Latest news with #Polaris
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Health
- Perth Now
Warning over hidden danger in everyday supplements
A proposed class action against Blackmores has revealed the potentially devastating effects of vitamin B6 toxicity — with growing concern around pregnant women unknowingly consuming dangerous levels. More than 1000 Australians have contacted lawyers about neurological symptoms they believe are linked to excessive B6 in over-the-counter supplements, many marketed as safe multivitamins or magnesium blends. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Among them is 33-year-old Dominic Noonan O'Keefe, a father from Victoria, who started taking supplements to prepare for the arrival of his baby daughter. 'The main motivation was my daughter's coming. I want to be as ready as possible for that period,' he said. Dominic Noonan O'Keefe. Credit: 7NEWS He says what followed was months of escalating, unexplained symptoms including nerve pain, loss of balance, visual issues and overwhelming fatigue. I remember standing at my desk and I had this electric shock of nerve pain shoot up in my scalp. Everything became overwhelming. I couldn't deal with it. The light was too bright. The noises were too loud ... I thought I was having an aneurysm or something ... I thought I was dying Dominic continued to deteriorate over several months as specialists searched for answers, but routine tests failed to check his B6 levels. The turning point came not from the medical system, but a family barbecue. 'My whole family knew I was incredibly unwell ... I just said, 'Oh, my arms are just so numb and they feel like they're vibrating…' and [my stepsister] stopped for a second, she's like, 'Are you taking any supplements?' he said. 'She flipped me some peer-reviewed literature ... and immediately I knew what was going on. 'The next day I got a blood test and my results were double what they needed to be for peripheral neuropathy, which is just shorthand for nerve damage.' Polaris principal lawyer Nick Mann is leading the proposed class action against Blackmores. He says the firm has now received more than 20 inquiries from women who were pregnant or breastfeeding while taking B6-containing supplements. You could be taking a pregnancy multivitamin and a magnesium supplement combined. You could have 50, 60 times the recommended daily intake of B6. 'To date, we've also received about 20 inquiries from women who were taking multivitamins while pregnant or breastfeeding. That's something that we're investigating.' Mann believes this is just the beginning of what could be a much larger health issue, driven by regulatory gaps and marketing practices within the supplement industry. 'What we've since discovered is that there are thousands of Australians out there who are likely to have been affected by this,' Mann said. While most people associate vitamin supplements with health benefits, B6 — also known as pyridoxine — can accumulate in the body over time, particularly if consumed through multiple sources. 'One of the things that I think the companies haven't well understood or appreciated is that you could be taking a few different supplements at the same time ... you could be taking 50 times the recommended daily intake of B6,' he said. 'We are yet to see any convincing evidence that it needs to be in these supplement. You can go down to your local chemist and find an almost identical product which contains magnesium as the primary supplement sitting next to one that contains 30 to 40 times the recommended daily intake of B6.' A spokesperson for Blackmores has told 7NEWS it's committed to the 'highest standards of product quality and consumer safety'. 'All our products, including those containing vitamin B6, are developed in strict accordance with the safety and regulatory requirements of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). 'This includes compliance with maximum permitted daily doses and the inclusion of mandated warning statements on product labels. We acknowledge the interim decision issued by the TGA and we will ensure full compliance with its final determination, prioritising the safety of our products. 'Vitamin B6 is in a range of products within the vitamins and dietary supplement industry and its inclusion in some Blackmores products is consistent with industry practice and meets current regulatory requirements in all markets.' Dominic is one of the first to come forward and says he hopes speaking out will prompt real change. 'I feel embarrassed initially and a bit of shame like I think everyone does ... there's a part of you that realises you were doing it, you were taking the supplements and unknowingly poisoning yourself,' he said. 'You can go into chemists still to this day and there won't be warning labels. I didn't have the luxury of that on any of my supplements. There are still supplements to this day in chemists without warnings on them.' This whole thing doesn't seem right and I think we need to do something about it. Mann says the proposed legal action is the first B6 class action of its kind globally. It's gaining international attention and even prompting whistleblowers from inside the supplement industry to come forward. This is the first class action in the world that's been brought in relation to B6 toxicity. 'We're proud to bring it. 