Health & WellnessS


Pills

Soviet psychiatric drug for dissidents given to US patients

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1974 ad from Archives of General Psychiatry
It's called Haldol. The generic name is haloperidol.

It's classified as an "anti-psychotic."

You'll read that Haldol is being phased out in the US, but PM: The Essential Resource for Pharma Marketers reports that Haldol accounts for 5% of anti-psychotic prescriptions handed out between 2010 and 201l.

That's 2.7 million prescriptions for Haldol. In one year, in the US.

The major and frequent adverse effects of the drug? Akathisia (the irresistible and painful impulse to keep moving, the inability to sit still), dystonia (severe muscle contractions that twist the body grotesquely), and Parkinsonism.

In short, torture.

All three of these effects can indicate motor brain damage.

Magic Wand

Studies find new links between sleep duration and depression

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Sub-optimal sleep may activate depressive genes, increase risk for major depression.

A genetic study of adult twins and a community-based study of adolescents both report novel links between sleep duration and depression. The studies are published in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal Sleep.

"Healthy sleep is a necessity for physical, mental and emotional well-being," said American Academy of Sleep Medicine President Dr. M. Safwan Badr. "This new research emphasizes that we can make an investment in our health by prioritizing sleep."

A study of 1,788 adult twins is the first to demonstrate a gene by environment interaction between self-reported habitual sleep duration and depressive symptoms. Results suggest that sleep durations outside the normal range increase the genetic risk for depressive symptoms. Among twins with a normal sleep duration of seven to 8.9 hours per night, the total heritability of depressive symptoms was 27 percent. However, the genetic influence on depressive symptoms increased to 53 percent among twins with a short sleep duration of five hours per night and 49 percent among those who reported sleeping 10 hours per night.

"We were surprised that the heritability of depressive symptoms in twins with very short sleep was nearly twice the heritability in twins sleeping normal amounts of time," said principal investigator Dr. Nathaniel Watson, associate professor of neurology and co-director of the University of Washington Medicine Sleep Center in Seattle, Wash. "Both short and excessively long sleep durations appear to activate genes related to depressive symptoms," added Watson, who also serves on the board of directors of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Cupcake Choco

Addiction to junk food: More than meets the eye

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When it comes to processed food, excessive amounts of sugar and hydrogenated fats is the rule rather than the exception. It is no secret anymore that there is a very distinct thread linking the increased consumption of such foods, coupled with relentless advertising campaigns and the epidemic proportions of diabetes and obesity in all age groups on a global scale. In fact, if current trends continue, it is estimated that by 2030, more than 86% of Americans will be either overweight or obese. For some people, this picture looks dreadful enough already, but the truth is that it barely scratches the surface of the problem.

Neurobiology research has shown that food can cause serious addiction, the kind that addictive drugs do. Dr Nicole Avena and her colleagues from the department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, report that the consumption of sugar not only alters brain function and behavior, but it also elicits the same type of withdrawal symptoms like opiate drugs do. In other words, sugar affects the opioid receptors in the brain, which are recognized by natural (endogenous or not) opioid substances. On the other hand, foods rich in fat seem to affect the brain in a different way, although they cause withdrawal-type symptoms as well. Many studies show that there is a unique relationship between emotional balance and fatty acids.

Comment: Not convinced that Junk food addiction is real? Read the following articles to learn more:

Junk Food Junkies: Dying For a Fix
Junk Food Nearly as Addictive as Heroin
Maternal diet sets up junk food addiction in babies
Brain Activity Linked with Junk Food Cravings
Junk Food Found to Deteriorate Pleasure Center of Brain
Junk Food-Addicted Rats Chose to Starve Themselves Rather than Eat Healthy Food
Food Addiction And Drug Addiction: Brain Activity Shows Similarities, Study Finds


Smoking

More anti-smoking propaganda: U.S. government encourages smokers to get annual lung screenings

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Many smokers and former smokers should get annual lung cancer screenings with low-dose computed tomography imagining, local doctors say.

Conemaugh Health System physicians join the U.S. Preventative Services task force in recommending CT screening for those age 55 to 80 who have at least a 30 pack-year history of smoking.

The task force calculates pack-years as the number of years smoking multiplied by the packs of cigarettes smoked each day.

Current smokers and those who quit within the past

15 years should get screenings for early diagnosis of lung cancer, the task force recommends.

"This is a great step forward in preventing deaths from lung cancer," said Dr. Ibrahim Sbeitan, medical director of the Conemaugh Cancer Care Center.

Comment: Is x-ray CT imaging safe ? The evidence says: 'No'...

X-rays linked to breast cancer risk

How X-ray mammography is accelerating the epidemic of cancer

And does smoking actually cause cancer? Again, the evidence suggests otherwise...

Does cigarette smoking really cause heart disease?

Smoking Does Not Cause Lung Cancer

Smoking Does Not Cause Emphysema

Smoking Does Not Cause Lung Cancer (According to WHO/CDC Data)

In any event, why would government leaders, who depend on corporate donations for survival, and who don't care about the poisonous GMO food, wi-fi radiation, and depleted uranium liberally spread round the world at 'multiple war theaters', care one whit about smoking being bad for the masses? You may like to read further...

Brain Researchers: Smoking increases intelligence

Why 'World No Tobacco Day'? Smoking is good for memory and concentration

Smoking restores self-control, improves motor abilities, attention and memory

5 Health Benefits of Smoking

Smoking Helps Protect Against Lung Cancer

Health Benefits of Smoking Tobacco


Clipboard

SOTT Focus: Behind the Headlines: Hidradenitis Suppurativa aka Verneuil's Disease - Interview with Dr Philippe Guillem

Sott Talk Radio logo
This week we're talking with Dr. Philippe Guillem, top expert on Hidradenitis Suppurativa (Verneuil's Disease), a 'rare' condition that may in fact be very prevalent. Dr. Guillem has spent almost twenty years as a surgeon, and last year received special recognition, together with French non-profit organization 'Solidarité Verneuil', for the high-quality care he provides his patients.

Typically developing in stages, Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a chronic skin condition affecting the apocrine sweat glands, and leads to inflammation, infections, and constant pain. Often misdiagnosed and misunderstood by doctors, HS also leaves sufferers feeling shameful, in part thanks to the common misconception that lack of hygiene or obesity are to blame.

We'll also be talking about rare diseases in general, the lack of medical attention they receive, and why it's important for people to be informed and seek out the right care. If you suspect that you or a loved one might have HS, or any other condition you are afraid to speak of, then we hope you'll join us from 2-4pm EST (8-10pm CET). You are not alone.

Running Time: 01:41:00

Download: MP3


Bacon n Eggs

Ketogenic Diet improves insulin sensitivity and numerous aging markers

We are just beginning to understand the biological intricacies of aging. A growing body of research is challenging the belief that aging is beyond your control, prompting scientists to begin thinking about ways we can slow our aging clocks to a slow crawl.

Although this is a relatively new branch of science, there are some factors that appear to be key in controlling how quickly you age. One major factor seems to be insulin signaling and the metabolic "engines" you have running day to day, which are largely controlled by the foods you eat.

In the first featured video, Dr. Peter Attia discusses how a ketogenic diet can optimize your metabolism. But before I discuss the specifics of this, I want to tell you about a remarkable mouse study, presented in the second video. Scientists just accomplished quite a feat: extending the lifespan of mice by 20 percent just by manipulating just one single gene.

Smoking

Smokers' lungs used in half of transplants: Improves Survival Rate!

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Evidence suggests smoking natural tobacco has health benefits for humans
Almost half of lung transplant patients were given the lungs taken from heavy smokers, with one in five coming from donors who had smoked at least one packet of cigarettes a day for 20 or more years.

Despite this, new research shows that those people given the lungs of smokers were just as likely to be alive up to three years after transplantation as those who had organs from non-smokers. In some cases, they had improved survival rates.

Comment: Smoking Does Not Cause Lung Cancer (According to WHO/CDC Data)

5 Health Benefits of Smoking

Air pollution causes lung cancer in non-smokers (erm, can't it cause it in smokers too then?)

U.K. Lung Cancer Survival 'Depends on Where You Live'


Dominoes

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

Joe Namath
© Jemal Countess/Getty ImagesJoe Namath
New York Jets legend Joe Namath says he's "improved" after going through "some things medically" that could be tied to concussions suffered during his playing days.

Namath made the comments in a CBS interview to be aired the morning of Super Bowl XLVIII.

"I've seen some things on my brain. But I've had some treatment, and I've improved," Namath told Rita Braver of "CBS Sunday Morning."

Namath, whose knee problems have been well documented, said the body is "just not designed" to play football.

Beaker

Denmark farmer: Pig deformities and birth defects due to GMO feed

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Thanks to Monsanto's genetically modified crops and creations, one pig farmer in Denmark is sounding the alarm on what he believes are deformities caused by genetically modified feed, crippling the pigs he raises. According to The Ecologist, farmer Ib Pedersen has found piglets born with spinal deformities, visible growths and abnormalities, and even conjoined twins. He blames glyphosate - the herbicide found on genetically modified crops.

A primary ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup, glyphosate is a weed-killing chemical routinely sprayed on crops that have been genetically-modified to withstand it's killer effects. Glyphosate has been found in staggering amounts in human urine and is not only found in our food, but in the water system.

For farmers like Pedersen, there are multiple problems with glyphosate. Not only does he have to worry about consuming it himself, but he has rising concerns about its effects on his piglets.

Bad Guys

Grocery Manufacturer's Association overtakes Monsanto as "Most evil corporation on the planet"

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The addictive and health-harming nature of sugar and processed food has been repeatedly confirmed through the years, and genetically engineered foods rank equally high on the list when it comes to foods that do more harm than good.

Monsanto, as most of you may already know, has long been referred to by those in the know as "the most evil company on the planet." But it has stiff competition. Before there was Monsanto, junk food companies were already hard at work influencing American politics to further their own agenda.

The processed food industry has a lot to answer for when it comes to the general health of Americans, who spend upwards of 90 percent of all their food dollars on processed convenience foods.

The latest developments in the fight for GMO labeling actually makes a strong case for giving the title of "Most Evil Organization on the Planet" to the Grocery Manufacturer's Association of America (GMA), which represents the processed food leaders, including Pepsi, Coke, Kraft, Kellogg's, and General Mills.

The Grocery Manufacturer's Association also lists Monsanto as a member, so it would make sense that the sum would be greater than the parts.

This organization is no stranger to stooping way down low to protect their members' interests - your health and human rights be damned. And that is, in my opinion, evil.