GLOBAL HEALING CENTER, INC. "Worldwide Leaders In Advanced Alternative Medicine" www.ghchealth.com / www.oxypowder.com Alternative Health & Healing Newsletter April 2003   Alternative Health & Healing Newsletter April, 2003 Dr. Group’s Quote of the Month: “When you are feeling down and nothing seems to be going the way you want it to go, sit back, relax, have faith and know that tomorrow is a new day and could bring sunshine and happiness into your life.” CONTENTS: Orwell Redux (Featured Article) Aluminum In Drinking Water Tied To Alzheimer’s Stress, And Why All Obesity Is Not Created Equal Green Tea Extract Helps Acne After The Chemo — Do You Remember? Brewers Prepare To Seduce Young Drinkers With Wave of ‘Viagra Pops’ Airline Passengers Are Sprayed For Bugs Kids Eat Too Much Fluoride From Foods Sex Life of Worms Reveals Chernobyl Effect Store Your Food In Glass Not Plastic Orwell Redux Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute If you're a U.S. citizen, as of April 15, 2003 you now have a medical identification number. Some will tell you that your new ID number helps protect your privacy. And while to some extent it does, the protections are largely superficial. The disturbing truth is that your medical privacy is now beyond your control. The next time you visit your doctor, you may notice some changes. For instance, you might see privacy screens placed around the edges of computer monitors to prevent someone from glancing at your personal medical information. And once you've received your new medical ID number, the receptionist may call you in from the waiting room by your number instead of your name - a procedure designed to protect your privacy from others in the waiting room. (Speaking for myself, this completely impersonal and unnecessary procedure is not a protection that I've been longing for.) More importantly, you'll be asked to read a description of the new federal regulation that, in theory, is designed to protect the privacy of your medical records in this new age of electronic record-keeping and file transfer. And you'll be asked to sign a document, stating that you've read about the new regulation, understand it, and agree to the new procedures. Ready for the kicker? If you don't sign the form, your doctor is allowed to refuse to treat you and your insurance company is allowed to refuse coverage. If you're wondering why this new "privacy" that's granted to you is, in effect, being forced down your throat, the answer lies in the fact that these regulations actually weaken your ability to restrict access to your medical history. The source of the revised federal medical privacy rule is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), passed by Congress in 1996. And I'll offer this benefit of the doubt: the original idea that led to this act may very well have had a good intention to protect the privacy of our medical records. But something went awry as this good idea passed through the massive Congressional and regulatory maze. If you roll a snowball down a long muddy hill, you end up with a muddy snowball. As the rule now stands, doctors, dentists, pharmacists, hospital personnel, and even psychotherapists have to abide by new requirements that can be as simple as providing a secure area for private consultations, or as high tech as encryption software for computer programs. The government estimates that healthcare providers will spend as much as $4 billion to comply with these measures. And do you imagine those costs will be passed along to the patients? You can be absolutely sure of that. So what will we get in return for all of this bureaucratic effort and exorbitant expense? Here are a few of the realities of the new "privacy" rule: * Doctors and insurance companies may now share a patient's health information with third parties (including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)) without asking the patient for permission. * A patient cannot withhold medical information from HHS. * Doctors and insurance companies are not required to give patients an accounting of third parties with whom their information is shared. * A patient's request for such an accounting can be denied. * Doctors and insurance companies can share a patient's medical records with the FDA as well as foreign governments who may be collaborating with U.S. health officials. * If the privacy of a patient's medical records has been violated, the patient can issue a complaint to HHS, but the department is not required to investigate the complaint. Furthermore, the patient cannot bring a lawsuit against a doctor or an insurance company for a breach of privacy. To say that these regulations shamefully contradict the ethic of doctor/patient confidentiality is to put it mildly. That age-old standard is now out the window. But I saved the best one for last: HHS may now access a patient's phychotherapy notes. That's right: the most sacrosanct area of all - the health of your psyche - is now open to government examination. They don't have to ask for your permission, and they don't have to tell you if they're sharing your most private thoughts with third parties. Welcome to "1984" - just 19 years late. What can you do about all this? Frankly, not much. The Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information rule officially went into effect on April 14, 2001. The "enforcement" of that rule goes into effect today. Normally I don't report to you about situations in which you have no course of action. But even