Study shows such behavior makes men feel less stressed; women have opposite reaction
You might think that defensiveness - which psychologists describe as avoiding, denying, or repressing information one perceives as threatening - would not be a good thing, and maybe even causes you stress. But a new Canadian study finds men may actually feel better, and less stressed, when they are more defensive. By contrast, women are better off not feeling defensive.
Health & Wellness
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If the findings of existing clinical trials hold up in future research, the potential consequences of this deficiency are likely to go far beyond inadequate bone development and excessive bone loss that can result in falls and fractures. Every tissue in the body, including the brain, heart, muscles and immune system, has receptors for vitamin D, meaning that this nutrient is needed at proper levels for these tissues to function well.
Studies indicate that the effects of a vitamin D deficiency include an elevated risk of developing (and dying from) cancers of the colon, breast and prostate; high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease; osteoarthritis; and immune-system abnormalities that can result in infections and autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
Most people in the modern world have lifestyles that prevent them from acquiring the levels of vitamin D that evolution intended us to have. The sun's ultraviolet-B rays absorbed through the skin are the body's main source of this nutrient. Early humans evolved near the equator, where sun exposure is intense year round, and minimally clothed people spent most of the day outdoors.
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Published in the July issue of Genetics, the study adds weight to the theory of personalised nutrition, which suggests that the benefit of nutritional compounds varies for different people.
"This study strongly suggests that some individuals can achieve benefits from altering their dietary habits, while the same changes for others will have virtually no effect," write the researchers.
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Forests - and other natural, green settings - can reduce stress, improve moods, reduce anger and aggressiveness and increase overall happiness. Forest visits may also strengthen our immune system by increasing the activity and number of natural killer cells that destroy cancer cells.
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In 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was involved in 59 recalls, said the Chicago Tribune. In all cases, the agency knew how much food was involved and how much was recovered; however, most - 56 recalls - did not tally up the complete amounts identified as problematic, said the Tribune.
Last year, a recall announced by a processor in Denver for 460,000 pounds of ground beef only turned up 119,000 pounds, leaving over 300,000 pounds of potentially dangerous meat on the market or in consumers' kitchens, said the Tribune. In that case, the pathogen was Salmonella and the beef was linked to an outbreak at the time. Later that year, another processor - this one in New York - announced a larger ground beef recall of 545,000 pounds linked to an outbreak of E. coli. According to the USDA, said the Tribune, only 795 pounds of the potentially tainted beef was ever recovered.
© Tom Hanson, AP
BPA levels higher than those in canned foods, baby bottles and infant formula were detected on at least one of several receipts from Chevron, McDonalds, CVS, KFC, Whole Foods, Safeway, the U.S. Postal Service, Walmart and the U.S. House of Representatives cafeteria, according to the private Washington-based research group.
Many large manufacturers of baby bottles now sell products that are free of the chemical BPA, or bisphenol-A.
Lansing - Michigan could save billions annually by protecting children from exposure to environmental hazards, according to a study released today.
The report released by an Ann Arbor-based coalition of health and environmental groups examined direct and indirect costs of four childhood diseases linked to environmental toxicants: lead poisoning, asthma, pediatric cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders.
The study found treating those disorders costs Michigan an average of $5.85 billion each year. If all diseases with an environmental link were included, the number would be higher.
The report released by an Ann Arbor-based coalition of health and environmental groups examined direct and indirect costs of four childhood diseases linked to environmental toxicants: lead poisoning, asthma, pediatric cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders.
The study found treating those disorders costs Michigan an average of $5.85 billion each year. If all diseases with an environmental link were included, the number would be higher.
"I have taken this drug off and on for the past 10 years for weight loss. It works, but the results NEVER last, it makes you feel great for about six months, you lose weight, you have awesome energy to work out and then it begins to not work anymore. It's like you build up an immunity to it or something."The comment is about phentermine (Fastin, Adipex, Ionamin), half of a new drug under consideration by the FDA, but it could apply to all the diet drugs. Thanks to human's "thrifty gene," diet drugs work until they don't work, say scientists. When the body senses it's losing its adipose stores, it actually changes the metabolic rules to retain saddlebags and love handles. Thanks for that.
So, even though two-thirds of American adults are overweight and a third obese, few drugs have been able to make a dent in our gross national product; they've proved to be ineffective and sometimes dangerous.
Fen-phen was withdrawn 13 years ago for killing at least 120 people...and it didn't even work that well, people say.
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AstraZenica, the international pharmaceutical company worth $46.8 billion, began selling a drug called omeprazole in 1989 under the brand name Prilosec. It is a proton pump inhibitor, and it was marketed as a treatment for heartburn, peptic ulcer disease, and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). Two years before the patent expired, AstraZeneca changed the formulation slightly and started selling it as a new patented drug, Nexium. What the drug company did not want was for consumers to stay with Prilosec, essentially identical to the new drug, once the old drug came off patent and the price collapsed.
This strategy worked. Nexium is easily AstraZeneca biggest seller, bringing in $5 billion so far. And part of that is its cost: $2,000 for a year's supply. While the drug company says an average consumer only pays a $30 co-pay for Nexium, a recent Forbes article points out that the rest of us are paying for it with higher health insurance rates.
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Babies shown affection by their mothers grow up to cope with stress better, researchers have found.
Babies shown affection by their mothers grow up to cope with stress better, researchers have found.
Nurturing and warmth in early life has "long-lasting positive effects on mental health well into adulthood", it was found.
Mothers were watched interacting with the babies at eight-months-old and were ranked according to number of times they were negative, warn, caressing or extravagant.
Comment: For more information about diet and genotypes, read this article on SoTT:
Should You Eat a Paleo-Diet for Health Like These Californians?