Statin drugs increase risk for diabetes and weight gain

(NaturalNews) Pfizer's Lipitor (atorvastatin) is a record-breaking drug, a prescription with the highest peak sales of any drug on the market. Statin drugs like this one, along with other brand equivalents and generics, are a medical doctor's go-to "solution" for managing patient's cholesterol levels. These drugs are formulated to alter liver function, reducing the efficiency of a specific liver enzyme that produces cholesterol.


Under the spell of statins, liver cells are then more capable of capturing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol from the blood of patients, potentially reducing risk of heart attack and stroke. Statin drugs are often prescribed after one has suffered a major vascular event to prevent future incidents. However, suppressing the natural function of enzymes in the liver may very well invite new problems in the human body.

Taking statins increases type 2 diabetes risk by 12 percent


New research from the University College London (UCL) and the University of Glasgow finds that these statin drugs are more risky than rewarding, increasing risk for diabetes and weight gain. A large-scale analysis investigated the mechanism by which statins increase a patient's risk of type 2 diabetes.

In clinical trials that studied the effect of stain drugs on heart disease and stroke, 130,000 participants also underwent tests to determine diabetes risk in relation to the statin drugs. Over a four-year period, patients on statins gained an excess of 240 grams and were 12 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes versus those on placebo. The researchers were able to see that statins and variants of an enzyme-encoding gene in liver cells had a similar effect for increasing risk for type 2 diabetes and weight gain.

Coauthor Dr. Daniel Swerdlow of the UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science confirmed that the findings were related to the statin drugs that participants were taking. "Commonly occurring variants in the gene encoding the same liver enzyme are associated with a lower LDL-cholesterol," he explained, but "Incorporating information from up to 220 000 individuals, we found that these genetic variants were also associated with a higher weight and marginally higher type 2 diabetes risk."

Swerdlow explained the effects of these genetic variants: "The effects were very much smaller than from statin treatment, but the genetic findings indicate that the weight gain and diabetes risk observed in the analysis from trials are related to the known mechanism of action of statins rather than some other unintended effect."

Statins are a risky way to try and prevent cardiovascular disease

In the study, co-senior author Professor Aroon Hingorani explained that suppressing these specific liver enzymes causes future metabolic distress in patients: "The genetic findings of our study help to explain the mechanism by which statins increase weight and diabetes risk. However, the effects of the genetic variants are orders of magnitude lower than the effects of statins."

The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that doctors prescribe statins for those who are deemed at a 10 percent higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease within the next decade. Broad suggestions like these can catapult entire populations of healthy people on a course with unintended side effects like type 2 diabetes.

Is controlling cholesterol levels in this way an effective solution or are statins a misleading racket? What are better ways for doctors to encourage patients to maintain a healthy vascular system without the need for these risky statin drugs?

Co-senior author of the study Professor Naveed Sattar recommends, "Many patients eligible for statin treatment would also benefit from lifestyle changes including increased physical activity, eating more healthily and stopping smoking. The modest increases in weight and diabetes risk seen in this study could easily be mitigated by adopting healthier diets and lifestyles. Reinforcing the importance of lifestyle changes when discussing these issues with patients would further enhance the benefit of statin treatment in preventing heart attacks and strokes."


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/053291_statin_drugs_diabetes_weight_gain.html#ixzz42u0sy52f

GARDASIL-Don't Do it to your Daughters!

New Concerns about the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine

American College of Pediatricians – January 2016
The American College of Pediatricians (The College) is committed to the health and well-being of children, including prevention of disease by vaccines. It has recently come to the attention of the College that one of the recommended vaccines could possibly be associated with the very rare but serious condition of premature ovarian failure (POF), also known as premature menopause.


There have been two case report series (3 cases each) published since 2013 in which post-menarcheal adolescent girls developed laboratory documented POF within weeks to several years of receiving Gardasil, a four-strain human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV4).^1,2 Adverse events that occur after vaccines are frequently not caused by the vaccine and there has not been a noticeable rise in POF cases in the last 9 years since HPV4 vaccine has been widely used.


