birminghammail--2019-01-11--Eating chocolate is better at curing coughs than cough syrup - according to a doctor

Chocolate is officially better for you when you've got a cough than popular cough syrup.  That's according to one professor, anyway.  When you're ill, you probably neck down cough solution in a bid to soothe the pain and feel better.  But you may be better off clamouring in the cupboards for your Cadbury, it turns out.  It has emerged chocolate is better for cough and respiratory problems than standard medicine, according to the Daily Record.  And we reckon the news will go down a storm with Brummies.  According to Professor Alyn Morice, head of cardiovascular and respiratory studies at the University of Hull and founding member of the International Society for the Study of Cough says, "chocolate can calm coughs".  The doctor even added that the supporting evidence is "actually as solid as a bar of Fruit and Nut".  Writing for MailOnline , Alyn, who has spent years researching the cough, said researchers have just seen the results of a recent study of over-the-counter medicine.  "This proves that a new medicine which contains cocoa is better than a standard linctus."  The study of 163 people revealed that the patients taking chocolate-based medicine saw significant improvements in two days.  So it's not quite as good as simply munching on some Maltesers and feeling better, unfortunatley.  Nevertheless, this isn't the first study that suggests chocolate can calm coughs.  Researchers at Imperial College in London found that theobromine, an alkaloid in cocoa, is better at suppressing the urge to cough than codeine - and ingredient often used in cough medicines.  So how can chocolate actually help with a cough?  Well according to Professor Alyn Morice, it's down to chocolate's "demulcent properties" - in other words, it's sticky which means it forms a coating on the throat's nerve endings, suppressing the urge to cough.  "This demulcent effect explains why honey and lemon and other sugary syrups can help, but I think there is something more going on with chocolate," Alyn added.  The cough expert reckons sucking on a piece of chocolate could provide some relief, but it's best when working with other ingredients in the medicine.


birminghammail--2019-01-31--Boy becomes first NHS patient to receive revolutionary new cancer drug

An 11-year-old boy has become the first NHS patient to receive a pioneering new cancer therapy that uses the body's own immune system to fight the disease.  Yuvan Thakkar, from Watford, received the drug Kymriah, a type of immunotherapy called CAR-T cell therapy, at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London last week.  Yuvan has acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), which can be cured in around 90% of children who undergo conventional chemotherapy.  However, Yuvan's cancer has failed to respond to two rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, meaning he has few options left.  Now, experts at GOSH have given him Kymriah (also known as (tisagenlecleucel), which was approved for use on the NHS after a deal was struck between NHS England and the drugs firm Novartis to offer it at a reduced price.  Previously, CAR-T cell therapy was only available to patients as part of research trials.  The treatment involves taking the patient's own T cells (a type of immune cell) from their blood and genetically engineering them in the laboratory so they recognise and fight cancer cells.  Millions of these genetically engineered CAR-T cells are grown in the laboratory and then given back to the patient via an infusion into their bloodstream.  Each dose of Kymriah is a customised treatment created using these own T-cells.  In Yuvan's case, his T cells were first extracted in November last year, and shipped to laboratories in Rotterdam and Texas, where they underwent the complex editing procedure.  Research has shown that CAR-T can lead to a cure or extended survival for a high number of patients, although not everyone benefits.  In clinical trials in the US, around 50% to 62% of patients survive without leukaemia for 12 months or more.  Yuvan, a keen cricket fan, was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2014.  Despite treatment and a bone marrow transplant last year, he was still found to still have leukaemia.  Yuvan's parents, his mother Sapna, and father Vinay, said in a statement: "When Yuvan was diagnosed it was the most heartbreaking news we had ever received.  "We tried to stay hopeful as they say leukaemia in children has 90% cure rate, but sadly, his illness relapsed.  "This new therapy is our last hope. It means a rebirth to us if this treatment works and we hope it really does.  "We are so glad that we at least have this new option now.  "If he had relapsed a year ago it would have been a different story."  Yuvan said, "I really hope I get better soon so I can visit Lego House in Denmark. I love Lego and am building a big model Bugatti while I'm in hospital."  Professor Charles Swanton, Cancer Research UK's chief clinician, said: "It's fantastic news that children and young people like Yuvan can receive CAR-T cell therapy on the NHS, giving another option when their cancer returns.  "This is an incredibly complex treatment to give, Yuvan's cells were processed in both Europe and the US, and needed collaboration across borders to get the T-cell infusion back to London so he could be treated.  "The UK was one of the first countries in the world to approve CAR-T cell therapy, showing that the NHS remains at the forefront of innovation when it comes to new cancer treatments.  "More research is underway so that we can identify who's most likely to benefit from CAR-T cell therapy, as well as how to further refine the technique, so as many as possible can benefit."  Side-effects from CAR-T can occur and patients need to be kept in isolation following treatment.  CAR-T can cost around £280,000 per patient, although NHS England has brought down this price during negotiations.  As well as GOSH, the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will offer the treatment to young people with leukaemia.  Another type of CAR-T cell therapy, called Yescarta, has been approved on the NHS for adults with aggressive types of lymphoma.  Dr Sara Ghorashian, consultant in paediatric haematology at GOSH and Yuvan's doctor, said: "We are so pleased to be able to offer patients like Yuvan another chance to be cured.  "While it will be a while before the outcome of this powerful new therapy is known, the treatment has shown very promising results in clinical trials and we are hopeful that it will help."


drudgereport--2019-08-09--Drug shortages forcing hospitals to ration treatments

Drug shortages forcing hospitals to ration treatments...

A shortage of a versatile medicine used to treat immune disorders and other diseases has forced U.S. hospitals and infusion clinics to suspend treatment for many patients.  The medicine, immune globulin, contains antibodies harvested from plasma, a component of blood. The injected product helps people with compromised immune systems fight off infections, and treats certain muscle and nerve disorders. The drug’s shortage increases the risk of infection for patients and the amount of pain they are suffering, doctors say.  Recently, many hospitals and infusion clinics have received less immune globulin, or IG, than they need. Some have started to ration it, prioritizing it for patients who need it to stay alive and canceling infusions for patients deemed to have non-life-threatening conditions. The shortage has gotten to an acute status, said Michelle Vogel, vice president of patient advocacy and provider relations at CSI Pharmacy, a specialty pharmacy.  IG manufacturers, including Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. and CSL Ltd., say there has been increased demand for IG. They cite higher rates of diagnosis of conditions that IG has long treated, plus new uses for the drug. The global market for these drugs was $11 billion in 2018, projected to rise to $17 billion in 2023, according to a recent Takeda presentation to investors.  An expanded version of this story appears on WSJ.com


fortune--2019-02-04--This Once-Free Drug for a Rare Condition Now Costs 375000

This Once-Free Drug for a Rare Condition Now Costs $375,000

Firdapse, a drug used for treatment of a rare neurological disorder that affects one in 100,000 people, used to be free. As of December, its annual cost became $375,000 and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is asking why, Reuters reported.  Sanders sent a letter to Catalyst Pharmaceuticals asking the company to justify its action. “Catalyst’s decision to set the annual list price at $375,000 is not only a blatant fleecing of American taxpayers, but is also an immoral exploitation of patients who need this medication,” wrote Sanders, an Independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats.  An equivalent of Firdapse was available free for 20 years from a small drug company, Jacobus Pharmaceutical, under an FDA program for access to experimental drugs, BioWorld reported. Jacobus had never gone through the entire FDA approval process to make the drug commercially available.  Catalyst obtained exclusive North American rights to Firdapse from its developer, Biomarin Pharmaceutical, in 2012. But Catalyst investors balked and sued when they learned of the free alternative. Catalyst settled the class action suit for $3.5 million in 2014 and then revealed in 2016 that it had to undertake additional testing for the FDA. Shares plunged and Catalyst laid off 30% of its workforce.  The Firdapse move is another in a chain of drug price increases even as pharmaceutical companies raise discounts to middlemen, dropping the net price. However, it isn’t clear whether patients see any of the price drops or if the middlemen keep the savings as profits.  Democrats and Republicans in Congress, as well as the White House, have publicly challenged drug companies over their prices.  The pharmaceutical industry spent $280 million in lobbying and has been one of the biggest donors to political campaigns for years, according to the Center for Responsive Politics


fortune--2019-03-20--FDA Approves First Drug Treatment for Postpartum Depression

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a drug for the first time that aims at treating postpartum depression in mothers.  Dubbed Zulresso, the medication is administered by a continuous intravenous (IV) infusion for 60 hours. According to the FDA, the IV must be administered in a health care facility because of fears of “serious harm due to sudden loss of consciousness.” Patients also need to be accompanied by another adult when they have their children with them during treatment.  Despite those concerns, the FDA found Zulresso, which is owned by Sage Therapeutics, to be effective in treating postpartum depression. In two clinical studies, women with either severe postpartum depression or moderate postpartum depression saw marked improvements in their depressive symptoms compared to a placebo group. The effects were apparent after the first infusion and were still there at the 30-day follow-up appointment, according to the FDA.  Postpartum depression is a major depressive disorder that can affect women both during pregnancy and after childbirth. It’s often associated with varying levels of sadness, an inability to feel pleasure, and in severe cases, suicidal thoughts. In some cases, mothers may have thoughts of harming their children.  Whether Zulresso will actually be used in widespread cases remains to be seen. The 60-hour treatment window in a healthcare facility for a mother who’s raising one or more children might be difficult to accommodate. And according to CNN, a single treatment could range from $20,000 to $35,000, making the treatment cost prohibitive to some mothers.


france24--2019-05-03--Antiretroviral drugs prevent HIV transmission among gay men study finds

Antiretroviral drugs prevent HIV transmission among gay men, study finds

Sia Kambou, AFP | A study monitored nearly 1,000 serodifferent (one partner HIV positive, the other HIV negative) couples over a period of eight years.  HIV-suppressing medication can make the AIDS virus "untransmittable" even among couples who have sex without using condoms, new research showed Friday.  The Europe-wide study monitored nearly 1,000 gay male couples over a period of eight years, where one partner was HIV-positive and receiving antiretroviral (ART) treatment, while the other was HIV negative.  Doctors did not find a single case of in-couple HIV transmission within that time, raising hopes that widespread ART programmes could eventually end new infections.  "Our findings provide conclusive evidence for gay men that the risk of HIV transmission with suppressive ART is zero," said Alison Rodger, from University College London, who co-lead the research published in The Lancet.  "They support the message... that an undetectable viral load makes HIV untransmittable. This powerful message can help end the HIV pandemic by preventing HIV transmission, and tackling the stigma and discrimination that many people with HIV face."  Researchers estimate that ART prevented around 470 HIV transmissions within couples during the study period.  HIV and the fatal illnesses it provokes remain one of the world's largest health crises despite much progress in recent years.  More than 21 million people currently receive regular ART medication, which suppresses the virus -- only around 59 percent of global HIV sufferers.  The authors of the study noted several limitations, including that the average age of the HIV-negative men was 38. Most HIV transmissions occur in people aged under 25.  Individuals currently on ART must take medication almost every day for the rest of their lives, and treatment is often disrupted for a variety of reasons.  But the fact that couples can have unprotected sex for years without passing on the virus was still worth noting, experts said.  "Timely identification of HIV-infected people and provision of effective treatment leads to near normal health and virtual elimination of the risk of HIV transmission," said Myron Cohen, from the UNC Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases.  "Yet maximising the benefits of ART has proven daunting: fear, stigma, homophobia, and other adverse social forces continue to compromise HIV treatment."


france24--2019-08-13--Two new drugs offer hope against Ebola in DR Congo

Two experimental Ebola drugs being tested in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a yearlong outbreak has killed more than 1,800 people, have succeeded in raising the survival rate to around 90%, health authorities said Monday.  Scientists are a step closer to finding the first effective treatments for the deadly Ebola haemorrhagic fever after two potential drugs showed survival rate of as much as 90% in a clinical trial in Congo.  Two experimental drugs - Regeneron’s REGN-EB3 and a monoclonal antibody called mAb114 - were both developed using antibodies harvested from survivors of Ebola infection.  The treatments are now going to be offered to all patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.  They showed “clearly better” results in patients in a trial of four potential treatments being conducted during the world’s second largest Ebola outbreak in history, now entering its second year in DRC.  The drugs improved survival rates from the disease more than two other treatments being tested - ZMapp, made by Mapp Biopharmaceutical, and Remdesivir, made by Gilead Sciences - and those products will be now dropped, said Anthony Fauci, one of the researchers co-leading the trial.  The agency said 49% of the patients on ZMapp and 53% on remdesivir died in the study. In comparison, 29% of the patients on REGN-EB3 and 34% on mAb-114 died.  Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters in a telebriefing the results were “very good news” for the fight against Ebola.  “What this means is that we do now have what look like (two) treatments for a disease for which not long ago we really had no approach at all,” he said.  The agency said of the patients who were brought into treatment centres with low levels of virus detected in their blood, 94% who got REGN-EB3 and 89% on mAb114 survived.  In comparison, two-third of the patients who got remdesivir and nearly three-fourth on ZMapp survived.  Ebola has been spreading in eastern Congo since August 2018 in an outbreak that has now become the second largest, killing at least 1,800 people. Efforts to control it have been hampered by militia violence and some local resistance to outside help.  A vast Ebola outbreak in West Africa become the world’s largest ever when it spread through Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone from 2013 to 2016 and killed more than 11,300 people.  The Congo treatment trial, which began in November last year, is being carried out by an international research group coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO).  Mike Ryan, head of the WHO’s emergencies program, said the trial’s positive findings were encouraging but would not be enough on their own to bring the epidemic to an end.  “The news today is fantastic. It gives us a new tool in our toolbox against Ebola, but it will not in itself stop Ebola,” he told reporters.  Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust global health charity, also hailed the success of the trial’s findings, saying they would “undoubtedly save lives”.  “The more we learn about these two treatments, ...the closer we can get to turning Ebola from a terrifying disease to one that is preventable and treatable,” he said in a statement.  “We won’t ever get rid of Ebola but we should be able to stop these outbreaks from turning into major national and regional epidemics.”  Some 681 patients at four separate treatment centres in Congo have already been enrolled in the Congo treatment clinical trial, Fauci said. The study aims to enrol a total of 725.  The decision to drop two of the trial drugs was based on data from almost 500 patients, he said, which showed that those who got REGN-EB3 or mAb114 “had a greater chance of survival compared to those participants in the other two arms”.


