Obesity and the Salt Connection and Other Stuff

Another shocking example of lack of compassion in a British hospital: - ordeal of World War Two hero

Dying World War Two hero 'stripped of human dignity' by hospital care, family say
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"The family of Brigadier John Platt, who won the Distinguished Service Order for his leadership in one of the fiercest battles of the Italian campaign, told how he was discharged from Salisbury District Hospital, unable to feed himself.

They said he was in a confused state and incontinent, after a stay which left him "degraded and humiliated".

During his five-day spell in a mixed-sex observation ward, his hearing aid was crushed, his false teeth went missing and soiled pyjamas were piled up unwashed in a locker by his bedside, they said.

Knowing he was dying after losing the ability to swallow food, he asked to go home. But no ambulance was available so he was sent in a taxi on an hour-long journey to the care home where he died a few days later.

When his family later complained about the hygiene issues around the soiled pyjamas, the hospital wrote back to say that it was unfortunate that he had been "unable to avail himself" of its laundry service.

It has since apologised to Brig Platt's family for the "unacceptable" nature of his discharge in a taxi in late 2006 and vowed to learn lessons from his ordeal."

A supplement made from grape seeds can destroy leukaemia cells, say scientists.

Grape seed extract makes leukaemia cells 'commit suicide'
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"In laboratory experiments, commercially-available grapeseed extract forced the cancer cells to "commit suicide", found the researchers.

Within 24 hours, 76 per cent of leukaemia cells exposed to the extract died through a process of natural self-destruction called apoptosis. Healthy cells remained unharmed.

The researchers believe the discovery could open the door to promising new treatments for the disease which affects more than 24,000 adults and children a year.

But they warn it is too early to justify recommending that people eat grapes or take grapeseed extract in an attempt to stave off cancer.

Grape seeds contain a number of antioxidant plant chemicals including resveratrol, which is known to have anti-cancer properties.

Previous research has shown that grapeseed extract has an effect on skin, breast, bowel, lung, stomach and prostate cancer cells in the laboratory."

Contaminated honey from China is causing concern.

US officials crack down on Chinese 'honey laundering'
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"The US Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on honey launderers amid fears that dangerously contaminated honey could slip into the US market and harm consumers. Efforts to tackle honey laundering have also been launched in Russian, India and Australia.

The Post-Intelligencer claims, however, that US inspections of honey imports remain rare and federal officials have yet to adopt a legal definition of honey which makes it hard to keep substandard honey from being sold.

The concern about Chinese honey stems from the use of a toxic antibiotic to fight a contagious bacterial epidemic that raged through hives across China in 1997. The outbreak reduced the country's honey production by two thirds.

The drug, chloramphenicol, has been banned from all food products by the FDA. The administration says tainted honey from China is at the top of its watch list and has issued three "import alerts" to port and border inspectors about tainted Chinese honey.

Officials have also found other antibiotics in Chinese honey and blends of honey syrup and recently warned that corn or cane sugar could also be tainted with bad honey."

Tuesday, 30 December 2008

Marinating a steak in red wine or beer can cut down the number of cancer-causing agents produced when it is fried or grilled, research suggests.

Marinating 'may cut cancer risk'
article on BBC News website

Extract:

"Meat cooked in this way contains relatively high levels of cancer-causing compounds called heterocyclic amines (HAs).

However, Portuguese researchers found HA levels in steak were lower if it was steeped in alcohol before cooking."

Further to lack of compassion in NHS hospital staff: two paramedics have been arrested by police for allegedly ignoring a dying disabled man.

Paramedics arrested after 'ignoring dying man'
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"They were detained after detectives were given a tape recording of them in the patient's house in which they were allegedly heard discussing not bothering to try to revive him.

The ambulance crew had been sent to Barry Baker's detached home after he dialled 999 saying he thought he was having a heart attack.

Ambulance controllers kept Mr Baker talking on the phone as they ordered the paramedic and ambulance technician to use their blue lights to get to him as quickly as possible.

However the 59-year-old, who lived alone, collapsed unconscious while talking on the phone, leaving the line open to the control centre as he lay on the floor.

Minutes later, dispatch centre staff heard their crew enter the house and allegedly make disparaging comments about its state.

A police source said the ambulancemen were then heard over the phone discussing Mr Baker and allegedly saying "words to the effect that he was not worth saving".

A police spokesman confirmed the arrests and said that a full scale investigation into the incident was being carried out by the force's Major Crime Team."

Lung cancer tumours could grow faster because of an ingredient in processed food, a study has claimed.

Lung tumours 'could grow faster' due to processed food
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"Inorganic phosphates are used in a wide range of meat, seafood, cheese and bakery products to preserve flavour and texture.

Common consumption levels of the chemicals may fuel lung tumour development in susceptible individuals, say the researchers.

Scientists working with mice discovered that high doses of inorganic phosphates stimulate a cancer-promoting biological pathway in the lungs.

At the same time the activity of anti-cancer genes is reduced.

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in the world and affects 38,500 people each year in the UK. The disease kills 34,000 people in the UK each year, more than a fifth of all those who die from cancer."

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, osteopenia, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, and improve your health in many other ways without drugs or expense by eating less salt! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods and

NHS hospitals are suffering from a deterioration in the level of compassion shown to patients by clinical staff, a health thinktank has warned.

NHS hospitals 'suffering from lack of compassion'
article in the Telegraph

Extracts:

"Niall Dickson, chief executive of the King's Fund, blamed work pressures, shorter stays in hospital and the greater complexity of medical challenges for staff behaving in a less "feeling" way.

