by Marianne Leigh

Natural News (NaturalNews)

Fluoride is getting a lot of bad press these days, and for good reason: it is a toxic molecule that wreaks extensive, often irreversible, havoc on the body. The thyroid is particularly affected by fluoride exposure because its  store of iodine is depleted.Iodine deficiency depresses the thyroid’s metabolic and immune functions, resulting in hypothyroidism and lowered immunity.

Fluoride and iodine are both halogens. Fluoride, the negative ion of the element fluorine, easily displaces iodine in the body because it is much lighter and therefore more reactive. In fact, the activity of any one of the halogens (Iodine 126.70, Bromine 79.90, Chlorine 35.45, Fluorine 18.99 are the most common) is inversely proportional to its atomic weight. In other words, one halogen can displace another one of a higher atomic weight but cannot displace one of lower weight.

Lack of iodine shuts down production of thyroxine, the thyroid prohormone that controls metabolism, and, in one way or another, impacts every aspect of health. The resulting hypothyroidism causes weight gain, cold intolerance, dry and prematurely aged skin, depression, constipation, hair loss, memory loss, irritability, increased cholesterol levels, heart disease and loss of libido. But the action of iodine in the thyroid is not limited to metabolism; it also has an important immune function.

Blood circulates through the thyroid once every 17 minutes in what has been called the ‘17 minute passage’. Secretion of iodine, a potent germ killer, into the blood stream as it is passing through the thyroid weakens invading organisms, allowing them to be more easily eradicated. If the thyroid is defi cient in iodine, this critical step in immunity will be reduced or eliminated.

Unlike iodine, which the body cannot store longterm, fl uoride is a problematic and persistent toxin. Its effects are systemic and only about half of what is ingested can be excreted; the rest is stored in bones and ­tissues, blocking access to other elements, like iodine.

Fluoride exposure can come from multiple obvious and not-so-obvious sources. In addition to dental hygiene products and drinking water, many breakfast cereals, juices from concentrate, soda and other processed foods contain alarming levels. Fluoride-containing pesticide use means that the environment is being fl ooded with fluoride by conventional agriculture (http://www.fluoridealert.org/fpest…).

Also, many antidepressants contain large amounts of fluoride and are widely prescribed, often for a lifetime of use.

Conventional medicine’s response to hypothyroidism typically ignores causes and prescribes synthetic thyroxine hormone in an attempt to balance out the health equation with another unnatural substance; this is nothing new. But hypothyroidism is a national epidemic, affecting roughly 10% of the female population in the US and in no way sparing men. It has created a stable, everexpanding market for these cash cow thyroid drugs (the leading thyroid drug was number 7 on JAMA’s list of ‘most commonly prescribed’ in 2006; one year later it was number 4).

One might assume then that fl uoride’s role in depressing thyroid function is a new discovery, that government fluoride programs simply lack this vital information. Yet research has been taking place since the 1930s, when fluoride was used to treat individuals with overactive thyroid. The relationship is well established, and old.

Which leads inevitably to a diffi cult question:

How could government allow fluoride addition to drinking water, approve fluoride-containing drugs and pesticides, and fail to test for fl uoride content in food when there is a known connection with serious thyroid complications?

Perhaps the cash value of the fact that millions of Americans take thyroid drugs, and most likely will take them the rest of their lives, can suggest an unbiased, honest answer.

by the El Reportero’s news services

Hugo Chávez

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, who played a key role in invoking the Inter- American Democratic Charter (IADC) against those who ousted Manuel Zelaya from the presidency of Honduras in June 2009 and in portraying as a coup d’état attempt the police mutiny against the government of Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa in September 2010, found himself accused in January this year of breaching the Charter. After trying to shrug this off as yet another U.S. maneuver against him, he bowed to pressure and announced that he was relinquishing the power to rule by decree until 2012.

Ecuador referendum gets go-ahead

Ecuador’s constitutional court approved President Rafael Correa’s 10 question referendum on Feb. 15. The nine person constitutional court voted, with six votes in favor and three against, to ignore the recommendations made by one of the judges, Nina pacari, which concluded that four of the five proposed constitutional amendments could not be changed by referendum. She (and the opposition) dismissed the court’s ruling as “political”.

