YOUR HEALTH
Latest Health News:
DRINK MORE WATER TO AVOID FAT & DEATH!!!
Babies start with their water content at 80%,
but by the time we hit the best age of life,
which begins at 60, the proportion of water
in our bodies, is not much more than 50%.
This is part of the natural aging process,
but means the elderly have lower water reserves.
And there's a much more awkward complication:
even when dehydrated, elderly people feel no
desire to drink water, because their internal
balancing mechanism doesn't work very well.
The bad news is that - even if an elderly person
is healthy - a lack of water degrades the body's
chemical reactions & functions, often leading to
urinary infections & is the biggest single cause
of both mental and physical problems in the old.
Dehydration causes more cases of mental confusion
among the old than Alzheimer's disease, and kills
many more elderly people than is commonly known!
What makes it worse, is that, often, the elderly
in "homes" are only allowed ONE or TWO cups of
tea to drink for the entire day. This, coupled
with the increased bodily stress of having to
process medications, is a real killer.
The good news, is that increasing your liquid
intake.... greatly helps in losing weight!!!
FIND OUT THE BEST WAYS TO TAKE LIQUIDS HERE:
http://www.wikihow.com/Drink-More-Water-Every-Day
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Decreased salt consumption may lead to iodine deficiency: report
Reducing salt consumption could lead to iodine
deficiencies, particularly among pregnant women
and infants, thyroid experts say.
Cutting salt consumption may be good for the
heart, but it could lead to lower levels of
iodine, the American Thyroid Association says,
in a report published in the June issue of
the New England Journal of Medicine.
"Iodized salt is an important source of dietary
iodine in the US & worldwide. Iodine, essential
for the synthesis of thyroid hormones, is
obtained solely through diet," the report notes.
Iodine is essential for proper synthesis of
thyroid hormones, which are critical to normal
infant brain development & prevent neuro-
developmental and neuro-behavioral problems.
Iodine helps prevent thyroid conditions such as
goiter and neonatal iodine deficiency.
While agreeing with reduced salt consumption to
improve heart health, the ATA recommends that
all producers of commercially prepared foods -
accountable for 70% of all salt eaten in the US -
use iodized salt from now on.
"Any decrease in salt intake should not cause a
reduction in dietary iodine intake," the report
says. The ATA recommends that women take 150
micrograms of iodine supplements daily, during
pregnancy & breast-feeding & that all prenatal
vitamin/mineral preparations contain 150 micrograms of iodine.
ASSEMBLY-LINE MEDICINE
Putting profits before people damages human health,
increasing the need for medical services.
Escalating medical costs are compounded in
nations with for-profit medical systems.
Unable to reduce the damage they do without
cutting into profits and unwilling to pay more
than necessary for medical care, the capitalist
class has chosen to cut medical costs using
the same methods they use in industry.
Modern factory methods were shaped in the 19th century
by Frederick Winslow Taylor who developed a method to
transfer control of the labor process to the capitalist class.
Taylor’s first principle is to de-skill the labor process.
Managers gather all the traditional knowledge
possessed by the workers and reduce it
to simple rules and formulas.
Time-and-motion studies are one way to do this.
Management can then re-design the work for maximum productivity.
Taylor’s second principle is to separate thought from action.
All possible brain work is removed from the shop floor
to the planning department. Those who make all
the decisions do none of the actual work.
Those who do all of the work make none of
the decisions; they are reduced to “hands.”
Taylor’s third principle is for management
to control every step of the labor process.
Each worker is given detailed instructions
describing the tasks to be accomplished,
the method to be used and the time allotted.
The worker is reduced to an animated tool of
management, a general purpose machine,
adaptable to a large range of simple tasks.
Because they proved so effective for cutting
costs and subordinating the work force, Taylor’s
methods spread to other sectors of the economy,
including food service, education and medicine.
Hospital Factories
Modern hospitals function like factories, where
different departments attend to different parts
of the body in assembly-line fashion, moving
patients through the system within
predetermined time limits.
In 1985, a team of specialists at Harvard University
developed the Resources-Based Relative Value Schedule
(RBRVS), which applies industrial time-and-
motion studies to the practice of medicine.
The RBRVS ranks and rates physician services
according to the time, mental effort, physical
effort & stress required to perform those services.
The RBRVS has become the primary method for
determining physician payments. However,
it can be used for much more than that.
Dissecting medical work into its component parts
and pricing those parts makes it possible to
apply the same de-skilling, dehumanizing methods
that are so profitable in industry.
Under “managed care,” physicians who were trained
to use skill and judgement to diagnose and treat
patients are provided with detailed manuals
listing the services to provide for each
condition they encounter. Management can also
hire cheaper workers to perform the less-skilled
portions of medical tasks. Wherever possible,
physicians are being replaced with nurse
practitioners; registered nurses with practical
nurses; practical nurses with orderlies;
orderlies with clerks, and so on.
The Impact on Health Workers
Today’s medical institutions are dominated by
managers obsessed with budgets, “cost-efficiency”
and “cost-containment.” In contrast, the priority
for health workers is providing patient care.
The result is class conflict, as workers battle
managers bent on making them do more for less
at the expense of their health and the health
of their patients. In the following comments,
nurses in the US, Canada and Northern Ireland
describe their experiences.
Eileen Prendiville works as a registered nurse
in a San Francisco hospital:
With managed care, registered nurses were laid
off by the thousands and replaced by unlicensed
personnel and licensed practical nurses with
less training. The registered nurses who remained
were overworked and overstressed, and they left
the profession in droves, creating an
industry-wide shortage of RNs.
The California Nurses Association fought for
passage of the first Nurse-to-Patient-Ratio law
in California to prevent more nurses from being
laid off and to protect patients. Studies showed
that patients in hospitals with more RNs had
fewer hospital-acquired infections and
better overall outcomes.
Despite legal challenges by the hospital industry
to prevent enactment of the law, it passed, and
many registered nurses returned to acute care.
To keep costs down, hospitals cut ancillary
staff such as unit clerks and practical nurses,
making RNs do more non-nursing tasks.
As the economic downturn progressed from late
2008 to 2009 and the newly-unemployed lost
their health insurance, my hospital froze
our wages and imposed a hiring freeze.
Each department was required to cut its
budget by at least 10 percent.
Our full-time functional attendant who stocked
our unit, ordered supplies and kept track of
special equipment was laid off. Nurses, unit
clerks and central service staff are now
expected to pick up her duties. Lactation
consultants were let go, and medical translators
were laid off but asked to stay on a per-diem
basis (without benefits). Vacated nursing
positions were left unfilled for months,
while the patient load remained high.
There are reports of managers in non-union units
refusing to pay for missed meals & missed breaks
and illegally altering time-cards to avoid paying
overtime. All this to stay within their budgets.
Non-union employees are afraid to speak up for
fear of losing their jobs. Unionized nurses
who uphold the mandated standard of patient care
are constantly harassed and disciplined for
ridiculous and petty things.
RNs and other health workers have organized
unions and umbrella organizations, like National
Nurses United, to step up the fight for patient
care. Members of the California Nurses
Association have also joined the San Francisco
Labor Council to advance our common interests.
Aisha Jahangir works as a registered nurse
in an Ontario hospital:
I’ve been nursing for about 12 years now.
When I first started, I was given the opportunity
to care for the WHOLE patient. Nurse-patient
ratios were a lot lower then. Nurses didn’t have
as many patients to care for, so the nurse could
devote more time and thought to her care.
I had time to give my patients a nice back rub
and other evening care. How have times changed!
Now, the only reference to evening care is about
giving medications. Forget about back rubs.
You won’t even find lotions to give one, let
alone have the time. My day is spent delivering
meds and making sure patients are discharged
before 11am, so housekeeping can turn the rooms
around quickly enough to fill them with new admissions.
I am expected to please the manager and save the
hospital money more than I am expected to make
sure that my patients get quality care. I often
stay late to document what I have done, because
there is no time allotted in my shift for that.
I wish that I could bring back all that we have lost.
When I first started, the maternity ward was
divided into labor and delivery, postpartum,
and the nursery. On the postpartum unit, you
would normally have four sets of moms and babes
to care for and a maximum of five or six.
This gave nurses time to teach newborn care
and provide breast-feeding support. All in all,
the nurses felt that the work was manageable,
and both patients and nurses were satisfied.
Then the hospital decided to turn the maternity
ward into a labour-delivery-recovery-postpartum
(LDRP) unit where each laboring nurse would be
with one patient from admission to discharge.
A lot of money was spent to cross-train the
staff to work in all areas of labor and delivery,
postpartum and the special-care nursery.
It sounded good, but it didn’t work out.
Not enough rooms were built to accommodate all
the moms, so we had to move patients through the
system more quickly. There was resistance from
staff who were expected to be skilled in all
three areas, and we were often short on laboring
nurses. This meant that once a laboring nurse
had delivered her patient, she had to move
quickly to the next laboring mom and never saw
her patients through the whole process.
Our manager has cut back on supplies to save
money, and we no longer provide much to patients.
Patients are instructed to bring a lot of things
with them from home (especially pillows) because
we often don’t even have one pillow per room.
We provide only a few diapers, and it is getting
tighter and tighter. Just recently the manager
stopped ordering drinking straws. The manager
often stalls on replacing sick nurses, leaving us
short. The end result is overworked, stressed-
out nurses and patients not getting the care they deserve.
Patricia Campbell works as a registered community
psychiatric nurse in Belfast, Northern Ireland:
Our National Health Service has changed
significantly since its inception. Privatisation
took hold during the Thatcher years, and Labour
continued Thatcher’s policies, dismantling a
health service that was once the envy of the
world. While all NHS patients have health care
in principle, the waiting lists for essential
procedures and life-saving operations are
increasing. As a result, many people are forced
to go private.
In Northern Ireland, mental health services
are grossly underfunded. Young people requiring
specialist treatment for eating disorders and
personality disorders must go to England for
treatment. They are effectively exiled from
their own country, far away from their families
and friends. So health care is not really
available for all.
As the cuts bite deeper, frontline health workers
are expected to do more for less. Well-paid
bureaucrats have started at the bottom of the
pay-scale, attacking the most vulnerable,
lowest-paid workers first.
Administrative staff have already lost their
jobs, and nurses and social workers are now
expected to record meetings, answer phones,
file notes, type, order supplies and deal
with enquiries from the public. These duties
are added on to our already extremely busy work schedule.
Meanwhile, flash-frozen meals that are prepared
offsite (like the meals served on aeroplanes)
are replacing freshly-cooked meals that were
previously prepared for patients in the kitchens.
Not only are patients losing out in terms of
nutrition, cook-staff are being downgraded to
food servers. Cooking skills are no longer
required. The work force is being reduced,
and essential skills that benefit patients
are being lost to benefit private companies.
We don’t have a strong union leadership here in
Northern Ireland, and this is reflected in the
way our health service is being run down.
We are building a new union for health workers,
because the existing unions are more interested
in developing a relationship with management
than in protecting the rights of patients
and health workers.
Expanding the Class Struggle
Hospitals that are run like factories
are unsafe for workers and patients.
Every year, an estimated 98,000 Americans
die from preventable medical errors and
another 99,000 patients die from hospital-
acquired infections, most of which are also
preventable. In total, the death toll from
preventable medical injuries and infections
in the US is close to 200,000 people per year,
more than motor vehicle accidents, poisoning,
firearms and falls combined.
The key to prevention is high staff-to-patient
ratios, so that health workers have enough time
to tend to patients, to ensure that everything
is done correctly, and to provide sanitary
facilities and nutritious food.
Staff-to-patient ratios promote quality care.
But capitalism is not about quality care.
Its priority is to make profit and control the
subsequent damage in the cheapest way possible.
The hospital industry opposes staff-to-patient
ratios because they interfere with the ability
of managers to cut costs and, in the private
sector, to raise profits.
By expanding Taylorism to the service sector,
capitalism has expanded the class struggle.
Modern class conflict, born in the factories
of the industrial revolution, has now spread
to every fast-food outlet, school and hospital.
Opportunities have never been better to build
a unified movement of the working-class that
can put human neeed ahead of corporate greed.
This report was compiled by Susan Rosenthal,
a Toronto-area physician & the editor of PEOPLE FIRST!
To subscribe to PEOPLE FIRST! or to join IHWPOP
visit:
www.healthworkersinternational.org
USA: Diabetes Medicine "Responsible for More Than 83,000 Deaths"
In Wales, many people suffer from diabetes, so the
news from US criminal prosecutors that Avandia,
often prescribed to patients with diabetes, may
have caused millions of heart attacks around the
world, might prompt them to ask why their own
government is refusing to act...
A 334-page report was submitted by the US Senate
on Saturday. According to the US authorities,
GlaxoSmith-Kline knew the risks to which
patients were exposed, but kept them hidden.
"GSK executives tried to intimidate independent
researchers, using strategies to minimize or
hide the findings that Avandia could increase
cardiovascular risks and hid studies that were
developing competing drugs with reduced risk,"
says the report.
"Americans have a right to know that there are
serious health risks associated with Avandia
and GlaxoSmithKline had a responsibility to
tell them," says Democrat Max Baucus, US Senator
and chair of the committee that conducted the study.
"Patients rely on pharmaceutical companies for
health and life, and GSK had abused that trust,"
he adds. The report is also signed by Sen. Chuck
Grasseley, leader of Republicans on the committee
that wants to withdraw the drug from the market.
The drugmaker denies all charges. "No study
shows a statistically relevant correlation
between Avandia and ischemic heart disease
[disease that leads to narrowing of the coronary
arteries] or myocardial infarction," states the
company spokesperson, Nancy Pekarek, to CNN.
"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
revised the information and concluded that
the drug should be in the market."
The FDA is also criticized in the report for
ignoring safety concerns related to Avandia.
"There is strong evidence that rosiglitazone
[Avandia's active ingredient] increases the risk
of heart attack compared with pioglitazone
[in a medicinal product competition]."
"If GSK had held the cardiovascular risks of
Avandia in earnest when the issue was first
raised in 1999, many deaths could have been
avoided," concludes the report.
"The New England Journal of Medicine" and the
"Journal of the American Medical Association”
have both questioned the safety of the drug.
Estimates of scientists from the FDA in July 2007
indicate that the drug was related to 83,000
heart attacks. And the Senate goes further with
the charges: "The FDA has been very comfortable
with the drug and has been regularly handled by
companies with economic interests to undervalue
or not to investigate potential security risks."
In Europe, where Avandia is also for sale, the
Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products
for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency,
says it ensures strict monitoring of rosiglitazone
and it is "not expected" that the drug will be withdrawn.
Over to you !!!
Thinking of loved ones helps reduce pain: study
Just the thought of loved ones
can help reduce pain, a new study suggests.
It underscores the importance of social relationships
and staying socially connected, according to the study
conducted by researchers at UCLA.
The researchers asked 25 women whether
simply looking at a photograph
of their loved ones could reduce pain.
The participants had boyfriends with whom
they had been in a good relationship
for more than six months.
The women received moderately painful heat stimuli
to their forearms while they went through
a number of different conditions.
In one set of conditions,
they viewed photographs
of their boyfriend,
a stranger and a chair.
"When the women were just looking at pictures of their partner,
they actually reported less pain to the heat stimuli
than when they were looking at pictures of an object
or pictures of a stranger," says study co-author
Naomi Eisenberger, assistant professor of psychology
and director of UCLA's Social & Affective Neuroscience Laboratory.
"Thus, the mere reminder of one's partner
through a simple photograph
was capable of reducing pain."
In another set of conditions, each woman
held the hand of her boyfriend,
the hand of a male stranger
or a squeeze ball.
The study found that when women
were holding their boyfriends' hands,
they reported less physical pain than
when they were holding a stranger's hand
or a ball while receiving the same amount of heat stimulation.
"This changes our notion of how social support
influences people," Eisenberger says.
"Typically, we think that in order for social
support to make us feel good, it has to be the
kind of support that is very responsive to our
emotional needs. Here, however, we are seeing
that just a photo of one's significant other
can have the same effect."
"This study demonstrates how much of an impact
our social ties can have on our experience
and fits with other work emphasizing
the importance of social support
for physical and mental health," Eisenberger adds.
The researchers advise that the next time people
are going through a stressful or painful experience,
if they cannot bring a loved one with them,
a photograph may do!
The study appears in the November 2009 issue
of the journal Psychological Science.
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DON'T VACCINATE CHILDREN UNDER 12 WITH TAMIFLU
Antiviral drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza
shouldn't be given to children under 12,
researchers at Oxford say now.
They are calling on the Department of Health
to immediately reassess its pandemic flu policy
after finding that side-effects from medicines
such as Tamiflu can outweigh any benefit.
The research, by Dr Matthew Thompson, a clinical
scientist and Oxford GP, and Dr Carl Heneghan,
from the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford,
finds that in some children, Tamiflu causes vomiting,
which can lead to dehydration and complications.
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CHINESE HERBAL CURE WELCOMED...
The "Jin Hua" herbal prescription is being adopted
in local traditional Chinese medicine hospitals.
Dr. Cris Tunon, senior program management officer
at the WHO Representative Office in China, says
the "WHO welcomes the clinical results," as
traditional Chinese medicine offers an effective
(and safer) low-cost treatment of A/H1N1 flu.
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INFECTED HOSPITALS? - 'PHONE FIRST.
For the latest news on hospital infection problems...
please use the 'phone number below.
NHS Direct Wales on 0845 4647.
GP out-of-hours telephone contact details
are available via answerphone messages at surgeries.
Avoid overstretching NHS hospitals, please,
by using GP surgeries' services;
"People face a long wait if they turn up in A&E
with a minor ailment. It is much better if they
use the GP out-of-hours service."
* * *
ADD/ADHD: Mental Illness or Social Oppression?
by Mikkel Marini - Denmark
In the spring of 2004, I was diagnosed with
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD).
I was 28 years old.
As a teenager, I suffered from deep depression,
agitation, difficulty sleeping, racing thoughts,
mental confusion, lack of focus and fatigue.
I was the school clown and neglected my homework.
The first two years after being diagnosed I
embraced the diagnose in the belief that I had a
malfunction in my brain. If anybody told me that
ADD did not exist, or resulted from stress or
any other environmental influence, I would say
they were crazy and didn’t knew what they were
talking about. I knew better!
I was caught in the net of the medical system.
I was prescribed antidepressants (Efexor) and
stimulants (Ritalin/Concerta). Efexor took away
my depression, but made me very tired,
so I took the Ritalin to wake up.
Sharing sickness
In 2005 I started the first ADD/ADHD community in
Denmark, based on the criteria listed in the DSM
(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders published by the American Psychiatric
Association). We helped each other, socialized
and had parties. We were a group of people with
low self esteem who needed something to share,
and so we shared our sickness – we convinced
each other that we had abnormal brains.
When a friend managed to stop his medicine with
good results, I decided to follow him and
stopped taking Efexor in the autumn of 2008.
I fell directly into depression. I planned to
start school the following January, so I phoned
my friend and asked for help. That phone call
changed my life
We did not talk about ADD/ADHD symptoms or how to
cope with them. He made me realize how much I
lived in the future and the past, and he taught
me how important the present is, the here-and-now.
I began to train myself to pay more attention to
the present. When exercising, I focused on how
my muscles worked. I focused on how water in the
bathroom touched my skin. I focused on my breathing.
I had no idea if this form of meditation would
work for me, but it did! My racing thoughts,
inner chaos and even my insomnia disappeared.
My mood became brighter and my thinking clearer.
My impulsivity and inner hyperactivity
were replaced by calmness.
I had been told that those symptoms were a part
of ADD/ADHD, because my brain was “broken.”
How could a biological disorder/malfunction
“disappear” so quickly?
Too much stress
I still had problems with attention, so I looked
at how much stress was in my life. I wrote a
list of all my responsibilities, including the
care of my children, and I realized that no one
could cope with such a long list. So I reduced
my activities, and my memory improved.
I thought about my low self-esteem
and my difficulty with relationships.
My parents, who divorced when I was one year old,
were always fighting each other, over me and
through me. I had to defend my mother when my
father and stepmother attacked my mother through
me, and I had to defend my father when my mother
attacked him the same way. I blamed myself for
not being able to solve these problems.
I lived with chaos, so it was not surprising
that chaos filled my head.
My point is that I was severely stressed from
a very young age, and that stress lead to
hyperactivity and all the other problems
associated with ADD/ADHD. My family situation was
too chaotic for me to learn “normal” behaviors
and develop healthy relationships.
There was no space for that!
I was a victim of lies and ignorance.
I believed that the problem was me
and not the world around me.
It makes me angry that psychiatry denies the
social origins of ADD/ADHD and similar problems.
How many other people are convinced that their
brains don’t work right, when they are actually
suffering from oppression?
Today I’m off medication, and I never felt better!
Mikkel Marini has three children,
is studying to become a healthcare assistant
in Denmark and manages an ADD/ADHD web site.
The article above is from:
International Health Workers for People Over Profit
You can access them at:
www.healthworkersinternational.org
DON'T TOUCH !!!
A system of "presumed consent" for organ
donations is STILL being sought by Health Minister
Edwina Hart. She insists it remains under
"active consideration". No ! No ! No !
There is a world-wide shortage of body parts...
Stories of body-snatchers and dark evil are
based on fact - this could be a step towards
legally opening up corpses for abuse . . .
Would you trust some strangers judgement,
or prefer to stick with present safe-guards ?
THEN TELL DEAR EDWINA - QUICKLY !*!
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Three men who plundered corpses to sell the
sometimes diseased body parts are sentenced
to prison for what victims say is a gruesome,
greedy scheme that violates basic principles
of trust and human decency.
In New Jersey a federal judge rules against
the patients who sued after receiving the body parts,
saying they had "failed to establish grounds to sue."
Michael Mastromarino, is sentenced to 25 to 58 years.
Brothers Louis and Gerald Garzone, who provided
bodies from two funeral homes and a crematorium
they ran in Philadelphia, will serve eight to 20 years.
Mastromarino previously was sentenced to 18 to 54 years
for doing the same in New York, where the bodies
plundered include that of Alistair Cooke.
Mastromarino's two sentences will run concurrently.
The body parts were sold and used in about 10,000
surgical procedures performed by "unsuspecting" doctors.
Mastromarino paid for at least 244 corpses that
were cut up without families' permission and
without medical tests, prosecutors say.
Skin, bones, tendons and other parts - some of them diseased
- were then sold around the country for dental implants,
knee and hip replacements and other procedures.
The three defendants, who pleaded guilty to
abusing corpses and theft, apologised in court.
"Words cannot express how sorry I am,"
Mastromarino says to the court. He calls his crimes
"nothing less than disgusting and embarrassing,"
and then breaks down and cries, his face in his hands.
***********************************************
Palestinians are asking why their relatives who
die in captivity are often missing body parts.
The Israelis are reacting with fury... yet,
Israel National News reported several years ago:
"Over the past years, heads of the institute
appear to have given thousands of organs for
research without permission, while maintaining
a ’storehouse’ of organs at Abu Kabir."
Hiss, the director, did not deny the plunder of
organs, admitting that the body parts belonged
to soldiers killed in action and had been passed
to medical institutes and hospitals in the
interests of advancing research.
Hiss was allowed to continue as director of Abu
Kabir until 2005 when allegations of a trade in
organs surfaced again. On this occasion Hiss
admitted to having removed parts from 125 bodies
without authorization. Following a plea bargain
with the state, the attorney general decided not
to press criminal charges and Hiss was given
a reprimand! He is still chief pathologist at Abu Kabir.
Palestinian families are unlikely to be satisfied
with Hiss’ explanation then, or now.
If the wishes of Israeli soldiers’ families
were disregarded by Hiss, why should they believe
he cares about Palestinian families’ wishes now?
Couldn't happen here.... could it !
*******************************************
LATELY...
Older folk are being told to spend more time outdoors
to increase their levels of vitamin D.
Lorna Layward from Age Concern and Help The Aged:
"We have always advocated that older people
get out into the sunshine for a bit each day
if they can. A bit of sun is good for you.
"We hear a lot about sun exposure and the risk of cancer,
but older people tend to be at the other end of the spectrum.
They do not get enough sun and tend to cover up and wear more clothing."
Ed Yong of Cancer Research UK:
"The amount of sunlight it takes to make enough vitamin D
is always less than the amounts that cause reddening or burning,
so it should be possible to get the benefits of this vitamin
without increasing the risk of skin cancer.
"Elderly people can also boost their vitamin D levels
by eating foods like oily fish, or by using
vitamin D supplements on the advice of their GP."
Scientists at Cardiff University
have tested cod liver oil...
"Scientists at Cardiff University, Wales,
have confirmed what thousands of people
with arthritis have believed for years:
cod liver oil is effective in treating joint pain
and can slow, or reverse destruction of joint cartilage."
Head researcher, Professor Bruce Caterson:
"Our most recent work shows that by exposing
human osteoarthritic cartilage to cod liver oil
in the laboratory for just 24 hours we can turn
off, or reverse, the action of the derogative
enzymes and inflammatory factors affecting the tissue."
What he's saying in plain English is:
Cod liver oil transforms joint tissue overnight!
Cod liver oil is packed with omega-3 fatty acids;
that means cod liver oil can not only reverse arthritis,
but also normalize cholesterol, lower blood pressure,
keep your arteries open and a whole lot more !
What makes cod liver oil so special?
It's loaded with natural Vitamin D.
NEW STUDY:
The Vitamin D in cod liver oil keeps your immune system from
attacking your joints...
...and people in this study who got the most Vitamin D
had the lowest risk of arthritis!
So maybe now you'll actually try cod liver oil
for your arthritis?
+ + +
VITAMIN D BOOSTS MIDDLE-AGED MEN'S BRAINS
A new study says increased levels of vitimin D
- found in certain foods such as oily fish -
are linked to higher cognitive powers for middle-aged men.
A report of the British study, which appears in
the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry,
finds the link between increased vitamin D
and faster information processing "was more
significant in men aged over 60 years old,
although the biological reasons for this remain unclear."
Researchers found that men with higher levels of vitamin D
"performed consistently better in a simple and
sensitive neuropsychological test that assesses
an individual's attention and speed of information processing."
Resarchers "observed a significant, independent association
between a slower information processing speed
and lower levels of vitamin D," says lead author
David Lee at Manchester's School of Translational Medicine.
The study is based on a large population sample
and takes into account other possible factors,
such as depression, seasons and levels of physical activity.
Excellent sources of vitamin D are fatty fish
and 10 to 15 minutes daily exposure to sunlight.
! ! ! !
Eat more fish, remember?
You may be able to lessen the frequency of those
"why am I in this room?" moments,
simply by eating more fish.
And the more fish you eat,
the bigger the effect.
Investigators found that elderly men and women
who more frequently ate fish scored better on memory,
visual conception, spatial motor skills,
attention, orientation, and verbal fluency tests.
"All six cognitive tests were performed
better by those who ate fish,"
principal author Dr A. David Smith
of the University of Oxford said.
Furthermore, he added, the effect was stronger
as fish consumption increased up to
a limit of about 80 grams per day.
"We need to discover what components of fish are important.
Since we found that lean fish was as good as fatty fish,
it may not just be the omega-3 fatty acids
that confer cognitive benefit."
HEALTH IS WALES' BIGGEST INDUSTRY
More people work in the Health "industry" in Wales
than in any other industry, yet our universities
are mostly engaged in "defence" related research.
Why do workers find that their units are being closed,
"because there is no funding available",
when their managers KNOW that what that REALLY means,
is that top management have DECIDED that no funds
are going to be allocated? Find out SOME of the
answers, including a wonderful article by Susan
Rosenthal on Canada's health services, at the links below:
International Health Workers
Report on Canada's Health Service by Susan Rosenthal
SHINGLES CAN BE BEATEN - WITH FV-100
Scientists based at Cardiff University have
patented an anti-viral drug for shingles.
The university says research indicates that
their drug is up to 10,000 times more potent
than any present treatment.
Cardiff University's Professor Chris McGuigan,
who led the team which discovered the drug,
says it has the potential to be the most
powerful inhibitor ever discovered to treat shingles.
"Although FV-100 is early in its overall development plan,
the chances of it becoming an approved medicine improves
the further we successfully progress through each of the clinical stages.
"We are incredibly excited at the prospect of FV-100
becoming commercially available in the future,
and potentially being the first drug discovered
in Cardiff University to make it to the marketplace."
The drug was discovered by teams at the Welsh
School of Pharmacy and the Rega Institute in Belgium.
It is being further developed with a US-based
biopharmaceutical company, Inhibitex,
in the latest trials, due to end next year.
One in five people in Europe, the US and Japan
are affected by shingles in their lifetime.
After chickenpox, the virus remains in the body,
dormant, in parts of the nervous system.
Years later, the virus can travel to the skin,
where it causes that red raw painful rash.
GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY IS EASY - WITH YOGA !
83-year-old Yoga instructor, Bette Calman,
performs Yoga moves in Melbourne.
Bette moved to Melbourne to retire 8 years ago,
only to find herself back in action again
after her daughter Susie, who is also a Yoga instructor,
was pestering for fill-in teachers.
Despite her senior age, Bette is still practicing
and teaching Yoga, teaching up to 11 classes a week.
Bette has been practicing Yoga for over 40 years,
and has no intention of stopping.
***********************************
AND IF YOU CAN'T MANAGE THE HARDER YOGA POSES...
Say "hello" to Anusara yoga, an increasingly popular style
that teaches practitioners to develop confidence
by opening the heart physically and spiritually:
"It is one of the most therapeutically effective
and physically transformative styles of Hatha Yoga
which combines outer and inner body alignment
while honoring each student's ability,"
says US's Benjamin Finnerty, a certified Anusara instructor.
"The heart is the centre of our being and the body
is a physical manifestation of our emotions.
When doing heart-opening poses, one may
experience an emotional release."
Anusara is a Sanskrit word meaning "flowing with grace,"
"flowing with nature" and "following your heart."
Founded in 1997 by John Friend, who believed that
human beings realize their true potential when
they are open to the divine energy of the universe,
this yoga aims to celebrate the essence of life, spirit and heart.
Weila Wu, owner and yoga instructor of Yoga Space:
"It's powerful. It triggers a thought process in the student
and thus encourages the student to think more deeply.
In fact, it is not just about the physical poses
but engages and integrates the mind, the body and the breath."
The benefits of Anusara yoga include building strength,
balance and flexibility, learning body and breathing awareness,
helping release emotional blockages and developing muscular stability.
For those who want to learn Anusara yoga,
a two-month training course is now available at Yoga Space.
A file photo of Georgia Davis from Aberdare,
who weighed 231 kg when she was 15.
The 16-year old girl, labelled Britain's fattest teenager,
was warned by UK doctors that her weight could kill her.
So she enrolled at an academy in North Carolina
last September for seven months, and now weighs 84kg less.
As her picture below shows...
CUT BELLY FAT - EAT TART CHERRIES !
A new study finds that adding tart cherries to your diet
may reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.
Researchers at the University of Michigan
fed mice one of two diets: a high fat, moderate
carbohydrates diet (45% calories from fat, 40%
calories from carbohydrates) or a low fat, high
carbohydrates diet (10% calories from fat,
75% calories from carbohydrates).
Mice given added cherry powder to either diet
had an 11% reduction in cholesterol after three months.
The mice who had cherry powder had 54% body fat
compared to 63% body fat in the mice that
didn't have any cherry powder.
Most of the fat reduction was around the belly area of the mice.
The mice that ate cherry also had a 40% reduction
in the TNF-alpha inflammation marker and a
31% reduction in the IL-6 inflammation marker.
"the activity of the genes producing these two compounds
was reduced in the mice, suggesting that tart cherries
may reduce inflammation at a systemic level."
************************************************
WEST IS WORST
The typical western diet of red meat, fried foods,
dairy products and salty snacks is responsible for
30% of the world's heart attacks, Canadian scientists find.
After analyzing data from the dietary patterns
of 16,000 people in 52 countries. scientists at
Hamilton's McMaster University find the best diet
is one that includes eating a lot of fresh fruits
and vegetables, which is linked to a 30% decrease
in heart attack risk.
The diet is more effective at lowering heart attack risk
than many drugs currently on the market, study author
Dr. Salim Yusef tells reporters.
"What we've shown is if you eat a healthy diet
you can actually reduce the risk of heart attack
by about 30 to 40%. That is bigger than most drugs
we have for protecting against heart disease," Yusef says.
"It's even bigger than an angioplasty or bypass."
The healthy diet is more effective than the
traditional oriental diet that consists of tofu
and soy, which the authors found to have no
effect on heart attack risk.
In contrast, the Western diet is found to boost
heart attack risk by 35%.
Yusef says this pattern of a good diet or a bad diet
has the same effect in different parts of the world,
so whichever part of the world people are from,
they are encouraged to eat more fruits and
vegetables and less salty and fatty foods.
The findings are particularly important now that
the western diet has become more popular in
other regions of the world, Yusef says.
The findings are published in the journal "Circulation".
Financial crisis to "increase" mental illness
The global financial crisis is likely to cause
increased mental health problems and even suicides
as people struggle to cope with poverty and unemployment,
the World Health Organization warns.
Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are
already affected by mental problems such as
depression and bi-polar disorders and the current
market meltdown could exacerbate feelings of despair.
The UN agency says the impact could be especially
marked for those living in low and middle income
countries where access to treatment is often limited.
Poverty and its associated stresses including
violence, social exclusion and "constant insecurity"
are linked to the onset of mental disorders, Dr Chan says.
"It should not come as a surprise that we continue
to see more stresses, suicides and mental disorders."
Chan denounces the "abysmal lack of care" for
some mental health patients, especially in low
and middle income countries, home to three out of
four sufferers. Governments must make mental health
a vital part of primary health care, she says.
Benedetto Saraceno, director of WHO's mental health
and substance abuse department, says mental health disorders
affect one in four people at some point in their lives.
Mental and neurological disorders are often chronic
and disabling, he says. Nearly 1 million people
commit suicide worldwide every year, a large
proportion of them young adults.
Asked about the financial crisis, Saraceno says
"There is a clear evidence that suicide is linked
to financial disasters. I am not talking about
the millionaire jumping out of the window but
about poor people."
The global crisis could be expected to affect the
"stability of communities and families", says Saraceno.
The WHO launches a programme aimed at increasing funding
and services for the mentally ill over the next six years.
More than 75% of people suffering, receive no
treatment or care, and many are stigmatized and
subject to neglect and abuse.
Globally, the WHO says most countries spend less
than 2% of their national health budget on mental health.
FOR YOUR INTEREST
Cancer Update from John Hopkins
(This information is also being circulated
at Walter Reed Army Medical Centre.)
No plastic containers in microwave.
No water bottles in freezer.
No plastic wrap in microwave.
**********************************************
A dioxin chemical causes cancer,
especially breast cancer.
Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies.
Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them
as this releases dioxins from the plastic.
Recently, Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager
at Castle Hospital, was on a TV program to
explain this health hazard. He talked about
dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said
that we should not be heating our food in the
microwave using plastic containers...
This especially applies to foods that contain fat.
He said that the combination of fat, high heat,
and plastics releases dioxin into the food and
ultimately into the cells of the body...
Instead, he recommends using glass, such as
Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for
heating food... You get the same results, only
without the dioxin.
So such things as TV dinners, and soups, etc.,
should be removed from the container and heated
in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't
know what is in the paper. It's just safer to
use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc.
He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast
food restaurants moved away from foam containers
to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons...
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran,
is just as dangerous when placed over foods to
be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked,
the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually
melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.
Cover food with a paper towel instead.
This is an article that should be sent to
anyone important in your life!
ALSO -------------------------------------
Bottled water in your car is very dangerous.
This is how Sheryl Crow got breast cancer.
She was on the Ellen show and said this same
exact thing. This has been identified as the
most common cause of the high levels in breast
cancer, especially in Australia.
A friend whose mother was recently diagnosed with
breast cancer said the Doctor told her: women
should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car..
The doctor said that the heat and the plastic of
the bottle have certain chemicals that can lead
to breast cancer. So please be careful and do
not drink bottled water that has been left in a car,
and, pass this on to all the women in your life.
This information is the kind we need to know
and be aware of, and just might save us!
The heat causes toxins from the plastic to leak
into the water and they have found these toxins
in breast tissue. Use a stainless steel Canteen
or a glass bottle when you can!
CHEERS !!!
TOP TEN HEALTHY DRINKS
Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles
give this list of the healthiest drinks in the world.
1. Pomegranate juice. It contains calcium, phosphorus,
magnesium, iron and natrium and is highly beneficial
to the cardiovascular system. (This juice is NOT
recommended for those suffering with ulcers or acidity.)
2. Red wine. Known for its ability to prevent the
development of cancer. Many dietitians recommend
drinking approx. 30 grams of each day with food.
3. Grapefruit juice. Contains many group B vitamins,
which are very good for hair and nails, as well as
ascorbic acid, which fights microbes. In addition,
grapefruit juice allows us to keep a good memory,
fights breast cancer and maintains skin elasticity.
4. Blackberry juice. Blackberries are known for
their ability to enhance eyesight and fight diarrhea.
They also fight diabetes, prevent the development
of gum diseases and preserve the youthfulness
of the entire body.
5. Cherry juice. Contains vitamin A necessary for
healthy teeth and eyes; iron and vitamin C, which
fights infections and cuts the risk of developing
many types of cancer.
6. Acai juice. This fruit contains special herbal pigments
that moisturize skin and prevent its aging.
The fruit also has many fatty acids required for
the normal working of the brain and the nervous system.
7. Cranberry juice . Produces antipyretic action
and helps during the common cold. The juice also
relieves the body of toxins, produces a strong
diuretic action and helps retain potassium.
8. Orange juice. Increases the body's resistance
to flu, removes fatigue, activates brain functions
and strengthens blood vessels.
9. Tea. An invigorating beverage which fights
heart diseases and various infections.
10. Apple juice. Can be used to relieve atherosclerosis,
liver, urinary bladder and kidney diseases.
WHO WILL LIVE.... AND WHO WILL DIE.
A major United Nations report finds a huge difference
between the life expectancy of the children
of the rich and those of the poor.
Some countries are closing the gap - some are not.
The report, headed by Sir Michael Marmot, says
poverty has CUT UK life expectancy to 79 years.
In Japan, Australia, Sweden, Canada and Italy,
theirs has GROWN to an average of 83 years.
The report says the conditions children grow and live in,
are fundamental to their chances of good health.
The social injustice that leads to health inequality
the report argues, COULD be ended "within a generation".
The report says a "toxic combination of bad policies,
economics and politics is in large measure responsible...
Social injustice is killing on a grand scale."
The commission calls for action to stop
the injustices in social policy which
lead to shorter lives. It wants EVERY
government policy and programme to be assessed
for its impact on health.
People and governments should invest in high-quality
education, intervening in the earliest years,
from the womb to the age of eight.
Housing, transport, food and alcohol all play
their part. As does good available employment.
The health secretary, Alan Johnson, gives the
work of the commission his "strong support".
The Department of Health has a conference in
November to discuss the report's findings.
Did you know that meetings cause back problems...?
Many come out of meetings with a long yellow streak
running all the way down their back bones.
TEENAGE WOMEN FACE HUGE RISK FROM ALCOHOL
Drinking Alcohol may delay childbearing for women
but has little or no effect on men, according to a new study.
Researchers at the Washington University School
of Medicine analyzed data from two groups of
Australian twins born between 1893-1964 (3,634
female and 1,880 male twins) and between 1964-
1971 (3,381 female and 2,748 male twins).
The study compared women's and men's lifetime
history of alcohol dependence and their age
when they had their first child.
The results show that alcohol dependence can
cause reproductive dysfunctions for both teen
and adult females, the researchers say today.
The study is to be published in the November issue
of "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research".
The finding that alcohol dependence has more
reproduction-related impact on women than on men
may be because women reach higher blood alcohol
concentrations than men while consuming similar
amounts of alcohol, the researchers suggest.
"Reproductive dysfunctions include a range of
menstrual disorders, sexual dysfunctions, and
pregnancy complications that include spontaneous
abortion or miscarriage. Teenagers who drink tend
to have disruptions in their menstrual cycle as
well as unplanned pregnancies," says author Mary
Waldron, assistant professor of psychiatry at
Washington University School of Medicine.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study to
examine alcohol's effects on reproductive onset
across reproductive development," she says.
"Most previous research has examined risks to
teens or adults but not both. Our findings
highlight a risk associated with AD (alcohol
dependence) in women that is not widely recognized
- a risk that has assumed increasing importance
given the increased rates of alcohol misuse by
women and particularly young women," Waldron says.
"Young women who drink alcohol may want to consider
the longer-term consequences for later childbearing," Waldron warns.
"If drinking continues or increases to levels of
problem use, their ability and/or opportunity to
have children may be impaired."
BREAST IS BEST !
Mothers in the Philippine capital of Metro Manila
now have a bank to deposit and withdraw not money
but breast milk, according to local media.
The country's first community milk bank is open
to help sick newborn babies who are too weak to
suck breasts or mothers who can't immediately breastfeed.
Some 200 mothers donated at least five ounces of
breast milk at Guadalupe Nuevo Barangay Hall in
the capital at the bank's opening day. The breast
milk was collected using a manual breast pump
for at least 15 minutes per donor.
Medela, a supplier of post-natal care equipment,
donated 10 manual breast pumps worth 1,800 pesos
(40 U.S. dollars) each, local news network GMA News says.
According to the network, the milk collected from
each mother is stored in a sterilized container,
transferred to a cooler, and sent to a local hospital.
The hospital maintains a milk bank which has
pasteurizing equipment and three freezers that
can preserve the milk for up to six months.
Senator Pia S. Cayetano, who led the launch, says
the initiative aims to revive the dying practice of breastfeeding.
"The idea is to tell moms who are breastfeeding
to take it a step forward, to help other moms
who cannot immediately breastfeed."
Cayetano has drafted a bill to require the
establishment of human milk banks in hospitals
which provide maternity services. The bill has
passed its third and final reading in the Senate.
Study: Kids' popular fast foods dangerous
Letting kids eat at popular fast-food and chain
restaurants can be downright dangerous because
the servings are far too high in calories, says
a report by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest.
The centre, a U.S. consumer group, examined the
menus at 13 popular restaurants that promote children's meals.
It finds that in most chain restaurants, more
than 90% of the kid's menu meals included more
than the recommended 430 calories per meal.
"Nearly every single possible combination of the
children's meals at KFC, Taco Bell, Sonic, Jack
in the Box, and Chick-fil-A is too high in calories."
More than 90% of meals offered at hamburger
chains would fill virtually all of a child's
calorie needs for the day, CSPI says.
The findings showed that overall 45% of the meals
are too high in saturated (animal) and trans fat,
and 86% are too high in sodium.
CSPI nutrition policy director Margo Wootan says
that most meals appear to be designed to put
children on the fast track to obesity, disability,
heart attack, or diabetes.
"PLASTIC PEOPLE - OH BABY, YOU'RE SUCH A DRAG !"
Plastic was lampooned by Frank Zappa in the '60s.
Now, it seems to be good from every point of view.
It cannot be smashed like glass, weighs less and
there is no need to wash it, as it's very cheap
so it is simply thrown away.
People now make a variety of things from plastic – even houses !
Many people use plastic kitchenware in their everyday lives.
It seems that developed countries, especially
the US and UK, have turned other materials down.
Many people now drink coffee from plastic cups,
and are led to believe that glass or china
is only available now in expensive restaurants.
Even if you buy high-quality coffee in shops,
you will get it in a plastic container.
Yet this plastic way of life is very dangerous
to both human and animal health, and even our survival !!!
Scientists say that molecules of plastic packaging,
ingested during eating or drinking, CAN produce
an extremely harmful effect on human metabolism.
Bisphenol A, or diphenylpropane, is especially active,
and can cause acute hormonal imbalances.
This chemical is a basic constituent of plastic
used for the production of bottles for mineral water,
other alcohol-free drinks, and even baby food.
Experiments conducted on animals reveal that Bisphenol A
suppresses the production of sperm with males
and accelerates pubescence with females.
Specialists analyzed the urine of about 2,500 healthy humans
and discovered high concentrations of Bisphenol A with 92% of the people tested.
The concentrations were much higher than in lab animals.
A report from the National Toxicology Program says
that Bisphenol A, which has been proven as harmful
to animals even in small doses, can be found in almost every human being.
Therefore, this chemical threatens human embryos,
infants and teenagers. The chemical destroys hormones
and affects genes at the very beginning of a human life,
programming the development of breast or prostate cancer,
sexual precocity with girls, attention disturbances
and other reproductive and neurological disorders.
Specialists at the US National Toxicology Program
conducted about 500 experiments on rats.
The report says Bisphenol A can cause behavioral
and precocious puberty in female embryos and babies,
as well as affect the brain, the prostate gland and mammalian glands.
Canadian scientists say that the chemical,
which is used in the production of bottles,
DVDs and CDs can be hazardous to health.
Canada’s Health Minister Tony Clement says that the chemical
"most likely" jeopardizes the health of children and newborns,
so Canada has now banned plastic feed bottles for babies.
PLASTIC PEOPLE - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !!!
"UNACCEPTABLE"
Britain's leading psychiatrist launches a critique
of the state of Britain's acute psychiatric care system:
"I would not use them, and neither would I let
any of my relatives do so."
Professor Dinesh Bhugra, the new president of
the Royal College of Psychiatrists, delivers a
damning verdict on the system:
"Some acute psychiatric inpatient ward conditions
are absolutely unacceptable. They are uninhabitable.
The system often leaves patients feeling lost and abandoned.
I predict the situation will become worse in coming years.
There are plenty of wards that consistently run
with 120% occupancy, despite the fact that no ward
should ever be more than 80% full if patients are
to be safe, properly treated and cared for.
This pressure on beds means that patients are commonly
discharged without any warning or preparation.
They frequently return to their wards after being
out in the community on weekend leave to find they
have been discharged, their possessions packed and
someone else is sleeping in their bed. They feel
lost and abandoned. Who wouldn't?
Overcrowding acute wards in this way also means
the units become like pressure cookers. Patients
suffer and can become unmanageable because staff
are too overstretched to treat them. Their recovery
is affected because their key workers have too
heavy a workload to be accessible.
You don't go into hospital to get hurt, but that's
what's happening. There are too many wards that
are not safe, which is the one thing these most
vulnerable of people should be able to rely on
them to be. We would not accept these conditions,
any of these conditions, in surgical wards so why
is it happening in psychiatric wards?
We are not asking for anything extreme. Just for
comfortable and unfrightening wards of a good enough
quality, that these most vulnerable of people
have a chance of recovering.
Until there is a compulsory kitemarking scheme,
my prediction is that, as overcrowding increases,
funding becomes more stretched and morale of patients
and staff fall, overall conditions are likely to
continue to deteriorate."
EXERCISE AND A VEGAN DIET CAN ALTER YOUR GENES !
A new study reveals that frequent changes in diet,
physical activities and reduction of stress
changes the expression of hundreds of genes.
Changing your lifestyle can show a positive
influence on genes, making them fight cancer,
or turning off the genes that develop cancer.
Dr. Dean Ornish, lead scientist of the research,
clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco;
"These findings are very exciting. They counter
the genetic nihilism I hear so often. People
say, 'It's all in my genes, there's nothing I can
do,' but actually you can do quite a lot."
Research earlier showed incidents of prostate cancer
are a lot less frequent where people are used to
low-fat diets based on vegetables and fruit.
This prompted an initiative to find out whether
diet and lifestyle could decrease the amount of
prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in men diagnosed
with early prostate cancer.
The new research reveals that intensive changes
in lifestyle, particularly a dietary change,
allows men to lower their PSA scores by 4%.
Men in the control group report a rise in their
PSA score of 6%.
Vegan food, daily walks and stress management
help us fight the disease, scientists conclude.
Prostate cancer may cause pain, difficulty in urinating,
erectile dysfunction and other symptoms.
Around 35,000 men in the UK are diagnosed per year;
where around 10,000 die of it. However, many men
who develop prostate cancer never have symptoms,
undergo no therapy, and eventually die of other causes.
That is because malignant neoplasms of the prostate are,
in most cases, slow-growing, and because most of those affected
are over 60. Hence they often die of causes unrelated
to the prostate cancer, such as heart/circulatory
disease, pneumonia, other unconnected cancers or old age.
Many factors, including genetics and diet, have been
implicated in the development of prostate cancer.
Early prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms.
Sometimes, however, prostate cancer does cause symptoms.
These include frequent urination, increased urination
at night, difficulty starting and maintaining a
steady stream of urine, blood in the urine, and
painful urination. Prostate cancer is associated
with urinary dysfunction as the prostate gland
surrounds the prostatic urethra. Changes within
the gland therefore directly affect urinary function.
Prostate cancer may also cause problems with
sexual function, such as difficulty achieving
erection or painful ejaculation. Because the
vas deferens deposits seminal fluid into the
prostatic urethra, and secretions from the prostate
gland itself are included in semen content,
prostate cancer can affect sexual performance
and cause painful ejaculation.
*******************************
Less than half of NHS staff believe patient care
is the top priority for trusts, an annual staff survey shows.
*****************
The Journal of the American Medical Association
calls for laws to prevent data manipulation by drug companies
as it publishes revelations of the manipulation
of data from clinical trials in Vioxx, by Merck.
The editors allege that internal company reports
show a death rate higher than that published.
Internal company records from 2001,
give 34 deaths among the 1,069 Vioxx patients
from two of the Alzheimer's trials
and 12 among the 1,078 on placebo.
But the published data of the first study in 2004
states there were 11 deaths which were "non drug-related",
and two among those on placebo.
COLOURINGS TO BLAME FOR HYPERACTIVITY IN CHILDREN
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) now says
that added fake food colours ARE linked
to hyperactive behaviour in children.
The FSA wants six artificial colourings to be removed
- by the end of next year - because of
"an accumulating body of evidence"
Officials say ministers should call for a voluntary ban
in Britain, and press for compulsory phasing out of
the use of these E-number additives across Europe.
The colourings are;
sunset yellow (E110),
quinoline yellow (E104),
carmoisine (E122),
allura red (E129),
tatrazine (E102)
and ponceau 4R (E124).
Research commissioned by the FSA at Southampton University
finds a "measurable effect" on children's
activity and attention when they consume
a mixture of these additives, together with
sodium benzoate, a very contraversial ingredient,
used in many fizzy drinks.
Hyperactivity shows through increased movement,
impulsiveness and inattention, and can damage
a child's ability to learn.
Often children diagnosed are "treated" with
extremely strong sedatives - an approach
described by psychologists as the "liquid cosh".
The Southampton research team, led by Jim Stevenson,
states that the colours have no nutritional value.
Sodium benzoate, which industry says is difficult
to replace, is described in a further article;
to read the article on Sodium Benzoate...
just scroll down this page, 'til you see a photo' of cans!
Options to be considered include doing nothing,
requiring point of sale notices in stores,
removing colours only from foods consumed by children
and restricting the use of colours in the EU
to products where there are no alternatives.
Campaign groups from across Europe call on
the European commission to suspend the six additives.
Anna Glayzer, Food Commission's Action on Additives campaign,
says the revised government and FSA attitude is
"stronger than their present position,
which is to advise parents they might look
to avoid additives, which is not practical".
FRYING TONIGHT?
Since mobile phones were first introduced,
people have been concerned about
their potential impact on our health.
A new Cleveland study reviews the link
between cell phones and sperm quality.
This study finds that men who speak
more than 4 hours per day have
significantly less viable sperm.
361 men under the age of 40 participated.
The men were divided into 2 groups
according to their daily cell phone usage.
Men who talked more than four hours a day
had abnormally formed sperm.
The researchers suggest the reason
could be a thermal effect, as heat
is known to have adverse effects on male fertility.
Sperm placed next to a cell phone for an hour
showed a decrease in quality.
A study at the University of Segeda, Hungary,
shows that mobile phones carried in trouser pockets
and/or worn on belts can result in the loss of
quantity and quality of a man's active sperm cells.
Scientific theory suggests that a healthy
and loving relationship is good for the heart.
Being involved in any type of
healthy and close relationship
has a lot of positive health benefits,
says Julie Damp, a cardiologist at the
U.S. Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute.
"There are a couple of different theories behind why that might be.
There is a theory that people who are in loving relationships
may experience neuro-hormonal changes
that have positive effects on the body,
including the cardiovascular system."
"This has not been proven, but the idea is that
being in a relationship that is positive
may have positive effects on your cardiovascular system
over long periods of time," Damp says.
Dark chocolates and red wine are popular gifts for lovers.
Studies suggest they are good for the heart, as well.
Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, which are antioxidants.
Antioxidants have proven positive effects
on many different body systems
including the cardiovascular system.
Flavonoids can also be found in red wine.
Studies have shown that moderate alcohol consumption
- which is one drink a day for women
and one to two for men -
is associated with lower rates of heart attacks.
*************
and if you don't want - or can't find - a partner,
new research suggests that frequent masturbation
is great for your health - as it lowers the
risk of developing prostate cancer.
An Australian research team led by Graham Giles,
of The Cancer Council Australia, examined
1,000 men with prostate cancer and 1,250 without
between the ages of 20 and 50.
They found that men who masturbate more than five times a week
are one-third less likely to develop prostate cancer.
The study suggests masturbation can be more helpful
than ejaculation through sexual intercourse
because intercourse can transmit diseases
that may increase the risk of cancer.
So.... your future health is in your own hands !
DON'T WORRY - BE HEALTHY !
Want to cause your gums to deteriorate,
as well as your heart, and be susceptible
to illnesses from the common cold to cancer?
Worry about your health.
That's the answer according to a review essay
in the Dec. 27 issue of the Association for
Psychological Science's magazine, "Observer",
that reveals new research crossing the disciplines
of psychology, medicine, neuroscience and genetics.
PAIN IN THE NECK?
Following very clear recent research results,
supervised high-intensity dynamic strength training
of the painful muscle three times a week for 20 minutes
should be recommended in the treatment of trapezius myalgia.
Depression and suicide rates FALL during holidays,
contrary to past reports, according to a new study.
The number of suicides goes DOWN,
by as much as 40% ....
according to a study by a team of U.S. researchers.
The researchers examined hundreds of thousands of suicides
in the United States and around the world.
Drug or alcohol overdoses, self-poisoning with gas
or other harmful substances and self-inflicted injuries
- with or without the deliberate intention to die -
all DECREASED from average levels
during the week of December 19th - 26th,
and these lowered levels stayed 'til New Year's Day.
Even people with family relationship problems
were less inclined to attempt to hurt themselves.
Bergen suggests that problems within the nuclear family
ease up instead of intensify when the extended family is around.
Another possible reason is that the season,
more than other times, is one of giving.
Dr. Douglas Jacobs, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School:
"People tend to reach out over the holidays.
Elderly people in nursing homes might suddenly get visitors.
People who haven't heard from friends all year
might get a card or a phone call."
Amen to caring and reaching out to others !
Here's wishing YOU a HAPPY HEALTHY HOLIDAY !!!
HRT, Hormones and Petro-chemicals....
KILLING US with HORMONES !!!
READ THE AWFUL TRUTH;-
PRESS THE LINK BELOW
HORMONE HERESY
New mams need more time to breastfeed
Women should be given more maternity leave
to better breastfeed their babies,
in line with World Health Organization recommendations,
a leading pediatrician suggests.
Normally, exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for up to six months.
"New mothers should have at least six months' maternity leave
to meet the WHO's recommendation,
or working will affect the quality of the milk.
Also, the physical condition of new mothers
should not be neglected.
A healthy, happy mother can provide
more nutritious milk to her baby."
One mother said:
"People without such experience cannot imagine
how tough it is to feed your child while working."
Breastfeeding is recommended by the WHO
as the best way to provide infants
with the nutrients they need
for healthy growth and development.
CARROTS FOR TEA, or, DID YOU FORGET?
Beta carotene taken as a dietary supplement for many years
may protect against declines in memory, thinking
and learning skills that often precede
Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests.
The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine,
indicates that beta carotene may be an important weapon
in warding off memory problems that may foreshadow Alzheimer's
and other forms of dementia, the researchers said.
"This is the first trial that has found any way
to help your memory if you're healthy.
I think it does tell us that we can change
how our memory improves or worsens,"
Francine Grodstein of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston,
who led the study, said.
"Beta carotene is an antioxidant vitamin.
So the reason we thought it might help your brain
is because there is now a lot of evidence that
oxidative damage harms your brain.
And that may be one of the initiating factors
which leads to memory problems," Grodstein said.
In this study, researchers examined the effects
of beta carotene on cognitive ability in two groups of men.
Those in a group of 4,052 men were randomly assigned
in 1982 to take either 50 milligrams of beta carotene
or a placebo every other day.
Another 1,904 men between 1998 and 2001
were also randomly assigned to take either the same amount
of beta carotene or a placebo every other day.
The men in the long-term group took the supplements
for an average of 18 years. The men in the
short-term group did so for an average of
a year, with the longest being three years.
Men who took beta carotene in the long-term
group recorded significantly higher scores on
several cognitive tests - particularly tests of
verbal memory - compared with those who took a
placebo, the study found. In the short-term group,
the men taking beta carotene did no better in cognitive tests.
Another recent study also examined the link between diet and dementia.
French researchers, writing in the journal Neurology,
tracked the diets of 8,085 men and women over age 65.
They were followed for four years, during which
183 of the participants developed Alzheimer's
and 98 developed some other dementia.
Risk for developing dementia was found to be lower
in those with diets heavy in fish, omega-3 oils,
fruits and vegetables.
D H Lawrence was RIGHT:
WE THINK WITH OUR BLOOD !
Researchers at U.S. university MIT think it's possible
that oxygen-rich blood delivered to brain cells may help us think.
Their research indicates that in addition to
providing nutrients and oxygen to the body's cells,
blood may affect the activity of neurons in the brain as it flows through,
changing how they transmit signals to each other
and regulating the flow of information through the brain.
"We hypothesize that blood actively modulates
how neurons process information," said researcher Christopher Moore
in an invited review in the Journal of Neurophysiology.
"Many lines of evidence suggest that blood does something
more interesting than just delivering supplies.
If it does modulate how neurons relay signals,
that changes how we think the brain works."
This relationship between blood flow and brain function
has implications for understanding neurological diseases,
such as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy,
multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia.
"Most people assume the symptoms of these diseases
are a secondary consequence of damage to the neurons.
But we propose that they may also be
a causative factor in the disease process," Moore said.
For example, epileptics often have abnormal blood vessels
in the regions of the brain where seizures occur,
which suggests that abnormal blood flow could trigger the seizure.
Moore has a few theories that could explain
just how blood affects neural activity,
based on studies in his lab.
Blood contains diffusible elements that could
leak out of blood vessels and affect brain activity,
and changes in blood volume could affect
the concentrations of these factors.
Neurons may also react to the mechanical forces applied to them
when the blood vessels expand and contract.
Blood also influences the temperature of brain tissue,
which affects the activity of cells.
Utter utter fascination !
Home spray cleaners can cause asthma?
The use of spray cleaners as little as once a week
increases the risk of developing asthma
by nearly 50%, a new study finds.
But whether or not the cleaning products
are a direct cause of asthma,
or simply a trigger for people who already have the disease,
is not clear from this epidemiological study,
which was published in the October issue of
the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Researchers, however, believe that spray cleaners
can be a cause of new-onset asthma, because
the people included in this study did not have asthma
or asthma symptoms at the start of the study.
"Cleaning sprays, especially air fresheners,
furniture cleaners and glass cleaners,
had a particularly strong effect.
The risk of developing asthma increased with the
frequency of cleaning and number of different sprays used,
but on average was 30 to 50% higher in people
regularly exposed to cleaning sprays than in others,"
says the study's lead author, Jan-Paul Zock,
a research fellow at the Center for Research
in Environmental Epidemiology at the Municipal
Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona, Spain.
The most important thing consumers need to know,
cautions Zock, is that
"cleaning sprays - for sale in all supermarkets -are not harmless,
and their use may involve serious health risks."
Rhondda ambulance cuts to be investigated
The Health Minister is to investigate
planned cuts to ambulance cover in the Rhondda
following concerns raised by Plaid Assembly Member Leanne Wood.
Responding to Leanne Wood's questions at the
National Assembly, the Health Minister agreed
to 'look further' into the proposed cuts in ambulance cover hours.
Leanne Wood and Plaid's Jill Evans MEP recently
met Alan Murray, Chief Executive of the
ambulance trust to raise their concerns.
Welcoming the news of the investigation,
the Plaid Assembly Member said:
"I am glad that the Minister has agreed to
investigate the planned cuts to hours of cover
provided by ambulance stations in the Rhondda.
Along with Jill Evans MEP, I raised these concerns
with the chief executive of the ambulance trust,
but he indicated that he is unlikely to rethink his plans.
Staff have strongly expressed their concerns
both to myself and Jill Evans. They believe
that the reorganisation of ambulance services
could mean fewer hours of ambulance cover
in certain parts of the Valleys.
It's good to see that the Minister is
taking these concerns seriously, and I
look forward to discussing the findings
of her inquiries in the near future."
"Unfortunately there are times when ambulances
are being called to non urgent cases
because many are being used for people who
could be served by other transport.
Certainly there is a need for change,
but there must be more notice taken
of local circumstances.."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GOOD NEWS!
"Fastest ever" Welsh Ambulance Service.
The Welsh Ambulance Service' is "the best in its history".
In April the service reached 66.3% of life
threatening emergencies inside eight minutes.
That's the second month running the service has
beaten the 60% target set by the Welsh Assembly Government.
The improvements are down to modernisation and
staff commitment, said chief executive Alan Murray.
Mr Murray, who became chief executive only last August,
said a modernisation plan entitled Time to Make a Difference
- drawn up in consultation with staff,
unions and other healthcare providers -
would further improve the service.
At the time of his appointment, the figure
for calls reached in eight minutes was 55.4%.
A series of measures, including using GPs in control centres
and more use of rapid response vehicles, have since been introduced.
Mr Murray said the Welsh Ambulance Services Trust
was a very different organisation from the one
heavily criticised in the reports of the Auditor General,
the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and the Wales Audit Office.
"All those reports pointed out there was good reason
to be optimistic about the future and their faith is
being borne out by the improvement in our performance," he said.
"Our modernisation plan is a patient care-led strategy
although there is obviously a correlation between
the speed with which ambulances arrive and good patient outcomes."
As a result of the improved performance,
the service reaches an extra 70 people
suffering life-threatening emergencies
within the target time every week.
Nigel Rees, a paramedic supervisor in Swansea,
said the number of rapid response vehicles had doubled
in the last six months which had made a difference.
"The cars get to the 999 call roughly
three to four minutes before the ambulance,
or it's supposed to anyway, and that means
that treatment can start that much sooner
so the patient will benefit.
"We had a problem with our meal break situation
before whereas now they have improved.
So generally morale has improved but it's still
a very stressful job."
The improved performance had been spearheaded
by director of ambulance services Mike Cassidy
who also took personal control of south east region.
He praised staff for responding to calls more quickly.
"We are not pursuing these response times for
their own sake but because it leads to a better
chance of survival for patients," he said.
AND THE BAD NEWS?
Ambulances still waiting "50 MINUTES" at A&E.
Patients still regularly wait in ambulances at casualty units
in south east Wales, despite work to tackle the problem.
*************************************************
A yoga workout for your face !
Hanging your tongue out and rolling your eyes
can help you get a seat on a train!
It can also reduce facial wrinkles and help you look younger,
says New York yoga instructor Annelise Hagen.
Hagen teaches several facial exercises
designed to stretch and tone facial muscles.
A group of women practice moves including "The Lion,"
showing the tongue hanging out and eyes rolled up.
Hagen recently released a book,
"The Yoga Face: Eliminate Wrinkles with the Ultimate Natural Facelift."
She developed a workshop using facial yoga
because women wanted to look their best,
"but they weren't really thinking about how
to exercise their facial muscles."
She said facial muscles become weak and flabby
and need regular workouts and circulation to reduce wrinkles.
Other exercises include "Satchmo,"
blowing cheeks out like trumpet player Louis Armstrong,
and "Marilyn," in which seductive kisses are blown
to strengthen mouth muscles for full and firm lips.
"It uses the same principles of exercise you would use
for any other parts of your body," Hagen said.
"Facial muscles also become more toned,
so it is a natural way of getting a lift."
A belly dance is arguably the most harmonious
and feminine way of keeping fit.
Performing “figures of eight”
with swinging movements of the hips
can help slim your waist elegantly;
shimmying is guaranteed to break down fat deposits
and improve the workings of your intestine,
enhancing the appearance of your skin.
Striking wavelike motions in the shoulders
can strengthen your pectoral muscles
and “straighten out” your backbone:-
your posture and grace in walking improves.
You acquire an improved sense of well-being,
better body image and self-esteem.
Your weight, your height or the elasticity of your hips
make no difference because a woman’s individuality
is the keynote of a belly dance.
"Standard movements" of belly dancing
differ with each individual.
Imagine you take the first step.
You enroll in belly dance classes
or buy a DVD and dance at home.
To start, ideally,
you wear shorts,
an open top....
and ballet shoes.
You will only be allowed to perform a belly dance barefoot
when able to keep full control over your body.
An inexperienced barefoot belly dancer
is prone to accidents.
(You can wear your oriental costume
for the third or fourth lesson !)
A long light paneled skirt
and a fitted top will do.
A hip belt with a fringe of beads or coins is a must.
A warm-up is part of any lesson.
A belly dance instructor will teach you
how to warm up your muscles and tendons and
straighten your backbone correctly.
Once you learn the basic steps and techniques
used in belly dance e.g. circular motions isolated in one part of the body,
you will be able to move various muscles or muscle groups independently.
Then an instructor will help you use all the elements
to create a dance of your own.
Now, you are fully prepared
to continue training sessions independently.
A variety of "props" can be used:
- A veil used in part to frame movements of the dancer.
- A candlestick (shamadan) ......part of belly dancing
traditionally performed during a wedding party.
(A lit candle at the top of a dancer’s head
symbolizes the purifying force of fire.)
It is thought that a dancer
who can perform the shamadan
is an "accomplished" dancer.
- A cane ......power woman holds over man.
A bamboo cane decorated with beads and tassels -
sits firmly in the hand and helps
improve the dancer’s arm carriage.
- A sword .....the epitome of recalcitrance.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW WHERE TO START;-
PRESS THE LINK BELOW.
ARABESQ Web site: Belly Dancing in Wales.
PURE WHITE AND DEADLY....
is a book which warns against
the dangers of refined sugar.
NOW - COMES EVIDENCE
that fructose and other refined sugars
are destroying our livers... and creating
false "appetites" for MORE FOOD ! MORE !!!
If you'd like to examine the evidence...
PRESS THE LINK BELOW.
Blog copy of ABC Report.
SWEET POISON - A MUST READ
In October of 2001, my sister started getting
very sick. She had stomach spasms and she was
having a hard time getting around. Walking was
a major chore. It took everything she had just to
get out of bed; she was in so much pain.
By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue
and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various
prescription medications. The doctors could not
determine what was wrong with her. She was in so
much pain, and so sick. she just knew she was
dying. She put her house, bank accounts, life
insurance, etc., in her oldest daughter's name,
and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of.
She also wanted her last hooray, so she planned a
trip to Florida (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd.
On March 19 I called her to ask how her most
recent tests went, and she said they didn't find
anything on the test, but they believe she had MS.
I recalled an article a friend of mine e-mailed
to me and I asked my sister if she drank diet
soda? She told me that she did. As a matter of
fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment.
I told her not to open it, and to stop drinking
the diet soda! I e-mailed her the article my
friend, a lawyer, had sent.
My sister called me within 32 hours after our
phone conversation and told me she had stopped
drinking the diet soda AND she could walk!
The muscle spasms went away. She said she didn't
feel 100% but she sure felt a lot better.
She told me she was going to her doctor with
this article and would call me when she got home.
Well, she called me, and said her doctor was amazed!
He is going to call all of his MS patients to
find out if they consumed artificial sweeteners
of any kind. In a nutshell, she was being
poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet soda...
and literally dying a slow and miserable death.
When she got to Florida March 22, all she had to
take was one pill, and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning!
She is well on her way to a complete recovery.
And she is walking! No wheelchair!
This article saved her life.
If it says 'SUGAR FREE' on the label;
DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!
I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD
ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on 'ASPARTAME,'
marketed as 'NutraSweet,' 'Equal,' & 'Spoonful.'
In the keynote address by the EPA, it was
announced that in the United States in 2001
there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and
systemic lupus. It was difficult to determine
exactly what toxin was causing this to be rampant.
I stood up and said that I was there to
lecture on exactly that subject.
I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous:
When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds
86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME
converts to formaldehyde and then to formic
acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis.
Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of
fire ants. The methanol toxicity mimics, among
other conditions, multiple sclerosis and
systemic lupus. Many people were being diagnosed
in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not
a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!
Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as
multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke
and Diet Pepsi drinkers. The victim usually does
not know that the Aspartame is the culprit.
He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus
to such a degree that it may become a life-
threatening condition. We have seen patients with
systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas.
In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis,
most of the symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases
where vision loss returned and hearing loss improved markedly.
This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia.
During a lecture, I said, 'If you are using
ASPARTAME (NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc)
and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms,
spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs,
cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches,
tinnitus, joint pain, unexplainable depression,
anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision,
or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!'
People were jumping up during the lecture saying,
'I have some of these symptoms. Is it reversible?'
Yes! Yes! Yes! STOP drinking diet sodas and be
alert for Aspartame on food labels!
Many products are fortified with it!
This is a serious problem.
Dr. Esparto (one of my speakers) remarked that so
many people seem to be symptomatic for MS and
during his recent visit to a hospice, a nurse
stated that six of her friends, who were heavy
Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS.
This is beyond coincidence!
Diet soda is NOT a diet product!
It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM
(salt) and ASPARTAME containing product
that actually makes you crave carbohydrates.
It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!
These products also contain formaldehyde,
which stores in the fat cells, particularly in
the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute
toxin and is used primarily to preserve 'tissue specimens.'
Many products we use every day contain this chemical
but we SHOULD NOT store it IN our body!
Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that
once free of the 'diet products' and with no
significant increase in exercise; his patients
lost an average of 19lbs over a trial period.
Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics.
We found that some physicians, who believed that
they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact,
had symptoms caused by Aspartame.
The Aspartame drives blood sugar out of control.
Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due
to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine
are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other
amino acids necessary for a good balance.
Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE.
Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes
the blood/brain barrier and it then deteriorates
the neurons of the brain; causing various levels
of brain damage, seizures, depression, manic
depression, panic attacks, uncontrollable anger and rage.
Consumption of Aspartame causes these
same symptoms in non-diabetics as well.
Documentation and observation also reveal that
thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and
ADHD have had complete turnarounds in their
behaviour when these chemicals have been removed
from their diet. So called 'behaviour modification
prescription drugs' (Ritalin and others)
are no longer needed. Truth be told, they were
never NEEDED in the first place! Most of these
children were being 'poisoned' on a daily basis
with the very foods that were 'better for them than sugar.'
It is also suspected that the Aspartame in
thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi
consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf
War, may be partially to blame for the well-
known Gulf War Syndrome.
Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects,
i.e. mental retardation, if taken at the time of
conception and during early pregnancy.
Children are especially at risk for neurological
disorders and should NEVER be given artificial
sweeteners. There are many different case
histories to relate of children suffering grand
mal seizures and other neurological disturbances
talking about a plague of neurological diseases
directly caused by the use of this deadly poison.'
Herein lies the problem:
There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame
was included in 100 different products and
strong objection was made concerning its use.
Since this initial hearing, there have been two
subsequent hearings, and still nothing has been done.
The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets.
Sadly, MONSANTO'S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED!
There are now over 5,000 products on the market
that contain this deadly chemical and there will
be thousands more introduced. Everybody wants
a 'piece of the Aspartame pie.' I assure you
that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame,
knows how deadly it is.
And isn't it ironic that MONSANTO funds,
among others, the American Diabetes Association,
the American Dietetic Association and the
Conference of the American College of Physicians?
This has been recently exposed in the New York Times:
These [organizations] cannot criticize any
additives or convey their link to MONSANTO
because they take money from the food industry
and are required to endorse their products.
Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a
bill that would require label warnings on
products containing Aspartame, especially
regarding pregnant women, children and infants.
The bill would also institute independent
studies on the known dangers and the problems
existing in the general population regarding
seizures, changes in brain chemistry,
neurological changes and behavioral symptoms.
The bill was killed.
It is known that the powerful drug and chemical
lobbies are responsible for this, letting loose
the hounds of disease and death on an
unsuspecting and uninformed public.
Well, you're Informed now!
YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!
Aspartame can also be found in food products
such as ice cream, yoghurts, cereals, chewing
gum, mints, confectionery and many more.
Please e-mail this article to your family and friends.
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
Drinking one or more soft drinks a day
may increase the risk of getting heart disease.
Research published in the U.S.
Heart Association's journal "Circulation"
finds that adults who drink one or more soft drinks a day
have about a 50 percent higher risk of metabolic syndrome,
which in turn boosts the chance of getting heart disease.
In the five criteria to diagnose metabolic syndrome,
the study finds a 30% increased risk
of developing a large waistline,
a 25% increased risk of developing high blood triglycerides
as well as high blood sugar,
and a 32% higher risk of having "bad" cholesterol levels.
Prior studies have linked consumption
of sugar-laden soft drinks
with multiple risk factors for heart disease,
but Ramachandran Vasan of Boston Uni. of Medicine,
and his colleagues, also find the link
extends to diet soft drinks.
After adjusting for intake of fat, fibre consumption,
total calories, smoking, and physical activity,
there is still a link between
soft drink intake and metabolic risk factors.
"Even one soda per day increases your risk
of developing metabolic syndrome
by about 50%," says Vasan.
But Vasan adds that the observational study
could not discern any evidence that drinking
soft drinks actually caused the metabolic syndrome.
More study is needed.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Peter Piper wouldn't pick a pack of Pepsi..
Research from Sheffield University, U.K.,
into a common food and drink preservative
suggests that it can damage DNA.
Sodium benzoate, a mold inhibiter commonly found in
Pepsi, Coke, Sprite, other soft drinks, pickles, and sauces, is the culprit.
Peter Piper, professor of molecular biology
and biotechnology, who has been working on
sodium benzoate since 1999, tested sodium
benzoate on living yeast cells. He was
alarmed to find that it damaged their mitochondria's DNA.
Concerned, Piper has made his research public:
"These chemicals have the ability to cause
severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the
point that they totally inactivate it — they
knock it out altogether."
"The mitochondria consume the oxygen to give you
energy, and if you damage it — as happens in a
number of diseased states — then the cell starts
to malfunction very seriously. And there is a
whole array of diseases that are now being tied
to damage to this DNA — Parkinson's and quite a
lot of neurodegenerative diseases, but above all,
the whole process of aging."
Sodium benzoate occurs naturally in cranberries,
apples, milk products, cinnamon, and cloves.
Sodium benzoate occurring naturally in foods is about 40 mg per kg.
Used as a preservative, it is about 2,000 mg per kg.
Historically, benzoic acid came from a dry
distillation of gum benzoin.
Industrial preparation is now cheaply made from toluene.
Sodium benzoate is made from benzoic acid.
Sodium benzoate and benzoic acid are considered safe by the FDA.
The Hyperactive Children's Support Group of Great Britain
takes exception to that and recommends the avoidance
of both sodium benzoate and benzoic acid.
Piper considers tests done by the FDA "out of date."
A short-term study on rats — feeding them
1,800 mg/kg of sodium benzoate/benzoic acid —
produced central nervous system damage.
Benzoic acid caused liver pathology and reduced weight.
However, these studies are deemed inadequate to determine safety.
The vitamin C (ascorbic acid) added to soft drinks
reacts with sodium benzoate to make benzene,
a known carcinogen and air pollutant.
CHILDREN AND DRUGS
Of course, we all worry and are concerned about
children taking drugs outside the law.
But what kind of messages are we sending about drugs,
when the amount of drugs prescribed to school children
has QUADRUPLED IN THE LAST TEN YEARS.
The twin obsessions of conventional society –
swearing by chemical drugs as the solution to
psycho-social problems, and believing that
natural alternatives make such problems worse –
is leading us to "over-drug" our children.
In June, for example, we discover that the number
of teenagers relying on drugs such as Prozac
to see them through GCSEs and A-levels has soared,
with prescriptions reaching 140,000 in less than a decade.
The figures have alarmed experts so much they
are demanding an urgent investigation to explain
why so many pupils are prescribed drugs
instead of being offered counselling or therapy.
The revelation coincides with fresh allegations
that drug companies are wildly exaggerating
the benefits of anti-depressants for teenagers.
Mental health charities claim they may cause
more harm than good. The University of Wales
department of psychological medicine calculates
that as many as 100,000 under-18s are drugged up,
3 times the number government advisers admit.
'We are talking about people who have committed
suicide who didn't need to,' the department’s director says.
How can children take ANY anti-drug message seriously,
when so many adults drink regularly,
or take prescription drugs for "depression"
or Irritable bowel "syndrome" - (Once known as "itchy arse" !)
The number of prescriptions for
antidepressants and other mind-altering drugs
given to children under 16 !
has more than quadrupled in the last decade,
according to official figures.
There were more than 631,000 such prescriptions
recorded in the last financial year,
according to government figures,
compared to 146,000 in 1996-97.
The new figures come amid growing concern about
rising levels of childhood depression
and pressures faced by young people.
The figures are released in a House of Commons written answer
to MP David Laws, Liberal Democrat spokesperson
for children, schools and families.
He says: "I think it is a major concern
that drugs seem to be prescribed so easily
these days to children of school age.
In the past, not only were there not as many
of these types of drugs on the market,
there was an assumption, I think, that people
would try to get to the source of the problem
rather than simply prescribing drugs.
"I think a lot of people are concerned that there
is an over-prescription of drugs when we ought to
be looking more at the underlying causes of people's behaviour."
A Department of Children, Schools and Family spokesperson:
"The government's Every Child Matters agenda
commits to supporting every child to have a
happy and healthy childhood."
The above figures are for England,
and for prescriptions OUTSIDE HOSPITALS ONLY !
(They do NOT include Wales....
as figures are not readily available.)
EAT YOUR VEG, AND CHEER UP !
British researchers confirm a link
between depression and low levels of folate,
a vitamin which comes from vegetables.
The link emerges after a review of 11 studies with 15,315 participants,
researchers at the University of York, UK, report.
The research led by Simon Gilbody suggests
the introduction of mandatory fortification of
either bread or flour with folic acid could help
in the fight against depression.
"Although research does not prove that low folate causes depression,
we can now be sure that the two are linked.
Interestingly, there is also some trial evidence
that suggests folic acid supplements can benefit
people with depression. We recommend that large
trials should be carried out to further test this suggestion."
Another piece of research by the same team
proves that people with depression commonly have a gene,
which could cause them to process folate less efficiently.
Folate is linked to the production of some of the
"feel good" chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin,
and the identification of this gene provides a
plausible explanation as to why folic acid
supplements may help people with depression,
according to the researchers.
LATEST NEWS
75% of Welsh diet... to lose a stone.
Diet and fitness expert Joanna Hall says
more than three-quarters of Wales' population
are currently dieting, and the average desired weight-loss is almost a stone.
But she says that people need to be aware of
the healthiest and most effective ways of keeping weight off.
“In many cases dieters believe that skipping breakfast
or even starving themselves completely can be
a fast-track to weight-loss success.
But studies show that those who make time to eat breakfast
actually tend to be slimmer than those who skip.
Many forms of dieting are a false economy
and will simply leave you devoid of energy
and your diet doomed to failure.
We live in a society of the quick fix –
but it’s best to focus on a balanced diet
and regular exercise.”
Juliette Kellow, a registered dietician,
says dieters should lose weight by following
a sensible diet and not by starving themselves
or cutting meals completely.
“People end up cutting out foods that they like
and begin eating foods that they don’t like
on a limited intake.
When you cut out your favourite foods you
can start to miss them to the point that
you end up with cravings that get the better
of you, leading to over-indulgence.
Crash dieters often skip meals and miss out on nutrients.
Crash diets are not sustainable – the word diet
implies that you start one day, end another and
change your eating patterns in between.
The best way to lose weight is to eat five fruit
and vegetables a day, fibre-rich wholegrain
bread, cereals and brown pasta and rice.
Reduce your intake of sugary and salty foods
and eat lean meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
Take lots of exercise.”
Hannah Jones, author of
Diary of a Diet: A Little Book of Big;
“Common sense can go out of the window because
people on diets can lose interest in themselves
and what they eat just to get a quick-fix solution
– months can seem too long to wait.
And you know the curse of dieters?
Not fat and sugar, but running out of patience
and a slim boredom threshold.”
Mary Sheppard, director of Cardiff-based Fitness Wales,
says she tries to balance the calories she takes in
with what she burns up and has never been on a diet.
“All the research shows that
people who lose weight quickly
tend to put it back on and pile on
even more pounds than before.
This is because they revert back to their old
eating habits which caused the problem in the first place.
Quick-fix yo-yo dieting does not work for long
because when the diet is over,
all the good work is undone.
A two-weeks-to-the-beach diet can cut calories
and lead to rapid weight loss, with advice from nutritionists.
But a gradual approach with lifestyle changes
is the long-term answer.”
Insulin pill for diabetics?
Patients who need daily injections of insulin may soon
be able to take a pill instead of repeated injections.
UK company Diabetology, with experts at Cardiff University,
says it has solved a crucial problem with oral insulin.
A special coating protects the drug from acids in the stomach,
allowing it to pass into the small intestine to be absorbed.
***********************************************
IN A DOG-EAT-DOG WORLD....
In a country like the U.K.,
where a pensioner
was recently described as: "waste product",
you might as well stay as "independent" as possible !
Tai chi keeps hips and joints supple,
provides balance and helps blood flow.....
less strokes, heart failures, etc., etc.
Here, people join together
every morning in Havana,
in the Old Plaza, Cuba, for each refreshing dawn.
How ironic that where selfish individualism rules,
the practice of Tai chi drops !
**************************************************
Cash crisis closes centres.
Health centres providing advice and exercise in deprived areas
across Wales are closing because of a lack of funding.
Many of Wales' 29 healthy living centres,
set up to tackle social and health inequalities,
have closed and the others face an uncertain future.
They were created five years ago with £18m of lottery money
which was matched by other public bodies.
**************************************************
Wales Reaches The TOP !!!
(Just in case we all get carried away!!!)
Wales is top of Britain's sick list.
Eight of the top 10 sickest places in Britain
.......... are in south Wales..
Merthyr Tydfil is named as the most unhealthy place in the UK,
with Rhondda Cynon Taf and Neath Port Talbot coming 3rd and 4th.
Carmarthenshire, Caerphilly, Torfaen and Bridgend
also have the highest levels of serious illness
and the poorest diets.
The Report's researchers warn that the results
are a "time bomb" for the health service.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Mams and The Consumer Dream..
Barbara Kingsolver is a writer famous for
her love of nature and of all things rural.
Her farm is in deepest Virginia, within a
U-shaped mountain ridge in the Southern Appalachians.
Kingsolver, 52, has a long list of bestselling books.
She is best known for The Poisonwood Bible.
It has sold more than two million copies,
and was recently voted by members of British
book clubs as their favourite novel of all time.
Out now, is her latest:
"Animal, Vegetable, Miracle".
Part of the motivation for this book is
repulsion at America's advanced state of
"alimentary alienation"; where food is
mass-produced and has little or no bearing
on the lives of those who eat it.
With the help of her husband Steven Hopp,
an environmental studies lecturer, she lays
out in the book the shocking scale of the crisis.
"The average food item on the American shelf
has travelled 1,500 miles - further than most
families go on annual holidays.
The US consumes about 400 gallons of oil a year
per person for agriculture, a rate of guzzling
second only to the car.
And here's a fact straight out of Alice in Wonderland:
the US exports 1.1m tonnes of potatoes,
and imports 1.4m tonnes.
The side-effects of America's fast-food culture are legion:
global warming caused by high food airmiles;
obesity due to the poor diet, particularly among
American children, who are predicted to be the
country's first generation with a shorter life
expectancy than their parents;
the destruction of farming habitats to clear the
way for mass cropping of corn and soya beans;
the detachment of millions of Americans who have
absolutely no inkling of what they are consuming
or where it comes from."
As Kingsolver sums it up:
"Woe is us, we overfed, undernourished US citizens.
We are a nation with an eating disorder, and we know it."
She has finally, after many years, come to accept
as a compliment the idea of being a "housewife".
She argues that women of her generation made
a "devil of a bargain" when they traded home
making for careers.
"We lost a lot - we traded our aprons for
children with health problems because
we pick up junk food on the way.
That's the great hoodwink of my generation."
"Farming has become an extractive industry, like mining.
It used to be about the American dream, with
families working hard to enrich themselves and their communities;
now it's about large powerful corporations
pulling out the good stuff and leaving behind a mess."
THERE'S NONE SO SHORT-SIGHTED....
Elderly patients are paying up to
£2,000 a month for sight-saving injections.
Some sufferers have paid thousands for
a condition which can lead to blindness.
This is even though Wales' local health boards
have been told they can pay for the treatment now.
Plaid Cymru AM Rhodri Glyn Thomas,
chair of the assembly health committee,
says the situation is immoral.
"That is totally unfair on those people
living on low incomes or benefits who are
not in a position to even consider going privately."
Every year 1,000 people in Wales
- mostly over 60 - are diagnosed with the condition
"wet age-related macular degeneration."
If not treated quickly, the condition
leads to the loss of central vision.
If both eyes are affected ...
it means registered blindness.
Until last year most cases were untreatable
but new drugs are now offering hope
of helping 90% of patients.
The drugs - macugen and lucentis -
are being used privately under licence.
They are currently being assessed for
NHS use across the UK by the
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE !).
The Wales Assembly Government has told health boards in Wales
they can issue the drugs now
....but they are not.
Shirley Possart, 71, from Horton in Gower,
has already spent £12,000 of her savings
on six injections of lucentis after
developing the condition in both eyes.
Although her sight has improved dramatically
and she can now see to drive, read the papers
and do the crossword again, she is worried
about paying for more injections.
"It's my savings and they're rapidly dwindling.
I sincerely hope that they go on the NHS
so that I don't have to go blind."
RNIB Cymru says it knows of no patients in Wales
who are receiving the drugs on the NHS.
The charity's Ceri Jackson says:
"We feel that the local health boards
should be providing this treatment.
It is a sight-saving treatment and
the cost of providing it is cheaper than the cost of
taking care of somebody once they lose their sight."
**************************************************
GO ON, YOU OLD GITS..... HAVE A LAUGH!!!....
PRESS THE LINK BELOW
FOR A WONDERFUL VIDEO
Hope I die.... before I get old..... !
***********************************************************
CARE FOR THE ELDERLY.
Iwan Rhys Roberts, of Help the Aged in Wales:
"There's a saying that we advocate at Help the Aged:
'Nothing decided about us, without us'.
"We've got a population of older people
who are more aware than ever of
how powerful a lobby they are.
And people are actually starting to stand up and say:
'If you want my vote, you are going to have to earn it."
He says older people are a political force
to be reckoned with, adding:
"Ignore them at your peril."
Help the Aged in Wales has launched its
"Agenda for Older People in Wales".
It says consultations with older people across Wales finds
* OPPOSING HOME CARE CHARGES
* PROMOTING INDEPENDENCE
* EQUALITY
are areas they want addressed.
Also important is to ensure that
the new commissioner for older people in Wales
is adequately resourced to promote and protect
the interests, dignity and rights of older people in Wales.
*****************************************************************
SCARED OF OLD AGE?
From the moment we are born, we begin to age,
so you might think we would learn to accept it.
But no, from a certain age we stop even being happy about our birthdays.
Why are we so afraid of growing old?
Although handsome grey hairs and expressive wrinkles lend a person
a certain trustworthiness, for some reason we do not want to exchange
our chestnut locks and velvety skin for them.
All right, that’s grey hair, but what about a bald patch?
And the expanding waistline, flabbiness and hunched shoulders which go with all this…?
How can we gracefully accept such changes,
which are a challenge to view as positive?
Well, even if these are changes which are not positive,
we can prepare for them in advance.
To begin with, it is worth remembering that a person does not just have
a chronological age, but also biological and psychological ones.
All we need to do is look in someone’s passport to find out the first one.
Biological age shows what state someone’s body is in,
and psychological age determines how old a person feels.
Since all these ages are interconnected, it is possible
to change how they relate to each other.
For example, a mature woman who feels twenty five inside will try to
look a corresponding age and keep herself in good shape.
Many items of research show that those people who put off life-changing events
“until later” usually feel and look much younger than their age.
However those who are in a hurry to live,
already feel old in their youth,
and people around them overestimate their age.
But it is dangerous to ignore our “passport age”:
if an elderly woman wears a bright-coloured bow and frivolous shorts,
she is not continuing her psychological youth but is setting off
down the path to senility. Our reflection in the mirror helps us to remember
that life does not stand still and we should adjust our plans accordingly.
For example, when a 40-year old man examines the bags under his eyes,
he will more quickly realize that it is time to settle down
and raise a son than will a twenty-year old dandy.
Radiculitis, heart attack, stroke – just one of these names makes us uneasy -
and if you imagine that this diagnosis has been recorded onto your medical chart,
then tears of sorrow will stream into your half-drunk sugared tea
and your bread-roll with its butter and jam. Stop there.
What have you got on your bread roll?
Sugar is “white death”, butter is a source of increased cholesterol in the
blood, and carbohydrates are a sure way of gaining weight.
Practically all illnesses connected with old age
start with those incorrect life habits led by a person from their youth.
You can pick out former sportsmen and dancers from their posture and the way they walk.
The higher the level of a person’s usual physical activity,
the more beneficial habits will remain in old age.
Of course it's a shame to swap sweet tea and buns
for mineral water and spinach,
but getting used to keeping your health under control will
reduce the risk of problems arising in old age.
Many people identify old age with loneliness.
It is easy to avoid this problem:
Sincere relations with your children, and then your grandchildren,
will allow you to feel needed, and young again.
Chatting to childhood friends will help a woman
to feel like a girl again.
So nostalgia is an amazing means of psychological rejuvenation.
It is not surprising that many elderly people fall back on it.
On the other hand one should not lose touch with reality.
With age the amount of friends that someone has becomes less and less.
Some move away, you find that you have less and less in common with others,
and some just die.
Therefore people should not be afraid of expanding their circle of acquaintances.
For example, just one son-in-law, if you accept him as your own born son,
can bring in not only his parents, but also a rich mix
of new and numerous relatives into your circle.
There is no need to hide from it –
when we talk about old age, we often mean imminent death.
As someone wittily put it, life is in effect
a terminal illness.
Psychologists maintain that it is only those people
who have achieved practically nothing in their lives
who experience a panicky fear of death.
If a person can look back with pride on their achievements
they can pass away a lot more peacefully.
Therefore we could take the opportunity NOW
to create as many of these achievements as possible,
while we still have the strength and capabilities.
In conclusion, we can say, that since old age is inevitable;
we could just relax... and enjoy it!
WITH AGE, COMES HAPPINESS.
A popular misconception among both young and old,
is that the happiest days of people's lives occur when they're young;
in spite of research having shown the opposite.
While old age was equated with unhappiness for other people,
individuals tend to think they'll be happier than most in their old age.
In other words older people seem to "mis-remember" how happy they were as youths,
just as youths "mis-predict" how happy (or unhappy) they will be as they age.
The research was performed by VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and University of Michigan.
Research involved over 540 adults between the ages of 21 and 40, or over age 60.
Participants were asked to rate their happiness
at their current age, at age 30 and at age 70;
and also to judge how happy most people are at those ages.
The results are published in the June issue of
the Journal of Happiness Studies, a major research journal
in the field of positive psychology.
"Our stereotypes about aging being an unhappy time of life
are not correct... you have a lot of good times left in front of you,"
said lead author Dr. Heather Pond Lacey.
"We're probably better off expecting good things out of our futures."
Younger people predicted no decline in their own personal
happiness with time. Past research has shown, Lacey noted,
that people tend to see themselves as "above average".
"We often make judgments about ourselves that are more positive
than the judgments we make about other people," she explained.
Among older people who thought they had been happier
in their earlier life, their estimates of past happiness were higher than
current happiness self-reports for the younger group.
The older group also thought that they were
going to be less happy as they aged.
There are a number of theories about why people may get
happier as they get older, Lacey noted.
For one, people may focus less on achievement and more on
personal relationships and enjoying life,
and also get better at managing their own moods.
"People are remarkable in their ability to adapt to circumstances,
both good and bad, but they are perhaps equally remarkable
in their inability to recognize their own adaptation,"
Lacey and her team conclude.
Microwave cooking is one of the most important causes of ill health.
It is certainly one of the most ignored.
There was a lawsuit in 1991 in Oklahoma.
A woman named Norma Levitt had hip surgery,
but was killed by a simple blood transfusion
when a nurse "warmed the blood for the
transfusion in a microwave oven!"
Logic suggests that if heating is all there is
to microwave cooking, then it doesn't matter
how something is heated. Blood for transfusions
is routinely warmed, but not in microwave ovens.
There have been very few scientific studies done
on the effect of eating microwaved food.
This is rather surprising when you think about
the fact that microwaves have been with us for
only a few decades - and that in that time the
incidence of many diseases has continued to increase.
Two researchers, Blanc and Hertel, confirmed that
microwave cooking significantly changes food nutrients.
Hertel previously worked as a food scientist for
several years with one of the major Swiss food companies.
He was fired from his job for questioning procedures
in processing food because they denatured it.
He got together with Blanc of the Swiss Federal Institute
of Biochemistry and the University Institute for Biochemistry.
They studied the effect that microwaved food had on 8 individuals,
by taking blood samples immediately after eating.
They found that after eating microwaved food,
haemoglobin levels decreased.
"These results show anaemic tendencies.
The situation became even more pronounced
during the second month of the study".
Who knows what results they would have found if
they had studied people who ate microwaved food
for a year or more?
The violent change that microwaving causes to the
food molecules forms new life forms called radiolytic compounds.
These are mutations that are unknown in the natural world.
Ordinary cooking also causes the formation of
some radiolytic compounds (which is no doubt one
reason why it is better to eat plenty of raw food),
but microwaving cooking causes a much greater number.
This then causes deterioration in your blood and immune system.
In addition, they found that the number of leucocytes
increases after eating microwaved food -
something which haematologists take very seriously,
because this is often a sign of highly
harmful effects, such as poisoning.
Also, after eating microwaved food,
cholesterol levels increased. Hertel said
"Common scientific belief states that cholesterol
values usually alter slowly over longer periods of time.
In this study, the markers increased rapidly
after the consumption of the microwaved vegetables."
He believes his study tends to confirm new scientific data
that suggest cholesterol may rapidly increase in the blood
secondary to acute stress. "Also," he added,
"blood cholesterol levels are less influenced by
cholesterol content of food than by stress factors.
Such stress-causing factors can apparently consist of foods
which contain virtually no cholesterol - the microwaved vegetables."
Results were published in "Search for Health" in Spring 1992.
How was this research greeted?
A powerful trade organisation, the Swiss Association of
Dealers for Electroapparatuses for Households and Industry
made the President of the Court of Seftigen issue a "gag order".
Hertel and Blanc were told that if they published their findings
they would face hefty fines or up to one year in prison.
In response to this, Blanc recanted his findings.
Hertel went on a lecture tour and demanded a jury trial.
After World War II, the Russians also
experimented with microwave ovens.
From 1957, their research has been carried out mainly
at the Institute of Radio Technology at Klinsk, Byelorussia.
According to US researcher William Kopp, who
gathered much of the results of Russian and German research
- and was apparently prosecuted for doing so -
the following effects were observed by Russian forensic teams:
1. Heating prepared meats in a microwave
sufficiently for human consumption created
- d-Nitrosodiethanolamine (a well-known cancer-causing agent)
- Destabilization of active protein biomolecular compounds
- Creation of a binding effect to radioactivity in the atmosphere
- Creation of cancer-causing agents within
protein-hydrosylate compounds in milk and cereal grains;
2. Microwave emissions also caused alteration in the catabolic
(breakdown) behaviour of glucoside and galactoside
- elements within frozen fruits -
when thawed in this way;
3. Microwaves altered catabolic behavior of plant-alkaloids
when raw, cooked or frozen vegetables were exposed
for even very short periods;
4. Cancer-causing free radicals were formed
within certain trace-mineral molecular formations
in plant substances, especially in raw root vegetables;
5. Ingestion of micro-waved foods caused a
higher percentage of cancerous cells in blood;
6. Due to chemical alterations within food substances,
malfunctions occurred in the lymphatic system,
causing degeneration of the immune system's
capacity to protect itself against cancerous growth;
7. The unstable catabolism of micro-waved foods
altered their elemental food substances,
leading to disorders in the digestive system;
8. Those ingesting micro-waved foods showed a
statistically higher incidence of stomach and
intestinal cancers, plus a general degeneration
of peripheral cellular tissues with a gradual
breakdown of digestive and excretory system function;
9. Microwave exposure caused significant decreases
in the nutritional value of all foods studied.
As a result microwave ovens were banned in Russia in 1976;
the ban was lifted after Perestroika.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Sore legs? - getting the hump?
Press this Pravda link below to view a sexy Hot-doll
for YOUR over-sexed pet dog!!!!
Is your dog humping legs?
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DON'T WORRY - BE HAPPY !
U.S. research suggests that people with
optimistic, cheerful personalities
are far less likely to develop memory problems
that are early predictors of Alzheimer's disease
than people who are often stressed out or depressed.
Researchers say those who are most often anxious or depressed
are 40 times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment,
a form of memory loss that is often a
transitional stage between normal aging and dementia.
"Not only are these individuals losing cognition,
but they are showing many of the changes in the brain
that are associated with Alzheimer's disease,"
says Robert Wilson of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
In prior studies, Wilson found people more susceptible
to distress are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease
than their more carefree counterparts.
"We now see that chronic distress is related to
the first clinical manifestation of Alzheimer's disease," he says.
People with mild cognitive impairment
have some trouble remembering things,
but they do not have significant disability.
Not all develop Alzheimer's disease,
a much more serious impairment,
but about 10 to 15 percent do,
according to the Alzheimer's Society.
Wilson and colleagues analyzed data from two large studies
involving 1,256 older people who started the studies with no memory problems.
After up to 12 years of follow up,
482 people in the study developed mild cognitive impairment.
Participants were rated on how prone they were to worry and depression.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In our novel, "Come On Home", a pop concert is described
where sound is contained within the concert area
by the use of special frequency sound waves.
Now we know that this technology actually exists !!
It's called: HyperSonic Sound (HSS).
Essentially, HSS for the first time
does for sound what the laser did for light
— intensely focuses and channels it so it can
travel great distances without dispersing.
To the listener, the sound comes across as if it were through headphones.
Take two steps to the side, out of the sound beam,
and you hear nothing at all.
Step back in, and there it is again.
"I am certain that in time, HSS will be used everywhere,"
says Dionyssis Angelopoulos of Athens, Greece.
He read about HSS, came to San Diego to hear it
and went back to his Greek company to build it
into commercial sound systems.
What's this got to do with health?
.... I hear you ask.... or do I?
When the Branch Dravidian cult was under siege,
before police stormed the compound,
their leader complained of "voices in his head".
Security has always taken new technology for its own sneaky use.
If you start hearing voices, perhaps it's the police,
directing HSS waves to confuse you.
Too far-fetched? Maybe.
Paranoid?
Hopefully.
BEAUTIFUL PETS
It was probably in the Stone Age that animal therapy
was practiced for the first time by humans.
'Though people of that era had no notion that it was ‘animal therapy’
when they were stroking their tame dogs and cats.
Many of us are unaware that patting cats and dogs
brings us not only pleasure but is very good for our health.
Cats help relieve people from stress and fatigue.
The psychologist Boris Levinson used animal therapy
in the sixties,for treating children suffering from autism.
Yet, in the 18th century, doctors at the psychiatric hospital
York Retreat in England were keeping cats, dogs, rabbits
and birds especially for treating their patients.
The hospital’s head physician believed that taking care
of animals gave his patients lots of positive emotions.
Treatment with the help of a cat is the most popular.
It is curious, but everything in a cat’s behaviour
turns out to be healing for humans.
A cat’s purr at a frequency of 4-16 Hz
in some way improves people’s immunity.
Cats have the mysterious ability of
identifying people’s aching organs.
When a cat feels that her owner has something ailing
she settles down close to the person, purrs,
tramples him down and from time to time
slightly scratches him with her claws.
Good feline therapy helps relieve people from
stress, fatigue, sickness and headaches;
it brings down blood pressure, normalizes the pulse,
and also eases pains caused by rheumatism and stomach ulcers.
Those who advocate feline therapy insist that
different breeds of cats can treat various diseases.
Fluffy cats such as Persian cats are wonderful for those
who suffer from osteochondritis, neuralgia or insomnia.
People with diseased liver or kidneys,
and those who suffer from gastritis or colitis,
should have a smooth-haired cat.
Also, it is known that she-cats are good
treatment for neural ailments while tom-cats
better treat radiculitis, arthrosis and the like.
Dogs stand second to cats on the list of animal therapists.
People who walk their dogs several times a day
do not suffer from hypodynamia.
Also, a dog’s saliva contains lycozyme,
an anti-infective agent that helps wounds heal
within a very short period of time.
Big dogs have a high-activity alpha rhythm,
so patients with cardiac insufficiency can hold
their hands for at least half an hour a day
close to a dog’s heart to feel better.
Horse riding is the third most popular therapy
after feline and canine therapies.
Hippocrates said that sitting in a saddle
saves people from having gloomy thoughts.
Horse riding is a perfect treatment for rehabilitation
of patients having spinal traumas,
muscular dystrophy, paralytic legs and arthritis.
In England, horse riding therapy is even used
for the treatment of drug addicted patients.
Dolphins are good for psychological rehabilitation
after traffic accidents.
In Africa, elephants help people cure some diseases
and kangaroos act as therapists in Australia.
Unlike cats - which enjoy the process of treating their masters -
dogs experience the ailments of their masters too emotionally.
The breed of a dog also matters.....
People with grave psychological problems
need a quiet friendly dog such as a Labrador,
golden retriever or Shar pei.
The last is especially good for hot-tempered, unbalanced people
and those who have hyper tension and suffer from frequent headaches.
German and Central Asian sheep dogs help co-ordination of movement, after traumas.
These dogs are used to help patients with walking problems.
Families who want to keep a dog to treat
or amuse their children should consider breeds such as
collies, St Bernards, Newfoundlands, Mittelschnauzers,
Riesenschnauzers, boxers or Airedales.
Terriers can perform wonderfully the role of a babysitter.
A good-natured and lively spaniel can be
a good friend for an active baby.
The Chinese crested dog can relieve its master of
a wide range of diseases: asthma,
blood pressure problems and cardiac rates;
they also help treat allergies, and some skin diseases.
Some experts say that such dogs slow down the clinical course of cancer.
* * *
BI-LINGUALISM DELAYS DEMENTIA !
People who are fully bilingual
and speak both languages every day for most of their lives
can delay the onset of dementia by up to four years
compared with those who only know one language,
Canadian scientists say.
Researchers say the extra effort involved
in using more than one language appears
to boost blood supply to the brain and ensure
nerve connections remain healthy -
two factors thought to help fight off dementia.
"We are pretty dazzled by the results,"
Professor Ellen Bialystok of
Toronto's York University says in a statement.
"In the process of using ... two languages,
you are engaging parts of your brain,
parts of your mind that are active and need
that kind of constant exercise and activity,
and with that experience (it) stays more robust."
The leading cause of dementia among the elderly is Alzheimer's disease,
which gradually destroys a person's memory.
There is no known cure.
Bialystok's team focused on 184 elderly patients with signs of dementia
who attended a Toronto memory clinic between 2002 and 2005.
Of the group, 91 spoke only one language while 93 were bilingual.
"The researchers determined that the mean age of onset
of dementia symptoms in the monolingual group was 71.4 years,
while the bilingual group was 75.5 years," the statement says.
"This difference remained even after considering
the possible effect of cultural differences, immigration,
formal education, employment and even gender
as (influences) in the results," it adds.
Bialystok stresses that bilingualism helps delay the start of dementia
rather than preventing it altogether.
Psychologist Fergus Craik, another member of the team,
says the data shows that being fully bilingual has
"a huge protective effect" against the onset of dementia
but he adds that the study is still a preliminary finding.
The team plans more research into the beneficial side-effects of bilingualism.
The Alzheimer Society of Canada describes the report as exciting
and says it confirms recent studies which show that
keeping the brain active is a good way
to delay the impact of dementia.
"Anything that staves off the time when the risk factor
(for dementia) overcomes the defenses is wonderful news,"
says scientific director Jack Diamond.
The society estimates that in 2000
- the latest year for which data is available -
Canada spent C$5.5 billion ($4.7 billion)
taking care of people with Alzheimer's disease.
Heart patients can waltz their way to better health
Italian researchers have come up with a novel way
for cardiac rehabilitation patients to exercise their damaged hearts
without having to squeeze into spandex or gyrate in a gym:- waltzing.
The dance proves to be just as effective as bicycle
and treadmill training for improving exercise capacity
in a study of 110 heart failure patients.
Dancers also reported slightly more improvement
in sleep, mood, and the ability to do hobbies,
do housework and have sex than the others.
"This may be a more effective way of getting people to exercise,
and may be more fun than running on a treadmill,"
says Dr. Robert Bonow, cardiology chief at Northwestern University School of Medicine.
"Maybe we should try that here.
I'm not sure we can get Americans to waltz,
but they can certainly dance."
Exercise is crucial after people suffer heart problems,
but getting people to stick with it is tough.
As many as 70 percent drop out of traditional programs,
says Dr. Romualdo Belardinelli, director of cardiac rehabilitation
at Lancisi Heart Institute in Ancona, Italy.
"We have to find something that may
capture the patients' interest," he says.
The same researchers previously showed that waltzing
could help heart attack sufferers regain strength.
The new study involved 89 men and 11 women,
average age 59, with heart failure.
The condition occurs when weakened hearts
can no longer pump blood effectively,
making simple activities like climbing stairs
and taking the dog for a walk tough to do,
let alone enjoy.
Researchers assigned 44 patients to a supervised
exercise training program of cycling and treadmill work
three times a week for eight weeks.
Another group of 44 took dance classes in the hospital gym,
alternating between slow and fast waltzes for 21 minutes,
three times a week for eight weeks.
A third group of 22 patients had no exercise.
Heart rates were checked during both activities,
more extensive exercise tests were done
at the start and end of the study,
and artery imaging exams were performed.
Cardiopulmonary fitness increased at similar rates
among those who danced or exercised
and did not change in those who did neither, reports AP.
Oxygen uptake increased 16 percent among exercisers
and 18 percent among dancers.
The anaerobic threshold (the point where muscles fatigue)
rose 20 percent among exercisers and 21 percent among dancers.
Other measures, including a
general index of fitness, were comparable.
Imaging showed that dancers' arteries were more able to
dilate and expand in response to exercise than non-exercisers.
Part of the benefit may be that dancers had a partner
and social companion rather than cycling or walking
on a treadmill alone, doctors say.
"This type of program is more effective," Belardinelli says, "because it is fun."
HOW TO BREATHE.
It is highly unlikely that any of us stay
constantly focused on the way we breathe.
Despite similar childhood advice from parents
and doctors who told us to breathe only through
the nose and take deeper breaths, all people
form their own habits of breathing, which are
rather hard to change.
Perhaps we are making a serious mistake that has
quite an impact on our health.
Scientists at the National Institute of Health
have put forth a theory that may become a
sensational discovery. Scientists believe that
breathing holds the key to a secret of blood
pressure regulation. According to their theory,
a person can significantly reduce the risks of
hypertension-related cardiovascular diseases by
cutting down on the number of inhalations and
exhalations per minute during a small period of
time every day. A person who breathes in and out
not more than ten times a minute for a limited
amount of time is thought to achieve excellent results.
The research is still in progress. Specialists
are currently gathering evidence to back their
findings. A special device has been built for
research purposes. It helps patients with
hypertension to learn a slow breathing technique.
The results of a study involving the device look
truly impressive. Blood pressure of the patients
who used the device for 10 minutes a day during
two months decreased by an average of 10-15 points
What are the effects of breathing on blood pressure?
First, scientists found out that slow, regular
and deep breathing leads to the relaxation and
dilation of blood vessels. However, scientists
concluded that the above properties were not good
enough for producing such a major and long-lasting effect.
“In a way, it still looks like a ‘black box’,”
says Dr. W. Jay Elliot who heads a part of the research.
A series of tests on animals led to the discovery
of a link between breathing and metabolism,
which have an impact on blood pressure.
Stress triggers a quickened irregular breathing
by reflex. As a result, every breath brings a
larger amount of oxygen into the blood.
This has a beneficial effect on brain activity.
On the other hand, too much oxygen in the blood
impairs the ability of kidneys to excrete sodium
from the body. Sodium plays an important role
in blood pressure regulation.
“If you spend lots of time behind your desk and
consume food with an increased salt content,
your kidneys will be less efficient in removing
that salt from your body. You can improve the
situation by taking regular walks in the forest,”
says Dr. David Anderson who does research on the
links between hypertension and human behavior.
A simple yet effective breathing technique
will probably help combat myocardial infarction,
stroke, kidney failure, blindness and many other
diseases and conditions caused by hypertension.
Hypertension was dubbed a “quiet killer” by
doctors all over the world because patients
affected by the disease may feel no manifest
symptoms until substantial damage is done
and they suddenly find themselves in a
life-threatening condition.
So.. if you want to keep living for longer...
take deeper, regular breaths
using established control methods
- as explained above -
and do so daily.
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