By Linda Fugate, PhD
If the body has a master hormone, melatonin may be it. The pineal gland, located in the brain, produces melatonin on a daily schedule. Most melatonin is secreted at night, less in the daytime. This hormone regulates the sleep-wake cycle, (1) as well as the eating cycle (2) and the production of other hormones. (3) Some plants contain melatonin, including several herbs used in Chinese medicine. (4,5,6) Melatonin is well known as a beneficial agent for jet lag and general sleep disturbances, sometimes called delayed sleep phase syndrome. (1) Older people are especially at risk. Approximately 30 percent of people over the age of 50 exhibit insomnia to a greater or lesser degree. However, doses of melatonin as small as 0.3 mg taken at bedtime improves sleep quality. (16) Melatonin provides numerous benefits for both healthy individuals and patients with specific medical conditions. Melatonin production decreases dramatically and predictably with age (Fig. 1).
Melatonin Use in Serious Diseases
Melatonin has been used in the treatment of serious illnesses such as cancer, conditions requiring surgery, schizophrenia with tardive dyskinesia, and blindness with circadian rhythmic disturbances. In addition, daytime sleepiness caused by nighttime sleep disturbances is the greatest identifiable cause of accidents in all modes of transportation. (8)
ICU Psychosis and Melatonin
Surgical patients commonly have their sleep cycle disrupted. (9) The hospital environment may include 24-hour light, noise, unusual activity, needles, tubes, and other disruptions to the patients normal routine. In severe cases, postoperative sleep-wake cycle disruption may result in delirium, which is associated with increased complications and death. The reported incidence of post-operative delirium or confusion is up to 78 percent. Sleep deprivation may even lead to psychosis. Melatonin prevented these postoperative complications in two patients in a preliminary research study at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Further research is expected to show benefits for a significant number of patients. (1)
In another study of the effect of premedication with melatonin prior to anesthesia, patients receiving melatonin were found to have less anxiety, better response to anesthesia, and less impairment of cognitive and psychomotor skills. The melatonin doses were administered 100 minutes before standard surgical anesthesia. The optimum dose of melatonin was found to be 0.05 mg per kilogram of body weight. This treatment made the patients feel better while awaiting surgery, and did not impair their recovery. (11) Many other conditions respond to melatonin treatment as well.
Melatonin Aids Cancer Patients Fighting Cachexia
About half of all cancer patients suffer from cachexia, a condition associated with weight loss, psychological distress, and a lower quality of life. Cachexia includes complicated changes in the bodys normal biochemistry. The appetite is suppressed, and the bodys tissues break down in a process called wasting. The wasting process includes increased cytokine production. Cytokines, such as interleukin-1 (IL1), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and interferons (IFN) can suppress appetite and disturb normal metabolic activity. Other alterations in interwww.y metabolism, including the release of lipid-mobilizing and proteolysis-inducing factors, speed up the loss of body mass.
Appetite is strongly related to the sleep-wake cycle. I discovered this from personal experience on a trip to Germany. My first meal after the flight occurred at approximately 3:00 am in my hometown. I found it difficult to eat when my body thought it was time to sleep. Cancer patients are subject to surgery, sedating drugs, and other medical intervention, sometimes in the middle of the night. Without a normal sleep pattern, they may never feel that its time to wake up and eat. Melatonin treatment can normalize the eating cycle. Additionally, a recent paper reported that melatonin inhibits tumor-derived catabolic factors that produce the wasting effect (cachexia). (2)
Melatonin and Schizophrenia
Schizophrenics also benefit from melatonin. The drugs used to treat schizophrenia may cause tardive dyskinesia, a disabling movement defect. Up to 50 percent of patients hospitalized with schizophrenia suffer from this problem. Tardive dyskinesia is believed to be caused by increased sensitivity of dopamine receptors, plus neurotoxicity caused by oxidative stress. Melatonin has been shown to effectively alleviate these patients symptoms. Researchers in Israel showed that 10 mg per day of melatonin for 6 weeks significantly improved movement control of tardive dyskinesia patients. They attributed these benefits to melatonins antioxidant effects. Melatonin also tends to normalize dopamine release in schizophrenic patients. (12)
Melatonin Improves Quality of Life for Blind People
The quality of life for totally blind people is also improved by melatonin. Most blind people have free-running circadian rhythms that drift away from the normal 24-hour day. Recurrent insomnia and daytime sleepiness may cause significant problems to blind people who already have a difficult life. Melatonin administration can correct the problem in most totally blind people. In a recent study, seven blind people received 10 mg per day of melatonin, one hour before their preferred bedtime. At the beginning of the study, the circadian rhythms of these subjects ranged from 24.2 to 24.9 hours. After three to nine weeks, six of the seven subjects were sleeping on a 24-hour cycle. The dose of melatonin was then reduced to 0.5 mg per day over a period of three months. Once established, the 24-hour cycle persisted even at the much lower dose. (13)
Melatonin and Aging
Aging commonly causes an increase in abdominal fat, plasma insulin, and lipids such as cholesterol. Researchers at the University of Washington showed that melatonin supplements in elderly rats could prevent or even reverse these effects of aging. The melatonin-treated rats also returned to youthful behavior patterns, including response to novelty. (7) In one animal model, melatonin supplements increased the lifespan. Older people are more susceptible to death from infection. Melatonin deficiency is related to decreased immune system function.16 One study showed that melatonin can rejuvenate the degenerative thymus (part of the immune system) in aging animals. (17)
Melatonin plays a direct role in regulating ovarian function. Progesterone production and hormone receptor function were both improved by melatonin. (3) In another study, 2 mg per day of melatonin was useful in balancing the hormones of women 64 to 80 years of age. (18) A decrease in melatonin is also associated with male menopause, also called andropause or androgen decline in the aging male (ADAM). (18)
Melatonin is a Powerful Antioxidant
One important mechanism for melatonins anti-aging effects is its role as an antioxidant. Many researchers believe that antioxidants can prevent and delay the onset of chronic degenerative diseases, and possibly extend the lifespan. Unlike other antioxidants, melatonin reacts with oxidative molecules to produce other molecules which are also antioxidants. This phenomenon is called the free radical scavenging cascade reaction of melatonin. Because of this cascade, one melatonin molecule has the potential to neutralize approximately four reactive oxygenating species. This indicates that melatonin is several times more potent than Vitamin C or Vitamin E as an antioxidant. (19)
Melatonin and Immune System
Melatonin is also a potent stimulator of immune cells, but it should not be taken in combination with Echinacea. Many people take melatonin for sleep disturbances and Echinacea for virus infections, especially in the winter. Canadian researchers tested the effects of the combination of these two products on mice. They found that this combination inhibits the production of granular leukocytes from their precursors, called myeloid cells. Granular leukocytes are important elements of the immune system. Both melatonin and Echinacea stimulate the production of T, B, natural killer cells, and myeloid cells in the immune system, either separately or together. However, melatonin and Echinacea together appear to inhibit the maturation of myeloid cells into granular leukocytes. The exact mechanism for this action is not yet known, but it is not desirable to reduce the granular leukocyte count. (20) Since individual responses to any health product vary, those who respond poorly to Echinacea may want to consider melatonin as an alternative. Melatonin should always be taken near bedtime, even when it is used for purposes other than sleep regulation.
