Health & WellnessS


Magic Wand

Moles tell a lot more about health, slow ageing

A recent study by researchers from Kings' college, London reveal that people with more than 100 moles on their body have less chance of osteoporosis or brittle bones.

The study conducted among 1,200 identical and non-identical twins aged between 17-89 shows that the cells in people with large number of moles have an inherent ability to repair itself because it has longer telomeres which controls cell division.

High mole numbers are directly connected with longer telomeres and longer telomeres protect skin, bones, muscles, heart and eyes from the effects of ageing.

Health

An Open Letter to the Grain Foods Foundation

Wheat Disease
© RedOrbit
To:

Ms. Ashley Reynolds
490 Bear Cub Drive
Ridgway, CO 81432
Phone: 617.226.9927
ashley.reynolds@mullen.com

Ms. Reynolds:

I am writing in response to the press release from the Grain Foods Foundation that describes your effort to "discredit" the assertions made in my book, Wheat Belly: Lose the wheat, lose the weight and find your path back to health. I'd like to address several of the criticisms of the book made in the release:

" . . . the author relies on anecdotal observations rather than scientific studies."

While I do indeed have a large anecdotal experience removing wheat in thousands of people, witnessing incredible and unprecedented weight loss and health benefits, I also draw from the experiences already documented in clinical studies. Several hundred of these studies are cited in the book (of the thousands available) and listed in the Reference section over 16 pages. These are studies that document the neurologic impairment unique to wheat, including cerebellar ataxia and dementia; heart disease via provocation of the small LDL pattern; visceral fat accumulation and all its attendant health consequences; the process of glycation via amylopectin A of wheat that leads to cataracts, diabetes, and arthritis; among others. There are, in fact, a wealth of studies documenting the adverse, often crippling, effects of wheat consumption in humans and I draw from these published studies.

"Wheat elimination 'means missing out on a wealth of essential nutrients.'"

This is true - if the calories of wheat are replaced with candy, soft drinks, and fast food. But if lost wheat calories are replaced by healthy foods like vegetables, nuts, healthy oils, meats, eggs, cheese, avocados, and olives, then there is no nutrient deficiency that develops with elimination of wheat. There is no deficiency of any vitamin, including thiamine, folate, B12, iron, and B6; no mineral, including selenium, magnesium, and zinc; no polyphenol, flavonoid, or antioxidant; no lack of fiber. With regards to fiber, please note that the original studies documenting the health benefits of high fiber intake were fibers from vegetables, fruits, and nuts, not wheat or grains.

Attention

US: Study Suggests Higher Cancer Risk for 9/11 Firefighters

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© The New York TimesRoy Chelsen
A new study says firefighters who toiled in the wreckage of the World Trade Center in 2001 were 19 percent more likely to develop cancer than those who were not there, the strongest evidence to date of a possible link between work at ground zero and cancer.

The study, published Thursday in the British medical journal The Lancet, included almost 10,000 New York City firefighters, most of whom were exposed to the caustic dust and smoke created by the fall of the twin towers. The findings indicate an "increased likelihood for the development of any type of cancer," said Dr. David J. Prezant, the chief medical officer for the New York Fire Department, who led the study. But he said the results were far from conclusive. "This is not an epidemic," he said.

Cancer is not on the list of illnesses covered by the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which has set aside $4.3 billion to treat, compensate and monitor those suffering from health problems associated with the attacks and their aftermath, like asthma and other respiratory ailments. But the law requires officials at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to conduct periodic reviews of studies to assess whether to add illnesses to the list.

Beaker

Soil bacterium helps kill cancers

clostridium
© SPLClostridium sporogenes cannot grow where there is oxygen
A bacterium found in soil is a showing promise as a way of delivering cancer drugs into tumours.

Spores of the Clostridium sporogenes bacterium can grow within tumours because there is no oxygen.

UK and Dutch scientists have been able to genetically engineer an enzyme into the bacteria to activate a cancer drug.

Experts said it would be some time before the potential benefits of the work - presented to the Society of Microbiology - were known.

Info

Mental Disorders Affect More Than a Third of Europeans

Mentl Disorders
© DU Cane Medical Imaging Ltd / Science Photo LibraryMental disorders and neurological conditions make up Europe's largest disease burden.
Mental disorders affect more than 160 million Europeans - 38% of the population - each year, says a report1 issued today by the European Brain Council and the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Yet, fewer than a third of those affected receive treatment.

Led by Hans-Ullrich Wittchen, a psychologist at the Technical University of Dresden in Germany, the three-year study covered the 27 countries in the European Union (EU) as well as Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. The researchers found that the most common disorders are anxiety, insomnia and depression, which account for 14%, 7% and 6.9% of the total, respectively.

