Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times Health Brief for Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some very intriguing stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on.
A leading prescription sleep aid is linked to a critical brain disorder, a federal agency issues alarming warnings regarding a pair of commonly used vaccines, and a Florida grand jury shares troubling findings regarding the manufacturers of two specific COVID-19 vaccines.
Also, we’ll explain how drinking caffeinated beverages to perk yourself up might actually be dragging you down, and we’ll show you how eating an all-meat diet could wreak havoc on your body.
Common Sleeping Pill Potentially Linked to Alzheimer’s
A new study says that the common sleep medication called zolpidem, which is sold under the brand name Ambien, may disrupt your brain’s ability to “cleanse” itself during sleep, potentially raising the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.In their research using mice, Danish scientists say they’ve obtained more insight into what’s called the glymphatic system, which allows the brain to be flushed of toxic materials during sleep, a process they refer to as brain clearance.
They say that although they don’t know what drives brain clearance when we sleep, they’ve identified a molecule called norepinephrine, which they say played a key role in the process in the mice during their study.
The researchers say that when we’re engaged in deep sleep, our brainstems release norepinephrine about once per minute, causing contractions in blood vessels that help carry away waste.
The researchers then evaluated the effects that zolpidem may have on the brain’s norepinephrine levels. Notably, when mice were given the drug, the norepinephrine waves that were released during deep sleep cycles were 50 percent lower than in mice that were not given the drug.
The mice that were given zolpidem fell asleep at a quicker rate; however, according to the study, their brain fluid transportation levels dropped by more than 30 percent, suggesting that the medication might disrupt the waste-cleaning process during sleep.
FDA Mandates Nerve Damage Warnings for 2 RSV Vaccines
We’ll change things up just a bit now and take a look at a new requirement from one federal government agency regarding new disclosure rules for two vaccine manufacturers, and here’s what we know.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just ordered the makers of a pair of vaccines for something called respiratory syncytial virus (which is better known as RSV) to begin adding warning labels on their products. These warnings are meant to alert users of potentially paralytic side effects related to nerve damage caused by the use of the vaccine.
The FDA says that GSK and Pfizer, who make the Arexvy and Abrysvo vaccines respectively, must now include a warning that says there’s an increased risk of developing what’s called Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) within 42 days of getting the jab.
However, despite the results of an observational study, the FDA determined that the benefits of the two specific vaccines continue to “outweigh their risks.”
In case you’re unfamiliar with GBS, it’s a disorder in which the immune system ends up damaging nerve cells, potentially leading to a tingling sensation, weakness in the muscles, and the eventual possibility of near-total paralysis.
The first vaccine, Arexvy, is used by people aged 50 and older to deal with lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV. Meanwhile, Abrysvo has been approved for use by adults aged 18 and above.
A little background: RSV is a common respiratory virus that infects the throat, nose, and lungs; the symptoms are similar to that of a common cold, and it typically spreads during fall and winter.
Florida Grand Jury Investigating COVID Vaccines Finds Problems, but No Crimes
A grand jury in Florida charged with looking into the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines has just completed their work by issuing no indictment, despite uncovering what they described as “many acute and systemic problems” with the manufacturing process.They faulted both Pfizer and Moderna, which have made versions of the vaccines since 2020, for unblinding their first clinical trials after they received authorization for their shots, repeatedly missing deadlines for post-authorization studies, and keeping information secret regarding vaccine safety.
In their final report, the grand jury said that it should be “frustrating” to everyone who reads it to know that these pharmaceutical companies have taken in billions of taxpayer dollars for creating and selling their vaccines and that they can’t be sued if something goes wrong with them.
They also expressed frustration that these companies have access to critical information regarding deaths related to a side effect of their products, that the public does not have access to that information, and that we are left to speculate about those deaths.
They concluded by saying that somehow, withholding this valuable safety information is not a crime, and that it “certainly should be.”
The grand jury also said that officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “had a duty” to perform regarding the vaccines, but that unfortunately, they lacked “either the will or the competence to meaningfully rein in the worst impulses of the industry.”