Other Uses for Melatonin
Preliminary research indicates other possible uses. Melatonin has shown some promise as a treatment for migraine headaches. (21) Cluster headaches have also been treated successfully with melatonin. At the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, two patients were given 9 mg of melatonin daily at bedtime, along with their usual headache medication. Both remained free of headaches during their six to eight month follow-ups. One patient required only two days of melatonin treatment to rid himself of the cluster headaches. (22)
For cancers that are treated with Interleukin-2 immune therapy, the addition of melatonin may prolong survival time and increase the efficiency of Interleukin-2. This strategy appears to be superior to the use of high-dose Interleukin-2 alone. (23)
Agomelatine, which makes melatonin more effective, has been shown to be beneficial in patients with major depression. (25) This result suggests that melatonin itself may be useful in treating depression.
Conclusion
Melatonin is an important hormone that declines with age. People over 50 benefit most from supplemental melatonin, but there are numerous uses for melatonin in people of all ages. The benefits of melatonin include:
Sleep regulation for jet lag, shift work, or general insomnia
Regulation of other hormone cycles
Anti-aging and antioxidant protection
Enhancement of immune function
Better recovery from surgery
Enhancement of cancer therapies
Potential treatment of other diseases, such as tardive dyskinesia and migraine headache
Because of its safety and numerous benefits on health and lifespan, (7,24) I think melatonin may be one of the most effective anti-aging substances currently available.
References:
1. Melatonin Q & A, www.vrp.com.
2. Inui A, Cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome: current issues in research and management, CA Cancer J Clin 2002 Mar-Apr;52(2):72-91.
3. Woo MM, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001 Oct;86(10):4789-97.
4. Reiter RJ, Tan DX, Melatonin: an antioxidant in edible plants, Ann N Y Acad Sci 2002 May;957:341-4.
5. Burkhardt S, et al. J Agric Food Chem 2001 Oct;49(10):4898-902.
6. Watanabe H, et al. Am J Chin Med 2002;30(1):65-71.
7. Zhdanova IV, Wurtman RJ, Regan MM, et al, J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001 Oct;86(10):4727-30.
8. Rasmussen DD, Mitton DR, Larsen SA, Yellon SM. J Pineal Res 2001 Aug;31(1):89-94.
9. Rajaratnam SM, Arendt J, Health in a 24-hour society, Lancet 2001 Sep 22;358(9286):999-1005.
10. Cronin AJ, et al. Lancet 2000 Oct 7;356(9237): 1244-5.
11. Hanania M, Kitain E, Melatonin for treatment and prevention of postoperative delirium, Anesth Analg 2002 Feb;94(2):338-9.
12. Naguib M, Samarkandi AH. Anesth Analg 2000 Aug;92(2):473-9.
13. Atkinson G, Buckley P, Edwards B, Reilly T, Waterhouse J. Int J Sports Med 2001 Apr;22(3):232-4.
14. Shamir E, et al. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2001 Nov;58(11):1054-5.
15. Sack RL, Brandes RW, Kendall AR, Lewy AJ, Entrainment of free-running circadian rhythms by melatonin in blind people, N Engl J Med 2000 Oct12;343(15):1114-6.
16. Karasek M, Reiter RJ, Melatonin and Aging, Neuroendorocrinology Letters 2002;23(Suppl. 1):14-16.
17. Tian YM, et al. J. Pineal Research 2001;31(3):214-221.
18. Pawlikowski M, Kolomecka M, Wojtczak A, Karasek M. Neuroendocrinology Letters 2002;23(Suppl. 1):17-19.
19. Morales A, Heaton JP, Carson CC 3rd, Andropause: a misnomer for a true clinical entity, J Urol 2000 Mar;163(3):705-12.
20. Tan DX, et al. Curr Top Med Chem 2002 Feb;2(2):181-97.
21. Currier NL, Sicotte M, Miller SC. J Leukoc Biol 2001 Aug;70(2):274-6.
22. Gagnier JJ. Altern Med Rev 2001 Aug;6(4):383-9.
23. Melatonin: New Relief from Cluster Headaches? www.vrp.com.
24. Lissoni P, Bolis S, Brivio F, Fumagalli L. Anticancer Res 2000 May-Jun;20(3B):2103-5.
25. Skolnick A, Int Clin Psychopharmacol 2002;17:239-247.
26. Medline abstract search, www.nlm.nih.gov.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
And the Band Plays On - Autism is Now 1 in 100
August 10, 2009
And the Band Plays On - Autism is Now 1 in 100
By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.