though this new rule is signed, sealed, and (as of today) delivered, there is one way you can make your voice heard. The Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC - a non-profit organization that promotes the right of each individual to control his health care decisions) has prepared a form titled "Declaration of Medical Privacy Intent". You can print out this form from their web site (cchconline.org), fill in the appropriate information, and then instruct your doctor, psychologist, pharmacist, and insurance companies to include the form with your permanent records. Or, if you don't feel comfortable using the CCHC form, you can write a letter declaring that you do not wish to have your private medical information shared with any third parties without your written consent. What authority this letter or the CCHC form might carry is questionable. It's certainly possible that someone might see it and respect your wishes. And I imagine that at some point push will come to shove and the legality of this new rule will be tested in court. In that case, a written declaration insisting that your medical records remain private could carry weight in a legal proceeding. I should know better, but I find it hard to believe that any judge sworn to uphold the U.S. Constitution would deny a patient his right to doctor/patient confidentiality. But then, I find it hard to believe that this new rule is being allowed to trample our basic right to privacy in the first place. Laura Sherrill, a hospital administrator in charge of medical records, told the Honolulu Star Bulletin last week, "From now on, it's going to be a new world." I hope she's wrong, but I'm afraid she's right. Sources: "Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information" 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164, access.gpo.gov; "Declare Your Medical Privacy Intentions" Citizens' Council on Health Care, cchconline.org; "Update on the Federal Medical Privacy Rule: Questions and Answers" Sue Blevins, Deborah Grady, Institute For Health Freedom, forhealthfreedom.org; "Patient Rights Under HIPAA" Washington Post, 4/8/03, washingtonpost.com; "New Federal Health Privacy Rules Readied" James Hagengruber, Billings Gazette, 4/10/03, billingsgazette.com; "New Privacy Rules Mean More Paperwork" Lara Hueth, The Caledonian-Record Online Edition, 3/31/03, caledonianrecord.com; "'New World' Imminent For Medical Files" Helen Altonn, Honolulu Star Bulletin, 4/9/03, starbulletin.com COMMENT: Some of you may be interested in copying the form below and taking it with you to all doctor’s appointments. The new law, HIPPA Privacy Regulations, which allows the government to have access to all of our medical records, is outrageous, ridiculous and scary. Doctors will be required to write down not only all meds that you are taking but also all supplements/herbs/vitamins that you are taking AND, on a moments notice, share them with government authorities. Can you see where this is leading? We have no one to blame but ourselves...this is what happens when we "fall asleep" and become complacent. Every family in American should be on the phone or writing a letter to their Congressmen. Unfortunately since the regulations are now "on the books" the legality of this issue will have to be settled in the courts. We are slowly but surely giving away our freedoms...notice that I said "giving"...the government does not have to forcefully take them away when they know that 90% of Americans have no clue as to what is going on in government. The sad news is that most of us don't care "until" it's too late! There is also another good form (more detailed) at: www.cchconline.org Click on Medical Privacy Declaration Forms on the right side. You are more likely to find a physician who can legally keep your records private among the members of organizations that focus more on natural-medicine. Some of these are: American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (877) 969-2267 or (703) 610-9037 www.naturopathic.org Alternative Medicine.Com www.alternativemedicine.com Click on practitioner's pages at the top. American College for Advancement in Medicine (800) 532-3688 or (949) 583-7666 www.acam.org "Many things in Washington are misnamed; however, this regulation may be the most blatant case of false advertising I have come across in all my years in Congress. Rather than protect an individual right to medical privacy, these regulations empower government officials to determine how much medical privacy an individual ‘needs.' Ron Paul, MD - Congressman from Texas Print this form, sign and give to your doctor, dentist, therapist, chiropractor and all others who keep your medical files. Please be aware that presenting this or any other similar form may result in the denial of services by your physician. Patient Request for Non-Disclosure of Medical Records I, ___________________________, hereby assert my constitutional right to privacy and expressly forbid my physician, and anyone acting under his or her control, from releasing any of my medical records to a third party without my express consent. In particular, I decline to consent to the release of my medical records for the purpose of entry into a computer database which may be accessed by third parties outside of the offices or hospitals utilized by my physician. _______________________________________________Signature __________Date ______________________________________________________________ Address ____________________________City ____________ State _______________Zip Aluminum in Drinking Water Tied to Alzheimer's By Jacqueline Stenson SAN DIEGO (Reuters Health) - Adding support to a controversial theory linking aluminum with Alzheimer's disease, new research indicates the disease is more common in regions of northwest Italy where levels of aluminum in drinking water are highest. And when the investigators studied the effects of one form of the metal on two types of human cells in the lab, they found it hastened cell death. "We were absolutely surprised by these results," said study author Dr. Paolo Prolo, a researcher at the University of California at Los Angeles. "I did not expect any effect from aluminum." In findings released here Monday at the annual Experimental Biology meeting, Prolo and colleagues focused on monomeric -- single molecule -- aluminum. This is the type that can be most easily absorbed by human cells, he said. When the researchers tested water in regions of northwest Italy in 1998, they found that total aluminum levels -- including monomeric and other types of aluminum -- ranged from 5 to 1,220 micrograms per liter, while monomeric aluminum levels alone ranged from 5 to 300 micrograms per liter. Environmental officials generally recommended that total aluminum levels be below 200 micrograms per liter, Prolo noted. Back in the lab, Prolo and colleagues then tested the effects of monomeric aluminum on human immune-system cells and bone cancer cells. Ideally, human brain cells would be tested but these are not readily available because a biopsy of a patient's brain is necessary to acquire them, he said. "We found that a very low quantity of aluminum added to our cell cultures was modifying cellular processes" like normal cell death, Prolo told Reuters Health. When the aluminum was paired with beta-amyloid, a protein found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, the combination killed off even more cells. Because aluminum could kill both types of human cells, these findings raise the question of whether aluminum is potentially involved in other diseases, Prolo said. Check out our recommendations on how to get your water supply safe: http://www.ghchealth.com/ghc/water-purification.html STRESS, AND WHY ALL OBESITY IS NOT CREATED EQUAL By Paul J. Rosch, MD Paul Rosch, MD, FACP, is clinical professor of medicine and psychiatry at New York Medical College and is President of the American Institute of Stress, and Honorary Vice-President of the International Stress Management Association. Obesity is an established risk factor for hypertension, stroke, heart attacks, heart failure and a host of other things ranging from lung and kidney disease to diabetes, insulin resistance and certain cancers. It's easy to comprehend how a lot of excess weight can elevate blood pressure and put a strain on the heart, lungs and kidneys or that increased caloric intake can boost blood sugar to trigger repeated releases of insulin that eventually exhaust the pancreas and cause diabetes. But it's not that simple. All obesity is not created equal and where that extra fat is deposited may be more important than how much of it there is. It is well established that people with apple-shaped figures, due to increased abdominal fat, are at greatest risk for these problems. Recent research has shed some light on the reasons for this as well as the causes of deep belly fat. Eating too much and not exercising enough are certainly contributing factors but may not be as important as stress. Cortisol, a steroid hormone manufactured in the adrenal cortex appears to be the major culprit. Cortisol secretion is increased in Cushing's syndrome, a disorder that is associated with increased abdominal fat. Most cases of Cushing's syndrome are due to a tumor that produces excess amounts of ACTH, a pituitary hormone that stimulates the adrenal cortex to secrete cortisol. Following removal of the tumor, this excess abdominal fat diminishes or disappears as cortisol levels return to normal. This led to the hypothesis that some forms of obesity might represent a mild form of Cushing's syndrome but since most obese people do not have elevated cortisol levels that theory was discarded. However, about 25 years ago, researchers compared cortisol concentrations in samples of subcutaneous and deep abdominal fat obtained from patients undergoing surgery, most of whom were of normal weight. The belly fat had higher levels of cortisol and it was subsequently found that this was due to greater activity of an enzyme that regenerates cortisol from inactive precursors. This finding resurrected interest in the role of cortisol but there was little progress until a few years ago, when advances in genetic engineering made it possible to link the gene for this enzyme in mice to a promoter that only activated it in fat tissue. Genetically altered mice bred in this fashion had 2.5 times more enzyme activity and 14 to 30% higher concentrations of cortisol in their belly fat than normal mice. Although, as in most obese humans, blood cortisol was not increased, these pot-bellied mice subsequently began to exhibit insulin resistant diabetes, hypertension and other manifestations of the metabolic syndrome that increases risk for coronary heart disease in humans. The clinical relevance of this is supported by a recent report that obese men have higher levels of this cortisol recycling enzyme activity in their fat tissue than leaner controls. Stress causes increased pituitary secretion of ACTH