Nevertheless there are legitimate concerns that should be addressed: (1) long-term ovarian function was not assessed in either the original rat safety studies^3,4 or in the human vaccine trials, (2) most primary care physicians are probably unaware of a possible association between HPV4 and POF and may not consider reporting POF cases or prolonged amenorrhea (missing menstrual periods) to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), (3) potential mechanisms of action have been postulated based on autoimmune associations with the aluminum adjuvant used¹ and previously documented ovarian toxicity in rats from another component, polysorbate 80,² and (4) since licensure of Gardasil® in 2006, there have been about 213 VAERS reports (per the publicly available CDC WONDER VAERS database) involving amenorrhea, POF or premature menopause, 88% of which have been associated with Gardasil®.⁵ The two-strain HPV2, Cervarix^TM, was licensed late in 2009 and accounts for 4.7 % of VAERS amenorrhea reports since 2006, and 8.5% of those reports from February 2010 through May 2015. This compares to the pre-HPV vaccine period from 1990 to 2006 during which no cases of POF or premature menopause and 32 cases of amenorrhea were reported to VAERS.


Many adolescent females are vaccinated with influenza, meningococcal, and tetanus vaccines without getting Gardasil®, and yet only 5.6% of reports related to ovarian dysfunction since 2006 are associated with such vaccines in the absence of simultaneous Gardasil® administration. The overwhelming majority (76%) of VAERS reports since 2006 with ovarian failure, premature menopause, and/or amenorrhea are associated solely with Gardasil®. When VAERS reports since 2006 are restricted to cases in which amenorrhea occurred for at least 4 months and is not associated with other known causes like polycystic ovary syndrome or pregnancy, 86/89 cases are associated with Gardasil®, 3/89 with Cervarix^TM, and 0/89 with other vaccines administered independently of an HPV vaccine.⁵ Using the same criteria, there are only 7 reports of amenorrhea from 1990 through 2005 and no more than 2 of those associated with any one vaccine type.
Few other vaccines besides Gardasil® that are administered in adolescence contain polysorbate 80.⁶ Pre-licensure safety trials for Gardasil® used placebo that contained polysorbate 80 as well as aluminum adjuvant.^2,7 Therefore, if such ingredients could cause ovarian dysfunction, an increase in amenorrhea probably would not have been detected in the placebo controlled trials. Furthermore, a large number of girls in the original trials were taking hormonal contraceptives which can mask ovarian dysfunction including amenorrhea and ovarian failure.² Thus a causal relationship between human papillomavirus vaccines (if not Gardasil® specifically) and ovarian dysfunction cannot be ruled out at this time.


Numerous Gardasil safety studies, including one released recently,⁸ have looked at demyelinating and autoimmune diseases and have not found any significant problems. Unfortunately, none of them except clinical safety pre-licensure studies totaling 11,778 vaccinees⁹ specifically addressed post-vaccination ovarian dysfunction. While data from those studies do not indicate an increased rate of amenorrhea after vaccination, the essential lack of saline placebos and the majority of participants taking hormonal contraceptives in those studies preclude meaningful data to rule out an effect on ovarian function.


A Vaccine Safety Datalink POF study is planned to address an association between these vaccines and POF, but it may be years before results will be determined. Plus, POF within a few years of vaccination could be the tip of the iceberg since ovarian dysfunction manifested by months of amenorrhea may later progress to POF. Meanwhile, the author of this statement has contacted the maker of Gardasil, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make known the above concerns and request that (1) more rat studies be done to look at long-term ovarian function after HPV4 injections, (2) the 89 VAERS reports identified with at least 4 months amenorrhea be reviewed by the CDC for further clarification since the publicly available WONDER VAERS database only contains initial reports, and (3) primary care providers be notified of a possible association between HPV and amenorrhea. A U.S. Government Representative responded that they “will continue to conduct studies and monitor the safety of HPV vaccines. Should the weight of the evidence from VAERS or VSD and other sources indicate a likely causal association between POF and HPV vaccines, appropriate action will be taken in terms of communication and public health response.”


The College is posting this statement so that individuals considering the use of human papillomavirus vaccines could be made aware of these concerns pending further action by the regulatory agencies and manufacturers. While there is no strong evidence of a causal relationship between HPV4 and ovarian dysfunction, this information should be public knowledge for physicians and patients considering these vaccines.
Primary author: Scott S. Field, MD
January 2016
The American College of Pediatricians is a national medical association of licensed physicians and healthcare professionals who specialize in the care of infants, children, and adolescents. The mission of the College is to enable all children to reach their optimal, physical and emotional health and well-being.

CDC issues flu vaccine apology: this year's vaccine doesn't work!

The following video from Gary Franchi of NextNewsNetwork reveals the shocking admission by the CDC that this year's flu vaccine doesn't work.

As this story has gone extremely viral, I've also added these additional links to other news stories that report on the CDC's admission that this year's flu shot contains the wrong strain:

Huffington Post: "Flu Vaccine Doesn't Protect Against This Season's Most Dominant Strain"

The Seattle Times: "Vaccine problems may signal rocky flu season" - "New evidence shows that FluMist and seasonal shots likely won't protect very well against this year's flu viruses..."

