Water Fluoridation
'Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services, has said Trump will call for
an end to adding fluoride to public water supplies.
… Kennedy has claimed in the absence of conclusive evidence that water fluoridation at U.S. levels is associated with numerous health issues including cancer.'
But: 'The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called fluoridation of drinking water one of the nation's top 10 public health achievements
of the 20th century, noting that it effectively prevents tooth decay regardless of a person's socioeconomic status or access to care.'
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,
Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is well known for his anti-vaccine stance and dabbling in junk science. But ahead of his
potential confirmation, more details of his conspiracist views on Covid-19 have come to light - including the fact that Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit he
helped found, financed one of the most viral misinformation campaigns of the pandemic.
Whooping Cough
'Whooping cough cases across Australia have passed 40,000 in a year for the first time since recording began more than 30 years ago. To November 6,
there had been 41,013 cases confirmed across the country, passing the 38,748 cases recorded in 2011. … Dr Laurence Luu, Chancellor's Research Fellow and Lecturer
at University of Technology Sydney said low vaccination rates are a major concern amid the surge in cases. "While we do an incredible job protecting newborns
and infants, re-vaccination or 'booster' rates are alarmingly low," he said.'
Climate Change and Volcanoes
'A recent report from the Icelandic
Meteorological Office suggests that magma is building up underground near a volcano known as Askja, a mountain about the size of Mount St. Helens in Vatnajokull
National Park in Iceland's central highlands. Although volcanic eruptions are difficult to predict accurately, this indicates a high likelihood that Askja
may erupt in the near future. … Researchers funded by the Icelandic government believe that the rapid retreat of glaciers due to climate change is raising
the threat to their nation, and may foreshadow increased volcanic activity all over the world. As glacial ice melts, the downward pressure on Earth's thin outer crust
eases, causing the ground to rebound. That can cause the dynamic subterranean forces below volcanoes to produce increased quantities of magma, leading to more frequent
eruptions.'
Rogue Therapists
'High-profile figures from the world of politics, entertainment and mental health campaigners are calling on the Government to regulate psychotherapy in the wake of
The i Paper's investigation exposing
therapists who have been struck off but continue to see vulnerable patients. Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former spokesman and podcaster, comedian Ruby Wax and
TV medic Dr Ranj Singh have joined MPs from across Parliament to demand action after cases of therapists involved in the sexual exploitation of clients were unearthed by
i and discovered to still be working as therapists. Mr Campbell and Ms Wax, who both campaign on mental health issues, have called it "plain wrong" and "appalling"
that there are no regulations to stop those guilty of serious misconduct from continuing to see clients.'
Water Fluoridation
From Christopher Labos MD, MSc of McGill University: 'The City of Montreal contemplates stopping the West Island's water fluoridation program.
I will try to make the case that fluoride is good for dental health
and that it does not affect the brain development of young children.' Also see here on the website (pages 2-5)
Fluoridation and the Nazis.
Children Identifying as Cats
According to the Times, October 15: 'Russia is cracking down on children identifying as cats and other animals after a powerful ally of President
Putin said the trend was part of a western plot to turn people into slaves. The teenage subculture, known in Russian as "kvadrobing", has
made headlines in Russia, as well as in western countries. Schools in Britain and the United States have previously been forced to deny
fake reports that they provide litter boxes for children who come to lessons as cats. Vyacheslav Volodin, the Russian parliamentary chairman,
alleged that the trend had been instigated by Brussels and Washington as part of a "dehumanisation" project that aimed to turn people into
"silent puppets" without rights.' The same story was reported in
the Independent.
Longevity Claims
'Australian Dr Saul Newman from Oxford Institute of Population Ageing has been awarded an Ig Nobel Prize for
his work
debunking the idea that people in Okinawa, Japan, Sardinia in Italy and Greece live longer lives than average. These long-lived people we've
been taking "lifestyle tips from" are "mostly corpses," Newman told RNZ's Afternoons. … "I found out that at least 72 percent of the people
in Greece over the age of 100, thousands of people, they're all dead. "These numbers come from the people handing out the pensions, and
they've been handing out the pensions for 100-year-olds despite the fact that these people are dead. "It's extraordinary to have a ton
of science based off this, because, like, what are you going to conclude? Essentially it's nonsense." Okinawans, it is claimed, live
long healthy lives because of among other things, their love of veggies. "The Japanese government actually asked Okinawans since 1975
they've asked them about their nutrition, and they've always been dead last out of 47 regions of Japan. "They're always last in terms
of eating sweet potatoes, in terms of eating their veggies full stop. They're always last. None of this stuff stacks up." In all these
regions record keeping, the basis on which these longevity claims are made, was decidedly poor, he said. "It's wild. There were 230,000
people in Japan that were alive on paper and dead in reality - 230,000. It's incredible. Greece was roughly 8000." In fact, he said,
Okinawans were among the least healthy people in Japan.'
