All children at times feel depressed or different from others, or not smart enough, or not good-looking enough. This is normal adolescent thinking. The TeenScreen survey asks whether the child has ever felt this way and phrases questions to solicit one answer, yes. It takes advantage of impressionable kids when it raises questions about normal feelings."

Be aware!  Who will protect our children from this kind of manipulation if we do not arm ourselves with knowledge.  Read the rest of the story here.

Many, many people have asked us why we do not carry Trudeau's book "Natural Cures They don't want you to know about."

The answer was simply that I have a knee-jerk reaction to purple prose.  You see it everywhere these days:  I find it condescending that these vendors think they have to present their wares in this emotional fashion, I avoid using it, and I usually do not carry the products of people who resort to those tactics.They are an insult to the intelligence of my clientele.

But enough about me.

Now I know why I don't carry the book. The book, it appears, tells you nothing.  It teases some more, then directs buyers to Trudeau's web site, where, for a subscription, you can get the answers - if, by that time, you want them!

 Read what buyers at Amazon have to say!  

THE AUTISM COMMUNITY CALLS FOR PARENTS TO SHOW THEIR POWER. 

An opportunity to bring the problem of Autistic Children before both the Government and the Medical Community.

Details of the Rally in Washington DC October 7th and 8th 2005 here.
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A revealing analysis of the links between the FDA,  large drug manufacturers and the Press.

Includes some disturbing facts about the way the dangers of pharmaceutical Cox 2 inhibitors escaped publicity.

Read the article here.

We've all heard of pork barrel projects, but this one is a real oinker.

Monsanto is well on its way to defining what we can eat, grow and buy - now they are trying to patent the PIG. 

When they've hogged THAT market, I guess they'll be in pig heaven.

The University of Virginia recently published a study in the New England Journal of Medicine stating that Echinacea did not prevent or treat colds.

Frustrating isn't an adequate word for the effect these poorly designed studies have on  health professionals, and this one is another clone in the line "How to prove a nutraceutical doesn't work"!

1. The researchers wrote: "it is conceivable that other chemicals in echinacea are important." The study only used one plant, Echinacea augustifolia. Many commercial preparations also use Echinacea augustifolia and Echinacea purpurea. The researchers  wrote: "Given the great variety of echinacea preparations, it will be difficult to provide conclusive evidence that echinacea has no role in the treatment of the common cold." (Well, that tells us what they are out to do, doesn't it??)

2. The researchers wrote: "It is possible, although unlikely, that echinacea works on other respiratory viruses." The study used one of 300 known cold and respiratory viruses. According to a New York Times article, July 28, 2005, Study Says Echinacea Has No Effect on Colds by Gina Kolata : "one of the study's authors, Dr. Rudolf Bauer, agreed that the study should be repeated with other echinacea species, preparations and doses."

3. The World Health Organization has endorsed echinacea as a treatment for the common cold.

4. The dosage in the study was the equivalent of 900 milligrams of dried echinacea root per day, which is 330 percent lower than the three grams that is commonly used commercially and recommended by organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Canadian Natural Health Products Directorate.

5. As reported in Len Monheit's editorial at www.npicenter.com, According to Dr. Michael Murray, the Director of Education for Factors Group of Nutritional Companies, "What determines the effectiveness of any herbal product is its ability to deliver an effective dosage of active compounds. The specific components of echinacea responsible for its immune-enhancing effects are the polysaccharides, alkylamides and the cichoric acid. While each of these components is effective alone, the greatest degree of effectiveness occurs when the three active components are combined and at a specific ratio." None of the three extracts used on the 399 study participants actually contained all of the three necessary compounds.

Poor old echinacea!  It may be the victim of dirty tricks, but it's still in my repertoire of effective remedies.

A 2005 study has found a direct causal link between Omega 6 fatty acids in corn oil and Prostate cancer.  The study author comments, that as the ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 has changed from app. 1:2 in the '40s to 25:1 now, so has the rate of Prostate cancer risen. (My emphasis)

The advice?  One would expect it to be to change the fats in the diet.  Ha!  No, this research  is hailed as a new pathway target for a drug.

Fortunately, we know better!  Change your cooking oils to Olive or Macadamia, and add Fish and Fish Oil to your diet.

Beats waiting around for them to develop a drug!