"At the present time there are growing public and professional concerns about the safety of currently mandated childhood vaccine programs, as reflected in by a series of annual Congressional hearings in Washington DC that have taken place since 1999, sponsored by the U.S. House Government Reform Committee under the chairmanship of Congressman Dan Burton. At an annual conference of the American College for the Advancement of Medicine during April 2001, with several hundred physicians in attendance, when one of the speakers asked how many in attendance had concerns about the safety of current childhood vaccines, a large majority raised their hands. The Autism Research Institute of San Diego is now widely known as an active support group for families with autistic children and is one of the more active organizations in this field. Its founding director, Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., has provided the statistics that, in their experience, from 50 to 60% of parents with autistic children believe that their children were damaged by vaccines. In our own office we have seen many autistic children in recent years, and our own experience has been very similar, many parents reporting that deterioration of their children took place following vaccines." Dr. Buttram more
Viera Scheibner, PhD - "Ever since mass vaccination of infants began, reports of serious brain, cardiovascular, metabolic and other injuries started filling pages of medical journals." In fact, pertussis vaccine has been used to induce encephalomyelitis, which is characterized by brain swelling and hemorrhaging"
Bart Classen, a Maryland physician, published data showing that diabetes rates rose significantly in New Zealand following a massive hepatitis B vaccine campaign in young children, and that diabetes rates also went up sharply in Finland after three new childhood vaccines were introduced.
The FDA admits that the 12,000 reports it receives annually on pharmacologic side effects from vaccines represent only a fraction of what actually occurs. read more
Congressman is calling for criminal penalties for any government agency that knew about the dangers of thimerosal in vaccines and did nothing to protect American children. Congressman Dan Burton (R-Indiana) during Congressional Hearing: "You mean to tell me that since 1929, we've been using Thimerosal, and the only test that you know of is from 1929, and every one of those people had mennigitis, and they all died?" For nearly an hour, Burton repeatedly asked FDA and CDC officials what they knew and when they knew it.
Mercury in childhood vaccines may have caused autism in thousands of kids
Vaccinosis Dr. Richard Pitcairn Discusses Chronic Disease Caused By Vaccines
New Hepatitis Vaccine Can Devastate Newborn's Health - Polio vaccine
Class Action Law Suit In the United Kingdom Personal Stories of Vaccine Damage
Government Enforced Vaccinations
A Criminal Consequence of Vaccine Injury
Why Natural Health Parents Reject Vaccination
Vaccine Reaction Register
Flu Vaccine Facts 90 Percent of Flu Shots Contain the Toxin Mercury.
Adverse reaction to the DPT vaccine
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS / cot death ) and Childhood Vaccines
Misdiagnosed Shaken Baby Syndrome SBS or Vaccine-Induced Encephalitis?
Do Children's Shots Invite Autism? by Bernard Rimland Ph.D.
Childhood Vaccinations and Juvenile-Onset (Type-1) Diabetes by Harris Coulter, Ph.D
Dr. David Ayoub, M.D. lectures on the crippling effect of vaccines
Rebecca Carley, M.D - "If children receive all recommended vaccines, they will receive 2,370 times the "allowable safe limit" for mercury in the first two years of life (as if there is such a thing as a "safe" amount of a toxic poison). Yet, even after Congressional hearings instigated by Congressman Dan Burton (whose own grandchild became autistic after receiving vaccines) resulted in the FDA requesting (not ordering) vaccine manufacturers to remove this toxic heavy metal from their products, mercury is still present in many vaccines." info
Russell L. Blaylock MD Neurosurgeon - "Most have at least heard about the controversy surrounding possible harmful effects of some of the vaccines. What is less well known is that even greater dangers exist than are being conveyed to the general public. Much of this information is buried in highly technical scientific journals beyond the reach and understanding of the average person. Of special concern is the relationship between vaccine policy, autism and the Gulf War Syndrome. I shall use the Gulf War Syndrome as an example of a vaccine policy gone berserk, while including discussions of other dangers as well." Vaccines, Autism and Gulf War Syndrome
US senators fast-track a bill to protect vaccine manufacturers from litigation - Seven US Senators introduced a bill to protect vaccine manufacturers from thousands of pending federal lawsuits filed by parents of vaccine-damaged children. On the eve of an historic, billion-dollar world vaccination campaign, a leaked transcript ignites questions of vaccine safety and research corruption. Meanwhile, US senators fast-track a bill to protect vaccine manufacturers from litigation. With millions of lives at stake, and billions of dollars to lose, will a merger of philanthropy, big business and compromised science win an epic race between corporate agendas and medical ethics? In this world exclusive report, byronchild exposes how the most powerful medical research bodies in the United States compromise their vaccine safety research for vested interests, as they assist in a global vaccine policy, while a bill looms in the background to protect it all. more
October 2007 New England Journal of Medicine - Vaccine Damage: Parents receive $2B compensation pay-outs - Vaccine manufacturers have paid out nearly $2B in damages to parents in America whose children were harmed by one of the childhood jabs such as the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) or DPT (diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus). In all, around 2,000 families have received compensation payments that have averaged $850,000 each. There are a further 700 claims that are going through the pipeline. None of the claims is for autism as medical researchers say they have failed to find a link between the disease and the MMR vaccine, despite the initial findings made by Dr Andrew Wakefield. Instead they are for a wide spectrum of physical and mental conditions that are likely to have been caused by one of the vaccinations. Around 7,000 parents have filed a claim of an adverse reaction with America's Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). To win an award, the claimant must prove a causal link to a vaccine. As the medical establishment has refused to recognise any link to autism, the VICP has so far rejected 300 claims for this outright. (Source: New England Journal of Medicine, 2007; 357: 1275-9).
FDA: Rotavirus Vaccine May Harm Infants Infant Vaccine RotaTeq Linked to Intestinal Problems On February 13, 2007 the U.S. government issued a warning for a potentially life-threatening condition called Intussusception that causes the twisting of the intestines in infants vaccinated against a virus that is the leading cause of early childhood diarrhea. Intussusception originally led to the withdrawal of the first rotavirus vaccine eight years ago.
March 7, 2005 - Merck Misled on Vaccines - Drug maker Merck and Co. continued to supply infant vaccine containing thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, for two years after declaring that it had eliminated the chemical. In September 1999, amid rising concern about the risks of mercury in childhood vaccines. Merck executives confirmed the details in the FDA letter. Prescription for Disaster in-depth investigation into the relationships between the pharmaceutical industry, the FDA, lobbyists, lawmakers, medical schools, and researchers, and the impact this has on consumers and their health care.
Aluminium compounds have been widely used as adjuvants in prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. Dr. RK Gherardi's identification of macrophagic myofascitis, a condition causing profound weakness and multiple neurological syndromes, one of which closely resembled multiple sclerosis and Gulf War Syndrome. Both human studies and animal studies have shown a strong causal relationship to the aluminum hydroxide or aluminum phosphate used as a vaccine adjuvants. Some of the neurological problems seen with the use of aluminum hydroxide and aluminum phosphate in vaccines are chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction, urinary retention and other findings indicative of a generalized loss of autonomic nervous system function (diffuse dysautonomia). more
Mercury - What is its role in Autism and Alzheimer's Disease? Boyd Haley, Ph.D.
Dr. Haley, a biochemist at the University of Kentucky, is probably one of the world's top experts on mercury toxicity. Hear this fascinating review of the irrefutable evidence that links mercury toxicity to Autism and Alzheimer's disease. The video is from a presentation in March of 2003. The slides are courtesy of Dr. Haley.
Do you have a vaccine legal issue, question, or need help/support? click here to email Alan Phillips or call 919-960-5172 NC. He is one of only a handful of attorneys in the U.S. with a focus on vaccine legal exemptions. See his article Vaccine Religious Exemption
December 16, 2002 - Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said he does not plan to be inoculated with the smallpox vaccine, and he recommends that other Cabinet members not request the inoculation either. more on the danger of smallpox vaccine
February 9, 2004 - The Institute of Medicine held a meeting to review research that has been found, which links thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative in vaccines, and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. The panel used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vaccine Datalink, which concluded that children who are given three thimerosal-containing vaccines are 27 times more likely to develop autism than children who receive thimerosol-free vaccines.
Thimerosal has been gradually removed from vaccines since 1999, however it is still present in some vaccinations, including virtually all flu shots. During the review, medical experts discussed the results from a study that showed urinary mercury concentrations were six times higher in children with autism, as opposed to normal-age/vaccine matched controls. They also said that they found evidence that suggested the link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism had a higher risk than that between lung cancer and smoking cigarettes.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin. Injecting it into a child, whose nervous system is rapidly developing, could have terrible consequences. So, before you decide to vaccinate your children, do them a favor and look into the many risks and side effects associated with common childhood vaccines. Doing so could mean the difference between life and death.
