Watchman Newsletter

GE toxins found in foetuses, research shows

3News.co.nz (Link) - Jonny Talbot (June 9, 2011)

Toxins from genetically engineered foods have been found in the blood of pregnant woman and foetuses, according to new research from Canada.

Research from the University of Sherbrooke Hospital Centre in Quebec found traces of Bt toxin Cry 1 - an insecticide genetically engineered into GE food crops such as maize and potatoes – in pregnant women’s blood.

These findings have prompted the Soil and Health Association of New Zealand, which opposes GE derivatives in food, to call for a rethink on GE derivative based foods.

Association spokesperson Steffan Browning said the Government could remedy the situation by “reassessing or withdrawing the approximately seventy GE food lines approved for use in the New Zealand food supply.”

E. Coli Outbreak in Europe Is the Deadliest in History

ABC News (Link) - Olivia Katrandjian (June 4, 2011)

The rapidly developing European E. coli outbreak that has killed 18 people and sickened thousands, including four suspected cases in the United States, has become the deadliest outbreak of E. coli in modern history.

Where exactly people are being infected with the disease is still unknown, although 17 people fell ill after eating in the northern German city of Luebeck in May, according to the local media. Researchers from Germany’s national disease control center are inspecting the restaurant in question.

Other health experts suspect the disease first spread last month at a festival in the northern German city of Hamburg that was visited by 1.5 million people. But as of yet, there is no concrete proof that either site is the cause of the outbreak.

Energy saving bulbs ‘release cancer causing chemicals’, say scientists

Daily Mail UK (Link) (April 20, 2011)

Energy saving bulbs emit cancer causing chemicals it was claimed last night as new fears were raised about their safety.

Scientists said they should not be left on for long periods of time or placed close to a person’s head because they release poisonous materials.

The EU has unveiled plans to phase out ‘normal’ incandescent bulbs by the end of next year as they try to cut carbon emissions.

They should not be used by adults to read or kept near a child’s head all night, the experts said.

While it is already known that harmful amounts of Mercury are released if one of the new ‘green’ bulbs is broken, the latest research shows other carcinogenic chemicals are emitted when they are switched on.

The German research shows that the chemicals are released as a form of steam.

Feds checking post-vaccine seizures in young kids

Yahoo! News (Link) - AP - Mike Stobbe (January 20, 2011)

Government officials are investigating an apparent increase in fever-related seizures in young children after they got a flu shot.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said there have been 36 confirmed reports of seizures this flu season in children ages 6 months through 2 years. The seizures occurred within one day after they were vaccinated with Fluzone, the only flu shot recommended in the United States for infants and very young children. Ten of the children were hospitalized, but all recovered.

The FDA said it is investigating to see if there is any connection between the vaccine and the seizures, or if something else caused the convulsions. The agency said recommendations for using the vaccine have not changed, nor has there been any change in flu vaccine guidance.

In the U.S., vaccination is recommended for everyone except infants under 6 months.

The vaccine’s manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur, issued a statement emphasizing that no clear link has been established between the flu shot and the seizures and that the cases may be coincidental.

Cancer treatment takes a giant step forward as scientists crack code

Times Online (Link) - Mark Henderson (December 17, 2009)

The complete genetic codes of two human cancers have been mapped for the first time. The move could herald a medical revolution in which every tumour can be targeted with personalised therapy.

The exhaustive genetic maps, which catalogue every DNA mutation found in two patients’ tumours, will transform treatment of the disease. It has been described as the most significant milestone in cancer research in more than a decade.

Scientists predict that by about 2020 all cancer patients could have their tumours analysed to find the genetic defects that drive them. This information would then be used to select the treatments most likely to work.

Insights from the genomes will also lead to the development of powerful drugs to target DNA errors that cause cancer and highlight ways in which the disease can be prevented. Cancers would be diagnosed and treated according to their genetic profiles rather than their position in the body.

