Welcome to Sott.net
Tue, 19 Oct 2021
The World for People who Think

Health & Wellness
Map

Beaker

The Very Real Danger of Genetically Modified Foods


The Atlantic
Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:39 UTC
Image
© Dirk Ercken/Shutterstock
New research shows that when we eat we're consuming more than just vitamins and protein. Our bodies are absorbing information, or microRNA.

Update 1/12: Thanks to science and biology bloggers, Christie Wilcox and Emily Willingham at the Scientific American blog network and The Biology Files, respectively, we've learned of the scientific inconsistencies made in Ari LeVaux's most recent Flash in the Pan column, which is syndicated by a number of newspapers and magazine websites. This column has been expanded and updated for AlterNet, with LeVaux discussing specific improvements in the comments.

Chinese researchers have found small pieces of rice ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the blood and organs of humans who eat rice. The Nanjing University-based team showed that this genetic material will bind to receptors in human liver cells and influence the uptake of cholesterol from the blood.

The type of RNA in question is called microRNA (abbreviated to miRNA) due to its small size. MiRNAs have been studied extensively since their discovery ten years ago, and have been implicated as players in several human diseases including cancer, Alzheimer's, and diabetes. They usually function by turning down or shutting down certain genes. The Chinese research provides the first in vivo example of ingested plant miRNA surviving digestion and influencing human cell function in this way.
      Read More...
Pills

Nearly Half of All Pharmaceuticals Produced Overseas, Many in Unregulated Chinese Factories

Anthony Gucciardi
Activist Post
Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:50 UTC
pills
© n/a
Nearly half of all pharmaceutical drugs within the United States were not only produced overseas, but a shocking 81% of the 3,765 foreign factories have never been inspected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Of these mystery drug factories, many are unregulated and stationed in China.

To top it all off, the percentage climbs even higher when looking at the active ingredients for pharmaceuticals. About 80% of these active ingredients are created overseas.

The findings show that you really do not know the quality, or perhaps even the full ingredient list, of any pharmaceutical drug that you may be taking.

What's more is that a 2008 GAO report revealed that the FDA took 2 to 5 years to even follow up with foreign plants that had been cited for safety issues. That is if they followed up with the plants at all. Even when the FDA knows that the plants are affecting your safety, they fail to do anything about it - at least for about 2 to 5 years.
      Read More...
Pirates

The Label Even Monsanto Considers a 'Skull and Crossbones'...

Ronnie Cummins
Mercola.com
Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:22 UTC
"If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it."
- Norman Braksick, president of Asgrow Seed Co., a subsidiary of Monsanto, quoted in the Kansas City Star, March 7, 1994
      Read More...
Bulb

Instead of Drugs and Behavioral Therapy for ADHD, Try Changing Diet Instead

Jonathan Benson
Natural News
Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:27 UTC
Image
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that many of the symptoms associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the often over-diagnosed condition tacked on many young people, can be treated by simply altering or supplementing one's diet. And a new study published in the journal Pediatrics helps confirm this, noting that when drugs and behavioral therapies are ineffective, ridding the diet of toxic additives, for instance, and consuming more whole, organic foods is the best route to take.

There is still much debate over what ADHD actually is, and whether or not it is even a valid "condition" at all, at least in the way most people define a health condition. Some say ADHD is a true disease attributable to family history and genetics, while others point to petrochemical-based food dyes, artificial additives, synthetic sweeteners, and processed foods as triggers of the brain abnormalities that spur inattentiveness and uncontrollable behavior.

Comment: The following articles support the authors premise that diet can help children suffering from hyperactivity and attention issues:

Study: Cutting Out Suspect Foods Could Help Calm ADHD Children

Study: Western Diet Link to ADHD

ADHD: It's The Food, Stupid:
Over five million children ages four to 17 have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the United States and close to 3 million of those children take medication for their symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But a new study reported in The Lancet last month found that with a restricted diet alone, many children experienced a significant reduction in symptoms. The study's lead author, Dr. Lidy Pelsser of the ADHD Research Centre in the Netherlands, said in an interview with NPR,
"The teachers thought it was so strange that the diet would change the behavior of the child as thoroughly as they saw it. It was a miracle, the teachers said."
In addition to dietary changes, natural and alternative therapies can help children suffering from ADHD:

Natural, Herbal, and Alternative Treatments for ADD/ADHD

Use Herbal Remedies for ADHD

      Read More...
Attention

Processed Meats Skyrocket Your Risk of Cancer

Mike Barrett
Natural Society
Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:44 UTC
Pigs in A Pen
© Natural Society

A recent study conducted by Swedish researchers has shown a further link between processed meats such as sausage or bacon and an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. This kind of connection is not necessarily new, but the study provides further evidence that indulging in processed meats may not be the greatest decision for your health.

Processed Meats Increases Pancreatic Cancer Risk

The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, analyzed data from 11 clinical trials which involved 6,643 individuals struck with pancreatic cancer. What they found was that eating processed meats such as bacon, sausage, salami, pepperoni and hotdogs increases your risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 19 percent for every 50g of processed meat consumed. What may sound startling is that you only need to consume one sausage to meet the 50g.

Processed meats are those preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or using chemical additives. What makes the meats so problematic is the nitrates which are added for preservation such as coloring and flavoring. The nitrates are converted into nitrosamines, which have been linked to a number of cancers.
      Read More...
Health

New York, US: Mysterious Disorder Affects High School Students


WGRZ 2
Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:02 UTC

Leroy - Administrators in the Leroy Central School District updated parents and students about a mysterious disorder that's affected twelve female high school students, causing them to exhibit symptoms similar to Tourette Syndrome.

Tourette Syndrome is a neurological disorder defined by involuntary motor and vocal tics.

Wednesday night, administrators said all 12 students have been diagnosed and are being treated. They are not releasing causes due to HIPAA laws. They said they found similarities among some cases but wouldn't elaborate.

"I can assure you these children have all been seen by professionals that have come up with answers and they are all being treated and they're actually doing pretty well," said Dr. Greg Young, with the NYS Department of Health. They have ruled out all environmental factors, infections and the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning. NYS Health Department spokesman Jeff Hammond also says vaccines such as Gardasil were investigated as a cause and ruled out.
      Read More...
2 + 2 = 4

Loud Hospital Rooms Linked to Poor Patient Sleep

Genevra Pittman
Reuters.com
Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:40 UTC
Image
© Reuters/Jessica Rinaldi
Registered Nurse Kimberly Arial (L) and Martha Dixon, M.D. work to treat a patient inside the emergency room at Ben Taub General Hospital in Houston, Texas July 27, 2009.
Hospitals are too loud, and patients' sleep could be suffering because of it, suggests a new study.

According to World Health Organization recommendations, noise in hospital rooms generally shouldn't get above 30 to 40 decibels. But researchers at one hospital reported that the average noise level in patients' rooms was close to 50 decibels, and sometimes spiked as high as 80 decibels -- almost as loud as a chainsaw, they said.

"The hospital environment is certainly not a restful environment," said Dr. Vineet Arora, from the University of Chicago.

In a study of about 100 adult patients at their medical center, she and her colleagues found that noise levels in patients' rooms at night tended to be lower than during the day, but almost always exceeded recommendations for average and maximum noise level.
      Read More...
Info

US: PepsiCo Finds Trace Fungicide in Tropicana Orange Juice

P.J. Huffstutter
Reuters
Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:00 UTC
Tropicana
© unknown
PepsiCo Inc said company tests of its Tropicana orange juice showed low levels of a potentially dangerous fungicide, but levels were below federal safety concerns and did not pose a health risk.

The company said in a statement on Saturday it was conducting additional tests after the Food and Drug Administration announced on Wednesday that it would temporarily halt orange juice imports and remove any juice found to have dangerous amounts of the fungicide carbendazim.

The scare was triggered when soft-drink giant Coca-Cola Co, maker of Minute Maid orange juice, said it had discovered carbendazim in shipments from Brazil and alerted U.S. authorities about a potential industry-wide problem.

Carbendazim is used in Brazil to combat blossom blight and black spot, a type of mold that grows on orange trees.
      Read More...
Health

Can Fluoride Calcify Your Arteries?

Sayer Ji
GreenMedInfo
Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:15 UTC
Toothpaste

New research reveals a startling new finding: fluoride is likely contributing to the epidemic of cardiovascular disease by stimulating calcification of the vascular system, including the coronary arteries.

In a study published in the journal Nuclear Medicine Communications this month (Jan. 2012), researchers assessed fluoride uptake and calcification in the major arteries of 61 patients who were administered sodium fluoride, the active ingredient in most fluoridated toothpastes. The study revealed:
"The coronary fluoride uptake value in patients with cardiovascular events was significantly higher than in patients without cardiovascular events."
They also found that there was a signification correlation between fluoride uptake and calcification observed in most of the arterial walls, indicating that the fluoride itself likely stimulates the precipitation of calcium within the arteries.

It is already well-known that vascular calcification is highly correlated with cardiovascular disease mortality. The hardening of the arteries associated with atherosclerosis is in part due to the calcification of plaque which subsequently becomes brittle and susceptible to breaking off into an artery-obstructing clot.
      Read More...
Red Flag

This Menace Killed 50% of Rats Tested - But It's Hiding in Your Water, Air and Food

Dr. Mercola
Mercola.com
Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:20 UTC
Image
© drmercola.com
Monsanto, the world leader in the production of genetically engineered (GE) staple crops, has long claimed that its broad-spectrum herbicide Roundup is safe.

In fact, they have even used the following slogans to describe it:
  • "It's Safer than Mowing"
  • "Biodegradable"
  • "Environmentally Friendly"
What we are now finding out - unfortunately long after hundreds of millions of pounds of the chemical have already been applied to U.S. soil - is that Roundup is proving to be a pervasive environmental threat, one that may already be poisoning a good portion of the world's remaining natural water supply.
      Read More...
Amazon Smile
Revolt! T-shirts