Surgical Device Company Failed to Report Its Spinal Implant Causes Cancer

Surgical device company Medtronic paid surgeons millions of dollars to investigate the safety of their spinal implant products. Turns out they cause cancer, but no one reported it.

So the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel did! They tell the disturbing story in an exhaustive investigative article. The devices in question, called Infuse and Amplify, are used in spinal fusion surgery. Surgeons wedge the devices between vertebrae to correct back irregularities including scoliosis, kyphosis, disc herniation, vertebral fracture and many others. Before the Medtronic devices, patients had to undergo an extra surgery to get replacement bone from their hip or they received donor bone. Infuse and Amplify eliminate that requirement with bone-growth-stimulating proteins. Revenue from Infuse has been about $700 million annually since coming on the market in 2002 (The FDA has declined approval of Amplify, and Medtronic is contesting the decision).

The author of the Journal-Sentinel article, John Fauber, recruited a physician researcher and sifted through 1,000 pages of FDA documents for his investigation to find that the bone-growth protein, called bone morphogenetic protein-2, is not as safe as Medtronic led folks to believe. Even though the surgeons claimed in a 2009 paper there was no significant link between the product and cancer, there totally was.

Failure to report the cancer could easily be attributed to a conflict of interest: For research that led to the 2009 paper, Medtronic paid investigators more than $10 million dollars to study Amplify's safety and effectiveness.

The 2009 paper on the trial was written by six physician authors. The first three authors of the paper - or entities they are associated with - received about $10 million from Medtronic, mostly in royalties, in 2010 alone. The royalties were for other products, not for BMP-2.

Two of the other authors received no compensation from Medtronic in 2010. Another author received between $5,000 and $9,999 for advisory services to the company.

It's bad news for Medtronic, which produces a variety of medical devices including pacemakers, implantable gadgets that thwart seizures, and many other gizmos for facilitating surgery. But it's way worse news for spine patients.

About Dr Kevin Lau
Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: http://www.hiyh.info.

Surgical device company Medtronic paid surgeons millions of dollars to investigate the safety of their spinal implant products. Turns out they cause cancer, but no one reported it.

So the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel did! They tell the disturbing story in an exhaustive investigative article. The devices in question, called Infuse and Amplify, are used in spinal fusion surgery. Surgeons wedge the devices between vertebrae to correct back irregularities including scoliosis, kyphosis, disc herniation, vertebral fracture and many others. Before the Medtronic devices, patients had to undergo an extra surgery to get replacement bone from their hip or they received donor bone. Infuse and Amplify eliminate that requirement with bone-growth-stimulating proteins. Revenue from Infuse has been about $700 million annually since coming on the market in 2002 (The FDA has declined approval of Amplify, and Medtronic is contesting the decision).

The author of the Journal-Sentinel article, John Fauber, recruited a physician researcher and sifted through 1,000 pages of FDA documents for his investigation to find that the bone-growth protein, called bone morphogenetic protein-2, is not as safe as Medtronic led folks to believe. Even though the surgeons claimed in a 2009 paper there was no significant link between the product and cancer, there totally was.

Failure to report the cancer could easily be attributed to a conflict of interest: For research that led to the 2009 paper, Medtronic paid investigators more than $10 million dollars to study Amplify's safety and effectiveness.

The 2009 paper on the trial was written by six physician authors. The first three authors of the paper - or entities they are associated with - received about $10 million from Medtronic, mostly in royalties, in 2010 alone. The royalties were for other products, not for BMP-2.

Two of the other authors received no compensation from Medtronic in 2010. Another author received between $5,000 and $9,999 for advisory services to the company.

It's bad news for Medtronic, which produces a variety of medical devices including pacemakers, implantable gadgets that thwart seizures, and many other gizmos for facilitating surgery. But it's way worse news for spine patients.

About Dr Kevin Lau
Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: http://www.hiyh.info.

Read More

Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome in Cats

Declue AE, Delgado C, Chang C et al: Clinical and immunologic assessment of sepsis and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome in cats, J Am Vet Med Assoc 238:890, 2011.

Sepsis was previously defined as a blood-borne bacterial infection. It has recently been redefined as the systemic inflammatory response to any type of infectious organism, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and protozoa. Sepsis is a very serious condition in cats that has a mortality rate ranging from 29% to 79%. The objective of this study was to compare clinical findings and inflammatory mediator production among cats with sepsis, cats with non-infectious systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), and healthy cats. The findings determined that the mortality rate was higher in cats with sepsis than for cats with noninfectious SIRS, but not significantly so. Cats with sepsis were more likely to have band cells and hypoalbuminemia than were cats with noninfectious SIRS. In addition, cats with sepsis had significantly greater plasma tumor necrosis factor activity and more likely to have detectible levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) than were cats with noninfectious SIRS or healthy cats. The number of SIRS criteria fulfilled did not predict outcome. Plasma interleukin-1β activity and IL-6 as well as decreased chloride concentrations may be useful prognostic biomarkers for sepsis in cats. [VT]

Related articles:
Brady CA, Otto CM, Van Winkle TJ et al: Severe sepsis in cats: 29 cases (1986-1998), J Am Vet Med Assoc 217:531, 2000.

More on cat health: Winn Feline Foundation Library
Join us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter

Declue AE, Delgado C, Chang C et al: Clinical and immunologic assessment of sepsis and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome in cats, J Am Vet Med Assoc 238:890, 2011.

Sepsis was previously defined as a blood-borne bacterial infection. It has recently been redefined as the systemic inflammatory response to any type of infectious organism, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and protozoa. Sepsis is a very serious condition in cats that has a mortality rate ranging from 29% to 79%. The objective of this study was to compare clinical findings and inflammatory mediator production among cats with sepsis, cats with non-infectious systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), and healthy cats. The findings determined that the mortality rate was higher in cats with sepsis than for cats with noninfectious SIRS, but not significantly so. Cats with sepsis were more likely to have band cells and hypoalbuminemia than were cats with noninfectious SIRS. In addition, cats with sepsis had significantly greater plasma tumor necrosis factor activity and more likely to have detectible levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) than were cats with noninfectious SIRS or healthy cats. The number of SIRS criteria fulfilled did not predict outcome. Plasma interleukin-1β activity and IL-6 as well as decreased chloride concentrations may be useful prognostic biomarkers for sepsis in cats. [VT]

Related articles:
Brady CA, Otto CM, Van Winkle TJ et al: Severe sepsis in cats: 29 cases (1986-1998), J Am Vet Med Assoc 217:531, 2000.

More on cat health: Winn Feline Foundation Library
Join us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter

Read More

Improvement in HDL cholesterol in postmenopausal women supplemented with pumpkin seed oil: pilot study.

Pumpkin seed oil is rich in phytoestrogens and animal studies suggest that there is some benefit to supplementation in low estrogen conditions. This study is the first to evaluate the benefit of pumpkin seed oil in postmenopausal women.

METHODS: This pilot study was randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled. Study participants included 35 women who had undergone natural menopause or had iatrogenically entered the climacteric due to surgery for benign pathology. Wheat germ oil (placebo; n = 14) and pumpkin seed oil (n = 21) were administered to eligible participants over a 12-week period at a dose of 2 g per day. Serum lipids, fasting plasma glucose and blood pressure were measured and an 18-point questionnaire regarding menopausal symptoms was administered; the atherogenic index was also calculated. Differences between groups, as well as before and after the period of supplementation, were evaluated with Student's t-test, Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-ranked test and Mann-Whitney test, as appropriate (Stata version 10.1).

Women receiving pumpkin seed oil showed a significant increase in high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations (0.92 ± 0.23 mmol/l vs. 1.07 ± 0.27 mmol/l; p = 0.029) and decrease in diastolic blood pressure (81.1 ± 7.94 mmHg vs. 75.67 ± 11.93 mmHg; p < 0.046). There was also a significant improvement in the menopausal symptom scores (18.1 ± 9.0 vs. 13.2 ± 6.7; p < 0.030), with a decrease in severity of hot flushes, less headaches and less joint pains being the main contributors. Women in the group receiving wheat germ oil reported being more depressed and having more unloved feeling.

CONCLUSION: This pilot study showed pumpkin seed oil had some benefits for postmenopausal women and provided strong evidence to support further studies.

Pumpkin seed oil is rich in phytoestrogens and animal studies suggest that there is some benefit to supplementation in low estrogen conditions. This study is the first to evaluate the benefit of pumpkin seed oil in postmenopausal women.

METHODS: This pilot study was randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled. Study participants included 35 women who had undergone natural menopause or had iatrogenically entered the climacteric due to surgery for benign pathology. Wheat germ oil (placebo; n = 14) and pumpkin seed oil (n = 21) were administered to eligible participants over a 12-week period at a dose of 2 g per day. Serum lipids, fasting plasma glucose and blood pressure were measured and an 18-point questionnaire regarding menopausal symptoms was administered; the atherogenic index was also calculated. Differences between groups, as well as before and after the period of supplementation, were evaluated with Student's t-test, Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-ranked test and Mann-Whitney test, as appropriate (Stata version 10.1).

Women receiving pumpkin seed oil showed a significant increase in high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations (0.92 ± 0.23 mmol/l vs. 1.07 ± 0.27 mmol/l; p = 0.029) and decrease in diastolic blood pressure (81.1 ± 7.94 mmHg vs. 75.67 ± 11.93 mmHg; p < 0.046). There was also a significant improvement in the menopausal symptom scores (18.1 ± 9.0 vs. 13.2 ± 6.7; p < 0.030), with a decrease in severity of hot flushes, less headaches and less joint pains being the main contributors. Women in the group receiving wheat germ oil reported being more depressed and having more unloved feeling.

CONCLUSION: This pilot study showed pumpkin seed oil had some benefits for postmenopausal women and provided strong evidence to support further studies.

Read More

Vitamin D in diet and depression

Think of a study of more than 81,000 women. How much time do you think such a study would take; how much effort from the scientists? Then say it was prospective, that is, it looked into the future from the past. Dr. Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson, from the University of Massachusetts, senior author JoAnn Manson, from Harvard, and 12 colleagues from the Women’s Health Initiative did just that in a paper published in October of 2011. They looked at vitamin D intake from foods and supplements and current and later symptoms of depression.

Bertone-Johnson ER, Powers SI, Spangler L, Brunner RL, Michael YL, Larson JC, Millen AE, Bueche MN, Salmoirago-Blotcher E, Liu S, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Ockene JK, Ockene I, Manson JE. Vitamin D intake from foods and supplements and depressive symptoms in a diverse population of older women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Oct;94(4):1104-12

The authors begin,

“Vitamin D may affect the function of dopamine and norepinephrine, which are monoamine neurotransmitters that are likely involved in depression. Furthermore, vitamin D may modulate the relation between depression and inflammation.”

They assessed 81,000 women at baseline (1993 -1998) and 3 years later for depression, using a simple depression rating scale, and for total vitamin D intake from foods and supplements. Their finding:

“In cross-sectional analysis that used baseline data, women with the highest intake of vitamin D and vitamin D from food sources had a significantly lower prevalence of depressive symptoms. . . In women without depressive symptoms at baseline, a higher vitamin D intake from food as associated with a lower risk of depression at year 3.”

However, they added,

“We did not find supplemental vitamin D intakes to be consistently related to measures of depressive symptoms.”
Explaining that in their group of women, for surprising and unknown reasons, vitamin D levels were higher in women who did not use vitamin D supplements. Remember in 1998, vitamin D supplements were either cod liver oil or multivitamins, both of which contained little vitamin D and toxic amounts of preformed retinol in the 1990s.

