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Thu, 04 Nov 2021
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Bug

For your Zika protection: Florida to spray neighborhoods with microcephaly-causing insecticide

Zika-Virus
© jarun011/fotolia.com
The zika psyop continues...

An aerial insecticide spraying campaign began at dawn this morning in Florida to kill mosquitoes that might be infected with the zika virus. The spray will cover a 10-mile area in Miami. Health officials claim the the chemical to be sprayed, an organophosphate neurotoxin called Naled, is "safe" to breathe and no one really needs to take any special measures while they are being sprayed like bugs (although it has been "recommended" that people with allergies stay inside).

While health officials still have yet to find a mosquito actually carrying the virus in Miami, 15 people have reportedly been diagnosed with zika there, mostly concentrated in the north downtown Miami area, and officials claim to have ruled out transmission via other means such as travel or sexual intercourse.

Comment: More on the Zika craze:


Cupcake Choco

Do touch pad menus increase the likelihood of ordering junk food? Researchers say, 'yes'

electronic menu
When hunger strikes, we often eat with our eyes and it creates a fine line between eating those foods which we consider pleasurable or healthy. This then often forms the connection between the mind and the mouth dictating our health and weight. A series of five studies suggests that when one sees a self-indulgent food on a touch screen, the hedonistic centers of our brain are facilitated.

Order a meal these days and there's a good chance you're using some kind of electronic device--a smartphone, tablet, computer or even a touch screen at the restaurant. As so-called "i-ordering" becomes more common, it raises a question for restaurant owners, researchers and policymakers: Does the kind of interface used by customers affect their food choices?

New research at the University of Michigan shows it can.

Bug

Head lice have mutated and are now resistant to treatment

male head lice
Lice are becoming more difficult to eradicate in young children's hair, according to a study released last week in the Journal of Medical Entomology (JME).

New evidence shows that head lice have developed resistance to two types of common over the counter insecticide treatments for lice infestation. JME studied 48 states and found that, on average, 98 percent of head lice in at least 42 states managed to grow gene mutations that enable them to become resistant to different insecticides other wise known as pyrethrins, pyrethroids, and permathrins.

According to the study, "Lice were collected from 7 July 2013 to 11 May 2015 by 71 volunteers (school nurses and professional lice combers) from 138 collection sites in 48 states. Four of these states (AZ, CA, FL, and TX) had collection sites that had been sampled twice before (1999 - 2006 and 2006 - 2008) and an additional eight states (OH, MA, MI, MN, NY, SC, TN, and WI) had been sampled only once before (2007 - 2009), allowing the determination of kdr-type mutation frequency changes in those locations over time."

Comment: How to Get Rid of Head Lice Naturally


Syringe

Mumps outbreak sweeps Long Beach; affected residents had already been vaccinated




18 people known to have contracted the disease; health officials say more cases possible


When most people hear about the mumps, they usually think of it as a disease that nobody catches anymore.

But according to Nassau County health officials, 18 people in the Long Beach area have come down with the once common infection, best known for causing swelling along the jawline.

County Health Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein tells us that of the 18 confirmed cases, most patients are between the ages of 19 and 30. A few, however, are in their 50s.

The patients came down with symptoms over the last few days - despite having already been vaccinated.

"Sometimes nature throws a strain at us that might have mutated a little bit, and coverage of the vaccine is not 100 percent," Eisenstein explained.

Aside from its trademark swelling, the mumps also causes a headache, fever and pains.

There's no treatment. The mumps usually clears up on its own.

Comment: Why vaccines spread disease and vaccine science is flawed


Pistol

SSRI antidepressants: Putting patients at clear risk of suicide

ssri suicide
It is now estimated that 1 in 8 Americans are on serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants and a shocking 1 in 4 among women in their 40s and 50s. Yet the U.S. suicide rate of 38,000 a year has never been higher.

Clearly the glut of SSRI prescriptions is not lowering the national suicide rate; rather there is compelling evidence that the popular pills are actually contributing to suicide.

SSRIs and Violence

The first suspicion that SSRIs can cause dangerous and unintended psychiatric effects was a Kentucky shooting in 1989 in which pressman Joseph T. Wesbecker entered his former workplace, Standard Gravure, killed eight people, injured 12 and committed suicide after being prescribed Prozac.

Families of the wounded and killed soon filed a lawsuit against Prozac maker Eli Lilly and Company, claiming the SSRI contributed to the violence. The case went to a jury that sided with Lilly.

Yet three days before the shooting, Wesbecker's psychiatrist had written "Prozac?" in his patient notes as a possible explanation of his bizarre behavior.

Since the Standard Gravure killings, psychiatrists, drug safety advocates and bereaved families have consistently tried to expose links between SSRIs and suicides but are hampered by mainstream safety data that deny a suicide link.

Ambulance

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: How playing football causes brain damage

football players
"In football, one has to expect that almost every play of every game and practice, they are going to be hitting their heads against each other. Each time that happens, it's around 20 G's or more. That is the equivalent of driving a car at 35 miles into a brick wall. A thousand to 1500 times per year."
—Robert Stern, PhD Neuropsychologist (featured in the frontline documentary Why The NFL Should Be Scared Of Chris Borland)

Can you imagine being hit in the head constantly with an impact similar to that of hitting a brick wall, and how you might feel the more it happened? Each one of those hits could be potentially damaging for you, let alone having them happen again and again, year after year.

If you've ever watched an NFL game, you're likely unsurprised to hear how dangerous this sport can be. If those big shoulder guards and helmets are any indication, this is not a sport for the faint of heart. It's rough, requires enormous strength, speed, and agility, and only a select few can make it to the big time.

Comment: New York Jets hall of famer Joe Namath says human body 'Just not designed' to play football


Pirates

DARK Act signed, and a warning from the past

microscope
© Pixabay
The story of Klebsiella planticola is a cautionary tale of the impact of genetically modified organisms.
On Friday, President Obama signed bill S.764 into law, dealing a major blow to the movement to require GMO labeling. The new law, called the "Deny Americans the Right to Know" (DARK) Act by food safety groups, has at least three key parts in it that undermine Vermont's popular GMO labeling bill and make it nearly impossible for you and me to know what's in our food.

The law claims to set a federal labeling standard by requiring food producers to include either a QR bar code that can be scanned with a phone, or a 1-800 number that consumers can call to find out whether a product contains genetically modified ingredients.

But according to the Institute for Responsible Technology, this bill doesn't require most processed foods to have a label, the bill defines genetic engineering so narrowly that most GMOs on the market don't qualify, and the bill gives the USDA two more years to come up with "additional criteria" -- also known as "more loopholes."

Comment: For more info:


Health

South Florida goes Zika crazy; 10 more cases reported

zika
Local and state health officials say they are doing all they can to combat the spread of the Zika virus but it's now up to Florida citizens to help hinder its spread.

"We have to be protective of ourselves - drain and cover. Take measures that you will not get bit by mosquitos. Those are personal responsibilities that we are drilling in on our 2.7 million residents," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

On Monday, 10 more people had contracted the virus bringing the amount of locally acquired cases to 14 in Miami-Dade and Broward County, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Gabriel Jean is one of the 14 local victims of Zika.

His daughter says he was recently notified he was infected with the virus.

Comment: It seems that nearly every year there is some virus hype to scare the populace's collective pants off. Don't fall for it. For more on the Zika hype (and it's non-existent link to microcephaly) see:


Health

Whaddya know! The so-called benefits of flossing have never been proven

flossing
© Julio Cortez / AP
Dr. Wayne Aldredge, president of the American Academy of Periodontology, demonstrates how dental floss should be used in Holmdel, N.J.
It's one of the most universal recommendations in all of public health: Floss daily to prevent gum disease and cavities.

Except there's little proof that flossing works.

Still, the federal government, dental organizations and manufacturers of floss have pushed the practice for decades. Dentists provide samples to their patients; the American Dental Association insists on its website that, "Flossing is an essential part of taking care of your teeth and gums."

The federal government has recommended flossing since 1979, first in a surgeon general's report and later in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans issued every five years. The guidelines must be based on scientific evidence, under the law.

Comment: Interesting. Though anyone who's ever flossed and experienced the sense of mouth cleanliness that comes from a good floss might argue with this article. Flossing may not prevent dental issues but getting gunk from between your teeth certainly has some merit, right?


Health

Obesity paradox: Study of identical twins finds being overweight does not increase the risk of heart attacks and early death

obesity heart attacks
© David Gray / Reuters
Obesity has long been associated with cardiac problems, but a new study of twins suggests that an extra belly bulge may not actually increase a person's risk of heart attack or early death.

The research conducted by Swedish physicians studied cases in which one identical twin was overweight or obese, while the other was thinner.

According to lead author Peter Nordstrom, a researcher at the Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation at Umeå University, the study of identical twins is beneficial because they are genetically the same. Therefore, it allows for the evaluation of risks associated with obesity which are independent of genetics, HealthDay reported.

Comment: Previous studies have also found that people who are overweight can also be metabolically healthy and have lower rates of mortality: