Simmeringfrogs.com

In September 2008, the world was shocked at the sight of little babies in China attached to dialysis machines as they fight for their lives. Yet, the news of contaminated milk formula did not gain much attention until it was realized that the melamine problem is not only restricted to China only but has actually spread globally. However, no ill effects of melamine has been reported outside China and its territories.

Melamine is an organic compound with the official IUPAC name of 1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine and the chemical formula of C3H6N6. It is a solid white-colored base, and is odorless. It is slightly soluble in water, stable, and not easily biodegradable.

Melamine is an industrial ingredient used to manufacture different kinds of products. It is used in combination with formaldehyde in the production of plastics and cleaning products. It is also combined with other compounds in the manufacture of fire retardants, pesticides, fertilizers, extra-strong concrete. Many things in our home have been manufactured with the use of melamine, from Formica counter tops, to certain fabrics, to plastic kitchenware (melaware).

Melamine has been thought to be of low risk to humans. According to this Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), melamine is “Harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Chronic exposure may cause cancer or reproductive damage. Eye, skin and respiratory irritant.” The toxicity of melamine, however, is low. To be “poisoned” by melamine, as determined by the so-called LD50, which is the lethal dose that will kill 50% of animals tested, is 3 g per kg of body weight (source: WHO).

According to studies cited in the Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB), “melamine itself does not seem to be important industrial hazard except if decomposed by heat.” Allergic and irritative dermatitis have been observed to result from occupational exposure to melamine but no permanent injury due to toxicity has been reported.

Like most industrial chemicals, toxicological tests on melamine have been performed using animals to determine its potential toxicity to humans which include the formation of calcareous deposits in the kidneys of female rats after 13 weeks of feeding melamine-containing food (WHO) and tumors in the urinary bladders of male rats fed diets with melamine for 103 weeks (IARC). According to this later study, melamine and cyanuric acid together caused renal toxicity in cats, pigs, and fish. The study concluded that “although melamine and cyanuric acid appeared to have low toxicity when administered separately, they induced extensive renal crystal formation when administered together.

However, there are significant gaps in our knowledge of melamine and its effect on our body. The safety/risk assessment conducted by the US FDA did not give any clear answers. In food products other than infant formula, the FDA concludes levels of melamine and melamine-related compounds below 2.5 parts per million (ppm) do not raise health concerns.”

In the current melamine contamination scandal, however, it is not acute toxicity that caused the health problems. What is making the babies ill is chronic or subchronic toxicity. In addition, the toxicity of melamine increases when combined with another compound called cyanuric acid. Cyanuric acid theoretically non-toxic is present in food additives for animal feeds and in water disinfectants. Human exposure to cyanotic acid may be through swimming pool waters, drinking water, and fish. The combination of these two compounds can lead to acute toxicity, as it produces melamine cyanurate, a toxic substance in the form of insoluble crystals that then accumulated in vital organs, especially the kidneys, forming renal crystals or kidney stones that block kidney tubules.

It is speculated that manufacturers mixed melamine in milk formulas to increase the protein content of their products. Food products are tested for protein content by measuring nitrogen content. Looking at the chemical composition of melamine, we can see that it has high nitrogen content.

This not the first time that melamine was used deliberately as protein content enhancer although this is the most deadly so far. In 2007, many cats and dogs died of kidney failure as a result of the formation of renal crystals or kidney stones. The cause of the renal toxicity was traced to melamine which was detected in pet food. Melamine-cyanuric acid cocrystals were found in the animals’ kidneys and the case was well-publicized. It is therefore highly unlikely that the perpetrators who tainted the baby formulas are unaware of the hazards of melamine consumption.

But this year’s melamine scandal was more shocking than last year’s because it affected and killed little babies. The following is a summary of events.

September 2008 – Fourteen babies in the Chinese province of Gansu were reported to be suffering from kidney stones, a very rare occurrence in young children. The suspected cause was the milk formula they were drinking. More and more cases of ill babies were reported all over China. The milk powder in question was manufactured by the Sanlu Group.

