Discovery: Much of U.S. Water Safe, But Problems Remain

Looking more carefully at the water we drink



A recent study suggests that testing protocols may not accurately measure lead leaching.
Credit and Larger Version

March 10, 2010

The United States has benefited from centuries of improvements in drinking water safety, and most Americans can trust that clean water comes from their taps. Yet, closer inspection is showing that on a house-by-house basis, water quality is not guaranteed--even in communities with high marks for water safety.

Marc Edwards of Virginia Tech University has been part of a growing contingent of engineers and scientists looking more carefully at the water we drink and finding, in some cases, harmful sources are overlooked.

www.nsf.gov

Ellen DeGeneres among Celebs Receiving PCRM's Voice of Compassion Award

This Saturday, Alicia Silverstone and Marilu Henner will receive the inaugural Voice of Compassion Award at PCRM’s 25th Anniversary Art of Compassion gala. The award honors those who, by word and example, have communicated compassion, caring, and the highest ethical principles. The Voice of Compassion Award was also presented this week to Ellen DeGeneres on the set of The Ellen DeGeneres Show and to Portia de Rossi.

“Alicia Silverstone and Marilu Henner have had a tremendous impact in spreading the message about health issues related to diet and nutrition,” said Neal Barnard, M.D., PCRM’s founder and president. “They have played a particularly significant role in shining a spotlight on the powerful health benefits of a vegan diet.”

Actor, activist, and author Alicia Silverstone recently published her first book, The Kind Diet, now a New York Times best-seller. She exemplifies the benefits of adopting a plant-based diet, including natural weight loss, clear skin, and tremendous energy. Alicia works tirelessly to support PCRM and numerous animal-related charities.

Marilu Henner’s entire life testifies to the power of her plant-based diet. The knowledge and discipline this actor, author, and full-time mom has gathered to maintain her demanding schedule is discussed in her books, including Marilu Henner's Total Health Makeover. She is working with PCRM to persuade Congress to reform the Child Nutrition Act to offer more healthful school lunches.

Host of the Emmy-winning The Ellen DeGeneres Show and judge on American Idol, Ellen has used her humorous and compassionate voice to raise awareness of health issues and environmental and animal welfare concerns. Portia, who shares those values, stars in ABC’s Better Off Ted and has appeared in Nip/Tuck, Arrested Development, and Ally McBeal.

PCRM’s gala brings attention to doctors and laypersons working together for compassionate and effective medical practice, research, and health promotion. The evening will be hosted by Kathy and Tom Freston, along with honorary committee co-chairs Cindy Landon, Richard Donner and Lauren Shuler-Donner, Maria and Wolfgang Petersen, and steering committee chair James Costa.

To purchase tickets to the gala and learn more about other celebrity members of the honorary committee, visit PCRM.org/Gala2010.

Antibiotics – The Decline of the Former Miracle Drugs

Once hailed as miracle drugs 100 years ago, today antibiotics are proving to be anything but. Medical experts are placing the blame for the extremely rapid evolutionary rate seen in micro-organisms on the overuse of antibiotics. Viruses and bacteria have been exposed to antibiotics for so long that they have now become immune to the once miraculous penicillin or amoxicillin. Antibiotics also cause intense side effects in the patient such as watery diarrhea, nausea and yeast infections in women.

Although humans won one round of the arms race against illness when penicillin was introduced in 1928, bacteria and viruses are winning the latest round. According to a Reuters report, Europe alone has had to spend over 900 million Euros a year fighting illnesses that have become resistant to antibiotics (’Antibiotic Overuse Could Threaten Medicine;’ 10/11/2009.) Before penicillin, humans used herbs and food in order to help fight illness. The time may have come to start using ancient treatments once again.

drugrehab.fewstock.com

Holy Company and Mind Control

Holy company is an authentic method taught in the scriptures as well, and if correctly practiced, it can help anybody and almost everybody. There will however be many people, who are so constituted that they cannot take inner care of themselves in such detail, or because their conditions of living are not conducive to the practice of this discipline. To control the mind, we have to develop for ourselves two sets of inner disciplines:
a.One set is for permanent basic operation, and,
b.The other set is for providing a high-power of emergency brakes.

The first set will give a general healthy direction to the mind while the second one will save us during emergency situations. If the first principle is not practiced, then we cannot make use of the second set at all, for the simple reason that the power supply for the second system comes from the first set of disciplines when these are effectively practiced.

In the first set several basic disciplines are included:

1.Life must be held in proper frame of constructive thinking. There should be a routine for daily life and certain basic principles by which a sense of direction is given to whatever we do. There should also be certain moral commitments by which our conduct should be guided.
Those who do not have any moral or other principles, and no regularity of life, will find it almost impossible to control the mind. We have to bring rhythm into our life in order to control our mind properly.

www.brain--power.info

Medical Studies Prove The Extensive Damage LSD Does To The Body & Mind

In a recent series of Hubs on LSD and the effects on pregnant women I was challenged to prove my statements that LSD was extremely harmful. Well... here we go.

Of nine studies in vitro, six have indicated some degree of induced chromosomal breakage after exposure to LSD; three failed to confirm these results. The damage, when found, was generally of the chromatid type, arising during or after DNA synthesis.

The results of early chromosome studies suggested that true genetic damage might be a consequence of LSD exposure. The comprehensive evidence from studies on drosophila indicates no mutagenic effect from 0.28 to 500 microg of LSD per milliliter and a definite mutagenic effect from 2,000 to 10,000 microg/ml; this is consistent with a threshold response or a sigmoid dose-effect relation.

Circular dichroism experiments suggested that the specific mechanism of action of LSD on DNA may be a direct interaction resulting in conformational changes in the DNA helix.

Early chromosomal studies implicated LSD as a potential cause of congenital malformations, fetal wastage, and germinal chromosome damage.

In a study of human pregnancies, those exposed to illicit LSD had an elevated rate of spontaneous abortions.

This early study gets a little bit wound up in the differences between ingesting pure LSD and illicit LSD and thus obfuscates its own conclusions. So let's go onto some more interesting later studies...

hubpages.com

Stop the Global Warming - Quercus

Medical Studies Prove The Extensive Damage LSD Does To The Body & Mind

In a recent series of Hubs on LSD and the effects on pregnant women I was challenged to prove my statements that LSD was extremely harmful. Well... here we go.

Science. 1971 Apr 30;172(982):431-40.
LSD and genetic damage.
Dishotsky NI, Loughman WD, Mogar RE, Lipscomb WR.

Of nine studies in vitro, six have indicated some degree of induced chromosomal breakage after exposure to LSD; three failed to confirm these results. The damage, when found, was generally of the chromatid type, arising during or after DNA synthesis.

The results of early chromosome studies suggested that true genetic damage might be a consequence of LSD exposure. The comprehensive evidence from studies on drosophila indicates no mutagenic effect from 0.28 to 500 microg of LSD per milliliter and a definite mutagenic effect from 2,000 to 10,000 microg/ml; this is consistent with a threshold response or a sigmoid dose-effect relation.

Circular dichroism experiments suggested that the specific mechanism of action of LSD on DNA may be a direct interaction resulting in conformational changes in the DNA helix.

Early chromosomal studies implicated LSD as a potential cause of congenital malformations, fetal wastage, and germinal chromosome damage.

In a study of human pregnancies, those exposed to illicit LSD had an elevated rate of spontaneous abortions.

This early study gets a little bit wound up in the differences between ingesting pure LSD and illicit LSD and thus obfuscates its own conclusions. So let's go onto some more interesting later studies..

In a recent series of Hubs on LSD and the effects on pregnant women I was challenged to prove my statements that LSD was extremely harmful. Well... here we go.

Science. 1971 Apr 30;172(982):431-40.
LSD and genetic damage.
Dishotsky NI, Loughman WD, Mogar RE, Lipscomb WR.

Of nine studies in vitro, six have indicated some degree of induced chromosomal breakage after exposure to LSD; three failed to confirm these results. The damage, when found, was generally of the chromatid type, arising during or after DNA synthesis.

The results of early chromosome studies suggested that true genetic damage might be a consequence of LSD exposure. The comprehensive evidence from studies on drosophila indicates no mutagenic effect from 0.28 to 500 microg of LSD per milliliter and a definite mutagenic effect from 2,000 to 10,000 microg/ml; this is consistent with a threshold response or a sigmoid dose-effect relation.

Circular dichroism experiments suggested that the specific mechanism of action of LSD on DNA may be a direct interaction resulting in conformational changes in the DNA helix.

Early chromosomal studies implicated LSD as a potential cause of congenital malformations, fetal wastage, and germinal chromosome damage.

In a study of human pregnancies, those exposed to illicit LSD had an elevated rate of spontaneous abortions.

This early study gets a little bit wound up in the differences between ingesting pure LSD and illicit LSD and thus obfuscates its own conclusions. So let's go onto some more interesting later studies..

hubpages.com

Baby wash, shampoo contains cancer-causing chemicals, group says -- chicagotribune.com

WASHINGTON — More than half the baby shampoo, lotions and other infant-care products analyzed by a health advocacy group were found to contain trace amounts of two chemicals that are believed to cause cancer, the organization said Thursday.

Some of the biggest names on the market, including Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo and Baby Magic lotion, tested positive for 1,4-dioxane or formaldehyde or both, the non-profit Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reported.

The chemicals, both characterized as probable carcinogens by the Environmental Protection Agency, are not added intentionally to products and appear to be byproducts of the manufacturing process.

The organization tested 48 baby bath products. Of those, 32 contained trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane and 23 contained small amounts of formaldehyde. Seventeen products tested positive for both chemicals.

"Our intention is not to alarm parents but to inform parents that products that claim to be gentle and pure are contaminated with carcinogens, which is completely unnecessary," said Stacy Malkan, a spokeswoman for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Companies that manufacture and sell products tested by the group said they comply with government standards.

"The FDA and other government agencies around the world consider these trace levels safe, and all our products meet or exceed the regulatory requirements," Johnson & Johnson said. "We are disappointed that the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has inaccurately characterized the safety of our products, misrepresented the overwhelming consensus of scientists and government agencies that review the safety of ingredients, and unnecessarily alarmed parents."

Baby wash, shampoo contains cancer-causing chemicals, group says -- chicagotribune.com

Media Images of Alcohol Can Drive You to Drink - Health News - Health.com

WEDNESDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) — Young men who watched the movie American Pie with accompanying commercials for alcohol were more apt to grab a beer or glass of wine from the refrigerator, compared to those who watched a movie without the drinking prompts.

This study shows for the first time the effect of on-screen depictions of alcohol and their influence on consumers’ behavior, said the researchers, who are from Canada and the Netherlands.

“It’s one of those things the majority of people have assumed to be the case, but it’s nice to have the empirical evidence,” said Jeffrey T. Parsons, chair of psychology at Hunter College in New York City. Parsons was not involved with the study, which was published online March 4 in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism.

Media Images of Alcohol Can Drive You to Drink - Health News - Health.com

80% of Amazon Deforestation Stems from Cattle Ranching : Planetsave

Greenpeace Brazil has released a report at the World Social Forum in Belém showing that up to 80 percent of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest is due to an increase in raising cattle for human consumption.

Brazil has quickly become the largest exporter of beef in the world, but they are not satisfied with their current market share and plan to increase production. The plan flies in the face of their supposed commitment to tackle climate change. The country is currently the fourth biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, 75% of which stem from deforestation.

planetsave.com

The Garbage Patch

World's highest drug levels entering India stream

PATANCHERU, India – When researchers analyzed vials of treated wastewater taken from a plant where about 90 Indian drug factories dump their residues, they were shocked. Enough of a single, powerful antibiotic was being spewed into one stream each day to treat every person in a city of 90,000.

And it wasn't just ciprofloxacin being detected. The supposedly cleaned water was a floating medicine cabinet — a soup of 21 different active pharmaceutical ingredients, used in generics for treatment of hypertension, heart disease, chronic liver ailments, depression, gonorrhea, ulcers and other ailments. Half of the drugs measured at the highest levels of pharmaceuticals ever detected in the environment, researchers say.

Those Indian factories produce drugs for much of the world, including many Americans. The result: Some of India's poor are unwittingly consuming an array of chemicals that may be harmful, and could lead to the proliferation of drug-resistant bacteria.

news.yahoo.com

Coffee may raise child cancer risk: New evidence that caffeine could damage babies' DNA

Women who drink coffee or tea during pregnancy may increase their baby’s odds of developing cancer, doctors believe.

Experts say caffeine may damage the DNA of babies in the womb, making them more susceptible to leukaemia, the most common cancer in children.

To establish the link, scientists at Leicester University will scrutinise the caffeine intake of hundreds of pregnant women and compare the results with blood samples from their babies after birth.

Researcher Dr Marcus Cooke said there was a ‘good likelihood’ the study would make a connection. Previous research has shown that caffeine damages DNA, cutting cells’ ability to fight off cancer triggers such as radiation.

Changes of this kind have been seen in the blood cells of children with leukaemia. Scientists know they occur in the womb, but do not know why.

‘Although there’s no evidence at all of a link between caffeine and cancer, we’re putting two and two together and saying: caffeine can induce these changes and it has been shown that these changes are elevated in leukaemia patients,’ added Dr Cooke.

www.dailymail.co.uk

What Makes Milk Organic? New Standard Proposed

When consumers pay top dollar for organic milk, they know they're getting dairy that's free of synthetic growth hormones, pesticides and antibiotics.

Now there's a move to ensure cows are feeding on plenty of fresh grass if producers want to label the milk as organic.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued draft rules that would require cows to be on pasture during the entire grazing season. The regulation would also require that cows on organic dairy farms get a minimum of 30 percent of their diet from grazing.

The proposals are intended to close a loophole that has allowed some huge feedlots, with thousands of cows, to sell their milk as organic even though their cows rarely graze on fresh grass.

It's not a perfect proposal, according to the organic watchdog group The Cornucopia Institute. "What we need to do is level the playing field" says Cornucopia's Mark Kastel.

100 Percent Grass-Fed

Natural by Nature is an organic co-op in Pennsylvania that sells milk produced by dairy farmers who have switched to grass-feeding operations. Mennonite farmer Roman Stoltzfoos of Kinzers, Pa., is among the co-op's producers. Stoltzfoos says he supports the USDA's proposed rule, with some modifications.

http://www.npr.org

WELL; Experts Revive Debate Over Cellphones and Cancer

What do brain surgeons know about cellphone safety that the rest of us don't?

Last week, three prominent neurosurgeons told the CNN interviewer Larry King that they did not hold cellphones next to their ears. ''I think the safe practice,'' said Dr. Keith Black, a surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, ''is to use an earpiece so you keep the microwave antenna away from your brain.''

Dr. Vini Khurana, an associate professor of neurosurgery at the Australian National University who is an outspoken critic of cellphones, said: ''I use it on the speaker-phone mode. I do not hold it to my ear.'' And CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon at Emory University Hospital, said that like Dr. Black he used an earpiece.

nytimes.com

Why Strawberry Jam is More Regulated than Cigarettes

(PhysOrg.com) -- While jams and other consumer products are strictly regulated and are required to pass stringent tests before they can be sold, tobacco has no restrictions and manufacturers can, and do, add anything they want into the product.

“The establishment of regulation is a political process and occurs slowly. However, with the gradual but prolonged and massive epidemic of tobacco-related diseases, regulation of the industry’s products – specifically the constituents of tobacco smoke – has to begin now”, says author Dr. Nigel Gray, member of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Tobacco Regulation Study Group.

www.physorg.com

Warning on plastic's toxic threat

Plastic waste in the oceans poses a potentially devastating long-term toxic threat to the food chain, according to marine scientists.

Studies suggest billions of microscopic plastic fragments drifting underwater are concentrating pollutants like DDT.

Most attention has focused on dangers that visible items of plastic waste pose to seabirds and other wildlife.

But researchers are warning that the risk of hidden contamination could be more serious.

news.bbc.co.uk

Chocolate Does Not Contain Caffeine

by Manoharini dasi, Abridged from Mark Canizaro's www.xocoatl.org website

Posted September 2, 2007

There is a persistent urban legend that chocolate contains caffeine. It would seem that this rumor is based primarily on a confusion between two similar alkaloids: caffeine and theobromine. Theobromine is the active ingredient in chocolate, and it occurs only in cacao. The two stimulants are related and have a similar structures, but are very different chemicals with different properties, effects and origins. Of course, some chocolate products have added caffeine, but it does not occur naturally in chocolate.

This rumor seems to have a life of its own; it won't go away, and yet, most references to it are references to the urban legend itself. Amusingly, almost all of the chocolate and caffeine references on the Internet are circular. (Follow the references through a few links sometime; you often wind up back at the page where you began.) It is actually quite common to see references that confuse caffeine and theobromine. Many people and some semi-scientific sources confuse the two. Stollwerck, for example, says in one place that chocolate contains 1.2 percent theobromine and 0.2 percent caffeine, but in another place just says 1.4 percent caffeine without mentioning theobromine, which is obviously wrong.

There is no scientific substantiation that chocolate contains caffeine, and a great deal of evidence that it does not. The Biochemist (April/May 1993, p. 15) did chemical composition tests where they specifically distinguished between caffeine and theobromine. They found regularly up to 1.3 percent by weight theobromine in chocolate. . . . They could not detect any caffeine at all. I have yet to see a dependable chemical reference that includes caffeine in chocolate. The Merck Index, 12th Edition, says that a very small amount of caffeine is found in the hulls of of the cacao seeds, but the hulls are discarded before processing.

People seem to assume that caffeine is the only stimulant. Theobromine clearly has stimulant properties, so people reflexively attribute those effects to caffeine -- even though many of the effects are fundamentally different from caffeine.

www.chakra.org

Therapeutic Uses of Honey in Ayurveda

By Dr.Krishna R.S The FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission defines honey as the natural sweet substance produced by honeybees from the nectar of flowers or from secretions coming from living organisms feeding on plants, that bees gather, transform and combine with specific ingredients, store and leave to ripen in the combs of the hive. In Ayurveda honey is called as “Madhu”. Its qualities are explained as follows. Vaatalam guru sheetam cha raktapittakaphapaham |
Sandhatru cchedanam ruksham kashayam madhuram madhu || It has sweetness (madhura rasa) with added astringent as end taste (Kashaya anu rasa). It is heavy (guru guna), dry (ruksha) and cold (sheeta). Its effect on doshas is as follows It aggravates vata, scrapes kapha and normalizes pitta and rakta. It promotes healing process. The contents of Honey are
1. Sugars like fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, lactose and other disaccharides and trisaccharides.
2. Proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids,
3. Volatile aromatic substances.
4. Ashes and water etc. Various ingredients of honey have helped it to become not only a sweet liquid but also a natural product with high nutritional and medicinal value. The medicinal quality, taste, texture, color, aroma of honey differs according to the geographical area and the species of plants from which it has been collected. Types of Honey: Eight types of honey are described in ayurveda depending on the type of bee which collects it. They are Pouttika ,Bhramara .Kshoudra, Makshika , Chatra , Arghya ,Oudalaka ,Dala . Pouttika - This honey is collected by very large bees from the nectar of poisonous flowers. It increases vata, causes gout and burning sensation in chest.It is also sedative and reduces fat. Bhramara - This honey is collected by large bees and Sticky in nature. Kshoudra - (Honey collected by medium sized honey bees ) light and cold in nature. Dissolves Kapha. Makshika - (Honey collected by small honey bees) very light and dry natured. Usefull in VataKapha diseases and kapha diseases Chatra - Heavy and cold in nature usefull in gout, Leucoderma (Shwitra), Arghya - Good for eyes but causes arthritis . Oudalaka - Useful in skin diseases, and helps in modulation of voice. Dala - Dry and reduces vomiting. Amongst all the above “Makshika” is considered as the best type with immense medicinal properties. Therapeutic uses of Honey: 1. As it contains sugars which are quickly absorbed by our digestive system and converted into energy, this can be used as instant energizer.
2. As it is hygroscopic it speeds up healing, growth of healing tissue and dries it up.
3. Honey acts as a sedative and is very usefull in bed wetting disorders.
4. Honey is very good antioxident which restores the damaged skin and gives soft, young looks.
5. Honey has antibacterial properties due to its acidic nature and enzymically produced hydrogen peroxide.
6. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases. In Ashtanga Hridaya the great classic of ayurveda, the therapeutic uses of honey are explained as follows. Chakshushayam Chedi tritshleshmavishahidmaasrapittanut |
Mehakushtakrimicchardishwaasakaasaatisaarajit ||
Vranashodhana sandhaanaropanam vaatalam madhu || Honey is very good for eyes and eye sight.
It quenches thirst.
Dissolves kapha.
Reduces effects of poison.
Stops hiccups.
It is very useful in urinary tract disorders, worm infestations, bronchial asthma, cough, diarrhea and nausea -vomiting.
Cleanse the wounds.
It heals wounds.
Helps in quick healing of deep wounds.
Initiates growth of healthy granulation tissue.
Honey which is newly collected from bee hive increases body weight and is a mild laxative.
Honey which is stored and is old helps in metabolism of fat and scrapes Kapha. Ayurveda explains another special quality of honey. Honey is called as Yogavahi . The substance which has a quality of penetrating the deepest tissue is called as Yogavahi. When honey is used with other herbal preparations it enhances the medicinal qualities of those preparations and also helps them to reach the deeper tissues. Precautions to be taken before using honey: Honey should not be mixed with hot foods.
Honey should not be heated.
Honey should not be consumed when you are working in hot environment where you are exposed to more heat .
Honey should never be mixed with rain water, hot and spicy foods, and Fermented beverages like whisky, rum, brandy etc, Ghee and mustard.
Honey includes nectar of various flowers of which some may be poisonous. Poison has hot or Ushna qualities. When honey is mixed with hot and spicy foods the poisonous properties get enhanced and cause imbalance of doshas. Few Home remedies with Honey
Mix 2 tea spoon of honey with carrot juice and consume regularly. This helps to improve eyesight and is very helpful for those who sit before computer for long hours.
In cold, cough and congested chest mix 2 tea spoons of honey with equal quantity of ginger juice and should be consumed frequently.
A mixture of black pepper powder, honey and ginger juice in equal quantities, when consumed thrice daily help to relieve the symptoms of asthma.
Regular use of one tea spoon of garlic juice mixed with two tea spoons of honey help to control blood pressure.
One glass of warm water taken with two tea spoons of honey and 1 tea spoon of lemon juice in early morning reduces fat and purifies blood. Consuming one spoon of honey daily help us to lead a healthy long life. Biography of Dr.Krishna.R.S Dr. Krishna.R.S has been an Ayurvedic Practitioner since 19 yrs , after getting a graduation degree in ayurveda (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) in 1986 from University of Mysore, India. He completed his post graduation diploma about allopathic medicine and surgery from University of Bangalore, Karnataka, India.His articles about ayurveda and life sciences have been published in many magzines. Dr.Krishna. R.S is a star athlete and has represented state and universities when he was in high school, pre university and college.

blogs.montin.ws

Exercise and yoga help breast cancer women in early stage

According to latest research studies, Yoga and Aerobic exercise help to improve quality of life in early-stage breast cancer patients. Results of the research study were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. This study is the largest to date to find the effects of exercise during chemotherapy and the first one to evaluate the effect of resistance exercise. The study was conducted over a period of 17 weeks. Yoga studies were mainly conducted on Hispanic and African American women. Resistance exercise essentially helps in stopping the most common side effect in chemotherapy – reduced white cell count.

Results of the Breast cancer research studies:

1. Resistance and aerobic exercises improved physical fitness, self-esteem and body composition
2. Resistance exercise improved chemotherapy completion rates.

3. Yoga was beneficial for women who were not receiving chemotherapy during the study.

4. Exercise did not cause Lymphedema or any other side effects.

5. Exercise may increase white blood cell counts and allow chemotherapy rates to continue.

6. Women responded well in the studies compared to men.

7. Benefits of yoga are more in women who adhered to the prescribed regimen and took more classes.

8. Yoga improved emotional well-being and mood and improved quality of life. Emotional well-being is crucial for women who are undergoing chemotherapy.

9. Lifestyle interventions definitely improve the quality of life in breast cancer patients (early stage).

10. Contrary to the popular opinion, exercise actually benefits the women who are under chemotherapy.

Resistance and Aerobic exercises and Yoga are must for every breast cancer patient who is under chemotherapy.

cancer.health-care-articles.com

Acrylamide cleared of causing breast cancer

It was responsible for one of the biggest food scares in recent times. Now acrylamide, which is found in coffee, French fries and many other foods, has been cleared of causing breast cancer.

The alarm was raised in 2002 when researchers discovered that acrylamide, which had been shown to cause cancers in animals, can form in a range of foods while they are being cooked. A team led by Lorelei Mucci at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston has now sounded the all-clear - at least for breast cancer - following a 20-year study of 100,000 nurses in the US.

Although 3000 of the women developed breast cancer, questionnaires revealed that their risk was not affected by the amount of acrylamide-rich food they had consumed. "At levels in the diet, it doesn't seem to cause breast cancer," says Mucci, who presented her results at the American Chemical Society meeting in Boston earlier this week.

newscientist.com

Soda Warning? High-fructose Corn Syrup Linked To Diabetes, New Study Suggests

New evidence suggests that sodas sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup may increase the risk of diabetes, particularly in children. (Credit: American Chemical Society)

Science Daily — Researchers have found new evidence that soft drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may contribute to the development of diabetes, particularly in children. In a laboratory study of commonly consumed carbonated beverages, the scientists found that drinks containing the syrup had high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown by others to have the potential to trigger cell and tissue damage that could cause the disease, which is at epidemic levels.

HFCS is a sweetener found in many foods and beverages, including non-diet soda pop, baked goods, and condiments. It is has become the sweetener of choice for many food manufacturers because it is considered more economical, sweeter and more easy to blend into beverages than table sugar. Some researchers have suggested that high-fructose corn syrup may contribute to an increased risk of diabetes as well as obesity, a claim which the food industry disputes. Until now, little laboratory evidence has been available on the topic.

In the current study, Chi-Tang Ho, Ph.D., conducted chemical tests among 11 different carbonated soft drinks containing HFCS. He found 'astonishingly high' levels of reactive carbonyls in those beverages. These undesirable and highly-reactive compounds associated with "unbound" fructose and glucose molecules are believed to cause tissue damage, says Ho, a professor of food science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. By contrast, reactive carbonyls are not present in table sugar, whose fructose and glucose components are "bound" and chemically stable, the researcher notes.

www.sciencedaily.com

7 Ways to Negotiate Better (Without Affecting Your Karma)

Do you think karma is just a fanciful idea invented by ancient mystics and revived by hippies with no relevance to the real world? Think again

Karma is real, and it will bite you in the bum if you don't take it seriously, says John McKee, business success coach and author of Career Wisdom, 21 Ways Women in Management Shoot Themselves in the Foot and The "Yes Factor": How to Negotiate to Get What You Want Out of Life. Anyone working in a community who forgets that what goes around comes around is, at some stage, going to fall flat on their tail.

Just look what happened when Hewlett-Packard and Compaq joined forces. Analysts lined up to describe the multibillion-dollar deal - one of the largest in technology history - as a merger of equals. Not so HP's Carly Fiorina, who made very public her view that in fact one of the so-called equals, herself, was considerably more equal than the other: Compaq's Michael Capellas.

www.cio.com.au

Something Fishy Going On? Omega 3 Fortified Milk, Eggs & Cheese is Vegetarian Society’s Worst Nightmare

Despite publicity about toxity in fish, and unsustainability of fish stocks, fish oils are increasingly being added to dairy products to increase levels of omega 3 essential fatty acids. This could be The Vegetarian Society’s worst nightmare as milk, cheese, yoghurts and margarine are no longer acceptable for a vegetarian diet. However a new vegetarian EPA Omega 3 product could save their veggie bacon.

(PRWEB) June 7, 2006 -- New research by UK margarine brand Flora has suggested that consumption of Omega 3 in the UK remains low as families are still not consuming sufficient quantities of foodstuffs rich in the important nutrient. The survey indicated that more than 80% of people were concerned that no one in their family was consuming enough Omega-3.

London Nutritionist and founder of Foods For Life Yvonne Bishop-Weston agrees that people are right to be concerned. “Omega 3 is an essential nutrient often missing from the modern diet” she says “ but people need to differentiate between the different types of Omega 3 – it’s actually the long chain fatty acids EPA and DHA that our body need for brain health and cell membrane integrity. Despite a higher consumption of omega 3 rich foods the EPIC/Oxford University study showed vegetarians and vegans were still lacking in DHA and EPA”

Omega 3, found in oily fish, green leafy herbs such as purslane, nuts and seeds, is thought to be important for heart health and brain function. Some experts believe it may also help learning and concentration among children, and may also be good for joint and health.

Children easily upset by TV

Small children do not have to watch inappropriate programming to become uneasy, just having it on in the background is enough.

Parents who want their youngsters to have a good night's sleep should leave watching the news, films and other potentially disturbing programming until after their children are in bed, says Anja Riita Lahikainen, professor of social psychology in Tammerfors, Finland.

www.aftenposten.no

Sleep is the silent link in learning

Evidence is mounting that children who don't get enough sleep are at risk of learning difficulties, obesity and other health problems.

Sleep disturbances affect the pre-frontal cortex, the part of the brain that regulates emotions and behaviour.

Evidence suggests that lack of sleep or impaired sleep quality is strongly linked to behavioural disorders in children, such as increased aggression and conduct problems.

www.theaustralian.news.com.au

Himalayan forests are quietly vanishing

THE Himalayas may never be the same again. The forests growing on the roof of the world are disappearing, and the rate of deforestation is so rapid that a quarter of animal and plant species native to this biodiversity hotspot, including tigers and leopards, could be gone by the end of the century.

Worse, the Indian government is oblivious to the problem because official figures erroneously suggest that forest cover will rise rather than fall. This mistake has led to the approval of new schemes, such as hydroelectric dams, that will exacerbate the devastation.

www.newscientist.com

New Scientific Review Shows Vegetarian Diets Cause Major Weight Loss Without Exercise or Calorie Counting

Controlled Research Trials Prove Diet's Efficacy

WASHINGTON—A scientific review in April’s Nutrition Reviews shows that a vegetarian diet is highly effective for weight loss. Vegetarian populations tend to be slimmer than meat-eaters, and they experience lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other life-threatening conditions linked to overweight and obesity. The new review, compiling data from 87 previous studies, shows the weight-loss effect does not depend on exercise or calorie-counting, and it occurs at a rate of approximately 1 pound per week.

Rates of obesity in the general population are skyrocketing, while in vegetarians, obesity prevalence ranges from 0 percent to 6 percent, note study authors Susan E. Berkow, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Neal D. Barnard, M.D., of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

www.pcrm.org

Gaming fanatics show hallmarks of drug addiction

Excessive computer gaming has the hallmarks of addiction, suggests new experiments on 'drug memory'. The researchers argue it should be classified as such, enabling “addicts” to start seeking help.

“We have the patients and we have the parents and family members calling us for help,” says Sabine Grüsser of the Charité University Medicine Berlin, in Germany.

New Scientist Breaking News

Success sucks? Yoga is the remedy- The Economic Times

Recent surveys have shown that yoga is not only a major trend, the world over, but has also become a commercially viable industry. With a lot of money flowing in this direction, the puritanical approach towards the science of yoga is fast diminishing. There are quite a few sincere teachers and institutions which have sincerely dedicated themselves to its cause.

economictimes.indiatimes.com

Study Links 8 Hours' Sleep to Shorter Life Span

"There's an old idea that people should sleep eight hours a night, which has no more scientific basis than the gold at the end of the rainbow," said Daniel Kripke, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego who led the study, published in today's Archives of General Psychiatry. "That's an old wives' tale."

The study was not designed to answer why sleeping longer may be deleterious or whether people could extend their life spans by sleeping less. But Kripke said it is possible that people who sleep longer tend to suffer from sleep apnea, a condition in which impaired breathing puts stress on the heart and brain. He also speculated that the need for sleep is akin to the need for food, in that getting less than people want may be better for them.

www.juiceguy.com

Increased Death Rate Associated with Sleeping 8 Hours or More

Although it’s a common belief that 8 hours of sleep is required for optimal health, a six-year study of more than one million adults ages 30 to 102 has shown that people who get only 6 to 7 hours a night have a lower death rate. Individuals who sleep 8 hours or more, or less than 4 hours a night, were shown to have a significantly increased death rate compared to those who averaged 6 to 7 hours.

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the American Cancer Society collaborated on the study, which appeared in the February 15, 2002 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, a journal of the American Medical Association.

health.ucsd.edu

Soft drinks: Unsafe beverages

Amazingly, Americans (and people in other countries) actually drink a product that can rightfully be called Osteoporosis In a Can. And, it gets worse from there. Read on.

This poison goes by many brand names, such as Coca Cola and Pepsi. Generically, this poison is on the market in formulations known as soda, pop, and soft drinks. It includes all carbonated beverages--even carbonated plain water. The various substances in sodas compound the problem, especially the typical formulations with their carbonic acid or phosphoric acid.

The carbonation in all soft drinks causes calcium loss in the bones through a three-stage process:

1. The carbonation irritates the stomach.
2. The stomach "cures" the irritation the only way it knows how. It adds the only antacid at its disposal: calcium. It gets this from the blood.
3. The blood, now low on calcium, replenishes its supply from the bones. If it did not do this, muscular and brain function would be severely impaired.

Mind connection

Plastics link to 'macho' female mice

WHEN does a female mouse behave like a male? When you give it small doses of bisphenol A, a chemical that mimics the hormone oestrogen. The "gender bender", which masculinises the brains of female mice, is the base chemical for making polycarbonate plastics, often used in bottles and food containers.

When Ana Soto and colleagues at Tufts University in Boston constantly infused bisphenol A into the tissue of pregnant and breastfeeding mice, the female pups displayed the masculinised effects. The doses were equivalent to concentrations found by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in samples of human urine. "We're talking about environmentally relevant levels of exposure," says Soto.

New Scientist News

Sugary drinks leave US schools

At last, the US is taking steps to wean its schoolchildren off the sugary drinks normally peddled from school vending machines.

On 3 May, major US soft drinks companies including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Cadbury Schweppes, along with the American Beverage Association, volunteered to phase out drinks containing more than 100 calories per can from school vending machines by 2010. Instead, 35 million children across the US will be offered more alternatives, including bottled water and fruit and vegetable juices.

"This really is a ground-breaking agreement," says Robert Eckel, president of the American Heart Association, which joined forces with the William J. Clinton Foundation to broker the voluntary deal.

New Scientist News

Heavy metals may be implicated in autism

URINE samples from hundreds of French children have yielded evidence for a link between autism and exposure to heavy metals. If validated, the findings might mean some cases of autism could be treated with drugs that purge the body of heavy metals.

Samples from children with autism contained abnormally high levels of a family of proteins called porphyrins, which are precursors in the production of haem, the oxygen-carrying component in haemoglobin. Heavy metals block haem production, causing porphyrins to accumulate in urine. Concentrations of one molecule, coproporphyrin, were 2.6 times as high in urine from children with autism as in controls.

New Scientist News

Phones with the highest radiation levels revelead

There are some lists manufacturers love to be on, like the most popular or best selling. But a list of phones with the highest levels of radiation emissions is probably not going to make them smile. Regardless, consumers need to know, so here is the data.

Here are the top phones, followed by the SAR:

1) Motorola Slvr L6 – 1.58
2) Motorola V120c – 1.55
2) Motorola V265 – 1.55
4) Motorola V70 – 1.54
5) Motorola C290 – 1.53
5) Motorola P8767 – 1.53
5) Motorola ST7868 – 1.53
5) Motorola ST7868W – 1.53
9) Motorola A845 – 1.51
9) Palm Treo 650 GSM – 1.51
9) Panasonic Allure – 1.51

Mobile Magazine

Dolphins, like humans, recognize names

Bottlenose dolphins can call each other by name when they whistle, making them the only animals besides humans known to recognize such identity information, scientists reported on Monday.

Scientists have long known that dolphins' whistling calls include repeated information thought to be their names, but a new study indicates dolphins recognize these names even when voice cues are removed from the sound.

For example, a dolphin might be expected to recognize its name if called by its mother, but the new study found most dolphins recognized names -- their signature whistles -- even when emitted without inflection or other vocal cues.

Reuters.com

Cancer concern over shop snacks

Chocolates and bagged snacks are being taken off shop shelves after the discovery of potentially cancer-causing toxins in a batch of rice flour.

Three brands of products are being recalled because aflatoxin B1 was found at levels above the legal limit.

Aflatoxin B1 occurs naturally in mould but is linked to cancer in animals.

news.bbc.co.uk

Scientists discover 500 BC sky map

Hyderabad: When the carving of the Great Bear constellation on a stone, made around 500 BC at Mudumala village in Mahbubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh were discovered, scientists were suitably astounded.

They began to wonder how ancient Indian astrologers could tell exactly how stars and constellations were grouped without the help of modern devices such as the telescope.

The mystery was unravelled when scientists discovered an ancient sky map in Hyderabad.

The sky map, which is probably the oldest in Asia, was carved out by megalithic Indians with astounding accuracy.

www.ibnlive.com

Caffeine Withdrawal Disorder

Caffeine is the world's most commonly used stimulant, and it's cheap and readily available so people can maintain their use of caffeine quite easily," says Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins. "The latest research demonstrates, however, that when people don't get their usual dose they can suffer a range of withdrawal symptoms, including headache, fatigue, difficulty concentrating. They may even feel like they have the flu with nausea and muscle pain.

hopkinsnet.jhu.edu

Children ‘should sleep with parents until they’re five

ONE of Britain’s leading experts on children’s mental health has advised parents to reject years of convention and allow children to sleep in bed with them until the age of five.

Margot Sunderland, director of education at the Centre for Child Mental Health in London, says the practice, known as “co-sleeping”, makes children more likely to grow up as calm, healthy adults.

www.timesonline.co.uk

Working Moms Healthier than Full-Time Homemakers

Married mothers who also hold jobs, despite having to juggle career and home, enjoy better health than their underemployed or childless peers. Data from a long-term study launched in the U.K. in 1946 shows that such working moms are the least likely to be obese by middle age and the most likely to report generally good health. And this result cannot be explained simply because the healthiest women take on the most.

www.sciam.com

Meditation Found To Increase Brain Size

BrainPeople who meditate grow bigger brains than those who don't. Researchers at Harvard, Yale, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found the first evidence that meditation can alter the physical structure of our brains. Brain scans they conducted reveal that experienced meditators boasted increased thickness in parts of the brain that deal with attention and processing sensory input.

www.sciencenewsden.com