CDC Scientists Held Meeting to Destroy Autism-Vaccine Documents

The results of a 2004 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discovered a significant link between the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella) and autism in African American boys vaccinated under or around the age 36 months; however, if it weren't for one whistleblower, you would not have been privy to any of this, because the evidence was deliberately covered up.

Dr. William Thompson, currently a senior scientist at the CDC, recently made a shocking admission that he and his colleagues specifically arranged a meeting to destroy important documents related to the study in an attempt to withhold information from the public regarding a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

As first reported by Sharyl Attkisson, a former CBS News journalist turned independent investigative reporter, Dr. Thompson and the study co-authors "scheduled a meeting to destroy documents related to the study.

"The remaining four co-authors all met and brought a big garbage can into the meeting room, and reviewed and went through all the hardcopy documents that we had thought we should discard, and put them into a huge garbage can."

"The omitted data suggested that African American males who received the MMR vaccine before age 36 months were at increased risk for autism." – CDC Senior Science Dr. William Thompson

However, aware that destroying documents in this manner was both illegal and unethical, Dr. Thompson kept hard copies of all the documents that had been disposed of, as well as maintained all associated computer files.

After securing a whistleblower attorney, Dr. Thompson came forward with his admission, providing relevant documents in August 2014 to the office of Rep. Bill Posey (R-Florida), who presented details of the cover-up on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Posey, who maintains that he is "pro-vaccine," read the following quote by Dr. Thompson on the House floor:

My primary job duties while working in the immunization safety branch from 2000 to 2006, were to later co-lead three major vaccine safety studies. The MADDSP, MMR autism cases control study was being carried out in response to the Wakefield-Lancet study that suggested an association between the MMR vaccine and an autism-like health outcome.

There were several major concerns among scientists and consumer advocates outside the CDC in the fall of 2000, regarding the execution of the Verstraeten Study. One of the important goals that was determined up front, in the spring of 2001, before any of these studies started, was to have all three protocols vetted outside the CDC prior to the start of the analyses so consumer advocates could not claim that we were presenting analyses that suited our own goals and biases.

We hypothesized that if we found statistically significant effects at either 18 or 36 month thresholds, we would conclude that vaccinating children early with MMR vaccine could lead to autism-like characteristics or features. We all met and finalized the study protocol and analysis plan. The goal was to not deviate from the analysis plan to avoid the debacle that occurred with the Verstraeten thimerosal study published in Pediatrics in 2003.

At the Sept 5th meeting we discussed in detail how to code race for both the sample and the birth certificate sample. At the bottom of table 7, it also shows that for the non-birth certificate sample, the adjusted race effect statistical significance was huge.

All the authors and I met and decided sometime between August and September 2002, not to report any race effects from the paper. Sometime soon after the meeting, we decided to exclude reporting any race effects.

The co-authors scheduled a meeting to destroy documents related to the study.

The remaining four co-authors all met and brought a big garbage can into the meeting room, and reviewed and went through all the hardcopy documents that we had thought we should discard, and put them into a huge garbage can.

However, because I assumed it was illegal and would violate both FOIA and DOJ requests, I kept hardcopies of all documents in my office, and I retain all associated computer files. I believe we intentionally withheld controversial findings from the final draft of the Pediatrics paper.

The CDC and Dr. Thompson's co-author Dr. Frank DeStefano, CDC Director of Immunization Safety, continue to defend the study as originally published.

A July 29 Tweet by Attkisson states:

So far, no hearings scheduled and no known inquiry of the alleged scientific misconduct.

Sources:

SharylAttkisson.com

Twitter.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/052186_CDC_scientists_autism_study_documents_MMR_vaccine.html#ixzz3tNxWCaaQ

STATINS RED ALERT: Widely prescribed drugs act as cellular poisons...

The statin drugs prescribed to over 100 million people around the world have now been exposed as cellular poisons that accelerate aging and promote muscle fatigue, diabetes, memory loss and more.

Scientists at Tulane University in New Orleans found that statin drugs -- which generate tens of billions of dollars a year for pharmaceutical companies -- "deactivate" the stem cells responsible for cellular repair throughout the body. While statin drugs have been aggressively pushed by for-profit drug companies as "miracle" medicines, in truth they can lead to disastrous (even fatal) side effects in many patients.

As the UK Express writes, such side effects include "memory loss, muscle pain, diabetes, cataracts, liver dysfunction, diabetes, fatigue and memory loss."

"Statins make regular users become older faster," reports the Express, "leaving them open to long-term mental and physical decline..." The Express adds:

Scientists have found the heart disease drug badly affects our stem cells, the internal medical system which repairs damage to our bodies and protects us from muscle and joint pain as well as memory loss. ... Professor Reza Izadpanah, a stem cell biologist and lead author of the research published in the American Journal of Physiology, said: "Our study shows statins may speed up the aging process."

Statin drug side effects documented to include memory loss, muscle fatigue, cataracts and diabetes

The study, published in the American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology is entitled "The Impact of Statins on Biological Characteristics of Stem Cells Provides a Novel Explanation for Their Pleotropic Beneficial and Adverse Clinical Effects."

The study abstract states that statin drug "side effects include memory loss, myopathy, cataract formation, and increased risk of diabetes." It also warns that "Statins also impaired the expression of DNA repair genes including XRCC4, XRCC6, and Apex1."

Doctors and drug companies have conspired for years to downplay the side effects of statin drugs, promoting the medications as "miracle" drugs that everyone should be taking. Some doctors even suggested statins should be dripped into the water supply like fluoride.

When patients experienced the devastating side effects of statin drugs -- memory loss, diabetes, muscle fatigue, etc. -- doctors simply put them on yet more medications for those symptoms. Statin drugs, in effect, became "gateway drugs" that led to expanding medication prescriptions for yet more high-profit drugs.

Heart industry doctors bribed to lower the limits of "high" cholesterol to push more statin drugs

To expand the scam, the medical system conspired to redefine "high cholesterol" to lower numbers, instantly thrusting tens of millions of people into a state that demanded "treatment" with high-profit medications. These decision panels of the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology were stacked with panelists who were bribed by pharmaceutical companies to redefine high cholesterol in a way that generated the most profits. As Natural News wrote in 2013:

Doctors claim the new guidelines will limit how many people with low heart risks are put on statins simply because of a cholesterol number. However, under the new advice, one-third of U.S. adults would meet the threshold to consider taking a statin, more than twice the 15 percent of adults who are recommended statins under current guidelines.

The justification for the panel having half its members with ties to Big Pharma: Ties between heart doctors and Big Pharma are so extensive that it is almost impossible to find a large group of doctors who have no industry ties.

For many years, Natural News has taught readers that statin drugs can cause nerve damage and other devastating health effects. But the medical establishment, as usual, ignored these side effects and kept pushing more statins for profit, pretending no one was being harmed.

Just like with the vaccine industry, the statin drug industry is far more concerned with pocketing huge profits than protecting lives. Now, thanks to researchers at Tulane University, the science of what causes statin drugs to be so dangerous to human health is better understood.

If you're using statin drugs right now, get off them! Find healthier alternatives right here on Natural News:

4 Proven Herbs for Reducing Cholesterol Naturally

10 Surprising Things You Need to Know About Cholesterol

5 Surprising Dietary Changes for Healthy Cholesterol Levels 

Source:  http://www.naturalnews.com/051363_statin_drugs_accelerated_aging_side_effects.html#ixzz3tNyVP3UC

United Nations plans require biometric identification and birth registration for all humans on Earth

Most Americans are too busy to pay attention to the United Nations, let alone the actions of their own government. This is unfortunate considering the fact that the place is run by representatives of vile, authoritarian regimes that are always looking for ways to control their respective populations as well as those of other countries.

Many of these efforts are embodied broadly under an initiative known as Agenda 21, which was further exposed recently during a speech by Pope Francis. In an encyclical released over the summer, the pontiff lamented about environmental issues and concentration of wealth in too few hands in a document that actually reads more like a globalist political manifesto than a religious or scientific offering.

At the time, we provided some definition and detail into Agenda 21. Pushed by the United Nations, the agenda consists of a bevy of proposed regulations that have been years in the making and essentially strip individuals of their freedom while asserting centralized control over private property. The provisions amount to population control and reduction in certain areas deemed ripe for "sustainability"; control over local and national economies via the regulation of carbon emissions and other mechanisms of pollutants; and globalized central control over the financial decisions of businesses and especially landowners.

Chipping the global population

Now, as reported by Michael Snyder at Blacklisted News, the UN wants to essentially microchip everyone on the planet so that global elitist "managers" can track us all 24/7/365 by 2030, which is when the elitists undoubtedly believe they will have sufficiently pacified the populace.

Snyder drew in part upon a previous post of his at The Economic Collapse Blog where he discussed 17 new "Global Goals" adopted by UN representatives in late September.

Among those goals is this nugget: "By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration." [See it here and click on item 16, then view the drop-down menu].

"The United Nations is already working hard toward the implementation of this goal – particularly among refugee populations," Snyder writes. "The UN has partnered with Accenture to implement a biometric identification system that reports information 'back to a central database in Geneva.'"

Snyder referenced a piece posted at Find Biometrics, a "global identity management" firm, which states:

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is moving forward with its plans to use biometric technology to identify and track refugees, and has selected a vendor for the project. Accenture, an international technology services provider, has won out in the competitive tendering process and will oversee the implementation of the technology in a three-year contract.

Snyder points out that according to additional information published by Find Biometrics, the technology will be utilized by the UN to eventually encompass every man, woman and child on the planet – not just refugees.

They're taking the world for themselves, and that means taking it away from you

He also notes that none of the language being used by the planetary masterminds is selected at random. We are referred referred to by the UN and many governments as "global citizens"; our economies are becoming more and more integrated (hence the new Trans-Pacific Partnership – the latest effort to advance economic "globalization"); and the tnternet has created global interconnectivity.

Even worse, Americans – the most "independent" of all people – are going along with it.

"Decades ago, most Americans would have been up in arms over something like this," Snyder writes. "But now most people just seem to accept these changes passively. Very powerful secret societies and international organizations have been moving us in this direction for a very long time, and most Americans simply have no idea what is happening."

Much of our inattention can be blamed on other factors. For one, tens of millions of people are distracted because they are trying to eke out a living; others choose to be distracted, spending more time paying attention to what Hollywood is doing or what friends are saying on social media.

Meanwhile, the world is being shaped by the elite, which primarily involves taking it away from – and then managing – you.

