Health & WellnessS


Attention

Grocery stores erect fake "farmer's markets" in parking lots to trick shoppers

David Gutierrez
Natural News
Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:21 UTC
Farmers Markets
© Unknown
Grocery stores across the country have begun appropriating the term "farmer's market" as a way to appeal to more environmentally and socially conscious consumers.

At farmer's markets, local farmers gather to sell their fresh produce directly to consumers. The popularity of these markets has surged in recent years and there are now 6,132 of them nationwide, 19 percent more than in 2009.

"Most likely, you can find a local farmer's market in or near your city, especially near rural areas," writes Edward F. Group III in his book Health Begins in the Colon.

"A farmer's market is the best place to buy your food because it is grown in your local environment and picked ripe, plus it supports local, small-production farmers."
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Alarm Clock

Monsanto's Neotame molecule allowed in USDA certified organic foods

Mary Nash Stoddard
The Aspartame Consumer Safety Network
Wed, 22 Dec 2010 21:37 UTC
Neotame
© UnknownNeotame is an artificial sweetener made by NutraSweet that is between 7,000 and 13,000 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). The product is attractive to food manufacturers as its use greatly lowers the cost of production compared to using sugar or high fructose corn syrup (due to the lower quantities needed to achieve the same sweetening)

Neotame - Hidden Danger in Holiday Food Supply

Everyone wants to indulge a sweet tooth at this festive time of year, without suffering the inevitable consequences of weight gain. But, be aware of the hidden (not listed on ingredient labels) dangers of Neotame sweetener in almost everything consumed by humans, and now even in feed for livestock raised for human consumption.

In 1998, Monsanto applied for FDA approval for a monster molecule, "based on the aspartame formula" with one critical addition: 3-dimethylbutyl [listed on EPA's most hazardous chemical list]. Neotame is touted as being 13,000 times sweeter than sugar.

On July 5, 2002 - Monsanto's Neotame molecule was approved by the US FDA over formally registered objections of the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and others. (Long term effects on humans are unknown.) Read the full release on The Aspartame Consumer Safety Network.

The food labeling requirements required for aspartame have now been dropped for Neotame, and no one is clear why this was allowed to happen. Neotame has been ruled acceptable, and without being included on the list of ingredients, for:

1. USDA Certified Organic food items.
2. Certified Kosher products with the official letter k inside the circle on labels.
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Cell Phone

Cell Phone Brain Tumor Risk Underestimated in Cell Phone Study


NewsInferno
Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:11 UTC
Image
© reporta.com
A group of Swedish researchers are calling for more study into the connection between cell phone use and gliomas, said Medical News Today. A glioma is a rare and generally fatal type of brain tumor.

Dr. Lennart Hardell and team - from the University Hospital, Orebro, Sweden, wrote, in a letter to the editor of the International Journal of Epidemiology earlier this month regarding the "Re-analysis of risk for glioma in relation to mobile telephone use: comparison with the results of the Interphone international case-control study." The team confirmed that an Interphone study published in May 2010 underestimated brain tumor risks due to a design flaw in the study, said Medical News Today.

The team's research on brain tumors, published in 2006, indicated that risks for developing brain cancer from digital cell phones over a ten year period increased by 180 percent; however, the Interphone study only indicated a 118-percent increased risk, said Medical News Today. Up until now, the discrepancy was not explained and risks revealed in the Interphone study were minimized.
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Sherlock

Things You Need to Know About the Carcinogen Discovered in Drinking Water

Rebecca Sutton
Alternet
Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:07 UTC
Image
© Alternet
When you see news reports about a cancer-causing chemical in drinking water everywhere you turn, you probably have a few questions. Of course you can read Environmental Working Groups's full report, but on the off chance you're pressed for time and just want to know the basics, we put together these 11 questions and answers.

What is hexavalent chromium?

Hexavalent chromium (or chromium-6) is a highly toxic form of the naturally occurring metal chromium. It is a well-known human carcinogen when inhaled, and recent evidence indicates it can cause stomach or gastrointestinal cancer when ingested in drinking water. However, a different form, trivalent chromium, is an essential nutrient.

People typically are exposed to chromium-6 by consuming contaminated water or food, and in some workplaces by breathing contaminated air. That's a concern especially for those working in metallurgy or leather-tanning facilities. Ingesting or inhaling contaminated soil particles may also be a source of exposure. Widespread industrial use has led to detections of hexavalent chromium in two-thirds of current or former Superfund toxic waste sites.
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Pills

Study: Newborns With Low Vitamin D Levels at Increased Risk for Respiratory Infections


PhysOrg
Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:51 UTC
Vitamin D
© UnknownVitamin D

The vitamin D levels of newborn babies appear to predict their risk of respiratory infections during infancy and the occurrence of wheezing during early childhood, but not the risk of developing asthma. Results of a study in the January 2011 issue of Pediatrics support the theory that widespread vitamin D deficiency contributes to risk of infections.

"Our data suggest that the association between vitamin D and wheezing, which can be a symptom of many respiratory diseases and not just asthma, is largely due to respiratory infections," says Carlos Camargo, MD, DrPH, of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), who led the study. "Acute respiratory infections are a major health problem in children. For example, bronchiolitis - a viral illness that affects small airway passages in the lungs - is the leading cause of hospitalization in U.S. infants."

