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Study Finds High Level of Bacteria in Bottled Water in Canada

Garth Hogan
American Society for Microbiology
Tue, 25 May 2010 14:20 UTC
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© Getty Images
A Montreal study finds heterotrophic bacteria counts, in more than 70 percent of bottled water samples, exceed the recommended limits specified by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Researchers from Ccrest laboratories report their results today at the 110th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in San Diego.

"Despite having the cleanest tap water a large number of urban Canadians are switching over to bottled water for their daily hydration requirements. Unsurprisingly, the consumer assumes that since bottled water carries a price tag, it is purer and safer than most tap water," says Sonish Azam, a researcher on the study.

Regulatory bodies such as Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Health Canada have not set a limit for the heterotrophic bacteria counts in bottled drinking water. However, according to the USP not more than 500 colony forming units (cfu) per milliliter should be present in drinking water.
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9/11-Linked Miscarriages Suggest Boys More Vulnerable to Stress

Emily Sohn
Discovery News
Tue, 25 May 2010 09:29 UTC
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© iStockPhoto
After 9/11 there was a disproportionate number of miscarriages among women carrying male babies.
The stress of 9/11 may have increased the number of boy babies that miscarried, and the effect extended far beyond New York City.

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, there was a small but real rise in the number of miscarriages across the country -- especially for women who were pregnant with boys.

The finding adds to evidence that boys are more vulnerable to stress than girls while in the womb. The study also affirms that the tragic events of 9/11 deeply affected people far beyond the limits of New York City.

"The stress of a mother affects the fetus, and it's not just these individual stressors like whether you had a divorce or lost your job, but also these ambient stressors, like the economy and September 11," said Tim Bruckner, a population health researcher at the University of California, Irvine. "The effects resonated across the entire society. We were essentially bereaving what we saw on TV."
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Sugary Drinks, Hypertension Linked


PressTV
Tue, 25 May 2010 08:22 UTC
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© Getty Images
Cutting back on sweetened beverages is associated with a considerable reduction in blood pressure levels and consequently the risk of developing various diseases.

Latest figures have revealed that high blood pressure, also known as the "neglected disease," accounts for one in every six deaths and $73 billion a year in health costs in the US.

According to a study published in Circulation, lowering the consumption of sugary drinks can tackle high blood pressure in overweight individuals.

Drinking one less soft drink per day is associated with a 1.8 and 1.1 millimeters of mercury drop in systolic and diastolic blood pressure respectively.

"Our findings suggest that reducing sugar-sweetened beverages and sugar consumption may be an important dietary strategy to lower blood pressure and further reduce other blood pressure-related diseases," said lead researcher Liwei Chen, adding that the less soft drink is consumed per day, the lower would be an individual's blood pressure levels.
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Heinz Blasted Over Outrageous Claims in Infant Formula Ads

David Gutierrez
NaturalNews
Tue, 25 May 2010 00:00 UTC
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© Alex Renton
Gerber baby food which, the manufacturers claim, helps support brain and eye development.
The H.J. Heinz company, most famous for producing Heinz brand ketchup, has been reprimanded by the United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over an ad for its Nurture-brand infant formula.

According to the ASA, Heinz made "unsubstantiated" and "unacceptable" claims that its product could support the growth of infant brains, bodies and immune systems.

The ad, produced by the Abbot Mead Vickers BBDO agency, stated that each child needs a "special combination of nutrients to sustain the incredible growth in its brain, body and immune system." It then went on to state that Heinz had produced Nurture specifically in order to "provide for those three essential aspects of growth."

The commercial concluded by saying that Nurture would help "nourish, protect and develop your baby."
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Vitamin E is Effective Treatment for "Silent" Liver Disease

S. L. Baker
NaturalNews
Tue, 25 May 2010 00:00 UTC
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© NaturalNews
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a common, "silent" liver disease. Although it occurs in people who drink little or no alcohol, it causes damage that resembles alcoholic liver disease, including inflammation.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the condition is marked by fat in the liver and is associated with the growing number of overweight Americans. In all, about 2 to 5 percent of people in the US have NASH. And while many feel fine and aren't aware they have a liver problem, they actually have a disease that can eventually cause cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death.

