I was recently interviewed by Siim Land about my new book, "EMF*D," described by Siim as "the most comprehensive guide … to everything you need to know about EMF." In it, I explain what electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are, the different types of EMFs you're exposed to, the harms associated with exposure, the concerns surrounding 5G and, ultimately, how to protect yourself and limit your exposure. As I explain in the interview, the thing that catalyzed me to write "EMF*D" was my deep appreciation of the impact of mitochondrial function in health and disease. Once I realized how EMFs impact mitochondrial function — because it's very clear that EMF causes massive mitochondrial dysfunction — the danger our wireless society poses became very clear to me. Just recently, I read a study1 stressing the importance of mitochondrial numbers for improving senescent cells — cells that are, in a manner of speaking, "senile" and have stopped reproducing properly. Instead, senescent cells produce inflammation, contributing to old age and, ultimately, death. The fewer mitochondria you have, and the more dysfunctional they are, the faster you'll age and the more prone you'll be to chronic degenerative disease. By inducing mitochondrial dysfunction, our wireless world may well be driving us all into an early grave. Cellphone Industry Hides Truth by Manufacturing DoubtConsidering the research data now available, you'd think everyone would understand and accept the fact that EMF is a serious health danger, yet many are still completely in the dark. With "EMF*D," I hope to help more people understand this biological threat. In 2011, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified radiofrequency EMFs as "possibly carcinogenic to humans."2 Then, in 2018, the U.S. National Toxicology Program published two lifetime exposure studies conclusively showing cellphone exposure causes cancer. The NTP's findings were also duplicated by the Italian Ramazzini Institute just a couple of months later. In the wake of these studies, Fiorella Belpoggi, principal investigator and director of the Ramazzini Institute, urged the IARC to upgrade RF-EMF to "probably carcinogenic" or higher.3 Now, just like smoking cigarettes, EMF exposure takes decades before its effects become evident (and even then, the health problem might not be directly linkable to EMF exposure), and this is a significant part of the problem as it allows the telecom industry to — just like the tobacco industry before it — whitewash concerns, manipulate research and prevent proper safety studies from being done. There's no doubt cellphone manufacturers are aware that EMFs from cellphones contribute to health problems, though. The evidence has been published for decades, and new research is constantly being added. However, by downplaying positive findings and saying that findings of harm are inconclusive — in other words, by creating doubt and controversy — they effectively prevent the public from knowing the truth and demanding safer products. Wireless Industry Is Even Worse Than the Tobacco IndustryAnother wireless industry strategy that prevents the problem from becoming public knowledge is the capturing of our federal regulatory agencies, which the tobacco industry wasn't even capable of. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all warned people about smoking, yet the tobacco industry continued successfully selling cigarettes for another 20 or 30 years. The wireless industry, on the other hand, has captured the federal regulatory agencies, which prevents those warnings from being issued in the first place. For example, the chief lobbyist for the wireless industry, Tom Wheeler, was appointed by President Obama to be the head of the Federal Communications Commission, which is a most egregious example of the fox guarding the hen house. Not surprisingly, then, in December 2019 the FCC announced they're going to fund rural 5G deployment to the tune of $9 billion!4 As detailed in my February 1, 2020, article, "The War Against 5G Heats Up," the telecom industry has engaged in a vast and illegal fraud where, for decades, basic telephone rate payers — wire line customers — have funded the deployment of wireless in general, and now 5G in particular, through their phone bills. This illegal redirection of funds amounts to about $1 trillion over the past 15 years, and without this money, 5G would not have been possible in the first place. Were the wireless industry forced to pay its fair share of infrastructure costs, 5G simply wouldn't be economically feasible as a consumer product. What's so Great About 5G?What exactly is 5G and why do some people want it? In short, it's all about improving speed. Compared to 4G, 5G is 100 times faster. On a side note, you can determine what your bandwidth is by pulling up fast.com on your cellphone's browser. If you're on 4G, your bandwidth is probably not going to exceed 10 megabytes per second (mb/s). If you're on 5G, it's going to be between 500 and 800 mb/s. So, the primary benefit of 5G is noticeably faster speed. The vast majority of people simply don't need this kind of bandwidth, but it has great applications for commercial uses such as self-driving cars. The problem is, 5G may end up making the earth uninhabitable for many who are already struggling with electrosensitivity, and the countless others for whom 5G may prove to be the thing that tips them over the edge into electrohypersensitivity syndrome. Elon Musk's Starlink project, which is slated to deploy up to 42,000 satellites into low earth orbit, will blanket the entire planet with 5G internet. You won't be able to escape it, no matter how far into the wilderness you go. 5G Is a Prescription for Biological DisasterThen there are the long-term dangers of 5G, which we still do not have a complete picture of. There has not been a single safety study done on 5G. Studies using 2G, 3G and 4G, however, including the NTP and Ramazzini studies, clearly show there's cause for concern. 5G is more complex, as it uses a variety of frequencies, which makes it a potentially greater threat. The frequency of 4G is typically around 2 to 5 gigahertz (GHz), while 5G will be around 20 to 30 GHz, initially. Eventually, it may go as high as 80 GHz, which will cause problems for people trying to remediate exposures because there are currently no inexpensive meters that can measure frequencies that high. Based on the studies already done on previous generations of wireless, we know it's harmful, and 5G is only going to make matters worse, as it will dramatically increase our exposures. 5G requires what essentially amounts to a mini cellphone tower outside every fifth or sixth house on every block. We also have studies showing the impact of millimeter waves, which is what 5G is using, on insects, animals and plants, and those hazards are well-documented. So, it doesn't just pose a problem for human health, but for the ecosystem as a whole. Martin Pall, Ph.D., wrote an excellent paper explaining how EMFs affect your voltage gated calcium channels (VGCCs) — channels in the outer plasma membrane of your cells. Each VGCC has a voltage sensor, a structure that detects electrical changes across the plasma membrane and opens the channel. EMFs work through the voltage sensor to activate the channel and radically increase intracellular calcium levels into dangerous ranges. Similar channels are found in most biological life, including animals, insects, plants and trees. So, flooding the planet with these frequencies will undoubtedly have serious biological consequences across the ecosystem. As such, it's an existential threat to humanity. One biological consequence is arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). Other potential consequences include autism and Alzheimer's. Heart and neurological problems top the list because your heart and brain have the greatest density of VGCCs. Men's testes also have a very high density of VGCCs and, indeed, we have evidence showing EMFs increase men's risk of infertility. Everything points to these frequencies being a prescription for biological disaster, and between skyrocketing autism, Alzheimer's and infertility rates, how can a society be sustained? It can't. It will be extinguished. We Don't Need Wireless 5GIn reality, we can still get the bandwidth of 5G without 5G wireless. The alternative would be to deploy fiber optic cable. It's faster, safer and less expensive. Unfortunately, the money originally set aside to implement nationwide fiber optics was rerouted and illegally used to build the wireless infrastructure instead. This is why a group called The Irregulators5 are now suing the FCC to put a stop to the illegal subsidy to the wireless industry. Wireline customers paid for an upgrade to fast and safe fiber optic wiring across the nation, but now we're getting harmful 5G wireless instead. As explained in "The War Against 5G Heats Up" (hyperlinked above), this lawsuit has the potential to alter the telecommunications industry from the ground up, and may be the "weapon" we need to halt to the 5G rollout in the U.S. The Importance of EMF Avoidance to Protect Your NAD+ LevelAlong with practical remediation strategies, "EMF*D" also covers things you can do to protect yourself on a biochemical level. A perfect storm of DNA and cellular protein and membrane destruction is created when you aren't burning fat for fuel (which creates excess superoxide) and then get exposed to EMFs. This causes a radical increase in nitric oxide release that nearly instantaneously combines with superoxide to create enormous levels of peroxynitrate, which triggers a cascade of destructive events to your cellular and mitochondrial DNA, membranes and proteins. Although all biologic damage is of concern, it is the DNA strand breaks that are most concerning as they will lead to a radical increase in inflammation and virtually all degenerative diseases. The good news is your body has the ability to repair this damaged DNA with a family of enzymes called poly ADP ribose polymerase or PARP It is a very effective repair system and works wonderfully to repair the damage as long as it has enough fuel in the form of NAD+. The bad news is many of us are running low on this fuel. When excess peroxynitrate activates PARP to repair the DNA damage, it consumes NAD+, and if you run out, you can't repair the damage. This appears to be a central cause for most of the diseases we now see in the modern world. Optimizing your NAD+ levels may be the single most important strategy for improving your mitochondrial health. The first step is to reduce NAD+ consumption by the correct diet (low in processed foods and net carbohydrates and higher in healthy fats), along with EMF avoidance, as recent research shows NAD+ levels dramatically drop when exposed to EMFs. Time restricted eating is also very helpful, as is exercise, both of which are powerful, inexpensive and safe ways to boost your NAD+ level. Helpful Strategies to Limit EMF DamageIn "EMF*D" I also cover the Nrf2 pathway and the importance of minerals such as magnesium to limit the biological damage caused by EMFs. As explained in this interview, upregulating your Nrf2 pathway activates genes that have powerful antioxidant effects, thus helping protect against EMF damage, while magnesium — which is a natural calcium channel blocker — helps reduce the effects of EMF on your VGCCs. On a side note, molecular hydrogen tablets are an excellent source of ionic elemental magnesium. Each tablet provides about 80 milligrams of ionic elemental magnesium. Addressing EMF Pollution — A 21st Century Health ImperativeThere's no doubt in my mind that EMF exposure is an important lifestyle component that needs to be addressed if you're concerned about your health, which is why I spent three years writing "EMF*D." My aim was to create a comprehensive and informative guide, detailing not only the risks, but also what you can do to mitigate unavoidable exposures. To get you started, see the tips listed in my previous article, "Top 19 Tips to Reduce Your EMF Exposure." If you know or suspect you might already be developing a sensitivity to EMFs (full-blown hypersensitivity can often strike seemingly overnight), mitigating your exposures will be particularly paramount. Many sufferers become obsessed with finding solutions, as the effects can be severely crippling. My book can be a valuable resource in your quest for relief. The EMF Experts website6 also lists EMF groups worldwide, to which you can turn with questions, concerns and support, and EMFsafehome.com7 lists a number of publications where you can learn more about the dangers of EMFs. Should you need help remediating your home, consider hiring a trained building biologist to get it done right. A listing can be found on the International Institute for Building-Biology & Ecology's website.8 Brian Hoyer, a leading EMF expert9 and a primary consultant for "EMF*D" also has a company called Shielded Healing that can provide a thorough analysis of the EMF exposure in your home, and help you devise a remediation plan. You can listen to our excellent three-hour interview for more information, featured in "Your EMF Questions Answered Part 1" and "Your EMF Questions Answered Part 2." from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/02/29/5g-health-hazards.aspx
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Do you feel like doing something out of the ordinary today? It might be because on Leap Day interesting things have happened throughout history. Everyone knows you have 365 days on the calendar, but nearly every four years you get an extra day. This happens since nearly every four years the dates on the calendar don’t line up with the true year, or the amount of time it takes the Earth to orbit the sun. In other words, leap year is the year an extra day is added to the month of February to synchronize the seasons with the calendar. If you think having a leap year is confusing, wait until we talk about the "leap second."1 In both cases, with the Leap Day and leap second, scientists adjust the calendar and time to bring the solar day into alignment with Universal Time used in sensitive applications, aviation and the internet. A leap second accounts for a difference in the gravitational pull on the Earth from the sun and moon. As the Earth rotates it slows imperceptibly so one second of time is added intermittently to the clock. The last one happened at midnight December 31, 2016, and the next is scheduled for June 30, 2020. The extra second has been added 27 times since 1972. While a leap second may be fascinating, it is unnoticeable in your day. But, an extra day every 4 years may be something to celebrate. It Started as Julian and Ended as GregorianThe addition of one day every four years is due to the sun. It takes the Earth 365.242189 days to rotate around the sun one time. Expressed another way, circling the sun takes 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds. When calendars to mark the year were first created, they were based on 365 days in a year without any additional hours or minutes. The change began in 46 BC2 when Julius Caesar asked the Greek astronomer Sosigenes to adjust the Roman calendar with the seasons.3 One of the adjustments called for an extra day to keep the calendar, Earth and sun in sync. But too many leap years created another problem. By 1577 the difference between the number of days in the Julian calendar base — 365.25 days — and the actual number of days — 365.24219 — resulted in the calendar being 10 days out of alignment with the Earth's position relative to the sun. To correct for the 11-minute discrepancy, Pope Gregory XIII created the Gregorian calendar.4 At the same time, 10 days were dropped from October that year and February 29 became the official additional day. The point was to make sure the spring and autumn equinoxes fell on the same days each year.5 The equinox describes the tilt of the Earth's equator in relation to the sun over the course of one year.6 The word is from Latin, meaning aequus (equal) and nox (night) since on the spring and autumn equinox the length of day and night are each 12 hours at all points except at the North and South Poles. Technically, Leap Year Doesn’t Happen Every Four YearsAlthough leap year happens on your calendar every four years, it doesn't happen exactly every four years. During Leap Year the extra day is added to the end of February making that year 366 days. If the solar year, sometimes called the tropical year,7 was precisely six hours longer than the calendar year, then adding one day every four years would make up for the 24 hours lost.8 Instead, the time difference is 11 minutes short of six hours. Without the addition of a leap year the calendar would be off 24 days every 100 years, which would quickly put Christmas during summer in the Northern Hemisphere. However, if a leap year happens exactly every four years, the calendar would also shift, albeit more slowly, by 11 minutes each year. So, a Gregorian calendar has a slightly more complex set of guidelines. The criteria that helps identify which years are leap years begins with the rule of division. If the year is divisible by four then it is a leap year. However, years that mark centuries are different. These must be divisible by 400. This meant 2000 and 2400 are leap years but 2200 will not be. Odd Things May Happen on Leap DayThe idea of adding an extra day to the calendar every four years seemed silly to some. One British play poked fun at it with the inclusion of a joke that on that day, women could act like men.9 The play was meant to be ridiculous but by the 1700s a tradition was born. Now it's known as Bachelor's Day in the U.K. or Sadie Hawkins Day in the U.S., a day when it's acceptable for women to ask men for their "hand in marriage." The tradition continues to be popular in the U.K., inspiring some stores to offer discount wedding packages to those who said yes on Leap Day. One legend has it that women proposing on Leap Day dates back to when English law didn't recognize February 29.10 The idea was if a day has no legal status it was acceptable to break tradition. In other cultures, a man would be fined if he said "no" to a woman's proposal of marriage on Leap Day. In Denmark he was bound to give her 12 pairs of gloves and in Finland, cloth for a skirt. Traditions attached to marriages in Leap Year don't stop there. In Greece, 20% of couples don't get married in Leap Year as they believe it's bad luck. Engaged couples aren't the only ones who think there may be some bad luck in the leap year. In Scotland they say, "Leap Year was ne'er a good sheep year." as they thought livestock didn't thrive in those years. Mother Nature Network reports the Italians go a bit further:11
The twin cities Anthony, Texas, and Anthony, New Mexico, took the concept of Leap Year to heart and declared themselves the leap year capitals of the world. Each year they throw a Worldwide Leap Year Festival that goes on for four days, including a birthday party for those who were born on the day.12 The festival was proposed in 1988 when two women born on Leap Day, one in each city, proposed the event that includes parades, dancing and tours. The gala has attracted people from around the world.13 In Honor of the Leap Year BabyMost of the 4.1 million "leaplings" or "leapers" don't wait four years to celebrate.14 Birthdays are either commemorated on February 28 or March 1 — until February 29 rolls around again. The chance of being born on that day is 1 in 1,461, according to History.com.15 If the chances of being born on Leap Day are that low, then what are the odds that one family might have three children born on consecutive leap days? History.com reports that the Henriksens of Norway made the Guinness Book of World Records when Heidi, Olav and Leif-Martin were born in 1960, 1964 and 1968, respectively. Others who claim Leap Day as the day of their birth include singer actress Dinah Shore, motivational speaker Tony Robbins and big band leader Jimmy Dorsey. Those born on Leap Day have access to a special club launched in 1997.16 The mission of the Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies (HSLYDB) is to promote awareness and the challenges people born on Leap Day face with insurance companies and governmental documents. The website says:17
Corporations also have had some difficulty with people born on a day happening only once every four years. In 2008 Toys R Us had a computer glitch that caused Leap Year babies to miss out on their personalized birthday cards from Geoffrey the Giraffe, the Toys R Us mascot.18 The problem was fixed after the co-founder of the HSLYDB wrote:
What’s Happened on Leap Day?More than a few interesting events have happened on February 29. One quirky item is February 30. This rare date happened in 1712 in Sweden and Finland when they added the day as they switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar.19 Here are several more happenings on a day that happens just once every four years: • Salem Witch Trials -- The first arrest warrants were issued on February 29, 1692, for Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba. Good hung after refusing to confess, Osborne perished in prison and Tituba admitted to being a witch, earning her release a year later.20 • La Bougie du Sapeur -- You can purchase this French newspaper published once every four years for €4 at a newsstand.21 The publication, The Sapper's Candle, is a spoof that takes its lead from a "Sapper," the name for a military engineer known for digging trenches and tunnels.22 • Buddy Holly's Glasses -- The lost was found on February 29, 1980, when county Sheriff Jerry Allen found the famed singer’s trademark glasses buried in an envelope in old court records.23 The glasses were initially recovered in the spring after the plane crash that killed Holly and the Big Bopper in the winter of 1959. They were then sealed in a manila envelope. It was over 20 years later when the frames were returned to Holly's widow. • Hank Aaron -- February 29, 1972, Hank Aaron became the highest paid major league baseball player in history, earning a $200,000 contract to play in Atlanta. from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/02/29/leap-year-facts.aspx According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,1 nearly 805,000 Americans have a heart attack each year, and 605,000 are first heart attacks. Knowing the risk factors, symptoms and how to take early action will increase your chances of survival. However, what may look and feel like an apparent heart attack may actually be a panic attack, and according to researchers, the cost of misdiagnosing noncardiac chest pain is high.2 "It is important for physicians to be able to recognize panic attacks and to distinguish them from cardiac disease, thus avoiding unnecessary use of health care resources," one report states.3 An investigation4 published in 1996 found that 25% of emergency room patients presenting with chest pain met the DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder, yet attending emergency department cardiologists failed to recognize patients having a panic attack 98% of the time. As noted by the authors:5
So, just how do you tell the two apart? Before we get into those details, let's take a look at the common signs and symptoms associated with each. Symptoms of Heart AttackWhen a heart attack starts, blood flow to your heart has suddenly become blocked and the muscle can't get oxygen. If not treated quickly, the muscle fails to pump and begins to die. While often a result of coronary heart disease, a heart attack can also be caused by a blood clot blocking an artery. Some of the most common symptoms of a heart attack include:6
Symptoms of Panic AttackA panic attack typically comes on abruptly, producing intense fear and a sense of impending doom or even death that is typically severely disproportionate to the situation at hand. Common symptoms include:
Panic attacks tend to peak within 10 minutes, and most subside within 30 minutes. Few last more than one hour. It's not uncommon for people to seek medical help, thinking they're having a heart attack or are dying, when panic attacks first set in and they're unfamiliar with the symptoms.7 How to Tell Them ApartWhile it can be very difficult to tell a panic attack from a heart attack, some generalizations can be made that can help tell them apart.8
Don't Ignore Your SymptomsWhen in doubt, seek immediate medical attention. It's better to be safe than sorry, as sudden death is the most common symptom of a heart attack. As noted by Dr. Sam Torbati, medical director of the Ruth and Harry Roman Emergency Department in an interview for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center:9
Possible Connection Between Panic Disorder and CADIt's also worth getting your symptoms checked out even if you're certain they're due to a panic attack. Some research suggests there may in fact be a connection between panic disorder and coronary artery disease, although the exact relationship is still unclear. According to a 2008 review in The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry:10
The review11 cites evidence suggesting ischemia is the cause of the chest pain felt during a panic attack, and researchers have found there's an association between panic attacks and ischemic and nonischemic chest pain alike. According to the authors, "Myocardial ischemia could cause panic attacks via increased catecholamines or cerebral carbon dioxide levels secondary to lactate." What's more, when looking at a large managed care database, researchers found an association between panic disorder and coronary heart disease and this association remained even after controlling for covariates.12 Overall, patients with panic disorder were between 80% and 91% more likely to also have coronary heart disease. Patients diagnosed with both panic disorder and depression were, on average, 260% more likely to develop coronary heart disease than patients without those mental health problems.13 On the flip side, research14 published in 2017 also points out that "Anxiety and its associated disorders are common in patients with cardiovascular disease and may significantly influence cardiac health." According to this paper:
Many Women Mistake Heart Attack Symptoms for AnxietyIt's also important to realize that the symptoms of heart attack can vary from person to person and some may have very few symptoms, especially women.15 Importantly, research16,17 shows women are less likely to report chest pain when having a heart attack. They're also less likely to suspect their discomfort is related to a heart problem. Compared to just 11.8% of men, 20.9% of women attributed their chest pain to stress or anxiety. Women also tend to describe their pain differently. They're more likely to use terms such as "pressure," "tightness" or "discomfort" in the chest rather than referring to it as "chest pain." Doctors are also more likely to dismiss women's complaints of chest pain as being noncardiac in nature. Overall, 53% of female heart attack patients reported that their doctor did not think their symptoms were heart-related, compared to 37% of male heart attack patients. Approximately 29.5% of women had actually sought medical help before being hospitalized with a heart attack, compared to just 22.1% of men. What these findings suggest is that women and their doctors tend to misdiagnose or dismiss symptoms of heart attack, placing women at a higher risk of death than men. As noted by the authors:18
Unfortunately, the absence of chest discomfort is a strong predictor of diagnosis and treatment delays.19 For this reason, it's important to remember there are many other symptoms that might indicate a heart attack in progress, including the following:20
Breathe Right to Quell Panic AttacksWhen it comes to panic attacks, familiarizing yourself with the function of your fight-or-flight response can be helpful to guide you toward self-help strategies that work for your unique situation. For example, contrary to popular belief, taking deep breaths can actually worsen a panic attack, as explained by Buteyko Breathing expert Patrick McKeown. A breathing exercise that can help quell anxiety and panic attacks is summarized below. This sequence helps retain and gently accumulate carbon dioxide (CO2), leading to calmer breathing and reduced anxiety. In other words, the urge to breathe will decline as you go into a more relaxed state.
McKeown has also written a book specifically aimed at the treatment of anxiety through optimal breathing, called "Anxiety Free: Stop Worrying and Quieten Your Mind — Featuring the Buteyko Breathing Method and Mindfulness," which can be found on Amazon.com.21 In addition to the book, ButeykoClinic.com also offers a one-hour online course and an audio version of the book, along with several free chapters22 and accompanying videos.23 EFT — A Long-Term Solution to AnxietyEnergy psychology techniques such as the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) can also be very effective for anxiety and panic attacks.24,25,26 EFT is akin to acupuncture, which is based on the concept that a vital energy flows through your body along invisible pathways known as meridians. EFT stimulates different energy meridian points in your body by tapping them with your fingertips, while simultaneously using custom-made verbal affirmations. This can be done alone or under the supervision of a qualified therapist. By doing so, you reprogram the way your body responds to emotional stressors. EFT is particularly powerful for treating stress and anxiety because it specifically targets your amygdala and hippocampus, which are the parts of your brain that help you decide whether or not something is a threat.27 EFT has also been scientifically shown to lower cortisol levels,28 which are elevated when you're stressed or anxious. In the video above, EFT therapist Julie Schiffman demonstrates how to tap for panic attacks. Please keep in mind that while anyone can learn to do EFT at home, self-treatment for serious issues like persistent anxiety is not recommended. For serious or complex issues, you need someone to guide you through the process. That said, the more you tap, the more skilled you'll become. Heart Attack PreventionAs for heart attacks, your best course of action is to take proactive measures to prevent them. According to a 2015 study, more than 70% of heart attacks could be prevented by implementing:29
To this I would add maintaining a healthy iron level is important for your heart, as various studies show that both iron deficiency and iron overload30 can be a significant risk factor for heart attack. For example, a Scandinavian study31 found elevated ferritin levels raised men's risk of heart attack two- to threefold. Another32 found elevated ferritin raised the risk of a fatal heart attack by 218% in men, while women with high levels were 5.53 times more likely to have a fatal heart attack. As discussed in "Why Hard Water Decreases Heart Attacks," magnesium insufficiency has also been implicated in heart attacks, so you want to make sure you're getting enough magnesium from your diet and/or supplements. In "Could You Have a Heart Attack and Not Know It?" I also review some of the underlying issues that cause heart attacks, and additional steps you can take to lower your risk. from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/02/27/panic-attack-vs-heart-attack.aspx Alzheimer’s disease, a condition characterized by an accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain, affects an estimated 5 million Americans; this number is expected to reach 14 million by 2060.1 With no known cure, researchers are scrambling to find treatments, often with a misguided focus on drugs designed to remove excess beta-amyloid in the brain. Drug development for Alzheimer’s has so far been a dismal failure, with 300 failed trials to date.2 Despite the history of letdowns, the latest failed drug trial is still making waves in the research community because there were high hopes that it would provide a breakthrough treatment for people with gene mutations known to cause Alzheimer’s. Now, with the experimental drugs failing to lead to improvements, researchers are asking if the focus on drugs to target and neutralize beta-amyloid in the brain is all wrong, and if other potential targets should become the focus of future research.3 Two Experimental Drugs Fail to Improve Alzheimer’sThe study, which was a collaboration between Washington University in St. Louis, drug companies Eli Lilly and Roche, the National Institutes of Health and others, involved 194 participants, of which 52 took Roche’s drug gantenerumab and 52 took Eli Lilly’s solanezumab. The drugs were intended to remove beta-amyloid from the brain, and while the researchers are still evaluating this outcome, they failed to achieve the primary outcome of the study, which was slowed cognitive decline, as measured by tests on thinking and memory. The study, Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network-Trials Unit (DIAN-TU), involved people with an inherited form of early-onset Alzheimer’s known as dominantly inherited Alzheimer’s disease or autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease, which account for less than 1% of Alzheimer’s cases.4 While in most cases Alzheimer’s symptoms begin after the age of 60, and risk increases with increasing age, people with this early-onset Alzheimer’s may begin to experience memory decline in their 30s, 40s or 50s. However, the brain changes that occur are similar in both those with inherited Alzheimer’s and the more common sporadic Alzheimer’s, so a treatment that works in one will likely work in the other. According to a Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis news release, a silent phase of Alzheimer’s occurs up to 20 years before symptoms develop. Study participants were expected to develop symptoms within 15 years of enrolling in the study or had very mild symptoms at the beginning of the study. Most also had early signs of the disease in their brains. Researchers explained:5
The news that the drugs had failed came after an average of five years of follow-up and was a shock even to the researchers. “It was really crushing,” lead study author Dr. Randall Bateman of Washington University St. Louis told The New York Times.6 However, should it have been so shocking, considering both drugs have failed previously? Experimental Drugs Have Failed in the PastResearchers with the featured study are still wondering whether the experimental drugs could work at different doses or if they would work better if they were started even earlier. However, past studies suggest the drugs are useless for Alzheimer’s. In one study of solanezumab, published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2018, patients with mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease received solanezumab or placebo intravenously every four weeks for 76 weeks.7 The drug did not significantly affect cognitive decline, and the researchers even suggested this could be because the target is all wrong:8
A study comparing gantenerumab at different doses with placebo came up with similarly disappointing results. A futility analysis was conducted when 50% of the patients had completed two years of treatment, and it found no differences between the drug or placebo, prompting researchers to stop the study early.9 A subsequent study that significantly increased the dose of the drug found it did reduce amyloid-beta plaques in Alzheimer’s patients,10 but how this translates to affecting cognitive decline remains to be seen. Beta-Amyloid Is a Symptom of Alzheimer’s — Not the CauseThe reason why beta-amyloid drugs continue to fail to improve Alzheimer’s disease is because beta-amyloid is a symptom of Alzheimer’s — not the cause. Alzheimer’s has many causes, as discussed eloquently by Dr. Dale Bredesen, professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, and author of “The End of Alzheimer’s: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline.”11 Bredesen’s ReCODE protocol evaluates 150 factors — including biochemistry, genetics and historical imaging — known to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. This identifies your disease subtype or combination of subtypes so an effective treatment protocol can be devised. For instance, Bredesen states that type 1 Alzheimer’s is “inflammatory” or “hot,” and patients present predominantly inflammatory symptoms. Type 2 is atrophic or “cold,” with patients presenting an atrophic response. In type 3, or toxic “vile” Alzheimer’s, patients have toxic exposures. There’s also a mixed type, type 1.5, which is referred to as “sweet” and is a subtype that involves both inflammation and atrophy processes, due to insulin resistance and glucose-induced inflammation. An algorithm is used to determine a percentage for each subtype based on the variables evaluated, and an individualized treatment protocol is created. ReCODE Protocol Leads to Improvement in 100 PatientsBredesen’s most recent publication is a case report of 100 patients using the ReCODE protocol.12,13 He has previously published three case reports, each involving just 10 patients. The fourth case report contains 100 patients treated at 15 different clinics across the U.S., all of which have documented pre- and post-cognitive testing. Not only did all show improvement in symptoms, some of them also showed improvement in their quantitative electroencephalographs (EEGs). Others who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with volumetrics also showed objective improvement. The results are impressive, to put it mildly. Here’s an example of just one patient’s outcome — a 73-year-old woman with cognitive decline who could not remember recent conversations, mixed up the names of people and pets and forgot the names of books she had read. Her significant other described her memory as “disastrous,” but this changed remarkably for the better:14
Understanding Ketosis and Autophagy for Alzheimer’sA hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s is that proteins are aggregated and typically misfolded. By inducing ketosis, improving insulin sensitivity and supporting the mitochondria, you can often regain the ability to refold or proteolyze misfolded proteins. Likewise, researchers wrote in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, “Research teams have reported some success in ameliorating the severity of symptoms in neurodegenerative diseases, most notably in patients with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease [via diet-induced ketosis and/or ingestion of ketone bodies] … ”15 Bredesen's ReCODE protocol makes use of nutritional ketosis, in which your body produces endogenous ketones (water-soluble fats), but that’s not all. Your body has a mechanism by which misfolded proteins are refolded. Heat-shock proteins play a central role in this process, and if the misfolding is too severe, the heat-shock proteins help remove them altogether. Heat-shock proteins are a corollary of autophagy, the process by which your body cleans out damaged organelles, which relates to Alzheimer’s because the refolding process is one of several factors that need to work in order for your brain to function. In Medicinal Research Reviews, researchers explained:16
Intermittent Fasting for Alzheimer’sUnfortunately, a vast majority of people do not have well-functioning autophagy, for the simple reason that they’re insulin-resistant. If you’re insulin-resistant, you cannot increase your adenosine 5’ monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) level, which prevents the inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and mTOR inhibition is one of the primary drivers of autophagy. Ultimately, Bredesen typically recommends an intermittent fasting approach, which helps your body to cycle through autophagy and the rebuilding phase:
To test your ketones, I recommend KetoCoachX.17 It’s one of the least expensive testing devices on the market right now. Another good one is KetoMojo. KetoCoach, however, is less expensive, the strips are individually packed and the device is about half as thick as KetoMojo’s, making it easier to travel with. While drug trials for Alzheimer’s continue to fail, Bredesen’s latest book, “The First Survivors of Alzheimer’s,” contains exciting first-person accounts from patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s who beat the odds and improved. You can learn more about Bredesen and his work by visiting his website, drbredesen.com. from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/02/27/all-wrong-about-alzheimers.aspx Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are among the most destructive chemicals in our environment. Exposure to them is linked to growth, neurological and learning disabilities, obesity, diabetes, male and female reproductive dysfunction, birth defects, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.1 EDCs are not just harmful — they are also found almost everywhere and hard to avoid. They lurk in food packaging, nonorganic food, nonstick cookware,2 detergents, cosmetics,3 lotions, products with fragrance, antibacterial soaps,4 medicines, toys,5 fabrics, carpets, furniture, construction materials treated with flame retardants, pesticides and more.6 When an endocrine-disrupting chemical exerts permanent and even transgenerational changes to fat cells it is sometimes called an obesogen. Experts believe obesogens encourage the growth of fat cells and fat accumulation through metabolic and appetite alterations that increase the number and size of adipose cells. Examples of obesogens are bisphenol-A and parabens, and other obesogens may be found in flame retardants, pesticides and other chemicals. But the good news is there are at least five ways you can reduce your exposure to EDCs and obesogens, according to Dr. Leonardo Trasande, who wrote about EDCs for Medscape. Top Five Tips to Avoid Dangerous ChemicalsHere are my five tips, adapted from Trasande’s article: 1. Beware of certain cookware -- Nonstick pans contain perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, chemicals that slow the metabolism rate and cause weight regain.7 Cast iron and stainless steel cookware are good alternatives. Use glass to store your food and reusable storage bags at home and to bring food home from the grocery store. 2. Fight indoor pollution -- Flame retardants used in mattresses, carpets, furniture and electronics accumulate in household dust, impairing thyroid function. Open windows and use a wet mop to diminish them. Check if your upholstery has added flame retardants.8 3. Eat organic and avoid canned foods -- Organic food is free from GMOs and pesticides, which may disrupt the thyroid, impair cognition and cause cancer.9 Choose grass fed, humanely raised meat and dairy products. Canned foods may contain bisphenols, which are estrogenic and make fat cells larger. They persist in the environment, double Type 2 diabetes risk and likely pose toxicity to embryos.10 Don't use pesticides on your lawn, and remove shoes when you enter your house. 4. Don't microwave, and avoid packaged goods -- A "microwave safe" label is misleading because microscopic polymers break down and get into food.11 Processed and packaged foods contain high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, pesticides and other obesogens. Phthalates in food packaging and take-out containers can impair lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and increase weight.12 5. Avoid vinyl and plastic -- Use a cloth shower curtain that can be machine washed. These stay cleaner and last longer than vinyl. Replace luggage and backpacks with products made of organic blend canvas. Obesogens and Obesity Are LinkedObesity has become a worldwide epidemic. Between 1980 and 2010 the rate of obesity in the U.S. doubled and, worldwide, the rate of obesity tripled.13 Obesity in children is especially booming, almost always condemning them to life as obese adults.14 Obesity, because of its association with Type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease, costs the U.S. approximately $200 billion a year. The common belief that increased caloric consumption and reduced exercise cause the obesity epidemic does not explain the phenomenon, says research in the journal Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology. Rather, people may be predisposed to obesity from exposure to obesogens in the womb, write the researchers.15
Other chemicals have similar effects, write the researchers, such as the fungicides triflumizole and tolylfluanid and the plasticizer diethylhexyl phthalate.16 Obesogens do not just increase the fat levels immediately seen in test animals: The fat augmentation properties may persist for generations, the researchers write.17
Apparently, obesogens not only can program organisms to accumulate fat; they can program their offspring to do the same. What Causes the Fat Accumulation to Occur?Researchers note in Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology that cells exposed to an obesogen did not accumulate more fat than unexposed cells but differ in another way: they "did not respond to normal signalling processes." Specifically, write the researchers, the cells:18
Like the research in Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology Research, a paper in Pediatric Research seems to confirm that obesogenic effects are seen transgenerationally. Fetal exposure to phthalates, which are obesogenic, is correlated with obesity in the exposed children, write the researchers.19
There Are More Obesity Links to ObesogensPerfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs, which are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are obesogenic, have also been linked to obesity in the scientific literature. A 2018 study in PLOS Medicine found:20
A 2018 study in Environmental Research on the exposure of pregnant women to phthalates also concluded:21
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Linked to DiabetesDiabetes is a major public health concern in the U.S. and other countries and endocrine disrupting chemicals contribute to the problem. Research in the journal Environmental Health Perspective finds "positive associations between exposure to BPA and BPS and the incidence of Type 2 diabetes, independent of traditional diabetes risk factors."22 Bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) are common EDCs. BPA is found in polycarbonate plastic and many canned foods, and metal jar lids have BPA in their linings.23 BPS, a BPA analogue, was thought to be safer than BPA, but research now reveals the two have similar risk profiles.24 Researchers in Environmental Health Perspectives wrote:25
Research in rats that was published in Environmental Health Perspectives in 2017 apparently duplicates the EDC and diabetes findings.26
The Endocrine Society Also Questions EDC SafetyThe Endocrine Society, the world’s largest organization of endocrine clinicians and scientists, has also researched the risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals. The society says it:27
Toxic Chemicals Are EverywhereToxic chemicals are all around; in your food, water, air and countless commonly used products and goods, and this onslaught is having a definitive effect — even when exposures are relatively low. Yes, plastics have made modern life more "convenient" but the harm they cause is not worth it. The dangers are especially pronounced during pregnancy and early infancy. The idea that chemicals affect your health should come as no surprise. What may be surprising is the extent of your exposure. Most of us go about our day, touching, eating, drinking and breathing with few concerns about what we’re actually coming into contact with. As you saw above in the different scientific studies, the obesogenic effects of EDCs are especially clear, causing obesity and other metabolic problems. Obesity, in turn, is linked to other diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers.28 But the damage from EDCs and obesogens can be reduced through commonsense lifestyle choices. from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/02/26/how-to-avoid-edcs.aspx Aside from causing a wide variety of side effects in those who take medications, the widespread routine use of pharmaceuticals also pose a serious risk to children who get their hands on them. As of 2016, nearly half of the U.S. population were on at least one medication.1,2 Twenty-four percent used three or more drugs, and 12.6% were on more than five different medications.3 According to the 2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 73.9% of all doctor’s visits also involved drug therapy.4 As one would expect, drug use dramatically increases with age. As of 2016, 18% of children under 12 were on prescription medication, compared to 85% of adults over the age of 60. While this trend is troubling enough, with prescription drugs now being a staple in most homes, the number of children suffering accidental poisoning is also on the rise. Medications Pose Serious Risks to Young ChildrenAccording to a 2012 article5,6 in The Journal of Pediatrics that reviewed patient records from the National Poison Data System of the American Association of Poison Control Centers, 453,559 children aged 5 or younger were admitted to a health care facility following exposure to a potentially toxic dose of a pharmaceutical drug between 2001 and 2008. In that time, drug poisonings rose 22%. Ninety-five percent of cases were due to self-exposure, meaning the children got into the medication and took it themselves, opposed to being given an excessive dose by error. Forty-three percent of all children admitted to the hospital after accidentally ingesting medication ended up in the intensive care unit, and prescription (opposed to over-the-counter) medications were responsible for 71% of serious injuries, with opioids, sedative-hypnotics and cardiovascular drugs topping the list of drugs causing serious harm. As noted by the authors:7
Keep All Drugs in Childproof ContainersIf you’re older, you may recall your parents or grandparents would have a lockable medicine cabinet where drugs were stored. Few people keep their medications in locked cabinets or boxes these days, failing to realize the serious risk they pose to young children. The hazard is further magnified if you sort your medications into easy-open daily pill organizers rather than keeping each drug in its original childproof container. A 2020 paper8,9 in The Journal of Pediatrics, which sought to “identify types of containers from which young children accessed solid dose medications during unsupervised medication exposures” found 51.5% involved drugs accessed as a result of having been removed from its original childproof packaging. Remarkably, in 49.3% of cases involving attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medications and 42.6% of cases involving an opioid, the drug was not in any container at all when accessed. In other words, the child found the pill or pills just laying out in the open. In 30.7% of all cases where a child ingested a drug, the exposure involved a grandparent’s medication. As noted by the authors:
Teen Drug Overdoses Are Also on the RiseWhile infants are notorious for putting anything and everything in their mouth, making them particularly vulnerable to accidental drug exposures, drug overdoses, particularly those involving opioids and benzodiazepines, are also becoming more prevalent among teens with access to these drugs. According to a 2019 study10 published in the journal Clinical Toxicology, 296,838 children under the age of 18 were exposed to benzodiazepines between January 2000 and December 2015. Over that time, benzodiazepine exposure in this age group increased by 54%. According to the authors:11
A similar trend has been found with opioids. A 2017 study12 looking at prescription opioid exposures among children and adolescents in the U.S. between 2000 and 2015 found:
Commonsense PrecautionsThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promotes and supports the Up and Away and Out of Sight campaign, which centers “around several simple, data-driven actions that parents and caregivers can take to prevent medication overdoses in the children they care about and care for.”13 These commonsense precautions include the following:14
What to Do in Case of Accidental Drug ExposureBe sure to keep the Poison Help number in your phone, and make sure your baby sitter or caregiver has it. In the U.S., the Poison Help number is 800-222-1222. If you suspect your child has taken a prescription or OTC medication, even if he or she is not yet exhibiting symptoms, call the Poison Help line immediately. If you’re unsure what medication your child may have taken, call 911 or the emergency number in your area for transportation to the nearest medical facility. Although your child may appear fine in the initial minutes, this can rapidly change. You want to start treatment as soon as possible to reduce the risk of permanent damage or potential death. Remember to bring with you the names of any medications your child may have accidentally ingested, as well as any medications your child has taken in the past 24 hours as prescribed by their doctor, any allergies they have, and any changes or symptoms you may have observed. Unfortunately, symptoms of a medication overdose can vary widely, depending on the drug, dosage and age of the child. That said, symptoms of an overdose may include:15
Should your child exhibit any of the following symptoms, call 911 (in the U.S.) immediately:16
Opioid Epidemic Takes Toll on Pediatric PopulationIt’s crucial to realize that many drugs can be life threatening to a young child, even in low doses. This is particularly true for opioids and buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid dependence. As noted in a 2005 paper17 on opioid exposure in toddlers:
Similarly, a 2006 paper18 on the adverse effects of unintentional buprenorphine exposure in children noted that:
The take-home message here is that as drug treatment increases and becomes ever-more prevalent among all age groups, the risk of unintentional exposure increases as well. Toddlers will stick just about anything in their mouth, and young children will often not recognize there’s a difference between pills and candy. As parents and caregivers, we simply must take the necessary precautions to keep all medications in a safe place, well out of reach of curious hands. Failure to safeguard your medications can have profoundly tragic consequences, so please, do not take this matter lightly. from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/02/26/pediatric-medication-toxicity.aspx Who wants to talk about poop? Well, unless you’re 5, it’s likely not a daily topic of conversation. But, if you’re constipated, it may be on your mind nearly every minute of the day until you find relief. Your poop can tell you a lot about your health. Its color, consistency, shape and form are important factors that reveal information about your intestinal health. How often you go is also an indicator. Straining can increase your risk of bowel and pelvic problems, while how you clean up afterward may have an impact on your exposure to pathogens. On the topic of toilet habits, the clean-up method you use is also important, not just for your health but also for the environment. If you watch any television at all, you’ve likely been convinced that softer toilet paper is better, two-ply is important and the more squares on the roll the better the value. However, more than one pooping principle is needed to keep things moving and sanitary. Clean Up in Aisle TwoIf you were raised in the U.S. you likely grew up using toilet paper and may not be aware of other options. Toilet paper may be standard in the U.S. but it isn’t necessarily the top choice for cleaning yourself after using the restroom. The best way — a bidet (pronounced bih-day) — is used so infrequently by Americans that Trip Savvy1 has dedicated a page to helping travelers who find themselves in a room with an accessory next to the toilet. There is some debate as to whether the bidet system was started by the French or the Italians.2 But once it was created, the designs became an art form and turned using the bathroom into an “experience.” One of the most well-known bidets was a silver one owned by Napoleon Bonaparte, who traveled with it and willed it to his son. Dr. Evan Goldstein, a rectal surgeon in New York, spoke with Insider about bidets, saying,3 "Charmin and all these brands have done a great job making us think that toilet paper is hygienic. It's not.” Those who advocate for the use of bidets say toilet paper does nothing more than smear poop across your backside without cleaning off the pathogens lurking in fecal material. Goldstein compared this to stepping in dog poop and then wiping off the bottom of your shoe, fully expecting all the poop to be gone.4 A bidet works by aiming a small stream of water around your anus to rinse off any material that’s left after you’ve had a bowel movement. There are several styles ranging from simple and inexpensive models that attach to your toilet, to fully automated fixtures with “antimicrobial sanitizing technology and motion-sensing lids.”5 The safety of a bidet is dependent on water pressure and the aim of the product. As you might imagine, men and women may find it uncomfortable — to say the least — if the pressure is high and it’s aimed a little too far forward. Women face a secondary risk of altered vaginal microflora and fecal contamination of the vagina.6 Since many models allow the user to aim the stream, this risk may be mitigated using the same technique women should use with toilet paper, cleaning from front to back to avoid contamination. The Issue With Tissue Is Virgin Forest FiberSome toilet paper may be necessary for patting your bottom dry after using a bidet, but not at the rate Americans are burning through it. CleanTechnica7 reports the average person in the U.S. will use 141 rolls in a year, or roughly 2.7 rolls of paper a week. With the U.S. Census Bureau8 reporting a current population of 329.2 million, all of whom will likely use toilet paper, it is obvious that tissue is big business. When choosing among the various brands, many people look for variables such as soft, strong and the ease in tearing portions away from the roll. One variable that isn't often considered is how many mature trees must be cut down so paper can be flushed away. What is cheap and convenient on the store shelves is creating a rising debt the planet is unable to pay. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC),9 most toilet paper products are made from wood pulled from virgin forests in northern Canada. Yet, options exist for manufacturing sustainably produced tissue products using responsibly sourced fibers. The NRDC report revealed:10
Devastation of the environment is causing massive harm to indigenous peoples who call the forest their home. This area where tree harvesting is taking place is also the only place on Earth where certain wildlife species may be found. Virgin forests exist in mature ecosystems without influence from humans. CleanTechnica describes the process of stripping the environment for tissue this way:11
In the NRDC report, they ranked tissue brands for sustainability from A to F. Brands receiving a “D” or “F” included Scott, Angel Soft, Quilted Northern and Charmin. Brands using recycled content received an “A” from NRDC and included:
Better Bowel Movements Start With FiberChoosing the best way to clean yourself after using the restroom isn’t the only concern. Chronic constipation is uncomfortable, sometimes painful, and can lead to more serious health problems such as colorectal cancer12 and chronic kidney disease.13 Constipation doesn't start at the end of the digestive process but, rather, at the beginning. In other words, many times problems with hard-to-pass stools begin with what you eat and drink. Some of the things that factor into the overall picture include dehydration, lack of fiber, changes to gut microbiota,14 taking certain medications and ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement.15 Lack of fiber and low fluid intake are two of the most frequently overlooked. Although you might be tempted to reach for a laxative if you struggle with constipation, when those medications are used frequently, they may result in dependency that ultimately exacerbates the issue.16 Instead, focus on your fluid intake and food choices to make a difference. Processed foods, for instance, have little fiber and they contribute to constipation, so swap them out for whole, raw fruits and vegetables. Processed foods are also high in sugar, which feeds unhealthy gut bacteria and triggers an imbalance that contributes to constipation.17 Foods known to help relieve constipation include leafy greens, avocados, fermented vegetables and prunes. In addition to eating foods high in fiber, it's important to stay hydrated. While it may be simpler to count the number of glasses of water you drink, it turns out that many foods also have high water content, such as leafy greens and melons. The best way to determine your hydration status is to look in the toilet after you go to the bathroom. Your urine should be a light-yellow, straw color. This color indicates you have enough fluid in your body to support your kidneys and intestines. As the color of your urine comes closer to amber, it means you're becoming dehydrated.18 Also, don't wait until you’re thirsty to start drinking.19 By the time you feel thirsty you're already dehydrated, which in turn can lead to constipation as your body tries to retain more water by drawing it out of your stool. Consider Your Potty Posture to Relieve the PressureThe posture you use on the toilet also has an influence on how easily you can empty your bowels. Most people sit on the toilet to poop but this actually puts your lower intestines in an awkward position, making it hard to fully evacuate. When you sit, your knees are close to a 90-degree angle in relation to your stomach. In this position the muscle around the neck of the rectum — the puborectalis muscle — tightens and makes it more difficult to pass stool.20 On the other hand, while you're squatting the puborectalis muscle relaxes and the rectum opens more fully, allowing for easier movement. If you find this conversation uncomfortable, it might be helpful to know even in medical circles discussions about assuming the position to poop has been avoided.21 Changing toilet habits over the years from squatting to sitting has increased the burden of pelvic disease, including bowel disease and pelvic floor injury in women. The authors of one recent study said:22
As evidence continues to emerge in support of changing your pooping posture, several devices have entered the market to help you achieve a squatting position while sitting on a toilet. After all, you don't want to give up indoor plumbing and most of us aren't coordinated enough to balance squatting on a toilet seat. One simple device is a foot stool23 that places your body in a more natural position. It is an inexpensive way to improve your posture and virtually anyone can benefit. Turn and Look Before You FlushHaving a regular bowel movement is important to optimal health and how you feel. If they come too frequently or not often enough it can make you bloated and uncomfortable, interfering with your body's ability to absorb nutrients. However, what's regular for one person may not be regular for another. Most experts consider anything from three bowels movements a day to three a week as being within a normal range.24 More important than this number is the ease with which you are able to go. It should take no more effort than urinating or passing gas. Once you've completed your mission it's important to turn around and look. Don't be embarrassed — no one's watching. Your stool is about 75% water25 and the rest is dead bacteria, indigestible food, fats and inorganic matter. What you see is an indication of how your gastrointestinal tract is functioning. You're evaluating the color, odor, shape, size and even the sound it makes when it hits the water, as well as whether it's a "sinker" or a "floater." The Bristol Stool Chart below was originally published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology in 1997 and is a visual representation of what you might find in the toilet. Ideally your stool should be close to Types 3, 4 or 5, with Type 4 generally considered "the Holy Grail" of poop.26 You'll find a list of factors to help you determine what's healthy and what's not at "What Should Your Poop Look Like?" If you have a change in your bowel habit or stool formation with abdominal pain, be sure to seek medical attention. from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/02/26/bidets-better-than-toilet-paper.aspx While the drug industry is quick to claim that anyone questioning its integrity is part of a “war against science,” the evidence of industry malfeasance is simply too great and too disturbing to ignore. From my perspective, the drug industry itself is to blame for the public’s dwindling confidence in scientific findings. Loss of confidence is a natural result when lie after lie is unearthed, and there’s been no shortage of scientific scandals to shake public confidence in recent years. One researcher who has helped expose industry bias in research is professor Peter Gøtzsche, a Danish physician-researcher who in 1993 co-founded the Cochrane Collaboration and later launched the Nordic Cochrane Centre. Cochrane publishes hundreds of scientific reviews each year, looking at what works and what doesn’t, and was for decades considered the gold standard for independent scientific meta-reviews. The organization’s reputation remained remarkably unblemished all the way up until 2018, when Gøtzsche and Cochrane-affiliated researchers Lars Jørgensen and Tom Jefferson published a scathing critique of Cochrane’s review of the HPV vaccine,1 pointing out methodological flaws and conflicts of interest. Gøtzsche was subsequently expelled by the Cochrane governing board (although the board insists his removal from the board was due to “repeated misuse of official letterhead to espouse personal views” and had nothing to do with his criticism of Cochrane’s HPV review2). Four board members (Gerald Gartlehner, David Hammerstein Mintz, Joerg Meerpohl and Nancy Santesso) resigned in protest of Gotzsche’s removal from the Cochrane governing board.3 In a three-page letter4 to the Nordic Cochrane Centre, Gøtzsche addressed his expulsion and questioned the path Cochrane’s leadership has chosen in recent years, noting “the central executive team of Cochrane has failed to activate adequate safeguards … to assure sufficient policies in the fields of epistemology, ethics and morality.” Cochrane Founder Highlights Corrupted Flu Vaccine ResearchIn a February 9, 2020, tweet, Gøtzsche wrote:5 “Cochrane corruption. A Cochrane review did not find that flu shots reduce deaths … ‘After invitation from Cochrane,’ a financially conflicted person ‘re-arranged’ the data and vaccines reduced deaths. They don’t …” This information, he says, is included in his new book, “Vaccines: Truth, Lies and Controversy.” Indeed, in years’ past, Cochrane has repeatedly found flu vaccinations are ineffective and have no appreciable effect on influenza-related hospitalizations and mortality. For example:
Two States Rejecting Big Pharma's Vaccine MandatesIn recent years, medical freedom has come under intense attack. In state after state, vaccine makers and their lobbyists have rammed through legislation that implements forced vaccination by eliminating vaccine exemptions. People in California, New York, Washington and Maine all lost vaccine exemptions last year, as detailed in the National Vaccine Information Center’s annual state legislation report “Vaccine Exemptions Under Attack in 2019.” Although 4 states lost vaccine exemptions last year, exemptions were protected from removal in 22 other states by the active participation of vaccine choice advocates who educated legislators about why it is important to have flexible medical, religious and conscience exemptions in vaccine laws. In New Jersey, bill S2173 was halted in the Senate, both in December 2019 and again in January 2020, due to persistent public protests against the bill proposing to eliminate the religious belief vaccine exemption.11,12,13 The fact that New Jersey managed to thwart this broad attack on freedom is an encouraging sign. Never underestimate the power of the people! The key is numbers — you have to actually take action by contacting your legislators ahead of time to communicate your concerns about a bill you oppose (or support) and showing up at public hearings and on days when votes are taken in your state Capitol. Thousands of individuals gathered in hallways and outside the Capitol building in Trenton in protest of S2173 on multiple occasions, and it was undoubtedly the sheer size of the opposition that greatly helped to defeat the bill that many considered to be an attack on religious freedom. Another ray of light shines brightly in Maine. While the state legislature repealed the religious and philosophical belief vaccine exemptions in May 2019 by passing LD 798, residents rapidly succeeded in collecting more than enough signatures of registered voters to get an opportunity to repeal the new vaccine law, and it is now referendum Question 1 on the March 3 ballot.14 So, March 3, 2020, residents will have the opportunity to go to the polls to repeal LD 798 and reinstate religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions by voting YES on referendum Question 1.15 As noted by RejectBigPharma.com:16 “A YES vote is a vote to: Reject Big Pharma and government overreach Why Everyone Needs to Support Maine’s ‘Yes on 1’It’s important to realize that a victory in Maine would be a victory for all states, as it would set a crucial precedent. The good news is that it’s far easier to win in a state with a small population like Maine because there are fewer people to educate, which means less money is required for advertising. Maine has an advertising saturation point of about $3 million, meaning if you spend $3 million, you will reach a majority of residents and further advertising will not make a significant difference. Since Maine will be the first state to put government vaccine mandates and repeal of exemptions to a popular vote, it’s important to support Maine’s Yes On 1 campaign regardless of where in the United States you live. By helping them succeed, they will set a precedent for other states to follow. As of February 6, 2020, the “Yes on 1 Reject Big Pharma” campaign had raised just over $300,000.17 The campaign needs to raise at least $1 million to stand a chance against the vaccine industry’s deep pockets. So, please, make a donation to this campaign today! >>>>> Click Here <<<<< Of course, if you’re a registered voter in Maine, you can cast a YES vote on March 3, 2020, to restore vaccine exemptions in your state. Also remember to register to become a user of the free online NVIC Advocacy Portal, operated by the National Vaccine Information Center, to stay up to date on vaccine-related bills that are moving in your state this year, including bills proposing to take away (or expand) your right to obtain a vaccine exemption for yourself or your child. The NVIC Advocacy Portal also provides access to bill analyses and talking points that you can use to educate your legislators about what the bills will mean to you and your family. Pharma-Led Opposition Cranks Out Misleading AdsTo win, it’s crucial we make sure Maine’s Yes on 1 campaign gets the funding it needs. Make no mistake, the opposition has no financial constraints, as it is led and supported by the drug industry itself. Ironically, the opposition is accusing the “Yes on 1: Reject Big Pharma” campaign of misleading voters, saying the drug industry has nothing to do with the removal of vaccine exemptions, and doesn’t make any money on vaccines. In reality, vaccines are a primary profit driver for the drug industry.18 Merck, which is just one of several vaccine makers, reported over $6.1 billion in sales of their childhood vaccines during the first three quarters of 2019 alone.19 A January 2020 vaccine market report20 states the global vaccine market was worth $41.7 billion as of 2019, and is estimated to hit $58.4 billion by 2024. One of the factors attributed to this rapid growth is “the rising focus on immunization.” Anyone thinking this focus isn’t manufactured by the drug industry itself is fooling themselves. What’s more, as reported by Yes on 1 at a February 11, 2020, press conference, “No on 1” has already spent $476,000 on just three weeks’ worth of television ads. Yet the opposition — which claims to be a grassroots organization without any pharma funding or connections — report raising only $56,000 in donations. So, where did the rest of it magically come from? At the press conference, a spokeswoman for the Yes on 1 campaign revealed the obvious truth:
Eliminating Exemptions Is a Big Pharma Business StrategyOf course, vaccine makers have enormously deep pockets, which is how many of these laws are getting passed in the first place. One of the reasons they have so much money to spend on lobbying for the removal of vaccine exemptions is because they don’t have to pay for the damage their products cause. As noted by Dr. Meryl Nass in a February 11, 2020, post on CentralMaine.com, in support of referendum Question 1:22
No-Liability Industry Has No Right to Influence PolicyAt the press conference (see video above), Yes on 1 also clarified the opposition’s deceptive message that Yes on 1 would “repeal Maine’s vaccine law.” This is a wildly inaccurate statement. Yes on 1 simply repeals LD 798, i.e., the law that removes religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions, thus restoring Maine’s vaccine law to what it was before. In other words, certain vaccines will still be required for school attendance, but you will have the right to opt out by claiming a religious or philosophical exemption to one or more of those vaccines — just as you did before LD 798 was written into law.
from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/02/25/cochrane-collaboration-flu-vaccine.aspx In February 2020, a 4-year-old boy from Colorado tragically died from complications from influenza. NBC News then posted a defamatory news piece about the boy’s death, full of false allegations against the boy’s mother.1 Outrageously, the NBC News piece, written by Brandy Zadrozny, does not include any direct quotes from the family, and it’s reported that she did not interview the boy’s parents, but rather relied on Facebook postings and a GoFundMe page for the details. In fact, the NBC News article states “the mother did not respond to a request for comment,” and added, “NBC News verified the posts by cross-referencing them with a fundraising page set up by the family, along with published news reports quoting the family.”2 The problem with this is that Zadrozny’s article blames the boy’s grieving mother for his death because of posts she made on Facebook relating to the drug Tamiflu. “On Facebook, anti-vaxxers urged a mom not to give her son Tamiflu. He later died,” NBC stated, adding, “Online groups that routinely traffic in anti-vaccination propaganda have become a resource for people seeking out a wide variety of medical information,” and “Boy dies after anti-vaxxers urge mom not to give him Tamiflu.”3 These statements are misleading on many levels and, as CNS News noted, it’s possible the news outlet could be facing a defamation lawsuit as a result.4 NBC News Uses Boy’s Death to Slam ‘Anti-Vaxxer’ GroupsThe focus of the NBC News article are posts made by the boy’s mother to a Facebook group called, “Stop Mandatory Vaccination.” There, she reportedly asked for advice, stating her doctor had prescribed the influenza medicine Tamiflu (oseltamivir) for everyone in her household because two of her four children had been diagnosed with flu. The posts suggest that she decided not to pick up the prescription, but no further reporting was done to find out if she did or did not ultimately give the medication. Posts from the Facebook group’s members included suggestions of natural remedies, but as Zadrozny wrote, “None of the 45 comments on the mother’s Facebook post suggested medical attention. The child was eventually hospitalized and died four days later,” which implies there was somehow a connection between the Facebook comments and the boy’s death — a grossly misleading journalistic leap.5 Not only did Zadrozny’s article incite death threats and calls for prison time and execution against the boy’s mother, but, as CNS News reported, “Lost in all of these crazed point-and-sputter diatribes were some pertinent, pesky facts.”6 This includes the glaring omission of not interviewing the family. It’s unclear whether or not the family chooses to vaccinate their children and what type of medical interventions occurred before the boy’s death. However, it’s stated on the family’s GoFundMe page that the boy seemed normal, but suddenly passed out after a bath. After calling 911, he was airlifted to a children’s hospital. A GoFundMe post that has since been deleted originally said the child had “an anoxic brain injury related to a seizure that may have occurred from a fever or from him losing his airway.”7 Only once he was in the hospital was the boy tested for influenza and found to be positive for influenza B and parainfluenza. Still, the NBC News article focuses on Tamiflu and suggests the mother chose not to give it based off Facebook posts. However, when speaking with the local CBS Denver news station, the boy’s mother stated, “We called the doctors. We called the hospital. We gave them the medicine we were instructed to give. We did everything.”8 Tamiflu Shortens Flu by Only 16 HoursPainting Tamiflu as the solution to stopping deaths from influenza is also misleading, as the drug has been found to shorten the duration of flu symptoms by less than a day, specifically, by just 16.8 hours, and did not affect the number of hospitalizations, according to a BMJ review.9 What’s more, the drug is said to inhibit the replication of the influenza virus, acting as an antiviral medication, but a Cochrane Review of the data on both Tamiflu and Relenza (zanamivir), another antiviral drug, noted that the drugmakers’ proposed mechanism of action, which suggests the drugs work via a multisystem and central action, does not fit with the clinical evidence they reviewed. Any beneficial effects of the drug may have occurred due to lowering levels of proinflammatory cytokines or via depressing the central nervous system, the review found.10 It should be noted, too, that a whistleblower lawsuit has been filed against drugmaker Roche, alleging the company made false claims and misrepresented studies, causing the U.S. government to stockpile $1.5 billion of its influenza medicine Tamiflu (oseltamivir).11 The lawsuit, which was unsealed in September 2019, alleges Roche duped the U.S. government into stockpiling Tamiflu while mispresenting its effectiveness. According to the Houston-based Lanier Law Firm, which filed the suit:
In a BMJ editorial, Mark Ebell, professor of epidemiology at the University of Georgia, even described a multisystem failure that allowed Tamiflu to become a blockbuster medication.13 Examples of systemwide failures that let Tamiflu slip through regulatory cracks included a failure to publish all available evidence and make that data available at the individual patient level, along with a failure of recognizing the limitations inherent to observational data. Considering the long-standing studies questioning Tamiflu’s effectiveness and safety, implying that a mother is at fault for her child’s death from influenza complications because she did not give Tamiflu is not only cruel but illogical. Teen Girl Dies After Receiving TamifluIn deciding whether or not to take a medication, or give it to your child, the benefits must outweigh the risks. With Tamiflu, this is highly questionable. In exchange for reducing the duration of flu symptoms by 16.8 hours, Tamiflu causes nausea and vomiting and increases the risk of headaches and renal and psychiatric syndromes.14 Further, the NBC News article blatantly suggests that the Colorado boy died from flu because the mother, at the behest of “anti-vaxxers,” did not give the boy Tamiflu. But taking Tamiflu is not a guarantee of survival. In Virginia, a 16-year-old girl died after being diagnosed with influenza B and going into cardiac arrest. She had received a flu shot15 and taken Tamiflu, vomited several times over the course of a few days, likely due to Tamiflu’s side effects, but sadly succumbed to the flu anyway.16 A 16-year-old girl from Ohio also died from influenza B in December 2019 despite taking Tamiflu.17 Others have also died due to psychiatric symptoms caused by the drug itself. Tamiflu and Relenza are part of a group of anti-influenza drugs called neuraminidase inhibitors, which work by blocking a viral enzyme that helps the influenza virus to invade cells in your respiratory tract. The problem is that your nervous system also contains neuraminidase enzymes essential for proper brain functioning, and when blocked with these dangerous drugs, severe neurotoxicity may ensue, especially in the infants and children whose blood-brain barrier has not yet developed sufficiently. One 6-year-old girl in Texas had hallucinations while taking Tamiflu and even tried to jump out of a second story window.18 A 16-year-old boy with no prior suicidal thoughts or depression committed suicide less than 24 hours after taking the drug, which his parents believe is what caused the suicide.19 Japan banned the use of Tamiflu in children and teens in 2007, after cases of teenagers trying to jump from apartment building windows while taking the drug. In 2018, the country lifted the ban, but still said the relationship between Tamiflu and the unusual actions is unclear and patients should be warned of such side effects.20 Natural Methods for Flu PreventionIt’s undeniably tragic when a child dies from any disease, including complications from influenza. While health officials state that getting vaccinated is your best defense against this infection, during the 2018-2019 flu season, the vaccine failed to offer any protection more than half of the time, and for adults over 50, it was more or less useless, offering a mere 24% effectiveness rate against all influenza types.21 During the 2019-2020 season as well, the flu vaccine is not a perfect match. A survey of early season infections in Louisiana revealed unusual influenza B activity. Eighty-three influenza B viruses were sequenced from 198 patients, revealing that 98% belonged to influenza B/Victoria V1A.3 subclade, while only one of the viruses belonged to subclade V1A.1, which, according to the CDC, “is the subclade of the influenza B/Victoria component (B/Colorado/06/2017) found in the 2019 to 2020 Northern Hemisphere vaccine.”22 Everyone should strive to bolster their health during flu season to stay healthy, and one way to do this is by eating a keto diet, which reduced the number of times flu symptoms appeared in an animal study.23 The association between low vitamin D levels and influenza has also been recognized for some time,24 so be sure to optimize your levels to between 60 and 80 ng/mL (150 and 200 nmol/L). Vitamin D testing and optimization has been shown to cut your risk of respiratory infections, including colds and flu, in half if you are vitamin D deficient.25,26 Nutrients that support healthy immune function include zinc and vitamin C, so make sure to include these in your diet on a daily basis. Should a cold or flu strike, you may be able to significantly cut its duration and severity using either high-dose vitamin C or D (or a combination of both, short-term) and/or zinc lozenges. Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is also a powerful antiviral that “exhibits multiple modes of therapeutic action against influenza infection.”27 Following other basic tenets of health, like eating right, getting sound sleep, exercising and addressing stress are also important, as is regularly washing your hands. Even simple interventions like changing the humidity levels in your home can reduce the survival of influenza virus in the air.28 During flu season, and all year long, following a healthy lifestyle will support your immune system — your body’s best defense against infections like influenza. Meanwhile, remain vigilant when hearing sensationalized stories surrounding the flu like the once posted by NBC News — and be sure you have all the facts before making a judgment one way or the other. from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/02/25/nbc-news-flu-death.aspx Delaware is the first state in the U.S. to pass a bill that would allow titers to be given in lieu of rabies vaccines for certain dogs, cats and ferrets. An antibody titer measures the concentration of antibodies in the blood produced after an inflammatory response to vaccination. Measuring the number of antibodies present is used to certify that a person or animal is immune to a specific antigen or virus. If enough antibodies are present after recovering from the natural disease or being previously vaccinated, it can be used as “proof” of immunity to that disease. The Delaware bill — Maggie’s Vaccine Protection Act, formally known as House Bill 214 — was initiated by Al Casapulla, a businessman who lost his shih tzu, Maggie, due to over-vaccination.1 Rabies vaccine requirements vary by state, but many require mandatory vaccinations, regardless of the health status of the pet. Although a few states, such as Illinois, Maine and New Hampshire, allow animals to be exempted from rabies vaccines if it would compromise their health, many other states have no exemptions to vaccinations.2 Once the bill is signed into law, Delaware will become the first state to accept a rabies titer in lieu of the shot. It will allow veterinarians to complete a titer on their pet patients and decide whether or not a rabies vaccination is necessary. The bill reads, “This Act enables licensed veterinarians to exempt an animal from the mandated rabies vaccination, if the veterinarian determines, based on their professional judgement, that the vaccine would endanger the animal's health and a titer test may be administered to assist in determining the necessity of the vaccine.”3 Pet Vaccine Bills Aims to Protect Dogs From Over-VaccinationMaggie’s Vaccine Protection Act passed the Delaware General Assembly by a unanimous vote.4 Casapulla told Coastal Point that the bill’s passing is the culmination of years of work aimed at protecting animals from the harms of over-vaccination:5
The support for the bill was strong among legislators, including state Rep. Ruth Briggs King, who said pet owners and veterinarians should have the ultimate say on whether pets need vaccines, instead of them being forced into it due to the law. “These are responsible pet owners,” she told Coastal Point, “so we are hopeful this time it’s going to move through. This is the second session for it, on the second legislature it’s been through.”6 Similarly, Sen. Gerald Hocker stated:7
The Irony of Granting Pets Greater Rights Than PeopleThe passage of Delaware’s House Bill 214 is excellent news for frequently over-vaccinated pets — something veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker writes about often — but the irony is glaring. Why can state legislators recognize the risks of applying one-size-fits-all vaccine mandates to pets, but overlook the same risks when applying vaccine schedules to people, especially infants and children? Today we know, for instance, that some children, like those with mitochondrial disorders, are at increased risk from vaccinations, but efforts aren’t being made to identify these children to prevent unnecessary harm. Further, an individual’s response to a vaccine is influenced by many factors. Gut microbes may help determine immune response to vaccines, for starters. In one study, infants who responded to the rotavirus vaccine had a higher diversity of microbes in their gut, as well as more microbes from the Proteobacteria group, than infants who did not mount the expected immune response.8,9 Likewise, in a study by Nikolaj Orntoft and colleagues, researchers looked into changes in gene expression after diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccination in African girls to see which genes might be upregulated or downregulated (basically “turned on” or “turned off”).10 What they found is that there's really no way to predict which genes will be affected. So, not only will each individual have a unique response to any given vaccine based on their age, current health status and microbial makeup, but each is also epigenetically predisposed to respond differently in terms of the side effects they might develop. You can see, then, how vaccine mandates may turn out to be health disasters for some children and adults, just as they are for some pets. Combo Vaccines Risk Highest ReactionsAlso at odds with human medicine are discussions by veterinarians suggesting that giving pets multiple vaccines at once may be dangerous, especially for smaller animals. Dr. W. Jean Dodds, founder of Hemopet Blood Bank, told Veterinary Practice News all the way back in 2009 that the frequency of vaccinations is heavily debated, with some suggesting that giving core vaccines every three years or every year is outdated. “Few veterinarians are proactive about discussing the options clients have in protecting their pets against disease,” Dodds said. “The industry promotes more vaccines and veterinarians feel comfortable telling clients they’re necessary. Often, technicians have vaccines prepared before the doctor even examines the animal. Many vets don’t know how to handle titers or don’t want to bother with them.” What’s more, she noted:11
In humans, however, multiple vaccinations are regularly given at the same time to infants and children — including multiple combination vaccines in one visit. The fact is, all vaccines need to be carefully evaluated not only individually for long-term safety, but also for synergistic toxicity when the vaccine is given in combination with other vaccines and given repeatedly over a period of time, as well as given to people of varying ages and sizes — premature infants included. For instance, among unvaccinated premature infants, no link to neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) was found. However, a significant link between vaccinations and NDD was detected, regardless of whether the child was premature or full-term. The combination of preterm birth with vaccination was associated with a 660% increased odds of NDD,12 suggesting a synergistic effect and a need to fully research whether it’s safe to vaccinate premature infants. ‘Individual Situations’ Taken Into Account for LivestockAgain in the case of livestock, discussions are underway into whether or not to vaccinate very young calves, as many factors influence the outcome. An article in Beef magazine, for instance, suggested that age and colostrum intake should be taken into account when deciding when to vaccinate, as calves that get colostrum may have higher levels of maternal antibodies. Chris Chase, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, South Dakota State University, told the magazine:
Chase went on to explain that when calves were vaccinated at two or three days old, then challenged with disease seven months later, 20% still got sick. But waiting to vaccinate until the calves were three to four weeks of age led to a better outcome, with less than 5% getting sick. Even then, however, age is only one factor, and he stressed the need to look into individual situations:14
Why Are Livestock and Pets Treated Better Than People?Animals deserve to have their health put first when it comes to medical procedures like vaccinations, but people deserve to be able to exercise a more precautionary approach to vaccination as well. Unfortunately, these same commonsense approaches that are sometimes afforded to animals, in terms of evaluating individual risk factors when choosing whether or not to vaccinate, are not typically given to people. Today, many doctors are not just strongly promoting vaccination, they are threatening to deny medical care to children and adults if all vaccinations recommended by health officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are not given on the federally recommended schedule. Children may be vaccinated when sick, for instance, or kidney patients on dialysis given vaccinations upon arrival at a hospital, even before a diagnosis had been given or a doctor had approved of the shots. Dr. Suzanne Humphries, author of “Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and the Forgotten History,” is a nephrologist who has raised similar concerns, suggesting that vaccines may not be safe for people with chronic conditions like kidney failure, or for babies, who have reduced kidney function compared to adults. As Humphries said in a video, "We're very careful as nephrologists when treating babies because the kidney functions of babies isn't the same as adults — it's vastly reduced. But when it comes to vaccines, this reduced kidney function in infants is always left out of the discussion." It’s no wonder why, in an online survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults, conducted on behalf of the American Osteopathic Association, 45% said they had doubts about vaccine safety.15 Unfortunately, vaccine exemptions are increasingly under attack. The ability to make informed, voluntary vaccine choices for yourself and your children must be protected, because vaccines are not a one-size-fits-all-solution, nor is the U.S. public as a whole a one-size-fits-all population. It’s time that this became widely accepted for humans, just as it’s starting to be acknowledged for pets and livestock. from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/02/25/dogs-rights-now-exceed-human-rights.aspx |
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