One of the hottest and most controversial issues in the world today is genetic engineering. With protests against Monsanto on May 25^th in over 400 cities, people have shown that this is a topic they truly care about. Largely, the stances are highly polarized with opponents saying it is all cancer causing, poisonous, and environmentally dangerous and supporters saying it is wonderful, improving yield and making everyone except "anti-science" opponents happy.

The problem with polarized positions is they almost always miss the reality of the issue and avoid talking about the general facts. Polarized texts instead skip directly to the evidence supporting their position. But, in real life, I think it is important to lay out exactly what we are talking about before we try to say if it is "good" or "bad."

The first question we have to address, before we talk about the potential and danger of genetic modification, is what exactly is genetic modification? If you want to avoid the science, you can just skip the next 3 paragraphs. Otherwise, I can advise continuing to read, using the sources I provide, or using a search engine.

As a reminder, recently news broke out that a rogue genetically modified strain of wheat developed by Monsanto, had been found in an Oregon field late last month. But while modified food has long been a diet staple, this particular breed was the first discovery of an unapproved strain, and what made things worse is the lack of any information how the rogue grain had escape from a field trial a decade ago. As Reuters reports, "even after weeks of investigation, experts are baffled as to how the seed survived for years after Monsanto had ceased all field tests of the product. It was found in a field growing a different type of wheat than Monsanto's strain, far from areas used for field tests, according to an Oregon State University wheat researcher who tested the strain."

The USDA was quick to deny any suggestion of public danger:

Coenzyme Q10 is a chemical which plays a key role in the production of energy in the body's cells. Specifically, this substance participates in the processes within tiny powerhouses in cells known as 'mitochondria' (my-toe-con-dree-ah). Coenzyme Q10 is essential for the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), a basic currency for energy in the body.

All of us need could do with maintaining coenzyme Q10 levels, and this has particular relevance to individuals who take statins: these drugs impair the product of coenzyme Q10. There is plenty of evidence in animals and humans that statins can indeed deplete the body of coeynzme Q10 [1].

The heart is a muscle, the cells of which contain mitochondria which depend on coenzyme Q10. Back in January, I wrote a post which explored the possibility that statins may be contributing to increasing incidence of heart failure (weakened heart function that can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness and swelling in the legs).

The role of coenzyme Q10 depletion in heart has been highlighted by studies in which supplementation with it has been found to improve heart function [2]. Recently, though, there were reports (example here) of a new study which appears to have found that coenzyme Q10 supplementation can prevent major cardiovascular events (such as heart attacks) and save lives.

The "Charities" (arf arf) are prone to suggest that 153% of smokers urgently want to quit smoking, which they call an "addiction". Looney Luke Clancy was bouncing this particular ball in lavish surroundings in Europe this month, courtesy of his paymasters at Pfitzer. In the conference report, the 'Loon' admits to being on the Pharmaceutical payroll for his 'research' into replacement products, or nicotine patches to you and me. So, the message from that quarter is, if you are spending €8.00 a day on cigarettes, we will force you to buy patches instead, thus increasing my employers profits and lining my own pockets with more research money. For readers who may not be familiar with this particular Doctor, he is the Father of the Irish smoking ban, having been CEO of the terrorist organisation ASH at the time our feeble minded Minister for Health put pen to the law.

But, the big question is, is smoking an addiction, a dependence or a habit?

It's time to roll up your sleeve and save a life - including yours.

Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood, with a total of 44,000 blood donations needed every day, reports the American Red Cross. One whole blood donation, which takes approximately 45 minutes to an hour, can come to the rescue of as many as three patients.

Harold Mendenhall, an 84-year-old lifetime blood donor from South Florida donated his 100^th gallon of blood, The Palm Beach Post reports. He started giving blood on July 7, 1977 when his wife, Frankie, was diagnosed with breast cancer. After she died, going to the blood bank was a way Mendenhall could deal with the grief of losing his wife and later his two sons. At least he could save those who needed a blood transfusion.

Mendenhall, strong and healthy, donates six gallons of blood a year by platelets. In a platelet donation, a machine withdrawals the blood, filter out the platelets and returns the rest of the blood to the donor, according to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. This donation procedure takes 70 to 90 minutes can be done once every seven days, allowing for the donor to give blood every few weeks instead of the eight weeks of waiting required for a non-platelet donation. Whole blood donors can also donate platelets 72 hours after a whole blood donation, and vice versa.

Blood donors must be 17 years old in most states, with some states lowering the limit to 16 years old with parental consent. Donors ages 16-18 are also subject to additional height and weight restrictions, says the New York Blood Center. A single individual that donates whole blood starting at 17 years old every 56 days until they reach 76, will have donated 48 gallons of blood, potentially saving more than 1,000 lives says the American Red Cross.

While the health benefits of recipients who receive blood transfusions are clear, altruistic blood donors too, can reap the benefits.

In an extraordinary editorial and feature article, Nature one of the world's pre-eminent scientific journals, has effectively admonished the chair of the Harvard School of Public Health's nutrition department, Walter Willett, for promoting over-simplification of scientific results in the name of public health and engaging in unseemly behavior towards those who venture conclusions that differ to his.

Willett, who is one of the most frequently quoted academic sources on nutrition in the news media, appears to have crossed a Rubicon when he denounced Katherine Flegal, an epidemiologist at the US National Center for Health Statistics, for publishing a study that showed people who were overweight (but not obese) lived longer than those deemed normal weight. "This study is really a pile of rubbish, and no one should waste their time reading it," he told National Public Radio.

Are all the best doctors out on the golf course during the weekend, leaving some major surgeries to their less experienced colleagues?

According to a new study in the British Medical Journal, patients who have elective surgery on the weekend are 82 percent more likely to die than if they had undergone the procedure on a Monday.

"The first 48 hours after an operation are often the most critical period of care for surgery patients," said lead author Dr. Paul Aylin, from the School of Public Health at the Imperial College London.

The latest study adds to a growing body of evidence about the so-called "weekend effect" which suggests a notably higher risk of death if a person is admitted to the emergency room on the weekend compared with a weekday.

"So if the quality of care is lower at the weekend as some previous studies have suggested, we would expect to see higher mortality rates not just for patients operated on at the weekend, but also those who have operations towards the end of the week, whose postoperative care overlaps with the weekend," Aylin said. "That is what we found."

Nothing can replace exercise, but turmeric extract does a pretty good job of producing some of the same cardiovascular health benefits, most notably in women undergoing age-associated adverse changes in arterial health.

Despite the general lack of interest by conventional medical practitioners in turmeric's role in preventing heart disease, there is a robust body of published research on its remarkable cardioprotective properties, with three dozen study abstracts on the topic available to view on our database alone: turmeric's cardioprective properties.

Last year, we reported on a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology that found turmeric extract reduces post-bypass heart attack risk by 56%. Now, we would like to bring attention to a remarkable study published in the journal Nutrition Research in 2012 that revealed that curcumin, the primary polyphenol in turmeric and which gives the spice its golden hue, is as effective in improving vascular function in postmenopausal women as a moderate aerobic exercise training regimen. ^[1]

The new Sars-like respiratory illness which has killed half of the people who have been infected with it is a "threat to the entire world", the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.

Experts raised concerns that the disease is "emerging faster than our understanding".

The WHO says that since September last year there have been 44 laboratory confirmed cases across eight countries which have resulted in 22 deaths, including two people in the UK, but reports suggest that the figure could be higher.

Earlier this week, WHO's director general said that the novel virus, which has been called Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus - or MERS-CoV, is her "greatest concern".

Addressing the World Health Assembly in Geneva on Monday, Dr Margaret Chan said: "Looking at the overall global situation, my greatest concern right now is the novel coronavirus.

On Tuesday, a 65-year-old French man died from a SARS-like infection, called novel coronavirus (nCoV). He was the first man in France to die from the infection, which he contracted after visiting Dubai. Meanwhile, health officials in Saudi Arabia - where the virus was first detected in April 2013 - reported five additional cases of the infection.

Novel coronavirus is among the family of coronaviruses that cause illnesses that range from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Until last year, the new strain had never before been seen in humans. As of last week, the WHO reported that there have been a total of 49 people infected since September 2012, 27 of whom have died.