Although vitamin D is commonly associated with its role in developing and maintaining strong bones, recent evidence suggests that it is also critical to the immune system. Vitamin D is produced by the body in response to sunlight, and achieving adequate levels in winter can be challenging, especially in regions with significant seasonal variation in sunlight. Previous studies by Camargo's team found that children of women who took vitamin D supplements during pregnancy were less likely to develop wheezing during childhood. The current study was designed to examine the relationship between the actual blood levels of vitamin D of newborns and the risk of respiratory infection, wheezing and asthma.
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Magic Wand

A Panacea Called Tulsi

Gunjan Mehra
Medguru.com
Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:49 UTC
Image
© medguru.com
Tulsi has been an object of great veneration in India. Its time we recognized the health benefits of this ubiquitous herb and not limit its use as offerings to Gods alone.

The numerous benefits of tulsi have been explicitly mentioned in our Vedas. Unfortunately, this knowledge remains unused, while the books continue to be revered and smeared with vermilion and turmeric.

Tulsi or the Holy basil, is empowered with antioxidants [compounds that protect against cell damage inflicted by molecules called oxygen-free radicals, which are a major cause of disease and aging.] capable of battling with all probable sources of infections - viruses, bacteria, fungi and even protozoa. It is also known to aid the process of stalling the growth of carcinogenic cells. It is due to these natural properties that the herb is answer to curing a host of diseases.
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Info

Spicy Alternatives to Preventive Medicine

Sanchita Sharma
hindustantimes.com
Sun, 19 Dec 2010 13:33 UTC
Image
© n/a
Being healthy is not always about deprivation and working out. Simpler ways exist, and among the easiest path to health is the spice route. British researchers are the latest to add to growing scientific evidence that popular Indian spices and tubers such as garlic, turmeric, onions and ginger protect against a clutch of diseases.

The newest scientific validation came on Friday from researchers at King's College London, who report that garlic, onions and leeks protect against osteoarthritis, or age-related degeneration of the joints. The findings, published in the British Medical Journal Musculoskeletal Disorders Journal, said a compound called diallyl disulphide found in smelly bulbs lowered cartilage-damaging enzymes in the body. So effective was it that they recommend diallyl disulphide be made part of the treatments to manage osteoarthritis, which is so far managed with pain relief or joint replacement, when all else fails.
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Bug

Alert: New MRSA Strain Found on Isle of Man

Kathy Jones
Med India
Sat, 25 Dec 2010 12:54 UTC
perti dish
© Unknown

Scientists are reporting that a new strain of the superbug Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that predominately affects young, fit and healthy people has been detected on the Isle of Man.

The island's Department of Health confirmed a small number of cases of a bacterium called MRSA USA 300.

The department added it was mainly transmitted at sports centres, gyms, swimming pools and spas, was resistant to many antibiotics and could cause serious infection.

"Bacteria are particularly good at adapting to their environment and through mutations in their DNA, which they are able to share with other bacteria, they can become resistant to antibiotics that are being utilised in healthcare environments," the Telegraph quoted Katie Laird of the Leicester's De Montfort University, as saying.

"The new antibiotic resistant strain of MRSA USA 300 that has been isolated in the Isle of Man is unusual in that it affects the young, fit and healthy and is associated with sporting facilities rather than the hospital environment," said Laird.
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Syringe

Poison Alert: Vaccine to Prevent Anal Cancer Approved in U.S.


CBC News
Fri, 24 Dec 2010 02:19 UTC
Image
© Harry Cabluck/Associated PressGardasil is now approved in the U.S. to prevent cervical, vulvar, vaginal and anal cancer.
The Gardasil vaccine has received the regulatory green light in the U.S. to prevent anal cancer.

Merck & Co. and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the approval for people aged nine to 26.

"Treatment for anal cancer is challenging; the use of Gardasil as a method of prevention is important as it may result in fewer diagnoses and the subsequent surgery, radiation or chemotherapy that individuals need to endure," said Karen Midthun, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

Anal cancer is uncommon in the general population but the incidence is increasing, the FDA said.

The American Cancer Society estimates that about 5,300 people are diagnosed with anal cancer each year in the United States, with more women diagnosed than men.
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Red Flag

Pharmaceutical Scare Tactics: Herbal Medicines May be Risky for Kids


CBC News
Fri, 24 Dec 2010 09:55 UTC
Image
© The Associated PressA girl opens her mouth for a spray of herbal medicine to prevent a hand-foot-mouth disease in Fuyang, in central China's Anhui province, in March 2009. Complementary medicine experts warn that serious harm may occur when effective therapies are replaced by ineffective alternative therapies for children.
Giving alternative treatments such as homeopathic remedies instead of conventional medicines to children may have deadly side-effects in rare instances, a new analysis says.

Australian researchers monitored reports from pediatricians in Australia from 2001 to 2003 looking for suspected side-effects from alternative medicines like herbal treatments, vitamin supplements or naturopathic pills. They found 39 reports of side-effects including four deaths.

The study was published online Thursday in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, a specialist publication of the medical journal BMJ.

Unlike conventional medicines, whose side-effects are tracked by national surveillance systems, there are no such systems in place for alternative therapies.

Comment: The information below contains just some examples of how alternative medicine, such as homeopathy does more good than harm and why pharmaceutical companies are so against alternative medicine.

Could This 'Forbidden Medicine' Eliminate the Need for Drugs?

Homeopathy Heals in Africa

Homeopathy Successfully Treated Flu Epidemic of 1918

What "Skeptics" Really Believe about Vaccines, Medicine, Consciousness and the Universe

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