HPV vaccine

GARDASIL™, THE NEW HPV VACCINE

Gardasil has been heavily promoted by its manufacturer, Merck & Co., as a vaccine to be administered to girls from ages 9-26. This vaccine is aimed against 4 strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which are sexually transmitted, and can cause cervical cancer. However 15 strains of HPV have been implicated in causing cervical cancer, so the vaccine does not protect against all of the high-risk strains of the virus.

As of July 27, 2007 there were 2207 reports of adverse reactions to Gardasil submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). This was an increase of 2125 new reports in 5 1⁄2 months since February 6th, 2007. These formally reported cases represent the most serious side effects that girls have experienced. I expect that many less damaging side effects have not been reported.

There have been 3 deaths reported in girls shortly following vaccination.

31 reports were considered life threatening. This is 1.4% of the girls reported.

1385 girls went to the emergency room. That is 62.75% of the girls reported.

451 girls at the time of the report had not recovered. That is 20.43% of the girls reported.

51 girls were disabled when the report was filed. That is 2.31% of the girls reported and more information was requested.

You can access the VAERS database at: http://www.medalerts.org/ to obtain further information about vaccine damage reports.

Because of the many unresolved issues regarding the safety and efficacy of this vaccine, I am currently recommending that my patients avoid Gardasil. I feel that it will take at least 5 years until we have enough data to objectively judge the value of this vaccine. Don't let Merck use your daughters as guinea pigs for testing their new vaccine.

George B. Elvove, M.D., P.C.
1029 W Park Ave
Libertyville IL 60048-2550
(847) 362-1367
info@elvovemd.com     

Thanks to Cheryl S. for forwarding this information to me.  I hadn't planned on having my girls vaccinated, but this confirmed my decision.  I have to admit, the more I read about clinical trials etc, that the pharmicuticals conduct on their products before they go to market, the more frustrated I am.  Most of the time, they push products through short trials to gain favorable results, then persuade the FDA to give them market approval before the safety and efficacy is proven.  I agree - don't let pharmecutical companies use you or your family as guinea pigs.  Better yet, chose to begin a supplement program from a company you can trust, and make lifestyle choices which will protect, not harm, your health. 

Food additives and ADHD Study from Lancet

Thanks to Bob Furguson for passing on this information from Dr. Frank Painter.

 

 Today's  (Sept. 7)  New York Times discusses a new article just published in the English medical journal The Lancet. [1]

 

Their findings in this double-blinded and placebo-controlled trial confirm what Doris Rapp, MD [2] has been saying for years...that food colorings in children's food have a dramatic impact on behavior and attention span.

 

The study included (153) 3-year-olds and (144) 8/9-year-old children.  They were given a drink containing food colorings and the preservative sodium benzoate.  Virtually ALL the children from both groups experienced deteriorated attention spans, as reported by teachers and computerized attention testing. [3]

 

Here's a comment from an author:  A mix of additives commonly found in children?s foods increases the mean level of hyperactivity, wrote the researchers, led by Jim Stevenson, a professor of psychology at the University of Southampton. ?The finding lends strong support for the case that food additives exacerbate hyperactive behaviors (inattention, impulsivity and overactivity) at least into middle childhood.?

 

The researchers also did a bit of hand-wringing about what impact this will have on the food industry and food spoilage.  It makes me wonder if these folks live exclusively on packaged foods. 

 

Another  researcher asked: Even if it shows some increase in hyperactivity, is it clinically significant and does it impact the child's life? That makes me wonder if he has any small children. 

 

He then asked:  Is it powerful enough that you want to ostracize your kid? It is very socially impacting if children can't eat the things that their friends do.   It's even more difficult, since many teachers provide food-colored candy treats as a way of managing class room behavior.  Managing your child's diet may be challenging, but isn't that why God invented the parent?

 

I hope you will find this study of interest.  It has already been added to the ADD/ADHD Page [4].

 

 

References:

 

1]  Some Food Additives Raise Hyperactivity, Study Finds

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/health/research/06hyper.html?ex=1346731200&en=dbf718c886c91c04&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

 

2]  Doris Rapp, MD's website

http://www.drrapp.com/

 

3]  Food Additives and Hyperactive Behavior in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old Children in the Community: A Randomized, Double-blinded, Placebo-controlled Trial

http://www.chiro.org/pediatrics/ABSTRACTS/Food_Additives_and_Hyperactive_Behaviour.shtml

 

4]  The ADD/ADHD Page

http://www.chiro.org/pediatrics/ADD.shtml

WATER OR COKE????

This is really fascinating....

Water or Coke?

WATER

#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population.)

#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.

#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.

#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

#5. Lack of water - the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain
for up to 80% of sufferers.

#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on
the computer screen or on a printed page.

#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast
cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?

COKE

#1. In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.

#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.

#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour,
then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.

#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers:
Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.

#5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble
away the corrosion.

#6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

#7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake.
Thirty minutes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.

#8... To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run
through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

#1. the active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid.
It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.

#2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup! (the concentrate) the commercial trucks must use a hazardous Material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.

#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean engines of the trucks for about 20 years!

Now the question is,
would you like a glass of water?
or Coke?

Thanks to Sherrie Attila for this information.

I need to drink more water!

Plastics for water bottles

This information came across my e-mail this week.  I'm going to check the water bottles I just bought for my children to make sure they are safe!  

 

 Featured in: Nutrition & Life

Choose your water bottles very carefully in order to prevent chemicals in the plastic from leaching into your water.

Plastic water bottles are very convenient for carting water around when we are on the go, as they don't break if we drop them. However, it is worth paying attention to the type of plastic your water bottle is made of, to ensure that the chemicals in the plastic do not leach into the water. If you taste plastic, you are drinking it, so get yourself another bottle.

To be certain that you are choosing a bottle that does not leach, check the recycling symbol on your bottle. If it is a #2 HDPE (high density polyethylene), or a #4 LDPE (low density polyethylene), or a #5 PP (polypropylene), your bottle is fine. The type of plastic bottle in which water is usually sold is usually a #1, and is only recommended for one time use. Do not refill it. Better to use a reusable water bottle, and fill it with your own filtered water from home and keep these single-use bottles out of the landfill.

Unfortunately, those fabulous colourful hard plastic lexan bottles made with polycarbonate plastics and identified by the #7 recycling symbol, may leach BPA. Bisphenol A is a xenoestrogen, a known endocrine disruptor, meaning it disturbs the hormonal messaging in our bodies. Synthetic xenoestrogens are linked to breast cancer and uterine cancer in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and are particularly devastating to babies and young children. BPA has even been linked to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. For more of the science on the effects of BPA on our endocrine system etc. see these studies: Environmental Health Perspectives Journal. Nalgene, the company that manufactures the lexan water bottles also makes #2 HDPE bottles in the same sizes and shapes, so we have a viable alternative. Order one at Nalgene.

Unfortunately, most plastic baby bottles and drinking cups are made with plastics containing Bisphenol A. In 2006 Europe banned all products made for children under age 3 containing BPA, and as of Dec. 2006 the city of San Franscisco followed suit. In March 2007 a billion-dollar class action suit was commenced against Gerber, Playtex, Evenflo, Avent, and Dr. Brown's in Los Angeles superior court for harm done to babies caused by drinking out of baby bottles and sippy cups containing BPA. To get safe plastic baby products, try BornFree Natural Baby Products, or use glass bottles.

Check the recycling numbers on all your plastic food containers as well, and gradually move to storing all food in glass or ceramic.

Store water in glass or brass if possible, and out of direct sunlight.

Chek, Paul; How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy! Chek Institute, San Diego, CA, 2004.

Alonso-Magdelena, Paloma; "The estrogenic effect of Bisphenol A disrupts pancreatic β-cell function in vivo and induces insulin resistance" Environmental Health Perspectives Vol. 114, No. 1, Jan. 2006.

Hunt,Patricia;"Bisphenol A Exposure Causes Meiotic Aneuploidy in the Female Mouse" Current Biology, Vol 14, 546-553, 1 April 2003.

vom Saal, Frederick and Hughes, Claude; "An Extensive New Literature Concerning Low-Dose Effects of Bisphenol A Shows the Need for a New Risk Assessment" Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 113, No. 8, August 2005.

Schonfelder, Gilbert et al.Parent Bisphenol A Accumulation in human maternal fetal placental unit Environmental Health Perspectives Vol. 110, No. 11, Nov. 2002.

Thanks to Sherrie Attilia and Marian Gray for this article.