Chemicals in Deodorant Cause Anaphylactic Shock
February 9, 2010
Natural News
By Ethan A. Huff
A British man who had never before had an allergic reaction in his life almost died on Christmas Day after using a popular deodorant spray called Lynx. After spraying himself with it, Darren Palmer began to develop an itchy rash that quickly developed into anaphylactic shock which left him unconscious.
Palmer indicated that he had used this brand of deodorant before without any problems, however the product that almost killed him was from a new line called “Fever” which may have had new, unknown chemicals in it that caused a severe reaction. After his initial reaction, Palmer immediately tried to take a shower to get the product off his body. When he realized that the reaction was only getting worse, he panicked and tried to get out of the shower but collapsed in the bathtub.
The spray caused Palmer’s throat and windpipe to swell, rendering him unable to breathe. According to paramedics, he would have died were it not for the quick response of his wife, Joanne, who immediately called for help upon discovering her husband unconscious.
The paramedics arrived in time to administer adrenaline and oxygen which helped Palmer to begin breathing again. He was rushed to the hospital where he eventually recovered, but experts have been unable to figure out exactly what triggered the reaction.
Interestingly, Palmer makes a living as a motorway maintenance worker where he deals with chemical sprays all the time. He explained to reporters that he had never had any sort of allergic reaction from the chemicals he works with nor with any food products.
Public health officials were also at a loss for providing any sort of explanation, indicating that it is rare for a person to suffer anaphylactic shock after spraying themselves with deodorant. Nevertheless, the armpits are a sensitive area where a quick reaction from an allergen is likely to have the worst effect.
Spokesmen from Lynx expressed regret about the situation, explaining that they plan to investigate the situation further. According to the company, Lynx’s “Fever” line of deodorants were tested more rigorously than all their other products.
Many spray deodorants are filled with potentially toxic substances, some of which can lead to cancer. Since these things are going to end up in your body, it is important to seek out brands that do not use toxic chemicals in their formulas and research all the ingredients before making a decision.
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New Medicine? Bee Stings
January 18, 2010
Orlando Sentinel
By Fernando Quintero
Reyah Carlson has been stung by bees more than 25,000 times. On purpose.
Carlson is a practitioner of apitherapy, a controversial form of alternative medicine that uses bee venom to treat everything from arthritis to multiple sclerosis. She will be a featured speaker at the 2010 North American Beekeepers Conference being held in Orlando today.
Carlson, who lives in Vermont, has traveled the world to spread the word about bee venom therapy. She has also appeared in National Geographic and on the Discovery Channel.
“Apitherapy is not a new form of alternative therapy. It has been used in other countries for centuries,” said Carlson, a.k.a “The Bee Lady.”
Carlson, who had been fascinated by bees since early childhood, said she first began using bee stings for her Lyme Disease after being introduced to the treatment by a man she met when she was working as a nursing assistant in Vermont.
“When you break down the chemical components of bee venom, you’ll find 40-something identifiable components,” said Carlson, 51.
They include mellitin, which some studies suggest blocks inflammation and has been shown to have anti-arthritic effects in mice, according to a 2009 report published by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
Carlson said bee venom can also bolster immunity and speed up the healing process.
“I don’t claim cures,” said Carlson. “In some cases, it’s ongoing treatment for life. For many diseases including (multiple sclerosis) and lupus, it’s a great way to keep things in check and under control. Drugs for these conditions have bad side effects for the liver and other parts of the body, that’s why I and many other people have turned to apitherapy as an alternative.”
While the benefits of bee venom remain uncertain, and little scientific research has been conducted – especially in the U.S. – the dangers are evident. About 2 percent of people have allergic reactions to bees and other stinging insects, and the dangers increase with the number of stings.
“A bee sting is always potentially serious,” said Malcolm T. Sanford, emeritus professor of entomology and nematology at the University of Florida, in a 2003 report for the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “The severity and duration of a reaction can vary from one person to another….However, depending on the location and the number of bee stings received, as well as the ever-present possibility of a severe allergic reaction to bee venom, a serious reaction can be precipitated that can be life-threatening.”
A number of Central Florida researchers and medical professionals contacted declined to comment on the potential benefits or hazards of apitherapy. Carlson is well aware of the controversy over her treatments.
“Reaction from the medical establishment has been two-sided,” said Carlson. “Physicians who are proactive with their patients are more accepting of apitherapy. At the same time, I have had doctors saying I’m going to kill somebody.”
Approximately 65,000 people in the United States use bee sting therapy, according to the American Apitherapy Society. Carlson advises anyone undergoing bee-venom therapy should always have a bee sting kit available. She keeps antihistamine on hand, as well as epinephrine, a drug that can be used if someone goes into anaphylactic shock.
Carlson said she gets lots of questions when she’s on the road promoting the benefits of bees. One of the most frequently asked questions: Is it always painful?
“A bee sting hurts. I do suggest and offer ice to numb the area prior to a sting,” she said. “It’s well worth the temporary pain.”
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Deaths in China After Flu Shot
November 16, 2009
TIME.com
By Alice Park
Chinese health officials reported on Nov. 13 the first deaths in people who received the H1N1 vaccine. The Ministry of Health announced that the two people, including a teacher from Hunan province, died hours after receiving their inoculations. Since September, when the ministry began its H1N1 immunization program, 12 million Chinese have received the pandemic flu shot.
A preliminary autopsy revealed that the teacher died of an apparent heart attack while playing basketball, and a ministry spokesperson told the China Daily newspaper that the death was a “coincidental medical incident” and not related to the vaccine. No details on the second victim have been released thus far. (See pictures: “Soccer in the Time of Swine Flu.”)
As they conduct an autopsy investigation into the second death, Chinese health officials have pulled all vaccines that were manufactured in the same batch used to inoculate the teacher. Although the H1N1 vaccine has been rigorously tested and vetted for safety, no inoculation can be considered 100% safe, and some may cause adverse events, including death, in some people.
Taking an aggressive approach to the pandemic flu, the Chinese government in June asked 11 biotech companies to develop a pandemic H1N1 vaccine. Beijing-based Sinovac succeeded in developing the world’s first approved swine flu shot. The company raced to conduct clinical trials and was the first to report that a single dose of vaccine, instead of the two doses that most flu experts believed would be necessary, was sufficient to protect against 2009 H1N1. In early September, China became the first country to begin swine flu inoculations.
But by the end of October, 54% of Chinese residents reported in a China Daily survey that they would not get the H1N1 vaccine because of concerns about the shot’s safety. That prompted the director of the World Health Organization’s Beijing office, Dr. Michael O’Leary, to tell the newspaper, “The H1N1 vaccine is one of the safest vaccines being used. When it’s available to me, I would not hesitate to get the vaccine developed and produced by China.” (Read “H1N1: Hitting the Young, Riskier for the Old.”)
Three vaccine manufacturers in China, including Sinovac, have received orders from the government for more than 34 million doses. Among the 12 million people inoculated so far, 1,235 have complained of side effects, ranging from sore arms, rashes and headaches to anaphylactic shock and sudden drops in blood pressure.
While the Chinese government has been criticized for its draconian public-health response to swine flu — using quarantines, canceling school and detaining entire planeloads of people when a single passenger appears to have flulike symptoms — the country’s officials say the strict measures helped stem the spread of flu. So far, China reports about 36 deaths and 62,800 H1N1 cases — compared with U.S. government estimates of 4,000 American deaths and 22 million infections. China plans to immunize 65 million citizens, or 5% of the country’s population, by the end of the year. As in the U.S., health officials are targeting high-priority groups first, including the military, police, health care workers, teachers, students and those with chronic diseases.
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H1N1 Vaccines Contain Cancer Causing Ingredients
October 2, 2009
VacTruth
By Dawn Crim
Most health experts will agree that vaccine reactions can occur. It is estimated that roughly 1 in every million people will react to their vaccine. Even then, health officials maintain that it is usually a simple case of inflammation at the injection site and/or a slight fever. On a rare occasion, anaphylactic shock may occur due to the patient reacting to a substance that they are allergic to.
However, the FDA recently approved four H1N1 vaccines that not only contain very questionable ingredients, but some of those ingredients have even been proven to cause cancer and death.
The FDA has awarded H1N1 contracts to the following companies: MedImmune, LLC, CSL Limited, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Limited, and Sanofi Pasteur. Their package inserts became public knowledge in recent weeks.
All four vaccines list hypersensitivity to eggs as a contraindication. This means that it is not advisable to administer any one of these products to a person suffering from a severe egg allergy or egg protein allergy. This contraindication may affect as many as 15 million people (based on a population of 300 million). While parents are instructed not to feed their infant eggs until 1 year of age, these same infants will be exposed to eggs by way of their H1N1 vaccine and/or seasonal flu vaccine beginning at 6 months of age.
CSL’s vaccine also lists hypersensitivity to chicken protein as a contraindication. “While most people who are sensitive to eggs can eat chicken, there is one protein that is present in both eggs and poultry — alpha-livetin, or chicken serum albumin — that can cause allergies to both foods.” It is unknown at this time how many people are allergic to the aforementioned proteins. Going into anaphylactic shock is a very real possibly if one were to receive an ingredient that he/she is allergic to.
Neomycin and polymyxin are listed as contraindications for CSL’s and Novartis’ vaccines. “Neomycin may cause damage to the kidneys and/or nerves. Kidney function and drug levels in the blood may be monitored with blood tests during treatment. Tell your doctor if you experience decreased urination, hearing loss, ringing in the ears, feeling of fullness in the ears, dizziness, numbness, skin tingling, muscle twitching, or seizures which may be signs of kidney or nerve damage.” According to Teva Pharmaceuticals, the effects of neomycin may not be evident until long after the medication has been discontinued. Just exactly how long is unclear at this time. Polymyxin has its own set of possible adverse reactions. “Neurotoxic reactions may be manifested by irritability, weakness, drowsiness, ataxia, perioral paresthesia, numbness of the extremities, and blurring of vision. These are usually associated with high serum levels found in patients with impaired renal function and/or nephrotoxicity.”
Gentamicin is listed as a contraindication for MedImmune’s vaccine. It too, has its own list of possible side effects, which may include nephrotoxicity and/or neurotoxicity.
Nephrotoxicity is when damage or injury occurs to the kidneys as a result of taking certain medications. This may include kidney failure. Neurotoxicity is when the damage involves the nerve tissue, such as paralysis or encephalitis (brain swelling).
A word of caution to parents is warranted here: several vaccine manufacturers list crying or high-pitched screaming for greater than 3 hours as a sign of a serious vaccine reaction. Though this same warning is not applicable to any one of these H1N1 vaccines, it is still a situation that a parent should be alert to. If your child is crying or screaming for a long period of time, it may be a sign of brain inflammation. You know your child better than anyone. If something doesn’t feel right, have your child evaluated immediately.
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