New York Psychiatrist Exhorts FDA to Rescind Artificial Sweetener Aspartame

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This chemical sweetener has a devastating effect on Diabetics, whose doctors wrongly prescribe this particular artificial sweetener as if it were harmless. Dr. Walton and Internist Dr. H.J. Roberts have written the FDA Commissioner asking her to rescind approval for this neurotoxic and carcinogenic artificial sweetener; there is ample precedent for doing so in Richard Nixon's Presidential Order to the FDA to rescind approval for cyclamates, and there is far more carcinogenicity with aspartame than there was for cyclamates; Obama himself could do this and protect hundreds of millions from further harm from this poison found in 10,000 USA food and pharmaceutical products!

Here is their letter:

by Dr. Ralph Walton, M.D. (Posted by Stephen Fox)

Margaret Hamburg, M.D.

Commissioner, F.D.A.

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, Maryland 20857

Dear Dr. Hamburg:

I would like to urgently request that the F.D.A. re-visit the approval of aspartame.

This is an issue which I have been involved with for the past 25 years - initially because of the adverse effects experienced by one of my patients. I had been treating a then 54 year old woman with imipramine because of recurrent major depressive episodes. Previous psychoanalytically based therapy had proven ineffective, but she responded dramatically to 150mg of imipramine per day. She had done well for 11 years on this medication, but was then suddenly hospitalized with a grand mal seizure and subsequent manic episode.

One could postulate that she was bipolar and the imipramine had triggered the mania, but she had been on the same medication for a total of 11 years, and for the previous 5 years at the same 150mg per day dose. Neither the seizure nor her mania were consistent with what we know about the clinical course of bipolar disorder or epilepsy. Careful history revealed that the only change in her life was a recent decision to switch from the sugar which she had always used to sweeten her iced tea to a newly marketed product with aspartame. I reasoned that the aspartame could have altered the catecholamine/indoleamine balance and thus account for her clinical difficulties.

After the publication of this case report many patients with unexplained seizures or puzzling psychiatric presentations were referred to me. I became increasingly convinced that aspartame could trigger seizure activity and mimic or exacerbate a variety of psychiatric disorders. I presented a paper based on those patients at a 1987 MIT sponsored conference on dietary phenylalanine and brain function.

Industry sponsored criticism was made that my conclusions regarding aspartame's toxicity could not be accepted as valid because my case reports were "merely anecdotal" and not based on double-blind research. Although I personally believe that case reports are undervalued in modern medical literature, I was so convinced of aspartame's toxicity, and the need to have it's hazards more widely appreciated in the medical community, that I did undertake a double-blind study.

That study was published in Biological Psychiatry in 1993 (a copy of the paper is enclosed). It demonstrated that individuals with mood disorders are particularly sensitive to aspartame and experienced an accentuation of depression and multiple physical symptoms. I had expected that the difficulties experienced by patients receiving aspartame would be fairly subtle (the dose of 30mg/kg/day was well below the 50mg/kg/day that the F.D.A. considered "safe"). I was not prepared for the severity of the reactions and for obvious ethical reasons cannot perform any further human studies with aspartame.

Two years after the publication of that study I was contacted by a producer for "60 Minutes" and asked if I would be willing to be interviewed by Mike Wallace for a segment on aspartame. During that interview Mike challenged me on my assertion that there were major problems with this sweetener in view of the fact that the bulk of the medical literature attested to it's safety.

I responded that one had to look carefully at study funding - that virtually all of the studies claiming safety were funded by the industry, whereas independently funded studies invariably identified one or more problems. When he challenged me to prove this I prepared a chart correlating study outcome and funding source. This chart was aired on the 60 Minutes segment, and is enclosed, with further discussion of this entire issue.

Although for obvious ethical reasons I cannot perform further human studies with aspartame, as a busy clinician I continue to see the multiple neurological and psychiatric consequences of aspartame use. It can lower seizure threshold and lead to an incorrect diagnosis of epilepsy, with subsequent inappropriate prescription of anticonvulsants. It can mimic or exacerbate symptoms of MS, it can paradoxically produce carbohydrate craving and weight gain. The world-wide epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes obviously has multiple causes, but I am convinced aspartame is a major factor.