In 2007 the National Survey of Children's Health conducted a study on the rate of autism. The results have now been released. Of the 80,496 children surveyed, 921 were said by their parent to currently have autism or Asperger's syndrome. That makes the rate of autism in the children surveyed approximately 1%, or 1 in every 100. The rates generated from data in 2002 and 2003 suggested a rate of 1 in every 150.
A curious finding of the study was that 459 of the parents told the researchers that their child was previously told their child had autism or Asperger's Syndrome, but that they do not have it currently. This result is in accord with what has been reported by many parents that their children can improve, especially through bio-medical interventions, although many also report success through therapeutic interventions.
When you add the two numbers together, you find that of the 80,496 children surveyed, 1380 either currently have autism or Asperger's Syndrome, or did at some point in the past. That works out to 1.7% or 1 in every 58 children. Think about that. 1 in every 58 children is now getting a diagnosis of autism or Asperger's Syndrome in their lives. If you have two children that means the chance one of your children will be diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder is 1 in 29. If you have three children the chance is 1 in 19. If you're Jon and Kate plus Eight that's a little more than 1 in 7.
In commenting on this finding, Dr. Steve M. Edelson of the Autism Research Institute noted, "What we are discovering is that those with autism oftentimes have underlying medical disorders that impair gastro-intestinal, metabolic, and immune systems, and that when these problems are accurately diagnosed and treated, the symptoms of autism improve, sometimes to the point that the child is no longer classified as autistic."
As I was driving home today I heard a local doctor talking on the radio about those crazy people who think vaccines are linked to autism. The rate has gone from 1 in 10,000 twenty-five years ago to 1 in 100 today. Something is happening to our children that did not happen in the past. If not vaccines, then please find what is causing this problem. A generation of children and their parents deserve an answer.
You can read the full report HERE.
Kent Heckenlively is a Contributing Editor to Age of Autism.
And the Band Plays On - Autism is Now 1 in 100
By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.
In 2007 the National Survey of Children's Health conducted a study on the rate of autism. The results have now been released. Of the 80,496 children surveyed, 921 were said by their parent to currently have autism or Asperger's syndrome. That makes the rate of autism in the children surveyed approximately 1%, or 1 in every 100. The rates generated from data in 2002 and 2003 suggested a rate of 1 in every 150.
A curious finding of the study was that 459 of the parents told the researchers that their child was previously told their child had autism or Asperger's Syndrome, but that they do not have it currently. This result is in accord with what has been reported by many parents that their children can improve, especially through bio-medical interventions, although many also report success through therapeutic interventions.
When you add the two numbers together, you find that of the 80,496 children surveyed, 1380 either currently have autism or Asperger's Syndrome, or did at some point in the past. That works out to 1.7% or 1 in every 58 children. Think about that. 1 in every 58 children is now getting a diagnosis of autism or Asperger's Syndrome in their lives. If you have two children that means the chance one of your children will be diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder is 1 in 29. If you have three children the chance is 1 in 19. If you're Jon and Kate plus Eight that's a little more than 1 in 7.
In commenting on this finding, Dr. Steve M. Edelson of the Autism Research Institute noted, "What we are discovering is that those with autism oftentimes have underlying medical disorders that impair gastro-intestinal, metabolic, and immune systems, and that when these problems are accurately diagnosed and treated, the symptoms of autism improve, sometimes to the point that the child is no longer classified as autistic."
As I was driving home today I heard a local doctor talking on the radio about those crazy people who think vaccines are linked to autism. The rate has gone from 1 in 10,000 twenty-five years ago to 1 in 100 today. Something is happening to our children that did not happen in the past. If not vaccines, then please find what is causing this problem. A generation of children and their parents deserve an answer.
You can read the full report HERE.
Kent Heckenlively is a Contributing Editor to Age of Autism.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Research Shows Children are Critically Susceptible to Pesticides
(NaturalNews) A new study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives has revealed that children are dangerously vulnerable to the effects of environmental pesticides, and for far longer than originally suspected.
Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have discovered that children lack sufficient levels of the enzyme most responsible for detoxifying pesticides up to the age of seven and possibly for longer. Known as paraxonase or PON1, the enzyme is the most important defense the body has against organophosphate chemicals, a major ingredient of the most commonly used agricultural pesticides.
458 children from rural communities were tested for levels of the enzyme, with results showing it to be consistently around a third lower than that of the mother of each child. To compound the concern, more than 40% of the children tested positive for a genetic type that made them particularly susceptible due to the inactivity of the enzyme, whilst nearly one in ten had a genetic profile that made them 'extremely vulnerable'.
Additionally, older children are thought to be around five times more susceptible to organophosphates than adults.
"What's important about this study is that it shows that young children are potentially susceptible to certain organophosphates for a longer period of time than previously thought," said Brenda Eskenazi, UC Berkeley professor of epidemiology and director of CHAMACOS and the Center for Children's Environmental Health Research in a University of Berkeley press release.
Of particular concern to the researchers were chlorpyrifos and diazinon, pesticide chemicals still used ubiquitously in US agriculture. Pesticides have been cited as a possible cause of developmental difficulties and childhood cancers. Both the study authors and environmental health campaigners have urged a complete re-examination of the way in which home chemical products are tested for safety and of the consensus on acceptable exposure levels.
"Current EPA standards of exposure for some pesticides assume children are three to five times more susceptible than adults, and for other pesticides the standards assume no difference", wrote lead author Nina Holland.
