GPs must return flu vaccine over narcolepsy fears

Scientists have linked drug to sleep disorder

The Heath Service Executive (HSE) will remove all stocks of the swine flu vaccine Pandemrix from GPs’ surgeries, the Sunday Independent has learned.

The vaccine has been linked to the disabling sleep disorder, narcolepsy.

Last week, this newspaper revealed that eight people who received the swine flu vaccine in Ireland have developed the devastating disorder, with most of the cases involving teenagers and young adults.

Now, the HSE has taken the decision to visit GP surgeries around the country and collect the vaccine made by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.

All GPs who received consignments of Pandemrix have been contacted in a letter from Dr Kevin Kelleher, the agency’s assistant national director of Population Health and Health Protection.

In the directive, Dr Kelleher states: “I am sure you are aware of reports from Finland and more recently from Sweden regarding a possible association between the use of Pandemrix and the onset of narcolepsy in young people.

“In early January, I advised you that Pandemrix was only recommended if you had a shortage of seasonal flu vaccine.

“As additional stocks of seasonal flu vaccine were delivered to all sites that requested them from the end of January, there has been no requirement to use Pandemrix in any age group.

“Arrangements will be made over the coming weeks to collect stocks of Pandemrix from all general practice sites.”

Last week, a new Swedish study found an increased risk of developing narcolepsy among children vaccinated with Pandemrix.

Sweden’s Medical Products Agency concluded that those under 20 vaccinated with Pandemrix may be four times as likely to develop narcolepsy than those who did not get the shot.

The Swedish findings by the Lakemedelsverket agency broadly reflect a recent study in Finland, though that investigation found that the risk of children suffering from narcolepsy was nine times higher among those vaccinated with Pandemrix.

Since August 2010, at least 12 countries have reported cases of narcolepsy, particularly among young people.

Last week, the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) said: “The IMB has received a large number of suspected adverse-reaction reports and queries in association with the pandemic influenza vaccines since October 2009, the vast majority of which were consistent with the expected pattern of adverse events for the vaccines.

“Eight reports of narcolepsy-type sleep disorders have been notified in relation to Pandemrix, most of which have been very recently received and are currently being followed up for additional information.”

The vaccination of children and adolescents in Finland with Pandemrix was suspended last year until a link to narcolepsy had either been ruled out or detected.

A spokeswoman for the IMB told the Sunday Independent that it was supportive of the latest move by the HSE to remove stocks of Pandemrix from GPs.

In additional information supplied to family doctors, the HSE describes narcolepsy as “a disabling chronic neurological disorder characterised by recurrent episodes of excessive daytime sleepiness.”

However, it also noted that narcolepsy is often accompanied by a range of other frightening symptoms including cataplexy — a sudden loss of muscle tone that is often confused with epilepsy and sometimes leads to a total collapse of the patient.

Other symptoms that can develop gradually include sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic hallucinations — extremely vivid hallucinations that occur at the boundary between sleeping and waking.

GPs are told in the HSE directive that while there has been an increase in narcolepsy in Finland and Sweden, it has not been noted in all countries using Pandemrix.

“No increase has been seen in the United Kingdom, which also used Pandemrix,” the briefing document noted.

The European Centre for Disease Control is undertaking a study in nine European countries, with the results expected by July this year.

“The European Medicines Agency has stated that no definitive conclusions can be drawn until further studies are completed and has therefore not recommended any changes to the marketing authorisation for Pandemrix,” it said.

Here, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre will now work with the IMB to examine data available on narcolepsy in Ireland.

“In summary, there has been conflicting data emerging in relation to narcolepsy and the situation is as yet unclear,” the HSE told Irish doctors.

- JEROME REILLY

http://www.independent.ie/health/swine-flu/gps-must-return-flu-vaccine-over-narcolepsy-fears-2607513.html

E/The Environmental Magazine
Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.

04-12-11

Dear EarthTalk: Instances of people with thyroid problems seems to be on the rise. Is there an environmental connection?

- Dora Light, Waukesha, Wis.

The American Cancer Society reports that thyroid cancer is one of the few cancers that have been on the rise in recent decades, with cases increasing six percent annually since 1997. Many researchers, however, attribute these increases to our having simply gotten better at detection. Regardless, exposures to stress, radiation and pollutants have been known to increase a person's risk of developing thyroid problems.

Thyroid disease takes two primary forms. Hyperthyroidism occurs when the thyroid produces too much of the T3 and T4 hormones that regulate metabolism. This can cause a racing heart, weight loss, insomnia and other problems. In cases of hypothyroidism, the body produces too few hormones, so we feel fatigued and may gain weight, among other symptoms. According to the American Thyroid Association (ATA), many people with thyroid problems don't realize it, as symptoms can be mistaken for other problems or attributed to lack of sleep. Thyroid problems in children can delay or impair neurological development.

Doctors are not sure why some people are prone to thyroid disease while others aren't, but genetics has much to do with it. One recent UCLA study found that genetic background accounts for about 70 percent of the risk. However, researchers have begun to find links between increased risk of thyroid disease and exposure to certain chemicals, especially among women. "Pesticide Use and Thyroid Disease among Women in the Agricultural Health Study," published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 2002, found that Iowa and North Carolina women married to men using such pesticides as aldrin, DDT and lindane were at much higher risk of developing thyroid disease than women in non-agricultural areas. According to Dr. Whitney S. Goldner, lead researcher on the study, 12.5 percent of the 16,500 wives evaluated developed thyroid disease compared to between one and eight percent in the general population.

It's not just farm women who should worry. Trace amounts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers most certainly end up in some of the food we eat. The nonprofit group Beyond Pesticides warns that some 60 percent of pesticides used today have been shown to affect the thyroid gland's production of T3 and T4 hormones. Commercially available insecticides and fungicides have also been implicated.

Likewise, some chemicals used in plastics and flame retardants contain toxins shown to trigger thyroid problems in those genetically predisposed. And a 2007 study at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio found that triclosan, an anti-bacterial agent found in everything from hand soaps to facial tissues to toys-it's present in the bloodstreams of three out of every four Americans-could be causing some mothers' thyroid glands to send signals to fetuses that may in turn contribute to autism.

An increasing number of doctors now believe that hypothyroidism could be precipitated by a dietary deficiency in iodine, a trace element found in the thyroid's T3 and T4 hormones and essential in small amounts for good health. Besides eating more seafood, switching to iodized salt and/or taking iodine supplements can boost iodine intake without the need for medications. But too much iodine is not healthy, so always consult with your doctor before embarking on any new health or diet regimen.

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CONTACTS: ATA, www.thyroid.org; Beyond Pesticides, www.beyondpesticides.org.

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EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe; Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

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(c) 2011, E/The Environmental Magazine

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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In light of today's show with Prof. Dr. Andro I thought re-posting this article may make for an interesting read. - Carl

With radioactive isotopes detected in rainwater in Minnesota and other states, some people are looking into iodine supplements and other ways to protect the long-term health of their families.

While there are a lot of drawbacks to using iodine, there are plenty of foods that naturally protect our bodies from radiation.

Here’s 19 of the best:

1. Brown rice
2. Seaweed
3. Kelp
4. Miso
5. Pumpkin
6. Spirulina
7. Bee pollen
8. Wheat grass
9. Rosemary
10. Blue-green algae
11. Beets
12. Garlic
13. Ginger - yet another benefit of the all-mighty Ginger
14. Alfalfa sprouts
15. Broccoli
16. Onions
17. Olive oil
18. Leafy greens
19. Apples and other sources of pectin

These foods protect the body from radiation in different ways. For instance, brown rice is high in fiber and phosphorous, which help remove harmful toxins from the body.  Sea vegetables contain a polysaccharide that binds to radioactive strontium to help eliminate it from the body, as well as being high in natural iodine.  Pectin has also been shown to bind to radioactive residues, and Cysteine (in onions) binds with and deactivates radioactive isotopes.  Alfalfa sprouts and greens are high in chlorophyll, which has been shown to help protect against radiation damage, as well.Keep in mind that you should aim for organic and be aware of the sources. For example, fresh sprouted alfalfa sprouts from your windowsill are preferable to those shipped from thousands of miles away (and possibly doused with those isotopes).

For further reading and more suggestions, I recommend this article from Live Well Naturally: Protect Yourself from the Damaging Effects of Radiation and this Facebook list from Heal Thyself with dozens of natural supplements.

Alicia Bayer

Alicia Bayer lives in Westbrook with her husband and four children. She’s passionate about protecting our environment and enjoys organic gardening, all natural cooking, holistic health and living well on less. Follow Alicia on Twitter @magicandmayhem and on Facebook at All Natural Families.

http://www.examiner.com/green-culture-in-mankato/19-foods-to-naturally-detox-radiation

A recent study attempting to extol the magical benefits of soy may have given people who are exposed to RF (that's just about everyone) cause to worry. In a recent study published in Journal of Thoracic Oncology cancer cells treated with the three major isoflavones of soy - genistein, daidzein, and glycitein - were more sensitive to radiation treatment than cells that were not.

Researchers led by Gilda Hillman, PhD, of Wayne State University in Detroit, treated human A549 non-small cell lung cancer c showed greater damage from the radiation, included DNA double-strand breaks. There was also an increase in gamma-H2AX foci, indicating increased DNA damage and an inhibition of repair mechanisms.

So, these soy isoflavones - which are readily available and absorbed when eating a diet containing soy - can make cells more sensitive to radiation therapy thus allowing the radiation to better destroy the DNA of targeted cells and better disrupt the natural repair system of that DNA. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? I want you to focus for a moment on the word "target".

While the study is designed to illustrate the amazing qualities of these isoflavones when treating cancers with radiation therapy.. one can't help but wonder.. what is ingesting soy and exposure to random radiation from commercial sources like microwave ovens, cell phone, routers - or now from nuclear fallout - be doing to your DNA?

Lets look a little deeper for a moment.

Radiation is just another word for electromagnetic fields. The wavelength or frequency dictates the category - VHF and UHF fall into the Megahertz ranges. More modern radio frequency producing devices get up in the Gigahertz range.

The radiation frequency used to obliterate cancer is called Gamma Radiation or Gamma Rays. These frequencies oscillate at a rate of 10 Exahertz. These frequencies are produced from decaying radioactive materials. In comparison, a commercial router produces radiation in the 1.4 Gigahertz to 3.0 Gigahertz range and most modern cell phones produce radiation in the range of 1 Gigahertz and above. Exerhertz is One quintillion Hertz and Gigahertz is equal to one billion Hertz.

Ok.. so all of this for what you are asking?

If the selective and target pretreatment with these soy Isoflavones on cells - albeit cancer cells - can effectively make radiation do a better job at unraveling our DNA and making sure our bodies can't repair the broken DNA... what is consuming soy - and living in a world filled with radiation as we do today - doing to our DNA? Don't be fooled by the large difference in frequency wavelengths. We are adrift in a proverbial soup of radiation. Some we create as in electronic products and some is just incident upon us - seeping from the earth below, universe above - and - when combined can produce residual frequencies of radiation through a process called constructive interference.

My suggestion is this is yet another reason - and perhaps a more profound one - to avoid Soy completely.