FDA Warns Consumers of Serious Harm from Drinking Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS)

/PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to take Miracle Mineral Solution, an oral liquid solution also known as "Miracle Mineral Supplement" or "MMS." The product, when used as directed, produces an industrial bleach that can cause serious harm to health.

The FDA has received several reports of health injuries from consumers using this product, including severe nausea, vomiting, and life-threatening low blood pressure from dehydration.

Consumers who have MMS should stop using it immediately and throw it away.

MMS is distributed on Internet sites and online auctions by multiple independent distributors. Although the products share the MMS name, the look of the labeling may vary.

The product instructs consumers to mix the 28 percent sodium chlorite solution with an acid such as citrus juice. This mixture produces chlorine dioxide, a potent bleach used for stripping textiles and industrial water treatment. High oral doses of this bleach, such as those recommended in the labeling, can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and symptoms of severe dehydration.

MMS claims to treat multiple unrelated diseases, including HIV, hepatitis, the H1N1 flu virus, common colds, acne, cancer, and other conditions. The FDA is not aware of any research that MMS is effective in treating any of these conditions. MMS also poses a significant health risk to consumers who may choose to use this product for self-treatment instead of seeking FDA-approved treatments for these conditions.

The FDA continues to investigate and may pursue civil or criminal enforcement actions as appropriate to protect the public from this potentially dangerous product.

The FDA advises consumers who have experienced any negative side effects from MMS to consult a health care professional as soon as possible and to discard the product. Consumers and health care professionals should report adverse events to the FDA's MedWatch program at 800-FDA-1088 or online at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm.

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FDA Advisory: Avoid Unintentional Exposure of Children and Pets to Evamist

/PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning that inadvertent exposure to Evamist through skin contact with patients using this product has the potential for adverse effects in children and pets.

Evamist contains estradiol, an estrogen hormone, and is used in women to reduce hot flashes during menopause. The drug is sprayed on the skin between the elbow and wrist, on the inside of the forearm. The FDA currently is reviewing reports of adverse events in children and pets who were inadvertently exposed to this topical estrogen product.

"Women using Evamist need to be aware of the potential risks to children who come in contact with the area of skin where this drug is applied," said Julie Beitz, M.D., director of the FDA's Office of Drug Evaluation III. "It is important that people know to keep both children and pets away from the product to minimize exposure."

Evamist was FDA approved in 2007. From July 2007 to June 2010, FDA received eight post-marketing cases of unintended exposure to Evamist in children ages 3 years to 5 years. Adverse events reported in unintentionally exposed children include premature puberty, nipple swelling and breast development in females, and breast enlargement in males. Since 2007, two reports of secondary exposure to Evamist in dogs also have been received by FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. Pets exposed to Evamist may exhibit signs such as mammary/nipple enlargement and vulvar swelling.

Patients using Evamist should not allow children to make contact with the area of the arm where Evamist is sprayed and should wash the child's skin with soap and water as soon as possible if contact does occur. Pets also should not be allowed to lick or touch the arm where Evamist is sprayed as small pets may be especially sensitive to the estrogen in this product. If direct contact with the arm where Evamist was sprayed cannot be avoided, it is recommended that women wear a garment that covers the area where the drug was applied.

At this time, it is unknown whether unintended exposure can occur with other topical estrogen products. The FDA is continuing to review adverse event reports and evaluate ways to reduce unintended exposures to these products.

Consumers and health care professionals should report any side effects from Evamist by using the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program at www.fda.gov/MedWatch or by calling 800-332-1088.

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Eye Strain, Dry Eyes, Fatigue and Headaches Associated With Those Spending More Than Four Hours in Front of Digital Devices

/PRNewswire/ -- Eye strain, fatigue and headaches are common indicators that your digital devices - including computer monitors, smart phones and video games - might be causing you discomfort.

According to recent research with VSP Vision Care eye doctors, 33 percent reported that nearly one third or more of their patients suffer from symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome or digital device-related vision problems. The most common symptoms of patients suffering from Computer Vision Syndrome include eye strain (82 percent), dry or irritated eyes (74 percent), fatigue (70 percent) and headaches (61 percent). Yet, two in three eye doctors report 20 percent or fewer of their patients even know what Computer Vision Syndrome is, showing a low level of understanding of the condition.

Computer Vision Syndrome is a serious condition that can have a major impact on the well-being, work productivity and learning capacity. As six hours is the average time spent in front of a digital device, American workers alone are spending in excess of 200 billion hours a year in front of a digital screen.

"Computer Vision Syndrome is a major problem for Americans," said Dr. Nate Bonilla-Warford, VSP provider. "For professionals with this condition, work productivity can decrease by as much as 20 percent. We are seeing patients uncomfortable in the workplace with neck pain, headaches, eye strain, blurred vision, etc. that could easily be avoided. It's important for people to discuss their digital usage with their eye doctor and make sure they are getting annual eye exams."

VSP Vision Care recommends the following tips to help lessen the symptoms of computer-related eye strain:

1. Blink Often: When looking at a computer or hand-held digital device,
it's common for you to blink two to three times less than you normally
would. This can lead to "dry eye." Blinking bathes your eyes in
tears, and tears are naturally therapeutic for the eyes.
2. The 20/20/20 Rule: When spending long periods in front of a digital
device, every 20 minutes, spend 20 seconds looking at something 20 feet
away to allow your eyes to rest.
3. Ensure Proper Lighting: Poor lighting often causes eye strain. To help
ease the strain on your eyes, keep bright lighting overhead to a
minimum and position your desk lamp to shine on your desk, and not at
you. Position your computer screen in a way that reduces reflections
and glare from windows or overhead lights.


"Today, digital device eye strain is the number one computer-related complaint ahead of carpal-tunnel, neck and back pain," Dr. Bonilla-Warford continued. "Eye doctors are trained to help patients mitigate the symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome, and can even offer computer vision glasses, which are prescribed glasses that provide the optimal lens power for viewing your computer screen at the correct distance, without the need for excessive focusing or squinting."

For more information about computer-related vision problems visit the "My Eyes" tab at www.facebook.com/VSPVisionCare.

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Not Big Red, Too! Is the Economy to Blame?

How can it possibly be?  There I was at the local discount big box store in town with all my little treasures in hand when I thought I would grab a big pack of Wrigley's Big Red Chewing Gum at the checkout counter. 

And that is when life, just like the economy,  went tumbling downhill just like an Olympic downhill skier.

I checked five checkout displays.  Yes, five!  And not a one of them had Big Red.  There was a host of the newest flavors on the block, but not my beloved Big Red.  As I was moaning in the aisle, another customer asked if she could help me find the gum.  Soon, she was moaning, too.

Despair sank in as even the checkout girl was shocked not to find our beloved Big Red at the checkout display. 

Now I know that the Sammy's corporate folks have recently finished redecorating the store and they have lost lots of items that I love to purchase.  Catch the hint--  I'm spending more time at the other Big Box Discount store in town now.  But, how could they eliminate Big Red at the checkout display?

So, I ran to the other big box store to gather the items no longer found, thanks to the remodel at the first big box store.  And---  again, there was no Big Red at the checkout display!

Has the economy gotten so bad that people don't want to experience the fresh feel of Big Red as they pop the gum into their mouths?  Do the corporate types really think I want a strawberry mint gum or some other silly combination?

Who makes these decisions?  Is it a corporate deal or does the local manager decide which gum his/her customers want?  Come on, Big Red has been a top seller for Wrigley for YEARS, and it is the only gum I will consent to chew for a few minutes when I feel the need.

I haven't been able to bring myself to go back in the stores and look way down deep in the bowels, er, racks.  Nope, I've been on the edge of despair.

Oh, my Big Red.  Where can I find you at the checkout counter?  I miss you.  I need you.  My breath just isn't worth taking without that wonderful spicy cinammon flavor. 

Arrgghh.  I may even have to give up driving my car.

WMD: 'Lose Christianity or face expulsion'

A lawsuit against Augusta State University in Georgia alleges school officials essentially gave a graduate student in counseling the choice of giving up her Christian beliefs or being expelled from the graduate program. Read the latest now on WND.com.

10 Ways We Are Being Tracked, Traced, and Databased

Are technological advances infringing on our right to privacy?

The war on terror is a worldwide endeavor that has spurred massive investment into the global surveillance industry - which now seems to be becoming a war on "liberty and privacy." Given all of the new monitoring technology being implemented, the uproar over warrantless wiretaps now seems moot.

10 Ways We Are Being Tracked, Traced, and Databased

http://www.activistpost.com/2010/07/ten-ways-we-are-being-tracked-traced.html