Health & Fitness

07/27/20

Mindful positivity is key for model and artist Emma Hollingsworth

Australia’s healthiest cooking oils, ranked

It's an ingredient you keep on hand at all times and probably use in most of your recipes - but oil comes in many forms, and not all are created equal! Dietitian Melissa Meier takes the reins to provide the final word on which is healthiest for your daily cooking.

from Nutrition | body+soul https://ift.tt/2DbZtbw

Flu Deaths Walked Back From Tens of Thousands to Hundreds

For decades, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned about the deadliness of seasonal influenza, but their estimates of annual flu deaths may have been heavy-handed.

In recent years, the promotion of annual influenza vaccination has also been strong, with officials suggesting it’s the best way to stay safe during flu season in the U.S. Much of the push for vaccination is based on the CDC’s estimates of flu illnesses and deaths, which now appear questionable.

“CDC uses the estimates of the burden of influenza in the population and the impact of influenza vaccination to inform policy and communications related to influenza,” the agency writes on their website.¹

Their estimates are based on a mathematical model created from survey results, using surveillance data, outbreak field investigations and proportions of people seeking health care.² According to the CDC’s estimates, “Seasonal flu is a serious disease that causes millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and tens of thousands of deaths every year in the United States.”³

Now that COVID-19 is in focus, however, and people are drawing comparisons between the number of COVID-19 deaths and the number of annual influenza deaths, researchers are turning to actual death counts, which has revealed that the CDC’s flu death estimates have been too high.

CDC Flu Death Estimates Nearly Six Times Too High

The CDC’s estimated burden of influenza deaths from 2010 through 2019 range from a low of 12,000 to a high of 61,000 per year.⁴ During the 2019 to 2020 flu season, the CDC’s preliminary burden of disease estimates put flu deaths at 24,000 to 62,000,⁵ with estimates that between 29,000 and 59,000 had already died from influenza by mid-March.⁶

Yet, an article published in JAMA Internal Medicine by Drs. Jeremy Faust of Harvard Medical School and Carlos del Rio of Emory University School of Medicine, tells a different story.⁷ They wrote:

“As of early May 2020, approximately 65,000 people in the U.S. had died of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This number appears to be similar to the estimated number of seasonal influenza deaths reported annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This apparent equivalence of deaths from COVID-19 and seasonal influenza does not match frontline clinical conditions, especially in some hot zones of the pandemic where ventilators have been in short supply and many hospitals have been stretched beyond their limits.

… Yet public officials continue to draw comparisons between seasonal influenza and SARS-CoV-2 mortality, often in an attempt to minimize the effects of the unfolding pandemic.”

Comparing COVID-19 deaths and flu deaths is not an accurate comparison, however, due to the fact that COVID-19 deaths are counted while flu deaths are estimated. According to the article, the CDC’s estimates of flu deaths between 2013-2014 and 2018-2019 ranged from 23,000 to 61,000. However, the counted flu deaths during that same period were between 3,448 and 15,620 yearly.

“On average, the CDC estimates of deaths attributed to influenza were nearly six times greater than its reported counted numbers,” the researchers stated.

CDC Estimates ‘Substantially Overstate’ Number of Flu Deaths

For instance, there were 15,455 COVID-19 deaths counted during the week ending April 21, 2020, and 14,478 such deaths the week before it. But during the peak influenza season week from the 2013-2014 to 2019-2020 flu seasons, counted flu deaths ranged from 351 to 1,626.⁸

“These statistics on counted deaths suggest that the number of COVID-19 deaths for the week ending April 21 was 9.5-fold to 44.1-fold greater than the peak week of counted influenza deaths during the past seven influenza seasons in the U.S., with a 20.5-fold mean increase,” the researchers wrote, adding:

“From our analysis, we infer that either the CDC’s annual estimates substantially overstate the actual number of deaths caused by influenza or that the current number of COVID-19 counted deaths substantially understates the actual number of deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2, or both.

… Directly comparing data for 2 different diseases when mortality statistics are obtained by different methods provides inaccurate information. Moreover, the repeated failure of government officials and others in society to consider these statistical distinctions threatens public health. Government officials may rely on such comparisons, thus misinterpreting the CDC’s data …”⁹

The researchers used this data to suggest that comparisons between COVID-19 and flu deaths are misleading and undermining officials’ ability to determine the true public health threat of the pandemic, but another question is, has the threat of the flu season been overstated?

How Many Are Really Dying From Flu?

Given the significant discrepancies between the CDC’s estimated flu deaths and the actual counts, and if there are as few as 3,448 to 15,620 flu deaths annually, have we been talked into flu vaccines all these years for no reason?

While it’s true that influenza is a highly infectious airborne disease that can be deadly, controversy exists over the use of annual influenza vaccines, commonly known as flu shots, for its prevention, and this becomes even more controversial if we’ve been misled about the actual number of deaths.

It’s already known that more than 80% of the respiratory infections that occur during flu season are not actually caused by type A or type B influenza but, rather, by influenza-like illness.¹⁰ A flu shot, therefore, will do nothing to prevent such illness.

