Red Cross gives advice on flu

This is a very helpful video to help you understand what to do to prepare for flu pandemics.


Pandemic Flu, Are You Prepared?

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 —

As the world continues to monitor the swine flu (H1N1 flu outbreak) situation, you may hear references to “pandemic flu”. Stories in the media are constant as health officials around the globe are watching whether the current flu outbreak evolves into a pandemic.

What is pandemic flu and what does it really mean?

A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges and humans have little or no immunity toward it. The virus begins to cause serious illness which spreads easily from person to person around the world.

While this video contains references to “bird flu,” the steps it urges the public to take also apply to swine flu (H1N1).

Reports of swine flu outbreaks are growing. Caused by an influenza virus of swine origin, the number of cases continues to develop in the United States and internationally. Whether the situation reaches pandemic status or not, it reminds us that pandemic flu is a reality and we must prepare for it.

The American Red Cross offers a short video to help individuals understand a pandemic flu and how to be prepared. It covers a range of topics from explaining how the flu spreads to offering prevention strategies and tips on developing a family preparedness plan by getting a preparedness kit, making a plan and being informed.

Help others to be prepared, pass the video along to family members and friends.

More information is available on the Red Cross Web site. Up-to-the-minute updates on the swine flu can be found at the CDC Web site. People seeking information on human swine flu should visit the CDC Web site or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

Food Additive To Avoid

Food Additive To Avoid

Being concerned about my health I always promote eating fresh. While I recognize that organic food is the best because there is no pesticide, and the products contain more vitamins and minerals because of the way they have been grown any fresh food will limit your intake of food additives.
I would also advise you to drink water and use soft-drinks only for parties which will limit your food additive intake to a more reasonable level.


On this page I decided to focus on the food additives dangerous for our health and not banned by the FDA yet. Did you know that eating less than 20 chips containing olestra could be dangerous?

You will find here the 14 most dangerous additives and their potential effects on your health. Are you sure you want to eat them without knowing or do you wish to learn "who they are" and be able to preserve yourself from their dangers?


ACESULFAME-K

Used as a sugar substitute in packet or table form, in chewing gum, dry mixes for beverages, instant coffee and tea, gelatin desserts...
Tests indicate that this additive causes cancer in animals. It had been shown to affect the thyroid in rats, rabbits and dogs.Acesulfamine-K was also associated with lung tumors, breast tumors, and several forms of leukemia and chronic respiratory disease in rats studies even when less than maximum doses were given Another effect would be the stimulation of insulin secretion in a dose dependent fashion aggravating reactive hypoglycemia (low blood sugar attacks)


Artificial Colorings: Blue 1

This chemical was inadequately tested and there is a suggestion of small cancer risk.


Artificial Coloring: Blue 2

The largest study suggested but did not prove that this dye caused brain tumors in male mice.
Artificial Coloring: Green 3

A 1981 industry-sponsored study gave the hints of bladder cancer.


Artificial Coloring: Red 3

There is evidence that this dye cause thyroid tumors in rats.


Artificial Coloring: Yellow 6

It may cause allergic reactions. Also industry-sponsored animal tests shows that this dye causes tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney.


Aspartame

In some reports aspartame has been linked to various neuropsychiatric disorders, including panic attacks, mood changes,visual hallucinations, manic episodes and isolated dizziness. A 1970 study suggested that aspartame caused brain tumors in rats. In 2005, researchers at the Ramazzini Foundation in Bologna, Italy, conducted a study which indicated that in rats who were first exposed to aspartame at 8 weeks of ages aspartame caused lymphomas and leukemias in females. In 2007, the same Italian researchers published a follow-up study that began exposing rats to aspartame in utero. This study found that aspartame caused leukemia, lymphoma and breast cancer.


Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)

Some studies shows that it causes cancer in the forestomach of rats, mice and hamsters . Humans do not have a forestomach but a chemical that causes cancer in at least one organ in three different species indicates that it might be carcinogenic in humans.


Olestra (Olean)

Olestra has an avidity for certain fat-soluble substances and will remove fat-soluble nutrients from your body.It is linked directly to olestra being a non-absorbable lipid-like substance.
Olestra will cause a dramatic depletion of fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids. Olestra depletion of carotenoids is a great concern because evidences indicate that they may confer important health benefit, like lowering risk of cancers (lungs, esophagus, pharynx, mouth, stomach, colon, rectum, and bladder). Olestra is highly effective at reducing serum level of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Supplementing olestra with those vitamins would not completely solve the problem which means that blood clotting, bone formation in fetal development and childhood and retention of bone in older women could be affected. A more immediat effects would be diarrhea, fecal urgency, and more frequent and looser bowel movements as well as anal leaking. Olestra gastrointestinal effects are comparable to those caused by eating larger amount of dietetary fibers except that you body will adapt to increased fibers but won't adjust to olera. The only way to stop the intestinal effect of olestra is to stop its intake. Risk of macular degeneration and possibly cancer and heart diseases are also associated with olestra.

Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Trans Fat)

Vegetable oil, usually a liquid can be made into semi-solid shortening by reacting it with hydrogen. Partial hydrogenation reduces the levels of polyunsatured oils also creating trans fats which promote heart diseases.The Institute of Medicine has advised consumers to eat less than 2 grams a day. Beware of the marking on the boxes: 0g trans fat are permitted to contain 0.5g per serving while no trans fat means none at all.


Potassium Bromate

Potassium bromate is used to strenghen bread dough. Bromate was first found to cause cancer in rats in 1982. Subsequents studies on rats and mice confirmed that it causes tumors of the kidney, thyroid and other organs. It had been banned virtually worldwide except in the US and Japan. In 1991, California declared bromate a carcerigen under the state's proposition 65. Baked good sold in California would have to bear a cancer warning if they contain more than a certain level of bromate. As a result most California bakers have switched to bromate-free processes.


Propyl Gallate

Propyl gallate or propyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoate is an ester formed by the condensation of garlic acid and propanol. It is an anti oxidant added to foods containing oils and fats to prevent oxidation. As a food addictive it is used under the number E310. Recent studies show that propyl gallate mimic oestrogen similar to other xenoestrogens. This may result in male developing female traits. Increased estrogen load is often associated with increase risk of developping cancer in estrogen-sensitive tiissues such as ovary, breat, prostate...


Saccharin

Saccharin is 350 times sweeter than sugar and is used in diet foods or as a tabletop sugar substitute. Many studies on animals have shown that saccharin can cause cancer of the urinary bladder as well as cancer of the uterus, ovaries, skin, blood vessels, and other organs. Other studies have shown that saccharin increases the potency of other cancer-causing chemicals. The best epidemiology study (done by the National Cancer Institute) found that the use of artificial sweeteners (saccharin and cyclamate) was associated with a higher incidence of bladder cancer. The industry acknowledges that saccharin causes bladder cancer in male rats, but argues that those tumors are caused by a mechanism that would not occur in humans. Many public health experts respond by stating that, even if that still-unproved mechanism were correct in male rats, saccharin could cause cancer by additional mechanisms.


Sodium Nitrite, Sodium Nitrate

Sodium nitrite stabilizes the red color in cured meat (without nitrite, hot dogs and bacon would look gray) and gives a characteristic flavor. Adding nitrite to food can lead to the formation of small amounts of potent cancer-causing chemicals (nitrosamines), particularly in fried bacon. Several studies have linked consumption of cured meat and nitrite by children, pregnant women, and adults with various types of cancer. Nitrite is used primarily in fatty, salty foods, consumers have important nutritional reasons for avoiding nitrite-preserved foods.


Preserve Yourself

The best way to preserve yourself from these additive is to eliminate them from your diet. The less you will eat of them the better it will be for you. If you can't stop just try to limit your intake to the minimum possible.

The Truth About Diet Soda

The Truth About Diet Soda

The authors of Eat This Not That reveal some hard truths about low-calorie sodas.
By Dave Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, Men's Health
Soda in glass (c) Image Source / Super Stock

We talk a lot about “watching what we eat,” but if you never gave a thought to what you ate and instead watched only what you drank, you could probably cut 450 calories a day out of your life—that’s nearly a pound of fat trimmed away each week! That's what a study from the University of North Carolina found. Americans today drink about 192 gallons of liquid a year—or about 2 liters a day. To put it into perspective, this is nearly twice as many calories as we did 30 years ago.