'What I can say so far is that from those inquiries, what we understand is that there was a huge reliance on what was approved by the TGA, but then no other consideration of safety and efficacy. The regulation of complementary medicines in Australia seems to have followed what's called a light-touch regulatory approach. Mann stresses that their legal case is not against the regulator, but against the companies with a duty of care to protect the public. 'The TGA regulation doesn't and can't be the beginning and the and of the legal liability ... You can't, at law, say, well the regulator allowed us to do this and so therefore that's our legal liability.' Vitamin B6 is also added to food and drinks particularly breakfast cereals, protein bars and energy drinks. Dr Terri-Lynne South from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners says there needs to be better regulation in the food industry. There needs to be better regulation of those energy drinks because it is quite high. 'There needs to be education and potentially some recommendations to pull them in line with what we're seeing in those vitamin and mineral supplements.' The TGA also responded to 7NEWS enquires: 'The TGA has alerted consumers to the risk of neuropathy from vitamin B6, including a safety alert in 2022. 'Since March 2022, medicines providing over 10 mg equivalent vitamin B6 per day have required the label warning statement: 'WARNING - Stop taking this medication if you experience tingling, burning or numbness and see your healthcare practitioner as soon as possible. [Contains vitamin B6].' 'In June, the TGA released an interim decision that proposes to change the current scheduling of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine) such that oral preparations containing 50 mg or less per recommended daily dose are available for general retail sale (unscheduled). 'Oral preparations containing more than 50 mg but less than 200 mg per recommended daily dose would become Pharmacist only medicines (Schedule 3). This decision, if implemented, will reduce the maximum amount of vitamin B6 allowed in oral products than currently available for general sale. 'The interim decision balances the risks and benefits of using vitamin B6 including the risk of peripheral neuropathy, acknowledging its potential for irreversible harm at higher doses and variability in individual metabolism. It also considers the limited clinical need for supplementation due to dietary sufficiency, alongside the widespread use of vitamin B6 in fortified products and listed medicines.' Dominic, now a year into recovery, still faces flare-ups triggered by illness or stress and lasting symptoms like numbness, vision problems, and fatigue. 'It feels like a heavy veil is over me and I've receded back into myself and I'm sort of just operating something that doesn't a body that doesn't work. But when I feel good, I feel present again,' he said. 'I feel me today.' For him, the fight is about protecting others. 'I think it's for the people that have been damaged ... The science has been pointing to this for decades. The companies need to do something to change it.'
7NEWS
2 days ago
- Health
- 7NEWS
B6 class action raises concerns for pregnant women and supplement safety
A proposed class action against Blackmores has revealed the potentially devastating effects of vitamin B6 toxicity — with growing concern around pregnant women unknowingly consuming dangerous levels. More than 1,000 Australians have contacted lawyers about neurological symptoms they believe are linked to excessive B6 in over-the-counter supplements, many marketed as safe multivitamins or magnesium blends. Among them is 33-year-old Dominic Noonan O'Keefe, a father from Victoria, who started taking supplements to prepare for the arrival of his baby daughter. 'The main motivation was my daughter's coming. I want to be as ready as possible for that period,' he said. He says what followed was months of escalating, unexplained symptoms including nerve pain, loss of balance, visual issues and overwhelming fatigue. "I remember standing at my desk and I had this electric shock of nerve pain shoot up in my scalp. Everything became overwhelming. I couldn't deal with it. The light was too bright. The noises were too loud ... I thought I was having an aneurysm or something ... I thought I was dying" Dominic continued to deteriorate over several months as specialists searched for answers, but routine tests failed to check his B6 levels. The turning point came not from the medical system, but a family barbecue. 'My whole family knew I was incredibly unwell ... I just said, 'Oh, my arms are just so numb and they feel like they're vibrating…' and [my stepsister] stopped for a second, she's like, 'Are you taking any supplements?' he said. 'She flipped me some peer-reviewed literature ... and immediately I knew what was going on. 'The next day I got a blood test and my results were double what they needed to be for peripheral neuropathy, which is just shorthand for nerve damage.' Polaris principal lawyer Nick Mann is leading the proposed class action against Blackmores. He says the firm has now received more than 20 inquiries from women who were pregnant or breastfeeding while taking B6-containing supplements. "You could be taking a pregnancy multivitamin and a magnesium supplement combined. You could have 50, 60 times the recommended daily intake of B6." 'To date, we've also received about 20 inquiries from women who were taking multivitamins while pregnant or breastfeeding. That's something that we're investigating.' Mann believes this is just the beginning of what could be a much larger health issue, driven by regulatory gaps and marketing practices within the supplement industry. 