Robert Phoenix and Russ Winter Reveal the True Hidden History of Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll

April 1, 2023 Winter Watch Articles by Russ Winter, Crime, Culture, Hidden History, Podcasts, US News, Winter Watch Articles 5

On today’s FAR, Russ Winter and Robert Phoenix jumps back in and we tear into the 60’s. From Owsley and Orange Sunshine to Manson and The Laurel Canyon. California, from The Beats to Jonestown, from Hollywood to The Hotel California, the golden state was created to blow your mind and steal your soul.

We cover the incredible 1979 LSD promotor event where the agents admit their culpability.

Podcast is here.

Related posts discussed

In Plain View: Jaw-Dropping Video of LSD Promoters Holding 1979 Meeting

Flower Power Sowed Seeds for 50 Years of Weaponized Degeneracy

William Mellon Hitchcock: Bon Vivant Who Helped Bankroll the LSD Counterculture

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Dr. Sam Sigoloff: The fight against vaccine mandates in the military continues

Image: Dr. Sam Sigoloff: The fight against vaccine mandates in the military continues

(Natural News) Military whistleblower Dr. Sam Sigoloff said the service’s fight against vaccine mandates is still ongoing.

He made this claim in response to Dr. Jane Ruby’s question about whether a whole new fight within the military against mandatory flu vaccination has begun, given that the remaining unvaccinated members still stand against compulsory injections.

“I think there’s [going to] be a push to get these lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) in different vaccines. I think it’s reasonable to believe that, if you think this is a bioweapon – which I truly do believe,” Sigoloff said on “The Dr. Jane Ruby Show.”

“A way to kind of measure who you’re listening to is if they are unwilling to call it a bioweapon – either the vaccine or the virus. If they call neither of them a bioweapon and are unwilling to entertain that idea, then maybe you should listen to someone else.”

Ruby then told Sigoloff that one of the best ways to protect the U.S. military is by obtaining vaccine vials and examining them. The injections should be scrutinized to see if they contain LNPs, dangerous adjuvants, hydrogels, high concentrations of mercury and other toxic ingredients. According to the published international health economist, there are military insiders working under the radar who have access to these vials.

Sigoloff agreed, adding that this a perfect opportunity for American service members to assert their rights. He explained: “Just because you enter the military, you do not lose your human rights – and part of your human rights is … being able to determine what goes into your body.” Ruby seconded her guest’s remarks, pointing out that members of the U.S. military have been following a “shut up and just do it” mentality for far too long. (Related: Military whistleblowers say cancer, miscarriages and heart disease all up 300% following covid injection mandates.)

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Majority of religious, medical exemptions in the military were DENIED

Ruby also mentioned during the program that a lot of military members who applied for religious and medical exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine were denied. She then asked Sigoloff if there are still service members fighting the coercion inside the armed forces.

While Sigoloff does not know of any military members serving as plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the mandates, he shared that those who have reached out to him say they do not want to return to military service anymore.

“I want to get the uniform off. I never want to put it back on. So allowing me to come back in with my pay and rank, that’s not that attractive,” Sigoloff said.

Ruby commented on his guest’s remarks, saying that many service members are indeed turned off completely from rendering military service. Thus, she remarked that an entire revamping of the military needs to happen.

Follow MedicalTyranny.com for more news about the military’s vaccine mandates.

Watch the full conversation between Drs. Jane Ruby and Sam Sigoloff about the military’s vaccine mandates below.

This video is from the Dr. Jane Ruby channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Dr. Sam Sigoloff tells Mike Adams: Pentagon’s vaccine mandate was legally written but applied in an ILLEGAL manner.

Mike Adams and Dr. Pete Chambers blast Pentagon for weakening military with vaccine mandates, wokeism.

DoD conspired with communist China to unleash covid “vaccine” bioweapons on citizens.

Scott Kesterson: Military COVID-19 vaccine mandate a ploy to get rid of soldiers who would disobey illegal orders – Brighteon.TV.

