Health & WellnessS

Health

Supplements are not nutritious

Selenium supplementation, for example in mineral tablets, might not be that beneficial for the majority of people according to researchers writing in the open access journal Genome Biology. Although this trace element is essential in the diet of humans, it seems that we have lost some of the need for selenium, which occurs in proteins and is transported in blood plasma, when our evolutionary ancestors left the oceans and evolved into mammals.

Health

Thousands hit by Brazil outbreak of dengue

More than 55,000 cases of dengue, a sometimes deadly mosquito-borne disease, have been reported in a southeastern Brazilian state in the past four months, authorities said Thursday.

The disease has killed 67 people this year in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state, the state's ministry of health reported. Slightly less than half of the deaths were children under the age of 13, the ministry said.

Brazilian authorities are calling the situation an epidemic.

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©AP

Attention

Ireland: Take the fluoride out of water

I wish to draw attention to the controversial issue of water fluoridation. Since the 1960s artificial fluoride has been added to the water supply in Ireland. We are now the most heavily fluoridated country in the world. The public has been scarcely consulted and numerous councils have called for the removal of fluoride. In addition, only a handful of countries worldwide fluoridate tap water, most having banned, discontinued or withdrawn the practice.

Attention

Canada: Drugs already in water

Your readers should be aware that they are being prescribed in their water what is essentially a prophylactic drug for the purpose of preventing tooth decay. This "drug" is hydrofluorosilicic acid (HFSA). Ironically in this day of concern for the environment we are adding to our drinking water a highly corrosive toxic waste product that has never been tested for safety or effectiveness. HFSA is taken from the scrubbers of the phosphate fertilizer plants. It is contaminated with arsenic, lead and other heavy metals.

People

Sense of belonging a key to suicide prevention

The rate of suicide among young people is triple what it was 50 years ago, and while it remains exceedingly rare for college students to kill themselves, it is always a tragedy -- and always preventable, according to a New York psychiatrist and authority on suicide.

"I don't think people should panic that this is an epidemic," Dr. David Kahn, who is vice chair for clinical affairs at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and on staff at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, told Reuters Health. In fact, Kahn noted in an interview, young people in college are actually less likely to kill themselves than their peers who aren't attending college.

Health

Measles epidemic breaks out in Austria

Austrian Health Minister Andrea Kdolsky confirmed on Wednesday that measles epidemic has broken out in some regions of Austria while Salzburg's Governor Gabi Burgstaller called on the vaccination for the victims.

According to Austrian Press Agency (APA), Burgstaller claimed for measles vaccinations for people who were under 40 years old and never infected with measles.

"This is the only sensible and effective measure to control the further spread of measles affection," she emphasized.

Recycle

High fructose corn syrup is not 'natural', says FDA

Products containing high fructose corn syrup cannot be considered 'natural' and should not be labeled as such, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said.

The decision is likely to cause a massive stir in the food and beverage industry, where a discreet battle has been raging over the status of the controversial sweetener.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is derived from corn, and used primarily to sweeten beverages. The trade group Corn Refiners Association and numerous industry members have long maintained that HFCS is a natural sweetener.

Alarm Clock

Neglect, Abuse Seen in 90,000 Infants

ATLANTA - About 1 in 50 infants in the U.S. have been neglected or abused, according to the first national study of the problem in that age group. Nearly a third of the victims were one week old or younger when the maltreatment was reported, government researchers said Thursday. The study focused on children younger than 1.

Graph
©Unknown
Graphic shows rate and type of non-fatal maltreatment in children younger than one year old; 2c x 4 1/4 inches; 96.3 mm x 108 mm

Eye 1

Mysterious Link Between Summer Birthdates And Nearsightedness

Do natural light levels make a baby born in June more likely to be nearsighted, or myopic, than if he or she had been born in December? While scientists think genetic factors play the strongest role in nearsightedness, a number of studies show that light exposure before and just after birth generates biological signals that influence the development of the eye's ability to focus and refract light properly.

Research had suggested that the influence of light on vision development in this perinatal period might occur through mother-baby biological signals before birth, or through the baby's direct exposure after birth, or both. Because the effect of light levels on myopia, if any, was likely to be slight, a large population study was needed to further explore the question.

Sheeple

Flashback Neocortex vs. Amygdala: Why the Human Brain Is a Poor Judge of Risk

The human brain is a fascinating organ, but it's an absolute mess. Because it has evolved over millions of years, there are all sorts of processes jumbled together rather than logically organized. Some of the processes are optimized for only certain kinds of situations, while others don't work as well as they could. There's some duplication of effort, and even some conflicting brain processes.