lewrockwell--2019-02-20--Theres a Drugless Cure for Diabetes Obesity

There’s a Drugless Cure for Diabetes & Obesity

How does diabetes get started?  In 2007 researchers in France were the first to report gut bacteria initiates to the onset of adult diabetes and the inability to utilize insulin.[i]  Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas that permits glucose sugar to enter living cells that then produces energy that cells need to function.  Insulin grabs glucose from the blood circulation and puts it into cells.  Glucose, produced in the liver, is the body’s main source of fuel.  When fat, muscle and liver cells begin ignoring insulin, blood sugar levels rise.  Prebiotic Fiber with F... Buy New $12.99 (as of 12:00 EST - Details)  Gut bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids. (Long-chain fatty acids are found in commonly consumed oils obtained from fish, nuts, avocado, olive, soybean and other plant oils.). Three short-chain fatty acids predominate in the digestive tract (large intestine): butyrate, acetate and propionate and are produced from the fermentation of non-digestible carbohydrates (oligo or polysaccharides, aka fiber).  This knowledge results in recommendation for more fiber in the diet, usually obtained from cereals , fruits and vegetables.  The abundance or shortage of these short-chain fatty acids determine whether humans are healthy or have metabolic problems — insulin resistance, elevated blood sugar levels and obesity.  Diabetics hear they must limit carbohydrate intake (bread, rice, pasta, cereal) which are refined and processed, devoid of bran that can ferment and induce short-chain fatty acids in the lower digestive tract.  So, advice about carbohydrates may be confusing for diabetics.  Carbohydrate reduction accounts for 71% of the reduction in blood glucose levels achieved by short-term fasting.[ii]  Fast forward to 2018.  Researchers report loss of one specific type of bacteria in the human gut triggers chronic low-grade inflammation that signals cells to ignore insulin.  Akkermansia muciniphila or AKK facilitates the breakdown of fiber into butyrate and acetate, whereas a decline in the volume of AKK triggers living cells to ignore insulin and also results in less butyrate.  When animals were given an antibiotic to increase the proportion of AKK bacteria in their digestive tract, cells began to respond to insulin again.  Provision of butyrate had the same effect.  Without AKK the integrity of the intestines is impaired and leakage of bacterial products (endotoxins) activates white blood cells (monocytes) to arrive in such large numbers as to induce inflammation with resultant insulin resistance.[iii]  Studies involving AKK bacteria have moved from the animal lab to human investigation.  When obese diabetic adults were compared to lean healthy individuals, subjects who exhibited the healthiest metabolism (blood glucose/sugar levels, body fat distribution) had the highest levels of the mucin-controlling AKK bacteria.[iv]  Akkermansia muciniphila is now being heralded as a next-generation beneficial bacterium that promises to quell the diabesity epidemic that has plagued modern populations that consume fiber-poor processed foods.  While there are a broad variety of probiotics being sold, namely offering Acidophilus and Bifidus bacteria, the development of an AKK probiotic dietary supplement looms.  However, probiotics don’t survive and grow like lawn seed.  They only produce a brief response that transiently heightens the immune response.  AKK bacteria does not always produce a beneficial effect, casting doubt on its introduction as a probiotic.  For example, excessive AKK bacteria in lab animals results in elevated blood pressure, a problem that was abolished by the red wine molecule resveratrol.[v]  While AKK is one of the most abundant single species of bacteria in the human gut (0.5 to 5.0% of total bacteria) that is involved in the production and degradation of mucus in the lower digestive tract, various prebiotics can increase the abundance of AKK bacteria by 100-fold (up to 4.5% in a high-fat diet compared to 0.09 to 2.5% for normal chow provided to lab animals).  So maybe a prebiotic that increases the proportion of AKK rather than an AKK probiotic would be the most efficacious.  Given that AKK bacteria levels are low in obese and diabetic individuals and both the antidiabetic drug metformin and bariatric surgery produce a marked increase in AKK bacteria, diabetologists now say a revolution in the treatment of metabolic disorders is at hand.  Agents that increase AKK bacteria within the composition of thousands of species of bacteria in the human gut may also quell gout, fatty liver and inflammatory bowel problems, the latter by increasing the thickness of the mucus barrier in the gut and therefore diminishing toxins that plague many sufferers with irritable bowel.[vi]  While nutritionists are hell-bent on creating fat phobia, butyrate itself is a component of butter (3-4%).  In fact, butter is the richest dietary source of butyrate.[vii]  Not all sources of fiber are equal in their ability to produce butyrate.  Pectin, cellulose and bran are good sources of fiber that generate butyrate.  However, indigestible (resistant) starch produces almost twice as much cell energy (short-chain fatty acids, mainly butyrate) for cells in the lower large intestine than butyrate compared to other sources of fiber (bran, pectin, cellulose).[viii]  With the knowledge that butyrate is more than just an agent that governs insulin utilization we begin to understand how butyrate exhibits control over the human library of genes (genome) by its inherent ability to loosen or tighten strands of genes around histone bodies that allow our genes to be in a “read” or “non-read” mode.  The more butyrate the more genes that are activated (make proteins).  This throws the whole topic of gut bacteria and butyrate into the realm of anti-aging pills.  Butyrate has been demonstrated to prevent brain cell death and extend the lifespan of laboratory mice.[ix]  Moreover, butyrate has been demonstrated to have a profound effect on improving learning and memory which has application in maintenance of mental function with advancing age.  Diabetes, insulin resistance and obesity come with advancing age.  Therefore, the link between butyrate and the human genome opens the doorway to healthy aging and prolonged health span and lifespan. Traditionally Fermente... Shannon Stonger Best Price: $12.97 Buy New $13.09 (as of 12:00 EST - Details)  More intriguing is that butyrate has been demonstrated to reduce appetite in lab animals, not in the gut but in the hypothalamus of the brain where satiation is controlled.  Butyrate acts via a gut-brain connection.  Oral but not intravenous butyrate produced this remarkable effect, which points to the need for butyrate to be present in the digestive tract not just in the blood circulation to exert its biological activity.  Of interest, when researchers severed the vagus nerve that connects the gut with the brain in lab animals given butyrate, this completely negated its appetite reduction effect upon the hypothalamus in the brain.[x]  In animals fed a very high-fat diet, butyrate reduces leptin levels.[xi]   Leptin is the hormone that controls satiation.  Leptin levels continue to rise if there is leptin resistance.  In 2009 researchers first reported that supplemental butyrate prevents insulin resistance in laboratory animals.  Butyrate also prevented obesity among lab animals fed a high-fat diet.  Butyrate accomplished this not by reduced food intake or reduced absorption of dietary fat but by increased burning of calories (thermogenesis).  It was noted that butyrate’s beneficial metabolic activity is similar to those produced by the red wine molecule resveratrol.[xii]  The manipulation of gut bacteria to treat adult diabetes and obesity was realized in 2014 when researchers linked the use of the anti-diabetic drug metformin with an increase in AKK bacteria in the human gut.[xiii]  Metformin, the most widely used anti-diabetic medication, favorably alters the composition of gut bacteria via the increase of AKK bacteria that fosters the production of short-chain fatty acids like butyrate.  This discovery has opened the new door to control obesity and diabetes and aging itself.[xiv]  Fatty liver along with liver fibrosis (scarring), a condition that is estimated to effect one-third of Americans, is alleviated by butyrate.[xv]  There are no proven medicines for fatty liver.  Of acute interest are unrelenting cases of gout.  Gout is known as a malady of meat eaters.   But in modern times gout inexplicably persists in many instances among individuals who don’t consume much meat.  Scientific studies have only recently revealed intestinal bacteria rather than uric acid levels distinguish gout patients from healthy adults.[xvi]  Butyrate is now considered a remedy for gout.[xvii]  There are other non-metabolic health benefits derived from butyrate.  For example, the virulence and growth fate of Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi bacterial infection from contact with ticks) is dramatically reduces.[xviii]  The composition of gut bacteria may make the difference between life and death should a heart attack occur.  When a heart attack was intentionally induced in laboratory animals, the sterilization of bacteria from the gut with antibiotics prior to the heart attack impaired repair mechanisms and survival of the animals which improved after supplementation with butyrate and acetate.[xix]  Butyrate and other short-chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate) play a major role in the regulation of inflammation and in normalizing the immune response.[xx]  AKK bacteria count is low among patients with psoriasis.[xxi]  There is probably no going back to fiber-rich diets.  Processed convenience foods predominate in developed populations.  So, there is a search for molecules that can be added as fortification of foods, or used as dietary supplements, that boost AKK bacteria and butyrate.  Suggested fiber intake is ~16-35 grams a day.  In Western societies about 20-25 grams of fiber is consumed daily though diets high in fruit and vegetables may provide as much as 60 grams of fiber a day.[xxii]  Efforts to increase plant food consumption have fallen flat.  That leads investigators to the question: can butyrate, normally the by-product of fiber fermentation in the lower large intestine, be provided directly as a dietary supplement to quell insulin resistance?  After years of investigation researchers now say “it is becoming clear that gut bacteria play a preventive role in pathologies such as diabetes, obesity and inflammatory bowel disease.[xxiii]  A trial of oral butyrate supplementation was conducted among healthy and obese adults.  Four grams (2000 milligrams twice a day) of butyrate was employed with limited effects.  Butyrate did, however, encounter white blood cells (monocytes) and inhibit inflammation that typically accompanies their arrival.  The authors of that study say the effect of oral butyrate supplementation “was most likely only transient.”[xxiv]  Researchers says 4000 mg butyrate only produced beneficial effects among younger lean subjects.[xxv]  The Resistant Starch D... Gregory Stevens Check Amazon for Pricing. So maybe volumes of plant foods don’t need to be consumed to produce a metabolic boost.  While fruits and vegetables have long been recommended for their fiber content, molecules called polyphenols also found in fruits and spices may also promote AKK bacteria.  Commonly known polyphenols are found in grapes (resveratrol), apples and onions (quercetin), catechin (tea), turmeric spice (curcumin), cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon), pomegranate (ellagitannins), olives (oleuropein) and cranberries (proanthocyanidins).  For example, a diet fortified with butyrate-rich butter and grape powder (polyphenols) reduced fat cells and fatty liver along with an increase in AKK bacteria.[xxvi]  Cranberry extract has been found to increase the population of AKK bacteria in lab animals and exert beneficial effects such as reduced insulin resistance and inflammation.[xxvii]  Resveratrol, probably the most studied polyphenol, has been found to produce marked changes in the composition of gut bacteria and improve insulin sensitivity in laboratory mice.[xxviii]  Amino acids promote the production of butyrate, acetate and propionate, but not always in the most desirable way.[xxix]  The amino acid leucine is used by body builders to stimulate muscle growth as it is much more powerful than any other amino acid in this regard.  However, butyrate has been remarkably reported to promote fat burning (ketogenesis) more than leucine.[xxx]  Of note, the combination of leucine + low-dose resveratrol exhibits synergistic action to manage insulin-resistance and obesity in lab animals.[xxxi]  Butyrate dietary supplements are available commercially.  So are an array of polyphenolic nutraceuticals.  However, research studies show indigestible starch produces the most cell energy for cells in the lower digestive tract (see chart below).  Resistant (indigestible) corn starch (maltodextrin), commercially available under the trade name Fibersol-2, is a fermentable non-GMO fiber that has GRAS status in the U.S. (Generally Recognized As Safe).  Indigestible maltodextrin (plant sugar) exerts a demonstrable change in gut bacteria in healthy adults.[xxxii] A mixture of fiber (fructooligosaccharide) + indigestible maltodextrin was found to increase short-chain fatty acids by 195.4% in lab animals.[xxxiii]  In a human study among adults with metabolic syndrome (obesity, insulin resistance) Fibersol-2 reduced waist circumference, belly fat, blood sugar and other measures of metabolic health compared to tea consumption for comparison.[xxxiv]  Among diabetic women, 10 grams of indigestible (resistant) starch reduced insulin, insulin resistance, markers of inflammation (TNF) compared to plain starch.[xxxv]  [ii] Nuttall FQ, et al, Comparison of a carbohydrate-free diet vs. fasting on plasma glucose, insulin and glucagon in type 2 diabetes. Metabolism 64 (2): 253-62, 2015.  [iii] Bodogai, M, et al, Commensal bacteria contribute to insulin resistance in aging by activating innate B1a cells.  Science Translational Medicine 10 (467): eaat4271, 2018.  [iv] Dao MC, et al, Akkermansia muciniphile and improved metabolic health during dietary intervention in obesity: relationship with gut microbiome richness and ecology. Gut 65 (3): 426-36, 2016.  [v] Tain YL, et al, Resveratrol prevents the development of hypertension programmed by maternal plus post-weaning high-fructose consumption through modulation of oxidative stress, nutrient-sensing signals and gut microbiota. Molecular Nutrition Food Research, April e1800066, 2018.  [vi] Cani PD, De Vos WM, Next generation beneficial microbes: the case of akkermansia muciniphila.  Frontiers Microbiology 8: 1765, 2017.  [viii] Bourassa MW, et al, Butyrate, neuroepigenetics and the gut microbiome: can a high fiber diet improve brain health?  Neuroscience Letters 625: 56-63, 2016.  [ix] Ferrante RJ, et al, Histone deacetylase inhibition of sodium butyrate chemotherapy ameliorates the neurodegenerative phenotype in Huntington’s disease mice.  Journal Neuroscience 23: 9418-27, 2003.  [x] Li Z, et al, Butyrate reduces appetite and activates brown adipose tissue via the gut-brain neural circuit.  Gut 67: 1269-79, 2018.  [xi] Pelgrim CE, et al, Butyrate reduces HFD-induced adipocyte hypertrophy and metabolic risk factors in obese LDLr/-.Leiden mice. Nutrients 9 (7): eE714, 2017.  [xii] Gao Z, et al, Butyrate improves insulin sensitivity and increases energy expenditure in mice. Diabetes 58 (7): 1509-17, 2009.  [xiii] Shin NR, et al, An increase in the Akkermansia spp. Population induced by metformin treatme3nt improves glucose homeostasis in diet-induced obese mice. Gut 63 (5): 727-35, 2014.  [xiv] Vallianou NG, Stratigou T, Tsagarakis S, Metformin and gut microbiota: their interactions and their impact. On diabetes.  Hormones Feb4, 2019.  [xv] Ye J, et al, Butyrate protects mice against methionine-choline-deficient diet-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis by improving gut barrier function, attenuating inflammation and reducing endotoxin levels. Frontiers Microbiology 9: Aug. 2018.  [xviii] Lin YH, et al, Short-chain fatty acids alter metabolic and. Virulence attributes of Borrelia burgdorferi. Infection & Immunity 86 (9): e00217-18, 2018.  [xix] Tang TWH, et al, Loss of gut microbiota alters immune system composition and cripples postinfarction cardiac repair.  Circulation 139 (5): 647-59, 2019.  [xx] Morrison DJ, Preston T, Formation of short chain fatty acids by the gut microbiota and their impact on human metabolism.  Gut Microbes 7 (3): 189-200, 2016.  [xxi] Tan L, et al, The Akkermansia muciniphila is a gut microbiota signature in psoriasis. Experimental Dermatology 27 (2): 144-49, 2018.  [xxii] Besten G, et al, The role of short-chain fatty acids in the interplay between diet, gut microbiota, and host energy metabolism. Journal Lipid Research 54 (9): 2325-40, 2013.  [xxiv] Cleophas MCP, et al, Effects of oral butyrate supplementation on inflammatory potential of circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells in healthy and obese males.  Scientific Reports 9: Issue No. 775, 2019.  [xxv] Bouter KEC, et al, Differential metabolic effects of oral butyrate treatment in lean versus metabolic syndrome subjects.  Clinical Translational Gastroenterology 9 (5): 155, 2018.  [xxvi] Anhe FF, et al, Triggering Akkermansia with dietary polyphenols: a new weapon to combat the metabolic syndrome. Gut Microbes 7 (2): 146-53, 2016.  [xxvii] Anhe FF, et al, A polyphenol-rich cranberry extrat protects from diet-induced obesity, insulin resistance and intestinal inflammation in association with increased Akkermansia spp. Population in the gut microbiota of mice.  Gut 64 (6): 872-83, 2015.  [xxviii] Sung MM, et al, improved glucose homeostasis in obese mice treated with resveratrol is associated with alterations in the gut microbiome.  Diabetes 66 (2): 418-25, 2017.  [xxix] Neis EPJG, Dejong CHC, Rensen SS, The role of microbial amino acid metabolism in host metabolism.  Nutrients 8 (4): 2930-46, 2015. The Starch Revolution:... Bethany Silver Check Amazon for Pricing.  [xxx] St. Pierre V, et al, Butyrate is more ketogenic than leucine or octanoate monoacylglycerol in health adult humans. Journal Functional Foods 32: 170-75, 2017.  [xxxi] Bruckbauer A, et al, Synergistic effects of leucine and resveratrol on insulin sensitivity and fat metabolism in adipocytes and mice. Nutrition Metabolism 9 (1): 77, 2012.  [xxxii] Burns AM, et al, In healthy adults, resistant maltodextrin produces a greater change in fecal bifidofacteria counts and increases stool wet weight: a double-blind, randomized, controlled crossover study. Nutrition Research 60: 33-42, 2018.  [xxxiii] Kao WM, et al, Inclusion of fructooligosaccharide and resistant maltodextrin in high fat diets promotes simultaneous improvements on body fat reduction in fecal parameters.  Molecules 23 (9): E2169, 2018.  [xxxiv] Hashizume C, et al, Improvement effect of resistant maltodextrin in humans with metabolic syndrome by continuous administration.  Journal Nutrition Science Vitaminology 58 (6): 423-30, 2012.  [xxxv] Aliasgharzadeh A, et al, Resistant starch, as a prebiotic, improves insulin resistance and inflammation in women with type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled clinical trial. British Journal Nutrition 113 (2): 2321-30, 2015.  Indigestible starch promotes satiation.  Most notable is that Fibersol-2 resistant starch has been demonstrated to exert strong anti-cancer properties without any toxicity.[1]  Its drawback is that it is so fermentable it may induce intestinal gas and is reported to produce gastrointestinal discomfort.[2]  However the use of 15 grams of Fibersol-2 resistant starch successfully increases beneficial bacteria counts in adults with only minor gastrointestinal discomfort.[3]  Various doses of Fibersol-2 were employed in another human study and produced no diarrhea and only mild and transient discomfort (gurgling sounds).[4] So it is consumer friendly.  Another driver of diabesity are high iron storage (ferritin) levels.  Normal healthy ferritin blood levels range from 20-90 nanograms/milliliter and are generally elevated in males who do not experience blood loss as do menstruating females.[5] Higher ferritin (iron storage) levels are associated with insulin resistance and obesity, particularly in males.[6]  Higher iron stores (ferritin) are also found among adults with pre-diabetes.[7]  It is not surprising to learn that metformin, the antidiabetic drug, reduces ferritin (iron storage)[8] as well as increases the AKK bacteria count and butyrate.  Neither is it surprising to learn that metformin is being repurposed as an anti-aging drug.[9]  Given that bran encourages production of butyrate, and within rice bran is a strong iron-controlling molecule (phytic acid or IP6), and IP6 has been demonstrated to exert control over diabetes[10], it may be a desirable component of any regimen employed to prevent diabetes and obesity.  IP6 and its molecular cousin inositol, serve as agents to promote healthy gut bacteria and prevent fatty liver.[11]  Apple pectin, another butyrate booster that has been shown to promote beneficial gut bacteria and reduce inflammation, is on the list of natural remedies for diabesity.[12]  The gut bacteria model of health has been slow to be adopted into the practice of medicine largely due to the initial complexity posed by the vast array of bacterial species involved. The alteration of gut bacteria to prevent diabetes and obesity runs head on into the pharmacologic anti-diabetic drugs that are fraught with side effects (even metformin induces vitamin B12 deficiency[13] which foments nerve problems) and bariatric surgery that is financially rewarding for surgeons but is associated with side effects that include mortality.    It appears individuals with metabolic issues (obesity, diabetes) will have to venture on their own to achieve metabolic wellness.  This report is instructive in that regard.  The Starch Solution: E... John McDougall, Mary M... Check Amazon for Pricing.  What to do  [1] So EY, et al, Tumor suppression by resistant maltodextrin, Fibersol-2. Cancer Biology & Therapy 16 (3): 460-65, 2015.  [3] Fastinger ND, et al, A novel resistant maltodextrin alters gastrointestinal tolerance factors, fecal characteristics, and fecal microbiota in healthy adult humans. Journal American College Nutrition 27 (2): 356-66, 2008.  [4] Kishimoto Y, et al, The maximum single dose of resistant maltodextrin that does not cause diarrhea in humans.  Journal Nutrition Science Vitaminology 59 (4): 352-57, 2013.  [5] Shim YS, et al, Association of serum ferritin with insulin resistance, abdominal obesity, and metabolic syndrome in Korean adolescent and adults: the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2008-2011.  Medicine 96 (8): e6179, 2017.  [6] Kim CH, et al, Association of elevated serum ferritin concentration with insulin resistance and impaired glucose metabolism in Korean men and women. Metabolism 60 (3): 414-20, 2011.  [7] Cheung CL, et al, High ferritin and low transferrin saturation are associated with pre-diabetes among a national representative sample of U.S. adults. Clinical Nutrition 32 (6): 1055-60, 2013.  [8] Behradmanesh S, et al, Effect of metformin on serum ferritin level in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Iran Red Crescent Medical Journal 13 (7): 487-92, 2011.  [9] Piskovatska V, et al, Metformin as a geroprotector: experimental and clinical evidence.  Biogerontology 20 (1): 33-48, 2019.  [10] Omoruyi FO, et al, The potential benefits and adverse effects of phytic acid supplement in streptozotocin-induce diabetic rats. Advances Pharmacological Science 2013: 172494, 2013.  [11] Okazaki Y, Sekita A, Katayama T, Intake of phytic acid and myo-inositol lowers hepatic lipogenic gene expression and modulates gut microbiota in rats fed a high-sucrose diet. Biomedical Reports 8: (5): 466-74, 2018.  [12] Jiang T, et al, Apple-derived pectin modulates gut microbiota, improves gut barrier function, and attenuates metabolic endotoxemia in rats with diet-induced obesity.  Nutrients 8 (3): 126, 2016.  [13] Yang W, Cai XL, Wu H, Ji L, Associations between metformin use and vitamin B12 level, anemia and neuropathy in patients with diabetes: a meta-analysis.  Journal Diabeteshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30615306 Jan 7, 2019.  [14] Balakumar P, et al, The multifaceted therapeutic potential of benfotiamine. Pharmacological Research 61 (6): 482-88, 2010.  The Best of Bill Sardi


liveaction--2019-08-30--Miracle drug saves lives of babies with disease yet some still want them aborted

Miracle drug saves lives of babies with disease, yet some still want them aborted

Shane and Jennifer Lee know the fear, grief, and hope that come with receiving a diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) for their child — three times over. Their first daughter Jocelyn died from SMA type 1 when she was just four and a half years old. Their son Nathan is six years old and uses a wheelchair to get around. Their two-year-old daughter Kirra, however, will likely never suffer the full scope of the disease. They have two other children who do not have the condition.  SMA is a genetic condition that, in its most severe form, is deadly even before birth. It is genetically inherited — each parent must pass on a mutated gene — that causes the loss of motor neurons which control the movement of voluntary muscles. There are four levels of severity from type 1 to type 4 though at least one study points to the distinguishment of a type 0 – or prenatal onset – which is noticeable in babies before birth.  In the womb, SMA in its most severe form is detectable by a lack of fetal movement, problems with the baby’s joints, and respiratory failure. After birth, SMA type 1 is diagnosed within a few months due to the newborn’s “floppy” limbs and weak trunk as well as difficulties eating and swallowing, holding up his/her head and even breathing. A child’s symptoms with type 1 will progress quickly and children can die before their second birthday, never having been able to sit up. Type 2 appears typically after seven months but before 18. This type mostly affects the legs and these children usually won’t be able to stand up. Life expectancy can be from early childhood to adulthood. Types 3 and 4 are less severe and life expectancy is close to normal.  The Lees’ daughter, two-year-old Kirra, was born in the time of Spinraza, a new medication that is changing and saving the lives of people with SMA – if they can access it. Early studies proved that the drug is beneficial even reversing some of the effects of the disease in patients. Unethically, not all children in the study were put on the medication. Some were placed on a placebo and suffered the consequences. When doctors are already fully aware of how a disease will quickly debilitate and kill a small child, not one of them should have been denied the medication that provided such hope.  Kirra was diagnosed in the womb and her parents immediately reached out to UNC Healthcare. Spinraza was still awaiting FDA approval and earned it just three months before Kirra’s birth. She began to receive the medication — an injection in the back — when she was just 11 days old. She hasn’t shown any symptoms of the disease.  “Clearly we treated her before the weakness began,” UNC Children’s Hospital pediatric neurologist Dr. Zheng (Jane) Fan told UNC. “She is a normal baby. She walked at the age of 11 months and she was running at the age of 15 months, and this is absolutely amazing.”  Her brother Nathan had already lived four years without the medication and has felt the effects, but Spinraza has helped stop the progression of SMA in his body and even helped him improve.  READ: Abortion doesn’t help babies with spina bifida, but prenatal surgery does  “He was able to stop further progression,” Dr. Fan explained. “He was able to regain some finger movement after the treatment and ankle movement, but the amazing thing is he was able to gain weight.”  Melissa Marotta‘s son C.J. has SMA type 3. It took her months to get Spinraza for him as he began to lose the ability to stand up for more than a few seconds at a time. She contacted the hospital board at Columbia University Medical Cente/New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanely Children’s Hospital every day for months until he was finally given his first dose. Spinraza can be complicated to get because it is so expensive. $750,000 for the first year when more doses are needed, and $375,000 each year after that. SMA affects up to an estimated 25,000 Americans. As studies continue to show the remarkable benefits of Spinraza, it becomes easier for families to access.  Amanda and Jeremy Camp’s son Asher has SMA type 1 and his parents were able to get him into the early clinical trials just a month after his diagnosis at six months old. He is growing up stronger than anyone would have ever thought possible. Without Spinraza, Asher would have died after losing his ability to move. Now, he is walking without assistance. His parents work hard fundraising for SMA research and pushing states to enact newborn screening so that children get the help they need as quickly as possible.  With such a miracle occurring in the SMA community, there is a big push to ensure SMA is tested for during newborn screening. No child with the condition should go undetected as so many have in the past. One in 40 Americans is a carrier of the mutated gene, and many don’t know it. SMA was officially added to the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel in 2018, but less than half of US states actually check for it or are in the process of adding it.  Despite the progress in treatment and the recommendation that every child be tested for SMA at birth, some doctors and even families who have lost children are pushing to prevent the disease altogether. But the only way that can currently happen is by killing the people who have it through either abortion or preimplantation genetic diagnosis or PGD. SMA can be tested for during pregnancy and children could then be recommended for abortion. In addition, many doctors will push for in-vitro fertilization with the use of PGD. Couples can take a simple blood test to determine if they are carriers of SMA. If they both are, they can use IVF to create embryos and then PGD to destroy any who test positive for SMA. It’s the weeding out of those whom eugenicists would deem “unfit.” It’s deciding for someone else that they are better off dead than alive with SMA — even with the major breakthrough in treatments.  Some people think death by abortion is better than living a life in which you must receive spinal injections throughout your entire life until a cure is found. Thankfully for so many children including Kirra and Nathan, their parents know their children are more than their diagnosis. The Lees named their daughter Kirra Faith because Kirra means “woman of light” and because they know that Kirra wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for their faith in God.  “Like” Live Action News on Facebook for more pro-life news and commentary!


naturalnews--2019-01-13--Acupuncture performs as well as drug therapy for treating high blood pressure

(Natural News) In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), acupuncture is often used to relieve pain and other health complaints. According to the results of a study, acupuncture is just as effective as drug therapy when treating high blood pressure (hypertension).  The study was conducted by researchers from the Jiaozuo Tongren Hospital in China.  The study findings revealed that acupuncture is equally effective for the treatment of hypertension as the drug nifedipine.  Nifedipine is the generic name for a pharmaceutical drug used to treat high blood pressure and angina. It relaxes the heart muscles and blood vessels.  However, nifedipine can also cause these common negative side effects:  Nifedipine can also cause serious side effects like:  The power of the elements: Discover Colloidal Silver Mouthwash with quality, natural ingredients like Sangre de Drago sap, black walnut hulls, menthol crystals and more. Zero artificial sweeteners, colors or alcohol. Learn more at the Health Ranger Store and help support this news site.  For the study, researchers observed 51 patients with primary hypertension. The participants were randomly divided into two: an acupuncture treatment group and a drug control group. There were 27 individuals in the treatment group and 24 individuals in the drug control group.  The acupuncture group included 15 males and 12 females who were aged 37 to 72 years old. The average age of the group was 57.39 years. The patients in this group either had high blood pressure with systolic blood pressure 179.97 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) or diastolic blood pressure 110.39 mmHg.  Meanwhile, the drug control group was made up of 14 males and 10 females aged 36 to 72 years old. The average age of this group was 59.14 years. The volunteers in this group either had high blood pressure with systolic blood pressure 181.95 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure 109.93 mmHg.  The researchers compared the effects of acupuncture therapy with the administration of nifedipine for the immediate reduction of high blood pressure levels in the participants who had primary hypertension. Based on the results of the randomized controlled clinical trial, both acupuncture and nifedipine reduced blood pressure by 30 to 40 mmHg. (Related: Scientists confirm: You can use acupuncture to lower your blood pressure.)  The study showed that acupuncture and nifedipine offered different advantages for the management of high blood pressure. Drug therapy reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressures after five to 20 minutes, but acupuncture took longer at 30 to 60 minutes.  The researchers noted that there was no statistical difference between the effects of acupuncture and nifedipine for the management of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.  On the other hand, acupuncture significantly reduced systolic and diastolic pressures among the participants with extremely high blood pressure. Acupuncture moderately reduced systolic and diastolic pressures in the volunteers who had moderate levels of high blood pressure. The researchers said that acupuncture offers a clinical advantage since it can offer a “regulated lowering of blood pressure relative to the clinical needs patients.”  The study determined that nifedipine can excessively lower blood pressure, especially during the first use of the drug or if the patient is dehydrated once the drug is taken. Compared to drug therapy, acupuncture’s homeostatic properties suggest that it can be used to treat hypertension without any negative hypotensive reactions.  The results of a separate study, which was conducted at the Shanxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, determined that combining acupuncture with drug therapy can effectively address primary hypertension.  In this study, the researchers randomly and equally divided the participants into an acupuncture treatment group and a drug group. The drug group was given felodipine, a calcium channel blocker that is used to treat hypertension.  In the drug group, using only felodipine had a total effective rate of 73.3 percent. In the acupuncture treatment group, combining acupuncture and felodipine had an 86.7 percent total effective rate.  The researchers concluded that the integrative medicine approach to the treatment of high blood pressure can improve patient outcomes by at least 13.4 percent.  To read more articles about natural treatments like acupuncture, visit AlternativeMedicine.news.


naturalnews--2019-01-29--Vitamin C A safer way to recover from drug addiction

Vitamin C: A safer way to recover from drug addiction

(Natural News) Addiction to drugs and other substance will cause your overall health and well-being to deteriorate. Addiction to heroin in particular is often difficult to overcome. People who were previously addicted to heroin may still feel the symptoms of withdrawal weeks, months, or even years after abstaining from it. There are many ways to recover from drug addiction, but so far vitamin C appears to be one of the safest and most effective methods of overcoming substance abuse.  A deficiency in vitamin C or ascorbic acid tends to have a correlation with drug addiction. As such, supplementation of vitamin C can provide profound healing effects on people with addiction problems. What’s more, unlike toxic conventional therapies, vitamin C comes with none of the negative side effects that often accompany medathone treatment and other therapies. That’s not even considering the withdrawal symptoms that often come with quitting drug abuse. These symptoms may include abdominal pain, nausea, sweating, anxiety, trembling, agitation, depression, mood swings, muscle spasms, and cravings. A person with an addiction problem while also having a deficiency in vitamin C can significantly improve their recovery time by tackling their nutrient deficiency.  When taken in high doses, vitamin C can alleviate pain and help reverse drug addiction to heroin, opiates or other substances. This treatment can be even more effective when taken along with other vital nutrients. According to studies, vitamin C therapy helps return your normal appetite. It can reduce food cravings caused by withdrawal, helping you to get the proper nutrition your body needs. This is important for addiction recovery since malnutrition is a major component in drug addiction.  100% organic essential oil sets now available for your home and personal care, including Rosemary, Oregano, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Clary Sage and more, all 100% organic and laboratory tested for safety. A multitude of uses, from stress reduction to topical first aid. See the complete listing here, and help support this news site.  Vitamin C supplementation can also promote restful sleep and improve your overall sleeping patterns. This can allow you to start feeling better, even after only a short amount of time. The effects of vitamin C therapy can be felt in as little as 12 hours of taking your first doses of vitamin C. A recommended oral dose of 25 to 85 g of sodium ascorbate (vitamin C) over the course of each day can immediately improve your mental alertness, visual acuity, appetite, bowel tolerance, and general recovery. Over time, the dosage of vitamin C can be lowered to about 10 to 30 g per day. On average, most patients who use vitamin C to recover from heroin addiction tend to stop experiencing cravings after only three months.  Vitamin C is a potent analgesic, which allows it to relieve pain. The reason why vitamin C is so effective at reversing opiate addiction is because it can mimic morphine and fit into the opiate receptor cites of your cells. By mimicking the effects of morphine, it tricks your body into no longer having a desire for drugs. Additionally, vitamin C has powerful detoxifying properties.  You can also make use of other therapies alongside vitamin C supplementation to help you recover from addiction. Here are some of the best supplemental therapies for coping with addiction:  Learn more ways to overcome addiction by going to Addiction.news.


naturalnews--2019-02-14--Another medication more dangerous than the condition it treats Blood-thinning drugs increase risk o

Another medication more dangerous than the condition it treats: Blood-thinning drugs increase risk of internal bleeding, death

