Dixon man on crusade for justice
By Timothy Van Zant
Staff writer
Sunday, December 15, 2002. Dixon, California

John Adams, the second president of the United States, once observed that
"facts are stubborn things," a proposition with which Dixon resident Dr.
Mohammed Al-Bayati, whose pioneering research of the toxicological roots of
the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has received international
attention, is in agreement.

"When I’m researching something, I only want to discover the facts," he
noted. Dr. Al-Bayati’s dedication has led to his involvement with a Florida
criminal case appeal, and to some startling discoveries about Shaken Baby
Syndrome (SBS) and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

In November of 1997, Alan Yurko, a two and a half month old baby, died just
three days after being admitted to Princeton Hospital in Florida. His
father, Alan R. Yurko, was subsequently arrested, tried, and convicted by a
jury in 1999, sentenced
to spend his life plus ten years in prison. During the course of the appeal
process, which is still underway, Dr. Al-Bayati became involved, utilizing
his toxicological and pathological expertise to examine the evidence upon
which Yurko’s conviction
was based, and what Al-Bayati discovered horrified him.

"They said they had examined the baby’s heart, but they didn’t, because it
had already been harvested for donation; they did not review the child’s
medical history, nor did they analyze the effects of the vaccines and
medications that were in the baby’s system,"he observed.

"They sent an innocent man to jail," he concluded. Dr. Al-Bayati is
particularly sensitive to misuse of power. He fled Iraq not long after
Saddam Hussein seized power, and several members of his family have been
murdered by thugs of the regime in Baghdad.

Dr. Al-Bayati began his investigation by pursuing what he contends the
medical examiner failed to do, determining the cause of death. His inquires
were based upon a scientific method as differential diagnosis. This process,
simply put, seeks to eliminate all other possible causes of a certain
reaction, by taking all the available evidence and known facts and going
through a process of elimination.

Dr. Al-Bayati determined that the baby’s death was vaccine-and-medication
induced; the reaction of the child’s system to an overload of drugs and
antibiotics. Of equal interest were the implications his discovery, the
product of approximately 250 hours of research, has for other SBS or SIDS
cases. "No one has looked at the toxicological effects that medications may
have on a segment of the population, and many cases labeled SIDS or SBS are
probably something else," he said.

Citing the Yurko case as an example, Dr. Al-Bayati noted how the child have
been given high doses of sodium bicarbonate and heparin, which cause cardiac
arrest and internal bleeding and produce symptoms similar to SBS. Dr.
Al-Bayati was promoted to explore the toxicological avenue not only because
that in his area of expertise, but also because the child did not develop
SBS-like symptoms until after he was admitted to the hospital, and was thus
separated from its parents.

Since Dr. Al-Bayati’s discovery of the toxicological causes of baby Yurko’s
death, literally hundreds of health-care professionals have enrolled in the
effort to free Alan Yurko, and are also exploring this previously overlooked
source of both SBS and SIDS. Dr. Al-Bayati in company with many other
professionals, is also involved in an effort to have the laws governing the
rules of evidence changed to make differential diagnosis the standard in all
court proceedings. "It is a process of elimination which only deals with
facts and can’t be manipulated," he stated.

  Dr. Al-Bayati’s crusade for justice and science has made national news,
most recently with the publication of his report by Nicholas Regush of ABC
News on the Redflagsweekly.com website.

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

>>  Saw a screening of a great small film called Evelyn the other day.
>>  Apparently United Artist is releasing it December 6th. If UA doesn’t
>>  fuck up the marketing this film will definitely get Oscar nominations.
>>  It had great acting and a very emotional script.
>>  http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=13118
>  With an RT rating of 72%, it is a decent to good movie. A few choice
>  quotes from the link that are more fun than yours:-

>  "The film is one of the year’s best."
>  – Tony Toscano, TALKING PICTURES

>  "The film is predictable in the reassuring manner of a beautifully
>  sung holiday carol."
>  – Philip Wuntch, DALLAS MORNING NEWS

>  "If the real-life story is genuinely inspirational, the movie stirs us
>  as well."
>  – Michael Wilmington, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

>  "This is a sincerely crafted picture that deserves to emerge from the
>  traffic jam of holiday movies."
>  – Richard Roeper, EBERT & ROEPER

>  "In a season of strenuously ambitious art, the laid-back modesty and
>  accessible charm of Evelyn is a welcome relief."
>  – Gary Thompson, PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS

>  "It’s that rare family movie — genuine and sweet without relying on
>  animation or dumb humor."
>  – Mary F. Pols, CONTRA COSTA TIMES

>  "An unabashedly schmaltzy and thoroughly enjoyable true story."> > — Steve  

   Rhodes, STEVE RHODES’ INTERNET REVIEWS

>  "Evelyn’s strong cast and surehanded direction make for a winning,
>  heartwarming yarn."
>  – Steven Rea, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

>  "Good-looking, well-acted and now and then shamelessly sentimental
>  paean to perseverance, spirit and Irish humor."
>  – John Anderson, NEWSDAY

>  "A shamelessly uplifting motion picture that attains its feel-good
>  status by forging a deep emotional connection between the undertrodden
>  protagonist and the audience."
>  – James Berardinelli, JAMES BERARDINELLI’S REELVIEWS

 RT Rating 73%
 http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Evelyn-1118893/

 Quote :- "Evelyn" Director Bruce Beresford presents the landmark case
 of Desmond Doyle (Pierce Brosnan), who in the early 1950s fought to
 regain custody of his children after his wife ran off. Brosnan digs
 deep to his Irish roots to create an earnest, matter-of-fact
 performance, and the film, despite its flaws, tugs masterfully at the
 heart. THE BOSTON GLOBE

As I am writing this my lips and mouth and even hands are
swelling after eating Costco Kirkland Signature brand Whole Fancy
Indian Cashews purchased in Mid-December 2002 at Costo in Eureka,
California. Exp. Date. May 15 03 2ZC. 40 oz. size.

For the last couple of days I’ve had a strange allergic reaction
to something. I’ve never been allergic to anything before and am
pretty healthy for a 50 something guy. Today the list of possible
culprits has got much shorter when after two hours of eating a
handful of Costco Kirkland signature brand Whole Fancy Indian
Cashews the hand that held the cashews is swelling so I can’t
quite close my fingers without extra effort and my bottom lip is
swelling to 2x size.

I’ve taken a couple of antihistamine, but I cannot afford to see a
doctor.

Only the cashews were out of the ordinary as far as food or
drink for me in the last couple of days. I looked up cashews
on the web and found that improperly roasted cashews carry
the same poisonous oil from the cashew shell as is found in
Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Mango Skin, and so on – Urushiol oil.

I called the FDA number at  301-443-1240 and was told that I had
to see a doctor first before I could report it at all since maybe
over the years I had suddenly developed an allergy solely to cashews.

The more local FDA line at 510-337-6741 was on an answering
machine. So that’s why I am writing this post in hopes it will
reach those whose allergic reaction might be much more serious,
and especially their kids before the Christmas feasts in a day
or so makes the warning moot.

Since the cashews themselves do taste a little "raw" compared to
roasted cashews I’ve had in airplanes and elsewhere, I think it a
strong possibility that the Costco Cashew product is underroasted
and people should be warned immediately before Christmas feasts
may expose a lot of Urushiol sensitive people to a possibly
life-threatening allergic reaction.

Costco could warn people since they have a complete record of who
bought their product because of their membership and checkout records,
but if the FDA won’t even *accept* a complaint, it seems the internet,
through this message, is the only way that I can alert other consumers
with kids about this possible problem.

http://members.rogers.com/ejan_services/

My DD is 26 mths now and has gone through two bad ear infections, one at 15
mths and the other at 23 mths, the latter including middle ear infection.

What do you suggest we do for her ear hygiene?

TIA

Lejla

Hi you all!

I was wondering whether anyone here has some more experience about
kids small for their age.

I remarried this summer and now have a 9th grade stepson (Trevor). I
also have a 5th grade daughter of my own (Kirsten). I especially worry
about my stepson. He really is exceptionnally tiny and thin for a 9th
grader. He’s only 4’3 tall and light as a feather. My 5th grade
daughter is 5’4 and strongly built. The difference between the two is
truely dramatic, both in size and strength. Kirsten may be tall for a
5th grader, but all her friends also tower over Trevor. He’d be the
smallest kid in her class!

His size is mainly due genetics I guess. His dad (my hubby now) is
half a head shorter than me and really thin (i beat him armwrestling).
His mom didnt even reach five feet.

I’ve also been thinking it would be good for Trevor to get some
muscles or take on some weight. However he hates any physical
activity. He rather plays computer or video games. So what do you
think? Do you have some ideas? It’s not that I expect or want michael
to become a big strong guy or so.

Can anyone relate to this?

Rare MMR Vaccine Reactions Often Due to Gelatin
Thu Dec 26,10:24 AM ET
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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Severe allergic reactions to the
measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine are rare, but when they occur they
may oftentimes be tied to the gelatin used in the vaccine, a US study
confirms.

Researchers found that out of a small number of people believed to have
suffered serious allergic reactions to the MMR vaccine, about one
quarter showed hypersensitivity to gelatin. Gelatin is used as a heat
stabilizer in the manufacture of a number of vaccines, the study authors
note in the December online issue of the journal Pediatrics.

In most cases, reactions to MMR vaccination are fairly mild and include
a rash or fever. Rarely, serious allergic reactions marked by symptoms
such as breathing problems, hives and rapid heartbeat occur. Immediate,
severe reactions have sometimes been attributed to egg allergy because
the MMR vaccine is cultured (grown) in chick embryo cells and may
contain bits of egg proteins. But research has indicated that most MMR
reactions are not associated with egg allergies.

Gelatin, on the other hand, has been implicated in vaccine reactions in
recent years. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news –
web sites) (CDC) advises that anyone who has ever had a life-threatening
allergic reaction to gelatin not get the MMR.

In the new study, a team led by Dr. Vitali Pool of the CDC in Atlanta,
Georgia looked at data from a national registry of adverse vaccine
reactions. Between 1991 and 1997, there were 168 "probable" or
"possible" serious allergic reactions to MMR vaccination. The
investigators were able to get blood samples from 22 of these people,
who ranged in age from 15 months to 33 years. They then compared the
samples with blood taken from 27 individuals with no history of serious
MMR reaction.

They found that 27% of those with MMR reactions had antibodies to
gelatin in their blood, indicating they were allergic. No one in the
other group had these antibodies, according to the report.

"Results from this study support the hypothesis that (allergic
reactions) after MMR vaccines can in some cases be attributable to
hypersensitivity to gelatin," Pool’s team writes.

They advise that anyone with a history of severe reaction to a
gelatin-containing vaccine be tested for antibodies to gelatin and other
potential allergens before getting another dose of any
gelatin-containing vaccine.

As for the roughly three quarters of MMR-reaction patients who did not
show sensitivity to gelatin, the cause of their reactions remains
unclear, according to the researchers. They call for more research to
unearth other causes of allergic reactions to vaccination.

SOURCE: Pediatrics 2002;110:e71.

"Anonymous via the Cypherpunks Tonga Remailer" <nob…@cypherpunks.to> wrote
in message news:15e8cbd31df83a6830a028162d0b7519@cypherpunks.to…

> The kids, I mean, not the lice. The lice are pretty well behaved and don’t
> take up much room. They can stay awhile if they want.

They also eat less.

–
CBI

Shots Cut Smallpox Deaths Even After Outbreak Start
Mon Dec 16, 5:26 PM ET
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By Merritt McKinney

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – For people wary of being vaccinated against
smallpox when the risk of an outbreak is unknown, a report on a smallpox
epidemic that ravaged Boston a century ago may be somewhat reassuring.

Among residents of the Massachusetts city who came down with smallpox in
1902, not surprisingly, those who had been vaccinated against the virus
were most likely to survive. But even people who had been vaccinated in
the middle of the epidemic were less likely to die from smallpox than
those who had not been immunized, according to a report in the December
17th issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Although study author Dr. Joel G. Breman said that smallpox "is
absolutely devastating to individuals and communities," the review of
the Boston epidemic shows that doctors are not powerless against the
disease even after an outbreak begins.

"Effective vaccination even after contact with a patient can prevent
disease and death," Breman, who is at the Fogarty International Center
at the National Institutes of Health (news – web sites) in Bethesda,
Maryland, said in an interview with Reuters Health.

He added that improvements in public health and advances in medications,
including antibiotics, would "assuredly decrease" the severe
complications and deaths that a smallpox outbreak would cause today. The
NIH scientist said he hopes the chances that the US will experience a
smallpox epidemic are "minuscule." But he added, "We’ve got to be prepared."

Most of today’s physicians only know smallpox from textbooks. Few have
ever treated a case of the infectious disease. For this reason, study of
previous epidemics, such as the one that sickened more than 1,500 people
and killed 270 in Boston from 1901 to 1903, may help prepare doctors for
a future outbreak.