U.S. military created secret prohibited “digital tool” to swiftly deny covid “vaccine” mandate exemption requests.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

DrJaneRuby.com

Hundreds of fish KILLED following nuclear power plant radioactive leak in Minnesota

Image: Hundreds of fish KILLED following nuclear power plant radioactive leak in Minnesota

(Natural News) The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has confirmed that hundreds of fish were killed after a nuclear power plant was forced to shut down due to radioactive leak.

An estimated 230 fish were killed following the shutdown, which was initiated Friday, March 24, after another leak was discovered at the Xcel Energy Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant (XES) near Minneapolis.

“As part of its normal operations, warm water from the Monticello plant enters the river, which the fish get used to. The fish kill is unfortunate, but not unexpected given the significant temperature change that can occur when warm water from the plant stops flowing to the river during a shutdown in operations,” said MPCA in a statement released Monday, March 27.

Those killed include bass, channel catfish, common carp and one or more species of sucker fish.

According to reports, attempts to fix the problem resulted in further contamination of the land around the facility. Monitoring equipment at the site showed that hundreds of gallons of contaminated water had escaped since the first repair.

The plant, meanwhile, insisted that the leak posed no threat to public safety and has since been fixed.

“No drinking water concern, no safety concern, no concern to the environment,” said Chris Clark, president of XES in Minnesota. “We’ll let the plant cool, we’ll cut that pipe out, we’ll send that pipe out to a lab and do a full root cause analysis of why that pipe failed.”

Clark added there was no threat to groundwater in the area and he also doesn’t anticipate any impact on electric service. Even if the plant were to stay offline during peak winter or peak summer needs, the company has “enough margin” that they’ll have the ability to provide service during those times, he said.

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However, the MPCA acknowledged that some of the material was found in groundwater around the plant, which ultimately flowed into the Mississippi.

According to reports, the contaminated water carried the radioactive isotope tritium, 400,000 gallons of which poured into the ground from a broken pipe before the leak was noticed last November. Though the plant operator and local government were aware of the issue for months, the public was not informed until mid-March. (Related: German nuclear power plant stops operations following leak.)

Tritium is a mildly radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is often found in water used to cool nuclear reactors. The only way it can affect people is if they breathe it in or drink tritiated water, said Daniel Huff, an assistant commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health.

Residents nearby appeal for transparency from the government and XES

Some Monticello residents surrounding the plant, which is about 38 miles northwest of Minneapolis and upstream of the Mississippi River, expressed their concerns about the delay in finding out about the initial spill. “I think the general public needs to be informed more about this,” said Megan Sanborn, 31, who lives six miles upstream from the nuclear plant.

NBC News reported that XES notified the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the state on Nov. 22, 2022, the same day it confirmed the leak as a “non-emergency report” with “no impact on the health and safety of the public or plant personnel.”

The origin of the leak was found about a month later from a broken pipe between two buildings, and a temporary solution was devised to contain the water and reroute it back to the plant for reuse.

In late February, the city was informed about the leak, but it wasn’t until March 16 that state officials told the public. It was just then the company announced it had been taking steps to contain and manage the leak over the past four months.

“My children go to school two miles downstream from the power plant. If the water levels were safe the entire time like they were saying, then where was the transparency?” Sanborn lamented.

Tyler Abayare, who regularly fishes near the plant, said he has noticed dead fish near the plant in previous years when the facility closes for maintenance every April. Then, the dead fish drift downstream to shallow water and decompose. He typically avoids fishing in the area until July.

“It just starts to stink and makes your eyes water,” Abayare said.

Follow Radiation.news for more stories related to nuclear power plants.

Watch the video below where a freelance investigative journalist talks about the Minnesota plant radioactive leak.

This video is from the Suzie Etc- Search for Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Another nuclear plant closed down in Michigan as America’s energy grid gets systematically dismantled.

Half of France’s nuclear power plants are offline as dark winter approaches.

Amid ‘green energy’ collapse, Germany now reconsidering decision to shut down zero-emission nuclear power plants.

Radioactive waste discovered at Missouri elementary school.

Sources include:

RT.com

CBSNews.com

NBCNews.com

Finance.Yahoo.com

Brighteon.com

Viva Bistecca! Italy to ban FAKE MEAT, other synthetic foods

Image: Viva Bistecca! Italy to ban FAKE MEAT, other synthetic foods

(Natural News) The Italian government is set to ban fake meat and other synthetic food items in a bid to preserve its traditional cuisine.

The impending ban came to fruition, thanks to the efforts of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose populist coalition government backed legislation prohibiting lab-grown meat. Companies that sell meat analogs could face fines of up to €60,000 ($65,412) if the proposal becomes law.

Meloni’s pushback against fake meats followed a petition spearheaded by the agricultural forum Coldiretti. The said petition denouncing the proliferation of synthetic meat received more than 500,000 signatures. It was then forwarded to the prime minister’s office, which responded positively to the development.

The Italian government reiterated its support for the nation’s farmers and the traditional Mediterranean diet and emphasized its opposition to lab-grown meats that the globalists are promoting. Supporters gathered outside Chigi Palace in the capital Rome, the official residence of the prime minister.

“We could only celebrate with our farmers and the president of Coldiretti a measure that puts Italy at the forefront, also on the subject of consumer protection,” Meloni addressed the crowd. “We are linked to the fact that every citizen who eats here … in the homeland of excellence can have the same opportunities to consume food of which [they know] exactly where [it] comes from.”

Italian Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigada told the Il Messaggero newspaper that the law will put Italy “at the forefront” of the movement against fake food. He said: “They are poor quality foods. We protect health and the environment.” (Related: A massive backlash is building against fake meat products like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods.)

Brighteon.TV

“We are based on the principle of prevention and [aim to] preserve the agri-food heritage of our nation,” said Italian Health Minister Orazio Schillaci. “We are for the Mediterranean diet.”

Globalists urging people to drop meat – by hook or by crook

Back in 2019, French Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Eric Andrieu spearheaded an effort to force synthetic meat companies to prevent their use of “meat” to brand their products. However, the European Parliament in Brussels struck down this proposal in a vote the following year.

An October 2020 report by the Guardian said MEPs voted to allow the labeling of plant-based products as “sausages” or “burgers.” COPA-COGECA, Europe’s largest farmers association, had supported a ban on such labels as branding vegetarian substitutes with designations bringing meat to mind “was misleading for consumers.”

Globalist figures and institutions, most notably the World Economic Forum (WEF), have been pushing for the end of meat in the human diet. In one example, Siemens Chairman Jim Hagemann Snabe called for a dramatic global reduction in meat consumption during the WEF’s 2023 meeting in Davos, Switzerland. According to the head of the German manufacturing giant, reducing meat consumption would mitigate the alleged impact of human activity on the environment.

“If a billion people stop eating meat, I tell you – it has a big impact,” said Snabe. “Not only does it have a big impact on the current food system, but it will also inspire innovation of food systems. I predict we will have proteins not coming from meat in the future; they will probably taste even better.”

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is another globalist figure pushing to remove meat from the diets of every person on Earth. During his interview with the MIT Technology Review in February 2021, he urged first-world countries to shift to lab-grown beef instead of the real thing.

“I do think all rich countries should move to 100 percent synthetic beef,” Gates told the outlet. “You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they’re going to make it taste even better over time.”

Watch this video explaining why artificial meat and insects, both promoted as alternatives to real meat, are cancerous.

This video is from the pacsteam.org channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Fake meat companies are failing as consumers abandon processed plant-based alternatives to real meat.

Bill Gates, a Beyond Meat stakeholder, wants all first world countries to eat synthetic meat.

Bill Gates-backed fake meat companies on the verge of financial collapse.

Nobody wants fake meat because it’s disgusting, expensive and “woke.”

