Hilary's Desk

Flu jab doesn't work in healthy elderly

Hilary Butler - Thursday, July 31, 2008

Five days after Dr Trotman said the flu vaccine didn’t work in healthy normal people (blog entry 27 July), various news outlets around the world commented on a new study in the 2 August edition of the Lancet, showing that the flu vaccine did nothing to prevent pneumonia in healthy elderly living in the community, aged between 65 and 94 years of age. Medscape today said that vaccination reduced...

Infection, nutrition and immunity – Part One

Hilary Butler - Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Herald readers woke up yesterday to this screaming headline: Enriched milk trial to cut child sickness. Huh, I thought, is this some follow up to this screaming headline in 2001? Back then Vitamin lacking in 1 of 10 toddlers told us that: 10 per cent of Auckland infants have vitamin deficiencies. 12 per cent of those aged 6 months to two years do not have enough Vitamin A. 10 per cent do...

We firmly believe - Part 2

Hilary Butler - Tuesday, July 29, 2008

In the document we mentioned yesterday, was the comment that readers should feel free to reproduce, edit and distribute the information in any way they please. We appreciate their transparency, and welcome the opportunity to post our own “Policy” statement on the issue. Over time, we will bring to readers attention, medical information and analysis which we are confident will blow a who...

We firmly believe - Part 1

Hilary Butler - Monday, July 28, 2008

The May 2008 edition American Academy of Pediatrics newsletter published this extraordinary letter from All Star Pediatrics which AAP is encouraging all other doctors to adopt. The letter has also been posted at the American equivalent of vaccine defenders, IMAC, so expect something similar to be promoted in New Zealand. Please download the full letter and read it yourself. The letter ...

Flu jab doesn't work in healthy young adults

Hilary Butler - Sunday, July 27, 2008

Readers of the Sunday Star Times might have noticed a regular skinny column on page 16 of “Escape”, by Dr Paul Trotman, a Dunedin doctor. Today, he had a question from a fit healthy 36 year old, asking whether she should have the influenza shot. His response was that when people looked at whether the flu vaccine works in fit healthy people NOT working in health care practice, that there is no ...

Medscape wave the magic wand

Hilary Butler - Saturday, July 26, 2008

A fascinating article was published on medscape on 26 July 2008, which vanished about as quickly as it was put on the web. Since it no longer exists, copyright no longer applies as far as I am concerned. I'd hate to deprive you of a long read, which obviously someone considers a very bad omelette. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/578110 NO LONGER on medscape HPV Vaccine Adverse Events W...

MeNZB and “The thrill of the chase”

Hilary Butler - Thursday, July 24, 2008

How is it that we are only now being told what the scientists knew from Phase I and II trials, which was that in the most vulnerable, MeNZB antibodies would last 7 months, if that? Today, the New Zealand Herald presented two novel excuses from Diana Lennon. Not telling parents the truth wasn’t wilful, she said, as much as “the thrill of the chase”. The second excuse is a classic. Parents jus...

MeNZB vaccine a "Huge let-down for parents"

Hilary Butler - Wednesday, July 23, 2008

This morning the editor of the Herald came out of his myopic little hole, and whined about the fact that the New Zealand Ministry of Health had got away with blue murder, and not told parents everything they needed to know. Which planet has this person been living on for the last four years? As I go back through my complaints to the press council; my letters to the editor (which I’m sure go s...

The ethics of Cord clamping and stem cell collection

Hilary Butler - Tuesday, July 22, 2008

This afternoon Radio New Zealand, Jim Mora interviewed Professor Bob Williamson (download mp3 here) about research on stem cells which come from cord blood. Jim asked Professor Williamson whether there are any ethical issues surrounding cord blood stem cells. He replied that there weren’t. The key to harvesting cord blood is when you clamp the cord. There are various terms relating to co...

Trust me, I’m the expert

Hilary Butler - Sunday, July 20, 2008

“Good Morning New Zealand, News stories of the day from the 1930’s” is a Horton and Wilson/Moa publication (ISBN 1-86947-66-4) which we were looking through last week. Page 15 in the 1931 section, has an advertisement for Craven “A” cigarettes: Doctors these days, don’t talk about the fact that there was a time when they actually prescribed cigarettes as a cure to asthma, emphysema and oth...

It’s all coincidence, my dear

Hilary Butler - Saturday, July 19, 2008

It’s amazing what happens when a Hollywood star, who happens to be sister in law to a Philadelphia paediatrician gets upset and worried about vaccines. A story in Cookie Magazine relates how 36 year old Amanda’s neuroticism was so rampant that her brother-in-law arranged a series of phone calls with his mentor, Dr Offit. Presumably this was done to counter what Offit told her was the burgeon...