As reported last September, food fortification with folate does pose some risks. Indeed I don't support fortification programs generally and I consider the folate programs to be a very bad idea. Why is this?

Essentially, folate food fortification involves the enrichment of denatured, highly refined, frequently poor quality and high risk (triggering allergies and sensitivities) grains. These flours are dangerous enough and should be completely avoided. This is an extremely unpopular position to take because grains marketing through Departments of Agriculture and 'scientific' associations has assumed a health-righteousness that supports an erroneous orthodox view that grains are essential sources of nutrient needs. Unpopular to be sure, but a position I stand by nevertheless.

Confession: I’ve always dried my clothes in a dryer. Even as a child, my family had a well-utilized laundry room with no outdoor clothesline in sight. There really was no excuse for this as we lived in a very temperate area of Northern California, where the summers are typically sunny and warm and the winters are quite mild. I think it really all boils down to laziness and lack of knowledge.

Recently I was faced with a serious laundry dillemma… our dryer ran out of gas and my two children and husband were simply running out of clean underwear and socks. While I waited on my husband to have the gas tank filled, I was pondering what to do about this situation when my lightbulb went on.

We are having an unseasonably warm and dry winter in Northern California and, although if we don’t see some rain soon, we will surely be facing drought conditions in the summer, I decided to use this Spring-like weather to our advantage and created a makeshift drying line that would hence dry our clothes.

For an entire week my children and I were forced to hang dry our clothing, which is precisely how long it took my husband to get the gas tank filled. But we enjoyed the experience so much that eventhough I now have my dryer back, I haven’t even been using it.

What did I learn in this eye-opening experience? Yes, it is more time and consuming. But it is really quite simple and there are so many positive reasons for drying your clothes outdoors on a line rather than in a dryer. I’ve done a bit of research and here is what I’ve discovered.

The average household will spend approximately $100 - $200 dollars per year on drying clothes in a dryer. Thus, using a clothesline saves money. It also saves a significant amount of energy and reduces pollution. Your clothesline-fresh wardrobe will smell better, feel more natural,  be wrinkle-free (no matter how long they hang out) and will actually last longer as well, since they are no longer being subjected to a harsh, hot and tumbling dryer.

Hanging your clothing outside also gives you a great opportunity to expend some your own energy, ie. get some exercise, and enjoy being outside soaking up some sun at the same time. In addition, it is an activity that you can enjoy with your  kids. I know my 4 and 7 year-olds had a great time helping me to hang our clothes out, then collecting them at the end of the day. We felt like a family in Little House on the Prairie! It has been a nice learning experience for the whole family and truly is worth the extra time and effort. So, unplug that dryer and Hang “Em Dry!

Many patients being treated for various cancers develop anemia. Aranesp is approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with anemia, which is caused by chemotherapy treatment of their malignant disease, rather than the underlying malignant disease itself. Essentially, it is a toxic drug which attempts to overcome some of the damage caused by other far more toxic drugs.

Amgen, the maker of Aranesp, conducted a large, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled study that showed Aranesp was ineffective in reducing red blood cell transfusions or fatigue in patients with cancer who have anemia that is not due to concurrent chemotherapy. The study also showed higher mortality in patients receiving Aranesp.

Safety-related drug labeling changes for November 2006 have just been posted on the MedWatch website. There is always quite a delay between making and notifying about the changes. There are probably some plausible reasons for this delay if you are sympathetic to bureaucratic thinking but I find it rather excessive.

The November 2006 posting includes 26 drug products with safety labeling changes to the BOXED WARNING, CONTRAINDICATIONS, WARNINGS, PRECAUTIONS, ADVERSE REACTIONS, and PATIENT PACKAGE INSERT/MEDICATION GUIDE sections.

The Summary page provides drug names and a listing of the sections changed and may be accessed via the following link. 

It seems that the US Food and Drug Abomination, oh sorry, Administration (FDA) has become upset by what it regards as misreporting by the wire services. No doubt the FDA would be made feel uncomfortable by its pill-pushing friends if it didn't clear this up. So we are treated to a fairly rare event: the FDA is clarifying the interpretation given to its actions.

The FDA released the following statement. It speaks for itself.

FDA Statement on Effectiveness of Newer Birth Control Pills

Recent wire service stories about today's meeting of the FDA Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee have created misperceptions about the effectiveness of newer generation hormonal contraceptives.