Breman’s team reviewed the cases of 243 Boston residents who developed
smallpox in 1902. Not surprisingly, among people for whom survival
records were available, those who had been vaccinated against smallpox
were less likely to die from the disease. Two weeks after symptoms
began, 92% of vaccinated residents were still alive, compared with 73%
of unvaccinated people.

Vaccines are meant to keep people from developing a disease, so it might
seem odd that vaccinated people got sick at all. Vaccines are not
foolproof, though, especially those used a century ago. But in the
Boston epidemic, people who had been vaccinated were more likely to
develop a milder form of smallpox, which improved their odds of survival.

But vaccination did not have to be given well in advance to provide
benefits. Of people who came down with the disease within 3 weeks of
being vaccinated, "none of them died," Breman said. The lag between
infection with the smallpox virus and the start of symptoms–as long as
17 days–can give the vaccine enough time to prevent, or at least reduce
the severity of, symptoms, the NIH researcher explained.

SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine 2002;137:993-1000.

http://www.stratiawire.com/article.asp?id=771

Tuesday, December 17, 2002

TOM MACK BLOWS THE JOINT APART

DECEMBER 17. The public does not realize that medical conferences are
held almost every day of the year, somewhere in this world, and that
at these conferences there are mainstream professionals who, now and
then, spill a few important beans which are overlooked by the press.

Such a conference—on the smallpox situation— was held in Atlanta
on June 19 and 20 of 2002. The Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices heard a number of speakers, one of which was Dr. Tom Mack of
USC, who said about himself:

"My credentials include probably spending more time working up
[analyses of] population-based outbreaks of smallpox than virtually
anybody ever has."

Mack had a few VERY interesting things to say.

"Most important determinant to the eventual number of [smallpox] cases
is whether or not somebody gets put in the hospital. And everything
should be done to prevent that."

What? Well, Mack is simply making clear what everyone wants to deny:
the best place to spread an infection is the hospital. And since that
is so, why is there such a push to vaccinate hospital workers? The
push should be to keep smallpox cases out of the place altogether.
Doesn’t quite line up with the government picture of emergency
measures for smallpox containment.

"Unexposed [to the smallpox disease] community members have negligible
risk. There is a substantial risk from a vaccine…It is the single most
dangerous live vaccine."

"That protection [from the vaccine] will not be maintained. It will
gradually wane and we’ll have to do it [vaccination] again and again."
This from a mainstream doc who has some level of faith in the
protective value of the vaccine. He is painting a very grim
picture—people vaccinated again and again, thereby increasing many
times over the health danger of the vaccine.

"The informed consent that you would have to prepare to vaccinate
somebody in the public, if it’s honest, would have to say that dangers
would exceed the benefits." BOOM.

"If people are worried about endemic smallpox [long lingering or
permanent presence of the disease in the population], it disappeared
from this country not because of our mass herd immunity [derived from
the vaccine]. It disappeared because of our economic development. And
that’s why it disappeared from Europe and many other countries…[its
disappearance is] not from universal vaccination."

That’s a wow and a half. Mack is echoing several medical historians
who have pointed out that better and less crowded housing, better
nutrition, better sanitation are the real reasons for the
disappearance of smallpox—and a host of other diseases. But Mack is
not an historian. He’s a prominent USC doc who has worked inside
smallpox in several areas of the world.

Mack favors, by and large, containment of smallpox by isolating people
who have the disease.

But the US press has no stomach for protracted debates. I mean, why
not do a show on NBC where Mack and some government "expert" sit down
and square off and talk this out? Why not REALLY give both sides,
instead of only pretending to?

Would the public be interested? You bet.

Would the government be interested? Would the vaccine manufacturers be
interested? Ah, there is the rub.

No guts, no glory.

The TV networks have turned into complete mush, despite their
"hard-hitting pieces." They fold up and walk away with their tails
between their legs. They rationalize their position by saying they
don’t want to panic people, they want preserve and serve national
security, homeland security.

When HBO made its recent movie, Live From Baghdad, about CNN coverage
of the Gulf War, it failed to mention that CNN’s only real triumph was
transmitting live feed of lights showering the night-time sky. The
movie was about the valiant reporters who risked their lives to get
that feed of white lights in a green sky to the world.

It’s called a soap opera. Whereas journalism is supposed to be about
facts, and about where those facts lead.

Dr. Tom Mack had some real facts when he spoke in Atlanta last June.

Anybody out there have enough money to start a news channel? Want to
rip the lid off the networks? It’s a hell of a lot better bet than the
NASDAQ.