Blurred vision contributes to the risk of falling in older adults -- but getting new glasses with a big change in vision prescription may increase the risk rather than decreasing it, according to a special article, '2013 Fry Lecture: Blurred Vision, Spectacle Corr & Falls in Older Adults' in the June issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

Optometrists can help to prevent falls by avoiding over-aggressive vision correction in older patients at risk, according to the review by David B. Elliott, PhD, 2013 recipient of the prestigious Glenn A. Fry Lecture Award. "Our 2013 Glenn A. Fry Award winner has been studying the effects of blurred vision and vision correction on falls among the elderly," comments Anthony Adams, OD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Optometry and Vision Science.

"In his Award-winning lecture, he provides some very special insights into how this may happen and how we as a profession may help to minimize falls related to vision loss."

Vision correction may actually increase risk of falling

Falls are the major cause of accidental death and nonfatal injuries in elderly US adults. At least one-third of healthy adults aged 65 or older fall at least once a year. For those aged 90 or older, the risk increases to about 60 percent.

But falls in older adults aren't accidents, according to Dr. Elliott. Most of the time, they're related to a wide range of risk factors including older age, disabilities, muscle weakness, and many different medical conditions. "The more risk factors you have, the more likely you are to fall," Dr. Elliott writes.

Reduced vision is one important risk factor, suggesting that interventions to correct vision -- particularly glasses and cataract surgery -- would reduce the risk of falling. Surprisingly, however, most studies have shown little or no reduction in falls among older adults receiving a new vision correction.

Magnification from some new glasses provided in one study may contribute to the increase in risk, Dr. Elliott suggests. "Some of the subjects received large changes in spectacle prescription. Older frail people may have greater difficulty adapting to such changes and be at increased risk of falling during this adaptation period."

What's REALLY In A McDonald's Hamburger Have you ever wondered what you are really eating when you sit down to a McDonald's hamburger?

The following video illustrates that you are getting more than what McDonald's advertises when you eat one of their hamburgers.

Aside from the enormous amounts of grease contained in a McDonald's hamburger, the advertised ingredients are no better for you.


According to McDonald's own website, this is the list of ingredients for their popular McDouble, the sandwich that you see in the above video.

Science shows the low-fat diet to be BS, and yet the American Heart Association keeps touting it as the 'heart healthy' choice. Why? The quick answer: money, honey.

The dogma that saturated fat causes heart disease is crumbling.

A recent Cambridge University analysis of 76 studies involving more than 650,000 people concluded, "The current evidence does not clearly support guidelines that [recommend]... low consumption of total saturated fats."

Yet the American Heart Association (AHA), in its most recent dietary guidelines, held fast to the idea that we must all eat low-fat diets for optimal heart health. It's a stance that - at the very best - is controversial, and at worst is dead wrong. As a practicing cardiologist for more than three decades, I agree with the latter - it's dead wrong.

Most headaches in pregnancy and the postnatal period are benign, but healthcare professionals must be alert to the rarer and more severe causes of headaches, suggests a new review published today (23 May) in The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist (TOG).

The review looks at common causes for headaches during pregnancy and the postnatal period, possible conditions that may be associated with headaches and how healthcare professionals should manage the care of the woman appropriately.

There are 85 different types of headache. Approximately 90% of headaches in pregnancy are migraine or tension-type headaches. However, pregnancy can lead to an increased risk of certain secondary headaches, a headache caused by an underlying health condition, states the review.

The review states that most headaches in pregnancy are benign but in some cases can be more serious. According to the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the United Kingdom 2006 -- 2008 report[i], neurological conditions were the third most common cause of death, considering both direct and indirect causes. The authors of the review therefore emphasize the need for all medical staff to be well trained to take a full history and examination, make a provisional differential diagnosis and know when to seek neurological expertise.

Migraine is a common form of headache; the condition is more common in women, with the highest prevalence rates during the childbearing years. The review states that pregnancy leads to a reduction in the frequency and severity of attacks of migraines without aura, also known as a common migraine. However, women who do experience migraines have a more than two-fold increased risk of pre-eclampsia than those who do not. Women therefore need to be aware to consult a healthcare professional if their headache is different from their usual migraine, highlights the review.

The interconnectedness of your gut, brain, immune, and hormonal systems is impossible to unwind. The past few years has brought a scientific flurry of information about how crucial your microflora is to your genetic expression, immune system, body weight and composition, mental health, memory, and minimizing your risk for numerous diseases, from diabetes to cancer.

Researcher Jeroen Raes, featured in the TED Talk, discovered that you might even belong to one of a few "microflora types" - which are similar to blood types. Research into the human microbiome is in its infancy, and there is much we do not yet understand.

That said, there are some facts of which we are already certain. It is becoming increasingly clear that destroying your gut flora with pharmaceutical drugs, harsh environmental chemicals, and toxic foods is a primary factor in rising disease rates.

Recent research suggests intestinal inflammation may play a critical role in the development of certain cancers. Until we begin to appreciate this complex relationship, we will not be able to prevent or intervene effectively in many of the diseases that are devastating people's lives today.

In order for true healing and meaningful prevention to occur, you must continuously send your body messages that it is safe, not under attack, and that it is well nourished, supported, and calm. This article will focus on exactly how you can send your body these messages and why caring for your personal microbiome is so critical to every aspect of your health.

Having some degree of stress is normal and, sometimes, actually useful. Modern life, however, has elevated stress to much higher levels and created situations of prolonged chronic stress, which can lead to exhaustion and serious diseases.

Types of stress

Sources of positive stress exist as do sources of stress that cause the body distress. Heart palpitations, a queasy stomach, clammy palms and a headache are signs of such distress.

There are four main types of stress:

- Physical - Physical stress can be caused by an injury, surgery, intense physical work, environmental pollution, pathogens, dehydration, substance abuse, nutritional deficiencies and food allergens.

- Psychological - Psychological stress consists of emotional stresses, such as fear, anger, grief, sadness, frustration; mental stresses, such as worry, the need for perfectionism, jealousy, anxiety, a sense of a loss of control; and perceptual stresses caused by beliefs, attitudes and world views.

- Psychosocial - Psychosocial stresses are caused by relationship issues with family and friends, a lack of social support and isolation.

- Psycho-spiritual - Psycho-spiritual stress occurs when one has a crisis of purpose, meaning or values, including at work.

First it was the venerable country of Japan to listen seriously and take action regarding the serious adverse health effects young women were experiencing after receiving the highly touted 'cervical cancer prevention' HPV vaccines. Back on February 24, 2014, this writer published an article discussing Japan's actions; it was International Symposium about HPV Vaccine Problems in Japan February 25 & 26, 2014.

My follow-up blog , HPV Vaccine Harms Have Japanese Demanding No More HPV Vaccinations, was published on March 31, 2014. Please see SaneVax's Press Release regarding that historic event in Japan regarding the HPV vaccines.

One of the most important actions taken by the Japanese government as a result of that symposium, according to the Los Angeles CityWatch, is that

Japanese medical institutions are now required by law to inform young girls or their parents that the government does not recommend the vaccines any longer because of their associated adverse effects. ^[1] [CJF emphasis added. Shouldn't EVERY health agency and government on the face of the globe do that too?]

Phthalates are synthetic chemicals used in plastics, lubricants, insect repellants, nail polish, perfumes, and, yes, even in prescription drugs.

Phthalates are also:

• Proven to decrease sperm counts in extensive laboratory studies on rodents; reduce fertility in both males and females; and cause testicular atrophy, birth defects (including skeletal malformation and cleft palate), "small or absent reproductive organs," developmental delays, and miscarriages;
• Proven endocrine disruptors, as admitted by the FDA, that have been shown, in humans, to have reproductive and developmental toxicity resulting in birth defects and low sperm counts;
• Detectably present in 95% of Americans' urine;
• Banned, by Congress, from children's toys;
• Identified by the European Commission as reproductive toxicants and banned from cosmetics produced in the EU;
• According to the American Chemistry Council, a lobby group for phthalate manufacturers, "totally safe;" and
• Used as a plasticizer in coated, extended-release prescription pills, as a recent article in Dr. Robert J. Rowen's Second Opinion newsletter reminded us.

The conquests of the United States military remain awe-inspiring.
From the Colonial wars of the 1600s and 1700s, to the Theater of Wars in the 1900s to the War on Terrorism that began in 2001, America's soldiers have toppled the opposition.


Still, the most pressing question remains as to why the military cannot defeat its most insidious enemy: suicide.

"Suicide is now the leading cause of injury death in the United States and, among young adults, it ranks as the second or third leading cause of death," said Silvia M. Dutchevici, president and founder of the Critical Therapy Center in New York and a member of the National Association of Social Workers in Northeast Washington, D.C.

The CDC has shocked parents and many of the country's child welfare experts with it's release of a disturbing report showing the high number of very young children being prescribed mind-altering drugs. The report states that some 10,000 toddlers across the US are being diagnosed and medicated with psychotropic drugs like Ritalin and Adderall.

"It's absolutely shocking, and it shouldn't be happening," said Anita Zervigon-Hakes, a mental health consultant for children from the Carter Center. "People are just feeling around in the dark. We obviously don't have our act together for little children."

In interviews with the New York Times and NBC, Dr. Lawrence H. Diller, a behavioral pediatrician in California, thought the news was outrageous:

"People prescribing to 2-year-olds are just winging it. It is outside the standard of care, and they should be subject to malpractice if something goes wrong with a kid."

"We're giving Adderall to 2-year-olds? I mean, that's nuts," said Diller. "There's no evidence that it works. There's no evidence that it's safe. These are desperate measures."

According to Diller the U.S. uses 70 percent of the world's Adderall and Ritalin even though we only make up 4 percent of the world's population.