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Saturday, February 20, 2016

Research Warns of Overuse of Powerful Class of Antibiotics

Research Warns of Overuse of Powerful Class of Antibiotics


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The use of a powerful class of antibiotics called carbapenems has increased dramatically in the United States over the past five years, a new study shows.

The increased use of these drugs -- widely regarded as the last option for treating severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria -- is cause for concern because carbapenem-resistant bacteria are becoming more common, the researchers said.

Overuse of carbapenem drugs could lead to the reduction of their effectiveness against tough-to-treat infections.

For this study, the researchers analyzed antibiotic use in 110 VA facilities from 2005 to 2009. They found a gradual rise in overall antibiotic use, but major increases in the use of certain types of antibiotics: carbapenems (102 percent); intravenous vancomycin (79 percent); and combinations of penicillin with beta-lactamase-inhibitors (41 percent).

The investigators also found that fluoroquinolones were the most frequently used class across all the VA facilities, accounting for 20 percent of all antibiotic use.

The study was to be presented Sunday at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) annual meeting, in Dallas.

"Use of these antibiotics helps the patient receiving the treatment, but has future consequences for innocent bystanders. The more these drugs are used, the more resistance we see," study author Dr. Makoto Jones said in a society news release.

"In this era of multidrug-resistant organisms, clinicians are placed in a difficult situation," Dr. Steven Gordon, SHEA president, said in the news release. "As treatment outcomes of many bacterial infections are influenced by the timing of appropriate therapy, the increasing presence of resistant organisms triggers broader use of these powerful antibiotics for proven or suspected infections when treating patients in the hospital."

Gordon added that doctors "must always put the patient first in treatment decisions but we must empower effective antibiotic stewardship programs, infection prevention and control efforts, the development of new diagnostic testing to facilitate better treatment decisions as well as support development of new antibiotics."

Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about antibiotics.
http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/

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Sunday, February 14, 2016

Tips to increase breast milk production

Tips to increase breast milk production


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If you Google ways to increase your breast milk supply, you'll find a wide range of advice, not all of it healthy. Ideas range from prescription medicines to drinking Gatorade, and most of them are poor choices. Many advocate increasing refined sugar intake through sugary drinks and fruit juices.

If your breast milk supply is low, the first two things you need to ask yourself is, "Are you getting enough to eat?" and "Are you drinking enough water?" While sugar can help increase milk supply, extra sugar can also lead to diaper rashes. Instead of fruit juices or refined foods, reach for fruit and water first. Here are four simple, healthy ways to increase your breast milk supply.

Hydration

Proper hydration is the number one key to keeping a good milk supply flowing. Drinks like Gatorade, with all of their artificial flavors, colorings, and additives, actually hinder your milk supply. A good rule of thumb is to drink an 8-oz glass of water every time you breastfeed and carry around a water bottle to sip on throughout the day. Make sure most of what you drink is water, but if the idea of plain water is unappealing, other options do exist.

Other good sources for hydration include coconut water and fruit infusions. Besides tasting great, coconut water is a great source of minerals and electrolytes. Fruit infusions are flavored waters that have traces of vitamins and minerals; they are easy to make at home. Although it may be easier said than done for some, try to avoid caffeinated beverages. If you do drink coffee or tea, make sure to drink extra water.

On the other hand, too much water in the system can inhibit breast milk production. Stay hydrated, but don't keep adding fluids to the body if hydration is not the problem.

Breast Pumping

While not the first go-to for many mothers, pumping, if done in addition to nursing, can be a highly effective way to increase supply. Tricks include pumping after each nursing session, adding an extra pumping session or two during the day, cluster pumping, power pumping, and nursing vacations.

Cluster pumping is when you nurse http://bit.ly/nurse-mobile-clinic and pump every half hour or hour for a couple of hours.

Power pumping is like interval training for breastfeeding. Plan to do this for a couple of days. Pick an hour where you can sit and relax. Pump for twenty minutes, rest for ten, pump again for ten, rest for ten, then pump again for ten minutes.

