is a compilation of the elements necessary for good health, plus known and possible threats to health, prescription drug recalls and lawsuits, and other health-related topics.
Links to sources as well as health and environmental organizations are provided for easy reference. Threats to Health
Following are known and possible threats to health, including controversial topics. Controversial Health Topics
- Sweet Tasting Herb: Stevia
- Straight Answers About Aspartame, Pro View
- Aspartame Dangers Revealed, Con View
- Sucralose, Manufacturer's Website Pro View
- Splenda (Sucralose) Toxidity Exposed, Con View
- Sodium Fluoride: The Department of Health and Human Service's National Toxicology Program (NTP) report on
fluoride in drinking water findings showed that
dosed rats had lesions typical of fluorosis of the teeth and
female rats receiving drinking water containing 175 ppm sodium fluoride had increased osteosclerosis of long bones.
A 2006 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report concludes that the current allowable level of fluoride in tap water
is not protective of the public health and should be lowered, citing serious concerns about bone fractures and dental fluorosis. Read
other Fluoride health alerts.
- rBST, The Bovine Growth Hormone used in
the dairy industry to cause cows to give more milk than is naturally possible. The cows are subject to bone fractures
due to calcium being leached from their bones in order to produce the high levels of milk, and they only live
through two milking cycles. Because of this, the hormone is usually given to older cows. This practice is considered
to be cruel by humane animal organizations. Look for the "rBST-free" label when purchasing milk products.
- Chocolate. Reports link chocolate production to child slavery in Africa where the cocoa beans are harvested.
Here's a partial list of companies known to sell chocolate and cocoa products not associated with slavery:
Clif Bar,
Cloud Nine,
Dagoba Organic Chocolate,
Denman Island Chocolate,
Gardners Candies,
Green and Black's,
Kailua Candy Company,
Koppers Chocolate,
L.A. Burdick Chocolates,
La Siembre,
Montezuma's Chocolates,
Newman's Own Organics,
Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company,
Rapunzel Pure Organics,
The Endangered Species Chocolate Company
(Source: Food Revolution, by John Robbins)
- L-Tryptophan Ban Controversy
- High Fructose Corn Syrup is replacing sugar in many products. Why? Many reports challenge its claims to be "natural" and cite
many health risks:
- Neotame
- Saccharin: Causes bladder cancer in rats, but it is not clear whether or not is causes cancer in humans.
- Olestra. According to the Center for Sciences in the Public
Interest, Olestra rapidly depletes many valuable fat-soluble substances (i.e., vitamins A, D, E, and K) from the blood,
causes gastrointestinal disturbances (flatulence) and anal leakage.
Chemicals, By-Products & Their Health Risks
- Dioxin
- Dioxin Facts
- Perchlorate Contamination, Sacramento
- Perchlorate Contamination, Simi Valley
- PCBs
- PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) plastic used in the construction (pipes, siding, floors, hoses, shower curtains) and formerly in hair spray and the medical industry. Also found in toys such as Beanie Babies which are stuffed with plastic PVC pellets, exposure leads to a number of health problems including circulatory impairment, weakened immune system, and disintegration of bones and fingers. Long-term exposure to polyvinyl chloride can lead to several types of cancer and other serious conditions, such as Reynaud's Syndrome.
Exposure to polyvinyl chloride is linked to brain and lung cancers, endocrine disruption, endometriosis, neurological damage, birth defects and impaired child development and reproductive and immune system damage.
- Talc
Foods, Food Additives, Food Bacteria
and Household Chemicals:
This is a list of artificial
and natural ingredients that may pose health risks in ingested in large quantities, plus common household
products that can be hazardous if their danger warnings are ignored.
- Chlorine, Poisonous Chemical Fact Sheet
- Cocamide DEA
- Caffeine: The American
Heart Association reports that caffeine in small doses poses no health risks. The World
Health Organization defines caffeine as an xanthine, which is a mild central nervous system stimulant, vasodilator, and diuretic.
Too much caffeine results in restlessness, insomnia, flushed face, muscle twitching, tachycafdia, gastrointestinal
disturbances including abdominal pain, pressured or rambling thought and speech, and sometimes exacerbation of pre-existing
anxiety or panic states, depression, or schizophrenia.
- Cooking oil: Cooking with oils over 180 degrees were found to give off dangerous chemicals
that may cause lung cancer. (source: www.snopes.com)
- Campylobacter is known to be the most common cause of bacterial food borne illness in the U.S. and is
most commonly found in chicken, can also be found in milk and water, or spread from pets such
as cats and dogs. (source: http://www.about-campylobacter.com/)
- Propylene Glycol
- Sodium Laurel Sulfate
- Castor Beans (ricin)
- Casomorphin (or caseomorphin) is a peptide derived from casein, a milk protein.
