Health & WellnessS


Beaker

So Young and So Many Pills

Anna Wilde Mathews
Wall Street Journal
Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:55 UTC
pills
© unknown
More than 25% of Kids and Teens in the U.S. Take Prescriptions on a Regular Basis

Gage Martindale, who is 8 years old, has been taking a blood-pressure drug since he was a toddler. "I want to be healthy, and I don't want things in my heart to go wrong," he says.

And, of course, his mom is always there to check Gage's blood pressure regularly with a home monitor, and to make sure the second-grader doesn't skip a dose of his once-a-day enalapril.

These days, the medicine cabinet is truly a family affair. More than a quarter of U.S. kids and teens are taking a medication on a chronic basis, according to Medco Health Solutions Inc., the biggest U.S. pharmacy-benefit manager with around 65 million members. Nearly 7% are on two or more such drugs, based on the company's database figures for 2009.

Doctors and parents warn that prescribing medications to children can be problematic. There is limited research available about many drugs' effects in kids. And health-care providers and families need to be vigilant to assess the medicines' impact, both intended and not. Although the effects of some medications, like cholesterol-lowering statins, have been extensively researched in adults, the consequences of using such drugs for the bulk of a patient's lifespan are little understood.
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Pills

Farm Animals Get 80 Percent of Antibiotics Sold in U.S.

Maryn McKenna
The Wired
Fri, 24 Dec 2010 13:59 UTC
pillsforcattle
© The Wired
Two weeks ago, I broke the news of a new FDA report that estimated for the first time the amount of antibiotics sold in the United States every year for use in agriculture: 28.8 million pounds.

That long-awaited report didn't answer a crucial question: What volume of antibiotics are sold in the United States each year for human use. It's a crucial question because, in answer to concerns about antibiotic resistance arising on farms, the answer has always been that human medicine is equally culpable because it uses similar volumes of antibiotics.

The only research that has attempted to answer that question is contained in a decade-old report by the Union of Concerned Scientists that put the proportion of antibiotics going to animals at 70 percent of the U.S. total.

That UCS report and estimate are a decade old not because no one has cared about the topic, but because accurate updated figures have been so hard to get. So we owe a special holiday thank-you to the researchers at the Center for a Livable Future, who decided the release of the FDA report justified another attempt to get the numbers straight. They succeeded.
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Attention

A license to kill: Israeli products with so called 'harmless' levels to be labled 'gluten-free'

Judy Siegel-Itzkovich
The Jerusalem Post
Tue, 28 Dec 2010 03:35 UTC
no gluten
© Unknown
Until now, any amount forced manufacturers to label product as having gluten, making it difficult for celiac patients to find food.

Food products that have a maximum of 20 parts per million (PPM) of gluten - which according to experts is not enough to cause abdominal and other problems in celiac patients - will soon be labelled as having "No Gluten."

Until now, any amount present would force manufacturers to label the product as having gluten, thus making it very difficult for celiac patients to find processed food they could safely eat.

One out of 75 Israelis has celiac disease, and many of them are unaware of it.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages from babyhood onward. Symptoms include chronic diarrhea, children's failure to thrive and fatigue, but in some people, the symptoms are not evident.
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Cow Skull

Crops absorb pharmaceuticals from sewage sludge spread on farmlands

David Gutierrez
Natural News
Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:34 UTC
pharmaceuticals from sewage sludge
© Unknown
Agricultural crops can absorb pharmaceuticals found in the water used to irrigate them or the sewage sludge used to fertilize them, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Toledo-Ohio and published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

When humans consume pharmaceuticals, active traces of those drugs are excreted in their feces and urine. Modern treatment methods for water and sewage do nothing to remove these biologically active chemicals.

Previous studies have shown that crops grown directly in animal manure can absorb veterinary drugs, and that cabbages grown hydroponically can absorb human drugs. To simulate more natural agricultural conditions, researchers grew soybeans -- the second most widely planted crop in the United States -- in regular soil. Half the crops were fertilized with solid waste, while the other half were irrigated with chemical-spiked water. In order to simulate the reclaimed sewage or wastewater commonly used in industrial agriculture, the researchers spiked water and waste with the drugs carbamazepine (an anticonvulsant), diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and fluoxetine (Prozac), along with the common antimicrobial chemicals triclosan and triclocarban.
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Attention

Grocery stores erect fake "farmer's markets" in parking lots to trick shoppers

David Gutierrez
Natural News
Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:21 UTC
Farmers Markets
© Unknown
Grocery stores across the country have begun appropriating the term "farmer's market" as a way to appeal to more environmentally and socially conscious consumers.

At farmer's markets, local farmers gather to sell their fresh produce directly to consumers. The popularity of these markets has surged in recent years and there are now 6,132 of them nationwide, 19 percent more than in 2009.

"Most likely, you can find a local farmer's market in or near your city, especially near rural areas," writes Edward F. Group III in his book Health Begins in the Colon.

"A farmer's market is the best place to buy your food because it is grown in your local environment and picked ripe, plus it supports local, small-production farmers."
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Alarm Clock

Monsanto's Neotame molecule allowed in USDA certified organic foods

Mary Nash Stoddard
The Aspartame Consumer Safety Network
Wed, 22 Dec 2010 21:37 UTC
Neotame
© UnknownNeotame is an artificial sweetener made by NutraSweet that is between 7,000 and 13,000 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). The product is attractive to food manufacturers as its use greatly lowers the cost of production compared to using sugar or high fructose corn syrup (due to the lower quantities needed to achieve the same sweetening)

Neotame - Hidden Danger in Holiday Food Supply

Everyone wants to indulge a sweet tooth at this festive time of year, without suffering the inevitable consequences of weight gain. But, be aware of the hidden (not listed on ingredient labels) dangers of Neotame sweetener in almost everything consumed by humans, and now even in feed for livestock raised for human consumption.