Sources include:

BlacklistedNews.com

Agenda21.news

NaturalNews.com

TheEconomicCollapseBlog.com

FindBiometrics.com 

Source:  http://www.naturalnews.com/052061_biometric_identification_United_Nations_global_elite.html#ixzz3sLDsielj

Chickenpox Vaccine Now Causing Shingles Epidemic in Adults and Children

(NaturalNews) The rate of shingles has been increasing since the 1990s, and it is now estimated that about one in three adults will develop the disease in their lifetime. A certain number of these people will experience recurring outbreaks. About one in five of them will suffer severe and often debilitating pain known as postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

Officially, the cause of this increase is unknown. Yet studies suggest that at least part of the explanation could be the chickenpox vaccine.

Chickenpox and shingles are caused by the same virus, which is known as varicella zoster. Shingles cannot occur in someone who has not been previously been infected with the virus, presumably resulting in a chickenpox infection. Why, then, would the vaccine against this virus be causing more severe outbreaks later in life?

Unintended immune consequences

Once infected with the varicella zoster virus, the body can never get rid of it. Instead, the virus hides from the immune system along a nerve root in the central nervous system. Shingles (also known as herpes zoster) occurs when some trigger (typically stress or reduced immune function) causes the virus to erupt out of the nerve root and travel to the skin. This leads to a painful rash that tends to last about a month. Although most people suffer only a single case of shingles in their lifetime, the disease can recur.

In addition to PHN, possible complications of shingles include bacterial skin infection, motor neuropathy, bladder impairment, meningitis, hearing loss, Hutchinson's sign and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome.

Alarmingly, shingles is now also starting to appear in children, which was virtually unheard of 20 years ago.

Researchers have suggested a simple explanation for why shingles rates might be on the increase, and at least some studies have supported this hypothesis: prior to the adoption of the chickenpox vaccine, nearly all children came down with chickenpox and thereby re-exposed the adults in their lives to the virus. This functioned as a "booster" to the immune system, thereby helping prevent reactivation of the virus in the form of shingles. Once vaccination became widespread, however, chickenpox rates fell and parents stopped getting the booster. When those parents started to hit the age of risk for shingles (50 and up), the rates of that disease started to climb accordingly.

Vaccine maker profits twice!

Is this merely a question of trading a childhood illness for an illness of old age? Not quite, because like any drug, both the chickenpox and shingles vaccines carry their own risks. Between March 1995 and July 1998, adverse events were reported for more than one in every 1,500 cases of chickenpox vaccination. About 4 percent of these were severe, including shock, brain inflammation (encephalitis), thrombocytopenia (a blood disorder) and death.

While some vaccine supporters claim that chickenpox vaccination will eventually solve the shingles problem because people who are vaccinated do not get the initial infection required to later develop shingles, it actually remains unclear if the live virus vaccine is sufficient to cause varicella zoster to colonize the nerve root. The vaccine is simply too new to answer that question.

To make matters worse, it is unclear how much benefit the chickenpox vaccine even provides. Chickenpox was simply never a dangerous disease, having a fatality rate of only 0.00135 percent. That is, the disease infected about 3.7 million children per year and killed about 50, most of them immunocompromised.

Finally, the effectiveness of the shot at preventing varicella zoster infection is only about 70 percent. Thus, chickenpox is essentially guaranteed to remain endemic in the population and so will shingles.

In the meantime, of course, Merck — the company that makes the chickenpox vaccine and created the problem to begin with — has its own convenient solution: The company also offers a vaccine for shingles.

Sources for this article include:
CDC.gov
DrGoldmanOnline.com^[PDF]
CDC.gov

Source:  http://www.naturalnews.com/052006_shingles_epidemic_chickenpox_vaccine_herpes_zoster.html#ixzz3ryeK8UOl

Frying your food in lard is healthier than using sunflower oil, say scientists

(NaturalNews) For many decades now, we've been fed a lot of misinformation about the foods we eat and which ones are healthy or not.

For example, since the early 20th century, we've been told that lard – rendered and clarified pig fat – is an unhealthy substance that should be replaced with vegetable oils.

Well, guess what? The truth is nearly the opposite. It's true that lard intake should be limited, but frying foods in lard is far more healthy than doing so in most vegetable oils, according to more recent studies.

In fact, when heated to frying temperatures, many vegetable oils actually release toxic substances which can cause a range of serious health problems, including cancer, dementia and heart disease.

Professor Martin Grootveld of De Montfort University at Leicester, whose field of expertise is bio-analytical chemistry and chemical pathology, was recently asked to conduct a study to determine which cooking oils are the healthiest.

His findings challenged the common wisdom regarding the use of saturated fats versus polyunsaturated fats. We have long been told that polyunsaturated fats, such as the ones found in sunflower oil, for example, are healthier than the saturated fats found in butter and lard.

From an article posted on the De Montfort University website:

When fats and oils are heated the molecular structure changes, producing chemicals called aldehydes that may cause heart disease and cancer.

Professor Grootveld's team found sunflower oil and corn oil produced aldehydes at levels 20 times higher than recommended by the World Health Organisation.

Grootveld and his team found that foods cooked in rapeseed oil, butter, goose fat or olive oil produced far less of the toxic aldehydes found in sunflower oil, corn oil and other commonly used vegetable oils.

So how did lard get a bad reputation?

Lard is only one of the foods we've been warned away from, and as with many supposedly "unhealthy" foods, the real reason is that someone wanted to sell us a replacement.

