In Ralph Moss's 12/02/07 column, Moss discusses a recent Vitamin D study that showed that high serum levels of vitamin D could protect participants from getting colon cancer, but not other cancers. It's unclear from Moss's article if MM was one of the other cancers followed in the study.
http://www.cancerdecisions.com:80/120207.html
In spite of the disappointing results of this study regarding other cancers, I plan to continue taking Vitamin D daily to strengthen my bones and to avoid colon cancer, too. I welcome comments from Vitamin D users - or from anyone who has anything to add.
Advisers Say F.D.A.’s Flaws Put Lives at Risk
WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 — The nation’s food supply is at risk, its drugs are potentially dangerous and its citizens’ lives are at stake because the Food and Drug Administration is desperately short of money and poorly organized, according to an alarming report by agency advisers.
The report, made public on Friday, is the latest and perhaps most far-reaching in a string of outside assessments that have concluded that the F.D.A. is poorly equipped to protect the public health.
It was written by three members of the F.D.A. Science Board, an advisory panel that reports directly to the agency’s commissioner, Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach. The three authors in turn had 30 scientific advisers.
The report concludes that over the last two decades, the agency’s public health responsibilities have soared while its appropriations have barely budged. The result is that the F.D.A. is falling farther and farther behind in carrying out its responsibilities and understanding the science it needs to do its many jobs.
“F.D.A.’s inability to keep up with scientific advances means that American lives are at risk,†the report stated.
Sandy Walsh of the F.D.A. said the agency “values the evaluation done by the subcommittee members and the scientific experts that were consulted†but would not comment further.
Barbara J. McNeil, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School and one of the report’s authors, said she was stunned at the agency’s sorry state.
“This was the first time that a group of people got together and really looked at all the areas that the F.D.A. has to cover,†Dr. McNeil said. “We were shocked at the scope of its responsibilities, we were shocked at how little its resources have increased, and we were surprised at the conditions those in the F.D.A. had to work under.â€
The report notes that the agency’s computer systems are aging and prone to breakdowns, “most recently during an E. coli food contamination investigation.â€
“Reports of product dangers are not rapidly compared and analyzed, inspectors’ reports are still handwritten and slow to work their way through the compliance system, and the system for managing imported products cannot communicate with customs and other government systems,†the report stated.
The agency often misses significant product arrivals because its computers are so poor that they cannot distinguish between shipments of road salt and those of table salt, the report said.
The Institute of Medicine, the nation’s most prestigious scientific advisory organization, concluded last year that the agency’s system for ensuring the safety of drugs needed an overhaul. Recent legislation enacted some of the institute’s recommendations.
More hearings regarding the F.D.A.’s oversight of food are in the offing, including one in the Senate on Tuesday. The report concluded that the “F.D.A.’s ability to provide its basic food system inspection, enforcement and rule-making functions is severely eroded, as is its ability to respond to outbreaks in a timely manner.â€
Garret A. FitzGerald, a pharmacologist from the University of Pennsylvania and adviser to the authors, said the report was raising an alarm because “this is a crisis.†Dr. FitzGerald pointed to a series of food and drug scares that have demonstrated how little oversight the F.D.A. provides.
He blamed a “cabal of Congressional majorities and presidential administrations that has serially stripped the agency of assets.â€
This seems like a good time to contact congressional representatives to ensure that the FDA is adequately funded. This funding will have to come from a veto-proof majority. This article explains to me now how the FDA allowed genetically modified foods to change the face of US agriculture and, quite possibly, our health, since no formal studies on GMOs were ever done.
Cathy-
My take on Ralph Moss' comments were less about the health benefits of vit D (my mind is already made up about that) and more about the general media's negative bias against nutritional cancer therapies.