The US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) issued a health information advisory on infant formulas. The advisory “is to assure the American public that there is no known threat of contamination in infant formula manufactured by companies that have met the requirements to sell infant formula in the United States… The following manufacturers have met the necessary FDA requirements for marketing milk-based infant formulas in the United States: Abbott Nutritionals, Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Nestle USA, PBM Nutritionals, and Solus Products LLC.”

The director of the Chinese agency General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine resigned as investigations showed that the melamine contamination is quite widespread. Tests showed that milk products of up to 22 dairy producers were contaminated with melamine.

The US FDA updated the advisory to issue a list of contaminated products manufactured in Taiwan, including Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products.

The New Zealand Food safety Authority found melamine in China’s most popular sweet White Rabbit Creamy Candies.

The UK chocolate maker Cadbury recalled its Chinese-made products after chocolates from their Beijing factory tested positive for melamine, according to this International Herald Tribune report.

October 2008 – The problem spread to Europe. Chinese candies contaminated with melamine were found in an Asian supermarket in Germany. There were also reports of contaminated food products in Belgium and the Netherlands. The US FDA detected melamine in Blue Cat Flavor Drinks.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued a warning against the consumption of Sherwood Brands Pirate’s Gold Milk Chocolate Coins which tested positive for melamine. It was not clear how the contamination occurred.

The numbers of ill babies rose up to tens of thousands. Eighty percent of those affected were below the age of 2. Four cases proved to be fatal. China also recalled not only powdered milk but also liquid milk manufactured during the last couple of months.

Hong Kong found excessive amounts of melamine in eggs coming from mainland China. Officials suspected that the contamination came through melamine in the chicken feeds. They have ordered testing of all animal feeds and poultry products from the mainland. “Hong Kong has imposed a limit on melamine use in foods, restricting it to no more than 2.5 milligrams per kilogramme. Melamine found in food meant for children under three and lactating mothers should be no higher than one mg per kg”, according to the BBC.

November 2008 – The US FDA issued a nationwide alert warning for Chinese import food products and found traces of melamine in one baby formula made by an American manufacturer. The regulatory body claimed the contamination was accidental but did not go into details.

December 2008 – Food Standards Australia New Zealand issued a list of products contaminated with melamine.

The US FDA tried to assure the American public that American-produced formulas are safe from contamination. “To date, FDA tests have found extremely low levels of melamine in one infant formula sample and extremely low levels of cyanuric acid in another. The levels were so low (well below 1 ppm) that they do not pose a health risk to infants.” The FDA made public the test results on domestic infant formula. Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron from Nestle contained very low amounts of melamine. In addition, cyanotic acid was found in one type of Enfamil from the manufacturer Mead Johnson.

On the part of the Chinese health authorities, they are trying to repair the damage through recalls and arrests of those responsible. Developing countries, however, which do not have the means to test import products, are at risk of becoming dumping grounds of contaminated products.

The best strategy is to simply avoid melamine at all costs. Consumers are advised to be vigilant about what they buy and consume, most especially products consumed by children in large quantities. These include milk and milk products, chocolates, sweets, and biscuits.

Lamb is a good source of zinc, a mineral that affects many fundamental processes, perhaps the most important of which is immune function. If one mineral were singled out for its beneficial effects on the immune system, zinc would lead the pack. A cofactor in a wide variety of enzymatic reactions, zinc is critical not only to immune function, but for wound healing, and normal cell division. Zinc also helps stabilize blood sugar levels and the body’s metabolic rate, and is necessary for an optimal sense of smell and taste.

Very tasty Lamb is the meat from young sheep that are less than one year old. It is usually available in five different cuts including the shoulder, rack, shank/breast, loin and leg. Americans eat a fraction of the amount of lamb consumed in many other countries in the world. And that’s too bad since this red meat is very healthful and extremely delicious, having a very tender and buttery quality.

