Genetic Modification: Theory, 'Therapy' and Vaccines - NewsGrabs 29 July 2007
Health Supreme's News Grabs are a weekly selection of alternative health news and related comment. To follow breaking health trends - watch out for the NewsGrabs ... every weekend.
In this issue:
Codex Alimentarius - EU Directive On-line Petition - Transgenic Plums - Gene Theory Flawed - Patient dies in gene therapy trial - Why Was Gene Therapy Experiment Approved? - Peru: Ancient Inca Capital Bans Transgenic Potatoes - Europe: Genetically Altered Potato Opposition - Poisonous Chewing Gum - Aspartame victim "repoisoned" - Low cholesterol 'link to cancer' - Glaxo's Zyban - Avandia And Actos Double Heart-Failure - Court Decision: Drug makers must warn patients - India: Vaccine implicated in polio outbreak - Gardasil Reactions and Deaths - Vaccines Dangers - Link between psychiatric drugs, suicide, violence and mass murder - Pharmageddon - Transgenic Vaccines - Nigeria Refiles Pfizer Lawsuit - Asian Parasite Killing Bees - Revised EU Constitution - Bush's Martial Law Plan - “Acceptable collateral damage” and 9/11 conspiracy theory
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Codex Alimentarius: A Meeting of One
It did not matter that there were some 451 country delegation members and another 61 INGO delegate-observers from around the World in attendance or pretend attendance, the CAC Chairman, Dr. Claude Mosha, plowed forward on a one-man mission from God pushing aside any and all objections - excuse me, he called them "reservations" - that were made ... In this one meeting, the Commission was rendered irrelevant as a meaningful "approving" body, for it merely rubberstamped without thought what had been done by others. Mimi the Gorilla could have done just as good a job.
European Directive Violates Right To Choose
The Irish Association of Health Stores has launched a campaign to raise awareness and counter moves within the EU which would radically reduce the strength of all vitamin and mineral products (food supplements). “In view of our creaking health service, it seems utter madness to deny people the right to do their utmost to stay well and to avoid dependence on the medical system, but in reality this Directive is going to ensure just that.”
Sign the On-line Petition
Transgenic Plum Gets USDA Non-regulated Status Based on False Claims of Safety
The United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) has recently granted non-regulatory status to a transgenic plum resistant to plum poxvirus after receiving 1 725 comments from state farm bureaus, organic growers, growers associations, consumer groups, agriculture support industries, academic professionals and individuals, with respondents against the petition (1 708) outnumbering those in favour (17) by a factor of 100 to 1. APHIS has falsely claimed that RNA and DNA molecules are intrinsically safe for humans, based solely on an obsolete FDA notice now refuted by numerous observations.
Gene Theory Flawed
The human genome may not be a collection of independent genes with each sequence of DNA linked to a single function. Instead, new findings indicate that genes operate in a complex network, and interact with each other in ways that are not yet fully understood.The idea that genes operate independently is the basis for much of the thought, as well as the economic and regulatory structure, that governs the biotech industry. When recombinant DNA was invented in 1973, scientists believed that genes were associated with specific functions, and that therefore a gene from any organism could fit predictably into a larger design. In the United States, the Patent and Trademark Office allows genes to be patented on the basis of this idea.
These new discoveries raise questions not just about patent law, but also safety issues. Risk assessment of commercial biotech products such as genetically engineered crops to pharmaceuticals is also based on the "one gene, one function" theory. A network of interacting genes can produce unknown, and unpredictable, effects.
This kind of puts a serious kink in the whole idea of genetic modification of crops and animals. As some scientists have been saying for years, we are quite blindly and merrily going along introducing changes but we understand very little about what we're doing.
Patient dies during gene therapy trial
The FDA said it has placed the trial on clinical hold, which means no further product can be administered and no new patients can be enrolled. The product being studied used a recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) derived vector. It was administered into the arthritic joint to reduce inflammation.
Why Was Suspended Fatal Gene Therapy Experiment Approved?
"Reviewers questioned the justification for the study, given that animal studies had found only a 'limited correlation' between the treatment and any improvements in subjects' condition. And they asked for more assurance that the engineered viruses were not going to spread around the body or cause untoward immune system reactions in patients."
Peru's Ancient Inca Capital Bans Transgenic Potatoes
The Cusco regional government's Order forbids the sale, cultivation, use and transport of genetically modified potatoes as well as other native food crops. The order is intended to protect the genetic diversity of thousands of native potato varieties.The regional capital Cusco is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Americas. Along with nearby Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas just named one of the new seven wonders of the world, Cusco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The potato originated in the highlands of South America. Peru and its Andean neighbor countries are the crop's center of diversity - with more than 4,000 distinct varieties that farmers have developed over many generations.
Europe: Genetically Altered Potato Raises Opposition
The European Commission now says it will approve the potato "probably this fall," even though European ministers have twice been deadlocked on approval in the past eight months, with only a minority voting in favor. European environmental groups are critical of Amflora potatoes, saying they could release dangerous genes into the environment; approving Amflora would make "a mockery of EU law," said Marco Contiero, an expert on genetically modified organisms at Greenpeace in Brussels.
Kiwis Warned to Avoid Poisonous Chewing Gum
Wellington resident Abby Cormack experienced horrific symptoms after consuming large quantities of diet chewing gum earlier this year. She was chewing four packets of aspartame-sweetened chewing gum a day and in February she started to feel the effects. "I became very, very depressed and anxious and I wasn't sleeping well. I tried to ignore it but it became worse and worse."
Aspartame victim "repoisoned"
Ralph Walton, MD, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Ohio USA, commenting on Abby Cormack's case, has stated "Tragically, Abby's experience with aspartame is far from unique. In 1985 I first encountered a clinical situation in which aspartame clearly triggered a manic episode in one of my patients. I initially made an incorrect diagnosis of bipolar disorder. [However] the total elimination of all aspartame resulted in fairly rapid resolution of her symptoms. I believe it is essential for all physicians to include a dietary history when assessing patients.
Low cholesterol 'link to cancer'
The study of 40,000 people found those with little of the "bad" cholesterol LDL saw one more cancer case per 1,000 than those with higher levels. The Boston-based researchers could not say if this was a side-effect of the statin or due to the low cholesterol.
The writer of the article adds the statin-saving disclaimer: "These findings do not change the message that the benefits of taking statins greatly outweigh any potential risks."
How Glaxo's Zyban can help you stop smoking if you're willing to stop breathing
The drug Zyban, which also goes by the name of Wellbutrin when prescribed for depression or any other excuse for writing a script that a doctor can come up with, plunged my husband into a nightmare of insanity and physical illness. While caring for my two small boys and a husband whose behavior came to resemble that of the acid freaks and cokeheads that populated my youth, I began desperately searching for the answers that the “medical profession” had been unable or unwilling to provide.
Avandia And Actos Double Heart-Failure Risk
JThe findings are based on a meta-analysis of more than 78,000 patients, which estimates that one in every 50 patients taking the drugs over a 26-month period will require hospital admission due to heart failure. “This means that the diabetes drugs could have caused thousands of additional cases of heart failure, creating a substantial burden on hard-pressed health services,” said Dr Yoon Loke, a clinical pharmacologist at UEA’s School of Medicine, Health Policy and Practice.
Drug makers must warn patients of risks, Justices rule
CHARLESTON (WEST VIRGINIA) - Drug companies cannot escape liability for harmful prescriptions in West Virginia by laying all responsibility on doctors, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled June 27. Three of five Justices denied a writ that would have kept Marshall Circuit Judge Mark Karl from holding trial against Janssen Pharmaceutica. They upheld Karl's rejection of a doctrine that would define a doctor as a "learned intermediary" between a drug maker and a patient.India: Vaccine implicated in polio outbreak
A potent new vaccine introduced in Uttar Pradesh by the WHO has had no safety tests; the rash of new polio cases in the state may’ve been caused by the vaccine itself...
Gardasil Reactions and Deaths on the Rise
A review of the National Vaccine Information Center revealed the following, quite alarming, statistic about this unnecessary vaccine: 2,207 adverse reactions to Gardasil have been reported. Among them:
- 5 girls died
- 31 were considered life-threatening
- 1,385 required a visit to the emergency room
- 451 of the girls have not recovered as of July 2007
- 51 of the girls were disabled
Vaccines Dangers: What Mainstream Media Didn't Tell You
Mass Vaccination Programs systematically and recklessly endanger the public while disregarding our rights. There is no proof that vaccinations are safe or effective.
The shocking link between psychiatric drugs, suicide, violence and mass murder
From Columbine to Virginia Tech, every time another headline-making mass murderer is discovered to have taken antidepressants or other psychiatric drugs, rumors and speculation abound regarding the possible connection between the medications and the violence.Now, reports the July 2007 edition of WND's elite monthly Whistleblower magazine, the time for speculation and guessing is over. The evidence is overwhelming and irrefutable, says Whistleblower's groundbreaking investigative report: Mood-altering psychiatric drugs – taken every day by tens of millions of Americans, including millions of children – actually can push some users over the edge into mania, suicide and horrific violence.
Pharmageddon - Edible Transgenic Vaccines
The inevitable contamination of our food supply has now come to light. But the more insidious pollution of our soil, water and air has yet to be assessed. Poisons can seep through the plant roots and dissolve in ground water. Pollen carrying the offending drugs and chemicals could be inhaled. Wild and domestic animals of all kinds are likely to feed on the crops. The US government ordered the biotech company, ProdiGene, to destroy 500,000 bushels of soybeans contaminated with GM maize, engineered to produce a drug not approved for human consumption. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) refused to give details on the protein involved because it is deemed ‘confidentual business information’.
Nigeria Refiles Lawsuit Against Pfizer
Government lawyer Babatunde Irukera said his team recently discovered material that suggested Pfizer committed fraud by bypassing company rules on obtaining consent from families. Based on that, they withdrew their original suit Friday and hours later filed a new one. He says the new suit also clarifies some of the government’s original arguments. The civil case is in addition to a federal criminal case and separate from civil and criminal cases launched at the state level in the northern state of Kano. All the cases stem from the same mid-1990s drug study in Kano’s main city, also called Kano.
These legal cases in Nigeria remind very much of the cynical medical experimentation that John Le Carre exposed in his novel, later turned film, The Constant Gardener.
Asian Parasite Killing Bees - Scientist
His team have also identified this parasite in bees from Austria, Slovenia and other parts of Eastern Europe and assume it has invaded from Asia over a number of years. Treatment for nosema ceranae is effective and cheap -- 1 euro (US$1.4) a hive twice a year -- but beekeepers first have to be convinced the parasite is the problem. Another theory points a finger at mobile phone aerials, but Higes notes bees use the angle of the sun to navigate and not electromagnetic frequencies.
But others are saying that Nosema ceranae is not the answer. Evidently there's more investigating and thinking to be done...
The revised EU Constitution: analysis
The analysis finds that only 10 out of 250 proposals in the new treaty are different from the proposals in the original EU Constitution. In other words, 96% of the text is the same as the rejected Constitution. In the UK, the Government is refusing to produce an official English translation of the text until after Parliament rises for the summer. This follows a blanket refusal to discuss its negotiating position with MPs.
One more confirmation that the Europe we are being led into has nothing to do with the much touted Europe of nations, much less with a Europe of the people who live here. Find out what the bureaucrats and EU politicians are hiding ... hoping we won't notice until it is too late.
Bush's Martial Law Plan Is So Shocking, Even Congress Can't See it
"I just can't believe they're going to deny a member of Congress the right of reviewing how they plan to conduct the government of the United States after a significant terrorist attack," DeFazio told the Oregonian on Friday. "We're talking about the continuity of the government of the United States of America," DeFazio says. "I would think that would be relevant to any member of Congress, let alone a member of the Homeland Security Committee. Maybe the people who think there's a conspiracy out there are right," DeFazio concluded.
Combine that with a newly issued executive order that apparently allows property to be confiscated of anyone threatening (protesting?) the "new order" being established in Iraq, and you have an increasingly bleak outlook for freedom in the US: Bush executive order threatens 5th Amendment?
“Acceptable collateral damage” and the 9/11 conspiracy theory
... does the loss of over 600,000 innocent lives (roughly 258,070 kids) constitute “acceptable collateral damage” in the mind of Bush and Cheney regarding the war o[f] terror? What if the number is “only” 68,000?If either number of innocent people’s deaths isn’t enough to make them change course, if all those human lives are “worth it,” worth the billions in war profits, then why do people believe the neocons have morals that would prevent them from arranging 9/11 as an inside job (as more than 1/3rd of Americans suspect) and pretext for the wars they wanted in the first place?
posted by Sepp Hasslberger on Sunday July 29 2007
URL of this article:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2007/07/29/genetic_modification_theory_therapy_and_vaccines_newsgrabs_29_july_2007.htm