Peru and Argentina dominate

This year, 2011, is another busy year for elections and referenda in the region.

Unlike last year, where no elections outside the Caribbean featured an incumbent running for re-election, this year will probably see President Cristina Fernández of Argentina and, more controversially, President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, running again for their respective presidencies.

More unusual is that Peru’s ruling Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana (Apra) is not fi elding a presidential candidate. Such a move revives memories of Ecuador in the late 1990s and early 2000s, where the once-dominant Partido Social Cristiano spurned presidential elections and dwindled as a national force.

Change in direction over drugs?

President Alejandro ToledoThe Peruvian elections are a microcosm of an apparent shift in counternarcotics policy thinking amongst former Latin American presidents and experts across the world. On Jan. 28 former ­Peruvian (2001-2006), who is also the current presidential candidate for Alianza Perú Posible, commented on the recently created Global Commission on Drug Policy (Idpc) and said that if elected, his government would look into legalisation “as an avenue to explore”.

Stunts and killings dominate Mexican headlines, obscuring big development

The most eye-catching event in Mexico last week was the erection of a banner in the lower chamber, at the start of the fi rst congressional session of 2011, by deputies from the leftwing Partido del Trabajo accusing President Felipe Calderón of being a drunk.

by Nathalia González

Commonwealth Fund senior vice president Cathy Schoen and colleagues came together during a teleconference Feb. 1 to provide a group of reporters, including Hispanic Link, with a scorecard that rates the 51 states on their concern about children’s and parents’ access to affordable health insurance.

According to Schoen, the Fund’s VP for policy, research and evaluation, there is a two-to-threefold spread between top and bottom ranked states. Top states are found mostly in New England and the Upper Midwest regions. The bottomranked states are in the South and Southwest.

The Commonwealth Fund scorecard creates benchmarks for all states to reach. The speakersmaintained that if those benchmarks are achieved by all of them, 5.6 million more children and 10.4 million more parents would be insured, 9 million more children would have primary care medical access and more than 10 million would receive the appropriate preventive care services.

Focusing on states with a significant Hispanic population, these are the facts:

Five of the six states, New York being the exception, fall into in the scorecard’s low third and fourth quartiles of the scorecard. Schoen explained that, according to their Commonwealth Fund research, one-fourth to one-third of the population in the lower-ranked states does not receive recommended preventive care.

Among her suggestions as to what can be done to improve conditions in those highly Hispanic-population states is to post surveys and reports in Spanish — and other languages as appropriate.

“We hope, looking forward, that states and local care systems will seize on the potential and learn from innovation so that all children will have a more equal opportunity to survive, thrive and lead healthy, productive lives,” Schoen said, ending on a positive note.

For details, visit commonwealthfund.org.

In other Hispanic news:

Students hail victory as UTEP reinstates César Chávez Day

by Danya P. Hernández

EL PASO Texas — Dr. Diana Natalicio president of the University of Texas at El Paso, circulated an email message to the university’s faculty and its 20,000 students Feb. 8 that the institution’s annual celebration of César Chávez’s March 31 birthday was no longer on the chopping block.

The Day was established as an optional state holiday in 1999 by then-Gov. George Bush and readily adopted by UTEP, where the student population is three-quarters Hispanic. When the state approved only 12 holidays for academic year 2010- 11, UTEP had to trim two. Its Faculty Senate announced late last month that César Chávez Day would be eliminated.

Some 150 students, supported by alumni, quickly mobilized against the decision and confronted Natalicio, who expressed sympathy for the students’ cause and requested time to work on a solution. Ten days later she made her announcement that the Faculty Senate had rescinded its vote. While details are apparently still being worked out, student reaction was immediate and favorable.

A Facebook group, “UTEP Students for César Chávez Day,” was among the fi rst to posted a note: “Thanks to everyone for this victory. ¡Qué Viva César Chávez!” Student Javier SanRomán added the message to his facebook page, “¡Que orgullo, gracias a todos Uds. Sigan luchando. César vive, la luche sigue!”

In her announcement, Natalicio stated, “We regret the calendar confusion and the misunderstanding that resulted from it.” Prior to the president’s announcement, campus and community groups mobilized against the decision. Among them: Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) and Cultural Artists United for Social Action (CAUSA).