In the case of lard, we were lied to by Procter & Gamble, who wanted to sell its new product – Crisco – which was invented in a lab way back in 1907.

The short version of the story is this:

In 1906, Upton Sinclair's novel, The Jungle was published. The book was a somewhat sensationalist expose of the meat industry and conditions in the slaughterhouses of Chicago. It was technically a work of fiction, but his description of workers falling into boiling vats of lard was enough to seriously turn stomachs.

However disgusted by the thought of eating lard the public may have been after reading the book, there was no viable replacement on the market until Procter & Gamble began marketing vegetable shortening.

The company was interested in finding a way to sell the cottonseed oil it owned in vast quantities since the market for the candles it sold was shrinking due to the invention of the electric light bulb.

From NPR.com:

In 1907, a German chemist, E.C. Kayser, showed up at Procter & Gamble headquarters in Cincinnati with a marvelous invention. It was a ball of fat. It looked like lard. It cooked like lard. But there was no pig involved. It was hydrogenated cottonseed oil."

The company was able, through clever marketing, to convince an already "queasy" public (due to Sinclair's book), that its lab-created product was cleaner and healthier.

Procter & Gamble... launched an ad campaign that made people think about the horrible stories of adulterated lard. The ads touted how pure and wholesome Crisco was. The company packaged the product in white and claimed "the stomach welcomes Crisco."

The rest is history. In the 1950s, scientists further diminished lard's reputation by claiming that saturated fats caused heart disease. By that point, lard was becoming widely shunned.

The moral of this entire story is that whenever you are told that a product made in a lab is better for you than a natural substance that has been used for thousands of years, a bit of healthy skepticism may be in order...

Sources:

DMU.ac.uk

DailyMail.co.uk

NPR.org

Sourced:  http://www.naturalnews.com/052021_lard_canola_oil_cooking_oils.html#ixzz3ryXhiPfY

What Almond Milk, Calcium Pills and Zeolites Have In Common...

(NaturalNews) Did you know that calcium pills are linked to heart attacks? Were you aware that commercial almond milk is made with ground up inorganic oyster shells or limestone? Has anyone told you that zeolite powders are mined out of the ground from crushed rocks containing high levels of lead and aluminum?

The most important nutritional warning I can offer you today is to stop eating and drinking rocks.

In almond milk, cheap, low-grade calcium is mixed with water and carageenan (a thickener) to make a thick, whitish substance that visually resembles the color and texture of almond milk. Cheap calcium carbonate is added to almond milk to make it compete with the calcium content of regular cow's milk. But the result is a nutritional catastrophe: You're drinking inorganic, crushed oyster shells or limestone!

Cheap calcium pills are almost always contaminated with LEAD. They're derived from low-grade, inorganic sources of raw materials made almost entirely with calcium carbonate. This isn't the kind of calcium your body needs. In fact, calcium carbonate probably contributes to artery and kidney calcification. Ditch the cheap calcium pills and get calcium from high-grade sources or your food (plants).

Zeolites are mined out of the ground like rocks. They're made from aluminosilicates (high in aluminum) and typically contain very high concentrations of the heavy metal LEAD (typically 20 - 60 ppm). When swallowed in large, granular form, they pass right through your digestive tract undigested. That's because your weak stomach acid can't dissolve rocks. But when zeolites are crushed into fine powders, they release both aluminum and lead during digestion in your stomach. This greatly concerns me because people who eat zeolite powders have been shown to urinate increased levels of aluminum and lead, indicating these metals are likely getting absorbed into their blood.

Stop eating ROCKS and start eating REAL FOOD

I'm frequently astonished at how so many people in the health industry can be led astray from the basic fundamentals of mindful nutrition. It's not rocket science to realize that you should get your minerals from food sources, not rocks.

It's also not rocket science to realize that you probably shouldn't be swallowed rocks suspended in water through the use of carageenan or other thickeners. Suspended molecules of calcium carbonate does not equate to "milk."

And if you're hoping to eliminate toxic heavy metals from your body, it makes little sense to keep eating them every day in the form of fine powder zeolites.

Sadly, some of what's being offered in the food and dietary supplement industries is marketed to consumers in a misleading way, either denying consumers the knowledge of what the substance is really made of or wildly exaggerating claims of what the substance can really accomplish in the body. While there really are true "miracle" nutrients like vitamin D and resveratrol, cheap, low-grade, inorganic rocks probably aren't good for you to eat or drink on a regular basis.

To read further and learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/052039_almond_milk_calcium_carbonate_zeolites.html#ixzz3ryWm4Bs9

Natural Ginger is Up to 10,000 Times More Effective Than Chemo...

(NaturalNews) Ginger naturally contains a compound that is up to 10,000 times more effective than chemotherapy drugs at killing the cancer stem cells that make malignant tumors so dangerous, according to a study published in the journal PLoS.

The chemical, known as 6-shogaol, is produced when ginger roots are dried or cooked. The researchers found that 6-shogaol is active against cancer stem cells at concentrations that are harmless to healthy cells. This is dramatically different from conventional chemotherapy, which has serious side effects largely because it kills healthy as well as cancerous cells.

Cells responsible for 90 percent of cancer death?

