Would you eat a genetically engineered salmon? Are you even sure what the difference is between the regular variety and one that's been tweaked to grow faster?

Don't feel bad if you're unsure. Only a quarter of Americans say they fully understand what genetically engineered food is all about, according to a survey of more then 3,000 people conducted for NPR by Thomson Reuters last month.

Press people a little further by asking them if genetically engineered foods are safe, and the uncertainty climbs higher. Only 21 percent of people are convinced the foods are safe. Most are unsure - 64 percent. The remaining 15 percent think the foods aren't safe.

Indigestion isn't an especially glamorous medical topic, but relieving this condition - and keeping the whole gastrointestinal (GI) tract operating comfortably and efficiently - is vital to overall well being. As French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau put it, "Happiness: a good bank account, a good cook and a good digestion."

Unfortunately, too many Americans are taking a dubious shortcut to digestive health: GI medication use has jumped dramatically in recent years. One in ten Americans was prescribed at least one GI medication on an outpatient basis in 2007 (the most recent year for which figures are available) compared to 1 in 15 in 1997. Such medications often do more harm than good - masking imbalances that can lead to more serious conditions, and causing numerous side effects, including lower B12 levels, increased risk of fractures and even increased risk of infections.

A mom whose four-year-old died after losing a battle to a brain tumor called Wednesday for tougher US regulation of chemicals suspected of being behind a rise in childhood cancers.

"There's growing evidence linking toxic chemicals and carcinogens in the environment with childhood cancer," Christine Brouwer told a telephone news conference as she described losing a child to cancer.

"I'll most likely never know what caused my daughter's cancer, but researchers are finding more and more links between the hazardous substances in our homes and workplaces and cancer and other diseases."

Brouwer's daughter Mira underwent several operations and endured painful and nauseating treatments to try to beat the cancer she was diagnosed with just before her second birthday, on January 27, 2004.

After several rounds of surgery and months of treatment, Mira's cancer went into remission and she seemed to have won her fight against the ailment.

But it came back on her fourth birthday, killing her weeks later.

Stop buying soaps, handwipes and cleaning agents whose vendors lure you with the label "antibacterial"

Reading a recent issue of Public Citizen's excellent Health Letter titled "Know When Antibiotics Work," I recalled the recent tragic loss of a healthy history professor who was rushed to a fine urban hospital, with a leading infectious disease specialist by his side. No antibiotics could treat his mysterious "superbug." He died in 36 hours.

Wrongful or overuse of antibiotics has a perverse effect-causing the kinds of bacteria that these drugs can no longer destroy. The World Health Organization has cited antibiotic resistance as one of the three most serious public health threats of the 21st century.

In light of new evidence that has emerged clearing Dr Wakefield of the allegations that he fabricated study data involving MMR vaccines and symptoms of autism, Dr Wakefield is now publicly demanding a retraction from the British Medical Journal and author Brian Deer. Documents just made public reveal that another medical research team which included a senior pathologist independently documented evidence of a possible MMR vaccine - autism link 14 months before Dr Wakefield's paper first appears in The Lancet -- based on several of the same children appearing in Dr Wakefield's study.

Book Review: Fat and Cholesterol are Good for You! by Uffe Ravnskov, MD PhD.

Fat and cholesterol good for your?? Why its preposterous I tell you! And if this wasn't such a serious and important topic it might be worthwhile to spend a good deal of time simply on the reaction of mainstream medicine to Dr. Ravnskov's positions. To point out how this medical doctor, nephrologist and PhD could not get an English language publisher for his first book on the topic, The Cholesterol Myths until Sally Fallon in the alternative medicine field published it through her own company. How, despite being literally burned on a Finnish talk show, the original book was in such demand that it was selling often selling for well over 100 dollars for a used copy until the publication of the current book. Even with the publication of Fat and Cholesterol are Good for You! which covers and expands upon the material in the first book, used paper back copies of The Cholesterol Myths sell for over twenty dollars and new copies around $40.

The topic of heart disease is a serious one, however, and rather then spend more time on the reaction to these writings it is necessary to try and at least scratch the surface of what Dr. Ranvskov is actually saying. This is not so easy in that the numerous chapters are wide ranging, controversial and generally include some 30 - 70 references a piece. While it has become more fashionable recently to question the cholesterol lowering campaign, to my knowledge, even to the present no one has put together such a well-referenced, well organized and cogent critique of the cholesterol lowering campaign as Dr. Ravnskov. Personally, this was the first book I read which led me to begin to question much of the conventional medical wisdom I had been taught in medical school and beyond. If cholesterol lowering for heart disease may be in error, what other precepts of modern medicine might not be equally idolatrous? I also suspected when I first heard of this book, that despite the author's credentials it would almost certainly be laughably bad, well I was in for a surprise.

Jim is a 46 year old retired New York policeman who uses power tools to repair his house. His problem is chronic pain at the base of the thumb and wrist. The pain worsens with use of the hand, making it difficult to use the power tools. Other repetitive motions cause pain such as turning a key in a lock, unscrewing the lid of a jar, and opening the car door. Jim also has "trigger finger" involving the thumb joint, and at night, before sleep he notices tingling and numbness in the hands.

Conventional Treatment - Steroid Injection and Splint

Jim's hand pain worsened lately, so he went to a hand surgeon who gave him a steroid injection at the base of the thumb and applied a hand/wrist splint. These measures were ineffective, and his pain continued. The surgeon suggested operation. Jim came into the office to ask if anything else could be done to avoid surgery.

P-5-P, Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine for Trigger Finger

As it turns out, there is a simple and effective vitamin therapy for Jim's Trigger Finger hand condition called Pyridoxine, vitamin B6. Jim was given a bottle of pyridoxine phosphate (the activated form) and 3 weeks later, an amazed Jim returned to report that his pain and swelling is gone, and his trigger finger had also resolved. He no longer needs the operation.

Here are some simple guidelines you can implement today for better sleep and more fulfilling days!

Ministers of parliament and senior advisers in the UK government ruled against the flu vaccine for children under 5. This decision comes even though a flu epidemic is currently striking the UK.

Possibly they took a look at what Dr. Hugh Fudenberg, one of the world's leading immunologists, has had to say on the flu vaccine. Fudenburg found that anyone who had more than two flu vaccines between 1970 and 1980 has a far higher chance of having Alzheimer's in old age.

According to Vaccine Truth:

"Perhaps the UK government has learnt their lesson. Instead of vaccination they have decided to bring back last year's Swine Flu ads with the caption 'Catch it, Bin it, Kill it' ... The message is the best way to combat the flu is a lesson in hygiene."

Sources:

Vaccine Truth December 31, 2010

Mail Online December 31, 2010

A deficiency in this critical nutrient makes you twice as likely to die as other people, according to a study published in The Journal of Intensive Care Medicine.(i) It also accounts for a long list of symptoms and diseases - which are easily helped and often cured by adding this nutrient. In fact, in my practice, this nutrient is one of my secret weapons against illness. Yet up to half of Americans are deficient in this nutrient and don't know it.

I'm talking about magnesium.

It is an antidote to stress, the most powerful relaxation mineral available, and it can help improve your sleep.

I find it very funny that more doctors aren't clued in to the benefits of magnesium, because we use it all the time in conventional medicine. But we never stop to think about why or how important it is to our general health or why it helps our bodies function better.