Big blow: Researchers have found that two 'miracle' AIDS cures not only failed to work but can actually increase people's chances of contracting the virus.

The search for a cure for AIDS was in crisis last night after it was revealed that two supposed "miracle" vaccines not only fail to protect people from the virus, but could put them at greater risk of becoming infected.

It is a massive blow to AIDS research, which has ground to a halt--with seven other trials of similarly designed would-be vaccines either suspended or called off indefinitely.

The US government alone pumps $250 million a year into research to try to find a "Holy Grail" vaccine which would put an end to AIDS.

Now scientists fear the disastrous outcome of the two most promising trials leaves them back at square one.

Hailed as major breakthroughs when the tests began, the US-funded STEP and Phambili studies were shut down when it became clear the vaccines could leave patients more susceptible to the virus, which attacks the immune system and which killed more than two million victims last year--320,000 of them children.

More than 25 million people have died from AIDS since 1981 and an estimated 33 million are living with the disease, most in Africa.

In the UK, there have been at least 17,600 AIDS- linked deaths and more than 88,000 people have contracted the HIV virus which leads to AIDS.

The two aborted studies used the same vaccine, made from a common respiratory virus loaded with fragments of HIV.

The STEP study involved male homosexuals in North and South America, the Caribbean, and Australia.

The Phambili trial, involving more than 3,000 men and women heterosexual volunteers in South Africa, was halted less than one year into its four-year schedule after it, too, raised fears that the vaccine could endanger patients.

The vaccine was supposed to cut the number of infections and make the HIV virus less deadly and less contagious in those who had already contracted it.

But, rather than protect the immune system, the tests appeared to show that the vaccine somehow primed it to become more susceptible to HIV.

Results from both trials, which cost about $16 million, suggested that people were twice as likely to become infected after having the vaccine.

The debacle has sent shockwaves through AIDS organizations that have raised millions towards research over the past 20 years.

"This is on the same level of catastrophe as the Challenger disaster that destroyed a NASA space shuttle," said Robert Gallo, co-discoverer of the HIV virus and head of the Institute for Human Virology in Baltimore.

Mark Harrington, head of Treatment Action Group, an AIDS activist organization, said: "We can't afford any more trials like this. We have to stop and reassess and recommit to basic science, or people will begin to lose faith."

However, John Moore, an AIDS virologist at America's Weill Cornell Medical College, said: "I do think that what happened in this trial is an example of scientists blindly rushing into dangerous things."

Even before the tests came to a grinding halt, some experts were questioning whether the type of vaccine being looked at would be successful.

Rather than a drug to help ease the effects of the virus, people in areas worst hit by the epidemic were looking for a wholesale cure. As it turned out, the vaccine's abject failure has rendered arguments over marketing unnecessary. The US National Institutes of Health, which funded both programs, is holding a crisis meeting next week.

But experts fear a bleak future. "None of the products currently in the pipeline has any reasonable chance of being effective in field trials," said Harvard University molecular geneticist Ronald Desrosiers. "We simply do not know at the present time how to design a vaccine that will be effective against HIV."

Aging: the great fear of almost everyone. Getting older, not in wisdom, or just years, but looking older, is an undesirable side effect of mortality. One day an elderly lady of 83 years sat in my office, and with a shaken look on her face say, "I just had lunch with the girls, (These were her grade school girlfriends. They got together every month and had done so for nearly 50 years.) and during lunch, I looked across the table at the other girls, turned to my friend and asked her, 'Do they look as old as we do?'" She was very shaken. All of the sudden the double chin that had slowly been cultured on her neck, the myriad wrinkles, the swollen ankles, the sagging skin under her eyes overcame the twinkle in them. She was shocked. Fifty years of age had hit her in one sudden jolt.

So how do you elude this occurrence in life? Don't have lunch with the girls? Yes, that would work. Drive really fast everywhere you go? That is another possible solution. Take up skate boarding after you go on Medicare. That is another possible way to escape aging. But let's get serious. Are you really interested in living a long and highly active enjoyable life? Then let's talk about the four core ingredients to an excellent quality of life, laced with a heavy dose of quantity.

The grand secrets to long and happy life are the four P's. Ingredient number one:

Peace: Finding peace and quiet in the midst of a troubled world is the first step to defying age. Do you see the negative in the tumult of the world around you or can you find the peace of possibility for good in every event? The steps that lead to this are contemplation, mediation and prayer.

-Contemplation is the willingness to look at life through your eyes, your heart and your gut. This requires we use logic, love and longing to see our current situation against a backdrop of the possible.

-Meditation is the course of stillness. It is the willingness to pause and be still, to stop telling yourself your story. Stop being a victim of life. Stop justifying, stop complaining, stop blaming and start accepting that you are who you are, and where you are because you choose it. This can be accomplished by formally meditating, or by just planning and allowing time, even fleeting moments of reality to penetrate the shell of fear we carefully build around ourselves. The more you allow this seeping in of reality the easier it is to become a cause in life rather than just another effect.