• Facts about thimerosal and mercury - Congressional Hearing: Thimerosal in Vaccines - This is an eye opener! (It may take a couple of minutes for the video to download)
• Law Suit Against Pharmaceutical Companies Citing Vaccines Contained Poisonous Mercury:
• "On July 7, 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued with the US Public Health Service (USPHS) a joint statement alerting clinicians and the public of concern about thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative used in some vaccines.
Deadly Immunity By Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In June 2000, a group of top government scientists and health officials gathered for a meeting at the isolated Simpsonwood conference center in Norcross, Ga. Convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the meeting was held at this Methodist retreat center, nestled in wooded farmland next to the Chattahoochee River, to ensure complete secrecy. The agency had issued no public announcement of the session - only private invitations to 52 attendees. There were high-level officials from the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration, the top vaccine specialist from the World Health Organization in Geneva, and representatives of every major vaccine manufacturer, including GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Wyeth and Aventis Pasteur. All of the scientific data under discussion, CDC officials repeatedly reminded the participants, was strictly "embargoed." There would be no making photocopies of documents, no taking papers with them when they left.
The federal officials and industry representatives had assembled to discuss a disturbing new study that raised alarming questions about the safety of a host of common childhood vaccines administered to infants and young children. According to a CDC epidemiologist named Tom Verstraeten, who had analyzed the agency's massive database containing the medical records of 100,000 children, a mercury-based preservative in the vaccines - thimerosal - appeared to be responsible for a dramatic increase in autism and a host of other neurological disorders among children. "I was actually stunned by what I saw," Verstraeten told those assembled at Simpsonwood, citing the staggering number of earlier studies that indicate a link between thimerosal and speech delays, attention-deficit disorder, hyperactivity and autism. Since 1991, when the CDC and the FDA had recommended that three additional vaccines laced with the preservative be given to extremely young infants - in one case, within hours of birth - the estimated number of cases of autism had increased fifteenfold, from one in every 2,500 children to one in 166 children.
Even for scientists and doctors accustomed to confronting issues of life and death, the findings were frightening. "You can play with this all you want," Dr. Bill Weil, a consultant for the American Academy of Pediatrics, told the group. The results "are statistically significant." Dr. Richard Johnston, an immunologist and pediatrician from the University of Colorado whose grandson had been born early on the morning of the meeting's first day, was even more alarmed. "My gut feeling?" he said. "Forgive this personal comment - I do not want my grandson to get a thimerosal-containing vaccine until we know better what is going on."
But instead of taking immediate steps to alert the public and rid the vaccine supply of thimerosal, the officials and executives at Simpsonwood spent most of the next two days discussing how to cover up the damaging data. According to transcripts obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, many at the meeting were concerned about how the damaging revelations about thimerosal would affect the vaccine industry's bottom line. read the rest of the article
Immunizations are "mandatory" in the U.S. for all children; 7 visits to a healthcare provider for a total of 32 vaccine mixtures - all before the child enters school. Every year, between 12,000 and 14,000 reports of adverse vaccine reactions are filed with the FDA. These include hospitalizations, permanent brain damage, and death. The FDA estimates that this figure may represent just 10 percent of the true damage being done. In just 7 years (by August 31, 1997), the U.S. government spent more than $802 million compensating moms and dads for brain injuries and deaths inflicted on their children by mandated vaccines.(National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP)
When a study revealed that mercury in childhood vaccines may have caused autism in thousands of kids, the government rushed to conceal the data - and to prevent parents from suing drug companies for their role in the epidemic. more
MANDATORY VACCINATION ACT - The Emergency Health Powers Act has just been passed in the second state, Wisconsin, and is already law in Kentucky. This legislation is also under consideration in the other forty-eight states. In the Wisconsin law, it is a $10,000 fine AND/OR nine months in prison if a person refuses the forced vaccinations.. more
Childhood Immunization Vaccines – Autism – Mercury - Medicine
Thimerosal contains a related mercury compound called ethyl mercury. Mercury is a toxic metal that can cause immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioral dysfunctions. The Food and Drug Administration suggested that some infants, depending on which vaccines they receive and the timing of those vaccines, may be exposed to levels of ethyl mercury that could build up to exceed one of the federal guidelines established for the intake of methyl mercury. Symptoms of mercury toxicity in young children are extremely similar to those of autism. This can explain the recent increase in the numbers of children diagnosed with autism since the early 1990's. The numerous amount of children diagnosed with autism seems to directly correlate with the recommendation of both the hepatitis B and HIB vaccine to infants in the early 1990s. Autism is a neurological disorder that is characterized by impairments in language, cognitive and social development." more
The hours, days and months following birth are undoubtedly the most critical phases in the life of human beings. Health and medical officials long ago decided that they knew best what should be done to children and many have made fortunes and careers out of this work. It is not by chance that infants are routinely disturbed physiologically and psychologically by medical interventions administered from the first moments of life. The incidence of childhood asthma, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases has doubled during the past 20 years; Attention Deficit Disorder has tripled, Autism has increased 600%. What part have vaccines played? Stanley Monteith, M.D.
Flu Vaccine Facts
Most Americans Surprised, Concerned that 90 Percent of Flu Shots Contain the Toxin Mercury. In 1999, government agencies called for the removal of Thimerosal, the mercury-based preservative in most vaccines. Then, in 2001, the American Academy of Pediatrics stated that, “mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the fetus and children, and efforts should be made to reduce exposure to the extent possible to pregnant women and children as well as the general population.” Despite these actions, 90 percent of this season’s flu vaccines still contain Thimerosal, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are recommending the vaccine for pregnant women and children six months and older. These recommendations come on the heels of recent studies that reveal new findings about the neurological effects of mercury and question the effectiveness of flu shots. Mercury, the second most toxic element after plutonium, is estimated to be 500 to 1,000 times more toxic than lead. more
Dr. Hugh Fundenburg, one of the most quoted biologist of our time, says that if an individual has 5 consecutive flu shots his/her chance of developing Alzheimer's Disease is 10 times greater than if they had 1, two or no shots. What it will do to babies given year after year is anyone’s guess and that is exactly what it is, a guess, an experiment for no one knows, for there have been no tests. Clearly no longitudinal study has been made with babies on the effect of giving annual flu shots starting from six months of age. With an already heavy childhood immunization schedule already in place, and with children already carrying increasingly heavy burdens of toxins, including mercury administered through other vaccines, it’s a crap shoot gamble on what will happen to the children under the CDC’s rule with the addition of the flu vaccine that contains thimerosal. Most pediatric flu shots contain 12.5 mcg. of mercury. According to EPA guidelines for ingested (vs. injected) methylmercury (vs. ethylmercury) not likely to cause harm in adults, an infant or young child would need to weigh 275 pounds to receive this injection for it to be considered safe.
The Associated Press Oct 22, 2006 - Israeli Health Ministry halts flu vaccine after three people die. Israel's Health Ministry halted the administration of flu vaccines on Sunday after three people who were inoculated died, a spokeswoman said. A fourth died later, Israeli media reported.
Flus Children Vaccine Childhood Vaccinations and Juvenile-Onset (Type-1) Diabetes by Harris Coulter, Ph.D. Flu shot left Canadian executive paralyzed JUVENILE DIABETES AND VACCINATION: NEW EVIDENCE FOR A CONNECTION Vaccines have been proven to cause insulin dependent diabetes and many are seeking compensation from the US government for this vaccine induced injury.
Avoiding vaccines To avoid all vaccines, you will need to take a religious exemption.
Raymond Obomsawin, M.D. - "Delay of DPT immunisation until 2 years of age in Japan has resulted in a dramatic decline in adverse side effects. In the period of 1970-1974, when DPT vaccination was begun at 3 to 5 months of age, the Japanese national compensation system paid out claims for 57 permanent severe damage vaccine cases, and 37 deaths. During the ensuing six year period 1975-1980, when DPT injections were delayed to 24 months of age, severe reactions from the vaccine were reduced to a total of eight with three deaths. This represents an 85 to 90 percent reduction in severe cases of damage and death." A child’s chances of a serious adverse reaction to the DPT vaccine are one in 1750, while his chances of dying from pertussis are one in several million. Decades of studies published in the world’s leading medical journals have documented vaccine failure and serious adverse vaccine events, including death. Dozens of books written by doctors, researchers, and independent investigators reveal serious flaws in immunization theory and practice. Yet, incredibly, most pediatricians and parents are unaware of these findings. This has begun to change in recent years, however, as a growing number of parents and healthcare providers around the world are becoming aware of the problems and questioning mass mandatory immunization. There is a growing international movement away from mass mandatory immunization. This report introduces some of the information that provides the basis for the movement. Learn more: DISPELLING VACCINATION MYTHS
"...Vaccinosis, the general name for chronic dis-ease caused by vaccines. For some readers the very idea that vaccines are anything but wonderful and life-saving may come as a surprise, and it's not a very pleasant one. After all, the general population pictures vaccines as one of modern medicine's best and brightest moments, saving literally millions from the scourge of diseases like poliomyelitis and smallpox." Richard Pitcairn D.V.M., Ph.D
The Verge of Vaccine Mania By Nicholas Regush
These days, children can get as many as 21 vaccines before they start the first grade, and there are about 200 more vaccines in the pipeline.