Nursing vacations include spending two to three days, trying to relax and nurse and pump as often as possible.

All of these techniques help increase supply by mimicking the increased demand from a baby during a growth spurt. Simply put, increased demand for milk will increase the supply.

Natural Galactagogues

Because breast milk production is maintained by local feedback mechanisms (autocrine control), more frequent and more thorough emptying of the breast typically results in an increase in supply. A galactagogue is a substance that promotes lactation in humans and other animals. Natural galactagogues include foods, herbs, teas, and nutritional supplements http://bit.ly/dreddyclinic-supplements. If the breast milk supply is low, even after breast pumping, it may be time to look at galactagogues, but do consider a thorough evaluation with a natural health care practitioner who is familiar with maternal health issues. Maternal hypothyroidism is a common cause of low breast milk production, and medications can also reduce milk as well. For more on increasing breast milk production see the long version of this article, Galactagogues Foods, Herbs, and other Ways to Increase Breast Milk Production http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/galactagogues-foods-herbs-and-other-ways-to-increase-breast-milk-production. Breast milk is only as good as the diet the breastfeeding mom ingests. If there is diaper rash present, it's more often than not caused by Candida. Here's how to kill ithttp://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/how-to-kill-candida-fungi-yeast-in-the-body. And see more on hypothyroidism herehttp://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/issue/15-understand-hypothyroidism-prevention-and-natural-remedies.

Sources:

http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/issue/11-80-raw-food-diet

http://www.mom365.com/baby/breastfeeding/10-foods-to-increase-lactation/

http://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/content.php?pagename=doc-HRMS

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-eating/breastfeeding/hydration-while-breastfeeding

http://kellymom.com/hot-topics/pumping_decrease/

About the author:
Kristina works at Green Lifestyle Market http://www.greenlifestylemarket.com/. A few years ago Kristina was no stranger to illness, but she decided to pursue health and vitality through natural means when she became pregnant. She quickly learned that she could prevent morning sickness and other common ailments other pregnant woman experienced with the right diet. After a healthy home birth, and a beautiful child, she never looked back. Kristina has not had so much as a cold since, and at two years old and unvaccinated, neither has her child. She's passionate about natural health, environmental conservation, and raising her healthy baby without pharmaceuticals.


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Saturday, February 6, 2016

Study accidentally exposes chemotherapy as fraud - tumors grow faster after chemo

Study accidentally exposes chemotherapy as fraud - tumors grow faster after chemo

A team of researchers from Washington state had a giant "Oops!" moment recently when it accidentally uncovered the deadly truth about chemotherapy while investigating why prostate cancer cells are so difficult to eradicate using conventional treatment methods. As it turns out, chemotherapy does not actually treat or cure cancer at all, according to the study's findings, but rather fuels the growth and spread of cancer cells, making them much harder to stamp out once chemotherapy has already been initiated.

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You might call it the "smoking gun" that proves, once and for all, the complete fraud of the conventional cancer industry. Not only is chemotherapy, the standard method of cancer treatment today, a complete flop, based on the findings, but it is actually detrimental for patients with cancer. Published in the journal Nature Medicine, the shock findings which, not surprisingly, are being ignored by the mainstream scientific community, highlight in full detail how chemotherapy causes healthy cells to release a protein that actuallyfeeds cancer cells and causes them to thrive and proliferate.

According to the study, chemotherapy induces healthy cells to release WNT16B, a protein that helps promote cancer cell survival and growth. Chemotherapy also definitively damages the DNA of healthy cells, a long-term detriment that persists long after chemotherapy treatment is stopped. This combined action of healthy cell destruction and cancer cell promotion technically makes chemotherapy more of a cancer-causing protocol than a cancer-treatment protocol, by definition, a fact that should grab the attention of anyone personally familiar with having, or knowing someone else who has cancer.

