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Hidden menace: Almost 90% of teens have gender-bending plastic chemicals in their bodies

BPA, gender-bending chemicals teens
A study by the University of Exeter, whose researchers tested urine samples from 94 teenagers, found 86 per cent had traces of BPA in their body.
Almost 90 per cent of teenagers have gender-bending chemicals from plastic in their bodies, according to a study.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is found in plastic containers and water bottles, on the inside of food cans and in till receipts.

The chemical, used since the 1960s to make certain types of plastic, mimics the female sex hormone oestrogen, and has been linked to low sperm counts and infertility in men, as well as breast and prostate cancer.

A study by the University of Exeter, whose researchers tested urine samples from 94 teenagers, found 86 per cent had traces of BPA in their body.

Experts fear it is all but impossible to avoid the chemical, given the widespread use of plastic packaging for food.

Comment: Highly telling that the researchers fail to mention how the toxicity of 'gender-bending' chemicals overwhelming children and teenagers could be the reason why more teenagers identify as transgender, reporting worse mental and physical health than other children. But to admit as much they would have to refute the current postmodernist ideology about gender fluidity and acknowledge that the phenomenon is far from normal or healthy. See also:


Health

Vitamin D can ease the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

stomach
Vitamin D supplements could help to ease the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) that include bloating, stomach cramps and constipation, a UK review concludes.

In the absence of Vitamin D from sunlight, disease increases more than 1000 percent. Experts suggest that the chances of getting vitamin D from your diet are very low. And if you are a vegetarian, it is all the more difficult to gain vitamin D. What is repeatedly suggested is exposure to sunlight as the best source of vitamin D for longevity but specific forms of Vitamin D supplementation are proving valuable to our digestive systems.

With links to other colorectal conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer, the review found a correlation between low vitamin D status and severity of IBS symptoms.

"The study provides an insight into the condition and, importantly, a new way to try to manage it," said Dr Bernard Corfe, lead study author and senior oncology lecturer at the University of Sheffield.

Comment: More on vitamin D:
Vitamin D Slashes Risk of Bowel Cancer by 40 Percent
The virtues of Vitamin D: It's time we saw the light


Syringe

European countries move to expand and enforce vaccine mandates

european nations
A number of countries-namely Italy, France and Romania-have passed legislation to expand vaccine mandates and punish families refusing to comply. Others, such as the U.K., do not have compulsory vaccination laws but parents are facing more pressure and disapproval from physicians and government health officials for questioning or declining to use every recommended vaccine. Mandatory use of more vaccines and stricter enforcement of vaccine laws in European countries is coinciding with growing public distrust of vaccine safety as governments move to enforce recommendations by the World Health Organization, medical and vaccine trade organizations and national health care plans.1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Compulsory vaccination was abandoned in Britain in the Victorian era after smallpox vaccine mandates, which included fines and imprisonment for parents who refused to comply, were met with massive public protests.6 The subject of mandating vaccines resurfaced and created a contentious debate in June 2017 at a British Medical Association's annual representatives conference that resulted in a motion to examine the pros and cons of making childhood immunizations mandatory and how it could be achieved in the U.K.7

Book 2

The new science of sleep and dreams

sleep
In the featured video, professor Matthew Walker, Ph.D., founder and director of the University of California Berkeley's Center for Human Sleep Science and author of the book Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams, shares the latest discoveries about sleep and how it impacts virtually every area of your physical and mental health.

I read Walker's book last fall, and share his view that sleep is profoundly important - even more important than diet and exercise. I say this because diet and exercise will have minimal effects on your body if you are constantly exhausted and it is unlikely you will have the energy to eat well or exercise if you are always tired. Beyond that, sleeplessness has been shown to contribute to chronic illnesses such as dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Pills

Probiotics may alleviate lactose intolerance

milk
Lactose intolerance is one of the most common food allergies; symptoms range from mild discomfort to extreme intestinal pain. Complete avoidance of dairy is perhaps the easiest way to avoid these problems, especially for young children. However, it might not be the only option. According to a recent study, infants with lactose intolerance, when given a specific probiotic strain, were able to tolerate lactose and even reverse their cow's milk allergy.

Comment: The above author is conflating milk allergy and lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance is not an allergy; it's the absence of an enzyme necessary for breaking down milk sugar - lactose. It's also extremely common, leading many researchers to theorize lactose intolerance is not the anomaly among adults, lactose tolerance is! While it may be useful for babies who require milk, for the rest of us, avoiding dairy outright is the best answer to lactose intolerance or milk allergy.