When confronted with the growing tide of calories from sweetened beverages, the first response is, “Why not just drink diet soda?” Well, for a few reasons. Eat This, Not That! did some research and found out some hard truths behind the low-calorie (and nutrition-free) beverage. The story isn't as clear-cut as you suspect, and it might make you think twice the next time you're looking for a thirst-quencher.

Hard truth #1

Just because diet soda is low in calories doesn't mean it can't lead to weight gain.

More Healthy Eating Advice

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It may have only 5 or fewer calories per serving, but emerging research suggests that consuming sugary-tasting beverages—even if they're artificially sweetened—may lead to a high preference for sweetness overall. That means sweeter (and more caloric) cereal, bread, dessert—everything. Considering there are 15 calories in every teaspoon of sugar, that's not good news if you're watching your weight.

Hard truth #2

Guzzling these drinks all day long forces out the healthy beverages you need.

Diet soda is 100 percent nutrition-free—and it's important to remember that all that useless liquid is taking up space that could have gone to more healthy alternatives. On the positive side, it means you won’t be taking in equally non-nutritious, calorie- and sugar-packed options. But it's just as important to actively drink the good stuff as it is to avoid that bad stuff. So one diet soda a day is fine, but if you're downing five or six cans, that means you're limiting your intake of healthful beverages, particularly water and tea, which is high in antioxidants.

Plus, a recent study from Johns Hopkins found that restricting liquid caloric intake is a more effective way to lose weight than restricting calories from food. There’s no better place than by eliminating anything on our list of the 20 unhealthiest drinks in America.

Hard truth #3

There remain some concerns over aspartame, the low-calorie chemical used to give diet sodas their flavor.

Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar, and some animal research has linked consumption of high amounts of the sweetener to brain tumors and lymphoma in rodents. The FDA maintains that the sweetener is safe, but reported side effects include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss, and mood changes. Check out our guide to the 11 most controversial food additives to see how aspartame stacks up.

The bottom line is this: Diet soda does you no good, and it might just be doing you harm. The best way to hydrate is by drinking low-calorie, high-nutrient fluids—and choosing healthy alternatives, like the ones you'll find in our list of the 16 best drink swaps.

Now that you have a hold on your liquid assets, upgrade the rest of your grocery list by avoiding the 13 Worst "Healthy" Foods in the Supermarket.

More cases of swine flu reported; WHO warns of 'health emergency'

More cases of swine flu reported; WHO warns of 'health emergency'

Twenty-two students and three teachers in New Zealand, who returned from a three-week-long language trip to Mexico, may have been infected with the swine flu virus, officials said Sunday.
Women wearing masks wait at a health clinic Saturday in Mexico City.

Women wearing masks wait at a health clinic Saturday in Mexico City.
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The suspected infections in New Zealand follow reports that a deadly new strain of the virus cropped up in more places in the United States and Mexico on Saturday.

The World Health Organization is calling the virus "a public health emergency of international concern."

The 25 students and teachers at Auckland's Rangitoto College returned to New Zealand via Los Angeles on Saturday.

Fourteen of them have shown flu-like symptoms, with four "more unwell than others," said Dr. Julia Peters, clinical director of Auckland Regional Public Health Service.

The New Zealand health ministry informed the students and their families of provisional results of tests it conducted on the group. However, the World Health Organization will make the final determination after testing the specimens, Peters said.

She would not say what the provisional results indicated. The WHO results are expected back by midweek. The group remains quarantined at home.

"We're basically treating them as possible, probable cases," Peters added.
Don't Miss

* Family quarantined after son contracts swine flu
* CDC: Swine flu viruses in U.S., Mexico match
* CDC confirms 7 cases of swine flu in humans

According to the most recent reports, the number of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States stands at 11.

They include nine confirmed cases at or near the Mexican border in Texas and California, and an apparent outbreak at a private school in New York City.

All the patients have recovered or are expected to.

In Mexico, health officials said 81 deaths there were "likely linked" to the swine flu. Video Watch efforts in Mexico to prevent spread of the virus »

U.S. health officials said Friday that some cases of the virus matched samples of the deadly Mexican virus.

Gregory Hartl, of the World Health Organization, said the strain of the virus seen in Mexico is worrisome because it has mutated from older strains. Video Watch how public health officials grade phases of pandemic alerts »

"Any time that there is a virus which changes ... it means perhaps the immunities the human body has built up to dealing with influenza might not be adjusted well enough to dealing with this new virus," Hartl said.

He said that, in Mexico, otherwise young, healthy people have been hit by the virus -- "one of the pieces of the puzzle that is worrying us," he said.

Mexico City has closed all of its schools and universities until further notice because of the virus.

More than 1,300 people with flu-like symptoms have been admitted to hospitals in Mexico, and officials are trying to determine how many of them have swine flu, said Jose Cordova Villalobos, the country's health minister.
Health Library

* MayoClinic.com: Influenza (flu)

The H1N1 strain of swine flu is usually associated with pigs. When the flu spreads person-to-person, instead of from animals to humans, it can continue to mutate, making it a tougher strain that is harder to treat or fight off.

The United States had not issued any travel warnings or quarantines.

But US Airways said Saturday night it would allow passengers to change plans if they wanted to because of the outbreak.

Airline spokeswoman Michelle Mohr said it was not asking people not to travel to Mexico, but wanted to "give them that flexibility" if "they don't feel comfortable."

The Canadian Public Health Agency had issued a travel health notice, saying, "The Public Health Agency of Canada is tracking clusters of severe respiratory illness with deaths in Mexico." Video Watch CBC report on Canadian microbiologists' concerns »

Symptoms of swine flu include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, the CDC said. Learn more about swine flu and how to treat it »
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U.S. President Barack Obama, who visited Mexico last week en route to the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, is not sick.

"The president's trip to Mexico has not put his health in any danger," spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Worrying about money this weekend ?

Worrying about money this weekend ?

A Friday Profitable Moment….Just for the readers of this Blog.

All week we have reported horrible economic news - whether it’s Britain’s tax the rich budget, or Spain’s double digit unemployment. We have been battered by US company results and beaten up by the IMF telling us it’s the first global recession since the second World War. The losses will rack up to more than $4 trillion dollars. Phew. That’s a lot to take in over one week.

There is so much to worry about that it’s hard to switch off at the weekend. We can try and escape but there are always the nagging worried of bills unpaid, jobs at risk and financial dangers ahead.

But the weekend is now upon us, and I asked on the show, whether or not you would be worried by money this weekend. Here are some of your thoughts. Let me know whether you are worried, and what you can do about it.

I am in Paris this week, filming, but I hope that whatever you’re upto this weekend (a brisk walk, some gardening, a bit of shopping) It’s profitable !

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jade59@richardquest No we will not worry about money this W-E,we learn a while ago worrying won’t change a thing,W-E is a break,so we’ll have one

qM@richardquest I don’t worry about money. I worry about the lack of money!

Gotaclue@richardquest No. It’s not as though I’m going to buy a new Rolex this weekend.

swortman1@richardquest i worry about money all the time. prices keep going up and there not showing sign of going down.

healthysalone@richardquest No. Worrying is a pointless activity regardless of the situation. I know of no situation that has changed because I worried.

eastcoastjac@richardquest I do not worry about money - I have more than enough to meet my needs. Positive thought and Law of Attraction in action.

boezel@richardquest NO! From a terrace in the Netherlands

jbtorres@richardquest with all of the recent company financial reports, I should worry

ixVintageKissxi@richardquest I think that it’s hard for people not to be worried about money right now. Very few people have that luxury anymore about money everyday until the recession ends.

boxtersushi@richardquest nope! About to run to the bank for our weekly cash (since beginning of year cash only excl travel) now tons of money on hand!

Gatorfitz@richardquest Not Worry, I wiiJust watch what I spend and be smart.

woodythehawk@richardquest Affirmative!!! I am on a fixed US retirement income and living in Egypt, and the end of the month is drawing near.

Tacarigua@richardquest Money is no problem — the problem IS money.

PepsiZecoon@richardquest We might be tight on budget, but we do manage. So I myself, won’t.

javiaven@richardquest Worry? Why worry? I’m going skydiving! Like the economy! Gerooonimoooo!!!!

mananqureshi@richardquest We worry about money every weekeend richard1 where it goes! heaven knows! (giggle)

Rikki_ND@richardquest What’s the point in worrying? Economies are cyclical and we will recover from this too, we’ve been through worse and survived!

