OPEN YOUR EYES
Latest Updates on the ** CORRUPTION/ / COCKUP/ /OMIGODDIDIDOTHAT**
** FRONT:-
May '99 - Calls for higher spending normally come from those who either are, or feel they are being deprived of the benefits of our social revolution . The unemployed , old age pensioners , single mothers , war veterans and their like . But guess who is calling for £ 170,000,000 . An organization called CERT [ the Campaign for Effective and Rational Treatment ] . Guess who is the sponsor of this organization that is hell bent on the additional expenditure by the NHS . The generous and disinterested sponsor is none other than Pharmaceutical Companies . The Prof. of Clinical Oncology , who is a member of the CERT steering committee , said " It's disgraceful that many who could benefit ... are denied access because drug budgets are unrealistically low . " Where have these people been living ??. Cost cutting is the watch word . It may even be that profs. of oncology are luxuries that we shall soon be unable to afford, *************** . The result of unwise over drugging surfaced again. The Gulf War syndrome , which resulted in immune systems being degraded by multiple vaccines and anti gas tablets , was blamed by an ex SAS vet who killed his ex girl friend with a Kalashnikov . A further instance of experts who - under the influence of the pharmaceutical industry - urge that ' over the top ' medication is used , and that the end result is death & disorder to the accompaniment of cash register bells. *************************. SKB is about to get the FDA of the USA to approve their drug Avandia , for the treatment of type 2 diabetes . This " blockbuster " that could reap sales of $1,000,000,000. The profits from that little effort could surely be used to help indigent profs. of oncology . !!!. In times of need we have to help each other. !!!. ****************. When motives are mixed logic suffers many fractures and contortions. It has now become obvious that micro organisms are in a state of constant flux and mutation . That the small pox virus which is in captivity will bear little semblance to a new outbreak if and when that may happen . That the various pox are constantly changing and never will take up a fixed form . When not under attack by vaccines and antibiotics they will stay fairly stable . So now the pharmaceutical industry is trying to push the production of stocks of vaccine -- taken from a store of obsolete virus - to protect !! against a presently non existent threat . Which if it does take place will laugh at the new but outdated vaccine. All in order to top up the turnover of an industry which has the benefit of the shareholder at heart . **************** . Sex being such a central marketing ploy Viagra should be selling like [ or better than ] hot cakes . However that spoilsport Dobson is refusing to hand it out indiscriminately . Despite a campaign to hand them out like Smarties , and increase the manufacturers turnover at the expense of the public purse , Dobbo is standing fairly firm . Rationing is here to stay !! . ************* , If what we are told is true then this site will soon have little or nothing to report . Radical changes in dealing with medical negligence claims will force hospitals to admit mistakes and hand over medical records pronto . The current payout is running at £300,000,000 per year and increasing at the rate of £100,000,000 per year . Imagining the suffering caused under the cover of these sums makes one cringe . " We want to put the culture of delay and secrecy behind us . That created confusion , fear and then anger in patients . Openness must be the best way forward . Watch this space - but don't hold your breath ! . ***********. The sort of thing that should be cleaned up under the new order is the case of 12 patients recalled for investigation and some 2,000 records being examined after ENT Consultant J . Upton - of Musgrove Park Hospital Somerset - had the whistle blown on him by colleagues . Mr. Upton hastily retired in March after an initial inquiry. Two London Consultants have been brought in to examine 21 cases that caused concern , nearly all of which involved chronic ear infections or salivary gland tumors . More cases of this type are in the pipeline we are told . We have long maintained that the NHS creates most of its customers . If you want to cut costs stop making people ill. ************* . Now that AIDS has killed the people most susceptible to its ravages , we are making some progress on a " so called Vaccine " . Made of fragments of DNA INSERTED INTO A POX VIRUS !! , monkeys have seemed to benefit. Wonder what the virus that has been treated in this fashion will make of it all -- and how will it mutate !! . Perhaps it will turn into a virulent form of smallpox . But despite the encouraging nature of the results it will be some years before a treatment is available for HIV. ****************. It may be that science has located the mechanism that allows microbes to evade the immune system and attack the body . It may be possible to operate a 'master switch ' on the microbe and render it harmless. It may be some years before a safe version is available for humans but they may be able to treat chicken to wipe out salmonella . The Deputy Director of the USA National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases had doubts , and we agree. ************. Hair today and gone tomorrow , as the old joke has it. But hair coming out by the handful can be due to anemia or an under active thyroid , but wildly proliferating hairiness can indicate hormonal problems or ovarian cysts . ************ . At the inquiry into the multiple baby deaths , it has been stated by the QC that the Dept. of Health , the Royal College of Surgeons and the Bristol Royal Infirmary were aware that " unwarranted deaths were happening " three years before anything was done. In that time AT LEAST FORTY FOUR OTHER BABIES DIED. !!!. *************** . An instance of the uniqueness of individuals comes to light on the obesity issue. It is now known that many differing genes affect how each one of us deals with fats . Some people can eat enormously and never suffer suffer raised blood pressure or sugar , have no joint problems or gall bladder disease. Perhaps medical science will now accept that we are all individual and need differing treatments but I doubt it . More likely is that they will try to synthesize the genes that help other people and inject them into fat people --- probably with horrifying consequences . ****************. Medicine is about profit - GP's who strike off patients who may eat up too great a proportion of their budget may be penalised. The Commons Public Admin. Committee said that there was enough evidence to suggest that patients were unfairly removed from lists " more than occasionally " , and recommended that doctors terms of service be amended. ***********. Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs are a class of drug that was developed when the full horror of steroids were realised . Now of course , the horror of NSAID's is being realised . Particularly the nasty effects they have on the GIT or gastro intestinal tract . Causing bleeding and ulcer [which bleed ] . An organised examination of the leaflets in the packaging of NSAID's shows that very few give details of the side effects . Although all have similar effects only Feldene [ which was notorious for problems in the '80's states " It does not cure arthritis and will help only as long as you continue to take it " . Acknowledging that it only deals with symptoms and not the underlying problem, This is the case with the majority of medication !!. ***************. Showing that humans and computers are closely allied is the development of a 'virtual human body ' , by US company Physiome Sciences. The project is aimed at understanding the Immune System , auto immune diseases such as arthritis . Wonder if they also , will come to the conclusion that problems of this type are due mainly to medication , But probably not , as they wish to " develop drugs " . ********. The ability of multinational companies to tweak events so that they get what they want are in the news. Poor old Dobbo has been taken to task by the high court for rationing Viagra !!. Pfizer are now considering suing the gov't for LOSS OF PROFITS !!!. The suffering of impotent men are a minor consideration here. " Mr Dobson believed he had found a way to distance politicians from the difficult decisions over what the NHS can and should afford by setting up the National Institute for Clinical Excellence." Nice try Frank - grasp the nettle by not grasping it !!. ************* . Somebody must have switched off the pagers of the BMA , they got out of line on another multinational issue. They were not listening to the message on GM foods. The doctors warned that it was far too early to be sure GM foods were safe and opposed rapid introduction of GM crops into the UK . Monsanto were highly displeased - " How much more regulation do the BMA want ? " they asked plaintively. But their ability to tweak events was soon shown as the Nuffield Council on Bioethics [ whose pagers were switched on ] pronounced that there were no grounds for a moratorium or ban on GM plantings . In fact that noted expert on Biology and Genetics , A. Ryan , a member of the Nuffield Council , said " GM crops were not intrinsically morally suspect ".!!!! He should know as he is a Moral Philosopher . How much moral consideration did he give to the fact that GM crops condemn the third world to even greater poverty as the seed corn [or rice] they normally save from the harvest to plant for next years crop - is sterile. They will have to buy new seed every tear from Agribusiness Industry - making that sector even more profitable as it creates poverty in order to benefit it's shareholders. THIS IS MORAL ??? !!! > ~********* . Someone else has probably been noted in the black book of the pharmaceutical industry is Dr R Daniel , the Medical Director of the Bristol Cancer Center . Who went on record as saying "But the truth is that even at it's best, cancer medicine is relatively impotent ". " Efforts to cut death rates by improving cancer medicine will have small impact ." " At least 70% of the cause of cancer is lifestyle related and preventable. It is wrong to throw more & more money at preventable disease . " If Dr Daniel ever applies for a research grant , he is likely to get a polite refusal. ************ . Once again we read that hospital is the place to go in order to get your free issue deadly virus. " Deadly virus passed on by Surgeon " is the headline . Aberdeen Royal Infirmary is trying to trace 126 patients operated on by a locum surgeon . The surgeon had infected a 68 yr old man during a coronary artery bypass op , with the deadly Hepatitis B virus. Since 1993 eight patients have been infected with Hepatitis B from surgeons. Fresh guidelines to protect from this , HIV & other infections are " expected shortly " . A great consolation to the infected !! . *********** . ================================================================================================
Apr '99 - You might think that in today's market orientated society . that money would give you the best possible health care. Wrong !!. With all this whistle blowing and compulsory checks on skill in the NHS it would seem that the last refuge for the below average medical surgeon is the private hospital !!!. NHS Private Wings and Private Hospitals are exempt from the planned Commission for Health Improvement , which will ensure that surgeons skills are up to date. Dr Bull said " This could mean that a general surgeon , challenged on his fitness to perform a breast cancer operation , could brush aside objections by threatening to take a privately insured case worth , £250,000 to another hospital. There is a weird circular justice in the fact that the wealthy will get the a lower grade of care and that due to the expensive drugs they get , will probably end up with a damaged immune system - leading to more need for health care. ****************** . If you are ill it is reasonable to expect that hospital is a good place to be. But not for 22 yr old Gary Sebborn , of Birmingham . Taken into hospital to be treated , for a chest infection , in an infectious disease ward . he was discharged as cured. One week later he was dead - of Malaria. The ward has been closed and fumigated !!. ************ Finally we are told that it is the immune system that is involved in " many hitherto unexplained inflammatory conditions , such as rheumatoid arthritis , MS , leprosy and graft rejection . " !!! What depresses and damages the immune system ?? . Antibiotics and too many vaccines !! . The mechanistic reason given for this is , tumor necrosis factor [ TNF ] . The overproduction of TNF is often due to overmedication . So now in order to correct a problem , which has been created by drugs , we are told that another drug is