(Natural News) Using antithrombotic or blood-thinning medications was found to increase the risk of hematuria, or the presence of blood in urine, and other related complications. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that antithrombotic medications such as warfarin and aspirin may cause adverse health events.  The study involved 2,518,064 individuals in Ontario, Canada, ages 66 years and older. Researchers led by Robert K. Nam, M.D. of the University of Toronto Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, collected patient data including the patient’s age, sex, comorbidity (presence of two chronic conditions), and pre-existent urologic disease, and rates of hematuria-related complications among patients taking antithrombotic medications.  Among the total population as mentioned above, 808,897 individuals with an average age of 72 years received at least one prescription for an antithrombotic medication over the span of 12 years (2002 to 2014). Follow-up data collection shows that the rates of hematuria-related complications were 124 events per 1,000 person-years among patients actively exposed to the drugs, versus 80 events among patients who were not exposed at all. These hematuria-related complications were defined as emergency department visits, hospitalizations, or a urologic procedure to investigate or manage gross hematuria. The researchers argue that since the total population consisted mostly of older adults, these findings may not be applicable to younger people.  Antithrombotic medications reduce the formation of blood clots (thrombi). It is generally used for treating or preventing a dangerous blood clot (acute thrombus). There are different types of antithrombotic medication, some of which include anticoagulants, anti-platelet agents, and fibrinolytics. These chemical drugs are known to cause some side effects in humans, including fever, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, coughing up blood, cramps, nausea, vomiting, blood in the urine, diarrhea, blood in the stool, skin rashes, severe bruising and unexpected weight loss. Some drug names that contain antithrombotic agents include Heparins, Xarelto, Plavix, Lovenox, Activase, Aspirin Cardio, Effient, Pletal, Angiomax and Fragmin.  The power of the elements: Discover Colloidal Silver Mouthwash with quality, natural ingredients like Sangre de Drago sap, black walnut hulls, menthol crystals and more. Zero artificial sweeteners, colors or alcohol. Learn more at the Health Ranger Store and help support this news site.  Hematuria is the presence of red blood cells (erythrocytes) in the urine. Gross hematuria is basically a large amount of red blood cells in urine, and is usually seen with the naked eye. Damage to the kidneys and the urinary tract may result in a blood leak into the urine, thus hematuria. Some conditions may cause hematuria, such as the presence of kidney stones, urinary tract infection (UTI), pyelonephritis (infection of the kidneys), polycystic kidney disease, trauma to the urinary system, and vigorous exercise. Kidney or bladder cancer may also cause hematuria, especially in individuals with risk factors such as male sex, age over 35, and history of smoking, chronic bladder inflammation, and occupational exposures to toxic chemicals.  Treatment of hematuria depends largely on its causes. Doctors will prescribe antibiotics to clear a urinary tract infection, in other cases, shock wave therapy to break up bladder or kidney stones may stop hematuria. However, there are natural treatments that can help with hematuria and its complications. Some of these are:  All in all, researchers warn that taking too many antithrombotic medications over long periods of time may cause chronic health conditions, and not just hematuria.


naturalnews--2019-02-23--Natural treatments are catching on 81 of people prefer a healthy lifestyle over drugs according t

Natural treatments are catching on: 81% of people prefer a healthy lifestyle over drugs, according to study

(Natural News) When it comes to addressing health problems, there are two general paths you can take: the conventional medical approach or the natural route. In the past, many people believed natural treatments couldn’t possibly be as effective as the medications prescribed by doctors, but that attitude appears to be shifting as more and more research highlights the efficacy and safety of these treatments. In fact, a new survey has found that an overwhelming majority of people prefer a healthy lifestyle over drugs when it comes to diabetes management.  In a Liva Healthcare poll of people with type 2 diabetes, 81 percent of respondents said they would rather improve their diet and exercise before turning to prescription medications. Doctors agree, although not to quite the same extent; 54 percent said they’d rather treat the condition with lifestyle changes like regular exercise and weight loss. Of course, there’s a financial incentive for prescribing drugs that may explain the smaller margin, but the preference toward natural still exists.  NHS Consultant Cardiologist and Evidence-Based Medicine Professor Dr. Aseem Malhotra said that type 2 diabetes management is “upside down” right now and that expensive blood glucose management drugs are failing to get to the disease’s root cause.  He also pointed out the many side effects of diabetes medication, which he says can have an impact on a person’s quality of life while doing nothing to prolong their lifespan.  When it comes to natural treatments, he says the results speak for themselves: “The good news is that, with my patients, I have found that the condition is reversible in up to 60% of patients. The best results come within a year of pure dietary changes that specifically cut out added sugar and processed carbohydrate foods.”  The power of the elements: Discover Colloidal Silver Mouthwash with quality, natural ingredients like Sangre de Drago sap, black walnut hulls, menthol crystals and more. Zero artificial sweeteners, colors or alcohol. Learn more at the Health Ranger Store and help support this news site.  It isn’t surprising that diet and exercise can be so effective in fighting diabetes when you consider the fact that poor diet and low activity are often factors in people developing the disease in the first place. The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey carried out by the U.S. government found that among those with type 2 diabetes, 69 percent did not exercise regularly or at all, 62 percent consumed five servings of vegetables and fruits per day or less, and 82 percent were obese or overweight.  Moreover, natural treatments and lifestyle changes have proven their value in staving off the disease. Prediabetics who engaged in 150 minutes per week or more of a physical activity with the intensity of brisk walking noted a 58 percent lower risk of going on to develop diabetes, which is more than twice the 31 percent risk reduction noted by those taking metformin.  A study published in Diabetes Care found that taking 1,500 milligrams of curcumin daily over nine months was 100 percent effective in preventing prediabetics from later developing full-blown type 2 diabetes, while 16.4 percent of those in a placebo group developed it.  There’s also the fact that healthy lifestyle choices can help people with diabetes live longer. Adults with diabetes are four times more likely to die of heart disease than non-diabetics, but a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that exercising regularly, reducing alcohol consumption, avoiding smoking and eating a high-quality diet were associated with a 50 percent reduction in the risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease and a 66 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or stroke among diabetics.  There really is no good reason not to make healthy lifestyle changes if you’re diabetic or you have pre-diabetes. Even if you are taking medication, the life-extending benefits are simply too good to pass up.


naturalnews--2019-12-02--As effective as drugs but without the side effects, ginger is a powerful migraine medicine

(Natural News) Migraines are more than just headaches. They cause a recurring, severe throbbing pain, typically on one side of the head. It is so severe that it interrupts the patient’s ability to do his daily tasks. Of an estimated one billion people experiencing migraines, many of them use painkiller drugs, which come with harmful side effects. If you’re suffering from migraine, don’t compromise your health any further by using these drugs. Instead, try ginger as a natural remedy.  A study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research revealed that ginger is as effective as pain relief drugs in relieving migraine, but with fewer side effects. In this study, researchers from Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in Iran examined the effects of ginger on a typical migraine attack and compared it to the drug Sumatriptan, which is sold under the brand name Imitrex and is one of the top-selling, billion-dollar drugs for treating migraines.  For the double-blinded randomized clinical trial, the researchers recruited 100 participants who had acute migraine without aura, the most common type of migraine headache. Then, they randomly assigned the participants to receive either 250 mg of ginger powder or 50 mg of Sumatriptan.  At the time of a migraine attack, the participants recorded the time of the onset, severity, and time of treatment ingestion. They also completed a questionnaire on response self-assessments 30, 60, 90, 120 minutes, and 24 hours following the start of the migraine. After one month, they rated their satisfaction with the efficacy of their assigned treatment and their willingness to continue with their respective treatments.  All the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals at the Health Ranger Store end in less than 12 hours (at midnight, tonight). All deals are activated across every product category, while inventory lasts. Stock up at the best prices of the year.See the full selection of all the deals here.  After analyzing the data, the researchers found that two hours after using either treatment, the participants experienced significant reductions in headache severity. They reported that ginger is as effective as Sumatriptan in treating migraines.  However, those who took ginger powder experienced significantly fewer negative side effects than those who took Sumatriptan. The only side effect reported for ginger was an upset stomach, which occurred in only nearly one out of 25 people. On the other hand, those who took the drug reported dizziness, vertigo, heartburn, and a sedative effect.  From these findings, the Iranian researchers concluded that ginger can be used as a safer alternative to the migraine drug Sumatriptan. (Related: Migraine sufferers often given opioids at the ER even when there’s no proof they work.)  Another study conducted by researchers from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil revealed that taking a 400 mg ginger extract supplement as an add-on treatment reduced migraine symptoms better than taking a pharmaceutical drug alone. The team published their findings in the journal Cephalalgia.  Combining ginger with other herbs also makes an effective, natural remedy for migraines. Researchers from the Headache Care Center in Springfield, Missouri examined the efficacy of ginger combined with feverfew or placebo on migraine with or without aura in 60 patients. They found that those who placed a gel containing ginger and feverfew under their tongues upon migraine onset experienced pain relief and had a shorter migraine duration than those in the placebo group.  There are many ways to use ginger for migraines. Based on the Iranian study, you can mix 1/8 teaspoon of powdered ginger in water and drink it as soon as you experience the first sign of a migraine.  You can also use ginger root to make ginger tea to soothe pain or reduce nausea caused by a migraine attack. Add sliced or chopped ginger to four cups of boiling water, and steep it for five to 10 minutes. You can add lemon juice or honey for flavor.  Massaging ginger oil to your temples may also help. Dilute one to two drops of ginger oil into a tablespoon of carrier oil, then massage on your temples, forehead, and the back of your neck.


npr--2019-05-28--Cancer Drugs Approved Quickly Often Fail To Measure Up Later

Avastin got an accelerated Food and Drug Administration approval for treatment of glioblastoma, but additional research found the drug didn't extend patients' lives. **J.B. Reed /Bloomberg via Getty Images** ****hide caption****  ****toggle caption****  J.B. Reed /Bloomberg via Getty Images  Avastin got an accelerated Food and Drug Administration approval for treatment of glioblastoma, but additional research found the drug didn't extend patients' lives.  J.B. Reed /Bloomberg via Getty Images  Cancer drugs that speed onto the market based on encouraging preliminary studies often don't show clear benefits when more careful follow-up trials are done, according to research published Tuesday.  These cancer drugs are granted accelerated approval to give patients faster access to the treatments and to allow drug companies to reap the economic rewards sooner. As a condition of this process, the Food and Drug Administration requires drug companies to conduct more research, to confirm whether the medications actually work and are safe.  In 2018, [the FDA looked back on 93 cancer drugs](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29494733) granted accelerated approval and touted that only five had been removed from the market over a 25-year span. A research team at [Harvard Medical School's Program on Regulation, Therapeutics and Law](https://www.portalresearch.org/) dug deeper to see what had happened with the rest.  In the follow-up studies, only 19 of the 93 drugs clearly extended the lives of the patients taking them, [according to the study](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2733561), published in the latest _JAMA Internal Medicine._  For example, Genentech's Avastin, or bevacizumab, won accelerated approval to treat the deadly brain cancer glioblastoma, but the drug did not extend the lives of patients in a follow-up study.  Sometimes patients value drugs because they improve their quality of life. This drug didn't do that either, yet the FDA left it on the market as an approved treatment for glioblastoma.  "So that was the most baffling thing," says Bishal Gyawali, an oncologist on the research team. "I find it very difficult to understand."  The researchers said follow-up studies for these cancer drugs often didn't even use overall survival or improved quality of life as the benchmark.  Instead, many used the same measure that formed the basis for their preliminary approval — for example, tumor shrinkage. Those targets, called "[surrogate endpoints](https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries /cancer-terms/def/surrogate-endpoint)," often don't predict who will live longer or more comfortably.  "How can we use the same surrogate endpoint and say they have clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial?" Gyawali asks, when that endpoint clearly wasn't sufficient for full approval of the drug at the outset. (Gyawali is now at Queens University in Ontario.)  "The reason for giving these approvals should be transparent," he says, but the FDA doesn't explain its reasoning.  A [second study](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2733563) in the same issue looked at cancer drugs approved based on a specific surrogate endpoint called "response rate." Response to a drug can be anything from spectacular and complete remission to weak and transitory shrinkage of a tumor. And these responses don't necessarily mean people will live longer or be more comfortable.  The study looked at 59 cancer drugs approved initially on the basis of their response rate and found that just six eventually won regular approval based on their overall survival benefit.  Studies based on response rate don't include a comparison group, so the scientists at Oregon Health and Science University argue that it's difficult to say whether these new drugs are better than other drugs already on the market.  Sometimes there is no comparison group because these are rare cancers, or the drug targets a rare mutation in a common cancer, so it's difficult to pull together a study that randomizes patients into different treatment groups, says [Dr. Richard Schilsky](https://www.asco.org/people/richard-l-schilsky-md- fasco-facp), the senior vice president and chief medical officer at the American Society of Clinical Oncology.  But for other circumstances, "if we put the investment in it we would be able to do randomized controlled trials," says Emerson Chen, an oncology fellow at OHSU. Those studies often add another year or more to a follow-up study, he says, but he advocates for them because they provide "more definitive information about the survival and the inpatient-reported outcomes."  "One of the reasons we don't do those kinds of studies is that people say these drugs are so potent it would be wrong to do those kinds of studies ... ethically or practically," says oncologist [Vinay Prasad](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/06/24/621068147 /tweeting-oncologist-draws-ire-and-admiration-for-calling-out-hype), senior author of the paper. "But I think what we find is these drugs unfortunately are not that potent."  [In a commentary](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2733557), Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania write that there "is no good reason for the FDA to rely so heavily on accelerated approval using response rates or other unreliable surrogate end points."  "Drugs with unproven effectiveness sell false hope to desperate patients, who are likely paying thousands of dollars out of pocket for them," they write, adding, "Approval of ineffective drugs also crowds out innovation that might produce effective treatment."  The FDA gets pressure both from patients and from drug companies to accelerate approval of new cancer drugs and constantly needs to strike a balance between innovation and caution, ASCO's Schilsky says.  Randomized trials are the gold standard for cancer research, but he says they can be challenging if a drug is already on the market.  "When the preliminary results with some of these new treatments are looking very promising, it's particularly difficult to get patients to accept randomization to a standard therapy that may be far inferior — or at least appear to be far inferior — to the new treatment," Schilsky says.  He also pushes back against the "sweeping generalizations" in these two studies. "Regulatory decisions have to be made on a case by case basis and in a particular context," he says. But he agrees that the FDA should be more transparent about its decisions, so scientists can better understand them.  The FDA did not provide NPR with details about its decision to leave Avastin on the market for brain cancer. In a statement, an agency spokeswoman notes that the FDA weighs risk and benefits, saying, "It has been widely accepted that benefit can be demonstrated by a number of endpoints, not just overall survival."  _You can contact NPR science correspondent Richard Harris at_[rharris@npr.org](mailto:rharris@npr.org).


npr--2019-07-22--Study Malaria Drugs Are Failing At An Alarming Rate In Southeast Asia

Study: Malaria Drugs Are Failing At An 'Alarming' Rate In Southeast Asia  Malaria drugs are failing at an "alarming" rate in Southeast Asia as drug-resistant strains of the malaria parasite emerge.  That's the conclusion of researchers in two new reports — one based on a randomized trial and the other on a genetic study — that have just been released in the medical journal The Lancet. And there's concern that this drug resistance could spread around the globe.  Global health officials get nervous when new strains of drug-resistant malaria turn up in Southeast Asia, because it's a dreaded pattern that they've seen before.  Resistance that has hatched in this region has doomed previous malaria medications since the middle of the 20th century.  "Somehow antimalarial drug resistance always starts in that part of the world," says Arjen Dondorp, who leads malaria research at the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in Bangkok and who was a lead author of the report about the randomized trial.  "In the past, chloroquine resistance originated there. Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, the next generation of antimalarials — resistance to that originated there. And now the artemisinin resistance also was first detected in western Cambodia."  And it's hard to underscore the significance of this. In modern times, the death spiral for malaria drug after malaria drug has begun in the Mekong Delta. The reasons for this are complicated. Some scientists say that one reason could have something to do with the relatively low levels of malaria there. When resistant parasites emerge, they are not competing against a dominant nonresistant strain of malaria and are possibly able to spread easier.  Currently, the World Health Organization recommends treating the majority of malaria cases with artemisinin-based combination therapies, or ACTs. These are usually single pills that combine fast-acting artemisinin with another longer-acting antimalarial drug. Currently one of the most widely used ACTs globally is dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine. And this is the artemisinin combo that Dondorp found to be failing in Southeast Asia.  These drugs have been highly effective at treating malaria, one of the world's most burdensome diseases. According to the World Health Organization, each year there are more than 200 million cases of malaria and 400,000 people die from the disease. Those deaths are primarily among children in Africa.  The two-drug artemisinin combos continue to be the first-line drugs for treating most malaria cases around the world, including in Africa. And they have been credited with helping to bring global malaria deaths down to an all-time low. But now it looks like their future effectiveness is in question.  Dondorp, in the midst of a study in the greater Mekong region, was comparing a new three-drug malaria regimen against the conventional two-drug artemisinin combo. And it was in the middle of that study that he and his colleagues saw that the current antimalarial drugs weren't fully wiping out the potentially deadly parasites.  "We noticed incredible high failure rates with the first-line treatment, and that was the reason to publish this first before we can publish the results of the efficacy of the triple combinations," he says. Basically, the current drugs were performing so badly that the researchers felt it imperative to sound the alarm about what was the control side of the study.  The overall failure rate was 50%. But in some parts of the region, the drugs weren't working nine times out of 10.  Dondorp says the resistance was even worse than they'd expected.  "We knew already [resistance] was in Cambodia and it had increased dramatically over the years," he says. "What was new was that it was also present in northeastern Thailand and southern Vietnam."  Health officials in Cambodia were aware that the drugs were failing and had switched back to an older medicine in 2014. Now Vietnam and Thailand are also moving away from the World Health Organization's recommended first-line malaria treatment.  So far this drug resistance has been mainly found in the areas around the Mekong Delta, but there's no reason these parasites couldn't spread to India or other parts of Asia or even Africa.  That has been the case with every other first-line malaria drug. If a person who was infected with chloroquine-resistant parasites, say in Cambodia, traveled to India and got bitten by mosquitoes there, the resistant parasites could start spreading in India. Then someone else in India could carry the parasites to Kenya. Soon, the chloroquine-resistant malaria bugs would have gone global.  And if that happens with the latest line of artemisinin combination treatments, it could be a major setback to global efforts to control the mosquito-borne disease.  "It is really worrying," says Shunmay Yeung, an associate professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Yeung studies malaria and malaria drug resistance, though she wasn't involved in these new studies in The Lancet. She says there has been incredible progress against malaria over the past 15 years. "We've halved the number of deaths due to malaria globally," she says.  And artemisinin-based antimalarials, along with increased distribution of mosquito bed nets, have been a major force in achieving that. They are "wonderfully effective drugs," she says.  "It's three days of treatment and you're better." They work quickly. They have few side effects. "To lose these first-line drugs, the artemisinin combination therapies, would be disastrous," Yeung says. "If this [resistance] emerged or spread to Africa, it would be a disaster."  Globally the majority of malaria cases occur in Africa.  So far, however, the mutant malaria parasites that have built up a resistance to artemisinin-based drugs haven't taken hold on the continent.  But if the histories of other antimalarial drugs are any guide to the future, they eventually will.


npr--2019-08-14--Lithium Is A Homage To A Drug And To The Renegade Side Of Science