Like other stem cells, cancer stem cells possess the ability to differentiate into various different cell types. In the case of cancer, stem cells differentiate into the various malignant cells that make up a tumor colony. Although they make up less than 1 percent of the cells in any given tumor, stem cells are impervious to nearly all known or experimental chemotherapy agents. These cells are also able to replicate indefinitely, and they are capable of splitting off from their originating colony to start new tumors elsewhere. They are key players in the process of metastasis, which is responsible for 90 percent of cancer-related deaths.

The persistence of cancer stem cells also explains why cancers can recur even after seemingly successful tumor eradication via chemotherapy, radiation or surgery.

"Cancer stem cells pose serious obstacle to cancer therapy as they can be responsible for poor prognosis and tumour relapse," the researchers wrote. "To add into the misery, very few chemotherapeutic compounds show promise to kill these cells."

Kills cancer cells on many fronts

The researchers found that 6-shogaol targets breast cancer stem cells along several different pathways, including reducing the expression of surface markers, altering the cell cycle to increase the rate of cell death, inhibiting tumor formation, directly inducing programmed cell death, and flat-out poisoning cancer stem cells (cytotoxicity).

The researchers then compared the cytotoxicity of 6-shogaol against human breast cancer stem cells with that of the widely used chemotherapy drug taxol. They found that while taxol did show cytotoxicity in a one-dimensional laboratory model of cancer ("monolayer"), it showed almost no effect in the three-dimensional ("spheroid") model that is now believed to be a more accurate model of real-world cancer tumors. 6-shogaol, however, was effective in both the monolayer and spheroid models.

The researchers then increased the taxol concentration by 10,000 times, but it still showed no effectiveness in spheroid model.

"[T]axol, even though was highly active in monolayer cells, did not show activity against the spheroids even at 10,000 fold higher concentration compared to 6-shogaol," the researchers wrote.

To read further and learn more:   http://www.naturalnews.com/052009_ginger_chemotherapy_cancer_treatment.html#ixzz3ryTPuUoT

Update of Blog

I've neglected my blog and have made the decision to resume posting information and articles again.

There were many factors due to my neglect:

1. I have had to move three times for various reasons which I do not wish to disclose at this time.

2. The pace of information, which I prefer to post, has made my head spin and at the rate of in which it is coming out so fast for me to keep up with and for sometime I felt overwhelmed.

3. Now is the time to pull up my bootstraps and get back into the fray, and post to this blog.

4. My heart (and mind) is back and ready to post the information the media is blacking out to protect our minds, health, families, and homes.

5. I have several issues going on within my life, on top of the above four reasons, and those will be covered in future forthcoming missives for reading and maybe learning material here.

As to those who have followed me in the past, or who have shared my posts on Pinterest, I wish to thank you for your support. In the past, I primarily posted health and environmental concerns, but now I feel the need to go further down the rabbit hole and post discoveries which - well frankly - concern me greatly, and will most likely concern you.

I only ask that you read what I offer and take it for what it is worth, if it helps you then great I have done what this blog is about, however if it does something else such as prepare you for what is, or may be, coming then great....just be forewarned that what I will be posting won't always be recipes, tonics and health tips. If you live within the USA then this is particularly aimed at those readers.

Thank you.
~K

GMO babies now being engineered in labs under guise of preventing incurable disease

Life, whether human or otherwise, is no longer sacred to many of today's scientists, who actually believe that tampering with the genetic blueprints of living beings will somehow improve humanity and create a better world. And this disturbing reality became ever more apparent recently when genetic butchers at Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU) announced their discovery of a way to manipulate the DNA of human embryos to obstruct normal gene transfer and create genetically "superior" babies that are supposedly less prone to disease.

According to the Chicago Tribune, these genetically-modified (GM) embryos are not yet intended to actually produce real, living children -- although it is only a matter of time before this nightmare becomes a reality (remember the movie Gattaca?) -- but they will be used in the present to investigate how babies of the future might avoid certain inherited diseases. By combining the genes of one man with those of two women, OHSU researchers claim they have devised a way to effectively replace "defective" genes with normal ones.

There are two types of genes contained in cells -- those found inside the nucleus of cells, which influence visible traits such as eye color and height, and those found outside the nucleus in energy-generating mitochondria, which do not influence visible traits, and are only passed along by the mother rather than the father. It is these exterior genes that OHSU scientists have learned to alter, reprogram, and literally block from being passed down from mother to child, which they claim could one day unveil ways by which inherited diseases might be avoided

Tampering with human genes will likely unleash a Pandora's box of health horrors

But is this genetic manipulation of the human genome safe and ethical? The answer to this, just like to all genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), is a resounding no, as nobody knows for sure what the long-term effects of vandalizing human genes really are until after the irreversible process has been set into motion. And yet this has not stopped OHSU researchers nor their British predecessors who conducted similar experiments back in 2008 from engaging in the abominable practice under the guise of supposedly preventing incurable diseases.

According to reports, the OHSU team that worked on the study, which was published in the journal Nature, is currently trying to gain federal approval to test the development of its GMO babies in actual women rather than in petri dishes, which will take such experiments to a whole new level of reality. It will presumably not be long after, should these "Frankenscientists" receive such approval, before GMO babies are normalized throughout society, and eventually perceived as genetically superior to normal babies with genetic "defects."

British news claims GMO babies are already being manufactured in women

The U.K.'s Daily Mail; however, reported recently that similar GMO babies are already in existence, having been created using similar techniques in women with fertility problems. According to that particular report, at least two babies born using gene-splicing techniques have already been confirmed to possess genes from three different parents, one father and two mothers.

"The fact that the children have inherited the extra genes and incorporated them into their 'germline' means that they will, in turn, be able to pass them on to their own offspring," wrote Michael Hanlon about the issue. "Altering the human germline -- in effect tinkering with the very make-up of our species ... could be used to create new races of humans with extra, desired characteristics such as strength or high intelligence."

Sources for this article include:

http://www.chicagotribune.com

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Cinnamon Clove Scones with Raisins

Just about every part of the Cinnamon tree  is fragrant. I like using the Cinnamon Bark because it is the most potent and more complex than the Cinnamon Leaf. The common name of Cinnamon can also be Cassia Bark. Cassia is more readily available because it comes from China (meaning cheap cheap cheap). The Cassia Bark tends to be more potent that the Cinnamon Bark. Most of the what we see ground in the U.S. is Cassia Bark. True Cinnamon can actually be hard to find. If the country of origin is from Madagascar or Sri Lanka, then you know you have true Cinnamon. Many parts of the world bar Cassia from being labeled Cinnamon so customers know they are either getting Cassia or the Cinnamon Bark. Cinnamon Bark was discovered by Dutch spice traders in Sri Lanka.  It is a great digestive, high antimicrobial, antiseptic, astringent, and carminative properties.

Clove Bud is another plant where every part is aromatic. We also have Clove Leaf which is not as strong as the Clove Bud. Clove Bud is a native of the Molucca Islands aka Spice Islands. Before indoor plumbing people would carry around spiceballs of an orange or apple with cloves stuck all around.  It helped with the smells when you walked around the streets. Those are still used today to make spiced cider.In the third century BC one of the Han emperors in China ordered all courtesans in his court to place a few clove buds under their tongue to make their breath smell sweet. During the Byzantine time, a vessel of clove was the ultimate gift. The plant was highly coveted by the Dutch and Portuguese. They both tried  to keep it as a monopoly until the French were able to get away with a few seedlings. Clove and Cinnamon are two spices that are potent and need to be used conservatively especially using the essential oil.

Cloves are good to help tame the strong onion scent. Good in meat dishes as well with desserts. True Cinnamon is good in a lot of desserts and a great accompaniment with chocolate. Also good in a variety of meat dishes and gives beans an extra something too.

I thought I would post a recipe that is a great bread dish and good with a stew.

Dry Ingredients
3 1/2 cups flour 1/4 cup for bench flour
1/4 cup of sugar
2 Tbs. of baking powder
1 Tsp. of salt
8 Tbs. of cold butter

Wet Ingredients
1/4 cup of applesauce
1 cup of sour cream
5 drops of cinnamon essential oil
3 drops of clove essential oil
2 egg
1 cup of raisins
2 Tbs. milk

In a medium size bowl add the 3 cups of flour with the other dry ingredients. Stir together.
Cut in pieces of the butter with pastry cutter, fork, or hands until butter resembles peas in the flour mixture.

Combine wet ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. Stir until ingredients are well blended.
Add the wet ingredients a little bit at a time to flour mixture. Combine until it starts to form into a ball. (May not use all the liquid.)

Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Flour hands and knead dough a few times over a floured surface with the bench flour. Do not over work it. Roll out dough 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or the rim of glass to cut round shapes. Lay on greased baking sheet. Put in preheated oven at 425 degrees. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Makes 16-20 scones.

Happy Cooking!

Source: http://www.gritman.com/blog/cinnamon-clove-scones-with-raisins/

Buttermilk Lemon Verbena Pound Cake

Thinking about trying to make this for the Thanksgiving side buffet table....

~Ky

Lemon Verbena‘s ancient history goes as far back as Druids in religious ceremonies. It was considered the “Herb of Grace.” The name is  derived from ancient Celtic word “fer” meaning to drive away and “faen” for stone, the ability to expel kidney stones. Maximilian of Mexico renamed it Yerba. It is very common for Lemon Verbena to be adulterated with a cheaper lemon oils like Lemon Thyme or Litsea Cubeba. It has a nice lemon floral scent. I needs to be highly diluted if using it in a non-cooking or baking method. Even in baking or cooking one drop will usually do it.

This recipe I used for a light breakfast bread/cake for one of our classes. I used only 1/2 cup of sugar since I did not want it to be overly sweet. If you are using this for a dessert, you can increase the sugar to 1 cup.  The original recipe was created by Carolyn Weil.

For cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1 tsp. of baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, soften

1/2 cup of sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup of buttermilk

1 drop of Lemon Verbena Essential Oil (not fragrance oil)

For Syrup:

Juice of 1 lemon

3 to 4 Tbs. of confectioner’ sugar

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray loaf pan (8x5x3″) with non stick coating.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended. With an electric mixer or paddle attachment with a standing mix, beat the butter until it’s very pale and little tails have formed. Sprinkle sugar over the butter and beat until slightly fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until blended before adding the next one.

With the mixer on low, add 1/3 of the flour, mixing until almost combined; then add half the butter milk until just combined. Repeat ending with the flour. Just before all the flour is incorporated, switch to a stiff rubber spatula. Add one drop of Lemon Verbena and complete the mixing of the flour into the batter.

Scrape the batter into into the prepared pan and bake until cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs when inserted in the center, 45-50 minutes. Let the cake cool on a baking rack for about 10 minutes. As it cools, stir together the lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Carefully invert the loaf pan, tap to release the cake.  Brush the syrup on the cake while it’s still warm. Cool completely on the rack before serving.

