A new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet provides evidence that basic human learning systems use areas of the brain that also exist in the most primitive vertebrates, such as certain fish, reptiles and amphibians. The study involved an investigation into the limbic striatum, one of the evolutionarily oldest parts of the brain, and the ability to learn movements, consciously and unconsciously, through repetition.

"Our results strongly substantiate the theories that say that the implicit, by which I mean non-conscious, learning systems of the brain are simpler and evolutionarily older," says Associate Professor Fredrik Ullén from Karolinska Institutet and the Stockholm Brain Institute.

Many of the mundane skills that we apply every day, such as buttoning up a shirt or playing an instrument, comprise a sequence of discrete movements that must be carried out in the correct order. Scientists have long known that there are two learning systems for such patterns of movement; with the implicit system, we learn without being aware of the fact and without conscious training, such as through simple repetition. The explicit system, on the other hand, we use when we consciously train and are aware of what we are learning.

The traditional seasonal flu vaccine may have increased the risk of infection with pandemic H1N1 swine flu, according to the results of four new studies by Canadian researchers.

In one study, the researchers used an ongoing sentinel monitoring system to assess the frequency of prior vaccination with the seasonal flu vaccine in people diagnosed with H1N1 swine flu in 2009 compared to people without swine flu. The researchers found that seasonal flu vaccination was associated with a 68 percent increased risk of getting swine flu.

The other three studies included additional case-control investigations in Ontario and Quebec, as well as a transmission study in 47 Quebec households that were hit with swine flu. In these studies, the researchers found that seasonal flu vaccination was associated with a 1.4- to 5.0-times greater risk of having swine flu.

Individuals trying to become consistent exercisers might be deterred by a negative self-image, according to a Kansas State University study.

Elizabeth Fallon, K-State assistant professor of kinesiology, is conducting a series of studies to better understand how emotional barriers like a negative body image prevent individuals from having an active lifestyle. Her project stems from an undergraduate student's research findings that a low body image ultimately makes someone less successful at being physically active.

"We know how to get people to become active, but the problem is few people are able to maintain their physical activity," she said. "We often see people enroll in a new program to initiate physical activity, and when the program ends they go back to baseline levels. Then they enroll in another new program. We're spending a lot of time with the same people, so we really need to find the keys to physical activity maintenance."

Use of flea and tick control products has resulted in an alarming increase of reports of pet injuries and deaths in the past few years. This has prompted the Environmental Protection Agency to announce that they will be taking stricter measures in the marketing of these products. The number of pets affected is in the tens of thousands. The EPA received 44,263 reports of harm suffered by pets in 2008, a drastic increase compared to the 28,895 reports received in 2007. Pet owners reported skin irritations, burns, welts, drooling, vomiting, seizures, disorientation, neurological problems, and death. It is estimated that 600 of these injuries resulted in death.

The EPA plans to develop stricter testing methods, together with assessing if clearer usage instructions need to be included on the labels. Steve Owens, Assistant Administrator of EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, said that new limitations will be placed on flea and tick products, together with possible changes in some of the product formulas. Owens admitted the toxicity of these products by stating, "These are poisons. These are products that are designed to kill fleas and ticks - and they do their jobs." He stated that the EPA is committed to protecting the safety and health of families and their pets. However, he warned that pet owners must be careful and read the labels, ensuring that they follow precise instructions. Some of the injuries have been due to applying a product designated for a dog to a cat and vice-versa.

The maker of one of the leading tick and flea treatments defended its product, disputing the EPA data. The company stated that the vast majority of the cases are minor and that the number of adverse events reported has remained consistently low since the product's introduction in 1996.

A common prostate cancer treatment may significantly increase men's risk of heart problems, according to a study conducted by researchers from King's College London and presented at a joint meeting of the European Cancer Organization and the European Society for Medical Oncology in Berlin.

"What we can do with these results is to raise a flag with hormone treatments," lead researcher Mieke Van Hemelrijck said.

Researchers compared the rates of heart problems -- from chest pain to heart attacks and death -- among more than 30,000 Swedish men who had received hormone therapy for prostate cancer between 1997 and 2006 with the rates among the Swedish population as a whole. They found that prostate cancer patients treated with hormones were 21 percent more likely to die from heart disease, 28 percent more likely to die from a heart attack, and also significantly more likely to suffer from other heart problems. The researchers concluded that for every 1,000 men receiving hormone treatments, 10 would suffer a heart problem as a result.

New research from the Miguel Hernandez University (UMH) has found that cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) are the "best" natural antioxidant. The study examined five antioxidant properties, with cloves showing amazing results for each. Cloves are used primarily in cooking throughout the world but found primarily in Indian cuisine. Cloves have also been used for medicinal purposes, such as in Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Chinese medicine, and western herbalism. In dentistry, cloves are also used as a painkiller.

The study found that cloves contain high levels of phenolic compounds, which have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-clotting properties. This was a major factor in labeling cloves the best natural antioxidant, but the study found that cloves also have other beneficial properties.

"Out of the five antioxidant properties tested, cloves had the highest capacity to give off hydrogen, reduced lipid peroxidation well, and was the best iron reducer," says Juana Fernandez-Lopez, one of the authors of the study and a researcher at the UMH.

As NaturalNews reported previously, Canadian scientists have found that consuming chocolate regularly significantly reduces the odds of having a stroke. Now other researchers have just published a study in the European Heart Journal providing even more evidence that chocolate -- especially the dark variety -- benefits the cardiovascular system. In fact, eating just one small square of chocolate a day can lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease.

Researchers at the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Nuthetal, Germany, reached this conclusion after following 19,357 people between the ages of 35 and 65 for at least ten years and studying the research participants' chocolate consumption. The results? Research subjects who ate the most chocolate (on average, about 7.5 grams a day) had lower blood pressure. What's more, the risk of chocolate lovers having a heart attack or stroke was dramatically lowered, too.

"People who ate the most amount of chocolate were at a 39% lower risk than those with the lowest chocolate intakes," Dr Brian Buijsse, the nutritional epidemiologist who led the research, said in a press statement. "To put it in terms of absolute risk, if people in the group eating the least amount of chocolate (of whom 219 per 10,000 had a heart attack or stroke) increased their chocolate intake by six grams a day, 85 fewer heart attacks and strokes per 10,000 people could be expected to occur over a period of about ten years."

We are confronted with the prospects of worsening financial conditions for many, and the prospects of supplement suppression grow with new regulatory bills being introduced to hamper health freedom. It has already happened in the EU and Canada. It might be prudent to look into making your own Vitamin B Complex from yeast or simply ordering nutritional yeast products for your Vitamin B.

"Yeastaphobia" shouldn't be a problem once you know the difference between good and bad yeasts, which will also be summarized in this article.

The Importance of Vitamin B Complex

Good digestion requires vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6 to help extract nutrients and provide the hydrochloric acid needed by the stomach. Increased energy and decreased wear and tear from stress are hallmarks of the B vitamins. Vitamin B1 converts carbohydrates into glucose, and other B vitamins help convert the glucose into cellular energy to combat lethargy or fatigue.

B Vitamins also promote healthy hair and nails. But more importantly, the B vitamins help protect the nervous system and promote brain functions. Sufficient B1, B5, B6, and B12 tend to minimize anxiety and stress.

The government of Hong Kong recently issued a warning to its citizens against ingesting Ascaris worms for weight loss purposes. One of the latest diet crazes in the country, the practice of eating the giant intestinal roundworms has become so popular that the nation's Department of Health decided to make a public statement in opposition to it.

The idea behind eating worms to lose weight is that the parasites burrow in the gut and help to eat people's food, thus reducing the amount of ingested calories. As revolting as it sounds, the practice has become quite popular in the developed far east where obesity rates have been steadily climbing. Long work days, unhealthy diets, and limited exercise are all factors that have resulted in a sharp increase in the number of overweight Hongkongers.

Ascaris worms can grow up to 40 centimeters in length and lay up to 200,000 eggs a day inside a person's intestine. According to spokesmen from the Hong Kong Department of Health, the parasites can cause abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and malnutrition. They can also cause more serious problems like biliary and pancreatic duct obstruction and lung invasion, all of which can eventually lead to death.

New study indicates US hospitalizations for poisoning by opioids, sedatives and tranquilizers increased 65 percent from 1999-2006

San Diego, CA, - Poisoning is now the second leading cause of unintentional injury death in the U.S. While several recent high-profile Hollywood celebrity cases have brought the problem to public attention, the rates of unintentional poisoning deaths have been on the rise for more than 15 years, and in fact, unintentional poisoning has surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of unintentional injury death among people 35 years of age. In a study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers found that hospitalizations for poisoning by prescription opioids, sedatives and tranquilizers in the U.S. have increased by 65% from 1999 to 2006.

"Deaths and hospitalizations associated with prescription drug misuse have reached epidemic proportions," said the study's lead author, Jeffrey H. Coben, MD, of the West Virginia University School of Medicine. "It is essential that health care providers, pharmacists, insurance providers, state and federal agencies, and the general public all work together to address this crisis. Prescription medications are just as powerful and dangerous as other notorious street drugs, and we need to ensure people are aware of these dangers and that treatment services are available for those with substance abuse problems."

In the first comprehensive examination of nationwide hospitalizations associated with these prescription medications, researchers examined data gathered from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), which contains records for approximately 8 million hospitalizations per year. By using standard diagnosis codes from the ICD-9-CM, the authors extracted from the NIS all poisonings by drugs, medicinal, and biological substances reported from 1999-2006, and further categorized the specific types of drugs in each case. It was also possible to determine whether the poisoning was diagnosed as intentional, unintentional or undetermined.