" Why are there no studies on the long-term effects of vaccination? Why are there so few studies that have examined what happens in the body at a cellular/molecular level after vaccination? Why are we vaccinating children in a vacuum of scientific knowledge? Why are there no long-term studies to assess illness and deaths related to vaccination? These are the kind of fundamental questions that anyone involved in vaccine policy should be addressing,
but that is hardly the case. People like Fisher are badly needed on TV and radio news programs and in newspaper stories to raise these questions again and again — until the academics wake up and do some real research. These days, children can get as many as 21 vaccines before they start first grade. There are about 200 more vaccines in the pipeline. Scenarios for the future even include consuming vaccines in nose sprays, ointments and fruits and vegetables. I call it vaccine mania. It has gone beyond what anyone can possibly defend on scientific grounds. Pumping more vaccines into the body without understanding such basics as how they’ll affect immune system function over time borders on the criminal."
Vaccines can cause severe eczema as documented by these CDC photos
"Pumping more vaccines into the body without understanding such basics as how they’ll affect immunesystem function over time borders on the criminal."Nicholas Regush
Vaccine Reaction Photos from the CDC Warning: these are horrific photos of severe vaccine reactions in babies, children, and adults. Photos from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) 1 - 2 - 3
This child died as a result of vaccines
Free Google Videos. Doctors and parents expose how vaccines are crippling our children.
Dr. David Ayoub, M.D. lectures on Vaccines, Mercury, Autism and other disease --- Vaccination the Hidden Truth
Do you have a vaccine legal issue, question, or need help/support? click here to email Alan Phillips or call 919-960-5172 NC. He is one of only a handful of attorneys in the U.S. with a focus on vaccine legal exemptions. See his article Vaccine Religious Exemption
HOMEOPATHY IS RENOWNED FOR ITS ABILITY TO REDUCE OR REPAIR THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY VACCINES LIKE NOTHING ELSE CAN !
Homeopathy is noted for its success to antidote or remove the toxic effects of vaccines and to re-establish balance in the organism and restore health. Certain homeopathic remedies taken after vaccination can minimize vaccine damage. A professional homeopath should be consulted for more information.
Dr. Smits MD - "Once the diagnosis of The Post-Vaccination Syndrome (PVS) is considered a simple and efficient treatment can restore health by giving the vaccinations that caused the disease in homeopathic potencies. Even severe damage as paralysis, epilepsy, general decline, etc. can partially or completely be restored."
Holistic doctors and pediatricians are also using Homeopathy and Transfer Factor to successfully prevent and treat smallpox, measles, whooping cough, chickenpox, and other ailments.
Dr. Falconer - "Vaccination *confuses* the immune system. Transfer Factor should be given before and immediately after vaccination for at least a few weeks to help ameliorate the confusion (when someone is faced with a mandatory vaccination, or has decided they want to give one). By priming the immune system with Transfer Factor, the immune intelligence should be less confused."
Join Fran Sheffield and friends each week as they introduce you to the fascinating world of Homeopathy. Discover how to easily treat your family, yourself, and even your pets with this remarkable system of medicine. Restore health, immunise against deadly diseases, and bring emotions back into balance. Join the Homeopathy Plus team each week as they show you how to get well on the radio. An Internet radio program on homeopathic immunisation and vaccine issues. The Do No Harm Initiative, a non-profit organisation established to supply accurate information to governments, communities and individuals on the homeopathic immunisation option. Fran Sheffield will be joined by Meryl Dorey from the Australian Vaccination Network. Meryl will discuss why some seemingly well-educated and loving parents choose not to vaccinate their children and Fran will tell you about the homeopathic immunisation option and the homeopathic treatment of vaccine damage.
The Do No Harm Initiative Inc., a non-profit organisation, has been established to increase awareness among governments, communities and individuals about homeopathic immunisation strategies. Homeopathic immunisation, sometimes known as Homeoprophylaxis, is a safe, effective, and low-cost method of contagious disease prevention and epidemic management.
Alternative Vaccines for children Vaccines and preventive medicines are available to parents in safe and effective homeopathic form. Learn more about Homeopathic Alternative to vaccines
Smallpox By Dr. Vivian Virginia Vetrano Compulsory vaccination was abandoned because more deaths were caused by the vaccinations than there were cases of smallpox.
Index of Smallpox Articles --- Smallpox Vaccine critics
Study: Smallpox immunity remains in body for years after vaccination People vaccinated against smallpox as long as 75 years ago may still retain some immunity to the disease, a new study finds. That means as many as 150 million Americans could already be significantly protected, researchers say.
Investigation into Federal Vaccine Policy In August 1999, the Committee on Government Reform initiated an investigation into Federal vaccine policy. Over the last six months, this investigation has focused on possible conflicts of interest on the part of federal policy-makers.
Vaccine Reaction Register The Vaccine Reaction Register (VRR) has been set up to allow parent, relatives and victims of vaccine injuries record details of their own reactions to vaccination! Why? So we can try to identify trends and patterns of which vaccines are causing what side effects with the aim being able to draw valid statistics from the data gained and preventing vaccine injury in the future.
The national on-line "Show Us the Vaccine Data Petition" was announced by the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) at an August 23, 2004, meeting of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), National Academies of Sciences in Washington, D.C. At that meeting, parents of vaccine-injured autistic
children protested that the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) was being used by federal health officials to cover up vaccine risks associated with mercury preservatives in vaccines. That day, the National Vaccine Information Center, as well as SAFEMINDS, National Autism Association, Moms Against Mercury, CoMed, NoMercury.org and Unlocking Autism, all called for full public disclosure of all government-held vaccine risk data in the VSD
A Criminal Consequence of Vaccine Injury
Shaken Baby Syndrome or Vaccine-Induced Encephalitis? New Scientist recently published a study that challenges the widely held view that only extreme violence causes shaken baby syndrome and calls into question the scientific evidence behind many convictions for killing infants. Many parents have been charged with murder for allegedly shaking their babies to death, but medical evidence suggests that vaccinations are to blame in a large number of these cases.
Viera Scheibner, PhD - "Many infants who suffer the so-called 'shaken baby syndrome' may be victims of undiagnosed vaccine damage. Ever since mass vaccination of infants began, reports of serious brain, cardiovascular, metabolic and other injuries started filling pages of medical journals.
"A great number of babies now die within days or within two to four weeks of birth after hepatitis B vaccination, as documented by the records of the VAERS [Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System] in the USA.) So, the baby stops progressing, starts deteriorating, and usually develops signs of respiratory tract infection. Then comes the second and third injections, and tragedy strikes: the child may cry intensely and inconsolably, may stop feeding properly, vomit, have difficulty swallowing, become irritable, stop sleeping, and may develop convulsions with accelerating progressive deterioration of its condition and mainly its brain function.
This deterioration may be fast, or may slowly inch in until the parents notice that something is very wrong with their child and then rush it to the doctor or hospital. Interestingly, they are invariably asked when the baby was immunised. On learning that the baby was indeed "immunised", the parents may be reassured that its symptoms will all clear up. They are sent home with the advice, "Give your baby Panadol". If they persist in considering the baby's reaction serious, they may be labelled as anxious parents or trouble-makers. So the parents go home, and the child remains in a serious condition or dies.
Until recently, the vaccine death would have just been labelled "sudden infant death", particularly if the symptoms and pathological findings were minimal. However, nowadays, with an alarmingly increasing frequency, the parents (or at least one of them, usually the father) may be accused of shaking the baby to death" Viera Scheibner, PhD.
The Story of baby Alan, baby Luca, baby Rik
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Kill The Virus, Stop The Cancer
Kill The Virus, Stop The Cancer
Researchers show that some cancers can be slowed and perhaps blocked by knocking out the viruses that trigger them.