He said that compassion should be a key priority for the boards of every NHS hospital."

"Mr Dickson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I have very little doubt that we've seen a deterioration in the level of compassion that is shown by staff to patients.

"The board of every hospital should be looking at this as one of their top priorities - what is it like for someone who's coming in to be treated, and how can we improve that experience?"

He added: "It's to do with staff facing very difficult situations - because patients are sicker and hospital stays are shorter - rather than them all turning into nasty people.

"If we can't get compassion into our healthcare, the system is failing. It's as fundamental as that.""

I certainly agree that there's a lack of compassion in hospitals. I was in hospital last year for 29 nights. I went in with a complicated fracture of the right humerus. My right hand was working OK and there was no pain from the fracture when I fell and broke the arm and rang for an ambulance, and no pain from the fracture when the ambulance men took me into the Northern General Hospital A and E department. The pain started when the splint (backslab) was put on the arm. This was because of the pressure and weight of the splint.

I explained to 'everyone' - doctors, nurses, etc - that I am a steroid victim and that therefore my skin and veins are very thin-walled and very delicate and painful, and that pressure is very damaging and painful to them and that the splint was causing me extreme pain and I needed to have the operation (fixing the pieces of broken bone together) done as soon as possible. - I'd been admitted to the hospital early on a Thursday morning. I was told the operation would be done on the following day, the Friday, the Saturday, the Sunday or - at the very latest - the Monday. - It was not done on any of these days. - In fact, it was almost a fortnight before the operation was done! - while I had had to endure increasing agony because of this awful wait. I was told that the delay was caused because emergencies had to be dealt with before me. - I believe my plight was an emergency. - Because of that excessive delay, serious, extremely painful and permanent damage was done to my right (dominant) hand. For months I was unable to move it at all. Ever since leaving the hospital I have had to have carers every day.

During the wait my hand became a mass of pins and needles and it swelled up really alarmingly - a large blue domed mound appeared on the back of my hand. It was so immensely swollen the pain was exquisite. The skin was extremely thin and overstretched and vulnerable and the veins too. In this highly vulnerable, oedematous state one morning a staff nurse who was to help me to get washed grabbed hold of the hand to pull it - into the sling, if I remember correctly. - GRABBED HOLD OF IT! - I screamed! - How could anyone do that? - How could anyone not realise the terrible agony and harm done by putting extra pressure on a delicate hand already so overstretched? - How could a staff nurse be so stupid/cruel as to do that?

He then started telling me off! - I believe this was for the benefit of anyone within earshot of the scream, to make it appear that he had not just caused me intense extra pain. - We were behind screens for privacy since I was getting washed, so no-one had seen his stupid action.

He should have given me time to ease my hand into the sling; the other nurses did. It was a difficult manoeuvre to accomplish. But he was still impatient and now tried again to save time BY GRABBING THE OTHER END OF MY ARM - THAT IS, THE UPPER ARM CONTAINING THE BROKEN BITS OF BONE - AND PUSHED FROM THAT SIDE TO GET MY ARM INTO THE SLING! - THE BITS OF BONE GROUND TOGETHER OF COURSE AND I INVOLUNTARILY SCREAMED AGAIN.

He went away in a temper after telling me off again and I was left for about 40 minutes, in great distress, with no clothes on though partly covered by a towel or something, having all the time with my delicate left hand to support the broken right arm in its heavy splint, unable to change position at all, unable to summon assistance by ringing the bell because the vulnerable badly broken arm was not supported by the sling and could not support itself, of course, because the bone was in bits... - He clearly had not told anyone of my plight so that I could be 'rescued'. It was just by chance that a nurse came into the ward and put her head round the screens to see why they were round my bed and was then able to help me.

That man should not be a nurse.

Sunday, 28 December 2008

Why does the National Obesity Forum give such poor advice? - Is it connected with the fact that the main sponsors of its website are drug companies?

"Sinister, isn't it? - Prescription drugs are a major cause of obesity, especially morbid obesity. - You're unlikely to learn that from anyone working for the NOF...

Here's what it said on their website on 23 Dec 2008 (but it seems to have disappeared since then! - I wonder if they have been visiting my website...(o:) about what causes child obesity:

"Cause of child obesity
When an individual is in energy balance (energy intake = energy expenditure) body weight remains constant. However an increase/decrease on either side of the equation can result in changes in body weight. Obesity occurs as a result of a long term positive energy balance, that is, energy intake has consistently exceeded energy expenditure. It is however important to remember that the causes of this energy imbalance can result from a multitude of genetic, biological, psychological, sociocultural, and environmental factors that affect both sides of the energy balance equation and the interrelationships among these factors."
(written by Siobhan Ahearne-Smith, and dated 18th March 2008)

It can, as I write, be viewed as part of this page http://www.childgrowthfoundation.org/pdf_files/primary_prevention_of_obesity.pdf - Better catch it while you can, in case it gets removed or modified...

The cause of obesity in children, as in adults, is fluid retention/salt sensitivity, and the way to reduce obesity is to reduce intake of salt and salty food. If children are protected from eating salty food from when they are babies they will not become overweight. They should also be protected from dieting (another major cause of weight gain because it increases fluid retention). They do not need to restrict fat intake or energy intake. They do not need to step up energy expenditure (i.e. take more exercise). Research shows that exercise has no effect on child obesity.