'Lithium' Is A Homage To A Drug — And To The Renegade Side Of Science  Like any good story about a scientific discovery, Walter A. Brown's account of the history of lithium features plenty of improvisation, conjecture and straight-up kismet.  Unlike many such stories, though, it also features a fair share of personal bias, senseless puttering and random speculation — on part of these scientific researchers.  Brown, a practicing psychiatrist and university professor of more than 40 years, seems to have been drawn to write Lithium: A Doctor, A Drug and a Breakthrough as much because of lithium's fluky history and overlooked importance (for many years, he argues, it was "the Cinderella of psychiatric drugs") as by the profound impact it's had on countless sufferers of bipolar disorder and depression.  Lithium is a homage, not just to a drug, but to the renegade side of science. Its heroes are researchers scattered around the globe, short on funding and frequently unaware of each other's work, without whom a commonly available substance would never have been recognized as a treatment for one of the most baffling psychiatric illnesses. By celebrating these men, Brown hopes to do a lot more than simply raise awareness about an underappreciated substance. He aims to demolish what remains of the myth that scientific progress is driven by rigorous dispassion.  The story of lithium's use in medicine is certainly colorful, as is the history of the illness it's become known for. Brown doesn't stint on either tale. He goes all the way back to the first century to find a would-be description of manic depression by the Greek doctor Aretaeus of Cappadocia. These patients, Aretaeus wrote, "'laugh, play, dance night and day, and sometimes go openly to the market crowned, as if victors in some contest of skill,'" only to become "'torpid, dull and sorrowful.'"  Before lithium, Brown notes, the treatments for this enigmatic condition ranged from merely ineffective to out-and-out grotesque. Over the centuries patients have been bled and purged, dosed with opium, infected with malaria, placed in medically induced comas and had their teeth, tonsils or organs removed. Some alarming treatments are distressingly contemporary: Lobotomy, the procedure in which a patient's frontal lobe is surgically severed from the rest of the brain, dates from the first half of the 1900s.  It was a century earlier that scientists first isolated lithium. Doctors noticed that the element could dissolve uric acid, which was blamed at the time for a wide variety of illnesses, and lithium was used to treat everything from headaches to obesity. For a while lithium water was a popular cure-all, and lithium was once used as a salt substitute. But it was only in 1949, when the Australian psychiatrist John Cade published a paper showing it could help patients with mania, that modern lithium therapy was first contemplated.  Cade is the star of Brown's book, not just for his pioneering status, but for his unique outlook and temperament. He had wide-ranging scientific interests, studying everything from variant magpie species to a possible link between schizophrenia and fruit consumption. His son recalled his father deducing, based on the fact that gum moth caterpillars' tiny scat pellets had six sides, that the caterpillars' anuses were six-sided too. "Cade's inclination to thoroughly examine the world around him was a characteristic in short supply," Brown writes. "Most of us see only what we expect to see... most of us ignore or fail to perceive the unexpected."  Cade investigated lithium while working at a small mental asylum where his only laboratory was an abandoned kitchen. He tested dosages on guinea pigs kept in his backyard (they doubled as his kids' pets) and stored urine samples in the family refrigerator. And yet, Brown notes, Cade's "small study, which would probably not be published today and which lacked the standardized assessment methods, statistical niceties and other accoutrements of contemporary research, yielded results that changed the practice of psychiatry and mended the lives of millions."  Cade wasn't alone in his attention to lithium; though fears about toxicity and a lack of funding deterred studies for many years, several independent-minded researchers around the world investigated the drug's effectiveness in treating bipolar disorder and regular depression. But among the scientists he discusses, Brown is most passionately drawn to those who, like Cade, approached the process of discovery with an unorthodox spirit.  The book's other standout figure is Danish researcher Mogens Schou, who confirmed that lithium was an effective treatment for mania. Schou endured much criticism because he had a personal interest in his investigations: He used lithium to help his younger brother, who'd suffered regular depressive episodes for 25 years. "As a consequence of his readiness to talk about his brother's excellent reaction to lithium, Schou was accused by some of being biased," Brown writes, "a 'believer' rather than an objective scientist."  Brown is as determined to puncture such attitudes as he is intrigued by lithium itself. It's this emphasis, itself rather quixotic, that makes Lithium memorable. Lots of science books describe how early breakthroughs almost didn't happen and deplore the state of corporate-funded research. Brown makes a more nuanced point: That some pioneers are set apart, not by their stubbornness or seat-of-the-pants circumstances, but by qualities that the scientific world usually ignores.  Cade described himself as "an enthusiastic amateur, full of curiosity, with... inadequate knowledge and woeful technique," adding that "even the small boy, fishing after school in a muddy pond with string and bent pin, occasionally hauls forth a handsome fish." It's in that small fisherman's spirit that Brown places his hope for the future.  Etelka Lehoczky has written about books for The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Review of Books and The New York Times. She tweets at @EtelkaL.


theirishtimes--2019-10-05--Gynaecology services to be reviewed at Letterkenny hospital

A review of the safety and quality of gynaecology services at Letterkenny hospital is to be carried out, following allegations of delays in cancer diagnoses for women patients.  The review is to be led by an independent, external chairperson, who will examine alleged delays in the diagnosis of endometrial cancers and the way postmenopausal bleeding was assessed in the hospital.  The terms of reference of the review, and the membership of the review panel, will be decided in the coming weeks, HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry has confirmed.  Dr Henry said this week that following a case involving a delayed diagnosis of endometrial cancer, improvements were made, including having a dedicated clinic to deal with postmenopausal bleeding and a nurse to track referrals, assessments and investigations to make sure there would be no further delays.  However, the Saolta hospital group had decided to order the review “in view of concerns”, he said.  Bristol-based hospital consultant Dr Margaret Mac Mahon had called for a review following the death of her sister Carol in 2015. She says her sister’s endometrial cancer was missed at the hospital when she complained of pains in 2010, and was diagnosed only in 2012.  Saolta admitted in a report on Carol Mac Mahon’s death that there was a delay in diagnosing her endometrial cancer due to “a series of failings”.  “This delay resulted in missed opportunities to provide her with the treatment she required in a timely manner.”  In a letter to Minister for Health Simon Harris last month, Dr Mac Mahon said previous local and national investigations into her sister’s case “ignored all principles of clinical governance”.  “I stated I had been reliably informed that my sister ‘was not the first’ and repeatedly requested a local case review but this was declined.”  According to Dr Mac Mahon, “this is about serious governance, administrative and medical performance issues within the hospital/region”. Women with suspected gynaecological cancers should be directed “elsewhere, including to Derry” if necessary, pending the outcome of the review.  A second case, similar to her sister’s, in which a women says her cancer was missed, has since emerged, according to Dr Mac Mahon. Meanwhile, she says, a third woman is currently attending a private clinic in Derry due to concerns regarding her clinical management in Letterkenny.


theirishtimes--2019-03-13--Obstetrics and anaesthesia job pre-conditions dismay bishops

The Catholic bishops have expressed regret at pre-conditions for applicants in recent advertisements for medical posts at the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin.  One of the main preconditions for applicants for the posts in obstetrics and anaesthesia was a requirement to carry out elective abortions if appointed.  “The consequence for the entire training and recruitment of doctors to work in these positions in hospitals in Ireland is greatly undermined by these advertisements,” they said.  In a statement on Wednesday, the bishops said “this precondition runs totally counter to a doctor’s constitutional and human right to freedom of conscience.  “A doctor who is eminently qualified to work as a consultant in these fields is denied employment in these roles because of his/her conscience. Doctors who are pro-life and who may have spent over a decade training in these areas and who may otherwise be the best candidate for these positions are now advised that, should they apply, they would not be eligible for consideration.”  This, they said, “totally undermines the whole concept of freedom of conscience which was guaranteed in the recent legislation”.  The statement was issued following the bishops’ spring meeting at Maynooth which concluded on Wednesday evening.  They also announced that Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran is to chair the new Council for Life, while Fr Dermot Meehan, administrator of Achonry diocese, has been appointed a member.  A spokesman for the National Maternity Hospital said it had already clarified that these particular additional posts were specifically funded by the HSE for the provision of termination of pregnancy services.  “They are therefore for individuals willing to contribute to the provision of these services. Other past and future posts are not affected. The conscientious objection guidelines for staff in both hospitals remain unchanged,” he said.  The bishops also encouraged people to support this year’s Trócaire Lenten appeal to assist the agency’s work in the developing world. Close to one million Trócaire boxes have been distributed throughout Ireland to parishes and schools.  This year’s Trócaire campaign is highlighting stories of people in Uganda, Guatemala and Syria who have lost their land, either through corporate land grabs, war or because they are women. Last year, Trócaire helped 2.8 million people in some of the world’s poorest countries.  Two of Trócaire’s former executive directors were honoured for their work with the agency. Justin Kilcullen, who served from 1993 to 2013, was conferred with the Papal Knighthood of the Equestrian Order of Saint Gregory the Great; while Éamonn Meehan, who held the post from 2013 to 2018, was awarded an honorary doctorate in theology from St Patrick’s College, Maynooth.


theirishtimes--2019-01-17--The great thing about paediatrics is seeing a happy child ready to go home

‘The great thing about paediatrics is seeing a happy child ready to go home’

A lot of parents and babies take part in your studies in Cork. What have you been researching?   “One of the great things about being a researcher in Ireland is how willing parents are to get involved in research. Our Baseline study, funded by the National Children’s Research Centre, has worked with more than 2,000 mother-child pairs through pregnancy, birth and early childhood up to age five so far. With their help, we have been able to look at many aspects of normal growth and skin barrier function, and we have published over 40 papers in the areas of children’s growth, allergy, nutrition and development.”  You are particularly interested in a type of brain injury that is linked to a lack of oxygen around the time of birth. Tell us more.   “Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) is one of the commonest causes of acquired brain injury in children. Interruption of the oxygen supply for even a few minutes can sometimes lead to permanent disability. Long-term problems are variable, from death in the most severe cases to movement or learning difficulties in those who survive. Over a million babies die worldwide from HIE each year, and in Ireland it affects around 200 babies annually.”  How are you looking to minimise the effects?   “One of the ways we can tackle HIE is to cool the baby for 72 hours after birth. The tricky thing can be deciding which babies will benefit. Currently we probably miss about 20 per cent of babies who should be cooled, as the decision has to be made within six hours of birth. With the Karolinksa Institute in Sweden and with funding from the Health Research Board, we have been collecting and analysing blood samples from the umbilical cord. We are seeing patterns in those blood samples that could possibly tell us about encephalopathy in the baby, and we hope this will lead to a reliable bedside blood test to quickly identify if a baby needs help.”  You also look at brain and cognitive development in babies and toddlers. Is that a challenge to measure?   “It can be, because current approaches often depend on the child being able to understand someone asking them to do something. So we worked with a gaming company, Hello Games UK, to develop the Babyscreen app that children aged 18 months and up can use on touchscreen devices without the need to understand language. That app is now being used by researchers in London, Cambridge, Doha and Gambia in their projects, and we are just about to start a new project to develop the next version.”  What do you do to take a break from work?   “I would love to claim lots of interesting hobbies but I am afraid there aren’t enough hours in the day, and around 10pm I collapse on the couch with my husband, Paul. Time with my three kids (who are 11, 13 and 15 ), doing whatever they want to do, fills my weekends.”  And what’s the best part of your day at work?   “The great thing about paediatrics is seeing a happy child ready to go home. They bounce back and want to get out and play as soon as they are better. Looking at new data with the research team is a close second. I am extremely lucky to be doing a job that I love, answering important questions about children’s health. What could be better?”  Deirdre Murray is principal investigator at the Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research and professor of paediatrics at UCC