There's been no effective treatment for NASH -- until now. Results from a new multi-center study organized by the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network of NIDDK show vitamin E is a successful treatment for the disease. The findings of this largest ever placebo-controlled randomized trial of NASH therapies were published in the April 28 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Book

Books in the Home 'Boost Children's Education'


BBC News
Fri, 21 May 2010 23:15 UTC
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Keeping just 20 books in the home can boost children's chances of doing well at school, according to a major study.

Regular access to books has a direct impact on pupils' results, irrespective of parents' own education, occupation and social class, it was claimed.

Researchers said that children coming from a "bookish home" remained in education for around three years longer than young people born into families with empty bookshelves.

The study, led by Nevada University, in the United States, comes despite continuing concerns over a decline in reading at school.

It is feared that some teachers are being forced to dump books - and teach children using basic worksheets - to boost their performance in literacy tests.
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Question

Is Your Faucet Making You Sick?

Doug Linney
Alternet
Mon, 24 May 2010 23:06 UTC
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Your drinking water may be contaminated with lead, even if you're using faucets claiming to be 'lead-free.' Here's what we can do about it.

By now we've all heard the dangers of lead - at any level. The American Heart Association, the Centers for Disease Control, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the World Health Organization, and every other health-based organization that has reviewed the available studies have concluded that there is no safe level of lead in the human body. Human lead exposure has been associated with reduced cognitive function, aggressive behavior, increased criminal activity, digestive ailments, nervous system disorders, cardiovascular impairment, and bone marrow damage, just to name a few. Recent medical research has demonstrated that many of these ailments are caused by low levels of lead exposures - levels that were previously believed to be safe. Lead in our bloodstream robs us of our future, as it is particularly toxic to our children's health. Furthermore, unlike other toxins that our bodies can remove, lead accumulates over time and can have adverse impacts throughout adulthood and can even shorten our lives.
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Red Flag

Long-Lasting Sensory Loss in World Trade Center Workers from Airborne Toxins After 9/11 Attacks


ScienceDaily
Wed, 19 May 2010 15:00 UTC
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© iStockphoto
Ground Zero, New York City.
New research from the Monell Center and collaborating institutions reports that workers exposed to the complex mixture of toxic airborne chemicals following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City had a decreased ability to detect odors and irritants two years after the exposure.

"The nose performs many sensory functions that are critical for human health and safety," said lead author Pamela Dalton, PhD, MPH, an environmental psychologist at Monell. "The sensory system that detects irritants is the first line of defense to protect the lungs against airborne toxic chemicals. The loss of the ability of the nose to respond to a strong irritant means that the reflexes that protect the lungs from toxic exposures will not be triggered."
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Info

Warning: This Common Food Causes Devastating Offspring Defects in New Research Study


Dr. Mercola
Mon, 24 May 2010 20:10 UTC


In this interview, Jeffrey Smith, author of the bestseller Seeds of Deception, and Genetic Roulette, discusses the latest GMO research findings coming out of Russia, which adds fuel to previous concerns about long-term sterility and other highly bizarre physiological side effects.

Sources:

Institute for Responsible Technology, "Genetically Modified Soy Linked to Sterility, Infant Mortality"

The Voice of Russia April 16, 2010

Grist April 20, 2010

Jeffrey Smith Interview Transcript (PDF)

Huffington Post April 20, 2010
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Ambulance

Study Links Weak Immune Systems, PTSD

Kelly Kennedy
Navy Times
Thu, 20 May 2010 13:54 UTC
A study shows that there may be a reason that those with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder deal with more physical health issues as they age: Their immune system has been compromised.

The study is yet more evidence to support the idea that people with PTSD go through chemical changes after a psychological injury.

Lead author Monica Uddin, a researcher with the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and her colleagues began with the theory that the increase in physical health issues - such as heart disease - in those with PTSD may come from immune system problems.

To that end, they used blood samples from 100 people in the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study. Of those, 23 had been diagnosed with chronic PTSD while 77 had not, though many had been diagnosed with other mental health issues, such as depression.

By looking at genes in those blood samples, they found that the people with PTSD had three areas where genes had been methylated - turned on, essentially - at higher levels than those without PTSD. One of those areas was hearing.
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