Health & WellnessS


Brain

Is your brain wired to just say 'yes' to opioids?

Paul R. Sanberg & Samantha Portis
The Conversation
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 16:42 UTC
opioids
The mid-1980s was the era of cocaine and marijuana, when "Just Say No" was the centerpiece of the war on drugs and the government's efforts to stem drug use and addiction. Since then, prescription opioids have become the nation's drug scourge. The idea that mere willpower can fight this public health emergency is not only outdated, it's scientifically misguided.

Medical history tells us that almost as long as there have been opioids - their use dates back to the third century - there have been opioid addicts.

Thirty years ago, I was a research scientist focused on addiction when I was asked to co-author a volume on prescription narcotics for the Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs. I wrote the same assessment of opioid abuse then that I would write today: For many people, opioids are substances their brains are wired to crave in ways that make personal resolve nearly impossible.

Comment: How does the opioid system control pain, reward and addictive behavior?

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Shoe

Are you 'fit sick'?


Natural Blaze
Fri, 16 Mar 2018 17:42 UTC
runner on track
We normally assume that when people are a healthy weight and seem to live an active lifestyle, they are getting all of the health benefits that are promised from doing this. It is generally assumed that athletes feel full of energy all the time, and don't suffer from a lot of the mood and sleep issues that exercise is generally thought to help with, too. However, some doctors are concerned that there is a new phenomenon called being 'fit sick', where people appear to be doing all of the right things and look healthy on the outside, but actually feel far less healthy in general.

What Are Some of The Causes of Being Fit Sick?

In most cases, it is the healthy diet and the exercise a person is doing that actually cause them to feel unwell. This is not to say that people do not generally feel better when they are doing these things, or that it is better not to do them, but that people who are embarking on these kinds of lifestyle changes need to do them carefully rather than over-stressing their bodies. Many people with high activity levels are actually deficient in important nutrients or have hormone imbalances due to the way their bodies have an increased demand for things their diet doesn't provide. Equally, people who stick to very rigid diets, either for weight loss in general or because they need to support things like bodybuilding, can be lacking in vital vitamins and minerals, as well as having issues with their gut bacteria.

Comment: Skinny fat people: Why being skinny doesn't protect us against diabetes and death

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Health

Green tea, caffeine and the metabolic rate

Dr. Jason Fung
Medium
Wed, 14 Mar 2018 14:51 UTC
tea routes
Tea is one of the world's most most popular beverages. Tea drinking very likely originated in China and there are various legends surrounding the origins of tea drinking. One legend claims that Shen Nong in 2700 BC set out to find out about the effects of eating various plants, so he tasted over 100 plants in a single day. Luckily he had a transparent stomach so he could directly observe their effects. Tea leaves apparently were able to clear out poisons. Ummm.... yeah. A slightly more believable legend claims that Shen Nong was boiling some water in a pot, when some leaves fell in. After tasting over 100 plants that day, he discovered that tea, while bitter, could make him think quicker and see clearer.

Tea drinking went 'viral' and would have broken the internet had the internet only existed in 2700 BC. It spread throughout the world (a little more slowly) by the various ancient trade routes. Because unprocessed tea is quite bitter, the origins of the word come from 'tu' meaning bitter. In the mid 7th century, a pen stroke was removed from the word and the word became 'cha'. Virtually all the words for tea in all the different languages of the world are variations are either 'tea' or 'cha'. The ancient Chinese Min Nan dialect of the Fujian province used the word 'te' so spread via sea trade translated into the English 'tea' to as far away as the Maori 'tii'. The dialects in landlocked regions of China used the word 'cha' and spread via the ancient Silk Road led to the Swahili 'chai' and as far as the Russian 'chay'.
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Health

Measles carried by travelers who flew to Detroit, Newark & Memphis

Robert Allen and Susanne Cervenka
USA Today
Wed, 14 Mar 2018 17:52 UTC
child with measles
Visitors to airports in Detroit; Newark, N.J.; and Memphis may have been exposed to measles after cases were confirmed in two international travelers, health officials in two states said Tuesday.

But people who received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine twice as children are considered protected for life, federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said. Others who have not been vaccinated or had only one shot could come down with the disease, which can be life threatening.

The specifics:

- Detroit. People who visited the North Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on the afternoon of March 6 likely were exposed to the highly contagious virus, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Someone infected could develop symptoms as late as next week

- Newark. Passengers in terminals B and C of Newark Liberty International Airport also were exposed and could develop symptoms as late as April 2, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.

- Memphis. The young child diagnosed with measles arrived in Newark from Brussels and flew to Memphis International Airport that evening, exposing others along the way, New Jersey health officials said.

Comment: Wow, could this article be any greater a commercial for vaccination than it already is??

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Life Preserver

Food affects your mood: Nutrition is a potent ally against depression

Dr. Mercola
Mercola.com
Thu, 15 Mar 2018 00:00 UTC
dieta paleo
A diet based on high-quality animal foods is much more nutritious!
According to the World Health Organization, depression is now the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide,1,2 affecting an estimated 322 million people globally, including more than 16 million Americans, 6 million of which are seniors.3 Statistics also reveal we're not being particularly effective when it comes to prevention and treatment. Worldwide, rates of depression increased by 18 percent between 2005 and 2015.4

If you or someone you love is struggling with depression or some other mental health problem, remember that your diet is a foundational aspect that must not be overlooked. As noted in a 2015 study5 published in the medical journal Lancet:
"Although the determinants of mental health are complex, the emerging and compelling evidence for nutrition as a crucial factor in the high prevalence and incidence of mental disorders, suggests that diet is as important to psychiatry as it is to cardiology, endocrinology and gastroenterology."

Comment: Read more about the role of diet and lifestyle on mental health:

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Water

'Widespread contamination': Top bottled water brands contaminated with tiny plastic particles

Kerry Sheridan
Yahoo! News
Thu, 15 Mar 2018 14:04 UTC
Plastic water bottles
© AFP/Brian Blanco
The world's leading brands of bottled water are contaminated with tiny plastic particles that are likely seeping in during the packaging process, according to a major study across nine countries published Wednesday.

"Widespread contamination" with plastic was found in the study, led by microplastic researcher Sherri Mason of the State University of New York at Fredonia, according to a summary released by Orb Media, a US-based non-profit media collective.

Researchers tested 250 bottles of water in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States.

Comment: See also: Microplastic fibers found in tap water around the world, study reveals

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Health

Interview with Dr. Stephanie Seneff: Glyphosate herbicide and how to detox it

Wendy Myers, FDN-P, CHHC
myersdetox.com
Tue, 13 Mar 2018 14:46 UTC
Stephanie Seneff
© Stephanie SeneffDr. Stephanie Seneff
Dr. Stephanie Seneff discusses one of the most important health issues of our time - glyphosate toxicity. It's in most non-organic foods and is ruining your health, causing autism, gut dysbiosis, problems detoxing and even cancer.

This podcast will have your abandon non-organic foods forever! But even if you eat organic, the glyphosate is still in the water and sprayed on most parks to kill weeds. Learn what you can do to protect your health and how glyphosate may be contributing to your fatigue and health issues.

Comment: See also: The Health & Wellness Show: Interview with Brilliant Researcher Dr. Stephanie Seneff

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Health

Big jump in kidney stones

Beth Levine
Baseline of Health Foundation
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 14:31 UTC
kidney stones
Kidney stones are one of the most painful conditions to deal with, so bad in fact, they are sometimes compared with giving birth. Sufferers often end up going to the hospital because they are incapacitated with pain and concerned that their urine is discolored from blood. And now, new research suggests that cases of kidney stones appear to be on the rise in both men and women.

The study, which took place at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, found that the number of people being diagnosed with kidney stones has increased significantly over the past three decades.1 These results are based on an analysis of more than 10,000 adults residing in Olmsted County, Minnesota between 1984 and 2012.

During this time period, the prevalence of kidney stones quadrupled among women and doubled among men. Interestingly, however, women are still not experiencing quite as many kidney stones as men. The number of cases in women was far lower at the start of the study period, and they simply came closer to finally catching up with their male counterparts over the years-keeping in mind that men presented a moving target as their incidence in those years doubled as well.

Comment: Younger people are suffering from diseases of "older people" and kidney stones are no exception. For other possible links, see:

The Role of Oxalates in Autism and Chronic Disorders
It has been noted that many children with autism urinate perhaps fifty times a day, but only release a small amount of urine each time. After I did my research it became clear that the behavior arose because these children were suffering from kidney stones and high oxalate concentrations...

An unexpected finding is the fact that oxalate crystals are produced in very high amounts by molds and fungus.
What really causes kidney stones (and why vitamin C does not)
Kidney stones and magnesium deficiency share the same list of causes, including a diet high in sugar, alcohol, oxalates, and coffee...

If you don't have enough magnesium to help dissolve calcium, you will end up with various forms of calcification. This translates into stones, muscle spasms, fibrositis, fibromyalgia, and atherosclerosis (as in calcification of the arteries)
Probiotics Linked to 70 Percent Reduction in Kidney Stones

Stoned by soy! Doctors remove 420 kidney stones 'caused by excessive tofu' from patient in China

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Health

Low magnesium levels make vitamin D ineffective


American Osteopathic Association
Mon, 26 Feb 2018 19:07 UTC
Ancient Lakes Magnesium
© Ancient Lakes Magnesium
There is a caveat to the push for increased Vitamin D: Don't forget magnesium.

A review published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association found Vitamin D can't be metabolized without sufficient magnesium levels, meaning Vitamin D remains stored and inactive for as many as 50 percent of Americans.

"People are taking Vitamin D supplements but don't realize how it gets metabolized. Without magnesium, Vitamin D is not really useful or safe," says study co-author Mohammed S. Razzaque, MBBS, PhD, a professor of pathology at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Razzaque explains that consumption of Vitamin D supplements can increase a person's calcium and phosphate levels even if they remain Vitamin D deficient. The problem is people may suffer from vascular calcification if their magnesium levels aren't high enough to prevent the complication.

Comment: See also:

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Beaker

Can you taste the pesticides in your food?

Dr. Mercola
Mercola.com
Wed, 07 Mar 2018 15:00 UTC
pesticides
As I have reported in the past, while fruits and vegetables are among the healthiest foods you can eat, nonorganic varieties are commonly contaminated with pesticides. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reports more than 75 percent of the U.S. population has detectable levels of organophosphate pesticides in their urine.1

In a survey conducted in 2013,2 71 percent of Americans expressed concern over the number of chemicals and pesticides in their food supply. Studies linking long-term pesticide exposure to neurological diseases,3 birth defects,4 endocrine disruption, obesity, cancers5 and more are only growing in number. It therefore follows, if you reduce your pesticide exposure, it would likely improve your health and reduce your risk for chronic diseases.
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