Corn vs. Sugar Industries Legal Battle Heats Up Over “High Fructose Corn Syrup” Name Change

October 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

For Immediate Release

October 3, 2011

Contact:

Glenn Turner, 917-817-3396

glenn@ripplestrategies.com

 

New Website FoodIdentityTheft.com

Provides Background for Reporters and Consumers

Expert Legal Spokesperson Available For Interviews

WASHINGTON, October 3, 2011 – High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a man-made sweetener used in thousands of grocery store products and it has a serious image problem. Consumers are avoiding it. Food companies are taking it out of the products they make. Some supermarkets have banned it. Demand for this highly-processed ingredient is falling fast.

The Corn Refiners Association – comprised of corporations that make HFCS – decided that changing the name was a way to fix this problem. They are petitioning the FDA so that HFCS can legally be called “corn sugar” and ultimately just “sugar”. An official decision hasn’t yet been made, but in 2008 the Corn Refiners Association began a $50 million dollar marketing campaign labeling HFCS as “corn sugar”. They are now being sued by a group of sugar farmers and refiners who believe the name change will confuse consumers and harm the sugar industry.

This issue saw significant media attention on September 13, 2011 as The Corn Refiners Association filed a motion to dismiss which U.S. District Judge Consuelo Marshall is currently considering.

While the legal decision is pending, Citizens for Health, one of the nation’s most respected consumer advocacy groups, has launched a new website, FoodIdentityTheft.com, to alert and inform Americans about misleading labeling on many food, beverage and health products.

“Every day we see stories about food makers trying to pull a fast one on consumers,” said Jim Turner, consumer advocate and Chairman of Citizens for Health.  ”Resources like FoodIdentityTheft.com are necessary to ensure that consumers are aware of the deceptive practices some corporations are using.”

FoodIdentityTheft.com provides current information on many vital issues, beginning with the controversy surrounding the proposed name change of High Fructose Corn Syrup.

“Many consumers believe that the U.S. government will protect us from false advertising or stop corporations from making unproven claims about their products,” said FoodIdentityTheft.com Senior Editor, Linda Bonvie.  ”But the truth is, corporations have a huge influence in Washington.  We as consumers have to protect ourselves, stay informed, and tell our legislators and government agencies that we won’t accept being lied to.”

According to Bonvie, “FoodIdentityTheft.com is not advocating the benefits or decrying the harm of this product.  We simply believe there is no valid reason for the name change. It would only confuse consumers and allow food makers to conceal the identity of this product on ingredients labels.”

About Citizens for Health

Funded by concerned consumers, non-profit partners, food growers, and businesses, Citizens for Health is a non-profit organization that provides over 100,000 supporters with the latest consumer news, action alerts, and ways to demand access to healthy food, non-toxic products, and truthful, non-misleading health information.  More information is available at www.citizens.org

Filed Under: Blog, Consumer Protection, Dietary Supplements, Nutrition

New study: Nations requiring the most vaccines tend to have the worst infant mortality rates

May 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Infant mortality rates regressed against number of vaccine doses routinely given: Is there a biochemical or synergistic toxicity?
Neil Z Miller and Gary S Goldman

Abstract

The infant mortality rate (IMR) is one of the most important indicators of the socio-economic well-being and public health conditions of a country. The US childhood immunization schedule specifies 26 vaccine doses for infants aged less than 1 year—the most in the world—yet 33 nations have lower IMRs. Using linear regression, the immunization schedules of these 34 nations were examined and a correlation coefficient of r ¼ 0.70 (p < 0.0001) was found between IMRs and the number of vaccine doses routinely given to infants. Nations were also grouped into five different vaccine dose ranges: 12–14, 15–17, 18–20, 21–23, and 24–26. The mean IMRs of all nations within each group were then calculated. Linear regression analysis of unweighted mean IMRs showed a high statistically significant correlation between increasing number of vaccine doses and increasing infant mortality rates, with r ¼ 0.992 (p ¼ 0.0009). Using the Tukey-Kramer test, statistically significant differences in mean IMRs were found between nations giving 12–14 vaccine doses and those giving 21–23, and 24–26 doses. A closer inspection of correlations between vaccine doses, biochemical or synergistic toxicity, and IMRs is essential.

To read the entire study, click here.

View Conscious Woman’s recorded programming entitled Childhood Vaccination: Questions All Parents Should Ask, with Tedd Koren, D.C.

View Conscious Woman’s recommended resources on vaccination.

Filed Under: Blog, Consumer Protection, Vaccinations Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lead Found in Children’s Juice Boxes, Fruit Products

June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

KQED Radio reports that a California environmental group has found lead in juice and packaged fruit popular with children. Many of the products contained amounts of lead exceeding state and federal limits for young children. The Oakland-based Environmental Law Foundation tested a wide range of brands, and found that a single serving of many of the products would put children aged six and younger over the daily limit for lead.

My husband and I condition our children to be water-drinkers from an early age. We rarely drink juice, and when we do, it’s juice from fresh organic fruits and vegetables juiced here at home. We have a dehydrator and find it very easy to make our own dried fruit pieces and fruit leather. I’ve generally been uncomfortable with the sugar levels of many of the pre-packaged products, and have asked other parents to refrain from serving them to my children at birthday parties, etc. The lead content is new to me – horrifying but not surprising, either. Please spread the word.

Filed Under: Blog, Consumer Protection, Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Antidepressants are worthless for most of the people for whom they are prescribed

January 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

THE NEW YORK TIMES
January 6, 2010
Popular Drugs May Help Only Severe Depression
By BENEDICT CAREY

Some widely prescribed drugs for depression provide relief in extreme cases but are no more effective than placebo pills for most patients, according to a new analysis released Tuesday.

The findings could help settle a longstanding debate about antidepressants. While the study does not imply that the drugs are worthless for anyone with moderate to serious depression – many such people do seem to benefit – it does provide one likely explanation for the sharp disagreement among experts about the drugs’ overall effectiveness.

Taken together, previous studies have painted a confusing picture. On one hand, industry-supported trials have generally found that the drugs sharply reduce symptoms. On the other, many studies that were not initially published, or were buried, showed no significant benefits compared with placebos.

The new report, appearing in The Journal of the American Medical Association, reviews data from previous trials on two types of drugs and finds that their effectiveness varies according to the severity of the depression being treated.

Previous analyses had found a similar pattern. But the new study is the first to analyze responses from hundreds of people being treated for more moderate symptoms, as are most people who seek care.

“I think the study could dampen enthusiasm for antidepressant medications a bit, and that may be a good thing,” said Dr. Erick H. Turner, a psychiatrist at Oregon Health and Science University. “People’s expectations for the drugs won’t be so high, and doctors won’t be surprised if they’re not curing every patient they see with medications.”

But Dr. Turner added, “The findings shouldn’t dampen expectations so much that people refuse to even try medication.”

A team of researchers, including psychologists who favor talk therapy and doctors who consult widely with drug makers, performed the new analysis, using government grants. The group evaluated six large drug trials, including 728 men and women, about half of them with severe depression and half with more moderate symptoms.

Three of the trials were of Paxil, from GlaxoSmithKline, a so-called S.S.R.I., and the other three were of imipramine, an older generic drug from the class known as tricyclics. The team, led by Jay C. Fournier and Robert J. DeRubeis of the University of Pennsylvania, found that compared with placebos, the drugs caused a much steeper reduction in symptoms of severe depression (cases scoring 25 or higher on a standard scale of severity, putting them in the top quarter of the sample). Patients with scores of less than 25 got little or no added benefit from the medications.

“We were able to give an overall estimate of effectiveness for the first time in this more moderate severity range, from 14 to 20 on the scale, in which there’s no question that doctors would likely consider prescribing medication,” Dr. DeRubeis said.

His co-authors included Steven D. Hollon and Dr. Richard C. Shelton of Vanderbilt University, Sona Dimidjian of the University of Colorado, Dr. Jan Fawcett of the University of New Mexico and Dr. Jay D. Amsterdam of Penn.

The effects of other popular S.S.R.I.’s like Lexapro and Prozac are not likely to be much different than those of Paxil, experts said.

Dr. DeRubeis and others said antidepressants’ inability to outperform placebos against moderate symptoms stemmed partly from the sustained attention that patients in drug trials received from top doctors – which itself can help relieve symptoms, drug or no drug. For some people, too, the drugs’ side effects may cancel any benefit.

“The message for patients with mild to moderate depression,” Dr. DeRubeis said, “is, ‘Look, medications are always an option, but there’s little evidence that they add to other efforts to shake the depression – whether it’s exercise, seeing the doctor, reading about the disorder or going for psychotherapy.’ “

Filed Under: Blog, Consumer Protection, Medications Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Mercury Found in Corn Syrup

August 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

If the specter of obesity and diabetes wasn’t enough to turn you off high- fructose corn syrup (HFCS), try this: New research suggests that the sweetener could be tainted with mercury, putting millions of children at risk for developmental problems.

In 2004, Renee Dufault, an environmental health researcher at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), stumbled upon an obscure Environmental Protection Agency report on chemical plants’ mercury emissions. Some chemical companies, she learned, make lye by pumping salt through large vats of mercury. Since lye is a key ingredient in making HFCS (it’s used to separate corn starch from the kernel), Dufault wondered if mercury might be getting into the ubiquitous sweetener that makes up 1 out of every 10 calories Americans eat.  Click here to read more….

Filed Under: Blog, Consumer Protection, Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hospital’s Oxytocin Protocol Change Sharply Reduces Emergency C-Section Deliveries

June 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I’m not much into research studies.  Not one of them has ever convinced me of anything, but I’ll get into the reasons for that another time.  Here’s a hilarious one, though.  Hilarious because it demonstrates how far we’ve gone into needing evidence-based studies to verify for us what should be common sense:

Hospital’s Oxytocin Protocol Change Sharply Reduces Emergency C-Section Deliveries

By Betsy Bates
Elsevier Global Medical News
Conferences in Depth
June 22, 2009

CHICAGO (EGMN) – The modification of the oxytocin infusion protocol at a large university-affiliated community hospital nearly halved the number of emergency cesarean deliveries over a 3-year period, reported Dr. Gary Ventolini.

As oxytocin utilization declined from 93.3% to 78.9%, emergency cesarean deliveries decreased from 10.9% to 5.7%, Dr. Ventolini said at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Other birth outcomes improved as well at an 848-bed community hospital that serves as the primary teaching hospital of the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

These included significant declines in emergency vacuum and forceps deliveries and a sharp reduction in neonatal ICU team mobilization for signs of fetal distress (P = .0001 in year 3 compared with year 1).

“More and more data are showing us that we are using too much oxytocin too often,” Dr. Ventolini, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the university, said in an interview.
“Our pivotal change was to modify the oxytocin infusion from 2 by 2 units every 20 minutes to 1 by 1 unit every 30 minutes. And we see the results,” he said.

Outcomes of 14,184 births from 2005, 2006, and 2007 were retrospectively analyzed to determine any impact of the change in an oxytocin protocol implemented in 2005. Patient characteristics were similar in all three calendar years.

The most profound changes were in emergency deliveries, including caesarean deliveries, vacuum deliveries (which dropped from 9.1% to 8.5%), and forceps deliveries (which fell from 4% to 2.3%).

The overall cesarean section rate remained unchanged, as did the rates of cord prolapse, preeclampsia, and abruption.

Dr. Ventolini cited a recent article in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology that suggests guidelines for oxytocin use, including avoidance of dose increases at intervals shorter than 30 minutes in most situations (Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 2009;200:35.e1-.e6).

Dr. Ventolini and his associates reported no financial conflicts of interest relevant to the study.

Here is the actual link to the story: http://egmn.idsk.com/stories_global/35_ds_7863805.jsp

Filed Under: Blog, Childbirth, Consumer Protection, Legal, Medications Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

I am a one of the “Strong Moms” (Trademark, Abbott Laboratories)

June 8, 2009 By 3 Comments

Although I had a home birth and have never taken my new son to a doctor’s office, I somehow managed to be targeted for the “Strong Moms” (TM) campaign.  The initial mailings were generic take-care-of-yourself promotions, with cute images of babies and healthy-looking women.  I honestly could not figure out what they wanted from me.

Yesterday, all became clear when I received two complementary cases of Similac.

Being a healthy, breastfeeding mother, I have never had reason to look at formula ingredients.  Only one of my children ever needed formula (5 bottles total); after catching an upper respiratory infection that landed me totally dried up in the emergency room, my husband fed her something (I know not what), and she became so constipated he had to give our then-5-month old an enema.  After getting 3 bags of IV into my system, I pumped every 15 minutes for a full day until my supply was back, and treated sick people with hostility for the following year.

At any rate, I decided to look at the ingredients of this gift for me – one of the “Strong Moms” (TM)  targeted in this campaign – and my jaw literally dropped to the floor.  I’m sure the lactation people out there know all this, but here’s a reiteration of a few of the main ingredients of one the cans of Similac that was mistakenly mailed to me, with a little of my own online research thrown in:

43.2% Corn Syrup Solids. Corn syrup, which consists mostly of dextrose, is a sweet, thick liquid made by treating cornstarch with acids or enzymes. It may be dried and used as corn syrup solids in coffee whiteners and other dry products. Corn syrup contains no nutritional value other than calories, promotes tooth decay, and is used mainly in foods with little intrinsic nutritional value.  http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm

14.6% Soy Protein Isolate. A very large percentage of soy – over 90% – is genetically modified and it also has one of the highest percentages contamination by pesticides of any of the foods we eat.  Soy protein isolate (SPI) is not something you can make in your own kitchen. Production takes place in industrial factories where soybeans are first mixed with an alkaline solution to remove fiber, then precipitated and separated using an acid wash and, finally, neutralized in an alkaline solution.  Acid washing in aluminum tanks leaches high levels of aluminum into the final product. As a result, soy-based formula also has over 1000% more aluminum than conventional milk based formulas. Finally, the resulting curds are spray-dried at high temperatures to produce a high-protein powder. A final hardship to the original soybean is high-temperature, high-pressure extrusion processing of soy protein isolate to produce textured vegetable protein.  Nitrites, which are potent carcinogens, are formed during spray-drying, and a toxin called “lysinoalanine” is formed during alkaline processing.  Numerous artificial flavorings, particularly MSG, are added to soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein products to mask their strong “beany” taste. http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/soy.htm

10.3% Sugar (Sucrose). Added sugar in infant formula, specifically sucrose, is linked with several health risks, including damage to tooth enamel, a preference for more sweet foods and the inclination to overeat. Research shows that babies and children prefer sweeter foods and tend to eat more of it than foods that are less sweet. Babies who overeat and have rapid weight gain in the first year are more likely to become obese during childhood.  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113347.php

The materials they sent with the formula include an attractive little booklet with 7 pages on how to breastfeed, then 6  pages on how to pump and store breastmilk, then 16 pages on the basics of formula and supplementing for the busy mom, then 14 pages of advertisements on the varieties of Similac formulas.

Abbott Laboratories has gone to a whole new level with their newest campaign. Perhaps we need a short addendum to Cate Colburn-Smith’s program, which highlights the strategies and effectiveness of the marketing of these “cans of crap”.

I like to think of myself as one of the “Strong Moms” (TM).  However, it took very little strength to pick up these cans and throw them into the nearest trashcan.

Filed Under: Blog, Breastfeeding / Formula, Consumer Protection, Dietary Supplements, Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lawyer in Maryland Offering Free Legal Help To Women Facing VBAC Bans

April 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I just received word that there is a lawyer in Maryland offering free legal help to women in that state facing VBAC bans.  I haven’t had a chance to follow up on this, but here is the email I received.  I don’t quite understand why the lawyer’s name and email is not included, and it’s not quite clear whether inquiries should be sent to the email in this announcement (I’m not on that list, it was forwarded to my email).

Please comment if you have anything to add (and/or clarify!):

“I am excited to announce that we now have a lawyer right here in Maryland who is offering free legal help to women facing VBAC hospital VBAC bans. Her availability to do this work is between now and the end of the summer so it is important that we find a woman as soon as possible who is currently pregnant and facing one of the VBAC bans in our state. Maryland currently has bans in place in Cecil County, Garrett County, and in Easton. Please email any Maryland lists you are on and ask people to help spread the word so that we don’t miss the opportunity to possibly be the first state in the country to take this kind of legal action. Feel free to include my email address ICANofBaltimore@ comcast.net on all postings. Thanks.

Filed Under: Blog, Childbirth, Consumer Protection, Human Rights, Legal Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Drugs, Drugs and More Drugs

April 14, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I was just sent a long, but interesting YouTube video on the dangers of pharmaceutical drugs, vaccinations, and more.  Had I done it, I would have included my references (and added a little something about childbirth) - but this still worth watching.    Click here: YouTube – Why I Left Mainstream Medicine – From A Nurse

I would welcome emails and/or comments below on your thoughts, critiques and/or verification of the claims made on this video.   Note that Tedd Koren covers the dangers of vaccinations in detail in his Childhood Vaccination series (only one more run, in June/July), and Jim Turner of Conscious Activism is a tremendous source of information regarding artificial sweeteners.  Also, Sarah Buckley describes the impact of pitocin, epidurals and cesareans on mother and baby in her Gentle Birth: The Science and the Wisdom series.

Filed Under: Blog, Childbirth, Consumer Protection, Medications, Vaccinations Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Cytotec and Other Verdicts

April 11, 2008 By 1 Comment

The comments and follow-up to the Maddy Oden Conscious Woman of the Month article are still coming in.  Gloria Lemay just sent me a reference to an older case involving cytotec and failure to obtain informed consent – this one with a large verdict. Maddy has informed me that there is also a cytotec lawyers site – she is not sure how successful they are in gathering and winning cases, but some are won. Apparently most are settled out of court with gag clauses.

$2 million
Failure To Obtain Consent For Off-Label Use Of Cytotec
Case name withheld.
Plaintiff’s Counsel: Joseph J. Wadland and James L. Ackerman, Wadland & Ackerman, Boston and Andover
The plaintiffs were a 38-year-old woman and her husband who were expecting their first child. At about 41 weeks of gestation, the decision was made by her primary Ob/Gyn to induce her labor. A dose of 25 micrograms of Cytotec, a drug that the FDA has approved for the prevention of gastric ulcers, but not for the induction of labor or cervical ripening, reportedly was given vaginally. The care providers did not obtain the mother’s informed consent for the use of Cytotec that was being administered for an “off-label” indication in a high-risk situation. A series of complications arose, including the deceleration of the fetal heart rate and the baby was delivered via Caesarian section. The baby was lifeless and resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. The mother also required a hysterectomy as a result of off-label use of Cytotec. When the claim settled on Aug. 7, 2001, it was the first reported settlement or verdict in Massachusetts involving the drug Cytotec.  And a few more maternity related lawsuits among the largest settlements in MA in 2001: http://www.masslaw.com/reprints/breakstone011402.htm 
 

Although the facts of this case are horrific, it is encouraging to see this as nearly all verdicts against OB/GYNs are for failing to do a cesarean or failing to do one soon enough.  These kinds of verdicts play a major role the rise in the cesarean rate – for every woman who sues for those reasons, hundreds of others are cut unnecessarily, causing unnecessary trauma and increased risk to the mothers and their babies.  Defensive medicine at its worst. 

Furthermore – and worthy of similar attention and concern – new obstetricians are no longer taught the skills necessary to handle out-of-the-ordinary vaginal births.  If your birth doesn’t go like clockwork, you’re off to the OR.  If your baby isn’t in a good position, you’re off to the OR.  Breech? Forget it – directly into the OR. Vaginal breech birth is no longer part of the curriculum. I could go on and on — and I know there are exceptions, but they are becoming increasingly rare.

More widespread publicity of cases such as the following is essential – the public needs to know about the dangers of these drugs, among others and of the risks inherent in many obstetric practices.    And that babies don’t all come out “on time” and in the same presentation.

Filed Under: Blog, Childbirth, Consumer Protection, Legal, Medications Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts