Mingo County has the fourth-highest prescription opioid death rate of any county in the United States. This county in West Virginia had a population of 26,839 in 2010 according to the census, and it has likely declined since. There are small four towns of similar population density and one city that make up Mingo County, according to Wikipedia. Kermit is is one of these towns, and it has a population around 400.

Over a period of just two years out-of-state drug companies have shipped nearly 9 million opioid pills to a single pharmacy in this town, Kermit, West Virgnia.

Related: U.S. Life Expectancy To Decline, CDC Blames Pharmaceutical Companies

In six years the drug wholesalers sold West Virgnia 780 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills. 1,728 West Virginians have been reported to have fatally overdosed on these painkillers, according to a Gazette-Mail investigation.

These numbers will shake even the most cynical observer. Distributors have fed their greed on human frailties and to criminal effect. There is no excuse and should be no forgiveness.” – Former Delegate Don Perdue, retired pharmacist

In court cases, the companies have repeatedly denied they played any role in the nation’s pain-pill epidemic, but records show that the state’s southern counties have been maligned by a disproportionate number of pain pills and fatal drug overdoses. The wholesalers fought to keep the sales numbers secret in previous court actions brought on by the newspaper. The unfettered shipments amount to a total of 433 pills for each man, woman, and child in West Virginia. The nation’s three largest prescription drug wholesalers, McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen Drug Co., supplied more than half of all pain pills statewide. Be sure to check out the Charleston Gazette Mail‘s expose for more information; they did an amazing job on the report and the article itself.

Related: A History of Bad Medical Advice

Good News: States Are Suing

New York City sued eight companies that make or distribute prescription opioids, for their responsibility in the deadly epidemic.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said the lawsuit sought $500 million of damages to help fight the crisis. Reuters states that the opioid epidemic kills more people in the city annually than homicides and car accidents combined.

Big Pharma helped to fuel this epidemic by deceptively peddling these dangerous drugs and hooking millions of Americans in exchange for profit,” – de Blasio said in a statement

Defendants include the manufacturers Allergan Plc (AGN.N), Endo International Plc (ENDP.O), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), Purdue Pharma LP and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA.TA), and distributors AmerisourceBergen Corp (ABC.N), Cardinal Health Inc (CAH.N) and McKesson Corp (MCK.N).

On the 19th of Janurary, Delaware Attorney General Matt Denn sued Purdue Pharma LP and Endo International Plc, and retailers CVS and Walgreens. Two days ago Alabama became the latest state to file a lawsuit against OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, and yesterday Baltimore City Solicitor Andre Davis announced lawsuits aimed at Purdue and their main distributor McKessen, and some of the local businesses that city officials describe as “pill mills.

Related Reading:

• Wakefield and His Study Linking MMR Vaccine To Autism Has Been Vindicated
• Shaken Baby Syndrome – Child Abuse or Vaccine Injury?
• 10 Circumcision Myths – Let’s Get the Facts Straight

Sources:

• Delaware sues opioid manufacturers, distributors over epidemic – Reuters
• Alabama sues OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma over opioid epidemic – Reuters
• Baltimore suing opioid manufacturers, distributors – The Hill
• Suing Big Pharma for the Opioid Epidemic – The Atlantic

The Alliance for Natural Health USA (ANH-USA) has listed states that are attempting to legislate mandatory vaccines. From the website:

A new year brings a flurry of legislative activity. Many states will be considering bills that limit vaccine choice, whether by eliminating or restricting exemptions or mandating vaccines for children or certain workers. Patients deserve a right to decide which medical treatments to receive, especially when there are safety concerns. There is plenty of scientific data that throws the safety of vaccine ingredients into serious question.”

