Inert medium for turning agrichemichals into food, or a teeming, diverse ecosystem?
- Albert Howard, The Soil and Health
Health & Wellness
Inert medium for turning agrichemichals into food, or a teeming, diverse ecosystem?
- Albert Howard, The Soil and Health
© Salon
There are two types of ingredients in shampoo. One type cleans your hair. The other type strokes your emotions. I'm holding a bottle of Pantene Pro V, one of the world's most popular shampoos. Of the 22 ingredients in this bottle of shampoo, three clean hair. The rest are in the bottle not for the hair, but for the psychology of the person using the shampoo. At least two-thirds of this bottle, by volume, was put there just to make me feel good.
The Winnipeg Free Press reported some disturbing news today. Tests by the Canadian government, it said, have found that some plastics labeled as being free of bisphenol A - an estrogen-mimicking chemical - actually contain the potentially toxic substance.
Canwest News Service unearthed the new government data along with correspondence from government researchers through use of the Access to Information Act - the Canadian equivalent of the Freedom of Information Act.
Canwest News Service unearthed the new government data along with correspondence from government researchers through use of the Access to Information Act - the Canadian equivalent of the Freedom of Information Act.
A shocking 31 percent of teenagers in foster care in the state of Florida have been placed on psychotropic drugs, the Miami Herald has revealed.
"It is doubtful that so many children in Florida have severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia," wrote columnist Daniel Shoer Roth. "Rather, the majority are minors removed from their homes and carted from one foster home to another, from one school to another. In addition, they must make that emotional roller-coaster ride with precious little psychological aid."
According to Florida state law, psychiatric drugs cannot be prescribed to children without either the consent of a parent or an order from a judge. But according to a report from the Department of Children and Families, consent was not given in a full 14 percent of cases. Even in cases where consent is acquired, it may not truly be informed consent -- either because parents or judges do not fully understand a child's mental health needs and the implications of pharmaceutical treatment, or because parents are intimidated or mentally incapacitated.
"It is doubtful that so many children in Florida have severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia," wrote columnist Daniel Shoer Roth. "Rather, the majority are minors removed from their homes and carted from one foster home to another, from one school to another. In addition, they must make that emotional roller-coaster ride with precious little psychological aid."
According to Florida state law, psychiatric drugs cannot be prescribed to children without either the consent of a parent or an order from a judge. But according to a report from the Department of Children and Families, consent was not given in a full 14 percent of cases. Even in cases where consent is acquired, it may not truly be informed consent -- either because parents or judges do not fully understand a child's mental health needs and the implications of pharmaceutical treatment, or because parents are intimidated or mentally incapacitated.
Most older drivers are unaware of the potential impact on driving performance associated with taking medications, according to new research from the Center for Injury Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
The findings, released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, indicate that 95 percent of those age 55 and older have one or more medical conditions, 78 percent take one or more medications, and only 28 percent have an awareness of the risks those medications might have on driving ability.
The findings, released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, indicate that 95 percent of those age 55 and older have one or more medical conditions, 78 percent take one or more medications, and only 28 percent have an awareness of the risks those medications might have on driving ability.
Imports of processed cheese and french fries have soared
Central American countries are facing an obesity crisis because of the influx of North American junk food, say researchers.
Writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Globalization and Health, researchers said the increase in free trade agreements between Central and North American countries had led to a rise in the import and availability of processed, high-fat and high-sugar foods.
They linked the junk food imports to the growing levels of obesity in countries like Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.
Bisphenol A - BPA - the dangerous, ubiquitous estrogen-mimicking toxin that has been linked to a wide variety of adverse health events has just been banned in Schenectady County in upstate New York.
A bit of nitrogen with those veggies?
The report quickly bounced around the media and the internet and has congealed into received wisdom. For example, in a recent chat with readers, Washington Post food politics columnist (and general policy writer) Ezra Klein engaged in the following exchange:
Santa Fe, N.M.: I saw a report today on a study finding that organic food isn't any healthier than conventional food. Is buying organic a waste of money, in your opinion?
Ezra Klein: Honestly? Yes. It's definitely not healthier, at least not according to any study I've seen. There's some argument that it's more environmentally friendly. But it's not something that I'm convinced is worth a premium. I'd rather buy from a local farm that uses some pesticides than a major producers who has gone organic.
A study shows a direct link between standard childhood vaccination series and autism-like symptoms in primates. Presented by one of the principal scientists behind it, Dr. Laura Hewitson, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, the research was presented as an abstract pending publication at the International Meeting for Autism Research. It has been presented in both London, UK and Seattle, USA.
In a recent study by the University of Alabama, health and day care workers failed to identify the majority of safety hazards in a home for toddlers and children.
The day care workers only identified 37% of the hazards, while health care workers identified only 29%.
The day care workers only identified 37% of the hazards, while health care workers identified only 29%.
