Health & WellnessS


Cupcake Choco

Addiction to junk food: More than meets the eye

Eleni Roumeliotou
Greenmedinfo.com
Sun, 07 Apr 2013 13:46 UTC
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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

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Smoking

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


The Tribune-Democrat
Sat, 01 Feb 2014 00:00 UTC
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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

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Clipboard

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

Sott Talk Radio
Sott.net
Sun, 02 Feb 2014 19:00 UTC
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

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Bacon n Eggs

Ketogenic Diet improves insulin sensitivity and numerous aging markers

Dr. Mercola
Mercola.com
Sun, 02 Feb 2014 10:04 UTC
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.
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Smoking

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


Independent
Sun, 02 Feb 2014 04:55 UTC
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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'

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Dominoes

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


CBS
Fri, 31 Jan 2014 00:00 UTC
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.
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Beaker

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

Elizabeth Renter
Natural Society
Tue, 28 Jan 2014 19:47 UTC
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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.
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Bad Guys

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

Dr. Mercola
Mercola.com
Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:26 UTC
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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.
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Shopping Bag

Study: Even grocery store coupons are mostly trying to sell you junk

Melissa Melton
Activist Post
Thu, 30 Jan 2014 14:42 UTC
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Being poor means a lot more these days than having less money to buy an Escalade and that third summer vacation home on the beach.

Try being able to afford buying healthy food in modern America.

Now a study in this month's edition of Preventing Chronic Disease has shown that grocery stores tend to offer coupons cutting costs on its less than healthy fare, while rarely discounting the actual "good stuff":
The study found that coupons offered by grocery stores often chop the costs of calorie-laden foods such as crackers, chips, desserts and sugary drinks. Relatively few markets discount lean meats, low-fat dairy products or fresh fruits and vegetables, the researchers said.
"We know from other studies that when you lower the price of foods, people buy more of them," said study author Dr. Hilary Seligman, assistant professor in residence at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. "When junk foods are the foods stores are lowering the prices of, we shouldn't be surprised that more of them are purchased." (source)
By the way, when is the last time anyone saw a coupon for some fresh fruits or vegetables?
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Nuke

We Are Giving Ourselves Cancer

Rita F. Redberg and Rebecca Smith-Bindmanjan
The New York Times
Thu, 30 Jan 2014 14:27 UTC
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© Launch Media/Ben Jones

Despite great strides in prevention and treatment, cancer rates remain stubbornly high and may soon surpass heart disease as the leading cause of death in the United States. Increasingly, we and many other experts believe that an important culprit may be our own medical practices: We are silently irradiating ourselves to death.

The use of medical imaging with high-dose radiation - CT scans in particular - has soared in the last 20 years. Our resulting exposure to medical radiation has increased more than sixfold between the 1980s and 2006, according to the National Council on Radiation Protection & Measurements. The radiation doses of CT scans (a series of X-ray images from multiple angles) are 100 to 1,000 times higher than conventional X-rays.

Of course, early diagnosis thanks to medical imaging can be lifesaving. But there is distressingly little evidence of better health outcomes associated with the current high rate of scans. There is, however, evidence of its harms.
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