For many years we’ve been told that fevers are bad and should be quickly eliminated through the use of one of three safe, effective, over-the-counter medications: aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil). Even though we have long known that fevers are an important function of the immune system, this knowledge was ignored. Finally, it is becoming common knowledge, but these medications are still widely used to bring down fevers. The question is, are any of them safe?

In the 1980s, aspirin was linked to Reye’s syndrome. Parents are now told never to give aspirin to an infant, young child, or teen who has a viral infection, particularly the flu, a respiratory infection, or chickenpox. More than 30% of Reye’s cases result in death and many children who survive never recover from resultant mild to severe brain damage.

Last year, we learned NSAIDS, including ibuprofen, greatly increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. This risk is increased even with short-term use.

In 2005, a study was published linking acetaminophen to asthma deaths.

In 2008, a preliminary study was published linking acetaminophen to autism when it is given after an MMR vaccine.

“We showed in this study that children who used acetaminophen at age 12 to 18 months vs. those who did not were eight times more likely to have ASD when all children were considered and nearly 21 times more likely to have ASD when limiting cases to children with regression in development. Ibuprofen use at age 12 to 18 months was not significantly associated with ASD for either of these groups.”

In a 2016 case-controlled study, the authors again show the link between autism spectrum disorder and acetaminophen. Here is their explanation.

Suppose a susceptible young boy has a fever due to a viral infection or after the MMR vaccination. His parents give him acetaminophen which increases endocannabinoid stimulation in his brain making him feel better and bringing down his fever. But the increased activation of the endocannabinoid system also decreases immune system function which prolongs the illness and leads to even more acetaminophen use. Eventually, the boy recovers but his endocannabinoid system has been dysregulated to a lower level to compensate for the prolonged over-activation. Now the neurons in his brain are not getting the proper guidance for their growth through CB1 receptors and further suffer from increased inflammation due to lack of CB2 regulation in immune system cells. The boy develops ASD.”

In addition to the asthma and autism connection, acetaminophen is the number one cause of acute liver failure in the United States. Although it is a bit dramatic, the following video is filled with useful information.

Consumers are lulled into a false sense of security because these drugs are sold over the counter for fever and pain relief. But these drugs are not safe. If you or your child are experiencing pain, find and treat the cause. If you or your child have a fever, drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration and allow the fever to do its job as nature intended. If you choose to vaccinate, never use acetaminophen (Tylenol) with vaccines.

Further Reading:

• Nsaids Warning – These Drugs Are Not Safe (Motrin, Advil, Naproxen…)
• Crazy Pills: Over-the-Counter and Prescription Meds Linked To Dementia
• Being Diagnosed With Multiple Sclerosis and Refusing To Live With It
• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• How to Detoxify and Heal the Lymphatic System
• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones

Sources:

• Acetaminophen decreases intracellular glutathione levels and modulates cytokine production in human alveolar macrophages and type II pneumocytes in vitro. – NCBI
• Acetaminophen (paracetamol) use, measles-mumps-rubella vaccination, and autistic disorder: the results of a parent survey. – NCBI
• Acetaminophen Use for Fever in Children Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder – NCBI

Shaken baby syndrome (SBS, which is also known as abusive head trauma) is a diagnostic term for brain damage inflicted upon a baby or young child who has been violently shaken or thrown against an object. When a child presents with a subdural hematoma, retinal bleeding, and brain swelling, these three symptoms together are supposed to confirm the diagnosis.

The blood vessels in a young child’s brain are delicate. Their heads are large, and their necks are weak. When an infant or young child is violently shaken, the head jerks back and forth as the brain bashes against the inner wall of the skull, which can cause blood vessels to rupture and tears to form in brain and nerve tissue. Bleeding on the brain and swelling or bruising of the brain can occur, resulting in injury or death.

Recommended: Household Cleaners May Damage Lungs Like Pack-a-Day Smoking Habit, According to New Study

There are about 1,300 reported cases of SBS in the U.S. per year. One in four of these babies dies from their injuries, while 80% of children who survive suffer lifelong disabilities.