On a daily basis I see how it can both produce and aggravate depression, in certain patients it can trigger manic episodes, it can produce or aggravate panic attacks. Some of my patients have experienced a complete cessation of panic attacks and needed no further treatment after they totally eliminated aspartame from their diet. Certain schizophrenic patients have experienced fewer auditory hallucinations and needed less antipsychotic medication after the elimination of aspartame consumption.

Thank you Dr. Hamburg for your attention to this urgent public health problem.

Yours sincerely,

Ralph G. Walton, M.D.

Former Professor and Chairman,

Department of Psychiatry,

Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine

WARNING - Pfizer is at it again & calling it Champix this time!

I'm tellin' ya, the drug companies now are just ONLY concerned with their profits. There is a "new" "Stop Smoking drug" now that was previously marketed as three other "Stop Smoking drugs" and were pulled off the market. Now, here it is again, being sold under a different name.

Heads up folks! CHAMPIX is the same drug as CHANTIX, ZYBAN, AND WELLBUTRIN and they are ALL the drug VARENICLINE. This drug is more dangerous than your smoking. Please see SOME OF the side effects below:

Some side effects with varenicline are potentially serious and should be reported immediately to your healthcare provider. These include but are not limited to:


* Extreme nausea or vomiting
* Difficulty breathing
* Suicidal behavior
* Psychotic, aggressive, or strange behavior
* High blood pressure (hypertension)
* Signs of an allergic reaction, including unexplained rash, hives, itching, and unexplained swelling.
* Nausea -- in up to 30 percent of people
* Insomnia -- up to 19 percent (see Chantix and Insomnia)
* Headaches -- up to 19 percent
* Abnormal dreams -- up to 13 percent
* Gas -- up to 9 percent
* Changes in taste -- up to 8 percent
* Constipation -- up to 8 percent.
* Abdominal pain (stomach pain)
* Indigestion or heartburn
* Gastroesophageal reflux disease (also known as GERD or acid reflux)
* Dry mouth (see Chantix and Dry Mouth)
* Nightmares
* Drowsiness
* Lethargy
* Fatigue or weakness
* Runny nose
* Increased or decreased appetite.
* Weight gain was also a frequently reported side effect
* Anemia
* Migraines
* Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
* A spinning sensation (vertigo)
* Thyroid problems
* Dry eyes
* Vision problems, including night blindness
* Cataracts
* Diarrhea
* Gingivitis
* Stomach ulcers
* High cholesterol
* Arthritis
* Osteoporosis
* Sexual problems (see Chantix Sexual Side Effects)
* Increased sweating
* Dry skin
* Psoriasis.

Department of Justice levies HUGE fines on Pfizer for Bextra, Geodon, Zyvox & Lyric

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Justice said pharmaceutical giant Pfizer will pay a record $2.3 billion fine to settle fraudulent marketing of the painkiller Bextra.

Bextra was pulled off the market in 2005. The case settled Wednesday involved Pfizer's marketing of the drug for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

"A company must specify the intended use of a product," the Department of Health and Human Services said in a release. "Once approved, the drug may not be marketed or promoted for so-called "off label" uses."

The settlement includes a $1.3 billion fine involving the marketing of Bextra and a $1 billion fine related to marketing Geodon, an anti-psychotic medication, Zyvox, an antibiotic and Lyric, an anti-epileptic drug.

A $105 million fine was levied on Phamacia & Upjohn. In total, the fines are "the largest criminal fine ever imposed in the United States for any matter."

"This historic settlement will return nearly $1 billion to Medicare, Medicaid, and other government insurance programs, securing their future for the Americans who depend on these programs," said Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Best-selling Bible to Undergo Another Do-Over

By ERIC GORSKI, AP Religion Writer Eric Gorski, Ap Religion Writer – Tue Sep 1, 5:55 pm ET

The top-selling Bible in North America will undergo its first revision in 25 years, modernizing the language in some sections and promising to reopen a contentious debate about changing gender terms in the sacred text. The New International Version, the Bible of choice for conservative evangelicals, will be revised to reflect changes in English usage and advances in Biblical scholarship, it was announced Tuesday. The revision is scheduled to be completed late next year and published in 2011.

"We want to reach English speakers across the globe with a Bible that is accurate, accessible and that speaks to its readers in a language they can understand," said Keith Danby, global president and CEO of Biblica, a Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Christian ministry that holds the NIV copyright.

But past attempts to remake the NIV for contemporary audiences in different editions have been plagued by controversies about gender language that have pitted theological conservatives against each other.

The changes did not make all men "people" or remove male references to God, but instead involved dropping gender-specific terms when translators judged that the original text didn't intend it. So in some verses, references to "sons of God" became "children of God," for example.

Supporters say gender-inclusive changes are more accurate and make the Bible more accessible, but critics contend they twist meaning or smack of political correctness.

Acknowledging past missteps, the NIV's overseers are promising that this time, the revision process will be more transparent and that they will actively promote what they describe as a long-held practice of inviting input from scholars and readers.

The NIV was first published in 1978 and more than 300 million NIV Bibles are in print worldwide; its publishers and distributors say the translation accounts for 30 percent of Bibles sold in North America.

The Committee on Bible Translation, an independent group of conservative scholars and translators formed in 1965 to create and revise the NIV, will oversee the new revision.

An effort earlier this decade to create a separate version of the NIV that used more gender-inclusive language in an attempt to reach a younger audience fell flat with groups that felt it crossed the line.

That edition, Today's New International Version, will cease publication once the new-look NIV is released, said Moe Girkins, president of Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Zondervan, its North American publisher.

"Whatever its strengths, the TNIV has become an emblem of division in the evangelical Christian world," Girkins said.

It was the TNIV that ushered in changes from "sons of God" to "children of God," or "brothers" to "brothers and sisters." In Genesis I, God created "human beings" in his own image instead of "man."

Many prominent pastors and scholars endorsed the changes. But critics said masculine terms in the original should not be tampered with. Some warned that changing singular gender references to plural ones alters what the Bible says about God's relationships with individuals.

The Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution saying the edition "has gone beyond acceptable translation standards."

"We fell short of the trust that has been placed in us," said Danby, of Biblica. "We failed to make a clear case for the revisions."

Danby said that freezing the NIV in its 1984 state was also a mistake, however. He emphasized that in the revision, about 90 percent of the NIV will be unchanged.

Douglas Moo, a professor at Wheaton College and chairman of the Committee on Bible Translation, said the group is committed to "a complete review of every gender related change."

"I am not sure how it's going to come out," Moo said. "We have a genuine, authentic review process ... Everything is on the table."

One of the most vocal critics of gender-inclusive translations, Randy Stinson of the Louisville, Ky.-based Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, said the group supports updating the NIV. He credited organizers for their openness.

"We're still probably going to differ on the way they handle some of the gender language," Stinson said. "But we're open and anxious to see what they come up with and we're really going to be reserving judgment."

Most changes will have nothing to do with gender inclusivity, Moo said. And the TNIV provides a glimpse of likely changes: In the '84 NIV, Mary is "with child," but in the TNIV she is "pregnant." In the NIV version of Psalm 146:9, "The Lord watches over the alien." The TNIV used "foreigner" instead of "alien."

____

On the Net: http//http://www.NIVBible2011.com

Dangerous Ingredients in Swine Flu Vaccine 12,000 U.S.Kids Used as Guinea Pigs

Around 12,000 U.S. children will be used as guinea pigs for an experimental swine flu vaccine known to contain the dangerous ingredient squalene, which has been directly linked with cases of Gulf War Syndrome and a host of other debilitating diseases.

According to a report in the Oklahoman, 12,000 children nationwide will partake in “fast-tracked studies” to test the side-effects of the untested swine flu vaccine in trials set to begin next month.

“The trials will test the vaccine’s effectiveness and whether or not it has negative side effects in patients,” states the report.

Since less than 100 children in the U.S. die from regular seasonal flu each year, a reasonable estimate would be that around 100 children will die from swine flu over the course of the next year.

So in effect, the authorities will vaccinate millions of children in order to try and prevent 100 deaths. If the mass vaccination program mirrors the previous swine flu outbreak of 1976 then the vaccine is likely to kill more people than the actual virus.

Furthermore, since the swine flu vaccine includes squalene, a dangerous adjuvant that contributed to Gulf War Syndrome cases, there’s little doubt that it will lead to debilitating lifelong diseases far more deadly than the swine flu virus itself for thousands of children if a mass vaccination campaign is conducted.

According to Meryl Nass, M.D., “A novel feature of the two H1N1 vaccines being developed by companies Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline is the addition of squalene-containing adjuvants to boost immunogenicity and dramatically reduce the amount of viral antigen needed. This translates to much faster production of desired vaccine quantities.”

“Research shows that squalene is the experimental anthrax vaccine ingredient that caused devastating autoimmune diseases and deaths for many Gulf War veterans from the US, UK, and Australia, yet it continues in use today and for new vaccines development in labs,” writes Stephen Lendman.

According to award-winning investigative journalist Gary Matsumoto, there’s a “close match between the squalene-induced diseases in animals and those observed in humans injected with this oil: rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus.”

“There are now data in more than two dozen peer-reviewed scientific papers, from ten different laboratories in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia, documenting that squalene-based adjuvants can induce autoimmune diseases in animals…observed in mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits. Sweden’s Karolinska Institute has demonstrated that squalene alone can induce the animal version of rheumatoid arthritis. The Polish Academy of Sciences has shown that in animals, squalene alone can produce catastrophic injury to the nervous system and the brain. The University of Florida Medical School has shown that in animals, squalene alone can induce production of antibodies specifically associated with systemic lupus erythematosus,” writes Matsumoto.

Micropaleontologist Dr. Viera Scheibner, who conducted research into the adverse effects of adjuvants in vaccines, wrote the following about squalene.

Squalene “contributed to the cascade of reactions called “Gulf War syndrome. (GIs developed) arthritis, fibromyalgia, lymphadenopathy, rashes, photosensitive rashes, malar rashes, chronic fatigue, chronic headaches, abnormal body hair loss, non-healing skin lesions, aphthous ulcers, dizziness, weakness, memory loss, seizures, mood changes, neuropsychiatric problems, anti-thyroid effects, anaemia, elevated ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate), systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, ALS, Raynaud’s phenomenon, Sjorgren’s syndrome, chronic diarrhea, night sweats and low-grade fever.”

Efforts on behalf of authorities to prepare the public for a mass vaccination campaign, which could even be made mandatory if the crisis escalates, have been intensifying in recent weeks.

And yet, as Richard Halvorsen, a Central London GP and medical director of BabyJabs, a children’s immunisation service, writes in the London Times this week, all indications are that the swine flu vaccine will have the least effect in those most at risk from swine flu – children, the elderly and people with underlying health problems.

In his article, Mass flu vaccination would be madness, Halvorsen writes, “Is all this really necessary? To start with, swine flu is far milder than we first feared, so the case for vaccinating millions of healthy adults against a disease that is no more unpleasant than a bad cold is questionable,” adding, “There is no good evidence that the vaccine helps those with chronic health problems or pregnant women. However, we do know that the immunisation offers no more than a modest benefit in the elderly; indeed, the effectiveness of the vaccine is known to decrease sharply after 70 years of age.”

“We have experience of mass vaccination against swine flu from which lessons should be learnt. In America in 1976 a vaccine was offered to the whole population to prevent the spread of an epidemic of swine flu. Millions were rapidly immunised, but the vaccination campaign was stopped after a rise in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) among recipients of the vaccine. GBS is an autoimmune disorder that causes paralysis of the arms or legs or, rarely, the whole body; the sufferer usually makes a complete recovery, but some suffer permanent paralysis and a few die. Research later estimated that there was one case of GBS caused by every 100,000 swine flu vaccines given. If the current vaccine caused a similar rate of cases, then we could expect hundreds of people to get GBS, some of whom will suffer permanent paralysis or die.”

Given that the vaccine contains an ingredient directly linked with a plethora of horrific diseases, will you take measures to protect your child from a mass vaccination program?

What if the government decrees a mandatory vaccination program and tries to enforce it at gunpoint, as health authorities have already indicated could happen?

With increasing public awareness of the dangers of vaccines, allied with the bizarre eugenics policies embraced by people like John Holdren, Obama’s top science advisor, it seems inevitable that millions will refuse to comply with a mass vaccination program even if the government attempts to implement it by force.

Drug Giant Uses Cells to Make H1N1 Vaccine

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Drug Giant Uses Cells to Make H1N1 Vaccine

The Swiss drug giant Novartis AG says it has already produced an initial 10-liter batch of vaccine against the H1N1 pandemic influenza strain.

The vaccine is available for early testing -- and possibly some clinical trials -- "weeks ahead of expectations," the company said in a statement.

The announcement came the same day the World Health Organization declared that the outbreak of the novel H1N1 strain qualifies as a pandemic -- with sustained community transmission in at least two regions of the world.