They went on to quote studies indicating that not 90%, but only 30% of vitamin D currently comes from sunlight. “Recent evidence suggested that only ~30% of circulating 25(OH)D is the product of sunlight exposure.” The studies indicating 90% comes from sunlight expose were from the early 1980s, when 90% did come from sunlight. This change from 90% to 30% reflects just how much we have become sunless creatures. Nature must have been totally surprised, when one day in the late 1980s, we suddenly decided that the Nature’s gift of sunlight was evil.

The authors conclude,

“Our results support an inverse association of vitamin D intake from foods and the occurrence of depressive symptoms in older women.”

Think of a study of more than 81,000 women. How much time do you think such a study would take; how much effort from the scientists? Then say it was prospective, that is, it looked into the future from the past. Dr. Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson, from the University of Massachusetts, senior author JoAnn Manson, from Harvard, and 12 colleagues from the Women’s Health Initiative did just that in a paper published in October of 2011. They looked at vitamin D intake from foods and supplements and current and later symptoms of depression.

Bertone-Johnson ER, Powers SI, Spangler L, Brunner RL, Michael YL, Larson JC, Millen AE, Bueche MN, Salmoirago-Blotcher E, Liu S, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Ockene JK, Ockene I, Manson JE. Vitamin D intake from foods and supplements and depressive symptoms in a diverse population of older women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Oct;94(4):1104-12

The authors begin,

“Vitamin D may affect the function of dopamine and norepinephrine, which are monoamine neurotransmitters that are likely involved in depression. Furthermore, vitamin D may modulate the relation between depression and inflammation.”

They assessed 81,000 women at baseline (1993 -1998) and 3 years later for depression, using a simple depression rating scale, and for total vitamin D intake from foods and supplements. Their finding:

“In cross-sectional analysis that used baseline data, women with the highest intake of vitamin D and vitamin D from food sources had a significantly lower prevalence of depressive symptoms. . . In women without depressive symptoms at baseline, a higher vitamin D intake from food as associated with a lower risk of depression at year 3.”

However, they added,

“We did not find supplemental vitamin D intakes to be consistently related to measures of depressive symptoms.”
Explaining that in their group of women, for surprising and unknown reasons, vitamin D levels were higher in women who did not use vitamin D supplements. Remember in 1998, vitamin D supplements were either cod liver oil or multivitamins, both of which contained little vitamin D and toxic amounts of preformed retinol in the 1990s.

They went on to quote studies indicating that not 90%, but only 30% of vitamin D currently comes from sunlight. “Recent evidence suggested that only ~30% of circulating 25(OH)D is the product of sunlight exposure.” The studies indicating 90% comes from sunlight expose were from the early 1980s, when 90% did come from sunlight. This change from 90% to 30% reflects just how much we have become sunless creatures. Nature must have been totally surprised, when one day in the late 1980s, we suddenly decided that the Nature’s gift of sunlight was evil.

The authors conclude,

“Our results support an inverse association of vitamin D intake from foods and the occurrence of depressive symptoms in older women.”

Read More

PCR Testing for Feline Respiratory Viruses

Ruch-Gallie RA, Veir JK, Hawley JR et al: Results of molecular diagnostic assays targeting feline herpesvirus-1 and feline calicivirus in adult cats administered modified live vaccines, J Feline Med Surg 13:541, 2011.