By Lisa Stein
CANCER TARGETS?: Key to treating some cancers may be blasting viruses that cause them before they morph into malignancies.©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
Researchers have for the first time shown that as many as 1.3 million cases of cancer a year may one day be successfully treated or even prevented by targeting and destroying the viruses that cause them.
Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York City say the finding could pave the way for conquering human cancers that are linked to preexisting viral infections, among them liver cancer (caused by the hepatitis B and C viruses), cervical cancer (from human papillomavirus) and lymphomas caused by the Epstein–Barr virus.
They key, they say, is to find and destroy the viruses before they turn cancerous. In an attempt to do this, the researchers used a technique known as radioimmunotherapy in which radioisotopes (unstable elements that release radiation) mounted on antibodies (protein molecules akin to infection search-and-destroy missiles) are injected into the body. Once inside, researchers found that the antibodies zeroed in on their targets—viral antigens—and the radioisotopes destroyed nearby cancer cells without damaging surrounding healthy tissue.
Viral antigens are proteins produced by virus-infected cells that can cause those cells to go berserk and start multiplying out of control, thereby becoming cancerous. Antibodies are immune proteins with binding sites that can fit like puzzle pieces into corresponding sites on foreign viral or bacterial antigens and disable them (triggering other immune responses). The problem with viruses that typically cause cancer, though, is that they tend hide out of reach—inside of rather than on the surface of cells. The Einstein researchers, however, found a way around that.
"We had a hunch that rapidly growing tumors can 'outgrow' their blood supply, resulting in dead tumor cells that might spill their viral antigens amongst the living cancer cells," said co-senior study author Arturo Casadevall, chair of Einstein's Microbiology & Immunology department. "So we hoped that by injecting antibodies hitched to isotopes into the blood that they'd be carried deep into the tumor mass and would latch onto these now-exposed antigens. Then the blast of radiation emitted by the radioisotope would destroy the…tumor cells nearby."
The researchers tested their theory on mice, attaching the radioisotope rhenium 18 to antibodies that attack E6, a viral antigen produced by virtually all cervical cancer cells. They prepared a similar weapon against liver cancer by piggybacking rhenium 18 on antibodies that target HBx, a viral antigen made by cancerous liver cells. The mice, which had been injected with human cervical and liver cells, were treated with the appropriate radioimmunotherapy.
In both cases, researchers report in PLoS ONE the therapies significantly slowed tumor growth compared with results in untreated mice. In the animals with cervical cancer, the tumors not only stopped growing but some actually shrunk.
"Radioimmunotherapy not only worked against these cancers but, in addition, the radioactivity was confined entirely to the tumor masses, leaving healthy tissues undamaged," said senior study co-author Ekaterina Dadachova, an associate professor of nuclear medicine and of microbiology and immunology at Einstein.
Dadachova, a pioneer in the use of radioimmunotherapy against infectious diseases, previously successfully turned it on a streptococcal bacterium that causes pneumonia. Last year, she and her colleagues showed that the therapy could also be used to help halt HIV by targeting one of several viral proteins on the surface of HIV-infected cells.
"Our study has shown in principle that radioimmunotherapy can help in treating cancers caused by viruses—and, just as exciting, the approach also holds promise for cancer prevention,'' she said. "In people chronically infected with hepatitis B or C, human papillomaviruses or other viruses known to cause cancer, radioimmunotherapy could potentially eliminate virus-infected cells before they're able to transform into cancer cells."
Tags: kill virus stop cancer
How virus causes cancer
November 21, 2007 0 comments health
Scientists have discovered how the notorious Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) makes some people vulnerable to developing cancer. Around 90% of British adults are infected with EBV - but most come to no harm. However, in a small minority of cases the virus helps to trigger cancer. EBV has been linked to Hodgkin's disease, Burkitt's lymphoma, and nasopharyngeal cancer, as well as certain rare cancers in immunosupressed transplant patients. Now scientists from Cancer Research UK's Paterson Institute have discovered how the virus acts to increase the risk that cells will divide in the uncontrolled fashion typical of cancer. They hope the advance could lead to ways of protecting people from the effects of infection or treating patients with EBV-related cancers. The researchers focused on a gene called p16 which acts as a brake on cell growth and division. It was already known that EBV was able to inactivate the p16 braking system - but the way it did this was a mystery. Sabotaged brakes In the new study, the researchers tested the effects of EBV in human cells called fibroblasts. They found that the key was a molecule produced by the virus, known as LMP1. This molecule neutralises the p16 system, either by switching it off, or sabotaging its effectiveness. This leaves cells free to divide in an uncontrolled way, raising the risk of cancer. The researchers believe LMP1 may also have other, as yet undiscovered, effects that could also contribute to the development of cancer. Lead researcher Dr Eiji Hara said: 'Epstein-Barr Virus has a number of different cancer-promoting effects and it's important that we get to the bottom of how it works, so we may be able to find ways of treating or protecting people. 'We think we've found the virus's central cancer trigger, but we've still got a way to go in understanding exactly how the trigger works - it looks as if it may have a few more tricks up its sleeve.' Professor Robert Souhami, director of clinical research for Cancer Research UK, said: 'Around 15-20% of all cancers are caused by viruses, so it's vital that we get a better handle on the role of viral infection. 'By teasing out the details, we should eventually put ourselves in a position where we have improved treatments for viral cancers and perhaps effective methods of prevention.' The research is published in the Journal of Cell Biology.
The virus cancer link
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The virus cancer link is the idea that some cancers are caused by viruses.
Contents [hide]
1 DNA viruses
2 RNA viruses
3 History
4 References
5 See also
[edit]DNA viruses
JC virus has been found in malignant colon tumors and may be linked to colon cancer.[citation needed]
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a DNA virus, causes transformation in cells through interfering with tumor suppressor proteins such as p53. Interfering with the action of p53 allows a cell infected with the virus to move into a different stage of the cell cycle allowing the virus genome to be replicated forcing the cell into the S phase of the cell cycle could cause the cell to become transformed (Scheffner et al., 1990).
Main article: cervical cancer
Human herpes virus-8 is associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma, a type of skin cancer (Chang et al., 1994).
Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) is associated with four types of cancers
[edit]RNA viruses
It is not only DNA viruses that are associated with cancers some RNA viruses have also been associated such as the Hepititis C Virus as well as Human T cell leukaemia virus-1(HTLV-1)
[edit]History
The theory that cancer could be caused by a virus began to be developed in 1911 by Peyton Rous. Rous transmitted solid tumors of chickens by transplanting tissue between them.
By the early 1950s it was known that viruses could remove and incorporate genes and genetic material in cells. It was suggested that these new genes inserted into cells could make the cell cancerous. Many of these viral oncogenes have been discovered and identified to cause cancer.
The main viruses associated with human cancers are human papillomavirus, hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and human T-lymphotropic virus. Experimental and epidemiological data imply a causative role for viruses and they appear to be the second most important risk factor for cancer development in humans, exceeded only by tobacco usage.[1] The mode of virally-induced tumors can be divided into two, acutely-transforming or slowly-transforming. In acutely transforming viruses, the viral particles carry a gene that encodes for an overactive oncogene called viral-oncogene (v-onc), and the infected cell is transformed as soon as v-onc is expressed. In contrast, in slowly-transforming viruses, the virus genome is inserted, especially as viral genome insertion is an obligatory part of retroviruses, near a proto-oncogene in the host genome. The viralpromoter or other transcription regulation elements in turn cause overexpression of that proto-oncogene, which in turn induces uncontrolled cellular proliferation. Because viral genome insertion is not specific to proto-oncogenes and the chance of insertion near that proto-oncogene is low, slowly-transforming viruses have very long tumor latency compared to acutely-transforming viruses, which already carry the viral oncogene.
Hepatitis viruses, including hepatitis B and hepatitis C, can induce a chronic viral infection that leads to liver cancer in 0.47% of hepatitis B patients per year (especially in Asia, less so in North America), and in 1.4% of hepatitis C carriers per year. Liver cirrhosis, whether from chronic viral hepatitis infection or alcoholism, is associated with the development of liver cancer, and the combination of cirrhosis and viral hepatitis presents the highest risk of liver cancer development. Worldwide, liver cancer is one of the most common, and most deadly, cancers due to a huge burden of viral hepatitis transmission and disease.
Advances in cancer research have made a vaccine designed to prevent cancer available. In 2006, the US FDA approved a human papilloma virus vaccine, called Gardasil®. The vaccine protects against four HPV types, which together cause 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts. In March 2007, the US CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) officially recommended that females aged 11-12 receive the vaccine, and indicated that females as young as age 9 and as old as age 26 are also candidates for immunization.
The virus cancer link is the idea that some cancers are caused by viruses.
