Synthetic hormones used for birth control may slow brain maturation and disrupt the development of an area of the brain responsible for impulsivity, according to new research.

Adolescents commonly use hormonal contraceptives despite the unknown effects on brain and behavioral maturation, prompting scientists at Ohio State University to explore how common synthetic hormones used for birth control affect the prefrontal cortex — an area of the brain essential to regulating emotional behaviors and executive function.

In the study, presented during a Nov. 12, 2023, poster session at an annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, researchers gave a combination of synthetic estrogen and progesterone in hormone-based contraceptives to female rats from early to late adolescence and compared their behavior and brain tissue to untreated rats.

Because synthetic hormones found in contraceptives decrease the ovaries' production of natural progesterone and estrogen to prevent ovulation, researchers looked at how the brain is affected by these hormonal differences when it is still developing.

Consumer Reports testing found that 1 in 3 chocolate products contain heavy metals like lead and cadmium that may harm kids' neurological development and cause other health issues.

Story at a glance:

• Testing by Consumer Reports found one-third of chocolate products tested were high in heavy metals, and the percentage of contaminated products rose when it was dark chocolate.
• Of the 28 dark chocolate bars tested in 2022, only five had levels below 100% of the maximum allowable dose and only two had levels below 50%. In the 46 products tested in 2023, they found detectable levels in every product and 539% of the maximum allowed dose of lead in Perugina 85% premium dark chocolate.
• Chocolate is not the only source of heavy metal and it bioaccumulates, so it's important to be aware of your overall intake. Cadmium can be absorbed from the soil and is found in the highest levels in grains and vegetables.
• Exposure to lead and cadmium poses the highest risk to the brains and neurological systems of infants and children. Since cadmium crosses the placental barrier, exposure during pregnancy can have serious health consequences, including increased mortality from heart and kidney disease and cancer.
• Dark chocolate has many health benefits, but your source should be chosen wisely to avoid exposure to heavy metals. Consider incorporating strategies for heavy metal detox to protect your mitochondrial function.

More young people are experiencing brain stroke, cardiac arrest, and heart attacks in India since the Covid-19 outbreak. Now, the latest survey has confirmed that there has been a 21 per cent increase in people who have had one or more of their close contacts experience brain stroke, cardiac arrest, heart attack and cancer acceleration in the past year.

The survey, which surveyed over 11,000 people in 322 districts in India, said that 72 per cent reported one or more individuals in their close social network - extended family, friends, neighbours and colleagues - experiencing medical conditions like brain stroke, cardiac arrest, heart attack and cancer acceleration in the last three-and-a-half-years post March 2020 following the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in India.

The survey by LocalCircles, India's leading community social media platform, also found that the percentage of citizens with such cases amongst their close contacts increased by 21% from October 2022 to October 2023.

Article Reviewed

• Nov. 14, 2023 (Washington Post) - Scientists have discovered what may be the first 'vampire' virus
• Nov. 13, 2023 (Telegraph) - How to break the cycle of panic and neglect surrounding pandemics
• Nov. 13, 2023 (GAVI) - To Prevent the Next Pandemic, Follow the Science
• Nov. 13, 2023 (Singularity Hub) - How Generative AI Could Help Us Predict the Next Pandemic
• Nov. 10, 2023 (Fortune) - These 4 lethal viruses could fuel the next pandemic, new research says. What they are — and how the world can prepare
• Nov. 6, 2023 (The Hill) - CDC adding flu, RSV surveillance at major US airports
• Nov. 4, 2023 (Daily Mail) - Next pandemic deemed the 'Big One' could be the most contagious and deadliest disease known to humanity, scientists warn
• Oct. 30, 2023 (European Pharmaceutical Review) - Are we globally prepared for the next pandemic?
• Oct. 29, 2023 (The Atlantic) - The Viral Threat Almost No One Is Thinking About
• Oct. 17, 2023 (RUDAW) - World not prepared for a new pandemic: Health officials
• Sep. 23, 2023 (WION) - 'Disease X' likely to prove 20 times deadlier compared to COVID-19, hints expert

Source

Answer: just remove most-likely-to-miscarry vaccinated women from the data!

Are COVID vaccines safe for women trying to become pregnant?

A newly published study that intended to prove that COVID vaccines are safe for women trying to become pregnant is raising more questions than it answers.