that also results in an elevation of cortisol and a shift in fat distribution to the abdomen. Chronically stressed primates with high cortisol levels develop a corresponding increase in abdominal fat deposits. A study of Swedish men similarly found that with those with the highest levels of chronic stress also had the highest cortisol measurements and the greatest amount of deep belly fat. Since the only way to accurately determine the amount of hidden abdominal fat is with expensive CT or MRI scans, most researchers usually rely on the waist/hip ratio (WHR) that only requires a tape measure. In one report, premenopausal women with a high WHR reported more chronic stress and had greater reactivity to stressful challenges compared to low WHR controls. In another study, a high WHR in middle-aged men was associated with increased depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances and other stress related symptoms. There are gender differences since men are more apt to gain weight in the belly whereas women tend to accumulate peripheral fat and such pear-shaped individuals are less likely to suffer the metabolic complications of obesity. Indeed, Danish researchers reported last month that older women with excessive fat in the arms, legs, hips and buttocks had significantly less atherosclerosis than those whose fat was primarily abdominal. The reason appears to be that peripheral fat secretes hormone-like substances that decrease insulin resistance, some of which might be useful in preventing or treating metabolic syndrome. Obesity due to stress and cortisol is not apt to occur in younger individuals because of the protective effects of other steroids like testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. It is after age 40, when these sex hormones begin to decline that we start to see what is often referred to as" middle aged spread". Although men whose waist size is greater than 40 inches and women whose waists are wider than 35 inches are at particular risk, significant increases in abdominal fat can be found in those whose measurements are a few inches less. Abdominal fat contains more cortisol receptors than other tissue and it has been suggested that circulating cortisol is preferentially attracted here so the liver can have easy access to fuel that may be needed for physical activity during stressful situations. Deep belly fat releases large amounts of free fatty acids into the portal circulation that continually stimulate the liver to produce glucose. In that regard, it should be noted that stress causes increased secretion of adrenaline and other hormones from the adrenal medulla that also increase fatty acid and blood sugar levels. When stimulated in vitro, abdominal fat cells secrete many more inflammatory molecules than fat cells from subcutaneous sites. Abdominal fat cells produce large amounts of IL-6 and other inflammatory cytokines that can contribute to diabetes, insulin resistance and coronary disease. This is important since there is a striking correlation between increased abdominal fat and increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation that has been found to be superior to LDL for predicting coronary events. The $64 dollar question is "What controls the release of fatty acids and cytokines from visceral fat depots in the first place"? It is believed that the signal comes from the brain since this release is cyclic rather than constant. The brain tends to control many activities by emitting pulsed signals at regular frequencies and chemicals are released from deep belly fat in nine-minute cycles much like other activities that are controlled by the cerebral cortex. How this signal reaches its target is not clear since no humoral or central nervous system effects can be detected. However, there is increasing evidence to support the concept of an electrical circulatory system in the body that mediates the myriad and instantaneous biochemical and physiologic changes that occur in "fight or flight" responses to stress. Björn Nordenström has proposed that these communication pathways are analogous to ancient Chinese concepts of meridians that conduct Qi energy, with its antagonistic yin and yang components being similar to positive and negative charges. Although much more research is required, it is quite evident that not all obesity is created equal and that cortisol and stress can play a decisive role in determining these differences. For info on how to lose weight effectively while getting the body healthy, go to: http://www.ghchealth.com/ghc/healthproducts.html?start=1&catid=1 Green Tea Extract Helps Acne By K.L. Capozza UPI Science News From the Science & Technology Desk Published 3/24/2003 11:07 AM SAN FRANCISCO, March 24 (UPI) -- Long touted for its health-promoting properties, green tea might be an effective treatment for acne, a study suggests. Green tea has been shown to fight bacteria, reduce inflammation and decrease hormone activity -- three characteristics that make the ancient tea an excellent candidate for an acne therapy. "This study showed that 3 percent green tea cream is comparable to 4 percent benzoyl peroxide in the treatment of moderate to severe acne," said lead author, Dr. Jennifer Gan-Wong, with the Memorial Medical Center in the Philippines. Gan-Wong presented her team's findings at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting. Researchers from tested the promising candidate -- in the form of a 3 percent green tea extract cream -- vs. the leading