X-Message-Number: 17860
From: 
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 03:20:51 EST
Subject: DeadlyDoctors...

John Grigg, 

You posted the web address www.deaddoctors.com yesterday by Dr. Joel Wallach 
for his "American Longevity Colloidal Mineral Product," and asked what people 
think about it.  I had fairly recently replayed the cassette tape for the 
first time in three or four years after finding it while looking for 
something else.  I am not sure what to think about the necessity for 
colloidal-form minerals, but I was on it for about a year.  Some of his 
claims/solutions appear overly simplistic and perhaps exaggerated.  I will 
keep my eyes open for more on Cystic Fibrosis and Selenium. I am aware that a 
large branch office of the associated organization closed this year.  Could 
be that disease is basically understood/fixed, but I was thinking it was a 
genetic issue.  I will say this, I am not 100% trusting in the US medical 
establishment.  Wallach certainly slams them.  He just may be right.  One 
thing he may be right about is the various localized vitamin and mineral 
deficiencies in agricultural soil.  If so, this could be the explanation for 
the following article I read this year in North Carolina.  Note that folic 
acid and folate (as appears on the label of my vitamins, also at 400 mcg) 
appear to be functionally synonymous (e.g., one maybe the precursor for the 
other).

Regards,

DC Johnson

****************

Simple Pill Prevents Serious Birth Defects

(Fullerton Genetics to Promote Folic Acid's Benefits--Spring 2001)

Mission St. Joseph's Fullerton Genetics Center has been given a very 
important task--to educated the people of western North Carolina about the 
benefits of folic acid.  Studies show that folic acid, taken before 
pregnancy, can prevent neural tube defects by as much as 50 to 70 percent.  
Since most pregnancies are unplanned, women need to take folic acid every 
day.  Folic acid has also been shown to protect against colon cancer, heart 
disease and stroke.

What are neural tube defects?

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are a commonly occurring group of serious defects 
that affect the brain and spinal column.  

These conditions include;

* anencephaly, in which the brain does not develop

* spina bifida, in which the spinal column is not completely enclosed

* encephalocele, in which an open area occurs at the based of the head

*These conditions can lead to infant death or severe physical and 
neurological disabilities.

Neural tube defects and North Carolina:

North Carolina has the fourth highest rate of neural tube defects in the 
world.  Western North Carolina has one of the highest rates in the state.  
Every week in North Carolina, approximately four babies are born with 
NTD--only half survive.

Because of these high rates, the Fullerton Genetics Center has been given a 
$95,000 educational grant to develop a program promoting the benefits and 
importance of taking a folic acid supplement.  The Fullerton Genetics Center 
has also received a $50,000 grant, the first of its kind, from the state 
chapter of the March of Dimes.  This grant will be used to purchase and 
distribute a folic acid supplement of low-income women in western North 
Carolina.  Similar programs in South Carolina have reduced the rate of NTDs 
by more than 50 percent.

"The message we must get to the women of western North Carolina is simple," 
says program coordinator Linda Morgan, R.PH. "To prevent serious birth 
defects of the spinal cord, all women who could ever become pregnant should 
take 400 mcg (0.4 mg) of folic acid every day.  That's the amount of folic 
acid in most daily multivitamins.  It is almost impossible to get enough 
folic acid from folate-rich foods such as beans, green leafy vegetables and 
oranges."

The recommended amount of folic acid can also be obtained through folic acid 
tablets and certain fortified breakfast cereals such as Product 19, Total, 
Multi-Grain Cherrios Plus and Smart Start.

Learn more now:

For more information about folic acid and birth defects, contact Mission St. 
Joseph's Fullerton Genetics Center at 828-213-0022 or toll-free at 
888-210-2800, or the Pisgah division of the March of Dimes at 828-665-4031

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