Dr Northrup has deliberately
lied about FDA research and continues to harm her clients
by refusing to concede her errors, even when they damage her
own health. We almost named this section "Hoist With
her own Petard".
The extracts below are from
the newsletter of Dr Stephen Byrnes of http://www.powerhealth.net
which is available free on application via that site Health
Problems of Soy Advocates. Two of the biggest advocates
of soy are American MD Christiane Northrup and Australian
naturopath Nancy Beckham. The latter, in particular,
has been at the forefront of opposition to the anti-soy articles
authored by Sally Fallon, MA, and Mary Enig, PhD, with several
long letters published in the alternative medical journal
the Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients.
Well, it has come to light
recently that both Dr. Northrup and Ms. Beckham, despite their
heavy use of soy, are suffering from health problems which
can be related to excessive soy intake: hypothyroidism and
osteoporosis. We find this amusing for two reasons:
(1) Because Northrup denies
that soy has anything to do with hypothyroidism, despite the
clear evidence to the contrary, and continues her soy preparation
every day.
(2) Beckham panned the idea
that soy contributed to osteoporosis because she used soy
milk in her "successful treatment" protocols for
osteoporosis in her clinic.
On September18, 2001, I printed
out some Q&As from Christiane Northrup's site
http://www.drnorthrup.com/soy_responses.htm.
Here are a few excerpts from
the section on THYROID CONCERNS
"Multiple HUMAN
studies published in 1999 and 2000 have shown that soy protein
does not harm thyroid function..."
"The FDA rejected
earlier claims that soy adversely affected the thyroid due
to lack of evidence. Most importantly, in Asian countries
where consumption of soy is 10 to 100 times higher than in
America, no higher occurrence occurs. And in the tens of thousands
of women who use Revival, the type of high dose soy protein
drink I use daily, there has rarely been a problem..."
"Hundreds of human
studies have shown soy's benefits to menopause, endometrial,
breast heart and bone health. Hypothyroidism has not been
a concern..."
"Animal studies
have shown that soy may actually increase thyroid hormones
slightly, which could help reduce cholesterol levels...."
"On a personal
note, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism during perimenopause,
after I was already taking Revival soy. My blood tests returned
to normal when I began taking low dose thyroid replacement.
I monitor my blood levels and dose of thyroid just as any
doctor normally would. Just in case there's an absorption
problem, take my Revival in the morning and my thyroid hormone
at noon. It's that simple."
For another news item on Dr.
Northrup, be sure to read "A Belated Discovery"
by Mary Cupp at
http://www.powerhealth.net/archiveFeb2001.htm.
Nancy Beckham's shocking revelation
appeared in the July 2002 issue of Vitamin Research News,
published by the supplement company Vitamin Research Products
http://www.vrp.com. The newsletter
has a question and answer section where customers can ask
Dr. Ward Dean, MD, questions about VRP's products in relation
to health. Ms. Beckham's question went like this:
Xylitol and
Osteoporosis
Dear Dr. Dean,
I am a naturopath practicing
in Sydney, Australia. I have been treating osteoporosis for
almost ten years with various supplements and varying degrees
of success. My observation has been that weak gums/teeth seem
to be correlated to osteoporosis-- including myself! I was
most interested in your article in the Townsend Letter for
Doctors and Patients (and papers in Medline) on Xylitol.
Have you "guessed"
a dose that might be therapeutic in humans with osteoporosis?
I have done enough studies to be able to give some other supplementation
and to be able to compare cases with, say, six other similar
patients.
I am interested in
buying some powder for human testing and would like to know
the cost please--assuming I buy enough in bulk for, say, 6
patients for one year. (I get bone mineral density scans done
before and after; and could also get a dentist to monitor
gums/teeth in the "test subjects."
Regards, N. Beckham
This question (and Dr. Dean's
answer) will most likely be indexed on VRP's website so you
can check it out for yourself. Unfortunately, the site does
not appear to index past newsletters, only sections thereof
in different areas of the site. I have a hard copy, though,
to prove that Ms. Beckham did, indeed, write the letter.
For a thorough discussion of
the pros and cons of soy foods, be sure to peruse the Soy
Alert section of http://www.westonaprice.org.
Then there is the extremely
sad and heartbreaking affair of the Seventh Day Adventist
mother and father who were both jailed in June 2002 for allowing
their baby son to die of vitamin B 12 deficiency (Read their
story
Here and
Here). Yet it has been known to experts for decades that
soy consumption can cause Vitamin B12 deficiency.
Sanitarium Health Food Company
is a fanatical promoter of soy products, and has used the
cash it gleans from its tax-exempt status for blanket advertising
in Australia and New Zealand. But it does not reveal as openly
that the huge media promotions of soy milk for cholesterol-lowering
earned it over 150 criminal charges under the New Zealand
Fair Trading Act. See the Deed
of Settlement that kept those charges out of Court. Now
see the current claims on
Sanitarium's Website Here.
Is this honest? Or is it Contempt
of Court and a breach of a solemnly sworn Deed? You decide!
Was tot's vegan diet criminal?
Parents' trial set to start
New York Daily News; New York, N.Y.; Mar 10, 2003; SCOTT SHIFREL
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER;
"[Silva Swinton] did everything for this child,"
said her attorney, Christopher Shella. "She used cloth
diapers and washed them every day. She ground her own soy
formula." Resembled a newborn The Queens Village couple,
both 32, are charged with first-degree assault and could face
25 years in prison. Silva Swinton is free on $20,000 bail,
[Joseph Swinton] is in jail on the...
Severe nutritional deficiencies
in toddlers resulting from health food milk alternatives.
Carvalho NF, Kenney RD, Carrington
PH, Hall DE. Pediatrics. 2001 Apr;107(4):E45.
It is widely appreciated that
health food beverages are not appropriate for infants. Because
of continued growth, children beyond infancy remain susceptible
to nutritional disorders. We report on 2 cases of severe nutritional
deficiency caused by consumption of health food beverages.
In both cases, the parents were well-educated, appeared conscientious,
and their children received regular medical care. Diagnoses
were delayed by a low index of suspicion. In addition, nutritional
deficiencies are uncommon in the United States and as a result,
US physicians may be unfamiliar with their clinical features.
Case 1, a 22-month-old male child, was admitted with severe
kwashiorkor. He was breastfed until 13 months of age. Because
of a history of chronic eczema and perceived milk intolerance,
he was started on a rice beverage after weaning. On average,
he consumed 1.5 L of this drink daily. Intake of solid foods
was very poor. As this rice beverage, which was fallaciously
referred to as rice milk, is extremely low in protein content,
the resulting daily protein intake of 0.3 g/kg/day was only
25% of the recommended dietary allowance. In contrast, caloric
intake was 72% of the recommended energy intake, so the dietary
protein to energy ratio was very low. A photograph of the
patient after admission illustrates the typical features of
kwashiorkor: generalized edema, hyperpigmented and hypopigmented
skin lesions, abdominal distention, irritability, and thin,
sparse hair. Because of fluid retention, the weight was on
the 10th percentile and he had a rotund sugar baby appearance.
Laboratory evaluation was remarkable for a serum albumin of
1.0 g/dL (10 g/L), urea nitrogen <0.5 mg/dL (<0.2 mmol/L),
and a normocytic anemia with marked anisocytosis. Evaluation
for other causes of hypoalbuminemia was negative. Therapy
for kwashiorkor was instituted, including gradual refeeding,
initially via a nasogastric tube because of severe anorexia.
Supplements of potassium, phosphorus, multivitamins, zinc,
and folic acid were provided. The patient responded dramatically
to refeeding with a rising serum albumin and total resolution
of the edema within 3 weeks. At follow-up 1 year later he
continued to do well on a regular diet supplemented with a
milk-based pediatric nutritional supplement. The mortality
of kwashiorkor remains high, because of complications such
as infection (kwashiorkor impairs cellular immune defenses)
and electrolyte imbalances with ongoing diarrhea. Children
in industrialized countries have developed kwashiorkor resulting
from the use of a nondairy creamer as a milk alternative,
but we were unable to find previous reports of kwashiorkor
caused by a health food milk alternative. We suspect that
cases have been overlooked. Case 2, a 17-month-old black male,
was diagnosed with rickets. He was full-term at birth and
was breastfed until 10 months of age, when he was weaned to
a soy health food beverage, which was not fortified with vitamin
D or calcium. Intake of solid foods was good, but included
no animal products. Total daily caloric intake was 114% of
the recommended dietary allowance. Dietary vitamin D intake
was essentially absent because of the lack of vitamin D-fortified
milk. The patient lived in a sunny, warm climate, but because
of parental career demands, he had limited sun exposure. His
dark complexion further reduced ultraviolet light-induced
endogenous skin synthesis of vitamin D. The patient grew and
developed normally until after his 9-month check-up, when
he had an almost complete growth arrest of both height and
weight. The parents reported regression in gross motor milestones.
On admission the patient was unable to crawl or roll over.
He could maintain a sitting position precariously when so
placed. Conversely, his language, fine motor-adaptive, and
personal-social skills were well-preserved. Generalized hypotonia,
weakness, and decreased muscle bulk were present. Clinical
features of rickets present on examination included: frontal
bossing, an obvious rachitic rosary (photographed), genu varus,
flaring of the wrists, and lumbar kyphoscoliosis. The serum
alkaline phosphatase was markedly elevated (1879 U/L), phosphorus
was low (1.7 mg/dL), and calcium was low normal (8.9 mg/dL).
The 25-hydroxy-vitamin D level was low (7.7 pg/mL) and the
parathyroid hormone level was markedly elevated (114 pg/mL).
The published radiographs are diagnostic of advanced rickets,
showing diffuse osteopenia, frayed metaphyses, widened epiphyseal
plates, and a pathologic fracture of the ulna. The patient
was treated with ergocalciferol and calcium supplements. The
published growth chart demonstrates the dramatic response
to therapy. Gross motor milestones were fully regained within
6 months. The prominent neuromuscular manifestations shown
by this patient serve as a reminder that rickets should be
considered in the differential diagnosis of motor delay.
Hypocalcemic tetany in
'alternative' soy milk nutrition in the first months of life
Anil M, Demirakca S, Dotsch J, Kiess
W. Klin Padiatr. 1996 Nov-Dec;208(6):323-6.
A 14 weeks old infant was admitted
to the intensive care unit with life-threatening hypocalcemic-hyperphosphatemic
spasms. Hypocalcemia-hyperphosphatemia was found to have been
caused by feeding a high phosphate/ low calcium soy milk.
The daily uptake of calcium was calculated to have been 3.3-6
mmol that of phosphate 30 mmol. The parents strongly believed
that soy milk formulas were equivalent to breast milk and
cow's milk formulas and lived on a strictly vegetarian diet.
Vegetarian feeding had
led to life-threatening hypocalcemic hyperphosphatemic spasms
in the infant. We conclude that malnutrition and false nutritional
beliefs have to be included as a potential cause of early
hypocalcemia in infants.
Full Abstract
Here
Vitamin B1 Deficiency.
HEINZ CORPORATION has known
of the risks to babies from soy protein formulas since Soyonlineservice
drew them to its attention in 1994. Heinz still markets "Farleys"
and "Remedia" soy protein baby formulas in the UK
and Germany. Now babies are dead. Read
More Here.
HOME