treatment for acne, 4 percent benzoyl peroxide cream. A computer randomized a group of 108 subjects into one of two treatment groups. One applied benzoyl peroxide cream twice daily for 12 weeks and the other used green tea extract cream twice daily for the same period. Patients received identical bottles of cream and were unaware of the type of treatment they were assigned. Subjects were examined and photographed each week by dermatologists, who also were unaware which treatment each patient had been given. The researchers noted the green tea cream seemed to lighten patients' skin color and improve the overall appearance of their complexion. Green tea therapy might be appealing to consumers because conventional wisdom holds that natural products are less toxic and have fewer side effects than other drug products, the researchers said. The preliminary data suggest green tea extract cream causes fewer side effects than benzoyl peroxide treatment. Patients in the green tea group reported fewer cases of dry skin, itching and allergic responses... The finding could be relevant to the millions of Americans who suffer from acne breakouts, a condition which affects nearly 85 percent of the U.S. population and has a detrimental affect on self-esteem and well-being. What is the answer to having healthy and younger looking skin? http://www.ghchealth.com/ghc/details.html?ItemID=15 After the Chemo -- Do You Remember? By Amanda Gardner HealthScoutNews Reporter WEDNESDAY, April 9 (HealthScoutNews) -- Mark Laufer can tell you the exact instant he realized something was wrong. Laufer, 43, had just exited the New York City subway station at West 72nd Street in Manhattan and was walking home when he noticed a message on his cell phone. That wasn't unusual. But when he went to retrieve the message, like he had hundreds of times before, he couldn't. And it wasn't the phone that was the problem. "I could not for the life of me remember my password or remember the process for retrieving the message," he says. Laufer stood in this memory fog for more than 20 minutes, getting more and more agitated, before he finally remembered how to complete the process. In retrospect, Laufer realized many other things had been eluding him over the previous several months, ever since he had undergone chemotherapy for breast cancer. The cancer itself was diagnosed in June 2002, and the cell phone incident took place only two months after Laufer's last chemo session. "There were very basic things that were not coming out of my mouth. It felt like a physical thing," he recalls. "Everyone is absentminded at one time or another but this was a different feeling, as though somebody turned a switch off in my brain right in the middle of my sentence, and the word was kind of left behind the door. And I couldn't open the door. I physically can feel the block in my brain. I know that I know it, but I can't touch it; I can't retrieve it." Laufer, along with countless other cancer patients, has been suffering from "chemobrain," a set of changes affecting memory, attention and concentration that seem to result after chemotherapy. The syndrome has been described by cancer patients for years, but it's only recently that the medical establishment has started paying attention. Dr. Stewart Fleishman, director of cancer supportive services at Continuum Cancer Centers of New York at Beth Israel Medical Center and St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, first heard the term from a patient in the early 1990s. "I didn't understand the magnitude of the problem," he says. Now he's involved in a clinical trial to investigate if a central nervous system stimulant called Focalin, which is approved to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, might also mitigate chemobrain. "This has never really been acknowledged by the cancer community because people didn't use to live so long with cancer, or they lived and were so appreciative of being alive that they were able to write up cognitive impairment or fatigue as the cost of being alive after cancer," Fleishman explains. "As more and more people, especially younger women, started to live with breast cancer, that changed." Chemobrain fits in with a whole host of other post-cancer problems, including altered taste and digestion, changes in bowel movements, fertility and sexual functioning issues, not to mention worrying about insurance and whether or not the cancer is going to recur. Fatigue and chemobrain are high up on that list, Fleishman says. The cause or causes are a mystery. It's possible that some of the chemotherapy seeps into the brain. There's been more speculation that estrogen is involved because women going through menopause or perimenopause who don't have cancer complain of many of the same symptoms. "When you look at hormonally based cancers such as breast cancer, chemo knocks estrogen and knocks it fast," Fleishman explains. "We know from the non-cancer world that too much estrogen is implicated in depression as is too little." Although there are no rigorous studies behind his advice, Fleishman advocates mental exercise, picking up a new skill, for instance (try learning how to use a palm pilot, as well as various common-sense strategies, good nutrition (including eating long-acting carbohydrates and keeping that intake even across the day) and exercise, which send blood to the brain. "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory or defeat." Theodore Roosevelt Brewers prepare to seduce young