There is, however, a rising concern that SBS is either over diagnosed, wrongly diagnosed, or an altogether non-scientific diagnosis.

Is SBS a Definitive Diagnosis?

In the last 15 years, the validity of the SBS diagnosis has come under fire with medical examiners, pediatricians, neurologists, other physicians, prosecutors, and judges reversing their belief that the classic triad for this diagnosis can only be due to child abuse.

The Washington Post reports that Gregory G. Davis, the chief medical examiner in Birmingham, Alabama and the board chairman of the National Association of Medical Examiners said:

You can’t necessarily prove [Shaken Baby Syndrome] one way or another — sort of like politics or religion. Neither side can point to compelling evidence and say, ‘We’re right and the other side is wrong.’ So instead, it goes to trial.”

The Washing Post also reports that the pediatric neurosurgeon, Norman Guthkelch, who…

…had a key role in the original hypothesis that led to Shaken Baby Syndrome. Now, he says the science is faulty and there should be an independent review of Shaken Baby convictions.”

Recommended: Many Hand-me-down Plastic Toys Are Toxic for Kids

At trial, the outcome is swayed by the testimony of expert witnesses, the doctors who testify about the child’s symptoms, examination, and diagnosis. For many doctors, this diagnosis is ironclad. In their medical books, they were taught that presentation of the triad of symptoms is indicates SBS. That’s all there is to it, so that is what they say in court. But others are beginning to question the validity of the diagnostic criteria and the diagnosis itself. And some who question it are paying the price.

Dr. Wancy Squier

Physicians and scientists are supposed to keep an open mind. They know that science depends on keen observation and attention to detail. This observation and on-going questioning lead to fine-tuning diagnostics and to new discoveries. Sometimes new knowledge replaces earlier, widely accepted beliefs, especially the commonly held beliefs derived from textbooks. But when the impact of new hypotheses or the discovery of a mistake disrupts the status quo and places blame or liability on others, backlash can destroy a career.

Related: How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children

Judy Mikovits Ph.D. dared to reveal her discovery that many of our vaccines are contaminated with a retrovirus that is associated with chronic fatigue syndrome and autism. Rather than receiving recognition and accolades for her discovery, she was fired, arrested, and discredited.

Dr. Andrew Wakefield discovered a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism, how the vaccine damages the gut microbiome. He publically advocated for discontinuation of the MMR, for replacing it with singular vaccines rather than the triple dose. For this, he lost his license to practice medicine.

In March of 2016, Dr. Wancy Squier, a world-renowned neuropathologist, lost her license to practice medicine (which the British call being “struck off the register”). The Medical Practitioners Tribunal of the General Medical Council, the same tribunal that revoked Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s license, determined that she lied and misled the courts due to her testimony that refutes the diagnostic criteria for SBS. She is currently appealing their ruling.

Due to her Dr. Squier’s testimony, a parent has been released from prison, her conviction overturned. Other parents were found not guilty of their charges. Their children presented with the triad of symptoms which normally guarantees a conviction, but Dr. Squier’s experience and research has convinced her that the SBS diagnosis is unscientific and unsupported. After studying all the literature she could find regarding SBS she says, “I have found nothing which satisfies me that there is any scientific foundation for it.”

More than 350 doctors have written letters of support to the British Medical Journal on Dr. Squier’s behalf. Three other British doctors who are skeptical about the SBS diagnosis who previously testified in the courts with similar testimonies are now afraid of the consequences. They no longer testify in civil or criminal cases regarding SBS for fear of losing their licenses.

Misguided Justice Leading Misdiagnoses

The very act of prosecution and plea bargaining has led to the legitimacy of the diagnosis. When innocent mothers, fathers, and caretakers take a plea, saying in effect that they did shake a child (when they didn’t) their “admission of guilt” validates the hypothesis that the classic triad of symptoms is proof of shaken baby syndrome.

