Health & WellnessS


Family

Parents told not to give cough and cold remedies to children

Melissa Kite and Laura Donnelly
Telegraph.co.uk
Sun, 01 Mar 2009 03:28 UTC
Parents will be told not to give most cough and cold remedies to their children amid safety fears and evidence that dozens of products do not work.

More than 60 popular over-the-counter medicines, some specifically labelled for children, will be marked with warnings that they must not be given to children under six and are not recommended for under-12s.

In an unprecedented move, Government safety regulators will advise that the dangers posed by the remedies outweigh any benefits.

Several children have died from overdoses of the medicines, while others have suffered hallucinations, allergic reactions and other side effects.

The alert centres on 15 ingredients found in most cough and cold medicines, many of which have been used by drug companies for years.

The deaths of at least five children under two have been linked to the remedies and more than 100 serious cases of suspected adverse reactions have been reported, with children requiring hospital treatment.
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Question

Marine suicide rate up, prompting more prevention training

Tony Perry
Los Angeles Times
Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:52 UTC
Commanders plan two-hour sessions for all their troops, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

San Diego -- Alarmed by a rising suicide rate among their troops, Marine officials announced Friday that all Marines, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan, will receive a two-hour suicide-prevention presentation next month.

Commanders have been ordered to record three- to five-minute videos as part of the presentations.
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Attention

Abuse of Mental Patients Widespread in Georgia Hospitals

David Gutierrez
Natural News
Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:47 UTC
The state of Georgia has agreed to a settlement in a federal lawsuit aimed at curbing widespread abuse of mental patients in state facilities.

The scandal over the treatment of mental patients in Georgia first broke with an investigative report, published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in early 2007. The article cataloged widespread problems including 136 suspicious deaths, overuse of medication as a sedative rather than a treatment, abuse of patients by hospital staff, and regular dumping of discharged patients at homeless shelters or even on street corners. In addition, the article concluded that the state agency in charge of overseeing mental facilities failed to properly investigate complaints or allegations of misconduct.

In response to the article, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a thorough investigation, which ultimately concluded that critical systemic problems did indeed lead to unnecessary illness, injury and death among Georgia mental patients.
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Ambulance

Infertile men 'risk testicular cancer'


NineMSN
Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:48 UTC
Men who are infertile appear to run a greater risk than other males of developing testicular cancer, a new study published this week said.

Testicular germ cell cancer, the most common cancer among young men in developed countries, has risen during the last 30 to 50 years, according to the study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Pills

Test drug boosts mobility in multiple sclerosis


NineMSN
Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:57 UTC
An experimental drug called fampridine improves walking ability in some patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease of the nervous system that inhibits mobility, a study published on Friday in The Lancet says.

Doctors recruited 301 adults with MS in the United States and Canada, and gave the drug to 229 of the recruits and a dummy lookalike pill, called a placebo, to 72 others.
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Toys

Flashback Pollution Increases Allergies in Children

David Gutierrez
Natural News
Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:36 UTC
Regular exposure to pollution from traffic increases children's risk of developing allergies by more than 50 percent, according to a study conducted by researchers from the German Research Center for Environment and Health at the Institute of Epidemiology in Munich, and published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

"We consistently found strong associations between the distance to the nearest main road and the allergies disease outcomes," said lead researcher Joachim Heinrich. "Children living closer than 50 meters (150 feet) to a busy street had the highest probability of getting allergic symptoms, compared to children living farther away."
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Heart

Flashback Yoga: An Alternative Treatment for Depression

Stephanie Brail
Natural News
Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:11 UTC
Feeling depressed or down? Don't automatically reach for an anti-depressant. Do some yoga. These days, the typical treatment for depression comes in the form of a pill, which can often lead to serious side effects and dependency. Prior to modern drug companies, however, sages from the East discovered a method of calming the mind and soothing the spirit. These physical exercises, called asanas, are what modern Westerners typically think of when they hear the term "yoga."

The roots of yoga date back tens of thousands of years. Yoga, in the grander sense of the word, is not just physical exercise. It is more than asanas. It consists of an entire philosophy and prescription for emotional and spiritual well-being.
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Butterfly

Yoga Benefits Women With Breast Cancer

Sherry Baker
Natural News
Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:01 UTC
In a study just published in the journal Psycho-Oncology, researchers conclude they've found a treatment that resulted in a 50% reduction in depression and a 12% increase in feelings of peace and meaning in women with breast cancer. The successful treatment isn't a new type of anti-depressant or anti-anxiety drug. In fact, it isn't a drug at all -- it's the ancient healing and exercise system known as yoga.
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Heart

Add Raw Foods to Your Diet

Sheryl Walters
Natural News
Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:37 UTC
A raw food diet is made up of uncooked and chemically unprocessed foods. By virtue of its definition, most items on a raw food diet are fruits and vegetables. Purified water, beans, grains and nuts are also included. Concerns about taste and texture can be easily put to rest if you try a variety of different foods.

A diet rich in raw foods may still use cooked items. Special cooking techniques will preserve all nutrients while increasing digestibility. Drying and blanching are two cooking methods that preserve nutrients. Investing in a food dehydrator may be just the ticket. Dried strawberries, pineapple, apricots and cherries just can't be beat. Dried yams, chick peas and carrots are also tasty. It may take a little time to get accustomed to eating this type of diet, but the improvement in your overall sense of well-being will surely please you. There are other benefits to a raw food diet. Healthy weight loss, better sleep quality, easier digestion, more energy and fewer heart problems have all been documented. Additional pluses include intake of less sodium and more natural vitamins and minerals. Raw food meals give the immune system a natural boost, also.
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Bell

Harmful Chemicals Found in Liquid Medicines for Babies

Reuben Chow
NaturalNews
Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:00 UTC
Newborns are not able to swallow pills and capsules, and liquid medicines are thus used to treat any medical problems they may have. And premature babies, being out in the world early, have a higher chance of being hit by various health complications and diseases.

A study published in the Fetal & Neonatal Edition of Archives of Disease in Childhood has revealed that newborns who consume liquid medications may be exposed to dangerous toxins which are added to improve their effectiveness, taste and appearance. What is more worrying is that the babies' intake levels may be even higher than recommended adult guidelines.

Details of Study

For the study, the drug records of 38 premature babies admitted from June 2005 to July 2006 to a neonatal intensive care unit in England were looked at. The newborns had been born at or before the 30-week mark of pregnancy, and they all weighed below 1.5kg at birth. The researchers analyzed the type and ingredients of liquid medicines which had been given to these babies.
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