"WNT16B, when secreted, would interact with nearby tumor cells and cause them to grow, invade, and importantly, resist subsequent therapy," explained study co-author Peter Nelson from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, about the findings, which he dubbed "completely unexpected." "Our results indicate that damage responses in benign cells ... may directly contribute to enhanced tumor growth kinetics," added the entire team about what they observed.

Avoiding chemotherapy improves health outcomes, suggests research

What this means, for all intents and purposes, is that the entire process of chemotherapy is completely worthless, and is actually highly detrimental for cancer patients. Anyone searching for a real cure will want to avoid chemotherapy, in other words, and pursue an alternate route. This may include investigating alternative treatments like the Gerson Therapy http://dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5704, or evaluating anti-cancer foods and nutrients like sodium bicarbonate, turmeric, high-dose vitamin C, and vitamin D.

"Whatever manipulations we're doing to tumors can inadvertently do something to increase the tumor numbers to become more metastatic, which is what kills patients at the end of the day," admitted Dr. Raghu Kalluri, author of a similar study published last year in the journal Cancer Cell. This particular study found that cancer drugs, which are typically pushed alongside chemotherapy, cause tumors to metastasize.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/shock-study-chemotherapy-backfire-cancer-worse-triggering-tumor-growth-article-1.1129897

http://naturalsociety.com/chemotherapy-makes-cancer-far-worse/


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Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Plastics chemicals BPA, BPS linked to altered brain development

Plastics chemicals BPA, BPS linked to altered brain development

Many plastic product manufacturers are starting to put "BPA-free" labels on their products. The plastic industry is slowly moving away from BPA, removing it from baby bottles and plastic food storage containers. This is progress, especially since BPA has been shown to worsen obesity, cancer and behavioral problems.

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However, as manufacturers move away from BPA and assure consumers that their plastics are safe, they ultimately replace it with something just as sinister -- BPS. BPS is like a cousin to BPA. It's also an endocrine disrupter and is linked to some of the same health problems as BPA. In fact, BPS might be worse than BPA.

In zebra fish, BPS has been linked to alteration in brain cell development. Additionally, this new study finds that BPS causes hyperactive behavior. (The brains of zebra fish develop similarly to humans and are a perfect testing ground for the effects of chemicals like BPA and BPS.)

BPS changes timing of neuron development in the hypothalamus

In a new study out of the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, scientists exposed zebrafish to various doses of BPA and BPS. The doses were nearly equivalent to the concentrations measured in Alberta's Oldman River, a waterway near two urban areas. Both BPA and BPS raped neuron development in the brains of the zebrafish, altering the timing and rate at which new neurons develop. The most affected region of the brain was the hypothalamus, which regulates hunger, mood, hormones, body temperature and heart rate. It appears that the scientists are getting to the root of the chemicals' hormone disruption http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=122&t=33420. The chemicals are altering the neurons responsible for regulating hormone production.

The fish embryos that were exposed to BPA http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=32616 experienced an explosion of new brain cell growth compared to controls. The scientists measured a 180 percent increase. Fish embryos exposed to BPS were affected even more. Scientists confirmed a 240 percent increase. This shows that BPS plastics might be worse than BPA plastics http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=32615, interfering with brain development at a much faster rate.

The scientists concluded that the fish were generating too many neurons at once, adversely affecting the crucial functions in the hypothalamus. They also found that the influx of neurons up front caused periods of slow neuron growth later on. These abnormal fluxes disrupt the formation of connections in neural circuitry. This elicits adverse behaviors in the fish and could very well explain adverse and erratic behaviors in children. Perhaps these discoveries may help explain bipolar and schizophrenic behaviors. They could be the result of abnormal neuron growth in the hypothalamus caused by these plasticizers.

Plastics manufacturers should start making plastic products that are totally "bisphenol-free"

The researchers wrote that BPA-free products are no safer and often contain BPS which is also an endocrine disrupter. Their work was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They said they "support the removal of all bisphenols from consumer merchandise."

