November 1, 2009
Contents:
- Bill C-6 Alert: Bill Currently Before the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology
- Truehope Challenges Health Canada in Federal Courts - Calgarians, Can You Be There?
- Immune System Boosting in Response to Threat of H1N1
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Bill C-6 Alert: Bill Currently Before the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology
The Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology is currently hearing testimonies from witnesses regarding Bill C-6.
The Senate Committee has not officially re-scheduled to hear from Constitutional lawyer and author of the Canadian Charter of Health Freedom, Shawn Buckley. Buckley was given a slot during a period when he was previously scheduled to be in Federal Court and has not been confirmed a new time at a later date.
Copy and paste the link below to urge the Committee to hear Buckley's message:
http://www.cnhc.ca/campaign5.html
CHARTER PETITION UPDATE:
As of Tuesday, November 3RD, there are 39 272 petition signatures.
Copy and past the link below to download a printable version of the Charter petition:
http://nhppa.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/petition...
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Truehope Challenges Health Canada in Federal Courts - Calgarians, Can You Be There?
by Media Release, Oct 26, 2009(Calgary, AB) - A small Alberta vitamin and mineral company called Truehope will finally have its day in court beginning Monday, November 2 when the Federal Court in Calgary will determine the legality and constitutionality of Health Canada's 2003 seizure of a vitamin and mineral combination (EMPowerplus) being used by thousands of Canadians for the prevention of bipolar symptoms.
Years of court battles over the seizure that left hundreds of desperate Canadians caught in the middle of a regulatory battle have, thus far, amounted to nothing but a huge waste of tax payer dollars. In 2006 Health Canada charged Truehope owners with the illegal sale of a drug, but the courts found them innocent of all wrong doing and demanded the Truehope vitamin and mineral supplements continue to be made available to Canadians. Furthermore, in his final judgment, Judge G.M. Meagher concluded that even as Health Canada agents were denying access to the supplement they were fully aware that their actions would result in harm or danger to those who depended on the product for their health.[1] In the 2006 Alberta Court case the Canadian Mental Health Association's, Alberta Director, Ron Lajeunesse bore witness that because of Health Canada's actions in removing the supplement innocent Canadians lost hope and committed suicide.
Truehope co-founder Anthony Stephan claims that if the constitutional challenge is successful Health Canada will no longer be able to remove a product from the market without first proving in court that the removal will not harm Canadians who use it for their health. Canadians are harmed when viable natural treatments or preventions are taken away. Drugs should not be the only option for Canadians who choose health. The judgment will extend protection to all Canadians and to all natural health products.
Current Health Canada regulations allow bureaucrats to remove natural products at will without any accountability to Canadians for their actions.[2] "We think this kind of unconstitutional free-for-all opens the door for corruption and for big pharma lobby, and closes the door on individual freedom and choice in personal health care," says Stephan.
The Federal Court Review is open to the public daily from 9:30 - 4:30 and commencing November 2-20 at the Calgary Federal Court 635 8th Ave. S.W. Calgary, AB.
For full court documents or further comments please contact: Anthony Stephan, (403) 634-8772
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[1] Citation: R. v. Synergy Group of Canada, Inc. , 2006 ABPC 196, pg 11-12 [45]
[2] Food and Drugs Act, sect. 23 (1)(d) and 26
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Immune System Boosting in Response to Threat of H1N1
by William Ware, PhDIn the context of influenza, mainstream medicine thinks of immunity and immune boosting in terms of vaccines. This translates into artificial active manipulation of the adaptive immune system. Traditionally the new flu vaccine offered each year is composed of strains determine by a consensus reached months before the season starts and to some is akin to using a crystal ball to forecast the future. H1N1 is different in that a vaccine can be made from the currently active strain although time is short, and the vaccine will receive only limited testing over a very short period. Given the circumstances, it is quite impossible to test for adverse effects that might occur months after inoculation. The recommendation that all pregnant women be vaccinated is a pure act of faith based on earlier experience that there will be no adverse effects on either the mother, the fetus, or the child, either in the near or long term. Some expectant mothers may find this worrisome. Also, flu vaccines drawn from multi-injection bottles generally contain the famous mercury preservative. H1N1 vaccines is also said to contain a chemical or chemicals that augment the effectiveness but these have not been used before and thus not extensively tested.
The approach which impacts the adaptive immune system is of course practical but ignores the innate immune system which may well be more important if the N1H1 virus mutates or if other vaccines do not contain the appropriate strains for the coming flu season. For those who do not believe in vaccines for one reason or another, the innate immune system becomes paramount to their defence against this and other flu viruses. Mainstream medicine tends to ignore protocols that boost the innate immune system because they involve mostly non-prescription substances obtained at the health food store and because the research available does not meet their standards. The latter factor is not surprising. Using the profits of the drug companies as a standard, there is no significant money to be made and thus no money for trials that would satisfy those who insist that every intervention be backed by large randomized clinical trials that follow after phase I and II trials. This philosophy ignores the fact that a significant fraction of the modern medicine is not evidence based, a situation which one or two major peer reviewed journals have recently had the courage to document. And it obviously is ignored in the case of seasonal vaccines.
The innate immune system comprises the mechanisms and cells that defend an organism from infection by other organisms by recognizing and responding to pathogens in a generic manner, recruiting immune cells to the sites of infection, activating processes that identify invaders, and promote the clearance of dead cells or antibody complexes. Involved is the identification and removal of foreign substances present in organs, tissues, the blood and lymph by specialized white blood cells. Thus the healthy immune system distinguishes between self and non-self. Recommendations commonly encountered suggest the immune function may be protected and enhanced by supplementation.(1-3) Included are the following which are readily available in most health food stores:
-- Selenium, 200 micrograms/day (maximum)
-- Zinc, 30 mg/day (maximum)
-- Probiotic sources guaranteed to contain significant levels of beneficial bacteria (billions of cells) such as some yogurts, e.g. Activa®
-- Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 1-2 g/day
-- Garlic extract, 1 g/day
-- Grape seed extract 100-200 mg/day
-- Green tea extract, 325 mg of EGCG/day
-- N-acetyl cysteine, 600-1000 mg/day
-- Alpha Lipoic acid, 200-500 mg/day
-- Active Hexose Correlated Compound (AHCC) such as ImmPower®, 1-2 g/day
-- Vitamin D3, 4000-5000 IU/day,
-- Beta 1,3/1,6 glucan, 750 mg twice daily. The preparation derived from baker's yeast cell walls appears popular, e.g. Immutol®
-- Black elderberry extract, dose as suggested by supplier.
-- Vitamin A, 5000 IU/day maximum
-- Vitamin C, 200-500 mg 3 times a day
-- Vitamin E (natural source), 400 IU/day
-- Vitamin B6, 50-100 mg/day
The reader is cautioned that the scientific evidence of immune function enhancement associated with the above supplements is limited, mostly dependent on rodent studies which may or may not be applicable to humans, and in some cases (e.g. AHCC) the evidence mostly involves individuals with cancer or other disorders and when normal healthy individuals are studied, only some immune functions are enhanced. The strongest evidence appears to exist for vitamin D. But the silence regarding vitamin D remains deafening. On the current vitamin D Council website there are two anecdotal emails from physicians regarding the apparent remarkable power of vitamin D to prevent flu. On the home page, click on the link "vitamin D and the H1N1 swine flu."
Elderberry flavonoids have actually been tested in vitro for anti-H1N1 activity and found effective. Certain flavonoids in this berry bind to the virus and inhibit its action.(4) This study found elderberry extract equivalent in anti-influenza activity to Tamiflu®, the famous antiviral that governments are stockpiling. This is consistent with a randomized, placebo controlled trial of oral elderberry extract in the treatment of influenza A and B virus infections which found it effective.(5) A variety of extracts are commercially available. Perhaps alternating between two or three brands would be wise since there is little guidance regarding dose or extract type.
Precautions: Individuals taking warfarin (Coumadin) should consult their doctor before taking large amounts of fish oil, although the risk of enhanced bleeding is debatable. A number of mainstream guidelines recommend 1 g/day for heart health or other benefits. Garlic has blood-thinning and anti-clotting properties, but is of course consumed in large amounts in many cultures. Green tea extract combined with aspirin or warfarin can increase the risk of bleeding. N-acetyl cysteine is contraindicated for individuals with chronic liver disease, a history of kidney stones or peptic ulcer. If one also takes a multivitamin, check the zinc and selenium content and do not exceed the maximums given above. Many multivitamin preparations already include the indicated amounts of these two minerals. AHCC has been widely used in Japan for some time with no adverse effects.
If an individual has gut dysfunction this can greatly weaken the immune system, cause nutritional deficiencies and presumably make one more susceptible to influenza. This is a complex issue and symptoms can range from subtle to acute. Symptoms include chronic constipation or diarrhea or an alternation between the two, excessive gas or bloating, anemia, sugar intolerance and chronic fatigue. A common cause is the heavy use of antibiotics which can severely disturb the balance of good and bad gut flora. Frequently this can be addressed with probiotics either from yogurt or in capsule form or both. But many commercial yogurts in fact are essentially probiotic free due to pasteurization. Lactose and gluten intolerance may play an important role and can be addressed with diet modifications. Small bowel bacterial overgrowth (e.g. candida) may also play a critical role in gut dysfunction and immune impairment and can be challenging to diagnose. Frequent infections may also suggest an impaired immune system. Readers are referred to the book Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride (Medinform Publishing, 2004) for a detailed discussion of gut dysfunction and its treatment with diet and other therapies. While the emphasis in this book is on children and the gut-brain connection, much of the material is equally applicable to adults. The chapter on probiotics is highly recommended.
Regular exercise should also not be ignored as a component of an immune boosting program. This is particularly true for older individuals who are at risk of so-called immunosenescence, the change n the immune system associated with aging. One of the most important findings to emerge from study of the relationship between exercise and immunity is that positive immune changes appear to occur during each session of moderate physical activity. It has been found that over time this results in fewer days of sickness associated with the common cold, influenza and other infections, and is consistent with public health guidelines recommending near-daily physicals activity of 30 minutes or more.(6) However, vigorous exercise in young individuals can have the opposite effect on the immune system, but this is not seen in older persons.(7) In addition, aging can have a negative effect on immunity due to stress and exercise may be an effective intervention to limit the impact of stress in chronically affected older populations.(8) The observed exercised-enhanced influenza immunity in older adults may in fact be mediated in part by improvements in psychosocial factors.9 In the case of upper respiratory tract infections, the amount of physical activity required achieve protection is not clear since incidence, seriousness and duration are issues. In one study walking for 90 minutes a day was associated with the greatest protection. But data is limited. Daily exercise such as a 30-60 minute walk appears to be one of the most challenging interventions to implement, given the hectic modern pace and complexity of daily life. But the benefits go well beyond immune boosting and it seems clearly worth the effort to program such activity into ones daily routine, difficult as this may be. For retired individuals or those no longer raising children, exercise programs should be much easier to implement, and they may stand to achieve the most benefit. The synergism of exercise with diet has come up a number of times in studies discussed in this Newsletter, most recently in connection with reducing the risk of progression to diabetes.
Finally, several observational studies suggested that statin drugs protect against pneumonia. A recent population based case-control study failed to find any association with decreased risk of pneumonia among immuno-competent community dwelling older individuals and suggest that previous studies may reflect "healthy user" bias, a serious problem in observational studies related to the particular population willing or enthusiastic about participation.(10)
There is of course no guarantee that if one engages in a program of immune boosting that they will not contract or even die from H1N1. But it is hard to believe that the above interventions will be other than beneficial.
References
(1) Murray M, Pizzorno J. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. 2nd ed. Rockland, CA: Prima Publishing; 1998.
(2) Encyclopedia of Natrual Healing. Burnaby, BC: Alive Books; 1997.
(3) Disease Treatment and Prevention. 4th ed. Hollywood, FL: Life Extension Foundation; 2003.
(4) Roschek J, Fink RC, McMichael MD, Li D, Alberte RS. Elderberry flavonoids bind to and prevent H1N1 infection in vitro. PhytochemistryIn Press, Corrected Proof.
(5) Zakay-Rones Z, Thom E, Wollan T, Wadstein J. Randomized study of the efficacy and safety of oral elderberry extract in the treatment of influenza A and B virus infections. J Int Med Res 2004 March;32(2):132-40.
(6) Nieman DC. Current perspective on exercise immunology. Curr Sports Med Rep 2003 October;2(5):239-42.
(7) Senchina DS, Kohut ML. Immunological outcomes of exercise in older adults. Clin Interv Aging 2007;2(1):3-16.
(8) Phillips AC, Burns VE, Lord JM. Stress and exercise: Getting the balance right for aging immunity. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 2007 January;35(1):35-9.
(9) Kohut ML, Lee W, Martin A et al. The exercise-induced enhancement of influenza immunity is mediated in part by improvements in psychosocial factors in older adults. Brain Behav Immun 2005 July;19(4):357-66.
(10) Dublin S, Jackson ML, Nelson JC, Weiss NS, Larson EB, Jackson LA. Statin use and risk of community acquired pneumonia in older people: population based case-control study. BMJ 2009;338:b2137.
Distributed with permission. Originally published in the October 2009 issue of International Health News. For more information, visit www.yourhealthbase.com.