Children and Obesity

And see Sodium in foods

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

National Obesity Forum Website sponsored by educational grants from
Abbott Laboratories
Canderel
Roche
Sanofi-Aventis Ltd.
MeatandHealth.com

and their Conference sponsors:
Abbott
Roche
Sanofi-aventis UK
GlaxoSmithKilne
MEND
National Association of British and Irish Millers (NABIM)
Slimfast
Tanita
The Improvement Foundation

Parents will be accused by the Government of "killing their children with kindness" in a new anti-obesity campaign, it has been reported.

Parents 'killing obese children with kindness', says Government
article in the Sunday Telegraph

Extract:

"The campaign is said be based on on an unpublished report by the Department of Health that has been sent to senior NHS managers. According to The Observer, the report says three million young families must be better informed about nutrition to prevent their children becoming obese.

It reportedly features a photograph of three young children with the caption: "One of us will die of heart disease or diabetes when we're older because of the foods our parents let us eat now."

In a section headed "Killing with kindness", it reportedly says: "It's hard to say no to your kids, but if you give in every time you're not being kind, you're killing with kindness. Kids who eat the wrong sorts of food and sit around all day are more likely to get heart disease, cancer, diabetes and to die young. Some will die younger than their parents."

It continues: "Parents do not value physical activity or accept responsibility for children's activity levels. Parents believe their children are already sufficiently active at school.

"Sedentary activity is encouraged by parents. Parents believe it is too unsafe to play outside. mums lack the confidence to take part in physical activity with their children.""

It is not 'killing with kindness' nor is it sedentary activity that is causing child obesity. - It is the continued misinformation that the government and the medical profession churn out about how to reduce obesity. Obesity is not caused by overeating or inactivity, so it cannot be reduced or prevented by eating less and/or exercising more.

Obesity is caused by fluid retention, caused in turn by salt sensitivity. So obesity can be prevented or reduced by addressing the problem of fluid retention. The simplest way to do this is to avoid eating salt and salty food.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods and

Fat people are vulnerable to salt. For them, salt is harmful and so is dieting. THEY NEED TO CUT OUT SALT.

The groups of people vulnerable to salt are babies and children, people who take or who have taken certain prescribed steroids, including prednisone and prednisolone, or certain other prescribed drugs, women who take or have taken HRT or other oestrogen-containing drugs such as some contraceptive medications, people who take or have taken amitriptyline or other tricyclic antidepressants or some other psychotropic/psychoactive drugs, pregnant mothers, PMT sufferers and people who ate salt as children. These groups need to minimise their salt intake.

Salt Can Cause Obesity

If you fall into one of the vulnerable groups I have listed or if you ate a high salt diet as a child you will be sensitive to salt. People without this problem can eat salty foods without doing a lot of harm to themselves, because their kidneys will excrete the sodium which is excess to their requirements. But for people sensitive to salt, some of the excess sodium, along with the water it attracts, will enter their blood stream and not be excreted. So they carry extra weight - as water - around with them all the time. They also lose more heat from their bodies because the surface area of their body has increased with the added water, and the rate at which a body loses heat is proportional to its surface area. - They therefore need extra calories to do the extra work and to provide the extra heat. - So their appetite increases in order to obtain these extra calories. - So they may very well eat more to satisfy their genuine need for calories. - If what they eat is salty, then the cycle will repeat itself and they are likely to become obese.

To break the cycle and put the process into reverse, all that is necessary for them to do is to eat less salt. And eating extra potassium by way of fresh fruit and vegetables will accelerate the excretion of the sodium and water and speed up the weight loss.

In my opinion, people who remain slim are slim not because they have strong will-power to resist extra calories, but because they have strong-walled healthy veins which can resist the incursion of extra salt water.

See also my Fat Retention page.

If you want to lose weight, eat less salt!

Saturday, 27 December 2008

Patients are being put in danger because of a backlog of hundreds of millions of pounds of urgent repairs at hospitals.

Patient safety at risk as NHS repairs ignored
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"More than half of hospital trusts have a backlog of repairs which the NHS says need to be urgently completed to ensure patient safety.

The NHS defines the work is so pressing that it “must be addressed with urgent priority in order to prevent catastrophic failure, major disruption to clinical services or deficiencies in safety liable to cause serious injury and/or prosecution”.

Yet despite the urgency of the work, the new figures show that the level of outstanding urgent repairs rose last year, by £11 million to £310 million.

Crumbling buildings and failings in the infrastructure of hospitals have been repeatedly linked to risks to patient safety.

Last year, the official investigation into Britain’s deadliest outbreak of the infection Clostridium Difficile, which killed more than 90 patients at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals cited its high maintenance backlog as a contributing factor in the spread of the disease."

Nearly three-quarters of youths with type 1 diabetes have been found to be insufficient in vitamin D.

Three-quarters of youths with type 1 diabetes were found to have insufficient levels of vitamin D, according to a study by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center – findings that suggest children with the disease may need vitamin D supplementation to prevent bone fragility later in life.
Read article at physorg.com

Lack of vitamin D causes weight gain and stunts growth in girls

Insufficient vitamin D can stunt growth and foster weight gain during puberty, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Even in sun-drenched California, where scientists from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and the University of Southern California conducted their study, vitamin D deficiency was found to cause higher body mass and shorter stature in girls at the peak of their growing spurt.
Read article at physorg.com

Thursday, 25 December 2008

Do you want to avoid putting on weight today, Christmas Day, and over the festive season? - Here's some advice you may find helpful:

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods and

and FAT RETENTION

So chocolate won't make you fatter, nor will cream and sugar in your coffee, nor candied fruit nor sugared almonds, etc., but stuffing that contains a lot of salt, bread sauce, and little sausages with bacon wrapped round, and salted nuts and crisps, Stilton cheese, smoked salmon, pork pie, etc. - I'm sure you can think of plenty of other salty foods that are eaten round about Christmas time - they are the foods that can make you fatter...

Merry Christmas!

Wednesday, 24 December 2008

Paul Clements disagrees with Sir Richard Branson about the best way to tackle MRSA in hospitals.

Sir Richard Branson's plan to tackle MRSA will come to grief
article in the Telegraph, written by Paul Clements

Extract:

"Unless you ensure everyone who enters a hospital is clear of Staphylococcus aureus, Branson’s plan is all but meaningless.

The cheapest and simplest solution remains good hygiene – by the cleaning staff, nurses and visitors alike. Spread by contact with contaminated skin and unclean surfaces, poor sanitary procedures ensure that MRSA is a menace to the NHS.

Unless both staff and visitors are made to wear plastic gowns when at a patient’s bedside and to rub their hands with alcohol gel before and after a visit – the bacteria will thrive.

Earlier this month, I was back in an A&E ward, sat for six hours with a neighbour who had collapsed in his bathroom. Of the dozen or so staff who came to check up on him, only one used the alcohol rub before or after they had examined him. There was dried blood on the ward floor, next to scraps of unbinned surgical waste.

Rather than taking staff out of the NHS to have them disinfected, Sir Richard might do better to suggest putting in more who know their way around a mop and bucket. Either that, or start a whistleblower’s phoneline."

(Sir Richard Branson accuses politicians of failing over hospital superbugs
article in the Telegraph)

Tuesday, 23 December 2008

Warning that there's a great deal of salt in a traditional Christmas meal.

Christmas lunch contains twice daily recommended amount of salt
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"The traditional festive meal of turkey with all the trimmings, Christmas pudding and bread sauce rounded off with a slice of stilton contains more than 11g of salt (0.4oz).

Researchers from the group Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) said the levels found in each course of a typical Christmas Day lunch would be dangerous if eaten everyday.

Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which is linked to an increased risk of stroke and heart disease."

High salt intake can seriously harm your health in many ways.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods and

Sir Richard Branson criticised "horrific" hospital infection rates, accusing politicians and health bosses of "tinkering" with the problem.

Sir Richard Branson accuses politicians of failing over hospital superbugs
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"The Virgin tycoon, who was recently appointed vice-president of the Patients Association, called for all hospital staff to be screened for the superbug MRSA and receive immediate treatment if infected.

He has also said managers at failing NHS trusts should be fired.

Infection rates for MRSA are falling across the UK with the most recent quarterly figures showing a 33 per cent drop year on year, but Sir Richard is calling for more to be done.

The entrepreneur - whose daughter Holly is a doctor - told the BBC: "There have been some improvements, but the facts speak for themselves - and the facts are still horrific.

"It feels like they have tinkered with the problem rather than really got to the heart of the problem. The hospitals are there to cure people. They are not there to kill people."

He said the NHS could learn from the airline industry about how to avoid mistakes and improve.

"In the airline industry if we had that kind of track record we would have been grounded years ago," he said.

"In the airline industry if there is an adverse event that information is sent out to every airline in the world.

"And every airline makes absolutely certain that that adverse event doesn't happen twice."

Sir Richard is helping to organise an international conference on infection control and patient safety early next year."

I'm pleased he is not afraid of speaking out about these important matters. He sounds as though he is an appropriate person to be vice-president of the Patients Association.

Monday, 22 December 2008

Doctors and nurses who do not wash their hands could be sacked under new "zero tolerance" rules to prevent the spread of superbugs.

Doctors and nurses to be sacked if they do not wash their hands
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"The tough rules on hand hygiene will be applied to Scottish hospitals from January.

Those who repeatedly fail to comply with hand washing guidelines have been warned they could face disciplinary action when the new rules are implemented.

Ministers previously set a 90 per cent target for handwashing, to be met by February next year.

But they believe that target has already been achieved ahead of schedule and the health boards are being told to target the remaining ten per cent of staff who fail to keep their hands clean.

An aide to Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said it was "unacceptable" for medical staff to flout hygiene rules.

He said: "Hand hygiene is an important part of our drive to tackle healthcare associated infection. NHS Scotland has met the target to achieve at least 90 per cent compliance.

"We are now adopting a zero tolerance approach to non compliance and all Boards are expected to implement this policy from January 2009.""

I'll believe it if/when it happens! - Is this intended just for Scotland?

There is a long tradition of doctors harming their patients because of not washing their hands, e.g. many years ago many women died in childbirth because of doctors not washing their hands prior to examining patients and the women caught puerperal fever, which killed them. - See http://www.jameslindlibrary.org/trial_records/19th_Century/semmelweis/semmelweis_commentary.html

Sunday, 21 December 2008

Over 500 Deaths Per Year Associated with Children's Cough and Cold Medicine

Research published in the American Academy of Pediatrics official journal, "Pediatrics," reveals that there is an estimated 500 pediatric deaths a year associated with children's cold and cough medicine. "Up until this new research, officials assumed that there were only 3 or 4 deaths a year from these medications" says Dr. Jeffery L. Chamberlain, the family doctor and co-founder of Honey Don't Cough, who performed the mathematical extrapolation. "Deaths have been drastically underreported because when a child gets sick and dies, doctors assume that the death was solely related to the illness itself. Typically, no one thinks to check for toxic medications that could have contributed to the death."
Read press release at mmdnewswire.com

Saturday, 20 December 2008

Psychiatric drugs compulsion queried because not backed by evidence

The practice of forcing psychiatric patients to take medication is not backed by evidence, say UK researchers. Very few rigorous investigations of the use of coerced medication have been done despite it being widespread, the Journal of Advanced Nursing reported. The dearth of evidence is "unacceptable" and more should be done to find alternatives, the team said.
Read article on the BBC News website (UK)

My thoughts about Special K breakfast cereal...