"Our results suggest that the EPA standards need to be re-examined to determine if they are adequately protecting the most vulnerable members of the population".[1]
Activists point to several ways in which young children are at an increased risk of physical exposure, including more rapid breathing rates, the vulnerability of having smaller bodies relative to adults and habits such as crawling on the floor and playing on the ground.
The Pesticide Action Network of North America (PANNA) has described the findings as "extremely concerning".
"Even before these results were known, EPA scientists argued that organophosphate pesticides -- posing serious threats to children's neurological development -- were too toxic to be used; we need to ban them, starting with chlorpyrifos", said PAN senior scientist Margaret Reeves, in response to the study. [2]
Green campaigners have suggested eating organically as an important way of reducing pesticide exposure. A University of Washington study found that children fed mostly organic produce and juice had only one-sixth of the level of organophosphate pesticide byproducts in their urine compared to children who ate conventionally grown foods. [3]
[1] Huen at al. Developmental Changes in PON1 Enzyme Activity in Young Children and Effects of PON1 Polymorphisms. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2009 June. doi: 10.1289/ehp.0900870 (available at http://dx.doi.org/)
[2] www.panna.org/resources/panups/panu...
[3] Curl et al. Organophosphorus pesticide exposure of urban and suburban preschool children with organic and conventional diets. Environmental Health Perspectives.. 2003 March. 111(3): 377-382.
Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have discovered that children lack sufficient levels of the enzyme most responsible for detoxifying pesticides up to the age of seven and possibly for longer. Known as paraxonase or PON1, the enzyme is the most important defense the body has against organophosphate chemicals, a major ingredient of the most commonly used agricultural pesticides.
458 children from rural communities were tested for levels of the enzyme, with results showing it to be consistently around a third lower than that of the mother of each child. To compound the concern, more than 40% of the children tested positive for a genetic type that made them particularly susceptible due to the inactivity of the enzyme, whilst nearly one in ten had a genetic profile that made them 'extremely vulnerable'.
Additionally, older children are thought to be around five times more susceptible to organophosphates than adults.
"What's important about this study is that it shows that young children are potentially susceptible to certain organophosphates for a longer period of time than previously thought," said Brenda Eskenazi, UC Berkeley professor of epidemiology and director of CHAMACOS and the Center for Children's Environmental Health Research in a University of Berkeley press release.
Of particular concern to the researchers were chlorpyrifos and diazinon, pesticide chemicals still used ubiquitously in US agriculture. Pesticides have been cited as a possible cause of developmental difficulties and childhood cancers. Both the study authors and environmental health campaigners have urged a complete re-examination of the way in which home chemical products are tested for safety and of the consensus on acceptable exposure levels.
"Current EPA standards of exposure for some pesticides assume children are three to five times more susceptible than adults, and for other pesticides the standards assume no difference", wrote lead author Nina Holland.
"Our results suggest that the EPA standards need to be re-examined to determine if they are adequately protecting the most vulnerable members of the population".[1]
Activists point to several ways in which young children are at an increased risk of physical exposure, including more rapid breathing rates, the vulnerability of having smaller bodies relative to adults and habits such as crawling on the floor and playing on the ground.
The Pesticide Action Network of North America (PANNA) has described the findings as "extremely concerning".
"Even before these results were known, EPA scientists argued that organophosphate pesticides -- posing serious threats to children's neurological development -- were too toxic to be used; we need to ban them, starting with chlorpyrifos", said PAN senior scientist Margaret Reeves, in response to the study. [2]
Green campaigners have suggested eating organically as an important way of reducing pesticide exposure. A University of Washington study found that children fed mostly organic produce and juice had only one-sixth of the level of organophosphate pesticide byproducts in their urine compared to children who ate conventionally grown foods. [3]
[1] Huen at al. Developmental Changes in PON1 Enzyme Activity in Young Children and Effects of PON1 Polymorphisms. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2009 June. doi: 10.1289/ehp.0900870 (available at http://dx.doi.org/)
[2] www.panna.org/resources/panups/panu...
[3] Curl et al. Organophosphorus pesticide exposure of urban and suburban preschool children with organic and conventional diets. Environmental Health Perspectives.. 2003 March. 111(3): 377-382.
Vaccine struggle embodies U.S. health reform battle
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The confusion surrounding adult vaccination help illustrates some of the big problems looming for Congress as it struggles with healthcare reform legislation, doctors and health officials said on Wednesday.
They released two surveys showing how few adults realize they can get vaccines against deadly diseases such as meningitis, whooping cough, tetanus and pneumonia or painful conditions such as shingles.
But awareness and demand are only part of the problem, the experts said. The system itself is a barrier to vaccination, said Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
Some insurance companies pay for the vaccines, others do not, doctors get paid very little to administer them and no one is responsible for ensuring the vaccines are available.
"It is cumbersome almost to the point of not being able to get the vaccine," Schaffner told a news conference.
Schaffner and other vaccine experts said they hope Congress addresses the issue in any healthcare reform legislation. Better vaccination would save billions of dollars, they said.
"More than $10 billion a year is spent in direct medical costs and indirect costs" of vaccine-preventable diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis and influenza, Schaffner said.
Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a survey of 22,000 U.S. adults that showed most are not getting the vaccinations they need.
"About half of adults had received a tetanus shot within the past 10 years," Schuchat told the news conference. Tetanus shots should be given every 10 years.
WARTS AND CHICKENPOX
Just 11 percent of 19- to 26-year-old women had received the human papillomavirus, or HPV vaccine, which protects against genital warts and cervical cancer, the survey found. Only 6.7 percent of all people over age 60 had been vaccinated against shingles -- an extremely painful recurrence of chickenpox.