For example, an innocent man is accused of murdering his girlfriend’s baby, an infant that presented with the classic triad. He repeatedly states that he is innocent, that he never shook or otherwise abused the child. But now, he is facing life in prison. His lawyer convinces him there is no hope for acquittal – the evidence is too great, too ironclad. The accused has to make a choice. Does he go to trial when his lawyer assures him there is a 97% or more chance that he will be convicted for a crime he did not commit and will spend the rest of his life in prison? Or does he plead guilty in order to strike a plea bargain with a reduced charge and a 10-year prison sentence with possible early release for good behavior? If these are his only choices, of course, he takes the deal. But his confession adds to the growing body of evidence that the triad of symptoms is caused by child abuse – even though no abuse ever occurred.

SBS Symptoms and Vaccine Injury

Edward Yazbak, MD, FAAP detected a pattern when he was reviewing the pediatric records of four infants diagnosed with SDS. While looking for underlying medical conditions, he found intriguing similarities in the cases. Although the children were geographically distant from one another, they all had these things in common:

• None were abused
• All had complicated past histories
• All had medical conditions that explained their symptoms (other than abuse)
• All received the same three vaccines: Pediarix, HIB and Prevnar within three weeks of their apparent life-threatening event

Conclusion

While Dr. Squier fights for her license, there are a growing number of SBS convictions being overturned in the United States along with a rising concern that SBS cases, SIDS, and many cases of fractures are actually caused by vaccines. (Fractures can be due to vaccine induces rickets that causes soft bones). While the CDC and the FDA continue to deny the growing evidence of vaccine injury and death, many grieving parents who have lost their babies are serving time for crimes that never occurred.

Related Reading:

• Doctors Against Vaccines – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research
• How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children
• Why Vaccines Do Not “Cause” Autism
• Vaccines, Retroviruses, DNA, and the Discovery That Destroyed  Judy Mikovits’ Career
• The MMR Vaccine – A Comprehensive Overview of the Potential Dangers and Effectiveness

Sources:

• Mainstream Media Finally Exposing Shaken Baby Syndrome as False Diagnosis – How Many Innocent Parents Have Suffered? – Health Impact News
• Is Shaken Baby Syndrome Often Misdiagnosed and Caused by Vaccine-Induced Rickets? – Health Impact News
• Multiple Vaccinations and the Shaken Baby Syndrome – National Vaccine Information Center
• Thirteen Men in One Prison Jailed for “Shaken Baby Syndrome” After Possible Vaccine Injuries had Occurred – Health Impact News
• 350 Doctors and Scientists Appeal to Bring Back Skeptic ‘Shaken Baby’ Doctor – Medical Kidnap
• Shaken Baby Syndrome? You have to believe me that there is no such thing: Defiance of paediatric expert branded ‘dishonest’ by the GMC- Daily Mail.com
• Silencing of Dr. Waney Squier – The Justice Gap
• Facts and Figures – National Center of Shaken Baby Syndrome
• Shaken Baby Syndrome And Multiple Vaccinations: An Investigation – Vaccination News.org
• Prosecutors build murder cases on disputed Shaken Baby Syndrome diagnosis – The Washington Post

We all know when a food is labeled organic it is supposed to meet specifically defined criteria. But did you know that when the term “healthy” is used on a label it is supposed to meet specific FDA criteria?

The regulatory definition established by the FDA in 1993 also covered the terms health, healthful, healthfully, healthfulness, healthier, healthiest, healthily, and healthiness. Healthiness? Really? Yes, we looked it up. It is a word.

Under the 1993 rules, the two criteria attached to any derivative of the word healthy were related to fat content and specific nutrients.

The nutrient conditions for bearing a “healthy” nutrient content claim include specific criteria for nutrients to limit in the diet, such as total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, as well as requirements for nutrients to encourage in the diet, including vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, protein, and fiber.” ~ FDA

Changes to the Definition of Healthy

New scientific information is causing the FDA to rethink the definition of this label. For example, the old definition embraced the belief that a low-fat was best. Current science encourages the intake of mono and polyunsaturated fats rather than limiting fats altogether.

It seems the nutrient concerns have changed over time as well. In 1993, nutrients of concern were vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and fiber. According to the FDA, today’s concerns include potassium, vitamin D, iron, and calcium.

On July 14, 2016, the FDA released its new strategic plan for 2016-2025. In it, they address four goals: food safety, nutrition, Animal health, and organizational excellence. (see further reading)

Nutrition Facts Labels are being updated with new Daily Value (DV) requirements and the FDA is working toward changing the “healthy” definition. In the meantime, they have advised companies that they may use the healthy label for foods that meet the following:

“(1) Are not low in total fat, but have a fat profile makeup of predominantly mono and polyunsaturated fats; or

(2) contain at least ten percent of the Daily Value (DV) per reference amount customarily consumed (RACC) of potassium or vitamin D.”

These new guidelines are non-binding recommendations for the interim while the FDA goes through the process of redefining healthy.

Public Comments

The FDA is asking for the public to take part in this process. So the question is, how do you define healthy? Since we believe the only truly healthy foods are whole, fresh, organic foods in their natural form, calling any processed food healthy is a bit of a stretch. But without question, some are healthier than others.

In addition to what the food should contain, there certainly are things it should not contain. At a minimum, no food should be called healthy if it contains artificial flavors, colors or preservatives; MSG, GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, or trans fats. Should we go further? Should we declare no food is healthy of it contains processed sugar? Gluten? Dairy?

What do you think? The FDA is asking for public input. If you would like your voice to be heard on this subject, comments are being collected through Jan 26, 2017. The contact information the FDA provides on their website is as follows:

Submit electronic comments on regulations.gov to docket folder FDA-2016-D-2335.

Submit written comments to:

Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061
Rockville, MD 20852.
All comments should be identified with the docket number FDA-2016-D-2335.

For additional information on commenting, including details on making submissions with confidential information, see:

• Federal Register Notice for the Request for Information
• Federal Register Notice for the Guidance for Industry

Recommended Reading:

• NSAIDs Warning – These Drugs Are Not Safe (Motrin, Advil, Naproxen…)
• Doctors Against Vaccines – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research
• Scientists Against GMOs – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research
• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones

Sources:

• FDA to Overhaul the Definition of Healthy – Organic Authority
• “Healthy” on Food Labeling – FDA
• Use of the Term “Healthy” in the Labeling of Human Food Products: Guidance for Industry – FDA

This September, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced their proposal to add the rusty patched bumble bee to the endangered species list. It would have been the first bee to be placed on the list. One week later, seven species of yellow–faced bees, native to Hawaii, jumped the line and were awarded the dubious honor.

The Endangered Species Act

Congress passed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973. Its purpose is to conserve the ecosystems of endangered and threatened species and to provide conservation programs to protect and restore them.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (overseeing land and freshwater plants and animals) and the National Marines Fisheries Service (overseeing marine wildlife and anadromous fish) administer the ESA.

Five factors are considered when a species is being evaluated:

1. Damage to, or destruction of, a species’ habitat
2. Overutilization of the species for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes
3. Disease or predation (killed by predators)
4. Inadequacy of existing protection
5. Other natural or manmade factors that affect the continued existence of the species

When wildlife is listed as endangered it is illegal to “…harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect or attempt to engage in any such conduct.” This includes “…significant habitat modification or degradation where it actually kills or injures wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, including breeding, feeding, or sheltering.” – ESA Basics

The goal is to restore a species to the point it no longer requires protection. Recovery plans are written and implemented by the Fish and Wildlife Service with input and assistance from stakeholders including species experts; academia; other Federal, State, and local agencies; Tribes; and nongovernmental organizations.

Who Are the Stakeholders for Bees?

An argument could be made that every human on Earth is a stakeholder in the preservation and restoration of bees. According to the USDA, about 35% of the world’s food crops depends on pollinators for reproduction, and bees are considered our most important pollinators. We need them.

Generally, we think of commercial honeybees when we think of crop pollination. But bees are not our only pollinator. Wasps, birds, beetles, bats, butterflies, moths, ants, and other animals and insects contribute to pollination as well. Honeybees are only responsible for about 14% of crop pollination. Native bees and other insects are responsible for the majority of the work. These wild bees are being eradicated by pesticides, mono cropping, and habitat destruction.