Special K markets itself as an aid to becoming slimmer. I'm amazed that it is allowed to get away with this claim. I consider it a con. - With such a high sodium content - 0.45g sodium per 100g product - see http://www.kelloggs.co.uk/products/specialk/cereal/special_k_sustain.aspx it would be very difficult indeed to lose any weight.

On this webpage http://www.kelloggs.co.uk/specialk/challenge.aspx they say
"# First calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) which is a calculation related to your height and weight. In order to take part in the challenge it should be 25 or over.
# Eat up to a 45g serving of any Special K cereal with 125ml semi-skimmed milk for breakfast, have another for lunch OR dinner, with a third nutritionally-balanced meal for two weeks.
# Snack on fruit, vegetables and Special K bars and Special K Mini Breaks.
# Ensure a regular and adequate intake of alcohol free drinks."

They also say:

"In a study by a leading University the Special K Challenge worked for up to 3 out of 4 people."

I'm not surprised that the 'leading University' is not named, since the last paragraph I quoted CANNOT POSSIBLY BE TRUE - unless the people taking the 'Special K Challenge' were a HIGHLY unrepresentative group.

To lose excess weight it is necessary to eat less salt and salty food because this will reduce the body's fluid retention/excess water weight. This is the safe, sure, healthy way to lose excess weight and it works like magic.

DON'T DIET! - Dieting is unnecessary, harmful and IT DOES NOT WORK!

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

Children and Obesity

And see Sodium in foods

Friday, 19 December 2008

FDA puts black box warning on bowel-clearing drugs

WASHINGTON -- Federal health officials have said they will add the sternest safety warnings available to drugs used before colonoscopies, following reports of kidney damage in several patients. The Food and Drug Administration said it has received more than 20 reports of a serious form of kidney failure among patients taking the bowel-cleansing drugs, known as oral phosphate products. The new boxed warning label will apply to Visicol and OsmoPrep _ both prescription tablets made by Salix Pharmaceuticals.
Read article in the Washington Post (USA)

Drug Maker Said to Pay Ghostwriters for Journal Articles

Wyeth, the pharmaceutical company, paid ghostwriters to produce medical journal articles favorable to its female hormone replacement therapy Prempro, according to Congressional letters seeking more information about the company’s involvement in medical ghostwriting. At least one article was published even after a federal study found the drug raised the risk of breast cancer.
Read article in the New York Times (USA)

Swedish Officials Investigating Nobel Prize Board

Swedish Officials Investigating Nobel Prize Board - news published
Friday, December 12, 2008 7:18 PM:

The Nobel Prize Committee is facing criminal investigation of bribery and corruption after allegedly taking huge payments from a pharmaceutical company that directly benefits from the work of this year's Nobel Prize winner in medicine. The astonishing scandal, being reported in the European trade press and conspicuously absent from Sweden's major daily newspapers, surfaced just days before the internationally renowned awards were presented in Stockholm on Wednesday. According to Swedish trade journal Dagens Medicin, two Nobel-affiliated corporations – Nobel Media and Nobel Webb – are accused of taking "many millions" of dollars from Swedish-American pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.
Read article here.

Thursday, 18 December 2008

Vitamin B1 could reverse early-stage kidney disease in diabetes patients

Researchers at the University of Warwick have discovered high doses of thiamine – vitamin B1 – can reverse the onset of early diabetic kidney disease.
Read article at physorg.com

Childhood obesity is set before the age of five...

Obesity 'set before age of five'
article on the news pages of the BBC website

Extract:

"The EarlyBird Diabetes study of 233 children from birth to puberty is being published in the journal Pediatrics.

One in four children aged four to five in England are overweight, latest figures show.

Disease 'of our time'

At birth, the children in the study were of similar weight to babies 25 years ago, but had gained more fat by puberty compared with children of the same age in the 1980s.

The bulk of this excess weight was gained before the children were five.

Weight at five years bore little relation to birth weight, but closely predicted weight at nine years old."

"Lead researcher Professor Terry Wilkin, of the Peninsula Medical School, Plymouth, said: "When they reach the age of five the die seems to be cast, at least until the age of puberty.

"What is causing it is very difficult to know."

He said there must be a factor now that was not there 25 years ago which is making today's children obese."

There are more factors than one. Here are the main ones:

1) Children these days eat far more salt and salty food than formerly. Human breast milk is not high in salt/sodium, so breast-feeding a baby for as long as possible helps to protect the baby from becoming overweight. The younger the baby or child, the more harm salt causes. I expect that 25 years ago a lower proportion of mothers of young babies went to work, and so possibly breast-feeding was continued for longer than today.

2) The advice about reducing obesity is wrong. And people are bombarded by this wrong advice. - Obesity is not reduced by eating less food/fat/calories, because obesity is not caused by greed or 'over-eating'. Obesity is caused by fluid retention, caused in turn by sodium retention, and can only be reduced by reducing the fluid retention and that is done mainly by reducing salt/sodium intake and eating plenty of food that is rich in potassium. Fruit and vegetables contain a lot of potassium. Potassium displaces some of the sodium, and the water that always accompanies it, from the body.

