Health & WellnessS


Evil Rays

Cell Phones and Cancer: Assessment Classifies Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields as Possibly Carcinogenic to Humans


ScienceDaily
Tue, 31 May 2011 15:10 UTC
Evil Rays
© fderib / FotoliaA new World Health Organization report classifies radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans, based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use.

The WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer1, associated with wireless phone use.

Background

Over the last few years, there has been mounting concern about the possibility of adverse health effects resulting from exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, such as those emitted by wireless communication devices. The number of mobile phone subscriptions is estimated at 5 billion globally.

From May 24-31 2011, a Working Group of 31 scientists from 14 countries has been meeting at IARC in Lyon, France, to assess the potential carcinogenic hazards from exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. These assessments will be published as Volume 102 of the IARC Monographs, which will be the fifth volume in this series to focus on physical agents, after Volume 55 (Solar Radiation), Volume 75 and Volume 78 on ionizing radiation (X‐rays, gamma‐rays, neutrons, radio‐nuclides), and Volume 80 on non‐ionizing radiation (extremely low‐frequency electromagnetic fields).
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Info

Tips & Tricks for Starting (or Restarting) Low- Carb Pt I

Michael R. Eades, M.D.
proteinpower.com
Tue, 31 May 2011 10:40 UTC
Image
© Unknown
As anyone who has done it knows, getting started on a low-carb diet can be a little rough. Not for everyone, but for some. All too often these little front-end bumps in the road - coupled with the spirit of the times in which the well-intentioned but ignorant friends and relatives of low-carb dieters tell them their diet is going to croak their kidneys, clog their arteries and weaken their bones - can be enough to make many people abandon the most sincere efforts. Drawing on my almost 30 years of experience treating patients using the low-carb diet, I can give some tips and tricks for dealing with these difficult early days.

Comment: See also: Tips & tricks for starting (or restarting) low-carb Pt II

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Health

More evidence for PTSD, heart disease link

Genevra Pittman
Reuters
Tue, 31 May 2011 07:19 UTC
Image
© Stock
New York - People with post-traumatic stress disorder may be at a higher risk for heart disease, according to researchers.

In a study of U.S. war veterans, they found that those with PTSD were more likely to have fatty buildup, or plaque, in the arteries leading to the heart, called coronary artery disease.

The disease had also progressed farther in the mentally troubled vets, and they were more likely to die of any cause over the next three and a half years than their peers.

Joseph Boscarino, an investigator at Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pennsylvania, told Reuters Health the new results confirm earlier findings.

Studies "keep showing this link between PTSD and various forms of cardiovascular disease," said Boscarino, who was not involved in the current work.

"Something needs to be done in terms of better interventions" for these individuals, he added.
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Family

Low-carb diet again trumps low-fat on weight loss and other things


DrBriffa
Tue, 31 May 2011 06:21 UTC
Image
Meat is good for you, particularly meat with lots of fat
While some see body weight as simply a function of the balance of the calories going into and out of the body, there is little doubt in my mind that this stance is becoming increasingly untenable. It is clear that body fat regulation is influenced by many factors, including levels of key hormones. A central player here is insulin - which encourages fat deposition. But other hormones worthy of mention include what are termed 'adipokines' (secreted by fat cells). One important adipokine is leptin. In March, I wrote a blog post dedicated to this substance which was inspired by the work of Dr Stephan Guyenet who writes the blog Whole Health Source.

Another adipokine that has received increasing attention in recent years is adiponectin. Like leptin, adiponectin has generally beneficial effects in the body. It, for instance, has anti-inflammatory effects and helps maintain 'insulin sensitivity'. Both of these effects would be expected to translate into a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The actions of adiponectin in the body are believed to offer protection again these conditions, as well as others including obesity, 'fatty liver' and metabolic syndrome. In short: adiponectin is a good thing.
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Bulb

Back pain relief linked to anatomical changes in brain

Christian Torres
Washington Post
Mon, 30 May 2011 22:57 UTC
When you're in constant pain, it can be hard to think of anything else. The pain clouds your thoughts like a fog, wearing away at your patience and your attention. New research, however, suggests that when relief does finally come, your brain can recover all the way down to a cellular level.

A report in the May 18 Journal of Neuroscience finds that relieving chronic lower back pain correlates with a return to normal brain function. Fourteen patients performed a cognitive task before and after one of two treatments, either spinal surgery or an injection of anesthesia between spinal joints. The cognitive task, which tested patients' ability to focus, involved picking out which of three numbers or letters didn't belong in a group.
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Nuke

Magnesium and Radiation Protection

Mark Sircus
Dr Sircus' Blog
Mon, 30 May 2011 18:34 UTC
magnesium
© unknownIt is in a list of medicinals that prevent and treat cancer that we find helpful substances that treat and strengthen us against radiation contamination.
"In the years leading up to Chernobyl, some dairy farmers in Austria were using remineralization as a part of their operations. They added rock dust to liquid manure as well as combining it with compost, thereby removing odors and greatly increasing soil biota. As a result, cows had twice the normal lifespan and produced much more milk. Amazingly enough, after Chernobyl, the cheeses that were remineralized (as well as biodynamic cheeses) measured no radioactivity whatsoever. Austrians would stand in long lines in order to buy these safe, remineralized products," writes Joanna Campe.

Iodine is obviously not the only substance that we should run to in the face of increasing radiation threats. Magnesium is a vital mineral whose lack leaves us open to not only radioactive damages but also those from heavy metals and thousands of chemicals, which we are commonly exposed to. Mercury and now a long list of radioactive particles are floating in the environment like invisible clouds that have spread out everywhere. They are raining down on us, damaging and damning our future. We can no longer be passive about building our defenses against the toxic onslaught.

Without sufficient magnesium, the body accumulates toxins and acid residues, degenerates rapidly, and ages prematurely.
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Attention

EU Disease Center Says Killer Bacterium Worst of its Kind


AGI News
Sun, 29 May 2011 16:31 UTC
The epidemic of the killer-bacterium Escherichia Coli (EHEC) is among the worst of its kind. It has already infected 270 persons and killed 10 and has revealed to be the worst ever recorded in Germany. The statement was made by the Health experts of the Stockholm-based European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
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Family

Women Going Gray Younger Than Ever, Study Finds

Emily Gyben
Fashion Etc
Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:21 UTC
Lady Gaga
© Getty ImagesThe Gray Lady: Gaga and her silver strands at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.
Lady Gaga's gone gray, Kate Moss has dabbled with ashy highlights, and Kelly Osbourne has sported an entirely silver coif in the past. But for about a third of women under 30, a trip to the salon isn't necessary to jump on the gray-hair bandwagon.

A new survey commissioned by hair-care company John Frieda - which recently tapped chestnut-topped Katie Holmes as a spokesperson - found that 32 percent of women are going gray before they hit 30 years old - a 14 percent rise from 20 years ago.
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Health

Energy Drinks Not for Kids, Pediatricians Warn

Joseph Brownstein
LiveScience
Mon, 30 May 2011 09:53 UTC
Energy drinks - sweet drinks containing caffeine and often herbal supplements - have been drawing scrutiny over their nutritional value. Now the nation's largest group of pediatricians is strongly recommending that they not be consumed by children.

"Rigorous review and analysis of the literature reveal that caffeine and other stimulant substances contained in energy drinks have no place in the diet of children and adolescents," wrote Marcie Schneider and Holly Benjamin of American Academy of Pediatrics in a review of both energy drinks, which include brand names such as Red Bull and Monster, and sports drinks.

The authors said parents and physicians need to know more about the distinctions between energy drinks and sports drinks (sweet drinks, including Powerade and Gatorade, that contain electrolytes). Sports drinks are all right for young athletes, they said.

They also called for industry improvement.

Benjamin, a pediatric sports medicine specialist at the University of Chicago, told MyHealthNewsDaily, "We certainly think in the interest of our children, improvements can be done in the labeling of these types of beverages."
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Sun

Is Your Sunscreen More Harmful Than Being in the Sun?

Martha Rosenberg
AlterNet
Thu, 26 May 2011 13:18 UTC
sunbathers
© n/a
Most people have enough fear of skin cancer and photo-aging to give tanning salons wide berth, pun intended. But how safe are sunscreens themselves? Weeks after the New York Times exposed the caprice in assignment of sun protection factors (SPF) last year, Sen. Charles Schumer (D- New York) called on the FDA to investigate reports that an ingredient in most sunscreens - retinyl palmitate - actually causes cancer.

In one FDA study on animals, dismissed by a dermatologist consultant to sunscreen companies as "very premature to even cast doubt about the safety of this chemical," retinyl palmitate accelerated tumors and lesions in the sun by 21 percent! (Similar studies on humans not animals would be "unethical" say scientists)

And there are other sunscreen doubts. Many people don't apply the needed amount of sunscreen to protect themselves from UVA and UVB sunrays because the products are expensive (and no one wants to be a goo monster). But when they do, they still may not be safe since ingredients like oxybenzone - which is an endocrine-disrupter, as are most fragrances - and titanium dioxide are now thought to penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream. THAT wasn't in the brochure.
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