They pointed out that the zebrafish used in the study were at the same developmental period as the second trimester of babies in the uterus. This might mean that BPA and BPS exposure could affect the brain development of a baby before they are even born. Exposure to these chemicals in the womb could help explain why certain developmental problems occur in childhood. This might not be limited to just behavior but may account for other malfunctions in the hypothalamus regarding proper hormone production, weight gain and more.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2015/01/bpa_alternative_bisphenol_s.html

http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/21148/20150113/bpa-bps-plastics-cause-changes-brain-development.htm

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-01/uoc-rfb010915.php


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Monday, February 1, 2016

Anti-malaria drug given to soldiers linked to depression

Anti-malaria drug given to soldiers linked to depression

A pharmaceutical drug developed by the United States Army as a supposed treatment and preventive agent for malaria is instead proving to be an ineffective, deadly, psychotropic poison. The drug, known as mefloquine (or Lariam under its brand name), is reportedly causing British soldiers to develop severe depression and mental illness, and some political leaders are now calling for its removal from the official military drugging schedule.

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Tory Parliament Member (MP) Johnny Mercer, a former army officer, is demanding that all administration of mefloquine be halted until further research into the drug's side effects is carried out for the safety of military servicemen. Mercer says he's received dozens of letters from soldiers and their families who say the drug induced serious health conditions that weren't present prior to taking the drug.

"I've had a letter about once or twice a week from not only constituents but people all over the U.K. who have suffered or know someone who has suffered, they believe, as a result of taking Lariam," Mercer told the Mirror.

"I just think we need to halt putting this drug out there for our guys and girls to use it until a proper study has been done, so that we know and more importantly our soldiers and their families know that this is a good defense against malaria and they can feel comfortable taking it."

U.S. government admits mefloquine can cause psychosis, depression, homicide and suicide

Lariam, as you may recall, is the same drug associated with the 2002 Fort Bragg murder-suicide case. Four soldiers stationed at this base reportedly murdered their wives while taking the drug, and two of them ended up committing suicide.

Mefloquine immediately became a suspect in this horrific event because it is known at the scientific level to cause neuropsychiatric adverse events. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) lists the following as side effects of mefloquine https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a603030.html:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Psychosis
• Schizophrenia
• Feelings of mistrust towards others
• Hallucinations
• Thoughts of suicide or harming yourself
• Unusual behavior

Somehow, the possibility of catching malaria doesn't seem nearly as bad as losing your mind or killing yourself and your loved ones as a result of taking mefloquine. Nevertheless, mefloquine continues to be given to soldiers as some type of cure-all for malaria http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/mm/malaria.php (which it's not), even when safe and effective alternatives like methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), or "Miracle Mineral Supplement," are already preventing and curing malaria without deadly side effectshttp://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=33002.

"Longer-term, the effects (of mefloquine) manifested into clinical depression -- something that is entirely new for me and which has a broad and devastating effect, especially on my family," stated one anonymous senior source in the British Army to BBC News, as relayed by the Mirror.

"I believe firmly that the mefloquine I was given by the Army as an anti-malarial has induced lasting psychotropic effects, as I have never been affected by anything like this before. As a once-proud officer and committed family man, I am now left struggling with depression, which is such a pervasive condition."

Doctor says mefloquine never should have been licensed in the first place

Following the 2002 murder-suicide tragedy at Fort Bragg, Dr. Remington Nevin, a consulting physician epidemiologist, conducted his own investigation into mefloquine and came to the conclusion that it never should have been licensed in the first place because it's not safe.

"Mefloquine is clearly too dangerous for continued use," Dr. Nevin stated. "And future antiviral [drugs] which share these properties should be banned."

Sources for this article include:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/anti-malaria-drug-mefloquine-faces-6266464

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-dark-side-of-lariam/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a603030.html

http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=33002

http://www.army-technology.com/features/featuremefloquine-the-militarys-deadly-malaria-treatment-4402886/


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