12-3-2007

Heath in the News for first week in December
by J.E. High

If you are a women who is diabetic and on the medicine "Avandia,
studies have revealed that use of this drug might explains
why women have more fractures.
Long term use of  Rosiglitazone aka Avandia   may lead to Osterporosis.
according to an article  on "Nature Medicine". 
Medicine is already labeled  about the risk of heart failure
now we can  add brittle bones to the results.
 Older women are more of a risk
 so, you might want to see your doctor about a change in your diabetic medicine or the possible addition of some anti-osteroporsis drugs.
Personally I would switch rather than add another drug to counter act effects that are  coming from a current one.

With all the recalls of meat in the news because of life threaten E-Coli and other things that make meat unsafe it may be time to start grinding out own meat at home. You don't hear of roast and steaks being recalled
but you take you chances with hamburger meat or other processed meats that are a ground up mixture , Apparently you can not depend on the USDA to get the word out and it is sometimes weeks or more when the product is produced and the recall is issued.  There were over 70 recalls this year and it is estimated that only 44 percent of the meat  was recovered.
Once people get sick the recovered tainted meat falls to 20 percent.
 Guess people had already eaten it or thrown it away.

Last July I ate some Angus hamburgers grilled.  I had picked them up at Wa-mart for a birthday celebration .I was the only member of the family  that got sick. I was not sure if I had picked up something at a local cafe or had gotten a bad hamburger. What ever it was I ran fever for several day as well as having a common stomach problem.  I never knew if the hamburger patties had gotten recalled. Did not report it to anybody or tell the store. If I was the only one that
had a problem it was hard to know who was the culprit. I am sure this happen lots of times with ordinary customers. So it could be that what we think is flu may be food poisoning from tainted meat and other products.
 Lately we have started grinding up our own meat for stews and chili, I plan to
make my  own hamburger steaks in the future.  Sixty years ago my father would not eat hamburger meat unless it was ground fresh. That was back before any body was aware there could be a problem.
 I  think good old Dad was right.
 

 Vaccine

Vaccines are getting more controversial every day
People are scared to give their babies vaccines for common child hood
disease because of the theory that they contain mercury and other
toxic ingredients.

Old people have to wonder about flu vaccines that
may or not build immunity. It seems that flu changes from year to year,
so you are getting vaccinated for  varieties that  may already have gone by.

Bird Flu vaccines don't seem to be of  much value. and may cause problems.

One of the latest is a cancer vaccine they are trying to force on  little girls to protect them from a disease that they may not get exposed to for a long time.
A disease that hits people in their middle ages .  Then it
offers only partial protection against a small percentage of virus types . Now some one has decided  that maybe they should   give it to little boys as well.
No long term test result as to it possible future problems for the women involved.

Lots of money are spent to develop these medicines and there is
a lot of politics involved in weather they get  approved , sold, stored
  and bought by the government for public protection

The story today is about Anthrax Vaccine
Remember after the 2001 attacks there was quite a bit in the news
about Anthrax. I think they were sending spores through the mail.

The vaccine used at that time and still today caused some
serious  adverse side effects. Swelling, muscle aches and pains.
It required 6 injections over 18 months and a yearly booster.
The government is still  stockpiling  it  although it has  major problems.

Another company came along and   they worked for 4 year,
on a new vaccine.  Then politics took over.
The old company hired 50 lobbyists launched a campaign to
damage the credibility of both the new  company and new vaccine.
Like to have put them out of business.

Officials cancelled the huge contract 877. 5 million .
Leaves us with the question of how much did  the old vaccine makers
have to spend to save a contract worth 877.5 million.
Maybe the new  vaccine was not any better but we will never know.
How many other vaccines in current use are the best available
or like this Anthrax vaccine  in use , just because  the manufactures  know how the  political system works.
 

See you next time
Joan

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