The study appears to intentionally exclude women most likely to experience miscarriage, but only among the vaccinated cohort!

https://academic.oup.com/humrep/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/humrep/dead211/7326030

This study is cited on Twitter by COVID vaccine promoters, who did not read it past the abstract, as the full text is not free.

El Gobierno quisiera hacernos creer que "puede haber un pequeño aumento en la exposición general a las ondas de radio cuando se añade el 5G a una red existente o en una nueva zona", pero que "no debería haber consecuencias para la salud pública". ¿Es esto cierto? ¿En qué se basa esta afirmación?

Acabo de leer los cuatro estudios de casos de 5G llevados a cabo este año por el profesor Lennart Hardell y Mona Nilsson, en los que ocho personas desarrollaron síntomas debilitantes tras la instalación de antenas 5G junto a sus viviendas, donde se tomaron mediciones precisas de la radiación. Los resultados ponen un gran interrogante sobre la declaración del Gobierno.

¿Ha ignorado nuestro Gobierno los llamamientos mundiales y las declaraciones consensuadas de científicos y médicos independientes, que piden una revisión de las directrices de seguridad y el cese del despliegue de la 5G sobre la base de la investigación de los niveles mucho más bajos de emisiones anteriores a la 5G? Entre ellos se incluyen:

• 433 científicos que han firmado el llamamiento 5G de la UE,
• 259 científicos de 44 países que han firmado el llamamiento internacional de científicos CEM (campo electromagnético)
• 164 científicos y médicos, así como 95 organizaciones no gubernamentales que han firmado el llamamiento CEM.

También está la convincente Declaración de Consenso 2020 de expertos médicos y científicos del Reino Unido e internacionales sobre los efectos de las radiaciones no ionizantes en la salud, firmada por organizaciones que representan a 3.500 médicos de todo el mundo, iniciada por la Iniciativa de Salud de los Médicos para la Radiación y el Medio Ambiente (PHIRE).

Bangladesh is facing its worst-ever dengue outbreak, with rising temperatures and an extended monsoon creating optimal conditions for the disease-spreading mosquito, Reuters reported.

As of November 12, the death toll stands at 1,476, and 291,832 people are infected, overwhelming hospitals in the densely populated country. The 2023 death toll is more than five times that of 2022, marking the deadliest outbreak since tracking began in 2000. Climate change-induced shifts in temperature and rainfall patterns are conducive to the breeding of the Aedes mosquito, which transmits dengue.

This year, dengue cases have been reported in all 64 districts of the country, prompting the need for year-round vector surveillance. Symptoms vary, with some patients presenting only with coughing, making diagnosis challenging. Despite the lack of a specific vaccine or treatment, early detection and proper medical care can reduce fatalities to less than 1%. Hospitals in Bangladesh are grappling with the surge in patients, exacerbated by a shortage of intravenous fluids crucial for severe cases.

Australia is an important control group because they had minimal covid prior to Omicron. Therefore the effects of the vaccine alone on the population can be deduced by what happened there in 2021.

There are two key points to note.

Firstly, there was a lack of respiratory deaths in 2020, 2021 and even 2022. Any analysis of excess mortality needs to account for that. Secondly, many of the excess deaths were not included in the major cateogories of death.
Figure 1: Total deaths.

Total mortality was lower in 2020 and higher in 2021 than expected levels (see figure 1). Figure 2 shows the same data with an adjusted y-axis to show that these differences were not insignificant. For 2021, there were 4,145 excess deaths in 2021 whereas there were only 1,224 deaths attributed to covid.

Many factors increase brain disease risk, but infection with common viruses could be the most insidious.

Besides aging, viral infections are also factors that contribute to Alzheimer's disease. COVID-19 has increasingly been linked to cognitive decline, a connection that appears to be confirmed by a new review of neurological symptoms connected to the condition.

According to researchers, viral infection significantly adds to the risk of dementia in older people. In effect, Alzheimer's and COVID appear to work together to damage our brains.

"I believe over the next several years, emerging evidence will further support a link between microbial infection and neurodegenerative diseases," corresponding author of the study Thomas E. Lane, who holds a doctorate in microbiology and immunology, said in a press statement.

The ancient art of tai chi, plus a modern twist, may help older adults reverse mild declines in brain power, a new clinical trial reveals.

Researchers found that tai chi classes helped older adults improve their subtle problems with cognition (memory and thinking skills). It also helped them with a fundamental multitasking skill: walking while your attention is elsewhere.

But while tai chi was effective, a "cognitively enhanced" version that added mental challenges to the mix worked even better, the study found.