The archives talk about many health benefits to vit D supplementation. Some well documented, some less.Â
About six months ago, Margaret took on the Acor listserv regarding a study of vitamin supplementation and prostate cancer. Margaret went to the trouble of reading the actual study. Margaret carefully pointed out many positives to vit supplementation for prostate cancer survivors. Many on the acor list vehemently disagreed with her based on the media view of the very same study. Ralph Moss esstentially says the same thing. DavidÂ
"But most news outlets that I saw emphasized the negative aspect of the findings, that vitamin D, as one put it, was no "magic bullet" for cancer (as if anyone said it was). Here are some of the headlines of stories that were published hours after the news of the study first broke:
David,
Your point is well taken. To me, the results of the Viamin D study were the "news" in Moss' newsletter. In the past, Moss has pointed out in his newsletter the shortcomings of mainstream medicine for its lack of interest in complementary and alternative medicine. I think Moss has now extended that belief to the news media by highlighting the vitamin D headlines. In my opinion, news reports these days are often difficult to believe. On page two will be an article outlining the benefits of a particular therapy, and on page 10 there will be another article debunking the effectiveness of the same therapy. The headlines Moss included are one more example of the negative approach to news that most media organizations follow today. I thought that interested readers could read about the negative headlines themselves. But, I agree with you that readers should know that the media often exhibits a negative bias toward alternative therapies, and the headlines in Moss's newsletter clearly illustrate that.
Cathy-
I would think that the "liberal bias" of the news media would mean that they would be pro nutritional/supplementation- but as Ralph Moss points out this is not the case. Â
The unfortunate thing for b-m.org is that I find myself trying to push against this bias. In other words, I find myself documenting pro complimentary facts repeatedly just to make sure. David
Cathy wrote:Â
"In my opinion, news reports these days are often difficult to believe. On page two will be an article outlining the benefits of a particular therapy, and on page 10 there will be another article debunking the effectiveness of the same therapy. The headlines Moss included are one more example of the negative approach to news that most media organizations follow today. I thought that interested readers could read about the negative headlines themselves. But, I agree with you that readers should know that the media often exhibits a negative bias toward alternative therapies, and the headlines in Moss's newsletter clearly illustrate that. By Cathy "
Linda M - Houston
I am not sure if the "news media" is biased or will just print/broadcast whatever they think will sell. It amounts to the same thing, I think. I just always try to remember they are trying to sell their product. In printing conflicting reports, maybe they are trying to appeal to a broader population. Just my opinion. I believe we have gotten way off base these days.  Â
Hi everyone! Interesting post, Cathy. I get the Moss newsletter, too, but hadn't read it yet.
As David mentioned, I actually read the entire prostate cancer-multivitamin study, and it was so full of holes that it looked more like an enormous colander than a scientific study. I wrote about it to the acor listserv, and also posted my point-by-point refutation on my blog. If you would like to read it, go to my blog and look at the list on the right-hand side. It's there, under the title "Prostate Cancer and Multivitamins Study," of course.Â
Perhaps I should take a look at this vit D study, too! Wanna bet it's full of holes, too? ;-)
Margaret. Florence, Italy. Blog URL: http://margaret.healthblo...
Hi Margaret and List.
I'll look at the Prostate cancer-multivitamin information on your blog this week. Thanks for mentioning it. I was surprised that Moss didn't pick apart the vitamin D study as he has with other studies in the past. Maybe he's saving that for another time. Let's hope you find lots of holes in the study, if you decide to take a look at it. I'm "under water" right now and don't have time to look into this thoroughly myself.Â
Hi all -- about the vitamin D. My Onc recently sent me to a rheumatologist since I had some symptoms he could not sort out. Turns out I did actually have Lupus all along. The Rheu. also said I was Vitamin D deficient. I'm now taking weekly dose, Rx. I've found a few studies that link Lupus to plasma cell cancers. Don't know enough to post much more than this.Â
Istrianka-
 "I've found a few studies that link Lupus to plasma cell cancers"
Like a possible link between celiac disease and mm, I would like to research a possible link between lupus and plasma cell cancers. Any specifics that you can relay will be appreciated. DavidÂ
Hi David --
 I've got a lot of these Lupus-MM link pages bookmarked. The Holidays are my ultra-busy time work-wise but when they pass, I'll get back to the research and more posting. Also, the Amer Society of Haematology is holding their annual seminar in Seattle this February and I hope to attend a few lectures.  Â
Istrianka-Â
You hope to attend the ASM meetings? Yes, anything you think we would be interested in, by all means.
