Despite the fact that Uggs and their many knockoff incarnations have long been considered a "fashion don't," lots of women love and continue to wear these suede and sheepskin boots all winter long. They're warm, they're cozy, they're easy to throw on with any outfit, they feel like slippers, and they're a celebrity favorite. Of course this makes the boots very appealing and popular, especially during chillier months. But are they actually good for your feet? Experts say no.
In a recent Daily Mail article, professionals spoke out about the health risks of wearing cheap, imitation Ugg boots. Dr. Ian Drysdale, the head of the British College of Osteopathic Medicine, said, "Because these boots are warm and soft, young girls think they are giving their feet a break. In fact, they are literally breaking their feet." Drysdale continued, "Their feet are slipping around inside. With each step, the force falls towards the inside of the foot and the feet splay. This flattens the arch and makes it drop. The result can be significant problems with the foot, the ankle, and ultimately, the hip."
Health & Wellness
New York - The rising cost of cancer research and care, which helped reduce death rates by 16 percent over 40 years, is straining the U.S. health system and needs to be restrained, commentators said in a special edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Cancer research has cost the U.S. government $100 billion since 1971 and the price of care, accounting for inflation, has more than doubled to $90 billion since 1990, according to six journal reports that raise key questions about the past and future success of the U.S. "War on Cancer," announced by then-President Richard Nixon in 1971.
The reduced death rates result from anti-smoking campaigns, early disease detection and new drugs, which can cost individual patients as much as $100,000 a year. The price of the drugs, and the care tied to their use, can be lowered by shifting to a system in which the cost of drugs, tests and other care are combined in a single provider payment, researchers said.
Such a system would push doctors to "shop carefully for the services" patients need, wrote the researchers from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, led by Elena Elkin, in a commentary that was among those included in the special issue.
"The expanding financial burden of cancer," including rising incidence rates, "cannot be ignored," the authors wrote.
Cancer research has cost the U.S. government $100 billion since 1971 and the price of care, accounting for inflation, has more than doubled to $90 billion since 1990, according to six journal reports that raise key questions about the past and future success of the U.S. "War on Cancer," announced by then-President Richard Nixon in 1971.
The reduced death rates result from anti-smoking campaigns, early disease detection and new drugs, which can cost individual patients as much as $100,000 a year. The price of the drugs, and the care tied to their use, can be lowered by shifting to a system in which the cost of drugs, tests and other care are combined in a single provider payment, researchers said.
Such a system would push doctors to "shop carefully for the services" patients need, wrote the researchers from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, led by Elena Elkin, in a commentary that was among those included in the special issue.
"The expanding financial burden of cancer," including rising incidence rates, "cannot be ignored," the authors wrote.
The Cancer Research Center of the European Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences in Bologna, Italy reported this week that a long-term study to evaluate the potential carcinogenic effects of aspartame demonstrates the chemical sweetener "induces an increase in lymphomas and leukemias in female rats." The research will be presented at a September international scientific conference, "Framing the Future in the Light of the Past: Living in a Chemical World."
Neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock M.D. commented:
Neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock M.D. commented:
"The new study released in the European Journal of oncology by Morando Soffritti and co-workers should terrify mothers and all those consuming aspartame sweetened products. This was a carefully done study which clearly demonstrated a statistically significant increase in several types of lymphomas and leukemias in rats. Both of these malignancies have increased significantly in this country since the widespread use of aspartame.
"This study confirmed the previous study by Dr. Trocho and co-workers, which also found the formaldehyde breakdown product of aspartame to be damaging to cellular DNA and that this damage was accumulative. The type of damage was a duplicate of that associated with cancers. Along with this most recent study, this means that drinking a single diet cola sweetened with aspartame every day could increase one's risk of developing a lymphoma or leukemia.
"They also found an increased incidence of malignant brain tumors, even though it was not statistically significant. This does not mean there is no association to brain tumors, since only the animals exposed to aspartame developed the tumors. With children and pregnant women drinking the largest amount of diet colas, this puts their children at the greatest risk of developing one of these horrible diseases. Their study found that even low doses of aspartame could cause these malignancies; yet, the higher the dose, the more cancers that were seen.
"Since aspartame can increase obesity and may even cause the metabolic syndrome that affects 48 million Americans, there is no reason to ever consume this product. At the least it should be immediately banned from all schools."
PepsiCo plans to remove sugary drinks from schools worldwide, following the success of programs in the U.S. aimed at cutting down on childhood obesity.
The company said yesterday that it will remove full-calorie, sweetened drinks from schools in more than 200 countries by 2012, marking the first such move by a major soft-drink producer.
Both PepsiCo Inc., the world's second-biggest soft-drink maker, and No.1 Coca-Cola Co., adopted guidelines to stop selling sugary drinks in U.S. schools in 2006.
The World Heart Federation has been negotiating with soft-drink makers to have them remove sugary beverages from schools for the past year as it looks to fight a rise in childhood obesity, which can lead to diabetes, heart problems and other ailments.
PepsiCo's move is what the group had been seeking because it affects students through age 18, said Pekka Puska, president of the group, a federation of heart associations from around the world. He said he hopes other companies feel pressured to make similar moves.
"It may be not so well- known in the U.S. how intensive the marketing of soft drinks is in so many countries," Puska said in an interview from Finland. He added that developing countries such as Mexico are particularly affected by this strong marketing.
The company said yesterday that it will remove full-calorie, sweetened drinks from schools in more than 200 countries by 2012, marking the first such move by a major soft-drink producer.
Both PepsiCo Inc., the world's second-biggest soft-drink maker, and No.1 Coca-Cola Co., adopted guidelines to stop selling sugary drinks in U.S. schools in 2006.
The World Heart Federation has been negotiating with soft-drink makers to have them remove sugary beverages from schools for the past year as it looks to fight a rise in childhood obesity, which can lead to diabetes, heart problems and other ailments.
PepsiCo's move is what the group had been seeking because it affects students through age 18, said Pekka Puska, president of the group, a federation of heart associations from around the world. He said he hopes other companies feel pressured to make similar moves.
"It may be not so well- known in the U.S. how intensive the marketing of soft drinks is in so many countries," Puska said in an interview from Finland. He added that developing countries such as Mexico are particularly affected by this strong marketing.
Comment: The good news - sugar laden soft drinks are out. The bad news - aspartame, phosphoric acid, and caffeine are still in. This move only serves to engender a false sense of what is actually healthy and, in the case of aspartame, does not contribute to reduction of obesity. Neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock M.D states:
"With the public concern over childhood obesity and diabetes few are being told of the overwhelming evidence that early exposure to excitotoxins as found in aspartame consistently produce gross obesity and insulin resistant diabetes, just as we are seeing in our youth. The promoters of aspartame use have been lying from the beginning and continue to use their money and political clout to cover up the real and present dangers of this toxic product."And obesity is the least of it. See Two New Studies on Aspartame and Diet Drinks Confirm Source of Obesity, Cancer/ Malignant Brain Tumor Epidemics. Neurosurgeon Says Ban Toxin from Schools! for the whole alarming truth!
© Richard Cannon/The Times
Vitamin D could cut the risk of flu infection in children by half.
Vitamin D could cut the risk of flu infection in children by half.
The risk of children suffering from flu can be halved if they take vitamin D, doctors in Japan have found. The finding has implications for flu epidemics since vitamin D, which is naturally produced by the human body when exposed to direct sunlight, has no significant side effects, costs little and can be several times more effective than anti-viral drugs or vaccine.
Only one in ten children, aged six to 15 years, taking the sunshine vitamin in a clinical trial came down with flu compared with one in five given a dummy tablet. Mitsuyoshi Urashima, the Japanese doctor who led the trial, told The Times that vitamin D was more effective than vaccines in preventing flu.
Vitamin D was found to be even more effective when the comparison left out children who were already given extra vitamin D by their parents, outside the trial. Taking the sunshine vitamin was then shown to reduce the risk of flu to a third of what it would otherwise be.
A report published in the International Journal of Microbiology has verified once again that Monsanto's genetically modified (GM) crops are causing severe health problems. A legal challenge issued against Monsanto forced the multi-national agriculture giant to release raw data revealing that animals fed its patented GM corn suffered liver and kidney damage within just three months.
Adding to the mounting evidence that GM crops are dangerous all around, this information provides a damning indictment against Monsanto which continually insists that its GM products are safe. Not only are GM crops proving disastrous for the environment, but study after study, including those conducted by Monsanto itself, is showing that GM foods are detrimental to health.
Monsanto's data indicated that the company had conducted tests on three varieties of its GM corn, two of which contain the dangerous Bt protein, and one designed specifically to resist Monsanto's Roundup herbicide. All three are widely grown in the United States while only one is currently grown in Europe.
Adding to the mounting evidence that GM crops are dangerous all around, this information provides a damning indictment against Monsanto which continually insists that its GM products are safe. Not only are GM crops proving disastrous for the environment, but study after study, including those conducted by Monsanto itself, is showing that GM foods are detrimental to health.
Monsanto's data indicated that the company had conducted tests on three varieties of its GM corn, two of which contain the dangerous Bt protein, and one designed specifically to resist Monsanto's Roundup herbicide. All three are widely grown in the United States while only one is currently grown in Europe.
Fluoride chemicals added to public water supplies, boosts lead absorption in lab animals' bones, teeth and blood, report Sawan, et al. (Toxicology 2/2010). Earlier studies already show children's blood-lead-levels are higher in fluoridated communities, reports Sawan's research team.
"...exposure to increased amounts of lead and fluoride occurs at about the same age (1-3 years)... Therefore, this is a critical time when systemic exposure to fluoride should be minimized since fluoride may increase lead accumulation," the researchers caution.
Low-level lead exposure is associated with lower IQ, ADHD and many health and behavior ailments.
Fluosilicic acid (fluoride) is added to water supplies ostensibly to reduce tooth decay.
Sawan's team put fluosilicic acid, with and without lead, into lab animals' drinking water. They found more lead in tooth enamel, surface bone, whole bone, and tooth dentine in rats co-exposed to fluoride and lead.
"...exposure to increased amounts of lead and fluoride occurs at about the same age (1-3 years)... Therefore, this is a critical time when systemic exposure to fluoride should be minimized since fluoride may increase lead accumulation," the researchers caution.
Low-level lead exposure is associated with lower IQ, ADHD and many health and behavior ailments.
Fluosilicic acid (fluoride) is added to water supplies ostensibly to reduce tooth decay.
Sawan's team put fluosilicic acid, with and without lead, into lab animals' drinking water. They found more lead in tooth enamel, surface bone, whole bone, and tooth dentine in rats co-exposed to fluoride and lead.
© Stelios Lazakis
Outside a cathedral in Moldova, wedding guests walk by a panhandler. According to Richard Wilkinson's research, inequality within a society erodes mental, physical, and community health.
Outside a cathedral in Moldova, wedding guests walk by a panhandler. According to Richard Wilkinson's research, inequality within a society erodes mental, physical, and community health.
We live in a world of deep inequality, and the gap between the rich and the poor is widening. We in the rich world generally agree that this is a problem we ought to help fix - but that the real beneficiaries will be the billions of people living in poverty. After all, inequality has little impact on the lives of those who find themselves on top of the pile. Right?
Not exactly, says British epidemiologist Richard Wilkinson.
For decades, Wilkinson has studied why some societies are healthier than others. He found that what the healthiest societies have in common is not that they have more - more income, more education, or more wealth - but that what they have is more equitably shared.
In fact, it turns out that not only disease, but a whole host of social problems ranging from mental illness to drug use are worse in unequal societies. In his latest book, The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better, co-written with Kate Pickett, Wilkinson details the pernicious effects that inequality has on societies: eroding trust, increasing anxiety and illness, encouraging excessive consumption.
© Dreamstime
Babies move in time to music even before they learn to speak, new research shows.
Babies move in time to music even before they learn to speak, new research shows.
The research showed babies respond to the rhythm and tempo of music, and find it more engaging than speech.
The findings, based on a study of 120 infants between 5 months and 2 years old, suggest that humans may be born with a predisposition to move rhythmically in response to music.
"Our research suggests that it is the beat rather than other features of the music, such as the melody, that produces the response in infants," said researcher Marcel Zentner, a psychologist at the University of York in England. "We also found that the better the children were able to synchronize their movements with the music, the more they smiled."
Scientists showed, for the first time using neuro-imaging, that supplementation with DHA alters the functional activity in cortical attention networks in humans.
The study follows hot on the heels of backing from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for DHA-related brain and eye health claims for infants. EFSA's Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) said DHA levels of 100 mg of per day were appropriate for 7-24 month-old infants, along with 200 mg per day for pregnant and lactating women.
Additionally, supplements of omega-3 fats, vitamins and minerals for prisoners may reduce the number of violent and aggressive episodes, according to another recent study.
Nutritional supplements containing vitamins, minerals, omega-3 and omega-6 fats were associated with a 34 percent reduction in violent incidents, according to findings of a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial with over 200 young adult offenders.
Meanwhile, there was a 14 percent increase in the number of reported violent incidents in participants in a placebo group.
Sources:
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition February 3, 2010 [Epub ahead of print]
Aggressive Behavior March 2010; 36(2):117-26
Comment: Let's look at the statistical information presented in this article:
At a cost of $100 billion for cancer research and $90 billion for care, there has been a whooping 16 percent drop in death rates over 40 years, and this is primarily due to anti-smoking campaigns, early disease detection and new drugs.
About 30 to 35 percent of all cancers can be attributed to nutrition, lack of physical activity and obesity.
$190 billion and very little to show for it! In fact, who doesn't know of someone who has been diagnosed or died from cancer including immediate family members? It's an epidemic of monumental proportions! It's clear that the FDA, the AMA, and the pharmaceutical industry are not only NOT conquering this disease, they are actively working to block and conceal any and all real viable treatments and preventatives. One merely has to peruse the Health and Wellness archives on this site for ample evidence of this. Meantime, the average American and the entire country is being brought to the edge of bankruptcy by an evil conglomerate of psychopathic oligarchs who mandate how sickcare is run in this country!