Health & WellnessS


Brain

Gut feelings: New insights on mental health, depression & anxiety

Alex Pietrowski
Waking Times
Wed, 28 Mar 2018 13:36 UTC
gut feelings
In recent years, the study of causes and treatments of depression has uncovered a link to the health of the microbiome within the body's digestive system. The hypothesis is that the presence or absence of healthy digestive bacteria affects the way the brain functions, and new research by a Florida State University neuroscientist sheds more insight into this.

The findings by research and psychology professor Linda Rinaman point to a very important connection between the gut and the brain, identifying pathways that help to understand why so-called 'gut feelings' have a powerful influence on emotions, mood and decision-making.
"We expect these lines of research will help us better understand how gastrointestinal functions contribute to both normal and disordered mental function." ~ Linda Rinaman

Comment: Read more about the gut-brain connection

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Health

Is the plague back?

Gary Walton
The Big Wobble
Fri, 30 Mar 2018 20:54 UTC
flea
The New Mexico Department of Health is warning residents the first case of plague this year has been contracted by a dog in Santa Fe County.

NMDOH is performing an investigation of the dog owner's home to assess the risk of the disease potentially spreading.

"They will go door-to-door to neighbors near the case to inform them about plague found in the area and provide information to residents on reducing their risk," said Department of Health Secretary Lynn Gallagher in a press release.

There were 28 animal cases last year. Four New Mexico humans who contracted plague in 2017 survived the sickness.

Plague is a bacterial disease that can be transmitted to humans through direct contact with infected animals. While animals usually display symptoms including fever, lethargy and disinterest in food, the illness in humans has a quick onset and can be severe.

Comment: While the above article seems a little hyperbolic, considering most of the cases the author is referencing are very small and in animals, the specter of a returning plague is always a grim possibility.

See also:

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Evil Rays

'Wi-Fried': Wireless technology is dooming a generation to ill health?

Dr. Mercola
Mercola.com
Sat, 31 Mar 2018 00:01 UTC
Wi-Fi symbol
Most people today live in a sea of radiofrequencies (RF), emitted from wireless technologies of all kinds, from routers to smartphones, tablets, baby monitors, TVs, appliances, smart meters and more. In the featured ABC program "Wi-Fried," originally aired in 2016, Maryanne Demasi, Ph.D., investigates the alleged safety of mobile devices.

According to many experts, chronic, heavy exposure could be having severe repercussions for our health, especially that of children, who are now being exposed even before birth.

As noted by Devra Davis, Ph.D., an epidemiologist and author of the book, "Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation," children have never before been exposed to this level of pulsed radiation, and it's still too early to determine the exact extent of the harm. Still, mounting evidence suggests harm is indeed occurring, so it would be foolish to wait until we're in the midst of a global catastrophe.

Comment: See also:

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Evil Rays

5G rollout: How big wireless made us think that cell phones are safe

Mark Hertsgaard & Mark Dowie
The Nation
Thu, 29 Mar 2018 13:10 UTC
cell phone
© Illustration by Don Carroll
The disinformation campaign-and massive radiation increase-behind the 5G rollout.

Things didn't end well between George Carlo and Tom Wheeler; the last time the two met face-to-face, Wheeler had security guards escort Carlo off the premises. As president of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA), Wheeler was the wireless industry's point man in Washington. Carlo was the scientist handpicked by Wheeler to defuse a public-relations crisis that threatened to strangle his infant industry in its crib. This was back in 1993, when there were only six cell-phone subscriptions for every 100 adults in the United States. But industry executives were looking forward to a booming future.

Remarkably, cell phones had been allowed onto the US consumer market a decade earlier without any government safety testing. Now, some customers and industry workers were being diagnosed with cancer. In January 1993, David Reynard sued the NEC America Company, claiming that his wife's NEC phone caused her lethal brain tumor. After Reynard appeared on national TV, the story went viral. A congressional subcommittee announced an investigation; investors began dumping their cell-phone stocks; and Wheeler and the CTIA swung into action.

Comment: The evidence keeps mounting: Cell Phones and Wi-Fi Are Hazardous to Your Health:

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Donut

Former addict gets red-pilled on sugar

idontknowwhatiscool
IWB
Thu, 29 Mar 2018 16:26 UTC
sugar
I'm a huge fitness advocate who has an incredibly difficult time quitting refined sugars. I study sugar and its addictive properties on my free time, and the more I study, the more I realize how deep this problem runs. Sugar addiction is real. Calling it otherwise is a disservice. This is not fruit sugars mind you, in fact to achieve the levels of sugar consumed from drinking 3 sodas vs eating the equivalent in fruit, you have to make a conscious effort.

Have you ever quit sugar cold turkey? I'm talking quitting white breads that have added sugar, no ketchup, or no sauce? There is a feeling of a crash. It is a real feeling. It is a craving when you quit. I believe that sugar is hard to quit because not only is it added to almost every food in America, but because we are forcibly addicted at such a young age to it that its actually altered our biochemistry. Ever notice how cartoon characters absolutely loathe healthy foods like vegetables and fruits, but go for sugar like its actually cocaine? I think that these cartoon producers are paid for this by major corporations. I mean the international corporation known as Coca Cola has a net worth of $171.81 Billion, and its literally flavored water. With sugar.

Comment: See also:

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Info

Autoimmune diseases tied to yeast in vaccines

Heidi Stevenson
World Mercury Project
Tue, 27 Mar 2018 14:44 UTC
yeast in vaccines
It's well-recognized that the incidence of autoimmune diseases has been rising at an enormous rate. A study indicates that a significant factor in causing them may be the common bakers or brewers yeast, Sacccharomyces cerevisiae[1] used in many vaccinations, including HepB, which is given to nearly all newborn babies in the United States before they're a day old.

The specific part of S. cerevisiae that's of concern is mannan, which is found in the cell walls of yeasts and also in mammalian glycoproteins. These glycoproteins are found in cell walls, connective tissues like collagen, gastrointestinal mucous secretions, and blood plasma. They perform many functions. Obviously, if the immune system goes on the attack against mannan, it can be devastating. Yet, that appears to be happening in many autoimmune diseases.

Comment: Vaccines, adjuvants and autoimmunity
Autoimmunity can manifest acutely, as encephalitis for example, or in a wide range of disfiguring and debilitating immune-mediated illnesses from alopecia to multiple sclerosis. These are soaring globally and together affect as many as one in five Americans today. Officials like those at the National Institutes for Health and the Centers for Disease Control claim some mysterious unidentified "environmental" factors must be responsible for the epidemic, but they obstinately refuse to look at the ever-increasing schedule of injected drugs that target the immune system.


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Coffee

Starbucks & co ordered to serve coffee in California with cancer warning labels


RT
Fri, 30 Mar 2018 12:18 UTC
Coffee
© Willie B. Thomas / Getty Images 633
A California superior court judge has ruled that all coffee companies, including global giant Starbucks, must use cancer warning labels on products. A discussion on fines is ongoing, but they could amount to $2,500 per customer.

Judge Elihu Berle ruled that "defendants failed to satisfy their burden of proving... that consumption of coffee confers a benefit to human health." The Council for Education and Research on Toxics (CERT), a non-profit group, sued Starbucks and about 90 other companies under a state law that requires warnings on a wide range of chemicals that can cause cancer or birth defects.

The case has been developing for eight years and is still not over. A third phase of the trial will determine the amount of penalties that companies will have to pay. The fines may reach up to $2,500 for clients who have frequently visited Starbucks for the past eight years.

The coffee industry tried to defend its case, claiming that coffee has long been considered a healthy product. "Coffee has been shown, over and over again, to be a healthy beverage," William Murray, president and CEO of the National Coffee Association, said.

Comment: See also:

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Beaker

Cancer causing chemical cocktails: The pollution in people

Curt DellaValle
Environmental Working Group
Tue, 14 Jun 2016 14:02 UTC
pollution in people
© Environmental Working GroupThe Pollution in People
More than 1,400 chemicals and chemical groups are known or likely carcinogens. Through industrial applications, consumer products and food, water and air, Americans are exposed daily to these cancer-causing compounds, which invade the body and build up in blood and urine.

Federal health officials have measured many of these chemicals in our systems but the scope and range of carcinogenic pollution in people, known as body burden, has not been tallied - until now.

Through a review of the scientific literature and publicly available human biomarker datasets, EWG compiled the first comprehensive inventory of known or likely carcinogens that have been measured in people. We found that up to 420 known or likely carcinogens have been measured in a diverse array of populations.
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Beaker

Researchers double down on genetic theories to explain non-familial breast cancer

Dr Eric Joo, Dr James Dowty & Professor Melissa Southey
Pursuit
Thu, 29 Mar 2018 20:05 UTC
breast cancer
A prolonged and focused research effort identified the breast cancer predisposition genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 in the mid 1990s, revealing mutations in these genes were inherited within families.

Since then, other mutations linked with breast cancer have been discovered in genes including PALB2, CHEK2 and ATM.

These groundbreaking discoveries and subsequent research efforts mean women carrying the mutations are now offered personalised risk assessment, targeted treatment regimens and informed decision-making about managing their cancer risk.


Comment: And they'll still be offered the same miserable choices of chemo, surgery and radiation despite these groundbreaking discoveries.


But these discoveries only assist a minority of families with high rates of the disease.

For the remaining families, genetic studies have been unable to explain their multiple breast cancer cases. Our team's research, published in Nature Communications, helps fill in these blanks.
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Cheeseburger

No surprise: People who eat out regularly have higher levels of harmful phthalates

Patrick Greenfield
The Guardian
Wed, 28 Mar 2018 19:03 UTC
fast food, junk food
Eating at restaurants and fast food chains may increase exposure to potentially harmful hormone-disrupting chemicals used to increase the flexibility and durability of plastic, a study has found.

Researchers investigating levels of phthalates in the human body, which have been linked to asthma, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes and fertility issues in the past few years, were found to be nearly 35% higher in participants who had eaten out the previous day compared with those who stayed at home.

Phthalates are binding agents frequently used in food packaging as well as a number of other products including flooring, adhesives soaps and shampoos, and some forms of the chemical have been banned from children's products in the US.

Certain foods, including burgers and sandwiches, were linked to higher phthalate levels in the study, but only if purchased at a fast-food outlet, restaurant or cafe.

The association was especially strong for teenagers, researchers found. Adolescents who frequently ate at fast-food outlets while out with their friends had 55% higher levels of the chemicals than young people eating at home.

Comment: For more on phthalates see:

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