Health & WellnessS

Bell

Pesticides Shown to be Huge Parkinson's Disease Risk

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, most researchers believe exposure to some kind of toxin or toxins in the environment triggers the development of Parkinson's disease (PD) -- the degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that impairs motor skills (including walking), speech and other functions. Pesticides have long been on the list of possible suspects as a PD-causing toxin. But a new study just published in the American Journal of Epidemiology by University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) scientists appears to be the "smoking gun" that places pesticides at the top of that list. They found that exposure to a combination of two widely used pesticides increased the risk of Parkinson's disease by an incredible 75 percent.

In previous animal studies and cell cultures, researchers have shown pesticides spark a neurodegenerative process that leads to Parkinson's disease. The UCLA scientists, however, are the first to provide evidence for a similar process in humans.

Coffee

Ancient Chinese white tea may fight obesity

A rarefied 'white' tea enjoyed by the Chinese since the days of the Ming Dynasty could play a crucial role in fighting obesity in the West, new research has shown.

Naturally occurring chemicals in white tea - which is made by plucking the youngest, tenderest buds of the tea plant - are capable of breaking down fat cells and preventing new ones from forming.

White tea has previously been linked to the creation of stronger bones, lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of some cancers.

Bandaid

Best of the Web: Swine flu pandemic? It feels like a phoney war

Dr John Crippen is the pseudonym of an NHS doctor who writes a popular medical blog. This is his account of the view from the GP's surgery

Oh! God, now I know it is serious. The Health Protection Agency has sent me an algorithm to tell me how to deal with swine flu. It arrived today in an email with one of those red exclamation marks at the side. An algorithm, for those who don't know, is a "finite sequence of instructions, an explicit, step-by-step procedure for solving a problem". It is very complicated. I do not understand it. Fortunately the primary care trust has also sent me a red exclamation mark email with instructions I can understand: "The main message remains: always use a tissue to catch coughs and sneezes, throw away used tissues and regularly wash your hands."

Attention

Flashback The Real Story Behind Bisphenol A

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© Nigel Cox
How a handful of consultants used Big Tobacco's tactics to sow doubt about science and hold off regulation of BPA, a chemical in hundreds of products that could be harming an entire generation.

Surely you've heard about BPA by now. It's everywhere. Some 7 billion pounds of it were produced in 2007. It's in adhesives, dental fillings, and the linings of food and drink cans. It's a building block for polycarbonate, a near-shatterproof plastic used in cell phones, computers, eyeglasses, drinking bottles, medical devices, and CDs and DVDs. It's also in infant-formula cans and many clear plastic baby bottles. Studies have shown that it can leach into food and drink, especially when containers are heated or damaged. More than 90% of Americans have some in their bodies.

Info

Flashback Bisphenol A: More Body Burden News

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Salmonella in peanut butter, mercury in high fructose corn syrup, staph-resistant bacteria in pork, and now, new and improved bisphenol A (BPA), with longer staying power, in your very own body.

Yesterday, the online journal Environmental Health Perspectives published new research that shows that high levels of BPA - a chemical with potential links to a wide range of health effects - remain in the body even after fasting for as long as 24 hours. Dr. Richard Stahlhut of the University of Rochester and colleagues obtained data for a sample of 1,469 American adults through the CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Newspaper

You Say Tomato, I Say Monsanto

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Scientific American recently published an article called How to Grow a Better Tomato: The Case against Heirloom Tomatoes. The author details how plant breeders are going about saving heirloom tomatoes from their own fatal flaws. The article was written in a combative tone with the author seemingly intent on provoking a knee-jerk reaction from lovers of good, real food not managed under laboratory conditions. It worked. The article garnered 80 comments, most from home gardeners taking issue with the errors peppering in the article like tomato seeds on a cutting board. The piece even provoked comments from some of the people in the article - namely employees of Monsanto. Seeing the name Monsanto connected with the concept of "improving" yet another food, makes it a little difficult to be neutral, but I'm going to try to look at this article with an open mind.

Heart

Letting Go: An Exercise for People Who Love Addicts

The flame
© Unknown
I detested Adan, the leader of our son's IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program). But in one family session, he conducted an exercise that helped me see my son's drug addiction in a new way, and gave me the small measure of strength I needed to make some painful but necessary choices.

I offer the exercise here for myself: I need a reminder of where we have been. But if you love an addict, maybe this exercise will help you as well.

Syringe

FDA warns of botulism with unapproved use of Botox

Washington - Health officials warned doctors and patients Thursday about potentially deadly risks of using the anti-wrinkle drug Botox and similar drugs for unapproved uses to treat certain types of muscle spasms.

The Food and Drug Administration said Botox and two other injections carry risks of rare botulism symptoms, particularly when given to children to help relax uncontrollable muscle movements

Alarm Clock

Searle, Monsanto and Ajinomoto: Three Corporate Miscreants in the Toxic Junk Food Additive and Aspartame Business

Each day, I hear more disturbing news about Monsanto, the maker of Round-Up and the agricultural company that has been polluting the world with various poisons for decades with products such as Agent Orange and industrial coolants known as PCB's.

Monsano's advertising campaigns have convinced many people that Round-Up is safe, but the facts just don't support this.

The Women's Cancer Resource Center (WCRC) and CHOSE (Coalition for a Healthy Oakland School Environment), showed that chemicals such as Round-Up (glyphosate) can result in reproductive damage as well as damage to the kidney and liver, and some studies show a link between the chemical and cancer. (Chemical Injury Network, June 2001)

Info

Peanut butter confirmed as salmonella source

Omaha, Neb. - A week after ConAgra Foods Inc. recalled peanut butter from its Georgia plant after a salmonella outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the presence of the dangerous germ.

No deaths have been confirmed, although a Pennsylvania family filed a lawsuit Wednesday claiming a relative died from eating tainted peanut butter.