3) Sodium retention depletes the body of essential minerals, mainly calcium, magnesium and potassium, and this mineral loss has many adverse consequences - fat retention and bone weakening being the main ones.

4) Dieting increases body weight because it increases fluid retention.

5) Exercise does not result in weight loss, no matter how many people insist that it does.

6) There are far too many pharmaceutical drugs prescribed and taken, and many of these cause or exacerbate fluid retention.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods and

Associated health conditions

and FAT RETENTION

Wednesday, 17 December 2008

Marilyn Wardrop, aged 54, died four days after a gastric bypass operation carried out at Thornbury Hospital, Sheffield.

Woman died after op to reduce her weight
article in the Sheffield Telegraph

Extract:

"Marilyn Wardrop, aged 54, was warned the gastric bypass operation carried a small risk of death but she was determined to go ahead with it, say her Doncaster family, because she was fed up of weighing 24 stone. Now they are considering whether they should take legal action against the private Thornbury Hospital in Ranmoor, Sheffield, where the operation was carried out last September on the NHS.

The surgeon who carried out the procedure on Mrs Wardrop, of Queens Court, Thorne, Doncaster, denies any malpractice.

The operation to reduce the capacity of her stomach was carried out on September 17 and she was allowed home two days later by the consultant Roger Ackroyd, although she complained of being in pain, a Doncaster inquest heard.

On September 21 the pain became so bad her family called 999 but she went into shock and died in the ambulance before it reached Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

A post-mortem examination carried out by Dr Mahariz Muzzafar discovered two litres of blood in her abdominal cavity and that was the cause of death but it was not possible to discover the site of the bleed."

If only people were told the truth about the causes of obesity and the safe ways to reduce excess weight! - There would then be far fewer weight loss operations performed. - Here is how to lose weight safely:

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, osteopenia, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, and improve your health in many other ways without drugs or expense by eating less salt! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods and

http://aboutsalt.blogspot.com/2007/04/is-mhra-medicines-and-healthcare.html

Associated health conditions

and FAT RETENTION

Tuesday, 16 December 2008

Hospitals and schools have been hit by the winter vomiting virus as figures show the norovirus has taken hold across the UK.

The winter vomiting bug is sweeping through schools and hospitals
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"People who have been ill are being asked to stay away from hospitals in an attempt to keep wards operating normally and stop patients who are already ill and vulnerable from contracting it.

GPs have also urged people to stay at home and not visit the surgery if they get symptoms unless they are elderly, very young or have long-term illnesses, as this spreads the bug further.

The winter vomiting bug has taken hold at the same time seasonal flu is now circulating meaning health services will be under extra pressure over the Christmas period.

The norovirus bug is not normally dangerous but is extremely contagious and can spread rapidly through wards, classrooms, hotels and cruise ships.

It causes violent sickness and is most common through the winter months.

Professor Steve Field, president of the Royal College of General Practitioners said if people stay at home and drink plenty of fluids the spread of the bug can be minimised.

He said: "Obviously we worry about very young babies, the very old and people who are immunocompromised, but generally you do not need to go and see your doctor."

Thorough hand washing after using the lavatory is vital to halt the spread and frequent hand washing and disposing of tissues after use also helps to prevent others catching flu.

Last year saw record levels of norovirus with an estimated five million people struck down as the season started abnormally early and lasting into February.

This year is not expected to be as bad and since July there have been 1337 cases confirmed by laboratory testing carried out by the HPA, compared with 1661 cases confirmed in the same period last year."

You can boost your immunity to infection by cutting down on salt and salty food.

Sunday, 14 December 2008

A 12-year-old girl has become paralysed from the waist down after being injected with the cervical cancer vaccine, Cervarix.

Schoolgirl, 12, paralysed after receiving cervical cancer jab
article in the Sunday Telegraph

Extract:

"Ashleigh Cave suffered headaches and dizziness minutes after receiving the injection, and has spent the last eight weeks in hospital having lost the strength in her legs.

Her mother Cheryl believes that her daughter's mystery illness is directly related to the vaccine, which is being administered to 300,000 12 and 13 year old girls in Britain in an effort to cut down on rates of the fatal disease.

Several girls in the US have been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can cause paralysis, after being vaccinated by a similar product, Gardasil.

But doctors have ruled that Ashleigh's condition is not connected to the vaccination, and health experts have insisted that the vaccine is safe.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the government agency responsible for monitoring drugs, said: "Guillain-Barré syndrome naturally occurs in the population. There is no good evidence to suggest that the Cervarix vaccine can cause [it].""

Well I wouldn't believe a word the drug monitoring agency says on this matter, because so many of its members are in the pockets of drug companies...)o: - More detail here:

and here:

http://aboutsalt.blogspot.com/2006/07/sleaze-in-medical-profession.html

Further foolish claims made about genes as causes of obesity.

Six new obesity genes discovered
article in the Sunday Telegraph

Extract:

"Scientists looked at the genes of more than 90,000 people and uncovered six genetic variants associated with an increased Body Mass Index (BMI), the standard measurement of obesity.

Of the six, five are active in the brain, and could affect behaviour around food, rather than how the body breaks down fat or uses up energy, according to the findings, published in the journal Nature Genetics.

