Health & WellnessS


Cut

How Sweet It Isn't! Cutting Through the Hype and Deception of High Fructose Corn Syrup

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© Alliance for Natural Health
"Corn sugar"? It's high-fructose corn syrup by any other name, and it's dangerous. What sweeteners are safe? What's not? You may be surprised at the latest research.

Last September, manufacturers of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) asked the federal government for permission to sweeten its image with a new name: "corn sugar." Their TV ads say, "Your body can't tell the difference between corn sugar and cane sugar." A popular website, Sweet Scam, purports to clear up the confusion, while condemning "activist groups like the Weston A. Price Foundation, Joseph Mercola, and the Naturopathy Movement, which have perpetuated unfounded myths about sweeteners [and] completely ignore the scientific and nutritional evidence to backup [sic] their outlandish claims."

The website was created by the Center for Consumer Freedom, a lobby begun with $600,000 from the Philip Morris tobacco company, and is sponsored by restaurant and food companies like Arby's, Tyson Foods, HMSHost Corp, and Wendy's. So much for impartiality.

Beaker

Mercury-Containing Medicines: Harmful to Children

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© drmercola.com
New studies have linked mercury to serious harm in children. These peer-reviewed publications provide pertinent scientific findings at a crucial juncture in the ongoing debate about the dangers of using mercury in medicine.

In the past three months, various governmental groups have explored mercury-related health risks.

Most recently, concerned about the growing mercury poisoning of the environment, the United Nations Environmental Programme's Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee met in January 2011 to continue its development of a worldwide 'mercury treaty'. Members of various groups from the United States attended the convention, including representatives from the Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs (CoMeD), a Maryland-based non-profit group and UN-recognized non-governmental organization (NGO) founded with the goal of stopping the use of mercury in medicine and dentistry.

Comment: For more information about mercury and thimerosal being 'potentially damaging to the health of children' read the following:

Pediatric Love Affair with Mercury Continues

FDA Reluctantly Admits Mercury Fillings Have Neurotoxic Effects on Children

Dangerous Mercury Contamination of Human Body Increasing, Study Finds
Now comes this worrisome news: deposits of mercury in the bodies of Americans are increasing at an alarming rate and the health repercussions could be staggering.

Mercury especially targets the liver, the immune system and the pituitary gland. Numerous studies have associated chronic mercury exposure with elevated risks for autism, mental impairment and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. Previous research by U.S. Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) researchers estimated that chronic mercury exposure caused between 300,000 and 600,000 American children to be born with elevated risks of neurodevelopmental disorders between 1999 and 2000.

A new University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) study of government data on more than 6,000 women in the US found not only that mercury loads in bodies are increasing but it also identified significant associations between chronic mercury exposure and immune and endocrine system functions. The research specifically revealed that levels of the pituitary hormone, lutropin (also called luteinizing hormone) are significantly associated with chronic mercury exposure. This could explain a mechanism for how mercury causes or contributes to degenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases.
The following is helpful information about how to detox mercury from your body:

Detoxification: Heavy Metals, Mercury and how to get rid of them

Mercury: How to Get this Lethal Poison Out of Your Body

Health Videos: Mercury Amalgams, Toxic Chemicals and Foods, Activated Charcoal


Health

Mitigating Japanese Nuclear Radiation Exposure Toxicity

The unfolding disaster in Japan now threatens the health of millions of people in the short term, and many more in the long term. Now more than ever there is a need for evidence-based natural preventive and therapeutic approaches to mitigating radiotoxicity. Sayer Ji, founder of http://www.greenmedinfo.com explains a resource that is the byproduct of two years of information gathering on the topic of reducing Radiation Disaster Associated Toxicity. There are over 100 substances listed which are foods, spices and nutrients which may contribute greatly to reducing suffering associated with this event.


Hourglass

The Sleeping Habit That Can Make You Hungrier, Plumper, and Forgetful

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© Hemera Tech/AbleStock/Thinkstock
Experiments on mice have shown that throwing off their ancient circadian rhythms by artificially altering the length of their days has a substantial impact on their bodies and brains. This suggests that the modern, round-the-clock lifestyle, made possible by electric lighting, could disrupt metabolism and interfere with learning in ways that are only just beginning to be understood.

Researchers put mice through 10 weeks in 20-hour light-dark cycles, instead of their natural 24-hour circadian cycle. After six weeks, the mice got fatter, showed less mental flexibility and were more impulsive.

Science Daily reports:

"The researchers believe that [the effects of an altered circadian cycle] may affect how an individual, whether animal or human, responds to additional challenges to the immune or metabolic systems, such as infection ... They are also working on models to understand the impact of different kinds of light-dark shifting such as those experienced by flight crews, shift workers, military personnel and medical residents."

Sources:

Science Daily February 27, 2011

Light Saber

SOTT Focus: DMSO: The Antidote for Radiation Poisoning


Comment: Due to the nuclear alert in Japan and its likelihood to affect the United States and other parts of the world, we decided to carry this article published in The Dot Connector Magazine issue #12.

First, a little bit of background.

Radiation produces free-radicals ("inflammatory molecules") that damage cells that make up tissues such as organs, glands, muscles, and bones. Besides causing the cells to age more quickly they also become distorted, or mutated, creating cancers such as leukemia, anemia, birth defects, and other diseases.

Sulfur has a long history of use as an antidote for acute exposure to radioactive material. DMSO is the classical sulfur compound. A Japanese study showed that even low concentrations of DMSO had radio-protective effects through the facilitation of DNA double-strand break repair, providing protection against radiation damage at all cellular levels in the whole body.

Remember that boosting your body's detox capabilities and overall anti-oxidants levels is a key to survive in these stressful times. Being on a detox diet is crucial to regain health in a toxic environment. Our extensive experience and research shows that those on a no grain/low carb (no gluten) and non dairy diet fare MUCH better.

We'll be publishing more material on detoxification, so stay tuned. For more information on how to protect yourself from nuclear radiation, see:

Treatments for Nuclear Contamination

Iodine Treatments for Radiation Exposure

Greenmedinfo.com - Radioprotective


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DMSO is an effective pain killer, blocking nerve conduction fibers that produce pain.

It reduces inflammation and swelling by reducing inflammatory chemicals. It improves blood supply to an area of injury by dilating blood vessels and increasing delivery of oxygen and by reducing blood platelet stickiness. It stimulates healing, which is a key to its usefulness in any condition.

It is among the most potent free radical scavengers known to man, if not the most potent one.

Cow

When Meat Contains Cancer-Causing Toxins

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© ecoenglish-rouzie.blogspot.com
Jenna Woginrich was a vegetarian for most of her adult life until she became aware of the horrors of conventional American livestock farming. She now owns and operates a small environmentally friendly farm where she raises chicken, pork, lamb, rabbit, turkey and eggs.

In AlterNet, Woginrich writes:
"Every meal you eat that supports a sustainable farm changes the agricultural world. I cannot possibly stress this enough. Your fork is your ballot, and when you vote to eat a steak or leg of lamb purchased from a small farmer you are showing the industrial system you are actively opting out...

"It's a hard reality for a vegetarian to swallow, but my veggie burgers did not rattle the industry cages at all. I was simply avoiding the battlefield, stepping aside as a pacifist. There is nobility in the vegetarian choice, but it isn't changing the system fast enough."
This is a powerful thought.

Avoiding meat really doesn't do anything to change the system. Insisting that the meat is humanely raised, however, will.

Health

Iodine, Tocotrienols, Berries, and Lipoic Acid to Protect Against Radiation Exposure

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The unfolding events relating to Japan's damaged nuclear reactors is raising the concern in the U.S. of a worst-case scenario of a meltdown with a consequent cloud of radioactive particles following the jet stream over to the U.S. The prevailing jet stream winds would impact Los Angeles to Alaska, and would include Hawaii. Radioactive pollution would reach the U.S. within 36 hours. It would then travel the typical jet stream across the U.S that you see on your daily weather programs. While we all hope this does not happen, and various experts may debate the severity of public health issues involved if it should, it never hurts to have a better understanding of the subject. What would you do if such a cloud was headed your way?

Japanese health authorities are passing out iodine tablets to those in the vicinity of these reactors - as it is common knowledge that the thyroid gland is a weak spot when it comes to radiation exposure. By flooding the body with iodine, the iodine is taken up by the thyroid which then blocks radiation uptake into the thyroid. This reduces the risk for future thyroid cancer (which is already an epidemic cancer in the U.S. in part likely due to excess CT scans).

Such iodine saturation should occur 24 hours prior to exposure and be maintained during the duration of excess exposure. This solution is not without risks, especially when potassium iodide is used. That is because excess iodine can clog thyroid function, inducing either hypo or hyper thyroid. However, that risk is trivial compared to acute radiation exposure - thus iodine makes sense. I like water-soluble iodine that in my experience is much less problematic when higher doses are used. Liquids can be applied directly over the neck region or taken orally, and reapplied as desired based on concerns.

Protecting the thyroid with iodine seems to be about all that public health officials are willing to recommend to the public. However, there are other important steps every person should consider. Radiation interaction within your body generates massive amounts of damaging free radicals, in turn potentially inducing DNA damage that may lead to future cancer - often manifesting a decade or two later. This means it is a good idea to maximize your overall antioxidant defenses. Ideally, this system would be bolstered in advance to provide maximum defense. Unfortunately, the antioxidant defense systems of a majority of Americans are in shoddy condition.

Nuke

Winds at Japan Power Plants Should Send Radiation out to Sea

Following Friday's major earthquake east of Japan, fears were raised of radiations leaks and nuclear meltdowns at power plants.

Radiation was reported to be leaking over the weekend from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant from one of the reactors that had lost its cooling system.

CNN reports that a cooling system of a second reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant failed on Sunday, forcing officials to expand the evacuation zone of surrounding residents from 10 km to 20 km (6 miles to 12 miles).

Complicating matters, a second hydrogen explosion occurred at the plant early Monday.

Family

Health experts sound warning over iodine rush

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© Agence France-PresseA meteorologist uses a dosimeter to measure radiation levels in the Russian city of Vladivostok.
Japan's nuclear crisis has sparked panic buying of iodine pills, with online bids exceeding $500 for a single packet, but health experts hosed down the hysteria and warned the pills are of limited use.

As fresh blasts rocked a stricken atomic plant on Japan's east coast, and crews worked frantically to cool reactors that emitted dangerous levels of radiation near the facility, jitters spread to Tokyo and beyond

US-based firms selling potassium iodide, a radiation sickness preventative, completely ran out of stock and pharmacies across the country's Pacific-facing West Coast had a rush on the over-the-counter pills.

"We are quite slammed with orders, but we are working as fast as we can to get orders out," said NukePills.com, which had sold out of iodine tablets and was fast exhausting oral liquid supplies.

"We are experiencing delays in shipping due to the Japan nuclear crisis. A delay in shipping may be a week or more."

Info

How to End Migraines

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© headacheandbackpainhealth.com
More than 10 million Americans have migraines creating a burden of mostly unnecessary suffering.(i) These severe, nearly disabling headaches can occur from once a year to three to four times a week. They can last from hours to days. They are often associated with an aura, light sensitivity, nausea, vomiting, and severe throbbing pain on one or both sides of the head. Migraines are even associated with stroke-like symptoms or paralysis in some cases ...

The cost to society is also enormous. Migraine headaches add $13 billion to $17 billion to our healthcare costs each year. These costs include medications, emergency room visits, hospitalization, physician services (primary care and specialty), laboratory and diagnostic services, and managing the side effects of treatment.

Migraines have indirect costs too. A headache is the most frequent pain-related complaint among workers. Focusing specifically on migraines, one study found that the annual cost to employers exceeded $14.5 billion, of which $7.9 billion was due to absenteeism and $5.4 billion to diminished productivity.(ii)