A few great choices for your holiday celebrations include a roasted whole bone in leg of lamb, a roasted boneless leg stuffed with seasonal ingredients, or a roasted rack of lamb. While Lamb makes up only a fraction of the meat eaten in the United States, it is used in a myriad of wonderful recipes throughout the world. When lamb is labeled as “spring lamb” it signifies that lamb that was brought to market during the spring and summer months which was formerly the season for fresh lamb. However, lamb is now available throughout the year, and the label “spring lamb” does not necessarily connote additional quality. The Very cheap and fresh lamb is available in our shop.

Fresh boneless filet of fish stewed with a ragout of onions, tomato, and feta cheese. Easter is traditionally the time for lamb. If you’re planning to serve it, but haven’t yet decided how, this is quite nice; the mustard and herbs do an excellent job of balancing lamb’s richness. Please purchase online www.indomunch.com in NewYork city.

Among the sixteen hundred athletes participating in the study, 71% listed kite surfing as the most exciting and dynamic extreme sport. Only a third had actually attempted the sport yet nearly all indicated that intended to “give it a try” before the end the year. Participants were between the ages of 18 – 35 and all were self-identified sports enthusiast. In a national survey commissioned by the American Kite Surfing Association (AKSA), kite surfing, a relatively new sport in North America is ranked as the top Extreme Sport. The margin of error in this research is +/- 2%. Other extreme activities were far distance in ranking including skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, inline skating, BMX, MotoX.

This dramatic interest in the athletically demanding sport has given AKSA founders encouragement about the value of their newly founded organization. Logan Long, co-founder of the association was not surprised by the results; “It’s just simply the biggest adrenaline rush available. The combination of air, water, land, wind power, physical strength and balance the force of nature are the qualities that attract Kite Surfers.”

American Kite Surfing Association is the leading organization for kite surfers in North America. Founded in 2006 by two extreme sport enthusiasts, membership is anticipated to exceed 30,000 before the end of the year. The purpose of the enterprise is to bring heightened awareness to this fast-growing, dynamic, and fun sport. A vast array of information, products, and techniques are available to the visitors of the AKSA website, www.kite-surfingusa.com. After more than a decade of popularity through Europe and Australia, active North American extreme sport athletes are recognizing the maximum adrenaline rush through kite surfing. According to Cathi Long, co-founder of AKSA, “The exhilaration of hang time in kite surfing is unbeatable…kite surfers are simply the sexiest athletes.” AKSA will select 50 leading industry product manufacturers to highlight and profile throughout an extensive national media outreach campaign.

This amazing historical and colourful place, Parque Nacional de Laguna Brava, park is located in the Province of La Rioja, that counts with numerous touristic attractions, such as fishing, windsurf and mountain climbing between other sports together of course with the local National Parks that are worth to visit, such as Parque Nacional de Talampaya, also in the same Province.

This Park is South-East from Buenos Aires to La Rioja there are 1200 km and can be reached by bus or plane. From La Rioja to Laguna Brava there is 450 kms and only has access driving on a 4×4 vehicle driving along the national route 38 to Patquía and then the national Route 150 to the intersection with the Valle Fertil.   The Entrance to this park is called Portezuelo at its highest point over the sea level.

We continue our drive towards the Provincial Route 26 crossing the town of Villa Union, where it’s recommended to stay if you intend to visit this park on a day tour, due to its extensive grounds and long time drive.  Other villages along the way are Vinchina and Villa Castelli.   The closest Provinces are Catamarca and San Juan and very close to the Chilean frontier path Pircas Negras.

It is also recommended to take a full program which may include the tour to this park or to Talampaya.   For long walk lovers, hiking and extreme 4×4 adventures this is the perfect place.

The history of Laguna Brava area is wide in terms of anthropology, with approximately 4000mts above the sea level, and where they have found traces of human activity of 8,000 years ago.   This area was then home of the natives Tehuelches and Mapuches, and it was common path for all the indigenous communities in their transition from the mountains to the sea.

The first white men who settled in the area (circa 1741) were the Jesuit missionaries, and that today thanks to them we have more information of what this place looked like those days.

The Mapuche indigenous dominated the land around 1743/45 forcing the departure of the Jesuits. At that time the chief Cangapol, who dominated these lands made the Mapuches rule until late year 1,800.

Among the amazing colorful landscape, one of the attractions are the Vicuña reservation and pink flamingos, Pumas or Chilean Tiger, and other species in this isolated but beautiful place, salt lakes, grassy steppes, clear sky, and bright sun, the perfect silence which is suitable for mountaineering, as its also close to the Big Volcano Bonete 6159mts of altitude above the sea level and Pissis and The Veladero, the second highest after South America’s Aconcagua Peak.

We recommend you to visit it during the months of April and May and from October to November due to climatic conditions, consisting of a harsh winter. For the more adventurous travelers, they can stay in this place, carrying the necessary elements such as adequate shelter, food and fuel. The length of the circuit and complete range of Laguna Brava is about 3 days.

For more information on Hotels in Argentina and Tours

Recent infomercials for various health food and supplement “miracles in a bottle” brings to mind the old fable of King Jack, the ruler of Anesthesia:

Content with the state of affairs throughout Anesthesia, but sensing the need to be more in touch with his constituents, King Jack appointed members of his staff to seek out the knowledge from the greatest minds in the kingdom. Upon their return they presented the king with several volumes worth of information. Delighted with the response, yet perplexed with the amount of data collected, King Jack responded with a request to condense the information into a single volume.
After an initial assessment of the condensed version, the king then petitioned to have the information expressed in a single phrase consisting of five words or less. The advisors to the king deliberated for several days and returned with their consensus on the single phrase which best represented the wisdom of the intellects throughout Anesthesia; “THERE AIN’T NO FREE LUNCH.”

It is a “free lunch mentality”, as proclaimed through various marketing channels, that offers physical and mental nirvana through indulgence in commercially available brews, nutriceuticals and medicinal concoctions without legitamite regard for the fundamental principle of pharmocology. Surely if these products have any viable active ingredients, there are certain to be potential complications associated with intoxication or contraindications. Intuitively, a red flag should go up in our heads every time we are confronted with a product that will most certainly have some known and unknown physiological effects. That which is construed as truly pure, or natural is certainly the antithesis of the movement that advocates the mass consumption of food extracts or concentrates held together with binders, suspended in questionable diluents, or encased in synthetically derived gel caps.

Public scepticism over contemporary therapeutic medicine has been a contributing factor to the evolution of a billion dollar health quakery industry. Proponents of the health food culture support what they refer to as a “natural” approach to health and vitality through the use various pills, powders, and potions. Among these products are everything from megadoses of vitamins and minerals to nostrums such as bee pollen, ginseng root, dired algae, and a range of homeopathic products.

These medicinal potions are promoted as having generalized curative or restorative powers for everything from the common cold, chronic fatigue, and sexual disfunction to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other assorted chronic diseases. Beyond the question of efficacy, the consumption of such products may indeed preclude the use of scientifically substantiated medical protocol. Promoted with the cooperation of newspapers, magazines, book publishers, multilevel marketing schemes and franchised retail outlets, these concoctions are unregulated and readily dispensed without provisions for gender, individual physiology, or guidance concerning contraindications or toxicity.

Product promotions are based on a distorted logic that attempts to extrapolate a correlation between an outside piece of scientific data, and a health food product. Independent third party testing of some supplements suggest an absence of a viable quality control program as witnessed through product inconsistencies, impurities, degradation, and bacterial contamination.

The Health Food Industry Free Ride

The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 classifies herbs – and concentrates, extracts, and constituents of herbs – as “dietary supplements” and shelters such products from drug and food-additive regulations. The act transferred the burden of proof of safety from supplement manufacturers to the FDA. This act provides the loophole by which the marketers of dietary supplements can make exaggerated health claims for everything from Bermuda grass clippings to mountain lion urine, and it would be up to the FDA to prove the product unsafe.

Natural Food Better than Processed Food?

The term ‘natural’ has become a catch-word for numerous consumable products ranging from beer to cough remedies.

If you check the tobacco isle in your local grocery store, you will notice some brands of cigars and cigarettes labeled as using “All Natural Tobacco.” In general, a “natural” product is promoted as having an inherent goodness beyond that of its processed counterpart. Theoretically, food that incurs alteration as part of an established food processing protocol is diminished of its vital factors.

The proposition that natural foods are superior to their processed foods is short sighted and void of scientific objectivity. If we define “natural” as that produced solely by nature, not altered, treated, or disguised, then we must renounce years scientific developments in food processing technology that have provided an abundant and wholesome food supply.

* Microbiology as a science, has advanced the technology for the understanding of food-borne bacteria. Microbacterial diseases in unprocessed liquid food products such as milk and fruit juices, have been dramatically reduced, and in some cases eliminated through pasteurization. Due to numerous disease outbreaks, attributable to the consumption of unpasteurized fruit juices, the Food and Drug Administration has mandated the presence of the following warning statement for unpasteurized products:

WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and, therefore, may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems.
Food allergy is a serious condition where the body’s immune system reacts to a certain component, usually a protein. The reactions can range from a mild discomfort to a more serious and life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis. The process of food oil refining removes the protein which would trigger such reaction, thereby eliminating the inherent dangers of touted natural or cold pressed oils.

Patulin is a toxic and potentially carcinogenic (cancer causing agent) mycotoxin found in apples at varying levels of concentration. In a study designed to compare organic and conventional apple juice, samples of each were purchased and analyzed to determine the concentrations of patulin. The conventional apple juice had patulin ranging from 250 micrograms per liter up to 4,000 micrograms per liter. The organic apple juice had patulin at rates up to 45,000 micrograms per liter. This study suggests that apple processing and concentration of patulin are inversely correlated.

In the final analysis, the accepted definition of what constitutes a natural food may lie somewhere between two opposing extremes of the conservative “mulch munching” devotee foraging for wild edibles, and the more liberal “ballpark frank, junk food junky.”

Toxic By Nature

The natural foods industry has grown largely because of the erroneous notion that naturally occurring substances makes them safer as drugs or medicines than their processed counterparts. A quantitative analytical scrutiny of that which nature has provided reveals the presence of numerous natural toxins:

Ricin, an extremely toxic lectin found in legumes and fatal to humans, was used as an insecticide at one time. Fortunately, heat destroys the toxicity of lectins.
Chick peas and vetch contain lathyrogens which can potentially cause a crippling paralysis of the lower limbs and may result in death.
Protease inhibitors are widely distributed throughout the plant kingdom, particularly in the Leguminosae and, to a lesser extent, in cereal grains and tubers.
Potatoes contain numerous natural poisons, including solanine, a narcotic-like substance. Solanine is known to cause neurologic and/or gastrointestinal problems. Solanine can build up to toxic levels when potatoes are exposed to sunlight during storage.
Cassava, lima beans, and the seeds of some fruits–apricots and peaches for example, are members of a group called cyanogens, precursors to the deadly poison cyanide. As a point of interest, laetrile is a cyanogen that was mistakenly represented as a cancer cure. While laetrile was effective in killing the cancer cells, it did so only at a concentration lethal to patient.
Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, mustard greens, radishes, and turnips all contain small amounts of goitrogens (glucosinolates), that can enlarge the thryroid gland and aggravate thyroid problems. Goitrogens are estimated to contribute approximately 4% to the worldwide incidence of goiters in humans.
The most potent natural toxins responsible for human health risks are the mycotoxins. These are toxic metabolites produced by fungi infesting foodstuffs, especially cereals and nuts. Mycotoxins are known to have caused ergotism “St. Anthony’s Fire,”
To avoid poisoning, eat all foods in moderation, choose a variety of foods, and avoid fad diets that advocate single food consumption concept.

Toxicity Through Concentration

Any substance in food may have a degree of toxicity whether naturally occurring or deliberately added. The problem with eating a food concentrate is that it maximizes the amount of a particular hazardous substance. Once again we are faced with the “more is better” mentality. Can an extract from food be more healthful than the food itself? Let us consider fruit juice. A glass of orange juice contains about one tenth as much fiber as an orange and twice the calories. The effects of the juice on the human body are as straight forward as physiology 101.

Fruit juices drive blood sugar levels too high. The rise in sugar calls out extra insulin, which in turns stimulates the appetite. This mechanism is especially bad news for diabetics and for people trying to lose weight. Juice is good food, but it isn’t medicine, and certainly is not better than the whole fruit. Ounce for ounce, orange juice has about as much vitamin C as an orange. The fruit itself contains more of some nutrients, and especially more fiber and photochemical.

The Omega-3 Craze

Derived from eating fish, omega-3s may reduce blood clotting, reduce triglycerides, and make the heart less susceptible rhythm abnormalities. In addition, research has demonstrated that fish oil may help relieve inflammatory symptoms of auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis.

Fish oil capsules however, come with potential adverse effects, including an excessive reduction in the ability of blood to clot, increasing the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. The capsule form may also raise cholesterol levels in some individuals. Further more, as pesticide resides concentrate in animal’s fat, fish oil capsules serve as a potential source of concentrated pesticides.

Vitamin Toxicity

Vitamins are categorized as fat-soluble and water soluble. The fat soluble vitamins—A, D, E, and K—generally occur together in the fats and oils of foods. These vitamins are stored in the liver and fatty tissues until the body needs them. It is the capacity to be stored that allows for a potential toxic buildup of fat-soluble vitamins. 25,000 IU daily of vitamin A may cause liver damage or lead to anemia and gout – a form arthritis. The best way to ensure a safe vitamin A intake is to steer clear of supplements and instead to eat foods to obtain it.
Vitamin D is the most potentially toxic of all vitamins. People who take supplements containing vitamin D may easily overdose, not aware that their tissues are building up stockpiles of the vitamin. Overdose of D leads t loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and serious disorders involving the calcium content of the blood and the distribution of the calcium ion throughout the body.

Cases of vitamin E toxicity are rare, and high doses taken over a short period seem to have no adverse effects. People that take anticoagulant medication risk uncontrollable bleeding when they take large doses of vitamin E.

Vitamin K toxicity can result when supplements of a synthetic version of vitamin K are given, especially to infants or pregnant women. Toxicity induces breakage of the red blood cells and release of their pigment which colors the skin yellow. Vitamin K toxicity also causes brain damage. Because the vitamin K contained in supplements can easily reach toxic levels, it is available as a single vitamin only by prescription.

The water-soluble vitamins–B vitamins and vitamin C– are easily absorbed by the body and just as easily excreted in the urine. Foods never deliver toxic doses of the water-soluble vitamins, but the large doses concentrated in some vitamin supplements can reach toxic levels. Women who exceeded 2 grams of vitamin B6 daily (a touted cure for the symptoms of PMS), were reported to have experienced numb feet, accompanied by lost sensation in their hands, and an inability to work.

Since the first report of vitamin B6 toxicity, researchers have seen toxicity symptoms in more than 100 women who took vitamin B6 for more than five years. The potential toxicity of vitamin B6 is yet another reason why people should not self diagnose and self-prescribe vitamins for their own illnesses.

Among his contributions to science, Linus Pauling, is credited for research on the beneficial effects of vitamin C. Since Dr. Pauling first published his book claiming that large doses of vitamin C will prevent or cure colds, many studies have been conducted that have refuted this claim. Currently there is no objective scientific study that supports the notion that a cold can be prevented or cured by taking this vitamin. Large doses taken during a cold however may ease some of the symptoms because vitamin C serves as a mild antihistamine.

Toxic levels of vitamin C can produce diarrhea, cause nutritional imbalances, deprive tissues of oxygen, interfere with the action of vitamin E, and may produce kidney stones. Vitamin C supplementation at any dosage is dangerous for people with an overload of iron in the blood. Vitamin C increases iron absorption from the intestine and releases iron from storage.

Medicinal Herbs

At least 25% of the medicines prescribed by physicians in this country today are based on active ingredients in plants. It is the recognition of the life giving properties of botanicals that has had such a strong influence on the environmental initiative for rain forest preservation. To reiterate an earlier statement, a herbal or botanical product that contains useful constituents is likely to have some harmful ones as well. A few of the more noteworthy for their toxicity are as follows:

Belladonna
Any part of the deadly nightshade plant; a fatal poison.
Chaparral
This herbal product is made from ground leaves of the creosol bush. It has been found to cause acute toxic hepatitis.