While people are often not even aware that they can get these vaccines, the system -- or lack of a system -- means doctors often forget to recommend them.
Dr. Cora Christian of the AARP, which represents people over age 50, said doctors get just $18 to administer a flu shot under Medicare, the federal health insurance plan for the elderly. "This should be 100 percent covered by insurance," Christian said.
Dr. Susan Rehm of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio said the shingles vaccine is expensive, tricky to store and administer, and ends up costing $200 to $400 a dose.
Some private insurers cover adult vaccines and some do not. "You can imagine there is an extraordinary variety of schemes out there," Schaffner said.
"Speaking as an individual, I am totally confused," Rehm said.
She said alternative settings -- such as retail clinics or box stores -- offer an opportunity to vaccinate adults. Some seasonal flu and pneumococcal vaccines are offered at such clinics.
Healthcare reform experts have said such alternatives to the doctor's office may offer a less expensive and easier way for people to get a range of medical services, from cholesterol tests to simple walk-in emergency care.
Companies that make adult vaccines include Wyeth, which is testing a vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae for adults, Merck, which makes the Gardasil HPV vaccine and a shingles vaccine, and GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the Cervarix HPV shots, hepatitis shots, flu vaccines and others.
(Editing by Xavier Briand)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The confusion surrounding adult vaccination help illustrates some of the big problems looming for Congress as it struggles with healthcare reform legislation, doctors and health officials said on Wednesday.
They released two surveys showing how few adults realize they can get vaccines against deadly diseases such as meningitis, whooping cough, tetanus and pneumonia or painful conditions such as shingles.
But awareness and demand are only part of the problem, the experts said. The system itself is a barrier to vaccination, said Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
Some insurance companies pay for the vaccines, others do not, doctors get paid very little to administer them and no one is responsible for ensuring the vaccines are available.
"It is cumbersome almost to the point of not being able to get the vaccine," Schaffner told a news conference.
Schaffner and other vaccine experts said they hope Congress addresses the issue in any healthcare reform legislation. Better vaccination would save billions of dollars, they said.
"More than $10 billion a year is spent in direct medical costs and indirect costs" of vaccine-preventable diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis and influenza, Schaffner said.
Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a survey of 22,000 U.S. adults that showed most are not getting the vaccinations they need.
"About half of adults had received a tetanus shot within the past 10 years," Schuchat told the news conference. Tetanus shots should be given every 10 years.
WARTS AND CHICKENPOX
Just 11 percent of 19- to 26-year-old women had received the human papillomavirus, or HPV vaccine, which protects against genital warts and cervical cancer, the survey found. Only 6.7 percent of all people over age 60 had been vaccinated against shingles -- an extremely painful recurrence of chickenpox.
While people are often not even aware that they can get these vaccines, the system -- or lack of a system -- means doctors often forget to recommend them.
Dr. Cora Christian of the AARP, which represents people over age 50, said doctors get just $18 to administer a flu shot under Medicare, the federal health insurance plan for the elderly. "This should be 100 percent covered by insurance," Christian said.
Dr. Susan Rehm of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio said the shingles vaccine is expensive, tricky to store and administer, and ends up costing $200 to $400 a dose.
Some private insurers cover adult vaccines and some do not. "You can imagine there is an extraordinary variety of schemes out there," Schaffner said.
"Speaking as an individual, I am totally confused," Rehm said.
She said alternative settings -- such as retail clinics or box stores -- offer an opportunity to vaccinate adults. Some seasonal flu and pneumococcal vaccines are offered at such clinics.
Healthcare reform experts have said such alternatives to the doctor's office may offer a less expensive and easier way for people to get a range of medical services, from cholesterol tests to simple walk-in emergency care.
Companies that make adult vaccines include Wyeth, which is testing a vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae for adults, Merck, which makes the Gardasil HPV vaccine and a shingles vaccine, and GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the Cervarix HPV shots, hepatitis shots, flu vaccines and others.
(Editing by Xavier Briand)
Minister Misled Parliament Over MMR Autism Link
Dawn Primarolo as UK Government Health Minister misled Parliament in a written answer to Conservative MP Mark Pritchard that Bailey Banks’ successful damages claim in the US Federal Court for an autistic condition caused by the MMR vaccine was “non autistic”, stating Bailey had a “non-autistic development delay”.
Now, health minister Mike O’Brien has agreed in a letter to an MP that the ruling referred to a diagnosis of an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. “Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified” is a category of Autistic Spectrum Disorders which does not fall into any other autism category”. There is no misunderstanding amongst experts of what it means. The paediatrician advising the court, Dr Lopez, decided against a diagnosis of autism not because Bailey Banks did not have autistic symptoms but because his condition was vaccine induced.
The designation “Pervasive Developmental Disorder” is the US diagnostic term for “Autistic Spectrum Disorder” used in the rest of the world. “Pervasive Developmental Disorder” is also the term used by The Royal Free Hospital researchers in their 1998 Lancet study which first suggested a possible link between the MMR vaccine and autistic conditions. Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children Lancet 1998; 351: 637-41
Primarolo told Parliament in April when a health minister:
In 2007 the United States Court of Federal Claims made a ruling in favour of compensation to the father of Bailey Banks for his non-autistic developmental delay as a result of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) following receipt of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. ADEM is an extremely rare condition that has been reported after rabies, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, smallpox, MMR, Japanese B encephalitis, pertussis, influenza and hepatitis B vaccines. The Bailey Banks case has no implications for MMR vaccine policy. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090318/text/90318w0021.htm#090318108002328
Special Master Abell’s judgement in the Bailey Banks case states unequivocally (p.27):
Furthermore, Bailey’s ADEM was severe enough to cause lasting, residual damage, and retarded his developmental progress, which fits under the generalized heading of Pervasive Developmental Delay, or PDD. The Court found that Bailey would not have suffered this delay but for the administration of the MMR vaccine, and that this chain of causation was not too remote, but was rather a proximate sequence of cause and effect leading inexorably from vaccination to Pervasive Developmental Delay. .
Master Abell explained (p.7):
Moving on to the alternative hypothesis/diagnosis of autism, Dr. Lopez distinguishes autism as a more generalized condition without a known etiology, and contrasted it to Bailey’s condition, which he says is clearly attributable to demyelination based on neuroimaging evidence. Tr. at 41-42. Dr. Lopez also differentiated Bailey’s condition from autism, because Bailey has been affected in more than one developmental skill area; he clarified by stating that Bailey has “induced pervasive developmental delay…due to ADEM.” Tr. at 32. He noted that the conflation of designations resulted from a medical convention created for the sake of explanation to laymen, but that the two are not properly interchangeable, but actually quite distinct. Id. Speaking more directly, Dr. Lopez stated that “Bailey does not have autism because he has a reason for his deficits.” Tr. at 42. http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/BANKS_CASE.pdf
Now in a letter to an MP, health minister Mike O’Brien agrees that the term ‘PDD’ or ‘PDD-NOS’ (Pervasive Development Delay-Not Otherwise Specified) was that used by the court:
I understand that Mr X… believes that the answer should have referred to pervasive development disorder rather than non-autistic development delay. Relevant information is given on page 2 of the Bailey Banks ruling available at www.uscfc.uscourts.gov by searching for ‘Bailey Banks’. This specifies the ruling refers to ‘Pervasive Development Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified’ in which full features of autism are not identified’.
O’Brien has, therefore, conceded that there were features of autism, which undermines Dawn Primarolo’s claim that Bailey Banks had a ‘non-autistic development delay’: Bailey would undoubtedly be classified as having an Autistic Spectrum Disorder in the UK, even if he did not have “the full features of autism”, or was “atypical” as in many cases, and/or had additional learning difficulties (not usually grounds for withholding an autism diagnosis). Governments, heath officials and vaccine manufacturers are evading responsibility by exploiting confused terminology for a range of developmental problems, nearly all of which are non-specific diagnoses.
When the Banks decision came to light earlier this year Robert F Kennedy Jr, writing in Huffington Post commented that vaccine court cases were more likely to be awarded if the word “autism” did not appear as consequential on brain-damage from encephalopathy:
Medical records associated with these proceedings clearly tell the tale. In perhaps hundreds of these cases, the children have all the classic symptoms of regressive autism; following vaccination a perfectly healthy child experiences high fever, seizures, and other illnesses, then gradually, over about three months, loses language, the ability to make eye contact, becomes “over-focused” and engages in stereotypical head banging and screaming and then suffers developmental delays characteristic of autism. Many of these children had received the autism diagnosis. Yet the radioactive word “autism” appears nowhere in the decision. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr-and-david-kirby/vaccine-court-autism-deba_b_169673.html
The problems are compounded in the UK by the policy of not monitoring, recording or investigating adverse reactions to vaccines, and then citing absence of data as evidence of safety. National Health Service advice is to ignore reactions to MMR vaccine, and to come back for repeat doses (against the fundamental medical ethics and even manufacturers’ instructions).
From an NHS website:
Q:My son had a sever [sic] reaction to the first MMR jab. Does this mean that he is well protected from these diseases, or is a second dose still necessary?
A: If a child has responded to all the components of the vaccine the first time, he will not have a problem being exposed to the viruses again. It’s like any one of us who is already immune meeting someone with the disease – the infection can’t get established. If he hasn’t made protection to all three diseases after the first time, then he would still be susceptible to those natural infections, and still needs the 2nd dose. Reactions after the 2nd dose are essentially the same as after the 1st dose, but if they do occur they are even rarer. There are no new side effects after the 2nd dose that do not occur after the 1st dose. The advice is therefore that it is safe for your child to have the 2nd dose in order that he is properly protected. http://tiny.cc/7vA7g
The casual dismissal of even “severe reactions” shows that Primarolo’s claim that cases of ADEM (Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis) which led to Bailey Banks’ pervasive development delay are “extremely rare” has no foundation. The most that the UK Department of Health could truthfully state about the incidence of ADEM is that they do not know how often it occurs, and that the failure to collect data is a matter of policy. Meanwhile, scientists and officials continue to ignore over-whelming statistical evidence from Japan of the correlation between the vaccine programme and incidence of autism, collated and presented by ChildHealthSafety and Age of Autism: http://childhealthsafety.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/japvaxautism/
http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/06/japanese-data-shows-vaccines-cause-autism.html
The failure of candour over these issues by government politicians and officials continues to obstruct public scrutiny of what is going on over MMR, other vaccines and autism. UK citizens should contact their members of parliament http://tinyurl.com/ljxtgv to complain about continuing government dissimulation over these matters.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
If you are concerned write to your political representative. Don’t complain when politicians do nothing if you do not write and keep on writing. It is their job to represent you. All our kids deserve proper science to protect their safety.
Contacting Your UK or US Political Representative
USA
Contact the Senate
Find Your Representative
Write Your Representative
UK Residents – Write To Your Politicians – Do It Now!
To email your MP, all you need to know is your MP’s name. MP’s email addresses are in the form:-
surname.initial@parliament.uk.
To find out who your MP is click on this link:-
http://www.writetothem.com/
Now, health minister Mike O’Brien has agreed in a letter to an MP that the ruling referred to a diagnosis of an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. “Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified” is a category of Autistic Spectrum Disorders which does not fall into any other autism category”. There is no misunderstanding amongst experts of what it means. The paediatrician advising the court, Dr Lopez, decided against a diagnosis of autism not because Bailey Banks did not have autistic symptoms but because his condition was vaccine induced.