The Autism Network for Dietary Intervention (ANDI) reports that urine samples from
people with autism, PDD, celiac disease, and schizophrenia contained high amounts of the casomorphin peptide in the urine.
In its peptide form, casein has opiate properties similar to morphine, and may plug into the same opiate receptor sites
in the brain. Researchers have found that these peptides may also be elevated in other disorders such as chronic fatigue,
fibromyalgia, and depression based on anecdotal reports of symptom remission after exclusion of wheat and dairy.)
- Xylitol sweetener is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for humans and may cause mild diarrhea if
too much is ingested. Cases of Xylitol poisoning in dogs is on the rise, however.
Health Links
- American Dietetic Association
- American Heart Association
- American Medical Association
- American Pregnancy Association
- American Stroke Association
- California Air Resources Board
- Centers for Decease Control and Prevention
- eMedicineHealth.com, First Aid and Health Information
- Environmental Protection Agency
- FamilyDoctor.ord, health info for the whole family
- FDA MedWatch
- Institute of Medicine provides independent, objective, evidence-based advice to policymakers, health professionals, the private sector, and the public.
- Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology, information about the digestive system,
including diseases, treatments, effectiveness and side effects of drugs used to treat digestive disorders
- Mayo Clinic, medical information and tools for healthy living
- MedicineNet.com, bringing doctor's information to you
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
- National Toxicology Program
- Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)
- PreventDisease.com
- PubMed is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine that includes over 17 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles back to the 1950's.
- QuackWatch: Guide to Quackery and Health Fraud
- RevolutionHealth, your home for health and balance
- US Department of Health and Human Services
- US Federal Drug and Administration Office of Women's Health
- US Women's Health Organization
- US National Library of Medicine
- WebMD, better information, better health
- World Health Organization
Organic Pollutants
(Source: World Health Organization)
- Acrylonitrile
- Benzene, (gas stations) causes cancer
- Butadiene, causes cancer
- Carbon Disulfide, (in the vicinity of viscose rayon plants) causes coronary heart disease
- Carbon Monoxide, (car garages, ice skating rinks) causes neurological damage
- Dichloroethane, causes central nervous system damage
- Dichloromethane, (paint stripping) causes central nervous system damage
- Formaldehyde
- Polycycle aromatic hydrocarbons
- Styrene
- Tetrachloroethylene
Inorganic Pollutants
(Source: World Health Organization)
|
Common Food Allergies
Food Allergy Resources
Healthful or Unhealthful Ingredients?
Mountain Dew
Carbonated Water,
High Fructose Corn Syrup and/or Sugar,
Concentrated Orange Juice and other Natural Flavors,
Citric Acid,
Sodium Benzoate,
Caffeine,
Sodium Citrate,
Gum Arabic,
Erythorbic Acid,
Calcium Disodium EDTA,
Brominated Vegetable Oil,
Yellow 5
Current Lawsuits and Prescription Drug Recalls
Sources martinandjones.com,
www.personalinjurylawcal.com,
FDA.gov
- Asbestos (fire retardant material, lawsuits re lung and abdominal cancer)
- Baycol (cerivastatin for lowering cholesterol, side effects destroys muscle tissue causing pain in calves and lower back, kidney failure, death)
- Bextra (arthritis pain reliever, lawsuits re heart problems)
- Cerebral Palsy (lawsuits re medical error before or during delivery of baby causing brain damage)
- Celebrex (arthritis pain reliever, lawsuits re heart problems)
- Crestor, a prescription drug which is used to treat people who suffer from high blood pressure,
lawsuits re side effects causing fatalities, kidney problems, and Rhabdomyolysis causing the skeletal
muscles breakdown and release into the bloodstream, which may result in acute renal failure.
- Duragesic (Fentanyl or Transdermal) is a narcotic pain patch recalled because it leaks and can cause overdose.