R_P_Perry@richardquest They can’t take money I dont have. No need to worry I have a shotgun and enough food for the weekend Should be fine come Mon

buklah@richardquest I find myself worrying,itsnot something I can help. Will I lose my job, Can I afford my standard of living? Can I pay my bills

foxybacon@richardquest I must admit that I am not majorly worried about it. Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be :o )

Cancer Center in Pittsburgh Warns of Cell Phone Risks

Cancer Center in Pittsburgh Warns of Cell Phone Risks
The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.

warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don’t find a link between cancer and cell phone use, and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Herberman is basing his alarm on early unpublished data. He says it takes too long to get answers from science and he believes people should take action now especially when it comes to children.

Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn’t wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later, Herberman said.

No other major academic cancer research institutions have sounded such an alarm about cell phone use. But Herberman’s advice is sure to raise concern among many cell phone users and especially parents.

In the memo he sent to about 3,000 faculty and staff Wednesday, he says children should use cell phones only for emergencies because their brains are still developing.

Adults should keep the phone away from the head and use the speakerphone or a wireless headset, he says. He even warns against using cell phones in public places like a bus because it exposes others to the phone’s electromagnetic fields.

The issue that concerns some scientists though nowhere near a consensus is electromagnetic radiation, especially its possible effects on children. It is not a major topic in conferences of brain specialists.

A 2008 University of Utah analysis looked at nine studies including some Herberman cites with thousands of brain tumor patients and concludes we found no overall increased risk of brain tumors among cellular phone users. The potential elevated risk of brain tumors after long-term cellular phone use awaits confirmation by future studies.

Studies last year in France and Norway concluded the same thing.

If there is a risk from these products and at this point we do not know that there is it is probably very small, the Food and Drug Administration says on an agency Web site.

Still, Herberman cites a growing body of literature linking long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects including cancer.

Although the evidence is still controversial, I am convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to share some precautionary advice on cell phone use, he wrote in his memo.

A driving force behind the memo was Devra Lee Davis, the director of the university’s center for environmental oncology.

The question is do you want to play Russian roulette with your brain, she said in an interview from her cell phone while using the hands-free speaker phone as recommended. I don’t know that cell phones are dangerous. But I don’t know that they are safe.

Of concern are the still unknown effects of more than a decade of cell phone use, with some studies raising alarms, said Davis, a former health adviser in the Clinton Administration.

She said 20 different groups have endorsed the advice the Pittsburgh cancer institute gave, and authorities in England, France and India have cautioned children’s use of cell phones.

Herberman and Davis point to a massive ongoing research project known as Interphone, involving scientists in 13 nations, mostly in Europe. Results already published in peer-reviewed journals from this project aren’t so alarming, but Herberman is citing work not yet published.

The published research focuses on more than 5,000 cases of brain tumors. The National Research Council in the U.S., which isn’t participating in the Interphone project, reported in January that the brain tumor research had selection bias. That means it relied on people with cancer to remember how often they used cell phones. It is not considered the most accurate research approach.

The largest published study, which appeared in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 2006, tracked 420,000 Danish cell phone users, including thousands that had used the phones for more than 10 years. It found no increased risk of cancer among those using cell phones.

A French study based on Interphone research and published in 2007 concluded that regular cell phone users had no significant increased risk for three major types of nervous system tumors. It did note, however, that there was the possibility of an increased risk among the heaviest users for one type of brain tumor, but that needs to be verified in future research.

Earlier research also has found no connection.

Joshua E. Muscat of Penn State University, who has studied cancer and cell phones in other research projects partly funded by the cell phone industry, said there are at least a dozen studies that have found no cancer-cell phone link. He said a Swedish study cited by Herberman as support for his warning was biased and flawed.

We certainly don’t know of any mechanism by which radiofrequency exposure would cause a cancerous effect in cells. We just don’t know this might possibly occur, Muscat said.

Cell phones emit radiofrequency energy, a type of radiation that is a form of electromagnetic radiation, according to the National Cancer Institute. Though studies are being done to see if there is a link between it and tumors of the brain and central nervous system, there is no definitive link between the two, the institute says on its Web site.

By all means, if a person feels compelled that they should take precautions in reducing the amount of electromagnetic radio waves through their bodies, by all means they should do so, said Dan Catena, a spokesman for the American Cancer Society. But at the same time, we have to remember there’s no conclusive evidence that links cell phones to cancer, whether it’s brain tumors or other forms of cancer.

Joe Farren, a spokesman for the CTIA-The Wireless Association, a trade group for the wireless industry, said the group believes there is a risk of misinforming the public if science isn’t used as the ultimate guide on the issue.

When you look at the overwhelming majority of studies that have been peer reviewed and published in scientific journals around the world, you’ll find no relationship between wireless usage and adverse health affects, Farren said.

Frank Barnes, who chaired the January report from the National Research Council, said Wednesday that the jury is out on how hazardous long-term cell phone use might be.

Speaking from his cell phone, the professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder said he takes no special precautions in his own phone use. And he offered no specific advice to people worried about the matter.

It’s up to each individual to decide what if anything to do. If people use a cell phone instead of having a land line, that may very well be reasonable for them, he said.

Susan Juffe, a 58-year-old Pittsburgh special education teacher, heard about Herberman’s cell phone advice on the radio earlier in the day.

Now, I’m worried. It’s scary, she said.

She says she’ll think twice about allowing her 10-year-old daughter Jayne to use the cell phone.

I don’t want to get it (brain cancer) and I certainly don’t want you to get it, she explained to her daughter.

Sara Loughran, a 24-year-old doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh, sat in a bus stop Wednesday chatting on her cell phone with her mother. She also had heard the news earlier in the day, but was not as concerned.

I think if they gave me specific numbers and specific information and it was scary enough, I would be concerned, Loughran said, planning to call her mother again in a matter of minutes. Without specific numbers, it’s too vague to get me worked up.

Educational Cell Phone Digital Book by Paul Fitzgerald, EMF expert, graduated from NJIT in Newark, NJ. He has been studying EMF’s for over 15 years.. He has done over 100 radio shows in 2006 and released his book nofollow?>CellPhone>http://www.CellphoneLies.com>CellPhone Lies To learn more go to EMF Radiation News.

source

On cell phones, speaker static, and radiation

On cell phones, speaker static, and radiation
Reader JD writes: Can you tell me a little about cell phone radiation? When I receive texts on my cell phone, it makes a funny sound into my landline telephone receiver (when I am on that landline), and makes TV monitors do funny things if they are within range of the cell phone. I'm wondering if you might be able to shed some light on that for me. I've heard of SAR and my phone has a reasonable value for that. Since the TV and landline phone are apparently receiving such a strong signal, I am concerned that that is going through my body and anyone else's body that is near me, each time a text is sent or received.

Lots of issues in this query, but I'll try to get my arms around the whole thing for you.

First is the issue of those "funny sounds" you're talking about, and many readers will be familiar with your complaint. If not, try putting a GSM cell phone next to your computer speaker and chances are good you'll hear what JD is talking about at some point: A weird, distorted buzzing/bumping/drumming sort of noise that often comes and goes throughout the day. Pretty much any speaker is susceptible to this noise -- your TV, land line phone, stereo, even hearing aids -- but the cheaper the speaker, the worse the problem will be.

What causes it? To explain it very simply: Electromagnetic interference in the speaker wiring picks up the radio pulsing in the cell phone and causes audible distortion in the audio from the speaker. The solution? Get shielded speakers, move your cell phone to the other side of the room, or switch to a CDMA network, which doesn't cause these kinds of effects on speakers.

I'm not sure from your question whether you're seeing video distortion on your TV along with the audio noise when a text comes in, but I've never heard of such an effect. Still, I suppose it's theoretically possible under the same principle.

The other question is whether any of this is harmful to you physically, and that has a more complicated answer.

In brief, a cell phone sitting on your desk is going to have much less of a potential to cause any harm to you than one you're holding up to your ear, because cell phone radiation decreases exponentially with the distance it is away from you. This is why virtually all studies of cell phone radiation (and the heat it creates in human tissue) focus on brain tumors potentially caused by holding a phone up against the side of your face -- because that's where the radiation is strongest.

That said, even those studies have still not found a "smoking gun" definitively linking cell phones to cancer, but the jury is still out on whether or not they add to your risk and, if so, how much. (The exception seems to be with cell-phone-using children, whom more experts believe are at risk of damage because their brains are still growing rapidly.)

But a phone sitting on your desk? The electromagnetic interference it's causing on your speakers is not something that anyone has pointed to as a potential source of physical harm and really this is just a problem with speaker design, not with something that's likely to hurt you. Remember that you're always surrounded by all kinds of radio waves, all the time, and a single cell phone on your desk doesn't really change that level of bombardment in a meaningful way. Put it this way: Think about how many cell phones are nearby when you're standing on a crowded bus. If there was a real danger, people would be dropping like flies.

Rosemary Found to Offer Best Protection against Radiation Poisoning

Rosemary Found to Offer Best Protection against Radiation Poisoning

The U.S. is turning into radiation nation. In the twenty-three years since Chernobyl, Americans seem to have forgotten the impact of radiation on health. Swept up in the euphoria over an endless parade of wireless devices, we have turned our backs on the common sense that informed us that Chernobyl was a really big deal when we heard the news. Today Americans act as though they are addicted to radiation and completely oblivious of the jack-hammering effect it has on human cells. They appear willing to accept cancer and even death as small prices to pay for the ability to communicate with anyone, anywhere, anytime. As the nation eagerly anticipates the rollout of WiMAX, promising bone-incinerating coverage of 3,000 square miles from a single tower, those who object find they have no voice and no choice. However, recent research has shown there are steps to take in self-preservation. Carnosic and rosmarinic acids naturally deter radiation poisoning.

RF/microwave exposure leads to cancer development

It has been know for a decade that RF/microwaves from cell phones and tower transmitters cause damage in human blood cells that results in nuclei splintering off into micronuclei fragments. The development of micronuclei heralds the development of pre-cancerous conditions. Many victims of Chernobyl developed blood cell micronuclei that rapidly turned into full blown cancers.

Numerous animal studies have demonstrated that mobile phone radiation quickly causes DNA single and double strand breaks at levels well below the current federal "safe" standards. A six-year industry study showed that human blood exposure to cell phone radiation had a 300 percent increase in genetic damage in the form of micronuclei, suggesting a health threat much greater than smoking or asbestos.

Compounds from rosemary fight against mutagenic effects of radiation

In two separate studies, scientists in Spain found that nothing fights radiation damage to micronuclei like a simple garden herb known as rosemary. They noted that ionizing radiation causes the massive generation of free radicals that induce cellular DNA damage. They studied the protective effects of several compounds against gamma ray induced chromosomal damage in micronuclei testing by adding various compounds to human blood before and after irradiation. When the compounds were added after gamma-irradiation treatment, the protective effects relied not on scavenging ability, but on activity against free radicals already present in the cells, such as lipoperoxy radicals which are mainly responsible for continuous chromosomal oxidative damage.

The fact that carnosic acid and carnosol found in rosemary are fat soluble allows them to provide highly asignificant protective anti-mutagenic activity. Even the most powerful water-soluble antioxidants lack the capacity to protect against gamma ray induced damage. This study can be found in the British Journal of Radiology, February 2 edition.

In their second study, the generation of radiation induced cellular DNA damage to skin from free radicals was the focus. The researchers sought to demonstrate that rosmarinic acid from rosemary would act as a photo-protector both by acting as a scavenger of free radicals and as an inducer of the body's own endogenous defense mechanisms by regulating tyrosinase activity and stimulating melanin production. They found that formulation of toxic malonyldialdehyde was delayed by the use of rosmarinic acid, and the protection factor was 3.34 times greater than for other compounds studied, as measured in micronucleus testing. In vivo testing showed the capacity of orally administered rosmarinic acid to inhibit skin alterations as a result of UV radiation exposure. This study was reported in the February edition of Food and Chemical Toxicology.

Common food compound protects lymphocytes against radiation

In a study from India, scientists investigated the radio-protective potential of caffeic acid against gamma radiation-induced cellular changes. A dose of 66 microM of caffeic acid showed the optimum protection of micronuclei and was used to investigate the radio-protective effects of the compound. Lymphocytes were pre-incubated with caffeic acid and controls were not. All the lymphocytes were exposed to different doses of radiation. Genetic damage and biochemical changes were measured. Gamma irradiated control lymphocytes showed a radiation dose-dependent increase in genetic damage and a significant decrease in antioxidant status. Caffeic acid pretreated lymphocytes positively modulated all radiation induced changes. This study is found in the 2008 Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology.

Food sources offering significant amounts of caffeic acid are apples, citrus fruits, and cruciferous vegetables.

RF/microwave radiation has the same effect on health as gamma rays

A pile of research has confirmed that non-ionizing communications radiation in the RF/microwave spectrum has the same effect on human health as ionizing gamma wave radiation from nuclear reactions. This means that Chernobyl has effectively come to America. Injuries resulting from radioactive radiation are identical with the effects of electromagnetic radiation. In the U.S., deadly high frequency radiation is now blasting from tens of thousands of cell towers and rooftop antennas all over the country. The tiny city of San Francisco, has over 2,500 licensed cell phone antennas positioned at 530 locations to nuke its citizens around the clock.

There is no safe dose of radiation

RF/microwave and gamma waves are identical in their abilities to produce gene damage and cancer at the cellular level, and there is no safe dose of either. Cell damage is not dependent on a certain level of exposure because at any time in that exposure, breaks in DNA can occur.

Communication antennas saturate the environment with multiple electromagnetic frequencies simultaneously. The response to this endless cellular jiggling is graphically described by Amy Worthington in her article on the radiation poisoning of America. "Human DNA hears this energetic cacophony loud and clear, reacting like the human ear would to high volume country music, R&B plus rock and roll screaming from the same speaker simultaneously. Irradiated cells struggle to protect themselves against the destructive dissonance by hardening their membranes. They cease to receive nourishment, stop releasing toxins, die prematurely and spill micronuclei fragments into a sort of tumor bank account." According to an expert quoted in her article, 2000 hours of cellular phone exposure, or a latency period of about 10 years, increases the risk of brain cancer by 240 percent.

Many studies have shown that workers exposed to RF/microwave radiation routinely have inflated cancer rates, and the latency period between exposure and disease development is short. Some suspect that communications carriers exceed FCC exposure limits. Once equipment is installed and inspections are completed, it can be cranked up to create wider coverage. The FCC has sole regulatory authority over the communications industry, but has neither the money nor the employees to conduct verification testing. Even if they could do the monitoring, their guidelines are obsolete based on current scientific findings that have shown damage to human cells occurs at levels thousands of times lower than current standards permit. In other countries the allowed exposure levels are much less. Russia's standards are 100 times more stringent than those in the U.S., because their scientists have found that human hearts, kidneys, livers and brains are damaged at much lower exposure levels.

When is comes to protecting against radiation, we are on our own

Since the beginning of the wireless revolution, there have been no federally funded studies to determine the impact of constantly escalating levels of radiation on public health. Most people remain blissfully unaware of their proximity to towers and transmitters. They are also unaware of their levels of exposure in their workplaces where wireless transmitters may be located just a few feet away from them.

Some of the symptoms of overexposure to radiation are heart palpitations, diminishing hearing ability, headaches, sleep disturbance, chronic fatigue, endocrine problems, short term memory difficulties, sleep disturbance, chronic fatigue, frequent infections, reproductive issues, and reduced cognitive ability and information processing difficulties. The development of tumors and cancer is one big indication that something is radically wrong, and that something may be radiation poisoning.

What is a person to do about these symptoms? Right now it looks like the best defense against radiation poisoning is the same as the best defense against all diseases. This defense begins with diet and supplements. Eating a diet high in apples, citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables, drinking red wine, and using fresh rosemary have been scientifically shown to be effective. Supplements of rosemary extract containing carnosic and rosmarinic acids are widely available. Supplements of DIM offer higher doses of one of the most potent compounds in cruciferous vegetables. Broccoli sprouts are the best source of sulphoraphane, another highly potent compound in cruciferous vegetables. Broccoli sprouts are available as supplements too. Making a pitcher of fresh vegetable juice several times a week for all family members to drink is a great way to fortify everyone against an environment that has turned against them. The juice should contain high amounts of broccoli, cabbage or other cruciferous vegetables. Adding a small slice of fresh ginger will give the juice an appealing flavor. Use only organic or fresh locally grown vegetables if they are available.