"It might seem remarkable that it is the brain that is most commonly influenced by genetic variation in obesity, rather than fat tissue or digestive processes," says Dr Ines Barroso, a senior author on the study, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. "Until 2007, no genetic associations had been found for 'common obesity', but today almost all those we have uncovered are likely to influence brain function."

Scientists hope that by analysing the genes they can better understand how they work and develop ways to tackle the problem."

This is pernicious nonsense. Genetic changes in brain function are not what cause obesity.

Obesity is caused by fluid retention, often accompanied by fat retention.

Fluid retention is caused by salt sensitivity/weakened veins, often caused by prescription drugs.

Fluid retention tends to lead to deficiency in calcium, magnesium and potassium. Deficiency in these minerals, especially calcium, and in vitamin D, causes fat retention.

Reducing salt intake reduces fluid retention AND fat retention. Increasing intake of calcium and vitamin D, magnesium and potassium, further reduces fat retention.

Read the following webpages for fuller information.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods and

Associated health conditions

and FAT RETENTION

Hospitals are facing a winter crisis as a sharp rise in cases of flu and other viruses forces some to close wards to new patients.

Hospitals forced to close wards as virulent winter bug spreads
report in the Sunday Telegraph

Extract 1:

"The vomiting bug norovirus – the most common gastrointestinal illness in the UK, affecting up to a million people every year – is causing particular problems, with NHS chiefs forced to warn sufferers to stay away from doctors' surgeries and hospitals for fear of spreading it further.

Affected hospitals include Addenbrooke's in Cambridge, Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, Worcestershire Royal Hospital and York Hospital.

Several trusts said the knock-on effect was making it difficult to meet the Government's target of admitting, or dealing with, 98 per cent of emergency patients within four hours.

One of London's three major trauma centres, St George's in Tooting, was issued a 'black alert' and closed its doors to emergencies for a number of hours on Monday after experiencing a 14 per cent surge in demand compared to the same period last year.

Staff at St George's reported that up to 20 patients requiring urgent admission had to be kept on beds in A&E as wards were full.

Some were diverted to neighbouring hospitals, including Mayday in Croydon, Kingston Hospital and St Helier in Sutton, all of which reported pressure on their own capacity.

The Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital closed its doors to all visitors last week after 12 of its 49 wards were infected, forcing it to postpone about 60 non-urgent operations.

It faced extra pressure from emergency admissions caused by falls on ice, with nearly 100 people going into the emergency department with ice-related injuries on Monday alone.

In Carlisle, two elderly care wards at the Cumberland Infirmary were closed last week in a bid to isolate the norovirus bug. Nearby Wigton cottage hospital was closed to all admissions and non-emergency transfers for the second time in a fortnight.

Two wards at East Surrey Hospital closed, while five at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn were shut or under observation.

At the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, six wards were closed, reducing the number of beds available to patients by 130.

Sarah Byrom, the chief nurse, said: "While norovirus is common for this time of year, we have seen a big increase in the number of people coming into the hospital with symptoms.""

As usual, the Department of Health is on another planet:

Extract 2:

"A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "Winter crises used to bedevil the NHS. Thanks to record investment and better organisation we have not had a major winter crisis for several years. However, we constantly update our contingency plans in the light of events.""

Saturday, 13 December 2008

Treating Alzheimer's sufferers for a sleep disorder that causes heavy snoring can boost their memory, a new study shows.

Treating snoring 'could help Alzheimer's sufferers' memories'
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"Scientists found that helping patients get a better night's sleep could help them think more clearly.

They believe that the findings suggest that the symptoms of dementia could be exacerbated by the snoring condition called obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).

While it is unlikely that the problem is the cause of the devastating neurological condition, the lack of sleep and disruption it creates could cause many patients' symptoms to worsen, according to researchers.

The Alzheimer's Society called for further research into the treatment, which it said was potentially "good news" for some of the 700,000 people in Britain's who sufferer from the disease.

Previous studies have shown that sleep apnoea is more common among Alzheimer's patients than in the general population.

One study found that up to 40 per cent of patients suffered from the condition."

Snoring and Sleep Apnoea have a common cause, and that is obesity/fluid retention/sodium retention/salt sensitivity. To reduce the effects of that common cause and therefore reduce or cure snoring and/sleep apnoea it is necessary to reduce salt/sodium intake to a minimum.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods and

Associated health conditions

and FAT RETENTION

Friday, 12 December 2008

NHS chiefs and Whitehall officials enjoyed taxpayer-funded "away day" at one of Britain's must luxurious hotels as the UK economy slid into recession.

NHS chiefs enjoy taxpayer-funded away day at luxury hotel as recession bites
article in the Telegraph

Extract 1:

"As private firms cut costs and laid off workers, nine senior managers from the NHS and the Department of health spent two days at the Great Fosters hotel near Egham, Surrey.

Great Fosters is a moated Elizabethan house with 38 rooms costing an average of £200 a night.

The Departmental Board of the Department of Health - which includes the NHS chief executive and the chief medical officer - were there on Thursday 11th and Friday 12th of September this year."

Extract 2:

"Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "It is totally wasteful for NHS executives to live a life of luxury at taxpayers' expense. This money was meant to improve the experience of people stuck in crowded hospital wards, not to house bureaucrats in top notch hotels. It is an outrage that while everyone else tightens their belts, the public sector just keeps on spending.""

Thursday, 11 December 2008

Drinking too much water in too short a time is highly dangerous. It caused Jacqueline Henson's death.

Slimmer died in 'tragic accident' after drinking too much water during controversial diet
article in the Daily Mail

Extract:

"Support worker Mrs Henson weighed 14 stone and had previously tried dieting through Slimming World and Weight Watchers without success, but she enrolled with LighterLife after seeing a television advert.

Mr Henson and their children Michaela, 20, Chantelle, 18, Shirelle, 16, Jermain, nine and Simone, five, all supported her attempts to lose the pounds. And Mrs Henson was delighted with the fast early progress.

'She wanted to lose the weight after she gave birth to Simone, she was unhappy with the way she looked and she wanted to do something about it,' said Mr Henson yesterday.

'She was so paranoid when she used to walk down the street, she used to think people were looking at her because of her size.'

Mr Henson, a house husband from Huddersfield, said: 'I never had any worries about her doing the diet, she had a full check up at the doctors before she started the diet and got the all clear.'

On 14 November she came home from a LighterLife meeting after being given a 'reward' of powdered food for making good progress.

'It was just a normal night for us, she came home and cooked tea for the family and she sat down to watch I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, bringing two, two litre bottles of water with her.

'He said she drank the bottles in the evening as she didn't have time during her busy day.

'She had nearly finished the bottles of water and she stood up complaining of stomach ache, I joked with her saying it was probably the amount of water she had just thrown back,' he said.

'I told her to lie down, but she threw up about half a pint of water on the floor, I rushed to get a bucket and got her to the sofa. She laid back and a bit later threw up another pint of water. She kept complaining about having a headache too.'

At 11pm she went upstairs and minutes later was found by her teenager daughter Chantelle, unconscious in the bathroom.

She was rushed to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary by paramedics, but went into a coma and died."

prescribed steroids and HRT

See advice for pregnant mothers
Children and Obesity

Associated health conditions

and FAT RETENTION

Thousands of patients are the victims of medical errors that could have been avoided if safety were given a higher priority in the NHS

Thousands of NHS patients suffer avoidable medical errors, says Healthcare Commission
article in the Telegraph

Extract 1:

"The report said only half of NHS trusts comply with all safety standards and there has been little improvement.

Errors that have led to patients being harmed include incorrect diagnosis, wrong doses of medication, surgeons operating on the wrong part of the body and paperwork going missing.

The wide ranging report covers all aspects of healthcare in England and highlights a number of areas of significant improvement in the NHS, particularly around deaths from cancer and heart disease and huge reductions in waiting times.

Demand for healthcare has increased dramatically, the NHS has higher levels of funding than ever before, and the health of the nation is improving, the report said.

However, the last annual report before the Healthcare Commission is subsumed by the Care Quality Commission, the report focuses on patient safety and the lack of progress in the last five years.

The report said too few incidents are reported to the National Patient Safety Agency with particular problems in primary care where doctors and nurses report almost no errors although the majority of patient care is delivered by GPs."

"Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman of Council at the British Medical Association said: "The overall picture in this report is of major improvements to standards of care. We applaud the efforts of NHS staff in reducing the amount of time patients have to wait, and improving the quality of the care they receive.

Extract 2:

"Any errors are regrettable but there are millions of contacts between the NHS and patients every day. It is inevitable that, in a very small proportion of these, care falls below the highest standards. Doctors want to get rid of unacceptable variations in quality, but we need to be careful to analyse and learn from the causes of low performance rather than jumping to conclusions or simply adopting a blame culture."

Martin Fletcher, Chief Executive at the National Patient Safety Agency, said: “Good reporting is the cornerstone of patient safety. Safety cannot be improved without a range of valid reporting, analytical and investigative tools that identify the sources and causes of risk in a way that leads to preventative action. The National Reporting and Learning System has a vital role to play in supporting NHS organisations to identify risks to safe patient care. Patient safety needs to be everyone’s responsibility.”"

If you read the whole article you will see that the foolish Dr Meldrum's response is so glaringly at variance with the contents of the report as to be gross lies.

Couple the reluctance of doctors and hospital trusts to admit to errors and to report them, with the long-standing culture of cover-up by the medical profession as a whole, and add to that the widespread practice of further victimising the victims of medical negligence and you may begin to comprehend the vast scale of medical malpractice and avoidable suffering in this country. Then add further the difficulties of even getting a complaint acknowledged/received by the system: the Healthcare Commission has 'gatekeepers' who prevent Prof Sir Ian Kennedy and his fellow Commissioners from even seeing many of the complaints submitted by those who have suffered/are suffering from the mistakes/negligence of the system...

We are very badly served by the expensive, poorly performing NHS and our vastly overpaid doctors, and the NHS Complaints Procedures routinely add to the suffering of complainants/victims and are a national scandal.

One in three children aged ten and one in four aged four are overweight or obese, official Government figures have found.

One in three children aged ten and 11 are overweight or obese
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"This year 88 per cent of eligible children took part - almost one million - compared to 80 per cent last year.

Tim Straughan, chief executive of the NHS Information Centre, said: "Obesity is one of the biggest threats to the health of our nation and it is of huge concern that the problem is afflicting so many children and at such an early age.

"Today's report is the second time The NHS Information Centre has published annual findings for the programme. Over time, we expect the programme to pinpoint trends in the prevalence of obesity which will help frontline staff identify where best to direct their efforts in tackling the problem."

Children who are overweight or obese are more likely to have lifelong health problems and type 2 diabetes, normally only seen in adults over the age of 40 is now being diagnosed in children."

The trouble is, obesity is blamed on 'overeating' instead of on the real cause, which is fluid retention. As a result of people being given the wrong information and advice, obesity and ill-health increase.

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods and