Study links cellphone use with ear tumour risk

A Swedish study suggests that people who use a cellphone for at least 10 years might increase their risk of developing a rare benign tumour along a nerve on the side of the head where they hold the phone.

In an interview Thursday, one of the researchers behind the preliminary study, Anders Ahlbom, saidT the results were surprising and more research is needed.

Canada.com

Mobile phone risk revealed

Long-term phone use doubles occurrence of rare tumour.

"We were surprised about the results, but the outcome is quite clear," says Anders Ahlbom, an epidemiologist at the Karolinska Institute, who was involved in the study.

"We are now convinced of the quite strong risk due to the use of mobile phones, and we are waiting for confirmation from the other research groups," says Ahlbom.

News@nature.com

World Health Organization takes aim at reducing medical mistakes

Citing statistics that one in 10 hospital patients are victims of preventable medical mistakes, the World Health Organization on Wednesday announced an initiative to create a "culture of safety" in health care.

ABC News

Chemical in Teflon, other goods is turning up in disturbing places

More than 65 years ago in a south New Jersey laboratory, a DuPont chemist accidentally invented a waxy, white powder that would become one of the mainstays of the modern kitchen: Teflon.

Today, this nonstick marvel is getting attention far beyond the stovetop. A chemical used to make it, perfluorooctanoic acid — PFOA — has been turning up in people and animals worldwide: river otters in Oregon, polar bears in the Canadian Arctic and in the blood of 96 percent of children tested in 23 states.

Scientists are not sure how the chemical is getting into people — not from using Teflon pans, they say — and they don't know whether it poses any danger at current levels.

The Seattle Times

How do You Know if Your Food is Genetically Modified?

When polled only about one-quarter of Americans report having eaten genetically modified food. However, if you randomly pick an item off your grocery store’s shelves, you have a 70 percent chance of picking a food with genetically modified (GM) ingredients. This is because at least seven out of every 10 items have been genetically modified.

If more Americans were aware of this fact, the polls would certainly turn out differently, but Americans are kept largely in the dark about GM products, and most are not aware they are eating these foods because there are no labeling requirements for GM foods. This, despite the fact that there have been no studies done with humans to show what happens when genetically modified foods are consumed, and an ABC News poll (PDF) found that 92 percent of Americans want mandatory labels on GM foods

Mercola.com

'Near-death' survivors show brain-wave abnormality, study finds

Many people who have undergone near-death experiences - a profoundly affecting glimpse of a loving afterlife - have abnormal brain waves, a University of Arizona study has found.

This is the first scientific confirmation that something extremely unusual is going on in the brains of people who briefly died, reported leaving their bodies and moving toward a loving, peaceful light or presence, then were resuscitated and returned to life.

Arizona Daily Star

Scientist Claims Proof Of Afterlife

What happens after we die -- do we continue on or is this life the end?
Scientists at The University of Arizona have done extensive research, and say that they have the proof that when we die we continue to live beyond our physical bodies.

"Almost anyone who sees the data says there's something real here," said one of the researchers.

Newsnet5.com

Languages help brain-power

Learning a second language 'boosts' brain-power.

Researchers from University College London studied the brains of 105 people - 80 of whom were bilingual reports BBC online.

They found learning other languages altered grey matter - the area of the brain which processes information - in the same way exercise builds muscles.

Ananova.com

Aerosols linked to babies' illness

Air fresheners and aerosols used in the home can cause diarrhoea and earache in youngsters and depression in their mothers, according to new research.

A study following 14,000 children since birth found that frequent use of fresheners and aerosols during pregnancy and early childhood was linked to higher levels of illness.

Ananova.com

'Healing power of prayer revealed'

A massive study has found that patients admitted to hospital with heart trouble fare better if someone is praying for them.
None of those involved were told that people were engaging in what is known as "intercessory prayer" on their behalf.

Just over half of these, picked at random, were made the subject of intercessory prayer. However, on average, the 500 patients prayed for had 11% less complications during their stay in hospital. In all, the researchers looked at 990 people admitted to the coronary care unit over the course of a year.

Using a standard coronary care scoring system, patients from prayer and non-prayer groups were assessed. Those who were the subject of prayer did better than their fellow patients.

BBC Online

Prayer 'works as a cure'

Praying for somebody who is ill can make them better, research suggests.
A study carried out by the University of Maryland in the US has found prayer and spiritual healing may reduce pain and speed up the recovery of patients.

The highest number of positive results was found in studies which examined spiritual healing, in particular a technique where the "energy field" around a person's body is treated.

"We welcome any sort of research like this. We know that spiritual healing works because of clinical evidence like this and also because of its results.

BBC News

'Near death experiences' probed

A doctor in Southampton has been given ethical approval for a large scale trial to investigate what happens when patients have a "near death experience".

A pilot project at the city's general hospital suggested that a small proportion of patients who had a cardiac arrest and survived, reported some kind of unusual experience while they were clinically brain dead.

BBC News

Circumstantial Evidence for Survival Of consciousness after death

Dr. Ken Ring published a paper in the Journal of Near-Death Studies concerning near-death experiencers who, while out of their bodies, witness real events that occur far away from their dead body. The important aspect to this phenomenon is that these events seen far away are later verified to be true. Experiencers not only witness events from great distances, but they have been documented to hear conversations between people at the same events. Conversations such as these have also verified to be true. An even more fascinating phenomenon occurs when the experiencer actually appears in spirit to someone, usually a loved one, during their NDE and it is verified to be true by the experiencer and the loved one. It is evidence such as this, if scientifically controlled, that can provide absolute scientific proof that consciousness can exist outside of the body. A scientifically controlled NDE that can be repeated which provides such evidence would be the scientific discovery of all time.

Near-death.com

Salts that Heal and Salts that Kill

Unrefined Ocean Sea Salt versus Refined Salt - Table Salt

Salt is an essence of Life. Natural Salt is an essential element in the diet of not only humans but of animals, and even of many plants. Natural Salt is one of the most effective and most widely used of all food seasonings and natural preservatives.

Refined salt (Table Salt) is 99.9% NaCl (sodium-chloride), (chemical as clean as Heroin or White Sugar) . It almost always contain additives, like 0.01% of Potassium-Iodide (added to the salt to avoid Iodine deficiency disease of thyroid gland), Sugar (added to stabilize Iodine and as anti-caking chemical), Aluminum silicate. Thanks to Potassium-Iodide, we now have an epidemy of Hyperthyroidism.

CureZone.com

The karma of virtual libraries

Do books want to be free?

Folks at BookCrossing.com think so, and they might have stumbled onto a way to turn the world into a virtual lending library, something that would have made Benjamin Franklin, proponent of the first public library in the United States -- which opened in 1731 -- very happy.

The Open Source software movement popularizes the notion that "information wants to be free," but Franklin originated the idea of a public library where ideas could be accessible to anyone, not just people with the means to buy books.

This is where karma comes in. It is a cross between "if you love something, set it free," and "cast your bread upon the waters."

CNN.com

The Power Of Yoga

To the skeptic, all evidence is anecdotal. But some anecdotes are more than encouraging; they are inspiring. Consider Sue Cohen, 54, an accountant, breast-cancer survivor and five-year yoga student at the Unity Woods studio in Bethesda, Md. "After my cancer surgery," Cohen says, "I thought I might never lift my arm again. Then here I am one day, standing on my head, leaning most of my 125-lb. body weight on that arm I thought I'd never be able to use again. Chemotherapy, surgery and some medications can rob you of mental acuity, but yoga helps compensate for the loss. It impels you to do things you never thought you were capable of doing."

A series of exercises as old as the Sphinx could prove to be the medical miracle of tomorrow — or just wishful thinking from the millions who have embraced yoga in a bit more than a generation.

TIME.com

Hungry world 'must eat less meat'

World water supplies will not be enough for our descendants to enjoy the sort of diet the West eats now, experts say.
The World Water Week in Stockholm will be told the growth in demand for meat and dairy products is unsustainable.

Animals need much more water than grain to produce the same amount of food, and ending malnutrition and feeding even more mouths will take still more water.

Scientists say the world will have to change its consumption patterns to have any realistic hope of feeding itself.

BBC News

Peace on our Plates

When we eat the dead bodies of our animal relatives, on both a biological and spiritual level:
-- We eat their terror and consequent adrenaline:
-- We eat their physical illnesses from being fed chemicals, growth hormones, and feed containing dead animals;
-- We eat their mental anguish from being incarcerated and separated from their families and their natural state of being;
-- We eat the spiritual and mental numbing of the workers who torture and kill them;
-- We eat the terrible loss to the animals of never having been able to praise and celebrate life, to see the sun, to nurture their children, and to run and play with their friends.

EDGE

Gelatin is made from bones and hides

Sometimes the most innocuous of foodstuffs contain constituents whose origins are less than appetizing. Such is the case with JELL-O, a dessert that has graced millions of dinner tables since its 1897 debut.

The production of gelatin starts with the boiling of bones, skins, and hides of cows and pigs, a process that releases the protein-rich collagen from animal tissues. The collagen is boiled and filtered numerous times, dried, and ground to a powder. Because the collagen is processed extensively, the final product is not categorized as a meat or animal product by the federal government. Very strict vegetarians avoid gelatin entirely.

Snopes.com

Increase in childhood leukaemia may be part due to increased light at night

International experts will consider the evidence for a link between the rise in childhood leukaemia and increased light at night at an international scientific conference in London.

The incidence of childhood leukaemia increased dramatically in the twentieth century. The increase has mainly affected the under five age group, in whom the risk increased by more than 50 per cent during the second half of the century alone.

Although the causes of leukaemia in children are poorly understood, environmental factors are thought to play a major role in the rising incidence since changes in our genetic make up simply do not happen on this kind of timescale.

EurekAlert

Stevia: Nature's Calorie-Free Sugar Alternative!

Stevia is an herb that has been used as a sweetener in South America for hundreds of years. First discovered by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay, stevia is a small green plant bearing leaves which have a delicious and refreshing taste that can be 30 times sweeter than sugar.

Quality stevia leaves and whole leaf concentrate are nutritious, natural dietary supplements offering a bounty of health benefits. Today, China grows nearly 80% of the world's stevia leaf. Stevia gets its intense flavor from a small group of naturally-occurring glycosides (Steviosides, Rebaudiosides and a Dulcoside).

Mercola.com

Don't Be Fooled By New Snack Food Deceptions

Most commercial chips -- corn chips, potato chips, tortilla chips -- are high in trans fat, which is why they are some of the worst foods you can possibly eat.

Fortunately, some companies have caught on to the recent media blitz about the dangers of trans fat and have started to produce chips without trans fat. Nevertheless, the high temperatures used to cook them will potentially cause the formation of carcinogenic substances like acrylamide, and this risk remains even if the trans fat is removed.

Mercola.com

Kidney Stones a New Risk for Coffee Drinkers

Individuals who are prone to kidney stones or who ingest large amounts of coffee should limit their caffeine intake, according to study results.

Researchers gave a dose of caffeine equivalent to that found in two cups of coffee to participants who had a history of kidney stones. Following ingestion of the caffeine, the subjects showed more calcium in their urine; this puts them at a higher risk of forming kidney stones.

Yahoo News
Mercola.com

Letter From Parents to Their Doctor on Their Upcoming Delivery

We are so excited about having you aid us in the birth of our fourth child. We have taken Bradley courses (husband coached child birth classes) in preparation for this very special event and have had all three of our children using this method. In an effort to have complete and open communication with you, your staff, and the hospital personnel, the following are some specific points that we would like to occur in order for us to obtain our fourth natural child birth. We would greatly appreciate your time and understanding.

Mercola.com

124 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health

Print this list and tape it to your refrigerator or sugar bowl. (See below for clinical documentation of each statement.)

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).

Nancyappleton.com

Added Sugars, Less Urgency? Fine Print and the Guidelines

IF you want a peek into the fierce debate over whether too much sugar is bad for you, start at the final recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report.

After hours of negotiations by committee members, the report, to be released tomorrow, lacks any direct recommendation that added sugar should be reduced, as previous reports had urged. Yet fairly hidden on Page 6 are details about the hazards of sugar, especially the kind found in soft drinks and sweetened juice beverages. It seems as if the committee wanted to have it both ways.

Should added sugars be considered a health hazard? Until this month, the committee was evenly divided. Trade associations, which play a major part in the government's decisions on its food policy, say no. Nonaffiliated scientific researchers say a resounding YES.

StateNewsOnline.com

Mercury in many lakes, rivers

One third of the nation's lake waters and one-quarter of its riverways are contaminated with mercury and other pollutants that could cause health problems for children and pregnant women who eat too much fish, the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday.

USA Today

Cleaning products, solvents may cause asthma

Exposure to fumes emitted by cleaning products in the home could cause asthma in children, according to a study in the British Medical Association's journal Thorax.

The study found that children exposed to higher levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were four times more likely to suffer from asthma than children who were not.

VOCs are found in solvents, paints, floor adhesives, cleaning products, polishes, room fresheners and fitted carpets, the study said.

ABC Online Home

Tell the Truth About Vaccines -- or Keep Away From my Children

If the average American were aware of the common components of vaccines, they may think twice before considering them. Now they have replaced mercury with equally damaging toxins, aluminum and formaldehyde. But the list of vaccine fillers doesn't end there. Here is a partial list of some of the other fillers that vaccines could contain:

aluminum hydroxide
animal tissues: pig blood, horse blood, rabbit brain, dog kidney, monkey kidney, chick embryo, human diploid cells (originating from human aborted fetal tissue)
monosodium glutamate (MSG)
phenoxyethanol (antifreeze)
sorbitol
sucrose

These additives are often more dangerous than the viral component of the vaccine. If you are a parent and are considering vaccinating your child, please read up on the potentially devastating side effects of vaccines before doing so, it could mean the difference between life and death.

Mercola.com

Monsanto Pushes Hormones on School Kids in Their Milk

Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone is a genetically engineered drug injected into cows, which increases the levels of cancer causing and other dangerous chemicals in milk. Its manufacturer, the Monsanto Corporation, also manufactured the deadly Agent Orange.

Monsanto has been pushing farmers to inject cows with rBGH since 1994. Many small farms, however, continue to resist. Repeated injections of rBGH artificially stimulate cows to produce 10% to 25% more milk than normal, causing health problems for the cows and danger to consumers, especially kids, who drink rBGH milk or eat butter, ice cream, cheese or yogurt.

Monsanto has been fighting against consumer demands to require labels on genetically engineered products.

Mercola.com

Denmark bans Kellogg's vitamins

Danish health officials yesterday banned the cereal company Kellogg's from adding vitamins and minerals to its famous food brands, saying they could damage the health of children and pregnant women.
The company, which expressed incredulity at the decision, had hoped to enrich 18 breakfast foods and cereal bars with iron, calcium, vitamin B6 and folic acid, just as they already do in many countries including Britain.

But the Danes said the manufacturer of Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and Special K wanted to include "toxic" doses which, if eaten regularly, could damage children's livers and kidneys and harm foetuses in pregnant women.

Guardian Unlimited

The Proven Dangers of Microwaves

If an established institution like the University of Minnesota can warn about the loss of particular nutrient qualities in microwaved baby formula or mother's milk, then somebody must know something about microwaving they are not telling everybody.

Nexus Magazine
Mercola.com

The Hidden Hazards Of Microwave Cooking

Is it possible that millions of people are ignorantly sacrificing their health in exchange for the convenience of microwave ovens? Why did the Soviet Union ban the use of microwave ovens in 1976? Who invented microwave ovens, and why? The answers to these questions may shock you into throwing your microwave oven in the trash.

Cancer-Causing Effects
Nutritive Destruction of Foods
Biological Effects of Exposure

Mercola.com

Stainless Steel Stents and Cookware May Cause Problems

Contrary to common beliefs, stainless steel may not be the most inert substance. A new study has found that stainless steel coronary stents may trigger allergic reactions to substances such as nickel, molybdenum, or chromium, which are released. These allergic reactions may be a major factor in causing in-stent restenosis.

The authors conclude that "Allergic reactions to nickel and molybdenum released from stents may be one of the triggering mechanisms for in-stent restenosis."

Lancet
Mercola.com

Teflon linked to birth defects and illness

The coating on non-stick pans used in millions of kitchens throughout the world has been linked to birth defects in humans and to the deaths of pets.

Chemical firms face claims that perfluorinated organic chemicals, such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is in Teflon - first used in 1945 - and oil- and water-resistant coatings, are a health threat.

Telegraph News

Teflon Chemicals are a Threat to Health

Dupont recently defended its position about partially complying with federal reporting guidelines on the health risks of a key ingredient found in Teflon.

Mercola.com

Most of the U.S. Fish Supply Contains Harmful Levels of Mercury

After analyzing an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, the environmental coalition, Clear the Air, found more than half the fish living in lakes and reservoirs have excessive levels of mercury. So much so, these fish aren't safe for children and child-bearing women to eat.

New York Times
Mercola.com

How Many Specialists Report Medical Errors?

Some 45 percent of specialists reported that a medical error had occurred in their practice in the past six months, according to a national survey. Researchers sent out the brief, anonymous survey to 2,500 members of the American Academy of Otolaryngology (head and neck surgery), of which they received 466 responses. About 37 percent of the reported errors, which affected both children and adults, caused major harm or injury. Four percent of the errors were fatal.

Laryngoscope
Mercola.com

Parents Strongest Influence on How Much Soda Kids Drink

If you care about your health and that of your family, one of the best things you could do is to stop drinking sodas.

One can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites. I can't think of any good reason to ever have it. The diet varieties are also problematic as they are filled with harmful artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

Studies have linked soda to osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay and heart disease, yet the average American drinks an estimated 56 gallons of soft drinks each year. Plus, drinking all that sugar will likely suppress your appetite for healthy foods, which paves the way for nutrient deficiencies.

Journal of the American Dietetic Association
Mercola.com

This link takes 2 minutes to read and can save your life and/or body parts.

This link contains critical information for any person suffering from any disease or disorder. The information pertains to anyone and everyone seeking healing for any disease.

The foundation of the medical profession lies in the hands of the pharmaceutical industry and remains a profession riddled with conflicts of interest. Too often, true disease prevention is referred to as too time consuming or as a barrier to economic profits. Traditional doctors engage in a simple and profitable practice. They first spend a limited amount of time with their patients, charge them an exorbitant fee, then fill out a script for a prescription without looking into the possible side effects of the medication.

Molocure.com

Four Ways Junk Food Marketing Targets Your Kids

You walk through the grocery store, planning to buy only the few items on your list. You have just about made it down the first aisle when your young child begins to beg for junk food item #1, green catsup. You give in hoping it will make the rest of the trip easier, when just as you turn the corner your child begins begging for another junk food item, this time sugary cereal. Sound familiar?

Well, there’s a reason why your kids want just about every sugary, greasy, processed food that they can get their hands on. Since the day your child was exposed to the outside world, through TV, magazines, the radio--even school--they have been inundated with the persuasive messages of the junk food industry. According to the National Institute on Media and the Family, advertisements target children as young as 3 years old. As an adult it can be hard enough to resist these marketing ploys, but for a child to resist is almost unthinkable.

Mercola.com

Infants Eating Fries and Drinking Soft Drinks

It is shocking and irresponsible that parents are feeding their young children junk food and soft drinks despite what they do to your health. But you want to know what really knocked my socks off? You have to be living under a rock if you didn't know that vegetables were good for you. Well, we read headlines that people are consuming more vegetables, but the key here is what exactly they are defining as vegetables.

I suspect you will be as shocked as I was to learn that French fries are actually classified as vegetables. French fries are, in fact, the most popular vegetable eaten by children 19 to 24 months old, as the article says. This is absolutely amazing considering that they are one of the most toxic foods known to man. Equally as surprising is that French fries make up one-third of teens' vegetable intake.

Parents, it is up to you to make sure that your children are healthy, especially when they are so young. One of the best ways to keep them healthy is by feeding them foods that are good for them. If you give your children French fries and soda, you are giving them a load of toxins that their bodies have to compensate for. Why not give them foods that will protect them and nourish them instead?

Mercola.com

Children's Food Demands: Do You Have to Give In?

If you're a health-conscious parent, which choice should you make at a child's birthday party?

Forbid your child to have cake and ice cream
Avoid taking your child to any birthday parties
Take healthy food to the party for your child
Take enough healthy food for everyone
Let your child eat what everybody else is eating

Naturopathyworks
Mercola.com

Will the Worst Foods Finally be Declared "Junk"?

Some experts identified junk food as the prime contributor to the obesity epidemic. Almost one-third of the American diet consists of sweets, salty snacks and soda, which contain no nutritional value and are also strongly tied to unhealthy eating habits. For these reasons, certain experts believe that these types of foods should be marked with labels such as a scarlet "J" symbol.

The food industry has a $30 billion advertising budget
McDonald's reportedly spent $500 million on one ad campaign, while the National Cancer Institute spends about $1 million a year to promote eating five daily servings of fruits and vegetables
Junk food advertisements target children as young as 3 years old
Junk food marketers spent an estimated $15 billion in 2002 solely on marketing aimed at children

ABC News
Mercola.com

Cinnamon Oil Better for Killing Mosquitoes Than DEET

DEET, the active chemical in most mosquito repellants, is a deadly and potent neurotoxin and should not be used. Cinnamon oil appears very promising, is inexpensive and even smells great. Other common essential oils, such as catnip, have shown similar promise in fighting off mosquitoes as well.

The pesticides that are being used to fight the West Nile Virus are surely going to contribute to a number of diseases, so it's promising to see that researchers are looking into other safe and natural pesticides.

Mercola.com

Do You Use Aspirin or Tylenol Regularly? Beware as They Are Linked to Kidney Failure

Individuals who have kidney disease or other ailments who regularly take aspirin or acetaminophen may be boosting their risk of developing kidney failure.

Researchers report that such patients who were regular users -- those who took these painkillers at least twice a week for 2 months -- were two to three times more likely to have the beginning stages of chronic kidney failure, compared with individuals who did not use these painkillers on a regular basis.

The New England Journal of Medicine
Mercola.com

Anti-Fever Drugs May Prolong Flu

The use of anti-fever drugs such as aspirin and acetaminophen may prolong influenza A and possibly other viral infections, according to researchers at the University of Maryland schools of medicine and pharmacy.

During these studies, some of the subjects were given aspirin or acetaminophen (paracetamol) for relief of symptoms such as fever.

The current study compared the duration of illness in those who received the medication with those who did not and found that flu sufferers who took one of the anti-fever medications were sick an average of 3.5 days longer than people who did not take either of the drugs.

Mercola.com

The debate over acetaminophen and acute liver failure

Acetaminophen overdose causes more than 450 deaths due to acute liver failure each year in the United States and this number appears to be on the rise.

''For a pain reliever with only mild-to-moderate efficacy, it would seem prudent to move toward limiting these needless deaths.''

Science Blog

Aspartame Is By Far, the Most Dangerous Substance On the Market That Is Added To Foods

Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names, NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. Aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965, when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company was testing an anti-ulcer drug.

Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: Aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. The book, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by James and Phyllis Balch, lists aspartame under the category of "chemical poison." As you shall see, that is exactly what it is.

Mercola.com

Aspartame: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

If a product is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and composed of natural ingredients, would you assume it is safe to consume?

Aspartame can be found in thousands of products such as:

instant breakfasts
breath mints
cereals
sugar-free chewing gum
cocoa mixes
coffee beverages
frozen desserts
gelatin desserts
juice beverages
laxatives
multivitamins
milk drinks
pharmaceuticals and supplements, including over-the-counter medicines
shake mixes
soft drinks
tabletop sweeteners
tea beverages
instant teas and coffees
topping mixes
wine coolers
yogurt

Aspartame consumption is not only a problem in the United States--it is being sold in over 70 countries throughout the world.

Mercola.com

Aspartame - History of fraud and deception

When a human consumes "Nutra-Sweet", it breaks down above 85° not only into its constituent amino acids, but into methanol, which further breaks down into formaldehyde, which is carcinogenic[8] and very toxic, as well as formic acid and a brain tumor agent called diketopiperazine (DKP).

Aspartame Use Part of Planetary Biomedical Genocide

The fact that tons of aspartame is pumped into the world population each year, knowingly and deliberately, especially with the historical and documented record of fraud and misrepresentation, constitutes a conspiracy of the highest order, as well as criminal negligence. The rewards of continued use are increased profits for the medical and pharmaceutical industries and chemical companies who produce aspartame and treat people suffering from the effect of it. Aspartame is the only biochemical warfare product on grocery shelves. And, the band plays on ....

Mercola.com

Coffee, Tea, or Stress-Free?

85% of U.S. adults consume caffeine daily and they are prone to increased blood pressure, meaning greater chances of heart disease, and feeling more stressed than if they didn't drink their coffee, cola or tea.

The Duke University research team found that even if people don't consume caffeine after 1pm, the effects remain until they go to sleep. That's because caffeine takes a long time to deteriorate in the body - twelve hours after consumption, the body still contains one-eighth of the original amount of caffeine. With regular consumption, these long-lasting effects could increase the risk of heart disease.

Mercola.com

Coffee: How Bad is it Really?

Pregnant women should NEVER drink coffee. Caffeine is a stimulant drug that easily passes through the placenta to the developing fetus and is also transferred through breast milk.

During pregnancy and in infants the half-life of caffeine is increased, which means that it will stay in your body, and your infant’s body, longer. Moreover, fetuses have no ability to detoxify caffeine.

Mercola.com

Coffee Impairs Short-Term Memory

A cup of coffee each morning may wake you up, but a new study suggests caffeine might hinder your short-term recall of certain words.
Caffeine made it harder for people to find a word that they already knew - the "tip-of-the-tongue" phenomenon.

Sun Network

The Toxic Chemicals in Your Home They Aren't Telling You About

Several everyday consumer products are made with toxic chemicals that can't be found anywhere on the package label.

In a study, 40 household products such as hair coloring, lipstick and paints were tested for toxic chemicals. Out of these 40 products, evidence of the following chemicals was discovered in 34 of the products: glycols, organic solvents and phthalates. These chemicals did not appear on the label of the products.

Although the study didn't test at what level these chemicals were harmful to people, they did find that these chemicals could contribute to impacting the nervous system, reproductive system and cause other health issues. For this reason, researchers expressed the need to look further into chemical affects and people's level of exposure to them.

Mercola.com

More Evidence of Doctors Over-Prescribing Drugs

Despite mounting evidence on the negative side effects of high-dose consumption of the arthritis pain reliever, Vioxx, doctors continue to prescribe the drug.

It is important to remember that anytime you are dealing with numbers that large there will inevitably be corruption, greed and negative influences that are a part of the story if drugs are involved.

Mercola.com

'Sweet misery', Chronicles medical horrors of aspartame

The controversy over aspartame, found in all diet soft drinks, popular diet lemonade products, pudding and more than 5,000 food products, continues to draw concern in light of recent media reports.

When aspartate (as aspartame) is combined in the diet with monosodium glutamate (MSG) blood levels are several fold higher than normal. With the BBB damaged, as in MS, these excitotoxins can freely enter the site of injury, greatly magnifying the damage.

Recent studies have also shown that even single exposures to these food-based excitotoxins can produce prolonged worsening of neurological lesions.

Newswithviews.com

How Dangerous Are Your Cosmetics?

Each product is ranked according to its ingredients' potential to:
Cause cancer
Trigger allergic reactions
Interfere with the endocrine (hormonal) system
Impair reproduction or damage a developing fetus

Any harmful impurities in the product are also considered. Containing unstudied ingredients or a "penetration enhancer" that helps chemicals get absorbed through the skin also enter into the equation, as does any violation of industry safety recommendations surrounding its use.

Environmental Working Group
Mercola.com

Study: Not all kids with glasses need them

A study out today finds that up to 20% of children with normal eyes who undergo comprehensive vision exams may be prescribed glasses they don't need.

While many doctors recommend that preschoolers should be screened for vision problems, experts disagree about the best approach.

USA Today

100 Years of Medical Robbery

The American Medical Association (AMA) will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its Council on Medical Education. The medical establishment understandably sees the formation of the Council as a good thing. However, some patients aren't ready to celebrate yet, and their instincts may be good.

Ludwig Von Mises Institute

Hospitals Taking Advantage of the Poor

Patients without insurance filed lawsuits against a dozen metropolitan hospitals after being overcharged and then harassed into paying the hospital bills.

Lawyers of these plaintiffs have suggested the formation of a trust fund that would be set up by hospitals to help with the costs of the uninsured. Lawyers argued that hospitals had the benefit of being tax-exempt, which should allow them to provide affordable health care to those without insurance.

Newstandardnews.net

Evil Encouragement of Youthful Hedonism

If you think scantily clad women in provocative poses and suggestive ad copy surrounded by the tempting nightlife scene are the makings for the next beer commercial, think again. Marketers for Tagamet haven’t made enough profits in the baby boomer market so now they’re going after today’s youth market.

In efforts to attract the attention of the younger market and catch up with their competitors, manufacturers of Tagamet have developed a campaign to target men as young as 21.

Mercola.com

The Real Dangers of Soda to You and Your Children

How many sodas have you had today? How about your kids? The average American drinks an estimated 56 gallons of soft drinks each year, but before you grab that next can of soda, consider this: one can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites.

This is an alarming amount of sugar, calories and harmful additives in a product that has absolutely no nutritional value. Plus, studies have linked soda to osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay and heart disease. Despite this, soda accounts for more than one-quarter of all drinks consumed in the United States.

Mercola.com

One Soda a Day Increases Diabetes Risk 85 Percent

Diabetes is an illness that develops, often in middle age, when a body loses the ability to turn blood sugar into energy. There were 18.2 million Americans — 6.3% of the population — with diabetes in 2002, and it is the nation's fifth-deadliest disease, says the American Diabetes Association.

"It provides ammunition for education efforts, labeling changes and restricting soft drink consumption in schools"

USA Today

Yoga Relieves Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Studies found that taking yoga classes and practicing poses for a six-month period could greatly improve fatigue symptoms in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study also revealed that yoga was just as effective as aerobic exercises in relieving fatigue-related symptoms.

Although there didn’t appear to be an improvement in cognitive functioning in the MS studies, there was a definite increase in the quality of physical health.

Mercola.com

Real milk cures many diseases

We have often seen most satisfactory results in the treatment of anemia, including pernicious anemia, on a milk diet. I have repeatedly seen a marked reduction in the size of simple and toxic thyroid, with improvement in the symptoms of the toxic one. In prostatic diseases and associated conditions, this treatment will achieve rapid and marked improvement in the infection and in the reduction of the gland and lessening of obstruction. A professor of surgery in one of our state universities once said to me, "Since I have used your method in preparing prostate cases, I have had most excellent results and no mortality." I replied that if he had continued the treatment a little longer, he would not need to operate. All infections of the urinary tract are greatly improved by this treatment.

Realmilk.com

Chocolate Help You Stay Healthy

Small daily doses of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate eaten over a two-week period have been found to help the blood vessels to better dilate, according to a recent study. Scientists targeted epicatechin, a specific flavonoid that was absorbed at high levels in the blood, to be particularly beneficial in blood vessel functions. Researchers believe elevated levels of epicatechin trigger the release of active substances that increase blood flow through arteries and improve heart health.

Eat it only if you’re healthy.
Make sure to eat it in moderation.

Mercola.com

Charges of ethical misbehavior stagger U.S. health agency

The jewel of U.S. medical research is starting to lose some of its glitter.

Long known for impeccable science, the federally funded National Institutes of Health is in tumult over disclosures that hundreds of the government agency's scientists have worked as consultants for drug and biotechnology companies or accepted cash prizes from universities that depend on the NIH to fund research.

Signonsandiego.com

Schools Hooked on Junk Food

"The school system is failing our children in promoting unhealthy eating habits," Sandberg-Bernard said. "I am fundamentally opposed to the principles on which our school accepted the deal with Pepsi."

"It's not just that there are vending machines, but they're filled with the worst food there can be: candy and fried pork rinds," Mike Tabor said. "I thought, 'What's going on here? Why not have granola bars?' "

Washingtonpost.com

Schools Peddling Junk Food to Kids

The biggest cost, some parents and health advocates say, is the health risk to students in a system that gives schools a financial interest in selling them more snacks

"One of the biggest challenges school meal program managers face is the competition with foods that are marketed to children through multimillion-dollar, glitzy and sophisticated advertising campaigns," the report stated.

Mercola.com

Soda Causing Nutritional Deficiencies in Children

Children and adolescents who drink soda may be depriving themselves of several important vitamins and minerals, results of a new survey suggest.

The researchers note that soda consumption among children and adolescents rose 41% between 1989-1991 and 1994-1995, mostly displacing milk and juice, the leading sources of many vitamins and minerals in the American diet.

Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine November
Mercola.com

Teens Drinking More Soda

This is national tragedy.Teenagers in the US now drink twice as much soda as milk, a reverse of figures noted 20 years ago, according to a report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the nonprofit consumer advocacy group based in Washington, DC.

Mercola.com

Childhood Nutrition Affects Cancer Risk

A new study suggests that children who overeat have a higher risk of developing certain cancers in adulthood. Using a national database of health information, the British researchers determined which of the children who participated in that study had developed cancer as adults.

British Medical Journal
Mercola.com

The Amazing Statistics and Dangers of Soda Pop

Nearly everyone by now has heard the litany on the presumed health effects of soft drinks:

Obesity
Tooth decay
Caffeine dependence
Weakened bones

If you are still drinking soda this is something that is quite simple to stop. In my mind there is absolutely no justification to drink soda. Both sugar and Nutrasweet™ are deadly to your health and will gradually rob you of it. So stick to pure water, one quart for every 50 pounds of body weight.

Mercola.com

Coca-Cola and Pepsi to Promote Mid-Calorie Sodas

Stopping soda is clearly one of the most important physical things you can do to achieve higher levels of health.

This is because soda is one of the main nutritional reasons why most people suffer from health problems. For one thing, it parallels alcohol in one profound similarity--if one drinks all that sugar the appetite is relatively suppressed for nourishing foods like vegetables and that results in nutritional deficiencies. This is independent of all the damage that sugar can do.

Mercola.com

Prayer and Medical Science

"Nobody has the slightest idea how anything material could be conscious. Nobody even knows what it would be like to have the slightest idea about how anything material could be conscious. So much for the philosophy of consciousness."

Despite the marvelous success of neuroscience in the past century . . ., we seem as far away from understanding . . . as we were a century ago . . . The most important discoveries of the next 50 years are likely to be ones of which we cannot now even conceive.

There appears to be no question that prayer works. We have many studies now that document that. The science is very solid in excellent peer-reviewed publications. The science is so solid, that it is criminally negligent for physicians not to recommend it.

Archives of Internal Medicine
Mercola.com

First Cigarette May Change Teens' Brains and Behavior

Research has shown that the effects of nicotine from smoking appeared to be more responsive to the adolescent brain than the adult brain. Also, it was discovered that the initial inhale of nicotine during adolescence altered the behavioral reaction to the drug, which might help researchers understand the tendency of teen smokers to carry the smoking habit into their adult years.

Mercola.com

Sugar Industry Has Major Conflict With Health Report--Imagine That

FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a joint report on diet to address the increasing problem of chronic diseases worldwide and develop a strategy to combat the problem.

The report contains scientific evidence on the relationship of diet, nutrition and physical activity to chronic diseases and examines cardiovascular diseases, several forms of cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and dental disease.

A diet low in saturated fat, sugars and salt and high in vegetables and fruit, and regular physical activity, will help to combat chronic disease, according to the report.

Mercola.com

Sugar Industry Tries to Block World Health Initiative on Obesity

One of the components of the plan included limiting the recommendations of fat, sugar and salt intake, which have contributed to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer around the world. They have also accounted for almost 60 percent of the 56.5 million deaths worldwide each year.

This is merely an extension of the sugar industry's resistance to this proposal. The closest analogy I can think of is the tobacco industry seeking to stall WHO initiatives to help people stop smoking. The only problem here is that I believe that sugar is more dangerous to your health than smoking.

Yahoo News
Mercola.com

How Many Dangerous Pesticides are in Your Body?

According to a study, residents in the United States were found to carry harmful levels of pesticides in their bodies, with children, women and Mexican Americans disproportionately exposed to the chemicals. A study analyzed information on over 2,648 people who were tested for levels of 34 different kinds of pesticides.

The study involved blood and urine tests, which revealed a large amount of people carried levels of pesticides that were considered unsafe by the government health and environmental agencies.

USA Today
Mercola.com

More Problems With Fructose

The delusion that fructose is an acceptable form of sugar is quite prevalent in many nutritional circles. These studies are important contributions to the scientific literature that confirm that it is not. Nearly all simple sugars are metabolized quickly and disrupt insulin levels, which contributes to most chronic illness. So don't be fooled--avoid fructose just like you would table sugar as they both cause similar problems.

This doesn't mean that you should avoid fruit, however. Eating small amounts of whole fruit will NOT provide tremendous amounts of fructose and should not be a problem for most people, unless diabetes or obesity is an issue. However, fruit juices, sodas and other beverages sweetened with fructose should be avoided.

Washington Post
Mercola.com

How Could Drug Companies be so Evil?

According to the first comprehensive scientific review to include all available studies, including negative data that have long been withheld from public scrutiny by the pharmaceutical industry, four popular antidepressants being used to treat thousands of depressed American children are unsafe, ineffective or both. Those antidepressants are: Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Celexa

Drug companies do the research and learn that the drugs don't work, yet are willing to sell and market them to children even when it is clear that they are causing many children to commit suicide.

Mercola.com

Is veganism the optimum nutrition of the future?

Healthy veganism has never been so comparatively good for you, so easily available, so delicious and so popular. The Vegan Society have seen a massive rise in popularity during their Diamond Jubilee as they celebrate 60 years since Donald Watson first created the word vegan (from the beginning and end of vegetarian) and founded the educational charity.

Medicalnewstoday.com

Excessive television viewing in childhood and adolescence linked to poor adult health, The Lancet

Children and adolescents who consistently watch television for 2 hours or more a day are at an increased risk of being overweight, to smoke, and to have high cholesterol concentrations in early adulthood—substantial risk factors for long- term health problems in later life—conclude authors of a study from New Zealand in this week’s issue of THE LANCET

Medicalnewstoday.com

Paracetamol linked to asthma

A new study has confirmed that paracetamol use may lead to the development of asthma. Research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine analysed data from the Nurses Health Study.

Compared with nonusers, women who took the drug for more than 14 days per month were 63% more likely to develop asthma.

Nursingtimes.net

Short course of Tibetan yoga improved sleep in cancer patients

The first study to look at the use of Tibetan yoga by cancer patients found the combination of movement and meditation led to a significant sleep benefit, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Yoga is an ancient Eastern tradition that usually includes regulated breathing, moving through various postures and meditation. Although different forms of yoga are practiced in many Eastern countries, the yoga practiced in the West primarily comes from the Indian tradition, specifically the form known as Hatha yoga, says Cohen. Less commonly practiced are the yogic practices from Tibet, which have used "for thousands of years, what today we call mind-body techniques," he says.

Medicalnewstoday.com

Can Yoga Clear the Arteries?

A one-year study of heart patients in India has found that yoga therapy and the positive thinking it produces can help reduce the size of blockages in arteries and also lower cholesterol levels.

'It's not about postures and breathing. I would say it's more about inner self-empowerment,' said Dr Satish Gupta, the Indian cardiologist who founded the Coronary Artery Disease Regression through the Healthy Lifestyle therapy programme that is offered to patients at the Global Hospital and Research Centre in Rajasthan, India.

Medicalnewstoday.com

New study explodes myth about vegetarian diet

In a new study appearing in the summer 2004 issue of the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, Neal D. Barnard, M.D., and his colleagues show that patients easily transition from a standard omnivorous diet to a low-fat, vegetarian diet that helps people lose weight, lower blood pressure, and otherwise improve their health.

Many doctors are aware that a low-fat vegetarian diet can reverse heart disease and provide other benefits; however, they mistakenly think that patients will not make the transition. Now, there are at least four studies published in scientific journals showing that patients can and do adapt to a "strict" diet that dramatically improves their health. The new paper is titled, "Acceptability of a low-fat, vegan diet compares favorably to a Step II diet in a randomized, controlled trial."

Medicalnewstoday.com

Mobile phone use and acoustic neuroma

A study from the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM) at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, found that 10 or more years of mobile phone use increase the risk of acoustic neuroma and that the risk increase was confined to the side of the head where the phone was usually held. No indications of an increased risk for less than 10 years of mobile phone use were found. At the time when the study was conducted only analogue (NMT) mobile phones had been in use for more than 10 years, and therefore we cannot determine if the results are confined to use of analogue phones, or if the results would be similar also after long term use of digital (GSM) phones.

Medicalnewstoday.com

Coke versus Pepsi: It's all in the head

The preference for Coke versus Pepsi is not only a matter for the tongue to decide, Samuel McClure and his colleagues have found. Brain scans of people tasting the soft drinks reveal that knowing which drink they're tasting affects their preference and activates memory-related brain regions that recall cultural influences. Thus, say the researchers, they have shown neurologically how a culturally based brand image influences a behavioral choice.

These choices are affected by perception, wrote the researchers, because "there are visual images and marketing messages that have insinuated themselves into the nervous systems of humans that consume the drinks."

Medicalnewstoday.com

One-Third of Americans Use Prayer for Health

In addition to conventional medical care and alternative therapies, approximately one-third of adults used prayer to help them through various health issues. Experts stated that even though there isn’t any known therapeutic power of prayer, it has been linked to more positive health outcomes.

Experts recommended physicians take patient’s spiritual beliefs into consideration when trying to find out how and why patients react to illness and health the way they do.

Medicalnewstoday.com

Spirituality Cuts Mortality Risk

Strong personal faith and a social support system such as that provided by membership in a church appear to reduce the risk of death in patients after cardiac surgery, according to a report presented at the Spirituality and Healing in Medicine conference last week. Dr. Harold G. Koenig of Duke University presented data on survival after open-heart surgery in the elderly at Dartmouth Medical Center in New Hampshire. Researchers there found that patients who reported strong faith, and who said they had depended on that faith to help them cope, had a mortality rate one-third lower than patients who did not report feeling a sense of faith.

Mercola.com

Can Spirituality Improve Your Health?

In US medical schools, one of the fastest growing areas of study is the healing power of... prayer.

Seventy-nine of the nation's 125 medical schools now offer courses on prayer and spirituality. A decade ago, only three medical schools offered such classes.

If doctors now believe that prayer and spirituality should be addressed during their training, can patients also benefit by learning more?

Bottomlinesecrets.com

Written word helps wounds heal

Pouring your emotions out on paper could help wounds heal quicker, researchers say.
It is thought that writing about troubling experiences helps people deal with them.

This could then help the immune system work more effectively, researchers told the British Psychological Society conference in Stoke-on-Trent.

BBC News

Spirituality May Help Relieve Pain Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

The authors stress that the types of spiritual experiences patients reported using in their diaries were not "unusual phenomena, such as seeing visions or having out of body experiences, but rather spiritual experiences that ordinary people have in the context of daily life."

The study suggests that understanding the daily spiritual and religious experiences of patients is important in key to understanding their experience of their disease.

Journal of Pain
Mercola.com

Religion and Medicine

In the beginning, religion and healing were inseparable. In some societies, the priest and physician were one and the same person, administering spiritual and physical healing with divine sanction.

The advent of scientific medicine in the middle of the 19th century separated medicine from religion nearly completely. A century later, the direct interrelationship between the body and mind became firmly established, although psychosomatic medicine had already been described in the 12th century by Moses Maimonides.

People may be unhappy with the impersonal technology of modern medicine and seek to emphasize self-care and whole-body fitness: somatic, mental, and spiritual.

By Fred Rosner, MD
Mercola.com

Spirituality Linked to Better Health

A high level of spirituality appears to be associated with better health among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis and could also help them cope with their illness more effectively.

Spirituality may be a type of psychological resource that allows individuals to adjust better to living with a chronic illness.

Annual Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals
Mercola.com

Faith Helps Drug Addicts Recover

236 participants recovering from alcoholism and/or drug addiction were studied.
74% of recovering substance abusers reported some type of religious affiliation.
Recovering addicts tended to rate themselves as more "spiritual" than religious.
Higher levels of religious faith and spirituality among recovering substance abusers were associated with:
higher resilience to stress
more optimism
less anxiety
greater social support

American Psychological Association Convention
Mercola.com

Faith Speeds Recovery from Depression

"Strong religious faith helps speed recovery from depression among elderly individuals. Older persons with an intrinsically motivated religious faith may indeed be more able to cope with changes in their physical health and living circumstances. Depressed patients with higher intrinsic (inner) religiosity scores had more rapid remissions". American Journal of Psychiatry

This is the first study to "scientifically" document that it is one's internal authentic relationship with God, not their external conformation to ritualistic principles such as going to church regularly, which will produce significant changes in their physical health.

Mercola.com

The Religiously Active Live Longer

Regular attendance at religious functions may be related to a longer life, a new study reveals. Researchers combined the results of 29 studies that included information about the religious habits of nearly 126,000 people. They found that people who had more religious involvement had lower mortality and increased survival rates compared with those who did not.

The evidence continues to be documented in the literature. If you want to stay healthy it just makes sense to use pursue a spiritual path.

Mercola.com

The Power of Prayer

I had a very interesting visit from a new patient last week that was such a clear illustration of the power of prayer and the absolute insanity of conventional medicine that I had to share it. It seems that God has opened up the windows of heaven and poured out a blessing that is overflowing on my practice.

"Every day there are miracles that occur that go unnoticed by most of us."
Dr. Joseph Mercola.

Mercola.com

Writing (Journaling) About Stress Helps Asthma, Arthritis

For those interested in following a spiritual approach, many find the formula ACTS (Adoration (praise and worshiping God), Confession (reflection on your fewer than perfect actions), Thanksgiving (gratitude for all your blessings), and finally Supplication (Prayer requests). It is a strategy that has helped many through both good times and bad.

Mercola.com

Spirituality Important for Health

Religion appears to promote health and therefore physicians should consider attending to their patients' spiritual beliefs.

It really seems medical malpractice not to incorporate a spiritual dimension into the practice of medicine. However, I am clearly not referring to doctors proselytizing to patients about their own spiritual beliefs.

Mercola.com

Spirituality Helps Cope With Illness

Experts added they believed religion was a powerful coping tool for stress, particularly with illnesses. One researcher explained that faith may provide a meaning behind the person’s suffering and may help them understand why they became sick.

Mercola.com

Religion, spirituality, and health in medically ill hospitalized older patients.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of religion and spirituality on social support, psychological functioning, and physical health in medically ill hospitalized older adults.

CONCLUSION: Religious activities, attitudes, and spiritual experiences are prevalent in older hospitalized patients and are associated with greater social support, better psychological health, and to some extent, better physical health. Awareness of these relationships may improve health care.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Light During Sleep Affects 'Body Clock'

Researchers say sudden exposure to light can upset a sleeping individual's 'body clock,' even if snoozing continues uninterrupted. The experts believe their insights into light's effects on the sleep/wake cycle could further research into the treatment of common sleep disorders.

Nighttime exposure to light begins to motion a chemical process which can function as a precise, selective, and very rapid neural switch controlling the sleep/wake cycle.

Mercola.com

"Less Than 8 Hours of Sleep May Not Hurt Health"

"One needs to be careful in evaluating these studies as 99 percent of the funding to support this type of research is from pharmaceutical companies. While it does not appear that this study was funded by the drug companies, the editorialist in the journal are clearly paid by the drug companies that make sleeping pills."

Earlier research from the University of Chicago is quite clear that sleeping less than 6.5 hours will cause disruption in insulin receptor sensitivity which will increase one's risk for diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

Other research shows that too little sleep will accelerate aging and raise cortisol levels.

While sleeping more than 8 hours may not be necessary, clearly sleeping much less than 7 hours is likely to be highly detrimental for most people.

Mercola.com

Are You a Night Owl or an Early Lark?

Whether you are a night person, morning person or fall somewhere in between, I can’t stress enough the importance of getting a good night’s sleep.

How well you sleep or don’t sleep can seriously alter the balance of hormones in your body. This can then disrupt your sleep/wake cycle, also called the circadian rhythm. A disrupted circadian rhythm may influence cancer progression through shifts in hormones like melatonin, which the brain makes during sleep.

Mercola.com

Early television exposure and subsequent attentional problems in children.

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that early television exposure (at ages 1 and 3) is associated with attentional problems at age 7.

CONCLUSIONS: Early television exposure is associated with attentional problems at age 7. Efforts to limit television viewing in early childhood may be warranted, and additional research is needed.

NCBI

20 Activities to do With Your Kids Other Than Watch TV

Almost half of U.S. kids spend at least two hours a day watching TV. While this may sound harmless enough, numerous studies have come out showing that TV is definitely taking its toll on American children.

TV will change your child's views and food choices
TV will make your kids fat
Make your kids more materialistic
Cause your children to go into more debt as adults
TV will cause your children to be more aggressive
May lead to smoking
Will increase your child's risk of becoming seriously injured

Mercola.com

Vets issue animal vaccine warning

Veterinary surgeons are warning that cat and dog owners are spending tens of millions of pounds on unnecessary and sometimes dangerous vaccines.
More than 30 vets have signed an open letter warning many vaccines for pets given in yearly doses last much longer.

They have accused the pharmaceutical industry of "fraud by misrepresentation, fraud by silence and theft by deception".

BBC News

Death by Medicine

Natural medicine has come under attack as pharmaceutical company lobbyists push lawmakers to deprive Americans of the benefits of dietary supplements. Drug-front groups have implemented slanderous campaigns in attempts to undermine the value of natural health lifestyles.

These attacks to natural medicine prompted an independent review of government-approved medicine, which revealed that conventional medicine was the leading cause of death in the United States. This review of government health statistics showed that in most cases, American medicine does more harm than good. Compelling evidence from this study unveiled astounding statistics on the 783,936 deaths per year that have resulted from conventional medicine.

Mercola.com

Soda Drastically Erodes Teens' Teeth

Soda remains one of the major nutritional reasons why most people suffer from various health problems. Drinking all that sugar suppresses the appetite and affects the body’s ability to take in nourishing foods like vegetables, which may result in nutritional deficiencies.

This however is independent of all the damage that sugar can do. You may think that because your child drinks diet soda they are out of harm’s way. This is the furthest thing from the truth because aspartame is even worse than sugar.

The best drink of choice for your child is pure water.

Mercola.com

Dentists' warning on fizzy drinks - including diet pop

More than a third of Britain's 14-year-olds are destroying the enamel on their teeth by excessive consumption of fizzy drinks, the British Dental Association warned last night.

It said parents often worried about the sugar content of fizzy drinks, but wrongly believed "diet" versions of the products were safe.

Guardian Unlimited

Bold Scientists Say: PROOF Soul Exists

Some people who have survived a life-threatening crisis report an extraordinary experience. Near-death experience occurs with increasing frequency because of improved survival rates resulting from modern techniques of resuscitation.

Scientists claim to have PROOF that humans have a life after death that exists independently of the body that it inhabits.

Mercola.com

Miraculous Messages from Water

How water reflects our consciousness

Water has a very important message for us. Water is telling us to take a much deeper look at our selves. When we do look at our selves through the mirror of water, the message becomes amazingly, crystal, clear. We know that human life is directly connected to the quality of our water, both within and all around us.

The photographs and information in this article reflect the work of Masaru Emoto, a creative and visionary Japanese researcher. Mr. Emoto has published an important book, "The Message from Water," from the findings of his worldwide research If you have any doubt that your thoughts affect everything in, and around you, the information and photographs that are presented here, taken from the book of his published results, will change your mind and alter your beliefs, profoundly.

Wellnessgoods.com

Household plastics to blame for asthma, say scientists

Chemicals found in clingfilm, plastic bottles and nail polish are to blame for the increased prevalence of childhood allergies, according to scientists.

Researchers in Sweden and Denmark have found that high concentrations of phthalates - organic compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen that are added to PVC to soften it, appear to increase children's susceptibility to asthma. They have also linked the chemicals to two other allergic conditions: eczema and rhinitis.

Connected.telegraph

Health issues related to noise pollution

Although we recognise noise pollution as a major environmental problem, it is difficult to quantify the effects it has on human health. Exposure to excessive noise has been shown to cause hearing problems, stress, poor concentration, productivity losses in the workplace, communication difficulties, fatigue from lack of sleep, and a loss of psychological well-being.

Science.org.au

Making packaging greener – biodegradable plastics

Our whole world seems to be wrapped in plastic. Almost every product we buy, most of the food we eat and many of the liquids we drink come encased in plastic. In Australia around 1 million tonnes of plastic materials are produced each year and a further 587,000 tonnes are imported. Packaging is the largest market for plastics, accounting for over a third of the consumption of raw plastic materials – Australians use 6 billion plastic bags every year!

Plastic packaging provides excellent protection for the product, it is cheap to manufacture and seems to last forever. Lasting forever, however, is proving to be a major environmental problem. Another problem is that traditional plastics are manufactured from non-renewable resources – oil, coal and natural gas.

Science.org.au

3G cellphone base stations may cause headaches

Exposure to radio signals from 3G cellphone base stations can cause headaches and nausea, finds new work from a Dutch research organisation. However, both independent and industry experts are sceptical about the results and the researchers themselves admit surprise at their findings.

Newscientist.com

Universe started with hiss, not bang

The Universe began not with a bang but with a low moan, building into a roar that gave way to a deafening hiss. And those sounds gave birth to the first stars.

The big bang began in absolute silence. But the sound soon built up into a roar whose broad-peaked notes corresponded, in musical terms, to a "majestic" major third chord, evolving slowly into a "sadder" minor third, Whittle explained.

NewScientist.com

Eat your veg. It could be the next best thing to giving up smoking

Eating the wrong foods could be responsible for up to 30 per cent of cancers, but there is growing belief that 'superfoods' are the key to preventing it. Can broccoli really be that good for you? Andrew Purvis finds out

It's an image familiar to every TV viewer - Anthony Hicks, 58, real-life front man of the Government's Quit Smoking campaign, propped in a hospital bed with his voicebox removed, eyes sunken, skin the colour of tobacco smoke, croaking intermittently about plans to spend Christmas with his daughter. Ten days later, the caption tells us, Anthony is dead - killed by cancer of the lung and larynx, a compliant victim of his own smoking habit.
There is no ambiguity in the NHS message - and those of us who don't smoke breathe a sigh of relief (because we can). We walk to the kitchen, take a ready-made lasagne from the fridge, place it in the microwave; if we're feeling generous to ourselves, we might fry a fillet steak in a little butter, eat it (guiltily) with a plateful of oven chips and treat ourselves to a can of lager and a tub of chocolate chip ice cream.

The Observer

Britain urges developing world to fight climate change

Britain called Saturday for developing countries to join the offensive against climate change by balancing their need for economic growth with protection of the environment.

"Climate change is the world's greatest environmental challenge"

Terra Daily

Chemicals linked to breast cancer

Half of all cases have some suspected environmental cause

A new report on the causes of breast cancer concludes that exposure to environmental toxins and radiation contributes more than previously understood to the risk of developing breast cancer.

Sanmateocountytimes.com

Children as young as nine have potentially harmful chemicals in their blood, says study

Trace amounts of industrial chemicals have been found in the blood of children in a study carried out by the environmental pressure group WWF (World Wildlife Fund).

Some of the children in the study had higher levels of certain chemicals in their blood than adults, prompting WWF to warn of the potential hazards to future generations.

Independent.co.uk

Plastics components linked to allergies in kids

Exposure to phthalates -- compounds used in making plastics -- at levels commonly found indoors, appears to be associated with allergic symptoms in children, according to Swedish investigators.

"Although multiple factors likely are responsible for the increases in allergies and asthma that have been documented in developed countries over the past 30 years," the authors note in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, "it is striking that these increases have occurred during a period when plasticized products have become ubiquitous in the homes, schools, and workplaces of the developed world."

Reuters Health

Area aids study on perils of household dust

"Studies documenting the presence of these chemicals in our bodies, breast milk, food and dust are a sign that we need to prevent pollution and further protect the public from dangerous chemicals"

The toxic chemicals, which are not required to appear on labels, are commonly found in couches, sofas and carpets, and televisions and other electronic products.

"Manufacturers need to phase out these chemicals of concern"

Democratandchronicle.com

Cough Medicines No Better Than Placebo

Two active ingredients found in a number of non-prescription cough medicines are no better than non-medicated syrup for children with upper respiratory tract infections, says a Penn State College of Medicine study. "Consumers spend billions of dollars each year on over-the-counter medications for cough," said Ian Paul, of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. "Our study showed that the two ingredients used in most over-the-counter medications were no better than a placebo, non-medicated syrup, in providing nighttime relief for children with cough and sleep difficulty as a result of upper respiratory infection." The study appeared in the journal Pediatrics.

Scienceagogo.com

Smoke And Saliva A Potent Cancer Mix

Normally, saliva provides a protective buffer between toxins and the lining of the mouth because it contains enzymes that neutralize harmful substances. But research published in the British Journal of Cancer suggests that the chemicals in tobacco smoke, when combined with saliva, destroy saliva's protective components, creating a corrosive mix that damages cells in the mouth and eventually turn them cancerous.

"Cigarette smoke is damaging on its own, but when mixed with saliva it turns the body against itself," says co-lead researcher Dr. Raphael Nagler of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. "Our study shows that when exposed to cigarette smoke, normally healthy saliva loses its beneficial qualities, turns traitor and actually aids in destroying the cells of the mouth and oral cavity."

Scienceagogo.com

The Curse Of Intelligence

With America and its allies poised to attack Iraq and the U.S. and North Korea locked in a showdown over nuclear weapons, diplomats and politicians would do well to remember that humans may have nuclear technology but still only possess stone-age brains. This is often a lethal combination, says University of Maine anthropologist Paul Roscoe who will present a paper on tribal warfare in New Guinea today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Denver.

"My hope is that somewhere down the road, we will use this knowledge to get around killing one another. War is the most costly thing in the world in terms of blood and treasure. We need to figure out why we have war before it wipes us off the planet,"

Scienceagogo.com

Organic cotton

‘‘It was difficult to convince farmers to stop using chemicals and go back to neem oil and cow dung. Though the difference in the cost of producing organic cotton and ordinary cotton is not much, it is the patience and skills required to grow organic crops that discourages farmers,’’ recollects Dipesh Shroff, director of Agro Cell. Hesitant to grow organic cotton, farmers now admit the initiative has brought them stability and promising returns.

BharatTextile.com

No pesticides, more profits!

Punukula, a small village in Khammam district in Andhra Pradesh (AP), declared itself pesticide-free in 2003. Farmers here don't use pesticides even for crops such as cotton, Bengal gram, chilli and paddy — all known to use notoriously high quantities of pesticides.

In the past five years, the State has had frequent spells of drought and thousands of farmers have committed suicide. An estimated 1,200 suicide deaths were reported between June and August 2004. One of the reasons for the rise in suicides has been the crushing burden of debt; many farmers buy expensive seeds and pesticides and when the crops fail, their own survival becomes difficult. Against this scenario the pesticide-free status of the predominantly tribal village of Punukula gains significance.

The Hindu Business Line

Former minister honours traditional medicine practitioners

neem-hakeems should not be regarded as quacks, but as "practitioners of ethnic practices of treatment in rural areas".

He said that neem-hakeems and their forefathers had been practising age-old local treatments that were cost-effective, unlike costly modern medical treatment.

Newkerala.com

Neem Tree, best known for its medicinal properties

The Neem tree is best known for its medicinal properties. It grows in dry and arid areas. Neem, which has a life span of around 100 years, does not naturally dwell in high rainfall regions.

It is said that Dhamya rishi, an Indian sage, survived on neem for 70 years. Dhamya rishi could achieve this rare feat because he consumed neem leaves in powdered form. Every element of this tree can be utilised in some way. It contains pigments like nimbostrol, tanin, margosin which are responsible for Neem’s anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-septic, anti-helmenthic (avoids infection from parasites) properties.

Mumbai Newsline

Eat scientifically, be a vegetarian

'It is not a question of principle or health alone'

Why should one go vegan? If plants, which are living organisms, can be consumed, why can't animals and birds be? After all, aren't they also perishable?

Vegetarian diet is nutritionally-balanced, scientifically sound, healthy and humane, ethically unassailable, ecologically superior, has a natural flavour and also tastes delicious. It is the natural diet of man and was popular in the country till it came under the influence of the West.

NewsToday

In the world of the wealthy, who gives?

Factoring charitable giving back into the equation

Forbes 400 members fall down the rankings every time they cut a check to charity. Here we add that money back.

The real reason Bill Gates put in play his title to “world's richest man” is his philanthropic giving, according to Forbes.com.

MSNBC

Americans are — slowly — turning vegetarian

Studies show more than one-third of the U.S. population is trying to reduce the amount of meat in their diet. They are occasionally consuming vegetarian foods or drinks, citing health concerns like increased risk of stroke, high blood pressure and cancer as the reason for the shift.

Major companies like Kraft Foods, Kellogg, General Mills, ConAgra Foods and Dean Foods, which once resisted the trend toward meat substitutes, are now taking the shift in American diets seriously. Most have either bought natural and vegetarian food companies, or have begun offering their own lines of meat substitutes.

MSNBC News

Environmental exposures before and after birth can harm children's lungs

Asthma symptoms in infants caused by combustion sources and tobacco smoke

Children prenatally exposed to pollutants, such as motor vehicle exhaust, and postnatally exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) may be more likely to suffer from asthma and related symptoms early in life.

"A great deal of new evidence suggests that the respiratory system may be vulnerable to damage caused by inhaled environmental agents during the prenatal period,"

"This study indicates that the combination of exposure to combustion by-products in the womb and to second-hand smoke during infancy can cause significantly more respiratory problems than either exposure on its own," added Dr. Frederica Perera, the study's Principal Investigator and Director of the Center.

EurekAlert

It is amazing what many of us eat every day

Thiamine mononitrate, disodium phosphate, tetrasodium purophosphate, dyes and countless other synthetic ingredients are hard to avoid when grocery shopping. We usually think that salvation from these artificial ingredients lies with the fruits and vegetables that line the produce isles, however even these natural products aren’t completely untainted by man-made concoctions.

ECOWorld

Vandana Shiva In Her Own Words

Vandana Shiva, a scientist and activist from India, has become an outspoken critic of privatization, globalization, and genetically-modified crops. Shiva is strident and at times inflamatory but her fundamental arguments are powerful and resonate with millions.

"They’re fighting each other around religion and fundamentalism, but they both want the same bomb, the same destruction."

ECOWorld

Organic by Default, The Irony of Organic Farming in India

India's farmers are still mostly practicing organic methods, passed down for millenia. Organic fertilizer and natural pest control are the only tools available to most of these farmers, who have always lacked the financial resources to explore chemical solutions. But these farmers, whose produce is as organic as they come, cannot afford to pay the fees required to gain official certification.

ECOWorld

Surprise CO2 rise may speed up global warming

The rate at which global warming gases are accumulating in the atmosphere has taken a sharp leap upwards, leading to fears that the devastating effects of climate change may hit the world even sooner than has been predicted.

Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2 ), the principal greenhouse gas, have made a sudden jump that cannot be explained by any corresponding jump in terrestrial emissions of CO2 from power stations and motor vehicles - because there has been none.

Independent.co.uk

Indian dancing bears on verge of extinction

Today, activists say, sloth bears are on the verge of extinction because of increased poaching by an ancient tribe of gypsies known as Kalandhars who use the animals for their shows.

Wildlife activists hope the current CITES conference in Bangkok will push Indian authorities to boost efforts to protect the bear and eliminate the factors leading to its extinction.

"About 100 bears are poached from the forest every year. And the bear population has fallen from some 10,000 in 1997 to about 4,000."

Reuters

The answer, my friend, is in the wind

Coal is not as great as it originally appeared. While it’s still cheap, the nominal cost does not reflect many of coal burning’s negative externalities.

These plants puff out black clouds of smoke and other toxins on a daily basis, enough, in fact, to cause almost 12,000 asthma attacks and 500 premature deaths in Wisconsin alone. These plants also contribute large amounts of carbon dioxide, one of the leading gases in global warming; sulfur dioxide, a big component of acid rain; and nitrogen oxides, another set of gases which increase smog and acid rain, in addition to producing 40 percent of Wisconsin’s mercury emissions (which eventually wander in to many of our renowned lakes and rivers and contaminate fish and other aquatic life).

In the face of these serious and irreversible consequences, it seems blasphemous to risk our health and environment in the name of coal power. Yet we still need energy to fuel our current lifestyles. While this may appear to be an incurable dilemma, the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.

The Badger Herald

Video game ratings not always accurate

Nearly half of video games rated as appropriate for teenagers contained content such as profanity or sexual themes that was not noted on game boxes, according to an analysis of 81 randomly selected games.

Children's exposure to violence, sexual themes and substances (alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs) in the media is a source of public health concern. However, no quantitative studies have been done on the content of T-rated games played by adolescents.

AAP News

Pediatricians should 'tune in' to patients' media habits

Teen-agers rank media as their second leading source of information about sex, indicating a need for pediatricians to help patients and parents identify inappropriate sexual images portrayed in the media, according to a revised AAP Policy Statement.

"If the media is that important to how they (adolescents) learn about sex, then pediatricians need to recognize that and talk to their patients about how sex images are portrayed in the media as being unrealistic without consequences," said Miriam Bar-on, M.D., FAAP, chair of the AAP Committee on Public Education.

AAP News

Does your patient have sleep problems? Ask about TV first

If a patient you are seeing isn't getting enough sleep, television programs and movies are likely culprits. Beyond keeping children up later to watch, mass media are a potent source of nightmares, sleep disturbances and intense anxieties. Several recent reports in medical journals support this contention.

AAP News

It's Official: TV Linked to Attention Deficit

A study from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that watching videos as a toddler may lead to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, also called ADD in UK) in later life

TV watching "rewires" an infant’s brain, says Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis lead researcher and director of the Child Health Institute at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, Wash. The damage shows up at age 7 when children have difficulty paying attention in school.

"In contrast to the way real life unfolds and is experienced by young children, the pace of TV is greatly sped up."

White Dot

Cutting tv reduces violence in children

A school-based program that discourages television and video game use makes grade-school children less aggressive, a Stanford University study suggests.

While previous research has linked exposure to media violence with increased aggression, few potential solutions have been evaluated, the authors said.

Their findings indicate "that the effects of televised violence in kids are really reversible," said Dr. Thomas Robinson, the lead author and an assistant professor of pediatrics.

White Dot

Eh-Oh! American Academy of Pediatrics recommend no TV for children under two years!

No wonder the Teletubbies talk funny!

A new policy statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics has made clear what many parents have suspected for a long time: Television is bad for young children.

White Dot

Anglicans asked to pray for their dinner

Churchgoers across the country were asked yesterday to give thanks to something other than God for the food on their tables - by saying a prayer for the soul of their Sunday roast before tucking in.
Thousands of Anglican clergy were sent the new order of service, written by a Birmingham theologian, from the RSPCA which sets out prayers for the soul of the animal slaughtered to provide the traditional Sunday meal.

"ask God to give them compassion for animals exploited for food, for science, and for entertainment".

"It is only right that Christians should repent of their sins towards animals."

Birmingham Post

Scientists discover 'moving mountains'

Reno researchers have for the first time recorded a cluster of nearly 1,600 small earthquakes 20 miles beneath Lake Tahoe – the world’s second-largest alpine lake. Based on observations from the university’s Nevada Seismic Network and an ultra-sensitive Global Positioning System (GPS) station at Slide Mountain, the researchers believe the quake cluster coincided with an unprecedented 8-millimeter uplifting of the ski resort mountain in the Sierra Nevada.

“We’ve been watching earthquakes for 30 years in the Tahoe area and have never witnessed an earthquake ‘swarm’ anything like this,” said Ken Smith

Nevada News

PVC toys banned over health fears

An immediate ban has been placed on chewable plastic baby toys which may pose a health risk to youngsters, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has announced.

DTI officials and members of the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) have agreed to introduce the voluntary ban on teethers and teething rings which contain potentially-dangerous phthalates.

BBC

Global warming: The death of species

If the world needed a fresh wake-up call about the dangers of global warming, then it got it yesterday with the release of a report by distinguished international scientists predicting that climate change will threaten extinction for a quarter of all land animals and plants by 2050. This is based on a mid-range forecast of possible outcomes. At the high end as many as 58% of species could become extinct, and even at the lower end of the range, it would be disastrously high at 9%. The report - published in the journal Nature - claims to have been prepared by the largest collaboration of scientists ever to apply themselves to the problem. They studied six biodiversity-rich regions around the world, covering 20% of the planet's land area. One example of the findings is that all but three of 24 species of endemic butterflies in Australia may no longer be able to survive by 2050. This is not just a problem of individual species, because species depend on each other, so the disappearance of 25% could have multiplying effects that are difficult to quantify.

What can be done? The problem has been caused by the build-up of greenhouse gases by human activities. One of the scientists involved, Professor Chris Thomas of the University of Leeds, says that "an immediate and progressive" switch to technologies that produce little or no greenhouse gases, combined with active removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, could save over a million species from extinction.

Globalwarmingissues.com

Soda, Diabetes Linked by Scientific Misconduct?

If you doubt that our society's lifestyle nannies are of dubious integrity, a new highly publicized study supposedly linking regular (non-diet) sodas with weight gain and diabetes should clear up any remaining skepticism.

“The message is: Anyone who cares about their health or the health of their family would not consume these beverages. Parents who care about their children’s health should not keep them at home,” study author Walter Willett of Harvard University told The Washington Post.

In a nutshell, Willett and his co-authors would have us regard Coca-Cola in the same way as they would have us regard Marlboro cigarettes — that is, no level of soda consumption is safe.

The study data collected from 51,603 women reportedly show that the 1,007 women who increased their consumption of regular soft drinks over a period of four years from less than one per week to one or more per day gained an average of 10.3 pounds. Among the approximately 16,600 women who consumed more than one soft drink per day, the researchers reported 83 percent more cases of type 2 diabetes.

The researchers would have us believe their results indicate that soda by itself causes weight gain and diabetes.

Fox News