Nonetheless, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams has gone so far as to say that getting vaccinated against influenza is a "social responsibility," as it "protects others around you, including family, friends, co-workers and neighbors."¹¹

But is that actually true? On the contrary, research published in 2018 found that repeated annual flu vaccinations may do little to protect your community, as people who receive the seasonal flu shot and then contract influenza excrete infectious influenza viruses through their breath, meaning vaccinated individuals can indeed spread influenza.¹²

Further, while influenza can indeed be deadly in rare cases, what most health experts fail to tell you is that these deaths are typically the result of secondary infections, such as pneumonia and sepsis, not the flu virus itself. And the flu vaccine is notoriously ineffective among certain groups, including high-risk seniors.

In fact, while turning 65 was associated with a significant increase in the rate of seasonal influenza vaccination, one study revealed “no evidence indicated that vaccination reduced hospitalizations or mortality among elderly persons.”¹³

In short, your chances of getting influenza after vaccination are still greater than 50/50 in any given year. According to CDC data, for example, the 2017-2018 seasonal influenza vaccine's effectiveness against "influenza A and influenza B virus infection associated with medically attended acute respiratory illness" was just 36%.¹⁴

CDC Methodology Challenged

In an email exchange with HealthLeaders, Faust, one of the researchers of the featured study, said that while the CDC has stated flu deaths are actually underestimated, he doesn’t believe this to be the case:¹⁵

"The CDC believes that flu counts are underestimated at several points in the healthcare system. But if that were true, we’d see increases in overall death counts in bad flu seasons. We simply don’t observe that … the assumptions it make[s] are simply not supported by reality. If they were, again we would see more ‘all cause’ deaths in bad flu seasons. That does not occur."

What’s more, according to HealthLeaders, “Faust said it's possible that CDC is reporting larger numbers of influenza deaths in the hopes of encouraging the public to use better hygiene and get flu shots.”¹⁶ It’s also possible that if the CDC actually counted flu deaths and recorded them accurately, the death count may be even lower. This is especially true if the underlying cause of death is reported. Faust wrote:¹⁷

"If official documents are only 'allowed' to count one cause of death, that means the yearly total of deaths in the United States needs to add up to 2.5 million. In that regime, medical examiners would have to choose between causes of death … For those dying of flu after a three-year battle with cancer? I’d give cancer the credit.”

COVID-19 Deaths Have Bottomed Out

At this point in time, it’s also unknown how many people have died from COVID-19. From problems with testing to attributing deaths from other causes to COVID-19, it’s likely the death toll is not accurate. Mortality statistics are likely being skewed by counting people who die from other conditions as COVID-19 deaths. According to epidemiologist Dr. John Ioannidis of Stanford University:¹⁸

“What we do know, however, is that the vast majority of people who die with a COVID-19 label have at least one and typically many other comorbidities. This means that often they have other reasons that would lead them to death. The relative contribution of COVID-19 needs very careful audit and evaluation of medical records.”

Meanwhile, data show that the COVID-19 fatality rate for those under the age of 45 is “almost zero,” and between the ages of 45 and 70, it’s somewhere between 0.05% and 0.3%.¹⁹

Data from the CDC also show a stark drop in COVID-19 deaths based on provisional death counts, which are based on death certificate data received and coded by the National Center for Health Statistics.²⁰

Overall, the percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia, influenza or COVID-19 has declined for 12 weeks in a row,²¹ but even as all indications suggest COVID-19 deaths have bottomed out, the push for a fast-tracked COVID-19 vaccine continues.

What to Remember Come Flu Season

The fear-mongering about a possible second wave of COVID-19 deaths in conjunction with flu season has already started in the media. Rather than succumbing to the fear of what have turned out to be, in the case of influenza, overinflated death estimates, take action to bolster your immune system against infectious diseases of all kinds.

Clinical trials using vitamin D against COVID-19 are currently underway,²² but we don't need to wait for results to know that vitamin D optimization is a good idea, not only for COVID-19 but also for influenza.

I recommend that everyone optimize your vitamin D this summer, before flu season. The optimal blood level for health and disease prevention is between 60 ng/mL and 80 ng/mL. (In Europe, the measurements you're looking for are 150 to 200 nmol/L and 100 nmol/L respectively.) However, even getting above 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) may dramatically reduce your risk of serious infection and death, and doing so is both easy and inexpensive.

from Articles https://ift.tt/2P2JLCs
via IFTTT

Farmed Salmon Is Getting Worse

Salmon is often used as an example of a health-conscious food choice, but its health value depends greatly on its source. While wild salmon is nutritious, there are many problems with farm-raised salmon, which makes up the bulk of salmon sold in U.S. supermarkets and served in restaurants.

A key part of that lies with their diet, which in the wild is made up of marine life, including zooplankton and other fish. In an attempt to simulate their wild diet, during the 1990s virtually all farmed salmon were fed diets rich in fishmeal and fish oil.¹ This wasn’t sustainable, however, and in an effort to create feed for farmed fish that didn’t involve overfishing, vegetable ingredients were added as a replacement.

While fishmeal and fish oil once made up about 90% of farmed Norwegian salmon feed, by 2013 this dropped to about 30%.² Other research suggests that by 2016, only 10% of the fat in farmed salmon feed was marine-based.³ High levels of vegetable oils, including rapeseed, or canola, are now used instead, which has had dramatic consequences for the salmon and, likely, for those who use them as a food source.