Contents [hide]
1 DNA viruses
2 RNA viruses
3 History
4 References
5 See also
[edit]DNA viruses
JC virus has been found in malignant colon tumors and may be linked to colon cancer.[citation needed]
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a DNA virus, causes transformation in cells through interfering with tumor suppressor proteins such as p53. Interfering with the action of p53 allows a cell infected with the virus to move into a different stage of the cell cycle allowing the virus genome to be replicated forcing the cell into the S phase of the cell cycle could cause the cell to become transformed (Scheffner et al., 1990).
Main article: cervical cancer
Human herpes virus-8 is associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma, a type of skin cancer (Chang et al., 1994).
Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) is associated with four types of cancers
[edit]RNA viruses
It is not only DNA viruses that are associated with cancers some RNA viruses have also been associated such as the Hepititis C Virus as well as Human T cell leukaemia virus-1(HTLV-1)
[edit]History
The theory that cancer could be caused by a virus began to be developed in 1911 by Peyton Rous. Rous transmitted solid tumors of chickens by transplanting tissue between them.
By the early 1950s it was known that viruses could remove and incorporate genes and genetic material in cells. It was suggested that these new genes inserted into cells could make the cell cancerous. Many of these viral oncogenes have been discovered and identified to cause cancer.
The main viruses associated with human cancers are human papillomavirus, hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and human T-lymphotropic virus. Experimental and epidemiological data imply a causative role for viruses and they appear to be the second most important risk factor for cancer development in humans, exceeded only by tobacco usage.[1] The mode of virally-induced tumors can be divided into two, acutely-transforming or slowly-transforming. In acutely transforming viruses, the viral particles carry a gene that encodes for an overactive oncogene called viral-oncogene (v-onc), and the infected cell is transformed as soon as v-onc is expressed. In contrast, in slowly-transforming viruses, the virus genome is inserted, especially as viral genome insertion is an obligatory part of retroviruses, near a proto-oncogene in the host genome. The viralpromoter or other transcription regulation elements in turn cause overexpression of that proto-oncogene, which in turn induces uncontrolled cellular proliferation. Because viral genome insertion is not specific to proto-oncogenes and the chance of insertion near that proto-oncogene is low, slowly-transforming viruses have very long tumor latency compared to acutely-transforming viruses, which already carry the viral oncogene.
Hepatitis viruses, including hepatitis B and hepatitis C, can induce a chronic viral infection that leads to liver cancer in 0.47% of hepatitis B patients per year (especially in Asia, less so in North America), and in 1.4% of hepatitis C carriers per year. Liver cirrhosis, whether from chronic viral hepatitis infection or alcoholism, is associated with the development of liver cancer, and the combination of cirrhosis and viral hepatitis presents the highest risk of liver cancer development. Worldwide, liver cancer is one of the most common, and most deadly, cancers due to a huge burden of viral hepatitis transmission and disease.
Advances in cancer research have made a vaccine designed to prevent cancer available. In 2006, the US FDA approved a human papilloma virus vaccine, called Gardasil®. The vaccine protects against four HPV types, which together cause 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts. In March 2007, the US CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) officially recommended that females aged 11-12 receive the vaccine, and indicated that females as young as age 9 and as old as age 26 are also candidates for immunization.
What is Asthma?
Asthma
What is Asthma?Asthma is a long-lasting (chronic) disease of the lungs and airways (bronchi) that affects 5 people in every 100. In children, this figure is higher and rising.
Asthma is characterised by attacks of breathlessness, tight chest, wheezing and coughing which are caused by the airways becoming narrowed and inflamed. Some people may have these symptoms all of the time and others may be normal between attacks.
How do you get Asthma?Asthma can arise at any age, but why some people have the disease and others don't is not known. People with asthma have airways that are more sensitive than normal.
Doctors know, however, that asthma can sometimes run in families.
Asthma attacks can be set off by many different things, these are called triggers. Examples include cold air, vigorous exercise and stress.
These triggers may also include 'allergens'. These are present in the environment and contain chemicals that trigger allergic reactions.
Allergens include, for example, pollen, animal danders, house dust, pollution, some foods, perfumes and cigarette smoke.
Allergens cause the lining of the airways to become swollen and inflamed. It produces extra mucus and the muscles of the airways tighten. There is then less room for the air to pass in and out.
Attacks may be more frequent or severe in people who have a chest infection.
How serious is Asthma?Asthma is not generally considered by doctors to be a serious illness in most people who have it, mainly due to the mildness of symptoms and the range of very effective medicines that control these symptoms and stop asthma worsening. Asthma does, however, have an effect on quality of life because attacks can be unpleasant and distressing and can restrict activity. Whilst most sufferers learn to live with and manage their condition, for some it can be disabling. In exceptional cases, asthma can be life-threatening, particularly if it is not treated adequately or promptly. For some of these, an attack is so severe that it results in death.How long does Asthma last?Asthma attacks come and go, with wide variation in the symptoms at different times. Many people with asthma have problems only occasionally but others struggle with it every day. Modern medicines control and relieve symptoms and so attacks may only last a few hours or minutes, but without treatment this may go on for several days. Some children grow out of asthma and some people are only affected at different times of the year. However, the period of time during which people may have asthma attacks can last for many years or throughout life.How is Asthma treated?There is no cure for asthma, but there are different types of medicines that will help to keep it under control and relieve symptoms.
Most sufferers must be given a type of medicine called a preventer, which is usually an anti-inflammatory steroid (of the glucocorticosteroid type) that treats the underlying causes of the asthma. These are usually given from an inhaler.
Even if symptoms are not present, sufferers should keep taking the preventer medicines, as this will greatly decrease the risk of suffering asthma attacks. This will help many asthmatics to live a normal active life.
One type of preventer can be taken as tablets and can be used together with steroids.
Another sort of medicine is called a reliever that is used during an asthma attack and may be contained in an inhaler. This contains a bronchodilator medicine that opens up the air passages (bronchial tubes) of the lungs and works in a few minutes.
Any medical information on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. Click here for more important information.
What is Asthma?Asthma is a long-lasting (chronic) disease of the lungs and airways (bronchi) that affects 5 people in every 100. In children, this figure is higher and rising.
Asthma is characterised by attacks of breathlessness, tight chest, wheezing and coughing which are caused by the airways becoming narrowed and inflamed. Some people may have these symptoms all of the time and others may be normal between attacks.
How do you get Asthma?Asthma can arise at any age, but why some people have the disease and others don't is not known. People with asthma have airways that are more sensitive than normal.
Doctors know, however, that asthma can sometimes run in families.
Asthma attacks can be set off by many different things, these are called triggers. Examples include cold air, vigorous exercise and stress.
These triggers may also include 'allergens'. These are present in the environment and contain chemicals that trigger allergic reactions.
Allergens include, for example, pollen, animal danders, house dust, pollution, some foods, perfumes and cigarette smoke.
Allergens cause the lining of the airways to become swollen and inflamed. It produces extra mucus and the muscles of the airways tighten. There is then less room for the air to pass in and out.
Attacks may be more frequent or severe in people who have a chest infection.
How serious is Asthma?Asthma is not generally considered by doctors to be a serious illness in most people who have it, mainly due to the mildness of symptoms and the range of very effective medicines that control these symptoms and stop asthma worsening. Asthma does, however, have an effect on quality of life because attacks can be unpleasant and distressing and can restrict activity. Whilst most sufferers learn to live with and manage their condition, for some it can be disabling. In exceptional cases, asthma can be life-threatening, particularly if it is not treated adequately or promptly. For some of these, an attack is so severe that it results in death.How long does Asthma last?Asthma attacks come and go, with wide variation in the symptoms at different times. Many people with asthma have problems only occasionally but others struggle with it every day. Modern medicines control and relieve symptoms and so attacks may only last a few hours or minutes, but without treatment this may go on for several days. Some children grow out of asthma and some people are only affected at different times of the year. However, the period of time during which people may have asthma attacks can last for many years or throughout life.How is Asthma treated?There is no cure for asthma, but there are different types of medicines that will help to keep it under control and relieve symptoms.
Most sufferers must be given a type of medicine called a preventer, which is usually an anti-inflammatory steroid (of the glucocorticosteroid type) that treats the underlying causes of the asthma. These are usually given from an inhaler.
Even if symptoms are not present, sufferers should keep taking the preventer medicines, as this will greatly decrease the risk of suffering asthma attacks. This will help many asthmatics to live a normal active life.
One type of preventer can be taken as tablets and can be used together with steroids.
Another sort of medicine is called a reliever that is used during an asthma attack and may be contained in an inhaler. This contains a bronchodilator medicine that opens up the air passages (bronchial tubes) of the lungs and works in a few minutes.