When it comes to protecting the habitat of wild bees, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be battling with stakeholders who will come to the table to support their own interests. Pesticide companies and seed companies (companies that sell seeds coated with neonicotinoid pesticides) will do their best to protect their own interests as will commercial growers who will fight to continue mono cropping practices that are known to be destructive to both the soil and our pollinators. But these are not the only concerns for honey bees. In addition to herbicides, pesticides, mono cropping (which leads to nutritional deficiencies), and habitat destruction, honey bees face the following:

• 23 different known viruses
• Parasitic mites
• Fungal infections
• Bacterial pathogens
• Predators (small hive beetles)
• Chemical exposure (chemicals designed to assist beekeepers have been found to harm the hive)

What Does the Future Hold?

We live in a world with an ever-growing population and a fragile food supply. Climate change and drought are currently affecting crops, and no one knows how this will play out in the years to come. It is said that fewer than 20 crops provide 90% of the world’s food supply, and of that 90% more than half is comprised of 3 crops – maize, rice, and wheat.

We scramble to maintain genetic variety and diversity among these crops to prevent a catastrophic collapse due to blight or a parasitic infection. (Remember Ireland’s potato famine?)

We want to believe new technologies will save the world from starvation. GMOs, new fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, new mono crop farming methods, and factory farming practices to raise livestock are touted as the new way – a means to feed the world. But common sense and careful scrutiny show us these practices will only lead to a bleak and unsustainable future.

Herbicides and pesticides are destroying the soil. Animals raised in inhumane, filthy conditions breed disease. Herbicides and pesticides are one of the causes of leaky gut syndrome, which leads to a host of illnesses including a wide array of autoimmune diseases. GMOs and pesticides are also implicated as a causal factor in autism.

We’ve known that chemicals kill our pollinators for some time. We don’t know a lot about the effects of GMOs on pollinators because they were never appropriately tested. Current studies are being conducted on non-bee insect pollinators. Results are showing the non-bee insects are not as dependent on a natural habitat or semi-natural habitat as bees.

While it is encouraging to know bees are not our only pollinators, we can only hope these non-bee pollinators do not give us an excuse to continue destructive practices that are adding to the demise of bees and other pollinators.

We turn a blind eye to corporate greed that is creating a serious health crisis and using human beings to test their genetically altered creations and glyphosate soaked grains. Those of us who protest are being ignored and labeled as anti-science. Wouldn’t it be amazing if saving the bees leads to saving us as well?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRoffLvSG94

Recommended Reading:

• Understanding and Detoxifying Genetically Modified Foods
• Repel Mosquitoes by Cultivating Marigolds
• How Vertical Gardening Could Help Save the World
• Three Homemade Toothpaste Recipes – Better Oral Health for Less Cost

Sources:

• The Endangered Species Act of 1973 – (In its entirety)
• ESA Basics – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
• The Xerces Society Website
• Endangered Species • Endangered Species Act | Overview – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• You’re Worrying About the Wrong Bees – Wired
• Non-bee insects are important contributors to global crop pollination – PNAS
• Buzzkills: abiotic and biotic stressors of pollinators – Penn State College of Agricultural Science
• Exemption Process under the Endangered Species Act: How the God Squad Works and Why – Notre Dame Law Review

Is She Targeted to Be Mary Jane’s Martyred Sister?

Alaska was the first state in the union to pass a law legalizing the use of marijuana. In the 1970s, a law was passed authoring in-home use. In 1998, a law was passed pertaining to medical use. In 2014, a law was passed making Alaska the third state in the union to legalize recreational use.

The latest law legalized the manufacture, sale, and possession of marijuana. One would think Alaska was through with prosecuting its citizens for the possession or sale of marijuana. Tell that to Charlo Greene, president and CEO of the Alaska Cannabis Club who faces a possible 54-year prison term for 14 counts related to the sale of marijuana.

