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Dieters beware: Those before-and-after weight-loss photos aren't always legit

Jeff Rossen and Robert Powell
Today
Fri, 28 Feb 2014 06:37 UTC


Many weight-loss ads draw you in with dramatic "before-and-after photos" of real people. But the truth behind some of those ads is surprising.

One such ad, for Wu-Yi Source Tea, claimed to promote weight loss with glowing testimonials from customers. It said one user of the product lost "68 lbs." and offered her photos as proof.

TODAY spoke to Brook Shadwell, who was named and quoted in the ad as saying, "Wu-Yi Tea is the only one I would have used. I'm extremely happy with the results. Looks like I'll be drinking tea now." The ad is "completely false," according to Shadwell.

"I didn't even drink the tea," Shadwell said. "I haven't even tried the tea. I don't even know what this tea is!"

Shadwell, a California mother of two, really did lose the weight - not from any product, but from a year of hard dieting and exercise. Proud of herself, she posted before-and-after photos on her personal blog.

"They took my image from my blog and pulled it to promote their product," Shadwell told TODAY. "I was completely shocked; that's how I felt initially, very shocked."
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Syringe

Vaccines and the brain - Encephalitis

Craig Stellpflug
Real Health Talk
Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:21 UTC
How the brain develops

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© Unknown"The medical system conveniently ducks responsibility in the waiver signed by the parent which exonerates the administrator of the vaccine from liability of injury to the child."
Myelination is a developmental process by which the brain insulates neuro-pathways with a fatty substance called myelin. This insulation will keep neuro-chemical synapses from leaking into other pathways causing developmental challenges and cortical spillage. Myellination begins in the lower levels of the brain, as in the brain stem, and then moves upward to the areas of the brain such as the prefrontal lobe and cortex. This insulating process spreads through the nervous system in predictable developmental stages. This myellination process will continue past the teenage years and into the early twenties before completion.

The last areas to myelinate are the prefrontal portions of the cerebrum. This starts to happen in the teenage years. The prefrontal areas of the cerebrum have a profound influence on human behavior. Specific areas have been identified and labeled to include areas that influence behaviors such as tact and critical decision making areas. Injuries in the tact area can bring vocalized rudeness and inappropriate behaviors in public in the affected individual. Likewise, injuries in the critical decision making area can produce a lifetime of consequences in bad choice results.

How do vaccines cause encephalitis?

Vaccines contain adjuvants: (substances that enhance the immune response to an antigen), such as mercury and aluminum compounds. Vaccines also contain biological organisms and foreign proteins (many of these proteins and organisms come from other species of animals in which the vaccines are grown). If an individual, and especially an infant or young child, is injected with vaccines, unprotected nerves are impacted and aberrations of neurological development occur which in turn influences subsequent behavior and learning patterns. Some of these developmental aberrations include the medical diagnosis from autism to ADD/ADHD to Tourette's Syndrome and others.
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Attention

Glyphosate: What you don't know might be killing you

Liz Reitzig
Nourishing Liverty
Mon, 03 Mar 2014 14:11 UTC
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If you aren't already convinced of the dangers of glyphosate, the chemical found in the herbicide Roundup, and the merits of avoiding GMO foods, a recent study puts another nail in the glyphosate coffin.

I avoid GMOs not just because of the dangers of eating Genetically Modified Organisms, but also because of the high levels of glyphosate used on those foods.

Published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, this study shows a clear link between glyphosate and fatal kidney disease.

Not only that, in Glyphosate, Hard Water and Nephrotoxic Metals: Are They the Culprits Behind the Epidemic of Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology in Sri Lanka, researchers explore the hypothesis that glyphosate interacts with other environmental factors to cause the deadliness of this disease.

Q: Do Other Factors Increase the Toxicity of Glyphosate?

This study looked at geographically isolated data, studying primarily farming populations in Sri Lanka. These populations had multiple other factors present, among them high levels of arsenic and other specific elements, hard water, high ambient temperatures.

Researchers determined that, yes, other factors increase the toxicity of glyphosate.
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Syringe

Live flu vaccines increase infectious bacteria counts 100-fold in mice

Sayer Ji
GreenMedInfo
Thu, 27 Feb 2014 16:30 UTC
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© Josef Muellek/fotolia
If presumably safer "attenuated" flu vaccines are supposed to protect against influenza and its sometimes deadly complications, then why do vaccinated mice have up to 100-fold higher levels of flu-associated pathogenic bacteria than non-vaccinated mice?

A concerning new study published in mBio, an open access journal of the American Society of Microbiology, titled, "Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine Enhances Colonization of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus in Mice," reveals that live attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs) lead to the rapid and sustained overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria in the upper respiratory tract of mice at colonization densities up to 100-fold higher than non-vaccinated mice.

This is the first study of its kind to demonstrate that vaccination with a live attenuated viral vaccine can dramatically alter the colonization behavior of human bacterial pathogens in a manner very similar to that following infection from 'wild-type', i.e. naturally circulating, flu infections.

Influenza infection is well known to contribute to serious health complications, but this is the first time that a vaccine strain of flu has been found to induce similar alterations in disease-linked bacteria.
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Health

Johns Hopkins doctors remove rare tumor containing fully grown teeth from baby boy's brain

Andrea K. Walter
Chicago Tribune
Fri, 28 Feb 2014 18:19 UTC
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© NEJM/Baltimore SunA rare tumor (left) found in a baby’s brain contained several teeth.
Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital have removed a rare tumor that contained several fully grown teeth from a baby boy's brain.

The tumor was found in the then-4-month-old from West Virginia in 2012 after a pediatrician noticed that his head was unusually large for his age.

Doctors wrote about the findings in an article that appeared this week in the New England Journal of Medicine. The discovery could someday help researchers trying to cure diseases or grow new organs, medical experts said.

"It gives us more insight into the origins of the tumor," said Dr. Edward Ahn, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins who was the lead surgeon in the case.

The tumor found in the child was a craniopharyngioma, a rare mass found mostly in young children that can press up against the pituitary gland and optic nerve and cause pressure in the brain, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Only five other cases in medical literature found teeth in these types of tumors, Ahn said.
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Cookie

FDA: Nutrition labels are getting a makeover

Jacque Wilson and Jen Christensen
CNN
Thu, 27 Feb 2014 00:00 UTC
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© CNNThe Food and Drug Administration announces proposed changes to nutrition labels, the first overhaul in more than 20 years. The new label, right, would emphasize calories and added sugars.
Choosing healthier foods at the grocery store may soon be a little easier.


Comment: Healthier choices are available through websites like Eatwild.com. The farms there have truly wholesome foods give you the nutrients you need to stay healthy.


The Food and Drug Administration is proposing several changes to the nutrition labels you see on packaged foods and beverages. If approved, the new labels would place a bigger emphasis on total calories, added sugars and certain nutrients, such as Vitamin D and potassium.

The FDA is also proposing changes to serving size requirements in an effort to more accurately reflect what people usually eat or drink. For example, if you buy a 20-ounce soda, you're probably not going to stop drinking at the 8-ounce mark. The new rules would require that entire soda bottle to be one serving size -- making calorie counting simpler.


Comment: The Facts, Statistics and Dangers of Soda Pop


This is the first overhaul for nutrition labels since the FDA began requiring them more than 20 years ago. There has been a shift in shoppers' priorities as nutrition is better understood and people learn what they should watch for on a label, administration officials said.

"You as a parent and a consumer should be able to walk into your local grocery store, pick up an item off the shelf, and be able to tell whether it's good for your family," first lady Michelle Obama said in a press release. "So this is a big deal, and it's going to make a big difference for families all across this country."

Comment: Corporations are contaminating our food, poisoning our water, polluting our air and the FDA really has no interest in endorsing recommendations to help you thrive. For details on how to get and stay healthy in our unbelievably toxic world, visit the Diet and Health section of our forum.

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Bulb

If you think you have Alzheimer's, you might be right, study suggests

Laura Dawahare
University of Kentucky
Fri, 21 Feb 2014 14:18 UTC
A recent study suggests that self-reported memory complaints might predict clinical memory impairment later in life.

Erin Abner, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, asked 3,701 men aged 60 and higher a simple question: "Have you noticed any change in your memory since you last came in?"

That question led to some interesting results. "It seems that subjective memory complaint can be predictive of clinical memory impairment," Abner said. "Other epidemiologists have seen similar results, which is encouraging, since it means we might really be on to something."

The results are meaningful because it might help identify people who are at risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease sooner. "If the memory and thinking lapses people notice themselves could be early markers of risk for Alzheimer's disease, we might eventually be able to intervene earlier in the aging process to postpone and/or reduce the effects of cognitive memory impairment."

Comment: Worry that you may have memory problems and a predisposition to developing Alzheimer's Disease? Light up!

Let's All Light Up!

5 Health Benefits of Smoking

Nicotine Lessens Symptoms Of Depression In Nonsmokers

Nicotine helps Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Patients

Brain Researchers: Smoking increases intelligence

The devious plan of anti-smoking campaigns to control people and stop them from using their brain

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Life Preserver

Drinking water linked to infections in many countries


Science Daily
Fri, 28 Feb 2014 14:23 UTC
tap water
© caminodesantiago.me
Brisbane's water supply has been found to contain disease carrying bugs which can be directly linked to infections in some patients, according to a new study by QUT.

Dr Rachel Thomson, who has completed her PhD through QUT's Faculty of Health, said certain species of nontuberculous mycobacteria were present in Brisbane's water distribution system.

"We know that certain species of nontuberculous mycobacteria can cause disease and infection in humans, especially in some at-risk groups, but not all exposure to mycobacteria is harmful," she said.

"We also know this is not isolated to Brisbane, with water supplies in many countries being a risk. What my study has been able to do is directly link the strains of bugs found in Brisbane's water supply with the strains of bugs found in human infections, indicating that the water may be the source of the infection. Mycobacterial infections usually present as a persistent cough with symptoms similar to tuberculosis and include fatigue, night sweats and weight loss."

Comment: It is highly recommended to get a reverse osmosis filter and/or a water distiller.

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Eiffel Tower

Travel spotlight: Paris Bio Sphere Café a gluten free destination a patisserie lover can enjoy

Kristen
Pasta's Kitchen
Tue, 25 Sep 2012 06:20 UTC
Prior to my first trip to Paris, I was given a warning about the city from friends and gluten-free bloggers alike: it's very difficult to go gluten-free in Paris.

I thought that seemed preposterous. I have traveled all over the world being gluten-free and had even visited the French Alps before, and didn't have much of a problem. But again, the warnings persisted. I was told in pastry land (AKA Paris) it was rare to find chefs and bakers who were able to hold the flour, or have any interest in using GF alternatives.

I did what any good technologically savvy journalist and social media goddess would do. I took to Twitter.

A follower of mine suggested I go to the Bio Sphere Café. He was an American living and traveling in Paris and told me of this gluten-free, organic café that had both savory and sweet treats that were not to be missed.

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Gluten-free quiche and pizza
I reached out to the owner Sylvie Do, who welcomed the chance to meet with me and showcase some gluten-free pastries at her own restaurant that she launched two years ago. I brought my friend Jeanene along, who thankfully shared my enthusiasm for finding a gluten-free spot in Paris.
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Pills

Merck's NuvaRing - Portrait of a killer

Marie Brenner
Vanity Fair
Wed, 01 Jan 2014 07:57 UTC
When 24-year-old Erika Langhart - talented, beautiful, bound for law school - died on Thanksgiving Day 2011, she became one of thousands of suspected victims of the birth-control device NuvaRing. Elite army athlete Megan Henry, who survived rampant blood clots in her 20s, is another. With major suits against NuvaRing's manufacturer, Merck, headed for trial, Marie Brenner asks why, despite evidence of serious risk, a potentially lethal contraceptive remains on the market.

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© Jonas Fredwall KarlssonOlympic hopeful Megan Henry, who collapsed with blood clots after using NuvaRing, photographed near her family home in Roxbury, Connecticut.
Karen Langhart never had the slightest doubt about her 24-year-old daughter Erika's ability to organize meticulously every detail of her life. For months in 2011, Erika's Thanksgiving plans had been locked in place. On November 23 she was set to arrive from Washington, D.C., on U.S. Airways, landing in Phoenix, Arizona, at five P.M. Erika and her mother would go straight to Sprouts, a local gourmet grocery store, to shop for a turkey, corn bread, yams, and the ricotta and walnuts needed for the signature cheesecake they served at their restaurant, the Red Snapper, one of Durango, Colorado's best. The Red Snapper, designed by Karen and her husband, Rick, restaurateurs and land developers, had been, for the 25 years they owned it, the center of the family's life.

Lanky and athletic, Erika had a toothy smile, a raucous laugh, and a lush beauty; her long blond hair bounced when she spoke. She carried herself like a debutante, and she made light of her leadership awards and magna cum laude degree at Washington's American University. On Sundays, when the Denver Broncos played, Erika wore their colors, orange and blue. Almost six feet tall, she often wore big hats, short designer wrap dresses, and high heels or expensive cowboy boots, playing her height to maximum advantage. Chosen to represent her university at leadership conferences in China and Tibet, Erika seemed on her way to more honors at Georgetown Law School and a career in politics.

Comment: For an update of this high stinking corruption, see: Parents turn down $100M settlement - Ex-Durangoans blame daughter's death on NuvaRing, want trial
"This settlement agreement, orchestrated by Merck and the attorneys on both sides, driven by their own greed, has all but eliminated the chance for Merck to be taken to trial."

"We are truly devastated. It appears that, from a legal standpoint, Merck is literally going to get away with murder,"

"We would rather, quite frankly, die than take blood money from Merck."

"If the settlement is successful, Merck is simply going to get away with all of their wrongdoings for what is, to them, a small price to pay for 'doing business"

"But somebody in the FDA, for whatever reason, likes Merck a lot more than it likes Bayer, because Bayer would still have a billion-dollar product, if it weren't for the FDA's intervention."

"The FDA has so far declined to make similar recommendations about NuvaRing despite a 2012 study by Lidegaard also published in the British Journal of Medicine showing women who use vaginal rings such as NuvaRing are 90 percent more likely to suffer VTE than those who use birth control with earlier forms of progestin."


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