'What we've since discovered is that there are thousands of Australians out there who are likely to have been affected by this,' Mann said. While most people associate vitamin supplements with health benefits, B6 — also known as pyridoxine — can accumulate in the body over time, particularly if consumed through multiple sources. 'One of the things that I think the companies haven't well understood or appreciated is that you could be taking a few different supplements at the same time ... you could be taking 50 times the recommended daily intake of B6,' he said. 'We are yet to see any convincing evidence that it needs to be in these supplement. You can go down to your local chemist and find an almost identical product which contains magnesium as the primary supplement sitting next to one that contains 30 to 40 times the recommended daily intake of B6.' A spokesperson for Blackmores has told 7NEWS it's committed to the 'highest standards of product quality and consumer safety'. 'All our products, including those containing vitamin B6, are developed in strict accordance with the safety and regulatory requirements of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). 'This includes compliance with maximum permitted daily doses and the inclusion of mandated warning statements on product labels. We acknowledge the interim decision issued by the TGA and we will ensure full compliance with its final determination, prioritising the safety of our products. 'Vitamin B6 is in a range of products within the vitamins and dietary supplement industry and its inclusion in some Blackmores products is consistent with industry practice and meets current regulatory requirements in all markets.' Dominic is one of the first to come forward and says he hopes speaking out will prompt real change. 'I feel embarrassed initially and a bit of shame like I think everyone does ... there's a part of you that realises you were doing it, you were taking the supplements and unknowingly poisoning yourself,' he said. 'You can go into chemists still to this day and there won't be warning labels. I didn't have the luxury of that on any of my supplements. There are still supplements to this day in chemists without warnings on them.' "This whole thing doesn't seem right and I think we need to do something about it." Mann says the proposed legal action is the first B6 class action of its kind globally. It's gaining international attention and even prompting whistleblowers from inside the supplement industry to come forward. "This is the first class action in the world that's been brought in relation to B6 toxicity. " 'We're proud to bring it. 'What I can say so far is that from those inquiries, what we understand is that there was a huge reliance on what was approved by the TGA, but then no other consideration of safety and efficacy. "The regulation of complementary medicines in Australia seems to have followed what's called a light-touch regulatory approach." Mann stresses that their legal case is not against the regulator, but against the companies with a duty of care to protect the public. 'The TGA regulation doesn't and can't be the beginning and the and of the legal liability ... You can't, at law, say, well the regulator allowed us to do this and so therefore that's our legal liability.' Vitamin B6 is also added to food and drinks particularly breakfast cereals, protein bars and energy drinks. Dr Terri-Lynne South from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners says there needs to be better regulation in the food industry. "There needs to be better regulation of those energy drinks because it is quite high. " 'There needs to be education and potentially some recommendations to pull them in line with what we're seeing in those vitamin and mineral supplements.' The TGA also responded to 7NEWS enquires: 'The TGA has alerted consumers to the risk of neuropathy from vitamin B6, including a safety alert in 2022. 'Since March 2022, medicines providing over 10 mg equivalent vitamin B6 per day have required the label warning statement: 'WARNING - Stop taking this medication if you experience tingling, burning or numbness and see your healthcare practitioner as soon as possible. [Contains vitamin B6].' 'In June, the TGA released an interim decision that proposes to change the current scheduling of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine) such that oral preparations containing 50 mg or less per recommended daily dose are available for general retail sale (unscheduled). 'Oral preparations containing more than 50 mg but less than 200 mg per recommended daily dose would become Pharmacist only medicines (Schedule 3). This decision, if implemented, will reduce the maximum amount of vitamin B6 allowed in oral products than currently available for general sale. 'The interim decision balances the risks and benefits of using vitamin B6 including the risk of peripheral neuropathy, acknowledging its potential for irreversible harm at higher doses and variability in individual metabolism. It also considers the limited clinical need for supplementation due to dietary sufficiency, alongside the widespread use of vitamin B6 in fortified products and listed medicines.' Dominic, now a year into recovery, still faces flare-ups triggered by illness or stress and lasting symptoms like numbness, vision problems, and fatigue. 'It feels like a heavy veil is over me and I've receded back into myself and I'm sort of just operating something that doesn't a body that doesn't work. But when I feel good, I feel present again,' he said. 'I feel me today.' For him, the fight is about protecting others.
Edmonton Journal
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Trad and glam swirl as RKS, Serena Ryder and Aysanabee rock folk fest
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Article content Pouncing and rolling around on stage with legs in the air, Rainbow Surprise Kitten clawed in International Cat Day a few hours early Thursday night with a legendary shake-it-up rock-out in the misty rain. Article content Article content Rain and thunder! Or the fear of it, anyway, was the unofficial pre-opener for the 46 th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival — tens of thousands of Gallagher Park hill bags heavier with assorted rubber gear and towels on a generally lovely cloudy day that did not encourage free-range beer chugging. More like under-blanket snuggling. Article content Article content Now based in Toronto, he mushroom-gathers prestige indie Juno wins and Polaris noms with his upbeat Elder-channelling, gravel-revving voice full of hope and trying to figure it all out. Relatable, singalong resistance. Article content The set opened with the recorded spoken word Interlude 9 of album Watin, named for the musician's grandfather, explaining words in their language, including 'Nosuk, nosuk magizokege means my grandchildren are growing up,' and 'Ebiisay ketizgo, that means heaven.' Article content Article content The band introduced themselves playing the slow-rising Dream Catcher, the pounder Nomads, followed by the energetic Bringing the Fire. Article content Asking who'd seen them in 2023, Aysanabee waved left and right over the verdant rise of raincoat witnesses. Article content 'We played over there, we played over there,' he said from the big stage under the 46 — a number of encouragement from the divine realm. 'Now we're playing here! Thanks for selling out Thursday — that's you!' Article content Article content Impossible to ignore at Aysanabee's side was singer Lala Noel in her blood-orange-slice earrings, backing up his distinct voice with Dark Side of the Moon, OG Star Trek choral heights and this very infectious smile. Article content Miles Gibbons did a nice job on the looping drums, Dean Aivaliotis on keys, with Nick Tateishi playing guitar, all together through a dozen countries in the last year and change.
Business Wire
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Wire
SoundHound Launches Vision AI, Bringing Real-Time Visual Understanding to its Conversational AI Platform
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SoundHound AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOUN), a global leader in voice AI and conversational intelligence, today announced the launch of Vision AI – an advanced visual understanding engine natively integrated with SoundHound's voice-first platform. This innovation will enable any enterprise to deliver empathetic, context-aware interactions that feel more human—whether it's in a car, a drive-thru, on the retail floor, or in industrial operations. Inspired by how the human brain processes spoken language and visual context in harmony, Vision AI unites voice and visual capabilities into one intelligent platform, allowing the technology to listen, see, and interpret the world around it with remarkable clarity. Importantly, this innovation will enable any enterprise to deliver empathetic, context-aware interactions that feel more human—whether it's in a car, a drive-thru, on the retail floor, or in industrial operations. 'At SoundHound, we believe the future of AI isn't just multimodal – it's deeply integrated, responsive, and built for real-world impact,' said Keyvan Mohajer, CEO of SoundHound AI. 'With Vision AI, we're extending our leadership in voice and conversational AI to redefine how humans interact with products and services offered and used by businesses.' Vision AI works by uniting camera-enabled visual perception with SoundHound's Polaris automatic speech recognition, natural language understanding, agent orchestration, and text-to-speech technologies. The technology has been designed to meet the demanding needs of enterprise applications. By fusing visual cues with live audio and language understanding in real-time, the system enables use cases such as: Hands-free equipment troubleshooting AI-powered retail inventory intelligence In-car discovery agents Personalized drive-thru experiences 'With Vision AI, we are fusing visual recognition and conversational intelligence into a single, synchronized flow. Every frame, every utterance, every intent is interpreted within the same ecosystem – ensuring faster, more natural user experiences that scale across surfaces from kiosks to embedded devices,' said Pranav Singh, VP of Engineering at SoundHound AI. 'This is innovation at the intersection of intelligence and execution, delivering AI that sees what you see, hears what you say, and responds in the moment.' A New Interaction Paradigm for Enterprises The introduction of Vision AI empowers SoundHound's partners to: Deliver faster, frictionless user interactions Unlock operational efficiencies by eliminating manual inputs like typing or scanning Enable scalable deployments across mobile, automotive, kiosk, and embedded environments Deploy ground intelligent agents in real-world visual context Fully integrated with SoundHound's end-to-end proprietary conversational AI stack, Vision AI offers domain-customizable visual understanding, continuous learning loops, and unmatched deployment flexibility. Learn more about Vision AI here. Furthering our Agentic Momentum with Amelia 7.1 This month, SoundHound AI also launched Amelia 7.1. This update advances our agentic AI platform with major increases in speed and conversational responsiveness, AI agent accuracy (with enhanced knowledge matching and fine-tuning), greater transparency with full agent data logs, and better user experience with new UI visualizations—delivering more accurate agents, faster conversations, and expanded enterprise control. Learn more about the Amelia platform here. About SoundHound AI SoundHound AI (Nasdaq: SOUN), a global leader in voice and conversational intelligence, delivers AI solutions that allow businesses to offer superior experiences to their customers. Built on proprietary technology, SoundHound's voice AI delivers best-in-class speed and accuracy in numerous languages to product creators and service providers across retail, financial services, healthcare, automotive, smart devices, and restaurants. The company's various groundbreaking AI-driven products include Smart Answering, Smart Ordering, Dynamic Drive-Thru, and the Amelia Platform, which powers AI Agents for enterprise. In addition, SoundHound Chat AI, a powerful voice assistant with integrated Generative AI, and Autonomics, a category-leading operations platform that automates IT processes, have allowed SoundHound to power millions of products and services, and process billions of interactions each year for world class businesses.
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Passenger Boards Business Class Flight—Not Prepared for Unexpected Neighbor
United's Polaris class is considered its top-tier international business class product, featuring lie-flat seats, direct aisle access, and upgraded dining and amenities. It's also the kind of cabin where, increasingly, more travelers are willing to spend money for a premium experience—instrument cases included. Back in October 2022, American Airlines announced it would be removing first-class seating from its international long-haul fleet entirely. Vasu Raja, then the airline's chief commercial officer, explained the decision during a call with investors, saying "first class will not American Airlines for the simple reason that our customers aren't buying it," CNN reported at the time. "The quality of the business class seat has improved so much. And frankly, by removing [first class] we can go provide more business class seats, which is what our customers most want or are most willing to pay for," Raja said at the time. Delta Air Lines and United have followed similar trends, reportedly cutting their first-class seat offerings by nearly half over the last decade or so. At the same time, they've poured investment into upgraded business class products, betting that demand for comfort, privacy, and onboard service is stronger in the business tier. The Reddit post also arrives as commercial air travel rebounds, with high load factors and steady increases in international demand. In a June report, the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) noted that total air travel demand was up five percent in May compared to the same month in 2024. It was a record-setting month for international load factors—the percentage of available seats filled by paying passengers. "Air travel demand growth was uneven in May. Globally, the industry reported 5 percent growth with Asia-Pacific taking the lead at 9.4 percent. The outlier was North America, which reported a 0.5 percent decline, led by a 1.7 percent fall in the U.S. domestic market," said Willie Walsh, IATA's director general. Despite the dip in domestic travel, Walsh added that "airlines maintain safe operations with minimal passenger inconvenience" even amid disruptions and instability in some regions. As for passengers choosing to fly instruments in premium cabins, United, like many airlines, allows travelers to purchase an extra seat for oversized or fragile items such as cellos or guitars. It's a policy often used by professional musicians who don't want to risk checking delicate gear into the hold. According to United's website, the item must be properly secured and cannot exceed specific weight and dimension limits. In this case, the instrument's placement in business class—and the humor it inspired—was enough to strike a chord with a neighboring passenger. "Didn't get up once," the original poster wrote. "Kept their seatbelt on 100 percent of the time." Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system. A stock image of business class seating on a plane. A stock image of business class seating on a plane. Getty Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@ and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
