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... GLOBAL NEWS ... NEWS DOCTORS' AGENDA TO "GET" MIDWIVES? A World Health Organisation (WHO) expert recently made claims that doctors are staging a "global witch-hunt" against midwives in an attempt to undermine pyb- lic confidence in them and thus drive them out of business. Marsden Wagner, a doctor specialising in maternity services at the WHO, said many in the medical establishment felt "threatened" by midwives. "There is a global witch-hunt in progress: the investigation of health professionals in* many countries to accuse them of danger- ous maternity practices," he wrote in The Lancet medical journal. “This witch-hunt is part of a global strug- gle for control of maternity services, the key underlying issues being money, power, sex, and choice." Dr Wagner said he had been asked to consult or testify in 20 cases in 10 coun- tries in which maternity professionals had been brought up before public courts, med- ical review boards or health insurance teview boards. Seventy per cent of those being investi- gated were midwives, 85 per cent of whom were women. "As birth rates fall, the competition for pregnant patients increases, especially in countries largely reliant on private medical care," he explained. But, he added, "Another issue is the 200- year-old struggle of doctors to control mid- wifery." (Source: Sunshine Coast Daily, 14 October 1995) therefore does not-require special legisla- tion. It is intended for use by people with advanced AIDS, and for cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy and suffer the side-effects of nausea, The drug is estimated to cost regular users about $250 per month, but its cost will not be subsidised through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. (Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 2 August 1995) Researchers think that the anti-oxidants found in wines, particularly red wines, might have something to do with it. Maybe they should read the article about OPC in this issue of NEXUS! (Source: British Medical Journal, 6 May 1995) BREAST MILK CAUSES LUNG CANCER CELLS TO SUICIDE Swedish researchers have found that breast milk contains a substance that kills cancer cells. Researchers at Lund University in Lund, Sweden, and Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute, tested the effects of human milk against cells in laboratory test tubes and found that an ingredient called monomeric a-lactalbumin, or MAL, caused cancer cells to die. It was found that MAL triggers a process of apoptosis, or cell suicide, in the cancer cells but not in normal cells. In one experi- ment, 98 per cent of all human lung-cancer cells were killed, while no normal cells were affected. The milk compound also induced apop- tosis in cancer cells from the kidney, blad- der and intestines, the report said. Nursing mothers, look out! (Source: The Australian, 16 August 1995) WORLD'S SMALLEST COMPUTER WEIGHS FOUR GRAMS! The world's smallest computer was intro- duced in September '95, in the form of a hearing instrument which will dramatically improve the quality of life for hard-of-hear- ing people throughout the world. An international team of scientists at Oticon—one of the world's three largest hearing instrument manufacturers, located in Denmark—has developed the world's first fully digitised hearing aid, based on a revolutionary new computer chip with pro- cessing power equalling a normal 486 desktop computer. The Digital Audio Processor is smaller than the top joint of the little finger. The teal breakthrough is a radical reduction of the voltage required to run the microchip. It needs only 0.9 volt compared to the 3.3 volts required by a standard laptop comput- er. The newly developed microprocessor will be included in DigiFocus, a four-gram hearing device from Oticon. Depending on local approval procedures, DigiFocus is | expected to be ready for worldwide sale in the first half of 1996. (Source: gcarroll@ black.weeg.uiowa.edu to nexus @peg.apc.org, via the Internet) DRUG COMPANIES TO MAKE MONEY FROM DOPE! According to the NSW Department of Health, doctors in New South Wales will soon be legally able to prescribe a pill based on the main active ingredient of mar- ijuana. The drug Dronabinol is a synthetic ver- sion of the THC found in marijuana, and, as such, can be legalised by regulation and ALTERNATIVE CANCER CONGRESS SPURNED BY MEDICAL/DRUG CARTELS The 2nd World Congress on Cancer was held in Sydney from 15th to 18th. September 1995, Cancer researchers and doctors came from Germany, Finland, Hungary, Britain, Netherlands, Austria, China, Japan and USA as well as Australia, Most of the speakers in attendance reported amazing results with their thera- pies, many of which have a much higher success rate than mainstream medical ther- apies. For example, using hyperthermia, Dr Friedrich Douwes, head of Klinic St George, Germany, is getting 80% positive results with benign prostate hyperplasty and 90% success in conjunction with com- plete hormone blockade for prostate carci- noma, with surgery required in only 2% of cases. LER AOL oe FS LENDER! pete 7 Ey RT ES ; Se pa ile ae THE yea COB } LIK antes y 8 ¢ NEXUS DECEMBER 1995 - JANUARY 1996