Evidence-based Policy
From Sense About Science: 'When Keir Starmer became PM in July, he was keen to signal a change in attitude to public accountability.
But as his government approaches its first 100 days, there is still no formal indication that ministers intend to follow the rules on
publishing the evidence behind policy decisions. Our director Tracey Brown
wrote to the Prime Minister
this week emphasising evidence transparency's crucial role to re-gain the public's trust. Politicians cannot expect us to trust them when
they obscure their data and reasoning. Evidence transparency is key to democracy, and we need to keep up the pressure on government to
deliver. But we can only do that with your support. … It's disappointing to see government miss opportunities to build public trust in
the integrity of policy decisions. Evidence transparency is simple to secure in practice - the rules already exist, and civil servants
are keen to implement best practice. What's missing is the political will to enforce them. … Our crowd-sourced
evidence transparency review
of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill found that it failed basic tests on evidencing claims and citing sources for data. We need to continue rating
major policy announcements on how well government follows the rules until all departments consistently show their workings.'
Alternative Medicine
'A new original research study by a team of HealthSense volunteers has found that virtually all practitioners of certain pseudoscientific therapies regulated by the
Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council are making claims on their websites that would breach advertising guidelines, including some that could mislead cancer
patients. Our citizen scientists used a specially-developed AI tool to scrutinise 725 UK websites promoting 12 different pseudoscientific practices, such as
reflexology, kinesiology and naturopathy, which are not based on robust science. They found the AI was as good as experienced human assessors at spotting
misinformation online, but much faster. 97% of the websites made misleading health claims, including some related to treating cancer.' The paper is published
in the online journal Royal Society Open Science and is freely available.
UFOs
'What Really Happened at
the Pentagon's Once-Hidden UFO Office? An office in the Pentagon investigated UFOs-and the paranormal-over a decade ago, segueing into a long saga leading
to Congressional hearings and breathless news stories today. But the real story looks more like former defense officials pushing their personal mythology,
rather than any cover-up of aliens.'
Menopause Supplements
From Australia: 'With a parliamentary inquiry into menopause expected to report shortly, experts are warning of a rise in ineffective and potentially harmful
menopause supplements. Susan Davis, head of the Women's Health Research Program at Monash University, said women are being targeted by "commercial interests".
She estimated that of the 1.6 million menopausal women in Australia, a third will have significant symptoms - and are therefore in the sights of a
multi-billion dollar global supplement industry peddling "natural alternatives" to hormone therapy.'
Mobile Phones and Cancer
'The objective of this review was to assess
the quality and strength of the evidence provided by human observational studies for a causal association between exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields
(RF-EMF) and risk of the most investigated neoplastic diseases.' Conclusions: 'Exposure to RF from mobile phone use likely does not increase the risk of brain cancer;
RF from broadcasting antennas or base stations likely does not increase the risk of childhood cancer; occupational exposure to RF may not increase the risk of
brain cancer.'
Vaccination
Americans'
faith in vaccines is fading, and it's corresponding with a rapid rise in some diseases. Oregon recently experienced its biggest measles outbreak in
five years: 30 cases, all among people who are not vaccinated. As of mid-August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed
219 measles cases in the United States, up from 59 last year-a 271% increase. According to a new poll from Gallup, the percentage of Americans who
say vaccinating their children is essential has dropped from 58% in 2019 to 40%.
Climate Change
The vast majority of climate policies fail to significantly reduce emissions.
The Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change in Berlin assessed the impact of 1500 climate policies between 1998 and 2022, covering 41
countries across six continents. Only 63 successful policy interventions with large effects were identified. However, the authors say that policymakers can learn
from these 63 effective cases.
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