“The pace at which genomics is moving is probably the most exciting thing that’s gone on in cancer research in more than a decade,” said Professor Sir John Bell, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences. “These cancer genome projects are a major landmark, as significant as the sequencing of the human genome itself.”

US House backs healthcare reforms

BBC News (Link) (November 8, 2009)

The US House of Representatives has backed a healthcare bill in a step towards reforms promised by President Obama, despite strong opposition.

Passed in a narrow 220-215 vote, the bill aims to extend coverage to 36 million more Americans and provide affordable healthcare to 96%.

The Senate now has to pass its own bill and the two must then be reconciled before the programme can become law.

Mr Obama has made healthcare reform a central plank of his domestic agenda.

He described Saturday's vote in the House as "historic", saying he was "absolutely confident" the Senate would follow suit.

Correspondents say the legislation could lead to the biggest changes in American healthcare in decades.

Aborted fetus cells used in beauty creams

The Washington Times (Link) - Valerie Richardson (November 3, 2009)

A San Francisco cosmetics company has ignited an outcry among pro-lifers for including an unexpected ingredient in its anti-aging creams: skin-cell proteins from an aborted fetus.

Children of God for Life, a watchdog group that monitors the use of fetal material in medical products, called last week for a boycott of all treatments manufactured by Neocutis Inc., which acknowledges that the key ingredient in its product line was developed from an aborted boy.

"There's just no excuse for using aborted babies in skin-care products," said Debi Vinnedge, executive director of Children of God for Life, a 10-year-old organization based in Murfreesboro, Tenn. "The reaction, the shock and anger I've seen is incredible."

In a statement released Friday, in response to a wave of condemnation from pro-life and religious blogs, Neocutis defended the use of its trademarked ingredient, Processed Skin Cell Proteins, or PSP, arguing that the fetal cell line was harvested in a responsible, ethical manner for use in treating severe dermatological injuries.

The company compared its situation to that of researchers who used fetal kidney cells to develop the polio vaccine.

"Our view - which is shared by most medical professionals and patients - is that the limited, prudent and responsible use of donated fetal skin tissue can continue to ease suffering, speed healing, save lives and improve the well-being of many patients around the globe," said the statement.

N.Y. Health Care Workers Revolt Over H1N1 Vaccine

CBS (Link) (September 30, 2009)

Saying They Should Be Given A Choice, Employees Rally In Albany, Around State, Chant "No Forced Shots!" Protesters Hold Signs That Read: "The State Doesn't Own My Body'" They're upset over an ultimatum from the health department.

Workers are being told to either get the swine flu vaccine or lose their jobs.

New York is the first state in the country to mandate flu vaccinations for its health care workers. The first doses of swine flu vaccine will be available beginning next week. Much of it is reserved for state health care workers, but there is growing opposition to required innoculations.

Health care workers in Hauppauge screamed "No forced shots!" as they rallied Tuesday against the state regulation requiring them to roll up their sleeves.

"I don't even tend to the sick. I am in the nutrition field. They are telling me I must get the shot because I work in a health clinic setting," said Paula Small, a Women, Infants and Children health care worker.

Small said she will refuse, worried the vaccine is untested and unproven, leaving her vulnerable. In 1976, there were some deaths associated with a swine flu vaccination.

No Genetically Modified Volunteers Wanted

Koinonia House (Link) - Chuck Missler (September 29, 2009)

Genetically modified foods have long concerned consumers from many backgrounds, primarily because people fear eating vegetables or grains that have had the genes of other organisms spliced into them. Besides the potential health issues, opponents have worried that GM plants would cross-pollinate with non-GM plants, contaminating local traditional and organic crops. Yet, GM crops are routinely grown across America, and few people even know when they are in fact eating food made from GM plants. In America, a judge has recently ruled that the environmental impact of GM sugar beets must be studied after plaintiffs argued that the genetically modified seed could cause the spread of super-weeds. The debate also continues in New South Wales, Australia, where volunteer GM canola plants have been found growing along the roads.

GM seed giant Monsanto has promoted its lines of seeds across America and the world, offering plant varieties that have been specially designed to resist weed killer. These seeds are not simply the result of careful cross-pollination between different varieties of plants. Rather, they are seeds in which the genes have been selectively spliced and foreign genetic information has been added. Monsanto offers a wide variety of plants that are resistant to glyphosate herbicide, enabling commercial farmers to spray Roundup across their fields to kill weeds without worrying about destroying their crops. American farmers have found the Monsanto seeds handy, but traditional and organic farmers are fearful that the lab-created plants will infect their own crops.

Israeli Researcher Finds Natural Cure for Insomnia

Israel21c (Link) - Ilana Teitelbaum (August 26, 2009)

Traditional sleeping pills have many side effects. Now an Israeli company is introducing a new drug that works with the body's natural processes to induce restful, restorative sleep.

When that good night's sleep becomes elusive, sometimes the only option is medication. But the sleeping pills now on the market often come with risks that may outweigh the benefits, inducing dependency, withdrawal symptoms, and occasionally even cognitive impairments such as short-term amnesia.

Not so with Circadin, a new drug produced by Neurim Pharmaceuticals and based on the research of company founder and chief scientific officer Professor Nava Zisapel at Tel Aviv University (TAU).

Unlike other sleep medications which suppress brain activity, Neurim says that Circadin works with the body's natural processes to induce a restful, restorative sleep. It does so by gradually releasing melatonin in the body - the hormone that prepares the body for sleep.

Possibly the worst aspect of insomnia is its deleterious effect on daytime functioning. That's where Circadin has an additional edge over its competitors.

"Circadin not only improves the onset of sleep, but also the quality of sleep," Zisapel, a neuroscientist, tells ISRAEL21c. "People who take the drug have reported that they have better daytime functioning and an improved quality of life."

In a flu pandemic, what can the government do to you?

Christian Science Monitor (Link) - Patrik Jonsson (August 25, 2009)

What might life be like during the kind of major swine flu pandemic predicted by the White House to hit the US this fall?

The worst-case scenarios percolate on the edges of thought: bans on public gatherings, restricting the movement of afflicted individuals, and compelled vaccinations. Conspiracy theorists go farther, suggesting that the World Health Organization is behind a secret plan to inoculate Americans at gunpoint with immune-system depleting vaccines to depopulate the globe.

The CDC’s report, released Monday, may well create some level of hysteria. It said 1.8 million Americans could become seriously ill this fall and as many as 90,000 could die.

In truth, America’s national pandemic response plan has been shaped by lessons from the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, which killed millions globally and did include gun-point quarantines. If the circumstances are deemed dire enough, the government’s “Pandemic Influenza Plan” allows for strong measures, such as banning public gatherings and calling in the military to help with law enforcement.

A 'Trojan horse' approach to passing universal healthcare

One News Now (Link) - Jim Brown (April 30, 2009)

It appears Democrats may attempt to jettison a bipartisan approach to healthcare legislation this year.

The White House and Democratic leaders say they want to have the option of fast-tracking healthcare reform legislation by a parliamentary move called "reconciliation." Under reconciliation, only a simple majority would be required in the Senate to pass healthcare legislation. The House and Senate are planning to mark up healthcare bills in the middle of June, with the hope of passing the bills before Congress leaves for its August recess.

Earlier this month in a speech to other advocates of a single-payer healthcare system, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois) said the real goal of the Democrats' healthcare reform agenda is to shut out the private health insurance industry. "Those of us who are pushing for a public health insurance option don't disagree with the goal [of eliminating the private healthcare sector]," she said. "This is not a principled fight. This is a fight about strategy for getting there, and I believe we will."

Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury

Health Day (Link) (January 26, 2009)

Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.

HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages and foods such as breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and other high consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average.

"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply," the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both studies, said in a prepared statement.