Comfrey
Contains cancer-causing chemicals

Echinacea
Has not been proven effective in preventing disease and is not recommended for long-term use, since the practice may actually depress the immune system.

Ginkgo biloba
An extract of a tree of the same name, claimed to enhance mental alertness, but not proved to be effective or safe.

Ginseng
A plant containing chemicals that have stimulant drug effects. Ginseng abuse syndrome is a group of symptoms associated with the overuse of ginseng, including high blood pressure, insomnia, nervousness, confusion, and depression.

Hemlock
Any part of the hemlock plant, which causes severe pain, convulsions, and death within 15 minutes.

Horse chestnut leaf
Has been associated once with hepatitis.

Kombucha
Proclaimed as a treatment for everything from AIDS to cancer but lacking scientific evidence and FDA approval. Also known as Manchurian tea, mushroom tea, or Kargasok tea.

Sassafras
Root bark from the sassafras tree, once used in beverages but now banned as an ingredient in foods or beverages because it contains cancer-causing chemicals.

Sweet clover
Source of coumarin.

Blue-Green Algae
Spirulina, a blue-green algae is said to be a rich source of protein and vitamins, effective at treating such conditions as obesity, alcoholism, herpes, diabetes, arthritis and cancer. While the plant does contain 65 to 70% protein, white fish is a less expensive alternative at 97% protein. Chicken and beef come in at 75 to 80% protein.

Numerous investigations into the nutrient value of spirulina show that the high vitamin B12 content is attributed to contamination with insect or animal fecal matter. These results are not unexpected as spirulina is extracted from open lakes and ponds with little washing prior to being dried. In addition, some strains of spirulina have toxins that can cause nausea, diarrhea and throat infections.

Cancer Fraud

Unsound products for prevention and cure of cancer comprise a large segment of today’s medical fraud. When people hear of exciting research reports that hint at cancer prevention, they want to apply the findings right away. One very popular supplement marketing ploy involves the claim that the medical establishment has suppressed information on their particular medicinal concoction. The strong desire for control over cancer makes consumers vulnerable to those who would victimize them for profit. Just a few of the more blatantly fraudulently promoted products include beta-carotene, phytochemcials, kombucha, laetrile and vitamin megadose.

* Beta-carotene. While research has established a correlation between between diets rich in beta-carotene and a reduced cancer risk, an exact mechanism by which beta-carotene might prevent cancer has not been established. Though there is no conclusive evidence that beta-carotene has any effect on cancer, the supplements are still being sold as anticancer agents.

* Phytochemicals. As a relatively new isolate, phytochemical interactions with body systems are not fully understood. Some appear to act as weak carcinogens. Others mimic steroid hormones.

* Kombucha. Promoted as a cancer preventer, arthritis reliever, and baldness cure, this tea is derived from yeast and bacteria. A report in a recent medical journal told of two women who drank an extra strong brew and had to be rushed to the emergency room with a life threatening acid condition of the blood. One woman died, the other woman was resuscitated following cardiac arrest. The Center for Disease Control has asked physicians to be on the lookout for serious side effects in their patients who make and drink kombucha.

* Laetile. Laetrile is registered with the U.S. Patent Office for the treatment of “disorders of intestinal fermentation.” This compound is chemically related to amygdalin, a substance found naturally in the pits of apricots and various other fruits. Since fruit seeds are natural sources of cyanogens, good number of patients treated with laetrile developed signs of cyanide toxicity. The Laetrile following started with a pharmacist-physician who developed one concoction after another for the treatment of serious diseases, especially cancer. It continued with his son, a self-imagined scientist, who spent many years in college but failed to earn any graduate degree. A man who earned his fortune from gun-running and a catholic newspaper columnist promoted it as a persecuted drug that cured cancer. After it was dubbed “vitamin B-17,” an army of health food devotees promoted Laetril, along with vitamins and diet, as nature’s answer to cancer.