Related: How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children

ANH-USA lists some facts on aluminum, a common vaccine ingredient:

• Aluminum is a well-documented neurotoxin that has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, asthma, hyperactivity, and Down’s Syndrome.
• The FDA has set a limit on the amount of aluminum that can be in vaccines, but this number was based on the amount of aluminum required to enhance the effectiveness of the vaccine. The agency has not empirically determined the safest amount of intramuscularly injected aluminum, relying instead on the hope that current levels are safe. Note the word “injected.” It is one thing for the body to handle aluminum in our food, because our liver protects us. But it can’t protect us when we are injected with poison.
• New studies provide stunning information about what happens to aluminum after it’s injected into muscle. In some mice, it travels to the brain, where it can still be detected a year later. It also travels to the spleen and lymph nodes, where it can still be detected 270 days after vaccination.

In addition to concerns about ingredients—including the mercury that is used as a preservative in flu shots, even for children—the national vaccine schedule has never been rigorously evaluated for safety. This was the determination not of some ‘anti-vaxxer’ group, but of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine), which advises the government on issues relating to medicine and health. In a 2013 report, the Academy concluded, ‘Key elements of the schedule—the number, frequency, timing, order, and age at administration of vaccines—have not been systematically examined in research studies.’ “

Click on your state’s link below to see what compulsory vaccine bills are pending and take action:

Florida
Hawaii
Iowa
Illions
Kansas
Maine
Minnesota
Missouri
Mississippi
New Hampshure
New Jersy
New York
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Virginia
West Virginia

Recommended Reading:

• Doctors Against Vaccines – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research
• Nurses Against Vaccines
• Celebrities Who Have Spoken Out Against Vaccines
• Statesmen Against Mandatory Vaccines
• Scientists Against Vaccines – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research

Florida has introduced Senate Bill 1558, legislature that would make the HPV vaccine mandatory for public school children. The bill would mimic similar vaccine mandate laws in Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington D.C.

Florida’s HPV vaccine rates are lower than the rest of the country. Sen. José Javier Rodríguez (Dem) introduced this bill on January 4th. If it’s passed the bill is said to be titled “Women’s Cancer Prevention Act”. It would begin taking effect July 1st of 2018.

The good news is that only 1 in 5 parents believe the mandate to be a good idea, according to the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

From Dr. Mercola:

Review of HPV Vaccine Trials Conclude Effectiveness Is Still Unproven

Last year, a systematic review¹⁰ of pre- and post-licensure trials of the HPV vaccine by researchers at University of British Columbia showed that the vaccine’s effectiveness is not only overstated (through the use of selective reporting or “cherry picking” data) but also unproven. In the summary of the clinical trial review, the authors state it quite clearly:

“We carried out a systematic review of HPV vaccine pre- and post-licensure trials to assess the evidence of their effectiveness and safety. We found that HPV vaccine clinical trials design, and data interpretation of both efficacy and safety outcomes, were largely inadequate. Additionally, we note evidence of selective reporting of results from clinical trials(i.e., exclusion of vaccine efficacy figures related to study subgroups in which efficacy might be lower or even negative from peer-reviewed publications).

Given this, the widespread optimism regarding HPV vaccines long-term benefits appears to rest on a number of unproven assumptions (or such which are at odds with factual evidence) and significant misinterpretation of available data.

For example, the claim that HPV vaccination will result in approximately 70% reduction of cervical cancers is made despite the fact that the clinical trials data have not demonstrated to date that the vaccines have actually prevented a single case of cervical cancer (let alone cervical cancer death), nor that the current overly optimistic surrogate marker-based extrapolations are justified.

Likewise, the notion that HPV vaccines have an impressive safety profile is only supported by highly flawed design of safety trials and is contrary to accumulating evidence from vaccine safety surveillance databases and case reports which continue to link HPV vaccination to serious adverse outcomes (including death and permanent disabilities).

Related Reading:

• How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children
• Doctors Against Vaccines – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research
• Nurses Against Vaccines
• Celebrities Who Have Spoken Out Against Vaccines
• Statesmen Against Mandatory Vaccines
• Scientists Against Vaccines – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research

Curcumin, the chemical that gives turmeric its vivid yellow hue, produced significant improvements in mood, memory, and attention for people aged 50 to 90, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Let’s face it – there’s a reason turmeric makes it onto every list of healthy foods ever. The director of geriatric psychiatry at UCLA’s Longevity Center and the study’s first author, Dr. Gary Small, says, “Exactly how curcumin exerts its effects is not certain, but it may be due to its ability to reduce brain inflammation, which has been linked to both Alzheimer’s disease and major depression…”

Related: Increase your IQ with the Right Foods, Herbs, Vitamins

Why Is Turmeric So Awesome?

Curcumin has a multitude of health benefits. The herb is a powerful anti-inflammatory, but it also detoxes the liver, reduces negative effects of iron overload, increases antioxidant capacity in the body, regenerates brain cells and improves cognitive function, lowers heart disease risk, reduces depression, and combats premature aging. Other studies have also found curcumin to be effective in treating cancer, targeting tumor cells while leaving normal cells alone.

Related: How to Optimize Curcumin Absorption – With Golden Milk Tea Recipe

Bioavailability Matters

Curcumin helps the liver, but that organ also keeps the body from absorbing too much of it. With turmeric, the method of delivery is more important than how much of it you take. Just taking a supplement is not as effective as it could be. Luckily, there are a few ways around that.

The easiest way to absorb more curcumin is to eat it with black pepper. An alkaloid in black pepper, piperine, keeps the body from dumping what it believes to be excess curcumin. A small amount of piperine can increase curcumin absorption by 2,000 percent or more. The combination is also ridiculously easy to find or make, especially in curry spice mixes. Piperine and Bioperine are also good things to look for in a curcumin supplement. Look for a product with them to give your body a better chance of absorbing beneficial nutrients.

Related: Turmeric and Diabetes

Also a smart play? Beneficial fats. Curcumin doesn’t dissolve properly without fat. That makes it less likely to be absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed throughout the body. Popular, healthy options include coconut oil, ghee, avocado, and olive oil (though not for cooking at high temperatures).

Worth It

Recommendations to consume curcumin are firmly rooted in science. New studies like this one are readily available and becoming more frequent. But for practical applications, there is nothing like taking a page from traditions.

Related: How To Use Turmeric To Kill Cancer

Turmeric and curry are staples of cuisine in India. It’s regularly consumed with pepper in spice mixes and ghee, a healthy fat that lowers the risk of heart disease. Perhaps it is no surprise that older people in India have lower levels of Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline.

Sources:

• Curcumin improves memory and mood, new study says – University of California
• How to Optimize Curcumin Absorption – With Golden Milk Tea Recipe – Organic Lifestyle Magazine
• Curcumin and Cancer Cells: How Many Ways Can Curry Kill Tumor Cells Selectively? – NCBI

Brenda Fitzgerald reportedly said she resigned because she could not divest from certain financial interests “in a definitive time period.” A Politico article from Tuesday reports that Fitzgerald purchased shares in a tobacco company shortly after becoming CDC director.

The former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially resigned her position today after just six months, due to “complex financial interests.” She was repeatedly forced her to recuse herself from the agency’s activities, unable to testify before lawmakers on public health matters. And on Tuesday, January 30th,  Politico reported:

The Trump administration’s top public health official bought shares in a tobacco company one month into her leadership of the agency charged with reducing tobacco use — the leading cause of preventable disease and death and an issue she had long championed.

The stock was one of about a dozen new investments that Brenda Fitzgerald, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made after she took over the agency’s top job, according to documents obtained by POLITICO. Fitzgerald has since come under congressional scrutiny for slow walking divestment from older holdings that government officials said posed potential conflicts of interest.

Fitzgerald is 71 one years old. She is a physician who served as the Georgia public health commissioner until her appointment to the CDC post this last July. She said she and her husband had divested from many stock holdings in an interview late last year, but that she and her husband were legally obligated to continue certain investments in cancer detection and health information technologies. Fitzgerald apparently had to avoid government business that might affect those specific financial interests.

It is unacceptable that the person responsible for leading our nation’s public health efforts has, for months, been unable to fully engage in the critical work she was appointed to do.” – Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash

Dr. Fitzgerald’s tenure was unfortunately the latest example of the Trump Administration’s dysfunction and lax ethical standards. I hope the incoming Secretary of Health — nominated because his predecessor resigned for using taxpayer dollars for his personal luxury travel — will encourage President Trump to choose a new CDC Director who is truly prepared to focus on families and communities.” – Sen. Murray

Senator sent Fitzgerald a letter saying that the necessary recusals prevented Fitzgerald from engaging on public health issues like cancer and the massive opioid epidemic. Murray had voiced his concerns regarding Fitzgerald’s financial investments and the recusals necessary to avoid the aforementioned conflicts of interest since July. In December, the senator sent Fitzgerald a letter saying those recusals prevented her from fully engaging on public health issues including cancer and the opioid epidemic.

Fitzgerald had dismissed those concerns, saying that she was following ethics rules laid out by HHS and that her recusals were “very limited.”

About three hours after HHS announced Fitzgerald’s resignation, the CDC’s chief operating officer, Sherri Berger, sent an agencywide email that announced Fitzgerald’s resignation and said Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy, will be acting director effective Wednesday.

Recommended Reading:

• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Start Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet
• How to Make the Healthiest Smoothies – 4 Recipes
• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones

Trader Joe’s announced last week that it will change the receipt paper used to one without bisphenol A (BPA) and Bisphenol S (BPS), two well known endocrine disruptors. Both of these chemicals can be absorbed through the skin, and this decision from Trader Joe’s is in response to the publication of the results of a recent study from Michigan-based Ecology Center that found that 93% of all receipts tested contained BPA or BPS. While Trader Joe’s still sells canned goods with BPA or BPS linings, the company has committed to eliminating it from all store receipts, writing, “Some years back—when concerns related to the use of BPA were starting to build, we evaluated where and how it was being used within our operation and identified steps to take…As our understanding evolves, so too does our work. We are now pursuing receipt paper that is free of phenol chemicals (including BPA and BPS), which we will be rolling out to all stores as soon as possible.”

BPA and BPS are Bad News

BPA and BPS disrupt the endocrine system, leading to issues like diabetes, obesity and fertility problems. BPA, in particular, has been linked to an increased risk of neurological disorders in young children. In 2012, the FDA banned BPA in baby bottles, formula packaging, and children’s cups due to these issues. Other potential health issues from ingesting or absorbing BPA and BPS include breast cancer, brain disease, and heart disease.

How to Find and Avoid BPA and BPS

BPA and BPS are widely found in receipts, some reusable water bottles, luggage tags, and linings for plastic and metal cans. It’s easier to identify BPA-free items, as they are frequently labeled. BPS is less commonly labeled and is a frequent replace of BPA.

Many people suggest looking at the number of the recycling symbol to identify which plastics contain BPA. 4 and 5 seem to be generally regarded as safe for limited use, and there is a debate as to whether 1 or 2 are also safe. But that’s splitting hairs, as all plastics leach into their contents given enough time.

The best way to limit your exposure to BPA and BPS is to choose alternative materials – glass, ceramic, and cardboard. This can actually help you in other ways, as avoiding food in plastic packaging is better for you anyway. Wash your hands after handling any receipts, or ask the cashier to toss it for you.

Recommended Reading:

• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Start Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet
• How to Make the Healthiest Smoothies – 4 Recipes
• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
• Sugar Leads to Depression – World’s First Trial Proves Gut and Brain are Linked (Protocol Included)

Sources:

• What Trader Joe’s Will Do About The Chemicals On Your Receipts – Forbes
• BPA – Sierra Club
• How BPA May Disrupt Brain Development – Time
• How can I tell what type of plastic something is made of, and if that plastic is safe? – Life Without Plastic

Over the past couple of years, I have noticed at least three young TV presenters here on UK television who have crooked smiles – and I started to wonder why.

On doing some research, I found that I was not the only one questioning this trend.

I came across someone by the name of Forrest Maready who had also become curious.  He noticed that many babies, children, and young adults were sporting crooked smiles.  He started his search for answers by going back into archive photographs for the past one hundred years or even longer – and he could find absolutely no sign of any crooked mouths in these photographs until he reached a couple of decades ago.

Of course, one problem with much older photos is that often people’s portraits were serious-faced, making it less easy to see if a smile was crooked or not.  But then, with the more recent photos, crooked smiles started to appear in ever-increasing numbers and among many well-known faces too.   I have found such examples myself including Katie Holmes, Patrick Dempsey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Gosling, Dax Shepard, Natalie Dormer and many more.

It is certainly not about crooked teeth. It’s all about the smile where the mouth itself turns down on the one side and up on the opposite side (usually the left side for down and the right for up) when smiling.

Recommended: Being Outdoors Improves Children’s Ability to Learn

Metal Toxicity

Forrest has been busy and says that some research has now pointed to it being a sign of metal toxicity – that is mercury, lead, or aluminum.  Our faces are controlled by the cranial nerves and it is possible for these to be damaged by metals, perhaps causing a crooked smile, a droopy frown, or even the appearance as of a mini-stroke.  Another symptom can be where the eyes fail to point in the same direction.  This has even been given a medical term – strabismus.

He tells us that high amounts of aluminum have already been blamed for Alzheimer’s while even higher traces of the metal have been found in autistic brain samples.

The problem is that aluminum is very neurotoxic and even just tiny amounts can destroy the cranial nerves.  The thinking behind the connection between aluminum and Alzheimer’s was that the former had built up over many years.  However, with these higher amounts now being found in children, researchers are looking for the source.

Forrest has his own theories on the source of such high amounts of aluminum appearing in children which he is happy to share with those who are interested.  He takes great pains to point out that at this stage, they are only theories.

In the meantime, he would like you to look carefully at your own face or those of your family members including your children.

Related: We Consume Livestock Vaccines When We Ingest Meat

What to do if You Notice a Crooked Smile on Yourself or a Family Member?

Get out the family photo album or those digital photographs stored online and take a good look at them.  Has there been any change in the appearance of the face over a short space of time particularly with the smile or the eyes?

There are 6 warning signs to look out for: a crooked smile, a droopy frown, outward eye, inward eye, partial eye blinks, and droopy face.

If you notice something, start an urgent course of aluminum detoxification.

Related: How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children

Other Serious Damage Caused By Aluminum

• Aluminum damages your central nervous system.
• Aluminum can damage your brain.
• Aluminum robs the body of magnesium, calcium, and iron.
• Aluminum accumulates in bone tissue, which results in weakened bones.
• Aluminum causes oxidative stress in cells throughout the body, causing aging and damage to DNA.

How to Have Less Aluminum in Your Daily Life

1. Change to using aluminum free cookware.
2. Check your water supply because it could be high in aluminum too.
3. Avoid using any hygiene products (including antiperspirants) with aluminum hydroxide.
4. Avoid vaccines and medications that contain aluminum.  If you are unsure, check out the full and official list of ingredients.
5. Stop eating processed foods.

There are Foods that Help to Remove Heavy Metals Naturally

These include onions, blue-green algae, garlic, cilantro, burdock, bentonite (high grade), carrot juice and green tea.  Chlorella is also an excellent food that helps remove metals while assisting the body to rebuild nerve tissue.

Recommended Reading:

• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Start Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet
• How to Make the Healthiest Smoothies – 4 Recipes
• Sugar Leads to Depression – World’s First Trial Proves Gut and Brain are Linked (Protocol Included)
• Fungal Infections – How to Eliminate Yeast, Candida, and Mold Infections For Good

Sources:

• Are You Crooked? – Areyoucrooked.com
• A Gentle Vaccine Detox for Children – Living Whole