Farmed Salmon Feed Alters Cell Metabolism

Researchers from the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture (Nofima) conducted a study to find out how dietary changes affect the way salmon utilize fat, particularly during fasting.⁴ In the wild, salmon regularly experience periods of fasting when they’re unable to catch food. Farmed salmon may also fast, but only due to illnesses, spawning and prior to slaughter.⁵

“During these periods, it is vital for salmon to regulate fat metabolism in the body well, which is why it is interesting to study how these processes change with altered diets,” study author Bente Ruyter of Nofima explained. “This is something that is not easy to study in fish that are alive, but we can conduct a more detailed study of the energy metabolism in cultured cells.”⁶

Using primary fat cells isolated from 20 live fish, the researchers added fatty acids found in fish feed to determine their effects. The fatty acids included:

Eicosapentaenoic (EPA), an omega-3 marine fat that used to be more plentiful in the feed than it is now
Oleic acid (OA), which is found in vegetable oil and is added in higher quantities to fish feed than it was before
Palm acid, a saturated fatty acid found in fish oil and plant oil, which has also decreased in farmed fish feed

Significant differences were seen in the cultured cells depending on fatty acid, including changes in the amount of mitochondria — the cells’ powerhouses — and alterations in the release of fatty acids during fasting.

The findings also suggested that oleic acid may promote overweight and obesity in Atlantic salmon more so than EPA and palm acid, with the researchers noting, “The supplementation of OA to mature Atlantic salmon adipocytes lead to a higher production of intracellular lipid droplets.”⁷

Dietary Changes Cause Significant Cellular Alterations

Changes in commercial farmed fish diets have led to significant reductions in EPA, the omega-3 fat DHA and palm acid in salmon’s adipose tissue, along with an increase in OA. These fats yield “very different and often opposing effects on central adipocyte functions,” the researchers explained, affecting adipose tissue metabolism and physiology via a number of mechanisms, including:⁸

Modulating the transcript level of relevant genes
Modifying lipolytic activity
Modulating metabolic processes, such as lipid droplet formation, the leptin system and mitochondrial dynamics

It was formerly believed that salmon transport fat as free fatty acids, including during sexual maturation, when nutrients from fat tissue are transferred to reproductive cells. The study revealed, however, that the fat is transported on phospholipids, cholesterol esters and triglycerides.⁹

Correlations were also seen with humans, as the salmon fat cells reacted to fasting similarly to human fat tissue.

“Many of the regulatory mechanisms associated with energy metabolism when on a fatty diet appear to be similar to those found in humans,” according to Nofima.¹⁰ The researchers suggested that more research is needed to find out how the lipid composition of fat cells affects fish physiology and health, especially during fasting.

When a fish stops eating, the ability to recruit lipids from fat cells is essential for reproduction as well as recovery from disease, making the dietary changes potentially disastrous. What’s more, it could also serve as a warning for humans. According to Nofima scientist Marta Bou Mira:¹¹

“In this journal, most research focuses on humans, but I think salmon is increasingly being considered as a possible model for humans. We have conducted basic research on fish that has never been done before, and the combination between adipose tissue models and an increased understanding of obesity-related issues most likely caught people’s eye.”

How Does Eating Farmed Salmon Affect Humans?

If you eat farmed salmon, you’re essentially consuming the salmon’s unnatural diet as well. In a review published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, Nini Sissener with the Institute of Marine Research in Norway looked into how changes in commercial salmon feed affect the fatty acid composition of salmon tissues, and how these changes affect the humans who eat them, essentially following the fatty acids through the food chain.¹²

Salmon is the second most popular type of seafood in the U.S. (shrimp is the first), with just over 2 pounds consumed annually, per person.¹³ A key reason behind its popularity has to do with its perceived health benefits. As a rich source of beneficial animal-based omega-3 fats, salmon can, indeed, be a very healthy food choice.

While farmed salmon may still provide a source of omega-3 fats, the concentrations are less than they were before, however, and are less than those found in wild salmon.

“Farmed salmon still contributes positively to the overall n-6/n-3 ratio of a Western diet, but to a much lesser extent than before,” Sissener wrote. “Combined with similar changes in much of our food supply, this is a cause for concern, and efforts should be made to limit the amount of n-6 FAs in salmon fillets.”¹⁴

Farm-raised salmon makes up 75% of the salmon consumed worldwide, and its volume has increased nearly 1,000% from 1990 to 2015,¹⁵ which means that changes in its nutritional content may affect public health.

While half a fillet of wild Atlantic salmon contains about 3,996 milligrams (mg) of omega-3 and 341 mg of omega-6,¹⁶ the same amount of farmed Atlantic salmon contains an astounding 1,944 mg of omega-6.¹⁷ Aside from an inferior nutritional profile, farmed salmon is also more likely to contain toxins.

Consuming Atlantic Farmed Salmon May Pose Health Risks

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested farmed salmon from U.S. grocery stores and found farmed salmon had, on average:¹⁸

16 times more polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) than wild salmon
Four times more PCBs than beef
3.4 times more PCBs than other seafood

What’s more, in 2005 researchers found that farmed Atlantic salmon were so contaminated with PCBs, toxaphene, dieldrin, dioxins and polybrominated diphenyl ethers that they posed a cancer and additional health risks to humans, even when consumed in moderate amounts:¹⁹

“Many farmed Atlantic salmon contain dioxin concentrations that, when consumed at modest rates, pose elevated cancer and noncancer health risks.

However, dioxin and DLCs [dioxin-like compounds] are just one suite of many organic and inorganic contaminants and contaminant classes in the tissues of farmed salmon, and the cumulative health risk of exposure to these compounds via consumption of farmed salmon is likely even higher.

As we have shown here, modest consumption of farmed salmon contaminated with DLCs raises human exposure levels above the lower end of the WHO TDI [World Health Organization’s tolerable daily intake], and considerably above background intake levels for adults in the United States.”

27% of Wild-Caught Fish Fed to Fish

The environmental risks of farm-raised salmon must not be overlooked, and while feeding farmed salmon a diet more comparable with what they would eat in the wild may be preferable from a nutritional standpoint, it’s not a sustainable solution.

About 27% of wild-caught fish — amounting to about 20 million tons of seafood — is used to make fishmeal that’s fed to farmed fish,²⁰ and stocks of wild fish may be dwindling as a result.

An undercover investigation in Vietnam, India and The Gambia by the Changing Markets Foundation, titled “Fishing for Catastrophe,” also revealed that the demand for fishmeal and fish oil used in the aquaculture industry is fueling overfishing and putting intense pressure on wild fish stocks.²¹ According to the report:²²

“Our findings show that FMFO [fishmeal and fish oil] production, driven by demand from the global aquaculture sector, is visibly accelerating the decline of fish stocks in India, Vietnam and The Gambia that marine fisheries for human consumption have already pushed to breaking point.

Local fisherpeople and communities are clear-eyed about the consequences for them; they see the slump in catches they are currently experiencing as a precursor to the inevitable destruction of the fisheries that sustain them. However, they feel powerless against the economic might of the industry.”

While 90% of the fish being used for fishmeal and other uses could be used to feed humans directly,²³ they’re instead being diverted into other uses, contributing to food insecurity in local communities. Further, as noted in “Fishing for Catastrophe:”²⁴

“A report published in July 2019 found that the Scottish salmon industry alone uses roughly the same quantity of wild-caught fish to feed its salmon as the entire adult population of the UK purchases in one year, and that it will require a further 310,000 tonnes of wild fish per year to meet its ambitions to double in size by 2030.”

Safer, Sustainable Seafood Options

With fishmeal and fish oil representing an unsustainable feed source, and plant-based feed alternatives leading to changes in farmed salmon’s cellular metabolism and nutritional value, eating farm-raised salmon is not advisable.

I only recommend eating safer seafood choices such as wild-caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel and herring. All of these are at low risk of contamination yet are high in healthy omega-3 fats. You’ll want to opt for sustainably harvested wild-caught fish as well.

One of the best options toward this end is to look for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) logo, which features the letters MSC and a blue check mark in the shape of a fish. The MSC logo ensures the seafood came from a responsible fishery that uses sustainable fishing practices to minimize environmental impacts.²⁵

from Articles https://ift.tt/302n6MK
via IFTTT

COVID Advances New World Order — The Empire of Billionaires

The COVID-19 pandemic is being used to facilitate the efforts of a select few to create a one-world government with power concentrated in the hands of an elitist group of billionaires.

In March 2020, the United Nations New World Order (UNNWO) announced their annual International Day of Happiness global campaign, along with a call for solidarity and unity in the global fight against COVID-19.¹ The campaign theme, according to UNNWO, was:²

"… a call on all 7.8 billion members of the global human family, and all 206 nations and territories of planet earth, to unite in solidarity, and steadfast resolve, in fighting back against the COVID 19 Coronavirus …"

While the UNNWO sustainability goals, such as addressing poverty, hunger, polluted waterways, and more, sound admirable,³ they rely on one-world government manipulations such as media censorship, mass surveillance of citizens and total governmental control of your health care decisions, as I will explain in detail in this article.

One clear example of the dangers of one-world initiatives is the World Health Organization's Immunization Agenda 2030, in which the aim is to vaccinate everyone across the globe.⁴

Bill Gates of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a big WHO funder, has stated he intends to vaccinate the global population against COVID-19,⁵ and then track and monitor each person through digital surveillance.⁶ The Rockefeller Foundation also supports mass-tracking of the citizenry — all under the guise of "public health."⁷ The reasoning for this is to stop the pandemic.

But, will a gigantic global disease surveillance system created under the pretext of COVID-19 be dismantled once the pandemic is declared over? Or, will it simply morph into other surveillance functions also presented as mechanisms to protect the "public health?"

Vaccine Mania Has Gripped the Nation

As the COVID-19 pandemic passed its six-month mark and the number of reported cases in some countries and states rose, the focus on a vaccine intensified, with numerous vaccine makers vying to be first with results.