Happy Baking!

Source: http://www.gritman.com/blog/buttermilk-lemon-verbena-pound-cake/

Fluoride Content in Black Tea, White Tea, Green Tea, and Oolong Tea

Fluoridated water is already overexposing many of us, so avoiding teas that contain high levels of fluoride in addition is a very good choice. 

Many studies recommend consuming a large quantity of tea daily to see health benefits. However, the quality of the tea may be the most important factor to consider since higher quality, loose leaf tea corresponds to minimizing toxins such as fluoride. Green, black, white and oolong teas naturally have differing levels of fluoride in the leaves.

Fluoride in Tea

As the controversy swells regarding fluoride in drinking water, it's important to look at our diet to minimize other sources of fluoride.
For some tea leaves, the fluoride content is high. The type of tea and quality of tea, however, determine the level of fluoride present. Making a healthier choice in tea will both minimize fluoride intake and maximize overall health benefits.
There are varying levels of fluoride in some popular teas: black tea, white tea, green tea and oolong tea. First you will want to understand the potential dangers of fluoride.

Less Fluoride in Young Tea Leaves

The Camellia sinensis plant is what produces the tea leaves for white, green, black and oolong teas. When this tea plant grows, the roots absorb fluoride from the soil and deposit the majority of it in the leaves.
The tea plant in particular is much more efficient at this process than other plants.
Since older, more mature leaves have had more time for this deposition, they contain up to 20 times more fluoride than younger tea leaves.

Anit-Oxidant EGCG Level in Tea Leaves

The powerful anti-oxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) present in tea is responsible for health benefits such as lowering LDL and has anti-cancer properties.
The level of EGCG decreases in more mature tea leaves, giving us further reason to prefer younger tea leaves.

Fluoride Content in Different Types of Tea

Type of Tea	Age of Tea Leaves	Fluoride Content	Notes
Green tea	mature	high	not allowed to oxidize, preserves flavonoids, catechins and polyphenols associated with health benefits
Black tea	mature	high	leaves oxidize after harvest to create unique flavors
Oolong tea	mature	medium/high	oxidation time between green and black tea to create smooth flavors
White tea	buds and young leaves	low	3x more antioxidants than green or black tea
Herbal tea	herbal tea is not made from a true tea plant	none	made from flowers, roots, herbs, etc.

See Linus Pauling Institute website for more detailed fluoride content of teas.

Quality of Tea and Fluoride Content

Younger tea leaves are used in higher quality teas and contain lower fluoride levels.
See the list from highest quality to lowest quality.
1. Loose leaf tea ~ Best Quality
2. Tea dust (tea bags)
3. Bottled tea (fluoride in water plus flouride in tea)
4. Brick tea (oldest leaves formed into brick shape) ~ Lowest Quality

Fluoride Content in Chinese Green Tea vs Japanese Green Tea

Soil in Japan is naturally lower in fluoride compared to China, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, Japanese green tea will naturally have lower fluoride levels than Chinese green tea.
WHO lists several areas of the world where high naturally occurring fluoride concentrations affect tea crops and drinking water: India, Sri Lanka, parts of Africa and the Middle East (more information).

So... What is the Healthiest Type of Tea?

We should be limiting our total exposure to fluoride from tea, based on the potential dangers associated with fluoride exposure and the high levels present in many types of tea. At the same time, incorporating benefits from different types of teas provides a wide variety of benefits.

• White tea is a true tea that contains high antioxidant power and has low fluoride levels, especially in loose-leaf form.
• Green tea health benefits are well-studied. To incorporate benefits of green tea in the diet, finding a loose leaf option from Japan or a loose leaf option with younger leaves will limit fluoride while providing benefit.
• Loose-leaf black tea and oolong tea from areas with lower environmental fluoride are best if you prefer black or oolong tea.
• The fluoride-free options are herbal teas, but then the health benefits from true tea are not felt.

 Source; http://melisann.hubpages.com/

Leukemia and Lymphoma linked to Aspartame in new landmark study on humans

As few as one diet soda daily may increase the risk for leukemia in men and women, and for multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in men, according to new results from the longest-ever running study on aspartame as a carcinogen in humans. Importantly, this is the most comprehensive, long-term study ever completed on this topic, so it holds more weight than other past studies which appeared to show no risk. And disturbingly, it may also open the door for further similar findings on other cancers in future studies.

The most thorough study yet on aspartame - Over two million person-years

For this study, researchers prospectively analyzed data from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study for a 22-year period. A total of 77,218 women and 47,810 men were included in the analysis, for a total of 2,278,396 person-years of data. Apart from sheer size, what makes this study superior to other past studies is the thoroughness with which aspartame intake was assessed. Every two years, participants were given a detailed dietary questionnaire, and their diets were reassessed every four years. Previous studies which found no link to cancer only ever assessed participants' aspartame intake at one point in time, which could be a major weakness affecting their accuracy.