ABC News: "Flu vaccine may not be effective for this year's strains, CDC says"

Freedom Outpost: "CDC Health Advisory: Get Your Flu Shot. It "Might" Work This Year. Sort Of"



For the first time we can remember, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are going on the record, saying the flu vaccine won't work this year. The warning comes just before the busiest part of flu season, in January and February. Unfortunately, there won't be any refund for any of the patients or insurance companies who spent money on flu shots earlier this fall.

But don't worry. Just when you thought perhaps the CDC could boost their credibility, they found a way to put a sales pitch on the end of their warning. The CDC says if you do come down with the flu, there's a cure. It's just going to cost more money. Money that will end up profiting pharmaceutical giants, GlaxoSmithKline and Roche. CDC officials are urging doctors to prescribe two specific antiviral medications for any patients who come in with flu symptoms.

Just last week, the CDC issued a warning, prompting Americans to take the flu vaccine if they haven't already. Health officials said they had 160 million flu shots on the shelves and ready to go. But just earlier this week, Italy launched an official investigation after about a dozen people died within 48 hours of getting the flu shot. Their national health agency issued an immediate warning, saying DON'T take the vaccine. Here in America, the CDC isn't going that far. In fact, they found a way of turning this failed vaccine into a promotion for yet another big pharma drug.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/047890_flu_vaccines_CDC_apology_medical_fraud.html#ixzz3tOYevp7B

October 23 rally at CDC headquarters demands truth on MMR-autism coverup

(NaturalNews) If you live anywhere near Atlanta, Georgia, or can travel there on October 23, the truth community needs your help! A rally is set to take place on the public sidewalk outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters at 1600 Clifton Road in Atlanta, where truth seekers will demand answers concerning the CDC's alleged coverup of the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella) causing autism in children, and especially African American children.


Organizers are hoping that hundreds, or even thousands, of freedom lovers and transparency advocates will show up to hold the CDC to accountable for hiding key data demonstrating a link between MMR and autism. As part of the #CDCWhistleblower campaign to root out the truth from this corrupt government agency, this rally represents just the next step on a long road towards bringing out the truth and saving America's children from further harm from the MMR vaccine.

In case you missed it, top CDC scientist Dr. William Thompson came forward last year with information claiming that his agency hid and falsified data to make the MMR vaccine appear safe and effective. His allegations contend that the CDC deliberately altered the contents of a key study that, if presented accurately and fully, would have indicted the MMR vaccine for contributing to a more than three-fold increase in autism in black boys under age three.

Dr. Thompson's confessions were largely ignored by the mainstream media, and the CDC continues with business as usual, pushing the MMR shot on innocent children as part of its official vaccine schedule. Not only did the CDC never address Dr. Thompson's claims, but it utterly failed to refute or debunk them, which suggests that it has something to hide.

The American public deserves answers, especially as states like California pass unconstitutional legislation like Senate Bill 277 that forces dangerous vaccines like MMR on school-age children by threatening to deny them an education. It's time for a full investigation into the inner workings at the CDC, and for justice to be served.

"Concerned individuals from all across the nation will gather outside the CDC headquarters to demand truth, transparency and freedom-to-choose which medical procedures are right for themselves and their families," explain the rally's organizers in a press release. "These individuals stand united; all races, creeds, colors, [and] religions to demonstrate against the corruption within the CDC's vaccine division."

This urgent call to action is a critical one in light of the direction things are going in this country concerning vaccine freedom. And since the rally is just days away, we need to act quickly and in solidarity, as united members of the natural health community at large, to take a stand for our collective medical freedom.

This important rally will take place 7:00 am – 2:00 pm on October 23 in front of the CDC headquarters. If you can make it, come equipped with the following information, or peruse it prior to arriving so you have the knowledge you need to make a formidable stand against this corrupt federal agency that's harming and killing children through its ill-conceived vaccination program:

The CDC Truth website contains further information about the "Truth, Transparency and Freedom" Rally, including details about a second event to take place on Saturday, October 24 in Grant Park at 840 Cherokee Ave. SE in Atlanta from noon to 4:00 pm. Featured at this day-two gathering will be speakers including Barbara Loe Fisher, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. Brian Hooker, and more:
CDCTruth.org.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/051667_CDC_headquarters_protest_MMR_vaccine.html#ixzz3pIa0Km7S

This Might Make You Think Twice About Injecting Your Child With Gardasil

Below is a clip from Dr. Harper, one of a select few specialists in OB/GYN who helped design and carry out the Phase II and Phase III safety and effectiveness studies to get Gardasil approved, and authored many of the published papers about it. She has been a paid speaker and consultant to Merck. The clip is from a documentary titled “One More Girl,” a documentary that questions the safety of the Gardasil vaccine (Human Papillomavirus [HPV] vaccine that supposedly helps protect against 4 types of HPV), and vaccines in general.

One very important point to acknowledge is the fact that she has appeared in multiple “anti-vaccine” films, and multiple radio shows emphasizing how the HPV vaccines are neither safe nor effective. She has mentioned that the tested length of the efficacy of the vaccines in preventing HPV infection is not long enough to prevent cervical cancer, which, as she states in the video, can take decades to develop. She has also stated that vaccination will not decrease the number of cervical cancer cases, but a routine of regular pap smears will. (source)

There are only about 50 HPV experts in the world, and Dr. Harper is one of them. Again, she has stressed that there is absolutely zero proof that these vaccines work, and that they are safe and effective.

She is clearly against administering these vaccines to young girls, and for good reason.

“It is a vaccine that’s been highly marketed, the benefits are over-hyped, and the dangers are underestimated.” –  (Taken from the One More Girl Documentary) – Dr. Chris Shaw, Professor at the University of British Columbia, in the department of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology, and Visual Sciences.

See what Shaw has to say about aluminum in vaccines HERE.

Dr. Bernard Dalbergue, a former pharmaceutical industry physician with Gardasil manufacturer Merck who has also started to raise his voice against the HPV vaccine, has said:

The full extent of the Gardasil scandal needs to be assessed: everyone knew when this vaccine was released on the American market that it would prove to be worthless.  Diane Harper, a major opinion leader in the United States, was one of the first to blow the whistle, pointing out the fraud and scam of it all. I predict that Gardasil will become the greatest medical scandal of all time because at some point in time, the evidence will add up to prove that this vaccine, technical and scientific feat that it may be, has absolutely no effect on cervical cancer and that all the very many adverse effects which destroy lives and even kill, serve no other purpose than to generate profit for the manufacturers. Gardasil is useless and costs a fortune!  In addition, decision-makers at all levels are aware of it! Cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, paralysis of the lower limbs, vaccine-induced MS and vaccine-induced encephalitis can be found, whatever the vaccine. (source)(I’ve had the source translated, I apologize for not being able to find an english translation online) (Here is another video of him speaking in French for those who can understand and/or are able to have it translated by someone)

For another CE article regarding the Gardasil vaccine, please click HERE.

Related CE Article (heavily sourced):

Worst Allergy Season Ever!

Spring might have gotten off to a slow start this year, but that hasn't dampened the effects of pollen. In fact, Dr. Clifford Bassett, founder and medical director at Allergy and Asthma Care of New York told weather.com he predicted "a very robust pollen explosion" this spring -- and he wasn't wrong. 

According to the doctor, there are a number of reasons for the spring sniffles. “One is the rising long term increase in carbon dioxide and its effect on increased production of pollen,” he said. 

“There’s a couple factors,” Dr. Clifford Bassett, founder and medical director at Allergy and Asthma Care of New York, told weather.com. “One is the rising long term increase in carbon dioxide and its effect on increased production of pollen,” another is what he calls “the priming effect," and the last comes down to a battle of the sexes: pollen-producing male trees are dominating greenspace in many cities.

Pollen Like You've Never Seen It Before

A study concluded that climate warming and the resultant weather effects are "an important factor" in causing the pollen season to be more intense, and this year Dr. Bassett expects the trend to continue. Climate warming and increased carbon dioxide is having a positive effect on pollen production (and thus a negative effect on those suffering from pollen allergens).

“With this carbon dioxide prevalence, we think certain pollens will be more prevalent and more potent, which is a very major factor,” Dr. Bassett said.

Rising temperatures are also to blame. Dr. Bassett explains that hotter summer seasons can result in a stronger pollen season the following spring. “The summer temperature may have an impact on the following spring season as far as grass and tree pollen, which are the representative and most important pollen in the spring.”

To add insult to injury, the wet winter seasons that feature heavy precipitation (like this winter’s record-breaking snow totals) are also having an impact on the pollen season.

“In some studies, a very heavy precipitation during the fall and winter may be enough to enhance the pollen production, particularly in grass pollen,” Dr. Bassett said. “So we may see more grass pollens flowering early and more robustly from a very heavy precipitation in fall and winter, which we’ve seen in many areas. When plants are under stress, they may make more flowers and less leaves and therefore they’ll be more pollen.”

Pollencast: Get the Forecast Near You

Are you reaching for the tissues yet? There is yet another factor contributing to scary pollen forecasts this spring: the priming effect.

As Dr. Bassett describes, the priming effect is when temperatures make big leaps in small periods of time. For instance, when one day the weather is around 30 degrees Fahrenheit and the next the mercury rises to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the doctor says, “that’s when people really start to suffer.”

The constantly changing and highly varied temperatures cause your body to “[rev] up the immune system and further on down the road, you’re going to be even more hyper-sensitive or hyperactive to the new pollen.” Basically, your body doesn’t take kindly to all of the stop-and-go cues from the weather, which causes increased sensitivity to allergens once they’re released.

Another factor inevitably resulting in more pollen has to do with the types of trees in your environment. When it comes to planning parks and greenspaces, many cities opt for male trees over female trees since they create less mess -- female trees produce seeds that often fall to the ground, making cleaning the sidewalks and grassy areas a pain. Whereas male trees don't, instead they produce pollen. Tom Ogren, who developed OPALS (Ogren Plants Allergy Scale), told NPR that it's better to plant both male and female plants since that will help decrease the amount of pollen in the air.

Hundreds of US farmers sue Syngenta over GMO corn

(NaturalNews) Corn growers in the U.S. lost an upwards of $3 billion in revenue last year after the Chinese boycotted shipments of American corn following the discovery of a genetically modified seed that had not yet been approved in the country.

Agrisure Viptera, a seed genetically altered to contain a protein that kills corn-eating bugs such as earworms and cutworms, had not been approved by China in November 2013 when it was found in several U.S. corn shipments.

China routinely refuses to approve genetically modified seeds before their own testing is complete.
The discovery prompted China to begin rejecting U.S. corn shipments a few months later, resulting in more than 131 million bushels being turned away by one America's most important trade partners.

American farmers took the biggest hit, with the National Grain and Feed Association, a trade group, reporting revenue losses at between $1 billion and $3 billion, according to a report by The Des Moines Register.

American farmers say major Switzerland-based seed company, Syngenta, "gambled" with their livelihood by exporting unapproved GMO seed to China
Manufactured by the Switzerland-based company Syngenta, Agrisure Viptera corn, or MIR 162, was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2010. Syngenta sells seeds in more than 90 countries and is the world's largest crop chemicals company, generating a whopping $15 billion a year.

American farmers affected by the rejected shipments say even growers who did not plant the Syngenta seed lost money because China boycotted all U.S. corn and corn byproducts, according to reports.

The enormous financial losses provoked farmers and farm businesses in 20 states to file hundreds of lawsuits against the chemical-maker Syngenta claiming it "gambled" with the livelihood of American growers.

"Knowing that contamination of Viptera corn with the rest of the U.S. corn supply was inevitable, Syngenta nevertheless gambled U.S. farmers' livelihood on approval of Viptera by the major corn-importing countries," according to one lawsuit filed January 13 in the Iowa Southern District Court by Thomas Land and Livestock Corp., a business in the east-central part of the state.

The nature of the Thomas Land and Livestock Corp. lawsuit is property damage and product liability.

Other lawsuits making similar claims have been filed in the corn-growing states of Illinois, Nebraska and Missouri, with hundreds more reportedly being prepared, according to plaintiffs' attorneys.

Agribusiness conglomerates Cargill and ADM file lawsuits against Syngenta citing nearly $100 million in losses

In addition to lawsuits filed by individual farmers, agribusiness conglomerates such as Cargill and ADM, which also export grain, have sued; their businesses too suffered losses. Cargill's estimated losses due to China's boycott are valued at more than $90 million.

A supporter of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the development of related products, Cargill claims Syngenta's sale of MIR 162 before obtaining the proper import approval from major markets was "inconsistent with industry standards and the conduct of other biotechnology companies."

Syngenta said it plans to ask the court to dismiss the farmer lawsuits because "plaintiffs do not and cannot point to any authority barring the introduction of a U.S.-approved product in the U.S. simply because the product was not yet approved for sale in a foreign country like China."

While China eventually approved Syngenta's MIR 162 seed in December 2014, Kansas City lawyer Richard Paul said that doesn't change the assertion that farmers lost money.

"The approval is not the end because markets haven't fully recovered. Obviously that helps, but even though China is now accepting Viptera it has not restored its important levels to pre-ban," said Paul.

"We'll have to see where it goes from here, but it certainly does help put a cap on it, and hopefully at some point here the markets recover."

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/048927_GMO_corn_Syngenta_US_farmers.html#ixzz3TvPqmnyo