Health & WellnessS


Health

Epilepsy Drug Linked to Babies' Lower IQ

Kathleen Doheny
WebMD
Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:13 UTC
Women with epilepsy who took the drug valproate ( Depakote) during pregnancy gave birth to children whose IQ at age 3 averaged up to 9 points lower than the scores of children exposed to other epilepsy drugs, according to a new study.

"Valproate exposure to the unborn child is associated with a lower IQ, which is not explained by any of the other factors [influencing IQ], such as mother's IQ, mother's age, or epilepsy type," says Kimford J. Meador, MD, the study's lead author and professor of neurology at Emory University in Atlanta.

The average IQ of children born to women who took valproate was 92 -- 8 below the 100 that is considered average -- and the scores of those exposed to other epilepsy drugs ranged from 98 to 101, he tells WebMD.
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Key

How Metals in Food Affect Your Child's Behavior


Mercola.com
Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:07 UTC
angry child
© Unknown
According to a lead researcher in the field, the contamination of food with certain metals needs to be urgently addressed in light of growing evidence linking trace metals to behavioral problems.

It has long been known that excessive amounts of any metal could be potentially dangerous, but there is now also strong evidence that even tiny amounts of some metals can contribute to aggressive or antisocial behavior, says Neil Ward, a professor of chemistry at the UK's University of Surrey.

Lead has been linked to antisocial behavior, partly because it contributes to nutrient depletion. Aluminum has also been linked to antisocial behavior, as it competes for the binding sites of biochemical receptors of other metal ions, such as iron and zinc.

Comment: Listen to SOTT podcast Toxic World, Toxic Bodies, for more information on how to detoxify in a natural way.

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People

UK: Third of men 'live with parents'


BBC News
Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:58 UTC
Almost a third of men and a fifth of women aged between 20 and 34 live at home with their parents, according to the Office for National Statistics.
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Control Panel

University of Missouri researcher gets grant to develop anti-drug education video game

Tim Barker
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:47 UTC
It's tough to find a child who doesn't enjoy video games.

A University of Missouri researcher is hoping to tap into that love to find a new way to teach kids about the dangers of drug addiction.

Joel Epstein, an associate professor of psychiatry in the School of Medicine, has been given a $1 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to develop an educational video game that focuses on what happens to the brain and body when a person uses drugs.

Taking it a step further, Epstein is attempting a two-pronged approach, with the goal of making a game that targets boys and girls differently. The plan is to develop a game that offers two separate tracts - a competitive arc that targets boys and a more socially engaging arc that targets girls.
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Health

Conventional Cancer Treatments bankrupt Patients, Families

David Gutierrez
NaturalNews.com
Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:59 UTC
The costs of cancer treatments impose a major financial burden even on patients with private health insurance, leading in many cases to bankruptcy, according to a new report issued by the American Cancer Society and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

"A cancer diagnosis can threaten anyone with bankruptcy and financial ruin, no matter what your earning power is," said Peggy McGuire of the Women's Cancer Resource Center. "There are many paths you take, but they lead to the same destination: loss of all resources."
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Family

Exercise can 'help treat depression'

Danny Rose
NineMSN
Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:40 UTC
Image
© UnknownThe Black Dog Institute says exercise should be used as a frontline treatment for depression.

The power of exercise to improve a person's mood should no longer be overlooked as a frontline treatment for depression, says the Black Dog Institute.

People commonly report feeling better after vigorous activity, says the institute's Professor Gordon Parker who points to an Australian study of 500 fun run participants.

Yet this widely experienced, and non-medical, method to improve a person's sense of wellbeing is under-utilised as a treatment for depression, he says.
"This Australian study, along with recent overseas research, has demonstrated the benefits of exercise for improving mood and energy levels in depression," said Prof Parker, who is executive director of the institute based at the University of NSW.

"While regular moderate exercise can be an effective way to treat some forms of depression, it can be very difficult for people experiencing depression to find the motivation to get started."

Comment: Well fancy that, exercise is particularly useful in reducing depression with people who suffer from mild to moderate depression. What he didn't say is that it is also less expensive and probably much less risk to ones health than taking prescription drugs used to treat depression.

I don't think Professor Parker will be getting any Christmas cards this year from the pharmaceutical industry.

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Wine

Best science gathered on healthy foods


NineMSN
Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:10 UTC
Image
© UnknownVegetables, nuts and the Mediterranean diet have topped the grocery list of 'good' heart foods.
What we know for sure about diet and what protects the heart is a relatively short list.

That's the conclusion of new research based on an analysis of nearly 200 studies involving millions of people.

Vegetables, nuts and the Mediterranean diet made the grocery list of "good" heart foods. On the "bad" list: starchy carbs like white bread and the trans fats in many cookies and french fries.

The "question mark" list includes meat, eggs and milk and many other foods where there's not yet strong evidence about whether they're good or bad for the heart.

"I do research. I also buy groceries for my family every week," said study co-author Dr. Sonia Anand of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, who hopes the findings "decrease the confusion around what we should eat and what we shouldn't eat."
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Pills

Bitter melon can fight disease

Danny Rose
NineMSN
Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:27 UTC
Image
© UnknownBitter melon (Momordica charantia)
It looks like a wart-covered zucchini and has an equally unappetising name, but experts say it could help rescue the world's population from malnutrition and disease.

Bitter melon is rich in vitamins and offers protection against diabetes, says Dr Dyno Keatinge, which is just as well because it is unlikely to win fans on appearance or taste.

"It's not a sweet vegetable, and that's why I like it in salad and a whole range of things," said Dr Keatinge, head of a not-for-profit research institute which uses horticulture to fight poverty and malnutrition.
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Mr. Potato

Bed bugs invade America


NineMSN
Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:08 UTC
Image
© Charlyn Keating ChisholmBed bug on a finger
The US government is waking up to what has become a growing nightmare in many parts of the country - a bed bug outbreak.

The tiny reddish-brown insects, last seen in great numbers prior to World War II, are on the rebound. They have infested college dormitories, hospital wings, homeless shelters and swanky hotels from New York City to Chicago to Washington.

They live in the crevices and folds of mattresses, sofas and sheets. Then, most often before dawn, they emerge to feed on human blood.

Faced with rising numbers of complaints to city information lines and increasingly frustrated landlords, hotel chains and housing authorities, the Environmental Protection Agency is hosting its first-ever bed bug summit on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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Binoculars

Viagra not harmful to vision


NineMSN
Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:39 UTC
Image
© UnknownA study has found that erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra do not damage men's vision.
Treatments for erectile dysfunction such as the hugely popular drug Viagra do not appear to pose long-term damage to men's sight, a new study has shown.

Doctors had been concerned that Viagra, and its competitor drug sold in the United States as Cialis, might prove harmful after some men reported blurred and blue-tinged vision. The two drugs accounted for $US1 billion in sales in 2008.

But the six-month study published on Monday and funded by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, the makers of Cialis, showed no side effects on sight, according to the results published in the April issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

The drugs treat erectile dysfunction by blocking an enzyme in the blood flowing to the penis, and there had been fears they could also act on similar compounds in the retina in the eye that receives and transmits images.

Comment: Well, that IS a relief. A report funded by one of the makers of the drugs in question found it causes no vision problems. Now everybody who uses Viagra and Cialis can sleep at night, knowing they are not going to go blind. PLEASE, are we all THAT silly.

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