In 1998, Monsanto applied for FDA approval for a monster molecule, "based on the aspartame formula" with one critical addition: 3-dimethylbutyl [listed on EPA's most hazardous chemical list]. Neotame is touted as being 13,000 times sweeter than sugar.

On July 5, 2002 - Monsanto's Neotame molecule was approved by the US FDA over formally registered objections of the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and others. (Long term effects on humans are unknown.) Read the full release on The Aspartame Consumer Safety Network.

The food labeling requirements required for aspartame have now been dropped for Neotame, and no one is clear why this was allowed to happen. Neotame has been ruled acceptable, and without being included on the list of ingredients, for:

1. USDA Certified Organic food items.
2. Certified Kosher products with the official letter k inside the circle on labels.
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Cell Phone

Cell Phone Brain Tumor Risk Underestimated in Cell Phone Study


NewsInferno
Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:11 UTC
Image
© reporta.com
A group of Swedish researchers are calling for more study into the connection between cell phone use and gliomas, said Medical News Today. A glioma is a rare and generally fatal type of brain tumor.

Dr. Lennart Hardell and team - from the University Hospital, Orebro, Sweden, wrote, in a letter to the editor of the International Journal of Epidemiology earlier this month regarding the "Re-analysis of risk for glioma in relation to mobile telephone use: comparison with the results of the Interphone international case-control study." The team confirmed that an Interphone study published in May 2010 underestimated brain tumor risks due to a design flaw in the study, said Medical News Today.

The team's research on brain tumors, published in 2006, indicated that risks for developing brain cancer from digital cell phones over a ten year period increased by 180 percent; however, the Interphone study only indicated a 118-percent increased risk, said Medical News Today. Up until now, the discrepancy was not explained and risks revealed in the Interphone study were minimized.
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Sherlock

Things You Need to Know About the Carcinogen Discovered in Drinking Water

Rebecca Sutton
Alternet
Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:07 UTC
Image
© Alternet
When you see news reports about a cancer-causing chemical in drinking water everywhere you turn, you probably have a few questions. Of course you can read Environmental Working Groups's full report, but on the off chance you're pressed for time and just want to know the basics, we put together these 11 questions and answers.

What is hexavalent chromium?

Hexavalent chromium (or chromium-6) is a highly toxic form of the naturally occurring metal chromium. It is a well-known human carcinogen when inhaled, and recent evidence indicates it can cause stomach or gastrointestinal cancer when ingested in drinking water. However, a different form, trivalent chromium, is an essential nutrient.

People typically are exposed to chromium-6 by consuming contaminated water or food, and in some workplaces by breathing contaminated air. That's a concern especially for those working in metallurgy or leather-tanning facilities. Ingesting or inhaling contaminated soil particles may also be a source of exposure. Widespread industrial use has led to detections of hexavalent chromium in two-thirds of current or former Superfund toxic waste sites.
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Pills

Study: Newborns With Low Vitamin D Levels at Increased Risk for Respiratory Infections


PhysOrg
Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:51 UTC
Vitamin D
© UnknownVitamin D

The vitamin D levels of newborn babies appear to predict their risk of respiratory infections during infancy and the occurrence of wheezing during early childhood, but not the risk of developing asthma. Results of a study in the January 2011 issue of Pediatrics support the theory that widespread vitamin D deficiency contributes to risk of infections.

"Our data suggest that the association between vitamin D and wheezing, which can be a symptom of many respiratory diseases and not just asthma, is largely due to respiratory infections," says Carlos Camargo, MD, DrPH, of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), who led the study. "Acute respiratory infections are a major health problem in children. For example, bronchiolitis - a viral illness that affects small airway passages in the lungs - is the leading cause of hospitalization in U.S. infants."

Although vitamin D is commonly associated with its role in developing and maintaining strong bones, recent evidence suggests that it is also critical to the immune system. Vitamin D is produced by the body in response to sunlight, and achieving adequate levels in winter can be challenging, especially in regions with significant seasonal variation in sunlight. Previous studies by Camargo's team found that children of women who took vitamin D supplements during pregnancy were less likely to develop wheezing during childhood. The current study was designed to examine the relationship between the actual blood levels of vitamin D of newborns and the risk of respiratory infection, wheezing and asthma.
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Magic Wand

A Panacea Called Tulsi

Gunjan Mehra
Medguru.com
Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:49 UTC
Image
© medguru.com
Tulsi has been an object of great veneration in India. Its time we recognized the health benefits of this ubiquitous herb and not limit its use as offerings to Gods alone.

The numerous benefits of tulsi have been explicitly mentioned in our Vedas. Unfortunately, this knowledge remains unused, while the books continue to be revered and smeared with vermilion and turmeric.

Tulsi or the Holy basil, is empowered with antioxidants [compounds that protect against cell damage inflicted by molecules called oxygen-free radicals, which are a major cause of disease and aging.] capable of battling with all probable sources of infections - viruses, bacteria, fungi and even protozoa. It is also known to aid the process of stalling the growth of carcinogenic cells. It is due to these natural properties that the herb is answer to curing a host of diseases.
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