Black Fungus–A Natural Aid to Cardiovascular and Digestive Wellness
On an episode of the 'Health 1+1' program, Zhang Weijun, fifth-generation successor of the renowned Taiwanese TCM family Huai Sheng Tang, shared a remarkable case. His father successfully treated a high school student who had suffered a heart attack using a combination of black fungus and traditional Chinese herbal medicine.
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Epoch Times
3 hours ago
- Epoch Times
Taiwanese Doctor Expresses Concern Over China's Organ Industry
A Taiwanese doctor who is part of a medical ethics nonprofit has expressed concerns about China's organ industry, especially regarding children. Huang Shiwei, vice chairman of the medical ethics nonprofit Taiwan International Organ Transplant Care Association, told NTD's Health 1+1 program that he was troubled by an alleged order that a hospital gave medical student Luo Shuaiyu. The medical student, Luo Shuaiyu, specialized in kidney transplantation at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. Authorities said Luo fell to his death from a building in May 2024, just weeks before his graduation. According to audio recordings released by his parents after his death, Luo had been asked to locate 12 child donors aged 3 to 9, ostensibly for medical purposes. Huang said this is concerning given China's record of forced organ harvesting. 'They asked [Luo] to find child donors. Where was he supposed to look?' Huang said. Pediatric Organs On May 21, 2024, Fudan University Medical College in Shanghai established a pediatric organ transplant center. According to the university, Li Qian, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) secretary at the pediatric hospital, said that 'in just over a year, [pediatric organ transplants] have exceeded 100 cases.' State media outlet Sina reported that the hospital has performed highly complex surgeries, including kidney transplants from donors weighing less than 5 kg (11 pounds), indicating that newborns are among the donors. In 2017, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou reported that 90 percent of pediatric kidney donors were allocated to adult patients. A 2023 study by doctors from Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Renji Hospital, published in the American Journal of Transplantation, detailed two cases of kidney transplants from newborns born at 29 weeks and 29 weeks, 5 days to adult women aged 34 and 25 with end-stage kidney disease. The kidneys were harvested on the second and third days after birth, prompting ethical scrutiny. Shabih Manzar, associate professor of clinical pediatrics at Louisiana State University, questioned the procedure in the same journal, noting that one of the 29-week preterm infants had no apparent life-threatening conditions, casting doubt on the decision to withdraw life-sustaining treatment. Huang noted the high survival rates of 29-week preterm infants with modern medical technology. 'Whether it's the parents or the medical system, everyone would typically do everything possible to save these preterm newborns,' he said. 'No one would give up and simply designate them as organ donors. Yet, we see that they are using 29-week preterm infants as organ donors.' China's Organ Harvesting Industry China began using organs from executed prisoners following a 1984 regulation allowing the practice. After 1999, when the regime began persecuting the spiritual group Falun Gong, China's organ transplant industry exponentially increased. Huang noted that when former CCP leader Jiang Zemin initiated the persecution campaign against Falun Gong, practitioners were branded as 'class enemies,' making them prime targets for forced organ harvesting. This period marked an unprecedented surge in organ transplants. According to data from the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, compiled from Chinese state media reports, only 135 liver transplants were recorded in China over more than two decades before 1999, averaging five to six cases annually. From 1999 to 2006, liver transplants skyrocketed to 14,085 cases over the eight-year period, averaging more than 1,700 cases per year—a 180-fold increase. 'Organ transplantation in China suddenly became a massive industry,' Huang said. 'With countless patients in China and worldwide needing organs, there are enormous commercial interests at play.' In March 2006, a whistleblower using the pseudonym Annie, a former employee of Sujiatun Thrombosis Hospital in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, revealed to The Epoch Times the CCP's horrific practice of forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners. This exposure had a significant impact on China's organ transplant industry. According to the China Liver Transplant Registry, cited by state media People's Daily, liver transplants peaked at 2,970 cases in 2005 and 2,781 in 2006 but fell by roughly one-third to 1,822 cases in 2007. Huang attributed this decline to the 2006 revelations. 'The reason for the decrease in organ transplants in China in 2007 was the exposure of the CCP's forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners,' Huang said. 'As relatives relentlessly searched for family members detained for practicing Falun Gong, it became increasingly difficult for the CCP's public security and medical personnel to continue using Falun Gong practitioners' organs on such a large scale.' He said the drop in transplant numbers underscores the international scrutiny and domestic pressure that began to disrupt the CCP's organ harvesting operations. Concerns 'Forced organ harvesting in China appears to be targeting specific ethnic, linguistic, or religious minorities held in detention, often without being explained the reasons for arrest or given arrest warrants, at different locations,' according to a 2021 joint statement from the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Huang said: 'In most countries, organ donors tend to be older, 50, 60, or even 70 years old. But in China, the organ transplant industry operates differently. When organs are supplied to wealthy individuals, they naturally demand those from younger people.' Huang said he believes in China there is now an increasing focus on obtaining organs from young individuals, including children. A surge in mysterious disappearances of adolescents across multiple Chinese provinces in recent years has fueled public suspicion of organ trafficking, especially because of China's extensive surveillance infrastructure. In October 2022, Hu Xinyu, a first-year high school student in eastern China's Jiangxi Province, mysteriously disappeared from school. Various reports from insiders and overseas whistleblowers allege that the Hu case is linked to forced organ harvesting. In August 2023, 8-year-old Wang Sijun, who had a rare Rh-negative blood type, died unexpectedly while receiving treatment at Yunnan Red Cross Hospital. According to viral videos posted by her family on platforms such as Douyin, Wang was admitted for a routine examination while accompanying a relative, only to die in the nephrology ward. Her autopsy cited hemorrhagic shock as the cause of death, with traces of the anticoagulant enoxaparin sodium detected, leading her family to suspect blood extraction and organ theft. Although no definitive evidence confirms organ harvesting in the case, Huang noted that widespread allegations of hospitals engaging in such practices have created a climate of heightened anxiety. Documented cases, such as a fraudulent organ donation scandal in Anhui Province's Bengbu City, lend credence to these concerns. Between 2017 and 2018, six defendants, including four doctors, were convicted of deceiving families and illegally harvesting organs from at least 11 patients. 'China's organ transplant industry, driven by the Communist Party's ideology, has evolved into a vast commercial enterprise,' Huang said. 'These cases show it has become an unregulated beast, with rampant, unchecked organ harvesting.'
Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Newsweek
Travel Warning Issued for China Amid Mosquito-Borne Virus Outbreak
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 2 travel alert on Friday, advising those planning to visit China to practice enhanced precautions due to a significant chikungunya virus outbreak. Newsweek has reached out to the CDC via media inquiry form Saturday during non-working hours. Why It Matters Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes and can cause symptoms such as fever, joint pain, headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, and rash. While symptoms can be severe and occasionally last for months, most cases resolve without hospitalization or death. There is currently no specific antiviral medicine for chikungunya, so treatment focuses on managing symptoms. The CDC advisory followed a surge in infections in southern China, raising concerns about travelers unknowingly importing the mosquito-borne illness to new regions. The outbreak highlights the persistent challenges posed by emerging infectious diseases in a highly connected world and the importance of prevention for U.S. travelers to affected destinations. What To Know The CDC's Level 2 alert—designated as "Practice Enhanced Precautions"—was announced after Chinese health authorities reported nearly 5,000 chikungunya infections, primarily in Guangdong province. The outbreak began in early July, with over 3,000 cases identified in a single week. In Foshan, a major manufacturing city in Guangdong, local officials accounted for about 60 percent of the reported cases. As of July 30, the total number of documented cases in Guangdong surpassed 6,500, with most classified as mild and no deaths reported by regional health authorities, the South China Morning Post reported on Saturday. The Aedes mosquitos bite during the daytime and patients can see symptoms anywhere from three to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. The CDC has warned that internationally mobile travelers may further spread the virus to regions where it has not previously circulated. On Saturday, the first imported case since 2019 was reported in Hong Kong in a child who spent two weeks in Shunde district, the South China Morning Post reported. Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong urged local authorities in Foshan to "strictly implement port health quarantine measures," and called for heightened mosquito control efforts to "effectively eliminate mosquitoes and cut off epidemic spread channels," according to China's official Xinhua News Agency. Officials have released thousands of mosquito-eating fish in the Guangdong province in an effort to curb the rising number of cases, according to a report from state-run media outlet China Daily. Because no specific antiviral medicine is available for chikungunya, prevention—through vaccination, insect repellent, long sleeves, and mosquito control measures—remains the most effective defense, according to the CDC. Globally, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported that chikungunya has affected approximately 240,000 people and caused 90 deaths across at least 16 countries so far this year. The mortality rate for chikungunya remains low and fatalities are rare. This photograph shows a mosquito trap as part of the fight against the Chikungunya pandemic by mosquitoes in Saint-Benoit on the French overseas island of La Reunion on April 22. This photograph shows a mosquito trap as part of the fight against the Chikungunya pandemic by mosquitoes in Saint-Benoit on the French overseas island of La Reunion on April 22. Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images What People Are Saying The World Health Organization (WHO) said on its website: "Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease that causes fever and severe joint pain. It is caused by a ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae." It continued: "The name 'chikungunya' derives from a word in the Kimakonde language of southern Tanzania, meaning "that which bends up" and describes the stooped appearance of infected people with severe joint pain (arthralgia)." U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on its website: "Outbreaks have occurred in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. There is a risk the virus can spread to unaffected areas by infected travelers." What Happens Next? Travelers to affected areas of China are advised by the CDC to practice enhanced protective measures against mosquito bites, including using EPA-registered insect repellent and staying in accommodations with window screens or air conditioning. Chinese public health officials have stepped up surveillance and vector control campaigns in Foshan and Guangdong, seeking to contain the spread and prevent the escalation of severe cases.
The Hill
8 hours ago
- The Hill
Americans' becoming more aware of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy: Survey
The number of U.S. adults that are aware of GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, has jumped significantly in the last few years, a new survey shows. The YouGov poll, released Friday, shows that at least 80 percent of respondents have heard at least 'a little bit' about semaglutide, a medication used to treat Type 2 diabetes that also helps a user to shed weight. In March 2023, only 60 percent of Americans were aware of the drug. A year later, in March 2024, that number had jumped to 70 percent, the pollster noted. The latest survey also shows that the share of those who have heard 'a lot' about the medication has nearly doubled since 2023, increasing to 41 percent from 23 percent. Just 36 percent of respondents say they know someone who has taken semaglutide. Around 14 percent listed a family member took the medicine, 16 percent named a friend, 11 percent identified an acquaintance and 7 percent said they had taken it themselves, according to the poll. Several also noted they knew a user in more than one category. Women are more likely than men, 43 percent to 29 percent, to know someone — including themselves — who has taken a GLP-1 agonist drug, per the survey. The weight loss medications — including Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound and others — have been available since 2005 but have only in the past few years been used to treat obesity. The drugs work by mimicking a hormone in the body — glucagon-like peptide-1 — that stimulates insulin secretion and reduces appetite. Possible side effects of taking the medication include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and constipation. While semaglutide is currently only prescribed for weight loss or treating diabetes, early research is pointing to possible benefits for a host of other issues, including treatment for addiction, neurodegenerative diseases and conditions that affect the heart, kidney or liver. The latest survey found that roughly a quarter of respondents said they would be 'very' or 'somewhat' interested in taking the medication as a weight loss treatment. About a third of Americans have either taken the drug or said they would be interested in trying it. On the other side, about 17 percent said they were 'not very' interested in the medication and 45 percent signaled they were not at all interested. A separate poll from last September found that around a quarter of adults in the U.S. would consider using weight loss medications without consulting their doctor. The YouGov analysis is based on an online survey conducted from May 22-25 among 1,109 adults in the U.S. The margin of error for the full sample is 4 percentage points.
