larch Arabinogalactan may stimulate the body’s production of Butyric Acid.

Lipids---Acetic Acid may enhance the ability of Butyric Acid to stimulate the absorption of Calcium and Magnesium in the Colon.

Microorganisms--Beneficial Bacteria within the Large Intestine (especially the Colon) are responsible for the fermentation of dietary Carbohydrates that result in the production of Butyric Acid.

Pharmaceutical Drugs--Aspirin may enhances the ability of Butyric Acid to prevent Colon Cancer.

Resveratrol may enhance the ability of Butyric Acid to prevent Colon Cancer.

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Betaine

Betaine may help to prevent and reverse Fatty Liver. references

Amino Acids

Cysteine may help to prevent Alcohol-induced Fatty Liver: references

N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) may help to prevent Alcohol-induced Fatty Liver. references

S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe) may help to prevent and treat Fatty Liver. references

Taurine may help to prevent Alcohol-induced Fatty Liver. references

Carbohydrates

Chondroitin Sulfate may counteract the ability of high consumption of Dietary Fats to cause Fatty Liver. references

Lipids

Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA) may help to prevent Alcohol-induced Fatty Liver. references

Phosphatidylcholine may help to prevent and treat Fatty Liver. references

Peptides

Carnitine may alleviate and prevent Fatty Liver – some evidence suggests that Carnitine deficiency within the Liver may be the underlying cause of Fatty Liver. references

Polyphenols

Cynarin may inhibit the ability of Alcohol (ethanol) to cause Fatty Liver. references

Silymarin may alleviate Fatty Liver. references

Vitamins

Fatty Liver may occur as a result of Choline deficiency. references

Folic Acid may help to prevent (Alcohol-Related) Fatty Liver. references

Inositol may help to prevent Fatty Liver. references

The Pantethine form of Vitamin B5 (600 mg per day) may cause the total disappearance of some cases of Fatty Liver.

Vitamin B12 may help to prevent Fatty Liver. references

Vitamin C (when consumed prior to or during Alcohol consumption) may inhibit the ability of Alcohol to cause Fatty Liver.

Vitamin E (when consumed prior to or during Alcohol consumption) may inhibit the ability of Alcohol to cause Fatty Liver.

Betaine-2

Betaine (especially the Trimethylglycine (TMG) form of Betaine) may help to prevent Cardiovascular Diseases (due to Betaine functioning as a methyl donor which lowers Homocysteine levels).

Digestive System

Betaine Hydrochloride may reduce the risk of Gallstones in persons with low levels of Hydrochloric Acid (i.e. in persons afflicted with Hypochlorhydria).

Betaine Hydrochloride may alleviate many cases of Heartburn (by increasing the level of Hydrochloric Acid in the Stomach).

Betaine Hydrochloride functions as a supplemental source of Hydrochloric Acid for Hypochlorhydria patients.

Betaine Hydrochloride may be useful for the treatment of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth Syndrome (Hypochlorhydria (lack of Hydrochloric Acid) patients have increased risk of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth Syndrome. Betaine Hydrochloride is a source of supplemental Hydrochloric Acid that may eliminate Hypochlorhydria and therefore eliminate the underlying cause of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth Syndrome). [more info]

Immune System

Betaine Hydrochloride may prevent and treat Allergies (insufficient production of Hydrochloric Acid in the Stomach (Hypochlorhydria) is believed to be an underlying cause of some Allergies and Betaine Hydrochloride is a supplemental source of Hydrochloric Acid).

Betaine Hydrochloride may suppress or kill Helicobacter pylori (Hypochlorhydria (lack of Hydrochloric Acid) patients have increased levels of Helicobacter pylori – Betaine Hydrochloride is a source of supplemental Hydrochloric Acid).

Metabolism

Betaine may improve Athletic Performance (by improving the body’s Energy levels, increasing Stamina and improving the body’s utilization of Oxygen).

Betaine may increase the body’s Energy levels.

Betaine may increase the Liver's efficiency in metabolizing Fatty Acids.

Betaine may reduce elevated Homocysteine levels (during its metabolism within the body, Betaine transfers one of its Methyl Groups to Homocysteine, causing Homocysteine to be converted to Methionine; Betaine, by losing one methyl group becomes Dimethyl Glycine (DMG)).

Betaine may detoxify and stimulate the Liver:

Betaine may help to prevent Cirrhosis.

Betaine may help to prevent and reverse Fatty Liver.

Betaine may improve the body’s utilization of Oxygen.

Betaine may increase Stamina.

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[U1]Prebiotic that converts into a probiotic