Any medical information on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. Click here for more important information.
The Health Secretary has intervened to block payments to a former hospital chief executive at the centre of a scandal over hygiene standards.
Rod Nichols: Multi-Level Marketing
How to Choose the Right CompanyDon't just go on referrals, research networking marketing companies to find one that's right for you.
By Rod Nichols July 24, 2006
When I was first introduced to network marketing back in 1979, there were far fewer companies doing it than there are today. Back then, people didn't go searching for the right network marketing business. However, today, that's quite common. In fact, to achieve a high level of success in network marketing, you must be with the right company. Since there are well over 3,000 network marketing companies--and more are popping up every week--the task of finding the right one is often daunting.
In the past, most people got into network marketing because a friend, family member or co-worker introduced them to a company. Unfortunately, in most cases, this wasn't the right company for them--and it resulted in failure, or at best, moderate success. Today, you're not forced to go with whatever company is introduced to you. You can do your own research and find the company that's best for you.
Choosing the right company doesn't guarantee success, but it does increase your odds. Ultimately, your success in network marketing is determined by what you do. It's all about building a network of people all buying or using the products or services you're selling. Your job is simple: Provide information about your business, answer questions and objections, make the sale, follow up, sponsor, train and support.
Excitement and enthusiasm will make all the necessary tasks much easier and more enjoyable--and you'll be able to maintain that excitement if you're working for a company you truly believe in. You'll also want to feel secure that the company will be around for many years to come, providing you and your family with financial security.
So how do you choose the right company? Here are the key factors to consider:
1. Carefully research the company. How long have they been in business? If the company is less than 2 years old, the probability of failure is high. If it's more than 15 years old, you've probably missed most of its growth. Examine the management team to see if it has a solid mix of people who've been involved in managing successful traditional and network marketing companies. Search the internet to see if the company has any lawsuits or outstanding complaints against it. If the company is solid, you can assess the next factor.
2. Find a product or service you're passionate about. If not, find another company. Also ask yourself, is this a product or service that's in high demand and will be for many years to come? Is this a consumable product or service people must reorder every month? Is the product or service unique in some way? If it's a product, does the company manufacture it? If it's a service, does the company perform the service itself? You want the answer to be yes. Check to make sure the company will be able to handle rapid growth in product orders or service performance.
3. Examine the compensation plan: Is the plan easy to understand and explain? Does it reward new associates who sponsor a couple of people, or do you have to sponsor hundreds to make a decent income? Check if there are purchase requirements so you can weigh that monthly investment into your decision. Ask for average annual incomes at different levels of the company to get a picture of what people are making, then ask how long it takes to reach your desired level. Also find out if commissions are paid monthly, weekly or daily. Weekly is best--it puts less strain on the company and provides quick and consistent pay for you.
4. Determine the amount of help you'll get with marketing. Does the company offer full-color marketing pieces, DVD presentations and customizable associate websites? Will it train you to market your business? Make sure the company has developed a solid internet-based ordering system so customers can order via the site. Also, the site should allow you to sponsor new associates.
5. Find out what type of and how much training is offered. Does the company offer a reasonably priced (under $50) associate training kit? Is there training available online? Are there conventions and conferences held in cities near you?
When you find several companies that meet your criteria, you then have to use your gut instincts to make a final decision. Does this company feel right? If so, you're ready to begin a career in network marketing.
Rod Nichols is Entrepreneur.com's "Multi-Level Marketing" columnist. He has been involved in the network marketing industry since 1979 as a consultant, trainer and author. His articles, bi-monthly newsletter and books can be found at his website, http://www.rodnichols.com/.
Health Secretary intervenes in superbug row
The Health Secretary has intervened to block payments to a former hospital chief executive at the centre of a scandal over hygiene standards.
Have your say: How worried are you about hospital hygiene?
Q&A: What is Clostridium difficile?
Case studies: Wretched death of superbug victims
Alan Johnson told Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, which was at the centre of Britain's worst superbug outbreak, to withhold any severance payment to Rose Gibb pending legal advice.
Nurses did not have time to wash their hands
A report published today said crowded wards, a shortage of nurses and financial problems led to 1,176 people contracting Clostridium difficile over two and half years at three Kent hospitals. The infections may have contributed to the deaths of 331 people, according to watchdog the Healthcare Commission.
Mr Johnson promised to send the damning assessment to all hospital bosses in Britain so lessons would be learned.
Though the superbug was rife on the wards, managers have been accused of failing to act. Isolation units were not set up, nurses were so rushed they did not have time to wash their hands and patients were left in soiled beds. Bedpans were not decontaminated properly and beds were not cleaned as well as they should have been.
The Healthcare Commission's report concluded that the infection probably or definitely killed at least 90 patients and was a factor in the deaths of a further 241.
Fourteen patients who died were found to have C.diff but it did not contribute to their deaths. In total 345 people died with the infection.
Mr Johnson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning that the Kent outbreak was an isolated incident, and not the result of hospital staff becoming preoccupied by Government targets.
"To suggest that in this particular incident, this reflects what's happening in the NHS across the country is absolutely wrong," he said.
"There are nurses and clinicians across the country who have dealt with the targets... but kept the highest safety standards."
The report said some patients at the hospitals run by the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Hospital Trust should have made a full recovery from their initial illness. But they caught the bug and died. Police will determine if there are grounds for criminal charges.
In May 2004 the chief executive of the trust, Rose Gibb, told the BBC she had known about the cleanliness problem for six months. But by September last year the hospitals were in the grip of their second outbreak.
Ms Gibb resigned on Friday before the release of the report. The commission found cases where the patient probably died as a result of their C.diff infection but it was not mentioned on the death certificate.
The number of people who died also turned out to be far higher than declared to the media and the commission.
Last week the chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, wrote to all doctors telling them to ensure hospital infections were routinely included on death certificates. Gordon Brown has announced a raft of measures to improve cleanliness in the NHS.
The commission report said managers at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells trust were too focused on hitting Government targets and were cutting nursing staff and closing beds to balance the books, contributing to the problem.
The first of two outbreaks affected 150 patients between October and December 2005. Even though the number of new cases doubled, managers did not notice.
A further 258 patients contracted C.diff in a second outbreak from April to September 2006 but an isolation ward to care for infected patients was not set up until four months into the outbreak.
At the time of the outbreaks, the trust was carrying out a programme to save £40 million over three years and the report said there was intense pressure to reduce beds.
It ended last year almost £5 million in the red.
The care of patients once they had contracted the infection was poor, they were given unsuitable medication and were often dehydrated or underfed.
The shadow health secretary, Andrew Lansley, said: "Centrally imposed waiting list targets have become such a burden on hospital staff that they have less time and fewer resources to protect patients."
Dr Malcolm Stewart, the medical director of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, said infection control had improved dramatically in the last six months.
He said: "We are sorry about what happened and are determined to continue to reduce levels of the infection."
BY NUMBERS
55,634 people over the age of 65 were infected with C.diff last year in England.
1,170 patients were infected at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Hospital Trust between April 2004 and September 2006.
331 the number of patients who died where c.diff was the main cause or at least a likely contributing factor in their death.
50 million pounds of extra funding to fight hospital infections was announced in July this year by ministers.
45 per cent of hospital trusts reported that Government targets got in the way of implementing infection control.
3 per cent of adults carrying clostridium difficile harmlessly in their gut.
1 billion pounds is the estimated cost of healthcare associated infections each year to the NHS.
Study Links Selenium Supplements to Type 2 Diabetes
FOX NEWS
An analysis of data from a large national study found that people who took a 200 microgram selenium supplement each day for almost eight years had an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who took a placebo or dummy pill.
The data came from the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer Trial (NPC), a large randomized, multi-center, clinical trial from the eastern United States, designed to evaluate whether selenium supplements prevent skin cancer.
In the study, researchers selected 1,202 participants who did not have diabetes when they were enrolled in the NPC Trial. Half received a 200 microgram selenium supplement and half received a placebo pill for an average of 7.7 years.
Saverio Stranges, MD, PhD, of the Warwick Medical School in the UK, said the findings suggest that selenium supplements do not prevent diabetes and that they might be harmful.
“At this time, the evidence that people should take selenium supplements is extremely limited," said Stranges, lead author of the study. "We have observed an increased risk for diabetes over the long term in the group of participants who took selenium supplements.
Selenium is a naturally occurring trace mineral present in soil and foods. The body needs selenium in very small amounts to aid in metabolism. Selenium supplements are widely promoted on the Internet for conditions ranging fromcold sores and shingles to arthritis and multiple sclerosis. They are sold to prevent aging, enhance fertility, prevent cancer and get rid of toxic minerals such as mercury, lead and cadmium.