The designation “Pervasive Developmental Disorder” is the US diagnostic term for “Autistic Spectrum Disorder” used in the rest of the world. “Pervasive Developmental Disorder” is also the term used by The Royal Free Hospital researchers in their 1998 Lancet study which first suggested a possible link between the MMR vaccine and autistic conditions. Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children Lancet 1998; 351: 637-41
Primarolo told Parliament in April when a health minister:
In 2007 the United States Court of Federal Claims made a ruling in favour of compensation to the father of Bailey Banks for his non-autistic developmental delay as a result of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) following receipt of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. ADEM is an extremely rare condition that has been reported after rabies, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, smallpox, MMR, Japanese B encephalitis, pertussis, influenza and hepatitis B vaccines. The Bailey Banks case has no implications for MMR vaccine policy. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090318/text/90318w0021.htm#090318108002328
Special Master Abell’s judgement in the Bailey Banks case states unequivocally (p.27):
Furthermore, Bailey’s ADEM was severe enough to cause lasting, residual damage, and retarded his developmental progress, which fits under the generalized heading of Pervasive Developmental Delay, or PDD. The Court found that Bailey would not have suffered this delay but for the administration of the MMR vaccine, and that this chain of causation was not too remote, but was rather a proximate sequence of cause and effect leading inexorably from vaccination to Pervasive Developmental Delay. .
Master Abell explained (p.7):
Moving on to the alternative hypothesis/diagnosis of autism, Dr. Lopez distinguishes autism as a more generalized condition without a known etiology, and contrasted it to Bailey’s condition, which he says is clearly attributable to demyelination based on neuroimaging evidence. Tr. at 41-42. Dr. Lopez also differentiated Bailey’s condition from autism, because Bailey has been affected in more than one developmental skill area; he clarified by stating that Bailey has “induced pervasive developmental delay…due to ADEM.” Tr. at 32. He noted that the conflation of designations resulted from a medical convention created for the sake of explanation to laymen, but that the two are not properly interchangeable, but actually quite distinct. Id. Speaking more directly, Dr. Lopez stated that “Bailey does not have autism because he has a reason for his deficits.” Tr. at 42. http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/BANKS_CASE.pdf
Now in a letter to an MP, health minister Mike O’Brien agrees that the term ‘PDD’ or ‘PDD-NOS’ (Pervasive Development Delay-Not Otherwise Specified) was that used by the court:
I understand that Mr X… believes that the answer should have referred to pervasive development disorder rather than non-autistic development delay. Relevant information is given on page 2 of the Bailey Banks ruling available at www.uscfc.uscourts.gov by searching for ‘Bailey Banks’. This specifies the ruling refers to ‘Pervasive Development Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified’ in which full features of autism are not identified’.
O’Brien has, therefore, conceded that there were features of autism, which undermines Dawn Primarolo’s claim that Bailey Banks had a ‘non-autistic development delay’: Bailey would undoubtedly be classified as having an Autistic Spectrum Disorder in the UK, even if he did not have “the full features of autism”, or was “atypical” as in many cases, and/or had additional learning difficulties (not usually grounds for withholding an autism diagnosis). Governments, heath officials and vaccine manufacturers are evading responsibility by exploiting confused terminology for a range of developmental problems, nearly all of which are non-specific diagnoses.
When the Banks decision came to light earlier this year Robert F Kennedy Jr, writing in Huffington Post commented that vaccine court cases were more likely to be awarded if the word “autism” did not appear as consequential on brain-damage from encephalopathy:
Medical records associated with these proceedings clearly tell the tale. In perhaps hundreds of these cases, the children have all the classic symptoms of regressive autism; following vaccination a perfectly healthy child experiences high fever, seizures, and other illnesses, then gradually, over about three months, loses language, the ability to make eye contact, becomes “over-focused” and engages in stereotypical head banging and screaming and then suffers developmental delays characteristic of autism. Many of these children had received the autism diagnosis. Yet the radioactive word “autism” appears nowhere in the decision. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr-and-david-kirby/vaccine-court-autism-deba_b_169673.html
The problems are compounded in the UK by the policy of not monitoring, recording or investigating adverse reactions to vaccines, and then citing absence of data as evidence of safety. National Health Service advice is to ignore reactions to MMR vaccine, and to come back for repeat doses (against the fundamental medical ethics and even manufacturers’ instructions).
From an NHS website:
Q:My son had a sever [sic] reaction to the first MMR jab. Does this mean that he is well protected from these diseases, or is a second dose still necessary?
A: If a child has responded to all the components of the vaccine the first time, he will not have a problem being exposed to the viruses again. It’s like any one of us who is already immune meeting someone with the disease – the infection can’t get established. If he hasn’t made protection to all three diseases after the first time, then he would still be susceptible to those natural infections, and still needs the 2nd dose. Reactions after the 2nd dose are essentially the same as after the 1st dose, but if they do occur they are even rarer. There are no new side effects after the 2nd dose that do not occur after the 1st dose. The advice is therefore that it is safe for your child to have the 2nd dose in order that he is properly protected. http://tiny.cc/7vA7g
The casual dismissal of even “severe reactions” shows that Primarolo’s claim that cases of ADEM (Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis) which led to Bailey Banks’ pervasive development delay are “extremely rare” has no foundation. The most that the UK Department of Health could truthfully state about the incidence of ADEM is that they do not know how often it occurs, and that the failure to collect data is a matter of policy. Meanwhile, scientists and officials continue to ignore over-whelming statistical evidence from Japan of the correlation between the vaccine programme and incidence of autism, collated and presented by ChildHealthSafety and Age of Autism: http://childhealthsafety.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/japvaxautism/
http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/06/japanese-data-shows-vaccines-cause-autism.html
The failure of candour over these issues by government politicians and officials continues to obstruct public scrutiny of what is going on over MMR, other vaccines and autism. UK citizens should contact their members of parliament http://tinyurl.com/ljxtgv to complain about continuing government dissimulation over these matters.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
If you are concerned write to your political representative. Don’t complain when politicians do nothing if you do not write and keep on writing. It is their job to represent you. All our kids deserve proper science to protect their safety.
Contacting Your UK or US Political Representative
USA
Contact the Senate
Find Your Representative
Write Your Representative
UK Residents – Write To Your Politicians – Do It Now!
To email your MP, all you need to know is your MP’s name. MP’s email addresses are in the form:-
surname.initial@parliament.uk.
To find out who your MP is click on this link:-
http://www.writetothem.com/
Sunday Times Defies Press Complaints Commission
Paper Notifies Media Oversight Agency that it Will Not Remove from its Website False Stories about MMR and Dr. Andrew Wakefield
(Austin, Texas) – The Sunday Times of London, a Rupert Murdoch News Corporation paper, has defied direction from the UK’s Press Complaints Commission (PCC) to remove from its web site controversial stories it has failed to substantiate, which allege Dr. Andrew Wakefield “fixed” data relating to the MMR vaccine. The reports by correspondent Brian Deer are the subject of an extensive complaint filed with the PCC by Wakefield.
The PCC last week issued an unpublished directive that the stories be removed (see below). They were taken down immediately, unannounced, but the Sunday Times has now defied the PCC by putting the stories back online after complaining Dr. Wakefield publicly announced the PCC’s directive.
Stephen Abell, Deputy Director of the PCC, wrote in his unpublished directive,
Given the ongoing nature of the dispute, the articles should be removed from the newspaper’s website until this matter has been concluded.”
The Sunday Times has an obligation to “cooperate swiftly” with the PCC in the resolution of complaints under the UK’s PCC Code, which states it is “the cornerstone of the system of self-regulation to which the UK [press] industry has made a binding commitment.” The PCC is a non-statutory self-regulatory body run by the press.
(Austin, Texas) – The Sunday Times of London, a Rupert Murdoch News Corporation paper, has defied direction from the UK’s Press Complaints Commission (PCC) to remove from its web site controversial stories it has failed to substantiate, which allege Dr. Andrew Wakefield “fixed” data relating to the MMR vaccine. The reports by correspondent Brian Deer are the subject of an extensive complaint filed with the PCC by Wakefield.
The PCC last week issued an unpublished directive that the stories be removed (see below). They were taken down immediately, unannounced, but the Sunday Times has now defied the PCC by putting the stories back online after complaining Dr. Wakefield publicly announced the PCC’s directive.
Stephen Abell, Deputy Director of the PCC, wrote in his unpublished directive,
Given the ongoing nature of the dispute, the articles should be removed from the newspaper’s website until this matter has been concluded.”
The Sunday Times has an obligation to “cooperate swiftly” with the PCC in the resolution of complaints under the UK’s PCC Code, which states it is “the cornerstone of the system of self-regulation to which the UK [press] industry has made a binding commitment.” The PCC is a non-statutory self-regulatory body run by the press.
Swine torque teno virus detection in pig commercial vaccines, enzymes for laboratory use and human drugs containing components of porcine origin.
Kekarainen T, Martínez-Guinó L, Segalés J.
Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. Tuija.Kekarainen@cresa.uab.es
Torque teno viruses (TTVs) are vertebrate infecting, single-stranded circular DNA viruses. Two genetically distinct TTV genogroups (TTV1 and TTV2) infect swine worldwide with high prevalence. Currently, swine TTVs are considered non-pathogenic, although TTV2 has been linked to post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome, a porcine circovirus disease. On the other hand, pig materials are an important source of components used in porcine vaccine manufacturing, human drugs and commercial enzyme products. However, there is little information about the possible existence of extraneous viruses in products containing porcine-derived components. In the present study, 26 commercial swine vaccines, seven human drugs and three enzyme products from porcine origin were tested for the presence of TTV1 and TTV2 genomes by PCR. Four vaccines against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae were positive for TTV2 by PCR. Three M. hyopneumoniae, one porcine parvovirus and one porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus vaccines were PCR positive for TTV1. One human drug contained TTV1 DNA as well as a trypsin enzyme; a porcine-derived elastase product was positive for both TTV genogroups. These results show that swine TTVs are contaminants not only of swine vaccines but also of human drugs containing porcine components and enzymes for laboratory use.
PMID: 19218210 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. Tuija.Kekarainen@cresa.uab.es
Torque teno viruses (TTVs) are vertebrate infecting, single-stranded circular DNA viruses. Two genetically distinct TTV genogroups (TTV1 and TTV2) infect swine worldwide with high prevalence. Currently, swine TTVs are considered non-pathogenic, although TTV2 has been linked to post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome, a porcine circovirus disease. On the other hand, pig materials are an important source of components used in porcine vaccine manufacturing, human drugs and commercial enzyme products. However, there is little information about the possible existence of extraneous viruses in products containing porcine-derived components. In the present study, 26 commercial swine vaccines, seven human drugs and three enzyme products from porcine origin were tested for the presence of TTV1 and TTV2 genomes by PCR. Four vaccines against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae were positive for TTV2 by PCR. Three M. hyopneumoniae, one porcine parvovirus and one porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus vaccines were PCR positive for TTV1. One human drug contained TTV1 DNA as well as a trypsin enzyme; a porcine-derived elastase product was positive for both TTV genogroups. These results show that swine TTVs are contaminants not only of swine vaccines but also of human drugs containing porcine components and enzymes for laboratory use.
PMID: 19218210 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