The researchers originally aimed to study all disorders of the brain, split into two major categories: mental or psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia, and neurological diseases such as stroke, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's disease. Ultimately, they weren't able to estimate the combined prevalence, because so many of them occur together. So Wittchen says the true figure is likely be "considerably larger" than 38%.

Pills

UK: New pill to stop strokes

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© unknownPradaxa is now available for use in the UK
A pill costing less than £3 a day is being hailed as the biggest breakthrough in stroke prevention in 50 years.

The drug, which slashes the risk of suffering a stroke by over a third, will help more than a million Britons.

Pradaxa is now available for use in the UK. In trials it was found to significantly reduce the risk of a stroke in patients with an irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation. This is one of the main causes of strokes.

The drug, taken twice a day at a cost of £2.52, already prevents thousands of deaths each year from blood clots after hip or knee replacement surgery. Now European regulators have given the makers of the drug permission to use it for the prevention of strokes in patients with AF, who have one or more risk factors such as having already ­suffered a stroke.

Comment: Let us hope the 'miracle drug' works miracles for the patient and not just for some Big Pharma's bank account.


Book

Joel Salatin, Polyface Farms: 'Folks This Ain't Normal'

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© amazon.com
Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farms, author of Folks This Ain't Normal (to be released October 10, 2011), activist and leading spokesperson for local, sustainable food system in movies such as Farmageddon, Food Inc., Fresh and American Meat, describes how this new book, published by Hachette Groups, will shake up the food rights movement and introduce the public to organizations such as Weston A. Price Foundation and the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund.

Attention

Still Carrying Around This Potent Neurotoxin Next to Your Brain?


Important! The producers of this powerful film are allowing a full and FREE preview through September 10th in celebration of Mercury Awareness Week (September 4 - 10)! Please tell everyone you know to watch this film in its entirety through September 10th, 2011. You can support the Consumers for Dental Choice by visiting ToxicTeeth.org!

Comment: To learn more about Mercury Dental Fillings: What the FDA and the ADA Are Not Telling You read the articles listed below:

The NEW Battle Strategy to Get Rid of Mercury Once and For All in Dentistry
Mercury and Fluoride - The Dumbing Down Of A Population
Health Videos: Mercury Amalgams, Toxic Chemicals and Foods, Activated Charcoal

For additional information on how to detox the body from mercury read the following articles:

Chelation Detox Eliminates Mercury and Heavy Metals and Leads to Better Health
Mercury: How to Get this Lethal Poison Out of Your Body

Detoxification and the removal of amalgam fillings is discussed in the Diet and Health section of the forum:

Detoxification: Heavy Metals, Mercury and how to get rid of them
Amalgam removal - a few questions


Cloud Lightning

Best of the Web: Can Climate Change Cause Mental Illnesses?

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© N/A
As climate change and its impacts on our planet and society are still debated, a new report by the Climate Institute of Australia warns against the devastating effects of extreme weather events on communities' mental health.

Taking severe weather events in Australia as a point of focus for the study, the report also blames adverse weather on climate change and says:
"Unabated, a more hostile climate will spell a substantial rise in the incidence of post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression - all at great personal suffering and, consequently, social and economic cost."
The document, published this week, also warns that up to 20% of affected communities will suffer extremes stress, emotional injury, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and substance abuse.

The study found that as severe weather events in Australia increase in number, "climate change will have many adverse impacts on Australians' health - physical risks, infectious diseases, heat-related ill effects, food safety and nutritional risks, mental health problems and premature deaths.

Comment: An excellent form of meditation to reduce emotional pain or stress is to practice Éiriú Eolas Breathing and Meditation Program and can be found here.


Health

Ask 3 questions, patients urged

health questions
© Unknown
Asking three simple questions could help patients have more say and better understand their treatment options, according to University research.

Researchers from the University's School of Medicine's Department of Primary Care and Public Health have been working alongside doctors and nurses from Cardiff and the Vale University Health Board to develop tools to get the public more involved in deciding how they are treated.

By encouraging patients to ask three simple questions: What are my options? What are the possible benefits and risks of those options? How likely are the benefits and risks of each option to occur? the researchers hope to improve patient knowledge and encourage engagement with health staff to develop more tailored treatment.

The work is based on research that shows shared decision making can lead to better outcomes for patients. The Making Good Decisions in Collaboration (MAGIC) programme, funded by the Health Foundation, is a joint venture between Cardiff School of Medicine, Newcastle University, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The 18-month programme, joint led by Professor Glyn Elwyn, School of Medicine, aims to explore how clinicians can engage patients in shared decision making and how it can be embedded into mainstream health services.