Health & WellnessS


Footprints

'No shoes in the house rule' - why leaving your shoes at the door may have benefits

C.M. Tenhundfeld
simplemost.com
Thu, 17 Aug 2017 14:41 UTC
remove your shoes
Think about where you traverse each day. City streets, playgrounds, through the lawn or garden, to and from the grocery store, public restrooms and the gym. In some cultures, it's a common courtesy to remove one's shoes when entering the home.

If my hands are full, I admit that I often keep my shoes on until I set down whatever I'm carrying. However, some studies suggest that removing shoes should be more of a common occurrence.
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Folder

Center for Food Safety files a federal lawsuit against the Trump Administration over GMO food labeling

Center for Food Safety
EcoWatch
Tue, 29 Aug 2017 14:35 UTC
Genetic Engineering
Center for Food Safety (CFS) filed a federal lawsuit Sunday against the Trump administration for its failure to comply with the 2016 federal law on the labeling of genetically engineered (GE) food.

Sec. of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are charged with implementing the new labeling rules, and part of that process is a study on "electronic and digital disclosures" (like QR codes) for GE foods, as opposed to on-package text. That study was required to be finished by July 2017, with an opportunity for public participation, but USDA never completed the study or published it for public comment.
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Life Preserver

Self medicating with tea? L-Theanine for anxiety

John Lee
choosehelp.com
Tue, 01 Aug 2017 14:14 UTC
Tea anxiety
Making the case for a cup of tea...an amino acid in tea may be just what you need to feel less anxious.

Whether taken as a supplement or in cups of tea, l-theanine is safe and helps many people reduce stress and anxiety. Research shows that l-theanine induces alert/relaxed thinking states, reduces your fight-or flight response to stressful events and helps protect the mind from stress-linked thinking and memory deficits.

Comment: Read more about the Medicinal benefits of tea:

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Syringe

Fast-tracking mandatory vaccination while government and media muzzle scientists

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The World Mercury Project
Tue, 29 Aug 2017 13:04 UTC
vaccinations
Italians protest mandatory vaccinations – July, 2017
Turning their backs on the human rights principle of voluntary informed consent memorialized in the Nuremberg Code after World War II, health authorities in France and Italy are fast-tracking involuntary vaccine mandates for school-age children.

In Italy, millions of Italians have been demonstrating since June, protesting the infringements to parental rights. On July 28, industry-beholden Italian legislators voted 296-92 to pass a one-size-fits-all law that mandates multiple doses of ten vaccines for preschoolers through teenagers, imposing steep fines for parents who do not comply. Mainstream media outlets in both Italy and the US ignored the record protests against medical coercion.
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Alarm Clock

The over use of antibiotics in food production - fueling a global health crisis

Alanna Ketler
Collective Evolution
Fri, 01 Sep 2017 15:32 UTC
pigs
© Scott Brundage
Approximately 80% of all antibiotics used in the United States are given to animals raised on factory farms for human consumption. This means that the majority of the population consuming meat and animal products are also consuming large amounts of antibiotics, most of the time without even knowing it.

Most of the antibiotics used are given to healthy animals to either promote growth or prevent disease, which is caused by the unsanitary living conditions that come with factory farming. This means animals that don't even need antibiotics are still being fed them - a problem worsened by pharmaceutical reps, who convince farmers that using antibiotics will help them increase sales.

When in doubt, follow the money.

Comment: Additional information about the growing concern of the overuse of antibiotics in factory farmed meat production:

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Magnify

The rapid & alarming spread of a multidrug-resistant fungal infection - Candida auris

Daniel Henk
The Conversation
Fri, 18 Aug 2017 16:22 UTC
Candida auris
© Wikimedia Commons/CDCCandida auris – spreading at a surprising rate.
At least 20 NHS Trust hospitals have been hit by a drug-resistant fungus, known as Candida auris. So far, 200 people have been contaminated or infected with the fungus, which can cause potentially deadly complications.

The fungus, which is able to live on the skin or inside the body, was first discovered in Japan in 2009. Since then it has been found in at least 15 countries, including the UK, where the first case was identified in 2013.

While many new diseases generate both dismissive "not another one" attitudes and "the end is nigh" hysteria, fungal diseases rarely cause much of a ripple in public health, compared to viruses or bacteria. But there are several reasons C. auris represents a significant concern for those trying to keep the UK population healthy.

Comment: CDC alert: Candida Auris - The latest superbug creation

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Telephone

Revealing interview with Robert Kennedy Jr. on vaccines

Arjun Walia
Collective Evolution
Wed, 23 Aug 2017 19:30 UTC
mercury
Mercury
A recent interview was conducted by STAT News reporter Helen Branswell with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from The World Mercury Project, an organization whose mission is to raise public awareness of the dangers and sources of mercury, with the ultimate goal of banning all uses of mercury on a global level. They believe the public desperately needs accurate information about the sources and dangers of mercury, as this will allow them to better protect themselves and their families from the potentially devastating effects of this potent neurotoxin.

They emphasize:
The average person does not know that mercury is the second most toxic element on the planet, nor do they know that it is an incredibly potent toxin even at small exposure levels. Once in the body, mercury has a high affinity for moving into the brain where it can become trapped for decades. Once in the brain, mercury causes a chronic inflammatory process in the tissue which has been connected to autism, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) and many more adverse health consequences.
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Heart

Abbott Lab's 465,000 pacemakers recalled as vulnerable to hacking attacks


Sputnik
Sat, 02 Sep 2017 13:41 UTC
Hospital heart monitor
© Sputnik/ Mikhail Fomichev
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a recall of 465,000 pacemakers after the devices were found to be vulnerable to hacking.

The pacemakers in question were manufactured by Abbott Laboratories. The devices are all radio-controlled, which means a hacker could potentially access the network that the pacemakers interface with to change their settings or even stop them entirely. That could prove fatal.

Yes, hackers can now literally stop your robot heart with their smartphone. Yes, we are living in a cyberpunk dystopia.

"As medical devices become increasingly interconnected via the internet, hospital networks, other medical devices, and smartphones, there is an increased risk of exploitation of cybersecurity vulnerabilities," read the FDA statement accompanying the recall.

Comment: For more, see the new Health and Wellness show: The Health & Wellness Show: The Brave New World of Electroceuticals and Medical Implants

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Health

Family confined to their hotel room for six days after kids come down with hand, foot and mouth disease

Emma Lake
The Sun
Fri, 01 Sep 2017 21:38 UTC
hand foot mouth disease kid
© Naomi AshmoreNaomi Ashmore and Thomas Morrisons youngsters were covered in horrific rashes during a hotel hand, foot and mouth outbreak.
A family's £3,500 holiday turned to a nightmare when their kids were struck down with hand, foot and mouth disease and confined to their rooms for six days.

Outraged Naomi Ashmore and Thomas Morrison have said they were not told about an outbreak at their resort, despite Trip Advisor users reporting youngsters falling ill since mid-July.

Shocking pictures show the blistering rashes that covered the bodies of the couple's children, Carter, two, and Eyla, one, four days into their stay at Thomson's Protur Safari Park Aparthotel.

Naomi, 27, said: "It went from head to toe and looked like measles."

The retail worker claimed a notice had been put in the lift reporting "a small outbreak" on August 24, their second day at the resort, but said they were not told before they travelled or during their welcome meeting.
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Butterfly

5 amazing health benefits of broccoli sprouts


Cell Logic
Wed, 15 Jun 2016 08:06 UTC
broccoli sprouts
In the world of nutrition, people have known for a long time that the sprouts of cruciferous vegetables and legumes are powerhouses of valuable nutrients. But with a growing body of evidence supporting a cluster of impressive health benefits, the humble broccoli sprout has come to the forefront - and clinicians and researchers in nutrition are finding new ways to harness its unique power.

The secret to the health benefits of this remarkable food lies in the bioactive compound sulforaphane, which is generated in high concentrations when broccoli sprouts are consumed. Over a thousand published studies have identified sulforaphane as one of the most potent food-derived molecules of our era, and that some truly remarkable health benefits that can be accessed through its main source, broccoli sprouts.

1. Support for healthy aging

Aging is a complex process, with genetic and environmental influences both playing major roles in the individual's experience of their health throughout their lifespan. But through vigorous research in nutrigenomics, it's become evident that the key to maintaining the health of the aging human body is through supporting its cells to maintain their normal activity. This helps facilitate the defence of normal cellular function against external threats to health that are encountered every day.

While it's not possible to prevent aging, it's theoretically possible to support the health and wellbeing of people as they age, reducing the incidence of factors that contribute to a decreased quality of life-the sulforaphane derived from broccoli sprouts is an important key.

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