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The Stigma of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Toni Bernhard, J.D.
Psychology Today
Sun, 10 Apr 2011 00:00 UTC
Image

My husband snaps a picture as I wait for the doctor
I've been sick since 2001 when I failed to recover from what appeared to be an acute viral infection. It has left me mostly house-bound, often bed-bound. In effect, I've had the flu without the fever for almost ten years: the aches and pains, the dazed sick feeling, the low grade headache, the severe fatigue. It cost me my career as a law professor; it cost me the ability to be active in the lives of my children and grandchildren.

Because I meet the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) case definition, I've been given the diagnosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Although there have been some promising developments (a possible connection to a retrovirus; the presence of unique proteins in the spinal fluid of CFS patients), as of this writing, there's no proven cause and no cure. This is not surprising, given that so little money is allocated for research into this debilitating illness. Why? One reason is the absurd name. As others have pointed out, calling it, "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome," is like calling Emphysema, "Chronic Cough Syndrome," or Alzheimer's, "Chronic Forgetfulness Syndrome."

Comment: There is some evidence to suggest that CFS is linked to a stomach virus, thus healing the gastrointestinal tract may prove beneficial to CFS patients. For more information about the importance of detoxing and creating better health and wellness read the following threads on the forum:

Important threads for Diet and Health

Detoxification: Heavy Metals, Mercury and how to get rid of them

Anti-Candida, Inflammation, Heavy Metals Detox and Diet

Detoxify or Die Cookbook

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Pills

Newspaper Takes Money from Food Company to Promote Cholesterol-reducing Food by Apparently Non-Existent Journalist

Dr. John Briffa
Drbriffa.com
Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:00 UTC
Image
© allwomenstalk.com
Have you heard the adage 'don't believe what you read'? In the area of health I believe this is generally good advice. Trawling through newspapers has convinced me that much of what is written about how best to manage our health is based more on science fiction rather than fact. I believe this applies as much to anything else to the constant drip-feed of information we get about cholesterol and its supposedly artery-clogging effects. By way of example, take a look at this article which appeared in the on-line version of The Telegraph - a British 'broadsheet' newspaper. At first sight, it looks just like any other on-line article. For one thing, it's written by 'Telegraph journalist' 'Chris Jones'.

Ms Jones tells us how downing cholesterol-reducing Flora pro.activ drinks each day has helped her get her cholesterol levels down to a "much better figure." Pieces of this nature have long been used by companies to legitimise and add credibility to their products by blurring the lines between editorial and advertising - that's why they're called 'advertorials'.

The risk with advertorials is that they will promote the benefits of the product being pushed, and fail to mention some important failings. So, please allow me to fill in the blanks that Chris Jones appears to have left...

First of all, products like Flora pro.activ are sold to us on the basis of their cholesterol-reducing ability. My attitude to this is 'so what?' That's because the impact that a food or anything else has on cholesterol is irrelevant - it's the impact it has on health that counts.

Comment: Our research has shown that low-fat diets and cholesterol-reducing drugs do not contribute to the health of individuals. For a better understanding of the necessity of fats in the diet - read the following:

What If It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?

The Origins of the Cholesterol Con

Dispel the Myths: Why You Should Eat Cholesterol

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Question

Cesarean Section Rates Hit All-Time High, Study Shows

Jennifer Welsh
MyHealthNewsDaily
Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:50 UTC
NewBorn
© Live Science

Rates of Cesarean section deliveries in the United States climbed to 34 percent in 2009, hitting an all time high, a new study says.

Florida, New Jersey and Texas had the highest rates, while Utah, Wisconsin and Colorado had the lowest of the 19 states included in the study.

"Obviously, a 34 percent C-section rate is far too high," said Jacqueline Wolf, a researcher at Ohio University who wasn't involved in the study. "Medical reasons alone cannot possibly explain why more than one in three American women need major abdominal surgery in order to safely give birth."

A C-section (cesarean section) is necessary to remove the baby from the uterus when a vaginal delivery could risk the health of the mother or the baby, or when a prior C-section makes vaginal delivery difficult or dangerous.

"In many cases of C-section in recent years, the benefits may be questionable and important healthcare organizations, including the Joint Commission and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, have endorsed safely reducing C-sections rates in certain types of pregnancies," wrote the study researchers.

The new study was performed by HealthGrades, a company whose website allows patients to search for and rate physicians.
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Smoking

5 Health Benefits of Smoking

Christopher Wanjek
Live Science
Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:31 UTC
Smoking
© Live Science
Who says smoking cigarettes is so bad ... well, aside from the World Health Organization, Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and every medical board and association on the face of the Earth?

But should smokers be fortunate enough to dodge all that cancer, heart disease, emphysema and the like, they will be uniquely protected - for reasons unexplained by science - against a handful of diseases and afflictions.

Call it a silver lining in their otherwise blackened lungs. Although long-term smoking is largely a ticket to early death, here are (gulp) five possible benefits from smoking. Breathe deep.

Comment: Let's All Light Up!

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2 + 2 = 4

Traditional Bone Broth in Modern Health and Disease

Allison Siebecker
Townsendletter.com
Thu, 19 Feb 2004 06:47 UTC
Introduction

Broth, made from the bones of animals, has been consumed as a source of nourishment for humankind throughout the ages. It is a traditional remedy across cultures for the sick and weak. A classic folk treatment for colds and flu, it has also been used historically for ailments that affect connective tissues such as the gastrointestinal tract, the joints, the skin, the lungs, the muscles and the blood. Broth has fallen out of favor in most households today, probably due to the increased pace of life that has reduced home cooking in general. Far from being old-fashioned, broth (or stock) continues to be a staple in professional and gourmet cuisine, due to its unsurpassed flavor and body. It serves as the base for many recipes including soup, sauces and gravy. Broth is a valuable food and a valuable medicine, much too valuable to be forgotten or discounted in our modern times with our busy ways and jaded attitudes.

Comment: It's important to avoid bones from battery farming animals but from wild game if possible. The same goes for vegetables. They should be organic in order to avoid pesticide concentration.

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Megaphone

How Healthy Lifestyle Can Prevent HALF of All Alzheimer's Cases

Sophie Borland
The Daily Mail
Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:43 UTC
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Disease: Changes in lifestyle could reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's
Half of all Alzheimer's disease cases could be prevented by lifestyle changes such as exercise, eating healthily and not smoking, claim researchers.

They say hundreds of thousands of patients could potentially avoid the devastating illness by simply changing bad habits.

Around 820,000 people in Briton suffer from dementia, of whom half have Alzheimer's, and this is expected to rise to a million within the next ten years.

For the first time, scientists have calculated the extent to which certain lifestyle traits - including lack of exercise, smoking and obesity - all contribute to the disease.

Comment: For more information on better ways to prevent and treat Alzheimers read the following:

Benefit Of Combination Therapy For Alzheimer's Disease Confirmed

Reversing Alzheimer's memory loss may be possible

Research Suggests Marine Oil May Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

Reversal Of Alzheimer's Symptoms Within Minutes In Human Study

Nutrients Stimulate Brain Connections, Could Treat Alzheimer's

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Whistle

Gamma-Irradiated, Virus-Sprayed FRANKENFOODS

Sayer Ji
Greenmedinfo.com
Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:11 UTC
There is a profound misunderstanding in the mass market today about the value of certified organic food. The question is not whether the 30% or more you pay at the register for an organic product is really worth the added vitamin, mineral and phyto-nutrient content you receive. Even though organic food does usually have considerably higher nutrient density, it is not always the positive quality of what it contains that makes it so special. Rather, it is what you know the organic food does not contain, or has not happened to it on its journey to your table, that makes buying organic a no-brainer to the educated consumer. Let me explain.

The FDA presently supports and actively promotes the use of Cobalt-60 culled from Nuclear Reactors as a form of "electronic pasteurization" on all domestically produced conventional food. The use of euphemisms like "food additive" and "pasteurization" to describe the process of blasting food with high levels of gamma-radiation can not obviate the fact that the very same death-rays generated by thermonuclear warfare to destroy life are now being applied to food to "make it safer." This sort of Orwellian logic, e.g. WAR is PEACE, is the bread and butter of State sponsored industry propaganda.
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Alarm Clock

Doctors To Pregnant Women: Wait At Least 39 Weeks

Gretchen Cuda Kroen
National Public Radio
Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:30 UTC
A rendering of a 36-week fetus in the womb.
© Researchers
A rendering of a 36-week fetus in the womb.

In her living room, Caroline Nagy introduces the newest member of her family - the 6-week-old infant in a striped onesie cradled in her arms. "This is Alex Joseph. He was born May 24th - my birthday," she says.

Their shared birthday wasn't entirely a coincidence. Two weeks before her due date, Nagy was swollen, and uncomfortable. So she asked her doctor for relief.

"I was just miserable. It was like uncomfortable to walk; I couldn't sit on the floor and play; I felt like I was neglecting my first kid because I just couldn't move and I couldn't do anything," says Nagy. "So I asked, 'Is there any way I can speed this up and have a baby earlier?' "

For Jackie McGinty, it wasn't discomfort but timing that caused her to schedule her daughter's birth by C-section eight years ago. McGinty's first child was delivered by C-section for medical reasons, and although this time around she had hoped to deliver naturally, she had just moved out of state and wanted her family nearby to help with the baby.

"My mom was coming out and she was only going to come out for a few weeks. I needed her to be there after the birth. ... So having the option to schedule it was good for us," says McGinty.
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Info

It's OK to Share a Bed with Your Toddler, Study Finds

Jennifer Welsh
Live Science
Mon, 18 Jul 2011 10:41 UTC
Co-Sleeping
© Ron Chapple Studios | Dreamstime.com
Co-sleeping with your toddler isn't likely to cause negative social or cognitive problems, a new study finds.
Sharing a bed with your child has gotten a bad rap, but new research shows that after infancy, it doesn't lead to negative outcomes.

Sleeping with your young child, also called bed-sharing or co-sleeping, is prevalent in many countries and cultures, but remains relatively uncommon in the United States. There is no consensus among parenting experts about bed-sharing: About a third of parenting books endorse the act, about a third dismiss it, and the remainder don't take a stance.

"There are very few studies that have looked at impacts of toddler bed-sharing, but it is a topic I am often asked about by parents and health professionals," said Helen Ball, a researcher at Durham University in the United Kingdom who wasn't involved in the study. "The study is helpful in debunking the myth that bed-sharing is associated with negative developmental outcomes."
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Smoking

Top US academics discover fresh tobacco leaves can fight cancer

Sarah Eddington
thenewstar.com
Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:19 UTC
Tobacco leaves

Tobacco plants
Researchers at the University of Louisiana at Monroe have discovered anticancer compounds in the most unlikely of places - tobacco leaves.

Khalid El Sayed, an associate professor of medicinal chemistry at the ULM College of Pharmacy, and ULM colleagues Paul Sylvester and Girish Shah received a patent for their discovery of anti-cancer compounds in fresh tobacco leaves earlier this week from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

"The leaf and flower of the tobacco plant contain high amounts of the key flavor ingredient called cembranoids, which shows promise as an anti-cancer agent," El Sayed said. "It was very exciting to discover the anti-cancer activities."

But this doesn't mean people will reap the same benefits by using commercial tobacco, he warned, adding that much of the anti-cancer compound is lost in the processing of commercial tobacco.

"This compound is not commonly found in commercial tobacco because commercial tobacco is largely degraded into smaller compounds for about a year to give it flavor during the processing and fermentation," he said.

The cembranoids are found in the waxy substance on fresh tobacco leaves and show potential for controlling metastic breast and prostate cancers. The plant produces them as a chemical defense to protect itself against insects and harmful microbial infections, El Sayed said.

Comment: Apart from cembranoids, tobacco also contains nicotine and solanesol, which have proved as medicinal in many conditions that cause death and suffering. Just have a look at the following studies:

Tobacco used as medicine
Using tobacco plants to fight cancer
Tobacco plant-made therapeutic thwarts West Nile virus
Health Benefits of Smoking Tobacco
Tobacco-derived compound prevents memory loss in Alzheimer's disease mice
Does Smoking Help Protect the Joints?
Nicotine helps Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Patients
Study supports new theory for nicotine's protective effect against neurodegenerative disorders
Longtime Smokers Less Likely to Develop Parkinson's Disease
Study: Quitting smoking increases risk of developing type 2 diabetes
Smoking Helps Protect Against Lung Cancer
Smoking does NOT cause lung cancer, in fact it just might protect you from nuclear fallout

And note that here at SOTT, we agree with the above article's advice. When we say, "Let's All Light Up!", we mean natural, organically grown tobacco, not commercial cigarettes.

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