Greene, the registered owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, is a former on-air reporter for KTVA news. While airing a news report about the Alaska Cannabis Club on September 22, 2014, she identified herself as its owner and dramatically quit her job, saying, “Everything you heard is why I, the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club will be dedicating all of my energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska. And as for this job, well, fuck it. I have a choice but, fuck it, I quit.” She then walked off camera leaving a co-worker to stumble through apologies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBPsbgKeIFM

This event took place just weeks before the 2014 vote on legalization. Green believes the viral video helped bring in the 53% win for recreational legalization. The Alaska Cannabis Club was raided well after the law took effect.

Although Alaska passed laws legalizing the use and sale of marijuana, regulations and licensing for its sale lagged behind. Currently, the state has approved 83 licenses, 17 of which are for retail businesses. The first retail stores are scheduled to open in November 2016, two years after the final legalization law passed – 40 + years after the first law legalizing its use.

The Associated Press quoted Greene as saying, “We don’t sell any recreational marijuana. We don’t sell any medical marijuana. This is a place for cardholders to come and share their own cannabis.” It is unclear how the club worked and Greene declined to explain the details. Knowing how the “justice system” works due to our own experience, we can certainly support her decision to keep the details to herself prior to her day in court.

In September of 2015, Greene was charged with 8 counts, which could bring a total of 24 years in prison. She listed them as follows:

• 4 felonies: each carrying a potential 5-year term
• 4 misdemeanors: each carrying a year each
• All of the charges are for possessing small amounts cannabis
• All of the charges and allegations were made after Alaska legalized cannabis.

Since that time, her charges have changed, and not for the better. On September 29, she made the following post on her Facebook page: “I just found out I’m facing an additional 6 felonies – 30 more years. That <sic> 54 years in prison for a plant. Aaaaand the attorney I paid to handle my case, who’s been working it for the last year, just let me know she’s quitting to join the prosecution and not giving me back any of the money she was paid to finish my case.”

The lawyer who is now working for the district attorney’s office, was the 4^th lawyer Greene has hired to represent her for these charges.

The following is the timeline of events according to Greene:

• Alaska Cannabis Club was created on April 20, 2014
• Incorporation papers were filed on May 4, 2014
• November 4 of 2014, Alaska legalized recreational use of marijuana
• September 22, 2014, Greene made “fuck it” speech on air, quitting her job
• February 24, 2015, Alaska’s new law legalizing recreational use took effect
• March 20, 2015, Anchorage Police Department (APD) made their first raid on the Alaska Cannabis Club
• August 20, 2015, APD again raided the Alaska Cannabis Club
• September 2015, initial charges
• September 29, 2016,  new additional charges
• February 26, 2016,  arrested at Canadian Border for alleged marijuana residue in purse

In a video, Ms. Greene states, “Each time the officers acted outside of the scope of the warrant, conducting unlawful body searches on patients, threatening all patients and club volunteers with arrest if they didn’t consent to taking mug shot-like photos on the scene, destroying cameras, seizing vehicles not included in the warrant, and not leaving the lawfully required notice behind. “

“What’s more, in order to secure the ten felonies and four misdemeanors I was charged with for creating the Alaska Cannabis Club, the prosecutor blatantly lied to the grand jury, telling them that the Alaska Cannabis Club was a sole proprietorship, so there was no corporate liability shield.”

Meanwhile, another previous shop owner who was previously prosecuted claims that 6 months in prison, 6 months of in-home detention, and 1 year of probation has become the common sentence handed down for these cases in Alaska. Why are they throwing the book at Greene?

On February 25, 2016, Greene was detained and strip-searched at the Canadian border. Customs officials allegedly found marijuana residue mixed with lint at the bottom of her purse. She was charged with “suspicion of smuggling marijuana residue” and sent back to the United States after being held in customs for 9 hours. Charges were dropped, but entry to Canada was denied on this and on a later occasion.

Green’s Cannabis Freedom Fund has raised a mere $2,806 dollars from 80 contributors in 16 days. She fought back tears in her video when she disclosed that of the 4,000 medical marijuana card holders her club serviced, only one stood up for her in court. (Click on the link above to make a donation.)