Another “plant-based” fake meat company, Planterra, bites the dust.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

TheGuardian.com

TechnologyReview.com

Brighteon.com

The Framework for Laundering Money With Immunity

Laundering with Immunity Part 2

  • In Part 2 of her report, investigative journalist Corey Lynn describes key organizations pulling the strings behind the scenes, allowing them to “operate as ghosts without transparency or accountability”

  • Unrestricted privileges and layers of immunity are enjoyed by powerful organizations worldwide, which use them to exert control over the globe

  • A little-known entity headquartered in Washington, D.C. — the Organization of American States (OAS) — controls the western hemisphere

  • OAS is involved in elections throughout the globe, carrying out “electoral observation missions”: it oversaw a recent election in Brazil that many residents consider stolen, and the U.S. requested OAS election services in 2016 for the first time in history

  • The U.S. funds more than 50% of OAS’ budget; however, each of OAS’ “specialized agencies and entities” has its own budget and funding, with deep globalist connections

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As the global cabal continues to wage its war against the sovereignty of humanity, we’re continuing to expose the unrestricted privileges and layers of immunity enjoyed by powerful organizations worldwide.

In November 2022, we featured Part 1 of investigative journalist Corey Lynn’s Laundering With Immunity report, which revealed 76 international organizations and banks that enjoy and leverage these immunities, privileges and tax exemptions to maintain power and control.

“These aren’t just ordinary organizations,” Lynn explains. “They happen to be the prime organizations that run the new world order globalists’ agendas against humanity, and they have hundreds of NGOs working with and through them.”

Part 2 of the report,

discussed in detail in the video above,

goes even deeper into key organizations pulling the strings behind the scenes, allowing them to “operate as ghosts without transparency or accountability.” “Hold onto your seats,” Lynn says.

To understand the threat that comes along with granting organizations the power to operate outside of laws and constitutions, it helps to understand how deep the layers of immunity go. The International Organizations Immunities Act (IOIA), passed by the U.S. Congress in 1945, granted dozens of organizations with privileges that equate to that of diplomats.

Each organization’s headquarters receives additional protections from the government of the country in which it’s located, via “headquarters agreements.” Further, the protected organizations can extend their immunities to individuals, organizations or banks working with them, including family members of staff. According to Lynn:

“To put it in layman terms, a wealthy bunch of corrupt families got together centuries ago and plotted how they wanted to control the world. The challenge was in how they would get around constitutions, state laws and international laws so they could operate outside the system that the rest of humanity had to function within.

This would afford them the ability to move like ghosts, transfer wealth, and camouflage all of their schemes with false storylines as they secured more and more control with each decade, while alleging how ‘transparent’ they are.

Getting the banking systems into place, such as the Bank for International Settlements, the Federal Reserve, the World Bank Group, and central banks was the key step in building the ghost-like infrastructure. Making sure BlackRock and Vanguard had top shareholder positions in every major corporation in order to bend and squeeze them into submission, was also a necessary evil.”

After establishing the banking systems such as the Federal Reserve, the globalists needed a way to act on international laws and treaties, manipulating them as needed to maintain control. This is where the United Nations, which enjoys 22 IOIA immunities and privileges, comes in, along with a much lesser-known entity — the Organization of American States (OAS).

OAS is headquartered in Washington, D.C., just outside of the White House, yet it’s rarely mentioned by U.S. media. First started in 1890 as the International Union of American Republics, OAS has gone through several name changes over the decades and now operates in 35 member states in the Western Hemisphere, in an area that’s home to more than 1 billion people.

It manages the Western Hemisphere and also hosts the World Health Organization’s regional office via the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which was originally founded in 1902 to control the spread of epidemics between countries.

“PAHO is the oldest and largest regional health organization, and has long coordinated with the OAS through projects, funding, goals, and even shared a building at one point. Today, PAHO is a ‘specialized organization’ of the OAS,” Lynn says.

OAS, meanwhile, works alongside the UN, but is not under its control. Lynn continues:

“The WHO is to the UN as PAHO is to the OAS. Two very powerful organizations that are in lock-step, consisting of member states that account for the entire global population, and the OAS with headquarters just steps away from the White House and the UN Foundation even closer, with immunities and privileges that afford them the ability to keep forging ahead with the New World Order agenda.

… Their budget may be far smaller than the UN, but their reach isn’t. OAS has also granted permanent observer status to over 72 states, as well as to the European Union, who all enjoy immunities and privileges.”

Further, all of OAS’ agencies and entities are granted their immunities and privileges, via their headquarters agreement with the U.S. and other agreements. Here’s just a sampling of these OAS entities:

  • Inter-American Council for Integral Development

  • Inter-American Juridical Committee

  • Inter-American Children’s Institute

  • Inter-American Commission on Women

  • Inter-American Indian Institute

  • Inter-American Agency for Cooperation Development

  • Justice Studies Center of The Americas

  • Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism

  • Inter-American Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction

  • Inter-American Court of Human Rights

  • Inter-American Defense Board

  • Inter-American Defense College

  • Inter-American Development Bank

  • Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission

  • Inter-American Juridical Committee

The immunities and privileges granted to OAS allows it to avoid both transparency and accountability. Under IOAI, for instance, OAS gets the following benefits:

  • Property and assets immune from suit and judicial process

  • Immunity from search and seizure of property and assets

  • Archives are inviolable

  • Exempt from all forms of taxes

  • Admission of officers, employees and their family members without checks from customs

  • Officers and employees exempt from all legal actions relating to work activities

  • No alien registration or fingerprinting of employees and immediate family members

OAS is also involved in elections throughout the globe, carrying out “electoral observation missions.” “And by ‘observation,'” Lynn notes, “that means financing a team to travel to the country, monitor, analyze, verify compliance, be a channel between conflict, make recommendations, and provide reports that carry weight by ‘extensive and recognized technical expertise.'”

OAS oversaw a recent election in Brazil that many residents consider stolen, and the U.S. requested OAS election services in 2016 for the first time in history. OAS observers were deployed to 13 U.S. states.

Agreements also exist beyond government entities into the Big Tech sector and beyond. Lynn explains:

“The OAS doesn’t just work with governments; they have a registry with over 465 civil society groups that work in different areas for the member states. The registry provides the exchange of information to assist in creating governmental policies, which includes dialogue between governments, international organizations and the civil society groups.

The International Planned Parenthood Federation is part of the 465 civil society groups, along with Lawyers Without Borders, Amnesty International, National Wildlife Federation, Center for Reproductive Rights, Center for International Environmental Law, Open Society Institute, and Rotary, just to name a few.

George Soros was a keynote speaker for the OAS Lecture Series of The Americas in 2006. Additionally, they have an OAS Consortium of Universities they work with to provide training programs and offer scholarship opportunities.”

OAS has a budget of about $142 million. The U.S. funds more than 50% of it. However, each of OAS’ “specialized agencies and entities” has its own budget and funding, with deep globalist connections. For instance, Lynn notes:

“Take PAHO for example, whose operating budget was increased in 2022-2023 to over $881 million. Under the agreement between PAHO and the WHO, that increases the amount the WHO must contribute to PAHO, bringing it to over $291 million. The Rockefeller Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and numerous other globalists all fund PAHO.”

Digging deeper, OAS has five areas of funding, one of which is “trust funds.” The nonprofit Trust for the Americas, which has conducted projects in 24 countries, is just one of those trusts. It’s received funding from USAID, Microsoft, Mastercard, Citi, Walmart and U.S. embassies, for starters. Other corporate giants also contribute to OAS funds. Among them:

  • Amazon Web Services

  • Cisco Systems

  • Citibank

  • Ford Foundation

  • Google

  • Hilton Foundation

  • Meta Platforms

  • Microsoft

  • The United Nations

Unless the immunities granted to OAS, the UN, the Federal Reserve and others are rescinded, and multiple governments pull out of these organizations, Lynn says, “no battle can be won.”

Meanwhile, Agenda 2030, aimed at reducing middle-class’ consumption of basic goods and energy, which includes limiting, with an eye toward eliminating, property rights and private ownership for future generations, is barreling toward us. She explains:

“Together, the BIS [Bank for International Settlements], Central Banks, UN, OAS, and the other international organizations and banks enjoying immunities and privileges, are a powerhouse that has the ability to move undetected, behind closed doors, with no transparency or accountability, and move their agendas forward with little to no legal ramifications.

While people go about their days putting their children to bed, sending them off to school, getting themselves to work, and cooking a family dinner, these masterminds are plotting out everyone’s future in a gradual manner that most don’t recognize as the global takeover that it is.

And yet, the clock ticks down as they attempt to accomplish their ultimate goal in less than seven years — a digital world with a digital workforce, a genderless society with no individualism or self-identity, a transhumanist decay where humans meld with robots, in an environment where these powers hold the keys to control everything one needs to survive on, all with the exception of one thing — one’s soul.”

All is not yet lost, however, and Lynn offers three solid strategies to attack this globalist threat:

  1. Share this information far and wide, via journalists, social media, podcasts and your community. “The louder we are and the more we push, the harder it becomes for them to push back, and they are forced to change directions and switch up their game, and they get sloppy,” she says.

  2. Tell your legislator that the immunities and privileges granted to OAS and other organizations need to be revoked, and “demand that their country pull out of the UN and OAS.” Lynn adds, “They need to nullify the Federal Reserve and get out of the central banks and build state banks and a sovereign state that doesn’t rely on the federal government.”

  3. Stop funding this enslavement system. This means not doing business with associated banks, stocks, apps and devices, and not shopping at big box stores or using convenience systems that act as forms of entrapment. Also, Lynn adds, “Stop complying with so-called rules, mandates, and regulations that are meant to break you. These people think they own you — prove them wrong.”

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Laughing Gas: Permanent Harm for Instant Euphoria?

laughing gas

  • Nitrous oxide is a colorless gas used in several industries, and now gaining popularity as a recreational drug that offers one to two minutes of euphoria

  • The gas inactivates vitamin B12 and exposes nerves to permanent damage that may lead to incontinence, inability to get an erection and/or difficulty or inability walking

  • Although there is no consensus on the definition of heavy use, neurologist Alastair Noyce believes using roughly 10 to 15 canisters more than once a week could meet the criteria and could be enough to cause permanent damage

  • Vitamin B12 is associated with neurological, cardiovascular and mental health; signs of deficiency include numbness and tingling in the hands, legs or feet, mouth sores or ulcers, blurry vision, and fatigue

  • A minor deficiency can be adjusted with an increased intake of vitamin B12-rich foods, but for a more serious deficiency you may need vitamin B12 shots or daily high doses of vitamin B12 supplements using methylcobalamin, which is the naturally occurring form and more absorbable than cyanocobalamin, the form found in most supplements

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Nitrous oxide is a colorless gas commonly used by dentists for sedation and pain relief. Recreational use is growing in popularity and, as it is, so are the number of people suffering from significant adverse effects.

It is also used to make whipped cream and, in the car industry, to enhance engine performance.

Users describe the feeling of inhaling nitrous oxide as a feeling of floating or euphoria that dissipates within one to two minutes. On the street, nitrous oxide is also called balloons, hippie crack, nos, noz, chargers, laughing gas, buzz bomb, nangs and whippets.

The effect is immediate. It can also cause dizziness and severe headache, and can stop you from thinking straight. Some people describe short-lived but intense feelings of paranoia that can be accompanied by auditory distortion and hallucination, which is when you hear and see things that are not there.

Nitrous oxide was first discovered in 1772 by Joseph Priestley and popularized by chemist Humphry Davy as an anesthetic and intoxicant. While some believe nitrous oxide is relatively innocuous as a recreational drug,

others have experienced significant nerve damage related to the inactivation of vitamin B12 that it causes in your body.

The U.S., Australia and Europe report nitrous oxide has grown in popularity as a recreational drug.

The gas can be purchased in lipstick-size capsules containing 0.2 ounces that are used to fill a balloon from which users inhale the gas. These are called “little crackers” and can have a bad taste. Nitrous oxide can also be purchased in large cylinders producing gas that is tasteless and has a stronger effect.

While The Guardian

characterizes the gas used as “widespread … with relative safety,” Dr. David Nicholl from Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust told Sky News:

“Maybe once every five or six years, I’ll see a patient who’s had a stroke from taking cocaine. Yet, every week, I’m seeing this in my ward. So, from my point of view, this is actually a bigger problem.”

The U.K. is seeing a spike in use, which has triggered talks of stricter regulations around the sale and use of nitrous oxide gas. Sky News

describes the experience of one 20-year-old young man who now faces life-changing consequences from a nitrous oxide habit that involved consuming multiple large canisters on nearly a daily basis. MRI scans show spinal cord abnormalities that may be irreversible.

Sky News sent a reporter undercover and found they could easily purchase canisters at shops where residents had seen school-age children inhaling the gas. With each purchase, the undercover investigator received a packet of party balloons (used to inhale the gas) and was not asked what they intended to do with the gas.

Nicholl reports a rising number of outpatient visits and admissions since the large canisters began flooding the market. Emergency calls in London tripled from 2021 to 2022 for incidents relating to nitrous oxide. Harry Sumnall, professor in substance abuse at Liverpool John Moores University, told Sky News

there were currently more than 600,000 nitrous oxide users in the U.K.

Yahoo! News

covered the story of Vito Oliveri, who first tried nitrous oxide in his twenties. He used it at parties for about a year and then stopped until 2020 when he moved to Portland. There he was exposed to supersize cylinders that contain 20 pounds of nitrous oxide, which is equal to approximately 1,600 individual canisters.

Oliveri consumed up to 500 0.2-ounce canisters a day for nearly a year. In April 2022, he noticed he couldn’t control his legs and struggled to stand still. One month later he needed an electric chair to get around. By June, Oliveri couldn’t walk and needed to be hospitalized and treated. He and his fiancé have tried multiple times to quit.

Alastair Noyce, a neurologist at a London Hospital, commented that he has seen patients disabled from using high quantities of nitric oxide, including needing to use a walker or wheelchair, experiencing incontinence or being unable to get an erection. According to Noyce, the severity of symptoms depends on how extensive the nerve damage is, which is caused by nitrous oxide inactivating vitamin B12.

Although it’s rare for people who use the drug infrequently to experience nerve damage, Noyce has also seen patients who had nerve damage after only one use. According to Noyce, there is no consensus on the definition of “heavy use” but using roughly 10 to 15 canisters more than once a week likely qualifies.

Users who develop neurological symptoms require prompt treatment with vitamin B injections. While it is the only known treatment for nitrous oxide nerve damage, it is not always successful. Noyce notes that some try to preventively use vitamin B12 tablets but this doesn’t appear to offset the neurological damage.

Nitrous oxide inactivates vitamin B12 in the body. This B vitamin is essential to maintain the myelin sheath,

which is a layer around nerves that protects them from damage and affects how quickly signals travel through the nerve cells. Multiple sclerosis is a well-known disease that also damages or destroys myelin.

Researchers had identified a problem with nitrous oxide abuse well before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Identifying toxicity from nitrous oxide abuse is a challenge since the symptoms are often general and may mimic other conditions.

Researchers caution physicians to have a high index of suspicion when patients present with subacute degeneration of the spinal cord.

A 2019 paper

discussed the presentation of nine patients, who presented with symptoms of myeloneuropathy and/or low levels of vitamin B12. The patients in this paper all recovered muscle strength within two months after being treated with vitamin B12, but five continued to have persistent sensory deficits.

News headlines worldwide acknowledged the COVID pandemic had fueled a major rise in drug use.

One of the drugs that gained popularity during the COVID lockdowns was nitrous oxide. In one study

published in the Journal of Neurology, spinal cord degeneration was present in four out of five the subjects, yet no patient had low vitamin B12 titers.

All five had elevated blood levels of homocysteine and methylmalonic acid, which reflects a functional deficit of vitamin B12. The scientists wrote: “We report an elevated incidence of neurological complications of nitrous oxide abuse occurring during the recent COVID-19 lockdown.”

Besides being integral to your neurological health, vitamin B12 is also important for your cardiovascular health. A 2021 study

assessed the effect of vitamins B6, B9 and B12 on homocysteine levels as it is also related to the risk of stroke, cardiovascular disorders and vascular death.