That distinction came in mid-July, when the initial results from a clinical trial of a vaccine candidate developed by Moderna, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, received a positive write-up in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)⁸ and pleased Wall Street.⁹

What's interesting is that Moderna has "never produced an approved vaccine or run a large trial," according to Stat News. Yet, it seized the COVID-19 opportunity¹⁰ and forged ahead. When you think about it, though, the exuberance over the vaccine candidate is irrational.

First, as with all vaccines, adverse effects can and will sometimes occur. Even fiercely pro-vaccine advocates have expressed concerns about possible adverse effects of a hurried-up COVID-19 vaccine.

From Bill Gates¹¹ (more on that later in this article) to Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier,¹² to rotavirus vaccine inventor Dr. Paul Offit¹³ — who once held the Merck-endowed chair in vaccinology¹⁴ at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia — high-profile individuals are talking about it.

Offit expressed reservations about how fast the vaccine companies were pushing development of the vaccine, and warned of possible safety and efficacy problems that could occur from giving it to thousands of people "without a large safety and efficacy trial."

Frazier had similar concerns, with a more strongly-worded comment: "If you're going to use a vaccine on billions of people, you better know what that vaccine does." Along that same line of thinking is the concern — as with all vaccines — that the immunity and/or duration is not assured because the "immunity" is not naturally acquired.

Another concern is that contact tracing and computer apps to determine the whereabouts and contacts of a person who may have been exposed are much too aggressive. For example, even if someone has no symptoms of COVID-19, governments, whether local or national, will have the ability to quarantine a person against their will, according to a YouTuber who recounts her contact tracing training in a video.¹⁵

Moreover, according to top legal scholar Alan Dershowitz,¹⁶ a 115-year-old U.S. Supreme Court ruling allows authorities to legally inoculate someone with a vaccine against their will for the purpose of safeguarding public health. On the other hand, they cannot do so if the vaccine is intended only to protect a person's personal health, he says.

While other legal scholars debate just how far the federal government can go with this,¹⁷ such threats to your rights and health continue to grow. And, certain media groups, who should be supporters of free speech, are leading the charge to take away your free speech rights. Standing at the forefront, the liberal "fact-checking" group Media Matters is trying to discredit vaccine safety groups who they believe could stand in the way of worldwide vaccination.¹⁸

Media Matters Pushes Censorship of Vaccine Safety Groups

A smear piece from Media Matters, titled "The Most Notorious Anti-Vax Groups Use Facebook to Lay the Groundwork Against the Novel Coronavirus Vaccine,"¹⁹ lays the groundwork for discrediting the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), Children's Health Defense and Informed Consent Action Network. The article begins by casting such groups as a threat during COVID-19:²⁰

"As novel coronavirus cases spike in the U.S. and numerous efforts are underway to develop a vaccine, the most prominent U.S. anti-vaccination organizations are using Facebook and other social media platforms to poison the well against a potential vaccine."

Media Matters is angry that Facebook allows the groups' social media communications to appear educational rather than branding them as "vaccine misinformation." This is especially important, writes Media Matters, because support for vaccination among the general public is falling:²¹

"Support in the U.S. for vaccination generally has been on a downward trend for the past two decades. A January 2020 poll released by Gallup found that 84% of Americans believe it is 'important' to vaccinate children, down from 94% in 2001.

The poll found that support for vaccination has declined 'among almost all subgroups of the U.S. public.' Gallup attributed the decline in support for vaccination to the spread of false information about vaccines, in particular the debunked link between vaccines and autism."

Vaccination Is Becoming a Hard Sell

Media Matters cites a 2014 study published in the journal Pediatrics²² that identified four ways in which the desirability of vaccination is promoted and how none of the messages is working. The four attempts to "reduce vaccine misperceptions and increase vaccination rates for measles-mumps-rubella (MMR)" were listed by the journal as:²³

Information explaining the lack of evidence that MMR causes autism from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Textual information about the dangers of the diseases prevented by MMR from the Vaccine Information Statement
Images of children who have diseases prevented by the MMR vaccine
A dramatic narrative about an infant who almost died of measles from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fact sheet

However, the messages are not working and possibly even backfiring, says Media Matters.²⁴ [And] "… attempts to 'correct false claims about vaccines may be especially likely to be counterproductive.'"

The messages likely backfire because Big Pharma and its buddy, Big Biotech, suffer from a credibility problem — in the case of Big Pharma, from the many medications it has withdrawn after assuring the public they were safe.²⁵ Moreover, "anti-vaccination content" — as Media Matters calls it — may be more compelling than messages designed to sell vaccination:²⁶

"Another negative factor in play at Facebook and other social media outlets is that research suggests that anti-vaccination content tends to be more popular than pro-vaccine content and anti-vaccine messages …"

The messages are also likely ringing stronger with younger people who tend to be the biggest users of social media, Media Matters admits:²⁷

"According to a report from Center for Countering Digital Hate ... Americans who 'use social media more than traditional media to access news and updates about Covid' say that they will get vaccinated against coronavirus at a rate 10 points lower compared to those who primarily consume traditional media."