See:


Health

Cardiovascular damage can be prevented and repaired by vitamin D3

vitamin D3
Vitamin D3 may be effective in the treatment of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, myocardial infarction, vasculopathy, stroke and diabetes.
Cholecalciferol, also known as vitamin D3, can significantly restore the damage to the cardiovascular system caused by several diseases, including hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerosis, according to new research from Ohio University.

"Generally, vitamin D3 is associated with the bones. However, in recent years, in clinical settings people recognize that many patients who have a heart attack will have a deficiency of D3," said Ohio University's Professor Tadeusz Malinski.

"It doesn't mean that the deficiency caused the heart attack, but it increased the risk of heart attack."

"We use nanosensors to see why D3 can be beneficial, especially for the function and restoration of the cardiovascular system."

Professor Malinski and his colleagues, Alamzeb Khan and Hazem Dawoud, have developed unique methods and systems of measurements using nanosensors to track the impacts of vitamin D3 on single endothelial cells, a vital regulatory component of the cardiovascular system.

Shoe

Flashback US football commentator resigns because the 'dangerous' sport has been linked to ALS, dementia and CTE

American football
© Corbis via Getty ImagesCunningham was captain of the University of Washington's winning team against Iowa in the Rose Bowl in 1991 (pictured in the center of the image). He later played for the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.
  • Ed Cunningham, 48, played for the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks
  • In 1997 he became an analyst; he is now a top commentator for ABC and ESPN
  • On Wednesday he quit saying he can no longer support the 'dangerous' sport
  • Two of Cunningham's former teammates have killed themselves; post-mortem exams showed they both had CTE, a brain disease linked to football
  • His move comes amid a growing swell of research tying the sport to ALS, dementia, CTE and other diseases
  • But the NFL cut ties with researchers investigating the study; reports said they were 'bitter' that the studies were led by a 'vocal critic of the NFL'
Revered football analyst Ed Cunningham has resigned from commentating for ESPN and ABC saying he refuses to support the sport in light of studies linking it to devastating brain diseases.

The 48-year-old, who played for the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks, has spent 20 years carving out a career in sports journalism.

Apple Red

Study shows gum arabic, or acacia fiber, boosts prebiotic activity

gum arabic
© Getty Images
Probiotics have received much attention in recent years. Television commercials advertising yogurt with live active cultures, news bits that discuss the miraculous power of good bacteria, and kombucha may have peaked your interest in probiotics. While probiotics can be helpful for introducing new colonies of good bacteria in your intestines, they can only thrive in the presence of prebiotics. Prebiotics are fundamentally the "food" for the good bacteria, helping them to grow and flourish, ultimately benefiting numerous aspects of your health. A recent study is showing that gum arabic, a hardened sap from the acacia tree, may be a powerful prebiotic.


Gum Arabic's Prebiotic Potential


If you're familiar with gum arabic, you probably know it's used in the food and nutraceutical industry as an emulsifier. Beyond this, gum arabic contains a substantial amount of fiber and is even sold as a fiber supplement, typically marketed under the name "acacia fiber." Dietary fiber, particularly from gum arabic, is a prebiotic and is essential for strengthening the population of good bacteria in your gut. A study from the British Journal of Nutrition showed supplementation with gum arabic increases good bacterial strains, most notably Bifidobacteria and Lactobaccili bacteria. [1] Probiotics get a lot of attention, but discussions about prebiotic supplements are few and far between.

Comment: Prebiotics are proving to be as important as probiotics for gut health and all the associated conditions related to it.

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Better Earth

Blue Zones: Lessons for living longer from centenarians across the globe

blue zones
© National Geographic
We all inhabit this beautiful blue planet, breathe the same air, eat food grown on our world's surface and drink fresh water sourced from the Earth, yet some people are a whole lot healthier than others, and in fact, live decades longer.

These are people who live in what has become known as 'Blue Zones' across the globe and we can learn a lot from their way of life. These zones describe the characteristic lifestyles and the environments of the world's longest-lived people and, remarkably, the average person's life expectancy could increase by 10-12 years by adopting a Blue Zones lifestyle.

Bullseye

Flu epidemic now taking aim at the Super Bowl

super bowl football
© AP
How bad is this year's flu?

It's so bad, the Nevada Red Cross is recommending Super Bowl partiers "huddle up" Sunday not only with friends and beer, but with "soap and disposable hand towels."

It's so bad that an ESPN report - revealing that the dreaded virus has stricken Philadelphia Eagles starters Tim Jernigan, Ronald Darby and Mychal Kendricks - set off a ­#flugate conspiracy-theory free-for-all on Twitter.

"Damn, Bill Belichick planting flu in our players now?" one ardent ­Eagles fan tweeted of the rival New England ­Patriots coach.

The country is experiencing the worst flu season in a decade, with no sign of slowing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that the flu season continued to intensify the week ending Jan. 27.

Comment: See also: