Almost All of the Country Voted to Save Krona
by George Jones

The electoral map of Sweden's euro-referendum is emphatic. Every corner of the country voted to save the krona, except a sliver on the southern coast, known as Skane, and the capital, Stockholm.

Areas of central Sweden that voted in 1994 for European Union membership said No this time with margins as big as 20 per cent. Even the second city, Gottenburg, once a stronghold of pro-European feeling, switched to a No.

In the west coast fishing towns and the Baltic Island of Gotland, which all backed EU membership, the No camp charged ahead with margins of more than 20 per cent.

The industrial heartland of Ostergotland switched en masse, reflecting a bitter sense of disenchantment with an EU elite that seemed to have reneged on so many promises.

In the frozen north, always anti-EU, only 13 per cent backed the euro in areas of Jamtland.

Goran Persson, the prime minister, tried to deflect the disaster with humour, saying he might do better to find a job as a priest or a lumberjack.

The result did indeed show, as he put it, "a deep scepticism towards the European project."
The Daily Telegraph, 16th September 2003

PHILLIP DAY'S COMMENT: Sweden has long been skeptical of the EU's overall aims. She also has an expansive welfare state which is threatened once the governance of this nation falls under the control of Brussels. Most importantly, this decision of Sweden's not to join the euro currency has propelled the UK pro-euro camp into turmoil, no plans now in force to put the beleaguered euro to the British electorate before the next election. Which means, of course, that we have another year for the truth about Germany's appalling euro plight to come to light.

But more crucially, this leaves the EU constitution, as always, the most dangerous threat to Europe in general and Britain in particular. Once this is signed by Blair, Britain becomes a vassal state of Brussels, euro or no euro, and all measures can then be compelled upon member states (including the euro) no matter the opposition involved. Tony Blair has repeatedly stated that he will not give Britain a referendum on the constitution, even if such a referendum were legal, which it is not, due to our historic, unalterable powers of self-governance. Thus our task remains to educate the British public on the pressing dangers of the proposed Brussels treaty, and allow the British people themselves to rise up against it.

PS: Methinks Goran Persson should indeed seek employment elsewhere, but hardly as a priest.

Further Resources
Ten Minutes to Midnight by Phillip Day
Vigilance by Ashley Mote
Available at www.credence.org

The EU's Hidden Hand on Our Telephones

In all the acres of coverage of the great "118 directory inquiries fiasco" one rather significant point was missing. This was an explanation of just why we had to abolish the old "192" system in favour of a mad multiplicity of call centres providing numbers, often with laughable inefficiency, at up to£2 a time. The answer is that the new system resulted from a European Union directive - yet another example of "hidden Europe", whereby our government does something only because it has been ordered to do so by the EU, but then goes out of its way to conceal the fact.

The abolition of the "192" inquiries service was made mandatory by directive 2002/49 - article 5 of which, headed "directory services", laid down that steps should be taken to ensure that all exclusive rights to provide telephone directories or inquiry services were abolished. This is part of the same "deregulation" policy under which all EU countries were told to adopt the same "112" number for emergencies. In the first year after its introduction to Britain in 1994, this led to 500,000 calls of which only 500 were genuine. Most were either "silent calls" or resulted from misdialling, yet the police had to waste untold hours answering each one. Fortunately, in defiance of the law, Britain also retained her old "999" system, so the nuisance has since abated.

Last week I reported how a similar policy for postal services has resulted in private firms being allowed to cream off postal business on terms which will lose Royal Mail £650 million a year. Again there was no mention of the fact that this stemmed from an EC directive. There are scores of similar instances of "hidden Europe".

Consider, for example, that ministers will never admit that their control of policy on GM crops was surrendered to Brussels in 1990. Similarly, they conceal Britain's outlay of billions of pounds in order to comply with absurd EC standards on water quality - money which could much more usefully be spent on replacing crumbling 19th century infrastructure.

On of the most glaring examples of "hidden Europe" was the separation of the ownership of rail track from the companies operating the trains which is widely blamed for the chaos besetting our railway system. It was even vigorously denied that this decision had any connection with the EU, despite the fact that the regulation enacting it was put through under the European Communities Act, to comply with EC directive 91/440.

Oddest of all, however, is the fact that the ministers who go out of their way to conceal all this are supposed to be enthusiasts for the "benefits" Britain derives from the EU. If they are so keen on this new form of government, should they not proclaim how much of our legislation comes from the system they admire, rather than try to hide it?

Whitewash for crop sprays

Around a quarter of a million people in Britain it is estimated, live next to farmland which is sprayed with toxic chemicals. Many experience the kind of damage to their health which is compatible with chemical poisoning, ranging from headaches, abnormal tiredness and memory loss to asthma and cancer. Among them is Georgina Downs, a young singer, who eventually learned to associate the persistent ill health she and her family suffered with spraying of the field adjoining her garden near Chichester, Sussex.

Miss Downs was startled to discover that there is no legal protection for those forcibly exposed to chemical spraydrift in this way. Farmers are under no obligation to warn neighbours when spraying is to take place, nor to reveal what chemicals they use. She therefore launched on a determined campaign which last December brought her together with two ministers, Lord Whitty and Michael Meacher.

As a result, The Pesticides Safety Directive is staging a "consultation exercise" to discover whether the law on crop spraying should be changed. The problem is that all pesticides are licensed as "safe" by the Government. It cannot possibly afford to admit they are harmful, for fear of massive compensation claims.

Sure enough, when the PSD published a list of 758 "consultees", all but a handful were chemical companies or organizations opposed to any new restrictions being placed on the use of toxic chemicals. Repeatedly in its accompanying letter the PSD emphasises that the chemicals are entirely safe. Professor David Coggon, head of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides, has even suggested that those who think they experience adverse symptoms after exposure to chemicals may simply be imagining them, as a result of being told that toxic chemicals might possibly be dangerous.

All the evidence indicates that this "consultation", due to end next month, is yet another cosmetic to cover the real issues of toxic chemicals. On the one hand, the Government must insist that there is no problem; on the other, faced with a campaigner as redoubtable as Georgina Downs, it must go through the motions of showing concern. Anyone who wishes to add to the mounting pile of evidence to the contrary can e-mail her at georgedownes29@yahoo.co.uk
Christopher Booker's Notebook,
The Sunday Telegraph, 31st August 2003

Disaster Looms if Constitution
is Repudiated Warns Giscard

Valery Giscard d'Estang implored Europe's leaders this week to stick with the draft text of the European constitution thrashed out by elected parliamentarians over 16 months of arduous compromise or face disaster.

He gave warning that public opinion would not forgive the ruling elite if the document was re-written, reverting to the old habit of horse-trading behind closed doors.

"If the text is mutilated, it would set off a crisis that Europe certainly does not need in these circumstances," he said. "Let's contemplate how serious failure would be, when real trial by fire will take place, which is ratification. This is not something we can take for granted. Ratification is not a foregone conclusion."

Denmark may already be a lost cause. The latest poll shows that only 18 per cent of Danes would vote in their referendum next year for the constitution as drafted.

The text creates a full-time European Union president, foreign minister and justice department with powers to launch cross-border investigations. It also doubles the legislative power of the European Parliament, establishes majority voting and gives EU law primacy over the law of member states.

Legally, any country can block the constitution. In reality, Denmark would be swept aside, as it was when Danes voted against the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. But Ireland, Portugal and Spain are also holding referendums and others will probably follow suit.

In France, the government is committed in principle to a plebiscite and, with so many countries likely to vote, upsets are almost inevitable.

At a meeting of foreign ministers at Lake Garda yesterday, the EU's core powers, led by France and Germany, closed ranks behind M Giscard's 263-page oeuvre fearing the whole house of cards would collapse if anything were altered.

Italy, which will run the talks until December, has promised to preserve the "fundamental elements" of the draft. On Tuesday, though, the British Government will lay out its "red lines", or sticking points, backed by an implicit threat of a veto of the final text unless changes are made.

These include the elimination of the "solidarity clause" which obliges countries to come to each other's defence and is seen as a French ruse to undermine NATO.

There is also alarm about a clause paving the way for a European attorney-general, and two draft articles that weaken Britain's veto on taxation policy. Under the current text, Brussels holds sway over justice, farming, fishing, transport, energy, social policy and the environment because of "shared competence". In reality, Westminster would not be able to legislate in these areas unless the EU chose not to "exercise its competence".

The Charter of Fundamental Rights will also acquire legal status. As a result, the European Court will gain jurisdiction over a number of social and economic rights.

To cap it all, the charter's Article 52 gives the EU the power to suspend all civil rights in the "general interests" of the union. No wonder the Government adamantly refuses a British referendum.

Further Resources
Ten Minutes to Midnight by Phillip Day
Vigilance by Ashley Mote
Available at www.credence.org

Loss of Trust in Blair Stalls Poll on Euro,
Single Currency Campaign in Disarray
By Toby Helm

The Government's preoccupation with survival and trust in Tony Blair have finally killed off any hope of a referendum before the next election on joining the single currency, pro-euro MPs said last night.

Ardent campaigners for economic union admit that the controversy surrounding the Hutton Inquiry into Dr. David Kelly's death means that there is now no chance of the Prime Minister winning an early vote.

This acceptance of defeat by key pro-euro figures is a severe setback for Mr Blair, who has been anxious to keep alive hopes of a referendum next year.

The realisation that his euro strategy has been blown off course, this time by the Iraq controversy, is likely to add to frustration in the Labour Party over the Government's inability to focus on domestic matters, including vital reform of public services.

In a further blow to Mr Blair, who gives evidence to the Hutton Inquiry on Thursday, it emerged that the main campaigner group for the euro, Britain in Europe (BiE) is in danger of disintegrating as staff leave in frustration at lack of progress and businesses withhold money until a referendum is called.

Simon Buckby, BiE.s campaign director, has become disillusioned at the failure to name a date for a vote. Informed sources said he would remain in charge to oversee some form of "transition" for BiE , which was set up to prepare for, and fight a referendum. After that he would almost certainly leave.

George Foulkes, a Labour MP and member of BiE's advisory board, said that any chance of winning an early euro poll had disappeared. "What is important now is that we have a referendum when we think we can win one," he said.

Ian Taylor, a pro-euro Tory MP also on the BiE board, said it was unrealistic to contemplate an early vote.

"Earlier in the summer they were holding to the line that we could have a referendum in this Parliament. Then they ran into Hutton. Any chance there may have been has gone until the next Parliament."

Gordon Brown announced in Parliament in June that Britain had not passed the Treasury's five tests for membership of the euro-zone, but said he would re-examine the case for entry in his Budget next spring.

Mr Blair and the Chancellor joined forces at a press conference, promising to throw all their energies into a nationwide campaign to build a pro-European consensus. But the crisis over Dr. Kelly's death has disrupted Government strategies to such an extent that few preparations for a European campaign have been made. Downing Street officials have concentrated on little else but the Hutton Inquiry for the past month.
The Daily Telegraph, 26th August, 2003

Further Resources
Ten Minutes to Midnight by Phillip Day
Vigilance by Ashley Mote
Available at www.credence.org

Death of a Euro salesman

Pity the honest Europhiles. For years, supporters of the single currency have clung to the hope that they could turn public opinion around, not so much through facts and figures, as through having more plausible advocates on their side. This is more or less what happened in the 1975 referendum when voters, presented with Enoch Powell, Ian Paisley and Tony Benn on one side, and with every main stream political leader on the other, chose to believe the moderates. And it was what was supposed to happen again. The polls might indicate a two to one majority for keeping the pound, but euro-enthusiasts felt that they had yet to deploy their most powerful weapon: Tony Blair.

For a longtime the Prime Minister prevaricated, reassuring them that he would take the lead when the time was right, but always finding some more pressing concern. Then, six months ago, he announced that he and Gordon Brown would lead a national campaign to sell the euro. Yet, as if in a stage tragedy, he was just too late. The moment when he finally decided to act was the moment when the country stopped believing him. Numerous opinion polls show faith in Mr Blair at a record low, and the Tories enjoying their first lead in 11 years. The Prime Ministers assurance that the euro is in our interests no longer weighs with people: nor is the Conservative leader's instance to the contrary any longer counter-productive.

On one level, it is Dr David Kelly who has made the euro referendum unthinkable. Yet, as is often the case in politics, one dramatic event has served to crystallise a number of concerns that people had about their government. It is ironic that Mr Blair should find himself in such a situation after fighting a just war in which he displayed a courage which has usually been absent in the handling of the euro.

What seems to be happening is that the public no longer gives New Labour that most precarious quality in politics, the benefit of the doubt. Labour might have had an opportunity to ram through a euro referendum early in the last parliament; that opportunity is most unlikely to come again. This is not just our opinion: it is also the opinion of Britain in Europe, who arguable have more at stake in this matter than anyone else. As we report, the pro-europe group is crumbling, its staff demoralised, its activities on hold, its director contemplating resignation. Yet sincere euro fanatics need not despair entirely, for the proposed European constitution would make the question of euro membership largely redundant. Under its term, Brussels would "coordinate the economic and employment policies of the member states", gaining control of everything from maximum working hours to permissible budget deficits. In such circumstances, the right to mint our own currency would be like Scotland's right to print its own bank notes today: symbolically important, but no guarantee of economic independence. Perhaps Mr Blair is playing a longer game than we think.

International Fluoride Information Network

IFIN BULLETIN: IFIN 837: News from the UK.
September 7, 2003
by Prof. Paul Connett

Dear All,

The debate on the Water Bill in the House of Commons is shaping up to be a big show down between the well-healed British Fluoridation Society (which by a peculiar British circumstance is actually funded by the UK taxpayers to the tune of nearly $200,000 a year) and well-informed citizens who have kept the threat of fluoridation at bay for many years (despite perennial government pressures, the percentage drinking fluoridated water in the UK remains at about 10%).

Below we print the letters which appeared in the Sunday Observer (September 7) and this is followed by an urgent appeal from Rudolf Zeigelbecker, whose analysis has played such a prominent role in keeping fluoridation out of many European countries. Jane Jones has already forwarded this appeal to all the MPs, but if any of our readers have personal contacts with one or more MPs please send it to them again with your own personal note.

If the House of Commons votes to fluoridate the rest of the UK, this will not be the end of the story there, because the Green Party and others are all set to fight this in every locale where the issue is raised, however it will be a huge set back for the rest of us, who will have the "vote" added to the list of (PR) evidence that fluoridation is "safe and effective". Such evidence doesn't have much of an impact on those willing to read the literature, but it works wonders on those who aren't. Fingers crossed for Monday.

You can read more UK media coverage at http://www.fluoridealert.org

Paul Connett.

PS Please send a note to Jane Jones of the National Pure Water Association wishing her all the best for tomorrow. Her address is: jane@npwa.freeserve.co.uk

The Observer, Sunday 07 September 2003

Right to be angry about poison in the water
The big issue: Fluoridation
Letters

People are right to be angry about plans to fluoridate water supplies (News, last week). Under the European Convention on Human Rights and Medicine, a patient must give consent to medication, and be free to withdraw consent at any time. Fluoridation destroys that right.

Evidence around the world suggests fluoridation does not reduce tooth decay, and many European countries abandoned the policy years ago. Yet the Government seems determined to fluoridate our water supplies without telling us.

Martyn Shrewsbury
Health spokesman, Green Party, Swansea

***
The fluoride used in water fluoridation is not pharmaceutical grade but toxic waste from phosphate fertiliser factory chimneys which is registered as a poison under the 1972 Poisons Act. It is more poisonous than lead and only slightly less poisonous than arsenic.

Health Minister Hazel Blears said those who objected could use filters or buy bottled water. To remove fluoride needs a plumbed-in reverse osmosis unit costing hundreds of pounds. Bottled water is expensive, heavy to carry and creates plastic waste. Bottled water would have to be used for cooking, too, since fluoride in water gets more concentrated when boiled.

A. Wills
Ruislip, Middlesex

***

We expected the data pointing to the dangers of fluoride to lead to the practice being stopped after a 30-year trial. It is with disbelief that we learn the Government is trying to fluoridate the whole country.

Cynthia Bagchi
Bedford Allergy Support Group

***

Sheila Jones claims 'fluoride is completely safe'. Yet the issue at stake is a change in legislation permitting the Government - or rather the taxpayer - to indemnify water companies against liability for illnesses caused when the Government forces them into administering this unpopular and undemocratic mass medication.

Shanti Mahan
London N19

***

Basel in Switzerland stopped water fluoridation because it found absolutely no improvement. Many studies show no difference in decay rates. Even if it made a difference it would still be fraudulent, disposing of highly toxic waste from the fertiliser industry by trickling it into the water supply.

Matthew Parkes
Dublin, Ireland
_______________________________________________________________

Very urgent

Last Minute Open Letter to All Members of the British Parliament and to the British Government

Re: Water Fluoridation: Warning!

I am an independent scientist, working for more than 30 years in the field of fluoridation. Science has no frontier and does not stop at frontiers.

In many European states and cities the results of my research have helped to stop water fluoridation and other fluoridation methods. In the following years the dental caries decreased and did not increase as dentists prophesied.

Before a political decision about water fluoridation is made, a comprehensive and open substantial discussion of the problem by the scientific community is needed (outside of dentists' circles). I know the "Working group report "Water fluoridation and health" of the Medical Research Council (MRC)". The conclusion of the MRC about "benefits" of water fluoridation is false. There is no valid scientific evidence for "benefits". Dentists' "evidence" of "benefits" and "no risks" of water fluoridation is often "political evidence", not scientific evidence.

In trials in the US and other countries, the "Benefits" of water fluoridation were constructed by dentists.

The "benefits" were the result of other factors such as insufficient and inadmissible comparisons, different trends in the development of dental caries, differences in nutrition, permanent tooth eruption delayed by fluoride, changing experimental conditions during the experiments, inadequate models, bad design of experiments and statistical artefacts, false premises and false conclusions in the experiments, as well as other reasons. The results were influenced by confounding factors (see my letters: US Congress Records 99-316 O 1977, 275).

Dental and medical organisations such as the British Fluoridation Society (BFS), the British Dental Association (BDA), the American Dental Association (ADA), the International Dental Federation (FDI) and many public health officials have ignored the scientific critique and have censured publications which criticised water fluoridation and other methods of fluoridation especially since 1971. The FDI falsely informed the Director-General of WHO in his report "Fluoridation and Dental Health" (A22/P&B/7, 29 Nay 1969)about "benefits" prepared by the FDI.

Public Health Delegates (instructed by dentists' "fluoride experts") of several countries (ie A, BR, CDN, NL, NZ, Puerto Rico, CH, CSR, SF (FIN), J, IRL, UK, USA, USSR) reported "benefits" of fluoridation which do not exist. Thus the dissemination of the critique on water fluoridation was impeded, public and political opinion was manipulated.

Rudolf Ziegelbecker, eng
Peterstalstrasse 29, A-8042 Graz
Tel/Fax: +43 316 471128
e-mail: ziegelbecker.sen@utanet.at
Graz, 7. September 2003

International Fluoride Information Network

IFIN BULLETIN: IFIN 839: The House of Commons vote.
September 8, 2003

Dear All,

Jane Jones reports (see below) that the voting in the House of Commons (UK) on the second reading of the Water Bill, including the very controversial clause which would indemnify water companies should they fluoridate their water and allowing local health authorities (non-elected) to make the decision, was passed 356 to 136. But she adds that it still "has to go to committee stage."

We have two other reports below, one for the ITV.com and another from the national newspaper, The Independent, both of which appear to have been written before the vote. There will be more coverage on this at the FAN web site http://www.fluoridealert.org

The bad news is that so many MPs have gone along with the propaganda of the BDA, BFS etc. The good news is that it has made a lot of others mad. I think we can anticipate more activity at the committee stage, and a lot of fireworks at the local level when efforts are actually made to start the fluoride (hexafluorosilicic acid) flowing.

I was disappointed with most of the press coverage I have read on this. There was little attempt to actually examine the health issues. Most simply rattle off a laundry list of concerns without tying them to any explanation or any authority. Most of the emphasis was placed on the dental "benefits" with huge deference paid to the British dental "authorities". It is intriguing how this PR was not balanced with the report that Basel, Switzerland halted the fluoridation (on April 9, this year) of their water after over 40 years, because it wasn't doing any good. Moreover, no one has yet to comment on the fact that over 300 scientists and public health activists from 38 countries are calling for "integrity" on this issue - integrity which was sadly lacking in the promotion activities of the pro-fluoridation lobby. Apparently, there is only one "authority" on this issue in the UK: the one that can't a scientist to defend the practice in open public debate!

The BCC news web site is asking for people to express their opinions on this issue. If you wish to do so scroll down to the end of the article on the following link and there will be a form.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3083566.stm

Many thanks to all of those who sent in letters to The Guardian.

Paul Connett.
____________________________________________________________
From Jane Jones jane@npwa.freeserve.co.uk.

We watched it on the Parliament channel (BBC) on our computer for ? five hours? Or more. It's a big Bill with lots of amendments (now "clauses"). Time after time, MPs stood up and made their comments on the Bill - and several announced their opposition to the clause ("Clause 61"). Very good speeches. We will get it on Hansard as soon as it's available and mail it out.

The voting on the second reading was 356 to 136 - FOR the Bill. But it has to go to committee stage . . . it is very obvious that the fluoridation issue hijacked the evening. The big boys are not going to be pleased.

There is more to come on all this - the war has only just begun.