The grand jury looked closely at a number of Florida laws, but ultimately they determined that none of the conduct warranted charges, because either it was approved by federal regulators or was legal. However, they recommended that fresh clinical trials of both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines should be conducted.
By the way, The Epoch Times reached out for comment to both Pfizer and Moderna; however, they have not responded. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the FDA declined to comment on the report.
Caffeine May Be Borrowing Energy From You
When you drink caffeinated beverages—like coffee, tea, and sodas—you’re actually borrowing energy from your body’s future reserves, and that’s according to a professor of nutrition and epidemiology from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.That professor told The Epoch Times that the caffeine found in coffee beans is generally a brain stimulant, and that it counteracts a molecule in our bodies called adenosine, which makes us sleepy.
Adenosine levels in the brain are low when we wake up but gradually accumulate throughout the day, causing us to feel drowsy and signaling to the brain that rest is needed. However, insufficient sleep leads to a buildup of adenosine, which explains why we’re often sluggish after a restless night.
Essentially, caffeine moves into adenosine’s neighborhood, takes over, and prevents our brains from receiving those drowsiness signals. It also stimulates the central nervous system, triggers the release of a number of biochemicals, enhances our alertness, and can even enhance physical strength.
Another nutrition expert says that the effects of caffeine are only temporary, and that once they wear off, the accumulated adenosine floods the body with drowsiness signals. The phenomenon is often referred to as “caffeine crash.”
Additionally, drinking products with caffeine on a regular basis increases the number of adenosine receptors in the brain. It makes our bodies less sensitive to caffeine, and we end up needing more to achieve the same effect.
Drinking caffeinated beverages later in the day can also impact sleep quality, hinder cellular repair, and increase long-term health risks.
Research Shows Critical Nutrient Gaps in Carnivore Diet
A new study from Australia and New Zealand says that a controversial meat-only diet could be a potential health hazard for a number of people because it’s lacking in a number of crucial nutrients.So you know, the so-called carnivore diet involves only eating meat, fish, and animal-derived products, including eggs and certain dairy items. All other food categories are eliminated, including fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds.
The study analyzed the carnivore diet by designing four meal plans for both men and women between the ages of 19 and 50. One pair of those diets included dairy to address calcium levels, and one pair added liver to provide essential micronutrients like iron and vitamin A.
The study found that the carnivore diet exceeded the recommended national thresholds in both countries for several nutrients, including riboflavin, vitamin B12, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin B6, and vitamin A. However, it was significantly lacking in thiamin (vitamin B1), magnesium, calcium, iron, vitamin C, and iodine.
The analysis also found that sodium intake on the carnivore diet was 15 to 20 times higher than recommended levels, and that fiber intake was at less than 1 percent of recommended levels.
The researchers concluded that an all-meat or carnivore diet should either include dairy and organ meats as part of their meal plan, or else they should consider taking supplements with calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
Doctors also point out there are additional complications involved with this diet, including potential cardiovascular issues, and they advise fans of the carnivore diet to first consult with their physician prior to adopting a meat-only lifestyle.
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re gonna call it a wrap for this week’s edition of The Epoch Times “Health Brief.”
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And now as we do each and every week on this program, we share with you a very notable quote and this one comes to us from the late, great Jack LaLanne who said:
“Exercise is king. Nutrition is queen. Put them together and you’ve got a kingdom.”
LaLanne was an American exercise and nutrition guru, television personality, and motivational speaker.
As you know, each week on this program, we also like to remind you that the surgeon general says smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy.
Therefore, if you’re a smoker, it would mean a great deal to your Health Brief team if you’d make every effort to stop smoking right away. It’s one of the best things you’ll ever do both for yourself as well as for the people who care a great deal about you.
And finally, we all know there are tons of fast food drive-thru restaurants all over the planet. They open up early, they stay open late and the menu options are varied. Just a reminder though—moderation, and it’s just as easy to drive by as it is to drive through.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times Health Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times Health Brief program was written today by David Ross.
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