Margaret Chan, M.D., the agency's director-general, noted that the global spread of the virus led to the declaration of the first flu pandemic in 41 years. But she added that -- based on evidence so far -- the pandemic is likely to be moderate. (See WHO Declares First Flu Pandemic in 41 Years)

Dr. Chan said that the agency has been in close contact with vaccine makers and believes that production of next fall's seasonal flu vaccine will be finished soon, leaving "full capacity" available for production of vaccine against the pandemic strain.

The speed of the Novartis vaccine development was made possible by the use of a cell-based manufacturing system, rather than the traditional method that uses chicken eggs to grow the vaccine, the company said.

A spokesman told MedPage Today that the company's vaccine production facility in Marburg, Germany could produce "millions of doses a week."

The company also plans to use its egg-based plants in England and Italy to make H1N1 vaccine.

The cell-based vaccine was based on the wild-type virus, not the seed strain distributed by the CDC in early May. But the company said it is close to making a vaccine based on the seed strain as well.

Based on the success of the wild-type vaccine production, the company said it expects to see "rapid manufacture and scale-up of a vaccine" based on the seed strain.

The company said it hopes to start clinical trials in July with a vaccine made from the seed strain and expects to have it licensed by the fall.

"Cell-based vaccine production has been predicted to abbreviate the time needed to produce new vaccines," said William Schaffner, M.D., of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn.

"Now it has been demonstrated quite dramatically that that is, indeed, the case," he said.

Aside from speed, Dr. Schaffner said, the cell-based method "eliminates the rare but vexing problem of egg allergy" that means some people can't take a flu vaccine.

It usually takes between three and six months to make a flu vaccine, "so this is very fast," commented Frank James, M.D., of the University of Washington in Seattle.

The use of the cell-based method is also significant because it avoids the difficulty that some flu strains -- notably the highly pathogenic avian H5N1 strain -- are deadly to chicken embryos, he added.

Novartis is suggesting that their vaccine will be used with their proprietary adjuvant MF59, which has been licensed in Europe for several years but is not approved in the U.S.

Dr. James said a vaccine against a novel strain of the flu would usually need two doses several weeks apart.

"With a potent adjuvant this might not be needed," he said, "and that would significantly decrease the time and complexity of the vaccination process."

One possible hurdle, Dr. Schaffner said, is the FDA's response to the use of MF59. "How will FDA handle an adjuvanted H1N1 vaccine? So far, no clear answer has appeared," he said.

The adjuvant could be quickly used in Europe and in resource-poor countries, according to Gregory Poland, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

In the U.S., though, it will probably have to go through clinical trials, he said, "unless an emergency use authorization is granted."

Dr. Poland's concern was echoed by Donald Henderson, M.D., of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

"The use of an adjuvant has much to recommend it," he said, "but the U.S., to date, has steadfastly refused to license any adjuvant other than aluminum hydroxide."

"I'm afraid that they will demand testing of a very large number of people over an extended period of time -- no matter what data have been produced in Europe," he said.

Dr. Henderson said the speed of production is less important than the successful commercial use of the cell-based technology.

Commenting on the speed with which the new vaccine was produced, Dr. Henderson chronicled the progression of the last pandemic.

He noted that the first specimen of the 1957 pandemic flu was received in the U.S. on May 13 and was confirmed as being a novel strain nine days later. Testing of a vaccine began in early July and 2.3 million doses for civilian use were shipped on Sept. 4 that year, he said.

Call to Action! Sign the Petition to Keep the Ban on Chinese Chicken!

Please sign the petition to continue the ban <~~Click

For the last two years, Congress has banned Chinese chicken imports. This year, agriculture giants like Smithfield, Tyson and Cargill have been lobbying Congress to lift the ban. They want to process poultry in China because costs are lower there (as are standards), import the chicken back here and sell it for a hefty profit. In addition to ongoing problems with China's food safety standards and inspection system, U.S. inspectors have found filthy and unsanitary conditions in Chinese poultry processing facilities.

This issue will be decided in the Congressional budgets this year. Both the House and Senate have passed budgets for USDA, and the House version keeps the ban on Chinese chicken, while the Senate version does not. In September, a conference committee will have to negotiate a final version. Please sign our petition to Congress to keep the ban on Chinese chicken.