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Look at Medicine and its Cross-Eyed View of Nearsightedness

David Hestrin
NaturalNews
Mon, 10 May 2010 00:00 UTC
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© Getty Images
People prescribed glasses for myopia (near-sightedness) find their error of refraction to increase by an average of -.25 diopters per year. Glasses do not cure myopia but rather treat symptoms of dis-ease.

What is the cause of myopia?

One popular textbook cites research that showed that myopia "can be produced by changing refraction during development." This means that glasses are found to cause the problem they purport to correct. Fit an animal with glasses and they will misshape their eyes.

The textbook states, "The shape of the eye appears to be determined in part by the refraction presented to it," and later adds that, "extensive close work [and] studying accelerates the development of myopia." The paragraph concludes that the "defect" of myopia can be corrected by glasses.

How can glasses be recommended to correct the defect of myopia when glasses are known to cause myopia?
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Health

Ingredient in Dark Chocolate Could Guard Against Stroke

Ed Edelson
HealthDay News
Sun, 09 May 2010 12:44 UTC
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© Inknown
Something in dark chocolate seems to help protect the heart, and now researchers say they have identified the molecular mechanism by which a compound found in cocoa can guard against the damage of a stroke.

The compound, a flavanol called epicatechin, triggers two built-in protective pathways in the brain, according to a report published online last week in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism. The research team was led by Sylvain Dore, an associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine and pharmacology and molecular sciences at John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Animal studies raise the possibility that epicatechin may someday be used to treat strokes in humans, since its protective effect can be seen more than three hours after a stroke. Existing stroke treatments typically have a shorter window of activity.

While the cardioprotective effect of dark chocolate seen in several human studies appears to open the possibility that eating lots of chocolate is healthy, "I prefer to focus on cocoa," Dore said. "Cocoa is not like chocolate, which is high in saturated fat and calories. Cocoa can be part of a healthy diet, combined with fruits and vegetables."
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Brick Wall

FDA Continues Dragging Its Feet on Bisphenol-A Decision

David Gutierrez
NaturalNews
Sat, 08 May 2010 12:00 UTC
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© Food and Drug Administration
The FDA has missed three self-imposed deadlines to re-evaluate its approval of the endocrine-disrupting chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA), after originally promising in June 2009 to deliver a finding in "weeks not months."

BPA is a prevalent industrial chemical used to make plastics hard and transparent, as in food containers, baby bottles or water bottles. It is also an ingredient in resins used to line the inside of food and infant formula cans, and in dental sealants and composites. Evidence continues to mount that the chemical leaches easily from these containers, and that it is found in high amounts in the bodies adults and children. Research has linked the chemical to reproductive defects, behavioral problems, brain dysfunction, and increased risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

In September 2008, the U.S. National Toxicology Program affirmed its concern over the health effects of the widespread chemical, especially in infants and children. The Canadian government has banned its use in infant products, and a number of manufacturers and retailers have voluntarily stopped making or carrying products that use it.
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Food in the U.S. is Still Tainted with Chemicals That Were Banned Decades Ago

Emily Elert
Alternet
Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:17 UTC
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Thirty-eight years after DDT was banned, Americans still consume trace amounts of the infamous insecticide every day, along with more than 20 other banned chemicals.

In a photograph from a 1947 newspaper advertisement, a smiling mother leans over her baby's crib. The wall behind her is decorated with rows of flowers and Disney characters. Above the photo, a headline reads "Protect Your Children From Disease Carrying Insects."

The ad, for wallpaper impregnated with DDT, captures a moment of historical ignorance, before the infamous insecticide nearly wiped out many birds and turned up inside the bodies of virtually everyone on Earth.

The story of DDT teaches a lesson about the past. But experts say it also provides a glimpse into the future.
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Health

Can You Stomach Wheat? How Giving up Grain May Better Your Health

Beth Shea
EcoSalon
Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:55 UTC
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In the relatively short amount of time I have been on a gluten free diet, the wheat free and gluten free marketplace has become a booming business. It's not surprising, since Celiac Disease affects 1 out of 133 people. But, what is surprising is that 97 percent of people with Celiac Disease go undiagnosed. And according to the Mayo Clinic, "young people today are more than four times as likely to have Celiac Disease than was the case 60 years ago."

Celiac Disease should not be mistaken with a food or wheat allergy. It is an autoimmune disease and digestive disorder based on the severe intolerance of gluten found in all forms of wheat. And once you start looking, wheat is in everything - from less obvious foods like soups, soy sauce, licorice, ice cream and salad dressings, to obvious foods like bread, cereal and crackers.

While four years ago I scratched my head in bewilderment wondering what in the world I was going to eat, now I am able to find an ample amount of pre-made foods, companies, grocery stores and personal care products that cater to those with wheat and gluten intolerance. I had no idea (nor did a slew of specialists I visited in my search for the answer to my woes) that the culprit of my intense health maladies was an unsuspecting grain that looks so carefree blowing in the breeze. Turns out, I'm not alone. Most people with Celiac Disease as well as wheat allergy sufferers are clueless as to why they are in ill health.

Comment: For more information on Wheat and Gluten intolerance read the following articles:

The Dark Side of Wheat - New Perspectives on Celiac Disease and Wheat Intolerance

Opening Pandora's Bread Box: The Critical Role of Wheat Lectin in Human Disease

Gluten: What You Don't Know Might Kill You

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Info

Food Safety Reform is a Mess

Tom Laskawy
Grist
Fri, 07 May 2010 21:25 UTC
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My considered analysis regarding food safety in the U.S. is this: It's an unmitigated disaster.

Salmonella in peanut butter made by a single manufacturer causes deaths, sickness and the recall of thousands of different products from store shelves. Over 10 million pounds of beef have been recalled since President Obama took office. Indeed, the ongoing food-safety crisis that is industrial ground beef inspired NYT writer Michael Moss to win a Pulitzer.

New strains of microbes like the deadly E coli O157:H7 and antibiotic-resistant salmonella - bugs that didn't exist 30 years ago - raise the stakes as high as they can be. With food safety laws more or less unchanged since the 1930s, the long overdue push for reform seemed, compared to other legislative priorities, easy. What could be more of a no-brainer than safe food?
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Red Flag

New Research Revealed: Environmentally Caused Cancers Are 'Grossly Underestimated'

Maggie Fox
Reuters
Thu, 06 May 2010 18:38 UTC
Washington - Americans are being "bombarded" with cancer-causing chemicals and radiation and the federal government must do far more to protect them, presidential cancer advisers said on Thursday.

Although most experts agree that as many as two-thirds of cancer cases are caused by lifestyle choices like smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise, the two-member panel said many avoidable cancers were also caused by pollution, radon gas from the soil and medical imaging scans.


Comment: For more insight into the issue of smoking read Laura's Knight-Jadczyk's excellent article: Let's All Light Up!

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NIH Panel Foolishly Insists Alzheimer's Can't Be Prevented (Are They Demented?)

Mike Adams
NaturalNews
Fri, 07 May 2010 00:00 UTC
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© NaturalNews
An independent panel of supposed experts recently met at the National Institutes of Health near Washington, D.C., to discuss whether or not Alzheimer's Disease can be prevented through dietary and lifestyle changes. After evaluating a handful of studies that deal with the subject, the panel basically concluded that there is no way to avoid Alzheimer's Disease.

Either that, or they all forgot to bring their science notes and couldn't remember what to say, so they defaulted to their traditional "It's not proven" mantra and ended the conference early.

Interestingly, the studies in question all seemed to demonstrate how things like taking fish oil or doing crossword puzzles can help prevent Alzheimer's Disease, but the panel of doctors and PhDs decided all this evidence simply didn't count. When you work for the NIH, it's very important to filter out all scientific evidence that does not agree with your foregone conclusions.
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The Cleansing Effect on the Mind of Hand Washing

Diane Swanbrow
Medical News Today
Fri, 07 May 2010 02:00 UTC
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© iStockphoto
Washing your hands "wipes the slate clean," removing doubts about recent choices.

That's the key finding of a University of Michigan study published in the current (May 7) issue of Science.

The study, conducted by U-M psychologists Spike W. S. Lee and Norbert Schwarz, expands on past research by showing that hand-washing does more than remove the guilt of past misdeeds.

"It's not just that washing your hands contributes to moral cleanliness as well as physical cleanliness, as seen in earlier research" said Lee, a doctoral candidate in social psychology. "Our studies show that washing also reduces the influence of past behaviors and decisions that have no moral implications whatsoever."
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Drink to Your Kidney Health with Lemonade to Avoid Kidney Stones

S. L. Baker
NaturalNews
Fri, 07 May 2010 00:00 UTC
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© NaturalNews
Kidney stones are solid pieces of material that form in a kidney. They can stay there or they may travel down the urinary tract until they are eliminated naturally.

Unfortunately, kidney stones can also get stuck in the ureter, bladder or urethra. The result can be bleeding, blockage of urine flow and excruciating pain. Thankfully, there are natural ways to greatly reduce your risk of having this most common disorder of the urinary tract, including simply drinking lemonade.

If you've ever experienced the agony of having kidney stones stuck in your urinary tract, you know this is no minor problem. In fact, kidney stones can lead to serious infections and major surgery.

"Back and abdominal pain, blood in the urine, and nausea or vomiting, are the three classic symptoms of kidney stones," Roger L. Sur, MD, director of the University of California at San Diego Comprehensive Kidney Stone Center said in a press statement. "You don't have to have all three, but any of them will come on quickly and be hard to ignore. When you have extreme pain, you should see your doctor or go to an emergency room right away, especially if a fever is present. The presence of fever indicates that you may have an infection in your blood stream which can be life threatening."
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