In the study, 58 out of 600 participants in the selenium group and 39 out of 602 participants in the placebo group developed type 2 diabetes. After 7.7 years, the risk rate was about 50 percent higher for those taking selenium compared to those in the placebo group.
The results showed higher risks of disease among participants regardless of their age, gender, and smoking status. However, the selenium supplements had no impact on the most overweight participants and the risk of developing diabetes was higher in people who had higher blood selenium levels at the start of the study.
“No single study can provide the answer to a scientific question, but at this time, selenium supplementation does not appear to prevent type 2 diabetes, and it may increase risk of the disease," said Stranges. "Nevertheless, I would not advise patients to take selenium supplements greater than those in multiple vitamins.”
Stranges said that selenium levels in soil in United States are higher than the minimum needed to optimize metabolism, so people in the United States should not need to take selenium supplements greater than those in multivitamin supplements.
An analysis of data from a large national study found that people who took a 200 microgram selenium supplement each day for almost eight years had an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who took a placebo or dummy pill.
The data came from the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer Trial (NPC), a large randomized, multi-center, clinical trial from the eastern United States, designed to evaluate whether selenium supplements prevent skin cancer.
In the study, researchers selected 1,202 participants who did not have diabetes when they were enrolled in the NPC Trial. Half received a 200 microgram selenium supplement and half received a placebo pill for an average of 7.7 years.
Saverio Stranges, MD, PhD, of the Warwick Medical School in the UK, said the findings suggest that selenium supplements do not prevent diabetes and that they might be harmful.
“At this time, the evidence that people should take selenium supplements is extremely limited," said Stranges, lead author of the study. "We have observed an increased risk for diabetes over the long term in the group of participants who took selenium supplements.
Selenium is a naturally occurring trace mineral present in soil and foods. The body needs selenium in very small amounts to aid in metabolism. Selenium supplements are widely promoted on the Internet for conditions ranging fromcold sores and shingles to arthritis and multiple sclerosis. They are sold to prevent aging, enhance fertility, prevent cancer and get rid of toxic minerals such as mercury, lead and cadmium.
In the study, 58 out of 600 participants in the selenium group and 39 out of 602 participants in the placebo group developed type 2 diabetes. After 7.7 years, the risk rate was about 50 percent higher for those taking selenium compared to those in the placebo group.
The results showed higher risks of disease among participants regardless of their age, gender, and smoking status. However, the selenium supplements had no impact on the most overweight participants and the risk of developing diabetes was higher in people who had higher blood selenium levels at the start of the study.
“No single study can provide the answer to a scientific question, but at this time, selenium supplementation does not appear to prevent type 2 diabetes, and it may increase risk of the disease," said Stranges. "Nevertheless, I would not advise patients to take selenium supplements greater than those in multiple vitamins.”
Stranges said that selenium levels in soil in United States are higher than the minimum needed to optimize metabolism, so people in the United States should not need to take selenium supplements greater than those in multivitamin supplements.
Is Network Marketing Just a Scam?
Is Network Marketing Just a Scam?There's a huge difference between network marketing and pyramid schemes. Learn the truth here.
By Michael L. Sheffield December 25, 2000Q: Some friends continue to try to recruit me into network marketing deals that seem like some type of money game or pyramid. Other friends tell me they're illegal and I'll get into trouble. How do I know what's legal and legitimate?
A: To help you understand what network marketing is, I must first explain what it isn't. First, network marketing isn't a pyramid scheme. Pyramids are programs similar to chain letters where people just invest money based on the promise that other people will put in money that will filtrate back to them and somehow, they'll get rich. A pyramid is strictly a money game and has no basis in real commerce. Normally, there's no product involved at all, just money changing hands. Modern-day pyramids may have a product, but it's clearly there just to disguise the money game.
Network marketing is a legitimate business. First, it's based on providing people with real, legitimate products they need and want at a fair price. While some people do make a lot of money through network marketing, their financial benefit is always the result of their own dedicated efforts in building an organization that sells real products and services.
Content Continues Below
Pyramids are illegal and are based on taking advantage of people. For a person to actually make money in a pyramid scheme, someone else has to lose money. But in network marketing, each person can multiply his or her efforts, skills and talents by helping others be successful. Network marketing has proved itself as part of the new economy and a preferred way to do business here and around the world.
Network marketing isn't about taking advantage of your friends and relatives. Only a few years ago, network marketing meant retailing to, and sponsoring people from, your "warm list" of prospects. Although sharing the products or services and the opportunity with people you know is still the basic foundation of the business, today we see more people using sophisticated marketing techniques such as the Internet, conference calling and other long-distance sponsoring techniques to extend their network across the country.
Network marketing isn't a get-rich-quick scheme. Of course some people do make large amounts of money very quickly. Many would say those people are lucky. But success in networking isn't based on luck. (Unfortunately, money won't sprout wings and fly into your bank account no matter what someone has promised you.) Success in network marketing is based on following some very basic yet dynamic principles.
Now let's discuss what network marketing is. Network marketing is a serious business for serious people. It's a proven system where the design, creation and expense the corporate team has gone through becomes a road map for your own success. Just follow the simple, proven and duplicable system that the good companies provide.
The real key is this: Network marketing is all about leverage. You can leverage your time and increase the number of hours of work effort on which you can be paid by sponsoring other people and earning a small income on their efforts. J. Paul Getty, who created one of the world's greatest fortunes, said "I would rather make 1 percent on the efforts of 100 people than 100 percent on my own efforts." This very basic concept is the cornerstone of network marketing.
For example, most successful people building a network marketing business do so in an organized method. They work a few dedicated hours each week, with each hour of effort serving as a building block for their long-term business growth. Then they sponsor other people and teach those people how to sell the company product and sponsor others who duplicate the process.
By helping the people you personally sponsor to sponsor others, you duplicate yourself. As this process continues, you create compound growth that can lead to hundreds or even thousands of people coming into your business. You leverage your time by helping others be successful and earn an income from all their efforts.
With network marketing, there are no big capital requirements, no geographical limitations, no minimum quotas required and no special education or skills needed. Network marketing is a low-overhead, homebased business that can actually offer many of the tax advantages associated with owning your own business. Network marketing is a people-to-people business that can significantly expand your circle of friends. It's a business that enables you to travel and have fun as well as enjoy the lifestyle that extra income can provide.
LearnMoreRead On The Level for more information on how to investigate a multilevel marketing opportunity.
4Life Research™ Reaches Out: Builds 10,000 Humanitarian Aid Kits, Donates $100,000 to Catholic Orphanage
4Life Research™ Reaches Out: Builds 10,000 Humanitarian Aid Kits, Donates $100,000 to Catholic Orphanage
September 27, 2007 (Salt Lake City, Utah) Today 4Life Research announced the successful completion of a Foundation 4Life™ global outreach project, where distributors gathered at the Salt Palace on September 20 to build 10,000 humanitarian aid kits for people in need around the world. Foundation 4Life is the service arm of the company and is dedicated to building people, families and communities wherever 4Life® conducts business.
The humanitarian project was only part of 4Life’s efforts to reach out in service during its recent International Convention, elevation07. On September 22 4Life executives also presented a $100,000 check to Sister Carmen Veiga, the nun who founded La Casa Rosada, a Catholic orphanage for HIV-positive children in the Dominican Republic.
During the Foundation 4Life’s launch in 2006, an inaugural check for $75,000 was presented to La Casa Rosada to help complete the first phase of a five-story addition to the orphanage. This second donation, raised through a charity art auction, individual distributor donations and 4Life corporate support, will be put toward the second phase of construction.
4Life Co-founder Bianca Lisonbee: "4Life is dedicated to helping people in need around the world. With nearly 4,000 distributors at our convention, we felt we had a great opportunity and responsibility to involve people in the physical act of service."
4Life President Steve Tew: "Having Sister Veiga join us at our Convention is a hallmark event in the history of Foundation 4Life and our company. We are honored to partner with La Casa Rosada and, in turn, help them care for these special children.”
4Life, the leader in the development, production, and distribution of Transfer Factor immune support products, continues to post growth in more than 40 countries around the world.
September 27, 2007 (Salt Lake City, Utah) Today 4Life Research announced the successful completion of a Foundation 4Life™ global outreach project, where distributors gathered at the Salt Palace on September 20 to build 10,000 humanitarian aid kits for people in need around the world. Foundation 4Life is the service arm of the company and is dedicated to building people, families and communities wherever 4Life® conducts business.
The humanitarian project was only part of 4Life’s efforts to reach out in service during its recent International Convention, elevation07. On September 22 4Life executives also presented a $100,000 check to Sister Carmen Veiga, the nun who founded La Casa Rosada, a Catholic orphanage for HIV-positive children in the Dominican Republic.
During the Foundation 4Life’s launch in 2006, an inaugural check for $75,000 was presented to La Casa Rosada to help complete the first phase of a five-story addition to the orphanage. This second donation, raised through a charity art auction, individual distributor donations and 4Life corporate support, will be put toward the second phase of construction.
4Life Co-founder Bianca Lisonbee: "4Life is dedicated to helping people in need around the world. With nearly 4,000 distributors at our convention, we felt we had a great opportunity and responsibility to involve people in the physical act of service."
4Life President Steve Tew: "Having Sister Veiga join us at our Convention is a hallmark event in the history of Foundation 4Life and our company. We are honored to partner with La Casa Rosada and, in turn, help them care for these special children.”
4Life, the leader in the development, production, and distribution of Transfer Factor immune support products, continues to post growth in more than 40 countries around the world.
4Life Finds Success in Puerto Rico
by Nancy Laichas 
More than 16,000 distributors gather for 4Life’s Success Rally in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico, known as the Isle of Enchantment, is probably not the first place that comes to mind when one thinks of booming direct selling markets. But for the 16,000 distributors who attended the 4Life Research Success Rally on March 3, 2007, at the Coliseo De Arecibo Manuel G. Iguina, direct selling offers an unparalleled opportunity for economic independence.
“People in Puerto Rico understand the importance of pursuing their dreams, and network marketing is the vehicle they use to achieve them,” says Bruce Redd, 4Life Executive Vice President. And according to Trent Tenney, 4Life Senior Vice President, Marketing, Puerto Rico is an important strategic portal to both the rapidly growing U.S. Spanish market and Latin America. “Puerto Rico is 4Life’s gateway to a thriving, bilingual U.S. market and a ton of activity throughout Latin America,” he says.
4Life, known for its Transfer Factor family of immune-system-support products, has distributors in more than 40 countries. The company’s Puerto Rico networks encompass tens of thousands of distributors around the world, including people from South America, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Chile, and Paraguay; to Central America, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Europe, Spain and Italy. And though the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, with its population of 3.9 million, is just a little larger than the city of Los Angeles, the Caribbean island is having a big impact on 4Life’s international expansion efforts. “Our leadership in Puerto Rico overflows to business-building activities around the world,” says 4Life President Steve Tew.
That international business-building was indeed evident at the rally, which drew 4Life distributors from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and a number of Latin American and Caribbean countries. The rally even attracted distributors from as far away as Japan and Korea. The crowd in the packed stadium enjoyed dance performances and fireworks, but the real reason they all came together was for professional development and distributor recognition. Several 4Life leaders shared their personal stories and emphasized the importance of teamwork and the importance of having dreams. The Success Rally, which is a stepping stone to the upcoming 4Life International Convention, also allowed the company to generate excitement among its leaders with the launch of its new Spanish-language tool, Success from Home magazine.
When 4Life’s Founder & CEO David Lisonbee took the stage to welcome event attendees and introduce the new Spanish-language magazine, he also announced his recent participation in the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations’ CEO Council Meeting that took place in Brazil in February. “The amazing thing that happens at the CEO Council Meeting is that we come together as competitors and reach out and help each other, working together to solve common problems,” Lisonbee told the crowd. “You do the same.”
Lisonbee attributes the success of 4Life’s Puerto Rican salesforce to the same kind of teamwork he experienced in Brazil. “4Life distributors in Puerto Rico follow a system that teaches people how to focus on their dreams, work for what they believe in, and participate as part of a team committed to the principle of integrity,” he says.
4Life Co-Founder Bianca Lisonbee, who also spoke at the event, told Direct Selling News that the company’s leaders in Puerto Rico have an exceptional appreciation for their success. “Oftentimes I meet people who think success is a birthright and something to be handed to them,” she says. “Our leaders in Puerto Rico embrace opportunity as a privilege, and this has made all the difference.”
4Life’s success in Puerto Rico in the last three years has translated into record growth for the company in the U.S. Spanish marketplace, the Caribbean and Latin America. Additionally, 4Life has strong networks in the Dominican Republic and enjoys record-breaking growth on other Caribbean islands, including the U.S. Virgin Islands. Following the Puerto Rico event, 4Life launched Success from Home in the Dominican Republic before 2,000 distributors and prospects. “The commitment and kindness shown to us by our 4Life family in the Dominican Republic is truly inspiring!” Bianca Lisonbee says. “David and I are grateful to count ourselves among such great people, both in the Dominican Republic and in Puerto Rico.”
Nancy Laichas is Managing Editor of Direct Selling News. E-mail her atnlaichas@directsellingnews.com. To read more about 4Life’s event in Puerto Rico, visit our blog, Inside Direct Selling News, atwww.directsellingnews.com/dsnblog.html.
More than 16,000 distributors gather for 4Life’s Success Rally in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico, known as the Isle of Enchantment, is probably not the first place that comes to mind when one thinks of booming direct selling markets. But for the 16,000 distributors who attended the 4Life Research Success Rally on March 3, 2007, at the Coliseo De Arecibo Manuel G. Iguina, direct selling offers an unparalleled opportunity for economic independence.
“People in Puerto Rico understand the importance of pursuing their dreams, and network marketing is the vehicle they use to achieve them,” says Bruce Redd, 4Life Executive Vice President. And according to Trent Tenney, 4Life Senior Vice President, Marketing, Puerto Rico is an important strategic portal to both the rapidly growing U.S. Spanish market and Latin America. “Puerto Rico is 4Life’s gateway to a thriving, bilingual U.S. market and a ton of activity throughout Latin America,” he says.
4Life, known for its Transfer Factor family of immune-system-support products, has distributors in more than 40 countries. The company’s Puerto Rico networks encompass tens of thousands of distributors around the world, including people from South America, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Chile, and Paraguay; to Central America, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Europe, Spain and Italy. And though the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, with its population of 3.9 million, is just a little larger than the city of Los Angeles, the Caribbean island is having a big impact on 4Life’s international expansion efforts. “Our leadership in Puerto Rico overflows to business-building activities around the world,” says 4Life President Steve Tew.
That international business-building was indeed evident at the rally, which drew 4Life distributors from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and a number of Latin American and Caribbean countries. The rally even attracted distributors from as far away as Japan and Korea. The crowd in the packed stadium enjoyed dance performances and fireworks, but the real reason they all came together was for professional development and distributor recognition. Several 4Life leaders shared their personal stories and emphasized the importance of teamwork and the importance of having dreams. The Success Rally, which is a stepping stone to the upcoming 4Life International Convention, also allowed the company to generate excitement among its leaders with the launch of its new Spanish-language tool, Success from Home magazine.
When 4Life’s Founder & CEO David Lisonbee took the stage to welcome event attendees and introduce the new Spanish-language magazine, he also announced his recent participation in the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations’ CEO Council Meeting that took place in Brazil in February. “The amazing thing that happens at the CEO Council Meeting is that we come together as competitors and reach out and help each other, working together to solve common problems,” Lisonbee told the crowd. “You do the same.”
Lisonbee attributes the success of 4Life’s Puerto Rican salesforce to the same kind of teamwork he experienced in Brazil. “4Life distributors in Puerto Rico follow a system that teaches people how to focus on their dreams, work for what they believe in, and participate as part of a team committed to the principle of integrity,” he says.
4Life Co-Founder Bianca Lisonbee, who also spoke at the event, told Direct Selling News that the company’s leaders in Puerto Rico have an exceptional appreciation for their success. “Oftentimes I meet people who think success is a birthright and something to be handed to them,” she says. “Our leaders in Puerto Rico embrace opportunity as a privilege, and this has made all the difference.”
4Life’s success in Puerto Rico in the last three years has translated into record growth for the company in the U.S. Spanish marketplace, the Caribbean and Latin America. Additionally, 4Life has strong networks in the Dominican Republic and enjoys record-breaking growth on other Caribbean islands, including the U.S. Virgin Islands. Following the Puerto Rico event, 4Life launched Success from Home in the Dominican Republic before 2,000 distributors and prospects. “The commitment and kindness shown to us by our 4Life family in the Dominican Republic is truly inspiring!” Bianca Lisonbee says. “David and I are grateful to count ourselves among such great people, both in the Dominican Republic and in Puerto Rico.”
Nancy Laichas is Managing Editor of Direct Selling News. E-mail her atnlaichas@directsellingnews.com. To read more about 4Life’s event in Puerto Rico, visit our blog, Inside Direct Selling News, atwww.directsellingnews.com/dsnblog.html.
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