-Prayer is the next level of finding peace. Prayer is not contemplation or meditation; it is the conscious intent to communicate with the divine, or God, on God's terms. Contemplation and mediation are solitary, like laying in a meadow on a sunny day, enjoying the sunlight to warm your face. Prayer is like learning to live with the earth and help it to lend of its abundance to support your lively hood. It is the equivalence of spiritual agriculture. Prayer requires reality and humility. It requires a willingness to set aside your own agenda to assimilate God's will. Peace in life comes as we pursue the path of our highest potential. Unless we walk that path, we cannot find peace. Peace is the blending of our inner knowing that we are reaching toward our potential and the divine sanction of the same reality. Peace is not quiet nor stillness alone. It is a growing inner knowingness and a divine manifestation that you are reaching your potential.

Phun: How long has it been since you acted like a playing child? How long has it been since you jumped a rope, walked on a curb, balanced on one foot, laughed like a child, had someone tickle your ribs until you cried, let someone hold you and comfort you, jumped on your bed, or sat and colored a coloring book and didn't stay within any of the lines? What do you do physical that you really love? It can be intimacy, ecstasy or just plain silliness. Let some light into your life and "lighten up" and have some physical phun. Exercise doesn't have to be boring, difficult or hard. To be most effective it should be Phun, and you will get younger. What have you always wanted to do? Its never too late. Start now and work toward it. The harder it might be the better. Let us support you. Tell us about it and we will help you find any help you need to stretch you body, mind and soul, but make it physically phun! They claim that laughter can lengthen your life by 8 years. Interested? Stop being so serious.

Phood: Give your body the right thing at the right time for the right reason, and your body will express its gratitude in kind with smooth skin, pliable strong muscles and a clear mind. Nutrition comes in many ways: the food we eat, the things we put on our skin, the sun we get, the thoughts we think when we eat and how we blend with nature in our habits.

-Eat clean whole food according to your metabolic type and energetic needs. We have developed an outstanding new nutrition program that give you exactly the right nutritional approach for you. No more generalizations. This nutritional system is perfectly personalized to you needs. The early returns are so exciting, I can't recommend it highly enough.

-Eat according to the seasons. Eat the food that grows in you climate in the season that it grows and eat it fresh.

-Your skin is an organ of assimilation and of elimination. Don't put anything on your skin you couldn't eat. Everything you put on your skin ends up in your body, or it blocks your bodies ability to absorb. I highly recommend for skin care needs a high quality product to hydrate and nurture your skin like Arbonne. Contact us for more information on this wonderful topical form of nutrition. Look good and feel great by caring for your shell as you nurture the whole system.

-Be grateful for each meal you eat. Express gratitude by offering a prayer of thanksgiving for the abundance we have.

-Eat with a good attitude. A family meal is always good for everyone. Take you time, eat slowly. Drink after your meal not during it (it dilutes digestive juices).

-Get a little sunshine every morning if you can. 10 a.m. sun is safe and beneficial. Start with very little, like 10 or fifteen minutes, then work up to half and hour a day. It is good for you in almost every way. Avoid burns. Don't stay out so long that you need to worry about sun screens. Your body will be happier. It is best to be active while you are outside. A little perspiration cleanses the skin, while you feed it with pure sunlight.

Physical: Take care of your physical frame.

-Chiropractic adjustments are an essential ingredients to any health plan. It is the only organized system to free the nerve system of disorder called a Subluxation. This is a condition where the nerve system gets obstructed from its normal function by having the spine out of alignment. It only associates with pain about 20% of the time. Come in and have a nerve system check up to see if you have interference in your nerve system function. Your nerve system controls your energy, your immune function, and your has huge influence on your moods. Freeing nerve interference is one of the greatest paths to getting younger.

-Energy balance is vital to youthfulness and vitality. The Dao De Ching says that flexibility is life and rigidity is death. Maintaining your energy balance is a vital aspect to staying young, flexible and regaining lost health. Acupuncture is the preeminent system of energy balance. A simple test called the Acugraph test will show how balanced your energy is.

Have you been feeling sluggish since the winter months? Feeling a little heavy or run down? Just not quite feeling up to par? Now is your chance to get your system back up to speed, kickstart a weight loss program, and/or increase your physical and mental energy...

Beginning April 10, we will be hosting an Office-Wide Detox program. If you are hesitant about detoxifying your body, look at all these options we have to make it as easy as possible on you...

Option 1
The Tri-Decathalon Delux--This 13-day wholefood cleanse is the King of the Detox programs. You will be provided everything you need to eat and drink for a full 13-days, plus you will cleanse your body and you can lose weight (up to a pound a day!). Cost for this program will be $199.95 + $15 membership + shipping.

Option 2
The New You 7--If you don't feel like you can commit to 13 days of detoxing, an easier option is the New You 7. You will receive the same wholefoods as in the 13-day cleanse, but you only go for 7 days. It is a great jump start to better eating habits. Cost for this option is $99.95 + $15 membership + shipping

Option 3
LiquiPhi 7--This option is for those who prefer a liquid detox. You will be provided with 7 days of raw, liquid wholefood meals that will boost your energy and cleanse your system. Cost for this option is $89.95 + $15 membership + shipping

Option 4
The Foot Bath Special--Foot baths are 30-minute sessions where your feet are immersed in salt water with a module. This module ionizes the water and causes the toxins in your body to be drawn out into the water. This option is for those of you who don't feel that they can detox using food or drink. You will get a series of 10 footbaths for $270 (the best price we have EVER offered!).

Pesticides Possibly Linked to Motor Neuron Disease

-Motor Neuron Disease (MND) is a rare, devastating illness in which nerve cells that carry brain signals to muscles gradually deteriorate.

-Scientists at the University of Michigan have discovered mutations in one key gene that cause a previously unknown type of inherited motor neuron disease. Most intriguing, the scientists found the mutations caused changes in a protein already known to be involved when people develop neurological disorders as a result of exposure to toxic organophosphates (chemicals commonly used in solvents and insecticides and also as "nerve gas" agents)

-The findings support the possibility that toxic organophosphates contribute to MND in genetically vulnerable people. It also may suggest that altered activity of the gene may also contribute to other motor neuron disorders, possibly including ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's Disease).

Antibiotics Overprescribed for Common Viruses

-Doctors are overprescribing antibiotics for common sinus infections and related conditions. Bacteria CAN cause rhinosinusitis (an inflammation of the sinuses), but a VIRUS is a more likely culprit so antibiotics seldom work.

-Doctors are still doling out more drugs than they should. In the US, 80 percent of sinus patients are prescribed an antibiotic, even though results show that is not a very good strategy.

-The use of antibiotics needs to be limited to when they are truly necessary because bacteria is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.

-In a study of more than 2,500 people, doctors would have to give 15 people the drugs before one patient was cured. The researchers say, "Antibiotics are not justified even if a patient reports symptoms for longer than 7-10 days."

Exercise Slows Aging

-Exercise doesn't stop the clock on aging, but it seems to slow it down. Evidence continues to mount that exercise provides may benefits to help people look and feel younger.

-Here is a recap of the many benefits of regular exercise: Provides energy, Encourages Wellbeing, Takes off pounds and keeps them off, Promotes firm bodies, Boosts immune system, Prevents disease, Improves mental function, and Increases overall life expectancy.

US Government Concedes Vaccines Cause Autism

-The US Department of Health and Human Services (the federal agency that oversees the FDA and CDC) recently conceded the first vaccine-autism case.

-It was one of the first three cases chosen that alleged Thimerosal in childhood vaccines significantly contributed to a child developing autism.

-The concession shows the dishonesty of the continual media spin coming from public health officials and others who maintain there is no evidence that Thimerosal (or any vaccine) has ever caused autism or harmed anyone in any way.

-The facts are that the Vaccine Compensation Act has already compensated over 2,000 individuals who have proved that they were harmed by vaccines, resulting in settlements of nearly two billion dollars.

-Today, despite being banned in Europe and restricted in 7 US states, Thimerosal-containing flu vaccines are still recommended for routine administration to pregnant women and infants, with little or no warning of the known poison that the vaccine contains.

Tendon Complications Linked to Statin Drugs

-Yet another harmful side effect is being linked to cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins). A new study in March's issue of Arthritis Care and Research has linked tendon complications to the use of statins.

-The results showed that of the 4,597 side effects associated with statins, about two percent were attributed to tendon complications. Symptoms usually began within 8 months of statin therapy. Most had tendonitis, but some also suffered ruptured tendons, the Achilles tendon being the most commonly affected. Seventeen patients had severe enough symptoms to warrant hospitalization.

-The researchers were able to link the tendon problems to statin use based on the fact that the symptoms appeared after the statins were started, they improved when the statins were stopped, and they recurred in all of the patients who restarted the therapy.

Mobile Phones "More Dangerous than Smoking"

-A recent study by Dr. Vini Khurana is the most devastating indictment yet published of the health risks associated with mobile phone use.

-Growing evidence warns that using handsets for 10 years or more can double the risk of brain cancer. Dr. Khurana believes this statement will be "definitely proven" in the next decade.

-He fears that "unless the industry and governments take immediate and decisive steps, the incidence of malignant brain tumors and associated death rate will be observed to rise globally within a decade."

-An estimated three billion people now use cell phones worldwide, three times the number of people who smoke, so the public health rammifications are a far broader danger than those of smoking.