Where is the financial and emotional support for this woman who was awarded the High Times Courage in Media Award, a woman Elle identified as one of the “13 Most Potent Women in the Pot Industry”? A woman who stuck her neck out to help others when her state was failing to deliver the promise they made when they legalized marijuana use for medical purposes? A state that has now legalized it for recreational purposes?

It is time for a smart, savvy lawyer to step up and defend this young woman. It is time we rally around and give her our support. And it is well past time we repeal every ridiculous law criminalizing the use, possession, and sale of marijuana.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeXVzuipNqA

Recommended Reading:

• Marijuana Facts
• Hemp
• Marijuana Laws by State

Sources:

• ‘F**k It, I Quit’ Anchor Explains Her Dramatic Exit – Huffington Post
• Cannabis Freedom Fund – Charlo Greene – Generosity by Indiegogo
• Reporter who quit on air to fight for pot legalization faces decades in prison – The Guardian
• Charlo Greene – Facebook
• Cannabis Freedom Fund – Charlo Greene – Generosity by Indiegogo 
• Police raid pot club owned by Alaska TV reporter who had infamous ‘I quit’ – The Cannabist
• Alaska Marijuana Activist Charlo Greene Arrested at Canadian Border – Cannibus Culture
• Charlo Greene – Interview:

A study was published in 2015 that clearly linked anticholinergic drugs with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. Many of these drugs are taken by countless Americans on a daily basis. Are you taking one or more of these drugs? Do you realize the risk? If you take one of these drugs on a daily basis for 3 or more years, your risk of dementia will increase by more than 50%!

We should only have to listen to the litany of side effects and contraindications to know that most, if not all, of today’s pharmaceuticals are dangerous. Yet somehow, most of us have been brainwashed into ignoring these warnings, always believing in the overarching promise that the FDA will not allow drugs on the market that can hurt us – even when the pharmaceutical ads say otherwise. When that overconfidence is not the reason we ignore the warnings, perhaps it is the lure of playing Russian roulette. Surely we won’t be among the ones who die, suffer a stroke, or experience some other heinous side-effect.

Since we have been conditioned to ignore warnings, both verbal and in print, will we also ignore a study that reveals a horrific outcome for a large collection of drugs? Will we ignore the findings that link these drugs to irreversible dementia? Or will we listen?

What is Dementia?

Dementia is not a normal part of aging. It is a set of symptoms – cognitive impairments involving memory, reasoning and judgment, focus and attention, communication and language, and/or visual perception. Dementia is present when at lease two of these symptoms are severe enough to cause significant impairment in activities of daily living.

Alzheimer’s, an irreversible and progressive disease, accounts for the vast majority of dementia patients. Many studies have suggested a link between anticholinergic drugs and dementia. A recent longitudinal study showed a significant link between these drugs and dementia with the vast majority (79%) of dementia patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

What Are Anticholinergic Drugs?

Anticholinergic drugs block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. These drugs are used to treat many diseases and disorders including sleep disorders, depression, muscle cramps, insomnia, allergies, asthma, incontinence, gastrointestinal cramps, motion sickness, vertigo, hypertension, Parkinson’s, psychosis, and COPD.

Some of these drugs are commonly sold over the counter like Benedryl, Advil PM, Tylenol PM, and Motrin PM. And many people take these drugs on a daily basis. The study not only showed a significant link between these drugs and Alzheimer’s, it showed a dose response – meaning that the longer you take these drugs, the more likely Alzheimer’s will be the result. The following statistics reveal the effects of these drugs taken daily compared to those who did not use these drugs:

• 3-12 months – 19% increased risk for Alzheimer’s
• 1-3 years – 23% increased risk for Alzheimer’s
• 3-7 years – 54% increased risk for Alzheimer’s

A Comprehensive List of Anticholinergic Drugs

Aging Brain Care has created a detailed list of anticholinergic drugs, with both generic and brand names. In the notes, it says, “Each definite anticholinergic may increase the risk of cognitive impairment by 46% over 6 years.” So before you take that daily dose of medication, check to be sure the drug you are taking is not one of the 99 medications listed on the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale. Or better yet, reclaim your health and get off medications altogether. It’s easier than you think.

Recommended Reading:

• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
• Crazy Pills: Over-the-Counter and Prescription Meds Linked To Dementia
• NSAIDs Warning – These Drugs Are Not Safe (Motrin, Advil, Naproxen…)
• Hypothyroidism – Natural Remedies, Causes, and How To Heal the Thyroid
• How to Detoxify From Antibiotics and Other Chemical Antimicrobials

Sources:

• Anticholinergics – Healthline
• Strong Link Found Between Dementia, Common Anticholinergic Drugs – Drug Discovery and Development Magazine
• Cumulative Use of Strong Anticholinergics and Incident Dementia – JAMA

When we learn about scientists and their discoveries, we know nothing about them as people. We have no idea how they treat their peers, whether they grandstand, undercut their competition, throw their weight around, or honor the ethics of their profession.

In her book Plague, One Scientist’s Intrepid Search for the Truth about Human Viruses and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Autism, and Other Diseases, (co-written by Kent Heckenlively, JD), Judy Mikovits PhD, pulls back the curtain and reveals the underbelly of the scientific community and how it closes ranks to protect corporate interests. When Mikovits’ made a discovery that threatened the system and the financial fabric that holds it together, her stellar career exploded. Efforts to discredit her included her being fired, arrested, and publically discredited.

At the time this fiasco came to pass, Judy Mikovits was a molecular biologist and biochemist with more than 30 years experience. She had authored approximately 50 publications. Her original professional focus was HIV and AIDS, but she had learned that there were many similarities between AIDS and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS).

ME is a horrific disease, one that has been systematically minimalized by the healthcare system in the United States. It was named chronic fatigue syndrome by the CDC, though the name sounds much less serious than myalgic encephalomyelitis, the term used in Britain and elsewhere throughout much of the world. The medical community further diminished its seriousness by nicknaming it the yuppie flu. Doctors routinely dismissed patients’ suffering, labeling it as malingering or hypochondria, because they were told the disease was not real. But to many, ME is a devastating, life-altering disease.

As stated in Plague, “Patients suffer from a devastating cascade of symptoms rendering them ghosts of the people they once were; more than half become completely disabled, a quarter permanently bed-bound. Recovery is rare. Morbidity studies have demonstrated that ME patients are as ill as end-stage AIDS sufferers, advanced cancer patients, and people dying from congestive heart failure.”

The inconvenient truth Mikovits discovered as she delved into a thorough study of ME and its patients was “pervasive evidence” that a gammaretrovirus, XMRV, was present in 70% of ME patients and 4% of healthy controls. This retrovirus, a murine leukemia virus found in mice, had somehow jumped species. Mikovits presented evidence that this retrovirus was associated with ME, specific cancers, and autism. Her data indication that 10 million Americans were infected with this latent virus (though asymptomatic) and that the vehicle that infected so much of the population was vaccines. Once she made the association between vaccines and autism, her career was over.

Plague, One Scientist’s Intrepid Search for the Truth about Human Viruses and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Autism, and Other Diseases is a highly informative read. It sounds horrible to say that the book is entertaining considering the subject matter, perhaps gripping and intriguing are better terms. This look into the personalities and politics of the scientific medical  community is in and of itself an eye-opening, worthy read. The information on the handling of chronic fatigue syndrome and the similar approach to the autism epidemic is vital information. The link with vaccines is world changing. We highly recommend the book.

Plague, One Scientist’s Intrepid Search for the Truth about Human Viruses and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Autism, and Other Diseases can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and IndieBound.

Related Reading:

• Vaccines, Retroviruses, DNA, and the Discovery That Destroyed Judy Mikovits’ Career
• Why Vaccines Do Not “Cause” Autism
• How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children
• Doctors Against Vaccines – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research
• Nurses Against Vaccines
• Celebrities Who Have Spoken Out Against Vaccines
• Statesmen Against Mandatory Vaccines
• Scientists Against Vaccines – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research