One diet soda a day increases leukemia, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphomas

The combined results of this new study showed that just one 12-fl oz. can (355 ml) of diet soda daily leads to:

- 42 percent higher leukemia risk in men and women (pooled analysis)
- 102 percent higher multiple myeloma risk (in men only)
- 31 percent higher non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk (in men only)

These results were based on multi-variable relative risk models, all in comparison to participants who drank no diet soda. It is unknown why only men drinking higher amounts of diet soda showed increased risk for multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Note that diet soda is the largest dietary source of aspartame (by far) in the U.S. Every year, Americans consume about 5,250 tons of aspartame in total, of which about 86 percent (4,500 tons) is found in diet sodas.

Confirmation of previous high quality research on animals

This new study shows the importance of the quality of research. Most of the past studies showing no link between aspartame and cancer have been criticized for being too short in duration and too inaccurate in assessing long-term aspartame intake. This new study solves both of those issues. The fact that it also shows a positive link to cancer should come as no surprise, because a previous best-in-class research study done on animals (900 rats over their entire natural lifetimes) showed strikingly similar results back in 2006: aspartame significantly increased the risk for lymphomas and leukemia in both males and females. More worrying is the follow on mega-study, which started aspartame exposure of the rats at the fetal stage. Increased lymphoma and leukemia risks were confirmed, and this time the female rats also showed significantly increased breast (mammary) cancer rates. This raises a critical question: will future, high-quality studies uncover links to the other cancers in which aspartame has been implicated (brain, breast, prostate, etc.)?

There is now more reason than ever to completely avoid aspartame in our daily diet. For those who are tempted to go back to sugary sodas as a "healthy" alternative, this study had a surprise finding: men consuming one or more sugar-sweetened sodas daily saw a 66 percent increase in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (even worse than for diet soda). Perhaps the healthiest soda is no soda at all.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23097267
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16507461
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17805418

About the author:
Ethan Evers is author of the award-winning medical thriller "The Eden Prescription," in which cutting-edge researchers perfect an effective, all-natural treatment for cancer, only to be hunted down by pharmaceutical interests which will stop at nothing to protect their $80 billion cancer drug cash machine. The Eden Prescription is based on the latest science and draws on real historical events stretching back to the beginning of the "War on Cancer." Ethan has a PhD in Applied Science.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/037772_aspartame_leukemia_lymphoma.html#ixzz2B5kZJRSU

Eating a high-carb diet increases your chances of Alzheimer's, study finds

There are a number of reasons why a high-carb diet is not wise, but new research has added yet another reason why you cut down on the pasta: You are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.

A new study that was recently released found that older adults who load up on carbs have close to four times the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.

Researchers also said that sugars played a role in the development of MCI, which very often serves as a precursor to Alzheimer's, according to study results published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. By comparison, eating additional proteins and some fats can offer protection from MCI, USA Today said, citing the journal.

A team of scientists from Mayo Clinic tracked 1,230 people aged 70-89 and asked if they would provide information on what kinds of foods they at the previous year.

Stopping development of MCI is key

Among the group only the 940 people who showed no appreciable signs of cognitive impairment were asked to return in 15 months for follow-up examination. By the fourth year of the study, 200 of the 940 were beginning to show small signs of cognitive impairment, including problems with memory, judgment, thinking and language.

Lead author Rosebud Roberts, a professor in the department of epidemiology at the clinic, which is located in Rochester, Minn., said not everyone who develops MCI progresses to Alzheimer's disease, which affects some 5.2 million adults around the country. Those numbers are expected to triple by 2050, as Baby Boomers continue to age.

"The research field is trying to find things that can help reduce risk factors for pre-dementia problems," Roberts said, according to USA Today. "If we can stop people from developing MCI, we hope we can stop people from developing dementia. Once you hit the dementia stage, it's irreversible."

Among the foods regarded as complex carbohydrates: rice, pasta, bread and cereals. The digestive system turns them into sugars. Fruits, vegetables and milk products are simple carbs.

"A high-carbohydrate intake could be bad for you because carbohydrates impact your glucose and insulin metabolism," says Roberts. "Sugar fuels the brain, so moderate intake is good. However, high levels of sugar may actually prevent the brain from using the sugar - similar to what we see with Type 2 diabetes."

He said high sugar levels - which are prevalent in high-carb diets - could affect blood vessels in the brain, and might also play a role in the development of beta amyloid plaques, which are proteins that are toxic to brain health and are found in the brains of people who are affected by Alzheimer's. Scientists don't yet know what causes the disease; however, they do suspect a buildup of beta amyloid is a leading cause.

Study offers some hope

Here are some of the study's primary findings:

-- People whose diets were the highest in fat (nuts and healthy oils, for instance) were 42 percent less likely to develop cognitive impairment, while those who had the highest intake of protein (chicken, meat, fish) saw their risk reduced by 21 percent.

-- Many popular diets, including the Mediterranean (fish, protein from poultry and lots of plant-based foods and healthy fats) and Atkins (low-carb diet featuring plenty of meats), make pitches for multiple health benefits that are derived from lowering carb intake, which includes a reduced risk for heart disease, diabetes and improved brain health.

"This (study) is consistent with what we've seen in past published research on how a lower carbohydrate diet can help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's," Colette Heimowitz, vice president of Nutrition and Education for Atkins Nutritionals Inc., told the paper.

While there currently is no treatment for Alzheimer's besides drugs, Roberts said the study at least offers some hope because "it shows a modifiable way we can reduce risk for the disease.

"It is important to eat a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat," he added.

Sources:

http://www.usatoday.com

http://www.sfgate.com

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/037746_Alzheimers_high-carb_diet_disease.html#ixzz2AqERwiZe