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Taking Showers "Can Make You Sick"


BBC News
Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:06 UTC
Image
© Getty Images
Shower water can contain harmful bacteria
Showering may be bad for your health, say US scientists, who have shown that dirty shower heads can deliver a face full of harmful bacteria.

Tests revealed nearly a third of devices harbor significant levels of a bug that causes lung disease. Levels of Mycobacterium avium were 100 times higher than those found in typical household water supplies.

M. avium forms a biofilm that clings to the inside of the shower head, reports the National Academy of Science.

In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, the study authors say their findings might explain why there have been more cases of these lung infections in recent years, linked with people tending to take more showers and fewer baths.

Water spurting from shower heads can distribute bacteria-filled droplets that suspend themselves in the air and can easily be inhaled into the deepest parts of the lungs, say the scientists from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
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Info

Food Lectins in Health and Disease: An Introduction

Dr. Scot Lewey
The Food Doc Journal
Thu, 07 Oct 2010 06:51 UTC
In recent years it appears there is a rising epidemic of people suffering from chronic digestive and autoimmune conditions. Food intolerance or sensitivities may lie at the root of the problem. Most people, including doctors, have little clue how foods they eat may be contributing to their chronic illness, fatigue and digestive symptoms.

There are, however, a lot of clues in the medical literature and the lay public's experience about how foods are causing and/or contributing to the current epidemic of chronic illness and autoimmune disease. There are several diets being used by many people with varying success to improve their health despite a general lack of iron clad scientific proof for their effectiveness. One of the clues to the cause and relief of food induced illness may lie in proteins known as lectins that are present in all foods.
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Pills

To B or Not to B Vitamins?

Dr. Leo Galland
Pill Advised
Thu, 07 Oct 2010 06:43 UTC
With findings that surprised even its chief investigator, a study published in September of this year from Oxford University is receiving tremendous attention.

The researchers found that giving a combination of B vitamins to elderly men and women at high risk of Alzheimer's disease reduced the amount of brain shrinkage occurring over 2 years by about 50%. Decreased brain shrinkage was accompanied by preservation of brain function. (1)

This is a remarkable finding and an important study for several reasons:
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Health

Adequate sleep found to be important for healthy body composition

Dr. John Briffa
drbriffa.com
Thu, 07 Oct 2010 06:41 UTC
Many individuals contend that weight control is all about diet and exercise. Of these, the research suggests that dietary change is likely to bring the lion's share of benefits. However, body weight and fatness are not determined only by these lifestyle factors. Hormonal issues can play a part too. For example, if the thyroid gland is under-functioning, weight tends to go up. And my experience in practice is that if this issue remains untreated, practically no amount of eating less, eating well or increased exercise will put much of a dent in someone's weight.

One lifestyle factor which may influence hormone levels and also weight is sleep. In fact, there is already a body of evidence which suggests that sleep restriction can alter hormones that control food intake. In particular, sleep restriction has been shown to boost levels of hormones that stimulate appetite (e.g. ghrelin) and suppress levels of hormones that that temper appetite (e.g. leptin). The end result can be increased food intake. See here and here for posts about research which suggests that sleep restriction can indeed cause individuals to eat more.
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Evil Rays

Brain cancer tied to heavy cellphone use, says author

Nancy J. White
Toronto Star
Wed, 06 Oct 2010 14:33 UTC
Evil Cell Phone
© unknown
Scientist Devra Davis, who wrote Disconnect, uses cellphones cautiously and only while using a headset.
Sickly sperm another side effect, says professor in new book that rounds up deadly data

When a reporter called scientist Devra Davis on her cellphone, the first thing the epidemiologist and toxicologist said was: Call back on my land line.

It's not that Davis, author of Disconnect, a new book about cellphone radiation, doesn't use her mobile device, she just uses it cautiously, limiting her talk time and wearing a headset - steps she advises everybody to take.
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Light Saber

FDA to Review Safety of Mercury Fillings


The Epoch Times
Tue, 28 Sep 2010 03:32 UTC
Image
© Tim Boyle/Getty Images
Mercury Protest: Mercury-free activists protest the continuing FDA approval of mercury in dental amalgam fillings.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to review the safety of dental amalgam, which is 50 percent mercury, beginning with a public hearing on Dec. 14 and 15. A final ruling is expected by mid 2011.

The FDA's controversial 2009 Final Rule upholding the safety of dental amalgam sparked a public outcry and prompted several groups - dental professionals as well as citizens - to file legal petitions for reconsideration with the FDA.

According to FDA watchdog Jim Dickinson of Fdaweb.com, the FDA appears ready to reverse itself this time.

"They're laying the groundwork to make a reversal appear legally consistent," he said, referring to FDA's interest in considering information previously overlooked as well as a 2009 report on risk assessment by the National Academy of Sciences. "It appears the agency is aware that it's on the losing side, and as the scientific evidence grows, it's time to move."

On the other hand, "FDA hopes to defer to its dental products advisory panel, thus much depends on who gets named to the panel and whether they're up to the job," warned Jim Love, attorney for the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT), an anti-mercury dental association sponsoring two of the four legal petitions.
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Attention

Diabetes Risk Tied to Air Pollution


NewsInferno
Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:14 UTC
Image
© understandingplanetearth.in
Air pollution is, again, being linked to disease, this time diabetes, said WebMD, which noted that auto exhaust and industrial smoke were among the fine particulate pollutants involved.

It seems that residents in locations in which air quality levels were below, but close to, acceptable safety limits set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), experienced a 20 percent increased incident of being diagnosed with diabetes versus those exposed to few pollutants, said WebMD. Even after factoring known diabetes risks -obesity, race, sedentary living - the strong link existed, wrote WebMD.
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Info

Experts Report: Soil Crucial to Public Health

Anna Salleh
ABC Science
Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:57 UTC
Image
© iStockphoto
Healthy soil can kill introduced pathogens and keep groundwater clean, say experts
Soil should be safeguarded as a "savior" of public health, despite being the source of potentially dangerous bugs, say US experts.

Environmental microbiologist, Dr Ian Pepper, from the University of Arizona, will address the 19th World Congress of Soil Science in Brisbane next week.

"Much of the time people tend to associate soils with agriculture. I'm saying it has much more profound impacts than just that," says Pepper, who specializes in soils, water, and waste management and re-use.

Apart from providing food, soil provides life-saving medicines including antibiotics, anti-cancer agents and immunosuppressive drugs, says Pepper and colleague Dr Charles Rice of Kansas State University.
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Bisphenol A (BPA): The Fuss Just Won't Go Away

Marion Nestle
The Atlantic
Fri, 01 Oct 2010 14:31 UTC
Image
© Wikimedia Commons
At current exposure levels, is BPA, the ubiquitous chemical found in plastic food packaging, toxic or not? The question turns out to be difficult to answer for two reasons: science and politics. Science does not have an easy way to determine the health effects of exposures to very low doses of chemicals, and the plastics industry does everything it can to minimize risks.

A recent study says that human exposure to BPA is much higher than previously estimated, not least because many of the sources of this estrogen-disrupting chemical have not yet been identified. The authors of the study, according to FoodQualityNews, want the chemical registered so that exposures can be assessed. They also call for immediate action to reduce exposures.

Comment: For more information about Bisphenol A (BPA) and the surrounding controversy read the following articles listed below:

The Real Story Behind Bisphenol A
Bisphenol A, Chemical Used to Make Plastic, Lingers in Body
BPA Report Details Chemical's Hazards
Scientists Believe BPA is Risky - it's Just a Matter of Agreeing on How Much
President's Cancer Panel Warns of Toxic Effects of BPA
Study: Human Exposure to BPA 'Grossly Underestimated'
BPA Should Be Avoided, Federal Official Says
FDA is Sued for Failing to Regulate Bisphenol A

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Syringe

Obese But Healthy? Gray Area Confounds Science

Stephanie Pappas
LiveScience
Sun, 03 Oct 2010 07:52 UTC
Is it possible to be fat and fit? Perhaps, researchers say, but losing weight may make you even better off.

A new study, published in the September issue of the journal Diabetes Care, finds that people who are obese but metabolically healthy (meaning they have healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels as well as normal blood pressure), can still improve their health profile by dropping a few pounds.

The study contradicts an earlier finding that people who are obese and yet healthy may actually be worse off if they lose weight. What the new study can't do is explain why some people manage to be both obese and healthy - or whether there's really such a thing.

"Right now, we are in a gray zone. Is it really protective to be metabolically healthy?" said Martin Brochu, an obesity researcher at the Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec. "There's a huge debate in the scientific literature right now."

Comment: Kind of gives a different spin on these archeological finds:

Venus statue reportedly found in Macedonia

Sexy "Venus" may be oldest figurine yet discovered

5,000-year-old Venus figure found in Çanakkale

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