I think that it was Terry who commented on the possible link between mm and celiac disese- that it may not be one "causing" the other but that they each indicate a problem with one's immune system (did I get this right, Terry?). In any case, I think that this sort of information, whatever the cause/effect is useful information to the list. Thank you in advance.
DavidÂ
Celiac is an immune disease, where the body confuses peptides containing three or more glutamines in sequence (all grains except corn have a protein fraction with three glutamines in a row) with either a foreign invader or a naturally occuring human peptide that doesn't naturally exist at these levels and throws the gastrointestinal system into a tail spin. As damage occurs to the gastrointestinal tract, other wonderful things occur, ulcers, etc. that produce their own inflammatory cytokines, that just cause things to get worse and more complicated.
The latest that I have just read on MM is that those who develop MM have a genetic defect that doesn't allow the body to dispose of things like chlorinated hydrocarbons. These chlorinated hydrocarbons eventually build up and cause their own genetic defects that produce the multiple copies of worthless IgG, IgA, etc.
Is celiac disease and MM related? Probably only through less than perfect immune systems in my opinion.
Terry
Terry,
 Interesting comment about chlorinated hydrocarbons like pesticides and PCBs that promote genetic defects in MM patients. I've mentioned before that I'm gluten-intolerant. I'm also chemically sensitive. Both add up to a weakened immune system. As soon as I was diagnosed with MM, I had a genetic test done to see what kinds of pharmaceuticals I would not be able to detoxify. I knew from taking a few drugs that I had difficulty detoxifying even small amounts of some drugs. Although the test was limited in scope, it did tell me to avoid cigarette smoke, charbroiled foods, pesticides and car exhaust. It also said that I couldn't process Coumadin and to be sure that I never had more than 0.5 mg. When I tried taking just 0.25 mg. a few months ago, it was a big problem, and I stopped immediately. I've since learned that about 20% of the population has the same response to Coumadin as I do. Doctors are now requiring genetic tests for patients who are about to take Coumadin to see if they can tolerate it. Patients in this category can bleed to death if given more than they can tolerate. I've strayed a bit from the topic at hand, but I wanted to mention the benefit of having a genetic test done, and the importance of knowing one's tolerance of Coumadin, since so many MMer's take it now, or may in the future.
Terry, Istrianka and Carol-
I'm just trying to get a sense of the overal picture here-Â
So mm may be linked both to celiac disease and lupus because mm is an immune system disorder-
Carol is referring to sensitivity or difficulty detoxifying certain chemicals especially coumadin-
Terry has referred to avoiding grapefruit juice as it disables the bodies inability to detoxify certain chemicals.Â
And there is genetic testing that can identify some of these problems? Carol or anyone else, can you specify particular tests that identify some of these problems? DavidÂ
"The latest that I have just read on MM is that those who develop MM have a genetic defect that doesn't allow the body to dispose of things like chlorinated hydrocarbons. These chlorinated hydrocarbons eventually build up and cause their own genetic defects that produce the multiple copies of worthless IgG, IgA, etc."
Yes David, a clinical presentation of malignant mm to be exact. Every little bit of information helps. No, I'm not a member.
I just ran across yet another Vit D/lack of sunlight/cancer link on the BBC website. Here's that link if you're intersted.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/h...
So many theories and ideas of my own -- but up at 6 with the kids and then back to work... Looking forward to a long holiday and sharing more!
S.
Istrianka-
Thanks for the link-
"I just ran across yet another Vit D/lack of sunlight/cancer link on the BBC website. Here's that link if you're intersted."
[external link]
I was talking to one of the researchers for b-m.org topics about a study that talked about the anti-cancer effects of Milk Thistle- it seemed to me that there are several supplements out there that fight cancer- vit D, curcumin, fish oil, general antioxidants, and others that are safe, well toleratied, generally health promotiing- that survivors should build these into our daily regimen. JMO- David
He said vitamin D stimulated the release of chemicals which, in combination with calcium, formed a glue-like substance which bind these cells tightly together, and put a brake on their division.
There was also evidence that vitamin D may also slow the progress of cancer once it develops.
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