drinkers with wave of 'Viagra pops' Stephen Khan Sunday March 23, 2003 The Observer Libido-boosting drinks will flood into bars this summer as young clubbers are targeted with a potent new range of products that have been dubbed 'Viagra pops'. Powerful blends of Chinese aphrodisiacs, vodka and passion fruit will create a 'generation of randy super beings', according to drinks manufacturers who expect the new tipples to rock the market the way alcopops did in the 1990s. None will actually contain Viagra, produced by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer, relying instead on Chinese herbs such as cordyceps and epimedium grandiflorum, better known as Horny Goat Weed. The first of these 'passion potions', Roxxoff, will sell for as little as £1.50 when it rolls out across the UK over the next month. Drinks industry sources suggest that at least three other firms are poised to launch their own versions. 'This is what everyone in the business is talking about,' said one insider. 'For months now firms have been trying to get the blends right in time for the warm weather.' Marketing experts say the new sector could spawn sales of more than five million cases in the first year alone. Surrey-based Lynch Wines is launching Roxxoff, which has an alcohol content of 5.4 per cent, in a series of adverts featuring Dannii Minogue wearing little and holding a bottle. Its publicity proclaims a 'sensational scientifically blended concoction of potent and proven aphrodisiacs' that could lead to 'a generation of randy super beings'. Campaigners for the responsible use and sale of alcohol are appalled at the prospect. Jack Law, of the Glasgow-based group Alcohol Focus, has called for a ban on Roxxof, claiming it breaches industry guidelines set up by The Portman Group, launched by top brewers to promote sensible drinking. 'Portman's code of practice states any drink or its packaging should not suggest any association with sexual success or that it can enhance physical capabilities,' he said. 'Roxxoff, sends out a completely irresponsible message to the young drinkers it is aimed at and will only increase the likelihood of binge drinking and unsafe sex.' Campaigners at Alcohol Concern warned that such drinks could lead to an increase in date rapes and teenage pregnancies. 'We would like to see these banned, whether they improve sexual performance or not,' a spokesman said. 'Lots of surveys have suggested teenagers regret having unprotected sex when drunk, so this is worrying.' A spokesman for Lynch Wines countered: 'Many young people go to clubs and bars to meet people with a view to having sex - we are just helping them on their way. 'We are acutely aware of our responsibilities. This doesn't look like a kid's drink and isn't designed to fool one into thinking it's lemonade.' Horny Goat Weed's combination of botanical ingredients is thought to enhance sexual performance through a variety of mechanisms including increased production of testosterone and other hormones. It has been used in traditional botanical medicine for hundreds of years in China, South America and India. Airline Passengers Are Sprayed for Bugs March 17, 2003 An airline flight to the tropics may involve greater health risks than a dose of airline food--pesticides are routinely sprayed in aircraft cabins by U.S. airlines sometimes over the heads of passengers during flight. "Disinsection" is the industry term for this practice, which continues despite clear evidence of risk to passengers and crew. People more vulnerable to the effects of pesticides, such as infants, pregnant woman or asthmatics are informed, if at all, only just prior to spraying. Airline flight attendants unions argue that chemical spraying is unnecessary because mechanical methods could be applied instead. No U.S. agency requires pesticide use on planes. The US Department of Transportation website lists the countries that require in-flight spraying, and those that will accept the "residual" treatment as an alternative. Six countries currently require pesticide spraying on all inbound flights: Grenada, India, Kiribati, Madagascar, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay. The application method varies by country and airline. Typically, a pressurized spray containing 2% phenothrin is sprayed over the passengers' heads during the flight (also called "top-of-descent") or upon arrival, but while the doors are closed. Alternatively, cabin crew may spray the occupied cabin prior to departure after the doors have been closed ("blocks away"). A member of the crew will announce the procedure shortly before they spray. Another six countries: Australia, Barbados, Fiji, Jamaica, New Zealand and Panama require the use of residual pesticides. In this case applicators board the aircraft and spray every surface in the cabin with a solution that contains 2% permethrin. This process takes place shortly before crew and passengers board, without their knowledge. Babies and children are said to be more sensitive to the effects of permethrin. Once an aircraft has been residually treated, foreign quarantine officials will allow it to land without additional pesticide treatment for the next 56 days. Passengers flying on US domestic flights may find themselves on an airliner that has recently been sprayed. United Airlines, for example, treats all of its 747-400 aircraft in Hong Kong. These aircraft are not restricted to the South Pacific routes; they are simply scheduled to fly to Australia or New Zealand during