needed. Not just any old drug but baby deforming drug Thalidomide. You sell them the drugs that create a problem - and then you sell them more drugs to cure it. No wonder the pharmaceutical companies are worth billions. *************** , " The Swiss eradicate rabies " ! - want to bet that this is on a par with the eradication of gonorrhea, TB , smallpox ,cholera etc., etc. Will we never realise that we inhabit a dynamic symbiotic area of nature . That eradication can and does have dramatically unpleasant kickback effects .! ************ . Mention of which brings us to the statement by G. Bickler , Dir. of Public Health for East Sussex - regarding an outbreak of meningitis , " It is a particularly virulent type of the strain" It swept through a Brighton nursery killing a two year old girl and infecting two other children and their mothers. the treatment was to give vaccines and antibiotics !!! , Which is the best way of ensuring that the strain gets more and more virulent and kills even more people !!!!. **************** . The Malaysian Pig virus 'jumps' to humans, we are told. But the virus takes at least two forms. one is similar to the Hedra virus the other to encephalitis . Both are members of the Paramyxo family . Wouldn't you know it , this family also includes meningitis , mumps and myocarditis [heart disease ] It is also close to the Morbillivirus {Measles ] . Farming animals for profit is the source of many human problems. Chicken lead to Salmonella , cattle to BSE and virulent E,Coli , pigs to meningitis and encephalitis , It must be in the interest of humanity at large to modify this cruelty to the animal kingdom. - God knows what GM will do to the vegetable kingdom !!.********** . Late diagnosis and clinical incompetence led to the death of 11 [ and possibly more ] women from breast cancer. Dr's J . Brennan & G . Urquhart were criticised in a 1997 report by a body headed by Sir K. Calman , as operating " an island within the hospital " . Failure to provide " care reasonably expected of consultants involved in breast imaging " Health Sec'y Frank Dobson spoke of serious faults in the breast cancer screening program " . Dr Brennan , who resigned , issued a statement saying that he rejected the report !!!. Dr Urquhart has moved and is working " but not on breast work. So that makes 11 deaths o.k ? . ********** . AIDS , in the USA it has already killed the most susceptible , and we now have a cocktail drug cure - but expensive !. Guess who is making a good return to the shareholders . The manufacturers of the drug cocktail. But in Uganda no one can afford $600 per month , every month for 2,000,000 people. In all of sub Sahara some 24,000,000 are HIV positive. So what is really happening is a historical process. Bubonic plague in the middle ages , syphilis in the 15th cent. , TB in the 18/19th cent , flies in Egypt, rabbits in Australia , always there are at least 10% of the population that are naturally immune. It is estimated that 10 % of Africans are immune to AIDS. So people survive, flies survive , rabbits survive. Maybe there's a lesson here !!. *************. Market forces are a " right on thing" ? , well maybe . But NOT in my backyard. GP's worry that free NHS walk in clinics will spoil the remit of the PCG [ Primary Care Group ] . At the moment 25% of patients have to wait more than 4 days for an appointment. If the private walk in centers , which charge £36 a throw are busy , then the NHS version should be rushed off their feet !. ************ . BSE [or nvCJD ] is back in the news . French zoo's are reporting that monkeys and lemurs , in particular , are getting BSE --- BUT only those whose feed included animal protein from British Beef . The animals who were fed on a pure vegetable diet did NOT show any signs of BSE, or infection by the prion element . The work was carried out by N . Bons , a neurobiologist , of Montpellier Univ. & P Brown , Senior Research scientist , of the National Institute of Neurological Diseases in Maryland USA . ***********. At last !!! an acknowledgment that Orthodox Medicine [ NHS/ Allopathy ] simply cures symptoms - and NOT diseases or people . A new type of medicine is to be created !. Based on the research into the human genome. For many years the Alternative Therapies , such as acupuncture, homoeopathy , herbalism etc. , have been pointing to NHS/Allopathy , saying that these people only cure symptoms . A vast smoke screen was created " we are scientific - mumble-mumble - double blind trials, mumble-mumble , Now the truth is out - it was all a con trick , designed to mislead , until now - when we feel we might be getting somewhere . Of course the whole thing is being developed by the Commercial Drug Giants and the Computer Chip Makers who make the chips that analyse the DNA , which reveal that every person is an individual and so needs individual treatment [ a basis of Homoeopathy for the last 150 years ] , so you can bet that its final form will be designed to turn in a good deal for the shareholders - with a problematic benefit to the average punter. On the form of the past 50 years the benefit is pretty unlikely , but lets wait and see . *************** . Cross referencing to El Nino , global warming and the environment , the latest reports from the US Ocean & Atmosphere Labs in Seattle show how complex apparently simple things like Air & Water are. " When you start interfering with highly complex non-linear systems you don't understand " says Mike Hulme of the Univ of East Anglia " you are in danger of doing things that backfire on you . El Nino is one of the ways that it might backfire on us " . If we cant understand the complexity of Air & Water , how likely is it that we have ever understood the non-linear complexity of the human body , or that the latest developments quoted above are likely to " reveal all " !! . ************. Dept of Medicine is about Money -- If you are over 70 and likely to need medical care , then you'd better have a large bank account. Age Concern have high lighted the increasing trend for G.P's to remove patients over 70 from their register [ and bar them from free medical care !!! ] . A survey reveals that 10 % of the over 50's have noticed a change of attitude by their G.P since their 50th birthday and 5% have been refused treatment once past thier 65 th birthday. If you're heading for this age range - watch out !. *********** . When you most need them they are useless. What are ? . Painkillers !!. Pain can change the body's metabolism so that the gut does NOT absorb painkillers like ibuprofen , into the bloodstream - or absorbs it so slowly that it is ineffective . On top of that pain can so change the metabolism that other drugs and other diseases , or treatment interventions do not work . Could this be why some cancer treatments only make the problem worse ???. ***************. The poor old Lottery comes in for some stick !!. Specialist Stroke care a Lottery , read a headline. Pointing out that of 1,700 consultants that deal with strokes only 44 regard strokes as their 1st or 2nd speciality . 5 people die and 7 are disabled each and every day by strokes - yet the chance of getting expert care can vary from 40% to 70% . Stroke care is " little more than a postcode lottery " , *********** . " Patient Care " [ like military intelligence ] may be a contradiction in terms. According to an Audit Commission report. Last week a consultant obstetrician was struck off by the GMC after failing to check the position of the baby during a forceps delivery , and fracturing the baby's skull. He did not attend the hearing and is now PRACTICING IN SAUDI ARABIA !!!. Only 30% of Hospital Trusts check Locum's references and qualifications. About 33% of Trusts reported adverse events involving locums in the last year . 70% of locums qualified overseas and most found they could not get a full time job. " these Doctors will find it extreamly difficult to maintain their technical competence and knowledge " . This is not helped by the fact that on arrival at a new job " Less than 40% were told about their patients . Less than 60% were told who to contact for help !. ******************* . Another aspect of patient care was displayed when two recent child deaths shot into the news. Lexie McConnell , 9 year old out patient at the John Radcliffe Hospital , Oxford , had an eye infection [ disgnosed as toxiplasmosis -usually caught from cats and sorted out by the immune system before age 2 yrs ] . A new kind of triple therapy was used. A cocktail of steroids and two differing anti biotics was used , [ without any thought for the fact that cocktails of this sort were probably responsible for the Gulf War Syndrome ! ] . The combination created an AIDS like condition and so damaged the immune system that she caught chicken pox and died in weeks. It was later shown that she was given a 135% of the adult dose of steroids . --- Serious Professional Misconduct was charged against 3 Doctors from Rotherham District Hospital . Under their care Louise Wood , a 3lbs seven weeks old twin with a failing lung , was given a dose of morphine 100 time too great because a doctor got the decimal point in the wrong place - she died . The Coroner was scathing , " A long established Medical School produced a graduate incompetent in sub-GSE Maths. This was a sum that could have been done by schoolchildren without difficulty . " The Doctor's Senior had not spotted the mistake ! . But all three were cleared by the GMC . Would this be a case of expediency vs morality . **************** . Low gene expression - means that genes are autonomous , they say what they will , or will not do. When it looked as if they might have a cure for cystic fibrosis by using an adenovirus [ cold virus ] to carry new instructions to the lung tissue of cystic fibrosis patients - the effect only lasted a few days. Showing once again that we do not understand what we are doing, in the context of the whole body . But when the technique is used in heart heart surgery it can assist the body by giving directions to grow new blood vessels. Also when there is a less lethal condition it can be used by a simple hole in the chest wall to inject the gene and allow a weak heart to be reinforced in its capacity. Why , oh why , then does no one do any research into the whole body mechanisms at work here !! . *************** . Medicine is about Money , part the umteenth - Herbs have long tradition for curative effects , dating back to and beyond Culpepper in the 16th cent . One or two have been given the full double blind treatment and been shown more effective than synthetic but patentable drugs , which bring in great profit . Milk thistle [ listed in Culpepper ] and its constituent silymarin , gives " highly significant protection against tumor promotion " . Stinging nettle reduces pain and stiffness of arthritis , and elderberries " remove 90% of flu symptoms after 2 days ". In addition Hawthorn is good for heart problems , St John's Wort for depression , saw palmetto for swollen prostate . All of these have homoeopathic versions that have been proved effective . Crataegus [ hawthorn ] for arrhythmia , Sabal Ser [ saw palmetto ] for prostate problems , Hypericum { St John's Wort ] for depression and coccyx injury , and in the homoeopathic version there is no risk of side effects. But also there is no profit , so it will be ignored !! . ************* . In a study of stomach problems over 3 years of 10, 000 patients only 3% went to their GP , the rest suffered pain and diahrroea without going to the doctor. The causes were found to consist mainly of food poisoning and viral infection . Is the doctor now so feared , in terms of getting drugs with side effects that so many patients exhibit this distrust , Or is going to the doctor such a wind up that people can't be bothered - but buy a proprietary medication from the chemist ??? . **********. ================================================================================================ Mar '99 - Antibiotics - this site has been pointing out the dangers of antibiotics since 1975 - endorsing the statement by Dr K. Harvey , Director of Microbiology at the Royal Melbourne Hospital that " antibiotics are the refuge of the diagnostically destitute " . He made this statement as MRSA was sweeping through his hospital and BEFORE MRSA reached the U.K. !!. Now the the pharmaceutical giants such as Glaxo , Bayer , SKB etc. are very unhappy about low sales for a product that makes a fortune for them. Recently in Scandinavia they tried to get all teenagers tested and treated for Chlamydia using antibiotics. We took this approach to gonococcus in the 60's -- we would wipe out gonorrhea --- the result ?? -- the WHO recently declared gonorrhea OUT OF CONTROL. MRSA was a harmless throat infection [ staphylococcus ] - until indiscriminate use of antibiotics turned it into a monster. Now Azithromycin is being touted as a cure for clogged arteries - which MIGHT be caused by Chlamydia