Christina Jewett, ProPublica & Sam Roe
Chicago TribuneWed, 11 Nov 2009 16:04 UTC
© Abel Uribe / July 30, 2009)Chanile Hayes says Dr. Michael Reinstein told her taking the anti-psychotic drug Seroquel would help her lose weight. Instead, she says, she went from 140 pounds to nearly 300 pounds within two years.
Executives inside pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca faced a high-stakes dilemma.
On one hand, Chicago psychiatrist Dr. Michael Reinstein was bringing the company a small fortune in sales and was conducting research that made one of its most promising drugs look spectacular.
On the other, some worried that his research findings might be too good to be true.
Simeon Bennett
BloombergTue, 24 Nov 2009 15:01 UTC
Adrian Gibbs, the virologist who said in May that swine flu may have escaped from a laboratory, published his findings today, renewing discussion about the origins of the pandemic virus.
The new H1N1 strain, which was discovered in Mexico and the U.S. in April, may be the product of three strains from three continents that swapped genes in a lab or a vaccine-making plant, Gibbs, and fellow Australian scientists wrote in Virology Journal. The authors analyzed the genetic makeup of the virus and found its origin could be more simply explained by human involvement than a coincidence of nature.
Their study, published in a free, online journal reviewed by other scientists, follows debate among researchers six months ago, when Gibbs asked the World Health Organization to consider the hypothesis. After reviewing Gibbs' initial three-page paper, WHO and other organizations concluded the pandemic strain was a naturally occurring virus and not laboratory-derived.
Children who suffer physical or emotional abuse may be faced with accelerated cellular aging as adults, according to new research from Butler Hospital and Brown University.
The findings, which are published online in the journal Biological Psychiatry, draw a direct connection between childhood psychological trauma and accelerated reduction in the size of telomeres, the "caps" on the end of chromosomes that promote cellular stability. Telomeres typically shorten with age.
After measuring DNA extracted from blood samples of 31 adults, researchers found accelerated shortening of telomeres in those who reported suffering maltreatment as children, compared to study participants who did not.
"It tells us something. It gives us a hint that early developmental experiences may have profound effects on biology that can influence cellular mechanisms at a very basic level, said Dr. Audrey Tyrka, the study's lead author. Tyrka is assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and associate chief of the mood disorders program at Butler Hospital in Providence, R.I.
It often takes years for someone to realize candida is the mystery illness behind symptoms like fatigue, poor memory, sugar cravings and yeast infections. Fortunately, once you identify candida as the problem, it can often be treated swiftly without a prescription. Natural methods are actually far superior to any drug on the market. One of the simplest ways to treat candida at home is with apple cider vinegar.
Apple cider vinegar is rich in natural enzymes that can regulate the presence of candida in the body. It helps encourage the growth of healthy bacteria, which in turn minimizes the overgrowth of candida. Apple cider vinegar also balances your body's pH level. These properties not only clear up candida, though. Once you start using it, the benefits of apple cider vinegar will extend to all areas of your health.
Buying the right apple cider vinegar makes all the difference. Much of the apple cider vinegar you'll find in your local grocery store is simply white distilled vinegar with caramel coloring added to it. What you're looking for is raw, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, preferably unfiltered and organic. This type of vinegar will contain the nutrients you need to combat candida.
The battle against candida is familiar to many. Some struggle for years with fatigue, weight gain and recurring infections, only to be told by doctors that it's "all in your head." The luckier ones realize the cause behind their symptoms early on, only to be handed endless prescriptions for drugs that eventually aren't enough to fight back. Candida has become increasingly resistant to pharmaceutical antifungal drugs. It is more important than ever to turn to natural methods like olive leaf extract and finally turn the tables on candida.
Widespread use of olive leaf is fairly new; it was first made available to practitioners in 1995. However, studies showing the benefits of olive leaf have been conducted since the 1960's and 70's, such as one study in Hungary which showed olive leaf to be highly effective in combating illnesses caused by viruses and bacteria.
Oleuropein is the active component in olive leaf extract (and also what gives uncured olives their bitter flavor). Enzymes in the body convert oleuropein into elolenic acid, which enhances immunity so the body can effectively destroy viruses, pathogenic bacteria, and fungi.
Current research suggests that a common oral bacterium may exacerbate autoimmune disease. Multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease where the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord, affects nearly 1 in 700 people in the United States. Patients with multiple sclerosis have a variety of neurological symptoms, including muscle weakness, difficulty in moving, and difficulty in speech.
Comment: Check What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Autoimmune Disorders by Stephen B. Edelson for more information on autoimmune disorders and their alternative approaches.
Imagine a choice between no intercourse or sex with unbearable pain. Then imagine that no doctor knows how to fix it. That's the world occupied by women with vulvodynia.
Karen Wilson was 16 when she first began feeling the pain. It began out of the blue one day, and it never stopped. She could never figure out why the heavy feeling in her vagina was happening, or how to stop it. Some days the pain was so bad that she couldn't walk or even get out of bed.
Wilson began going to doctors, but none of them knew what the pain was or how to make it stop. Many people told her it would end after she had children, and one doctor suggested that it was psychosomatic. It wasn't until her 20s that Wilson was diagnosed with a mysterious condition known as vulvodynia.
Loosely defined as chronic vulvar pain, vulvodynia is characterized by burning, stinging pain in the vuvla, sometimes called the "lips" that surround the opening to the vagina. Vulvodynia is often mistaken for yeast or bacterial infections or as a sexually transmitted infection or disease.
© UnknownKurt Vonnegut: smoker
On July 1 2007, the most grotesque piece of social engineering will begin in England: the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces, imposed easily by a political and media elite. They think it will lead to healthier people and a cleaner atmosphere.
They believe they can change people easily. The science of marketing has been absorbed by them and they think they can control everybody. I don't think they can. People will stay at home and do drugs instead - legal and illegal.
I have lived in California for a number of years. They started smoking bans, but they didn't affect smokers that much. In California you move around in your own private space. If one goes to a public space, say the opera or Disney Hall, then because the climate is ideal the smoker can just step outside, at all times of the year. Many restaurants have gardens and the bans have never really bothered me. But something else has happened in California since the bans came in, unreported by the media, and it took me a while to notice because I have spent the past seven years working in England.
Phthalates, chemicals that make plastics and vinyls more flexible, have been linked to many adverse health events. So much so, that stringent phthalate levels have been imposed as part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). Now, an emerging report found a link between phthalate concentrations in urine to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), reports Science Daily.
The new study, out of Korea and published by Elsevier in the November 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry, used computerized testing that measured attention and impulsivity levels and teacher-reported symptoms, said Science Daily. The team found a noteworthy link between phthalate metabolite levels in urine to ADHD test results and symptoms, with increased symptoms connected to increased levels, said Science Daily.
Tara Lohan
AlternetSat, 21 Nov 2009 15:20 UTC
Vegetarians aren't the only ones who should be concerned; there's soy in just about everything you eat these days -- including hamburgers, mac 'n cheese and salad dressing.
These days, you can get soy versions of just about any meat -- from hot dogs to buffalo wings. If you're lactose-intolerant you can still enjoy soy ice-cream and soy milk on your cereal. If you're out for a hike and need a quick boost of energy, you can nibble on soy candy bars.
Comment: Check What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Autoimmune Disorders by Stephen B. Edelson for more information on autoimmune disorders and their alternative approaches.