Health & WellnessS


Cow

Think fat-free milk is healthy? 6 secrets you don't know about skim


Butter Believer
Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:28 UTC
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Fat-free skim milk is the quintessential staple of any health-conscious home in America. You're supposed to drink skim because whole milk has too much fat, too many calories, and cholesterol that can give you heart disease. Right?

In case you've been led to believe these lies, I've got a few things I'd like you to know about the darling of the dairy industry, skim milk.

1. It was designed to profit off of you, not make you healthy.

People haven't always bought into the idea that fat is unhealthy. It all started with a flawed theory by a really bad scientist who said that saturated fat and cholesterol cause heart disease. Which is pretty weird, considering no one had heart attacks around the turn of the century when everyone was still eating pounds of butter and cream every week.

Somehow, by the time World War II rolled around, we were all convinced that fat was the enemy, anyway. Butter was replaced with cheap margarine made from toxic industrial oils, and creamy, full-fat milk was dumped in favor of skim.

Dairy manufacturers were thrilled with this new trend, however, because what was once an industrial waste product had quickly become a highly-desirable "health food." When cream was skimmed from milk, the remaining fat-free milk used to be considered a nearly useless byproduct of obtaining the cream. But, market that wasteful skim milk as being a healthful choice for consumers, and suddenly, you've got a serious money-maker on your hands! Now, the agribusiness giants running the dairy industry are able to profit off of both products, and don't intend on stopping anytime soon.
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Bacon n Eggs

Avoid sunburn and tan better by eating real food?


Wellness Mama
Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:50 UTC
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Here's a recent question I got from a reader about sun exposure while eating a healthy diet. Perhaps some of you can relate. Leslie asks:
Since going grain free, sugar free, etc and incorporating more healthy fats and vegetables about 6 months ago, I've noticed I have a higher tolerance to the sun. I not only don't burn, but I'm able to stay out in the sun longer without turning the tiniest bit pink and I tan more easily than I ever have before (which is saying something since I have red hair!). I was wondering if there is any science to this or if it is just in my head? Any thoughts?
It is funny that Leslie brought this up, because I noticed the same thing after I transitioned to eating real foods. Other bloggers have reported a similar reaction (like here, here, and here)

This was one of the most surprising things for me, since I too, was typically fair skinned and did not tan well. In fact, until the last couple of years, I couldn't remember a time that I had a real tan or had gone an entire summer without burning.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that a real food diet can offer some protection against sunburn, but is there any evidence to back it up?
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Attention

China reports 5th death from new H7N9 bird flu strain


Xinhua
Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:34 UTC
Authorities in Shanghai said Thursday night that another person has died from H7N9 bird flu, bringing the death toll from the new deadly strain to five around the country.
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Health

Study: Antibiotics not worth risk in most chest colds

Andrew M. Seaman
Reuters Health
Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:08 UTC
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© lowdensitylifestyle.com
Doctors need to give antibiotics to more than 12,000 people with acute respiratory infections to prevent just one of them from being hospitalized with pneumonia, according to a new study.

And that small benefit is outweighed by the very real risks that go along with antibiotics - both from serious side effects and the promotion of resistant "superbugs," researchers say.

"This study is actually reassuring to both doctors and patients. What we said all along (is) that antibiotics are not helpful or not needed for the upper respiratory infections - I think this supports that," said Dr. Sharon Meropol, the study's lead author, from Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland.

The problem of microbial resistance to drugs is growing, and research shows that overuse of antibiotics is a major contributor. One recent study found, for example, that resistant superbugs proliferated after cold-and-flu season, suggesting they had been fed by seasonal antibiotic use.

Comment: From the article: "The problem of microbial resistance to drugs is growing, and research shows that overuse of antibiotics is a major contributor."

Read the following articles for more information antibiotic resistance:

Scientists Fear Antibiotics are Perpetuating Diseases Impossible to Treat
New Threat: Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria Causes Deadly Pneumonia
Common Infections Will Be 'Untreatable' If Antibiotic Misuse Continues
Antibiotics Losing the Fight Against Deadly Bacteria
Hospital Superbugs Kill 48,000 Patients a Year
New Superbugs Resist Most Powerful Antibiotics

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Water

7 Tap water toxins

Joe Martino
Activist Post
Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:43 UTC
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Water is incredibly important to the human body. The average adult human body is 55-60% water. A baby's body is closer to 75%. Two crucial organs in the body, the brain and the lungs, are 70% and 90% water, respectively. For this reason, the quality of the water you drink greatly impacts your overall health.

Modern society has degraded the quality of the water around us due to our poor environmental habits. This has led us to a point where high-quality drinking water can be difficult to find. While the argument is made that tap water is among the best water available to us, a series of testing for the ingredients in our tap water would tell almost anyone that it is certainly not of high quality.

Recent analyses of municipal drinking water have shown that, despite government regulations, there are still many dangerous contaminants present in our water. There are many chemicals that are not regulated and there is no legal specifications to restrict what amount of certain chemicals can be in the water. This means that certain chemicals can be found in any given amount.[1]
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Video

You are NOT what you eat!

Reed Davis
Paleohacks.com
Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:57 UTC

Did you know that 60% of the American population suffers from at least one system of poor digestion - gas, bloating, belching, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, and more?

While you may have heard that you are what you eat, the truth is that you are actually what you absorb and assimilate. Although your diet may be flawless, a dysfunctional digestive system may be negating its effects.

In this video, Functional Diagnostic Nutrition founder Reed Davis breaks down the anatomy and function of the intestinal tract, pointing out why it may take some time to heal your gut via removing inflammatory foods like gluten, dairy, and legumes. He also gives you tips on how to fix it!

Comment: Learn more about the benefits of a Paleo Diet:

The paleo diet explained
Have you heard about the Paleo diet?
A Real Paleo Diet - Grassfed Meat, Fat, and Organ Meats
The Unspoken Truth about the Paleo Diet & Weight Loss
The Paleo Diet: Should You Eat Like a "Caveman"?
Should You Eat a Paleo-Diet for Health Like These Californians?

In addition tune into the excellent discussion on SOTT Talk Radio: Paleo food - Staying Healthy in a GMO world

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Alarm Clock

Almost third of US West Coast newborns hit with thyroid problems after Fukushima nuclear disaster


RT
Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:56 UTC
boy receives a radiation scan
© AFP Photo / Go TakayamaA boy receives a radiation scan at a screening center in Koriyama in Fukushima prefecture
Researchers have discovered that the Fukushima nuclear disaster has had far-reaching health effects more drastic than previously thought: young children born on the US West Coast are 28 percent more likely to develop congenital hyperthyroidism.

In examining post-Fukushima conditions along the West Coast, researchers found American-born children to be developing similar conditions that some Europeans acquired after the 1986 meltdown of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

"Fukushima fallout appeared to affect all areas of the US, and was especially large in some, mostly in the western part of the nation," researchers from the New York-based Radiation and Health Project wrote in a study published by the Open Journal of Pediatrics.

Children born after the 2011 meltdown of Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant are at high risk of acquiring congenital hyperthyroidism if they were in the line of fire for radioactive isotopes. Researchers studied concentration levels of radioiodine isotopes (I-131) and congenital hypothyroid cases to make the association.
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Eggs Fried

High "bad" cholesterol has lower death rate than low "bad" cholesterol

Masanori Tonegawa, Yomiuri Shimbun
The Spokesman Review
Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:34 UTC
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The Japan Society for Lipid Nutrition has drawn up new guidelines stating that high cholesterol levels are better for living longer, defying conventional wisdom.

There are two kinds of cholesterol - low-density lipoprotein (LDL) that is considered "bad," and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which is regarded as "good" cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is delivered to cells throughout the body, while HDL is excess cholesterol collected from the body.

The Japan Atherosclerosis Society, an organization focusing on lifestyle-related diseases, has advocated people lower their LDL cholesterol levels by improving dietary habits and using medication, because high LDL levels could cause heart disease.

In 2007, the society set diagnostic criteria for hyperlipemia, or elevated levels of lipids in the bloodstream, flagging LDL cholesterol levels of at least 140 mg/dl and HDL levels less than 40 mg/dl as dangerous for both men and women.

"According to domestic and foreign research, the higher LDL levels become, the more arterial stiffening advances. Correspondingly, incidence of heart disease also rises. We concluded that LDL cholesterol levels more than 140 mg/dl could easily cause heart disease," said Hirotsugu Ueshima, professor emeritus at Shiga University of Medical Science, who devised the atherosclerosis society's criteria.

However, Tomohito Hamazaki, a professor at Toyama University's Institute of Natural Medicine, who compiled the new cholesterol levels guidelines for the Japan Society for Lipid Nutrition, countered Ueshima's argument. "When examining all causes of death, such as cancer, pneumonia and heart disease, the number of deaths attributable to LDL cholesterol levels exceeding 140 mg/dl is less than people with lower LDL cholesterol levels."

Comment: Cholesterol is good for you!:

There is only one type of cholesterol: here's why
Dispel the Myths: Why You Should Eat Cholesterol
Cholesterol - The good, the bad, and the ugly
How to Interpret Cholesterol Test Results
Insanity: Cholesterol Drugs for Kids
Why You Should Eat More (not less) Cholesterol
How Standard Dietary Advice To Avoid Cholesterol-Rich Foods Is Misguided
LOW Cholesterol: The Risks, Dangers & The Reality
Higher Cholesterol Levels Associated with Lower Risk of Death from Cardiovascular Disease in Japan
The cholesterol - heart disease scam: How the medical-industrial complex is raking in billions at our expense

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Pills

ADHD diagnoses soaring in U.S. children fuelling concerns of over-medication and addiction

Alan Schwarz and Sarah Cohen
The New York Times
Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:00 UTC
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The Times’s Alan Schwarz on doctors’ growing concern about the skyrocketing use of A.D.H.D. medications in children.
Nearly one in five high school age boys in the United States and 11 percent of school-age children over all have received a medical diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to new data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These rates reflect a marked rise over the last decade and could fuel growing concern among many doctors that the A.D.H.D. diagnosis and its medication are overused in American children.

The figures showed that an estimated 6.4 million children ages 4 through 17 had received an A.D.H.D. diagnosis at some point in their lives, a 16 percent increase since 2007 and a 41 percent rise in the past decade. About two-thirds of those with a current diagnosis receive prescriptions for stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall, which can drastically improve the lives of those with A.D.H.D. but can also lead to addiction, anxiety and occasionally psychosis.

"Those are astronomical numbers. I'm floored," said Dr. William Graf, a pediatric neurologist in New Haven and a professor at the Yale School of Medicine. He added, "Mild symptoms are being diagnosed so readily, which goes well beyond the disorder and beyond the zone of ambiguity to pure enhancement of children who are otherwise healthy."

Comment: The over-diagnosis of ADHD has been an economic windfall for BigPharma. In many cases children are just exhibiting normal behaviours and in others, behavioural treatments would prove more beneficial. In addition, there are a myriad of side effects to these drugs.
ADHD drugs prescribed to 'all academically struggling' children
ADHD Drugs Proven Absolutely Useless for Children - Plus, They Stunt Growth
ADHD - Another Dangerous over Hyped Drug

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Arrow Down

Consumer group analyzes beauty products containing endocrine disrupters

Jennifer Weil
Women's Wear Daily
Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:09 UTC
Que Choisir, the Western European nonprofit consumer association (whose name in English means What to Choose), published in its April magazine issue a cover story on cosmetics and hygiene products it claims contain endocrine disrupters.

For the coverage, the organization analyzed 66 items and said it discovered such substances that may affect the endocrine system - which is responsible for making and releasing hormones - in preservatives, sun filters, emollients and antibacterial agents, for instance.

Que Choisir said it found "record concentrations" of endocrine disrupters in products such as Nivea's Dry Comfort and Fresh Natural 48H deodorants and Water Lily & Oil shower gel. In Neutrogena Hand & Nail Cream, Nivea Aqua Sensation moisturizer and Labello lip balm it noted "elevated concentrations."

The story appeared prior to the European Commission publishing its strategy on endocrine disrupters, which will likely take place in May, according to an EC spokesman.
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