Several of us made TV and radio broadcasts today - Sue King on the breakfast show - and me, too, (filmed a few days ago). Radio programmes around the regions were late catching up, despite our releases, but they soon realised they were missing out on a growing story.

Our day in the office started at 6.30 a.m. with radio interviews down the phone. Liz Vaughan and a number of key campaigners around the country did their stuff, too. Meanwhile, Sue, John Graham and other campaigners from Brighton and heaven knows where picketed the House of Commons with banners (there will be photographs available which we will mail).

Our website has been spinning today - we have never seen so many hits in one day from Parliament (about six hours in total, on various visits!!), the health authorities - even the MRC were on for 75 minutes. The BBC came in several times. The most visited page today? The press release about the British Muslims.

Our absolute all-time biggest hitting page (daily), "Dental Fluorosis: Smile, please, but don't say 'Cheese!'" was relegated to third place behind "The Public Perception of Dental Fluorosis". Incredible. We have had 1,036 page views and a whole flurry of new subscribers to the eList - including a guy from a health authority!

It's been another long day following a long day Sunday. More when we've had some sleep.

Repeat: The War Has Only Just Begun. And the cavalry has only recently arrived.

Best - Jane

The web page of the National Pure Water Association is http://www.npwa.freeserve.co.uk
______________________________________________________________
ITV.com
http://www.itv.com/news/1938787.html

Measures in the Water Bill would give local health authorities the power - only with the backing of local people - to ask water companies to add the chemical

MPs get free vote on fluoridation
23.12PM BST, 8 Sep 2003

Labour MPs will be allowed a free vote on moves to smooth the way for fluoride being added to drinking water.

Environment Minister Elliot Morley told the Commons the public should be given the option of backing moves to have their tap water fluoridated.

Measures in the Water Bill would give local health authorities the power - only with the backing of local people - to ask water companies to add the chemical.

Introducing the legislation, Mr Morley said that in recognition of strong opinions on both sides of the argument, MPs would be given the chance to vote when the Bill reached its report stage.

Water companies have had the power to fluoridate supplies since 1985 but have not done so for fear of legal action from consumers opposed to it.

The new proposals - already backed by the House of Lords - means that local health authorities will indemnify the firms where it is necessary for public health and if local people agree.

Mr Morley said: "The current law gives water companies the discretion whether to agree applications from strategic health authorities to add fluoride. This places too much responsibility on water companies to make a decision on what is, essentially, a public health issue when they do not feel qualified to do so." He denied the Government was trying to introduce a "central national fluoridation programme". "On the contrary, we believe that the choice should be made locally and we also believe that people should have that choice."

Offering the free vote, he said: "There are very strong opinions on this issue on both sides of the argument and reflecting this there will be an opportunity to discuss and, I am quite sure, vote on this issue at report stage. Because of the strongly held views it will be a free vote issue."
_______________________________________________________________
THE INDEPENDENT.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story.jsp?story=441623

Plans to add fluoride to drinking water attacked by Tories as mass medication
By Marie Woolf 09 September 2003

Ministers were accused of forcing people to take medication without their consent yesterday as the Government moved to push through plans to add fluoride to drinking water.

The Tories, who allowed their MPs a free vote on the measures to make it easier to fluoridate water last night, said that they were unhappy about the Government adding medicine to the water supply.

Ministers were accused of planning "mass medication" of drinking water in order to improve the teeth of young children who do not have balanced diets or fail to brush their teeth regularly.

David Lidington MP, shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said during the second reading of the Water Bill that the government plans were ill thought out. "Fluoridation is an important element of the Bill, and I feel serious unease at the idea of giving the state the power to insist on putting medicines into the water supply," he said.

The Liberal Democrats, who with the Tories and Labour allowed their MPs a free vote, said water fluoridation should be a matter for local communities. "The case for what is effectively compulsory medication has not yet been made. But it is the right of local communities to decide on this issue," said Norman Baker, Liberal Democrat environment spokesman. "The decision to add or remove fluoride from the water supply must be given to locally elected bodies, not to unelected officials."

The Government was last night proposing an amendment to the Water Bill which would make it possible for local health authorities to force water companies to add the chemical to the water supply. The Green Party, which plans to table an emergency motion opposing fluoridation at its annual conference this week, said it was "patronising" for the Government to suggest that low-income families did not feed or look after their children properly, which meant they had bad teeth. They cited evidence showing that 48 per cent of people who have fluoridated water suffer dental fluorosis or unsightly mottling of the teeth. Studies have also suggested a link with Down's syndrome, cancer, brittle bones and thyroid problems. But ministers think that adding fluoride will help to prevent cavities in children from low-income families. They are backed by MPs from all parties.

Andy Burnham, Labour MP for Leigh, criticised "nonsense scare stories" about fluoridation of water supplies. He said a poll by the British Fluoridation Society, which has been campaigning for the addition of the chemical, showed solid public support for the move.

Some 6 million people already have fluoride in their water.

9 September 2003 00:04

Health Check: During the Doctors' Strike
in the 1970s, Death Rates Fell
By Jeremy Laurance
01 September 2003

Anyone who is in any way prone to a stroke or heart attack should take it very easy this week. Heart specialists will be as rare as hen's teeth. You will find them, should you need one, in Vienna, at the European Society of Cardiology's conference. An estimated 17,000 cardiologists are expected in the city for Europe's largest medical meeting. No doubt those present will shed a tear or two for absent colleagues unable to secure a "sponsorship opportunity" from a drug company, as they sip a glass or two of health-giving red wine. But what they will not be doing is seeing or treating patients.

It is a standing joke among cardiologists that death rates fall during their conferences because fewer of them are out there attempting to cure moribund patients by doing dangerous surgery. The treatment can be worse than the disease.

That lesson was driven home in Britain during the last doctors' strike in the 1970s. Doom mongers predicted that bodies would pile up in the street, but death rates actually fell.

This week in Vienna, doctors are busy discussing the latest drugs and treatment strategies for heart disease. Will they save more lives? That is debatable.

The doctors, naturally, believe they are indispensable. Some years ago, a couple of inveterate conference-goers wrote to The Lancet proposing that where large numbers were attending a foreign venue at one time they should consider taking separate flights home, in case of disaster. The authors cited the example of a transatlantic flight they had recently taken in which almost every seat had been occupied by a cardiologist. Had the plane gone down, the entire heart service for say, Preston, would have been wiped out at a stroke.

Obviously we should avoid putting all our egg-head heart specialists in one flying basket. But how many lives they save is less certain. Deaths from heart disease have fallen by more than a third in the last decade, which is a matter for celebration, as a paper on the extensive Grace study, involving 31,000 patients in 14 countries, pointed out last week. But nobody knows quite why. No single factor can account for the size and speed of the fall.

Improved treatment has certainly helped. One finding in the Grace study is that though we are not bad at treating people who have had heart attacks (to prevent a recurrence) we are much less good at treating those about to have one, which looks very like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

But the real puzzle is that we do not know what caused the heart disease epidemic, which began in the 1940s and peaked about 1970. Its subsequent fall is equally mysterious. There has been a sharp decline in smoking and limited dietary changes, which account for some of the fall. History will tell how much medicine has contributed, but it is unlikely to be a great deal.

Treatments come at a price. That is spelt out in a sobering report, also published last week, by the American Institute for Cancer Research, an independent body that advises the US public on medical issues. It notes that the giant advances in treating childhood cancer, with cure rates now at 78 per cent, are not an unsullied success.

Two thirds of children suffer later complications, often as a result of the radiotherapy or toxic drugs they are given to deal with the cancer, and in a quarter of cases they are severe or life-threatening. The international survivors network for childhood cancer sufferers is about to establish a branch in Britain.

In medicine, the greater the advance, the more it becomes clear how far there is still to go.

Further Resources
Health Wars by Phillip Day
www.credence.org

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My age is 85. Have always known someone would come along and be brave. I sincerely admire you and will do anything I can to help in this wonderful work you do. I am a cancer sufferer looking for B17 treatment. God bless you all.' - Walter B. Staffordshire, UK.

'Very much interested in what I have read so far. Glad to have facts on microwave cooking to help convince my kids!' - Karen G., Devon, UK

'Tell me what I can do to stop Rockfeller.' - Clay B. Vic, Australia

'FANTASTIC! is all I can say. Keep up the good work.' - Mark D., Devon, UK

'As an anti-vivisectionist I seek humanely produced and God-honouring medications and supplements. As a retired senior hospital chaplain, I have seen more than enough of iatrogenic illnesses. As a bona-fide hypnotherapist, I perceive the evil effects of so much negative suggestion 'conventional medicine' holds over the masses. I see how most doctors and nurses are conditioned as puppets for the legalised drug and chemical Mafia.' - Rev James T., North Wales, UK

'Your books have been great eye-openers and tremendously thought-provoking. They have also helped to change the lives of several people I know.' - Mrs Susie C. Surrey, UK

'Absolutely brilliant! Have enjoyed hearing Phillip Day in the past.' - Graham S. Cheshire, UK

'I think the information you are providing and researching should be announced to the world, and, as a student of naturopathy/nutrition, the information you provide only makes me even more passionate about the field I am entering - can't wait for the next issue!!!' - Johanna G., Vic. Australia

'The TGA of Australia has started on the same campaign of natural medicine regulation after setting up and then using the PAN fiasco as an excuse. We need your help.' - Stuart E., Vic. Australia

'Excellent, keep it up.' - Dr. J. G., Western Australia

'I am just a person who is concerned about the excessive use of highly toxic drugs and an opponent of the assault on the nutritional market.' - Jim C., Glasgow. UK

'As a firm believer in nutrition and whole foods instead of isolates as the cornerstone of health, I endorse your move to expose the lies of much of the pharmacological industry.' - Stafford L., NSW. Australia

'Keep up the good work. Thank you very much Mr. Phillip Day. We have enjoyed your talks, they have helped us a lot. Have read your 'Health Wars'. You have opened our eyes.' - I.G.S., Surrey, UK

'The pharmacological industry is the most corrupt industry in the world. What interest does the drug companies have to stop cancer if they have revenues of one hundred billion dollars in the United States alone from keeping cancer ongoing? It is the most profitable industry in the world with margins of up to 1000% . The market place of the pharmaceutical industry is our bodies - prevention of disease is bad for their business. That is why the average person has no idea that, for instance, taking 200ug of selenium daily reduces the risk of death from cancer by 50% or that long term vitamin and mineral deficiencies are the most frequent underlying cause of chronic diseases, or that 80% of pharmaceutical drugs have no proven efficacy, or that the fourth leading cause of death in the USA is side effects from prescribed pharmaceutical drugs. I could go on! Napoleon once said, "Medicine is a collection of uncertain prescriptions the results of which are more fatal than useful to mankind!' - Ms Margaret W., Christchurch, New Zealand

'Attended the' Let's Fix Britain' talk at the suggestion of a friend. Fantastic stuff! I was aware of certain problems that we would encounter going into Europe but this really opened my eyes! I had no idea how much liberty would be taken from us.' - Simon N., London, UK

'I applaud your work and approach. Although it often feels like we are fighting a losing battle, it is one that must be fought.' - Lynn B., Queensland, Australia

'I cannot wait to get out of this un-elected nightmare which has been forced upon us. I have said for many years 'to see the future, look into the past', and you have quite rightly pointed out the old USSR and Yugoslavia. It is not xenophobic to feel a natural affinity with your own country and its way of life. At any other time in history such feelings would have been called loyalty.' - Tania A., Bristol, UK

'Looking forward to reading more on this matter. I am profoundly anti-EU, and my position is essentially a limited-government/ pro-capitalism political school of thought.' - W.G.S., Tyne & Wear, UK

'A very informative talk. It's great to hear a bold person talk for this country. I am very interested in further talk that Phillip Day holds. EXCELLENT!' - Ms Kim L., Essex, UK

'A Man after my own life style and teachings; - Brilliant!' - Emma T., Rutland, UK.

'Phillip Day has put me on the right path and I am eternally grateful.' - Helen M. London, UK

'You're doing right. I wish I had your energy.' - Geoffrey O., W. Sussex, UK

'Bold, brave courageous. Thank you for all you are doing and for inspiring me to spread the truth.' - Lisa W., Wiltshire, UK

'We went to hear Phillip talk at Shrewsbury in June '03 and have been on the 'Food for Thought' eating regime since and we both feel fantastic! Keep up the good work. Your presentation was excellent and we would definitely bring as many people as we could to hear your words. Thank you for being out there for us.' - Elizabeth B., Shropshire, UK

'I just recently had a child and am questioning whether or not to get him vaccinated. It totally surprises me that the majority of people I talk to just blindly accept disease being injected into their children's bodies. I am glad to see that I am not the only one suspecting of the pharmaceutical companies.' - Michele K., Washington, USA

'Keep up the GOOD WORK.' - Mark S., Queensland, Australia

'I greatly appreciate your important service to the general public.' - Adam N., Illinois, USA

'I still go to meetings and think they are one of the best things I have been to, they have taught me a lot.' - Mrs Patricia S., Gloucester, UK

'When I saw this site I thought; Soulmates!' - Colin P., Surrey, UK

'Please keep up the wonderful work. I have been in this field for thirty-one years and it never ceases to amaze me how little people know and care about their health.' - Marie F., New York, USA

'It is about time that England and its people ALL decide to QUIT association in and with the corrupt association known as the EU in all its ways!!!!! FREEDOM MUST REMAIN …FREE!' - Albert S., Pennsylvania, USA

'I want to spread the message and support your hard work.' - Suzanna S.,Victoria, Australia

'Wonderful Evening, so inspirational and true.' - Eleanor C., Kent, UK

'My grandfather was a Cockney, my father was a Kentish Man. I want to see my heritage protected and preserved, not lost in a European mish mash!' - Rowland K. South Australia, Australia

'Excellent site. Will be interested as to what we can do at this late stage. Educating people (is) not enough as even if the whole country (is) raging it won't stop our Tone (Blair) or his successor from ratifying the proposed new constitution.' - Richard C. Jersey., UK

Dear Phillip,

I feel I must write to tell you about my positive experience, although through your work I'm sure you have heard such stories before.

My story starts nearly 10 years ago when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, and there followed the various treatments: lumpectomy, radiotherapy, scans, mastectomy and chemotherapy, lastly and most devastatingly, the discovery of secondary metastases in my liver. At this diagnosis three months ago I truly felt I had had enough and could not carry on. My consultant and oncologist painted a very bleak picture and did not hold out much hope…. in fact, in the words of my oncologist, "I'm afraid it will get you in the end." What they could offer me was more debilitating chemotherapy. The thought of going through this was unbearable.

I am ashamed to say that I truly thought about taking my own life rather than face any more treatment. I felt it would not save me anyway.

I left the hospital, given time to think about things. When I got home I told my two teenage daughters that the cancer had returned and that I might not get better this time. It was in fact because of my children that I decided that I must fight with what ever options I was given. I am divorced and bring up my girls on my own. What would they do without me? What choice did I have? It broke my heart so I decided chemo it was.

Then, within 24 hours, my life turned round.

I don't know whether you would call it coincidence, I would like to think it was fate. An old friend of mine who was living in Australia contacted my partner… we had lost contact with him over the past year or so. He told us he had an overwhelming need to contact us. We told him our devastating news and how we felt. That is when he became very excited and told us about a wonderful book he had just read called, "Cancer, Why We Are Dying to Know the Truth". He had only just finished reading the book that day. So there started our journey.

I immediately phoned Credence and spoke to a very helpful gentleman. I ordered the apricot kernels which arrived promptly the next day…. I was also recommended several doctors who could advise me on alternative treatments. This is where I was extremely fortunate to get in contact with a doctor who I have now seen regularly, a truly dedicated practitioner. I am following my doctor's prescribed healthy regime. We have a way to go yet but I have never felt so well and more importantly, feel positive in what I am doing.

Because of my experiences over the past 10 years, the roller-coaster ride, I feel that one day I would like to tell my story in full if only to give hope to the thousands of women and men who are suffering unnecessarily. Who knows what the future holds? All I do know is that I now feel stronger, physically and mentally to fight this.

From the bottom of my heart and those of my daughters, thank you for giving me that hope. Susan W., Oxford, U.K.

A Fast For Freedom In Mental Health
Rethinking The Mental Illness Industry

By Loren R. Mosher M.D. and Mary Boyle Ph.D.

"Depression is a flaw in chemistry, not character"
Eight storey sign at Amsterdam Ave and 72nd St., New York City

The American public is constantly being told that various forms of mental and emotional distress and disordered behaviour are 'illnesses like any other' - depression is just like diabetes. Yet, does the public know that the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual now has 374 'mental disorders' versus 112 in 1952 and, even though we now have all these new 'diseases', that not one has given up its biological secrets? The US Surgeon General concluded in 1999 that there is no biochemical, anatomical or functional sign that reliably distinguishes between the brains of mental patients and anyone else.

Who benefits from this proliferation of mental disease? An obvious beneficiary is the drug industry, for if behaviour and distress look like physical illnesses, then 'treatment' naturally looks like drugs. In 2000, 23 billion dollars were spent on psychotropic drugs, twice the 1995 cost.

And, although psychiatric drugs don't have specific effects on emotions and behaviour (they sedate, tranquillise and stimulate in non-specific ways) they are marketed as if they specifically treated particular mental disorders. The result is a strong symbiotic relationship between the DSM's ever-growing list of disorders and the marketing and sales of drugs. Perhaps the most striking aspect of this has been the dramatic growth in the children's drug market, to the point where an estimated 5-7 million American children now take stimulant drugs for 'attention deficit disorder'.

We would be less concerned about this situation if the outcomes were positive. But, on the contrary, long-term outcomes for people diagnosed as schizophrenic are no better now, and may even be worse, than before the introduction of major tranquillisers (misleadingly called anti-psychotics). Not only that, but the World Health Organization found that outcomes for people with schizophrenia in developing countries, where these drugs are used much less, are actually better. Similarly, research indicates that antidepressants have not significantly reduced the suicide rate, and, as the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry recently reported, that these drugs may "actually increase biochemical vulnerability to depression and worsen long term outcomes". There are also serious concerns about the adverse effects of these drugs. The major tranquillisers can produce incurable movement disorders. The minor tranquillisers are addictive. The newer antidepressants induce suicidal and homicidal behaviour in some persons and can be addictive. Given these problems, it's difficult to see that the medicalization of emotion and behaviour, and its 'treatment' with drugs, has overall had positive effects.

It is not just the lack of positive outcomes that should concern us. In spite of claims that the medicalization of human distress is based on biomedical science, research paints a quite different picture. The strongest evidence about causes of distress and disordered behaviour comes from research on social and environmental factors. For example, if at least 50-60% of those admitted to psychiatric hospitals, regardless of diagnosis, have been physically or sexually abused, is it not reasonable to assume that this may have something to do with the distress they are experiencing? If various types of family dysfunction, poverty, trauma, unemployment and other environmental factors are consistently and strongly related to psychiatric problems, is this not significant? Are we seriously to assume that the best answer to these psychosocial issues is drugs?

What is especially tragic about this situation, apart from the human cost, is the closing down of open and honest debate. Readers who thought that the issue of 'mental illness' has been settled in favour of biological psychiatry may be surprised to learn that many people with impeccable academic and professional credentials continue to produce valid critiques of biological psychiatry's research and practice. There is also grave concern about the methods it uses to hide its lack of scientific respectability. But critics' views rarely receive media attention, while authoritative sounding medical assertions are given immediate credibility and publicity. Frequent pronouncements of genetic or biological "breakthroughs" in our understanding or treatment of 'mental illness' keeps the public in a constant state of positive anticipation. When the breakthrough comes to nothing, as it always has, no trumpets are heard and, in any case, another will be along soon.

As the President's New Freedom Commission report recently concluded, the current model of care has proven to be a failure. Given this context it is surely time to re-think biological psychiatry. The public deserves to be better informed about the scientific and ethical issues so that they can question critically how public money is being spent and about the standards of evidence on which claims about biological causation and treatment are based. More open and honest debate can only be good for the field and especially for users of mental health services.

Loren R. Mosher is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego and former Chief of the Centre for Studies of Schizophrenia at the National Institute of Mental Health and first Editor-in-Chief of the Schizophrenia Bulletin.

Mary Boyle is Professor of Clinical Psychology, Head of the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at the University of East London, UK and author of "Schizophrenia: A Scientific Delusion?"

Further Resources
The Mind Game by Phillip Day
Available at www.credence.org

Multiple Sclerosis
by Phillip Day
Excerpted from his new book, The ABC's of Disease

Profile
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition arising out of the immune system apparently destroying the myelin sheathing which surrounds nerve tissue in the brain and spinal cord, which makes up the central nervous system (CNS). Lesions or patches of damage occur where the fatty myelin sheathing protecting these nerves has been damaged. Nerve function is thus severely disrupted, resulting in obvious signs of motor dysfunction presenting a whole spectrum of symptoms. No two cases of MS are exactly the same. The damage and resultant effects are as unique to each patient as their fingerprints.

The disease is almost always restricted to young and middle-aged adults, with an approximate 60%/40% spread across females and males respectively. The geographical spread of incidence is also quite telling with MS, with the disease more prevalent in northern latitudes, with 50-100 cases per 100,000, compared with 5-10 per 100,000 in the tropics. The exception to this spread is Japan, where the disease is rare. The Faeroe Islands (the Danish islands north of Britain) had never experienced any signs of multiple sclerosis until the British Army landed there during World War 2 with all its supplies to set up a garrison.

Symptoms
Early symptoms include clumsiness, weakness, heaviness, tingling and electrical sensations, blurring of the vision, haziness, eyeball pain, sensation of drunkenness, incontinence, numbness, loss of sexual function. More severe symptoms include shaky movements of the limbs (ataxia), speech impediment problems (dysarthria), involuntary rapid eye movements and other motor coordination problems. 'Attacks' of symptoms occur usually followed by periods of remission.

MS symptoms vary in intensity and duration, depending on which of the many different manifestations of the disease the patient has.

Causes
The cause(s) of MS are officially unknown, but, as with the disease-spread information above, tantalising clues lead us to zero in on the chief areas of action. MS is on the increase, medicine bringing a vast array of drugs (steroids, etc.) to bear with very limited success on what is generally regarded in many cases as a degenerative 'auto-immune disease' - that is, that the patient's immune system has apparently been triggered to attack and destroy key cells in the body (see also Diabetes and Arthritis).

If we review the following key factors about MS, we can begin to build a profile of who's at risk… and where:

· The disease mostly occurs in young to middle-aged adults
· It marginally favours women
· It is more prevalent in the northern latitudes
· Japan is an exception
· It does not occur in non-industrialised, agrarian societies
· It appears as though the immune system has acted dysfunctionally to destroy key cells

From this short summary, we may surmise that:
· Sunlight, enzymes and vitamin D appear to play a role in avoiding MS
· There's something in the Japanese diet and lifestyle that appears to restrict the deployment of MS
· MS appears to be a disease of industrialisation, wherein foreign proteins (antigens) have challenged the immune system
· The immune system, which, by the way, does not act dysfunctionally (there's always a good, underlying reason why it does what it does), has been given a key motivation to attack myelin cells in addition to the invaders

Commentary
Many hypotheses have been offered to explain how MS is caused: viral infections, food intolerances, leaky gut, all of which may provoke the immune system into reacting in a 'dysfunctional' way to attack specific cells - in this case, myelin. But what precisely is the mechanism that may cause the immune system to do such an obscure thing? The answer may well be 'molecular mimicry.'

Molecular Mimicry
…Molecular mimicry is a theory, under research since 1985, whereby invading foreign proteins (antigens) appear to have a very similar amino acid chain make-up to certain healthy cells in the body, thus 'fooling' the immune system into destroying not just the invading protein, but also the healthy cells appearing to be very similar to it. Important to note: most of the evidence so far researched on MS (which, by the way, is considerable) does show that the immune system has wreaked the havoc on the myelin sheathing.

Problems with the immune system will occur when healthy proteins existing in a person's body (i.e. myelin basic protein) correspond very closely to trouble-making proteins that make up bacteria, fungi, yeasts, etc. One MS site explains the proposed mechanism this way:

"To understand how molecular mimicry works in the induction of autoimmunity, one must understand the basic mechanisms of an immune response to a foreign invader in the body. The immune system recognises a part of the protein portion of the invader. It does this with T cells which have receptors which bind to short segments (up to 10 amino acids) of a foreign protein. It is helped in this task by so-called antigen presenting cells such as macrophages.

A macrophage will engulf a foreign invader (e.g. a bacteria or food particle) and break it down into fragments. A special molecule in the macrophage then carries a protein fragment (peptide) to the surface of the cell and 'presents' it to the millions of circulating T cells. A T cell which has a matching receptor locks onto the presented protein fragment. The T cell then becomes activated and stimulates other portions of the immune system to begin an immune response against all proteins which contain a similar-looking amino acid string. The details of what constitutes a similar-looking string are beyond this summary, but suffice to say it has been found that a variety of similar, yet somewhat different strings, can be recognised by the same T cell."

Dr Roy Swank
Dr Roy Swank, Professor of Neurology at the University of Oregon Medical School, has done much research into MS. He found that diets heavy in saturated fats are implicated in those exhibiting MS symptoms. The patient's ability to neutralise oxidation (free-radical components) in their body was also seen to be severely compromised. Swank proposed a diet for MS sufferers, which is remarkably similar to the Food For Thought and Anti-Candida regimens discussed in this book. Swank found that this diet retarded the disease process and reduced the number and severity of attacks.

Also up for discussion is whether the chicken comes before the egg. Do food intolerances cause MS, or are food intolerances the result of an MS-compromised immune system? Do fungi provoke the immune system into destroying not only the fungi, but healthy myelin cells also, which may have a similar amino acid signature to the fungi?

Medicine uses immune-suppressing drugs in the belief that MS is the result of a dysfunctional immune system and therefore, by reducing the effectiveness of the immune system, one may retard the spread of the illness. This is what I term a 'scorched earth' policy, where the only cunning plan you have come up with to halt the advance of the enemy is to burn and destroy all the land in the path of his advance in the hope that you will starve him into submission. Not such a great strategy, in my humble opinion.

Critters
What we do know from testimonies and other reports on successful treatment of MS is that the disease, if caught early enough, may be halted and even reversed using a combination of lifestyle and dietary factors outlined below.

Gerald Green is a herbalist who lives in Sussex, England. His grandfather was Nobel laureate Professor Fritz Huber, a leading German scientist who died in the mid-1930's. An elderly gentleman experienced in healthcare, Gerald submitted some of his MS case histories to me, with the permission of his patients, which showed the benefits of an anti-Candida regimen, along with sensible supplementation and changes in lifestyle.

Gerald Green works on the premise that ALL MS patients have a microbe problem, and that it is pointless trying to combat the disease unless you addressed the underlying causes first. He suggests patients adopt his strict anti-Candida diet. This diet, I had found, was cropping up in various permutations in highly successful cancer treatments all over the world, from the Gerson Therapy pioneered by the famous Dr Max G, through to clinics in Mexico and the UK across to physicians prescribing it in one form or another to their patients as far away as the Philippines and New Zealand. The diet itself may also explain why Japan escapes the full brunt of MS, unlike other industrialised nations of comparable latitude. Many Japanese citizens still adhere to their national, alkalising diet of rice, vegetables and lots of fish, although, it must be said, the fast-food monster has now taken its grim hold on those islands, with unfortunate, if predictable consequences for the future.

It is my conclusion that fungi are suspected of playing the key, primary role in this disease and may well contain the amino acid chains mimicked, in which case the immune system may be correctly attacking fungal infestation while its attack template is also destroying healthy cells in the body - in this case, myelin sheathing cells intrinsic to the successful operation of the central nervous system.

Clearly not everyone, who has overgrowths of yeasts/fungi/ parasites, is getting MS. The disease in my view must have a certain number of factors working synergistically to bring on the problem. The following may be such a profile:

· A western, industrialised diet rich in refined, processed sugars and grains - aspartame may be an implicator
· A diet low in polyunsaturated fatty acids
· Lack of regular exercise
· Low intakes of Vitamin D and other vital nutrients
· Other, non-defined stressors predominant in young to middle-aged adults
· Leaky gut syndrome brought on by yeast/fungal damage to the gut lining, thus allowing MS-triggering food/foreign proteins to gain access to the bloodstream via a permeable intestinal lining
· The immune system creates templates for the invading proteins which inadvertently take out the healthy myelin cells also
· Drugs prescribed may weaken the immune system, giving the appearance of retarding the disease
· Halting the disease at source will therefore necessitate addressing the diet, lifestyle and fungal issues of the patient

Take action
An MS sufferer will usually have other, sometimes minor symptoms, which may not seem connected to their disease, i.e. acid reflux, athlete's foot, jock itch, thrush, digestion problems, bowel gas, etc. Patients should also be aware of foods to which they are sensitive, which should be eliminated. Ideally a diary should be kept keeping track of problem foods and any observable effects of eliminating them from the diet. The following will be of benefit to the multiple sclerosis sufferer:

· DIET: COMMENCE THE ANTI-CANDIDA DIETARY REGIMEN, ensuring that the Foods to avoid and supplementation are rigorously adhered to
· DIET: See Foods to avoid section of THE FOOD FOR THOUGHT LIFESTYLE REGIMEN
· DIET: Avoid all animal foods, except cold-caught oily fish (no farmed fish!), which should be consumed daily (salmon, mackerel, herring, etc.). Normal protein intakes
· RESTORING NUTRIENT BALANCE: COMMENCE THE BASIC SUPPLEMENT PROGRAM, ensuring:
· ANTI-CANDIDA/FUNGAL SUPPLEMENTATION, including wormwood, Essiac, fennel, peppermint tea, etc. Physician may also prescribe anti-fungal, anti-mycotoxic drugs in addition to the above, as directed
· Vitamin E, 800 IU per day
· Flaxseed oil, 1 tbsp per day
· Brain/CNS supplementation (ideally 'Ingenious' - see A Guide to Nutritional Supplements)
· Pancreatic enzyme supplementation, two capsules taken three times daily away from food
· Selenium, 200-400 mcg per day
· Vitamin B12 supplementation, as directed by your physician
· Vitamin C complex (ascorbates plus bioflavonoids), 4-5 g, twice per day (in the event of diarrhoea indicating threshold level has been exceeded, reduce intake to just under threshold level)
· Gingko biloba, as directed
· Hawaiian Noni Juice, as directed
· TIP: Those with mild MS symptoms should exercise in a gym four times a week both with weights and on a stationary cycle or 'Stairmaster' with arm movement extensions. Those with more severe forms of the disease should try assisted movement exercises and massage to improve comfort and circulation
· TIP: This regimen is a long-term lifestyle change and, once again, must be adhered to strictly

Extracted from Phillip Day's new release, The ABC's of Disease, published by Credence Publications (English language only at this time).

Release Dates:
UK, Ireland, Europe and Russia: 5th September 2003
USA, Canada and South America: 15th September 2003
Australia, New Zealand and Asia: 1st November 2003

More information is at: www.credence.org

Multiple Sclerosis: A Chronic Mycotoxicosis?
by David Holland, MD

(Dr. Dave Holland is the co-author, with Doug Kaufmann, of the new book, "The Fungus Link, Volume 2." Inside this follow-up to their book "The Fungus Link," you'll not only learn about the dangers of antibiotics. You'll also learn about the ins and outs of natural and prescriptive antifungals. Additionally, Doug and Dave share with you the role fungi and their mycotoxins play in what are unfortunately everyday diseases such as prostatitis, ear-nose-throat disorders, weight problems (including obesity and anorexia), autoimmune diseases, hormonal disorders, neurologic diseases, hair loss, and eye problems.
To order either of these books, call 972-772-0990, M-F 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Central, or go to causesandcures.com.)

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, one of several non-profit organizations dealing with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research funding and patient assistance, raised almost $74 million dollars in the fiscal year 2001. It spent $64 million, of which $54.8 million went toward program expenses, and $6.6 million was directed at fundraising efforts. Two million goes toward administrative costs. The CEO alone makes over $300,000. (1)

Still, in the 57 years of the society's existence, no cause for MS has been assigned. I use the word "assigned" and not "found," because I believe a cause has already been found. In our book, "The Fungus Link, Volume 2," Doug Kaufmann and I discuss the role of fungal toxins, called mycotoxins, in the etiology of MS. The evidence brought forth by various scientists over the years and compiled in a small section of this book is quite compelling. It is so compelling that, at this point, I believe scientists will be forced into a position of proving that mycotoxins are NOT the cause of MS, a task at which, I believe, they shall not succeed.

MS is characterized by destruction of the protective sheath - called the myelin sheath - around nerves in the brain and the spinal cord. As a result, the transmission of nerve impulses to other nerves, muscles, and vital organs is interrupted. This impaired nerve function translates into symptoms such as difficulty in walking, abnormal, "pins and needles" sensations throughout the body; pain and loss of vision due to inflammation of the optic nerve, tremors, uncoordination, paralysis, and impaired thinking and memory (2). In addition, muscle wasting, bladder dysfunction, fatigue, osteoporosis, and a host of other problems may develop either directly or indirectly due to this nerve damage.

Although there is a genetic predisposition toward MS, as proven in studies of twins, only a third of those that are genetically susceptible will get MS, indicating there is still an outside factor involved (3). MS is more common in those born and raised above the 37th parallel (a line extending from Newport News, VA to Santa Cruz, CA); however, if a person moves to an area of low risk (i.e. below the 40th parallel) prior to adolescence, they assume the lower risk of their new location. These last points support the idea of an environmental exposure link to the disease.

If outside causes are to blame, then Oppenheim, an early 1900's researcher, was the closest in his assertion that MS is caused by an environmental toxin. Other researchers of his day thought that there was a defect in the blood vessels or in the glial tissues. Pierre Marie, in the late 1800's, felt that MS was caused by an infectious agent. However, despite all of the "infection" theories that have been tested over the past 150 plus years, not one - whether bacteria, virus, Chlamydia or scrapie-like agent - has proven to be the culprit.

So, let's apply what we already know about MS and see if we truly know the cause of MS or not. Mycotoxins are chemicals made by fungi. They are found in grains that have been contaminated with fungi and mold. Some mycotoxins are used for medicinal purposes. Antibiotics, such as penicillin and the cephalosporin drugs, are fungal metabolites - they are mycotoxins. Alcohol is a mycotoxin. Aflatoxin, the most carcinogenic substance on earth, is a mycotoxin. The most commonly contaminated crops are peanuts, corn, and wheat.

Often, other foods such as barley, apples, sorghum and rye can be contaminated as well. Some mycotoxins are produced in our body by the yeast in our intestines or vaginal tract. In one study, 3 women severely symptomatic for vaginal candidiasis were found to have vaginal fluid samples with significant levels of a mycotoxin called gliotoxin (4). From our environment, we can be exposed to mycotoxins through countless routes: ingestion, inhalation, skin contact, etc. The question is, once inside the body, can these mycotoxins damage nerves? Let's answer that question now.

We already know that, in MS, there is a loss of molecules called sphingolipids from the white matter in the central nervous system (5). What is not well known is the fact that mycotoxins can actually disrupt sphingolipid biosynthesis (6). Specifically, gliotoxin, as we mentioned above, on a slightly larger scale can induce nerve cell death (apoptosis).

Gliotoxin is a heat-stable chemical made by Aspergillus, Candida, and other species of fungi. (7). Not coincidentally, scientists have recovered a heat stable toxin from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of MS patients. In this particular study, they took the CSF from MS patients, heat-treated it to destroy any infectious germs, and then exposed it to nerve cells in a laboratory culture. What happened? The nerve cells died! They called this heat-stable toxin "gliotoxin."

The source of gliotoxin appears to be, again, primarily from the yeast and fungi within the human body. As such, gliotoxin is less important an agricultural scourge than other mycotoxins such as fumonisins, made by Fusarium and Aspergillus fungi, and the penetrim D toxin made by Penicillium crustosum. Fumonisins are a group of mycotoxins that happen to be neurotoxic as well as carcinogenic. They are "universally present in corn and corn-based products." (8). Penitrem mycotoxins are found in things such as moldy apple products. Penetrem D can cause tremors, convulsions, limb weakness, and ataxis (unsteady gait), "not unlike the symptoms observed in MS." (9).

As there are different classes of MS (chronic progressive, relapsing-remitting, etc.) it may very well be that the different classes are being caused by different classes of mycotoxins. In addition, the regional differences in the prevalence of MS might be explained by the particular agricultural products that dominate the most affected areas. For example, the part of America that lies above the 37th parallel also happens to encompass the cornbelt. Remember that corn is universally contaminated with mycotoxins (7). This area is also represented by much of the wheat belt. Is this just a coincidence, or good evidence of an environmental exposure risk factor?

Let's talk about some of the latest treatments for MS. Dr. Mercola has already stated in a previous article that most MS drugs are a waste of money (10). The new buzz on the town, however, is that statin drugs (cholesterol-lowering drugs) have proven effective in slowing the progression of MS (11-13). Their effectiveness should not surprise us, in light of the fungal/mycotoxin theory, when we also learn that statin drugs are antifungal (14).

Dr. Mercola has also mentioned in previous articles that Vitamin D as well as plain old sunlight can reduce mortality from and positively influence the immune system in MS (15,16). Other researchers have explained that the reason why these work is, once again, Vitamin D, whether taken in the form of a cod liver oil supplement or made naturally by our body from sunlight exposure, is anti-mycotoxin (14).

Finally, let's talk about diet again. Last year a German researcher claimed that eating smoked sausage in childhood was responsible for causing multiple sclerosis later in life. (16). Dr. A.V. Costantini, retired head of the World Health Organization's collaborating centre for mycotoxins in food, helps us out here by explaining that smoked and aged meats are often contaminated with mycotoxins (18). Thus the cause of MS, according to these and other researchers, is right in our food.

In another of Dr. Mercola's articles, he talked about how starving mice with an MS-like condition resulted in fewer symptoms and decreased progression of the illness (19). Why does starvation work? In our humbled opinion, it could be as simple as: the fewer foods taken in, the fewer mycotoxins that enter the body. You see, if we are following the standard, food-pyramid, grain-based American diet, we are consuming on average from 0.15 to 0.5mg of aflatoxin per day (8). Aflatoxin is the only regulated mycotoxin in America, so what level of exposure we have to the other, known mycotoxins in our diet that we've discussed is a guess, at best. So starvation diets not only deprive us of calories. They also "deprive" us of disease-causing, carcinogenic mycotoxins.

If indeed mycotoxins cause MS, then there are a number of steps one must take to minimize exposure to fungi and their mycotoxins. We just finished talking about diet. Since mycotoxins are commonly found in grain foods (7,8), then it would be wise to minimize grains in our diet. Doug Kaufmann outlines his Initial Phase diet in our book, The Fungus Link, Volume 2. As well, Dr. Mercola has published his book, The No-Grain Diet, which offers equally valuable information. Secondly, we should minimize our exposure to antibiotics.

Antibiotics are, for the most part, derived from fungi and are therefore classified as mycotoxins. If we've taken lots of antibiotics in the past, we should attempt to correct the damage done by these by taking a good probiotic supplement. Lastly, if we have any obvious signs of fungal infection in our body, and to us, simply having MS might qualify as an obvious sign, it might behoove us to take natural or prescriptive antifungals for a period of time. Remember that gliotoxin can be made by fungi and yeast that are already in the body, not necessarily by fungi that reside in contaminated foods.

Doug and I hope that we've given you some insight to this "mysterious" disease of MS. It seems, according to the research we've pointed to, that the cause for this disease is right before our eyes. Now, we just need to apply this knowledge. Future research should be directed at treating the disease as if it were caused by fungi and their devastating mycotoxins.

http://www.mercola.com

References:

1. The Charity Navigator. Charitynavigator.org. July 2003
2. Nationalmssociety.org. Sept. 2002
3. Murray, J. Infection as a cause of multiple sclerosis: theories abound because no one knows the answer yet. Editorials. British Medical Journal. Vol 325:1128. 16 Nov 2002.
4. Shah, D.T, et al. In situ mycotoxin production by Candida albicans in women with vaginitis. Gynecol. Obstet. Invest. 1995;39(1):67-9
5. Harper. Review of Physiological Chemistry, 16th ed. 1977
6. Miller-Hjelle. PKD: an unrecognized emerging infectious disease? Emerging infectious diseases. 3(2):113-127. 1997. CDC
7. Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. Mycotoxins: Risks in Plant, Animal, and Human Systems. Task Force Report 139. Jan 2003. Ames, IA
8. Etzel, R. Mycotoxins. Journal of the American Medical Association. 287(4): 425-427. Jan 23/30, 2002.
9. Iserloh.com/pheitrem.html. July 2003
10. http://www.mercola.com/2003/mar/5/ms_drugs.htm
11. Bouchez, C. Cholesterol drug may offer hope for MS patients. HealthScoutNews, April 2003;
12. Edelson, E. Cholesterol drugs may treat multiple sclerosis. HealthScoutNews. Oct. 7, 2002,
13. Verrengia, J. Statin drugs show M.S. promise. Associated press. Yahoo News. Nov 7, 2002
14. Costantini, A.V. Fungalbionics Series: Etiology and Prevention of Atherosclerosis. Johann Freidrich Oberlin Verlag. Freiburg, Germany. 1998/99
15. http://www.mercola.com/2000/may/28/sunlight_m_s.htm
16. http://www.mercola.com/2001/apr/25/vitamin_d.htm
17. Murphy, D. German researcher claims smoked sausage linked to multiple sclerosis. Meatingplace.com. Sept. 2002
18. Costantini, A., et al. Prevention of Breast Cancer: Hope at Last. Fungalbionic series. Freiburg, Germany. 1998
19. http://www.mercola.com/2003/feb/12/starvation diet/htm

Soy
The Miracle Food or Pandora's Box?
Compiled by: Health Action Network Society

What has science been telling us?
What does history reveal?

"Current evidence for the beneficial effects of soy requires a full understanding of potential adverse effects as well."

Dr D Doerge, scientist from the National Center for Toxicological Research.
_____________________________________________________
Quoted here are many of the scientific research studies on soy spanning the years 1925 through 2001.

Soy Blocks Vitamin and Mineral Absorption
Studies indicate that soy (organic and non-organic) causes increased requirements for vitamins E, K, D and B12. Phytic acid from SPI (soy protein isolate) blocks the absorption of essential minerals and creates deficiency symptoms of calcium, magnesium, magnesium, copper, molybdenum, iron, manganese and especially zinc -in the intestinal tract. (2) This may be contributing to the early onset of osteoporosis in Japan, starting there as early as age 20 versus age 34 in the USA. (1b) Also test animals fed SPI developed enlarged organs, particularly the thyroid gland and pancreas, and caused increased deposition of fatty acids in the liver.

Soybeans have one of the highest phytate levels of any grain or legume. Phytates in soy are highly resistant to normal phytate-reducing techniques such as long, slow cooking. Only long periods of fermentation will greatly reduce soy's phytate levels, but will not eliminate them.

Soy has natural toxins or anti-nutrients.
Soybeans contain potent enzyme inhibitors that block the action of trypsin and other enzymes needed for protein digestion. These inhibitors are not completely deactivated during ordinary cooking. They can produce serious gastric distress, reduced protein digestion and create chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptakes. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors also caused enlargement and pathological conditions of the pancreas, including cancer. (4,5)

Soy contains haemaglutinin, which is a clot-promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together, setting the stage for clogged arteries and stroke.

Endocrine-disrupting isoflavones, genistein and daidzein are goitrogenic components found in soy. In vitro studies suggest isoflavones inhibit synthesis of estradiol and other steroid hormones. Infertility, reproductive problems, thyroid and liver disease due to dietary intake of isoflavones have been observed for several species of animals including mice, cheetah, quail, pigs, rats, sturgeon and sheep. (5)

100 grams of soy protein - the maximum suggested cholesterol lowering dose - can contain almost 600mg of isoflavones, an undeniably toxic amount. Only 45 mg of isoflavones taken daily for one month, in pre-menopausal women, reduced hormones needed for adequate thyroid function. In some of the women, these effects lingered for 3 months after soy consumption was discontinued.

The Swiss Health Service, in 1992, estimated that 100 grams of soy protein provides the estrogenic equivalent of one birth control pill.

Processing of soy adds even more toxins
Much soy is acid washed in aluminium tanks, leaching high levels of aluminium into the final product. Nitrites, potent carcinogens, are formed during spray-drying, and toxic lysinoalanine is formed during alkaline processing. Artificial flavourings, particularly MSG are added to SPI and textured vegetable protein (TVP) products to mask their strong, "beany" taste and to impart the flavour of meat. (9)

Cancer and DNA damage
Thousands of women are now consuming soy in the belief that it protects them against breast cancer. Yet in 1996, researchers found that women consuming soy protein isolate (SPI) had an increased incidence of epithelial hyperplasia, a condition that preceded malignancies. Additionally, genistein was found to stimulate breast cells to enter the breast cancer cycle. ( 5,7,8,) Since 1993, soy has been known to cause DNA damage, chromosome fragmentation and errors in chromosome orientation. (5,3) (4) Soy products may increase breast cancer in pregnant women.(3)

Soy advertisers collectively claim lower rates of reproductive cancers for Japanese and Asians eating soy, while ignoring the fact that these people also have much higher rates of cancer of the esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas and thyroid, particularly as soy causes these same types of cancer in laboratory rats.

Brain - Aging and learning disabilities
Japanese Americans living in Hawaii show a significant statistical relationship between two or more servings of tofu a week and accelerated brain aging (atrophy).

Participants in another study who ate tofu in mid-life had lower cognitive function in later life, experienced greater incidence of Alzheimer's disease and dementia and looked older. There is strong evidence linking brain damage to infants using soy formulas. (3) (5)

Soy infant formula
Daily exposure of infants to isoflavones in soy infant formula is 6 to 11 times higher on body-weight basis than the dose that has negative hormonal side effects in adults consuming soy foods.

Approximately 25 per cent of bottle-fed children in the US receive soy-based formula - a much higher per cent than in other parts of the Western world. Toxicologist Dr Mike Fitzpatrick estimated that infants exclusively fed soy formula receive the estrogenic equivalent (based on body weight) of at least 5 birth controls pills per day. By contrast, almost no phyto-estrogens have been detected in dairy-based infant formula or in human milk, even when the mother consumes soy products.

In the 1986 Puerto Rico Premature Thelarche Study, the most significant dietary association with premature sexual development was not chicken, as the press reported, but soy infant formula.

Early maturation in girls is frequently an indicator of problems with their reproductive system in later life, including failure to menstruate, infertility, breast cancer and possibly uterine cancer. (8) Problems in both sexes associated with soy-based infant formula later in life also include extreme emotional behaviour, immune system problems, pituitary insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, thyroid disorders including thyroid problems in babies and infantile leukaemia.

Thyroid problems
Asians throughout the world have high rates of thyroid cancer. Japanese researchers reported in 1991 that consumption of as little as 30 grams or 2 tablespoons of soybeans per day for only one month resulted in significant decrease in thyroid-stimulating hormone. Diffuse goiter and hypothyroidism appeared in some of the subjects and many complained of fatigue, lethargy and constipation, even though their intake of iodine was adequate. (5)

Soy warning labels, for medical reasons
The USA's FDA ignored two of their own expert research scientists, Daniel Sheehan, PhD and Daniel Doerge, PhD, who expressed serious concerns regarding the perceived safe use of soy, if soy was to be granted a 'health claim'. In their letter of protest they said, "…it is inappropriate to allow a health claim for SPI….. it could be misinterpreted…. the health labelling of SPI for foods need to be considered just as would the addition of any 'estrogen' or 'goitrogen' to foods, which are bad ideas. Estrogenic and goitrogenic drugs are regulated by the FDA, and are taken under a physician's care. Patients are informed of risks, and are monitored by their physicians for evidence of toxicity. No similar safeguards are in place for foods, so the public will be put at potential risk from soy isoflavones in SPI without adequate warning and information."

Soy protein has not been given GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status because of its carcinogenic properties; neither has it been given pre-market (1a,5) approval for its use in food. It is reasonable to ask - is it even legal to add to our food? (4)

'Toxic Load' means that the risk is a function of dose length, dose strength, and of the physical condition of the consumer. Reference: "The Dose Makes the Poison: A Plain-Language Guide to Toxicology," 2nd edition, by M. Alice Ottoboni.

References
1a from The Weston A. Price Foundation. www.Westonaprice.org Also
see update (1b). Both are c 2000 by S. Fallon & M.G. Enig, PhD:
(1a) "Newest Research on Why You Should Avoid Soy" www.mercola.com/article/soy/avoid_soy.htm>and
(1B) "Tragedy and Hype: The Third International Soy Symposium,"www.westonaprice.org/soy/tragedy.html
(2) The Gerson Institute, 1572 Second Avenue, San Diego, California 92101, Phone; 619 685 5353 www.gerson.org/
(3) Optimal Wellness Center, by Dr. Joseph Mercola, and newsletter "eHealthy News you Can Use" www. mercola.com (In 'search', type: soy)
(4) The 1958 "Delaney Amendment" to the USA FDA Reg.s prohibits the use of any food additive if it is found to cause cancer in any animal species or man, at any dose level.
www.iisd1.iisd.ca/pcdf/meadows/delaney.htm
(5) Soy OnLine Service, SOS, are a small group of private citizens from New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom. They have no industry connections and are not funded by any outside interest groups. Their mission is to uncover truths about soy and to provide consumers with an alternative opinion to the information generated from the soy industry. www.soyonlineservice.co.nz
(6) USA Scientists Protest Soy Approval, FDA Lay Out Concerns. Researchers, Daniel Doerge PhD and Daniel Sheehan PhD are two of the USA's Food and Drug Administration 's experts on soy who signed a Feb 18 1999 letter of protest documenting 26 referenced studies that show a link between eating soy and serious health problems. www.abcnews.go.com/onair/2020/2020_000609_soyfdaletter_feature.html
(7) Estrogen found in soy stimulates human breast-cancer cells in mice . Three studies from the University of Illinois, Nov 1, 2001, www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-11 uoia-efi110101.php Abstract EurekAlert Medical Archives.
(8) Basing infant formula on soy? American Association for Cancer Research, article "Uterine Adenocarcinoma in Mice Treated Neonatally with Genistein" June 1, 2001. www.cancerres.aacrjournals.org?cgi/content/abstract/61/11/4325 Abstract, Cancer Research, 61:4325-4328.
(9) The Doctor Within, The Magic Bean? Soy-Taintly Not! www.the doctorwithin.com/articles/magic_bean.html Soybean-Bad www.rogerkyoung.com/soybean.html.

Further details available from Health Action Network Society. www.hans.org
A comprehensive information package on soy is available from The Health Action Network Society.

Supplement Regulation:
Who's Behind It, and Why Should You Oppose It?
by Brian W. Vaszily

Let's make sure that all vitamin and herbal supplements are clinically proven to do what they claim, and that they're safe, before they reach the consumer. Let's ensure that their ingredients are closely monitored, and that their labels and advertisements tell the truth and nothing but, so that their consumption can be based on informed and confident decisions.

What pretty ideals. Pretty enough, in fact, for a host of politicians and governments, and the pharmaceutical corporations that control them, to hide a considerably more ugly agenda behind.

Right now a war is being fought over the regulation of supplements, with the various battles at different stages in countries across the globe. The European Union already passed its Food Supplements Directive in July of 2002, framing it on the principle that supplements should be proven safe and effective in the same manner as pharmaceuticals. The UK did not immediately implement this directive, but will do so come the end of this month. Australia, Canada, New Zealand and a host of other nations are involved in their own battles, and here in the U.S. Senator Dick Durbin's proposed "Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2003," one of the first shots in what will undoubtedly become a mounting campaign.

In general, the claim behind these bills and directives supporting tighter (and tighter and tighter) restrictions on supplements is that they will make the world a safer place for us, the consumers. Yeah, and so would military occupation of our towns and cities. In reality, it will have a polar effect on our health and safety. And it will be chilling.

Keeping You on the Motherland
On a routine basis, Cubans attempt to escape their homeland on boats bound for U.S. shores. The ocean waters are certainly not safe, and there are rarely any guarantees waiting for them here. Nonetheless, the potential, the possibilities, are a far better option than the dangerously flawed regime they are trying to leave behind.

This is an apt metaphor in this situation. Because if one thing is certain it is this: the conventional healthcare system, our 'Cuba', is seriously diseased. It is dominated by industries who are motivated by profit and who therefore foster whatever will most increase their profits, your health be damned. For example, processed food is far cheaper to produce, deliver and store than much healthier whole foods, and so its processed foods that are dumped en masse into our supermarkets, restaurants and brains. And prescription drugs that merely treat symptoms versus prevent or cure the underlying causes are a whole lot more profitable because, well, when they keep you coming back for more and more treatment, they've made a customer for life.

Most people, meanwhile, have been brainwashed by this conventional healthcare regime. They don't even realize their daily habits like eating are the primary part of their healthcare, and so it's quite easy for their habits and assumptions to be manipulated by the regime. Only when they get sick or overweight does their perception of healthcare, fostered by the pharmaceutical companies and others on that side of the regime, kick in: they will go to the doctor to get a prescription to "save" them. And these days, in almost 70% of all patient visits, physicians do indeed give them the drugs they crave. But if that doesn't work, if things get serious or seriously inconvenient, they move on to surgery.

Of course, most prescription drugs and surgeries, reflecting conventional healthcare as a whole, have nothing to do with prevention and addressing the causes of illness -- they're all about merely treating symptoms so people can move on with their unhealthy lifestyles and get more symptoms that need treating. It's great for repeat business.

Some people, however, are aware of the deadly downward spiral of the conventional healthcare system. They are refugees from an oppressive system, to be blunt about it, seeking better alternatives to prevent and cure illness, and live longer. And here is the key point of the matter that's caused this recent surge in opposition to supplements: their numbers are increasing dramatically, and they are finding those better alternatives.

Between 1997 and 2001, there was a 15% increase in sales of vitamin/mineral supplements. In 2002, the overall market for the alternatives to prescription drugs, processed and fast food, and surgery -- that is, natural/organic foods, dietary supplements and other natural products -- was $37 billion.

Those numbers, that attempt to escape from conventional healthcare's stranglehold, is what is behind the recent worldwide war being waged on the leader among alternatives, supplements, at over $17 billion annually. And it's those dictators at the top of conventional medicine, such as the pharmaceutical companies and the governments they own, driving this war. You see, all these alternates like supplements are actually getting people to believe they can prevent illness and avoid trips to doctors' offices, and it's starting to make a dent in their mega-profits, and threatens to make a much bigger dent.

They want to blockade your passage to potentially better shores and force you to stay in their Cuba. They'll put it in pretty terms of course, try to package it as something else like "safety," but that's what they're trying to do, and already in Europe, apparently succeeding in doing.

Let the Deadly Dictators Do the Dictating?
Thomas Moore, a senior fellow in health policy at the George Washington University Medical Center, estimates that prescription drugs -- those reviewed and approved by the FDA -- contribute to 100,000 U.S. deaths each year. One prominent reason for this that I'll visit in an upcoming article is that the entire research and approval process for new drugs is a hoax -- in short, drug makers now pay private for-profit companies to do the clinical studies establishing safety, and the drug companies have a major say in what is and is not reported. Meanwhile, who knows how many deaths they indirectly contribute to by veering people toward an over-dependency on their quick "fixes" and away from a preventative and curative approach to health?

On another front, the overweight/obesity epidemic, fed by other giants profiting heartily on their thrones in the healthcare motherland, is now directly linked to 300,000 deaths per year.
Sure, everybody's "gotta' go sometime," but the numbers above -- only a very partial list, mind you -- are far too many going far too soon because they are trapped in the conventional health paradigm. Meanwhile, even Senator Dick Durbin, in his 03/26/03 press release promoting his Dietary Supplement Safety Act, states that "scientific reports have linked ephedra and similar dietary supplements to 117 deaths and more than 17,000 other health related problems."

You do the math. In fact, go ahead and play devil's advocate by assuming that the number of deaths resulting from conventional health are overblown -- perhaps it's only a couple hundred thousand yearly total -- while those from supplements are too conservative -- perhaps it's actually several hundred yearly total. And then do the maths. Where does the real problem that needs addressing reside?

It is precisely those at the heart of this problem that want to "regulate" supplements. Pardon me for stepping out of the party line, but why would I possibly trust them to make the supplement industry "safe and effective" when I see the monster they've created with conventional healthcare? Why would you?

So What Should You Be Swallowing?
None of this is to say, "So trust everything the supplement makers tell you and consume, consume, consume!" There are a lot of exaggerated claims, inconsistent ingredients between supposedly like products, and other confusion surrounding supplements. I'm sure you wish you could walk into any old store, or log onto any Web site, and know for certain that when an herbal claimed it could help prevent disease, restore youth, and repel rude people, those claims would be backed by solid clinical evidence. But you can't.

For that matter, I'm sure you wish you could trust the big businesses and governments to fairly and honestly test vitamins and herbals so we could make more informed and confident decisions in this respect. But then you learn things like this: a major study undertaken to discredit the herbal St. John's wart in 2001 received "unrestricted funding" from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. St. John's wort, an anti-depressant, has sales of over $400 million per year, cutting a niche into the profit of Pfizer's prescription anti-depressant Zoloft, and Pfizer doesn't like to lose profit. It's not the first or last time a supplement was discredited in an "independent" study that received major pharmaceutical company dollars. Of course, such knowledge (and there's a lot more of it to be had) entirely shoots down any trust in the conventional healthcare establishment.

And so all that's left is reality. And reality is, you must trust your judgment more than any other person or institution when it comes to your health. That means doing whatever you feel is necessary to trust a supplement enough to try it -- researching its claims and source, or finding a source you trust to recommend the proper supplements to you.

To conclude, there are two choices today: the main choice, the conventional healthcare paradigm, and the alternatives, which include supplements. The main choice, being rather deadly, is really no choice at all. Meanwhile, some of these alternatives are indeed pure nonsense, others are questionable, and some have already been proven as sound and worthwhile. But the point is, we all have the capacity, and at least some of us still have the legal ability, to choose from among these alternatives.

The bills and directives across the world to "regulate" supplements are being pushed by the same powers-that-be that turned conventional healthcare into a sick joke for their own greedy ends. With "regulation," they would be the ones controlling the alternatives... and so go the alternatives.

Or to put it back into the Cuban metaphor, it's as if Fidel Castro himself announced to all those trying to escape his oppressive regime that he will now be running a refugee ferryboat service to the shores of Florida. All aboard? Me, I'll take my chances swimming.
www.mercola.com (provides a free newletter)

Trans-Fat: What Exactly is it, and Why is it so Dangerous?
By Dr. Joseph Mercola
with Rachael Droege

Trans fatty acids, also known as trans fat, is an artery-clogging fat that is formed when vegetable oils are hardened into margarine or shortening. It is found in many other foods besides margarine and shortening, however, including fried foods like french fries and fried chicken, doughnuts, cookies, pastries and crackers. In the United States, typical french fries have about 40 percent trans fatty acids and many popular cookies and crackers range from 30 percent to 50 percent trans fatty acids. Doughnuts have about 35 percent to 40 percent trans fatty acids.

Trans fat is known to increase blood levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, while lowering levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL), known as "good" cholesterol. It can also cause major clogging of arteries, type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems, and was found to increase the risk of heart disease. Many food companies use trans fat instead of oil because it reduces cost, extends storage life of products and can improve flavor and texture.

One problem with the use of trans fat is that food companies were not required to list it on nutrition labels so consumers had no way of knowing how much trans fat was in the food they were eating. Further, there is no upper safety limit recommended for the daily intake of trans fat. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only said that "intake of trans fats should be as low as possible."

In a step in the right direction, the FDA has announced a final rule requiring food manufacturers to list trans fat on Nutrition Facts labels. The bad news is that the labels are not required until 2006 so consumers will need to fend for themselves when making food choices until that time.

While some foods like bakery items and fried foods are obvious sources of trans fat, other processed foods, such as cereals and waffles, can also contain trans fat. One tip to determine the amount of trans fat in a food is to read the ingredient label and look for shortening, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil. The higher up on the list these ingredients appear, the more trans fat.

You can also add up the amount of fat in a product (saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), provided the amounts are listed, and compare the total with the total fat on the label. If they don't match up, the difference is likely trans fat, especially if partially hydrogenated oil is listed as one of the first ingredients.

A few companies, like Frito Lay, Lipton, and Nestle have already taken steps to eliminate trans fat in some products. Nestle is removing it from Rolo and Toffee Crisp and possibly other products. Their competitor, Cadbury, is also considering removing trans fats from some of its products.

Recently a lawsuit was filed against Nabisco, the Kraft Foods unit that makes Oreo cookies, seeking a ban on the sale of Oreo cookies because they contain trans fat, making them dangerous to eat. The case was later withdrawn because the lawyer who filed the suit said the publicity surrounding the case accomplished what he set out to do: create awareness about the dangers of trans fat. Kraft is also among the companies making efforts to reduce trans fatty acid in their products.
www.mercola.com

Varicose Veins
by Phillip Day

Profile
Varicose veins are dilated, superficial veins which have widened to a degree where the valves within them do not close properly to prevent blood flowing away from the heart. The condition is experienced in some 50% of middle-aged adults and is believed to be due to weaknesses which develop in the vein walls which cause the vein to lose its elasticity and dilate.

People who stand for long periods of time are at risk, since gravity builds pressure within the veins, causing them to dilate. The cusps of the valves within veins now do not close properly, causing the vein to fill with back-flowing blood, leading to the unsightly condition.

Varicose veins do not usually occur in cultures who consume high-fibre, unrefined foods and exercise regularly - they are a peculiarly western phenomenon where diets are fibre-poor and heavily processed and people exercise sporadically. Low-fibre diets produce straining during defecation, increasing pressure in the abdomen, causing a weakening and dilation of the superficial veins in the legs, leading to varicose veins and haemorrhoids. Traditional treatments include removing the offending veins and the wearing of elastic stockings. Varicose veins may also appear in pregnancy, due again to increased pressure in the abdomen, once again dilating veins. However, these usually clear up in the weeks following delivery before any more permanent weakness can develop in the vein walls, so long as an appropriate exercise and diet regimen is maintained.

Symptoms
Blood pooling in superficial veins causes them to bulge and curl tortuously beneath the skin. Sometimes, patients have 'tired' legs, which ache or itch. Sometimes there is no pain at all.

Take action
The regimen described below is designed to increase fibre intake, increase exercise and oxygenation and provide key nutrients which assist in repairing, strengthening and providing suitable elasticity to the vein walls.

· DIET: COMMENCE THE FOOD FOR THOUGHT LIFESTYLE REGIMEN, paying special attention to high-fibre foods that will aid peristalsis. Also, increase intakes of foods such as blackberries, cherries, blueberries ([pro]anthocyanidins), as well as garlic, onions, cayenne pepper and other circulatory stimulants
· RESTORE NUTRIENT BALANCE: COMMENCE THE BASIC SUPPLEMENT PROGRAM, especially vitamins C (inc. bioflavonoids) and E. Also:
· A pancreatic enzyme supplement, two capsules taken three times daily away from food
· EXERCISE: A regular form of low-impact exercise and weight training will stimulate pooled blood back into circulation. Daily!
· TIPS: Avoid standing still for long periods of time
· Avoid overweight or obesity

Extracted from Phillip Day's new release, The ABC's of Disease, published by Credence Publications (English language only at this time).

Release Dates:
UK, Ireland, Europe and Russia: 5th September 2003
USA, Canada and South America: 15th September 2003
Australia, New Zealand and Asia: 1st November 2003

More information is at: www.credence.org

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