Pneumoniae . It does seem that the standard of scientific truth is now available to the highest bidder. Who is paying the bill for these trials ? . Some scientific body funded by the drug companies ?. The ruling criteria being CMB [ condition of my bank account ] . *************. After all the fuss about silicone breast implants, resulting in a rash of court cases , soybean oil implants are being withdrawn . Cases of swelling and inflammation [ at least 74 ] are reported . Concern that leaks " are not absorbed into blood vessels and removed from the body " have been raised. No one has so far asked if the soya bean oil contained GM products. ************* . Tinkering with the hormonal balances in the body is risky and at its worst in the HRT case can cause cancer [ BUT NO ONE KNOWS WHY } , Drug companies driven by the ' quick buck ' motive have synthesized insulin. Trouble with the product has been played down . Eli Lilly & Novo Nordisk deny any possibility that their drug could be responsible for problems. 3,000 letters of complaint have been sent to the British Diabetic Association , listing coma without warning, moody, confused, forgetful , aggressive results after the switch from animal to synthetic insulin. Only when a big uproar happens do drug companies take any notice . Did they also ignore these problems when the original research was done. Is this another case of buying the 'scientific ' results you want? . ************ . An instance of the way in which money can change the 'Science ' is the way that Dr. Pusztai was treated when Monsanto intervened in the affairs of the Rowatt Institute. Dr Pusztai was told to go ahead and give an interview to World In Action , on TV . When he said that the public was being used as 'guinea pigs ' . It was only a few days later when the excrement hit the fan , that Dr. Pusztai was sacked and condemned as muddled and incomplete researcher. After decades as a world renowned and respected figure !!!. Is it any wonder that the public distrusts science , drug companies & the medical field in general . *************** . We have a new panic as 28 people are hospital cases due to 0157 E.coli poisoning ,[ which in 1998 killed 21 people ]. Due we are told , to drinking 'raw' unpasturised milk. But one wonders , with all the back and forth from bovine and porcine animals if the production of Insulin FROM E.COLI may not have affected , or produced the virulent strain of E.coli ?.Too fantastic ? perhaps . ****************** . " Unintended injuries to patients , caused by doctors during treatment are far more common than was once believed. " says a Specialist Registrar , in the British Medical Journal . But courts rule that doctors are not obliged to admit or apologise for mistakes that result in injury!!. The GMC has changed its guidance in 'Good Medical Practice' - advising that a full and frank explanation and apology be given in every case. But the BMJ study shows that doctors are not ready to be so brutally honest. Wonder why ? Do Doctors only accept those rules that suit them ?. *********** . Bungled blood transfusions left nine patients DEAD and 178 ill last year - 197 patients were given incompatible blood. ********** . Lots of things getting bungled -- the bungled sale of Brompton Hospital cost the NHS £6.500,000. The development as luxury flats has put loadsa money in many pockets -- money plundered from the pockets of the public. Health comes a long way behind profit !!. *********** . BSE , more research is needed - the scientists want an increase on the £23,000,000 already given. considering the cost to beef exports [ probably over £i billion by now ] one wonders if the money saved as profit by the Agricultural Industry [ when they fed scrapie infected sheep to cattle , and caused the epidemic ] - was worth while???. ************. Doctors not only accept only rules that suit them - they also make their own up as they go along !!!. An inquiry is under way at North Staffordshire hospital into 128 cases of babies treated . Death was the lot of 28 , with a further 15 suffering permanent injury. All were used to test anew ventilator for premature babies. Consent forms signed by parents were described as misleading , hoodwinking and duping. The local MP said that " parents did not properly understand what was going on , and this needs looking at ." Was profit a cause of death ??. ***************** . The USA would rather experiment on UK subjects than its own people [ probably because litigation awards are lower over here !.] Genzyme Corp'n wants to use cells got from pig embryo's to transplant into the brains of Parkinson's sufferers to see if dopamine production can be boosted. The procedure is described as controversial in the USA - as pig virus may also be transmitted [ as AIDS was supposed to be got from monkeys ] . *************. The WHO puts the UK near the bottom of the European countries treating cancer. In doing so it points out that there is no fault on the diagnosis side . At the same time Prof. Cree of Univ. College London , is denied money to research how drugs affect individual tumors. He wishes to ensure that the NHS does not " waste money on highly toxic drugs that will do damage to the patient without affecting the tumor. Could these highly toxic [ and useless ] drugs be the reason that we in the UK are so bad at treating cancer ??. Anyone want to bet that the 'highly toxic drugs' are expensive and highly profitable to the producers ?. ************* . The human organism is highly resistant to learning -- in contrast to micro-organisms which can learn rapidly which shape [mutation ] to assume in order to evade the drug treatments devised by the human organism. Up to 30% of Americans , newly infected with HIV carry a form resistant to any of the 13 drug combinations that have been effective in recent times. 125 mutations have been tagged since 1992. As the Australian Prof. of Microbiology said in 1972 [20 YEARS AGO ] " the bugs are proving to be smarter than the people ". Is humanity so stupid it cannot devise a new line of thought ??. ************. T.B which has been traced back to dinosaur bones , is a 'smart bug ' by right of longevity. We are now warned that an "explosion of this micro organism is under way among cattle. How long before it jumps species , like BSE jumped - to become nvCJD , Current anti-TB drugs are useless , where do we go from here people ??, ********* . Meningitis leads to septicemia , where the blood leaks out of the veins and 'pools ' under the skin . Has anybody investigated the relationship of these phenomena to Ebbola virus - could they mutate to each other , are there similar mechanisms involved ??. **********. A DEFECTIVE GENE [ the 'mahogany ' mg gene ] in mice can allow people to eat up to 5 times the amount of fat normally consumed and suffer no ill effects. Investigations are under way . Point - if defective genes can be so beneficial why are we trying to eliminate so many of them . Come to think of it - how do you define a 'defective gene ??. ************. Litigation may be on the way to making doctors put their house in order, But when it fails who benefits ??. The cases of 127 women who were physically damaged by the routine radiation treatment after breast cancer operations have been a spectacular failure. Only 15 will get any money [£50/ 90,000 ] and those will lose about £30,000 in legal costs. The remainder will not only be physically damaged [ the worst has a useless arm that needs to be in splints- is also in permanent pain ! ] but financially damaged to the tune of up to £23,700. Justice may be alive and well -- but God knows where. Mind you the legal profession will benefit to the tune of some £3.000,000. !!!. ************* . The GM foods scandal has thrown up some interesting views of " science" . Prof. Chrispeels " These experiments could be interpreted in different ways " [ ? depending on who is paying for the work ?. ] . The embryologist L. Wolpert argued that " the practice of science was unnatural " and that scientific ideas often seemed to run against common sense . " Some sociologists argue that science is something humans invented and therefore has no more validity than any other belief system " . " Some scientists have been known to fake their findings , and some show an all-too-human tendency to dismiss the bad outcomes and highlight only the good results ." " Scientists are humans ; they make mistakes , cling to favorite ideas , hold loyalties AND SEE WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE !!!. As far as I can see that just about sums up science , *************. " Bodies should become public property at death ." Says Prof. J Harris of Manchester . " If we forfeited ownership of our bodies after death, the crisis for organs for transplants could be eased ." Tell that to the parents of the babies that were subjected to lethal carelessness in the Bristol scandal . These babies bodies were put to Medical use after death. Not a good advert for a " NHS which cares !". **************** . It took six years before Dr S . Bolsin's whistle blowing had any effect in the Bristol scandal. Now Dr A Cole Trust Medical Director , is saying " Some individual may have an element of blame , but by and large the system is at fault. " This man is astute. Systems are made up of individuals , who may be incompetent , corrupt , or psychologically maladjusted . If you blame the system then all the individuals are exonerated , [ it wasn't me guv , it was the system !! ] When legal claims for medical negligence rise by 15% EVERY YEAR , and a study of doctors performance found that 6% of CONSULTANTS were " guilty of conduct - including poor skills and sexual advances - serious enough to warrant disciplinary action. " Managers have voiced fears that they may not have the clout to tackle doctors head on over standards . S. Tyler , Deputy Director of the Institute of Health Service Management , argues that the existing rules are slow and cumbersome and there are no ways to " force doctors to retrain where their skills are not up to scratch. !!! . *************. Latest from New York [USA] tells us that 35,000,000 lbs of hot dogs have been recalled , by part of Sara Lee Foods after an outbreak of Listeria [ the one that grows in air conditioning tanks and refrigerators ] . 20 people died in the outbreak. The item mentions that " Full blown listeriosis can cause meningitis and encephalitis among vulnerable groups . " It mentions that the numbers of people with weakened immune systems is on the increase. ---- Questions === how can listeriosis turn into meningitis ??? , does it mutate inside the body ??? . Why are immune depleted people on the increase ???. Can it be due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics ???. ********** . Legionnaire's disease has culled 13 people in the Netherlands , north of Amsterdam - any bets that this is a mutation of an STD ??. ************ . Talking of mutation a new strain of 'japanese ' encephalitis has popped up in Malaysia. It has infected pigs in Negri Sembilan- where there is panic - as well as some of the largest pig farms in South East Asia. Want to bet that part of the intensive pig farming system calls for the use of antibiotics. That the indiscriminate use of antibiotics has created a new microbial monster - just as MRSA was created the same way , but in humans , in the 1970's. Will we ever learn ???. ********* . Jabs / injections -- The Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin has strong criticism for Hay Fever injections " While steroids taken by mouth last a limited time and patients can stop taking them if they suffer a bad reaction , injections such as triamcinolone are long lasting - You can't stop if there are side effects , steroid injections can cause glucose intolerance [ diabetic ?. ] , menstrual irregularity [ interference with the hormonal system ?? ] , increased susceptibility to infection [ depressing the immune system ] and in the long term osteoporosis ." Do we want to 'cure ' hay fever at this cost ??. *************** . Jabs / injections part 2 - Part of Doctor's income and the profits of the pharmaceutical giants [ such as Glaxo & SKB , etc. ] come from vaccines. Sensible parents have had doubts about vaccines for some time . There is an association for vaccine damaged children. At long last [ despite pressure from profit hungry pharmaceuticals ] some medical scientists are expressing doubts about current vaccination practices. The research at the Royal Free Hospital claimed links between vaccination and Crohn's disease [ IBS ] , and Autism setting in at the age of 18 MONTHS ! . The Japanese have no doubts , they have banned vaccination BEFORE the age of TWO years . An immune system is rudimentary prior to the age of 2. But still they try to pressure / panic parents into vaccination within weeks of birth . Will we never learn ? . *************. You are what you eat !. Monsanto [ our friends who genetically modify vegetables ] are now into a dispute with the Vets of Europe. The problem is the milk hormone BST { bad choice of name - bit too close to BSE ! ] . The Vets say that they are banning BST because it causes pain to cattle and can have knock on effects for humans. I suppose they have forgotten the scandal of hormones fed to chicken , which caused men to grow breasts . Perhaps they hope we have forgotten !!. Monsanto said it's product was safe - wonder if they had a financial bias !! . ************. The urine of pregnant women contains many things ! . But a new one recently added is its effectiveness against HIV. The proteins lysozyme and ribonuclease are the effective agents .********** . Enterovirus are smart little bugs. Found not only in athletic adults who drop dead of LVD [ left ventricular disease ] but also in respiratory tracts , Enterovirus 71 is also found in meningitis and encephalitis . It is also described as a " flu like virus " , shape shifters have nothing on the viral mutations ! . ********** . BUPA the epitome of shining white medical care , all done by the magic of insurance. You pay your premiums and you get the best possible care. Simple no nonsense stuff - so you would think . Reality is , as always a little different. The NHS also sends patients to private hospitals to reduce their waiting lists. Now 19 patients of the Brighton Healthcare Trust must be wondering why they placed their trust in the organization. They were sent to Gatwick Par BUPA hospital to have their cataracts treated by " an experienced opthalmic consultant " - who injected fluid that was " clearly labeled ' for external use only ' " - into the eye prior to the operation. Two thirds of the patients - all over 65 , have complained of cloudy vision . It will be up to 6 months before damage can be assessed - and it is probable that corneal grafts will be needed . ***************. The true horror of the Bristol Heart Surgeons continues to be drawn into the public sphere . One of the latest cases to emerge concerns one baby Sophie Plackett , who is now 10 yrs old and was the fifth case of truncus arteriosis that consultant J Dhasmana had operated on. The other four all died. Sophie was left , according to a neurologist , unable to see or hear, " she was spastic quadriplegic and epileptic " . Mrs. Plackett was told " There is nothing of the brain left except the stem . There is nothing that can be done for her , just take her home , " Sophie is counted as a SUCCESS - she lived for 30 days after the operation . By those standards one would not wish to be a success !!! . What weird and wonderful version of reality do these people inhabit ??? , !!! . === In another case 11 month old baby Mia Parsons , who had Downs Syndrome , was as much the victim of deception , as she was the victim of incompetence . Her father testified that " When I signed the consent form I believed I was doing the best thing for Mia . I maintain that my consent to this operation was obtained by giving me false information . This in my view is criminal . " He described the treatment he and his wife got after their daughters death as " inept , unfeeling and thoughtless. " === A further case was Verity Curnow , whose parents were told that the " only risk was from the anesthetics she would be given. " The surgeon J Dhasmana , told her father that " I am sorry , when I opened her up things weren't as I expected " . Mr Curnow knew he had not been told the truth when the medical notes revealed that her condition was such that she needed a heart/lung transplant . ===== At the inquiry it was revealed that hospital record keeping was " a shambles " " No definitive data was kept , by the Bristol Hospital , of the number of operations conducted. The case of baby Melissa Clarke , 11 months , who died six days after an operation , " revealed failings at many levels ". 48 hours after the op Melissa was starved of oxygen when her ventilator failed due to split tubing. Mrs Clarke said " They were telling us all through the week , she was fine when they knew there were very serious problems . " She was told everything was going to plan. But the following morning Dr Bolsin told her that Melissa was brain dead , ************* , To listen to the Imperial Cancer fund you might think that British cancer care was the best. When the WHO directive was issued 20 yrs ago the rest of Europe followed the guidelines and set up multi - disciplinary teams . Britain did NOT. Prof. McVeigh said that Doctors took the view that " cancer was something anyone could have a crack at ." In 1995 the CMO tried to rectify the situation. But this is " agonisingly slow " and effective treatment can be subject to the ' post code lottery ' . ******* . The NHS Net is fine as an ideal but reports show that the data base may well be subject to security risks. A list of 10 reasons to hack into the NHS NET are given. Ranging through ;- Blackmailers needing info on public figures to - drug companies needing info on the best sales prospects !!. ************ . For at least 15 years women have been having a breast removed , in the belief that it was cancerous . Then, devastatingly finding that they did not have cancer and it was all an error!! . 28 yr old Anita Froggatt is the latest , and is to sue Chesterfield & N. Derbyshire Royal Hospital . The pathologist who diagnosed the cancer is on leave , he was involved in a similar incident in 1998 . At least now the Minister says that this awful mistake makes him ill and is taking action to prevent a repeat . Time will tell how effective that action is . . *********** . While we may be able to control people who make mistakes , we are totally unable to control the mutations of micro bacteria. TB is mutating into a drug resistant state and is spreading through Russian jails very rapidly. " TB is on the increase in London because it is out of control across the world. " As TB was shown in dinosaur bones and predates humanity it is unlikely that we shall eradicate it.
Feb. '99 - Nurses , normally caring people , well deserving more
pay and consideration. But even here we get the odd rotten apple. A recent
report shows that in St Pancreas's geriatric unit Beech House , 13 geriatrics
were hit, abused , made to take cold showers , verbally bullied and made
to move at night without any reason. When manager and doctors threatened
to expose this scandal they were abused and told they would not be believed
because they were black!!. Happily the unit is now closed. ************.
The son of Mrs. Roberts flew home from Australia to attend his mothers
funeral. On arrival at Heathrow he was told that there was a mix-up and
that the dead Mrs Roberts was not his mother. *************** . A man from
Dayton , Ohio is suing his doctor and two clinics for apparently misdiagnosing
him as HIV positive and feeding him AZT and other potent drugs for a period
of six years. Both painful and expensive diagnostic error !!. *********
. Some cheering news - a scheme is being instituted to ensure that doctors
update their skills , particularly surgeons [ after the many surgical deaths
and injuries at Bristol ] . Only trouble is that it will be run by the
GMC . Bit like setting the fox to guard the chicken - still we must hope
that it works. Doctors who fail may be struck off, *************. "Shit-for-brains
" is a common expression , [ even heard on the telly ] , but a new development
which uses sertoli cells from testicles may help repair brains damaged
by strokes. This is because sertoli cells , due to their function in reproduction
do not provoke an immune rejection response. A good bit of work that goes
along with nature rather than defeating it. Also it may give rise to a
new "bolloks-for-brains " epithet that may be literal. .************* .
A public health emergency was declared in South Wales. Six people died
of meningitis and six schoolchildren are in hospital. " A new and aggressive
strain of meningitis is rampant. Doctors are handing out antibiotics ."
As it is recognized that the use of antibiotics simply makes any disease
organism mutate , mainly in the direction of increased virulence. Why are
doctors handing out antibiotics. Do they wish to make the outbreak more
virulent and more widespread ?. A program of immunization is being implemented
- to what end ?. Experience with the 'Flu vaccine has shown that its takes
months to prepare a vaccine of the current disease - - and that by the
time a correct vaccine is available the disease has moved on and mutated
again. Stop press; the doctors step up the battle against meningitis. Many
children will be vaccinated and some will die - always some will die .
Statistical investigations in the past have shown that comparisons between
vaccinated and unvaccinated , show that equivalent numbers are affected
by the disease but vaccinated people show slightly different symptom pictures.
The only people to profit are the people who supply vaccines. **********
. The Nurses disciplinary body is to be replaced with a larger organization
including a substantial lay member element. This is due to recent scandals
of maltreatment , allowing sex offenders to work after being debarred etc.,
This is in line with the Royal Colleges of Surgeons ; et al , reforms.
One could wish that the doctors would follow the nurses example and include
a large lay member element. But the male is noticeably recalcitrant in
following the female !. stop press " A strong challenge is posed by a group
of doctors opposed to the GMC's proposal to put quality control checks
on doctors work ,!! The doctors wish to keep self regulation , but its
only a short while ago they were dead against self regulation for Practitioners
of Alternative Therapies . !!! . Well they did it the GMC 's scheme is
a 'go' , but only after the government threatened that if the GMC didn't'
t put it's own house in order then the government would step in and do
it. ************* . Another cancer cell check recall. In Doncaster " thousands
of cell biopsies are being reviewed. 47 women are recalled for cancer checks
and a further 65 are being contacted. the pathologist responsible has resigned.
How can you be ' responsible ' and escape that responsibility by resigning.
If that is the case were you ever ' responsible ' ? . ************* . Mr
J . Thornton , a consultant gynecologist , says that cervical smears ,
ante natal tests and breast cancer screening should all be privatised and
paid for by the individual . Another proof if one were needed that medicine
is about money - not health. *************. A study in the Lancet shows
that young children who go to pre school nurseries and get common infections
[ coughs , colds, 'flu & diarrhea ] develop better and stronger immune
systems. Amazing how , after the expenditure of much time and money , science
struggles to arrive at the same conclusion as common sense. ***********
. Healthcare rationing -- Sir Michael Rawlins who chairs the National Institute
of Clinical Excellence [NICE } said " It is no good us recommending a therapy
if there is not the money available " . Many people are not happy about
this frank approach but it must be time to cut expenditure ; and in so
doing , implicitly acknowledge that much of the medical expenditure is
due to problems created by medicine.!!. ******** . A senior prison doctor
is accused of a catalogue of irresponsible decisions that led to the deaths
of three inmates of Brixton prison. Dr A. Alexander is facing charges of
gross professional misconduct before the GMC. ********** . French ex-PM
is on trial for implication in the Aids infected blood supplied to hemophiliacs.
Four health service officials are already serving prison sentences for
allowing the use of old stocks of infected blood while the Pasteur Institute
developed its own test , rather than accept American procedures , and blood.
Out of 2,500 registered hemophiliacs 1,348 were infected and 600 have since
died. Once again proof that money [ and possibly national pride ] is more
important than the health of the individual. **********. We seem to have
sunk to the moral basement level . How can we condemn Pinochet and the
China people who execute criminals and sell their organ on the open market.
When , it is now revealed , the horrific Bristol Baby Death Scandal has
for 16 years , been removing the organs of dead babies and using them .
It would be interesting to know if any have been used for transplants.
********** . Food is creating an impact on the health market. So many cases
of food poisoning , salmonella etc. have resulted in an uproar over genetically
modified foods [GM] . Which are all set to make a fortune for Monsanto
and other biotech companies. Once again it is shown that Mammon Rules -
ok!!, When millions have been invested in food production then BSE is swept
under the carpet - until a nation's health is under threat. Now GM foods
seem to be a major cause for concern. As with BSE we have reputable scientists
on both sides !!. If scientific truth is objective and infallible how can
this be ? . Presumably because pressure and money are weighing down on
the side that is profitable. An MP has claimed that GM foods have caused
37 deaths and 1,500 ailing consumers of these foods. A respected scientist
Dr Pusztai , with a world wide reputation , has condemned GM foods as deforming
internal organs and harming the immune system. Shortly after he issued
his findings and gave interviews - he was sacked !!. What pressures went
on behind the scenes ?.