Water Fluoridation May Increase Risk of Underactive Thyroid Disorder

Water Fluoridation May Increase Risk of Underactive Thyroid Disorder

http://www.newsweek.com/water-fluoridation-may-increase-risk-underactive-thyroid-disorder-309173

A large study that looked at data from nearly every general medical practice in England suggests that water fluoridation may increase the risk of developing hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid. This condition, in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough hormones, is associated with symptoms such as fatigue, obesity and depression.

The study found that locations with fluoridated water supplies were more than 30 percent more likely to have high levels of hypothyroidism, compared to areas with low levels of the chemical in the water. Overall, there were 9 percent more cases of underactive thyroid in fluoridated places. 

Fluoride is added to the water of about 10 percent of England’s population—and to the taps of about two-thirds of Americans—for the purpose of preventing cavities. It has proved controversial ever since being adopted by American public health authorities in the 1950s, and then spreading to some other countries; supporters say it is a boon for dental health, while critics say it may lead to a variety of health problems.

The paper, published today in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, also directly compared the fluoridated city of Birmingham with the city of Manchester, which doesn’t add the substance to the water. After controlling for factors such as sex and age (women are more likely than men to have the condition, and the elderly more likely than the young), the researchers concluded that doctor’s offices in Birmingham were nearly twice as likely to report high levels hypothyroidism, says study co-author Stephen Peckham, a researcher at the University of Kent.

“It raises a red flag,” says Dr. Philippe Grandjean, an environmental health researcher and physician at Harvard University, “that possible interference with thyroid function needs serious consideration when regulating fluoride levels in drinking water.”

The findings are all the more important since this is the “largest population ever studied in regard to adverse effects of elevated fluoride exposure,” says Grandjean, who wasn’t involved in the study. Data was collected from 99 percent of England’s 8,020 general medical practices, and the study found that a total of 3.2 percent of the population had hypothyroidism, a 14 percent increase from 2008.

“The study is an important one because it is large enough to detect differences of potential significance to the health of the population,” says Trevor Sheldon, a medical researcher and dean of the Hull York Medical School. Sheldon, who has authored numerous studies in this field, no longer thinks (as he once did) that the “case for general water fluoridation” is clear.

Considering the comprehensiveness of this study—it covered nearly the whole of England—regional differences in fluoride intake or other confounding factors are unlikely to have played a role in the striking results, says Kathleen Thiessen, a senior scientist at the Oak Ridge Center for Risk Analysis, a company that does human health risk assessments for a variety of environmental contaminants.

But John Warren, a professor and researcher in the department of dentistry at the University of Iowa, disagrees. He points out that the study merely shows correlation, not causation. It also “assumes that since one group lives in a fluoridated community, they have higher exposure to [the substance] than those in the non-fluoridated area,” he says. This is significant flaw, he says—to draw a valid connection between fluoride and hypothyroidism, you’d have to measure individual exposure to the chemical and show that those with the condition had higher levels of exposure.

But other researchers interviewed for this story disagreed with this point, saying that such group studies are a valid way to begin to assess health effects of chemical exposure and make up the bulk of the scientific basis for fluoridation; this paper uses a much larger sample size than the vast majority of studies showing positive effects of fluoride, Thiessen says. Collecting individual data from tens of thousands of people is also not very feasible, they say.

“It’s unlikely that other sources of fluoride exposure—from tea, swallowed toothpaste, a few types of foods—would be distributed amongst the population of England in a way that would bias the results in one direction or another,” says Chris Neurath, senior scientist with the Fluoride Action Network, which opposes adding the substance to water.

Moreover, several other studies have suggested that fluoride in water accounts for a majority of an individual’s exposure to the chemical in the United States, and Peckham says this is also probably true in the United Kingdom. Thus it stands to reason that people in areas with higher levels in the water are generally exposed to more of it, Peckham says.  

The connection between fluoridation and thyroid problems has not been widely studied, says Thiessen, who wasn’t involved in the paper. But the research that does exist shows that at a certain dose fluoride does indeed impair the activity of the thyroid gland, through an as-yet-unclear mechanism, she says.

In fact, fluoride was used to treat hyperthyroidism (or an overactive thyroid) in the 1950s. It may put a damper on the gland’s activities by suppressing the activity of various enzymes, causing physical damage or interfering with the absorption and use of iodine, a substance that is critical for thyroid health, Thiessen says.

In 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency convened a panel that recommended lowering the maximum allowable level of fluoride in water; Thiessen was amongst that group and helped write sections of the report regarding health effects on the thyroid. Nine years later, the EPA is still considering whether or not to revise its fluoride standards.

Grandjean’s work has shown that high levels of fluoride—above the concentrations found in most fluoridated water—are associated with reduced IQ measures in children in China and India. Based on that work, he and a co-author listed fluoride as a developmental neurotoxin in a 2014 study in The Lancet.

“We don't know how fluoride may cause the decreases in IQs in children, but this new study suggests that thyroid toxicity could be a very relevant mechanism,” Grandjean says. The thyroid produces hormones that are vital for proper metabolism, growth and brain function, and children of mothers with thyroid problems can suffer deficits in these areas, he adds.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which lists fluoridation as one of the top 10 public health initiatives of the 20th century, declined to comment on the study. The Food and Drug Administration referred questions about the study to the EPA, which didn’t respond by publication time. Public Health England maintains that fluoridation is “ a safe and effective public health measure.”

But some researchers aren’t so sure. “This study illustrates that there are potential harms [with fluoridation] that need large scale studies to explore; at the same time it is not a reason for panic,” Sheldon says.

 

_

BOUGHT Movie - WATCH! Documentary on Big Pharma, Vaccines and GMO - watch for free until 3/6/15

"BOUGHT" THE MOVIE - It's LIVE! — Here's Your Free Link to Watch The Film:

The BOUGHT film is now LIVE for free viewing! - (*The entire film)

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You can access your free viewing anytime, before March 6th, 2015 — (at which time, it will be taken down.)

Enjoy the film, and please GET THE WORD OUT and share it with everyone you'd like to!

~ Jeff Hays Films | BOUGHT Documentary Crew "…Movies that make movements"

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ABOUT THE BOUGHT FILM:

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Did you know: Wall Street has literally "BOUGHT" your and your family's health?

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Featuring exclusive interviews with the world's most acclaimed experts in research, medicine, holistic care and natural health... Bought exposes the hidden (and deadly) story behind it all.

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FACTS: Only 25% of recent US measles cases were vaccine refuser

FACTS: Only 25% of recent US measles cases were vaccine refusers; there have been no US measles deaths since 2003; most of those with measles have been adults/ CDC

http://anthraxvaccine.blogspot.com/2015/02/facts-only-25-of-recent-us-measles.html

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

A few facts about measles need to be told.  Measles is not rapidly expanding in the US or internationally, and CDC says the rate of vaccination for measles has been stable since 1994. (However, in some states, like Oregon, the number of vaccine waivers has tripled to 6% in about 10 years.  In response, last March Oregon tightened its rules for vaccine exemptions, requiring parents to be educated about vaccines before refusing.) The following comes exclusively from the CDC and WHO.

1.  No one has died in the US from an acute case of measles since 2003.  Because Snopes claimed this was a lie, I checked with the measles experts at CDC, who wrote me the following email today:

"Good Afternoon,Thank you for your inquiry regarding measles deaths.  Measles data available to the public can be found in www.cdc.gov/measles, MMWR (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/), and other publications such as those listed on http://www.cdc.gov/measles/resources/ref-res.html.

The last documented deaths in the US directly attributable to acute measles occurred in 2003.  Before the measles vaccination program started in 1963, we estimate that 3-4 million people got measles each year in the US, and 400-500 of those died ( http://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/faqs.html).

Kind Regards, Division of Viral Diseases Centers for Disease Control and Prevention"

2.  Worldwide, according to the WHO, measles deaths were reduced by 74% between 2001 and 2010.

The majority of measles deaths occurred in India and Africa where not enough children are being vaccinated. India accounted for 47% of all measles deaths, followed by the entire African region at 36%...

“This is still a huge success,” study author Peter Strebel, a measles expert at WHO, told the AP. Strebel said the 85% vaccination coverage rate is the highest ever recorded.

3.  Almost all recent US cases (110 through February 8) have occurred in California residents, with only 17 cases from other states, Canada and Mexico.

4.  Over half the cases have occurred in adults.  The median age of recent measles cases is 22.

5.  Only 28 (25%) of the cases were vaccine refusers.

From CDC: "As of February 11, a total of 125 measles cases with rash occurring during December 28, 2014–February 8, 2015, had been confirmed in U.S. residents connected with this outbreak. Of these, 110 patients were California residents. Thirty-nine (35%) of the California patients visited one or both of the two Disney theme parks during December 17–20, where they are thought to have been exposed to measles, 37 have an unknown exposure source (34%), and 34 (31%) are secondary cases. Among the 34 secondary cases, 26 were household or close contacts, and eight were exposed in a community setting. Five (5%) of the California patients reported being in one or both of the two Disney theme parks during their exposure period outside of December 17–20, but their source of infection is unknown. In addition, 15 cases linked to the two Disney theme parks have been reported in seven other states: Arizona (seven), Colorado (one), Nebraska (one), Oregon (one), Utah (three), and Washington (two), as well as linked cases reported in two neighboring countries, Mexico (one) and Canada (10).

Among the 110 California patients, 49 (45%) were unvaccinated; five (5%) had 1 dose of measles-containing vaccine, seven (6%) had 2 doses, one (1%) had 3 doses, 47 (43%) had unknown or undocumented vaccination status, and one (1%) had immunoglobulin G seropositivity documented, which indicates prior vaccination or measles infection at an undetermined time.

Twelve of the unvaccinated patients were infants too young to be vaccinated. Among the 37 remaining vaccine-eligible patients, 28 (67%) were intentionally unvaccinated because of personal beliefs, and one was on an alternative plan for vaccination. Among the 28 intentionally unvaccinated patients, 18 were children and 10 were adults...

Medical Freedom: What Rights Are You Willing To Lose?

http://fearlessparent.org/medical-freedom-what-rights-are-you-willing-to-lose/

Whether you're pro-vaccine, anti-vaccine, or fall somewhere in the middle, the questions you need to ask yourselves are as follows: Do you want to live in a world, where you cannot freely refuse a medical procedure that carries risk of injury or death?

I'm not questioning your comfort level with today's vaccine schedule, because today's vaccine schedule will change. New vaccines and additional doses are added all the time. Children today receive as many as 49 doses of 14 vaccines before they reach age six, which is roughly 12 times higher than the number of vaccines administered to children back in 1940.

With more than 220 new vaccines in the developmental pipeline for children and adults...and no end in sight..the question you must ask yourself is ARE YOU CERTAIN you will be 100% comfortable when 200 more vaccines are added to the mandated list in the future?
If you say that yes, you're comfortable, then you're either:

a) not expecting to be a parent or grandparent,
b) don't think about it much because your kids are grown and out of the house, or
c) lying to prove a point.

No critical thinker, no honest person, would ever sign off on the sight-unseen vaccine schedule of the future. And yet that's what you're doing when you condemn the people who are fighting for your right to refuse. YOU have the right to refuse, should you ever choose to use it, because the very "anti-vaccine" people you demonize have been fighting for us all.

Right now, the burden of "herd immunity" falls on small children, but that is changing. Vaccine manufacturers see an untapped market in adolescent and adult vaccine. They are coming for you next. What will you do if your state, your employer, or your insurance company forces you to get a vaccine that you simply don't want. It hasn't happened to you yet, but if the right to refuse is eroded, it will happen to you sooner than you might think. Who will you turn to? Your legislators who get campaign donations from pharmaceutical companies? The CDC that has former pharma executives sitting on the board? Who will you turn to if you ever want to say no?
What if it harms you, even kills you or your family member? There will be no recourse. No one to blame. You absorb all the medical bills. Deal with all the anger, all the guilt. Alone.

Once we enter the slippery slope of removing and individual's right to refuse medical procedures that carry a risk of injury or death, once we remove an individual's right to speak for him/herself and his/her children, we open ourselves up to an insidious new era, where other drugs and other procedures can be mandated.

I heard (on NPR, interestingly enough) that there are people who want to test for a gene marker that's been found in mass shooters in the hopes that they can put the carriers of that gene on medications in early childhood. Sounds great, right? But many of us carry genes that will never be expressed. You could be a carrier of that gene. Or your child could be a carrier.

So if we follow the "for the greater good" mentality behind vaccines (or the Nazi's "for the greater good" mentality behind eugenics - the breeding out illness. We are looking at forcing people who may never express a sociopathic gene to take antipsychotics, just in case.
Because that's what forced vaccination does. It asks children who may never come into contact with a particular virus to accept a vaccine, just in case. And that's what eugenics was all about. It sterilizes people who can pass on a genetic disease - just in case.

Forced vaccination is a human rights violation. To support it when you know that the government's own National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) has paid nearly $3 billion to damaged persons. The government's Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) lists people who have died as a result of vaccines. Vaccination is unethical at best, sociopathic at worst.
What can we do?

1. The ethical thing to do is to allow people their right to refuse. Let doctors and big pharma - who has marketing budgets larger than the GDP of some countries - to do a better job of convincing parents that vaccines are safe, protective and harmless.

2. Reverse the law that grants vaccine manufacturers total immunity from vaccine injury lawsuits. You can't sue a vaccine manufacturer if your child is injured or killed by a vaccine, even in cases where a safer vaccine was available and not chosen.

Think about that. You can't sue the manufacturer. What other product has legal and government protection? The complete immunity from liability does more to shake a parents' confidence in vaccines than anything else. Be sure they know that with an adverse outcome from a vaccine, they are completely on their own.

Panel could scrap advice on dietary cholesterol

Panel could scrap advice on dietary cholesterol

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/02/10/new-dietary-cholesterol-advice/23174871/

Longstanding advice about avoiding cholesterol for heart health may be on the way out.

In a draft report issued in December, an influential federal panel — the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee — scrapped longstanding guidelines about avoiding high-cholesterol food. In the draft, cholesterol — found in foods such as egg yolks — is no longer listed as a "nutrient of concern."

The panel hasn't yet filed its final report, but it includes the same comment on cholesterol, according to a report in The Washington Post.

The committee is not reversing advice about the risks of having a high level of LDL cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol, in the blood. People with high LDL levels are at greater risk of a heart attack.

The committee will send its final recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which issue the dietary advice. Those departments are expected to issue Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015 later this year.

Spokesmen for the USDA and HHS declined to comment on the Post story. In a written statement, the USDA said, "The committee's activities are solely advisory in nature. We look forward to reviewing the recommendations from the advisory committee, as well as public comments and the views of other experts, as we formulate the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans over the course of the next year."

The proposed change on cholesterol would be in line with the positions of other health groups, said Robert Eckel, past president of the American Heart Association. The heart association and American College of Cardiology issued dietary guidelines in 2013 and did not include advice about cholesterol. That's because there wasn't definitive evidence to tell the average person to reduce how much cholesterol they consume, Eckel said.

People with diabetes should still be careful about consuming too much cholesterol, which may increase their heart risks, Eckel says.

Other cardiologists agree it's time to stop telling people to limit cholesterol from food.

"It's the right decision," said Steven Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the famed Cleveland Clinic. "We got the dietary guidelines wrong. They've been wrong for decades."

He noted that only 20% of a person's blood cholesterol — the levels measured with standard cholesterol tests — comes from diet. The rest comes from genes, he said.

"We told people not to eat eggs. It was never based on good science," Nissen said.

Advice to avoid foods high in fat and cholesterol led many Americans to switch to foods high in sugar and carbohydrates, which often had more calories. "We got fatter and fatter," Nissen says. "We got more and more diabetes."

Recent studies even suggest that longtime advice on saturated fat and salt may be wrong, Nissen says.

Marion Nestle, a professor in the department of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, noted that the federal government doesn't have to follow the committee's advice.

The last set of advice, the 2010 guidelines, advised Americans to consume less than 300 milligrams a day of dietary cholesterol, about the amount in one egg. Nelson said she has no inside knowledge of the committee's decision.

"If the committee is dropping this recommendation, it may be because so many people are taking statins that dietary cholesterol doesn't matter so much anymore," Nelson said. "In the last study I saw that exonerated eggs from raising heart disease risk, 90% of the study subjects were taking statins. But I think we need to wait and see what the committee actually says before saying too much about this."

 

 

Autism Symptoms In Mice Decreased With Probiotics, Study Says

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/05/autism-probiotics-study_n_4392838.html

Probiotics seem to decrease autism-like symptoms in mice, according to a new study.

When California Institute of Technology (Caltech) researchers treated mice bred to display autism-like behaviors with a probiotic therapy, they found that the mice were more communicative, less anxious and less likely to engage in repetitive digging behavior. The findings are published online in the Dec. 5 issue of the journal Cell.

This is the first study to demonstrate that changes in gut bacteria can influence autism-like behaviors, researchers noted.

"Traditional research has studied autism as a genetic disorder and a disorder of the brain," study researcher Sarkis K. Mazmanian, a professor of biology at Caltech, said in a statement. "But our work shows that gut bacteria may contribute to [autism-like] symptoms in ways that were previously unappreciated."

Researchers developed mice with autism-like symptoms by referring to a previous finding that severe viral infection during pregnancy seems to increase the risk the child will have autism. So, the researchers triggered an infection-like immune response in pregnant mice, which led to offspring with autism-like symptoms.

The researchers found that the gastrointestinal tracts of these mice were "leaky," meaning material was able to pass through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream. The researchers treated the mice with Bacteroides fragilis, a bacterium that has been used as an experimental probiotic therapy on gastrointestinal disorders in animal studies.

The results were exciting: Not only was the leaky gut corrected, but the mice became more communicative and less anxious.

Because of the study's success, within the next year or so, the researchers plan to begin clinical trials of the probiotic treatment on humans with autism. About 1 in 50 U.S. children ages 6 to 17 have an autism spectrum disorder, according to a report based on a national survey of parents in 2011 and 2012 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Many parents of a child with autism report that their child has digestive problems. However, the relationship between autism and digestive problems or "leaky gut" is disputed. It is unclear if digestive problems contribute to autism, or if the stress of autism causes digestive problems.

According to a study last month from the University of California, Davis, children with autism are far more likely to have digestive problems than those without autism. However, a study published in Pediatrics in 2010 found there's no strong evidence that digestive problems are more common in children with autism or that special diets work.

Caltech researchers caution that much more work is needed before a reliable probiotic can be developed as a therapy for human autism.

"Autism is such a heterogeneous disorder that the ratio between genetic and environmental contributions could be different in each individual," Mazmanian said in the press release. "Even if B. fragilis ameliorates some of the symptoms associated with autism, I would be surprised if it's a universal therapy -- it probably won't work for every single case."

Betty Diamond, an immunologist at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, New York, told Science Magazine that this Caltech study "shows us something fabulous." She also stressed that it would be premature to use B. fragilis on humans, saying "we don't really understand" which bacterial species are important or how they colonize the gut.

Still, Mazmanian is optimistic about the treatment's potential, saying "I think our results may someday transform the way people view possible causes and potential treatments for autism."

 

Measles - Symptoms, Homeopathic Remedies and Videos To Educate You!

Measles - Symptoms, Homeopathic Remedies and Videos To Educate You!

http://www.homeopathyforwomen.org/measles.htm

Measles (also known as the Rubeola Virus)

What Are The Measles?
The measles is a highly contagious airborne virus which spreads primarily through the respiratory system. The infection is passed by contact with droplets from the nose, mouth, or throat of an infected person. Coughing will place contaminated droplets into the air. Symptoms typically begin 8 - 12 days once you’re exposed to the virus. A measles rash typically starts on the top and spreads to alternative areas, moving down the body.  Humans are the only known natural hosts of measles, although the virus can infect some non-human primate species.

There is no specific treatment or antiviral therapy for uncomplicated measles. Most patients with uncomplicated measles will recover with rest and supportive treatment.

Symptoms of Measles

• Cough
• Droopy or unhealthy looking eyes
• Eye sensitive to light (photophobia)
• Fever
• Muscle aches and pain
• Pharyngitis or sore throat
• Rash - typically seen 3 - 5 days after the primary signs of being sick and might last 4 - 7 days
• Rash might seem as flat, discolored areas and solid, red, raised areas and itchy
• Redness and irritation of the eyes, conjunctivitis
• Runny nose
• Small white spots within the mouth
• Some patients will develop pneumonia as a sequela to the measles

Progression in Rash in Measles

• 2 - 3 days after symptoms begin, tiny white spots, called Koplik’s spots may appear inside the mouth.
• 3 - 5 days after symptoms begin, a rash breaks out.
• It usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet.
• Small raised bumps may also appear on top of the flat red spots.
• The spots may become joined together as they spread from the head to the rest of the body.
• When the rash appears, a fever may spike high to more than 104°
• After a few days, the fever subsides and the rash fades.

Diagnoses and Lab Testing for Measles

• Clinical diagnosis of measles requires:
• a history of fever of at least 3 days
• seeing the rash known as Koplik’s spots
• contact with others known to have measles
   

·        Laboratory diagnosis of measles is by antibodies

o   Can be done with confirmation of positive measles IgM antibodies or isolation of measles virus RNA from respiratory specimens.

o   In cases of measles infection following secondary vaccine failure, IgM antibody may not be present.

o   In these cases, blood serum confirmation can be made by showing IgG antibody rises.

o   In children, saliva can be collected for salivary measles specific IgA test.

Homeopathic Remedies for Measles

·        Aconite Napellus
Useful at the beginning stages of measles. High fever. Dry barking cough. "Pink eye" or red conjuncitiva. Skin burns and itches. Restless, anxious, and frightened. Tossing and turning in sleep.

·        Apis
The rash begins but fails to develop fully then it soon disappears. Feeling unwell. Skin itching is worse by warmth. The face and eyelids are puffy.

·        Belladonna
Useful at the beginning stages of the measles when there is sudden onset of a high fever, reddened face and throbbing headache. Drowsy or delirious.  Trouble falling or staying asleep. Not very thirsty even with fever.

·        Bryonia
The measles skin eruptions are delayed. Hard, dry cough and no expectoration. Any motion causes pain. They may experience some mild delirium the child "wants to go home" even though they are at home.

·        Euphrasia
Fever and rash. Acrid tearing of the eyes and a bland nasal discharge. Sensitive to light. Cough but usually only during the day.

·        Gelsemium
Onset of symptoms is slow. Fever with great weakness and a sense of heaviness, in the whole body and specifically the eyelids. Muscle aches and pains, like with the flu. Lack of thirst, lethargy, exhaustion.

·        Kali Bich
Ropy, stringy discharges from the nose and burning and tearing of the eyes. Their salivary glands are noticeably swollen. They may have stitching pains from the ear into the head and neck.

·        Pulsatilla This is remedy for measles will also work for Homeoprophylaxis, to prevent the measles
Used for a mild case of the measles. Fever is not high and symptoms are not too painful. Profuse tearing from the eyes and a nasal discharge. Dry cough at night which becomes loose in the daytime. May also have ear inflammation. Dry mouth but without thirst.

·        Sulphur
Skin has a purplish appearance. Itching is aggravated by scratching. Reddened mucous membranes and are very thirst. Cough and diarrhea are worse in the morning.

Visit website to watch these videos: http://www.homeopathyforwomen.org/measles.htm

Measles (Rubeola) Treatment and Symptoms: Part 1 of 2
(11:41 minutes)

Measles (Rubeola) Explained Clearly Part 2 of 2
(7:54 minutes)

Disneyland Measles Outbreak Caused By Vaccine?
(9:52 minutes)

 

New study shows these common over-the-counter drugs linked to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia

New study shows these common over-the-counter drugs linked to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/048433_anticholinergic_drugs_Alzheimers_dementia.html#ixzz3QEibU2KO

(NaturalNews) A new study clearly shows common over-the-counter medications widely used for asthma, allergies, and insomnia increase the risk for dementia. The study also found that the risk may not be reversible, even after several years off of these medications.

The drugs studied are anticholinergic drugs, which block a neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, in the central and the peripheral nervous system. These drugs are available over-the-counter and through prescriptions. Many are used on a regular, long-term basis to treat a variety of medical complaints including:

• allergies and allergic reactions
• motion sickness
• irritable bowel syndrome
• insomnia
• colds
• ulcers
• asthma
• excessive sweating
• COPD
• urinary incontinence
• depression
• smoking cessation
• cough suppressant
• muscle relaxer
• Parkinson's disease

These drugs include:

• Zyban
• Wellbutrin
• Dramamine
• Cogentin
• Chlor-Trimeton
• Benadryl
• Sominex
• Advil PM
• Unisom
• Robinul
• Atarax
• Atrovent
• Oxivent

The study showed the risk of dementia rises when these anticholinergic medications are used at higher doses or for longer periods. It is not unusual to find these drugs used in combination, especially with the elderly population. For instance, one individual may be using a sleep aid, an allergy medication, and a medication for depression. If all of these drugs are anticholinergic drugs, the accumulative effect increases exponentially, raising the risk of dementia.

Earlier studies had shown these medications increased the risk of dementia; however, these studies also concluded cognitive decline decreased when these drugs were discontinued. The new study, a more longitudinal study, suggests that years after continuation, the risk of dementia remains higher for people who have used more of these drugs or used them for a longer period of time, suggesting a cause and effect even when the drugs were discontinued years prior to the development of dementia.

The study showed that even low amounts over long periods of time increased the risk of dementia. While the study focused on older adults, what about children and young adults? How many children and younger adults are regularly taking anticholinergic over-the-counter or prescription medications for allergies or asthma? How many adults of all ages are taking anticholinergic over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids?

This should be a wake up call for all of us to remember that medications treat symptoms, not the cause of disease. To get well, to be truly well, we must give the body the nutrients it needs to heal. We must detox. We must live lives that are as clean as possible: clean food, clean water, clean environment. It has been made clear over and over that we cannot trust pharmaceutical companies! If you have been taking any pharmaceuticals, it's time to detox. Start with this Cheap and Easy Detox Plan and consider following the 80% Raw Food Diet.

Sources:

http://www.medscape.com

http://www.sciencedaily.com

The study: Shelly L. Gray, Melissa L. Anderson, Sascha Dublin, Joseph T. Hanlon, Rebecca Hubbard, Rod Walker, Onchee Yu, Paul K. Crane, Eric B. Larson.Cumulative Use of Strong Anticholinergics and Incident Dementia.JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015; DOI:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.7663

About the author:
Kali Sinclair is a copywriter for Green Lifestyle Market, and a lead editor for Organic Lifestyle Magazine. Kali was very sick with autoimmune disease and realized that conventional medicine was not working for her. She has been restoring her health by natural means and is interested in topics including natural health, environmental issues, and human rights.

 

U.S. Media Blackout: Italian Courts Rule Vaccines Cause Autism

Recent Italian Court Decisions on Vaccines and Autism
http://healthimpactnews.com/2015/u-s-media-blackout-italian-courts-rule-vaccines-cause-autism/

by Mary Holland J.D.
Age of Autism

On September 23, 2014, an Italian court in Milan award compensation to a boy for vaccine-induced autism. (See the Italian document here.) A childhood vaccine against six childhood diseases caused the boy’s permanent autism and brain damage.

While the Italian press has devoted considerable attention to this decision and its public health implications, the U.S. press has been silent.

Italy’s National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

Like the U.S., Italy has a national vaccine injury compensation program to give some financial support to those people who are injured by compulsory and recommended vaccinations. The Italian infant plaintiff received three doses of GlaxoSmithKline’s Infanrix Hexa, a hexavalent vaccine administered in the first year of life. These doses occurred from March to October 2006. The vaccine is to protect children from polio, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, pertussis and Haemophilus influenza type B. In addition to these antigens, however, the vaccine then contained thimerosal, the mercury-containing preservative, aluminum, an adjuvant, as well as other toxic ingredients. The child regressed into autism shortly after receiving the three doses.

When the parents presented their claim for compensation first to the Ministry of Health, as they were required to do, the Ministry rejected it. Therefore, the family sued the Ministry in a court of general jurisdiction, an option which does not exist in the same form in the U.S.

Court Decision: Mercury and Aluminum in Vaccine Caused Autism

Based on expert medical testimony, the court concluded that the child more likely than not suffered autism and brain damage because of the neurotoxic mercury, aluminum and his particular susceptibility from a genetic mutation. The Court also noted that Infanrix Hexa contained thimerosal, now banned in Italy because of its neurotoxicity, “in concentrations greatly exceeding the maximum recommended levels for infants weighing only a few kilograms.”

Presiding Judge Nicola Di Leo considered another piece of damning evidence: a 1271-page confidential GlaxoSmithKline report (now available on the Internet). This industry document provided ample evidence of adverse events from the vaccine, including five known cases of autism resulting from the vaccine’s administration during its clinical trials (see table at page 626, excerpt below).

Italian Government, Not Vaccine Maker, Pays for Vaccine Damages

As in many other developed countries, government, not industry, compensates families in the event of vaccine injury. Thus GSK’s apparent lack of concern for the vaccine’s adverse effects is notable and perhaps not surprising.

In the final assessment, the report states that:

“[t]he benefit/risk profile of Infanrix hexa continues to be favourable,” despite GSK’s acknowledgement that the vaccine causes side effects including “anaemia haemolytic autoimmune,thrombocytopenia, thrombocytopenic purpura, autoimmune thrombocytopenia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, haemolytic anemia, cyanosis, injection site nodule, abcess and injection site abscess, Kawasaki’s disease, important neurological events (including encephalitis and encephalopathy), Henoch-Schonlein purpura, petechiae, purpura, haematochezia, allergic reactions (including anaphylactic and anaphylactoid reactions),” and death (see page 9).

The Milan decision is sober, informed and well-reasoned. The Ministry of Health has stated that it has appealed the Court’s decision, but that appeal will likely take several years, and its outcome is uncertain.

Rimini: 2012 – Italian Court Rules MMR Vaccine Caused Autism

Two years earlier, on May 23, 2012, Judge Lucio Ardigo of an Italian court in Rimini presided over a similar judgment, finding that a different vaccine, the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine (MMR), had caused a child’s autism. As in the Milan case, the Ministry of Health’s compensation program had denied compensation to the family, yet after a presentation of medical evidence, a court granted compensation. There, too, the Italian press covered the story; the U.S. press did not.

In that case, a 15-month old boy received his MMR vaccine on March 26, 2004. He then immediately developed bowel and eating problems and received an autism diagnosis with cognitive delay within a year. The court found that the boy had “been damaged by irreversible complications due to vaccination (with trivalent MMR).” The decision flew in the face of the conventional mainstream medical wisdom that an MMR-autism link has been “debunked.”

Italian Court Decisions Break New Ground in Debate Over Vaccines and Autism

Both these Italian court decisions break new ground in the roiling debate over vaccines and autism. These courts, like all courts, are intended to function as impartial, unbiased decision makers.

The courts’ decisions are striking because they not only find a vaccine-autism causal link, but they also overrule the decisions of Italy’s Ministry of Health. And taken together, the court decisions found that both the MMR and a hexavalent thimerosal- and aluminum-containing vaccine can trigger autism.

Italian Court Rulings Contradict Special U.S. Vaccine Court

These court decisions flatly contradict the decisions from the so-called U.S. vaccine court, the Court of Federal Claim’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. There, from 2007 to 2010, in the Omnibus Autism Proceeding, three decision makers, called Special Masters, found that vaccines did not cause autism in any of the six test cases, and one Special Master even went so far as to compare the theory of vaccine-induced autism to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

The Italian court decisions contrast starkly with these U.S. cases based on similar claims.

Read the full story at Age of Autism.

 

New study finds vitamin D helps to regulate three genes involved in autism

New study finds vitamin D helps to regulate three genes involved in autism

https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/blog/new-study-finds-vitamin-d-regulates-three-genes-involved-in-autism/?mc_cid=030d1541da&mc_eid=ec1651b17f

When a member of the National Academy of Sciences speaks, most people listen. Professor Bruce Ames spoke a few days ago on a subject close to my heart, autism. He and his coauthor, Rhonda Patrick, discovered several of vitamin D’s potential mechanisms of action in preventing and treating autism.

Patrick, R. P., & Ames, B. N. Vitamin D hormone regulates serotonin synthesis. Part 1: relevance for autism. The FASEB Journal, 2014.

Using the University of California–Santa Cruz’s genome browser, the authors identified three genes that are abnormally expressed in autism. They report that all three genes are directly regulated by vitamin D. That is, the three genes have a vitamin D response element on the gene. This means that vitamin D is one of the hormones that controls expression of that gene.

The authors also solved some of the mysteries surrounding autism. One mystery is why autistic individuals have low levels of serotonin in their brain but elevated serotonin levels in their peripheral blood. The authors discovered that there are two genes involved in turning tryptophan into serotonin, a central gene and a peripheral gene.

Vitamin D up-regulates the central serotonin gene and down-regulates the peripheral serotonin gene. That may explain why autistic kids have elevated blood serotonin but decreased brain serotonin when their vitamin D levels are low. To date, many studies of vitamin D levels in autism show autistic kids are vitamin D deficient.

It is important to remember that it was not me who first theorized that vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for autism. It was Professors John McGrath, Darryl Eyles and colleagues. In 2001, they first theorized that “vitamin D deficiency is a candidate risk factor for the neurodevelopmental disorders.”

McGrath J, Feron F, Eyles D, Mackay-Sim A. Vitamin D: the neglected neurosteroid? Trends Neurosci., 2001.

Drs Patrick and Ames may have solved another mystery of autism: why autistic children have low levels of oxytocin. Oxytocin is a hormone that does a lot of things, such as promote socialization. The authors explain that oxytocin is also directly controlled by vitamin D. If children are deficient in vitamin D, they will also have low levels of oxytocin.

The authors also may have explained why autism is five times more common in boys than in girls. It turns out that estrogen greatly increases expression of the central serotonin gene, thus protecting girls from autism caused from vitamin D deficiency but exposing boys.

Finally, tryptophan, the amino acid that is metabolized into serotonin, is also metabolized into a protein called kynurenine. Kynurenine is intimately involved in immunity. In the placenta, it is required during pregnancy to prevent a general autoimmune response by generating regulatory T cells, which maintains immunological tolerance to the fetus.

This paper is, in my opinion, groundbreaking. Just as John McGrath and Darryl Eyles used animal models to show relationships between vitamin D deficiency and neurodevelopmental disorders, Rhonda Patrick and Bruce Ames are the first to explain the biochemical mechanism by which it works.

 

 

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ANOTHER Epic Fail for Influenza Vaccine

ANOTHER Epic Fail for Influenza Vaccine  
by Barbara Loe Fisher

Here we are in the winter of 2015 and U.S. public health officials admit that the historically ineffective influenza vaccine is once again an epic fail.

 

Flu Vaccine Effectiveness Measured from 0 to 62 Percent

 

In the past three flu seasons, the CDC has claimed the flu vaccine's overall effectiveness clocked in at between 47 and 62 percent while some experts have measured it at 0 to 7 percent. Other studies suggest that when children get a flu shot every year it can interfere with healthy immune responses and make them more likely to get influenza in certain flu seasons.

 

Read this referenced commentary, watch a video and make a comment here.

 

Copper Toxicity: Symptoms and Treatment

Copper Toxicity: Symptoms and Treatment

http://www.holistic-back-relief.com/copper-toxicity.html

Copper Toxicity is a condition that is increasingly common in this day and age, due to the widespread occurrence of copper in our food, our hot water pipes, along with the common nutritional deficiencies in Zinc, Manganese and other trace minerals that keep levels of Copper from getting too high.

The use of birth control pills increases a woman's risk of having a Copper toxicity condition due to estrogen's effect of increasing copper retention in the kidneys. Estrogen over stimulates Aldosterone receptors in the kidneys, increasing Sodium, Copper and water retention. Both estrogen and Copper tend to raise the blood pressure by increasing water retention, raising the blood volume.

Copper builds up first in the liver and disrupts the liver's ability to detoxify the blood in general. This Copper toxicity in the liver therefore disrupts the Liver's ability to detoxify excess estrogen and other toxic heavy metals from the body by blocking Zinc in the binding sites of metallothionein and other Zinc dependent Liver enzymes needed to make Glutathione .

Other sources of chemicals which mimic estrogen, known as xeno-estrogens, may also increase the retention of copper. These include pesticides, plastic bags, Volatile organic compounds (VOC's), growth hormones used on animals, and all petrochemical waste products used in the manufacturing of plastic, gasoline and other petrochemical derivatives. These are all referred to as Xeno-estrogens.

Copper is a very stimulating mineral to the nerves and nervous system. Copper increases the production of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine while also implicated in a decrease of histamine. These effects on neurotransmitter levels can give rise to many psychological imbalances such as mood swings, depression, mental agitation, feeling over-stimulated, restlessness, anxiety, insomnia and a racing mind with too many thoughts are all hallmarks of elevated Copper toxicity.

Elevated Copper in the body acts like caffeine or even amphetamines. It constantly keeps the conversion of dopamine into norepinephrine going so that you have a constant adrenaline rush to help you be on the go, but you also are unable to settle down or turn off your mind.

Copper toxicity symptoms

• Acne
• Allergies
• Hair loss
• Anemia
• Anorexia
• Anxiety
• Attention deficit disorder
• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Autism
• Candida overgrowth
• Depression
• Dysmenorrhea
• Male infertility
• Prostatitis
• Fibromyalgia
• Migraine Headaches
• PMS
• Chronic infections
• Insomnia
• Racing thoughts
• Neuralgia (nerve pain)
• Sciatica
• Hypertension
• Hypothyroidism
• Schizophrenia
• Bipolar (Manic Depression)

Copper and ATP

Copper is a necessary component in the manufacturing of ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) which is cellular energy. Low levels of Copper is associated with chronic fatigue. When someone has a Copper toxicity condition, they will most likely also have a concurrent Copper deficiency due to a bio-unavailability.

Copper must be bound to special binding proteins, Ceruloplasmin and Metallothionine, in order to be able to get into the cells where it can be used by the Mitochondria to make ATP energy in the Kreb's cycle. These proteins Ceruloplasmin and Metallothionein are made in the Liver upon receiving a signal from the Adrenal glands to produce these proteins. If there is a dysfunction with either the Liver or the Adrenals, or if there is just not enough Zinc in the body (Zinc is needed to produce all proteins in the body, especially Metallothionein), than these two proteins will be lacking and free and unbound Copper will begin accumulating in the blood.

When Copper is not properly bound to the proteins Ceruloplasmin and Metallothionein:

1. The Copper cannot get into the cells to make ATP.
2. Copper is now in a toxic and unbound form in the blood, agitating all of the tissues and creating many free radical type of reactions.
3. Toxic Copper must be removed from the blood immediately so this Copper begins to build up in the soft tissues of the Liver, brain, thyroid, ovaries, skin, joints, nerves and all other soft tissues.
4. This Copper toxicity seriously disturbs mental function, irritates the nerves and nervous system leading to many inflammatory conditions, agitates and stimulates the Adrenal glands, suppresses Zinc's function and its many roles in the body such as:

Zinc is needed to produce all proteins:

• Digestive enzymes
• Neurotransmitters
• Insulin production
• production of Adrenal hormones: Cortisol, Aldosterone, Progesterone, Testosterone
• Immune cells: killer T-cells, macrophages, eosinophils
• Zinc is needed in healing of wounds and scar tissue and all tissue repair, especially post operative healing.
• Maintaining healthy skin and clear complexion
• Detoxification binding proteins: Metallothionein, Glutathione, Ceruloplasmin

Copper levels rise in response to Stress.

When the mind and body is faced with mental, emotional or physical stress, the nervous system responds by switching to the Sympathetic nervous system also referred to as the “fight or flight" stress reaction.

This "Fight or Flight" stress reaction requires a jolt of quick energy to give us the adequate resources to be mentally alert and capable of handling the "Danger" which this stress mechanism was designed to protect us from. The Adrenals provide this energy in the form of Adrenaline, Cortisol, and Aldosterone.

Aldosterone works by increasing the retention of Sodium and Copper in the Kidneys, which are substances that provide that quick energy and mental alertness needed for the stress reaction. At the same time, Aldosterone causes an increase in the elimination of Zinc and Magnesium because these two minerals have a calming and sedating effect on the nervous system. Your body has no need for calming and sedating substances when it is preparing for a fight or quick escape.

Under normal circumstances, this temporary rise in Copper and Sodium and concurrent decline in Zinc and Magnesium is very useful in responding to a distressing situation, and the body chemistry is balanced quickly after the danger has passed.

However, with repeated stressors and stress reactions occurring on a daily basis for weeks, months and years, this Biochemical pattern becomes more and dysfunctional and increasingly difficult to reverse.

The stimulating effects of Copper on the Adrenal glands is partly the reason why Copper is so agitating to the nerves, brain, and tissues. When the Adrenal glands are constantly being stimulated by stress, the body retains Copper and eliminates Zinc. Zinc is necessary for the removal of all toxic heavy metals including Copper, and is also necessary for the production of neurotransmitters in the brain. When the brain starts becoming saturated with Copper but is lacking the necessary neurotransmitters to calm the brain, the mind becomes very agitated and is prone to severe mood swings and the mind and body generally feels agitated, making it very hard to relax.

These stress reactions in turn cause an even greater increase in Copper and a continuing decline in Zinc and Magnesium.

Since Zinc is needed to create the proteins Ceruloplasmin and Metallothionein which make Copper bio-available and non-toxic, this decline of Zinc causes a Copper toxicity which builds up first in the Liver, then the Brain, skin, nerves, muscles, ligaments, connective tissues, etc.

This lack of Zinc and Magnesium is in itself somewhat agitating to the brain and nervous system since they act to sedate and calm the mind. Coupled with the agitating effects of Copper toxicity in the brain, you now have a biochemical pattern that readily produces Stress reactions which continue to stimulate the Adrenal glands to produce more Aldosterone, Cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine. Copper is also very stimulating to the brain and causes the over-production of the stimulating neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine and norepinephrine, causing manic behavior, paranoia, anxiety, Bipolar disorder, and even Schizophrenia

Stress and Adrenal Function

When the Adrenal glands are always being stimulated by stress reactions and Copper toxicity, constantly being called upon to produce hormones like cortisol, aldosterone epinephrine and norepinephrine, after a while your Adrenals become depleted in energy and your cortisol, aldosterone and adrenaline levels begin to decline.

Cortisol is the main anti-inflammatory compound in the body, so if the production of cortisol declines, you end up with all sorts of chronic infections, and chronic inflammatory diseases. And since Copper is also very agitating to the tissues like the nerves and skin, inflammation of all types increases.

Cortisol is also the main Gluccocorticoid responsible for maintaining Blood sugar levels. Cortisol maintains blood sugar levels by converting fats and proteins into glucose. When there is an insufficient amount of Cortisol, the risk of having a Hypoglycemic attack. When blood sugar levels drop severely, that again puts the body into a state of panic, which puts the nervous system into that same old "fight or flight" reaction.

This can also lead to a perpetual cycle of Stress, decreased Zinc and Magnesium, increased Copper toxicity, more Adrenal Fatigue, low levels of Cortisol, Hypoglycemia and Blood sugar swings.

This creates a situation where you have intense Sugar cravings as you panic to try to raise your blood sugar. The intake of Sugar in a pure form, such as:

• Candy
• Energy bars
• Honey
• Fruit juice
• Fruit
• Bread
• Chips, crackers, pasta, potatoes, starches
• Alcohol creates yet another Stress reaction as our Adrenals are stimulated by the large quantities of Sugar entering the blood all at once, instead of the preferred steady trickle. The body immediately starts producing and releasing Insulin in the Pancreas to get the Sugar out of the blood as quickly as possible.

Elevated Blood sugar levels degenerate all of the tissues and is the reason why Diabetes is such a deadly disease and causes blindness, gangrene, loss of limbs, nerve degeneration, numbness, kidney disease and death. Sugar in large quantities is a toxic substance.

Sugar, like all Toxins such as Heavy Metals, Copper, Mercury, Aluminum, etc., food preservatives, alcohol, household cleaners, VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds), bleach, and other industrial chemicals in our environment, all cause a Stress reaction in the body.

This stress reaction over-stimulates the Adrenals again (Zinc and Magnesium declines, Copper and Sodium levels rise) giving us the sense of energy. Many people who have Adrenal Fatigue rely on toxins such as Alcohol, Sugar, and the toxins in the environment to stimulate the Adrenals to produce a stress reaction which will give us the False impression of Energy, when in fact we are completely burnt out. Copper and other Heavy Metals which have accumulated continue to create internal Stress reactions which both stimulate the release of energy and also continue to deplete our stores of energy. These internal Toxins become sources of stress and agitation that prevent the Adrenal glands from ever truly relaxing out of the "Fight or Flight" sympathetic nervous system, and into the Recovery mode of the Parasympathetic nervous system, which is needed for sleep and digestion and truly regenerating our energy.

Copper Toxicity makes it impossible to truly and completely relax, so you can never truly rest and allow your Adrenals to heal and regenerate. They just keep being stimulated to death, or Adrenal Burnout.

Put into a sequence, it looks like this:

1.      Low blood sugar attack or some other Stressor

2.      Panic

3.      "Fight or Flight" reaction

4.      Zinc and Magnesium gets eliminated

5.      Copper and Sodium levels rise

6.      Adrenal glands produce more epinephrine and cortisol

7.      Adrenals become fatigued and are unable to signal the production of Ceruloplasmin and Metallothionein in the Liver

8.      The lack of Zinc in the body from all the stress reactions, lack of dietary nutrition, and the suppressing effect of Copper on Zinc's ability to function, causes a decline in the production of all proteins in the body: Ceruloplasmin, Metallothionein, Digestive enzymes, Neuro- transmitters, etc.

9.      Copper remains unbound in the blood and so gets stashed away in the Liver, Brain, joints, nerves, muscles and other soft tissues

10.   This Copper Toxicity continues to agitate the mind, nervous system and Adrenal glands, keeping the nervous system in a perpetual state of "fight or flight".

11.   The mind and body are unable to relax due to agitating effects of Copper toxicity, the lack of Zinc and Magnesium, an inability for Zinc to help create calming neurotransmitters in the brain, and the Adrenal fatigue which causes an inability to relax out of the sympathetic nervous system into the parasympathetic nervous system.

12.   This leads to insomnia, anxiety, over-emotional behavior, Bipolar syndrome, mania, PMS, Mental disorders such as Schizophrenia and Depression.

Adrenal Fatigue and Copper

Adrenal fatigue alone can cause Depression as the body is unable to perform the many tasks that modern society demands of us. So we turn to stimulants such as Coffee, chocolate, sugar and even Stress itself to give us a quick rush of energy, so we go numb to how tired we really feel. It can become very hard to stop using these stimulants since the Adrenal fatigue, which lies underneath this false energy, can feel so debilitating.

If we don't give the Adrenal glands a chance to rest and regenerate, they will continue to under-perform and the production of Cortisol and Adrenaline will continue to decline. This will severely reduce the production of Ceruloplasmin and Metallothionein, which as I stated previously, are necessary in the proper binding of Copper in the blood, so that it can get into the cells for energy production, and to prevent all of the degenerative effects of Copper toxicity.

Copper and Women

Because estrogen increases the retention of Copper in the body, many women who take Birth Control pills to control their PMS and pre-menstrual symptoms, menstrual cramps and acne are actually creating an environment within their bodies which will exacerbate those exact symptoms.

Both Copper and Mercury can accumulate in the Thyroid and cause Hashimoto's Thyroiditis or block the conversion of T4 into T3, the active form of Thyroid hormone. Estrogen has a similar structure to T3 and can block thyroid receptors on cell membranes throughout the body, causing a physiological Hypothyroidism, even though T3 production may be normal.

Hypothyroidism is much more common in women, in part due to the effects of estrogen on the bioavailability of Thyroid hormone. Low thyroid action results in a slower metabolism with weight gain, fatigue, low immunity, and feelings of cold.

Copper and the Liver

In Chinese medical theory, the period is regulated by the Liver which, when loaded with a toxic burden of excess Copper buildup, will become stagnant and be unable to perform its task of keeping everything flowing and circulating smoothly.

This results in such signs of Liver Qi stagnation as:

• Headaches
• Abdominal Pain
• PMS
• Moodiness
• Angered easily
• Muscle spasms and tension
• Tight ligaments

See how these Liver Qi stagnation symptoms are just about identical to Copper toxicity symptoms. Stress and our adverse reaction to it has an extraordinary effect on our health in a multitude of ways.

The Liver likes to relax. Stress makes the Liver's job of keeping everything running smoothly much harder. As we can see from the above explanation, Copper retention is a major reason why stress affects the Liver so adversely.

Qigong exercises and Meditation can help you to not only relax out of the 'Fight or Flight' sympathetic nervous system, but also help recover from or prevent the accumulation of Copper toxicity and protect the Adrenal Glands from burning out and dropping you into (CFS) Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Copper toxicity makes it very hard for the mind to settle down, making it very difficult to relax, meditate or 'calm down'. Copper toxicity alone is extraordinarily stressful as it stimulates the adrenal glands, keeping them stuck in overdrive or 'fight or flight'. The nervous system, simply cannot relax and slow down.

Copper and Diet

Avoiding a vegetarian diet is recommended to help recover from Copper toxicity as well as prevent it from occurring.

Just about all foods contain Copper. The main foods that have high amounts of Copper are:

• Shellfish
• Nuts and Seeds (except for pumpkin seeds)
• Soybeans (tofu, tempeh, miso, etc.)
• Legumes
• Wheat
• Coconut
• Avocado
• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Leafy Greens

The only foods that have an adequate amount of Zinc (which can help eliminate and counterbalance Copper toxicity) without also having a high level of Copper as well are red meat (best source) such as beef, lamb, and venison, chicken, eggs and pumpkin seeds.

This is why many vegetarians have Copper toxicity and Zinc bio-unavailability to some degree. This can make people "spacy", over-emotional, and generally lower fertility rates in both men and women.

When choosing what kind of meat to buy, it is always best to buy Organic, Free-Range Chicken and Beef. Also make sure the beef you buy is Grass fed in order to get the most nutrition without any toxic residues of antibiotics, pesticides or growth hormones.

The structure of growth hormones are very similar to that of Estrogen, and therefore Meat that is raised on these hormones and pesticides will increase the rate of Copper retention in the body. These compounds are also linked with a greater occurrence of Cancer and Liver disease.

All toxins affect the Liver first and foremost and Estrogen compounds have been shown to increase the occurrence and rate of growth of cancer cells. This is like the way a pregnant woman will become saturated with estrogen to help promote the growth of the fetus.

Copper in Children

When women become pregnant, their estrogen levels rise, greatly increasing the retention of Copper in the body. This Copper toxicity will pass through the placenta into the unborn child. So many children are being born with toxic levels of Copper and other Heavy Metals which were stored in the mother's body.

This congenital (since birth) source of Copper toxicity is a huge factor in the higher incidence of Autism in children as well as ADD (attention deficit disorder) as well as teen depression, Bipolar, and even Schizophrenia.

Instead of putting these children on dangerous drugs such as Ritalin, Wellbutrin, Prozac or Dexadrine (Pharmaceutical Crystal Meth), we need to get them on a Nutritional Balancing program designed to address their root problem of Adrenal insuffiency and Copper or other Heavy Metal Toxicity, which is causing their minds to "Freak Out" and causing them such great mental and emotional disturbances.

Copper Toxicity Treatment

The main thing to do is to increase Zinc and Magnesium levels to calm the mind and nervous system. However, just taking Zinc alone can cause serious side effects as Zinc will cause a Copper detox as the body dumps this excess copper and Mercury and other heavy metals from the tissues. This can cause rashes and flu-like symptoms. Zinc will also lower Sodium levels which may make you feel extremely tired.

I recommend a Hair Analysis test to evaluate your Soft tissue levels of Copper, Zinc, Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium and other trace minerals and toxic metals to help design a custom tailored Nutritional Balancing program. Hair Analysis is a very accurate and non-invasive means of analyzing the Mineral Levels in the Soft tissues. These readings can help us determine how much Heavy Metal and Copper toxicity there actually is and what type of Supplement and Nutritional therapy will be able to correct your Biochemical imbalance.

By balancing your Hair mineral levels and ratios, the Adrenal glands are strengthened, Zinc levels and bio-availability will rise, and the Liver will be able to produce adequate amoounts of Ceruloplasmin, Glutathione and Metallothioneine, which will help eliminate the Copper toxicity and also make the Copper available to the cells that need it.

Meditating, practicing Qigong, and enjoying a relaxed and stress free lifestyle is also extremely important in recovering from Adrenal Fatigue and Copper Toxicity. Try to remember to breathe deeply and slowly and not react to every little stressor that you may encounter. Peace of mind is essential for Copper toxicity recovery.