The globe-spanning presence of wheat and its exalted status among secular and sacred institutions alike differentiates this food from all others presently enjoyed by humans. Yet the unparalleled rise of wheat as the very catalyst for the emergence of ancient civilization has not occurred without a great price. While wheat was the engine of civilization's expansion and was glorified as a "necessary food," both in the physical (staff of life) and spiritual sense (the body of Christ), those suffering from celiac disease are living testimony to the lesser known dark side of wheat. A study of celiac disease may help unlock the mystery of why modern man, who dines daily at the table of wheat, is the sickest animal yet to have arisen on this strange planet of ours.

The Celiac Iceberg

Celiac disease (CD) was once considered an extremely rare affliction, limited to individuals of European origin. Today, however, a growing number of studies¹ indicate that celiac disease is found throughout the US at a rate of up to 1 in every 133 persons, which is several orders of magnitude higher than previously estimated.

These findings have led researchers to visualize CD as an iceberg². The tip of the iceberg represents the relatively small number of the world's population whose gross presentation of clinical symptoms often leads to the diagnosis of celiac disease. This is the classical case of CD characterized by gastrointestinal symptoms, malabsorption and malnourishment. It is confirmed with the "gold standard" of an intestinal biopsy. The submerged middle portion of the iceberg is largely invisible to classical clinical diagnosis, but not to modern serological screening methods in the form of antibody testing³. This middle portion is composed of asymptomatic and latent celiac disease as well as "out of the intestine" varieties of wheat intolerance. Finally, at the base of this massive iceberg sits approximately 20-30% of the world's population - those who have been found to carry the HLA-DQ locus of genetic susceptibility to celiac disease on chromosome 6.⁴

The "Celiac Iceberg" may not simply illustrate the problems and issues associated with diagnosis and disease prevalence, but may represent the need for a paradigm shift in how we view both CD and wheat consumption among non-CD populations.

First let us address the traditional view of CD as a rare, but clinically distinct species of genetically-determined disease, which I believe is now running itself aground upon the emerging, post-Genomic perspective, whose implications for understanding and treating disease are Titanic in proportion.

High doses of lead have for some time been linked to chronic kidney damage. But a recent study out of Johns Hopkins Children's Center found that even small levels of lead exposure may be damaging to children's kidneys.

The report, published January in the Archives of Internal Medicine, looked at the records of 769 healthy youth ages 12 to 20 with average blood lead levels of 1.5 micrograms per deciliter (well below the 10 microgram "threshold" of concern per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Researchers found that children with levels of just 2.9 micrograms per deciliters had worse kidney function than those with lower levels. With each doubling of lead levels, the filtration capacity dropped.

It is just the latest study in a growing body of research finding that lead levels well below the CDC's threshold may have a detrimental impact on children's health.

New study shows that self-control can be automatically, unconsciously bolstered by abstract thinking.

Wouldn't it be great if we could just spontaneously and automatically exercise self-control, without all that painful back-and-forth battle with ourselves?

Just automatically resist that cake and choose the apple; or suddenly find ourselves out jogging without resorting to self-blackmail; or effortlessly write more articles for our websites (bit of a personal one there!).

Unfortunately so often temptation wins. And experiments show that when we are run down from exercising self-discipline all day, we become even more likely to give in to temptation.

Extreme obesity is affecting more children at younger ages, with 12 percent of black teenage girls, 11.2 percent of Hispanic teenage boys, 7.3 percent of boys and 5.5 percent of girls now classified as extremely obese, according to a Kaiser Permanente study of 710,949 children and teens that appears online in the Journal of Pediatrics.

This is the first study to provide a snapshot of the prevalence of extreme obesity in a contemporary cohort of children ages 2 -- 19 years from a large racially and ethnically diverse population using the recent 2009 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extreme obesity definition. Previous research was based on recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data and included information on obesity but not extreme obesity.

"Children who are extremely obese may continue to be extremely obese as adults, and all the health problems associated with obesity are in these children's futures. Without major lifestyle changes, these kids face a 10 to 20 years shorter life span and will develop health problems in their twenties that we typically see in 40 -- 60 year olds," said study lead author Corinna Koebnick, PhD, a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Southern California's Department of Research and Evaluation in Pasadena, Calif. "For example, children who are extremely obese are at higher risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and joint problems, just to name a few."

Chronic feelings of loneliness take a toll on blood pressure over time, causing a marked increase after four years, according to a new study at the University of Chicago.

A new study shows, for the first time, a direct relation between loneliness and larger increases in blood pressure four years later -- a link that is independent of age and other factors that could cause blood pressure to rise, including body-mass index, smoking, alcohol use and demographic differences such as race and income.

The researchers also looked at the possibility that depression and stress might account for the increase but found that those factors did not fully explain the increase in blood pressure among lonely people 50 years and older.

"Loneliness behaved as though it is a unique health-risk factor in its own right," wrote researcher Louise Hawkley in an article published in the current issue of the journal Psychology and Aging.

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) have identified a key cellular mechanism that guides embryonic heart tissue formation -- a process which, if disrupted, can lead to a number of common congenital heart defects.

Heart tissue forms in two distinct phases known as the First Heart Field, which includes the left ventricle and portions of both atrial chambers, and the Second Heart Field (SHF), which consists of the right ventricle and outflow tract. In humans, the process occurs within the fourth week of development. Using animal models, Keck School of Medicine researchers found that retinoic acid (RA), a derivative of vitamin A, regulates the SHF tissue formation and the septation, or division, of the outflow tract into the ascending aorta and the pulmonary artery.

The study appears in the March 16 issue of the journal Developmental Cell.

Most of us are familiar with the use of zinc as an aid to combating common colds and sore throats; however, many of us are unaware of just how vital zinc is in maintaining overall good health. Zinc is an essential trace element found in every cell in our bodies. While studies have indicated that about 12% of Americans are deficient in zinc, our ability to absorb zinc declines with age and it is estimated that this percentage increases to 45% in older Americans.

Zinc performs a variety of important functions, including strengthening the immune system, protecting cell membranes against free radicals, preventing cell structural damage and repairing damaged DNA. Zinc also is instrumental in healing wounds, supports the stabilization of blood glucose, supports neurological function, maintains the senses of taste and smell, and stimulates activity in approximately 100 different enzymes.

In addition, Zinc supports normal growth during pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence and helps to protect against macular degeneration, a cause of blindness in adults over the age of 60. Zinc can even help boost libido. Zinc may also be effective in treating such conditions as acne, eczema and anorexia nervosa and for those suffering from trauma after surgery.

Mercury is a naturally occurring metal that is toxic to vertebrates, including humans. Even in very small amounts, it can cause severe damage to your neurological functions and multiple organ systems. Mercury is "hiding" in many things we come in contact with daily; everything from our food to the fillings in our teeth, and even our light bulbs. It seems to be everywhere.

It was recently reported that HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) has been contaminated with mercury. Since such a vast number of processed foods contain HFCS, any time you eat any pre-packaged food, you're most likely eating mercury right along with it. But mercury isn't just in junk food. Even healthy foods can be hiding mercury. Unfortunately, it is reported to be abundant in fish, one of the foods considered to be most healthy for us to consume. Calcium Bentonite Clay, thankfully, is a safe, natural way to help remove mercury from our bodies and protect ourselves from the ravages of this contaminant.

Calcium Bentonite Clay, also known as Living Clay, can be used both internally and externally to cleanse and detoxify the body. Calcium Bentonite Clay has a very strong negative ionic charge. When it comes in contact with any substance that has a positive ionic charge (such as metals, toxins, bacteria, etc.) it attracts it like a magnet, and the two become bound together. The clay both adsorbs the positive-charged ion (attaches it to its surface like VELCRO(R)), and absorbs it as well. As the clay passes through your system, it attracts and binds the metals and toxins, which are then eliminated from the body along with the clay.

Researchers from the University of Nottingham have found that a rare, wild mushroom called cordyceps is an effective treatment for cancer. Commonly used in Chinese medicine, the cordyceps fungi inhibits the growth, division, and proliferation of cancer cells in the body.

Cordyceps was originally formulated into a cancer drug called cordycepin back in the 1950s. Though the drug version was ultimately found to be ineffective because of rapid degradation inside the body once it was administered, the active components from the mushroom continue to be effective cancer fighters.

Depending upon dosage levels, cordyceps mushroom extracts directly impact the process of cell protein development, impeding the production of the mRNA molecules that create them. At high doses, cordyceps inhibits protein development directly, essentially eliminating the ability of cancer cells to function and survive.

Experts from the Nordic Cochrane Centre (NCC) in the U.K. have estimated that about 7,000 British women are improperly diagnosed for breast cancer each year because of mammography. The group is urging the National Health Service (NHS) to reevaluate its breast cancer screening program, citing a failure of mammography to properly diagnose patients.

Controversy over the legitimacy of mammography has been heating up worldwide as increasing numbers of medical professionals, industry watchdogs, consumer advocates, and others are recognizing that mammography is failing to achieve what it was intended to do. Not only does it improperly detect cancer cells, but it often subjects women to needless treatments that end up causing them more harm than good.

Official British mammography rhetoric claims that 1,400 deaths are prevented every year from mammography screenings, however there is no evidence to back up this claim. The NCC article, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine explains that many of the claims made by the NHS about its screening program are not backed up by evidence.