The intervention demonstrated a risk reduction of 11% among stroke patients for the three risks, a 13% reduction for stroke and a 17% reduction for vascular death. Vitamins B6 and B12 have also demonstrated properties that protect against peripheral neuropathy. A 2021 study

sought to evaluate if B6 and B12 could prevent vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy which occurs in 40% to 45% of patients receiving this chemotherapeutic agent.

Of the 102 patients enrolled, 81 completed the study during which the researchers found a significant difference in the incidence of peripheral neuropathy between the intervention and placebo groups. Data showed an absolute risk reduction of 30% and a relative risk reduction of 54% in the intervention group.

A 2021 paper

published in BioMed Research International proposed that vitamins B1, B6 and B12 are key players in the protection of the neurological system against environmental influences. They suggest these vitamins may help nerve regeneration by supporting the development of cell structures.

It stands to reason that since vitamin B12 helps protect the neurological system, it may also influence mental health. Depression affects 264 million people worldwide

and in 2017, roughly 17.3 million U.S. adults experienced at least one major depressive episode.

A 2021 study

using data from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging found those who had a vitamin B12 deficiency had an increased risk of symptoms of depression. The results showed a link between vitamin B12 deficiency, but not with folate deficiency. The researchers found that even after controlling for factors such as chronic disease, cardiovascular disease, antidepressant use, physical activity and vitamin D status, the results remained significant.

Vitamin B12 is a common deficiency in the elderly population

because of the high prevalence of malabsorption. The deficiency is often unrecognized because the symptoms are subtle and nonspecific. Yet, left untreated, the consequences can be serious. There is also a high prevalence rate of depression in the elderly. One 2021 meta-analysis

of 42 relevant studies found the average prevalence worldwide was 31.74%, and found a higher prevalence in developing countries.

B12 has also been linked to reduced brain shrinkage. A 2013 study

showed that not only do B vitamins slow brain shrinkage, but they specifically slow shrinkage in regions known to be most severely impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, in those specific areas, the shrinkage is decreased by as much as seven times.

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency often begin gradually and worsen over time, culminating in a variety of physical and mental symptoms, including:

  • A numb, tingly, “pins and needles” sensation in your hands, legs or feet, which may indicate possible nerve damage

  • A red, swollen, “beefy” tongue with fewer papillae “bumps” containing taste buds

  • Mouth sores/ulcers

  • Blurry or double vision, or shadows in your field of vision, caused by optic nerve damage from a B12 deficiency

  • Yellow skin (jaundice), an indication that your red blood cells are degrading, which releases a yellow pigment in the process

  • Unstable, wobbly and dizzy feelings, which are signs there may not be enough oxygen in your blood, related to low B12

  • Memory loss may be a red flag when it has no other potential cause

  • Anemia

  • Fatigue and weakness

In adults, B12 deficiency can take six years to develop, which is how long it takes to deplete normal stores of B12.

It’s important to be aware of your intake and catch a B12 deficiency early, as impaired brain and nerve development can be very difficult to correct once the damage is done.

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin B12 for adults is 2.4 micrograms (mcg) a day, but there is some controversy over whether this is enough, especially for the elderly.

You don’t need to worry about overdosing on B12 because it’s water-soluble, so your body will simply flush out any excess.

If you have a minor deficiency, increasing B12-rich foods in your diet can help. Vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in animal tissues, including foods like beef and beef liver, lamb, snapper, venison, salmon, shrimp, scallops, poultry, eggs and dairy products.

Nutritional yeast is high in B12, and is highly recommended for vegetarians and vegans. One one-fourth cup serving contains from 8.3 mcg to 24 mcg of vitamin B12, depending on the brand.

For more serious deficiency you may need weekly shots of vitamin B12 or daily high-dose B12 supplements. The type of B12 supplement that is best is methylcobalamin, which is the naturally occurring form found in food. It is more absorbable, and your body retains it in greater amounts than cyanocobalamin, the form of B12 found in most supplements.

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