* Vitamins. There is not a single responsible study demonstrating that large doses of any vitamin or mineral have ever prevented cancer in a human. The American Cancer Society recommends that the diet include in its variety some foods rich in Vitamins A and C, but it specifically does not advocate supplements, let alone megadoses.

As long as there remain crippling and fatal diseases, there will undoubtedly be individuals eager to offer “alternatives” to scientific treatment and large numbers of desperate individuals willing to purchase them.

How To Tell The Facts From The Myths

You know your being scammed when you see…

1) Anecdotes and testimonials to support claims. Assuming the testimonial has any authenticity, how can anyone tell if a cure or remission is specifically due to cause and effect, or if it is due the placebo effect, coincidence, or spontaneous improvement.

2) Illegitimate credentials and degrees, or credentials outside their professed area of expertise. The late Carlton Fredericsk had a Ph.D. and was referred to as Dr. Fredericks in his radio nutrition shows. His Ph.D. however was not in a health science but in the field of radio communications.

3) Natural vitamins are preferable to synthetic ones. The human body does not distinguish between the so-called natural vitamins and the their synthetic counterpart. In either case the chemical composition is the same. To reiterate an opening statement, and without going into laborious data, the synthetic vitamin is more likely to be manufactured under stricter quality control, and hence offers a more consistent product.

4)The persecution complex. A great many supplement and/or methodology promotion will incorporate a statement about a greedy, closed medical establishment that shuns his or her products from fear of competition.

5) The false contention that most diseases and symptoms are due to a faulty diet and can be treated with proper nutrition. No amount of any kind of nutritional supplementation can change a genetic predisposition to develop disease. No amount of supplementation can reverse the role of excessive intense, intermittent sun exposure resulting in melanoma. Aside from deficiency diseases such as ricketts, beri beri, or scurvy, there is little legitimate evidence that most diseases and symptoms have any significant relation to diet.

6) Food processing or storage is claimed to destroy foods’ nutritional quality. It is erroneous to make such an all encompassing statement concerning processed foods. Milk is processed to the extent that it is pasteurized. Foods processed with vitamins C and E preserve food quality by preventing oxidation.

7) Fructose is preferable to other forms of sugar. The delusion that fructose is an acceptable form of sugar is quite prevalent in many nutritional circles. Nearly all simple sugars are metabolized quickly and disrupt insulin levels which contributes to most chronic illness. Do not be mislead. Avoid fructose just like you would table sugar as they both cause similar problems. Do not be fooled by products that claim to contain “all natural” sweeteners. Added ingredients like brown sugar, raw sugar, fruit sugar, honey or maple syrup are treated no differently from table sugar once they enter the bloodstream.

Practitioners who use computerized questionnaires to diagnose nutritional deficiencies. Nutritional deficiencies are diagnosed by appropriate medical tests and examination, not by computers. Any computer used for this purpose is likely to be programmed to recommend supplements for virtually everyone.

9) Outrageous claims are couched in pseuscientific terms or jargon. Some examples from actual magazine ads:

- Subjects who used _________experienced an extraordinary 3860% greater total fat loss than subject who used a placebo.

- ______ is better than any ephedrine based fat burner with its precise combination of pharmaceutical pure 1R,2S Norephedrine HCI, Yohimbine HCI, and Caffeine. The incredibly potent 1F, 2S Norephedrine HCI has been shown in vertebrate studies to be the most thermogenic ephedrine type alkaloid. In one study, only amphetamine itself was more potent!

- A new breakthrough scientific discovery has uncovered the unique substrate activity that controls the key “genetic-marker” shown to regulate muscle growth and fat loss. Now think of the possibilities in new muscle growth. Imagine being able to supply your body with the very substrates that trigger muscle growth, fat loss, and even immune system enhancement. Pseudoscience provides easy answers, dodges skeptical scrutiny making us victims of credulity. Practitioners of pseudoscience purport to use scientific methodology, while in fact they are faithless to its nature.