the next 56 days, but in the meantime, can be flown on both international and domestic routes. The International Civil Aviation Organization reports that most airlines use permethrin and pyrethroid, both are suspected endocrine disruptors, and permethrin may be a carcinogen. The Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) points out that pesticides cause even greater harm on airplanes, where up to 50% of the air in the cabins is recycled. "Pesticides break down slowly in the enclosed, poorly ventilated aircraft," says a NCAP spokesperson. The airlines are not required to inform passengers at ticket purchase of flight sprays, and there is also no control over how much pesticide is applied on the aircraft. The Association of Flight Attendants reported in 2001 that one airline used 50-60% more pesticide than the maximum recommended by the World Health Organization. Between 2000 and 2001, one cabin crew union received complaints of pesticide-related illness on more than 200 flights. Many complaints cite damp surfaces and pesticide odors in crew rest compartments. Crews and passengers have reported sinus problems, swollen and itchy eyes, cough, difficulty breathing, hoarseness, skin rashes/hives that vary in intensity, severe headaches and fatigue, and heightened sensitivity to other chemicals. Some crew members have medical documentation of reactions consistent with nerve gas exposure, such as blood, optic nerve, and nervous system abnormalities. Alternative methods to control insects on aircraft are already in use. Since the 1980s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has used curtains made of overlapping strips of plastic to successfully keep Japanese Beetles off aircraft destined for the western states during the summer. Chemically treated mosquito netting and blowers in jetways may also be used as alternatives. A variety of mechanical means should be tested. The Association of Flight Attendants suggests that passengers contact the airline to find out if pesticides will be sprayed on their flight, or if they will be boarding a "residually sprayed" craft. The U.S. Department of Transportation website also lists countries that require spray at, (http://ostpxweb.dot.gov/policy/safety/disin.htm) Sources: Danger in the Air, Karen Winegar, Mother Jones Magazine, July/August 1998, http://www.motherjones.com/mother_jones/JA98/winegar.html, Association of Flight Attendants, http://www.afanet.org/pesticides.html, http://www.pesticide.org/AirlineSpray.pdf Aromatherapy Tip When using essential oils for a headache, try inhalation from a tissue. This method often works faster and better than massage. Oils to try are Lavender, Chamomile, Peppermint, Basil and Rosemary. Kids Eat Too Much Fluoride From Foods Fluoride in MacDonalds' Fries? Kids ingest excessive fluoride, studies show, not just from toothpaste, but from their foods, making water fluoridation unnecessary and unsafe. University of Indiana researchers analyzed foods typical three- to five-year-olds eat and found diet significantly contributes to children's daily fluoride intake. This and many other studies show, children risk dental fluorosis from their food, alone. "...because the prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis (white spotted, yellow or brown permanently stained teeth) appear to be increasing, there is a need to quantitate all potential sources of fluoride exposure," report Jackson, et al, in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. Jackson found fluoride in McDonald's french fries, Aunt Millie's Homestyle Buttermilk White Bread, Iron Kids Bread, Lay's Baked and Ruffles potato chips, Heinz and Hunt's Ketchup, 12 different soda brands and fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, dairy products, nuts, seeds, fats, oils, sugars and sweets. Excluding fluoridated water, toothpaste, treatments or other sources, three- to five-year-olds in fluoridated Richmond, Virginia, average over 1/2 milligram (0.5 mg) fluoride daily. Some eat one milligram daily - higher than American Dental Association recommendations. Between ages 15 and 36-months, children's front teeth are most fluorosis-prone. To avoid fluorosis in all teeth, the National Academy of Sciences advises the following daily-fluoride-intake from all sources (food, air, water, toothpaste, medicines, and supplements): · infants up to 6 months old - less than 0.01 mg (one hundredth of a milligram) · babies from 6 - 12 months - less than 0.5 mg (half a milligram) · children from 1 to 3 years old - 0.7 mg (seven tenths of a milligram) · children from 4 to 8 years old - less than 1 mg Children's toothbrushing introduces 0.8 mg fluoride into their mouths, averaging 0.6 mg swallowed or absorbed from two brushings. One quart of fluoridated water contains approximately one milligram fluoride. Despite the scientific evidence that America's children are fluoride over-dosed, dentists via well-organized political fluoridation action campaigns convince trusting legislators to promote fluoridation and dose children with even more fluoride, wasting precious tax dollars and endangering children's health. "The American Association of Pediatric Dentists' recent deal with Coca Cola further illustrates dentistry's unfamiliarity with or disregard for the medical literature," says lawyer Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation. U.S. children are over-fluoridated; while soda still erodes their teeth. Fluoride can't prevent soda-eroded teeth. "In our opinion, Coke made a shrewd move by associating with pediatric dentists. Unfortunately, children who may see the Coke emblem in their dentists' offices will get the implied impression that dentists encourage soda drinking," says Beeber. "Meanwhile, organized dentistry may use the Coke money to deliver more fluoride to soda-drinking, over-fluoridated children," says Beeber. "We should improve child nutrition to prevent cavities, remove soda machines from schools and reduce fluoride exposure by stopping water fluoridation," says Beeber. Concerned about your calcium intake? Don’t compromise your health with "fad" supplementation. For the most absorbable and useable form of calcium go to: http://www.ghchealth.com/ghc/details.html?ItemID=48 Sex life of worms reveals Chernobyl effect Rob Edwards Worms contaminated by radioactivity from the Chernobyl nuclear accident have started having sex with each other instead of on their own. According to Ukrainian scientists, they may have changed their sexual behavior to increase their chances of survival. It is one of the first pieces of direct evidence on how wildlife is affected by radioactive pollution. Although there is a wealth of evidence on the impact of ionizing radiation on humans, its effects on wildlife are poorly understood. In the past the International Commission on Radiological Protection, which recommends radiation safety limits, has set no limits to protect wildlife, assuming that as long as humans were protected, animals and plants would be too. But in recent years the ICRP has abandoned this assumption and launched an investigation into how best to safeguard "non-human species". Many researchers are focusing on how wildlife has been affected by the radioactivity that spewed from the exploded reactor at Chernobyl in Ukraine in April 1986. Remarkable changes Gennady Polikarpov and Victoria Tsytsugina from the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas in Sevastopol studied the reproduction of certain sedimentary worms that are vital to aquatic ecosystems. They compared the behavior of three species in a lake near Chernobyl with the same species in a lake 20 kilometres away. The lakes had similar temperatures and chemical composition, but the worms in the Chernobyl lake had received 20 times as much radiation as those in the other lake. The researchers found some remarkable changes in the worms' sexual habits. Two species had switched from asexual to sexual reproduction, as they are capable of doing. The proportion of Nais pardalis seeking partners for sex was five per cent in the normal lake but 22 per cent in the Chernobyl lake, while the proportions of Nais pseudobtusa doing the same were 10 per cent and 23 per cent respectively. However, the third species, Dero obtusa, showed double the rate of asexual reproduction in the polluted lake. Polikarpov thinks the worms have switched to sexual reproduction in an attempt to protect themselves from the radiation. Sexual reproduction allows natural selection to promote genes that offer better protection from radiation damage, and "the resistance of populations as a whole will be increased", he suggests. Carmel Mothersill from the Dublin Institute of Technology, one of the experts helping the ICRP develop its new policy on protecting wildlife, agrees. "It is a plausible mechanism," she says. Journal reference: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity (vol 66, p 141) Store Your Food in Glass Not Plastic Environmental exposure to a widespread compound used to make common plastic food containers and baby bottles and to line tin cans interferes with cell division in the eggs of female mice, according to research. If cell division is disturbed, it can result in aneuploidy, or an abnormal number of chromosomes in the eggs. This condition is the leading cause of mental retardation and birth defects in humans, including Down syndrome. Even extremely low levels of the compound, called Bisphenol A (BPA), produced genetic abnormalities, according to researchers. BPA exhibits hormone-like properties and imitates the effects of naturally occurring estrogens. Hunt's laboratory began studying the effects of BPA after control (or normal) mice in research projects began showing genetic abnormalities. In mice, the rate of these abnormalities usually is low. The defects were traced to plastic cages and plastic water bottles that had been inadvertently cleaned with a harsh detergent. The detergent caused BPA to leak from the plastic. Researchers then determined how much BPA the mice had been exposed to and how small a dose would produce effects. An extremely small dose of 20 parts/billion daily for five to seven days was enough to produce effects. Researchers are uncertain of the effect of BPA on humans, however they noted that mice and humans have a very similar cell division program for eggs. Previous studies have suggested that exposing animals in the womb to levels of BPA similar to those found in the environment disrupts their sperm count, prostate and testicular development. However, other studies, some funded by the plastics industry, have not found any risks associated with BPA exposure. Some experts say that, taken together, study results suggest that efforts to begin reducing human exposure to BPA are warranted. Current Biology April 2003;13:546-553 PLEASE PASS THIS NEWSLETTER ON TO OTHER POTENTIAL SUBSCRIBERS. "He who does not use his endeavors to heal himself is a brother to him who commits suicide." Proverbs 18:9 (Amplified)