Although it may not seem like it, living without the use of wireless devices is possible. Until giant steps are taken in that direction, demanding that wireless emissions from transmitters be drastically reduced is fairly pointless. Demanding the government conduct routine compliance testing at all transmission sites and update federal radiation exposure standards is something that can be done right now.

We can break our radiation addition by giving up wireless internet systems and cell phone calls. Once knowledge is instilled about the devastating health consequences of wireless, it may no longer be fun to play wireless games and chatter on the phone while driving or shopping. If people do not buy WiMAX devices and their related services, the increased brutal bombardment of radiation it promises will be derailed.

OSHA standards say that no environment should be deliberately made hazardous. Armed with the knowledge of what radiation does to human cells, people can refuse to work or shop in environments that endanger their health. They can demand that wireless devices be removed from their children's schools and from their work and entertainment places.

As a nation we bought into the advertisement that cell phones were necessary for an emergency. Yet the emergency happening now is the cell phone. What we thought would keep ourselves and our families safe now threatens to kill us. A look at our teenagers shows that convenience has been replaced by addition. These teens rarely talk directly to each other, preferring endless communication through text messaging that is already producing teens with carpal tunnel syndrome. It really doesn't have to be this way.

If we as a people are unable to break away from radiation addiction, Mother Nature will take control of the situation. Those lucky enough to adapt to radiation nation will survive and reproduce. Those who cannot keep up genetically will end up like the dinosaurs.

For more information see:

http://proliberty.com/observer/2007...

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Cancer...

http://www.ncrponline.org/

Source

10 Ways to Get Better Sleep (and Maybe Cure Your Insomnia)

10 Ways to Get Better Sleep (and Maybe Cure Your Insomnia)

If insomnia is derailing your sleep, a prescription sleeping pill may not be the best cure. Here are some options to explore:

Practice good "sleep hygiene." This does not mean making sure your bedding is clean! It means following good sleep habits, especially ensuring the bedroom environment is conducive to sleep. Among experts' recommendations: Use the bedroom only for sleep and sex; keep regular sleep and wake times; eliminate afternoon caffeine; banish pets (and snoring partners) from the bedroom; ensure the bedroom is a dark, cool, quiet place; and get computers and TVs out of the sleep environment, because they stimulate the brain and their light tells the body "it's daytime," disrupting the internal clock.

Break the rules when necessary. While experts' common-sense recommendations about sleep hygiene should be the first line of defense against insomnia, selectively breaking them can sometimes help, too. TV isn't recommended, for example, but a DVD or show (make it a boring one) may put some people to sleep. "Listen to experts' rules; don't throw them out," says Gayle Greene, 65, a lifelong insomniac who has learned to cope. But "bend them, make them work for you."

Develop a pre-bed relaxation ritual. "Adults need these rituals, too," says Meir Kryger, director of sleep research and education at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, Conn. "You'd be amazed at how helpful they can actually be." To develop a nonstimulating evening ritual, you might recall what your parents did when you were young to get you in sleep mode. Or try taking a hot bath or sipping a warm cup of chamomile tea; either will raise your core body temperature, which leads to a drowsy feeling as you cool down, says Lisa Shives, medical director of Northshore Sleep Medicine in Evanston, Ill.

Try not to self-medicate. "I personally don't recommend that people just go out and treat themselves with over-the-counter medications," says Kryger. "They never solve the problem; they'll just help you get through." Pharmacies certainly offer lots of sleep remedies. There are antihistamines, like Benadryl, which have a sedative side effect. (The ingredient that causes drowsiness is also found in products like Tylenol PM and Advil PM.) But those medications can induce next-day grogginess—what some patients call "sleep hangovers"—and they can actually have an alerting or a disorienting effect on the elderly, says Shives. Other OTC options include melatonin supplements and valerian extracts, although evidence of the effectiveness of either is slim, a National Institutes of Health insomnia consensus panel concluded in 2005. And, as Shives says of melatonin, valerian, and similar substances, "Nobody's regulating this stuff."

Don't drink to sleep. Sure, sloshing down a little Pinot Noir will put you to sleep, but as the alcohol is metabolized by the body, it fragments sleep, which tends to cause nighttime awakenings and next-day tiredness. "People have the misconception that alcohol helps," says Ralph Downey III, chief of sleep medicine at the Loma Linda University Medical Center in California. "It doesn't."

Create a barrier between work and sleep. You want to have some sort of break from the day's stress before sleep, advises Lawrence Epstein, medical director of Sleep HealthCenters in Boston and coauthor of The Harvard Medical School Guide to a Good Night's Sleep. If you know you're going to bed at 10:30, stop your day at 10:15, or sooner if you can. Shortchanging that break can be a recipe for insomnia. Write down all the things you need to worry about on a piece of paper, and do your best to leave them behind. Whether asleep or awake, there's likely nothing you can do about them until tomorrow, anyway.

Don't "catastrophize." People who can't sleep tend to compound the problem by fretting about the consequences of their sleeplessness, like the possibility that they'll do a bad job at work and get fired. Catastrophizing a sleep problem, however, tends to further engrain it, says Shives. "I try to get [people] to calm down," she says. "But that's kind of like telling a depressed person to perk up."

Retreat to a "safe room." Don't stew in bed. Create a "safe room" to retreat to when sleep escapes you, Downey advises. If awake for more than 20 minutes after your head hits the pillow, get out of bed and go to that room. Don't turn on a light, don't go on the Internet, don't read a book; just relax, he says, for 20 minutes, or until sleepy. Repeat as necessary, all night long. This process is called conditioning. You want to prevent your bedroom from becoming associated with frustration. If you live in a dorm or a studio apartment, Downey says, use a screen to carve out a sitting nook away from the bed.

Exercise. While experts advise against vigorous exercise too close to bedtime, a morning or evening workout can be beneficial. "We know that it promotes the slowest waves of sleep," says Mary Susan Esther, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Not working? Talk to your doctor. Everybody may have episodes of sleep trouble. But if insomnia persists for several weeks, especially if it's disrupting your daytime activities, discuss it with a doctor or ask to be referred to a sleep specialist. (A survey released this week by the National Sleep Foundation found that only 32 percent of Americans who have sleep problems discuss them with their doctors.) Some people may be physiologically susceptible to chronic insomnia, says Epstein, while others may bring it on by developing bad coping habits. If an underlying psychiatric condition isn't to blame, says Downey, untreated insomnia could end up contributing to one. "Jump on [insomnia] within six months or you [may] end up treating depression, anxiety, and [other psychiatric] disorders" later, he says. Prescription medications may be explored but are usually a last resort, says Kryger. Cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps people unlearn bad behaviors, is another possibility.
Source

Natural cleaner: lemon

Lemons

The acid in lemon juice removes dirt and rust stains. It’s especially effective when mixed with salt, which makes “an excellent scouring paste,” says Karyn Siegel-Maier, author of The Naturally Clean Home (Storey Publishing, $13, amazon.com).
Price: About 50 cents a lemon.

Use Them to Clean Your…
Countertops: Dip the cut side of a lemon half in baking soda to tackle countertops; wipe with a wet sponge and dry. Don’t use on delicate stone, like marble, or stainless steel (it may discolor).

Cutting boards: To remove tough food stains from light wood and plastic cutting boards, slice a lemon in half, squeeze onto the soiled surface, rub, and let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing.

Dishes: To increase the grease-cutting power of your dishwashing detergent, add a teaspoon of lemon juice.

Faucets: Combat lime scale by rubbing lemon juice onto the taps and letting it sit overnight. Wipe with a damp cloth.

Garbage disposal: Cut a lemon in half, then run both pieces through the disposal. “The lemon cleans it and makes it smell great,” says Linda Mason Hunter, a coauthor of Green Clean (Melcher Media, $17, amazon.com).

Grout: Spilled morning coffee on your tile countertop or backsplash? Here’s how to tackle grout stains: Add lemon juice to 1 or 2 teaspoons cream of tartar (an acidic salt that acts as a natural bleaching agent) to make a paste. Apply with a toothbrush, then rinse.

Hands: When you touch raw fish, the smell can linger on your fingers. Rub your hands with lemon juice, which will neutralize the odor.

Laundry: To brighten whites, add 1/2 cup lemon juice to the rinse cycle for a normal-size load.

Plastic food-storage containers: To bleach stains from tomato soup and other acidic foods on dishwasher-safe items, rub lemon juice on the spots, let dry in a sunny place, then wash as usual.

Caffeine

Caffeine
Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant found in the leaves, seeds, or fruit of over sixty plants around the world. Caffeine exists in the coffee bean in Arabia, the tea leaf in China, the kola nut in West Africa, and the cocoa bean in Mexico. Because of its use throughout all societies, caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world. The most common caffeine sources in North America and Europe are coffee and tea. Since about 1980, extensive research has been conducted on how caffeine affects health. Most experts agree that moderate use of caffeine (300 milligrams, or about three cups of coffee, per day) is not likely to cause health problems.
How Caffeine Affects the Body

Caffeine is best known for its stimulant, or "wake-up," effect. Once a person consumes caffeine, it is readily absorbed by the body and carried around in the bloodstream, where its level peaks about one hour after consumption. Caffeine mildly stimulates the nervous and cardiovascular systems. It affects the brain and results in elevated mood, decreased fatigue, and increased attentiveness, so a person can think more clearly and work harder. It also increases the heart rate, blood flow, respiratory rate, and metabolic rate for several hours. When taken before bedtime, caffeine can interfere with getting to sleep or staying asleep.

Exactly how caffeine will affect an individual, and for how long, depends on many factors, including the amount of caffeine ingested, whether one is male or female, one's height and weight, one's age, and whether one is pregnant or smokes. Caffeine is converted by the liver into substances that are excreted in the urine.

Some people are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than others. With frequent use, tolerance to many of the effects of caffeine will develop. At doses of 600 milligrams (about six cups of coffee) or more daily, caffeine can cause nervousness, sweating, tenseness, upset stomach, anxiety, and insomnia. It can also prevent clear thinking and increase the side effects of certain medications. This level of caffeine intake represents a significant health risk.

Caffeine can be mildly addictive. Even when moderate amounts of caffeine are withdrawn for 18 to 24 hours, one may feel symptoms such as headache, fatigue, irritability, depression, and poor concentration. The symptoms peak within 24 to 48 hours and progressively decrease over the course of a week. To minimize withdrawal symptoms, experts recommend reducing caffeine intake gradually.

CAFFEINE IN FOODS AND BEVERAGES.
CAFFEINE IN FOODS AND BEVERAGES.

Food/Beverage Caffeine (milligrams)
Coffee
Espresso coffee, brewed, 8 fluid ounces 502
Coffee, brewed, 8 fluid ounces 85
Coffee, instant, 8 fluid ounces 62
Coffee, brewed, decaffeinated, 8 fluid ounces 3
Coffee, instant, decaffeinated, 8 fluid ounces 2
Tea
Tea, brewed, 8 fluid ounces 47
Tea, herbal, brewed, 8 fluid ounces 0
Tea, instant, 8 fluid ounces 29
Tea, brewed, decaffeinated, 8 fluid ounces 3
Chocolate Beverages
Hot chocolate, 8 fluid ounces 5
Chocolate milk, 8 fluid ounces 5
Soft Drinks
Cola, 12 ounce can 37
Cola, with higher caffeine, 12 ounce can 100
Cola or pepper-type, diet, 12 ounce can 49
Cola or pepper-type, regular or diet, without caffeine, 12 ounce can 0
Lemon-lime soda, regular or diet, 12 ounce can 0
Lemon-lime soda, with caffeine, 12 ounce can 55
Ginger ale, regular or diet, 12 ounce can 0
Root beer, regular or diet, 12 ounce can 0
Chocolate
Milk chocolate bar, 1.55 ounces 9
M & M milk chocolate candies, 1.69 ounces 5
Dark chocolate, semisweet, 1 ounce 20
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 16 July 2003.
Caffeine in Food and Drugs

Due to its stimulant properties, caffeine is used around the world in any of its many forms, such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, and chocolate. The accompanying table displays the amount of caffeine in foods. An eight-ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee has about 85 milligrams of caffeine, whereas the same amount of brewed tea contains about 47 milligrams. Twelve-ounce cans of soft drinks (soda) provide about 35 to 45 milligrams of caffeine.

The caffeine content of coffee and tea depends on the variety of the coffee bean or tea leaf, the particle size, the brewing method, and the length of brewing or steeping time. Brewed coffee has more caffeine than instant coffee, and espresso has more caffeine than brewed coffee. Espresso is made by forcing hot pressurized water through finely ground, dark-roast beans. Because it is brewed with less water, it contains more caffeine than regular coffee per fluid ounce.

In soft drinks, caffeine is both a natural and an added ingredient. About 5 percent of the caffeine in colas and pepper-flavored soft drinks is obtained naturally from cola nuts; the remaining 95 percent is added. Caffeine-free drinks contain virtually no caffeine and make up a small part of the soft-drink market.

Numerous prescription and nonprescription drugs also contain caffeine. Caffeine increases the ability of aspirin and other painkillers to do their job, and it is often used in headache and pain-relief remedies as well as in cold products and alertness or stay-awake tablets. When caffeine is an ingredient, it must be listed on the product label.

Though it has mildly addictive properties, caffeine taken in moderation is not considered to be a health risk, and may improve athletic performance. [AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.]
Though it has mildly addictive properties, caffeine taken in moderation is not considered to be a health risk, and may improve athletic performance.
[AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.]

Caffeine and Health

Current research on how caffeine affects a variety of health issues is summarized below. Keep in mind that most experts agree that moderate use of caffeine is not likely to cause any health problems.

* Studies have looked at the effects of caffeine on heart health. Moderate caffeine consumption does not appear to adversely affect cardiovascular health.
* Caffeine appears to increase the excretion of calcium, a mineral needed for healthy bones. Calcium is particularly important to prevent osteoporosis, a bone disease characterized by loss of bone strength and seen especially in older women (although men get it too). Moderate caffeine intake does not seem to cause a problem with calcium, as long as one is consuming the recommended amount (adult men and women should be taking between 1,000 and 1,200 milligrams of calcium, depending on age and gender).
* In the past there have been concerns that the caffeine in coffee may cause cancer. Research has shown that caffeine in coffee does not cause breast or intestinal cancer. However, not enough research has been done to determine if caffeine in coffee is involved in urinary bladder or pancreatic cancer. Taken in moderation, it is unlikely that caffeine will cause cancer.
* Evidence suggests that, at levels over 500 milligrams per day, caffeine may delay conception. Moderate caffeine consumption does not appear to be of concern to women trying to get pregnant. Moderate consumption is also important for a healthy pregnancy. Excessive caffeine intake has been associated with miscarriages and low birth weight babies.
* Because children have developing nervous systems, it is important to moderate their caffeine consumption. For children, major sources of caffeine include soft drinks and chocolate.
* Caffeine may be useful as part of a weight control program because it increases the rate at which the body burns calories for three or more hours after being consumed.
* Caffeine's ability to improve physical performance is well known among well-trained athletes. Through a mechanism that is not completely understood, caffeine seems to increase endurance and speed in some situations. Excessive use of caffeine is restricted in international competitions.

Karen Eich Drummond

Reduce Headaches with Regular Exercise

Reduce Headaches with Regular Exercise

If you suffer from frequent headaches or migraines, chances are you shy away from exercise for fear of inducing a headache. You may be surprised to hear you can find relief through exercise. A recent Swedish study published in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain showed that exercise does not seem to increase migraines. In fact, regular activity can reduce the number of migraines, the intensity of migraines and the need for pain medication.

The exercise program in the study was specific: for twelve weeks, 26 participants exercised for a total of 40 minutes. This included a 15-minute warm-up, followed by 20 minutes of more vigorous activity, and then ending with a 5-minute cool-down period. Researchers kept track of each participant's maximum use of oxygen (VO2MAX) to measure their fitness level.

Study participants logged their migraines during the entire study. They made note of the days in which the migraines occurred, how painful they were and how much pain medication was used during each occurrence.

By the end of the study, participants were logging fewer migraines; they occurred less often and with less intensity. Participants were also able to use less pain medication to treat their migraines. Maximum oxygen uptake was also noticeably increased.

Emma Varkey, of the Cephalea Headache Centre in Gothenburg, Sweden and co-author of the study says, "While the optimal amount of exercise for patients with migraine remains unknown, our evaluated program can now be tested further and compared to pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments to see if exercise can prevent migraine."

Two large surveys in Norway produced conclusions similar to those of the Swedish study. The surveys questioned more than 68,000 adults about their exercise habits and their headache symptoms. Findings show that people who don't exercise are 14 percent more likely to experience headaches. It also points out that those who already deal with head pain may be less inclined to exercise.

Exercise is linked to many health benefits, including the prevention of health problems like diabetes and heart disease. It's important not to shun exercise, even if you suffer from frequent headaches or migraines. Instead, try to find a form of exercise that agrees with you. Including a warm-up period and monitoring the intensity of your work-out may help. Activities like yoga or outdoor walks may also help bring exercise back into your life. And with a benefit of reduced headaches, it's bound to be worth a try.

Sources:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/boo...

http://sciencemode.com/2009/03/30/s...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933..

Cell phones may be hazardous to your health

Cell phones may be hazardous to your health

By Karen Abernathy - bio | email

More than three billion people use cell phones worldwide. Americans average about 13 hours a month talking on cell phones. But how much do you know about the risks of using cell phones?

There's some new information about the possible downsides of cell phone use you may not be aware of, that may have you thinking twice before you make your next call.

Men beware! a new study shows cell phone usage may be linked to infertility problems. Sperm health and sperm count are being studied at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ashok Aganwai, PhD, is the Director for Reproductive Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. He says they found, "There was degradation in the quality of the sperm in the group which was exposed to the cell phone for one hour."

Men who used their cell phones for more than four hours per day had the lowest quality of sperm.

That's not the only potential risk:

-Another recent study showed heavy cell phone use is linked to a 50-percent increased risk for developing tumors of the salivary gland.

-Studies show it takes twice as long for a person to fall asleep after talking on a cell phone for just 30 minutes.

-Studies show you could get what doctors call "mobile phone dermatitis" or a rash on the face, in reaction to the nickel in some cell phones.

-Your hands aren't free of risk either. Those who send a lot of texts may be at risk for "blackberry thumb" -- sore digits from overuse and repetition.

Experts also fear the younger you start using a cell phone regularly, the greater your risks. To minimize the potential risks, experts recommend using hands-free devices, and hold the phone away from the body. Less frequent calls that are shorter in duration may also be a good precautionary step.

Source

Cell phone usage increases the risk of brain tumour?

Cell phone usage increases the risk of brain tumour?
Audrey Micah, Ghanadot

Accra, April 11, Ghanadot - There has been an on-going debate about the safety of cell phones for many years. Not surprisingly, the cell phone industry and various health authorities have countered to assure users that the technology is safe. However, recent research now suggests otherwise.

According to Dr. Vini Khurana, an award-winning cancer expert, mobile phones could kill far more people than smoking.

He said people should avoid using them if possible and urged government and the mobile phone industry to take "immediate steps" to reduce exposure to their radiation.

Cell phones are more like radios than traditional telephones in your home. They emit low levels of radiofrequency energy (RF) in the microwave range while being used. They also emit very low levels of RF when in the stand-by mode.

Using a cell phone can place the radiation antenna close to the user’s brain and this can lead to the absorption of comparatively large amounts of electromagnetic energy.

In an interview on Peace FM, the customer Relations Executive of "I 2" Limited, main distributors of Nokia phones in Ghana, Ms. Faith, admitted that, mobile phones can save lives in emergencies, but added that "there is a significant and increasing body of evidence which links mobile phone usage to certain brain tumours. This, she said, will "definitively be proven" in the next decade.

Ms. Faith added that it is advisable for people to stop using several phones or a phone which uses two chips at the same time - because scientists have proven that radiation from two phones made an egg cook during an experiment, giving reason why Nokia has not produced phones that uses two chips.



Ghanadot

Broccoli the 'miracle vegetable' prevents stomach cancer

Broccoli the 'miracle vegetable' prevents stomach cancer
08 April 2009

It’s already known as the miracle vegetable, and now researchers have discovered that broccoli can also prevent stomach cancer.

Eating just two and a half ounces of broccoli sprouts for two months can help prevent you getting the stomach bug Helicobactor pylori, responsible for gastritis, ulcers and stomach cancer.

Scientists reckon the vegetable, eaten in these proportions, can reduce the level of HpSA, a measure of H pylori presence, by 40 per cent. By comparison, HpSA levels didn’t go down in people who ate alfalfa sprouts.

Broccoli’s magic ingredient is sulforaphane, and it’s found more in the sprouts than the vegetable’s heads.

Sulforaphane was first recognised as a potent antibiotic against the H pylori bug in 2002.

(Source: Cancer Prevention Research, 2009; 2: 353).

Mobile phone use may increase brain cancer risk.

Mobile phone use may increase brain cancer risk.

Apr 10, 2009

Kundi, M. 2009. The controversy about a possible relationship between mobile phone use and cancer. Environmental Health Perspectives. 117 (3): 316-324.
Synopsis by Jonathan Chevrier, Ph.D.

An analysis of previously published studies suggests that long-term mobile phone use may increase the risk of brain cancer.

While the number of people who own mobile phones has dramatically increased in the last decade, so has the controversy about the possible relationship between cell phone use and brain cancer risk.

The electromagnetic field that mobile phones generate is suspected of causing brain cancer.

Most of the studies investigating the effect of using mobile phones for less than 10 years found no association with brain cancer risk. However, the risk of glioma, a type of brain cancer, was increased by 50 percent in people who used mobile phones for 10 years or more relative to people who never used mobile phones. Risks of other types of brain cancers, such as acoustic neuroma and meningioma also tended to increase with mobile phone use.

Although a 50 percent increase in brain tumors would have significant impacts in terms of public health, Micheal Kundi, the author of the report, indicated that the individual risk would remain low given that lifetime brain tumor risk is only 4 to 8 per 1,000 persons in industrialized countries. More research on long term mobile phone use is however needed as these types of cancers take many years to develop.

Kundi reviewed results from 25 brain tumor studies published between 1999 and 2008. The information in those studies was collected through in-person interviews, computer-assisted interviews or mail-in questionnaires. Researchers then assessed mobile phone use in those with brain cancers relative to those without (controls).

Source

Ginger, Turmeric, Neem Declared "Hazardous" in Thailand After Chemical Companies Try to Protect Pesticide Profits

Ginger, Turmeric, Neem Declared "Hazardous" in Thailand After Chemical Companies Try to Protect Pesticide Profits

The government of Thailand has classified 13 plants - traditionally used as herbal medicines and natural pesticides - as "hazardous substances," causing outrage among farmers and advocates of traditional medicine.

The plants - including ginger, turmeric, neem and chili - have been classified by the Industry Ministry as "hazardous substances type 1," requiring all manufacturers, growers, importers or exporters of any products made from the plants to follow strict safety and quality control rules or face up to six months in jail and a 50,000 baht ($1,400) fine.

Farmers' groups have objected to the new rules as an unfair burden on organic farmers, who will now have to pay more for the registration, packaging and testing of non-synthetic pesticides. They have also objected that the list was developed without any consultation of farmers who would be affected.

"The government keeps promoting organic farming and reduction of chemical use," said Tussanee Verakan, coordinator of the Alternative Agriculture Network. "Why did they put such heavy restrictions on organic substances which are the heart of organic farming?"

Witoon Lianchamroon of the organic farming nonprofit Biothai said he suspects that the move is intended to benefit chemical companies by putting obstacles in the path of those who would otherwise prefer natural alternatives. Because natural pesticides are less toxic and substantially cheaper than imported chemical pesticides, recent years have seen large numbers of Thai farmers abandoning chemical products.

"Instead of tightening controls on these farmer-friendly herbal plants, the committee should crack down on multinational companies who exploit Thai farmers by luring them into buying their highly toxic and costly products," Witoon said.

Alternative medicine practitioners have also reacted angrily to the decision. According to Prapot Paetrakas, deputy director-general of the Department for Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, all 13 newly regulated plants are central to the practice of traditional Thai medicine.

Sources for this story include: www.bangkokpost.com.

Green burials: A dying wish to be 'home for fish'

Green burials: A dying wish to be 'home for fish'
Carole Dunham, 69, loved the ocean. Last July, she was diagnosed with cancer and had only a few months to live. Dunham knew her last footprint had to be a green one, and she started looking into eco-friendly alternatives to traditional burial.
Carole Dunham, 69, had her remains memorialized on an offshore reef.

Carole Dunham, 69, had her remains memorialized on an offshore reef.
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The concept of "going green" has taken new life in the death care industry as eco-minded companies tap into the needs of those like Dunham.

From biodegradable caskets to natural burial sites, death is becoming less of a dark matter than a green one.

Dunham, an avid scuba diver, chose an eco-friendly company that would combine her cremated remains to form an artificial memorial reef.

"She loved the idea of always being in the water as an alternative to being cremated and scattered," said her daughter Nina Dunham.

Dying is arguably the most natural phenomenon in the world, but modern death rituals -- embalming with formaldehyde-based solutions and traditional burial in concrete vaults -- are not nature-friendly, according to environmentalists.

Along with its dead, the United States buries 1.6 million tons of reinforced concrete, 827,060 tons of toxic embalming fluid, 90,000 tons of steel (from caskets), and 30 million tons of hardwood board each year, according to the Green Burial Council, an independent nonprofit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

"We can rebuild the Golden Gate Bridge with that amount of metal," said Joe Sehee, the council's executive director. "The amount of concrete is enough to build a two-lane highway from New York to Detroit."
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Sehee established a burgeoning network of death-care providers that have earned a green thumbs-up in the council's eco-certification program, the first of its kind in the industry.

"We want to reduce carbon emissions, waste and toxins in the death care industry and utilize burial to steward natural areas in the U.S.," said Sehee.

Among the certified eco-providers is Eternal Reefs, based in Decatur, Georgia.

"We're the surf and turf of natural burial," said George Frankel, CEO of Eternal Reefs.

The company takes the green movement to sea level by offering a living legacy in the form of underwater reefs used to create new marine habitats for fish and other sea life. The artificial reefs are cast from a mixture of environmentally safe cement and cremated remains.

Eternal Reefs was the logical choice for Dunham, who died on November 3. "She liked the idea of being a home for fish," said her daughter.

This month, Dunham will travel to Florida to see her mother's reef lowered off the coast of North Miami Beach. Other families will join her, wearing shorts and T-shirts instead of dark suits and dresses. They will have a chance to decorate the reefs with flowers and other sea-friendly mementos.

A brass plaque will help Dunham identify her mother's reef. She intends to visit the underwater memorial by scuba diving there in the future.

"These reefs will be covered up with sea life in a very short period of time, so they make a significant contribution," Frankel said. The reefs last about 500 years, and so far about 300 have been dropped off the coasts of Florida, South Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, Texas and Virginia.

Another eco-provider certified by the Green Burial Council is UK-based Eco Coffins Ltd., which allows its customers to design their own 100 percent biodegradable coffins, made from 90 percent recycled grid honeycomb cardboard. The company says the coffins release 72 percent less carbon monoxide in the cremation process compared to a traditional coffin.

"We are appealing to customers to make the responsible choice," said Sophie Dansie, founder and director of Eco Coffins. "The fact that standard chipboard is full of resins and formaldehyde, which is either released into the earth when buried or as emissions when burnt, is really unknown to the general public."
Buried yearly

* Reinforced concrete: 1.6 million tons
* Toxic embalming fluid: 827,060 tons
* Steel from caskets: 90,000 tons
* Hardwood from caskets: 30 million tons


Source: Green Burial Council

The vibrant coffins have even captured some attention in Hollywood. They have a cameo as props in the upcoming film "Powder Blue."

An eco-friendly funeral can also help conserve land and protect it from development. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is working with the Green Burial Council to become the first state-park agency to offer cremation-based green burials. The funds raised from the services will be used to acquire new state park lands.

"We want burials to be more sustainable for the planet, more meaningful for the planet and economically viable for the provider," said Sehee. "We don't want this to be a marketing gimmick that diminishes the social and ecological benefits of this concept," he emphasized.

The death care industry, like others, has its share of green hype. While it might be a bit macabre for some, CoffinCouches.com sells eclectic couches made out of used coffins. Founder Vidal Herrera buys unwanted or slightly damaged coffins from funeral homes that would otherwise go to a landfill.

From these discarded materials, Herrera designs artsy Goth couches you might see in a music video or a tattoo parlor. Herrera's clientele includes musicians, actors and others who can afford $3,500 for a couch.

Hype or no hype, the decision is a personal one that ultimately rests with an individual or family. Sehee emphasizes that the Green Burial Council is careful not to diminish anyone's choices or make recommendations about the greenest way to go.

"There are shades of green and people can distinguish one shade from another," he said.

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The Economy: Why it feels even worse

The Economy: Why it feels even worse

As you've heard us and others report, the U.S. economy, more so than other worldwide economies, is dependent on spending decisions made by consumers. Consumer behavior drives spending habits, spending habits drive corporate profitability, and corporate profitability drives the stock market.

Success in the stock market is one of those things that make Americans feel better about the economy, along with increases in wages (not happening) and increases in home prices (also not happening).

Typically, we measure economic strength or weakness using the GDP, or Gross Domestic Product, which is historically thought of as the broadest measure of economic activity.

But, while GDP may be a good measure of the whole economy (and it may not be, but that's another story), it doesn't reflect all the things that matter to you.

In the fall, we took a look at five measures of the economy that reflect how things really are out there, to see if your fears and concerns are justified. The measures we chose are those that we "touch" on a daily basis.

We looked at how the economy is affecting you, via jobs, personal income, personal savings, industrial production, and home prices.

We charted them on a scale of 0-to-10: 0 being the worst that each of them has been since 1980; 10 being the best.

1980 was our starting point because experts agree that the economy before then was so different from what it is now that it would be like comparing apples and oranges.

Now, over a year into the recession, we're taking a look at it again.
We call it the CNN "Real Feel Economic Index."

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Irradiated Foods Cause Severe Neurological Damage

Irradiated Foods Cause Severe Neurological Damage

In a study just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) report on cats developing severe neurological symptoms due to a degradation of myelin, the fatty insulator of nerve fibers called axons. Because myelin facilitates the conduction of nerve signals, when it is lost or damaged there can be impairment of sensation, movement, thinking and other functions, depending on what particular nerves are affected. This loss of myelin is found in several disorders of the central nervous system in humans -- the best known being multiple sclerosis (MS).

So what caused the cats to develop neurological problems? Although the researchers' statement to the media practically buries the fact, a close read shows the animals were fine until fed irradiated food. What's more, when they were taken off the irradiated diet, the animals' nervous systems began healing.

The new study took place when the researchers were faced with reports of a mysterious illness in pregnant cats. A commercial company had been testing various diets on the animals to see how the food impacted growth and development in the felines. The food used, it turns out, had been irradiated. Irradiation, which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for many human as well as animal foods, involves exposing foods briefly to a radiant energy source such as gamma rays or electron beams in order to kill bacteria.

Some of the cats eating the irradiated cat food exhibited very severe neurological symptoms, including movement disorders, vision loss and even paralysis. "After being on the diet for three to four months, the pregnant cats started to develop progressive neurological disease," said Ian Duncan, a professor of medical sciences at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and an authority on demyelinating diseases, in a statement to the media.

The sick cats were shown to have widely distributed the very severe demyelization of the central nervous system. Their neurological symptoms were very much like those seen in people with MS and other demyelization disorders. When the felines were taken off the irradiated foods, they began to recover slowly. However, according to Dr. Duncan, the restored myelin sheaths were no longer as thick as normal myelin sheaths.

The finding is important, the scientists concluded in their study, because it shows the central nervous system retains the ability to reestablish myelin -- so strategies that could be developed to spur the growth of new myelin sheaths anywhere nerves themselves are preserved could be a possible therapy for treating a host of severe neurological diseases in humans. "The key thing is that it absolutely confirms the notion that remyelinating strategies are clinically important," Duncan stated.

Curiously, although the scientists' related their findings to possible human applications, they were quick to dismiss a possible connection between people, irradiated food and health risk. "We think it is extremely unlikely that (irradiated food) could become a human health problem," Duncan explained in the media statement. "We think it is species specific."

However, not everyone agrees irradiated food is fine for humans or animals. According to the Center for Food Safety, studies have shown irradiation produces volatile toxic chemicals such as benzene and toluene, which are known or suspected to cause cancer and birth defects. A 2001 study found an association between colon tumors and 2-alkylcyclobutanones (2-ACB's), a new chemical compound detected only in foods that have been irradiated.

For more information:
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/...
http://firedoglake.com/2008/08/23/n...
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/catalog/i...

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