A rarefied 'white' tea enjoyed by the Chinese since the days of the Ming Dynasty could play a crucial role in fighting obesity in the West, new research has shown.
Naturally occurring chemicals in white tea - which is made by plucking the youngest, tenderest buds of the tea plant - are capable of breaking down fat cells and preventing new ones from forming.
White tea has previously been linked to the creation of stronger bones, lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of some cancers.
Health & Wellness
Dr John Crippen is the pseudonym of an NHS doctor who writes a popular medical blog. This is his account of the view from the GP's surgery
Oh! God, now I know it is serious. The Health Protection Agency has sent me an algorithm to tell me how to deal with swine flu. It arrived today in an email with one of those red exclamation marks at the side. An algorithm, for those who don't know, is a "finite sequence of instructions, an explicit, step-by-step procedure for solving a problem". It is very complicated. I do not understand it. Fortunately the primary care trust has also sent me a red exclamation mark email with instructions I can understand: "The main message remains: always use a tissue to catch coughs and sneezes, throw away used tissues and regularly wash your hands."
Oh! God, now I know it is serious. The Health Protection Agency has sent me an algorithm to tell me how to deal with swine flu. It arrived today in an email with one of those red exclamation marks at the side. An algorithm, for those who don't know, is a "finite sequence of instructions, an explicit, step-by-step procedure for solving a problem". It is very complicated. I do not understand it. Fortunately the primary care trust has also sent me a red exclamation mark email with instructions I can understand: "The main message remains: always use a tissue to catch coughs and sneezes, throw away used tissues and regularly wash your hands."
© Nigel Cox
Surely you've heard about BPA by now. It's everywhere. Some 7 billion pounds of it were produced in 2007. It's in adhesives, dental fillings, and the linings of food and drink cans. It's a building block for polycarbonate, a near-shatterproof plastic used in cell phones, computers, eyeglasses, drinking bottles, medical devices, and CDs and DVDs. It's also in infant-formula cans and many clear plastic baby bottles. Studies have shown that it can leach into food and drink, especially when containers are heated or damaged. More than 90% of Americans have some in their bodies.
Yesterday, the online journal Environmental Health Perspectives published new research that shows that high levels of BPA - a chemical with potential links to a wide range of health effects - remain in the body even after fasting for as long as 24 hours. Dr. Richard Stahlhut of the University of Rochester and colleagues obtained data for a sample of 1,469 American adults through the CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
© Unknown
I offer the exercise here for myself: I need a reminder of where we have been. But if you love an addict, maybe this exercise will help you as well.
Washington - Health officials warned doctors and patients Thursday about potentially deadly risks of using the anti-wrinkle drug Botox and similar drugs for unapproved uses to treat certain types of muscle spasms.
The Food and Drug Administration said Botox and two other injections carry risks of rare botulism symptoms, particularly when given to children to help relax uncontrollable muscle movements
The Food and Drug Administration said Botox and two other injections carry risks of rare botulism symptoms, particularly when given to children to help relax uncontrollable muscle movements
Each day, I hear more disturbing news about Monsanto, the maker of Round-Up and the agricultural company that has been polluting the world with various poisons for decades with products such as Agent Orange and industrial coolants known as PCB's.
Monsano's advertising campaigns have convinced many people that Round-Up is safe, but the facts just don't support this.
The Women's Cancer Resource Center (WCRC) and CHOSE (Coalition for a Healthy Oakland School Environment), showed that chemicals such as Round-Up (glyphosate) can result in reproductive damage as well as damage to the kidney and liver, and some studies show a link between the chemical and cancer. (Chemical Injury Network, June 2001)
Monsano's advertising campaigns have convinced many people that Round-Up is safe, but the facts just don't support this.
The Women's Cancer Resource Center (WCRC) and CHOSE (Coalition for a Healthy Oakland School Environment), showed that chemicals such as Round-Up (glyphosate) can result in reproductive damage as well as damage to the kidney and liver, and some studies show a link between the chemical and cancer. (Chemical Injury Network, June 2001)
Omaha, Neb. - A week after ConAgra Foods Inc. recalled peanut butter from its Georgia plant after a salmonella outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the presence of the dangerous germ.
No deaths have been confirmed, although a Pennsylvania family filed a lawsuit Wednesday claiming a relative died from eating tainted peanut butter.
No deaths have been confirmed, although a Pennsylvania family filed a lawsuit Wednesday claiming a relative died from eating tainted peanut butter.
© iStockphoto/Christian Aiello
Los Angeles. Nearly every major city in the U.S. is still burdened by significant air pollution.
Los Angeles. Nearly every major city in the U.S. is still burdened by significant air pollution.
State of the Air 2009 acknowledges substantial progress against air pollution in many areas of the country, but finds nearly every major city still burdened by air pollution. Despite America's growing "green" movement, the air in many cities became dirtier. The State of the Air report includes a national air quality "report card" that assigns A-F grades to communities across the country. The report also ranks cities and counties most affected by the three most widespread types of pollution (ozone - or smog, annual particle pollution, and 24-hour particle pollution levels) and details trends for 900 counties over the past decade.
"This should be a wake-up call. We know that air pollution is a major threat to human health," said Stephen J. Nolan, American Lung Association National Board Chair. "When 60 percent of Americans are left breathing air dirty enough to send people to the emergency room, to shape how kids' lungs develop, and to kill, air pollution remains a serious problem."