A “Restore César Chávez” rally featured community speakers and members of the groups that helped organize it. A petition to reinstate the holiday was circulated. The rally culminated with Pete Duarte, an active    alumnus, declaring he would give back his Gold Nugget Award, UTEP’s most prestigious award for alumni.

“The action taken by the Faculty Senate is not only a slap in the face to the students, faculty and staff on campus — an act of culture and racial

genocide — but also an ­act of racism,” Duarte said.

Coordinator of Students for César Chávez Day Adrian Rivera said, “They didn’t take into consideration the population of the University and they didn’t consider the effect of changing something like that,” Protesters used Chávez’s peaceful ways to voice their concerns — proof that his legacy lives on, said Rivers. “Faculty Senate gave us the stage and we are going to use it to start educating about what César did for the community and the nation.” Hispanic Link

­

­by Mark Carney

Los Hermanos Rosario

From their unique sound and style, Los Hermanos Rosario is a group worthwhile to see play and dance along their musical beat. If you don’t believe it, google it and see the many U-Tube links that show their talent, for yourself.

It’s a type of merengue that doesn’t burn you up dancing because of its speed, it’s soft, it is also soft and a little bit fast but also very romantic. It’s a very traditional merengue, and modern at the same time. They really got it. Los Hermanos Rosario, since childhood, showed an interest in playingmusic, according to bio posted by Wikipedia.

They played self-created instruments such as bottle caps, plastic containers, pots, pans and other items. Soon, they started singing and playing in their neighborhood. They formed in the Dominican Republic city of Higuey in May 1978. The 14-piece orchestra has had a series of very successful albums among those are “Los Hermanos Rosario,1983,” “Bomba Mi Hermano,1990 “ “Insuperables, 1991” “Los Dueños del Swing,1995” and “Bomba 2000.” They count with 14 estudio albums since 1983, including eight copilations since 1989. On Friday, Feb. 25, at Roccapulco Superclub, at 3140 Misison Street, SF, at 9 p.m.

New Art Exhibits To Open

The Togonon Gallery is now showing the works of several interesting artists. Lora Groves’ show, New Works, will be exhibited until Feb. 25, with the opening reception to be held on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 5 p.m. Ms. Groves, a graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, combines many textures of linen, paper, and concrete board into dissonant gestalts, often using shades of mauve, azure, olive green and mallow pink.

The gallery has this year added a new exhibition format, The Collector’s Room, in which the works of both new as well as gallery artists will be showcased. The first exhibition will include works by Pantea Karimi and Luis Gutiérrez. Ms.Karimi’s works are jarring combinations of images taken from the mass media, meant as socio-cultural critiques of our money-obsessed habits. Mr. Gutiérrez, a Mexican-American artist who

taught at San Jose City College for several decades, is well known, both for his abstract paintings and his assemblage sculptures. The Togonon Gallery is located at 77 Geary St., SF, CA, just one block from the Powell BART station.

February Shows at Roccapulco

Valentine’s Day is approaching and a night of salsa dancing would be a romantic way to spend the evening. On Saturday, Feb.12, Hector Rey will be performing his many hits, such as Te Propongo, Ya No Es Lo Mismo and Tan Enamorado, and DJ Tony O and DJ Bosco will be spinning the best salsa songs from the ‘90s. Singles are welcome, and a ‘meet and greet’ will take place early in the evening.

Dinner packages are also available, but reservations are required. Call (415) 821-3563 for more information. Come see the crowdpleasing favorite Los Hermanos Flores, from El Salvador, on Saturday, Feb. 19. The group, which is an orchestra featuring three lead vocalists—two male and one female—plays rousing cumbias and salsas. Their use of their three vocalists makes them an especially interesting group. Many ­of their songs are stories in which the respective views of men and women are presented through these vocalists, oftentimes in a humorous way. The orchestra, too, takes part, shouting out choruses with the lead singers. DJ L.Caballero, DJ Tony and DJ Bosco will, as always, be on hand to keep the dancers moving during the breaks in live music. Roccapulco, 3140 Mission St., SF, CA. Sat. Feb. 19, from 8 p.m to 2 a.m. Tickets are $25. (Marvin Ramírez contributed to this report).