Diagnostic testing to identify the cause of a respiratory infection in a cat today often involves molecular testing of swabs collected from the nasal and pharyngeal areas. These assays detect the genetic material of the virus of interest. These molecular assays, known as real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), are very sensitive, able to detect very small amounts virus. Vaccines given to cats, including cats entering shelters, are usually live virus vaccines. When respiratory disease occurs in these cats soon after vaccination, the concern is that the molecular assays may detect the vaccine virus, confusing the diagnosis. These researchers investigated the likelihood of detecting virus in the days immediately following vaccination. They tested multiple samples collected from six cats given an intranasal vaccine and six given a subcutaneous vaccine. Overall, the detection of virus within days after vaccination was uncommon. The risk was slightly higher with intranasal vaccines versus the subcutaneous vaccines. But the percentage of samples collected that gave positive results was quite small. Thus, the risk of false positive results from vaccination appears to be low. [MK]

Related articles:
Maggs D, Clarke H: Relative sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction assays used for detection of feline herpesvirus type 1 DNA in clinical samples and commercial vaccines, Am J Vet Res 66:1550, 2005.

More on cat health: Winn Feline Foundation Library
Join us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter

Ruch-Gallie RA, Veir JK, Hawley JR et al: Results of molecular diagnostic assays targeting feline herpesvirus-1 and feline calicivirus in adult cats administered modified live vaccines, J Feline Med Surg 13:541, 2011.

Diagnostic testing to identify the cause of a respiratory infection in a cat today often involves molecular testing of swabs collected from the nasal and pharyngeal areas. These assays detect the genetic material of the virus of interest. These molecular assays, known as real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), are very sensitive, able to detect very small amounts virus. Vaccines given to cats, including cats entering shelters, are usually live virus vaccines. When respiratory disease occurs in these cats soon after vaccination, the concern is that the molecular assays may detect the vaccine virus, confusing the diagnosis. These researchers investigated the likelihood of detecting virus in the days immediately following vaccination. They tested multiple samples collected from six cats given an intranasal vaccine and six given a subcutaneous vaccine. Overall, the detection of virus within days after vaccination was uncommon. The risk was slightly higher with intranasal vaccines versus the subcutaneous vaccines. But the percentage of samples collected that gave positive results was quite small. Thus, the risk of false positive results from vaccination appears to be low. [MK]

Related articles:
Maggs D, Clarke H: Relative sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction assays used for detection of feline herpesvirus type 1 DNA in clinical samples and commercial vaccines, Am J Vet Res 66:1550, 2005.

More on cat health: Winn Feline Foundation Library
Join us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter

Read More

Study finds good diet overcomes bad genes

Tuesday, October 18, 2011. In an article published online on October 11, 2011 in the journal PLoS Medicine, Dr Jamie Engert at McGill University in Montreal and his associates report that the risk conferred by a gene variant known to be a strong marker for cardiovascular disease is minimized by consuming a diet rich in fruit and vegetables. "We know that 9p21 genetic variants increase the risk of heart disease for those that carry it," explained Dr Engert, of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. "But it was a surprise to find that a healthy diet could significantly weaken its effect."

The researchers genotyped four variants in the 9p21 chromosome region of 8,114 participants in the INTERHEART study, a case-control study of men and women of varying ethnic backgrounds that compared those who had had an acute non-fatal heart attack to similar subjects without heart disease. Additionally, 9p21 variants were analyzed in 19,129 participants in the FINRISK study, of whom 1,014 had cardiovascular disease. Dietary questionnaires ascertained the frequency of intake of vegetables, fruits and other foods.

Subjects whose intake of vegetables and fruit was low had the greatest risk of cardiovascular disease in association with a 9p21 variant compared to those whose intake was high. Among INTERHEART participants who consumed a diet rich in fruit and raw vegetables, the risk of heart attack was similar between carriers and non-carriers of a specific single nucleotide polymorphism in the 9p21 region. In the FINRISK study, having a high risk genotype was associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease among those with low or average intake of fruit, vegetables and berries, yet among those whose intake of these foods was high, the variant appeared to have no effect.

"We observed that the effect of a high-risk genotype can be mitigated by consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables," commented coauthor Sonia Anand, who is a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University. "Our results support the public health recommendation to consume more than five servings of fruits or vegetables as a way to promote good health."

"Our research suggests there may be an important interplay between genes and diet in cardiovascular disease," stated lead author Dr Ron Do, who is currently affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital. "Future research is necessary to understand the mechanism of this interaction, which will shed light on the underlying metabolic processes that the 9p21 gene is involved in."

Source: http://www.lef.org/newsletter/2011/1018_Study-Finds-Good-Diet-Overcomes-Bad-Genes.htm?utm_source=2011Wk42-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Article&utm_content=Header&utm_campaign=eNewsletter&l=0#article

About Dr Kevin Lau
Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: http://www.hiyh.info.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011. In an article published online on October 11, 2011 in the journal PLoS Medicine, Dr Jamie Engert at McGill University in Montreal and his associates report that the risk conferred by a gene variant known to be a strong marker for cardiovascular disease is minimized by consuming a diet rich in fruit and vegetables. "We know that 9p21 genetic variants increase the risk of heart disease for those that carry it," explained Dr Engert, of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. "But it was a surprise to find that a healthy diet could significantly weaken its effect."

The researchers genotyped four variants in the 9p21 chromosome region of 8,114 participants in the INTERHEART study, a case-control study of men and women of varying ethnic backgrounds that compared those who had had an acute non-fatal heart attack to similar subjects without heart disease. Additionally, 9p21 variants were analyzed in 19,129 participants in the FINRISK study, of whom 1,014 had cardiovascular disease. Dietary questionnaires ascertained the frequency of intake of vegetables, fruits and other foods.

Subjects whose intake of vegetables and fruit was low had the greatest risk of cardiovascular disease in association with a 9p21 variant compared to those whose intake was high. Among INTERHEART participants who consumed a diet rich in fruit and raw vegetables, the risk of heart attack was similar between carriers and non-carriers of a specific single nucleotide polymorphism in the 9p21 region. In the FINRISK study, having a high risk genotype was associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease among those with low or average intake of fruit, vegetables and berries, yet among those whose intake of these foods was high, the variant appeared to have no effect.

"We observed that the effect of a high-risk genotype can be mitigated by consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables," commented coauthor Sonia Anand, who is a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University. "Our results support the public health recommendation to consume more than five servings of fruits or vegetables as a way to promote good health."

"Our research suggests there may be an important interplay between genes and diet in cardiovascular disease," stated lead author Dr Ron Do, who is currently affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital. "Future research is necessary to understand the mechanism of this interaction, which will shed light on the underlying metabolic processes that the 9p21 gene is involved in."

Source: http://www.lef.org/newsletter/2011/1018_Study-Finds-Good-Diet-Overcomes-Bad-Genes.htm?utm_source=2011Wk42-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Article&utm_content=Header&utm_campaign=eNewsletter&l=0#article

About Dr Kevin Lau
Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: http://www.hiyh.info.

Read More

Federal agents arrest prominent 'quackbuster' skeptic; anti-health crowd exposed as fraud

Certain websites whose primary purpose is to vilify nutritional medicine and alternative health practices are apparently owned and operated by a cabal of deranged, and just plain evil "pseudo-skeptics," suggests consumer advocate Tim Bolen in his recentBolen Report. And "Jose Luis Alvarez" (authorities do not know his real name), a man who has allegedly been living with skeptic ringleader James Randi, was recently arrested by federal agents on charges of identity theft.

First of all, it is important to stress that the overall impact of this anti-health crowd has diminished greatly over the years, as many of the so-called "quackbusters" running it have silently disappeared or (ironically) died of diseases that could have been prevented by the same treatments for which they lived to destroy. And thanks to the massive swell of truthful information about health that has swept the world via the internet and other methods, the "debunkers" have become increasingly obscure and irrelevant in such misinformation campaigns.

But some of the key players, of course, are still alive and very active in their efforts to malign any and all health protocols that deviate from the accepted scam of conventional drugs and surgery. And two individuals, Randi and his housemate Alvarez, have allegedly also been involved in identity theft, pedophilia, and a slew of other deviant activities and behaviors, according to Bolen.

"James Randi organized, I believe, and run[s] today, the worldwide Skeptic organization," writes Bolen in his report. "[Randi and several others] organized to control health care articles on the Wikipedia website, and created a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) network designed to catapult their anti-good-health-care articles to the first page of Google and other Search Engines. Viciousness is their game."

And the Alvarez scandal, as reported recently in South Florida'sSun Sentinel, is just the tip of the iceberg, alleges Bolen. According to Bolen's archive of information, including audio and video recordings, Randi was allegedly involved in soliciting sex from young boys, as well as promoting pedophilia (Randi, however, has denied such claims with several variant and conflicting explanations, says Bolen).

Bolen suggests that such disturbing behavior is common throughout the "pseudo-skeptic" network, and he supplies a wealth of compelling evidence to his readers that backs his case. You can read more from Bolen about this issue here:http://www.bolenreport.com/feature_...

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/033823_quackbusters_James_Randi.html#ixzz1aWh4Ejl2

About Dr Kevin Lau
Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: http://www.hiyh.info.

Certain websites whose primary purpose is to vilify nutritional medicine and alternative health practices are apparently owned and operated by a cabal of deranged, and just plain evil "pseudo-skeptics," suggests consumer advocate Tim Bolen in his recentBolen Report. And "Jose Luis Alvarez" (authorities do not know his real name), a man who has allegedly been living with skeptic ringleader James Randi, was recently arrested by federal agents on charges of identity theft.

First of all, it is important to stress that the overall impact of this anti-health crowd has diminished greatly over the years, as many of the so-called "quackbusters" running it have silently disappeared or (ironically) died of diseases that could have been prevented by the same treatments for which they lived to destroy. And thanks to the massive swell of truthful information about health that has swept the world via the internet and other methods, the "debunkers" have become increasingly obscure and irrelevant in such misinformation campaigns.

But some of the key players, of course, are still alive and very active in their efforts to malign any and all health protocols that deviate from the accepted scam of conventional drugs and surgery. And two individuals, Randi and his housemate Alvarez, have allegedly also been involved in identity theft, pedophilia, and a slew of other deviant activities and behaviors, according to Bolen.

"James Randi organized, I believe, and run[s] today, the worldwide Skeptic organization," writes Bolen in his report. "[Randi and several others] organized to control health care articles on the Wikipedia website, and created a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) network designed to catapult their anti-good-health-care articles to the first page of Google and other Search Engines. Viciousness is their game."

And the Alvarez scandal, as reported recently in South Florida'sSun Sentinel, is just the tip of the iceberg, alleges Bolen. According to Bolen's archive of information, including audio and video recordings, Randi was allegedly involved in soliciting sex from young boys, as well as promoting pedophilia (Randi, however, has denied such claims with several variant and conflicting explanations, says Bolen).

Bolen suggests that such disturbing behavior is common throughout the "pseudo-skeptic" network, and he supplies a wealth of compelling evidence to his readers that backs his case. You can read more from Bolen about this issue here:http://www.bolenreport.com/feature_...

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/033823_quackbusters_James_Randi.html#ixzz1aWh4Ejl2

About Dr Kevin Lau
Dr Kevin Lau DC is the founder of Health In Your Hands, a series of tools for Scoliosis prevention and treatment. The set includes his book Your Plan for Natural Scoliosis Prevention and Treatment, a companion Scoliosis Exercises for Prevention and Correction DVD and the innovative new iPhone application ScolioTrack. Dr Kevin Lau D.C. is a graduate in Doctor of Chiropractic from RMIT University in Melbourne Australia and Masters in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health in USA. In 2006 I was awarded the "Best Health-care Provider Awards" by the largest Newspaper publication in Singapore on October 18 2006 as well as being interviewed on Primetime Channel News Asia as well as other TV and Radio. For more information on Dr Kevin Lau, watch his interviews or get a free sneak peek of his book, go to: http://www.hiyh.info.

Read More