Media Matters Has a Huge Influence on Mainstream Media

Media Matters' initial $2 million in funding came from wealthy progressives via the Tides Foundation,²⁸ with additional funding from MoveOn.org and the New Democrat Network, according to National Review.²⁹ In 2010, George Soros, one of the richest people in the world, gave the group $1 million, according to The New York Times.³⁰

The self-proclaimed "fact checking group," founded by conservative-turned-progressive David Brock,³¹ states that its mission is to counteract conservative media, and it has been very successful. According to the Daily Caller:³²

"The group scored its first significant public coup in 2007 with the firing of host Don Imus from MSNBC. Just before Easter that year, a Media Matters employee recorded Imus's now-famous attack on the Rutgers women's basketball team, and immediately recognized its inflammatory potential.

The organization swung into action, notifying organizations like the NAACP, the National Association of Black Journalists, and Al Sharpton's National Action Network, all of which joined the fight ... By the end of the week, Imus was fired."

Media Matters then enlisted the National Hispanic Media Coalition, League of United Latin American Citizens and similar groups to pressure CNN advertisers to oust anchor Lou Dobbs from CNN for alleged racist comments.³³ In November 2009, Dobbs left CNN, and the Daily Caller quotes a Media Matters staffer who said, "We got him fired."³⁴

Media Matters also launched what they dubbed a "campaign to expose Glenn Beck's racist rhetoric in an effort to educate advertisers about the practices on his show." The campaign facilitated his departure from Fox News.³⁵

Media Matters is also able to place their biased stories in mainstream outlets as real news. According to the Daily Caller, sources from the organization bragged about planting stories in The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times and on blogs such as the Daily Kos, Salon and HuffPost. They also reported a warm reception at The New York Times:³⁶

"Jim Rainey at the LA Times took a lot of our stuff," the staffer continued. "So did Joe Garofoli at the San Francisco Chronicle. We've pushed stories to Eugene Robinson and E.J. Dionne [at the Washington Post]. Brian Stelter at the New York Times was helpful.

Ben Smith [formerly of Politico, now at BuzzFeed.com] will take stories and write what you want him to write," explained the former employee, whose account was confirmed by other sources. Staffers at Media Matters "knew they could dump stuff to Ben Smith, they knew they could dump it at Plum Line [Greg Sargent's Washington Post blog], so that's where they sent it."

As described by Sharyl Attkisson, the impact of Media Matters is of concern to everyone:³⁷

"The problem is, too many news organizations and even journalism groups such as Poynter use Media Matters and their affiliates as if they are legitimate news sources. They are either unforgivably ignorant of Media Matters' slants — or choose to keep readers in the dark because they agree with the slant.

One major interest Media Matters and its affiliates have served over the years is that of the pharmaceutical industry. They often smear scientists and journalists who report on prescription drug and vaccine safety issues, falsely labelling them as 'anti-vaccine.' Of course, that's like saying that because I broke news about problems with Firestone tires, I am 'anti-tire,' or because I have exposed fraud within charities, I am 'anti-charity.' Silly."

COVID-19 and Vaccines Are a Pathway to Billionairehood

Forbes compiled a list of 10 health care billionaires who have profited since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. Topping the list was Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, whose vaccine candidate trial results were published by NEJM.³⁸ According to Forbes:³⁹

"When the WHO declared a pandemic, Bancel's estimated net worth was some $720 million. Since then, Moderna's stock has rallied more than 103%, lifting his fortune to an estimated $1.5 billion. A French citizen, Bancel first joined the billionaire ranks on April 2, when Moderna's stock rose on the news that the firm was planning to begin phase two trials of its vaccine."

Bancel is far from the only person who has become a "biotech billionaire" thanks to the lucrative development of COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tools solicited by governments and funded by taxpayers. Others include:⁴⁰

1. Gustavo Denegri — With a net worth of $4.5 billion, Denegri has a 45% stake in the Italian biotech company DiaSorin.

2. Seo Jung-Jin — With a net worth of $8.4 billion, Jung-Jin co-founded Celltrion, a biopharma company in Seoul.

3. Alain Mérieux — With a net worth of $7.6 billion, Mérieux's grandfather founded BioMérieux, a French multinational biotech company.

4. Maja Oeri — With a net worth of $3.2 billion, Oeri is a descendent of Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche, the founder of pharmaceutical giant Roche and owns about 5% of Roche's shares.

5. Leonard Schleifer — With a net worth of $2.2 billion, Schleifer's wealth is attributed to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, which he co-founded.

6. George Yancopoulos — With a net worth of $1.2 billion, Yancopoulos is Regeneron's chief scientific officer.

7. and 8. Thomas and Andreas Struengmann — With a net worth of $6.9 billion, the Struengmann twins sold their generic drug company Hexal to Novartis in 2005 and have other biotech investments.

9. Li Xiting — With a net worth of $12.6 billion, Xiting cofounded Mindray Medical International, China's largest medical equipment producer.

Pandemic Profiteering Has Increased the Wealth Gap

The U.S. has been noteworthy for its extreme wealth and income inequality, and the richest have become even richer from pandemic profiteering, according to the Institute for Policy Studies:⁴¹

"Between January 1, 2020 and April 10, 2020, 34 of the nation's wealthiest 170 billionaires saw their wealth increase by tens of millions of dollars. Eight have seen their net worth surge by over $1 billion.

As of April 15, Jeff Bezos's [Amazon's founder] fortune had increased by an estimated $25 billion since January 1, 2020. This unprecedented wealth surge is larger than the Gross Domestic Product of Honduras, $23.9 billion in 2018."

The wealth of the world's top five billionaires — Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett and Larry Ellison — increased twice as much as the federal government paid in stimulus checks to more than 150 million Americans.⁴²

And as mentioned earlier, and noted by Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and president of the NVIC,⁴³ Moderna's stock price ballooned when it announced that its messenger RNA vaccine was ready for clinical trials,⁴⁴ and the company's CEO became "a new billionaire overnight."

Questions About the Moderna Vaccine

Authors of The New England Journal of Medicine article, cited earlier, wrote that the Moderna vaccine candidate, named mRNA-1273, "induced anti–SARS-CoV-2 immune responses in all participants, and no trial-limiting safety concerns were identified." The study team did note, however, "Solicited adverse events that occurred in more than half the participants included fatigue, chills, headache, myalgia, and pain at the injection site."⁴⁵

But, according to Just The News, adverse effects were not always that minor, especially after a second injection:⁴⁶

"Notably, every participant in the two larger-dose groups reported adverse reactions after their second injections. One study participant in the smallest-dose group, meanwhile, was removed due to having developed hives after the first round of injections."

In addition to adverse effects, scientists are questioning how long immunity against the coronavirus, suggested by the presence of antibodies, will last.

According to Zero Hedge, immunity durability may be so short-lived, a COVID-19 vaccine "might need to be administered every year to offer a reliable level of protection."⁴⁷ That will certainly be a windfall for the biotech billionaires. Zero Hedge writes:⁴⁸

"[A] study produced by researchers at King's College London is showing recovered patients' antibodies declined significantly within months of infection, raising the critical question of whether a vaccine could ever provide lasting protection.

Moderna's vaccine candidate has shown the capacity to produce antibodies in test subjects, but it's still unclear exactly how much protection this might provide.

University of Nottingham Emeritus Professor in Immunology Herb Sewell, who consulted on the study, said it appeared to show that antibodies to the virus disappeared more quickly than antibodies for MERS and other coronaviruses ...

Several high profile studies have raised doubts about whether these antibodies are permanent, or effective, or not."

Finally, the adverse effects of vaccines in general are so well known, even Bill Gates — who is arguably the world's most passionate vaccine advocate — admits that as many as 700,000 could become victims of adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the German website Ken FM, in an interview with CNBC Gates said:⁴⁹

"… if we have … one in ten thousand side effects ... that's, you know, way more — 700,000 … people who will suffer from that. So, really understanding the safety at gigantic scale across all age ranges — you know — pregnant, male, female, undernourished and existing comorbidities, it's very, very hard ...

… that actual decision of‚ OK, let's go and give this vaccine to the entire world, governments will have to be involved because there will be some risk and indemnification needed before that can be decided on."

Since that interview, several bloggers and media watchers have twisted Gates' words as deaths, which has triggered another media "fact-checker," APF Fact Check,⁵⁰ to call them out for it. So, if you do share this information, please note it's side effects — which can include deaths, but also anything from a light fever to a very serious, but not life-threatening event — that Gates specifically mentioned.

The Empire of Billionaires Is a Threat to Public Safety

In summary, as biotech billionaires rush in to profit from the COVID-19 pandemic, your privacy rights are being violated through tracking and contact tracing, and your right to refuse a vaccine may be in jeopardy if it is deemed for the public good. At the same time the very media that should be promoting your right to free speech and to question government's decisions for your body is advocating for having those rights taken away.

Through the pursuit of an artificial vaccine, natural immunity to viruses like COVID-19 will not occur and future pandemics are assured. But that means mass vaccination will have to be repeated over and over again, which is good news for the pandemic profiteers. But is it good for you?

from Articles https://ift.tt/2CLJrFH
via IFTTT

Are Australians legally obliged to wear a face mask in public?

‘How I lost 11.5kg in self-isolation’

ALDI’s high protein bread is cheap and perfect for keto lovers

How airway cells work together in regeneration and aging

Highly invasive lung cancer cells have longer 'fingers'

A new way to target cancers using 'synthetic lethality'

Invisible barriers cut down on cheating

Hydrogel mimics human brain with memorizing and forgetting ability

A new way to target cancers using 'synthetic lethality'

Sam Wood’s tempeh sushi bowl is ready in 30 minutes

Teen museum educators increase engagement, learning, in tween visitors

A new study finds that youth docents have an overall positive effect on visitors' experiences, learning and information retention at informal learning sites -- like museums. The positive effects accrued across age groups regardless of museum type, but were most apparent in children ages 9 to 11.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2DfKZHu

Plant-based diets shown to lower blood pressure even with limited meat and dairy

Brain cell types identified that may push males to fight and have sex

Two groups of nerve cells may serve as ''on-off switches'' for male mating and aggression, suggests a new study in rodents. These neurons appear to send signals between two parts of the brain - the back tip, or posterior, of the amygdala and the hypothalamus - that together regulate emotions including fear, anxiety, and aggression.

from Top Health News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3jOnxSS

Life in the pits: Scientists identify key enzyme behind body odor

Wealthier men are more likely to develop high blood pressure

Plant-based diets shown to lower blood pressure even with limited meat and dairy

Lego-inspired bone and soft tissue repair with tiny, 3D-printed bricks

The lowdown on the low-FODMAP diet

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common intestinal disorder that produces distressing symptoms like abdominal pain, significant bloating, and altered bowel movements that can shuttle between diarrhea and constipation.

While changing what you eat won’t cure you, an evidence-based approach called the low-FODMAP diet is the most frequently prescribed food plan to help relieve IBS symptoms. Studies show it can reduce symptoms for the majority of patients. However, because of certain challenges and risks associated with the low-FODMAP diet, it’s worth talking to an expert before you try it.

FODMAP basics

The low-FODMAP diet addresses four types of fermentable carbohydrates: oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (collectively referred to as FODMAPs). While the names sound somewhat abstract, the foods found within these groups are often too familiar to those with digestive woes.

Oligosaccharides are present in foods like wheat, beans, garlic, and onions, while the disaccharide lactose is prevalent in dairy products like ice cream and milk. Monosaccharides refer to foods with excess fructose, and are found in items like apples, mangos, and honey. The final group, sugar alcohols, are found in some artificially sweetened products like chewing gum, and are naturally present in foods like avocados and mushrooms.

Though the FODMAP carbohydrates can trigger digestive discomfort for anyone when consumed in large amounts, much smaller portions can worsen symptoms for those with IBS.

A multiphase approach to a low-FODMAP diet

The low-FODMAP diet is meant to be undertaken in three phases. In the first phase, all high-FODMAP foods are eliminated from the diet for an extended period of time, often four to six weeks. In phase two, you systematically reintroduce restricted foods, noting how well you tolerate increasing quantities of the foods you’re reintroducing. Phase three is the personalization phase, in which you only avoid foods in quantities that cause symptoms.

This multiphase process can be complex and confusing, and requires substantial food knowledge. For instance, most varieties of soymilk are high-FODMAP. Extra-firm tofu, on the other hand, while also made from soybeans, is low-FODMAP. Guidance from a dietitian can be helpful for navigating this diet, but insurance coverage and medical referrals can be barriers to scheduling an appointment. As a result, some patients simply receive a list of low- and high-FODMAP foods.

Risks associated with not reintroducing some high-FODMAP foods

While avoiding high-FODMAP foods can be difficult, adding the carbohydrate groups back systematically to test tolerance can be even more challenging. Some people become hesitant to reintroduce items, especially if they have experienced significant symptom relief during the elimination phase. This increases the potential for nutritional risks. For example, it’s common for people avoiding dairy to have inadequate calcium intake.

Other lesser-known nutrients, like magnesium, are also a concern. Some of the best dietary sources of magnesium come from beans and nuts like almonds and cashews, which are usually restricted during the initial phase of the diet. In addition, people with IBS may already be at increased risk of magnesium deficiency due to digestive symptoms like diarrhea.

There is also concern that long-term restriction of high-FODMAP foods changes the makeup of bacterial colonies in the gut, which may negatively impact intestinal health and possibly worsen digestive issues over time. Oligosaccharides, in particular, are an important energy source for beneficial bacteria. This is particularly worrisome for individuals with IBS, who have been shown to have lower levels of protective intestinal bacteria and higher levels of potentially harmful inflammatory microbes. Probiotics have been suggested to restore such bacterial imbalances, but this remains contentious, and the American Gastroenterological Association recently published guidelines that recommend their use in IBS only when participating in a research study.

Low-FODMAP is not for everyone

The low-FODMAP diet is not intended for individuals without IBS, nor is it appropriate for everyone with the condition. It should be avoided by anyone with an eating disorder, as it may worsen food fears and diet restrictions. This is particularly notable because those with gastrointestinal issues appear to have a higher prevalence of disordered eating compared to the general population. In addition, people with already restricted diets, such as vegans or those with food allergies, may be unable to meet their nutritional needs on the diet. Those who are already malnourished or underweight are poor candidates, as well. The diet is not as well researched for other gastrointestinal conditions, so it’s generally best to avoid the diet if you don’t have IBS, unless otherwise advised by a doctor or dietitian.

Finding an alternative approach

If the low-FODMAP diet is not a good option for you, simply cutting back on high-FODMAP foods in your diet, without entirely eliminating any food groups, may be an alternative. If your diet contains many common offenders like garlic, onions, beans, apples, milk, mushrooms, and wheat, a simple reduction may help decrease symptoms.

To find a list of registered dietitians who can help you to safely make changes, click here. Or contact a nutrition practice to ask if they have someone knowledgeable about the low-FODMAP diet.

The post The lowdown on the low-FODMAP diet appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

from Harvard Health Blog https://ift.tt/30Qa0kR

At-Home Cardio

You don’t need a treadmill to do cardio at home. Try this 10 minute session to get your body moving.

Log this workout in the MyFitnessPal app with a single tap.

Interested in more workouts like these? MyFitnessPal teamed up with SWEAT to provide you with an exclusive FREE trial. For more information about this offer, click here.

The post At-Home Cardio appeared first on Under Armour.

from Under Armour https://ift.tt/2CVBdKD

Labels

Technology

New Post