- ReNu (eye drops, recall due to drops causing eye fungal infection)
- Diacetyl (flavor enhancer used in popcorn, lawsuits re lung cancer)
- Guidant Heart Devices (lawsuits re defective defibrillator and pacemaker devices)
- Ketek (antibiotic for respiratory infection, lawsuits re liver damage and vision problems)
- Nickel and Chromium Exposure (lawsuit re lung, nose and sinus disease)
- Ortho Evra (birth control, lawsuit re blood clots and stroke)
- Reglan (generic metoclopramide for stomach upset, lawsuit re side effects of involuntary movements of the limbs or eyes, spasm of the neck, face, and jaw muscles, depression)
- Tylenol and other Acetaminophen brands recalled 500mg size, metal bits found in the pills
- Composix Kugel Mesh Patches used to repair hernias recalled due to defect
- Tequin (antibiotic used for bacterial infections side effect is Diabetes)
- Trayslol (to reduce bleeding during heart survey, lawsuit side effects kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes)
- Perchlorate (chemical used in fireworks and jet propulsion, contaminated water causes thyroid cancer)
- Paxil (treats depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, and other mental health conditions, lawsuit side effects are birth defects of the heart, protruding abdomen and abnormal fusion
of the cranium resulting in unusual head shape.)
- Seroquel: Its use has been linked with diabetes, hyperglycemia, pancreatitis, ketoacidosis, and death. Seroquel increases the risk of death
by cardiac events or infections in elderly dementia patients (source: Howard L. Nations, Esq. http://www.seroquel-attorneys.com)
- Strattera (for ADD, lawsuit side effect liver damage)
- Fosamax and bisphosphonates for treatment of osteoporosis. Lawsuit side effect osteonecrosis of the jaw,
the destruction of bone tissue. It is also referred to as dead jaw, ONJ, Jaw Necrosis, or Bis-Pphosy jaw. The condition is a degenerative, deteriorative, and painful condition that involves soft tissue swelling in the mouth, loosening of the teeth, drainage, infection, and subsequently exposed bone. It is the result of blood flow not properly reaching the jaw bone. This painful and disfiguring condition causes the jaw bone to decay and die.
- Vioxx (arthritis pain reliever, heart problems)
Prescription Drugs
- Side Effects: Antibiotics such as Avelox, Cipro, Floxin, Levaquin and Maxaquin are called fluoroquinolones used to treat a wide range of bacterial infections. Side effects symptoms
can include tendon inflammation and rupture, rashes, visual disturbances, sleep disorders and nightmares. (source: South Coast Today by the www.peoplespharmacy.com)
LEVAQUIN® (levofloxacin) side effects excerpts from the FDA's Med Watch:
Serious and occasionally fatal hypersensitivity and/or anaphylactic reactions have
been reported in patients receiving therapy with quinolones . . . often occur following the first dose.
Levofloxacin should be discontinued if the patient experiences . . . pain, burning, tingling,
numbness, and/or weakness or other alterations of sensation including light touch,
pain, temperature, position sense, and vibratory sensation in order to prevent the
development of an irreversible condition.
Treatment with antibacterial agents alters the normal flora of the colon and may
permit overgrowth of clostridia . . . one primary cause of (diarrhea) "antibiotic-associated colitis."
Ruptures of the shoulder, hand, Achilles tendon, or other tendons . . . this risk may be increased in patients receiving (steroids) concomitant
corticosteroids, especially the elderly . . .
Excerpt from the patient information leaflet for LEVAQUIN®:
Convulsions have been reported in patients receiving quinolone antibiotics including
LEVAQUIN®.
Quinolones, including LEVAQUIN®, may also cause . . . tremors, restlessness, anxiety, lightheadedness,
confusion, hallucinations, paranoia, depression, nightmares, insomnia, and rarely,
suicidal thoughts or acts.
AleveTM (naproxen): A major crinical trial was halted due to
cardiovascular (heart attacks) and cerebrovascular (stroke) risk.
(Sources: FDA and NIH)
Aloe Vera Drug Interaction Warnings:
(Source: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/aloe-000876.htm)
- Antidiabetic Medications - The combination of aloe vera and glyburide, a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes, may help control blood sugar and triglyceride (fat) levels in the blood. People with diabetes who use aloe latex either alone or in combination with other medications must be monitored closely by health care providers to avoid potential complications from low blood sugar levels.
- Hydrocortisone - Aloe gel may enhance the ability of hydrocortisone to reduce swelling.
- Digoxin and Diuretics - Because oral aloe can decrease levels of potassium, aloe latex should not be used by individuals taking diuretics or digoxin (a medication used to treat irregular heart rhythms and congestive heart failure). These medications lower potassium levels in the body, so a combination of aloe and digoxin or diuretics can result in dangerously low levels of this important mineral.
- Fraudulent Prescription Drugs Alert
Word of the Day
Today's Birthday
In the News
|
